Britain's top economist has called on the Government to spearhead a tech revolution for millions of firms, creating a 'faster and smarter' economy as the country fights its way back from the Covid-19 crisis. Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane writing in his capacity as chairman of the Industrial Strategy Council said a new blueprint must be drawn up with a raft of measures, including tax incentives and access to finance to feed an 'appetite' among firms to adopt new technology. The surprise intervention in a joint document prepared for The Mail on Sunday by Haldane and former John Lewis Partnership chairman Sir Charlie Mayfield comes just weeks ahead of an expected Spending Review by Chancellor Rishi Sunak. Plea: Andy Haldane is calling on Rishi Sunak to draft a new blueprint for the economy It is unusual for a senior official who also holds a high-ranking position at the Bank of England to make such broad-reaching policy recommendations. Haldane, who sits on the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee, and Mayfield want small and medium-sized companies to urgently adopt or update software across key areas such as accounting, HR, customer relationship management and marketing. The paper says the economic recovery in July was 'further and faster than anyone expected' after the collapse in the second quarter. But the writers say it is vital to seize 'the opportunities, as well as the obvious challenges, of Covid' and 'technologically upgrade our businesses and our economy'. UK business has been a 'laggard' in adopting new technology despite playing 'a leading role' in developing it, the paper says. 'That is particularly true among the smaller and mid-sized businesses which employ nearly two thirds of people working in the UK. This explains why, despite rapid innovation, aggregate productivity among UK companies has flat lined for more than a decade.' Haldane and Mayfield add: 'Technology adoption needs to be at the heart of industrial policy. Levelling up the UK's companies, through improved tech adoption, is an essential element of levelling up our regions.' The paper which the MoS has made available in full at thisismoney.co.uk calls for 'incentives for companies to make the right investment choices' and to make it easier for them 'to access finance to fund this investment'. It also calls for support through advice shared by large corporations with smaller firms, through local 'tech hubs' and online. A survey of 500 small and medium firms released alongside the paper reveals one in eight are using systems more than a decade old and another third using systems six to ten years old. A third said they have acquired technology that has barely been used. But the paper says the Covid crisis has presented a major opportunity because 'rapid and radical technological adoption has been essential to the survival of many firms'. Mayfield chairs Be The Business, a Government-backed organisation set up to solve Britain's sluggish productivity largely by encouraging wider use of technology. Its research has revealed adoption of new technology among businesses rose four times faster during the crisis than it did for the entirety of 2019. In many cases, firms were forced to act as they switched to working from home. Mayfield said last night: 'Business technology has not kept pace with consumer technology. It's not just about Zoom and it's not about AI and advanced technology. 'It's about wider adoption of pretty well-established tools that have been proven to improve growth of businesses that use them accounting and HR software, CRM [customer relationship management] systems, online trading, export tools and really getting to grips with social media and marketing.' But there had been resistance in the past from firms fearful of the disruption that implementing new technology can cause. 'It's hard work and it's difficult,' he said. Referring to John Lewis's experiences implementing new IT systems since 2014, Mayfield said: 'I have the scars on my back from a well-resourced business that has found tech adoption difficult. It costs a lot, took longer than planned and at the end of it all the benefits weren't quite as clear as they were at the beginning.' 'But I've no doubt we did the right thing. If we hadn't, the business would be in a far worse position than if it hadn't,' added Mayfield, who left John Lewis earlier this year. He said Be The Business was piloting 'tech adoption labs' across the country and large companies had offered 'chief technology officers on demand' to help firms cope. 'We've got the template, we've got the playbook, we've got Britain's best businesses and access to expertise Cisco, Openreach, Amazon, Google. We are asking the Government to make this a priority for rebuilding the UK.' He added: 'Eat Out to Help Out has had a pretty dramatic impact on restaurants. What we need is a similar message for business leaders, something along the lines of 'Tech Up to Grow Out'. It should become a fundamental part of the recovery.' On September 22, 1980, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein sent troops into neighbouring Iran, starting an eight year war in which hundreds of thousands were killed. One of the deadliest wars in the Middle East, it was rooted in a border dispute between the two oil producing nations. Five years earlier, in March 1975, a deal signed in Algiers between the Shah of Iran and Saddam Hussein -- then Iraq's vice president -- had tried to settle the argument. The Algiers accord ruled that their border ran along the centre of the Shatt al-Arab, a 200 kilometre (125 mile) long river formed by the meeting of the Tigris and the Euphrates, and that flows into the Gulf. But in April 1980, Baghdad accused Tehran -- now the Islamic Republic of Iran, after the 1979 toppling of the Shah -- of plotting attacks. Iraq called for the evacuation of three strategic islands in the Strait of Hormuz, claimed by both Iran and the United Arab Emirates. On September 17, Baghdad said the Algiers accord was null and void. It demanded all of the Shatt al-Arab. - Early Iraqi victories - Both sides launched major offensives against each other causing massive destruction, with this April 20, 1988 photograph showing Iraqi soldiers celebrating after a victory / AFP/File On September 22, Saddam Hussein sent soldiers into Iran. His air force bombed airports -- including that of Iran's capital Tehran -- as well as military targets, and oil industry infrastructure. The oil refinery of Abadan, one of the biggest in Iran, was shut down. In the first weeks, Iraqi forces met little resistance. They seized the towns of Qasr-e Shirin and Mehran, and captured Iran's southwestern port of Khorramshahr, where the Shatt al-Arab meets the sea. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait swiftly offered support to Baghdad. Arab nations -- including the rich Gulf countries dominated by Sunni Muslim leaders -- gave billions of dollars to Iraq. They saw Saddam Hussein as a bulwark against the Islamic Revolution of Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a Shiite Muslim. Western countries, alarmed at the Iranian clerics who overthrew their old ally in Tehran, the Shah, sold weapons to Iraq. - Iran pushes back - Iraq's leader Saddam Hussein began the war with attacks on Iran including an aerial bombardment then sending in ground troops, with this December 8, 1980, photograph showing an Iraqi tank trapped in flood waters outside the Iranian town of Ahvaz / AFP/File In March 1982, Iran launched a major counter-attack in the southwestern oil province of Khuzestan, taking back its port of Khorramshahr. Baghdad announced a ceasefire and pulled back troops. But Tehran rejected the ceasefire. Iran continues the fight, bombarding the major Iraqi city of Basra, and in July, begins an offensive on the southern front. Iraq in August blockades the main oil terminal on Kharg Island, just off Iran's coast. From April 1984, the two sides engage in a "war of the cities". Some 30 cities on both sides are battered by missile attacks. - Gas attacks - In 1984, Iran accuses Iraq of using chemical weapons on its soldiers in battles in the marshes of Majnoon. The UN confirms the accusations. When Baghdad imposed a maritime blockade of Iran, Tehran began attacking oil tankers in the Gulf, with this December 6, 1987, photograph showing a Singapore-flagged tanker blown up by an Iranian warship in Omani waters / AFP/File Baghdad strengthens its maritime blockade of Iran. Tehran responds by attacking oil tankers loading up at Gulf ports of Iraq's allies. In 1986, as Iraq launches raids on Kharg, Iran's army crosses the Shatt al-Arab and seizes the Faw Peninsula, in Iraq's south east. In June 1987, Iraq drops poison gas canisters on the Iranian town of Sardasht. In March 1988, Baghdad is again accused of using chemical weapons -- this time against its own population, in the Iraqi town of Halabja. The town was controlled by Kurdish fighters, backed by Iran. Some 5,000 were killed in Halabja by the gas attacks. - At least 650,000 killed - Iraq used chemical weapons against Iranian soldiers, then civilians, and then against its own people, with this March 20, 1988, released by Iran's official news agency IRNA showing the victims of a gas attack in Halabja in northeastern Iraq / IRNA/AFP/File From April 1988, Iraq launches another offensive, taking back Faw, Majnoon and the southern region of Shalamsheh. Iran is pushed back across the Shatt al-Arab. On July 18, Ayatollah Khomeini accepts a UN Security Council resolution -- approved a year earlier and already accepted by Iraq -- to stop the fighting. "This decision was for me even more painful than taking poison, (but) I accepted that that was what God had decided," Ayatollah Khomeini said. While the exact number of those killed in the war is not known, at least 650,000 died, roughly two-thirds of them Iranians, according to French historian Pierre Razoux. A ceasefire is declared on August 20, 1988. However, it takes two more years before the Algiers accord is restored, in August 1990, for Baghdad to withdraw troops from Iran, and for an exchange of prisoners of war. 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. Seven years after Roderick Rist, armed with four handguns, opened fire on a Covington law firm, an appeals court has upheld the trial judge's ruling that St. Tammany Parish's sheriff and coroner were not legally culpable in the shooting spree. The plaintiff, Robin Dominique, was manager of lawyer Tim Upton's office and was alone there on July 30, 2013, when Rist showed up with two .22-caliber revolvers and two 9mm pistols and fired 60 to 80 rounds then fatally shot himself. Judge dismisses St. Tammany sheriff from suit filed by woman in lawyer's office shooting A state judge has dismissed the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office from a civil lawsuit filed by a woman who said the agency acted negligentl Amazingly, Dominique wasn't hit. But in a lawsuit filed in 2014, she said she was left with physical and emotional injuries, including post-traumatic stress disorder. She asserted that the Sheriff's Office was negligent because it did not properly investigate previous threats of violence by an unstable individual, returned weapons that earlier had been taken from Rist's home in Slidell and didn't arrest Rist when a deputy performed a welfare check on him the day before the shooting. Wednesday's divided ruling from a five-member panel of Louisiana's 1st Circuit Court of Appeal in Baton Rouge upholds a 2018 decision by 22nd Judicial District Judge Reginald Badeaux, who dismissed the Sheriff's Office from the suit on the grounds that the agency's actions were covered by a government immunity statute. Retired Judge William Burris, who is serving on the 1st Circuit Court on a temporary basis, disagreed in part, and was joined by Judge Michael Guidry. Burris wrote that he agrees with dismissing the Sheriff's Office based on the failure to arrest Rist or confiscate his guns but disagrees with whether the liability statute applies "The sheriff is very pleased with this decision from the Court of Appeal," defense attorney Chadwick Collings said. "While this was a very unfortunate event, the sheriff has always believed that his office handled this matter appropriately and that there was no merit to any of the plaintiffs claims of liability as a result of the actions of his deputies." Dominique's attorney, Jonathan E. Mitchell, did not immediatly return a call for comment Saturday. Rist's behavior leading up to the attack had twice prompted his sister to seek an order of protective custody from the coroner's office, which was also a defendant in the suit and also was dismissed by Badeaux. Both custody orders, one just weeks before Rist, 47, opened fire on Upton's law office, resulted in his being hospitalized for mental health evaluations. Deputies also removed several guns from Rist's home after the second protective order was carried out, the suit says, but returned the weapons to his mother, who ultimately gave them back to Rist. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up In late July 2013, a neighbor went to the Sheriff's Office with concerns about Rist, who had told him he planned to "take out" his divorce attorney and a judge and "go out in a blaze of glory," the suit says. Deputies told the neighbor to go to the coroner's office, which he did. But he balked at signing a protective order because he feared retribution, the suit said. The neighbor's concerns prompted Lt. Jeffrey Brady to check on Rist the day before the shooting. But after finding him to be "receptive and polite and courteous" and in a good frame of mind, Brady didn't find cause to take Rist into custody. In its ruling, the appeals court cited state law that exempts public entities from liability for employees' discretionary acts including those of the sheriff and sheriff's deputies that are carried out within the scope of their employment. Because state law says a peace officer "may" take someone into protective custody if the officer "has reasonable grounds" to believe that's needed, the deputy had discretion and therefore had immunity, the Sheriff's Office argued. The appeals court agreed that with that line of reasoning. The appeals court also rejected the plaintiff's argument that the Sheriff's Office and Brady should have investigated, identified and warned Rist's potential victims. The court again cited the immunity statute. "The sheriff points out that no duty to warn was owed as the deputies never became aware that Rist harbored homicidal ideations against Mr. Upton. ... There was simply no way for the Sheriff's Office to have known that Rist would go out and make an attack on this particular law office or this particular plaintiff," the ruling said. Even if there was such a duty to warn or protect an unidentified lawyer or judge, the ruling said, that wouldn't extend to an unidentified potential bystander such as Dominique. In his dissent, Burris said questions of fact remain: Did Brady breach his duty to act reasonably by failing to try to identify and warn potential victims, particularly Upton, about threats of violence against them? As for the decision to return the guns, the appeals court found that the guns had not been seized, were not contraband or weapons used in a crime, and Rist was not under any order prohibiting him from possessing them. What's more, no evidence was presented showing those guns were used in the attack on Upton's office. The neighbor testified that after the deputies took the guns, Rist "advised him that he had a 'butt load of guns' and the deputies 'did not get them all,'" the ruling said. President Trump gave his blessing for a TikTok deal where Oracle and Walmart would control TikTok with U.S. headquarters. (Los Angeles Times) President Trump approved the framework of a deal Saturday that would keep TikTok operating in the U.S. through a sale to Oracle and Walmart. Under the deal, the company would become U.S.-based TikTok Global, which would provide the popular video app to most users worldwide. The new company would most likely be incorporated in Texas, Trump said, and would add 25,000 jobs in the U.S. "Well see whether or not it all happens," Trump said. "But conceptually, I think its a great deal for America." Oracle and Walmart said TikTok Global would be majority-owned by American investors, with four of five board seats held by Americans. TikTok's China-based parent company, ByteDance, appears to retain partial ownership. Within a year, TikTok Global would hold an initial public stock offering. The financial terms of the deal are not yet clear. ByteDance has been under pressure by the Trump administration to divest its U.S. operations by Nov. 12 or risk a ban. Trump had signed an executive order that would require Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores at midnight Sunday, restricting new downloads and updates of the app. The president had expressed concern that TikTok's parent company could be giving information on U.S. users of TikTok to the Chinese government. TikTok said it has not shared U.S. user data with the Chinese government and that the company stores U.S. user data in Virginia and backs it up in Singapore. After Trump's comments Saturday, the Commerce Department said in a statement that it would delay until Sept. 27 enforcement of the executive order removing TikTok from U.S. app stores. "We are pleased that the proposal by TikTok, Oracle, and Walmart will resolve the security concerns of the U.S. administration and settle questions around TikTok's future in the U.S.," TikTok said in a statement. Under the deal, Oracle, which is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, would host TikTok's U.S. user data and is working on a commercial partnership with Arkansas-based Walmart, TikTok said. The companies could take up to a 20% stake in TikTok in a pre-IPO financing round, TikTok said in a statement. Story continues According to the Wall Street Journal, ByteDance would retain about 80% ownership in the spinoff but because U.S. investors own about 40% of ByteDance, the new venture could be characterized as majority American-owned. Oracle said its ownership stake would be 12.5%; Walmart said it has tentatively agreed to buy 7.5% of TikTok Global. Treasury spokeswoman Monica Crowley said approval of the deal is subject to closing with Oracle and Walmart, as well as conditions to be approved by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. Trump had earlier floated that any prospective deal should result in a direct payment into the U.S. Treasury. A news release from Oracle and Walmart made clear the new company would pay taxes in the U.S., touting it "will pay more than 5 billion in new tax dollars to the U.S. Treasury." As part of the deal, Oracle and Walmart said the new company, as well as investment firms including SIG, General Atlantic, Sequoia and Coatue, will launch an educational initiative to teach children through online videos. Any deal involving ByteDance divesting TikTok's operations would also require the approval of the Chinese government, which has been entrenched in a tense trade war with the Trump administration. China's Ministry of Commerce called for the U.S. to stop bullying and said China would take necessary measures to protect Chinese companies rights and interests. China on Saturday announced "provisions on an unreliable entity list," allowing it to take measures against foreign enterprises if they are national security threats, including barring them from investing in China or stopping them from engaging in China-related imports or exports. Some interpreted this as retaliation for Trump's actions against TikTok and a coming ban on messaging app WeChat, owned by China-based Tencent, due to national security concerns. A group of WeChat users have sued the Trump administration over the ban; a federal judge could soon decide whether to issue a preliminary injunction temporarily halting the ban. They are really quite upset about the announcements on the ban on WeChat and the continuing restrictions on TikTok unless this deal goes through, so I think theyre going to be rather slow to get their approval, said Eric Harwit, an Asian studies professor at the University of Hawaii. If ByteDance is agreeable to the deal, he thinks the Chinese government will eventually go along with it. In a statement Sunday, Chinas Ministry of Commerce said the rules it issued Saturday are not targeting any specific country or industry, and had been in the works for more than a year, since May 2019. Trump said he believes it's going to be "a fantastic deal," adding that "the technology's superior to anything in the world, and we like that." "It'll be a brand-new company," Trump said. "It will have nothing to do with China. It'll be totally secure." Oracle beat out other suitors for TikTok's operations, including its rival Microsoft. Oracle said that it will run TikTok Global on Oracle Cloud. "We are a hundred percent confident in our ability to deliver a highly secure environment to TikTok and ensure data privacy to TikTok's American users, and users throughout the world," Oracle Chief Executive Safra Catz said in a statement. "This greatly improved security and guaranteed privacy will enable the continued rapid growth of the TikTok user community to benefit all stakeholders." Oracle has close relations with the Trump administration. The companys co-founder, Larry Ellison, hosted a Trump campaign fundraiser and is a supporter of the president. Catz also served on Trumps transition team. Walmart said that it has tentatively agreed to provide its e-commerce, fulfillment and payments services to the company and that its CEO, Doug McMillon, would serve on TikTok's board. "This partnership will provide Walmart with an important way for us to expand our reach and serve omnichannel customers as well as grow our third-party marketplace, fulfillment and advertising businesses," Walmart said in a statement. Analysts say the deal could help Walmart reach younger audiences. "This could give Walmart a huge competing edge to Amazon," said Eugene Lee, chief executive of Creator Cash, a San Francisco-based app that provides financial tools and savings accounts to video creators. "Walmart probably is salivating at the mouth to be able to provide an e-commerce angle to these creators who are capturing the attention and the eyeballs of hundreds of millions and soon to be billions of people here." TikTok creators have expressed concern about a ban or sale of the TikTok app. Many remember what happened to Vine, a popular video app that shut down after it was bought by Twitter, forcing creators to rebuild their fan bases elsewhere. Many creators were hopeful about a deal, including USC student Cosette Rinab one of three TikTok creators who filed a lawsuit Friday in federal court in Philadelphia against the Trump administration, alleging a TikTok ban would violate their 1st Amendment rights. "If having a company like Oracle own parts of TikTok makes the president's administration feel more confidence in allowing TikTok to succeed and continue to grow in the U.S., then so be it," said Rinab, 21, who earns $7,000 to $12,000 a month through brand deals and integrating songs into her posts. Whether partnerships with Walmart and Oracle can maintain the popularity of TikTok, which is used by 100 million Americans, remains to be seen. "The only thing I'm worried about is whoever buys the app will run it into the ground like Vine," said Carly Lind, a 29-year-old L.A. video creator who has roughly 20,000 followers on her main TikTok account. Times Beijing Bureau Chief Alice Su and staff writer Sam Dean contributed to this report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. People in England who refuse to self-isolate to stop the spread of coronavirus could face fines of up to 10,000 ($13,000, 11,000 euros) under tough new regulations announced Saturday to tackle a surge in cases. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said this week that Britain was seeing a second wave of Covid-19, and introduced new restrictions for millions of people across northwest, northern and central England. Also read: WHO says Covid-19 situation in Europe very serious. Second lockdown in UK? In a further measure announced late Saturday, he said that from September 28 people will be legally obliged to self-isolate if they test positive or are told to by the National Health Service (NHS) tracing programme. The best way we can fight this virus is by everyone following the rules and self-isolating if theyre at risk of passing on coronavirus, Johnson said in a statement. And so nobody underestimates just how important this is, new regulations will mean you are legally obliged to do so if you have the virus or have been asked to do so by NHS Test and Trace. Currently people who have symptoms or test positive are asked to self-isolate for 10 days. Those who live with someone who either has symptoms or tests positive must self-isolate for 14 days. The new fines will start at 1,000 -- in line with breaking quarantine after international travel -- and rise to 10,000 for repeat offences and the worst breaches, including businesses that threaten self-isolating staff with redundancy, officials said. Also read: This is a big moment: UK government cautions on coronavirus In an incentive to get people to comply, those on low incomes will be able to claim an extra lump sum of 500 if they are unable to work from home during their isolation. While most people are doing their absolute level best to comply with the rules, I dont want to see a situation where people dont feel they are financially able to self-isolate, Johnson said. Almost 42,000 people who have tested positive for Covid-19 have died in Britain, the worst death toll from the pandemic in Europe. After a summer lull, cases are rising rapidly again and Johnson warned on Friday of a second wave. We are seeing it in France, in Spain, across Europe -- it has been absolutely, Im afraid, inevitable we were going to see it in this country, he said. New rules limiting social gatherings to six people from different households came into effect this week, and local measures have been introduced across the country. But Johnson has expressed his reluctance to introduce another nationwide lockdown and some of his Conservative lawmakers are increasingly vocal in condemning current restrictions. In London on Saturday, anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown protesters clashed with police in Trafalgar Square. Police said 32 people were arrested. By Trend Turkey perceives any aggression against Azerbaijan as aggression against Turkey, the Turkish Presidential Administration told Trend. "As before, we once again declare that, regardless of which way does Azerbaijan choose to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, Ankara will support Azerbaijan with all its resources in this direction," the presidential administration noted. "We declare once again that the statements of the Armenian authorities and the latest military provocations are aimed at escalating the conflict in the region," the administration said. Relying on the tacit consent of its patrons, Armenia is trying in every possible way to destabilize the situation in the region, while forgetting that Turkey is also an ally of Azerbaijan, said the administration. "It is Armenia that is responsible for the instability in the region," the presidential administration said. The administration noted that the inactivity of the OSCE Minsk Group members prior to the military provocation of Armenia encourages the Armenian authorities. "The Minsk Group must urgently become active to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, or boldly declare that it is not able to resolve this conflict," the Turkish presidential administration said. Our politics may be paranoid, our society may be paralyzed, our police may be irredeemable and our skies may be on fire, but dont fear! At least we Californians can see clearly how to navigate all our crises. We Californians are fortunate that we receive so much guidance, official and unofficial, about how to respond to these emergencies. All we have to do is follow it. Which is easy-peasy, if you are broad-minded (and we do have a reputation for being broad-minded). For starters, go outside. You must avoid the indoors, because COVID-19 spreads best in enclosed areas. Spending time outdoors now is good for your health. Also, dont go outside. Dont you know theres a pandemic on, and you should isolate yourself? Plus, with six of the 20 largest fires in California history burning, outside youll just be breathing smoke. Spending time outdoors now is bad for your health. By the way, its important that you see family right now. Particularly if they are elderly or in a facility. Because you know whats the biggest killer out there? Loneliness. Thats the real epidemic. Just one caveat, though: dont see your family. Its too dangerous. Public health officials, even the governor, say family gatherings are where the virus spreads. Havent you heard the latest PSAs on the radio? If you visit your mother or grandfather, its pretty much murder. Speaking of matters of life and death, you shouldnt call the cops unless youre absolutely sure theres a crime or emergency; try to de-escalate matters yourself. Cops carry dangerous biases, so your call puts vulnerable people at risk. And big picture, we should defund the police, and have other kinds of experts handle crime. Of course, though, you should call the cops. Violence and property crime are up. This is a heavily armed society. If something suspicious occurs, a trained law enforcement professional not you should be the one responding. We already have too many vigilantes out there. Speaking of say something: You must speak out. In these moments of reckoning with so many injustices, silent isnt just assent. Its complicity in injustice. We need whistle-blowers to call out wrongdoing. We need to hear from people of color, whose stories and perspectives have too long been ignored. White people have a special obligation to challenge racism. And mass protest is essential to keep the pressure on unjust systems and people in power. Still, dont speak until youre sure youre adding to the conversation. There are already so many voices talking that its hard to hear ourselves think. White people need to stop talking about the cultures and histories of other people. People of color shouldnt have to keep explaining themselves. And mass protest is dangerous dont you know there is a pandemic on? In raising our voices, its important to remember not to attack people personally. We are confronting systems of oppression, that hurt all people. Focus on ending those systems, and replacing them with better systems, designed for equity. Thats how you get unity, which is vital. And never forget that this is about individual morality, not systems. When people misbehave or say the wrong thing, they need to be called out forcefully, and held to account, no matter if theyre in power or not. This is about changing individual behavior. And if thats divisive, so be it unity is overrated. Because this is a moment to choose sides and rally your base. Because what better time than now to reach out to people who disagree with you thats how we change things. Just dont reach out on social media those companies are doing terrible things to our democracy, and making us anxious and even sick. But we need to use social media because it empowers citizens, and allows us to go around the corrupt corporate media. On social media, you must speak your own truth, and recognize that your lived experience is what counts. But we cant rely on anecdote or emotion; we need to make decisions based on facts and data. In this pandemic, its essential that we trust our scientists and public health officials. But we cant trust our scientists and public health officials, who are compromised by politics and corporate money. Speaking of business, you need to open yours as soon as possible. We need some semblance of normalcy, and we must bolster the economy, so that people have jobs and income to pay rent, and there are enough tax dollars to recover from all these crises. Of course, you should keep your business closed, so that you dont contribute to COVID-19s spread and so that you protect yourself and your employees, too. And if you live or work in a dense city, you might want to leave the metropolitan area and head somewhere with fewer people, and less COVID-19, especially if youre in an at-risk category. At the same time, you shouldnt move too far-out or exurban places on the urban-wildland interface youre just putting yourself in the path of fire. Instead, embrace the density of our cities! Wherever youre living, your kids need to be back in school immediately. Pediatricians say getting back to class is crucial. Kids are losing educationally and socially when theyre at home. Kids who miss months of school end up less educated, less wealthy and less healthy. You dont want to shorten kids lives, do you? But be careful: sending the kids back to school is a rotten idea. Look at the outbreaks at universities that reopened. Kids can be spreaders, too. And we have to protect our educators, who didnt sign up to risk their lives. If youre a parent, now is the time to step up and prioritize your kids; find ways to collaborate with other parents to make up for the lack of in-person instruction and socialization, maybe even hire teachers so kids can gather in small groups. But dont do too much, and dont just focus on your kids. When privileged parents intervene, they worsen inequality. And kids, you really need to avoid sitting in front of your screens for hours. Screen usage is up, and its bad for your eyes, your body and your mental health. Kids, you must be diligent about distance learning, and you need more time with your teachers online even if it means sitting in front of your screen for hours. Remember, were all in this together. We have to stay connected and help one another. Dont forget, to survive this, we must isolate ourselves. Keep your distance. In these unprecedented times, we must comply with all of these clear directives, in service of stopping disease, preventing catastrophe and ensuring justice. When you dont follow all these messages, you are putting everyone else at risk. In these unprecedented times, its impossible to comply with so many mixed messages. Whatever you do, you will be wrong. So prioritize taking care of yourself. All anyone can reasonably demand is that you do the best you can. Joe Mathews writes the Connecting California column for Zocalo Public Square. Kumar Vikram By NEW DELHI: RSS affiliate Swadeshi Jagran Manch has requested a guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for the farmers. It said that there should be a provision that any purchase below the price of MSP should be considered illegal. Issue surrounding MSPs has gained significance in last couple of weeks. PM Narendra Modi on Friday allayed fears, saying his government is committed to provide a fair price to farmers through MSP and government procurement will continue as before. Three bills related to farmers and farming will now be introduced in the Rajya Sabha on Sunday. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 22:44:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LONDON, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Downing Street has reached a deal with some Tory MPs who are unhappy with the controversial UK Internal Market Bill, as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to give the parliament a vote before he could use the power to override parts of his Brexit agreement with the European Union (EU). Analysts say the move could head off a potential rebellion over the issue but it still face a bumpy road ahead as it fails to address concerns over the damage the bill could do to the Britain-EU trade talks as well as Britain's international reputation. Rajneesh Narula, the John H. Dunning Chair of International Business Regulation at the Henley Business School, University of Reading, told Xinhua that he anticipated the bill could face difficulties in the House of Lords (upper house of the British parliament). Johnson's Internal Market Bill addresses part of the Withdrawal Agreement -- the Northern Ireland Protocol, which looks to prevent a hard border between Britain's 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 Northern Ireland and the rest of Britain, if London and Brussels are unable to strike a trade deal. For Narula, the assumption that the bill will not kick into law unless there is a no-deal situation is an important factor to consider during the debate. "That is an important rider because it changes everything," said Narula, adding that an agreement between Britain and the EU is still possible under the current circumstances. Narula suggested that Johnson's tactics could be one of two things: he could be gambling in a game of brinkmanship, where the British government is trying to push the EU to come to an agreement and see how far they can push the regional block; or it could be a genuine attempt to force a hard Brexit. "My reading from that is that this is probably the brinkmanship more than hard Brexit and people have been assured in private that this is not going to lead to a hard Brexit," he said. "As long as there's a substantive agreement and an agreement that comes up with zero tariffs, there will be no breach of the Good Friday Agreement," he added, referring to a peace agreement reached in April 1998 between the British and Irish governments, and most of the political parties in Northern Ireland. However, the proposed bill has drawn strong international reactions. The EU has called for Britain to drop the controversial bill or face legal actions. Across the Atlantic, U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has warned that Britain must honour 1998 Northern Ireland peace agreement as it withdraws from the EU or there would be no separate U.S. trade deal. "The Good Friday Agreement is close to almost every American administration. And they were instrumental in pushing the Good Friday Agreement and getting the Good Friday Agreement signed and implemented," Narula said. The Internal Market Bill passed its first hurdle in the House of Commons (lower house of the parliament) on Monday as MPs backed it by 340 votes to 263 in its second reading. Those who support the deal say it contains vital safeguards to protect Britain if negotiations on a future trade deal break down. But a number of critics, including Conservative MPs, have warned it risks damaging Britain's reputation by breaching international law. But whether or not this is a game of brinkmanship to satisfy the right-wing base of his party and followers, Johnson has placed Britain's reputation to follow international law at risk, the expert said. Enditem Then there were the dissents they had an extraordinary impact even before she became the leader of the courts liberal wing and gained the moniker notorious R.B.G. In 2006, with Justice Sandra Day OConnors retirement, Justice Ginsburg became the only woman on the court. She spoke ever louder. In a case upholding a federal ban on late-term abortions, Justice Ginsburgs dissent attacked the majority for its paternalistic concern that women could not be trusted to make decisions they would not regret: The Court invokes an anti-abortion shibboleth for which it concededly has no reliable evidence, she wrote. This way of thinking reflects ancient notions about womens place in the family and under the Constitution ideas that have long since been discredited. In a criminal procedure case about a strip search of a 13-year-old girl for ibuprofen, the justice reacted to a male colleagues asking why stripping in the gym was a major thing. Shaking out ones bra and underwear and then being forced to sit in the hallway for two hours, she said, was not mere locker-room play. It was an abuse of authority. In a 2007 equal pay case, Justice Ginsburg herself a victim of early-career workplace discrimination chided her colleagues for deciding that a woman who does not file a claim immediately can never file at all. This ignored the actual characteristics of pay discrimination. Small initial discrepancies, she wrote, may not be seen as meat for a federal case, particularly when the employee, trying to succeed in a nontraditional environment, is averse to making waves. In a 2011 employment discrimination class action, she faulted colleagues for overlooking how subjective decision making can be a vehicle for discrimination. She referenced a favorite example from a favorite pastime: Orchestras with blind auditions hire more women. The magnitude of her legal legacy cannot be overstated. But her impact was even greater because she modeled for us and for women and girls around the world how to live a life that reflected her legal vision. She demanded a lot from her law clerks, but demanded even more from herself. She was the hardest working, most deliberate person either one of us has ever worked for. She taught us to be strong and to stand behind our work. She gave countless women and men opportunities and support in the life of the law. She got to know all of our children. Her famous faxes came across the channels at all hours of the night. Her black coffee always brewed strong. In her home life, she modeled to us how to translate the radical legal change she worked to the personal. She and her husband, Martin, were insistently equal co-partners in marriage and parenting and had a marriage for the ages. Her commitments were always the same and grew ever louder. Even at the very end, she reminded us how much more work there is left to do. Abbe R. Gluck is a law professor and faculty director of the Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy at Yale Law School. Gillian E. Metzger is a law professor and faculty co-director of the Center for Constitutional Governance at Columbia Law School. - A 15-year-old Nigerian boy has joined other geniuses in the country displaying their creativity - The Anambra state indigene used cartons in designing building prototypes and pictures of the masterpieces have gone viral on social media - Nigerians showered him with love as pictures of his masterpieces were shared on social media Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana There are lots of talented kids in Nigeria, and one 15-year-old boy has further proven that the country is home to a lot of geniuses. The young boy used cartons in designing building prototypes and pictures of the masterpiece have gone viral on social media. @NigeriaStories shared the story of the boy on its page on Saturday, September 19, and indicated that the little genius is from Ezinifite in Aguata local government, Anambra state. Nigerians showered him with love as pictures of his masterpiece were shared on social media. Photo credit: @NugeriaStories Source: UGC Nigerians took to the comment section of the post to commend the young boy for his creativity. Twitter user with the handle @omotoyo_si wrote: "He clearly wants to be an architect or some profession connected with building. But this country will be making him shout "give it up for DJ Ezy" few years from now." Another Twitter user with the handle @eruke_clem21 wrote: "Such a talented child should be picked up now by the state and federal government and encouraged to do more." Below are other reactions: In other news, Kensmith Rechiel is a Nigeria wonderkid from a humble background that has built a motorbike, single seater aircraft, a two-seater sea boat and some remote-controlled cars before he turned 18. Born to the family of Rechiel in Umuebo Umuezeala Owerre of Ehime Mbano LGA in Imo state, the 6th child of a family of 10 explored his creative abilities and talents at the age of 7. And at the turn of 16, he had built an RC scale airplane that flies which he called "Donko King". Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh previously reported the story of a young baker making Nigeria proud with his great baking skill. Prince Obua is one of the youths in the country who are embracing hard work and carving a niche for themselves. Obua's works have earned him both local and international recognition. The young man is not relenting in creating beautiful objects using flour as he recently recreated Nollywood actor Zubby Michael's house. He shared the pictures on Facebook and Nigerians have flooded the comment section of his post to commend him for the beautiful cake. 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 At the top of President Donald Trump's list to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court is U.S. Circuit Court Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a jurist in the mold of the late Antonin Scalia who fulfills nearly all criteria on conservatives' wish list. At 48 years old, Barrett could hold the lifetime seat for several decades. Trump's first two nominees to the nation's highest court, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, are in their 50s. Trump's justices will potentially represent one-third of the Supreme Court for generations. - - - Why is she at the top of Trump's list? A devout Catholic who is fervently antiabortion, Barrett appeals to Trump's conservative base. But Republicans also hope that for moderates like Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, her gender makes her a more palatable replacement for Ginsburg, a feminist icon who spent her life fighting for gender equality. Trump considered Barrett in 2018 to replace retired justice Anthony Kennedy, but reportedly said he was saving her for Ginsburg's slot. - - - What is her judicial background? Trump first nominated Barrett to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in 2017. Previously, she'd taught law at the University of Notre Dame for 15 years, and so had no previous judicial record to scrutinize. Democrats balked at her nomination, questioning whether the academic could be an impartial arbiter due to her deep religious convictions. Republicans accused Democrats of applying a religious test in their questioning. However, Barrett wasn't a total novice to the judicial system. Out of law school, she clerked for Scalia, who she considers a mentor and with whom she shares a belief in originalism, which is the idea that judges should attempt to interpret the words of the Constitution as the authors intended when they were written. - - - What would be the impact of Barrett's religion on her rulings on issues such as Roe v. Wade? During her confirmation hearing to the appeals court, Barrett said in that role she would "follow all Supreme Court precedent without fail" and would regard decisions such as Roe v. Wade as binding precedent. "I would never impose my own personal convictions upon the law," she added. But Democrats pointed to comments she'd made at Notre Dame years before about being a "different kind of lawyer." She said that we should always remember that a "legal career is but a means to an end . . . and that end is building the Kingdom of God." She has previously written that judges shouldn't be held to upholding Supreme Court precedents, like Roe v. Wade. In a 2018 Washington Post article that examined how Barrett's beliefs would affect her decision-making, experts who had studied her writings concluded that she would join other conservatives on the court in supporting overturning Roe v. Wade. OLD SAYBROOK An Old Saybrook restaurant is striving to complete safety measures and reopen Wednesday after an employee tested positive for the coronavirus, according to staff. Robert Marcarelli, director of operations for Livs Oyster Bar, said in a statement that an employee had been exposed to someone who had tested positive, then later tested positive themselves. The employee had limited contact with customers and staff, Marcarelli said, and has not shown symptoms. We have notified our local health department and they have confirmed we are following the correct protocols. Consistent with all state and federal regulations we will be closed until all our employees are now tested, as well as safety measures to ensure a safe environment, said Marcarelli. All employees tested have shown to be negative. Anyone within close contact of the employee that tested positive will take a second test prior to returning to work. The restaurant was cleaned by a professional company this week, Marcarelli said. The company has taken precautions to keep the restaurant safe during the pandemic, he said, including taking the temperatures of guests and staff each night, checking in on the well-being of staff, and, above all, washing their hands and sanitizing the place. Marcarelli said the restaurant had received positive feedback from the community for stepping forward to report the positive test result, with residents saying they would return once the restaurant reopens. For this we are so grateful! Marcarelli said. Covid-19 has impacted restaurants across the nation. We have been operating at 50 percent in a time when we are typically safeguarding money for the winter. But as a family owned business we take the health and well being our our staff and guests very seriously. And we will not open until we are 100 percen,t ready. Unfortunately we have fallen under a circumstance out of our control. We have and will continue to be in contact with our teams until we are ready to reopen. Marcarelli noted that the company continues to operate Liv's Shacks in Old Saybrook and Westbrook. The hope is to reopen Livs Oyster Bar on Wednesday, he said, assuming everything is ready to go. (W)e look forward to seeing everyone back at the Oyster Bar soon for the upcoming $1 Oyster Happy Hour! he said. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the police over their conduct during the just concluded Edo governorship election. Mr Wike, who is the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Campaign Council, made the commendation while addressing a mammoth crowd of party supporters at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa. INEC had on Sunday afternoon declared Governor Godwin Obaseki as the winner of the governorship election held the previous day. He stated that the conduct of INEC and the police showed that they were ready to correct the mistakes of the past. The governor also commended the people of Edo State for ending godfatherism with the re-election of Governor Godwin Obaseki. With the re-election of Governor Obaseki, the entire South-South Region is now completely PDP. What this means is that the entire South-South can now speak with one voice on issues concerning us, he stated. Mr Wike thanked the people of the state for their prayers that led to the Edo State victory. California is one of Americas marvels. By moving vast quantities of water and suppressing wildfires for decades, the state has transformed its arid and mountainous landscape into the richest, most populous and bounteous place in the nation. But now, those same feats have given California a new and unwelcome category of superlatives. This year is the states worst wildfire season on record. That follows its hottest August on record; a punishing drought that lasted from 2011 to last year; and one of its worst flood emergencies on record three years ago, when heavy rains caused the states highest dam to nearly fail, forcing more than 180,000 people to flee. The same manufactured landscapes that have enabled Californias tremendous growth, building the state into a $3 trillion economy that is home to one in 10 Americans, have also left it more exposed to climate shocks, experts say. And those shocks will only get worse. Theres sort of this sense that we can bend the world to our will, said Kristina Dahl, a senior climate scientist in San Francisco for the Union of Concerned Scientists. Climate change is exposing the vulnerabilities in the systems that weve engineered. With 38 fatalities, Gujarat accounts for the third-highest number of coronavirus deaths among doctors in the country, after Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, says the Indian Medical Associations (IMA) list of Covid martyrs released on Wednesday, September 16. However, the state ranks eighth in terms of cumulative deaths across the state which stand at 3,286 while the number of total cases have reached 1.2 lakh so far. Gujarat ranks 12th among other states in terms of total Covid-19 cases. The IMA submitted a list of at least 382 doctors who died from Covid-19 across the country and said that they should be given the status of martyrs. Of the 38 doctors who died due to Covid-19, the latest is a 34-year-old paediatrician who succumbed to the disease in Vapi in Valsad district, reported The Indian Express. 15 doctors who died due to the disease reportedly belonged to capital city Ahmedabad while five others were from Surat. All deceased doctors were aged between 34 and 82 years, of which 29 fall between 50-70 years of age. All doctors who died were either general practitioners or private paediatricians, however, one among them was a 49-year-old government medical officer who died on June 22, a week after his mother succumbed to the infection. The officer, Dr Pankaj Jadav, was serving at the Amreli Civil Hospital for the last 20 years. According to a paediatrician in Surat, Dr Ketan Shah, at first the doctors were of the opinion that those infected were only adults, however, soon they realised that children were asymptomatic carriers of the infection too. As paediatricians, we are examining patients next to our chair and the contact time is more," he said. Prolonged work hours for the doctors could also be one of the main reasons behind the infection, said a scientist working with the National Institute of Occupational Health. He was of the opinion that doctors should work four hours in a high viral load area and then spend the next four hours working in an area with low viral load, to prevent them from being infected. Even if omicron peak nears, Long Beach cases and hospitalizations will still be up for weeks, official says The second batch of Indian deportees from Saudi Arabia will reach India on September 24 via the Riyadh-Chennai flight. The Mission has been trying to resolve the issue of Indians in Saudi deportation centres in consultation with the Ministry of External Affairs for quite some time now, the Embassy said in a statement on Twitter. According to the statement, the first batch of around 500 deportees was sent in May, 2020 to Hyderabad. Multiple agencies were involved at both ends and several clearances were needed besides strictly following health protocols to avoid the spread of COVID-19 in India. The Embassy said currently, the Mission in Riyadh, Consulate in Jeddah, and MEA are arranging flights and quarantine facilities for the second batch of deportees. The first flight from Riyadh-Chennai is scheduled to depart on September 24. Further flights from Riyadh and Jeddah are currently being worked out and will be notified shortly. The Mission and Consulate officials are in regular touch with deportation authorities, it said in its statement. (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 STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- At least 100 Staten Islanders marched along Port Richmond Avenue on Sunday during the first-ever march to celebrate Mexican heritage and Mexican Independence Day, which was Sept. 16. La Colmena, a job and community center in Port Richmond, held the march to show that the Mexican and immigrant community are resilient during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic -- one of the most difficult times facing the United States. US president Donald Trump speaking to supporters on Saturday (REUTERS) Donald Trump graded his coronavirus pandemic response with a D and appeared to admit to trying to blackmail Oracle, in talks to partner with TikTok, into supporting his patriotic education programme during his latest campaign rally. The US president, who referred to himself on Saturday as Donald Prump, told supporters that the coronavirus shouldve been stopped in China, as he championed his administrations D-grade response. Speaking in front of a crowd in Fayetteville, North Carolina, the president praised the largest industrial mobilisation since World War Two, in order to produce ventilators and treatments, [If] Somebody said, what grade would you give yourself? I said A+, but I would give myself a D, he told the crowd, as American coronavirus deaths neared 200,000. I would say I would give myself and my whole group because Mike Pence is great, Mike really worked so hard, it's so unfair, he worked so hard, said Mr Trump, in apparent reference to criticism over his administrations handling of the pandemic, partly overseen by the vice presidents leadership of the White House coronavirus task force. The ventilators, the vaccines, the therapeutics we now have, he continued. Look at what's happening when somebody gets very sick, we bringem [patients] back so often, compared to what it was originally. In an event that lasted more than 90 minutes, president Trump also appeared to admit he asked Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison put $5 billion towards a patriotic education programme announced this week, as part of a proposed deal to purchase the US operations of Chinese social media app TikTok. Under the deal announced on Saturday, TikToks US assets are set to be owned by a new company called TikTok Global that will be headquartered in the United States, possibly in Texas, Mr Trump said. I said [to Mr Ellison] you know do me a favour, could you put up $5 billion into a fund so we can educate people as to the real history of our country, said Mr Trump, adding that his so-called 1776 Commission would teach the real history, not the fake history." Story continues The president used a Constitution Day speech earlier this week to denounce The New York Times 1619 initiative teaching children about American slavery, accusing it of being unpatriotic, as he set out a counter-project. It was unclear whether or not Oracle will help fund the Trump administrations pro-America education programme following his approval of the TikTok deal. The Chinese government still has to agree to the proposals announced on Saturday. Read more Lord Darroch: Britains highest profile political casualty of the Trump era lands on his feet Trump promises to replace Ginsburg with a woman - and soon Package addressed to Trump containing poison ricin intercepted by law enforcement Trump backs proposed TikTok deal with Oracle, Walmart CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio Cleveland Heights police are searching for the vehicles involved in a drive-by shooting on South Taylor Road early Sunday that left a 24-year-old Cleveland man dead. Cleveland Heights police officers were flagged down about 1 a.m. Sunday by a woman who said the passenger in her car had been shot, according to a news release from the police department. Officers offered first aid to the man before paramedics arrived and took him to University Hospitals, where he died. The man has been identified as Reginald Thomas, 24, of Cleveland, according the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiners Office. Investigators learned that Thomas was in the passenger seat of a vehicle that was heading southbound on South Taylor Road. When the car was between Euclid Heights Boulevard and Blanche Avenue, a red car sped past the vehicle. Shortly after the red car passed, a 4-door black car drove up behind the vehicle Thomas was in, and someone from inside the black car began firing gunshots. A bullet struck Thomas in the upper back, Cleveland Heights police said. Authorities released surveillance footage of the vehicles involved in the drive-by shooting. They are looking for any information on the black car from which the shots were fired, as well as the red vehicle that initially sped by, the news release says. Anyone with information should contact Cleveland Heights police at 216-321-1234 or Crime Stoppers at 216-252-7463. Reward money is available for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the suspect or suspects, and tips can remain anonymous. The investigation continues. Read more on cleveland.com: Two Northeast Ohio bars among three statewide to receive coronavirus health order violation citations Saturday Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan urges swift Senate vote on successor for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg What Joe Biden or Donald Trump could do for your student loans Cracks in Victoria' healthcare system were exposed again last week after a 32-year-old man in the grips of a mental health episode presented at Northern Hospital's emergency department in Epping and waited more than 19 hours to be admitted. Footage shows a Victoria Police officer allegedly stomping on the man's head. Credit:Jake Edwards At 4pm last Sunday, while he was still waiting for treatment, the glass doors at the hospital were smashed by the man and police were called. Disturbing video footage shows the man being allegedly hit by a police car before his head was stomped on by an officer. The family of the man, who was put in an induced coma, later revealed he had bipolar disorder. Victoria's anti-corruption watchdog is probing the conduct of two police officers. One senior police officer has been stood down over the incident. Two days later a man also suffering mental health issues was shot by police in Lilydale after he was found roaming a shopping centre carpark with a large knife. The man is recovering in hospital and there is no suggestion police acted inappropriately. When youve got acute mania or acute psychosis you just cant wait 24 hours for treatment," Psychiatrist and former Australian of the Year Patrick McGorry said. If that was happening with chest pain, cancer or even coronavirus, there would be an absolute outcry. You get a better response these days with a runny nose than an acute medical episode." Professor McGorry said emergency departments were "the worst place for people to be seeking help because they were not set-up for mental health care," but it was one the only places people could get help at the moment. Loading Describing the incident in Epping as "deeply distressing and completely unacceptable," Professor McGorry called for the fast-tracking of findings of the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System. "We just cant wait for another six months for real action because it means we are more likely to have preventable suicides," he said. "We already know that people have been turned away from services and then they die." Dr Senz believes the incident in Epping could have occurred at any hospital. "It is the system's problem, it is not an individual hospitals problem, Dr Senz said. We provide the best care we can. But [we] feel powerless to be able to fix it, because we cant create a bed and we can't create more staff. She suspects people were not only delaying medical care due to the pandemic, but they had also lost critical social and community support due to harsh isolation measures aimed at curbing spread of the coronavirus. "Sunshine Hospital had several multi-day stays recently and thats just awful," she said. "It is very distressing for the patient and for the staff caring for them. It makes us feel like we are not doing a good job for these patients." Health and Community Services Union state secretary Paul Healey said healthcare workers were working overtime to treat the rising wave of patients with complex mental health issues. "There is just not the beds or the staff to support people," said Mr Healey, who was worked in mental health services for 26 years. "All these cracks in the systems were there before the pandemic, but COVID has just made everything worse. It has stretched the elastic band even further." Mr Healey said police should not be the first responders to incidents involving mental illness over trained health professionals, but he noted there were currently about 450 mental health nurse job vacancies in Victoria. Police are attending mental health incidents every 10 minutes in Victoria. In the first surge of COVID-19 infections in March and April, patient numbers in hospital emergency departments plummeted to a record low as people delayed treatment amid fears they would burden the healthcare system or be exposed to the virus. While overall emergency presentations have remained low, mental health cases have soared in the second surge of infections as Victorians weather stage-four restrictions. Victorian faculty chair of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, Dr Mya Cubitt, said the state's mental health system was already at crisis point before the pandemic. "In Victoria, there are clear signs that these numbers are increasing," Dr Cubitt said. "The pandemic has further reduced the systems capacity to manage these issues. We need some urgent solutions, to provide help to those who need care now. " A state government spokeswoman said almost $200 million had been invested in mental health support in response to the pandemic. Reforms recommended by the mental health royal commission, including the roll-out of 144 new acute mental health beds, had also being fast-tracked. "We are continually increasing the number of clinical staff we have available to help support additional demand in our hospitals as a result of the coronavirus pandemic," she said. The government has also invested more than $14 million in outreach programs for high-risk patients and more than $4 million in suicide prevention, including a statewide Hospital Outreach Post-Suicide Engagement program, established at seven sites across the state. If you are troubled by this report or experiencing a personal crisis, you can call Lifeline 131 114 or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636 or visit lifeline.org.au or beyondblue.com.au The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), which is actively chasing the drug nexus be it in the Sushant Singh Rajput case or other drug peddling and supplies across the country, has busted a high-profile cocaine trafficking syndicate operating out of Mumbai. The official twitter handle of NCB stated: "a probe that started with seizure of cocaine in Delhi led to arrest of a drug peddler in Mumbai." NCB also said that it intercepted a parcel containing drugs arriving from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. NCB busted a high-profile cocaine trafficking syndicate operating out of Mumbai. Probe that started with seizure of cocaine in Delhi led to arrest of a drug peddler in Mumbai. A parcel originated from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, was seized at Import Custom Examination Area in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/eDUKLrnx2v NCB INDIA (@narcoticsbureau) September 19, 2020 Hours later, NCB posted another huge development of the arrest of 17 people allegedly connected to the massive quantity of 2,795 kgs of cannabis that was seized from different places in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. "In one of the operations, the contraband was concealed in an oil tanker," NCB said on Twitter. NCB arrested a total of 17 people in connection with the seizure of 2,795 kgs of cannabis from three different places in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. In one of the operations, the contraband was concealed in an oil tanker. pic.twitter.com/P6dMeU7Ifo NCB INDIA (@narcoticsbureau) September 19, 2020 "An intensive operation was conducted to check cannabis trafficking and a total of 2,795 kgs of the drug was seized," Narcotics Control Bureau's Deputy Director (operations) K P S Malhotra had said on Friday in connection to the seizure. READ | 'NCB Chief Assured Black Sheep In Bollywood To Be Caught Soon': Manjinder Singh Sirsa Sushant Singh Rajput investigation The case that was first investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over the financial angle and the CBI investigating the mysterious death of Sushant Singh, has the NCB also involved after the ED revealed the consumption of drugs linked to the actor's death and prime accused Rhea Chakraborty. Soon after the NCB team interrogated several people including the prime accused in the case of Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik. Rhea who earlier denied consuming any sort of drugs has admitted on Saturday that she consumed drugs. Earlier she had claimed that she used to procure drugs for Sushant but never consumed them. It was only after NCB made her realise that procurement and peddling of drugs is a more serious crime than self-consumption. She even admitted that she was tutored by her team to not reveal anything in this regard, however, the sources from NCB said she also revealed names of prominent actors. Also, NCB is now looking into the complaint of Shiromani Akali Dal spokesperson Manjinder Singh Sirsa over the Bollywood party video of 2019 and the team is now sending the video to the forensic lab to verify its authenticity. READ | Sushant Death Probe LIVE Updates: Rhea Admits Before NCB That She Consumed Drugs: Sources 27 sarcophagi that were buried 2,500 years ago have been discovered in Egypt in what is believed to be the largest find of its kind. Archaeologists working at the ancient Saqqara necropolis near Cairo uncovered the incredible collection. Initially only 13 sarcophagi were found earlier this month, but further efforts have uncovered an extra 14, the BBC reports. 27 sarcophagi that were buried 2,500 years ago have been discovered in the ancient Saqqara necropolis near Cairo. Pictured: Egypt's Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziri inspects one of the coffins The sarcophagi have been buried underground for 2,500 years. 13 were initially found earlier this month before a further 14 were uncovered It is believed the archaeological haul of 27 sarcophagi is the largest of its kind ever In a statement on Saturday, Egypt's Antiquity Ministry said: 'Initial studies indicate that these coffins are completely closed and haven't been opened since they were buried.' The find is believed to be the largest of its kind ever and the ministry's statement said that they hoped to reveal 'more secrets' about the discovery soon. Alongside the wooden sarcophagi, smaller statues and artefacts were also discovered by the archaeological team. Although having been discovered earlier, the ministry delayed announcing the news until Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani could visit the dig site himself to inspect the sarcophagi. Mostafa Waziri and the archaeologist team inspect one of the ancient wooden coffins in a burial shaft at the Saqqara necropolis Alongside the wooden sarcophagi, smaller statues and artefacts were also discovered by the archaeological team Egypt's Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziri carries one of the sculptures found alongside the sarcophagi out of the dig site The Saqqara necropolis is found south of Cairo and is part of the ancient capital city of Memphis, a Unesco World Heritage site. It is also the site of the colossal rectangular-based step Pyramid of Djoser. The sarcophagi were discovered by a team digging 36ft down and work continues to be carried out to try and work out the exact history of the sarcophagi. Egypt uses archaeological discoveries as a means to promote tourism, a sector which has been directly affected by travel restrictions put in place in response to the coronavirus pandemic. On September 28, the Oxus Society, a new Washington-based nonprofit organization, will launch its website, opening a new forum for those interested in Central Asia to connect, exchange ideas, and post material on a variety of topics having to do with the region, including the area now called Xinjiang in western China that historically has been connected with Central Asia. It is an ambitious but timely project and, ahead of the launch, the Majlis podcast wanted to learn more about who is involved and what some of their goals are. On this week's show, RFE/RL's media-relations manager for South and Central Asia, Muhammad Tahir, moderates a discussion on this new organization. This weeks guests are all involved in the project. From Washington, we're joined by Edward Lemon, assistant professor at the Department of International Affairs at the Bush School of Government and Public Service and the president of the Oxus Society; and Sher Khasimov, research assistant at the Oxus Society and co-author of an upcoming article in The Calvert Journal on how civil war memories and access to the Internet in Tajikistan are affecting social activism. From Kyrgyzstan, we're joined by Niva Yau, a graduate of the University of Hong Kong who is currently a researcher at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek specializing in Chinese foreign policy and engagement in Central Asia and Afghanistan. She is the author of a recently published article titled Russia And Chinas Quiet Rivalry In Central Asia. And the author of RFE/RL's Qishloq Ovozi blog, Bruce Pannier, also joins the discussion from Prague. Listen to the podcast above or subscribe to the Majlis on iTunes or on Google Podcasts. JERSEYVILLE Right now, taking a trip to downtown Jerseyville might be difficult due to the resurfacing of U.S. 67. One Jersey Community High School teacher thinks she has a solution. Erica Heitzig, an advanced-design teacher, has worked with her students to create signage to increase foot traffic in downtown Jerseyville. Heitzig said the inspiration for the idea came in earlier in the year after she noticed people in the community were complaining about a lack of parking spaces. Heitzig believes that this is not the case, that there are plenty of spaces in Jerseyville. If you cant park right in front of the store, some of us have the tendency to just keep driving, Heitzig said. In early March, before COVID-19 shutdowns began, Heitzig took some of her students through downtown Jerseyville to get a feel for what is in walking distance. Theres not a whole lot of reason for our kids to gather, Heitzig said. If you dont drink beer or shop for antiques, kids are left with no purpose to walk downtown. After the state went into quarantine, many of the students plans were put on hold. However, they met with Jerseyville Parks and Recreation Director Bob Manns and received permission from him to create signs for the downtown area identifying parking options. The signs are placed strategically in parking lots owned by the city. They show how long of a walk it is from the parking lot to the downtown area. The signs were created by the students of the advanced-design class. Made of cardboard and vinyl, each sign takes about 15 minutes to create, Heitzig said. About 22 signs were created by the students and placed throughout the downtown area. I am super-passionate about community connections and getting my students work out there, Heitzig said. She added that, in the future, she plans to create more area specific signs such as a sign saying, Its a two-minute walk to get ice cream. A Donald Trump victory in the US election is the only risk to a $10 billion IPO boom on the ASX as companies scramble to sell into a market that has shrugged off COVID concerns and is now hunting for yield stocks and sectors that have prospered amid the pandemic. Max Cunningham, head of listings at the ASX, said COVID-19 had provided the most stunning contrast in performance in the seven years he has been at the market operator. "The second half of the last financial year was the worst six months for me at the ASX in terms of new listings, and this half that that were in is looking like the best half, he said. Nuix chief executive Rod Vawdrey is looking to lead the company to the biggest IPO this year. While the market operator is not expecting to achieve its usual 120 to 130 public floats this year, the second half rush could get the local bourse past the 100 mark. A fire damaged a police car early Sunday morning in Philadelphia, and investigators are calling the blaze suspicious. There is no word yet if this fire is linked to a series of police-vehicle fires reported around the city earlier this summer, Action News 6 ABC reports. The latest fire broke out in a police car parked on the 2100 block of South Simpson street in Southwest Philadelphia, NBC 10 is reporting. No one was injured. The cruiser was heavily damaged, and the bumper was completely burned off, according to reports. No suspect has been identified. The fire is under investigation. This follows an incident in which a police car parked outside the 3rd Precinct at 11th and Wharton streets was burned Aug. 26, and on July 27, four police cars were set ablaze around the city. An interior view of the Supreme Court shows the bench draped with black bunting in honor of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Washington, U.S., in this handout photo released to Reuters on September 20, 2020. The death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday seemingly shifted everything about the 2020 race between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden overnight, turning the focus of the race from Covid-19 to the future of health care, reproductive rights and the nation's gun laws. Ginsburg's death has the potential to affect the race in a more direct way, too. According to election law experts, this year's presidential election already posed a uniquely high risk of ending up at the Supreme Court, thanks to a tsunami of litigation over state efforts to adjust voting to the global pandemic. With Ginsburg's death, the liberal minority on the panel has shrunk to just three members. If an emergency case between Trump and Biden splits the court along partisan lines this fall, Trump is almost certain to emerge the victor. Even if Chief Justice John Roberts, an occasional swing justice, joins the liberals, that would mean a 4-4 tie, leaving in place whatever ruling was issued by the lower court. "Under those scenarios which were resolved by Chief Justice Roberts joining with the four liberals in a case about the election, those scenarios don't end the same way," said Nathaniel Persily a democracy scholar at Stanford Law School and co-founder of the Stanford-MIT Project on a Healthy Election. "The loss of Justice Ginsburg moves the median vote on the Supreme Court to the right." The 8-member court raises the chances of a split verdict on a blockbuster election case, a possibility that would seem to fit in during a year that has already showcased a worldwide health crisis and a once-in-a-generation impeachment battle. The possibility also dramatically increases the importance of which court hears the case before the Supreme Court does, given that a tie among the justices would leave that court's ruling standing. Election lawyers are already gaming out the dizzying possibilities. For instance, Persily noted, a case stemming in the crucial battleground of Pennsylvania could theoretically be heard either by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court or the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Philadelphia. Democrats hold a majority on the state court; on the federal appeals court, Republicans do. Already, more than 300 elections cases stemming from Covid-19 have been filed around the country, according to a Stanford-MIT tracker. Those cases are disproportionately being waged in states like Pennsylvania, whose voters are likeliest to decide the election outcome. Matthew Hall, a law and political science professor at the University of Notre Dame who has studied Supreme Court decision making, said that it is possible that Ginsburg's empty seat could alter the strategic thinking of potential swing justices. "For example, Chief Justice Roberts may be more inclined to vote with the other four conservatives rather than joining the three remaining liberals and creating an evenly divided vote," Hall wrote in an email. Hall added that the prospect of an evenly divided bench could make the justices more reluctant to hear an election challenge in the first place. In most situations it requires the votes of four justices to hear a case. Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. Sometime around AD 600, a handful of Irish monks decided that the rigors of fasting and penance on the mainland were not exacting enough. Waiting until the seas were calm enough, they are believed to have rowed to Skellig Michael, a small, pyramid-shaped island seven miles off Irelands southwest coast. There, the holy men built a monastery and found the raw seclusion they were after. A millennium and a half later, the sites ruins are one of Irelands best-known heritage and tourist attractions, an antique allure made all the more vivid by the colonies of seabirds that flock to the islands crags and crevices, and by the puffins and gulls sheltering in the monks long-abandoned stone structures. But since 2015, some of those visitors are as likely to be dressed as Chewbacca and waving lightsabers as they are to be conversant in the ways of early Christian eremites or the nesting habits of kittiwakes or gannets. And that has some Irish conservationists worried. Advertisement Star Wars fans have been flocking to Skellig Michael because it was the location used for scenes on Ahch-To, the lost planet where Mark Hamill, aka Luke Skywalker, made his return to the Star Wars franchise at the end of 2015s The Force Awakens. Disney Lucasfilm returned to Ireland and Skellig Michael to film The Last Jedi, the latest Star Wars sequel. Daisy Ridley as Rey in a scene from the movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi. (Jules Heath / Jules Heath / Lucasfilm Ltd. ) Before 2015, the franchise seemed in danger of being as lost to history as early Christian asceticism. But the franchises awakening has prompted a jump in visitor numbers to Skellig Michael, in much the same way that Lord of the Rings created a boom for New Zealands tourist industry. And though the 16,755 who this year made the boat journey from the mainland in County Kerry is a relatively small number Ireland recorded 9.5 million visits in 2016, including 1.8 million from North America it is enough to alarm preservationists. Last week An Taisce, an Irish heritage preservation group, sent a letter to Irelands Minister for Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Josepha Madigan, asking her to intervene to preserve the islands historical legacy, which An Taisce feels is threatened by a Star Wars rebranding. The monks who came to Skellig Michael and their successors were half-starved and crouched against gales high in the rocky cliffs, according to Diarmaid MacCullochs A History of Christianity. Nevertheless, they managed to build a monastery near the islands 715-foot summit, accessible by a rock and stone stairway carved around soaring cliffs overlooking the Atlantic. That history led to Skellig Michaels designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site. But conservationists now fear that the increased visitor numbers previously capped at 11,100 in total for the May-October visiting months could see the monastic ruins damaged and the islands World Heritage status undermined. Like a virus, the imagery and branding of the Star Wars commercial franchise with all its plastic merchandising has contaminated and superseded the history and identity of the Skellig, An Taisce declared in its letter to the minister. Irelands heritage ministry said that Skellig Michaels status as one of 1,073 UNESCO-listed sites -- alongside the likes of Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Canyon, Westminster Abbey, Vatican City and the Great Wall of China is not under threat. Minister Madigan, a press officer said, remains absolutely happy that all due and appropriate care was exercised at all times during the filmmaking. And Irelands tourism industry leaders say they are not undermining what playwright George Bernard Shaw called the most fantastic and impossible rock in the world. We are very conscious of Skellig Michaels place in our history and culture, said Alex Connolly, head of communications with Failte Ireland, the official tourism development agency. Only a certain amount of people can visit at a time and you can only visit when the waters are calm enough, Connolly added, suggesting that visitor numbers can be easily managed. Roughneen is a special correspondent. A 7-month-old English cocker spaniel that was born without a cerebellum and that was unable to walk or stand by itself has got a new lease on life and is taking its first steps with the immense love and support from a no-kill animal shelter in Florida. Arthur was born breech and couldnt maintain his balance and coordinate his limb movements without the support of someone. Knowing that Arthur would require extra support, his breeder, who hadnt come across a case like this in 10 years of breeding, decided to reach out to Satchels Last Resort and Sanctuary for help. The nonprofit animal shelter, which is based in Sarasota, rescues, rehomes, and rehabs dogs and cats that have nowhere to go because of medical issues, their breed, or due to their unusual behavior. When Page Knoebel, co-founder of the 12-acre sanctuary, became aware of Arthurs story, she decided she would help him. Knoebel personally drove down to meet the breeder and give Arthur the chance he deserves. Alluding to the moment, Knoebel said in a video posted on Satchels Facebook page, I do commend the breeder for not just putting the dog down, he reached out to us to see if we could help him. The video states that although little Arthur was well cared for, he just needed specialized attention for his unknown medical condition, and thus Satchel became the puppys new home. Knoebel personally devoted herself to Arthurs care and began hydrotherapy immediately. When he first began, he could hardly hold his head up in the pool, but after a few weeks, Arthurs strength and range motion improved. An MRI scan later determined the unknown reason why Arthur was unable to walk. A veterinarian discovered that Arthur was born without a cerebellum, a part of the brain responsible for coordinating voluntary movements. Arthur was diagnosed with a condition called cerebellar hypoplasia, which is a neurological condition that tends to impact the pets mobility and coordination. Usually, animals that suffer from this condition have a smaller or underdeveloped cerebellum. However, for the vet, Arthur was the first dog that was born without a cerebellum, according to a release by Walkin Pets. However, despite the odds, the friendly little dog still wants to play and constantly makes attempts to walk but fails. Looking at his unbreakable spirit, a rescue volunteer and friend of Walkin Pets, a pet mobility company based out of Northern Hampshire, reached out through social media to share his story. Inspired by his progress, the company donated a full-support four-wheel wheelchair to help Arthur walk on his own. The little puppy that wants to run around like any other animal does have a long road ahead of him but has the strong support of people who are cheering for him. As Arthur has started to make some phenomenal strides, his rehab therapist believes that the adorable puppys brain will be able to rewire itself with regular hydrotherapy and rehab exercises. He can now swim by himself with his head high in the pool, according to Satchels video on Facebook. Though Arthur already has a home with the nonprofit shelter forever, Knoebel hopes that by helping him improve his mobility, the puppy will find a forever home that he can call his own. Watch the video: (Courtesy of Satchels Last Resort) We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc Health secretary Matt Hancock has warned the UK is at a tipping point in the fight against coronavirus as he rejected calls to apologise for the chaos in the testing system. Now is the moment, Mr Hancock said as he urged the public to follow strict measures designed to break the chain of infection or face further restrictions. He refused to rule out further national restrictions, but said he wanted to avoid them if the government possibly could. Im requesting the help of the British people. We truly have got to do this together, he told the Sophy Ridge programme on Sky New. Every single viewer has a choice on whether we end up with this virus out of control. The first line of defence is peoples behaviour, he said. Mr Hancock said it was understandable that members of the public had become more relaxed about the virus over the summer. But now is the moment, he said, when everyone needs to get back to the rule of six, to (guidance on) hands, face, space. "We have a choice. Either everybody follows the rules - the rule of six and the need to self-isolate if you have a positive test or if you are contacted by NHS Test and Trace - or we will have to take more measures. He said that he was very worried about a second wave of the pandemic hitting the UK. Mr Hancock also said meetings were being held on Sunday about possible further restrictions in London. He said: Ive had discussions this week with the mayor of London [Sadiq Khan] and the teams are meeting today to discuss further what might be needed. On Friday Boris Johnson warned Britain was now seeing a second wave of Covid-19. Mr Hancock pointed to Belgium, which he said had seen signs of a second wave but had managed to get the disease under control with more restrictions on socialising. He also said he would report on his neighbours if they broke the rules and everybody should, in a break with Boris Johnson who last week said he would contact the offenders first. Matt Hancock: I would report my neighbour Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer warned a "national lockdown is more likely because testing is all over the place as he called for ministers to apologise for the under fire NHS Test and Trace service. Ministers have admitted problems in the system will take weeks to solve after thousands struggled to get a test. Sir Keir also called on Boris Johnson to reinstate the Downing Street daily press briefings amid fears the virus is out of control again. San Diego, Sept. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For the last 20 years, Ryan McAweeney is a household name when it comes to the marketing field. Ever since he started his career as a marketer, Ryan McAweeney has seen many established brands, start-ups, and bluechip companies introduce new products with mixed results. Some have made it big while others have failed from the word go. Having worked with fortune 500 companies to design winning marketing strategies, Ryan McAweeney has accumulated years of expertise and experience. According to this marketing rock star, marketing is and should be a top priority for any company looking to shake the market. Innovating a product and letting it sell itself is one of the deadliest approaches any company can adopt. He notes that the "build it and they will come" approach to fronting a brand just doesn't work. This assumption has caused more damage and Ryan McAweeney suggests that it accounts for many failed products. You cannot think that you can create something that will get accepted automatically. In his opinion, products do not sell by themselves; they have to be marketed. In fact, customers do not buy the best products; instead, they go for the uniquely positioned brands. This can only be achieved through consistent marketing and branding. The concept of marketing has been around for years and has kept changing over time as a response to changing consumer behavior, technology, and market trends. Two decades ago, manual marketing approaches were the norm, but in the digital world of today, marketing has shifted dramatically to conform to the changing times. With the proliferation of the internet and the widespread use of internet-enabled devices have ushered in a new wave of marketing and a completely new set of marketing strategies. Affiliate marketing, a popular means by which companies are increasing their sales via online platforms. In this arrangement, brand owners sign up affiliates who commit to market products on forums, blogs, social media, and websites. For companies that have gone online, affiliate marketing has become a norm rather than an exception. Because of its efficiency and potential to wreak in more revenues which are directly linked to affiliate commissions. With this type of marketing, Ryan McAweeney says the potential returns are almost predictable. Compared to television advertisements that consume colossal amounts of money without guaranteeing returns, affiliate marketing has limited chances of failure. While affiliate marketing has its own share of challenges, marketing experts such as Ryan McAweeney say those of traditional advertising are insurmountable. According to Ryan McAweeney, affiliate marketing is taking over the field with an estimated worth of $7 billion and he forecasts that it will grow tremendously in the years ahead. In his estimation, Ryan McAweeney says now is the time to be an affiliate marketer. Perhaps this is because brands are now moving towards digitization and the internet is the enabler for this lucrative field. Ryan McAweeney believes that no company can make it in the current business world if it retains the old marketing model. Ryan McAweeney lives, eats, and sleeps affiliate marketing as evidently shown by his passion for the field. As a marketing enthusiast with a unique ability to scan and predict the marketing trend, Ryan McAweeney is that guru you don't want to ignore. Having worked for multinationals and fortune 500 companies such as NFL, Toyota, and Wells Fargo, Ryan McAweeney's marketing skills can help you get an edge over your peers in the field. If you are like most people who want to make it in the field of affiliate marketing, you are going to find it necessary to learn the trade from his many years of hands-on experience guiding small, medium, and large companies to come back to profitability after years of grappling with failed strategies. By Carl O'Donnell and Manas Mishra (Reuters) - The Trump administration reversed guidance Friday on COVID-19 testing for a second time, urging those exposed to people with the virus to get tested even if they are not displaying symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sparked widespread outcry among state public health officials and experts in late August when it said that people who do not have symptoms may not need to get tested. Before Aug. 24, the CDC had encouraged testing for all those who were exposed. Friday's guidance update effectively returns the CDC's testing guidance to what it said before it was altered in late August. Reuters reported that a majority of U.S. states rejected the CDC's Aug. 24 guidance in an extraordinary rebuke of the nation's top agency for disease prevention. The change was made on a page https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/testing-overview.html aimed at health workers. The return to a science-based approach to testing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is good news for public health and for our united fight against this pandemic," Thomas File, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, said in a statement. Some state officials last month said they thought the administration's choice to play down the importance of testing reflected a desire by Republican President Donald Trump to cut the tally of new cases. Trump, who is running for re-election on Nov. 3, told a rally in June testing is a "double-edged" sword because it leads to more cases being discovered, causing the United States to appear worse off than it would otherwise. He added that he urged officials to "slow the testing down, please." A White House official at the time told Reuters that the remark was a joke. Trump administration officials denied that the move was political and told Reuters that it reflected "current evidence and best public health practices." (Reporting by Carl O'Donnell; editing by Peter Henderson and Jonathan Oatis) 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. Imperial Valley News Center Man Charged with Hiring Person to Kidnap and Kill a Man in a Foreign Country, and Producing and Receiving Child Pornography Burlington, Vermont - A federal grand jury in the District of Vermont returned a third superseding indictment Tuesday against a Burlington man for conspiring to kidnap and kill a man in a foreign country, murder for hire, and five child pornography offenses. Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Christina E. Nolan of the District of Vermont, and Resident Agent in Charge Michael Shea of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Burlington, Vermont, made the announcement. Sean Fiore, 36, was charged with one count of conspiring to kidnap and murder a man in a foreign country from within the United States, one count of producing and attempting to produce child pornography, one count of conspiring to produce child pornography, and one count of receiving and attempting to receive child pornography. Fiore is also charged with using interstate commerce facilities, namely cell phones and the Internet, in the commission of murder-for-hire, and an additional count each of possession and receipt of child pornography, with which he was charged in prior indictments. Fiore was arrested in May 2019, as part of an operation conducted by Vermonts Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC) and HSI, that involved executing search warrants on several residences in May 2019, based on cyber tips that were received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Fiore is currently detained pending trial, and his initial appearance on the superseding indictment will take place before Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy in the District of Vermont on a date yet to be scheduled. The indictment alleges that between November 2018 and April 2019, Fiore knowingly and intentionally used and caused to be used facilities of interstate and foreign commerce, namely, the Internet and cell phones, with the intent of paying someone to kidnap and murder an adult male in a foreign country. Fiore is alleged to have conspired with that person to have a male victim kidnapped, bound, tortured, and then murdered, so that a video of the torture and killing could be made. Fiore allegedly paid approximately $4,000 for the video to be made. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The investigation was conducted by HSI. Trial Attorney Mona Sahaf of the Criminal Divisions Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Masterson of the District of Vermont are prosecuting the case with the assistance of the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and the Justice Departments Office of International Affairs. WASHINGTON When President Trump presided over a grandiose White House signing ceremony for new accords between Israel and two Arab states last week, his re-election campaign wasted little time cashing in. Two days after the event, his campaign released a slick, 30-second ad featuring footage from the ceremony and depicting Mr. Trump as a heroic peacemaker for bringing Israel into normalized relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. They said it couldnt be done. But President Trump did it, a narrator declares in the dramatic tones heard in Hollywood blockbuster previews. The first Middle East peace agreement in decades. In an election dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, racial unrest and now a Supreme Court vacancy, the presidents Middle East deal has already faded into the endless news cycle. But the ad is the latest sign that however much Mr. Trump might value his diplomacy for its potential to reshape the region, his campaign also sees a potent political message that may not be top of mind for most voters but could move a handful of the right ones in the right places. On Saturday afternoon, Trump named Amy Coney Barrett, 48, of the Chicago-based 7th Circuit and Barbara Lagoa, 52, of the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit as possible nominees. Emerging as the favorite is Barrett, 48, a mother of seven children, including two adopted from Haiti and one with special needs. Her involvement in a cult-like Catholic group where members are assigned a 'handmaiden' has caused concern in Barret's nomination to other courts and is set to come under fierce review again if she is Trump's pick. The group was the one which helped inspire 'The Handmaids Tale', book's author Margaret Atwood has said. Barrett emerges now as a front runner after she was already shortlisted for the nomination in 2018 which eventually went to Brett Kavanaugh. Trump called the federal appellate court judge 'very highly respected' when questioned about her Saturday. Born in New Orleans in 1972, she was the first and only woman to occupy an Indiana seat on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Married to Jesse M. Barrett, a partner at SouthBank Legal in South Bend and former Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, the couple have five biological and two adopted children. Their youngest biological child has Down Syndrome. Friends say she is a devoted mother - and say with just an hour to go until she was voted into the 7th District Court of Appeals by the U.S. Senate in 2017, Barrett was outside trick-or-treating with her kids. Barrett's strong Christian ideology makes her a favorite of the right but her involvement in a religious group sometimes branded as a 'cult' is set to be harshly criticized. In 2017, her affiliation to the small, tightly knit Christian group called People of Praise caused concern while she was a nominee for a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. The New York Times reported that the practices of the group would surprise even other Catholics with members of the group swearing a lifelong oath of loyalty, called a covenant, to one another. They are also assigned and held accountable to a personal adviser, known until recently as a 'head' for men and a 'handmaid' for women and believe in prophecy, speaking in tongues and divine healings. Members are also encouraged to confess personal sins, financial information and other sensitive disclosures to these advisors. Advisors are allowed to report these admissions to group leadership if necessary, according to an account of one former member. The organization itself says that the term 'handmaid' was a reference to Jesus's mother Mary's description of herself as a 'handmaid of the Lord.' They said they recently stopped using the term due to cultural shifts and now use the name 'women leaders.' The group deems that husbands are the heads of their wives and should take authority over the family while 'the heads and handmaids give direction on important decisions, including whom to date or marry, where to live, whether to take a job or buy a home, and how to raise children,' the Times reported. Unmarried members are placed living with married couples members often look to buy or rent homes near other members. Founded in 1971, People of Praise was part of the era's 'great emergence of lay ministries and lay movements in the Catholic Church,' founder Bishop Peter Smith told the Catholic News Agency. Beginning with just 29 members, it now has an estimated 2,000. According to CNA, some former members of the People of Praise allege that leaders exerted undue influence over family decision-making, or pressured the children of members to commit to the group. At least 10 members of Barrett's family, not including their children, also belong to the group. Barrett's father, Mike Coney, serves on the People of Praise's powerful 11-member board of governors, described as the group's 'highest authority.' Her mother Linda served as a handmaiden. The group's ultra-conservative religious tenets helped spur author Margaret Atwood to publish The Handmaid's Tale, a story about a religious takeover of the U.S. government, according to a 1986 interview with the writer. The book has since been made into a hit TV series. According to legal experts, loyalty oaths such at the one Barrett would have taken to People of Praise could raise legitimate questions about a judicial nominee's independence and impartiality. 'These groups can become so absorbing that it's difficult for a person to retain individual judgment,' said Sarah Barringer Gordon, a professor of constitutional law and history at the University of Pennsylvania. 'I don't think it's discriminatory or hostile to religion to want to learn more' about her relationship with the group. 'We don't try to control people,' said Craig S. Lent. 'And there's never any guarantee that the leader is always right. You have to discern and act in the Lord. 'If and when members hold political offices, or judicial offices, or administrative offices, we would certainly not tell them how to discharge their responsibilities.' During her professional career, Barrett spent two decades as a law professor at the University of Notre Dame, from which she holds her bachelor's and law degrees. She was named 'Distinguished Professor of the Year' three separate years, a title decided by students. A former clerk for late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, she was nominated by Trump to serve on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2017 and confirmed in a 55-43 vote by the Senate later that year. At the time, three Democratic senators supported her nomination: Joe Donnelly (Ind.), who subsequently lost his 2018 reelection bid, Tim Kaine (Va.) and Joe Manchin (W.Va.), according to the Hill. She was backed by every GOP senator at the time, but she did not disclose her relationship with People of Praise which led to later criticism of her appointment. Barret is well-regarded by the religious right because of this devout faith. Yet these beliefs are certain to cause problems with her conformation and stand in opposition to the beliefs of Ginsburg, who she would be replacing. Axios reported in 2019 that Trump told aides he was 'saving' Barrett to replace Ginsburg. Her deep Catholic faith was cited by Democrats as a large disadvantage during her 2017 confirmation hearing for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. 'If you're asking whether I take my faith seriously and I'm a faithful Catholic, I am,' Barrett responded during that hearing, 'although I would stress that my personal church affiliation or my religious belief would not bear in the discharge of my duties as a judge.' Republicans now believe that she performed well in her defense during this hearing, leaving her potentially capable of doing the same if facing the Senate Judiciary Committee. She is a former member of the Notre Dame's 'Faculty for Life' and in 2015 signed a letter to the Catholic Church affirming the 'teachings of the Church as truth.' Among those teachings were the 'value of human life from conception to natural death' and marriage-family values 'founded on the indissoluble commitment of a man and a woman'. She has previously written that Supreme Court precedents are not sacrosanct. Liberals have taken these comments as a threat to the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide. Barrett wrote that she agrees 'with those who say that a justice's duty is to the Constitution and that it is thus more legitimate for her to enforce her best understanding of the Constitution rather than a precedent she thinks clearly in conflict with it'. Among the other statements that have cause concern for liberal are her declaration that ObamaCare's birth control mandate is 'grave violation of religious freedom.' LGBTQ organizations also voiced their concern about her when she was first named on the shortlist. She has also sided with Trump on immigration. In a case from June 2020, IndyStar reports that she was the sole voice on a three-judge panel that supported allowing federal enforcement of Trump's public charge immigration law in Illinois, The law would have prevented immigrants from getting legal residency in the United States if they rely on public benefits like food stamps or housing vouchers. NEW YORK Lawyers for Keith Raniere are proclaiming his innocence, lashing out at victims and describing the Capital Regions most notorious convicted sex trafficker as a crime stopper who helped bring peace to Mexico. And if the NXIVM leader - who is facing possibly life in prison - must be incarcerated, it should be for 15 years, defense attorneys told the judge who will impose Ranieres sentence on Oct. 27. Simply put, he remains proud of his lifes work, Raniere attorneys Marc Agnifilo and Paul DerOhannesian informed Senior U.S. Justice Nicholas Garaufis, who presided over Ranieres nearly two month trial last year. Keith Raniere continues to assert his complete innocence to these charges, the attorneys stated. He does, of course, recognize that a jury convicted him of very serious crimes, ironically crimes that he and others in NXIVM have been seeking to prevent others from committing for many years. On June 19, 2019, a federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Raniere of sex trafficking, forced labor conspiracy and racketeering counts with underlying acts that included possessing child pornography, child exploitation, extortion, identity theft and conspiracy and money laundering. Last month, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn submitted a memo to Garaufis requesting a life sentence for the 60-year-old Raniere, formerly of Halfmoon, a purported self-help guru known as Vanguard. The memo said that in an April 8 jailhouse conversation, Raniere told a supporter, Suneel Chakravorty, they needed to "get scrutiny" on Garaufis and that the judge "needs to know hes being watched. In a filing dated Sept. 18, Agnifilo and DerOhannesian countered that their client was simply "expressing the need for a good lawyer,"which is why, they argued, Raniere added that they "gotta figure out the next step with Dershowitz, referring to high-profile attorney Alan Dershowitz, whose clients include sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. The 85-page defense memo said Raniere's conviction was the product of a media campaign involving witnesses who were motivated to testify falsely, a heavy-handed prosecution that threatened potential defense witnesses and, most respectfully, an unfair trial where, we believe, the court was not provided with full, candid information from the prosecution. In NXIVM, being prideful was scorned. But the defense memo repeatedly said Raniere remains proud of many of his accomplishments in NXIVM and boasted that he made Mexico safer. He remains proud to have been permitted to play a part in helping citizens and residents of Mexico strive to bring peace to a country beset by violent gangs, kidnappings and murders, a struggle that continues to the present and that will continue into the future," the memo said, claiming that Raniere created a sustainable peace movement. Many top members of NXIVM were from Mexico, including three sisters who all became sexually involved with Raniere, the youngest at the age of 15. The middle sister angered Raniere when she dared to kiss another man, leading him to order she be banished to a room in her family's Halfmoon townhouse for nearly two years. The eldest sister remains a Raniere love interest and gave birth to his child. Raniere's lawyers said he was "not sorry" for his conduct. He expects to one day be freed from the tyranny of the destructive forces showcased over the last several years, they said. The defense memo slammed prosecutors in Brooklyns Eastern District, which brought the case. The lawyers wrote that a highly experienced prosecutor in the Northern District, based in Albany, and the Albany area FBI concluded that no crimes had occurred. The U.S. attorney's office in Albany could not immediately be reached for comment. The FBI declined comment. This complex situation of personal motives, individual regrets and life-choices has no place in a federal courtroom, the defense memo stated. Yet, the government seeks a life sentence for Keith Raniere in a case that has no guns, no knives and no force. No one was shot, stabbed, punched, kicked, slapped or even yelled at. Despite the sex offenses, there is no evidence that any woman ever told Keith Raniere that she did not want to kiss him, touch him, hold his hand or have sex with him. Raniere's sex trafficking victims were members of his secret "master/slave" club, Dominus Obsequious Sororium or DOS, which was all female except for Raniere. DOS members were required to hand over collateral such as naked photos. Once in, they were "slaves" who swore lifetime vows of obedience to their "masters." Raniere orchestrated demanding rules through a "first line" group of eight slaves. Women in DOS became rail thin, living on a Raniere requirement of consuming 500 calories or less a day; orders to respond to readiness drills at all hours of the night; so-called acts of care to please their masters, and, for some members of DOS, assignments to please Raniere sexually. Some women in the group were branded on their pelvic areas with Ranieres initials by a person using a cauterizing pen, a practice revealed by Sarah Edmondson, who ran NXIVM's Vancouver center and went public to the New York Times about DOS, which she joined. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The defense memo claimed Raniere created DOS to be a positive force for women. "While it has controversial elements, that does not make it bad," the memo said. "It makes it difficult and demanding, which is what the women joining DOS were signing up for. DOS is not for everyone. It is, rather, for those women who believe that they would benefit from a serious challenge and from developing greater discipline. DOS is serious medicine and it is appropriate only in certain circumstances." The memo claimed DOS, also known as "The Vow" (now the name of an ongoing HBO documentary series about NXIVM) was not created for the purposes of sex. Raniere's lawyers also claimed DOS victims who testified at trial were "pressured, coerced and otherwise convinced to testify" against Raniere. The lawyers said when DOS slaves were told to seduce Raniere -- and bring a cell phone with them and disrobe while he keeps his clothes on -- the assignment was not to have sex with Raniere. "Rather the assignment tests the womens resolve to undertake a task that is difficult and challenging," the lawyers stated. "It is easy and even perhaps natural to see that this is a highly controversial practice and one that can easily lead to serious misunderstandings." The defense memo included excerpts from letters sent on Raniere's behalf from NXIVM devotees including Jim Del Negro, identified at trial as a member of Raniere's inner circle; Brandon Porter, a former Capital Region doctor whose medical license was revoked for conducting human brain-activity experiments and other unsanctioned research on NXIVM-linked people in Halfmoon; and television actress Nicki Clyne, a "first-line" DOS slave. She and other Raniere loyalists have danced this summer with other supporters outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where Raniere is being held. The memo alleged that before the trial, prosecutors threatened to charge another person who has danced outside the facility -- DOS member Michele Hatchette -- with perjury if she refused to continue to come to the U.S. attorneys office in Brooklyn. The defense attorneys said Hatchette and Clyne were both potential defense witnesses. The memo argued that an "anti-NXIVM" contingent using cult deprogrammers and defectors such as Edmondson and former NXIVM executive Mark Vicente tried to turn the women against Raniere. The memo also delved into Raniere's past: Born in Brooklyn, Raniere's parents moved to Suffern in Rockland County when he was six years old. Two years later they separated and later divorced. The lawyers explained how Raniere remained close to his parents as a youth, especially to his mother who, they said, had heart disease. They said Raniere spent his adolescence and teenage years caring for his mother and realizing he could lose her at any point. Ranieres father, James, a former advertising executive, died earlier this spring. His mother, Vera Oschypko, a professional ballroom dancer, died in December 1978, the memorandum said. In 1977, Raniere went to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, starting his long residency in the Capital Region. Philippine has issued a temporary ban on the importation of domestic wild horses and its products from Malaysia. Reuters pic KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 Neighbouring Philippine has issued a temporary ban on the importation of domestic wild horses and its products from Malaysia following an outbreak of a fatal disease here. According to The Philippine Star, the republics Department of Agriculture (DA) instituted the temporary ban following a memorandum order issued by the Office of the Secretary to prevent the entry of the African Horse Sickness (AHS) virus and protect the health of the local equine population. Based on the official report submitted to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), there was an outbreak of AHS in backyard-reared horses in the state of Terengganu. The disease outbreak is continuing in Malaysia, the report was quoted as saying. The ban comes after five horses in Terengganu tested positive for AHS, the first such case reported in the country. AHS is a serious and often fatal disease of horses, mules and donkeys. It is spread by infected insects and causes fever and heart and respiratory problems in affected animals. The sickness is believed to have spread from Thailand to Malaysia. The disease confirmation was published in a report dated September 2 from the OIE after Malaysias Veterinary Research Institute took samples from the affected horses for analysis. It added that Agriculture Secretary William Dar had issued an immediate suspension of the processing, evaluation of the application and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) import clearance to the said commodities which includes horse semen and embryos. Dar was also quoted as saying that there would be a stoppage and confiscation of all shipments of the commodities into the country by all DA veterinary quarantine officers at all major ports of entry. However this is not the first time a foreign country has issued a ban on the importation of horses from Malaysia, with China previously confirming a similar ban on September 13 following the disease outbreak here. Related Articles Lost at sea: Surfboard drifts 8,000 km from Hawaii to Philippines Philippines confirms 3,962 new coronavirus cases, 100 more deaths Strengthen Sabahs defences, Shafie demands as Putrajaya dismisses Philippines claim over state NEW DELHI : New Delhi: Fresh political fault lines have been drawn between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition parties on Sunday, which saw two key farm bills getting Parliaments approval amidst din and high drama. The key bone of contention between both sides is the deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha and the conduct of business in the Upper House on Sunday. The problem between the two sides started after opposition parties gathered around deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh who was on the chair during the discussion on the two farm bills on Sunday afternoon. The political tussle further aggravated after the Bills were passed as protest by opposition continued and 12 parties came together to give a notice of no-confidence against Harivansh. What happened in Rajya Sabha today was shameful. While it is responsibility of the treasury benches to run the House smoothly, the onus is also on the opposition to ensure the same. It is not healthy democratic practice to mislead farmers for petty political gains," said defence minister Rajnath Singh during a press conference on late Sunday evening. Talking to reporters, Singh also pointed out that there was a deliberate attempt by the opposition parties to mislead farmers over the Bill and especially on the issue of minimum support price (MSP). Some of the farmers groups have alleged that the Bills were an attempt to end MSP, but the union government has tried to assure the farmers groups and have categorically stated that MSP will not stop. The conduct of some MPs against the deputy chairman is reprehensible. It has not just tarnished his reputation but also that of parliamentary practices. There is a deliberate attempt by the opposition parties to mislead farmers. These Bills will empower farmers to sell their crops anywhere in the country. I am also a farmer and I cannot think that this government would do anything that is against farmers," Singh added. Minutes after Singhs press conference along with key union ministers, Congress held a press conference with its senior leaders from Rajya Sabha where they said that the union government should not defend the conduct of the deputy chairman. We do not understand why this hurry, why are they bulldozing these anti-farmer laws without patienceWithout taking sense of the House, the deputy chairman went ahead with passage of the Bill. People who had moved resolutions became upset and that is understandable," senior Congress leader K C Venugopal told reporters. He added that BJP leaders could be seen whispering" to the deputy chairman. What conspiracy was happening? In parliamentary democracy, government has the way but opposition has the say. The union minister press conference, they are justifying Deputy chairmans action. They should have condemned the practice," he added. However, problems are growing for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and alliance partners have repeatedly raised concerns over the farm Bills passed on Sunday. The problem which started with the resignation of former union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is now heading towards the coalition government in Haryana where BJP is in alliance with Jannayak Janta Party (JJP). There is no mention of ending minimum support price (MSP) system in the Agriculture Bills passed by Parliament. I will quit my post the day any danger to the MSP system is posed," said deputy chief minister of Haryana Dushyant Chautala while talking to reporters. Alliance partners of BJP have also asked President Ram Nath Kovind to intervene and not to sign the two Bills. Senior leaders of SAD have demanded that the Bills should be returned to Parliament for reconsideration. Urging President of India not to sign the Bills on farm issues & return them to Parliament for reconsideration. Please intervene on behalf of farmers, labourers, arhtiyas, mandi labour & Dalits, or they will never forgive us. Democracy means consensus, not oppression. A sad day for democracy indeed if it leads to 'annadata' starving or sleep on roads," tweeted Sukhbir Singh Badal, former chief minister of Punjab and senior leader of Shirmani Akali Dal (SAD). According to a news report by Press Trust of India, scenes in Rajya Sabha included opposition members charging towards the podium of the presiding officer, flinging the rule book at him, tearing official papers and heckled him over their demand for a division of vote on their motion to refer the legislation to a select committee. Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, who has been leading the charge against the farm bills, said on Sunday that his government will take the BJP and its allies, including SAD, to the court over the unconstitutional, undemocratic and anti-farmer" laws of the Centre. 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 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 At least 10 people were detained, Russia's TASS news agency quoted police as saying. Videos shared by local media outlets showed security forces in helmets or masks hauling protesters off the streets. The eastern European country was plunged into turmoil following a presidential election last month that Mr Lukashenko says he won by a landslide but the opposition says was rigged. In power for 26 years, the former Soviet collective farm manager has shown scant inclination to resign, buoyed by support from Russia. The European Union vowed weeks ago to impose sanctions on Minsk for alleged election fraud and human rights abuses, but is likely to miss its own Monday deadline for action. Police data leaked In tandem with the protests, anonymous hackers leaked the personal data of 1,000 police officers in retaliation for a crackdown in which thousands of people have been detained, many complaining of beatings and torture in jail. The government has denied abusing detainees. Advertisement The loyalty of the security forces is crucial to Mr Lukashenko's ability to cling on to power. Their faces are often obscured by masks, balaclavas or riot helmets. Some protesters have physically torn off the masks of some officers. "As the arrests continue, we will continue to publish data on a massive scale," said a statement that was distributed by the opposition news channel Nexta Live on the messaging app Telegram. "No one will remain anonymous even under a balaclava." The government said it would find and punish those responsible for leaking the data, which was widely distributed on Telegram channels on Saturday evening. "The forces, means and technologies at the disposal of the internal affairs bodies make it possible to identify and prosecute the overwhelming majority of those guilty of leaking personal data on the Internet," said Olga Chemodanova, the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Strategic buffer The government said 390 women were detained for taking part in a protest yesterday. Most have been released. Minsk reacted angrily to reports that Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leading opposition candidate in last month's election, could soon meet EU foreign ministers. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also criticised the EU for inviting Tsikhanouskaya to the ministerial meeting as well as for considering sanctions against Minsk, saying Brussels was trying to "rock the boat" in Belarus. Russia sees Belarus as a strategic buffer state against the EU and NATO, and has accused the United States of fomenting revolution in its neighbour. Moscow agreed to give a $1.5 billion (1.266 billion) loan to prop up Mr Lukashenko's government following a meeting between him and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Belarus will channel about $330 million (287.6 million) of its new loan to cover its outstanding debt to Russian gas giant Gazprom, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov was quoted by TASS as saying. -Reuters Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 19:24:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, addresses the 12th Straits Forum held in the port city of Xiamen in southeast China's Fujian Province via video link on Sept. 20, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Tao) XIAMEN, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisor Wang Yang addressed the 12th Straits Forum held in the port city of Xiamen in Fujian Province via video link on Sunday. Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, congratulated the forum on its opening despite COVID-19 and some obstruction from Taiwan. The opening of the forum and the large number of participants from Taiwan have fully demonstrated that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have a sincere and strong desire for communication, and no force can stop it, Wang said. The development of cross-Strait relations over the past few decades shows that both sides benefit from exchanges but are hurt by isolation, he said. He added that some forces from Taiwan are trying to impede communication and cooperation across the Strait, which will bring nothing but harm to Taiwan. "Taiwan independence," a path to nowhere, will only bring unbearable risks to Taiwan, said Wang. "We will not tolerate any damage to China's sovereignty, security, and development interests." The mainland promotes the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations on the basis of the 1992 Consensus and will further improve the institutional arrangements, policies and measures to benefit Taiwan compatriots, said Wang. Wang expressed the hope that people from both sides of the Strait can jointly shoulder the historical responsibilities of national reunification and advance the great cause of national rejuvenation. Enditem Coronation Street actress Shobna Gulati shares the devastating reality of caring for her dementia-stricken mother in a poignant new memoir. The actress, 53, of Oldham, Greater Manchester, who played Sunita Alahan on the ITV soap, tells how her mother Asha Gulati battled with dementia for years before her death in 2019, aged 79. In Do You Remember Me, Shobna reveals the steps she took to help her mother maintain a feeling of independence, including doing the ironing at night so she didn't know she was receiving help from her four children. She also reveals how her mother was left 'confused' and furious at her lack of dignity when Shobna would help her use the toilet and empty the Stoma bag that was fitted in 2014 following a bowel cancer diagnosis. Coronation Street actress Shobna Gulati shares the devastating reality of caring for her dementia-stricken mother in a poignant new memoir. Pictured, mother and daughter 'It was so painful to watch her, confused about why I was there, confused about what her stoma did and how it saved her life,' Shobna writes. 'And on top of the confusion there would be the fury at the shame she was being exposed to. I was exposing her simply by being there.' Asha Gulati, whose doctor husband died when Shobna was 19, was diagnosed with dementia after her children, Shobna, Sushma, Hema and Raj, began noticing their mother becoming more forgetful, although Shobna admits she feels guilty for not catching the signs sooner. 'I wonder if I subconsciously decided not to pay attention to the signs?,' she writes. 'Or were they not clearly defined enough for me to risk her wrath by addressing why things just didn't feel quite right.' Asha also started writing notes to St Anthony, patron of lost things, asking for help finding misplaced items. 'In later months, as I spent more time in the house, I discovered notes tucked away everywhere, in little tins in amongst her sewing stuff and oddments and in the corner of her cardigan pockets,' Shobna recounts. On another occasion, Shobna discovered her mother had burned her back on a trip to India. Asha Gulati, pictured, was officially diagnosed with vascular dementia in January 2017. Three years earlier, in 2014, she had been diagnosed with bowel cancer 'I asked how she got it and she said that she'd been sitting in front of the radiator trying to get warm and hadn't noticed it burning. 'That really worried me. I just thought: how caught up do you have to be with what's on the TV to be sitting there and have the radiator burn your back like that.' Shobna's brother Raj, a doctor, suggested Asha undergo tests that led to a diagnosis of vascular dementia, caused by damage due to lack of blood flow in the brain. The condition have affected part of Asha's brain related to the function of spatial awareness, language, thought processing, as well as the part of the brain that controls balance, walking and coordination. This cause Asha to experience memory loss, Shobna explains. Do Your Remember me: Discovering my mother as she lost her memory, by Shobna Gulati, is published by Cassel 'It seems the cruelest thing, that the tiniest little clot can starve your brain's blood vessels for one night while you're sleeping and fleece you of your more precious memories. And that is what had been happening for months, if not years to my mum,' she writes. As the diagnosis settled and worsened, Shobna and her siblings began to care more for their mother, with Shobna playing a central role, staying with her mother when she was not working. 'These days, that pooled into weeks and months, were frightening for all of us because she had always been the one guiding our family ship. And then suddenly she wasn't,' she recounts in the book. The children had to clean, cook and look after Asha, but because she was 'vociferously independent,' and so as to not hurt her dignity, Shobna and her siblings kept pretending that their mother was still in charge of these tasks, and would let her believe she had done it all by herself. Shobna would iron at night and vacuum when her mother was out of sight to keep the illusion going. Shobna describes her mother as a loving and supportive but sometimes difficult figure, recalling how she used to 'show her up' during family reunions. However Asha was also the person Shobna 'clinged to' during the most challenging moments of her life, like when her first marriage ended in divorce in 1994 or she gave birth to her son Akshay out of wedlock in 1996. The identity of his father has never been made public. Shobna explained she had a lovely, yet complication relationship with her mother. She dedicated her time to caring after her during her final years Asha remained by her daughter's side throughout, even when their extended family was less supportive. Dementia helped uncover parts of Asha that were previously hidden to even her children. 'A new picture began to emerge through the entropy,' Shobna writes. 'From the chaos came another history, and she sat there, unlocking eras of her life she had once hermetically sealed off to even those closest to her. 'Mum wasn't herself or the woman I knew her to be anymore,' she goes on, 'In these drawers lay secrets never shared and losses and estrangements.' The dedicated daughter explains in her book how certain situation or types of food would unearth her mother's deepest secrets. 'Sometimes the outside world would trigger memories which would make her enraged and that had been kept obscured from view because of the triggering effects they had. Asha was an independent woman. To not hurt her dignity, her children would iron at night or hoover when she was out of sight and pretend she had done it herself to preserve her pride 'I would deliberately prepare certain meals to provoke lost memories and stories. Taste would reconnect her to her history. In a way that led to a greater understanding of my mum and as a result the difficulties our relationship had experienced over the years.' Caring for her mother for so long also took a toll on Shobna's wellbring, she explains. 'In the context of this often unbearably intense time, it was impossible for me to make any steps to create much of a life for myself. 'When I wasn't working, I was sitting watching telly with mum. I couldn't properly date or go on long holidays to rest from work, or meet my friends regularly,' she writes. 'I began to feel as though my mind had begun to mirror hers as we spent so much time together, I too started to unplug from the world outside as I was desperate to hold on to something tangible as the time started to slip away from us.' Shobna as a young girl. She grew up in Oldham with her three siblings. Her father died during a trip to Indian when she was 19 When Asha was moved to hospital to receive end of life care, Shobna visited her. She recounts the intense emotions she felt during her last visit, saying her goodbyes to her mother. 'We were always there for each other, my mum and me,' she writes 'Whenever we needed each other, we came through. I know she was OK with me in her final moments and that is all that anybody can hope for.' Do You Remember Me? By Shobna Gulati is published by Cassel. A spurned lover in his fifties ran over two women outside a pub before getting out of his car and stabbing three men, it was reported last night. A man left with potentially 'life-changing injuries' is among five people in hospital following the attack outside a pub in Plymouth. Devon and Cornwall Police were called to the Railway Inn on Albert Road in the Stoke Village area at about 10pm on Saturday to reports of three men being stabbed. The suspect is believed to have gone to the pub to confront a woman over their relationship, The Sun reported last night. The suspect initially fled the scene but a 50-year-old man was later arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. A man left with potentially 'life-changing injuries' is among five people in hospital following a stabbing attack outside a pub in Plymouth Devon and Cornwall Police were called to the Railway Inn on Albert Road in the Stoke Village area at about 10pm on Saturday to reports of three men being stabbed Officers also found two women pedestrians who had been involved in a collision with a vehicle. One woman suffered serious injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening while the other woman received minor injuries. All five people were taken to Derriford Hospital for treatment. A witness told The Sun: 'It was horrible. A bloke ran two women over then got out and stabbed people.' Armed police initially carried out a search at a property in Breacon Park but found the suspect was not at the address, the force said. Officers later stopped a man in a vehicle on the outskirts of Ide in Exeter, almost 40 miles away from the pub. Officers also found two women pedestrians who had been involved in a collision with a vehicle. One woman suffered serious injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening Superintendent Roy Linden said: 'As we carry out further enquiries into this incident, the public will see a police presence at several locations across Plymouth today, particularly in the Albert Road area of Stoke. 'This will continue over the coming days, with our police community support officers continuing to provide a visible police presence to offer further reassurance. 'The victims are currently receiving treatment in hospital and their families have been informed. 'We would like to reassure the community that although clearly distressing, this was an isolated incident and is not being treated as terrorism-related. The suspect was known to some of the victims and we can confirm that we are not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident.' Officers rushed to the Stoke area of the city just after 10pm last night with reports of numerous casualties One resident told ITV: 'I live on Albert Road and drove home to find it closed but explained I lived here. 'I was told to go in and lock doors. Multiple police cars and emergency services including a helicopter and armed police.' Another resident, Winston Churchslope, posted a video from the scene in the aftermath. Speaking to camera, he said: 'Here on Albert Road looks like there has been quite a few stabbings. 'This is Albert Road in Plymouth and a few people have been stabbed and apparently one might be dead... 'Apparently the [suspect] is still on the run. He's stabbed people and run. 'This just doesn't happen in Plymouth.' The suspect initially fled the scene but Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed they have since arrested a 50-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder. The residential road remains sealed off and witnesses have said that a police helicopter has been circling the scene The suspect initially fled the scene (pictured) but Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed they have since arrested a 50-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder A spokesperson for the force said: 'Police were called just after 10pm on Saturday night following a serious incident having occurred near the Railway Inn on Albert Road in the Stoke area of Plymouth. 'Police units attended and found four people having sustained serious but not life threatening injuries; all have since been taken to Derriford Hospital for treatment. 'The suspect had fled the scene by the time police attended. 'Follow up enquiries meant that armed offices attended an address in the Beacon Park area of Plymouth in an attempt to locate the suspect; he was not at the address. Officers remain at the scene after four people have been rushed to hospital with serious injuries following a 'multiple stabbing' attack outside a Plymouth pub Police scrambled to the Railway Inn where they found four people nearby with stab wounds just after 10pm last night 'Further enquiries and proactive police work led to officers stopping a vehicle near Ide on the outskirts of Exeter in which a man in his 50s was apprehended. 'The suspect had been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder but has initially been taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. 'Police enquiries continue in this matter. 'Anyone with information and who has yet to speak to officers is asked to contact 110 quoting log number 1112 19th September.' The residential road remains sealed off and witnesses have said that a police helicopter has been circling the scene. Please register or log in to keep reading. No credit card required! Stay logged in to skip the surveys. A few days after Ambala additional deputy commissioner (ADC) Preeti and her RTA team was attacked while on challaning duty, the mining mafia allegedly attacked a gunman attached with Yamunanagar ADC Ranjit Kaur and took away a truck seized by her on Saturday night. ADC-cum-RTA secretary Kaur said they had seized the truck while on challaning duty in Sadhaura area around 12 pm. Sadhaura station in-charge Chootu Ram said that they have booked Rahul of Ambalas Barara area for obstructing officials on government duty and other charges. The accused had allegedly come in a Fortuner car and thrashed the police personnel, before snatching his mobile and the truck. New Delhi: Bollywood celebrities are asked for their opinions on just about everything these days, National Award-winning actor Manoj Bajpayee notes. How is it possible to give a satisfactory answer on something he is not related to or well-versed about, he wonders. "If you say we are only actors, on Twitter you troll us by saying that (since) we are actors you want our opinions on things that we are not so good about. Yes, we are only actors and to talk about economy, to talk about something I don't have an idea or about the Indo-China border tension? How am I supposed to answer and satisfy your questions?" Manoj told IANS, deliberating on the subject of film celebrities having to tackle all sorts of questions these days, on media and social media. Manoj is back in the limelight rapping a number titled "Bambai Main Ka Ba", which highlights the plight of migrant workers, and he would rather focus on answering questions about his song right now. "So, calling for a byte and harassing actors is something you should not do. Let them (actors) be and let them do their job. Pull them up if they are doing anything illegal, pull them up if they are taking the citizens or the country for granted, or society for granted. Ask for answers but don't ask them something that is not related to them," he said. But then, being an actor comes with baggage, isn't it? How does Manoj deal with it? "I am not so much concerned or care about glamour and fan following. I concentrate on my job and I just go home. I do things with loads of freedom -- going to the grocery store or stopping at a vegetable vendor. I can do it because I really don't care," he said. "I am very much concerned with my growth as an actor and as a human being. Rest of the things don't affect me. I don't care about (other things). At times people tell me that, 'Manoj, you have a million followers on Twitter, you should say thank you'. Friends let me know if I have reached one million or two million on Instagram, and (tell me) I should thank people. I do it," the actor added. He said that it does not even occur to him that "these things are so much important." "If I am posting something I post it clearly because of professional reasons mostly, and some for very personal reasons. Otherwise, there is no mental or emotional compulsion to be on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook at all," Manoj summed up. An exclusive floating villa in Sydney's Palm Beach has been destroyed in a dramatic blaze. NSW Fire and Rescue crews were called to the scene in Pittwater Bay at about 2.20pm on Sunday as the $1,450-a-night floating villa called Lilypad caught fire. Two people were on board the mooring when the fire set in, who both escaped uninjured. A NSW Fire and Rescue spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia they managed to 'self evacuate safely'. A luxurious floating rental property in Sydney called Lilypad has been destroyed in a dramatic blaze (pictured) The spokesperson said the cause of the fire was as yet unknown, but 'seemed accidental' with investigations ongoing. Several fire crews are at the scene fighting the blaze, which is under control, while the Lilypad villa has been destroyed. NSW Police and ambulance officials are both also at the scene. Lilypad Palm Beach is one of Sydney's most luxurious boutique holiday rentals and is only accessible by boat or seaplane. Fire crews work to contain the fire at Lilypad in Pittwater Bay in Palm Beach on Sunday afternoon Lilypad is among Sydney's most exclusive and private boutique rentals with one night stay costing $1,450 per night The luxury accommodation is 100 per cent solar powered and sleeps two guests in one of Sydney's premier locations It boasts a double bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, private boat for exploring the coastline, a wine cellar stocked with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and personal chef. A night's stay in the villa, which is 100 per cent solar-powered, starts from $1,450, with the price including other perks such as a private concierge, onboard breakfast items supplied by nearby restaurant Boat House Palm Beach and use of paddleboards, fishing rods and a floating day bed. Those booking a two-night stay also receive a complimentary dinner for two at the 'iconic' Barrenjoey House, with a private boat transfer valued at $350. Even though the villa is just metres from the shore, the owners of Lilypad say it 'feels a million miles away'. The villa is a regular haunt of celebrities, including former Bachelorette Georgia Love, who celebrated her engagement to husband Lee Elliott at the venue. Lilypad only sleeps up to two guests, but the owners say it can be used as an 'event venue to host friends, family or clients' and can host up to 16 people. It can also be booked as a day spa venue for up to six guests. In September 2020, a viral Facebook post alleged that one wildfire in California that was caused by a gender reveal party caused more property damage than all Black Lives Matter protests since May 2020. Gender reveal party gone wrong The post referred to a wildfire in the San Bernardino National Forest that authorities said started on September 5 in Yucaipa. The fire began when a family used a smoke generating pyrotechnic device during a gender reveal party to celebrate the sex of their new baby. In just two weeks, the fire spread to more than 19,000 acres across San Bernardino and Riverside counties, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection or CAL FIRE. On September 18, authorities announced that a firefighter died battling the blaze. As for the post, it is important to note that the demonstrations against racism and police brutality varied in intensity, as there were peaceful marches organized by BLM leaders as well as some chaotic scenes of people stealing, breaking into businesses, and setting fires at night. Also Read: 13-Year-Old Boy Found Dead with Dog on His Lap After Trying to Flee Wildfire The truth Because of the looting that happened during the height of the BLM protests, there were properties that were damaged. Posts like the one that went viral on Facebook attempts to counter the claims of conservatives that BLM has damaged millions worth of properties by claiming that the wildfire that is started by a couple caused more damage. It is important to note that the term property damage, according to Cornell Law School's law dictionary, is an "injury to real or personal property through another's negligence, willful destruction, or by an act of nature, such as damage to vehicles, fences, homes, or any other possession." As of September 19, California firefighter is battling a total of 14 wildfires spanning more than 2.5 million acres, according to CAL FIRE. The El Dorado wildfire was the fourth-smallest among the wildfires, and firefighters had contained roughly 66% of it through man-made barriers, roads, or bodies of water. In total, California fires in 2020 damaged or destroyed 6,292 properties, including garages, barns, homes, businesses, and industrial buildings. The El Dorado Fire, to which the claim referred, destroyed 16 structures on its own. The San Bernardino Sun reported that twelve people had been injured in the fire that has destroyed four homes and damaged two others. As for the BLM protest, according to a Geographic Information Systems analyst in Tuscan, Arizona, almost 4,500 cities globally participated in the protest, and all U.S states were covered. For days, peaceful marches during the day were followed by vandalism and destruction at night, and it caused millions of dollars in property damage in more than 1,500 locations. According to The Star Tribune, the damaged properties included more than 260 restaurants, 200 stores, 80 grocery stores, 50 homes across the Twin Cities, as well as the Minneapolis Police Department's 3rd Precinct headquarters, which sustained heavy fire damage. This means that the number of properties damaged in connection to Black Lives Matter protests in Minneapolis alone was almost 100 times greater than that destroyed by the El Dorado fire caused by a gender reveal party. Related Article: Transient Charged and Arrested, Accused of Starting Wildfire That Killed Dozens @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Iran said Sunday its arch-foe the United States is facing "maximum isolation" after major powers dismissed a unilateral US declaration that UN sanctions on Tehran were back in force. The Trump administration said the sanctions had been re-activated under the "snapback" mechanism in a landmark 2015 nuclear treaty -- despite Washington having withdrawn from the deal. As other signatories cast doubt on the move having any legal effect, Washington threatened to "impose consequences" on states failing to comply. But Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said a concerted campaign by Washington to pressure Tehran had backfired. "We can say that America's 'maximum pressure' against Iran, in its political and legal aspect, has turned into America's maximum isolation," he said in a televised cabinet meeting. He also praised the UN Security Council's approach to the issue as "very valuable" as it ignored "America's request (and) held no session to consider their request." The Security Council was what "the Americans always thought of as their point of strength," he said. The sanctions in question had been lifted when Iran, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (Britain, China, France, Russia and the US) and Germany signed the 2015 treaty on Iran's nuclear programme, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. But US President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, saying the deal -- negotiated by his predecessor Barack Obama -- was insufficient. He also renewed and even strengthened Washington's own sanctions as part of a "maximum pressure" campaign against the Islamic republic. The US insists it is still a participant in the agreement that it stormed out of -- but only so it can activate the snapback option, which it announced on August 20. Virtually every other Security Council member disputes Washington's ability to execute this legal pirouette, and the UN body has not taken the measure any further. 'No legal effect' On Sunday, France, Germany and Britain issued a joint statement saying Washington's "purported notification" was "incapable of having any legal effect". Russia also said the US lacked legal authority and that its "illegitimate initiative and actions" could not have "international legal consequences" for others. Rouhani thanked UNSC members who had "stood against America's illegal request" and said that if remaining signatories let Iran access the deal's economic benefits, Iran would reinstate nuclear commitments it had dropped in response to the US withdrawal. Iran's foreign ministry brushed off the move and called on the rest of the world to unite against what it called the US's "reckless actions". "I imagine these are the most bitter days and hours for" the United States, said spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, announcing the move, said Washington "welcomes the return of virtually all previously terminated UN sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran". He said further measures would be announced in the coming days against sanctions "violators", to ensure that "Iran does not reap the benefits of UN-prohibited activity". With around six weeks to go until the US presidential election, Trump could unveil those measures in a speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. But Iran's foreign ministry said that Washington, by leaving the nuclear deal, had "explicitly denied itself of any right" to use the "snapback" mechanism. It also warned that "if the United States acts on these threats, directly, or with the cooperation of a handful of its puppets, it will face a serious response and be responsible for all the dangerous consequences." 'Nothing worse' The US had already suffered a resounding defeat at the Security Council in mid-August, when it tried to extend an embargo on conventional weapons deliveries to Tehran, which was due to expire in October. Pompeo responded with an unusually vehement attack on Britain, France and Germany, accusing them of "siding with Iran's ayatollahs", before announcing the snapback. In Washington's eyes, its move has now extended the embargo "indefinitely" and reactivated international sanctions on many activities related to Tehran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused Pompeo of not having read UN resolutions or the nuclear deal. "He's now probably waiting for the movie to come out so he can begin to understand it," he told state television. On the streets of Tehran, Iranians complained of harsh economic conditions they blamed on US sanctions. "It's really difficult for the people right now. Whether sanctions are reimposed or not, we are living with utmost difficulty," said Leila Zanganeh, a martial arts instructor. But Danial Namei, an architect, seemed to care little for returning UN sanctions and doubted things could get worse. "We've been through difficult things and it is still ongoing. There's nothing worse than the worst, after all," he said. Search Keywords: Short link: These Green Party respondents should in no way be taken as a representative sample of Green Party voters in Montana. This is a tiny group. They are worth analyzing only for the extremely unusual and limited purpose of evaluating whether these particular 19 humans would have broken overwhelmingly for one candidate or another had we not named the Green Party candidate in the poll. Some may wonder how a Senate race in Montana could be so close. After all, Mr. Trump won the state by 20 points in 2016. But Democrats successfully recruited Mr. Bullock, the states governor since 2013, who remains highly popular with voters even after his failed 2020 presidential run. His favorability rating is 53 percent (41 percent unfavorable), while just 48 percent had a favorable view of Mr. Daines, the incumbent Republican senator, and 44 percent held an unfavorable view. Mr. Daines is counting on the states rightward lean to help overcome Mr. Bullocks personal popularity. By a margin of 50 percent to 42 percent, Montanans in our survey say they prefer that Republicans control the U.S. Senate, and they back President Trump over Joe Biden by a similar margin of 49 percent to 42 percent. The survey was conducted before the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday, and Mr. Daines can hope that the states Republican lean will prove even more important during an intense battle for the direction of the court. With half of the respondents saying they prefer Republican control of the Senate, Mr. Bullock might find it hard to hit 50 percent. Already, 96 percent of self-described Democrats in the state support him, versus 2 percent who dont (with 1 percent undecided). As a result, the respondents who dont back a major-party candidate seem to be relatively favorable to the Republicans. They identify as Republicans rather than Democrats by a margin of 30 percent to 5 percent, support Mr. Trump over Mr. Biden by a margin of 37 percent to 20 percent, and prefer Republican to Democratic control of the Senate by a margin of 40 percent to 21 percent. In each case, the undecided voters are less favorable to Mr. Bullock than the state as a whole. That said, the undecided group has a far more favorable view of Mr. Bullock, who has a minus-two favorability rating with the group, than of Mr. Daines, who has a minus-22 rating. Kathleen Williams, the Democrat running for U.S. House, faces a similar challenge among undecided voters. She has high name recognition and favorability among Democrats after her surprisingly strong run for the House in 2018. She claims a lead of 44 percent versus 41 percent for Matt Rosendale in the survey (while 2 percent goes to the Green Party candidate who is not on the ballot). But here again, the Democrat stands at just 44 percent with only 1 percent of Democrats still undecided. The path from here to victory could be difficult. 5 Rabbit, which launched in 2011 with a trailblazing emphasis on Latin flavors and themes in its beer, is becoming less focused on distribution to bars and stores and will therefore leave its Bedford Park production brewery, Araya said. It will sell its equipment via online auction Oct. 29 to Nov. 5. On August 29, the 10th day of the holy month of Muharram, known as Ashoura, Indian forces fired pellets and tear gas shells to disperse hundreds of Shia Muslims participating in a traditional religious procession in Indian-administered Kashmir, seriously injuring dozens of people. Security forces besieged Shia mourners in the Zadibal area of Srinagar, forcing them to seek shelter in residential compounds, as tear gas shells and pellets rained on them. I saw young boys hit with pellets writhing in pain on the ground, as dozens of others choked and coughed among thick clouds of tear gas, unable to help the injured or find a safe spot to catch their breath. Officials later said at least 200 people were detained for participating in the Muharram processions, and at least seven were arrested under a draconian anti-terror law for raising anti-India slogans. The Indian states decision to clamp down on this years Muharram procession with such force was a sign of its growing concerns over the support Kashmiri Shia started to show for the freedom and self-determination movement in the valley. Indian authorities have long been pushing the narrative that Indian-administered Kashmirs Sunni-led pro-freedom movement is shunned by Shia and other minority communities in the region. In recent years, however, young Shia men and women became increasingly vocal about their demand for political rights, and many of them started to openly back the resistance against Indian rule in their homeland. For decades, Shia in Kashmir have been commemorating Ashoura, the day that marks the death of Prophet Muhammads grandson Imam Hussein and his companions in Karbala, with processions. The main procession that traditionally took place in the Srinagar city centre covering 9 kilometres (5.6 miles), however, was banned in the early 1990s, when an armed rebellion against the Indian rule commenced. Since then, Muharram processions have only been allowed in Shia neighbourhoods of the city. Shia community leaders demanded the restoration of pre-1990 processions, but local authorities denied their requests, citing security concerns. Since the ban, a handful of Shia made attempts to defy the Indian states orders and tried to hold unauthorised Muharram processions, but this limited resistance caused little alarm for the Indian authorities who were all but convinced that Kashmirs Shia community posed no threat to their rule. In 2018, however, they noticed that things were starting to change. A poster of the young, popular Sunni rebel commander Burhan Wani appeared in one of the Muharram processions in Srinagar, leaving the Indian government and security services apprehensive. Indian troops killed Wani in an encounter in July 2016, which led to widespread protests in Kashmir that lasted for months. For a section of the Shia youth to hail a Sunni rebel like Wani in a Muharram procession was unprecedented. Being a regular participant in these processions all my life, I had not seen anything like this before. Seeing Wanis face in a Muharram procession may have shocked Indian authorities, but among Shia youths, support for the struggle for self-determination had been growing for some time. There is no doubt that the Kashmir struggle is dominated by the Muslim population, a majority of whom are Sunni. But Shia have always played some kind of role in Kashmirs struggles. In the 1930s, Shia leaders stood next to Sunni leaders in the anti-monarchical struggle against the Dogra rulers. In post-1947 political and militant assertions against Indian rule, Kashmiri Shias played a leading role, especially in 1950s and 1960s, because of which the community faced reprisal from the state. Socio-economic backwardness of many Shia areas is also attributed to that vengeance. During the armed rebellion of the 1990s, there were exclusively Shia rebel groups like the Hizb-al-Momineen, and Shia youths also joined other, Sunni-dominated, rebel groups. In recent decades, though, sectarian violence in neighbouring Pakistan and Afghanistan influenced Kashmiri Shias perception of the resistance movement. They continued to take part in Kashmirs political life there has always been a number of Shia both in pro-freedom groups and pro-India political parties but their involvement in the armed rebellion was reduced to almost nil by the early 2000s. In addition, some Shia religious leaders participated in the state elections amid boycott calls from the pro-freedom leadership. And high voter turnout in some Shia areas also led to the perception that Shia do not support the cause. Of course, Shia were not the only community in Kashmir that has voted in elections. However, a degree of sectarian bias, mixed with tactful propaganda churned out by the state machinery, strengthened the perception that Shia do not support the Kashmiri resistance. As with other colonial powers, India has historically gained from creating divisions across religious, sectarian, and ethnic fault lines within Kashmir the Sunni-Shia divide being one of them. That is why the Indian state is scared of Shias growing support for the resistance, and has responded so brutally to the young Shia expressing pro-freedom slogans during Muharram processions. There are many reasons why Shia are now becoming more and more visible within the Kashmiri self-determination and freedom struggle. Social media exposed Shia youths in Kashmir to a wide variety of views and narratives on the situation in their homeland and increasing state repression accelerated their politicisation. Last year, for example, India removed Jammu and Kashmirs semi-autonomous status and fully annexed the disputed region. It split the region into two union territories, and brought both sections directly under New Delhis control. The move outraged the majority of Kashmiris, including the Shia. Even in the Ladakh region, where the Shia community like the Sunni community remained distant to the pro-freedom movement for years, the removal of the regions semi-autonomous status led to rapid politicisation. People living in the Shia-majority Kargil district of Ladakh, for example, openly voiced their rejection of the abrogation of the special status and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir. For years, the attacks by violent Sunni groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on Shia communities, coupled with the Indian states efforts to brew sectarian divisions in Kashmir, limited Kashmiri Shias participation in the pro-freedom movement. This gave weight to the Indian states claims that Shia do not support the political struggle in Kashmir. However, in the face of increasing state repression and violence, young Shia have now decided to articulate their own narrative and negotiate their own space in the landscape of the Kashmiri struggle. Muharram processions, which by their nature underline the importance of values like justice, honour and resistance, are a potent media in their hands. As Indias right-wing, Hindu nationalist government continues with its efforts to change the demographics of the Muslim-majority region, Shia voices for freedom are now rising. For decades, the Indian state was not bothered by the Kashmiri Shias mourning wails during Muharram. But with state-crafted narratives that long framed Shia as overwhelmingly pro-India and anti-freedom falling apart, and divisions within Kashmirs Muslim communities being bridged, the state is now scared of the new, bold Shia voices calling for justice and freedom. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. 9814 This week, as we said goodbye to Waipo, it hit me how incredibly fortunate I have been to have her as my grandmother. Over the weekend, Will and I gathered the kids to honor her life and to share with them the pictures I have of Waipo, including the ones taken on our trip back to Taiwan 11 years ago. Though the kids were young and cannot remember much about her, I am so thankful that we have these photos as tangible artifacts to share with them. Seeing themselves with Waipo, Becca and Lucas felt more connected with her. As we peruse through them, I told them stories of Waipo, her family, her upbringing, her devotion to my dearest Waigong, her passions and joylike a series of vignettes woven together, hopefully these memories painted an accurate and beautiful portrayal of Waipo. Becca and Lucas listened intently, and I could tell that these cherished memories gave them a sense of who they are and where they came from. What made Waipo so exceptional? Her elegance. She always looked the picture of perfection and grace. During my visits with her, I always enjoyed our little facial rituals together. I told her that I hoped to be half as put-together as she was when I grow to be her age. Her kindness. Helping others was a part of her DNA. Her eagerness to share her Chinese herbal tea recipes and physical exercises was just endearing. She wrote to newspapers to advocate for the elderlies and asked for donation of exercise machines for them. I see the same generosity in my mom. I know what an unusual gift that is, to give of your time and resources so freely and often. Her steadfast strength. Waipo fell and broke her hip twice, and when the doctors announced that there was little hope for her to walk again, she didnt give up. She worked so hard to regain her independence and mobility. No matter how many times she was knocked down or made to endure painful trials, she just kept coming back. Because of her unyielding courage, she was my quiet hero. Her passion for life. She had more energy and interest in life than anyone Ive ever known. She was so fun. She had many hobbies, and she took them very seriously. In her 90s, she still sang in a choir, and she even traveled overseas to perform on stage. One of my most vivid memories of her is she hunching over her choir music sheets, studying the English lyrics with such intensity. Whatever she did, she did with utmost determination and diligence. She was gregarious. Shes a big people person. She was well-loved by all her coworkers and choir friends, and that friendliness and warmth was definitely something that rubbed off on my mom, myself, and Becca & Lucas. During one outing with her choir, she would often instruct me to take special care of one member or another. She was thoughtful and caring towards others. She was a sassy lady, and her strong personality was one of her awesome qualities. Waipo was not afraid to state and defend her opinions. In fact, there was little use going against her. She was fiercely independent. She always pushed us to be the best person we could be. Waipo perpetually preached the importance of education. For years, she would urge me to further my studies and to pursue my Ph.D. She believed in my strength and intelligence and wanted the best for me. She celebrated my achievements and my milestones. On one of my college summer visits to Taiwan, she sat me down and gave me a heart-to-heart on choosing a kind man as my future spouse. My best memory with her was when she told me that Waigong was the kindest man on the face of the earth. (And Waipo, I took your advice to heart, and I can honestly say that I too, am married to the kindest soul on earth.) Looking back at Waipos life in photos, especially those of her youth, Will and the kids kept commenting how much my face resembles Waipos. I see that same resemblance in Becca, and in my mom. It made me realize that there is a part of her in each of us, something that is permanent, and it keeps her from becoming just a wonderful memory. That same unbreakable bond allows her lineage to pass on, through me, through my kids, through all of us. Waipos 98 years on this earth were beautiful and full. She was an inspiration to me and many others, and her legacy will live on for generations to come. "First and foremost, I would like to extend an apology on behalf of the District and the Board of School Directors to the student who was involved and to his family. They did not ask for this incident to occur, nor do they deserve the negative attention that it has brought." - school board President Tina Stoll The arrest of three Al Qaeda operatives in Ernakulam district of Kerala has set alarm bells ringing for the state intelligence and police. In a pre-dawn operation the National Investigation Agency (NIA) nabbed Murshid Hassan, Iyakub Biswas and Mosaraf Hossen, all hailing from West Bengal. What has alarmed the state police is their presence among the guest workers in Perambavoor which has the highest concentration of migrant workers in Kerala. The Al Qaeda operators were staying in Perumbavoor town and Kalamassery in Ernakulam district. While Murshid Hasan was arrested from a labour camp at Pathalam near Kalamassery where he was staying along with five others, while Iyakub Biswas and Mosaraf Hossen were arrested from Perumbavoor. Murshid Hassan had taken a house on rent from one Nasser about two months ago and started living there. Though the NIA had reportedly alerted the state police on a possible action just in case local force was warranted at any stage, the central agency did not specify about the case that it was following up . The local police was informed only after the arrest of the three operatives. Mursihid was taken into custody at around 2 am. Parallel raids were carried out in Perambavoor to arrest Iyakub and Mosaraf. According to locals, Mosaraf was working in a textile shop in Perambavoor and was living there with his family for the past seven-eight years. Iyakub Biswas had arrived in Perambavoor about two months ago and was working at a tea stall. Laptop, mobile phone, pamphlets were recovered from their possession. NIA questioned many people living in the labour camp from where the Al-Qaeda operatives were held to get more information about the three. Since the case pertains to Delhi NIA, after completion of arrest formalities, the accused would be handed over to the Delhi unit of NIA. CM reaction: When asked about the arrest of Al Qaeda operatives in Ernakulam at the daily press conference, chief minister Mr Pinarayi Vijayan said it was natural for the security agencies to carry out such operations and arrest people who indulge in terror activities. Such actions take place after exchange of a lot of information and inputs between different agencies. Everything may not be known to me at this stage. Perhaps at a later stage I will be in a position to say something, the chief minister said while explaining the confidential nature of such operations. However, soon after the arrest of the Al-Qaeda operatives, the opposition parties targeted the state government. "The state intelligence set up was not aware of the presence of Al-Qaeda operatives and it is a grave lapse. The home department is a big failure since the incident reflects the complete failure of law and order in the state. Under CPM rule , Kerala has turned into a fertile ground for the terror operatives," Kerala PCC chief Mr Mullapally Ramachandran told media persons. The BJP state unit said that the arrests in Ernakulam have vindicated its allegation that Kerala has turned into a safe hide out for Al-Qaeda operatives. "The successive governments of CPM and Congress led fronts in Kerala had adopted a soft stand towards the hardline organizations. The anti terror squad of the Kerala police is defunct," alleged BJP state president K Surendran in Thiruvananthapuram. Meanwhile, the state intelligence agencies have increased surveillance in the state especially in areas with high concentration of guest workers. By Ayushi Malik, TwoCircles.net Jammu: In Phalian Mandal village of Satwari in Jammu, a local Gujjar Muslim farmers killing at the hands of a gang of goons has caused anger among the community. Support TwoCircles The farmer Shabir Chaudhary, was killed by a gang of goons near his house on 10 September. On the evening of 10 September while Shabir was having dinner with his family, a man named Liaqat Ali, also a resident of the same village, visited Shabirs home asking him to accompany him to the market. According to the family, Liaquat Ali, also from the Gujjar community has been like a brother to Shabir for years, and they wonder why did he betray him? Zehtoon, Shabirs sister narrates that both (Liaquat and Shabir) left on a bike and a few metres away Shabir was hit while on a bike and he told Liaquat to speed up. However, Liaquat stopped the bike, pushing Shabir to the ground and stood watching. Zehtoon and other members confirmed that the attack took place in an area dominated by Non-Muslims of Basha Community, in front of the Village Panchs house. We were having dinner at around 8 pm when Liaquat came asking Shabir to go with him to the market. They left at 8.10 pm and at 8.17 pm, we received Liaquats call informing us that there had been an accident. I rushed with my son to see what had happened, wife of Shabir, Khursheed Bibi told Twocircles.net. Shabir was the sole breadwinner of his family of 4, which included his wife Khursheed Bibi, son Mohammad Sohail and daughter Nazia Chaudhary. According to Khursheed Bibi, it was their son Sohail who picked up the call when Liaquat called to inform them that Shabir had met with an accident. Sohail picked up the phone when Liaquat called asking him to inform me that his father met with an an accident. Sohail rushed to the spot on his cycle while I followed him on foot leaving Nazia at home, she adds. Sohail reached the spot first to find his father drenched in his blood lying on the streets. He alleges that there were 5 men he saw fleeing from the spot, one of them he recognized as Mahesh, the alleged mastermind behind the planned attack. I saw a car and two bikes there. As soon as I arrived at the spot, they all fled from the scene. There were 5 people. They had cut both his feet and legs. He (Shabir) told me that Mahesh, Jagga and Liaquat attacked him. He was in immense pain and asked me to stroke his stomach. We gave him water to drink. Swords and other weapons were found on the spot. We took him to the police station in a car, he added. Khursheed Bibi said that when she arrived at the spot she saw 3 to 4 men fleeing from the spot. They had dropped their weapons there. I asked the men did you at least leave him alive to which Mahesh replied You see for yourself, she said. The family alleges that the attack was pre-planned and took place in front of the village Panchs house, who according to the family members, did nothing to help Shabir but watched from his terrace. How can one not know whats happening in front of his own house? At least they should have informed the police, asks Khursheed Bibi. Zehtoon, Shabirs sister claims that the street lights were switched off when they reached the place where he was attacked and no one stepped out from their houses to offer any help to the injured Shabir. According to the villagers and family, Mahesh is a history-sheeter known to tease Gujjar girls and has a previous criminal record. As per them, the feud started from an alleged dispute which took place around a month ago between Shabir and Mahesh when the latter was caught harassing a Gujjar girl in the village. Following this, Mahesh was arrested and kept in custody for over a week. Some villagers claimed that ever since he was released Mahesh had been looking forward to seeking revenge and telling villagers his plans to kill Shabir. Shah Deen, the maternal uncle of Shabir, mentions that Mahesh would go around telling everyone that he would beat up Shabir. According to the villagers, Mahesh, Jagga, Gugga, Bunty and others are all local goons known for their criminal records. Naseeb, the cousin of Shabir, states that these goons have killed 3 more people by taking away the sole earner of the family of four. Naseeb is now urging the government to financially help her kids Sohail and Nazia with their education. They have not killed 1 but 3 more people of the family. How will we survive now, she said. Sohail, 12, is busy serving people from nearby villages who are coming to pay their sympathies and respect to the family. Khursheed Bibi said that he didnt cry a single tear on knowing about the demise of his father. Shabirs 9-year-old daughter Naziya, smiles nervously for the camera. They both could not believe that their father has died, adds Khursheed. While the elders of the village had taken the injured Shabir to the hospital, both the children spent the night at the neighbours house. Before being taken to the hospital for treatment, the injured Shabir was taken to a police station to record his statement naming the accused. He was first taken to a health care centre and later shifted to GMCH Jammu, around 45 minutes drive from Mandal village. Bashir Khatanna, Shabirs uncle told TwoCircles.net that hundreds of people from the Gujjar community had reached GMCH Jammu within hours. Shabir succumbed to his injuries at around 11 pm and the body was handed over to the family the next day at 4 pm after a post-mortem and COVID-19 test were done. Villagers allege that there had been a deliberate effort to delay handing over the body of the victim as the medical staff feared they would protest. Pictures show that Shabir was stabbed with swords and other sharp weapons on his both hands and legs and back. Shabir was buried in Narwal in Jammu on Friday evening. Gujjars from neighbouring states had also come to pay their respects. Shabir was a fine young man who stood up for the right cause and hence was killed, states Naseeb. Shabir and his family live in a small house with three rooms. Shabir would make around Rs 3000-4000 per month by doing labour work and multiple jobs in his village. His clothes lie packed in a small old suitcase. Nazia and Sohail take out his skull caps and his Kurta Pyjama and pose for a picture. An FIR has been registered in Satwari Police station under the attempt to murder and rioting. The accused person Mahesh was arrested on the same night of the assault followed by the arrest of Jagga, Gugga and Bunty. Family claims Gugga is related to the village Panch, and had come to their house with Liaquat on 10 September evening but was hiding and then ran to inform other gang members about Shabir coming with Liaquat. Liaquat had fled from the spot and continues to be on the run. Talking to TwoCircles.net, Bashir said that he had requested Liaquats father to tell his son to appear before them but he declined to share the whereabouts of his son claiming he doesnt know where he is. Gujjar-Bakarwal leader, Nazakat Khatanna also visited the house to pay his respects. The family demands justice for Shabir. Khursheed Bibi wants the killers to be hanged or be given life imprisonment or she fears these incidents will not stop in the future. Bashir demands that the culprits should be arrested and punished severely so that no such incident takes place in future. This is the first of its kind of incident which took place here. We have not heard of anything like this for years in our village. This is a safe area, and these miscreants should be taught a lesson or such incidents will only rise in future, said Bashir. However, he said, the president was correct in saying that We could have as many as a hundred million doses by the end of this year. That is correct. I think everybody is right, Admiral Giroir said. Mr. Trump has often promised that the United States would produce a vaccine before Election Day on Nov. 3. But his optimism and projections for widespread availability have been roundly disputed. At the White House on Friday at a news conference, Mr. Trump said that once a vaccine is authorized, distribution will begin within 24 hours after notice. He added: We will have manufactured at least 100 million vaccine doses before the end of the year. And likely much more than that. Hundreds of millions of doses will be available every month, and we expect to have enough vaccines for every American by April. That translates to delivering vaccines to an estimated 330 million Americans by spring. Those pronouncements have fueled public wariness over a rushed vaccine, evident in recent polls showing an eroding confidence in a coronavirus vaccine. In a new ABC News/Ipsos poll, fewer than one in 10 Americans had a great deal of confidence in the presidents ability to confirm vaccine effectiveness; 18 percent reported only a good amount of confidence. And in an apparent response to calls for transparency that could address those concerns, several vaccine makers publicly released traditionally secret protocols in the last week. Those efforts also are aimed at quelling scientists fears that the accelerated timetables under discussion could lead to a vaccine that is either unsafe, doesnt work or isnt fully vetted. A prominent White Plains, N.Y., attorney and lobbyist who served a federal prison sentence for tax fraud was charged Thursday with disorderly conduct and unlawful restraint in Greenwich. Albert J. Pirro, 64, of 5 Renaissance Square, was arrested after a late-night incident at J-House in Riverside after he was involved in a domestic incident there, police said. Once police arrived at the 1114 E. Putnam Ave. restaurant, J-House staff pointed out a man and woman who were arguing, and several members of the security staff said the male, identified as Pirro by his New York driver's license, was grabbing the woman's wrists, shaking her and preventing her from leaving the building, police said. Staff members said the dispute alarmed guests, and the female appeared to be in distress, police said. No lawyer was listed on Pirro's file in state Superior Court in Stamford Friday, and a search of public records for Pirro's White Plains address did not yield a telephone number. An email seeking comment sent to a work account associated with Pirro was not immediately returned Friday afternoon. Pirro, a Republican fundraiser, served an 11-month federal prison sentence for tax fraud in 2000 and 2001, and admitted that while he was married to Jeanine F. Pirro, a former Westchester District Attorney who is now a legal analyst with Fox News, he fathered a child with another woman. Pirro was reinstated as a lawyer in January 2007, more than six years after he was disbarred for the tax fraud conviction. Jeanine Pirro, who once made People magazine's Most Beautiful People list, and her husband announced they were separating in November 2007 after being married for more than three decades, but it is unclear if they ever formally divorced. The split came a year after Jeanine Pirro, a Republican who ran for the U.S. Senate against Hillary Rodham Clinton, lost her bid to become state attorney general. In February, Albert Pirro was mentioned in a 2005 Yonkers corruption case. He was working as a consultant for real estate developer Forest City Ratner, which was seeking approval from the Yonkers City Council for a large luxury mixed-use development, Ridge Hill, according to the New York Times. During a meeting with one council member, Pirro said that he could win the vote of Councilwoman Sandy Annabi by giving a consulting job to one of her friends, Zehy Jereis, then the chairman of the Yonkers Republican Party, according to a prosecution account in the case. A protective order was imposed upon Pirro in state Superior Court in Stamford Friday, according to court records. He is next scheduled to appear in court July 17. The Associated Press contributed to this report. david.hennessey@scni.com; 203-625-4428 On Friday, Sept 18, right at the start of the weekend and the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah, the world was hit with yet another devastating loss. It was announced that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87, who had served on the Supreme Court since 1993, had died of complications from pancreatic cancer. The initial impact of her death could immediately be seen on nearly every major social media platform, with reactions ranging from sad to furious, from mourning a beautiful life to fearing what the loss means for the future. One tweet by author Ruth Franklin quickly began making the rounds. "According to Jewish tradition, a person who dies on Rosh Hashanah, which began tonight, is a tzaddik, a person of great righteousness," she wrote. "Baruch Dayan HaEmet." Ruth's death is politically complicated this close to the presidential election (since the president nominates replacement justices), but the loss goes beyond that. She was a trailblazer for women in politics, for women in male-dominated fields, really, for women everywhere. She was an example for everyone, ready to fight no matter what it tookeven as she stared down death amid her cancer battle. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Life in Pictures Hers is a life worth celebrating and a life worth looking back on as we attempt to honor her legacy as best as any of us can. Ruth, or RBG as she was often known, was born Joan Ruth Bader on March 15, 1933 in Brooklyn, New York. She adopted her middle name when there was another Joan in her elementary school class. She grew up loving Nancy Drew books. At 13, she acted as the camp rabbi at a Jewish summer camp in New York. In high school, she twirled a baton. Her mother, Celia, didn't get to go to college since she wasn't the son of the family. This led to her instilling a love of education in her daughter. RBG called her mother "a powerful influence" who was always disappointed in anything other than a perfect report card. Story continues "She wanted me to be independent," Ruth told Gloria Steinem in a conversation with The New York Times. "What she meant was [for me to become] a high school history teacher, because she never dreamed there would be other opportunities." Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 2019 Celia didn't live to see what her daughter really would become, as she died one day before 17 year-old Ruth's high school graduation. The future justice did as her mother hoped and continued her education at Cornell University, which she says was "the school for parents who wanted to make sure their girl would find a man." "Four guys for every woman," she told Steinem. "If you came out without a husband, you were hopeless." Ruth was, indeed, successful by those standards. She met Martin Ginsburg when she was 17 and they were married just a few days after she graduated with a BA in government in 1954. She said her father was "very worried" because he wouldn't have been able to support his daughter, but his worries went away as soon as another man could. "Then I married Marty the month I graduated from college, and it was all fine," she said in the NYT interview. "I could go off to law school. If nobody hired me, I had a man to support me." Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dead at 87: Hollywood Pays Tribute to the Supreme Court Justice And it almost looked like no one would hire her, for a myriad of reasons that feel truly outrageous in 2020. She got demoted from her Social Security job for becoming pregnant in 1955, and after her graduation from Columbia Law School in 1959she transferred from Harvard when Martin took a job in NYC in 1958law firms were not exactly welcoming to a young Jewish mother. She was rejected by 12 of them. "There were many firms who put sign-up sheets that said Men Only," she recalled. "And I had three strikes against me. First, I was Jewish, and the Wall Street firms were just beginning to accept Jews. Then, I was a woman. But the killer was my daughter Jane, who was 4 by then." Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 2019 It wasn't her first time coming second to the very idea of a man. When she was at Harvard, she was one of nine women in a class of 500. All nine of those women were invited by the dean to explain how they could justify taking a spot at the school from a qualified man. "I was so embarrassed," she told the NYT of that moment, during which she also spilled a whole ashtray on the floor. "But I gave him the answer he expected: My husband is a second-year law student, and it's important for a woman to understand her husband's work.'" But did she really think that? "Of course not!" she recalled to the Times. Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dead at 87: Revisit the Supreme Court Justice's Legacy in Photos In the early 60s, while working at Columbia, Ruth went to Sweden to write a book about Swedish civil procedure, and that's where her eyes were really opened. "Between 20 and 25 percent of the law students in Sweden were women," she remembered. "And there were women on the bench. I went to one proceeding in Stockholm where the presiding judge was eight months pregnant." But in the U.S., women who cared about gender equality were considered "frivolous." RBG remembered the cause not being taken seriously compared with the other issues of the 1960s. "The thing that disturbed me was when people would say, What are those women doing? They're just riding the coattails of the civil rights movement,'" she said. Ruth would later be known as the Thurgood Marshall of women's rights. In 1963, Ruth was made a professor at Rutgers Law School and once told eventual fellow justice Elena Kagan that the university actually told her she would be paid less than her male colleagues because her husband had a "very good job." RBG would go on to fight discrimination just like that and so much worse as she, according to Elena, "changed the face of American anti-discrimination law." Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Confirmation Hearing, July 1993 She taught at Rutgers until 1972 before going on to teach at Columbia and Stanford. She was the first woman to be granted tenure at Columbia, she started women's law journals and wrote up sex discrimination cases and helped her female colleagues sue for pay discrimination and pregnancy coverage, slowly paving a new way for women in law and in the workplace. At the same time, she was working for the American Civil Liberties Union, serving as general counsel and on their National Board of Directors up until 1980work that she said heavily impacted her later tenure on the Supreme Court. "I conceived of myself in large part as a teacher," she told The New Republic of her time writing legal briefs for the ACLU. "There wasn't a great understanding of gender discrimination. People knew that race discrimination was an odious thing, but there were many who thought that all the gender-based differentials in the law operated benignly in women's favor. So my objective was to take the Court step by step to the realization, in Justice Brennan's words, that the pedestal on which some thought women were standing all too often turned out to be a cage." Jennifer Lopez Asked Ruth Bader Ginsburg For Marriage Advice and Her Wise Words Do Not Disappoint By 1980, her life in politics officially began when President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the U.S. Court of Appeals. She would serve there until President Bill Clinton nominated her to the Supreme Court in 1993. That is, with a little encouragement from her husband. According to the documentary RBG, it was Marty who reached out to his business and law contacts to make sure Ruth's name was in consideration. Obviously, it worked. "Literally, within 15 minutes I decided I was going to name her," the President says in the film. She was only the second female justice to ever serve on the Supreme Court, after Sandra Day O'Connor. In the highly regarded role, RBG continued to fight for women's rights at the highest level possible in the countryeven as she continued to fight for a spot at the table herself. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Female Supreme Court Justices In the 2014 New Republic interview, Ruth recalled lawyers mistaking her for Sandra. "They were accustomed to the idea that there was a woman on the Supreme Court and her name was Justice O'Connor," she said. "Sandra would often correct the attorney, she would say, 'I'm Justice O'Connor, she's Justice Ginsburg.'" Justice O'Connor retired in 2006, leaving Ruth as the only woman on the court until Sonia Sotomayor was nominated in 2009, followed by Elena Kagan in 2010. "The worst times were the years I was alone," Ruth, who stood at a mighty 5-foot-1 said. "The image to the public entering the courtroom was eight men, of a certain size, and then this little woman sitting to the side. That was not a good image for the public to see. But now, with three of us on the bench, I am no longer lonely and my colleagues are not shrinking violets." Everything On the Basis of Sex Got Wrong About Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Life As much as Ruth appreciated her female colleagues, they appreciated her even more. "More than any other person, she can take credit for making the law of this country work for women," Justice Kagan told Glamour in 2012 when Ruth was honored with at the magazine's Woman of the Year event. "She is a transformational figure...and for me, an inspiration." In her acceptance speech for that award, Ruth joked that Supreme Court justice robes were not all that chicor designed with women in mind. But as she always did, she found a way to make herself stand out. "Judges' robes are made with men's ties and trouser pockets in mind," she said. "Taking a cue from our colleagues abroad, Justice O'Connor and I broke the plain black monotony by wearing a variety of lace collars, and we also added sewn-in pockets. Not very long ago the only way to distinguish the justices, at least in appearance, was to separate the bearded from the close-shaven. Is it nota wonderful sign of progress that three women now serve on our supreme court and no one confuses me with Justice Sotomayor or Justice Kagan?" Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Bill Clinton, Supreme Court Nomination Ruth's many collars (also known as "jabots") were more than just fashion statements. They spoke volumes all on their own, and she wore them for different reasonsone collar for dissents, one collar for majority opinions. She even had collars she wore when she didn't particularly like somebody. Ruth's collars are an iconic part of her image, often recreated on apparel and accessories. You don't often see a picture of RBG without her collar, and pictures of RBG are plentiful. She's become both a meme and a powerful symbol of feminism, equality, and justice. It all led to her nickname: Notorious R.B.G. Her law clerks had to tell her who that name was referencing. "My grandchildren love it," she told The New Republic. "At my advanced ageI'm now an octogenarianI'm constantly amazed by the number of people who want to take my picture." They didn't just want to take her picture, either. There are documentaries like 2018's RBG that chronicle her life and career, and Felicity Jones played her in the 2018 movie On the Basis of Sex. Kate McKinnon also regularly played her as a badass dancing justice on Saturday Night Live. She was a bonafide star and an unforgettable American icon. Kate McKinnon Suits Up as Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Dish Out Ginsburns About Donald Trump Ruth Bader Ginsburg lived a long life, fuller than many of us could even dream of. In the NYT interview with Steinem, she had just read Anne-Marie Slaughter's book Unfinished Business, which examined the idea of a woman having it all. "Who does [have it all]?" she said. "I've had it all in the course of my life, but at different times." In 2020, Ginsburg's health clearly began to decline. She was battling cancer for the fifth time and hospitalized on multiple occasions throughout the year. But she always returned to her duty as a justice even as she recovered from surgery, working up until the very last minute. She even made her professional wishes clear with her official last words, dictated in a statement to her granddaughter Clara Spera. "My most fervent wish is that I not be replaced until a new President is installed." The near future may be a little uncertain without her, but there is a lot of hope. RBG leaves behind a legion of girls, women, and many others who wear her face on their T-shirts and her iconic collar on their earrings, knowing it's because of her that they can dream of any life and any career they want. In fact, if they want to, they can have it all. Josselyn Nielsen, a U.S. Navy veteran, has been called to head up JustServe for the Chattanooga Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. JustServe helps link organizations and volunteers for purposes of doing good. The free app and website at JustServe.org are free for everyone no matter religious affiliation and perfect for Tennessee, a state of Volunteers. As stated in previous releases, JustServe.org is being used by nonprofit and government agencies across America. Organizations are posting their needs. And volunteers are using the site to search for places to serve in their communities. We invite everyone to participate, Mrs. Nielsen said. Together, we can elevate life and lift each other. Mrs. Nielsen and her husband, Tim, and their three children Sydney, Alejandro and Victoria settled in Chattanooga about four years ago. Southern hospitality and the natural beauty of the area won us over. We love being part of this community and I am thankful to be called as the JustServe specialist for this location. Service is a part of who we are. Mrs. Nielsen immigrated to New York from Honduras when she was 8 years old. At age 19, she had a strong desire to give back to the country that gave her mother and her the opportunity for a better life. So, she enlisted in the United States Navy. After boot camp in Chicago and additional training in Meridian, Mississippi, I was stationed in Yokosuka, Japan on board the naval destroyer USS O'Brien DD-975, Mrs. Nielsen said. This is where I met my future husband who introduced me to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Later, I was stationed at the Fleet and Industrial Supply Center (FISC) where I provided supply support for naval submarines. I joined the Church on Feb 18, 2001. After 3 years in Japan, we moved to Virginia where I finished my naval career stationed on the USS Ross DDG-71 out of Naval Base Norfolk, Virginia. While traveling the world with the Navy, I discovered my fascination with meeting new people, seeing new places, eating foods I never even knew existed and serving. During my 20-year membership with the Church, I have volunteered in numerous positions. But, serving within the young women's organization has always been close to my heart. I have been in the company of bold women of faith who have inspired me to proudly share my story as a Latina immigrant, a veteran and a woman of faith. I also love going to work each day with super talented individuals at the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce who work incredibly hard to make Chattanooga the best place to live, Mrs. Nielsen continued. Its a privilege to get to know the people of Chattanooga better and I look forward to proudly serving as the JustServe specialist, too. Anyone can give volunteer service where they live. Sign up today at https://www.justserve.org. WASHINGTON: A second Republican senator came out in opposition to filling a vacant Supreme Court seat before the Nov. 3 election while Speaker Nancy Pelosi asserted without details that the Democratic-led House has options for stalling or preventing President Donald Trump from quickly installing a successor to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Sen. Lisa Murkowski ofAlaska said in a statement that for weeks, I have stated that I would not support taking up" a potential nomination as the presidential election neared. Sadly, what was then a hypothetical is now our reality, but my position has not changed. Murkowski joins Maine. Sen. Susan Collins, who said replacing Ginsburg should be the decision of the election winner Trump or Democrat Joe Biden. Republicans hold a 53-47 edge in the Senate. If there were a 50-50 tie, it could be broken by Vice President Mike Pence. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has pledged to move forward but hasnt set a timetable. Focus is growing on Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who has broken with Trump before. There is another potential wrinkle: Because the Arizona Senate race is a special election, that seat could be filled as early as Nov. 30, which would narrow the window for McConnell if Democrat Mark Kelly wins. The House has no formal say in presidential nominations, a role the Constitution assigns to the Senate, and Pelosi, D-Calif., refused in a television interview to detail the arrows in our quiver, even when asked about trying to impeach Trump for a second time. Ginsburgs death Friday at age 87 has injected new ferocity into the election-year battle for the presidency and control of Congress, in a nation already struggling with the coronavirus pandemic, economic collapse and racial tension. The talk on the Sunday news shows gave a glimpse of the power tug over the timing of any vote to fill Ginsbergs seat 44 days from the election. Trump says he is obligated to act as soon as possible and had at least two women in mind for the seat. Most Republicans concurred on the need for speed and one named a practical reason: The nine-seat member, argued Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, must be full if called upon to decide the outcome of a disputed presidential election. Democrats urged the GOP Senate majority to heed its own advice against filling the courts lifetime slots so close to elections. The people pick the president. The president picks the justice, said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. Pelosi was asked whether she would be open to the House undertaking impeachment proceedings against Trump or Attorney General William Barr, as a way of trying to stall the confirmation process. She did not rule out doing so. We have our options. We have arrows in our quiver that Im not about to discuss right now, she said. Pelosi had stopped by the Court in the quiet of early Sunday morning to pay tribute to Ginsburg at the site that has filled since Friday with people, many leaving bouquets of flowers. The next justice, Pelosi said, would help determine the survival of the Affordable Care Act. The court is scheduled to hear a lawsuit involving Obamacare on Nov. 10, which could affect the laws protection of people with preexisting conditions. Those are the people the president wants to crush when he says he wants to replace the justice in this short period of time, Pelosi said. Nonetheless, the process was moving ahead. On a call with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., late Saturday, Trump mentioned two federal appeals court judges: Amy Coney Barrett and Barbara Lagoa, according to a person familiar with the private conversation who was not authorized to public discuss the call and spoke on condition of anonymity. Some Democrats have suggested Barr should be impeached for what they say is the politicization of the Justice Department under his watch. After the election, new impeachment proceedings could by less risky to the Democrats than was their impeachment of Trump last year. The Senate acquitted him. But the Houses options are few to bog down Trump. Impeachment is time-consuming, expensive and reserved for the most egregious wrongdoing. To the chants of Fill that seat, Trump told supporters at an event Saturday night in North Carolina that he would nominate a woman as soon as this week. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., quickly committed to holding a vote on a nominee, but has not said when. We win an election and those are the consequences, said Trump, who then seemed to signal that hed be willing to accept a vote on his nominee during the lame-duck period after the election. We have a lot of time. We have plenty of time. Were talking about January 20th" when the next president is inaugurated. Cruz said all nine seats need to be filled by the election. An equally divided court, four-four, cant decide anything," Cruz said. We need a full court on Election Day, given the very high likelihood that were going to see litigation that goes to the court. We need a Supreme Court that can find a definitive answer for the country. Democrats have denounced McConnells move to push ahead as hypocritical, pointing out that he refused to call hearings for President Barack Obamas nominee of Merrick Garland 237 days before the 2016 election. The next pick could shape important decisions beyond abortion rights, including the fate of Obamas healthcare law any legal challenges that may stem from the 2020 election. In the interim, if the court were to take cases with eight justices, 4-4 ties would revert the decision to a lower court; for instance, the Affordable Care Act could then be struck down by a lower Texas court. Pelosi and Cruz spoke on ABCs This Week and Klobuchar was on CNNs State of the Union. Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. President Kovind on Sunday welcomed the implementation of the National Education Policy in Jammu and Kashmir and said that education is the biggest catalyst for change and the youth is the most potent agent of social transformation. He said that NEP will prove to be a milestone in realising Indias unprecedented demographic dividend. The President was addressing video conference on Sunday attended by the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, vice chancellors of universities and other principals of colleges in Jammu and Kashmir. Here is the full text of President Kovinds address: I am happy to address this conference on the implementation of the National Education Policy in Jammu and Kashmir, which used to be rightly called the Paradise on Earth. Through this conference, we must deliberate the methods and devise the ways to restore this region its glory, using education as a tool. In my opinion, there could not be a better way to realise your dreams than through education. The National Education Policy, approved by the Union Cabinet in July 2020, is nothing short of a revolution. So far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, I have been meeting and interacting with school children from the region at Rashtrapati Bhavan every year. In my own experience, I can say it with conviction that Jammu and Kashmir is a reservoir of extremely intelligent, talented and innovative children. I feel that the implementation of the education policy will produce students with ignited minds if I borrow the phrase of my illustrious predecessor Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. Such youth would unleash the hidden potential and take India to greater heights in future. Dear participants, The unfolding of Indias growth story rests on the talent and energy of its youth. Our nation has an unprecedented demographic dividend but it can be realized only if the young people constituting a substantial segment of the population become skilled, professionally competent, and above all educated in the real sense. In this regard the National Education Policy will prove to be a milestone. I firmly believe that education is the biggest catalyst for change and the youth is the most potent agent of social transformation. And whenever these two forces have come together, it has changed the course of history. 2 Dear participants, Kalhana, the great Kashmiri scholar and poet, in his masterpiece, Rajatarangini had said, Learning, lofty homes, saffron, ice water and grapes: things that in heaven are difficult to find are common here. It is important to note that the learning figured first among the five things that he referred to. Jammu and Kashmir is a land of rich and diverse cultural traditions. From Hinduism to Buddhism to Sufi Islam, all faiths and beliefs have found home in the cultural ethos of this land. This peaceful and shared coexistence manifests in the lives of its people. We should always remember that education brings people together; it is ignorance that divides. Jammu and Kashmir since time immemorial has been a centre of literature and learning, science and spirituality. Whether it be Mahayana Buddhism or monistic Shaiva metaphysics, Tantric theory and practice, the theory of art and aesthetics or the philosophy, language, communicative role of Sharda script or enrichment of Sanskrit literary styles, Kashmiris creative innovations in almost all areas of art and thought have been highly significant. Any history of Indias cultural traditions will remain incomplete without taking them into consideration. It is not at all surprising, therefore, that Kashmir became a favoured place for the pan-Indian intellectual community and also for scholars from other countries, to gather here and interact on issues related to different disciplines and fields of knowledge. The quest for knowledge was uplifted by the serene Himalayan surroundings, turning it into a quest for the meaning of life. I feel that a land with such a great and shining past should strive hard to add new chapters of excellence and achievements to its history. I wonder why the land of such scholarly accomplishments cannot walk along with the rest of the world on the path of progress and academic excellence. 3 If we want to ensure that our children and youth excel in life, we have to ensure value-based education for them. To understand your value system, you need to understand your roots, your tradition and rich cultural heritage. This understanding cannot be complete without taking your mother tongue into consideration. In this context, I feel the National Education Policy has done a great service. The most encouraging feature of the Policy is that it adheres to the cultural ethos of each region. The three-language formula which is envisioned in this policy is of immense significance and can promote multilingualism as well as national unity. However, there will be greater flexibility in the three-language formula, and no language will be imposed on any state or union territory. Dear participants, Education is the biggest enabler. It enables us to take charge of our destiny and we want to enable the youth of Jammu and Kashmir to become masters of their fate. The new policy, with its emphasis on vocational education, has given us a blueprint to realize this dream. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a call to make India Aatmnirbhar, or self-reliant, and this is possible only when we make our youth self-reliant. Vocational training will play an important role in this regard. The policy focuses on ensuring Accessibility, Equality, Affordability, Accountability and Quality in Education and also tends to encourage Skill Development, Experience-Based Learning and Logical Thinking. I think this will ensure new and better pedagogical standards in the country. We live in an era where research and innovation are the keys to success and development. Jammu and Kashmir is a land of extremely talented people. Its youth have excelled in every field. Today, when we are seeing a new dawn in Jammu and Kashmir, we want the youth of this land to be the harbinger of change by excelling in their respective fields. The National Education Policy will help them realize their true potential and make their dreams come true. Dear participants, My dream is to see Jammu and Kashmir emerge as a centre of knowledge, enterprise, innovation and skill development. In the field of education and scholarly pursuits, the region has set unmatchable milestones. Many of the core ideas and concepts that have shaped the Indian mind over the centuries have emanated from this region. I hope that through this conference you will make determined efforts to make this paradise a hub of knowledge, innovation and learning by implementing this policy in letter and spirit. Let us strive together to make Jammu and Kashmir a Firdaus on the earth, a bright jewel on the crown of Mother India. With these words, I wish you all the best in this endeavour. I thank Lieutenant Governor, Shri Manoj Sinha for inviting me to share my thoughts with you. I wish the people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially the youth, a very happy, peaceful and prosperous future. Thank you, Jai Hind! 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe City Editor Tom Roeder is the Gazette's City Editor. In Colorado Springs since 2003, Tom has covered the military at home and overseas and has covered statehouses in Denver and Olympia, Wash. His main job, though, is being dad to two great kids. The number of coronavirus cases among refugees and the displaced is surging across the Middle East, humanitarian agencies and the UN have warned, as the first infections were reported among Syrians living in camps in Jordan. The true rate of infection among the 18 million people displaced in the region is unknown because of a chronic lack of testing. But UN data shows that well over a thousand have been confirmed to have Covid-19 in Jordan, Syria, Iraq, the Palestinian Territories and Lebanon. New and worrying clusters are surfacing. This week the UNs refugee agency UNHCR confirmed the coronavirus has reached Zaatari, Jordans largest camp for Syrian refugees, and the smaller Azraq camp. Together they are home to around 120,000 people, igniting fears of an uncontrolled outbreak with social distancing measures impossible to enforce. In Lebanon, grappling with one of the largest outbreaks, there are fears of a new surge. The health care service is overwhelmed amid a deepening financial crisis and the fallout from last months devastating Beirut explosion that destroyed several coronavirus testing and treatment facilities. At least 13 Palestinian and Syrian refugees are known to have died from Covid-19 according to UNHCR and UNRWA, while over 1,000 have been infected. UN officials told The Independent that they not only fear the virus spreading unchecked in overcrowded camps, where families cannot social distance, but devastating secondary impacts of the pandemic such as joblessness and economic hardship. At least 55 per cent of Syrian refugees across the region was already in extreme poverty before the advent of Covid-19, according to the UN. After the arrival of the pandemic, that has risen to 75 per cent. While there is no hard data on other refugee nationalities, humanitarian organisations like the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), have registered similar trends. Virulent health crisis aside, Rula Amin, a UNHCR spokesperson, warns of a pandemic of poverty adding that worrying new infections recently discovered in Jordan underscored the need for more support for refugee communities and countries hosting them. She said that while the UN was providing free and immediate health care for those with coronavirus, years of work building up education opportunities and financial aid could be wiped away. The devastating economic impact means that more refugees are being pushed deeper into poverty, compounding their challenges. The pandemic is threatening to reverse major achievements on that front that took years to accomplish, she added. Most people have had no work over the last six months, which not only causes problems financially but psychologically, we have noted an increase in cases of violence within the family Mohammed Hassoun, refugee in Ein al-Hilweh camp The pandemic has proved that there are no borders, we cannot isolate ourselves. It is not just an ethical obligation to help the countries hosting refugees, or the humanitarian communities it is in the interest of everyone. We are all in the same boat, she said. Refugees in Lebanon told The Independent that they were living food handout to food handout, as they struggled amid a catastrophic combination of strict lockdowns on their communities due to a surge in cases and the countrys economic collapse. Most people have had no work over the last six months, which not only causes problems financially but psychologically, we have noted an increase in cases of violence within the family, says Mohammed Hassoun, a Palestinian refugee in Ein al-Hilweh camp where he says there have been more than 50 cases. Syrian refugees ride their bikes in Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan (Reuters) Hassoun himself is jobless because of the lockdown and now is reduced to borrowing from friends to make ends meet, while trying to secure food parcels or meals from charities for people in home isolation. Here in Lebanon the crises only multiply and multiply. And for refugees, we have no safety nets in place to guarantee we can be okay. The economic fallout from the coronavirus has also seen more displaced and refugee families facing the threat of evictions and unable to pay rent, according to the NRCs Samah Hadid, which, on Monday, will release a report into the devastating economic impact of Covid-19 on refugees globally. Hadid said the virus has radically reduced income forcing many to skip meals, go hungry, and cut spending on sanitation or medical care, making them even more vulnerable. The devastating economic impact means that more refugees are being pushed deeper into poverty, compounding their challenges. The pandemic is threatening to reverse major achievements on that front that took years to accomplish Rula Amin, UNHCR Stress levels amongst refugee and displaced children in the Middle East have drastically increased because of Covid-19. Children that have once been forced to flee hunger and war are now living in fear because of the pandemic. This sustained toxic and chronic stress can have serious and long-term implications on childrens health, she added. There are also concerns among the invisible refugee populations, like those being held in detention centres. Eritrean refugees in a horrific migrant detention centre in west Libya told The Independent via smuggled phones, they had not had contact with aid agencies in six months and had no protection against the potential spread of the disease. Around two dozen inmates in that particular prison in Zintan have died of suspected tuberculosis since 2018. But amid the cramped, squalid conditions in their cells, they fear those most recently ill may actually have coronavirus since the symptoms are very similar. Meanwhile in Lebanons Roumieh prison, where there are believed to be more than 200 coronavirus cases, a Syrian refugee, said the true number of cases was much higher and they werent getting proper treatment. In my block, 90 per cent of the prisoners have symptoms of the coronavirus. In my cell we are all sick with fever and a cough, he said, asking for his name to be omitted for security reasons. Videos taken of the cells and shared with The Independent showed men crammed as many as 10 to a room built for three. We cannot check the spread of this disease, we have no space to even lie down at the same time, he added. We need a response plan to cover health needs of the prisoners. We need hospitals to open their doors to us. Our families outside are not allowed to send us medicine or vitamins. The UN said that it was working to provide cash assistance and supplies for refugee communities, but it needs more support from the international community. We need more funds, not just for the health side but all the consequences, the secondary and tertiary effects, as well as support for the host communities, UNHCRs Amin said. Its better to tackle the problem before it is too late. A US military vehicle patrols near the Rumaylan (Rmeilan) oil fields in Syria's Kurdish-controlled northeastern Hasakeh province - AFP The US military has sent half a dozen armored vehicles on a 90-day mission to reinforce its troops in eastern Syria, less than a month after four US soldiers were injured during an altercation with Russian troops in the area. The military said fewer than 100 soldiers would accompany the vehicles. There are currently less than 1,000 US troops in Syria, a number that has remained approximately the same since the end of the US military offensive that deprived the Islamic State [IS] of most of the territory in Syria. Russia has deployed military forces to Syria in support of the Syrian regime, while US troops conduct joint patrols and operations with the Syrian Democratic Forces, a militia it backed in 2015 to fight against IS. The US and Russia have previously clashed with each other in Syria, such as a 2017 incident that led to the deaths of around 300 Russian military contractors. The United States does not seek conflict with any other nation in Syria, but will defend Coalition forces if necessary, said Captain Bill Urban, a spokesman for the US militarys Central Command. Also on Friday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights urged Turkey to investigate war crimes committed by groups it backs in northern Syria. Turkey began launching major military operations in 2016 in order to remove Syrian Kurdish militia groups, including the US-supported SDF, from areas they controlled along the Syrian-Turkish border. A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) runs to take cover from sniper shots near the central hospital of Raqqa - AFP Those operations included support for other Syrian militia factions, some of which the UN says are responsible for an "alarming pattern in recent months of grave violations, including kidnappings, killings of civilians and unlawful transfers of people and property. I urge Turkey to immediately launch an impartial, transparent and independent investigation into the incidents we have verified, account for the fate of those detained and abducted by the affiliated armed groups and hold accountable those responsible for what may, in some instances, amount to crimes under international law, including war crimes, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement. The Turkish government has denied the allegations. However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict, has consistently documented similar allegations to those being made by the UN. It has also documented potential war crimes committed by Turkey's opponents. Dear Annie: I would like your input on how to handle a tricky situation. Many times, I am asked to write a letter of recommendation or make a recommendation for someone seeking a new job or promotion. What do I do if the person is qualified for the job/promotion but I do not feel comfortable writing the letter of recommendation as I have nothing of value or significance that I would like to share on behalf of this person? Recently, I was asked by my supervisor to write a letter of recommendation for another person that I work with. We started at the company at the same time and I went up for promotion first. I did all the groundwork in getting my papers and reviewers in order. My co-worker did the same, however, one of the reviewers dropped out at the last minute (felt uncomfortable in evaluating), and this person had no backup plan for another reviewer. Although this person is fairly competent, I did not feel I could wholeheartedly write a letter of recommendation on their behalf. I felt cornered in doing so, as my supervisor asked me to do it. What is your recommendation in this situation? -- Stuck in the Corner Dear Stuck: When you write someone a letter of recommendation, you are putting your own reputation on the line, at least a little bit. If you dont feel good about writing one for this co-worker, then dont. Politely let your supervisor know. They should leave it at that. It would be out of line for them to pressure you into vouching for someone whom youd rather not. Were only as good as our word; dont devalue yours. Dear Annie: The morning of my husbands birthday, I emailed almost all of his relatives and friends and requested that they contact him with birthday wishes. Because were sitting out the pandemic in Hawaii, cards hadnt arrived yet from those who sent them from the mainland. It worked out really well: He had so much fun fielding calls and texts and emails all day! -- Hanakeaka Dear Hanakeaka: That is wonderful. Over the past six months, I think that weve all come to better appreciate connecting with our friends and family. Ive enjoyed seeing people find new and creative ways to celebrate their loved ones on birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions this year. Readers, please share any stories you have on this topic. Dear Annie: I am hoping you can get a message out. From time to time, Ill be sitting at a bar where I have engaged in some social conversation with strangers or Ill be DJing music, and a beer will show up and the server will tell me who its from. While I know this is a gesture that comes with the best of intentions, I always limit how much I will drink when I have to drive. I prefer people not buy me alcohol without asking me if I would like another one. Please ask people to consider this before ordering alcohol for someone. -- Thanks, But No Thanks in North Dakota Dear Thanks: Im happy to get the word out. Asking someone what theyd like to drink is the better approach. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2020 CREATORS.COM Governor of Delta State Ifeanyi Okowa, has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the successful conduct of th... Governor of Delta State Ifeanyi Okowa, has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the successful conduct of the Edo State governorship election. INECs Returning Officer in Edo State declared Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party, winner of the election after polling 307,955 votes. According to results collated in 18 LGAs early Sunday, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, won in 15 local government areas of the state. Obaseki, who is the PDPs governorship candidate, defeated his closest rival, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Okowa, reacting on his Twitter page, hoped that the lessons from Edo election will be corrected in the upcoming Ondo election. On his Twitter page, Okowa wrote: I must commend INEC for a job-well-done in #EdoDecides. It is my hope that the lessons learnt from this election, will be corrected in #OndoDecides in order to continue to improve our electoral systems. Former lawmaker, Ben Murray-Bruce also reacting write on his Twitter page Deserving congratulations to my good friend and brother, @GovernorObaseki. I also congratulate the great people of Edo State for their vigilance and resilience. Edo State has voted for continuity and progress, and they can rest assured; Obaseki will deliver. Apostle Johnson Suleman of Omega Fire Ministry, who was in support of Obaseki, also took to his Twitter page congratulating the Edo state Governor. His tweet read: Congratulations..@GovernorObaseki.. 5310 view Add Comment 6 crore to be spent on government college building in Kolayat Higher education minister laid foundation stone and land worship Bikaner, 10 October. On Thursday, Minister of State for Higher Education Bhanwar Singh Bhati laid the foundation stone of the Government College Building at Kolayat and participated in the Bhoomi Pujan program. On this occasion, he said that the state government has approved spending 6 crore rupees for the construction of government college building in Kolayat. With the formation of the college, new opportunities and environment of education will be created for the surrounding area.This college will be established as a big educational support for the students of the area. He said that with this amount, various construction works will be done including entrance hall, porch, office room, corridor, stairs, stage, 6 class rooms on the ground floor and laboratory computer lab, staff room on the first floor. He said that education is the first step of development. Until now, Kolayat was backward in the field of education, but this initiative taken in the field of higher education will benefit the younger generation. He appealed to the people of the area to provide maximum education to their children. He said that the state government has announced the opening of 50 new government colleges in the state this year. Presently these colleges are running temporarily, construction of buildings will be started soon for all the colleges. Sarpanch Devi Singh Bhati said that with the efforts of the Minister of State, Rs 1 crore will be spent on the beautification of Kapil Sarovar. He said that tubewells have been built at a cost of Rs 56 lakh in Scheduled Caste majority neighborhood and Rs 3 crore has been approved for drinking water at the headquarters. On this occasion, Assistant Director College of Education Rakesh Harsh said that in the coming time, new faculty and subjects will also be started as per the requirement of the students. Dungar College Principal Dr. Satish Kaushik said that the construction of colleges in Kolayat will also promote girl education. PTET in-charge Dr GP Singh said that Dungar College has successfully carried out the responsibility of conducting PTET exam this year. 21 crore was received from this examination out of which 16 crore was deposited to the state government. The minister also handed over the lease of 11 bighas of land for the Girls High Secondary School of Kolayat on Marh Road to the principal of the school. On this occasion, there was a demand to build a stadium in Kolayat and to improve medical facilities. Kolayat Sarpanch Dev Singh Bhati, Kotdi Sarpanch Sunayna, Subdivision Officer Pradeep Chahar, Assistant Director of College Education Dr. Rakesh Harsh, Ruparam Meghwal, Gurh Sarpanch Shaitan Singh Series, Dr. GP Singh, Bhagirath Tetarwal, Tehsildar Kolayat Hanuman Singh Dewal, Vikas Officers Dinesh Bhati, Deputy Superintendent of Police Om Prakash Chaudhary, Kishore Singh, Mahendra Sethia, Purnaram Chauhan, Maharaj Ashokanand and Bangnath were present. Prabhu Chawla By An election is a portmanteau of eclectic experiments. Once opened, it turns into a Pandoras box of opportunistic opportunities. Bihar elections promise to redefine the conviction, consistency and cohesiveness of political participants. Since there arent permanent friends or foes in politics, the Assembly polls will, as usual, ozonize political rainbows of various sizes and hues. Adversaries of yester years will become admirers as villains are projected as visionaries. During 2015, the fight was between mighty mavericks. A disruptionist politician like Narendra Modi had just become the prime minister. He was perceived as unputdownable. Six months later, he was pitched against the powerful duo of Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar, both former chief ministers. They were champions of social justice, and both uncrowned caste-and-community royalty. United, they fought and stalled the Modi juggernaut. Though they were seeking a mandate for development, the BJP and the Mahaghathbandhan (JDU, RJD and Congress) massively played the caste and communal card. Modi magic failed to mesmerize the Bihar electorate, which turned out to be ferociously vocal for local. But 2020 is both politically and socially different than 2015. Lalu is in jail and his 31-year-old son Tejashwi Yadav is fighting a lonely battle. He lacks the rustic charisma of his father and ability to forge alliances. The chances of a credible alternative to the NDA are quite dim. The Congress party is on ventilator. The divided opposition is expecting a divine windfall. On the other hand, Modi wouldnt be indulging in political bombing to eject a government. He will be drumming up support for Nitish who joined the NDA in 2017 after dumping Lalu in a midnight coup. Unlike 2015, when both canted derisively against each other, this time Modi and Nitish would be promoting each other. Expectedly, Modi is already on his most liberal gimmicks spree. Last week, he launched many developmental projects just few weeks before the formal dates are to be announced. From petroleum projects worth `9,000 crore to new airports and AIIMS, the Centre and the state government rolled out a mammoth blueprint for Bihar, which is abysmally below the national average on numerous economic and social parameters. Since Modi has to neutralise a 15 year-old anti-incumbency environment, he has chosen to convert the election into a referendum on Nitishs performance as Vikas Purush. During one a virtual speech, the PM made it point to praise the CM. Modi said, We must ensure sushasan (good governance) in Bihar. The good work done in the last 15 years must continue. In the last 15 years, Bihar has shown that development happens with the right government, decisions, and policies, and also reaches everyone. We are working for the growth of all sectors in Bihar. It is expected that all parties will offer seductive political pronouncements during election time. They would promise a Golden Bihar brimming with confidence and dynamic development. Bihar did register a record growth of over 10 per cent for a couple of years. Yet, it is still at the bottom of the Indian growth pyramid when it comes to per capita state domestic product. As against the national average of USD 2,100, Bihar has just USD 650. In many other social parameters such as public health care, education, literacy and gender equality, it lags far behind most states. Its perplexing that Bihar, which had a reputation for defections and unstable governments before 1990, has failed to catch up with the sanguine national trend despite having relatively stable governments in the past three decades. Perhaps no other state in India has been lucky to have a consistently stable government for three continuous decades as Bihar. During 1960-1990, a chief minister changed every 18 months on average 24 chief ministers in 30 years. But for the next three decades beginning 1990 to 2020, the state had just three chief ministers with couple of others functioning as seat warmers for few weeks or months. From 1990, Bihar was led by Lalu and later his wife Rabri Devi for 15 years. Lalu and his clan were accused of scams and the worst governance. Finally, Lalu Parivar was dislodged in 2005 by none other than its old ally Nitish who has continued to lord over governance for the past 15 years. The domination of caste politics made the magnetism of national parties redundant. Theyve been unable to install a leader from their outfit as the chief minister. The BJP has reconciled to the idea of retaining only the No 2 position in the state with Sushil Modi as the permanent deputy chief minister. The choice of the candidate continues to be based on his or her class, caste and communal affiliations. While Uttar Pradesh has been able to break the caste barriers, Bihar is inversely consolidating its caste confederacies. Backward castes comprising Yadavs, Kurmis, Koeri and Banias account for over 56 per cent of the population. Muslims are about 17 per cent while the upper castes share is less than 20 per cent. The upper castes traditionally dominate both the Congress and the BJP. From circa Lalu-Nitish Vote One Get One Free times, the share of backwards in the Assembly is up from 34 per cent to 47 per cent while upper caste representation is down to 20 per cent from 35 per cent. The 2015 election ensured the record victory of backward and Muslims candidates because of the Lalu-Nitish alliance. In the 243-member state Assembly, Yadavs accounted for 61 MLAs. After SC/ST winners, the Muslims formed the third largest group of 24. The BJP had none, which could win 53 seats of the 157 contested by the party. Its other allies like Ram Vilas Paswans LJP could score barely two seats. On the other hand, the Mahaghathbandhan swept the polls with over two third of the seats with Lalus RJD winning 80 out of 101 it fought. Yet Nitish became the chief minister who in return endorsed the Yadav dynastic politics by accepting Lalus younger son Tejashwi as his deputy CM. Again, a dynast is posing a serious challenge to the throne of Patna. Though the new arithmetic of choices is yet to consolidate into formulae, its evident that the Bihar election is once again fated to set the tone for political realignment. It will determine the political future of not only Nitish but also the BJPs horsepower to vroom the victory of a regional satrap. Or, the outcome would decide the fate and fortunes of yet another Yadav. Should he triumph, it would mark the return of both backward politics and the elimination of the ageing leadership of all the other parties. Ordinarily, it should be a cakewalk for the Modi-Nitish combo since they have the organisational resources and mastery over the art of converting a defeat into victory. The invocation of Bihari sub-nationalism in the form of Justice for Sushant Singh Rajput reflects the uneasiness in the ruling party camp. Justice for the masses is the true casualty in Bihar. The manner in which the SSR episode was played out by the NDA to plague the orphaned Congress reflects that it needs more than Mighty Modi to retain the government. Bihar is destined to be the chaotically confusing cartographer of Indias political map. The commandos of caste and community regiments will cross the election LAC once again to do battle with democratic and inclusive idealism. prabhuchawla@newindianexpress.com Follow him on Twitter @PrabhuChawla The invocation of Bihari sub-nationalism in the form of Justice for Sushant Singh Rajput reflects the uneasiness in the ruling party camp. Justice for the masses is the true casualty in Bihar. The manner in which the SSR episode was played out by the NDA to plague the orphaned Congress reflects that it needs more than Mighty Modi RIO DE JANEIRO - A 3-ton monument was dedicated on Sunday at a cemetery where many of Rio de Janeiros COVID-19 victims have been buried. The Infinity Memorial, a 39-meter (128-foot) long ribbon of undulating steel, was erected to pay tribute to those who died from coronavirus and provide families with a symbol of their loss in one of the worst affected cities in Brazil. The memorial was designed by the Brazilian architect Crisa Santos, who had the idea of ??building the work at the peak of the pandemic after visiting several cemeteries in the country. It gives a satisfaction to your heart to know that your father was not forgotten, that he is not just another victim, said Giselle Peixoto, 54, whose father Geraldo Diniz Gonsalves was a victim of COVID-19. Rio de Janeiro state reached more than 17,600 deaths and more than 250,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, second only to Sao Paulo state in Brazil. The names of 4,000 of those who died will be inscribed on the structure. Read more about: QAnon A person holds a banner referring to the Qanon conspiracy theory during a alt-right rally on August 17, 2019 in Portland, Oregon Stephanie Keith/Getty Images During his 22 years in the Central Intelligence Agency, Michael F. Scheuer became known for the time he spent tracking Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. But Scheuer left the CIA in 2004, and these days, he is best known for his violent rhetoric and fondness for far-right conspiracy theories. Journalist Spencer Ackerman wrote an in-depth article chronicling the story for the Daily Beast this week. Ackerman, who specializes in national security issues, describes Scheuer's journey from CIA agent to conspiracy theorist noting that these days, the blogger's activities including praising the QAnon cult and applauding vigilante Kyle Rittenhouse. And these days, according to Ackerman, Scheuer isn't shy about calling for violence against fellow U.S. citizens. "The former senior CIA official once in charge of the hunt for Osama bin Laden has spent the summer calling for the slaughter of his fellow Americans," Ackerman explains. "Michael Scheuer calls Black Lives Matter a 'terrorist organization' and a 'semi-human mob.' On his blog and his podcast, Scheuer rages against a widespread, treasonous conspiracy targeting not only President Trump, but the fundamental character of the American republic. It deserves 'punishment. we've not seen before in this country.'" Ackerman notes that Scheuer has exalted Rittenhouse who is facing murder charges for allegedly shooting two demonstrators at a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin as a "young hero" and recently wrote, "Rittenhouse's necessary, patriotic and constitutional actions will power the formation of militias across the United States." Scheuer has described George Floyd, whose brutal killing at the hands of Minneapolis police officers on May 25 set off anti-racism protests around the world, as "felonious scum." Story continues "Scheuer's advocacy of violence follows a long trajectory," Ackerman explains. "In December, he endorsed the increasingly violent QAnon conspiracy movement, which the FBI has called a potential wellspring of domestic terrorism." In July, Scheuer said that if a civil war occurred in the U.S., the "only thing" he "would be upset about" is "that not enough Democrats would get killed." "Counterterrorism experts have long since written Scheuer off as a crank," Ackerman observes. "Yet Scheuer's advocacy of political violence looks disturbingly like a harbinger. Trump's one-time consigliere, Roger Stone, urged Trump to declare martial law and jail his critics if he loses the November election." Glenn Carle, a retired CIA operations officer who knew Scheuer's co-workers, told the Beast, "He's always been an extremist. That's a psychological characteristic, not a political attribute of his. Clearly and without exception, he's derogatory to the point of being grotesque in his unfairness toward any political figure who shows any temperance." Carle also said of Scheuer, "In times of stress, unconsciously, we're tribal and visceral. This is happening in American society in a larger sense, and it's what's going on with Scheuer." Related Articles Geneva (Human Rights Council) 16 September 2020 (SPS)- American Association of Jurists Representative in Geneva, Mr. Gianfranco Fattorini, called on the UN Human Rights Council, on behalf of a group of 240 organisation, to implement a programme of technical cooperation and capacity building with the legal representative of the people of Western Sahara, the Polisario Front. In an Oral Statement he delivered before the Council last Monday, Mr. Fattorini, speaking on behalf of the NGOs Geneva Support Group for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in Western Sahara (NGOs-GSGPPHRWS), expressed the groups deepest concern about the persistent silencing of the Office concerning the breaches to International Humanitarian Law and the serious systematic violations of Human Rights in the Occupied Territory of Western Sahara. He regretted that while the Kingdom of Morocco is considered to be the third country in Africa for the number of Covid-19 victims, no reliable information is available about the situation in the Occupied Territory of Western Sahara. To remedy to this abnormal situation, the group of NGOs called on the Human Rigths High-Commissioner, Ms. Michelle Bachelt, to resume, without delay, the technical missions to Western Sahara initiated in 2015 (at least eastern of the Berm) and the Sahrawi refugees camps. The group further called on her to implement the commitments made by the Office at the World Humanitarian Summit, in particular by publicly condemning serious violations of International Humanitarian Law and serious and systematic human rights violations and by reporting on the impact of the frozen conflict on Sahrawi human rights defenders and journalists in view of ensuring the enjoyment of human rights. It should be recalled that the UN Human Rights Council only dispatched two technical visits to Western Sahara, the first in 2006 the second in 2015. Surprisingly enough, the reports of both missions were put under Embargo to this date. (SPS) 090/500/60 (SPS) Advertisement Every week our Holiday Hero Neil Simpson takes an in-depth look at a brilliant holiday topic, doing all the legwork so you dont have to. This week: hotel rooms with kitchens for a safer staycation. Looking forward to a holiday in the UK but not sure you want to eat out every day or head to a hotel restaurant each night? The countrys growing number of apart-hotels could be the answer the perfect compromise between a traditional hotel and a self-catering apartment. The hotel side gives you a 24-hour front desk, while the apartment side offers dining areas, a mini-kitchen with a fridge, hotplates and a sink as well as utensils. Heres a selection of some of the best apart-hotels around the country. London is reopening more of its big-ticket attractions every day. Hop-on, hop-off buses are the latest to return, as well as the Sherlock Holmes museum, trendy Camden Market and tours of Shakespeares Globe Theatre. You can explore the capital from Citadines Islington (citadines.com), a new rooms with kitchens hotel set near the canals and antique markets of the trendy North London district. Stays cost from 119 a night. Handy compromise: There are two branches of the Stay City group in Liverpool offering rooms with mini-kitchens from 60 a night Liverpool is booming, with the Cavern Quarter drawing Beatles fans to its bars and magical mystery tours while the Albert Dock and RopeWalks are perfect for dinner and shopping. Theres also the Royal Liver Building, the ferry across the Mersey, Britains biggest cathedral (head to the top of the tower), Tate Liverpool, stadium tours of Anfield or Goodison Park and more. There are two branches of the Stay City group (staycity.com ) in the city offering rooms with mini-kitchens from 60 a night. Edinburgh ranks high for royalty and the world-famous castle lets you follow in the footsteps of kings, queens, and even pirates (as guides can explain) on pre-booked tours. The Royal Yacht Britannia lets you into the state apartments, crew quarters and engine room. If youve missed your fix of European art this year, see works by Botticelli, El Greco, Raphael and Titian at the Scottish National Gallery. Near the Queens official Scottish home at Holyrood Palace (open for tours) are Adagios 146 mini-apartments with kitchens. They cost from 60 a night (adagio-city.com). Windsor offers the castle the Queen loves most (she will soon commute from it to London for official business). Tours take you through battlements built for William the Conqueror and to St Georges Chapel, where Harry married Meghan. The Great Park gives some 5,000 acres to explore (and red deer to spot), the twisting streets of nearby Eton look like the set of a Harry Potter film, and Legoland is a short drive away. You can explore the capital from Citadines Islington, a new rooms with kitchens hotel set near the canals and antique markets of the trendy North London district Stylish: Stays at Citadines Islington cost from 119 a night. Pictured is one of the modern rooms, which is sectioned into sleeping and eating areas On a courtyard by the river, the Sir Christopher Wren (sirchristopherwren.co.uk) offers apartments with kitchens, plus its traditional rooms, from 160 a night. Hull is a staycation surprise, punching above its weight for attractions. The big one is The Deep, the futuristic aquarium where sharks swim alongside 5,000 other sea creatures. Theres also the Ferens Gallery with works by Canaletto, David Hockney and Turner Prize-winning Gillian Wearing. Or head back to a 1940s high street (complete with trams) at the Streetlife Museum. Take the fish trail around town, getting bite-sized chunks of history at every fish sticker. Eat and drink well in the old Fruit Market, where coffee roasteries, gin distilleries and more fill renovated warehouses. Find stylish rooms with kitchens in the heart of town from 90 a night at hideouthotel.co.uk. Tracee Ellis Ross proved nothing could stop her from enjoying one of the biggest nights in TV, as she underwent a COVID-19 test ahead of the 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards. While keeping her look tightly under wraps, the star could be seen getting tested outside of Staples Center, before entering the venue. The 47-year-old Golden Globe winner barely flinched, as a health care provider used a long swab to take a sample from her nose. Getting tested: While keeping her look tightly under wraps, Tracee Ellis Ross was spotted receiving a COVID-19 test at Staples Center, ahead of the show During the brief exchange, she could be seen wearing a metallic face mask and a matching gold statement necklace. She also chatted away with an event organizer, who wore a protective face shield and appeared to be filling her in on safety guidelines. Her sighting comes as it was revealed the Emmys would not have a red carpet for the first time in its 72-year history due to the coronavirus pandemic. Show must go on: The 47-year-old Golden Globe winner barely flinched, as she a health care provider used a long swab to take a sample from her nose Live from Staples Center: During the brief exchange, she could be seen wearing a metallic face mask and a matching gold statement necklace Chatting away: The friendly star chatted with a health care professional, who sported a face shield Despite having to stay home during the ceremony, Zendaya put on a show-stopping display for her fans on social media. The 24-year-old Euphoria actress, who is nominated for outstanding lead actress in a drama series, commanded attention in a plunging Christopher John Rogers gown, which included a purple taffeta skirt and eye-catching Bulgari necklace. She credited her longtime stylist, Law Roach, for putting together the stunning look, which was topped off with a pair of crystal-embellished heart pumps. Stunning! Even though the 2020 Emmys Awards will not a red carpet for the first time in its 72-year history due to the coronavirus pandemic, Zendaya dressed to impress on Sunday Sparing no detail, her garment featured a perfectly tailored satin belt, which further highlighted her trim waist. 'And so it begins...,' the former Disney star teased on her Instagram Story, before revealing this wouldn't be her only look of the night. Law also shared an Instagram video of Zendaya doing a full twirl, which caught the attention of her dress' designer, who commented the beauty was 'his muse.' Wow: The 24-year-old actress, who landed her first Emmy for her as Rue in HBO's critically-acclaimed series Euphoria, looked ravishing in a plunging Christopher John Rogers gown Eye-catching: Sparing no detail, her garment featured a satin belt, which further emphasized her incredibly tiny waist Earlier this morning, the world's biggest stars ceased the opportunity to share throwbacks of their own past fashion moments from prior Emmy Awards. Ahead of Sunday's all-virtual show, supermodel Cindy Crawford shared an iconic snap of herself from the 44th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in 1992. '90210 meets MTV,' she captioned the iconic photo of herself, at age 26, sporting a black beret and silk-layered bustier, as she posed with actor Jason Priestley. Classic: Ahead of Sunday's all-virtual Emmys, supermodel Cindy Crawford shared an iconic snap of herself from the 44th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in 1992 Demi Moore also took a trip down memory lane, opting to upload a picture of herself strolling arm-in-arm with her now-ex-husband, Bruce Willis. The former couple, who were months away from tying the knot ahead of the 1987 award show, looked happy and in love as they coordinated in all-black ensembles. '1987 #Emmys... arriving in style,' the Ghost star, 57, captioned the shot, which caught the attention of the her and Willis' 29-year-old daughter, Scout. Amicable exes: Demi Moore also took a trip down memory lane, also she uploaded a picture of herself strolling arm-in-arm with her now-ex-husband, Bruce Willis 'Omg dads coat is sending me,' the Brown University graduate remarked of her father's nearly floor-length black jacket. Her mother's chic gown, bright red lipstick and minimal makeup, however, has remained timeless, even 33 years later. In a more recent throwback, actress Jessica Biel shared a swoon-worthy picture of herself resting on her tuxedo-clad husband, Justin Timberlake, from 2018. Poking fun: In a more recent throwback, actress Jessica Biel shared a swoon-worthy picture of herself resting on her tuxedo-clad husband, Justin Timberlake 'Once upon a time, a long LONG time ago Mom and Dad put on some real clothes and stayed out past midnight' the 38-year-old, who recently welcomed her second child with Timberlake, 39, captioned the loved-up image. Additionally, on her Instagram Story, Biel shared another stunning shot of herself in the same strapless Ralph & Russo gown with cascading ruffles. Like the cheeky 7th Heaven star, Brooke Shields couldn't resist joking to her 1.1 million Instagram followers about the days of getting all dolled up. 'Remember wearing heels and a dress? Me either...' the legendary beauty, 55, captioned a snap of herself in a hot pink ruffled Badgley Mischka dress from 2008. 'Remember wearing heels and a dress? Me either...' theBrooke Shields cheekily captioned a snap of herself in hot pink ruffled Badgley Mischka dress from 2008 Meanwhile, Jennifer Aniston documented her 'Emmys prep' in a luxurious face mask, while holding a single flute of champagne in a linen grey robe and matching pants. The 51-year-old Golden Globe winner, who is nominated for her critically-acclaimed performance on the Morning Show, flashed her perfectly polished pink nails as she blew a kiss. While prepping her skin with a hydrating mask, she kept her signature blonde tresses pulled back, while sitting in front of a large window. Getting ready! Meanwhile, Jennifer Aniston documented her 'Emmys prep' in a luxurious face mask, while holding a single flute of champagne in a linen grey robe and matching pants 'Congratulations to the nominees and all of the amazing performances weve seen this year,' she gushed, while garnering more than 769,000 likes in just 30 minutes. Jameela Jamil also teased she was currently 'getting ready for the Emmys later on, doing some make up, wearing some stuff.' In her laid-back selfie, she posed with slightly damp hair and a fresh face, apart from her red lipstick from the night before, which she says 'stuck through the shower.' Excited: Meanwhile, Jameela Jamil teased she was currently 'getting ready for the Emmys later on, doing some make up, wearing some stuff' Upon reading her comments, the 34-year-old vocal body positivity advocate took time to respond to a fan, who raved her skin was 'so perfect.' The Good Place star pointed out her skin was 'currently clear' because 'privileged people have more access to good quality nutrition and also our lives are significantly less stressful than the lives of those with less privilege.' 'I also get to sleep more because of this. All of these things keep my hormones in balance and Im able to address food intolerances easily,' she noted. Jamil also said exfoliating 'twice a week' and believing 'trans rights are human' also helps her radiant complexion. 'I also get to sleep more because of this. All of these things keep my hormones in balance and Im able to address food intolerances easily,' she pointed out 'Wearing PJs to the 72nd Emmy awards (from my house) is my kind of vibes,' she captioned an additional post, revealing she was 'excited' to see if her series, The Good Place, would win 'any of the 7 awards' it is 'nominated for' Getting a late start to her morning, Tracee Ellis Ross posted a hilarious video of herself, from 2018, wearing a hot pink Valentino Haute Couture off-shoulder gown. 'Goodnight,' she can be heard saying in the video, as she rolls around in bed, showing off the striking dress' poufy sleeves and full skirt. Her 9.5 million Instagram followers were clearly amused by the footage, with one joking the dress would make a great 'extra comforter for the bed' this year. Good morning! Getting a late start to her morning, Tracee Ellis Ross posted a hilarious video of herself, from 2018, wearing a hot pink Valentino Haute Couture off-shoulder gown Supportive: The 47-year-old actress made sure to give her Black-ish co-star, Anthony Anderson, who is up for his sixth consecutive Emmy nomination for their hit ABC comedy The 47-year-old actress made sure to give her Black-ish co-star, Anthony Anderson, who is up for his sixth consecutive Emmy nomination for their hit ABC comedy. 'Good luck to the Johnsons tonight!' she captioned a shot with Anderson, as they walked down the red carpet. In the snap, she can be seen laughing, as her on-screen husband looks at her with a smile. Grateful: Kerry Washington, who is nominated for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for Little Fires Everywhere, shared a car selfie from last year Kerry Washington, who is nominated for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for Little Fires Everywhere, shared a car selfie from last year. 'Things look a little different this year but the gratitude remains the same,' she captioned a stunning picture of herself wearing a white tuxedo blouse with the collar popped up. She added: 'Thank you the @televisionacad for recognizing 3 @simpsonstreet projects. Excited to celebrate the hardworking cast and crew of Little Fires Everywhere tonight.' Help is here: Queer Eye's Tan France appeared to be helping out Courteney Cox, who was facing a tough fashion choice between two laid-back ensembles Queer Eye's Tan France appeared to be helping out Courteney Cox with her look, as she was torn between two laid-back ensembles. Jumping on the actress' Instagram Story, he asked her followers to participate in a poll. In 'option one' the Friends star donned a light pink sweater, dark-wash jeans and a sleek pair of black leather booties. Keeping it casual: Jumping on her the Friends alum's Instagram Story, he asked her followers to participate in a poll Comfy: The 'second' option was similar, but included light-wash denim bottoms, a beige blouse and heels The 'second' option was similar, but included light-wash denim bottoms, a beige blouse and heels. Cox's ensemble was a stark contrast to many celebrities throwbacks, like Priyanka Chopra, who shared a video of herself in a red Monique Lhuillier gown from 2016. 'Good luck to all the nominees this evening!' she captioned the slow-motion recording. In a video early Saturday morning, Insecure's Issa Rae exclaimed was still excited about the event even, 'if there's not a ceremony today' Hours later, she updated her fans with videos of herself getting her nails and makeup done, which she captioned 'rona don't stop no show' on her Instagram Story. In another shot, she can be seen beaming, as her glam put the final touches on her. - Julie Gichuru sanitised her fans' timelines with a photo that will forever be etched in their minds - The mum who was dressed in beachwear had no makeup on and chose to wear her bear face in what looked like a vacay - Despite not being all made up, Julie still looked like a fox and brought the internet to a standstill PAY ATTENTION: Click 'See First' under 'Follow' Tab to see Tuko.co.ke news on your FB Feed At 46, most people are tired and probably have given up on staying youthful and maintaining their vibrancy. Not Julie Gichuru. The former TV presenter wears her age like a crown and always lets off the vibe of a woman in her early or mid-20s. READ ALSO: Muthee Kiengei's 2 wives peacefully celebrate, share cake during daughter's birthday Julie somewhat resembled Hamisa Mobetto in her latest picture. Photo: Julie Gichuru Source: Instagram READ ALSO: Yvonne Okwara surprises musician who named his song after her On Saturday, September 19, Julie innocently posted a photo of herself dressed in beachwear with her hair looking messy and a fresh face. There was no makeup in sight and despite that, the former journalist still looked like a total catch. Her skin was smooth and glowed like a star during a cloudless night. READ ALSO: Young lady divides netizens after begging hawker for a kiss in traffic READ ALSO: PSG star Neymar lands big Puma boot deal worth 23m a year Initially, when guys spotted her picture, they immediately assumed that maybe the youngster in the photo was her daughter. Others assumed Julie had simply shared someone else's photo but alas! The lady dressed in black and white was the 46-year-old travel enthusiast. Celebrities like Emmy Kosgei marvelled over how Julie aged like fine wine and praised her ever vivacious aura. READ ALSO: Ndege ya Silverstone yaanguka Somalia In other related news, on February 8, 2020, Julie had her fans fighting back their tears and sniffling like they had a cold. The former TV presenter said her heart nearly burst out of her chest while she was chilling with her daughter. According to the vocal activist, she wanted her mini me to know who her fashion icon was. So, Julie signalled at none other than millionaire Hollywood actress Salma Hayek who looks too good for a woman in her 50s. To Julies surprise, her daughter thought the Wild Wild West star was none other than her mum. And she said this with a straight face. PAY ATTENTION: Help us change more lives, join TUKO.co.kes Patreon programme - https://www.patreon.com/tuko Keep abusing me, you will get tired eventually - Kenya's youngest Reverend Victor Githu | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke New Delhi, Sep 20 : The entire online buying experience has been more or less monotonous (read unemotional) for millions in India for years who select the product, fill in some details, pay and forget. According to a top Apple executive, the first India online exclusive Store Online -- the companys 38th worldwide -- is set to transform how Indians purchase products. In a post-Covid world, the tech companies are going to witness more sales across categories happening online and via e-commerce. Owing to the new wave of customers and changed dynamics, the five-day first wave of festive sales by Amazon and Flipkart are expected to grow 50 per cent (year-on-year) to $4 billion over the calendar year 2019, Bengaluru-based market research firm Redseer predicted last week. Based on the expected strong festive sales performance, RedSeer expects ecommerce to grow and reach $38 billion in sales this year -- upto 40 per cent growth (year-on-year). The Apple Store Online arrives in India just at the right time when the Covid-19 pandemic has led to innovative online business models being emerged. "We love the passion Indians have for our products and supporting them has been our passion too. The Online Store will ensure seamless, safe and contactless delivery of our products in these Covid times as safety of staff and customers is our topmost priority," Deirdre O'Brien, Apple's senior vice president of Retail + People, told IANS. "People make retail happen. For us, India is a key market and Apple fans here will have the same, consistent experience that our customer base enjoys the world over," said Deirdre, a 30-year Apple veteran who reports directly to the company CEO Tim Cook. Since these are Covid times and India is reporting a surge in caseloads, she is confident that Apple, with its global Covid-related stringent safety norms in place, will make the whole order-to-delivery journey completely safe. "From delivering a highly personalized experience to ensuring safe delivery of our full range of products at doorsteps, we think our customers in India will love the overall journey. Just in time for the festive season, signature gift wrap and personalised engraving will be available for select products in the country," she stressed. Engraving of emojis or text in English, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu will be available for AirPods, and English engraving will be available for iPad and Apple Pencil. When it comes to online shopping, in contrast to Europe and the US, the smartphone is the preferred device for online buyers in India. According to Navkendar Singh, Research Director, IDC India and South Asia, while Apple still depends a lot on offline due to its premium pricing, the company needs to do better online. "Apple needs to ensure showcasing and availability of a full range of Apple products and accessories, which a partner might not be able to or willing to carry," Singh told IANS. Controlling the consumer experience is another big challenge. "In absence of physical retail, this can be a big factor. Anyway, Apple is known for shopping experience so maybe, they can provide some of that online as well like tutorials, tips and troubleshooting support, etc," he added. "Preferential offers for consumers coming on Apple online like finance tie ups, buybacks, EMI offers etc can certainly help Apple in getting a great mindshare in India". This is exactly Deirdre has on top of her mind. "We have seen more and more customers now shifting to online buying in these times and our job is to provide them full digital support, personal sessions with trained Apple executives and a seamless navigation till they receive our products," she stressed. The Apple retail philosophy -- be it online or offline -- has been not to sell products but rather solve customers' queries on their purchase journey, delighting them with captivating open spaces, indoor trees, uniquely-designed sitting areas and large screens for marketing as well as developers and community events. "The customer truly is at the centre of everything that we do. Thanks to our passionate team, there really is no better place to see this in action than in our stores. We'd love to share two ways we're making the experience even better -- personalisation and trade-ins," Deirdre said. According to Counterpoint Research, online Channels held a 43 per cent share in Q2 (June quarter) 2020 in the India online smartphone market. The increase in online channels share was "due to a shift in consumer behaviour who are now preferring contact-less shopping experience and practicing social distancing". Come September 23 and Apple's first exclusive branded online store in India, offering a full range of products, support and premium experience to consumers, is set to change the way Indians buy tech products online. (Nishant Arora can be reached at nishant.a@ians.in) AIRDRIE, ALTA.Six people in a city north of Calgary have been treated for minor injuries after police allege someone was firing at them with BB guns. RCMP in Airdrie say they were called around 9:30 p.m. Friday about males with a gun. They say they activated an emergency response team, searching for the suspects with dogs while also receiving help from a Calgary police helicopter. Anyone in Airdries downtown core was told to shelter-in-place, while others nearby were asked to stay inside. By 11:45 p.m., police say four males were arrested and the shelter-in-place order was lifted. Three of the males have been released, while charges are pending against one 19-year-old from Airdrie who remains in custody. Read more about: Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny has published a photograph of himself walking down stairs in the latest update on his recovery after he was poisoned with a nerve agent in August. In the post, Mr Navalny said the road to making a full recovery was clear, although long. He said he still was not able to use his phone or pour water into a glass, and has problems going up or down steps because his legs tremble. There are many problems yet to be solved, but amazing doctors from the Charite hospital have solved the main one, the post said. They turned me from a technically alive human being into someone who has high chances to become ... a man who can quickly scroll Instagram and understand without thinking where to put his likes. He is being treated in the German hospital after he collapsed during a domestic flight in Siberia and was later airlifted to Berlin. Germany has said laboratory tests in three countries have determined that Mr Navalny was poisoned with the novichok nerve agent. On Thursday, members of Mr Navalnys team said traces of novichok had been found on a water bottle in the Tomsk hotel room where he had been staying before the flight on which he fell ill. It had previously been suggested that he had been poisoned with a cup of tea he drank in the airport. According to an Instagram post on Thursday, some of Mr Navalnys team had remained in Tomsk, and after they heard he had become unwell, made a search of the hotel room. A video showing the search showed two empty plastic water bottles on a table. The post states: Two weeks later, a German laboratory found traces of novichok precisely on the bottle of water from the Tomsk hotel room. There was no particular hope of finding anything, the post said. But since it was absolutely clear to us that Navalny was not slightly ill, not overheated it was decided to take everything that could be hypothetically useful in some way and hand it over to doctors in Germany. The fact that the case would not be investigated in Russia was also quite obvious. And so it happened: almost a month passed, Russia did not recognise Alexei's poisoning. Navalny with his wife and children at the Charite hospital in Berlin (Instagram) Two separate, independent laboratories in France and Sweden confirmed the earlier German finding that Mr Navalny was poisoned with novichok the same nerve agent used in the Salisbury attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in 2018. The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, said the tests carried out in Germany earlier this month showed unequivocally that novichok was used to poison Mr Navalny. She said the use of the chemical weapon showed that the dangerous attack on the long-standing critic of Vladimir Putin was an attempted murder and the aim was to silence him. She said there remained very serious questions that only the Russian government can answer and must answer. Western governments have demanded an explanation from Russia. Last week, Mr Navalnys team said the politician was already planning to return to Russia. Asked whether the Russian government would consider a meeting between Mr Navalny and Mr Putin after the opposition leader recovers, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, said, according to the Interfax new agency: We do not see the need for such a meeting, so I believe that such a meeting will not take place. Additional reporting by Reuters Around the time Bonnie Glogover turned 30, her life changed. It was then, some 20 years ago now, that her father revealed to his three children that he had been in the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. From that moment on, Bonnie said, I knew I needed to make a difference. The revelation would bring her before Congress to advocate for Holocaust Remembrance Day, lead her to promote a film on survivors, and inspire her to create a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry to remember the Holocaust and support programs that educate others about the horrors of the Nazis. Sometime after the war, Bonnies dad, Stanley, who died in 2013 at the age of 88, had his concentration camp number, 81481, surgically removed from his arm. Imprisonment in Auschwitz (for two years as a teenager) instilled in my father a profound obligation to win his life back from the immense darkness that had engulfed his formative years, Bonnie said. He lost his mother, three siblings, and 28 other family members. Back in Poland, Stanley lived atop his familys clothing store. In the U.S., he became a successful clothing innovator and designed the nursing bra and maternity bra. Bonnie followed her fathers lead and holds a patent on Gloglover hosiery, which open and close at the toe. To honor her fathers wish that the world never forget the Holocaust, Bonnie wrote a letter to President Clinton during his term in office and was disappointed that at first he didnt reply. So on May 9, 2000, she took an ad in The New York Times and titled it Papa, Can You Hear Me. In it, she advocated for the establishment of a Holocaust remembrance day. By selecting a day to remember all victims of the Holocaust, Bonnie wrote, it would be an annual reminder to educate and reflect on this place in time. Second, it could be a small payback to the generation of Jews affected. It worked. The Edgewater resident for 30 years now received hundreds of letters, including ones from Elie Wiesel and Steven Spielberg. Her congressman at the time, Steve Rothman, entered a citation to her into the Congressional Record on Jan. 31, 2001: Ms. Glogover is working to see that Holocaust Remembrance Day is printed on calendars to educate the public about this important observance. Her unending dedication to this worthwhile cause is a tribute to our sworn duty to never forget. It became law in 2001 and has been celebrated annually based on the Jewish calendar. In 2021, it will be observed on April 8. After securing Holocaust Remembrance Day, Bonnies next project was to promote the documentary Destination Unknown, in which 12 Holocaust survivors, including her dad, were interviewed. She sponsored a special 2016 premiere at the Museum of Jewish Heritage A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in Battery Park, Manhattan, for six hours. Producer Llion Roberts and director Claire Ferguson traveled from the UK to attend. We owe it to the millions sacrificed in the Holocaust, to the 12 witnesses in this production to inspire people to speak out, to stand up against racism, prejudice, discrimination and injustice wherever we find such disgrace, Bonnie told me. She then had one goal left: to create a jewelry piece that would continue to remind people. About 18 months ago, she turned to Philip Weisner, 65, a Manhattan jewelry designer who is also a descendent of Holocaust survivors, to create a Holocaust remembrance that is unique, a piece of shiny metal jewelry that when someone looks it, it evokes dialogue, she said. Weisner settled on a railroad tracks theme. Railroads have always intrigued him, he said, because they move people and products. And, sadly, railroad cars were used to transport Nazi prisoners to the concentration camps and almost certain death. Last year, the Jewish Museum stationed a railcar with tracks right in front of the building. He came up with the tracks to create a bracelet and multiple designs on computer graphics. Then he used a cadcam for 3D printing that was cast in metal. The metal clasp was made by hand. There are six sizes in silver, white gold, yellow gold, rose gold and platinum that range from $750 to $9,800 for both women and men. A percentage of every purchase from the I Remember Bracelet Collection will be donated to the USC Shoah Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving interviews with Holocaust survivors and witnesses. I Remember & Company will also donate matching funds every month to a different anti-genocide initiative, charities that serve refugees and migrants worldwide who have been, and are being, uprooted from their homes by war, famine, crime and political injustice. Customers can also suggest a cause. Just last week, the Jewish Museum released the shocking results of a Holocaust survey of U.S. young people. Sixty-three percent of the respondents did not know that six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust, and 19% of Millennials and Gen Zers in New York said they believed the Holocaust was caused by Jews. Bonnie never takes her bracelet off and engages many people even her nail cosmetologists -- about its origin and purpose. And this work of art echoes her fathers cry, Never again. The Rev. Alexander Santora is the pastor of Our Lady of Grace and St. Joseph, 400 Willow Ave., Hoboken, NJ 07030. Email: padrealex@yahoo.com; Twitter: @padrehoboken. Details ... For information on the I Remember Bracelet collection, call 212-840-3820 or go to irememberbracelet.com. After almost six-months, schools in some states will reopen their gates to students of Classes 9-12 with a long list of rules to be followed as per the Covid-19 protocol announced in Unlock 4 by the central government. In the Unlock 4 guidelines, the union home ministry had permitted schools to reopen from September 21, Monday but left the final call to the states. It did, however, lay down a set of rules for schools to reopen. Students and teachers residing in containment zones are not permitted to attend schools. Schools are allowed to operate only with 50% teaching and non-teaching staff, while only students from classes 9 to 12 can attend, that too on voluntary basis. Students who do decide to attend have to get a permission slip signed by their parents or guardians. Since attendance will be on voluntary basis, schools that do decide to reopen will have to continue online classes for students who decide against attending physically. Schools reopening should mandatorily have thermal scanners at the entrance, and students, teachers and other staff can enter only after temperature checks. Though not compulsory, schools have been advised to operate separate gates for entry and exit. Most importantly, everyone entering the school premises be they teachers or students or non-teaching staff have to wear face masks, and regularly sanitise their hands or wash them following the 20-second rule. However, given the rising cases of Covid-19, many states have decided to keep schools closed for now. Delhi, which had earlier said senior students can come to schools for guidance if their parents permit, has decided against reopening schools till October 5. According to a report in news agency ANI, Karnataka too went back on its earlier plan and barred students of Classes 9 to 12 from visiting schools and pre-university colleges to meet teachers. Schools in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala and Uttarakhand will also not be reopening on September 21. Heres a list of states that have allowed schools to partially reopen schools from September 21, Monday: Andhra Pradesh Students of class 9 to 12 who live outside containment zones can attend school for guidance from teachers, after written consent from parents. According to a report in The Hindu, regular classes will remain suspended till September 30. We want to reopen schools tentatively on October 5. But the final decision will be arrived at depending on the pandemic conditions and the Unlock 5.0 guidelines," the states education minister Adimulapu Suresh had said at a recent press conference. Assam Classes will resume in government schools for standards 9th to 12th standard students for 15 days after which the government will conduct a review. Private schools in Assam have been allowed to decide on reopening. The state issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) for school reopening on the lines of the Unlock 4 guidelines issued by the Centre. Attendance will be voluntary and parents will have to sign a consent slip. Classes for 9th and 12th standard will be held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while 10th and 11th class students can attend on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. As per the Assam governments SOP for schools, a classroom cannot have more than 20 students at any given time, and if needed schools can divide the classes into two batches, wherein the first batch attends from 9am-noon, and the second one attends between 1pm and 4pm. Haryana Students from Class 9 to 12 are permitted to attend school to get doubts cleared by teachers on voluntary basis as per the SOP released by the state government. All district education officers have been tasked with ensuring that teachers take a Covid-19 test and have the Aarogya Setu app installed on their smartphones. Students will have to bring a written consent from their parents before coming to school. The students will also have to undergo thermal scanning before entering the school and wear face masks and adhere to safety guidelines, the SOP said. Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh too is giving students of Classes 9, 10, 11 and 12 the option to come to school and get one-on-one guidance from teachers. The Cabinet gave its nod to open educational institutions outside containment zones in the state from September 21 as per the standard operating procedures (SOPs) of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with 50 per cent teaching and non-teaching staff for students from standards IX to XII, provided the students are willing to take guidance from teachers. For this, written consent of parents or guardians of the student is mandatory, said a Himachal government statement. Jammu and Kashmir Apart from voluntary attendance and consent slips from parents, the J&K administrations rules for school reopening include 50% attendance for staff up to Class 8. Up to Class VIII, only 50 percent staff will report every day while students of Class IX, X, XI, and XII can come on a voluntary basis with 50 percent attendance. It is up to the parents to decide whether they allow their children to attend the school. Online classes and other aspects of digital education will continue to function," an official from the J&K administration told the media. Nagaland Students are permitted on a voluntary basis and 50% teaching and non-teaching staff outside containment zones will come to school in Nagaland. Students of classes 9 to 12 may be permitted to visit their schools, in areas outside the containment zones only, on voluntary basis, for taking guidance from their teachers subject to written consent of their parents or guardians, subject to strict adherence to all the provisions in the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)," a Nagaland government order said. Meghalaya Regular classroom teaching remains suspended in Meghalaya till September 30, but students studying in Classes 9, 10, 11 and 12 can visit their schools to get doubts cleared by teachers. The World Health Organization (WHO) cautioned that COVID-19 is "not going away" anytime soon especially that the current worldwide weekly death toll temporarily plateaued at an estimated 50,000. According to Dr. Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO's emergencies program, nations entering the winter season had needed a hefty amount of preparation to alleviate the novel coronavirus cases. 'Too Late to Think Lockdowns Could Make COVID-19 Go Away' In the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, the rationale for the implementation of lockdowns was that it was necessary to stay at home for 15 fifteen days to slow down the prevalence of the virus. According to The Hill's Reid Wilson, "We know how to stop this virus, it requires social distancing, it requires wearing a mask, and constant hand sanitizers and staying home as much as possible," reported Mises. Mises noted that this displays a critical lack of understanding regarding the purpose and potency of lockdowns. Mises added that lockdowns witnessed had nothing to do at all to alleviate the virus. Vaccine Will Not Stop the COVID-19 Pandemic Immediately Dr. Umair Shah recalled the last mass vaccination campaign the United States waged to be challenging. It was held in 2009, when the H1N1 swine flu became prevalent in April, right at the regular flu season's end, reported 7 News. "There were a lot of moving pieces. It took several weeks to months to not just organise but to implement and to do safely and effectively." Shah added that in contrast to the COVID-19 pandemic not going away, it was a mild pandemic. Also Read: Dr. Fauci Says Possible Second Wave of COVID-19 in the Fall Should Not Be Underestimated The New York Times said that today's advent is deeply uncertain. Questions posed are as follows: Will a safe and effective vaccine be created? Do we need a new president? Do we need more and improved testing? How will such matters change the progression of the pandemic? What if such matters do not? reported The New York Times. Worrying Trends According to the WHO officials, they are starting to witness alarming trends in the tally of COVID-19 confirmed cases, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admissions, and hospitalizations in the Northern Hemisphere as it commences its colder seasons. They added that seroepidemiology studies that evaluate the extent of COVID-19 infection in varying populations indicate that most of the globe's population is vulnerable to infection from the respiratory illness. Dr. Ryan also spoke about case numbers and their variation in different parts of the globe especially for countries entering the winter season, COVID-19 is not burning out and "not going away." President Donald Trump's View US President Donald Trump once again asserted that COVID-19 will just "disappear" even without a vaccine created. Trump explained, "You'll develop, you'll develop herd, like a herd mentality. It's going to be, it's going to be herd-developed, and that's going to happen." reported Forbes. Related Article: Wuhan Families Accuse China of Barring COVID-19 Lawsuits @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The hundreds of deaths in aged care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic have again highlighted the need for major improvements in Australias largely privately operated aged care sector. More trained staff such as registered nurses and higher staff-to-patient ratios will probably be necessary if we are to protect older Australians from infectious disease and guarantee for them a dignified life with proper care. The Royal Commission into Aged Care, which has played a crucial role in exposing the failings in the system, has now turned its attention to the difficult choices that lie ahead if we are to fund these costly services in the most efficient way. While private operators should absorb some of the costs of higher standards, it is highly likely that more funding will still be required. Credit:Virginia Star It is already clear that, without reform, increasing government subsidies is a recipe for wasting money. Unscrupulous operators of private aged care homes, which account for about 90 per cent of residents, could use the cash to boost their profits worth $1.1 billion in 2018 alone rather than improve care. A report by consultants BDO for the commission found that the sectors income had risen by 6.7 per cent a year on average since 2009, while expenses rose by just 6.4 per cent. We felt by being able to at least start the process in-house so to speak, that would be hugely beneficial. Not only to us, but to the health department. If we could get a jump on it, she said. It certainly feels like all hands on deck. The more help we have the better just not knowing what lies down the road. Nelson said she could not say enough about the districts team of nurses and that everyone has worked to learn about the virus and relay information to staff and parents. They have really stepped up to the occasion, she said. They have completely changed their mindset on what their days look like and they have gone above and beyond. Nelson said the districts primary goal is to reach out to staff and students of the district contact tracing that spans to those not attached to the district is handled by the health department. Any needed testing is also handled outside of the district, with Nelson referring individuals to testing sites or the health department. Both Nelson and Savage said they feel like the district is positioned well for weathering what COVID-19 may bring. By PTI JAMMU: The Border Security Force (BSF) on Sunday recovered a consignment of 62 kg of heroin worth crores of rupees and two pistols after foiling an infiltration attempt from Pakistan along the International Border (IB) here, a top officer of the border guarding force said. Inspector General of BSF, Jammu frontier, N S Jamwal said his force is shortly lodging a strong protest with Pakistan and expressed hope that stern action will be taken against those involved in the failed smuggling bid. The attempt to smuggle the narcotics and weapons was scuttled by BSF personnel of Budhwar and Bullechak border outposts in Arnia area of R S Pura sector around 2 am, leading to the recovery of 62 packets of heroin -- each packet weighing one kilogram, two Chinese pistols with three magazines and 100 rounds, Jamwal said told reporters near the scene. The IG BSF, who rushed to Arnia to congratulate his men for the successful operation, said over the past few days, there were inputs from the intelligence branch of force and police about a possible attempt from Pakistan to smuggle a consignment of drugs and weapons. "We were alert to the threat and around 2 am, a group of persons were noticed on the Pakistani territory and two to three of them came closer to the border fence to sneak into this side but were challenged by the BSF personnel, he said. He said they opened fire but retreated to Pakistani side taking advantage of darkness and thick foliage, in the face of prompt retaliation by the BSF, leaving behind the consignment of drugs and weapons which were concealed in plastic bags tied with a rope and a PVC pipe. Jammu Senior Superintendent of Police Shridhar Patil, who also reached Arnia to inspect the seizure, said the consignment is worth around Rs 300 crore in the international market. "We see it as narco-terrorism supported by Pakistan. We have successfully foiled a number of attempts of narcotic smuggling from Pakistan over the past two years. They are pumping in drugs to ruin the lives of our youth but we are alert to the threat," he said. Terming the recovery as a "major success", the IG BSF said, "We are going to lodge a strong protest note with Pakistan along with the evidence and are hopeful that it will take stern action against those involved." Jamwal said it is for the first time that the anti-national elements used PVC pipe to hide the narcotics to facilitate its smuggling into the Union Territory. "Though it is for the first time in J&K but such type of modus operandi is in the knowledge of BSF which has successfully foiled similar attempts in Punjab over the years," he said. The loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg strikes deeply and personally. She was a miracle and leaves an indelible mark on the United States of America and beyond. While at first I was bereft, I remember that she is a miracle, so even her death can lead to something miraculous. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, on the other hand, is already showing hypocrisy to be his first and foremost political trait. How can he, with a straight face, say that he will confirm a Trump Supreme Court nominee with the election less than a month and a half away? Four years ago he emphatically stated the Senate would not consider an Obama nominee using exactly the same reasoning. RBG = miracle. McConnell = hypocrisy Mona Palacios, Oakland Time for mourning The most fitting tribute to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg would be for all those invited to replace her to say: Thank you, I am so honored to be considered, and I will entertain your request after a respectful six-month period of mourning. Carol Denney, Berkeley Play back that tape Surely there is an audio recording. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell early in 2016 declared that the next Supreme Court justice should be chosen by the president who is elected that November. Fair-minded senators of both parties should play this recording in the Senate repeatedly until the message sinks in and is acted upon. Edith Drewek, Mountain View Honor RBGs wish Put all politics aside. A very special woman who spent her whole life trying to bring what was right to the people of the USA has passed away. She is anything but forgotten. She struggled with cancer for many years, and for the last few she fought it hard so her replacement wouldnt be a political statement. On her dying bed her last request was not to be replaced until the election was over and whoever won would replace her. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg earned the right to make a decision on her replacement, so for once lets put politics aside and respect the wishes of a woman that gave so much of her life for the USA. Robert Nice, Redwood City Suggestion for Biden Joe Biden has expressed his commitment to appoint a Black woman to the Supreme Court. I respectfully suggest: Anita Hill. Vicki Thompson, Hayward The lame duck factor With all the hue and cry demanding that the Senate wait until after the election, even in the light of two Republican senators saying they wont vote in a nomination until then, we must remember there will be a lame duck session, during which time the GOP leadership can vote in an extreme right-wing judge to the high court as a last act of defiance before the new Congress is sworn in in January. John Cepelak, San Francisco Lets make a deal Joe Biden is winning in the polls. President Trump says he cannot lose. So heres the deal: both agree to name a Supreme Count nominee before the election and the winners selection gets the seat. As Mitch McConnell said in 2016: Its an election year; let the people decide. Albert Sukoff, Berkeley A champion for justice With the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, America has lost an important advocate for womens reproductive freedom and voting rights on the nations highest court. And if the president succeeds in replacing her with another right-wing ideologue, I fear that the Supreme Courts ability to render fair verdicts regardless of a plaintiffs race, gender or sexual orientation will be lost for generations. Rest in peace, Notorious RBG, and thank you for your being a champion of citizens whose problems have too often been marginalized by political leaders. Julian Grant, Pacifica Test of GOP integrity Now is the perfect time for Republican senators to demonstrate whether they are honest, upstanding conservatives or just cowardly, corrupt Trump robots. In 2016 they argued successfully that a replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia should be deferred until after the soon-to-be held presidential election. Now that the same situation has arisen again with the death of Justice Ruth Ginsburg, will they remain true to their own argument or will their words prove to be nothing more than self-serving politics to be adjusted to suit their convenience? Hopefully enough Republican senators will have the integrity to let common decency and fair play prevail. Joseph Chance, Emeryville Checks and balances It seems that R.I.P. does not apply to RBG. I fear that the constitutional provision for three branches of government that relate to one another in a system of checks and balances holds no interest for the senator from Kentucky or his leader. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell seems determined to remain on his knees, in total obeisance to a corrupt, heartless president. An act of more craven, opportunistic proportions than Trump and McConnells rush to replacement is hard to imagine, but, then again, almost every day brings some new, previously unimaginable insult to the conscience and soul of our nation. Bill Nichols, San Francisco Russian Foreign Ministry official Pyotr Ilyichev on Saturday, September 19 said that Russia expects its diplomats to encounter no obstacles this time with getting visas to the United States while travelling to attend the 75th United Nations General Assembly. As per reports, last year, 18 Russian diplomats along with delegates from other foreign countries were denied visas while travelling to the US to attend the annual UNGA event. Ilyichev, who heads the Department of International Organisations at the Russian Foreign Ministry, said Moscow has raised the issue several times in its communications with Washington, the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly. The 75th UN General Assembly According to reports, Ilyichev said, We hope that Washington will become more responsible with regard to its obligations and prevent a repetition of this scenario during the 75th session of the General Assembly. One way or another, our country will continue to oppose in every possible way the US' unlawful visa policies. Talking about Washington's "arbitrary" visa policies, the Russian official said that they have "the most detrimental impact on the efficiency of the organisation's work. He added, The US is increasingly abusing its position as the host country of the UN headquarters in order to extract unilateral political dividends and put pressure on the governments of other countries. Read: Record Number Of Heads Of State To Address UNGA Next Week: UNGA President The United Nations General Assembly is set to hold a virtual meeting with a record number of 173 world leaders addressing the forum next week. As per reports, the spokesperson for the UN General Assembly President Brenden Varma has informed that a record number of 119 heads of state and 54 heads of governments will virtually deliver their messages at the UN General Assembly this year. The gathering will be held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read: PM Modi's Participation In Two Debates To Be 'highlight' Of Upcoming UNGA Session According to the current General Assembly President, Volkan Bozkir, various high-level officials, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had initially confirmed their in-person participation. However, due to the quarantine rules of New York State that require all foreign visitors to quarantine for 14 days, the visits were cancelled. The United Nations General Assembly this year marks the 75th anniversary of the global body. This year's theme for the General Debate is 'The Future We Want, the U.N. We Need: Reaffirming our Collective Commitment to Multilateralism'. (WIth ANI Inputs) Read: UN General Assembly To Be Virtually Addressed By Record 173 World Leaders Next Week Also Read: United Nations Releasing $9 Million To Help Beirut Hospitals A grey, sad face emoji punctuated the closed sign on the door of Local Public Eatery Saturday after public health temporarily shuttered the restaurant while investigating possible COVID-19 exposures at the bar. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 20/9/2020 (488 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A grey, sad face emoji punctuated the closed sign on the door of Local Public Eatery Saturday after public health temporarily shuttered the restaurant while investigating possible COVID-19 exposures at the bar. "Unfortunately, we had a group in our building that had COVID-19 last weekend," the notice taped to the front door of the business on Garry Street stated. "We have reported all our information to the Manitoba health board to make sure everyone is taken care of safely." When reached, staff at the restaurant declined to comment to the Free Press on the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 exposure or to say how many employees and patrons may have been in proximity to the group. A request for comment from the brands corporate office was not returned Saturday. A spokesperson for the provincial government said multiple case investigations connected to the site are ongoing, which necessitated the closure. "Case investigations continue into possible COVID-19 exposures at the site," the spokesperson said. "The closure will be in effect for a minimum of 24 hours, and may be extended pending the results of the investigations." Public health officials didnt issue a formal exposure warning for the business, and few additional details were made available Saturday. In its daily update, the province announced 18 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total active case count to 331, and a five-day test positivity rate of 1.6 per cent. Two cases were identified in the Southern Health-Sante Sud region, three in Prairie Mountain Health and 13 in Winnipeg. The province called the increase in cases in Winnipeg "concerning" and urged people in Winnipeg to focus on flattening the curve. On Saturday, 10 people were in hospital with COVID-19 including three in intensive care. Sixteen Manitobans have died from COVID-19. A person who attended Gordon Bell High School in Winnipeg on Thursday has been diagnosed with COVID-19, public health officials said. According to a letter sent to parents late Friday, the person was at the school on Borrowman Place on Sept. 17 in the morning and afternoon. 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. A case investigation has determined no close contacts were identified at the school and no one is being required to self-isolate. Public health has assessed the risk to others as low and said the infection was not acquired at school. The school had closed off affected areas for cleaning and disinfection, public health said. Parents and families of children at Munroe Early Childhood Education Centre were also notified Saturday of a possible exposure at the preschool on Sept. 14. All close contacts in the same room as the case have been identified and advised to self-isolate, public health said, and the centre will remain open to other children and staff. Fisher River Cree Nation, about 200 km north of Winnipeg, is also managing four active cases in its community. "Fisher River Health Services have been preparing for such a situation from the beginning and all procedures and protocols are being followed to ensure the safety of the community," a statement from the chief and council said. danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca For what its worth, the idea of a so-called cancel culture has a strong history in New England, especially in Connecticut, where the Puritans were slavishly devoted to policing one anothers behavior. They were so devoted, in fact, that infractions could net punishment that ranged from stocks, pillories, ear removal, branding or whipping, depending on the crime. And in those days, crime was loosely equated as sin. If someone was caught lying, for example, the offender could be fined 10 shillings, or sentenced to three hours in the public pillory, according to a 1915 law journal article. Keep in mind that one did not just spend leisure time in the stocks. Whoever was trapped there was subject to whatever mistreatment passers-by dreamed up. These past few weeks have seen multiple opportunities for such shaming, though one must remember that accusations of engaging in canceling generally come from people on the right against people on the left. The presidents oldest son recently tweeted #CancelNetflix, over an award-winning French film that, its detractors say, sexualizes young girls, even while in other tweets he lambasts progressives for suggesting they do the same for other entities. Even a casual student of the First Amendment knows that while we enjoy incredible freedom from government intervention in our speech, we are not protected from peoples reactions to that speech. For instance, in 2014, when the Supreme Court ruled that Hobby Lobby, a for-profit organization that sells crafts items, wasnt required to provide birth control for their employees. Company owners said they had religious objections to birth control, and so in reaction, I took up knitting just so I could boycott Hobby Lobby and buy my yarn elsewhere. This is called market censorship. The same way I will never watch another Woody Allen movie (market censorship), the same way I will go the rest of my life without buying so much as a stitch from the My Pillow guy (market censorship), I am free to let my pocketbook do my talking, as are you. Thats a fairly benign reaction to pillory worthy behavior, actually. State Sen. Christine Cohens yea vote on Connecticuts recent police accountability bill netted her Madison bagel shop threats of a boycott and worse, she got death threats. Is that cancel culture? Or do we call it something else because it was born of a conservative crowd and their rules are different. Lately, in no particular order: Jonathan Hardy, of the gun group Connecticut Citizens Defense League circulated on social media a vulgar, racist meme that targeted a female Democratic state representative. His response when he was called on it? He removed the meme, and said that people were mostly only paying attention because its an election year. His organizations response? Quick distancing from Hardy, but not before a handful of people contacted the IRS questioning the organizations nonprofit status. Cancel culture? Maybe. Or maybe its market censorship. And then we have state Sen. Eric C. Berthel, a Republican who represents lovely Connecticut towns such as Oxford and Watertown. A photo of a decal with a QAnon slogan on his car with his legislator license plates began spreading on social media because a QAnon decal on an elected officials car is newsworthy, to put it politely. QAnon is an anti-Semitic conspiracy group loosely organized around the lie that Donald Trump is doing battle with a group of Democratic pedophiles. The lies dont end there. See if you can name the conspiracy theory not embraced by QAnon: 5G networks are being used to spread COVID-19. Oregon wildfires were started by liberals. Cabal members meet in tunnels beneath the country to rape and torture children. People who drive blue Tauruses are the Devils own minions. Thats a tough quiz and youre excused if you fail it. The correct wrong answer is the last one. I made that one up, and I apologize in advance to all Taurus owners if that starts circulating as truth. Sen. Berthel said he doesnt support the groups wild-eyed conspiracy theories, but he said he likes the groups stance against government corruption. The nosebleed one would get from such a leap of logic could be fatal, and I hope hes OK. The FBI says QAnon is a pack of conspiracy theory-driven domestic extremists. In July, The Forward, formerly The Jewish Daily Forward, asked not if, but how anti-Semitic is QAnon. (Spoiler alert? Any measure of anti-Semitism is not OK.) Vice president Mike Pence recently canceled an appearance at a Montana fundraiser hosted by what appears to be QAnon supporters. But 2020 is a year of confusion. The Tweeter-in-Chief, no stranger to ridiculous conspiracies, loves him some QAnon mostly because, he says, they like him. Come to think of it, if youre a Republican party leader, its good strategy to hoist the anti-cancel flag. The partys survival may depend on members remaining loyal, and staying in the party, despite the rising number of COVID-19 deaths. Any thinking Republican has to have considered dropping their party. Country? Party? Tunnels of pedophiles and 5G conspiracies? As we move closer to Nov. 3, the wild-eyed faithful will be left to play jump ball over the last of the tin foil hats. Maybe they can play against those folks who drive blue Tauruses. My moneys on those guys. Theyre evil. From the very beginning I realized that I was submerged in a tragedy, and that I had been thrown into an important chapter of Australias modern history. After struggling for six years to expose Australias detention system through writing hundreds of articles and a book and making a film every paragraph, every image created and transmitted text message by text message, shot by shot, on a smuggled mobile phone, I was eventually invited to participate in the 2019 WORD Christchurch Festival in New Zealand. After a 36-hour flight, a remarkable journey, I arrived in Christchurch in beautiful New Zealand. During that first week in the country, I spoke at the Gus Fisher Gallery in Auckland. After my talk someone told me that his father wanted to see me. He insisted I visit their family. I went to their home and spoke to a 60-year-old man who said to me, I also came here from Manus Island. It was unbelievable. He was an Iranian asylum-seeker who had been imprisoned on Manus Island in 2001. I was face to face with someone who was imprisoned there in 2001. It was as if two parts of Australias forgotten history were meeting in another land after two decades. When I was at Manus Island, I saw small strips of fabric tied to the fences of our remote prison. The prisoners from 2001 had tied them there to symbolize the days of their captivity. There were also drawings and poetry written on the walls of the rooms. Those material remnants represented the human beings who had been there a decade before us. Looking at those signs, I would try to imagine who those people were and wonder where they were. Now I was sitting across the table from one of them, hearing the accounts of the torture he and hundreds of others had to endure. I met a man at a winery who told me he was among the 438 refugees who were rescued in 2001 from an Indonesian fishing boat stranded in the Indian Ocean by a Norwegian freighter, MV Tampa. The Australian government blocked the captain of the freighter from bringing the refugees onshore, sending troops onboard the ship. Express News Service By NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha is set to witness noisy scenes on Sunday as three contentious farm Bills will come up for discussion and voting. While the Centre is reaching out to regional parties to muster support, the Opposition wants the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and the Farm Services Bill and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill to be referred to a select committee. Though the Centre hopes the legislative proposals will sail through, it is going to be a numbers game as some regional parties have not indicated which way they will vote. Plus, around two dozen Rajya Sabha members are absent on health grounds, which will bring down the strength of the House. The BJP has issued a whip to its MPs to be present on Sunday. In the House of 245 with two vacancies, the NDA has 111 while the Opposition has around 100. The BJD, the YSR Congress, and the AIADMK are likely to extend support to the Centre but NDA ally Shiromani Akali Dal has announced it is not on the same page. Considering the far-reaching impact of the proposed laws on the farming community, the Opposition wants the Bills to be discussed threadbare and states inputs also be taken into account, as agriculture is a state subject. Congress leader K C Venugopal has submitted a notice to the Rajya Sabha secretariat to refer the Bill to the select committee. A few other MPs have also given similar notices. The Congress has appealed to other opposition parties to vote against the Bill. It has also called a meeting of its all general secretaries, state in-charges and the six-member advisory committee to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to discuss the course of action. Other opposition parties are also shaping strategy to oppose the Bills. Claiming the Bills undermine the food security system, Congress leader P Chidambaram urged Opposition parties to collectively oppose them so that they do not become law in their present form. WASHINGTON A federal judge has issued an injunction against President Trumps executive order effectively banning the Chinese social media app WeChat from operating in the United States after midnight on Sunday, presenting at least a temporary setback in the presidents efforts to block an app that he has labeled a national security threat. The ruling, which came Sunday morning, will temporarily halt Mr. Trumps efforts to bar WeChat, which is owned by the Chinese company Tencent Holdings, from carrying out commercial transactions in the United States. The Trump administration has said the app offers China a conduit to collect data on Americans and to censor the news and information shared by WeChats more than a billion monthly active users. In her decision, Judge Laurel Beeler of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California said that she had chosen to grant the motion because the plaintiffs had raised serious questions about whether the order would harm First Amendment rights. She also said that it placed significant hardship on the plaintiffs, who had argued that it would shut down the primary means of communication for the Chinese community. The U.S. government could now appeal to the Ninth Circuit court to seek to overturn the stay. A Justice Department spokeswoman said Sunday that the department is reviewing the order. Mumbai: Shiv Sena workers give swab samples for COVID-19 testing during 'Corona Swipe Test' camp organised by the party ahead of party president and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's birthday, in Mumbai on July 24, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News Mumbai, Sep 20 : Maharashtra's Covid-19 tally on Sunday crossed 12 lakh even as a record 26,408 patients were fully cured and returned home, including a 106-year-old great-grandmother, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope said here. The state recorded 20,598 new cases - lower than the highest tally of 24,886 - and pushed the total from 11,88,015 to 12,08,642 cases till date. Adding a staggering 455 more fatalities - down from the peak of 515 - the death toll increased from 32,216 to 32,671 now. The state recovery rate improved for the third consecutive day - from 72.22 per cent to 73.17 per cent - while the current mortality rate stood at 2.07 per cent on Sunday. Against this, the highest ever 26,408 fully recovered patients returned home - higher than 20,598, the number of fresh cases added during the day. This has taken the total number of discharged patients from 857,933 to 884,341 till date - much higher than the 291,238 active cases currently in the state. As per the figures on Sunday, there was one death roughly every 3.16 minutes and a whopping 858 new cases added every hour to the state tally. In a heartwarming development, a 106-year old great-grandmother Anandibai Patil successfully vanquished Covid-19 on Sunday and flashed a semi-toothless grin holding her 'Discharge Card' this afternoon. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Tope, Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray, and others hailed her victory over the virus as she was wheeled out of Savlaram Hospital in Dombivali town of Thane. Of the 455 toll, Pune led the state with 76 fatalities, plus 54 in Nagpur, 44 in Mumbai, 43 in Thane, 22 in Ratnagiri, 21 each in Dhule and Aurangabad, 18 in Latur, 17 in Osmanabad, 16 each in Ahmednagar and Sangli, 14 in Satara, 13 in Nashik, 12 in Jalgaon, 11 in Kolhapur - in the higher bracket. There were 9 deaths in Bhandara, 8 in Raigad, 6 each in Solapur and Beed, 5 in Amravati, 4 in Palghar, 3 each in Nanded and Gadchiroli, 2 each in Parbhani and Chandrapur, 1 each in Jalna, Hingoli, Akola, Yavatmal, Buldhana, Washim, Wardha and Gondia, besides 1 from outside the state or a foreigner - in the lower bracket. Returning to the sub-50 range after three days, Mumbai recorded 44 deaths - and the toll increased from 8,425 to 8,469 while the number of corona cases shot up by 2,209 and jumped from 182,203 to 184,439 now. Of the total 8 circles, the situation in Mumbai circle (MMR - comprising Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad) remains alarming as deaths spiral and cases pile up, with the fatalities shooting up by 99 - from 14,681 a day earlier to 14,780 and with another spike of 5,209 new infectees, the total cases shot up from 429,964 the previous day to 435,201 now. Pune district Covid cases touched 261,135 till date with the fatalities increasing from 5,188 a day earlier to 5,264 now. Thane district on the third spot (after Pune and Mumbai) witnessed 170,669 cases and the death toll increased from 4,486 the previous day to 4,529 now. With another 96 fatalities, the Pune circle's (comprising Pune, Solapur and Satara districts) death toll increased from 6,949 to 7,045 and the daily case tally zoomed up by another 5,193 - from 317,434 a day earlier to 322,627 cases now. Nashik circle recorded 3,261 fatalities and 158,031 cases, followed by Kolhapur circle's 2,330 deaths and 79,650 cases, and Nagpur circle recorded 1,908 deaths and 84,687 cases. Latur circle recorded 1,286 deaths and 47,110 cases, Aurangabad circle had 1,213 fatalities and 46,336 cases, followed by Akola circle with 734 deaths and 33,730 cases. Meanwhile, the number of people sent to home quarantine again increased sharply - from 18,01,180 to 18,49,217 now - while the number of those in institutional quarantine went down significantly from 39,831 to 35,644 on Sunday. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) News Phoenix, Arizona - at Grand Canyon University Remarks by Vice President Pence at a Libre Initiative Roundtable: THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much, Daniel. We are grateful for the leadership of Libra Initiative. Thank you for all that youre doing to advance the interest of Hispanic Americans across the country. And it is an honor to be with you today. I also want to express my appreciation and invite another round of applause. The Grand Canyon University is an incredible success story. He has led this university, grounded in Christian values, to incredible growth. Its serving a broad and diverse student body here in Phoenix. And join me in thanking Brian Mueller for his great leadership (applause) for Grand Canyon University. And thank you so much for your hospitality today, Brian. Also, Im pleased to be joined by a member of our Cabinet, the Small Business Administrator, Jovita Carranza, who will speak in just a moment. But I must tell you, to be seated once again with Governor Doug Ducey is a particular privilege for me. I can honestly say I was for Governor Ducey before it was cool. (Laughter.) I met him when he was just a candidate for office, and I was governor of the state of Indiana. And I saw his leadership then; I saw a businessman who was stepping forward to make a difference. And to see the growth in this state, to see the growth in your economy, to see his steady leadership over the last eight months in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic seeing Arizona through a challenging summer all across the Sun Belt Governor Doug Ducey, Im grateful for your leadership. GOVERNOR DUCEY: Thank you very much. THE VICE PRESIDENT: Im particularly honored to be with you today. Thank you so much. (Applause.) And let me bring greetings to all of you. This is National Hispanic Heritage Month. And to all as we celebrate the incredible contributions throughout the life of our nation of Hispanic Americans, I want to bring greetings from a great champion of Hispanic Americans who, when I spoke to him this morning on Air Force Two and told him I was headed to Phoenix, he was reflecting fondly on the fact that he was just here a few days ago. So let me bring greetings from the 45th President of the United States of America, President Donald Trump. (Applause.) The President said, on Monday, Hispanic Americans literally embody the American Dream. To be Hispanic American in so many ways is to is to be a part of a community that is synonymous with faith and family and hard work. And the contributions that Hispanic Americans have made not only to Arizona but to the life of this nation are really countless. And Im proud to say that in our first three years in office, weve made extraordinary progress in the economy of this nation. Under President Trumps leadership, with the strong support of our allies in the Congress, we cut taxes, we rolled back regulations, we unleashed American energy, we fought for free and fair trade, secured even a new trade agreement with our neighbors to the south and neighbors to the north in the USMCA, and the results were truly dramatic. It was 7 million new jobs created in those first three years, including nearly a quarter million good-paying jobs right here in Arizona. But nationwide, during this Hispanic Heritage Month, I know you all would be glad to celebrate with me that among those 7 million new jobs, 3 million went to Hispanic Americans, and more than 1 million Hispanic women entered the workforce all across this country. (Applause.) Hispanic unemployment was the lowest level ever recorded in those first three years. Median income for Hispanic households reached a record high. 1.5 million Hispanic Hispanic Americans were lifted out of poverty. And I know, as Jovita will reflect in a few moments, there was a record high amount of homeownership for Hispanic Americans. In fact, we just got data, earlier this week, Governor, that in 2019 alone, we saw the largest increase in household income in 52 years. (Applause.) And then, as we all know, the coronavirus pandemic struck our nation from China. President Trump took decisive action early on to put the health of America first. We suspended all travel from China. We declared a public health emergency. We stood up a White House Coronavirus Taskforce that that I can say has been working with your governor virtually every week as weve greatly expanded testing, and Arizona played a critical role in innovating testing for the people of this state. We also saw to the delivery of literally hundreds of millions of of supplies to doctors and nurses in hospitals across the country. In the midst of all of that, weve been in the process of developing new medicines, like remdesivir, convalescent plasma. And Im proud to report, at this gathering here in Phoenix, we are well on our way to have the first safe and effective coronavirus vaccine before the end of this year. (Applause.) But in the midst of that, I know that, here in Arizona, this was a challenging summer through which we just passed. But thanks to the extraordinary cooperation of the people of this state, putting the health of your neighbors and your families first; and frankly, the strong leadership that Governor Ducey and his administration provided, weve youve seen incredible progress here, and we want to commend the people of Arizona. We were proud to partner with your governor to surge testing, particularly to underserved communities. Community-based testing sites here in Phoenix and all across the state gave us the visibility into the spread of the virus didnt it, Governor? And Im also proud to say that as we were dealing with the health impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, under the Presidents leadership, we also created a Paycheck Protection Program that, we believe we believe, saved more than 50 million jobs, and it provided loans to keep people on the payroll for some 80,000 businesses all across Arizona. And 60,000 Paycheck Protection loans across the United States of America specifically went to Hispanic-owned banks nationwide. (Applause.) The good news is, through all of which weve passed, were opening up America again and youre opening up Arizona again. In the last four months alone (applause) in the last four months alone, demonstrating the incredible character and resilience of the American people and the American economy, 10.6 million Americans have gone back to work, including 140,000 people that have gone back to work in the last four months right here in Arizona. (Applause.) Of the more than 10 million Americans who have gone back to work in the last four months, as Jovita knows well, 3.3 million of those jobs were filled by Hispanic Americans. And Hispanic unemployment has already dropped to 8.4 percent. (Applause.) So were were on our way back, Arizona, and Hispanic Americans are leading the way. Through the challenging days of the pandemic, it was the families in this community who did your part to look after those who, in many cases, we found, were among the most vulnerable. And we want to commend you for that. But also the ingenuity, the hard work, the creativity, the faith of the people of this community is also leading us back to even greater heights. And as we as we go forward, I want to promise you, on behalf of your President, that were going to continue to support this community. In fact, we just broke the news today that two of the largest infrastructure grants in American history have been awarded to Puerto Rico to help that territory recover. (Applause.) And well continue to support law enforcement. You know, one of the things the President is most proud of, is the fact that half of our Border Patrol agents across this country are Hispanic Americans who secure our borders and protect our families every single day. And under this President, weve supported Customs and Border Protection, and weve also made record investments in border security and built more than 300 miles of a border wall on the southern border. (Applause.) In addition to that, it is remarkable to see the way Mexico has stepped up to partner with us to secure their southern border and ours. Mexico is literally doing more today to secure our southern border than ever before in history, and its a partnership thats seen a record decline in the the number of people coming across the border illegally. And its a tribute, frankly, to those incredible law enforcement personnel and also to our cross-border cooperation. And it certainly is in stark contrast with the voices of others in the public domain, where Joe Biden and the Democratic Party today call for open borders, sanctuary cities. Weve made record investments. And I I want to pledge to you, to your governor, and to Hispanic Americans everywhere that we are going to stand with law enforcement, were going to stand for the rule of law, were going to secure our borders and uphold the rights of American citizens. (Applause.) And also, while Joe Biden and the Democratic Party are talking about ending school choice in fact, ending charter schools in America, I want people in the Hispanic American community here in Arizona to know that, in President Donald Trump, you have a champion of school choice and a champion of charter schools. (Applause.) You know, its remarkable to think that one third of the students in public charter schools are Hispanic across this country. While some would like to shutter those schools, theyre making an incredible contribution. In fact, here in Arizona, the governor informs us that 40 percent of charter school students are Hispanic and 11 percent of students in American private schools are Hispanic. So expanding parental choice, expanding public charter school innovation, I promise you, will continue to be a priority for our administration. So, with that thank you for that. (Applause.) With that, I Im here Im here to listen. Im looking forward to the to the comments of our guests today, as well as as your governor. But let me also just simply close by saying thank you. And during this National Hispanic Heritage Month, just thank you for everything that this community contributes to the life of this nation. It really is it is it is humbling to be able to spend time, as I travel across the country, with Hispanic Americans, to hear the incredible stories, testimonies of faith, testimonies of entrepreneurship, testimonies of the American Dream, and and to see the values and the faith that are so synonymous with this community. I truly do believe, as we make our way through this challenging time, as we work to bring America all the way back, wed do well to recognize a National Hispanic Heritage Month that Hispanic Americans have always made this nation strong and great. And we will lead together to even a greater future for the American people for many years to come. So thank you for who you are. Thank you for being with us today. And God bless our Hispanic American community. (Applause.) (The roundtable discussion begins.) (The roundtable discussion concludes.) Well, its just very humbling to be among so many great Americans. So thank you all for coming today. Thank you for helping us celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month. Thank you for your witness. Cesar, you can tell Jet that Batman was my favorite too when I was his age. (Laughter.) Probably still is. And I can tell thats a remarkable young man, but youre a remarkable dad. Thank you for being such a great witness. (Applause.) And the President the President and I, like your governor, really believe that parents ought to be the ones that choose where their kids go to school. (Applause.) I promise you, Im going to remember for a long time they way that you and your family stepped up for your little one in such unique circumstances. Its truly inspiring. So I want to thank you for sharing your story. And to Pastor De La Cruz, the honor is mine. I made the same decision when I was 18 years old: put my faith in Christ and (applause) (inaudible). And to hear about your witness of faith and to see the sincerity of your purpose, it really is it really is inspiring to me. And youve given us hope, and I know your governor and this whole team are going to take to heart your words. Theres that verse in the Bible that says, Dont absent yourself from the assembly, as some are in the habit of doing. And I want you to know, were going to work closely with your governor and with states around the country to do everything we can to get our churches, all of our places of worship open back up again so the people of God can come together and pray. (Applause.) So well work toward that day, and I thank you. But, Daniel, this has really been an inspiring time. Im going to leave here reflecting on your words that Latinos need the free market, and the free market needs Latinos, and that much is certain. (Applause.) Thank you for the Libre Initiative. Thank you for your great advocacy of of the great Hispanic community all across the United States. And that 2.2 million strong, Governor, here in the State of Arizona GOVERNOR DUCEY: And growing! (Laughter.) THE VICE PRESIDENT: And growing, and just like just like the great state of Arizona. But I I have to tell you that maybe Jeannettes words maybe Jeannettes words are most inspiring to me, and they explain an awful lot. Weve heard about faith, weve heard about family, weve heard about caring for those in need, weve heard about entrepreneurship, but I really do believe that what Jeanette said is something that Ive observed in the Hispanic community all of my life, and its something I most admire. She said she said, Latinos do everything with passion. (Laughter.) So I want to thank you for your passion. I want to thank you for your passion for faith, for freedom, for free markets. And I truly do believe that that with this great Hispanic community and the passion and faith of this community, the best days for Arizona, for this community, and for America are yet to come. So thank you all very much. (Applause.) God bless you. And happy Hispanic Heritage Month. Thank you all. (Applause.) Under the deal, a new company, which will be called TikTok Global, will be set up. Photo: Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty TikTok is on course to escape being banned in America, after US president Donald Trump gave his blessing for the Oracle (ORCL) deal. Speaking to reporters on Saturday as he left the White House for a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Trump said: I approved the deal in concept. If they get it done, thats great. If they dont, thats fine too. Shortly after Trump signalled his approval, the US commerce department delayed the app store ban, which was due to come into force on Sunday, delaying it to 27 September. On Sunday, a judge in California, blocked the commerce department from requiring Apple (AAPL) and Google, to remove Tencent-owned (TCEHY) WeChat, for downloads in their app stores. US magistrate judge Laurel Beeler said in an order that WeChat users who filed a lawsuit have shown serious questions going to the merits of the First Amendment claim, the balance of hardships tips in the plaintiffs favor. It comes after months of intense negotiations between ByteDance and the Trump administration, after the US president signed several executive orders over concerns the app posed a national security threat. Under the deal, a new company, which will be called TikTok Global headquartered in the US will be set up. The company will be majority owned by ByteDance, the Chinese tech firm could retain as much as 80% ownership, including its US arm and the rest of the world, excluding China. TikTok Global has agreed to funnel $5bn ($3.9bn) to the US, it will also set up an education fund, the announcement has satisfied Trumps previous demand that the government should receive a payment from the deal. Theyre going to be setting up a very large fund. Thats their contribution that Ive been asking for, Trump said. ByteDance has said in a social media post that it is not aware of setting the $5bn education fund. Beijing is yet to approve of the deal. On Saturday, China announced sweeping powers to curb trade, investment and operations of foreign firms deemed unreliable on a blacklist, in a retaliation against punitive US actions towards Chinese businesses, such as Huawei. Story continues READ MORE: TikTok and WeChat: Heres all you need to know about what is happening Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that a source familiar with the matter said TikToks parent company, ByteDance is seeking a $60bn valuation, as Oracle and Walmart (WMT) take stakes in the video-sharing apps US operations to address security issues. Talks are still ongoing and the final valuation has not yet been set, but the companies said an initial public offering (IPO) would be launched within 12 months. Both Oracle and Walmart will take part in a TikTok Global pre-IPO financing round in which they can take up to a 20% cumulative stake in the company. We will also maintain and expand the US as TikTok Global's headquarters while bringing 25,000 jobs across the country, TikTok said in a statement. Oracle will take a 12.5% stake in TikTok Global, while Walmarts investment will give it a 7.5% share. Under their partnership, the retail giant will bring its omni-channel retail capabilities including its Walmart.com assortment, e-commerce marketplace, fulfilment, payment and measurement-as-a-service advertising service, to the popular video-sharing app, Walmart said. In a joint statement, Oracle and Walmart said that TikTok Global will be an independent American company, with four American citizens out of the five member board of directors. Walmarts CEO, Doug McMillon will become director of the new company. READ MORE: China targets foreign firms on unreliable entities list as US trade war intensifies Larry Ellison, Oracle co-founder, chairman and CTO, is a public supporter of Trump and has held a fundraiser to help get the US president re-elected in 2020, while Oracle CEO Safra Catz was part of Trumps transition team after he was elected president in 2016. Originally, Trump asked ByteDance to sell TikToks entire US operations, with American national security officers arguing this was the only way to ensure China wouldnt have backdoors into the app to spy on US citizens. Under the deal, ByteDance will keep control of the algorithm as it previously said it would not sell or transfer the source code behind its popular video app TikTok. However, Oracle will get full access to review TikToks source code, to ensure China has no back doors in the apps data, according to people familiar with the matter. CEO Safra Catz said: Oracle will quickly deploy, rapidly scale, and operate TikTok systems in the Oracle Cloud. We are a 100% confident in our ability to deliver a highly secure environment to TikTok and ensure data privacy to TikToks American users. Previously, ByteDance rejected a bid to buy TikTok outright by US tech giant, Microsoft (MSFT). Beijing based, ByteDance worth $140bn is the worlds most valuable start-up, according to market researcher CB Insights. Auction house Sothebys on Friday announced it would offer British street artist Banksys well-known tribute to Claude Monet for an estimated 3-5 million at a live-stream auction next month. The anonymous artists 2005 painting, Show Me the Monet, is a satirical variation of the legendary French painter Monets 1899 masterpiece, Bridge Over a Pond of Water Lilies. In his signature style, Banksy has converted the impressionist artwork into a commentary on modern times by artfully introducing in the painting discarded supermarket trolleys and a traffic cone floating under the arched bridge. Banksy shines a light on societys disregard for the environment in favour of consumerism, Sothebys said on its Instagram account. The painting will be auctioned for an estimated 3-5 million on October 21 in London, according to the auction houses website. It is a part of The Contemporary Art Evening Auction, which is set to bring together works by some of the most engaging artists of the 20th and 21st centuries through a live-stream auction event. Also Read: Banksys latest graffiti in Londons Underground rail is inspired by Covid-19 Show Me the Monet was first displayed 15 years ago as part of Banksys gallery exhibition titled Crude Oil: A Gallery of Re-mixed Masterpieces, Vandalism and Vermin. The series was a remix of masterpieces, including Vincent van Goghs Sunflowers, where Banksys version showed wilted flowers in a vase, and Andy Warhols Marilyn Monroe, whose subject Banksy replaced with superstar model Kate Moss. The maverick exhibition also included 200 rats that roamed freely at the venue. Sothebys hailed the influential graffiti artist on its website, observing that Banksys work is marked by dark humour, satire and political commentary and has turned him into a mainstream phenomenon. In 2010, Banksy had made it to the Time magazine list of the worlds 100 most influential people. Last year, Banksys 2009 artwork Devolved Parliament, which mocked the British House of Commons by depicting it as an assembly of chimpanzees, had sold for a staggering 9.9 million - a record for the elusive artist. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. renewable power will provide more electricity in 2020 than coal power, which is a first. The new law that created the state Office of Renewable Energy Siting has enraged the activists who organize campaigns trying to stop large solar farms or wind parks from coming to their towns. Those groups have been effective in delaying or defeating these projects. Local voices deserve a say in the affairs of their town, but when they shut down the possibility of any attempt to bring renewable energy projects and the jobs they will create to upstate, that will keep New York mired in the ways of the past. Clinging to the status quo is not going to allow our state to meet the challenge of creating a low-carbon energy future. The extreme weather that has battered parts of the United States in the past month shows the urgency of slowing down climate change. NEW YORK : President Donald Trump said Saturday he's given his blessing" to a proposed deal between Oracle and Walmart for the U.S. operations of TikTok, the Chinese-owned app he's targeted for national security and data privacy concerns. Trump said the proposed deal will result in a new company likely to be based in Texas. I have given the deal my blessing," he said. If they get it done, thats great. If they dont, thats OK too." Trump said the new company will be hiring at least 25,000 people and making a $5 billion contribution to a fund dedicated to education for Americans. Thats their contribution that Ive been asking for," he said. We are pleased that the proposal by TikTok, Oracle, and Walmart will resolve the security concerns of the U.S. Administration and settle questions around TikToks future in the U.S.," TikTok said in a statement. TikTok said both Oracle and Walmart will take part in a financing round where they can take up to a 20% cumulative stake in the company. The deal will make Oracle responsible for hosting all TikTok's U.S. user data and securing computer systems to ensure U.S. national security requirements are satisfied. TikTok said it's also working with Walmart on a commercial partnership" but gave no other details. Representatives from Oracle and Walmart could not be immediately reached for comment late Saturday. Trump has been demanding that TikTok, a video app popular with younger people, be sold to a U.S. company or else have its U.S. operations shut down. He's also been targeting WeChat, another Chinese-owned app. The dispute over the two apps is the latest flashpoint in the rising tensions between the worlds two largest economies. Just a day earlier, the U.S. Commerce Department said it would bar TikTok from U.S. app stores as of late Sunday. Further restrictions that would prevent TikTok from accessing essential internet services in the country would go into effect on Nov. 12. The deal Trump signed off on would allow TikTok's U.S. operations to keep functioning. The Commerce Department is imposing similar restrictions on WeChat, although all of the restrictions on WeChat are set to go into effect Sunday night at 11:59 p.m. Earlier Saturday, WeChat users asked a U.S. judge to block the moves targeting the app, saying they would restrict free speech. WeChat is an all-in-one app with instant-messaging, social media and other communication tools. The U.S. government argued that it is not restricting free speech because WeChat users still are free to speak on alternative platforms that do not pose a national security threat." The aggressive tactics are part of Trumps latest attempt to counter the influence of China, a rising economic superpower. Since taking office in 2017, Trump has waged a trade war with China, blocked mergers involving Chinese companies and stifled the business of Chinese firms like Huawei, a maker of phones and telecom equipment. China-backed hackers, meanwhile, have been blamed for data breaches of U.S. federal databases and the credit agency Equifax, and the Chinese government strictly limits what U.S. tech companies can do in China. Chinas ministry of commerce condemned the U.S. moves and urged it to stop what it called bullying behavior. It also said China may take necessary measures" to protect Chinese companies. 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 NSW workers will have access to the federal government's paid pandemic leave program after Premier Gladys Berejiklian opted in to the scheme that pays people without sick leave $1500 when they are required to self-isolate. It comes as the state recorded its first death from COVID-19 since August 16 and just two new coronavirus cases, while Victoria has recorded its lowest daily case count in more than three months. NSW workers without personal leave will receive $1500 if they are required to self-isolate. Credit:James Alcock Victoria reported five deaths linked to aged care on Sunday but just 14 new COVID-19 cases, marking the second day in a row of less than 30 daily cases. Ms Berejiklian announced on Sunday that her state would join the Commonwealth's Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment scheme. The declaration of Mr. Godwin Obaseki as the winner of Edo governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, was met with wild celebration in most parts of Benin city, the State capital. Youths and party supporters burst into wild celebration in popular area of the city like Ring road immediately INEC made the declaration this afternoon. Obaseki polled 307,955 votes to defeat Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the APC who scored 223,619 votes. See more photos from the celebrations below Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates (Reuters) - More than 100,000 people marched through Minsk on Sunday on the sixth straight weekend of protests against President Alexander Lukashenko, keeping up the pressure on the veteran Belarusian leader to quit. Many walked in a vast column that stretched back several kilometres, decked out in red-and-white opposition colours and chanting "go away" as helmeted riot police patrolled the streets with water canons on hand, a witness said. Several protesters were dragged away from the crowd by security forces. In the city centre, riot police rhythmically beat their shields as a warning while several people threw glass bottles at them. Videos shared by local media outlets showed security forces in helmets or masks hauling protesters off the streets in simultaneous protests in other cities. The eastern European country was plunged into turmoil following a presidential election last month that Lukashenko says he won by a landslide, but the opposition says was rigged. In power for 26 years, the former Soviet collective farm manager has shown scant inclination to resign, buoyed by support from Russia. The European Union vowed weeks ago to impose sanctions on Minsk for alleged election fraud and human rights abuses, but is likely to miss its own Monday deadline for action. POLICE DATA LEAKED In tandem with the protests, anonymous hackers leaked the personal data of more than 2,000 police officers in retaliation for a crackdown in which thousands of people have been detained, many complaining of beatings and torture in jail. The government has denied abusing detainees. The loyalty of the security forces is crucial to Lukashenko's ability to cling on to power. Their faces are often obscured by masks, balaclavas or riot helmets. Some protesters have torn the masks off some officers. "As the arrests continue, we will continue to publish data on a massive scale," said a statement distributed by the opposition news channel Nexta Live on the messaging app Telegram. "No one will remain anonymous even under a balaclava." Story continues The first batch of 1,000 names was released on Saturday and widely distributed on Telegram channels. The second batch of more than 1,000 names was released on Sunday evening, targeting officers in the western city of Brest where the hackers said the police had been particularly heavy-handed. The government said it would find and punish those responsible for leaking the data. "The forces, means and technologies at the disposal of the internal affairs bodies make it possible to identify and prosecute the overwhelming majority of those guilty of leaking personal data on the Internet," said Olga Chemodanova, the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Internal Affairs. STRATEGIC BUFFER At least 196 people were detained across the country on Sunday, the human rights group Spring-96 said. The Russian news agency TASS said at least ten people had been held, citing police. The government typically releases the final figures the following day. Footage shared by Belarusian media outlets showed police dragging people from the front of a column of protesters who had linked arms in Brest, and firing spray from a bottle into the face of one of them. One security officer fired a warning shot into the air in a separate incident. "They sprayed gas in the face of peaceful people, fired into the air, showed particular cruelty," a second statement by the hackers said. "We warned that you will definitely have to answer for crimes against Belarusians. We add to the existing database a list of more than 1,000 ghouls from Brest and the Brest region." Metro stations were closed in central Minsk and the mobile internet disrupted for several hours. The government said 390 women were detained for taking part in a protest on Saturday. Most have been released. Russia sees Belarus as a strategic buffer state against the EU and NATO, and has accused the United States of fomenting revolution in its neighbour. Moscow agreed to give a $1.5 billion loan to prop up Lukashenko's government following a meeting between him and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Belarus will channel about $330 million of its new loan to cover its outstanding debt to Russian gas giant Gazprom , Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov was quoted by TASS as saying. (Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh in Moscow; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Alex Richardson, Philippa Fletcher and Jan Harvey) Beloved author George RR Martin celebrates his 72nd birthday on Sunday and we are bringing back the fun story of his first meeting with Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and DB Weiss. In 2006, Martin met the two at the Palm in Los Angeles. His three books from A Song of Ice and Fire were already stellar hits and Hollywoods top producers and filmmakers were all eyeing the series for adaptation. However, there is a really interesting reason why he chose to say yes to Benioff and Weiss. When the show ended after an eight-year run last year, George took to his blog to share his thoughts on the series, how it took off ground and how it ended. Speaking of his first meeting with the shows creators, George wrote, The last night, the last show. After eight epic seasons, HBOs GAME OF THRONES series has come to an end. It is hard to believe it is over, if truth be told. The years have gone past in the blink of an eye. Can it really have been more than a decade since my manager Vince Gerardis set up a meeting at the Palm in LA, and I sat down for the first time with David Benioff and D.B. Weiss for a lunch that lasted well past dinner? I asked them if they knew who Jon Snows mother was. Fortunately, they did. I had no clue, that afternoon at the Palm, that I was about to embark on a journey that would change my life. I had optioned books and stories for television and film before. Some had even been made There was no way to know that this one was going to be different, that this pilot would not only be shot, but would go on to become the most successful show in the history of HBO, win a record number of Emmy Awards, become the most popular (and most pirated) show in the world, and transform a group of talented but largely unknown actors into major celebrities and stars. Even less did I imagine that I would somehow become a celebrity as well and if truth be told, Im still not sure how that happened, George had added. Speaking about their meeting with George, DB Weiss had said they had already discussed the answer to the question among themselves. He asked us who is Jon Snows mother. And we had discussed this before. And we gave an answer - a shocking answer, and George at that point didnt actually say whether or not we were right or wrong. But the smile on his face - his smile was a tell and we knew we had passed the Wonka test at that point, I think, he said. Benioff added, Yeah, we had read thousands of pages and we got to a certain point - I remember I read through half of Storm of Swords and I called Dan (Weiss) and I said if somehow we get George to agree to do this and HBO to agree to do this, and we got to a third season and we get to this scene, which he (Weiss) had already read because he was a much faster reader than I am, I just think an audience is going to love it. But that means getting George to say yes and HBO to say yes and getting a pilot picked up and getting it - it all seemed pretty unlikely. And it all depended on this meeting and I would say we were intensely nervous. There had never been anything I had worked on before that I was so excited about the possibility of it. And it was pretty intimidating. Almost 13 years after the meeting, Game of Thrones has made its mark as one of the most popular shows in the history of television. With path-breaking action sequences, memorable dialogues, more than a dozen iconic characters played by award-winning actors, Game of Thrones amassed a large fandom through the years. The end of the series may have been less than what was expected but the show still remains one of the best fantasy epics the world has witnessed. George is yet to release two more instalments in the series--The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring. George has been working on the books for a few years now and fans keep begging him to release the books soon. His latest self-appointed deadline for The Winds of Winter is 2021. Also read: Kareena Kapoors son Taimur breaks into an impromptu dance as they visit grandma Babita. Watch George is also working on the shows prequel series. Speaking about them, he had written last year in his blog, Huge continents, ten thousand years of history, cities, deserts, oceans, mysteries, triumphs and tragedies. If there were indeed eight million stories in The Naked City in the 50s, surely there are eight billion stories to be told about Westeros, Essos, Sothoryos, and the lands beyond the Sunset Sea, south of Oz and north of Shangri-La. And in these days of a hundred networks, channels, and streaming services, I think television has plenty of room for two shows set in Westeros or hell, maybe three or four I still want to do Spearcarriers after all, he said. One of the prequels, starring Naomi Watts, was ditched by HBO. Another, set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones, is still in works. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Reaching Within: What traditional art offers the heart We are sometimes left physically, mentally, and yes, spiritually fatigued. We have jobs, families, studies, interests, and so on. Its easy to often feel exhausted. But artworks like Elijah in the Wilderness by Frederic Leighton (18301896), completed in 1878, may leave us with wisdom on how to feel refreshed despite our busy lifestyles. Elijah in the Wilderness Elijah was a Hebrew prophet who confronted King Ahab and Queen Jezebel in their worship of Baal. Elijah warned the royals that their worship would lead to a drought in their land. Of course, the king and queen ignored Elijahs warning, and there was indeed a drought. Soon bread was worth more than its weight in gold, and water was even more scarce. People experienced great suffering. Elijah returned to the king and queen and challenged their priests to produce sacrificial fire through prayer. The priests of Baal tried and tried but were unable to produce fire. Elijah prayed to God, and God delivered fire for all to see. The people were convinced by Elijah and executed the false prophets of Baal. Queen Jezebel was angered that her priests were executed and vowed to do the same to Elijah. But the prophet fled to the wilderness to escape the queens wrath. Elijah was disappointed and depressed in the wilderness. He was tired, hungry, and thirsty. He fell asleep, and in his sleep, an angel touched him and told him to eat and drink. Elijah woke up and found water and cake next to him, which he ate. Elijah fell asleep again, and again the angel came to him and told him to eat and drink again to prepare for the long journey ahead. Elijah did as he was told and prepared for the rest of his journey. Elijah in the Wilderness, 1878, by Frederic Leighton. Oil on canvas, 92.2 inches by 82.8 inches. Walker Art Gallery, England. (Public Domain) Sir Frederic Leighton and Elijahs Guardian Angel Sir Frederic Leighton was a British academic painter who was very popular during the 19th century. He was president of the Royal Academy, was knighted, and was the first English painter to be made a baron. In Elijah in the Wilderness, Leighton expertly composed warm, muted colors into a twilight-like scene. The angel is our focal point; the halo possesses the most intense yellow in the composition, an intensity that contrasts with the darker values on the face of the angel. Leighton also used a complementary color scheme to make the angel stand out a little more than the other elements, especially in the wings where muted yellows, oranges, and reds complement soft blues and violets. The angel looks caringly at Elijah and places the water and cake next to his sleeping body. Elijahs body makes a sweeping curve from the middle of the right side of the composition to the middle of the bottom of the composition. Elijah is painted in muted oranges, the color often used to represent all flesh tones. The orange of his flesh doesnt contrast much with the warmer, brown cloth on which he rests, but does contrast with the blue of the sky where his head reclines and his elbow points to the heavens. Leighton produced a warm and calm painting. The use of complementary colors can have a jarring effect when they are used at full intensity, but Leighton opted to mute them, even bringing some of the blues, purples, and oranges close to gray. His use of muted, warm tones helps us experience a scene of tranquil warmth. Resting in Righteousness How beautiful a moment when this angel comes to Elijah in all of his exhaustion. This painting, with its warmth and sense of safety, made me consider the importance of rest. Not just any rest, however, but a type of rest found in selflessness. I know quite a few people who rest a lot. They spend a lot of their time relaxing at home, complaining about the world around them. They do little but are restless. It is not any rest that will bring us the tranquility we desperately need. The angel doesnt appear to just anyone. The angel appears to Elijah and helps Elijah. Why Elijah? Is it because his heart and mind are focused on righteousness above all else? Is this why his elbow points to the heavens and his head faces the heavens with the sky as its background? Is Leighton telling us that only with our minds focused on the heavens will we be helped by angels and experience the tranquility and sense of safety that come with thoughts of selfless righteousness? Maybe were searching for rest in all of the wrong places, and maybe we wont find rest until our hearts and minds are in the right place. Art has an incredible ability to point to what cant be seen so that we may ask What does this mean for me and for everyone who sees it? How has it influenced the past and how might it influence the future? What does it suggest about the human experience? These are some of the questions I explore in my series Reaching Within: What Traditional Art Offers the Heart. Eric Bess is a practicing representational artist. A BJP worker was killed in a clash allegedly with members of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengals West Midnapore district, triggering tension in the area, police said on Sunday. The clash broke out in the districts Sabang area on Saturday night over Vishwakarma Puja celebrations, leading to indiscriminate hurling of country-made bombs, one of which caused the death of Dipak Mondal (40), they said. The incident also led to tension in neighbouring Moyna in East Midnapore district, where Mondal resided, the police said. Police teams are camping at Sabang and Moyna, four km apart, to tackle the situation, an official said. Local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders alleged that since Mondal was an influential voice in the area, he was killed in a planned manner by TMC workers. BJP members staged protests over Mondals death at both the places, seeking immediate arrest of those involved in his killing. The local TMC leadership claimed that despite being a resident of Moyna, Mondal had gone to Sabang to foment trouble. The bombs Mondal were carrying exploded, causing his death, the TMC leaders said. Police said they are investigating the incident and the body has been sent for post-mortem. 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 New Delhi: Hours after the unruly scenes unfolded in the Upper House of the Parliament on Sunday (September 20, 2020), six Union Ministers held a press meeet in the national capital to condemn the behaviour. Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Prakash Javadekar, Pralhad Joshi, Piyush Goyal, Thawarchand Gehlot and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi held a press conference to hit out at opposition members. Rajnath Singh called the ruckus in Rajya Sabha as unfortunate, shameful. He said, "What happened in Rajya Sabha today was saddening, unfortunate and shameful. It is the responsibility of the ruling side to enable discussions in the House but it is also the duty of the Opposition to maintain decorum. There are some political reasons behind every such decision. I don't want to comment on why did she take this decision." Singh pointed out that such an incident had never happened before in the history of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. "As far as I know, this has never happened in the history of Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. This happening in Rajya Sabha is an even bigger matter. What happened is against the decorum of House," he said. The commotion took place as Opposition parties protested the two farm bills; The Farmers` Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill which were moved in the Rajya Sabha today. Trinamool Congress MP Derek O`Brien, Congress MP Ripun Bora, AAP MP Sanjay Singh and DMK MP Tiruchi Siva were seen making attempts to snatch the podium mike of Deputy Chairman Harivansh. Several MPs raised slogans against the chair, and tore papers. Condemning the incident, Singh said, "The whole country witnessed the misbehaviour done with Dy Chairman Harivansh. Tearing rule book and hindering the chair's path is unprecedented. The pride of Parliament was hurt today." On the farm bills Singh said, "I am also a farmer and was the agriculture minister and I can never believe that the government of which we are part of will take any step against the interest of the farmers." Singh said that attempts are being made to mislead the farmers and assured that the Centre will not end the system of Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Agricultural Produce Market Committee (AMPC) Act. "When the discussion was taking in Rajya Sabha over two agriculture bills, it was saddening, unfortunate and shameful. I know that it is the responsibility of the ruling side to run the House smoothly. The support of the Opposition is also expected. The confusion was created among farmers for their vested interests. It is not good for healthy democratic values," the Defence Minister said. Meanwhile, Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu held a high-level meeting at his residence expressing his displasure at the ruckus created in the Raya Sabha as the agriculture bills were being moved in the House, ANI reported. Naidu held the meeting with Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, Union Minister Piyush Goyal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi in attendance. Details of the meeting have not be revealed yet. According to sources, Naidu is mulling action against the unruly legislators, though, nothing has been confirmed offcially. The shenanigans are underway in Senate District 35, where one candidate had a swastika spray-painted on her driveway last week and the other is the subject of an anonymous mail campaign linking her to rioters and looters. It began early in the week when an unknown number of mail pieces went out bearing the obligatory unflattering candidate photo, this one of Democrat Jo Anna Dossett, pasted onto an image of what apparently is intended to portray rioters and/or protesters, one of whom is carrying a sign bearing an old Soviet hammer and sickle insignia. The people in the image actually arent doing much except standing around, some of them with arms linked. When it comes to public safety, leftist Jo Anna Dossett stands with Antifa! warns the mailer text, referring to an amorphous group whose name is a shortened form of anti-fascist. The back side is a blurred image of people running along a street, presumably after looting a store. Leftist Jo Anna Dossett wants to bring New York City lawlessness to Oklahoma by eliminating cash bail for looters and other felons reads the text. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 21) No pandemic has stopped those who want to remember the historical ramifications of Martial Law which was declared by then-President Ferdinand Marcos in 1972. From free documentary film screenings, protests, and a forum with Martial Law survivors and renowned filmmakers, organizers took to the internet and video conferencing to remind Filipinos about what happened during a tumultuous time in Philippine history. A forum entitled Reality Check: Martial Law, Never Again was held on the same day of the first wave of documentary showings of the Daang Dokyu documentary film festival last September 19. Among the panelists were De La Salle University School of Law Dean Atty. Chel Diokno, Film Directors Joel Lamangan and Kiri Dalena, and Miguel Reyes of the University of the Philippines Third World Studies Center. Joining them was veteran broadcast journalist Ed Lingao, who acted as moderator. During the discussion, Diokno, Lamangan, and Dalena shared stories of their lives under Martial Law. For Diokno the son of famed human rights lawyer and statesman Sen. Jose Ka Pepe Diokno, the whole experience of seeing his father who was one of Marcos staunchest critics - jailed for no reason was traumatic. Diokno recounted how he and his family were only given half an hour to see his father in detention in Nueva Ecija for the first time. It was really traumatic for us because when we were allowed to see him, we could not even touch him. There were two layers of barbed wire between us and he had lost a lot of weight because ang nangyari pala sa kanila is inilagay sila sa incomunicado detention (what happened to them was that they were placed under incomunicado detention), Diokno said. Ka Pepe founded the Free Legal Assistance Group or FLAG in 1974 alongside two other Philippine legal titans Lorenzo Tanada and Joker Arroyo. His son Chel, is now FLAGs chair. The organization focuses on human rights cases, but also handled cases from various sectors of society. Both Lamangan and Dalena, meanwhile, were exposed to Martial Law at an early age. Lamangan was arrested twice in 1973 and 1977 for allegedly being part of subversive organizations. Batang-bata pa ho ako nung akoy hulihin at ikarsera nila ng dalawang taon sa pagbibintang na akoy KAGUMA (Kapisanan ng Gurong Makabayan), Lamangan says. Kaga-graduate ko lang ng high school, he says, adding that both instances also saw him as a torture victim. [Translation: I was young when they arrested and incarcerated me for two years under the charge that I was part of KAGUMA. I just graduated from high school (in 1973).] Lamangan has moved on to becoming an award-winning filmmaker, and is now part of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines and the Directors Guild of the Philippines. Dalena, meanwhile, recalled their house being a refuge seeking for those who wanted protection from the authorities. Yung mga magulang ko, ang memory ko ay sila yung mga tagapag-tago ng mga aktibista na tinutugis ng militar kaya lumaki kami na may mga kabataang hindi pinapakilala sa amin, Dalena said. [Translation: I remember my parents used to hide activists being chased down by the military, and so we grew up with children whose names we do not know.] Dalena was born in 1975 three years after Martial Law. Today, she is a social activist and renowned for her artistic photographic prints titled Erased Slogans which saw how the Marcos dictatorship suppressed its opposition. By digitally removing the text in the placards, Dalena sought to encapsulate the magnitude of the dictatorships attempts to stifle dissent. One of Dalenas films, Alunsina which was done only this year - is part of Daang Dokyus first bloc of films. Alunsina depicts the struggles of children and families in an urban community gravely affected by the current administrations war against drugs. Among the other documentaries shown in Daang Dokyus first wave are: Marcos: A Malignant Spirit (1988), which contained rare footage of the excesses of the Marcos family and recorded conversations between Marcos and his then-aides, produced by ABS-CBN News and anchored by the late veteran broadcast journalist Angelo Castro, Jr. Mendiola Massacre (1987), a newsreel of the Mendiola Massacre which happened in 1987 and was produced by Lito Tiongson, AsiaVisions, and the IBON Foundation Imelda (2003), a documentary produced by Ramona Diaz which sees Imelda Marcos herself talking about her own life story from the 50s and the post-Martial Law and post-EDSA eras A Rustling of Leaves (1988), a documentary produced by Canadian filmmaker Nettie Wild which documents the post-EDSA security situation and the threats from both the left and the radical right. The film finally premiered in the Philippines after 32 years. Daang Dokyu organizers say the films have garnered over 10,000 views in just 24 hours. It will remain available until Monday midnight through their website. Meanwhile, Migrante International launched an online protest action via Zoom to denounce what it calls similarities between Marcos and and current President Rodrigo Duterte. Dubbed the Global Online Rally: 48th Anniversary of the Martial Law Declaration, members of the organization took to teleconferencing to denounce both the declaration of Martial Law in 1972, as well as what the organization calls fascist conditions of the community lockdown combined with the Anti-Terrorism Law, the War on Drugs, and other concerns. Arman Hernando, Migrante Philippines head, called on the public to stop the proposed bill which would celebrate Marcos birthday as a holiday in the former dictators bailiwick of Ilocos Norte. Gusto po naming ipabatid at dalhin sa OFWs, kanilang pamilya at buong sambayanang Pilipino ang malaking hamon para tutulan at itakwil ang historical revisionism ang pagrerebisa sa madugong record ni Marcos at ng pamilya niya, Hernando said. [Translation: We would like to inform and bring to the attention of OFWs, their families, and the whole Filipino nation to oppose and reject historical revisionism, particularly the revisions to erase the bloody record of Marcos and his family.] Participants came from countries such as the United States, and Canada, as well as some European countries. They held noise barrages and cultural performances during the 90-minute online protest, which happened early Sunday afternoon. Duterte's "de facto" martial law? In a separate release on Sept. 21, human rights group Karapatan criticized the Duterte administration's response to the health crisis, saying it "altogether discarded the peoples welfare in favor of exploiting the pandemic to further establish what can only be described as a de facto martial law." The group cited Duterte's various appointments of retired generals "with bloody track records of human rights violations" along with the deployment of military and police forces in the enforcement of quarantine policies. On the same date, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque countered these remarks during his virtual briefing, saying today's context differs signficantly from martial rule then, which was in place as he grew up. "Dati-rati po, naisasara ang Kongreso, naisasara ang Supreme Court," he explained. "Ngayon po, wala nang ganyang kapangyarihan ang Presidente." [Translation: Before, Congress and Supreme Court can be shut down (by the President.) Nowadays, the President doesn't have such power anymore.] "Ang deklarasyon ng martial law ngayon, pupwedeng kwestyunin sa Kongreso, pupwedeng kwestyunin sa hukuman dahil nga po natuto na tayo sa mapait na karanasan natin sa Martial Law nung 1972," Roque added. [Translation: If martial law was declared at present, the Congress and the court can question it because we have already learned from our bitter experiences in Martial Law in 1972.] Marcos signed Proclamation no. 1081, placing the entire Philippines under Martial Law on September 21, 1972. This began a period of authoritarian rule which lasted for 14 years. While Marcos lifted the state of Martial Law in 1981, he retained dictatorial powers until he was ousted from office in 1986 after the People Power Revolution. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Many members of the LGBTQ+ community have experienced adversity when trying to obtain health care, and the Human Rights Campaign is giving healthcare providers a chance to be listed as a safe space for those individuals. The annual Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) is a report created by the Human Rights Campaign that identifies inpatient and outpatient health care organizations that foster an equitable, sensitive, and welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ patients. Four Staten Island healthcare providers have been included in the 2020 HEI Report. This years report was particularly important, Human Rights Campaign president Alphonso David wrote in the introduction to the report. The healthcare facilities participating in the HRC Foundations Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) are not only on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are also making it clear from their participation in the HEI that they stand on the side of fairness and are committed to providing inclusive care to their LGBTQ patients, he wrote. In addition, many have made strong statements on racial justice and equity and are engaging in efforts to address racial inequities in their institutions and their communities. HEI was created in response to the hostile interactions many LGBTQ+ individuals face when attempting to receive medical treatment. In a landmark study done by Lambda Legal, 70% of transgender or gender non-conforming and 56% of lesbian, gay, or bisexual patients surveyed had experienced some type of discrimination in healthcare facilities. To help the LGBTQ+ community feel more comfortable obtaining medical treatment, they can turn to HEI and see which local facilities meet the Human Rights Campaign standards. To earn recognition by the Human Rights Campaign, healthcare providers are asked a series of questions about LGBTQ+ inclusive policies and practices. Criteria include non-discrimination and staff training, patient services and support, employee benefits and policies, and patient and community engagement. In the 2020 Report, 78 New York State facilities were titled Leaders in LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality, an increase of 4 from 2019. Among the 78 were four Staten Island healthcare providers: NYC Health and Hospitals - Sea View NYC Health and Hospitals - Vanderbilt Staten Island University Hospital (North)* Staten Island University Hospital (South)* *Staten Island University Hospital locations are a part of the Northwell Health system. Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC) management was in the process of applying to be included in the 2020 Report when coronavirus (COVID-19) diverted their attention to immediate, life-saving patient needs, a spokesman told the Advance/SILive.com. The spokesman said that staff is currently being trained and policies are being revised to meet with HEI guidelines. The medical center intends to partner with The Pride Center of Staten Island to help staff complete all of the necessary steps, he said. The hospital is aiming to be considered for the 2021 Report, the spokesman explained. Patients interested in finding HEI accredited organizations can use the Human Rights Campaigns search and map tools to find local healthcare providers. The hospital now hopes to have the application submitted for consideration in 2021s HEI, the spokesman said. For healthcare providers interested in being recognized by the Human Rights Campaign, an HEI participation request can be submitted online. An updated HEI is released annually in the summer after facilities are evaluated. (Newser) Taking the stage Saturday night at a North Carolina rally to chants of Fill that seat, President Trump said he would nominate his selection to the Supreme Court despite Democrats' objections. Thats what we're going to do. We're going to fill the seat, he replied to the thousands in attendance. In what Politico calls his "first expanded remarks" about filling Ruth Bader Ginsburgs Supreme Court seat, Trump told the cheering crowd he has a "moral duty" to do so. So Article 2 of our Constitution says the president shall nominate justices of the Supreme Court. I don't think it can be any more clear ... I don't think so. I don't think so. story continues below He later conducted what he joked was a very scientific poll" of the Fayetteville crowd as to whether supporters wanted a man or a woman, with the Fayetteville Observer reporting the crowd cheered loudly for a woman. He then declared the choice would be a very talented, very brilliant woman." He added that he did not yet know whom he would choose, reports the AP. We win an election and those are the consequences, said Trump, who then seemed to signal that he'd be willing to accept a vote on his nominee during the lame-duck period after the election. We have a lot of time. We have plenty of time. We're talking about January 20th." (Read more President Trump stories.) 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. STAMFORD Four people were shot and a city woman was killed when gunfire erupted in a parking lot where people had congregated on Stamfords East Side early Sunday morning. Stamford Police Capt. Richard Conklin said multiple shots were fired into a crowd of 30 to 40 people in the parking lot next to the intersection of Ursula Place and Dale Street at about 12:15 a.m. One of the gunshot victims, a mother in her early 30s, was rushed to Stamford Hospital, but could not be saved by doctors and was pronounced dead. Conklin said police are not releasing her name or any other information about her until her next of kin are contacted and told of her death. We know there were dozens of people in that parking lot when the shooting happened last night and we are asking those witnesses to come forward to help us solve this senseless killing, lead investigator Paul Guzda said. A short time after the shooting, after police had asked area hospitals to contact them if anyone showed up with a gunshot wound, a Stamford resident in his early 40s presented himself at Bridgeport Hospital with multiple gunshot wounds to one of his legs. Due to the number of shots fired we notified area hospitals to keep an eye out for anyone with those type injuries to contact us, Conklin said. Another man in his late 20s, whose residence was not clearly known Sunday, then showed up at Stamford Hospital with a singe gunshot wound to his leg. Several hours later a woman went to Stamford Hospital suffering from a bullet wound to her arm. We have recovered a number of shell casings, a large amount of shell casings, Conklin said. It also appears that three cars were struck by gunfire. Conklin said investigators are still trying to piece together what happened. We have no idea what the motivating factor was for this shooting. It happened late and, a lot of witnesses, many of them fled the scene prior to our arrival, he said. We will be canvasing the area today trying to identify witnesses. Conklin said uniformed officers, crime scene investigators and officers from the Bureau of Criminal Investigations have been assigned to the case and worked through the night. Conklin asked that anyone with information please call investigators working the case at 203 977-4417. jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com Processed sea cucumbers, weighing 750 kgs and allegedly being smuggled to Sri Lanka, were seized by the Tamil Nadu marine police personnel from a stranded boat off the coast here and three people arrested during a routine patrol, police said. The sea cucumbers, an endangered marine species whose harvest is prohibited under the Wildlife Protection Act, were found kept concealed in gunny bags among sacks of turmeric on Saturday off nearby Pamban, they said. According to police, the unregistered boat was from Tuticorin's Thereaspuram and the engine encountered a fault and halted en route to Sri Lanka near Pamban here. As per rough estimates, the cucumbers that weighed 750 kilos and 400-kilo turmeric could fetch about Rs 50 lakh, they said adding the men who tried to smuggle these had a plan to illegally bring back a consignment of gold and they were arrested. The marine species are in demand in Sri Lanka and other South-East Asian countries for use as a delicacy and in preparing medicine and police and forest personnel have foiled several smuggling attempts in the past in the region. In a statement Saturday evening, Kelly said that the nomination should wait until after the election. This is a decision that will impact Arizonans, especially with an upcoming case about health care and protections for preexisting conditions, he said. Arizonans will begin casting their ballots in a few weeks, and I believe the people elected to the presidency and Senate in November should fill this vacancy. WATERLOO A man allegedly broke windows at two houses, stole from a car and assaulted officials who stopped him early Sunday morning, according to incident reports. The man, 31-year-old Justin Chihak, was subdued and arrested shortly after 4 a.m., and then taken into custody at Black Hawk County Jail on $9,600 bond. Police believe he was on drugs when arrested. The incident report said Chihak, a Waterloo resident, had a severe laceration when taken into custody. It is unclear how he was injured. Chihak had a personal weapon on him when damaging property, the incident report said. Police were called after Chihak allegedly broke windows at a one stranger's home in the 3800 block of Butternut Lane, and then another stranger's nearby home in the 2800 block of Redwood Lane. The man ran at officials when they tried to arrest him, and then assaulted a police officer and firefighter while in custody, the police report said. The firefighter received a minor injury. Chihak is being held for possible charges of criminal mischief, assaulting peace officers and interfering with official acts. He allegedly burglarized an unlocked car in the 3900 block of Hazelwood Lane sometime overnight. He stole masks with designs on them from the car, which officers found on him when he was arrested hours earlier for breaking house windows, the report said. Chihak faces a burglary charge for the incident. Chihak was convicted in April 2008 for a separate burglary offense, according to court records. His convictions date back to 2005, and include charges for criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, interfering with official acts, assaulting peace officers, domestic abuse, violating probation, operating a car without consent, driving under the influence and possessing controlled substances, court records show. Love 0 Funny 10 Wow 1 Sad 5 Angry 2 Interior ministry investigations showed a new terrorist group called the 'Qassem Soleimani Brigade' was planning to attack several public and security structures in Bahrain, the media reports said Bahrain said on Sunday it had foiled a "terrorist attack" backed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Saudi state television Al-Ekhbariya and a local Bahraini newspaper reported, both citing Bahrain's interior ministry. Interior ministry investigations showed a new terrorist group called the "Qassem Soleimani Brigade" was planning to attack several public and security structures in Bahrain, the media reports said. The group also tracked several personal guards of "important personalities" in Bahrain as part of a plot to assassinate them, local newspaper Akhbar al-Khaleej said. The attacks were planned to avenge the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in January by a U.S. drone strike. Bahrain's security forces said they foiled the planned attacks after finding an explosive device in the Badei area meant to target a visiting foreign delegation. The media reports did not say when the attack was meant to have taken place, but said a case was being prepared against 18 accused, of which nine are now in Iran. *The story was edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: Rajya Sabha is likely to witnessed to high political drama on Sunday (September 20) as the BJP-led government at the Centre will table the contentious farm bills in the Upper House. The Congress, TMC, TRS and several other opposition parties have termed these agriculture-related bills anti-farmer and pro-corporate and these parties are expected to join hands to oppose these three bills. Sources claimed that the BJP has also reached out to several regional parties in order to get their support for the bills. Reports claimed that some senior BJP leaders held back channel talks with non-Congress opposition parties to seek their support for the bills. It is to be noted that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) lacks a clear majority of its own in the 245-member Rajya Sabha and the government has got support from some regional parties in the past to ensure passage of some important bills brought forward by the BJP-led government at the Centre. It is expected that the BJP would be able to muster the support of over 130 members, including nine of the AIADMK and six of the YSR Congress. The BJP-led goverment also tried to get the support of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) but its chief and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday made it clear that his party will not support the bills. CM Rao also asked his party MPs to vote against these bills in Rajya Sabha. Live TV BJP ally Shiromani Akali Dal, which has three MPs in Rajya Sabha, is sure to vote against the bills, but Shiv Sena, a former BJP ally and now in opposition, is expected to back the bills. Shiv Sena also has three Rajya Sabha MPs. On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi defended the three bills and asserted that the bills are aimed to help the farmers and they will help the farmers in the long run. The prime minister's stand made it clear that the government is unfazed by the opposition to the bills. The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill were passed by Lok Sabha on Thursday, while the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill was passed on Tuesday. The bills aim to deregulate the sale of agricultural produce to ensure better prices for the farmers. But opposition parties and many farmers are calling these bills a step towards dismantling the minimum support price (MSP) regime. However, Ginsburg said, Marshall did have a winning technique, and we copied it when she led the Womens Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union. This technique involved, she said, leading the court where you want to go, not with giant steps but taking things one step at a time. New Delhi: A day after Delhi Police Special Cell arrested a freelance journalist for sharing sensitive data to China, it is now closing in on the alleged hawala traders related to the case. According to sources in the special cell, a huge amount of money was sent to Rajiv Sharma through hawala operators from both the shell companies owned by Qing Shi. Qing Shi was in contact with some medicine wholesalers at Bhagirath Palace as she used to buy medicines for her pharmacy company. The Special Cell found documents at Qing Shi's office linking her company to these whole salers. They will now be questioned in the matter. The agency will try to estabilish if the payment made by Qing Shi to these medicine whole sellers was a business transaction or was it part of hawala transaction. Also, some government employees and private citizens who were in contact with Rajiv Sharma will be questioned soon. The Delhi Police Special Cell arrested journalist Rajeev Sharma on Saturday after interrogating him for allegedly sharing secret defence papers with Chinese spy agencies. Rajeev Sharma, a resident of New Delhi's Pitampura, was arrested along with a Chinese woman Qing Shi and her Nepali associate Sher Singh (aka Raj Bohra). As per the police, the Chinese woman and her Nepalese associate were paying Rajeev Sharma large amounts of money routed through shell companies. The investigation has so far revealed that the shell companies are operated by foreign intelligence and they are used to transfer funds to Sharma and Chinese nationals Jhang Chang and his wife Chang-li-lia run the companies 'MZ Pharmacy' and 'MZ Malls' under fake names Suraj and Usha. They both are currently in China and on their behalf, arrested Chinese lady Qing (30) and Nepali national Raj Bhora (30) (both directors of MZ Pharmacy) were operating the business from Mahipalpur. Delhi Police said, "A few days back, a secret input was received from an Intelligence Agency that Sharma is having links with Foreign Intelligence Officer and he has been receiving funds from his handler through illegal means and Western Union money transfers platform for conveying sensitive information, which concerns National Security and Foreign relations. Sharma was arrested on September 14, 2020 and a Search Warrant was obtained for searching his residential premises." "During the search of the house of Sharma in Pitampura (New Delhi), one laptop, some confidential documents related to Indian Defence department and some other incriminating documents were recovered and seized," said Delhi Police in an official statement. Delhi Police added, "Forensic analysis of seized mobile phones and laptops is being conducted to unearth the entire network and conspiracy in this case. Identities and roles of other foreign nationals involved in the conspiracy are also being ascertained." Delhi Police said that further investigation in the case and with respect to the Chinese shell companies based in Mahipalpur is in progress. New Delhi, Sep 20 : With the gradual lifting of the restrictions on economic activities across the country, business sentiments have recovered with the CII Business Confidence Index surging to 50.3 in the July-September period. During the April-June quarter of 2020, it recorded its lowest reading at 41.0. "The stellar recovery in the index has been supported by the remarkable increase in the Expectations Index (EI), which rose 46 per cent quarter-on-quarter, to the level of 55.2, as the nationwide lockdown restrictions were lifted, and businesses gradually began to reopen during the July-September quarter," a CII statement said. The 'Current Situation Index', on the other hand, was recorded below the psychological level of 50 -- at 40.6 -- as the stringent lockdown restrictions led to the complete shutdown of most business operations for a larger part of the quarter, thus impacting business sentiments. Commenting on the survey results, Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII, said: "It is heartening to note the recovery in CII's Business Confidence Index for the July-September quarter, indicating an improvement in business conditions during the period. However, while a recovery is underway, it could be tremendously expedited through continued government support and hand-holding of businesses during this crisis." Although business sentiments have strengthened, the demand scenario continues to remain weak, as per the survey. "More than half of the respondents (51 per cent) have indicated that the weakness in domestic demand is likely to be the top-most risk to business confidence in the next six months," it said. Further, nearly 30 per cent of the respondents feel that the business activity may return to the pre-pandemic levels by Q1 FY22. The heightened uncertainty led by the recurrent lockdown in certain states is impacting business operations and lengthening the recovery timeline even though a majority of the workforce has already returned to the workplaces for around 42 per cent of the respondents. The CII statement noted that a large share of respondents -- around 37 per cent -- foresee a return of capital spending to its pre-pandemic levels only by the first half of FY22. The survey was conducted during August-September 2020 and saw the participation of more than 150 firms across all industry sectors, including micro, small, medium and large enterprises, from different regions. NEW DELHI: India has formally extended the USD 250 million loan to the Maldives to help it mitigate the economic impact of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. The Indian mission in the Maldives said in a statement, "The budgetary support of USD 250 million is extended without conditions." The grant, provided under the most favourable terms possible, was handed over at a ceremony in Maldivian capital Male in the presence of Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid, Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer, Indian High Commissioner Sunjay Sudhir and CEO of SBI in Male, Bharat Mishra. It was in response to the request made by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to overcome the difficult economic situation in the Maldives. Explaining, "The Maldives government is at liberty to use the money in repairing the domestic economic situation in line with its own priorities". The financial assistance was first announced during a virtual meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and provided through a Treasury Bond sale to the State Bank of India (SBI), Male which has a tenure of 10 years for repayment, the embassy said. The USD 250 million budgetary support has a tenure of 10 years for repayment and since the "principal payment is due only at the end of 10 years, it will not put any immediate debt servicing liability other than bi-annual very low-interest payments," the statement read. The development stands in contrast to Chinese loans to the country in the previous Yameen administration, which has been a concern in terms of the debt crisis it has precipitated. Maldives is the only country to which India has provided such assistance to deal with covid's economic impact. India had provided substantial and continued assistance to the Maldives during the COVID-19 pandemic. A team of doctors and specialists visited the Maldives in March to assist in COVID-preparedness. A consignment of 5.5 tonnes of essential medicines was donated in April, another consignment of 6.2 tonnes of medicines was airlifted from 4 Indian cities to Male by the Indian Air Force, and 580 tonnes of food aid was provided in May. Also, approximately 500 Maldivians in 8 batches of Maldivian patients have travelled to India in the past few weeks. Researchers have developed a fully automated microchip electrophoresis analyzer that, when incorporated into a planetary rover, could someday detect organic biosignatures in extraterrestrial soil. Although Earth is uniquely situated in the solar system to support creatures that call it home, different forms of life could have once existed, or might still exist, on other planets. But finding traces of past or current life forms on other worlds is challenging. One critical piece of evidence for life beyond Earth is the presence of certain organic molecules. Also Read: Does Phosphine Mean Alien Life on Venus? Breaking Down the Science Behind Stunning Discovery Previous missions to Mars have relied on gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to separate and detect compounds. However, the technique has limitations for the analysis of some molecules, such as organic acids, especially when water, minerals or salts are also in the sample, said the NASA-funded study appeared in the American Chemical Societys journal Analytical Chemistry. Also Read: Carl Sagan Had Predicted Life on Venus Before Humans Had Even Landed on the Moon Microchip electrophoresis (ME)-based separations, followed by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection, would be ideal, said researchers, but current instruments are only partially automated, which wouldnt work for interplanetary missions. Peter Willis and colleagues wanted to develop a portable, battery-powered instrument that could accept a sample and perform labelling, separation and detection of organic molecules, all in a fully automated fashion. The researchers made a device that included two microchips one for processing and labelling a liquid sample, and the other (the ME chip) for separating compounds and an LIF detection system. Also Read: 2020 Series Finale: Venus May Have Alien Life and Humans Already Want to Migrate This is how it worked. After optimising the device, the researchers put it to the test in a simulated Mars mission in a Chilean desert. The team coupled the analyzer to a portable subcritical water extractor on a remotely deployed rover system. The rover drilled into the soil to collect samples, which were delivered to the extractor. Also Read: Russians Claim Venus As Their Planet After Signs of Alien Life Discovered Then, water was added to the soil samples, and they were heated to extract compounds for analysis. The device detected parts per billion levels of amino acids in soil from three of four drilling locations. Importantly, the sensitivity was three orders of magnitude higher than that reported for GC-MS-based methods," the authors wrote. Although more work is needed to ready the instrument for spaceflight and extraterrestrial conditions, the research lays the foundation for developing ME-LIF instruments for missions seeking signs of life beyond Earth". The messenger app WeChat is seen among U.S. flags in this illustration picture taken on Aug. 7, 2020. (Florence Lo/Reuters) Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Administrations Order to Remove WeChat From App Stores A U.S. judge early Sept. 20 halted the Trump administration from requiring Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.s Google to remove Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat for downloads by late Sept. 20. U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler in San Francisco said in an order that WeChat users who filed a lawsuit have shown serious questions going to the merits of the First Amendment claim, the balance of hardships tips in the plaintiffs favor. On Sept. 18, the U.S. Commerce Department issued an order citing national security grounds to block the app from U.S. app stores owned by Tencent Holdings, and the Justice Department had urged Beeler not to block the order. Tencent and the Justice Department didnt immediately comment. Beelers preliminary injunction also blocked the Commerce order that would have barred other transactions with WeChat in the United States that could have dramatically degraded the sites usability for current U.S. users or potentially made it unusable. The U.S. Commerce Department didnt immediately comment. WeChat has had an average of 19 million daily active users in the United States, analytics firms Apptopia said in early August. It is popular among Chinese students, Americans living in China, and some Americans who have personal or business relationships in China. The Justice Department said blocking the order would frustrate and displace the presidents determination of how best to address threats to national security. Beeler wrote certainly the governments overarching national-security interest is significant. But on this record while the government has established that Chinas activities raise significant national security concerns it has put in scant little evidence that its effective ban of WeChat for all U.S. users addresses those concerns. WeChat is an all-in-one mobile app that combines services similar to Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Venmo. The app is an essential part of daily life for many in China and boasts more than 1 billion users. U.S. officials have said the Chinese messaging app poses a security risk because Americans data could be transferred to Beijing, given that Chinese laws compel companies to cooperate with security agencies when asked. The Justice Department also argued that WeChat users could switch to other apps or platforms. The WeChat Users Alliance that had sued praised the ruling as an important and hard-fought victory for millions of WeChat users in the U.S. Michael Bien, a lawyer for the users, said the United States has never shut down a major platform for communications, not even during war times. There are serious First Amendment problems with the WeChat ban, which targets the Chinese American community. Separately, the Commerce Department late Sept. 19 said it was delaying enforcement of another order that also would have banned U.S. app stores from offering TikTok starting late Sept. 20. The one-week delay came after U.S. President Donald Trump on Sept. 19 blessed a deal with TikTok owner ByteDance and U.S. companies Oracle Corp. and Walmart Inc. to create a new company to handle TikToks U.S. operations. By David Shepardson Representative image Hong Kong has suspended Air India from operating flights to its airport till October 3, after passengers travelling with the airline reported COVID-19 positive. This is the second such instance of Hong Kong suspending Air India on August 18 "for carrying too many passengers infected with COVID-19." The suspension was valid till August 31. The second ban has been put in place from September 20. Responding to a query from Moneycontrol, Air India official confirmed the development. 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 "Hong Kong civil aviation authority has advised AI not to operate for two weeks from September 20 to October 3," the official said, adding: "There is only one flight scheduled in two weeks, i.e Delhi- Hong Kong, on September 21. That flight is cancelled, and passengers have been informed." The ban comes just days after the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority suspended Air India Express operations to the Dubai airport till October 2 after the airline allegedly carried a passenger who had tested positive for COVID-19. Later, the Dubai Authority had revoked the suspension. The South China Morning Post further reported that Hong Kong has also temporarily barred Cathay Dragon, a regional international airline, from operating flights on the Kuala Lumpur route. Cathay Dragon has also been banned till October 3. The report added that five passengers on the airline had flown to Malaysia on an Air India Express service before connecting to Cathay Dragon. - Nollywood actor, Alexx Ekubo, recently took to social media to share the great news with fans - The film star was honoured with a chieftaincy title in Imo state - The actor reintroduced himself to fans as Alexx Ekubo of Arochukwu, Abia state who was coronated as the Ikuku of Amumara town, Mbaise, Imo state PAY ATTENTION: Click 'See First' under 'Follow' Tab to see Tuko.co.ke news on your FB The year 2020 seems to be a good one for a number of Nigerian celebrities including Nollywood actor, Alexx Ekubo. The handsome film star recently took to his social media to reintroduce himself to fans as he shared some good news. READ ALSO: Video of young lady begging hawker for kiss while in traffic causes a stir online READ ASLO: Muthee Kiengei's 2 wives peacefully celebrate, share cake during daughter's birthday The thespian was recently honoured with a chieftaincy title in Mbaise, Imo state. Sharing the good news, Alexx posted a video of the coronation ceremony on his Instagram page. The film star accompanied the post with a caption where he explained his new title to his fans. His caption read: Allow me to Re-introduce myself, I Alexx Ekubo of Arochukwu, Abia State - has just been coronated Ikuku of Amumara Town, Mbaise. Imo state, at the just concluded Iri-Ji (New Yam Festival). Coronation by - Eze Umara 3 of Amumara Town, Mbaise kingdom, Imo State. READ ALSO: Ruth Matete says she's done with religion, laments religious people abandoned her Actor Alexx Ekubo elated after he was crowned as chief. Photos: @alexxekubo / IG. Source: UGC READ ALSO: TV host Joyce Maina denies dating DJ Mo: "I'm not dumb to post a married man" Explaining further, the film star said that the ceremony took place at the just concluded New Yam Festival. The new chief also showed appreciation to those who honoured him and took him as their own. Special thanks to High Chief Nwachinemere 1 of Mbaise, @vintagedeluxeinteriors for welcoming me & honoring me in his home town among his kindred. I Love you forever and ever Obaram," he said. READ ALSO: Gary Neville blames Man United centre-backs for Crystal Palace defeat Meanwhile, TUKO.co.ke reported about a Chinese man who was crowned as a chief in Ghana. Sun Qiang, who resides in Ghana, was crowned as a traditional ruler at Kwahu Abetifi, a town in the Eastern Region of Ghana. By virtue of his enstoolment, Sun Qiang was renamed as Barima Kofi Ayeboafo, a typical Ghanaian name, and now bears the title Nk)s) Hene meaning development chief. READ ALSO: Raila avamia ngome ya DP Ruto, akaribishwa kwa shangwe Development King or Chief is an honorific title that is received by a person who deserves it and expected to bring development to the area where he or she was crowned. Becoming a chief is known to be a privilege that is extended mainly to only people of royal blood or those who have grown up within specific jurisdictions but the enstoolment of the Sun is one of the rare exceptions. Help us change more lives, join TUKO.co.kes Patreon programme -https://www.patreon.com/tuko 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. Keep abusing me, you will get tired eventually - Kenya's youngest Reverend Victor Githu | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke 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... A 22-year-old Uttarakhand man who had allegedly shot dead a 52-year-old village head (gram Pradhan) in Pithoragarhs Berinag area on Saturday evening was arrested, said police. Hem Chandra Pant, in-charge Berinag police station, said on Saturday evening that the village head of Banri Machikhet village, Pushkar Singh Dangi, was allegedly shot dead by Niraj Singh, a 22-year-old youth from the same village. The accused had stolen the licensed gun of the deceaseds younger brother, Pant said. Pant said following the incident, police started a search for the accused, who was hiding after the crime. On Sunday, we succeeded in arresting him. He was hiding in one of the toilets in the village, he said. Also Read: Leopard kills 7-year-old girl in Uttarakhands Almora Pant said during the preliminary investigation, it has come to light that there was some enmity between the two families. We have started an investigation in the matter, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The COVID-19 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to both and to further strengthen economic ties by enhancing cooperation in areas like software development, modern technology, infrastructure and manufacturing, according to a report. The report, prepared by Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas and FICCI, also said that has always treated as a preferred partner in terms of economics, trade and commerce. "COVID-19 pandemic has provided great opportunities for the two nations and its businesses to join hands and forge a new alliance in terms of harvesting the fruits of demographic dividend that provides, and push India towards becoming a major global manufacturing hub amidst the changing economic atmosphere," it said. The Japanese business community is upbeat about its investments and ventures in India, it said adding continues to be the fourth largest investor in India. It suggested that policy reforms are required in India to bring in greater synergies and reap the benefits of the de-risking activities being undertaken by Japanese companies to move their supply chains out of China to countries like India, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar. Shardul S Shroff, Executive Chairman and Practice Head - Insolvency and Bankruptcy, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, said, "We need to look at the pandemic as an opportunity to bring India and Japan's economic relationship closer". He said that the Indian economy holds the potential to bounce back quickly on the back of a slew of fiscal and economic measures undertaken by the government such as reduction in corporate tax rates, further reforms in the GST regime, revamping labour laws, taking measures to ensure ease of doing business, to attract foreign investment. "While the Indian government has taken plethora of measures and policy decisions to make India an investor friendly destination for the Japanese business community, a lot more needs to be done to meet the new challenges posed by the pandemic and to harvest the investor sentiments looking for safe investment destinations," he added. Rudra Kumar Pandey, Partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co said that the technological and economic prowess of Japan coupled with India's strengths in manufacturing, skilled workforce and its large domestic markets will further strengthen the relationship between India and Japan. The report recommended certain steps such as simplification of the form to incorporate a new company and appoint directors, ensuring easy customs clearance procedures, and immediate refunds of GST credit related to exports. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Newser) An 11-hour operation has separated conjoined sisters who were born with their arms around one another. Sarabeth and Amelia Irwin, who were born in June 2019, underwent the surgery Aug. 5 in Michigan, the Detroit Free Press reports. The girls are home now, crawling and adjusting to their independence. "Other than taking our word for it, you would almost never know that they were conjoined," said their father, Phil. The surgery followed months of planning and involved more than two dozen medical personnel, including a team of surgeons for each twin. The girls were joined at the chest and abdomen, which complicated their separation because of the proximity of the heart and other organs. "For everyone in the room, it was a very emotional and extraordinary moment when the last incision was made to separate these girls from one to two," a surgeon said, per Michigan Medicine. story continues below The girls share a small sternum bone that had to be divided. Their livers were separate but fused. Breathing was a concern. "We really didn't know how well their chest wall would work, but it worked actually beautifully," one of the surgeons said. The agonizing wait for their parents, who knew the chances of success were small, was over. "They're doing great," said their mother, Alyson. Sarabeth and Amelia now have matching scars, which may or may not fade. They might need more operations later, but doctors aren't concerned about that. The surgeon said the girls had an advantage through the process: "They got the perfect parents for being conjoined twins," he said. "Not only because of their commitment, love and support, but because they're just very innovative and optimistic people. I think that really made a big difference." (Read more conjoined twins stories.) Arun M By Express News Service KOCHI: Taking advantage of the difficulty in tracing suspects amid a large number of migrant workers in Kerala, some groups have been bringing immigrants illegally from Bangladesh evading the radar of intelligence agencies and the police. According to experts, once they reach India, immigrants obtain fake documents through local agents. Sources said political leaders in parts of West Bengal were also involved in arranging fake documents such as Aadhaar cards for illegal immigrants. A study by the Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation, Thiruvananthapuram, says there would be around 50 lakh migrant workers in Kerala, with four states West Bengal, Assam, Bihar and Odisha together accounting for 62 per cent of the total migrants. With a share of 20 per cent, West Bengal topped the list. The need of the hour is an agency to monitor the influx of migrant workers, said T K Raj Mohan, a former SP with the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The government should issue identity cards and introduce a biometric system for migrant workers immediately. Though the state labour department had initiated a process to issue biometric identity cards to migrant workers coming from different parts of the country, it is yet to materialize. According to experts, Kerala is a fertile soil for the indoctrination of people with Islamic fundamentalist ideologies.A flawed intelligence system is also a reason. The authorities should keep a sharp eye as incidents like the Panayikulam SIMI case, Narath case and the professors hand-chopping at Muvattupuzha have happened in the state, said an officer. In 2016, NIA had arrested six persons from Kanakamala who allegedly plotted terror attacks in the country. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has concluded a three-day visit to the Syrian Arab Republic with an appeal for increased international assistance to relieve the plight of families still struggling to secure food, medicine and other basic provisions years after the end of fighting in some areas. More than nine years into a crisis that has driven 5.5 million refugees to flee to neighbouring countries, a further 6.1 million people remain displaced from their homes inside Syria and a total of 11 million are in need of humanitarian assistance. A crippling economic crisis and the spread of COVID-19 have compounded the suffering for many. During a visit to the town of Zamalka in Eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of the capital Damascus, which suffered extensive damage during six years of conflict, Grandi met with families who are still struggling to repair their homes, find jobs and secure food and medicine two-and-a-half years after the end of the fighting. "These are tough conditions." Two years after his last visit to the area, the High Commissioner said there were increasing signs of stability but much work remained to be done. You can see some life starting again but these are tough conditions, these people have real, true, urgent humanitarian needs, Grandi said. Water is a problem, electricity is very scarce if they have to buy medicine, they told me its very expensive and so is food, especially in the difficult economic situation of the country. This is of course also made more serious from the humanitarian point of view by the presence of the coronavirus. It is very difficult in a place like this, Grandi added. Its very difficult to keep distances, its difficult to wash hands, its difficult to protect people from the virus, so this is an additional challenge for the people in this area. Compared with a pre-crisis population of 180,000, only 4,000 inhabitants remained in Zamalka by the end of the fighting in March 2018. Since then a further 7,000 displaced people and refugees have come back, with 25,000 more predicted to return. But widespread damage to the towns infrastructure has made it hard for people living there to access basic services. See also: Grandi concludes Syria visit with pledge to maintain assistance to the most vulnerable During his visit Grandi spoke to 65-year-old Rida, who fled the town with his family in 2012 and remained displaced for nearly seven years before returning last year. He explained that while the security situation has improved, his family is still suffering because of the economic hardships they currently face. Rida told the High Commissioner that with no source of income, he and his wife relied on support from relatives and neighbours to feed themselves. The food aid they were receiving from NGOs has dried up, and they have no access to electricity and rely on well water for washing and cleaning. As in other parts of the country, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is doing what it can to help families that have chosen to return to their homes. It has funded the rehabilitation of partially damaged houses belonging to 51 of the most vulnerable families, and repaired sewage and rainwater systems serving thousands of people. But with UNHCRs Syria operation funding requirements for 2020 only around 25 per cent financed, the High Commissioner urged donors to step up their efforts to help those struggling to rebuild their lives. "The resources are very little and more is needed." I really want to make an appeal, Grandi said. The situation in Syria is very complex but I think we should not forget that there are people who are in the country, there are people coming back to the country, or displaced within the country that are returning home that have very urgent humanitarian requirements food, medicine, shelter, education. UNHCR and other organizations are working and trying to help the most vulnerable, but the resources are very little and more is needed to really relieve the plight of the people in this situation. Grandi was speaking during a four-day visit to Syria and Jordan from 14-17 September. Authorities in Sudbury said charges could be filed against a teen who hosted a recent drinking party that forced school administrators to switch to all remote learning at the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, according to MetroWest Daily News. The parents of the teen could also face charges, Sudbury Police Chief Scott Nix told the newspaper. Nix said on Friday that police are strongly looking at filing charges but said nothing had been in Framingham District Court yet. If any charges are filed, they will be for violating the social host law, Nix told MetroWest Daily News. The police chief told selectmen that teens at the party were smoking marijuana and drinking, the newspaper reported. A party on Sept. 11 was broken up by police. Bella Wong, the principal at the high school and superintendent for the school district, wrote in a letter to parents last week that the crowded indoor and outdoor student party involved alcohol and a complete lack of safety precautions to protect against the spread of COVID. Wong wrote that about 15 students ran into the woods when police arrived. While officers were able to collect the names of 32 people at the party, thirteen people gave phony names, she said. The Sudbury Board of Health then said the high school had to start the year will all remote learning. The district has planned for a hybrid model to start the school year. The hybrid model will resume but not until Sept. 29. I agree completely with the Board of Health that this is the most prudent course of action to take given what has taken place, Wong wrote. After the intensity of hard work and planning that has been done to be able to start school with students in-person we are profoundly disappointed at this sudden change of plans. I know you must be as disappointed. Related Content: Islamabad: Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner, has said that as many as 20 million more girls may not return to schools even after the COVID-19 crisis is over. Speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Friday, the Pakistani Nobel laureate acknowledged that COVID-19 had been a striking setback to our collective goals", such as educating women, Dawn newspaper reported. On education alone, 20 million more girls may never go back to the classroom when this crisis ends (and) the global education funding gap has already increased to 200 billion dollars per year," Malala, 23, who once took a bullet from a Pakistani Taliban militant for campaigning for girls' education in Pakistan, said. Malala reminded the international community that sustainable global goals, set by the UN five years ago, represented the future for millions of girls who wanted education and were fighting for equality. Noting that little had been done in the last five years to achieve those goals, she asked the world body, when are you planning to do the work"? When will you commit the necessary funding to give every child 12 years of quality education? When will you prioritise peace and protect refugees? When will you pass policies to cut carbon emissions?" she asked. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who also addressed the virtual event, underlined the need to strike out for a world of dignity and opportunity for all on a healthy planet". We must look beyond the current crisis and set our sights high to show that transformation is possible and is happening right now," he said. The UN chief urged rich nations to address the immediate, medium and longer-term needs of developing countries and to support a UN debt service suspension initiative to at least the end of 2021. He also stressed the need for transition to a more equitable and sustainable economy, ending fossil fuel subsidies and placing women at the centre of building back. Deputy Secretary General Amina J Mohammed noted that this transformation" was already happening everywhere and must not leave anyone behind". The head of the UN Development Fund (UNDP), Achim Steiner, warned that for the first time in 30 years, the march of progress in human development was expected to go sharply into reverse. Building peoples resilience against vulnerability, risk and deprivation, and helping them to get on their feet if they falter, defines social protection in the 21st century," he said. Munir Akram, president of the Economic and Social Council, said that the global magnitude of the challenge we are facing" as a result of COVID-19, was the greatest since the creation of the United Nations". 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 By Carl Manlan and Efosa Ojomo Carl Manlan Efosa Ojomo In a highly useful Wall Street Journal column Professor Harvey Mansfield undertakes close analysis of The systemic racism dodge. The column opens: Systemic racism, also known as institutional or structural racism, is a new phrase for a new situation. We live in a society where racism is not, and cannot be, openly professed. To do so not only is frowned upon but will get you into serious trouble, if not yet jail, in America. Yet even though this is impossible to miss and known to all, systemic racism supposedly persists. The phrase describes a society that is so little racist that no one can respectably advocate racism, yet so much racist that every part of it is soaked with racism. We live with the paradox of a racist society without racists. Professor Mansfield concludes: Systemic racism is a bogus description that issues in an accusation made in doubtful faith that contradicts itself. But it is held by many fellow Americans, so lets not dismiss it. Its better to treat it respectfully as a disputable opinion. The cancel culture is a malignant growth from the idea of systemic racism. Those who cancel stop accusing themselves; they step outside of the system they denounce. After asserting the guilt of all whites, these whites give themselves a pass. I tried to get at the systemic racism dodge in my own way in a 2013 Federalist Society presentation on the elimination-of-bias continuing legal education requirement imposed on lawyers by the Minnesota Supreme Court. I called my talk Bias in the air and wrestled with the phenomenon of a crime without a perpetrator. This was the conclusion of my remarks: Who is biased? In the twenty years it has devoted to the problem and what must by now be millions of dollars it has spent on analysis, the Court and its task forces have yet to id. a judge or prosecutor guilty of biased treatment of parties. This is a serious offense that lacks a perpetrator in the traditional sense. You may recall Justice Cardozos teaching in the Palsgraf case that Proof of negligence in the air, so to speak, will not do. In Minnesota we have bias in the air. Whatever it is, it must be eliminated and, like the prisoners in Cool Hand Luke, we all must get our minds right. It is a bizarre enterprise. The April 2002 progress report noted that the implementation committee has worked with the Board of Law Examiners to identify the causes of racially disproportionate bar passage rates and to promote solutions. With the requirement of bar passage for licensure, we have a requirement under the direct control of the Court. We can infer from the report that Minnesota bar passage rates are subject to statistical racial disparities. By the Courts methodology, the Court itself must be guilty of racial bias. At last we can id. a perpetrator. According to the 2002 report, we also have a remedy. The Board of Law Examiners works to ensure that at least 25% of the graders are people of color. Putting the 25 percent number to one side, think about that. Are minority graders required to understand the answers of minority test takers? Do test takers identify their race so that they can be matched up with the right grader? (I am told they do not.) Should they be? On an exam testing professional competence? Suggesting that the Court is guilty of racial bias, of course, Im being facetious. I want to make a serious point. Preparing for my remarks this morning I was unable to get data on the racial disparities in Minnesotas bar passage rate from the Board of Law Examiners I was told they dont keep the data. But racial disparities in bar passage rates are ubiquitous. UCLA Law Professor Richard Sander tells the story in chapters 4 and 5 of Mismatch, the outstanding book he co-wrote with Stuart Taylor, Jr., and Sander does id. a perpetrator. According to Sander, the perpetrator is affirmative action in law school admissions a thesis I think you are guaranteed never to hear in a Minnesota elimination-of-bias CLE program. In truth, the elimination-of-bias requirement is farcical. If its an offense without a perpetrator, its also an incredibly elastic offense. What bias does the Court seek to eliminate? If the elimination-of-bias requirement can be satisfied by courses such as Understanding Problem Gambling, as it can, the requirement has become just one more way of making a statement while making the practice of law slightly more unpleasant than it already was or is. The roots of Minnesotas elimination-of-bias requirement in the 1993 Supreme Court Racial Bias Task Force Report are rotten. To borrow the term from criminal procedure, it is the fruit of the poisonous tree. Twenty years later a reckoning is long overdue. Four CIA operatives died in a shipwreck off the coast of the Philippines in a tropical storm in 2008 during a daring operation to try and spy on China's activity in the region, it has been revealed. The story of how the four died has never before been told, Yahoo News reported. The men - Stephen Stanek, Michael Perich, Jamie McCormick and Daniel Meeks - were working for the CIA's Maritime Branch. Their mission was to sail from Malaysia, and dive down to place a 'pod' disguised as a rock beneath the surface. The pod would monitor electronic signals of Chinese naval ships operating in the area. But their vessel was caught in Tropical Storm Higos and disappeared. When they were declared missing, presumed dead, their relatives had no idea that they were spies, Yahoo reports. Stephen Stanek was a CIA operative posing as a sailor for hire when he died in Sept 2008 Michael Perich was sent to dive with Stanek to the seabed to leave the listening device The mission to the Philippines should have been straightforward, seeing the men dive down to place the disguised rock before sailing on to Japan. The crew would then spend a few weeks there, then return to collect the device. Their 40 foot boat was secretly owned by the CIA, yet the four had a cover story that they had been hired to transport the vessel from Malaysia for a client in Japan, and they had the paperwork and documentation to back up the story if questioned. They also were using commercially-available scuba diving gear, rather than U.S. government-issued kit. The problem, however, came in the shape of Tropical Storm Higos. The storm was forecast to take a sharp turn away from them, and so on September 28, 2008, Stanek - commanding the crew - made the fatal decision to go ahead with the mission. Higos did not change course, however, and smacked straight into the little boat. The CIA had a beacon on the ship that tracked the boat right into the center of the storm until it disappeared, a former member of the Special Activities Division (SAD) told Yahoo News. The four men were last tracked to the northern coast of Luzon in the Philippines Tropical Storm Higos, pictured on the radar, smashed straight into the 40 foot boat The U.S. military was unaware that their four countrymen were missing, and did not participate in any rescue mission. The CIA did ask the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to see if they could sweep the area, but nothing was found - 'not even a floating life jacket,' a former CIA officer told the site. Death certificates were issued with a lawyer hired by the CIAs Panama City cover company - which registered the boat - filing the paperwork. Relatives of the four seamen were brought to CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, to be told the details of their mission and meet with Michael Hayden, the then-director of the CIA. The CIA has never commented on the deaths of the four, whose relatives were in the dark CIA officers pointed the finger of blame on Bob Kandra, the SAD chief at the time. They accused Kandra of putting too much pressure on the crew to prove the relevancy of the CIA's Maritime Division, in the face of competition from the U.S. Navy. 'There was a lot of pressure to do ops,' a former CIA operations officer told Yahoo News. 'They just didn't have to die. They did a mission that you didn't have to do, and Bob was such a bad leader. 'A lot of officers blame Kandra for the s*** that happened in the Pacific.' The officer said that Kandra got away with his failures because he was senior intelligence staff when he ran the Special Activities Division. Kandra had a reputation for poor leadership dating back to his days in Iraq, Yahoo reported, noting that the former CIA leader had T-shirts made that read: 'I got laid in Baghdad.' He was promoted to the CIA's senior management ranks, known as special intelligence service, or SIS, which meant that he was beyond reproach. 'He was protected by the SIS mafia,' said a former SAD officer. The former CIA officer agreed, saying: 'Kandra was a continuous screw-up, but once they make you a SIS they don't flush you.' Kandra, who has since retired, was eventually removed from his role leading the SAD and was given a quiet posting in the Austrian city of Vienna. The four men had their stars added to the CIA's memorial wall in Langley, VA in 2008 The CIA's interest in the region has not waned, it appears - despite the disaster of 2008. In 2016 the Chinese Navy found an American-made undersea drone, which was floating in the ocean 50 miles off the coast of the Philippines. China agreed to hand the drone back, after the Pentagon said it was an unclassified system used to gather oceanographic data. Four people, including two women, died by suicide in four separate cases on Saturday. Two of the deceased ended their lives over marital discord, while one woman was depressed due to be being blackmailed by her neighbour. At least eight Ludhiana residents have ended their lives in the past two days. On Friday, a jeweller had shot himself with his licensed revolver following a monetary dispute, while a woman had hanged herself over frequent quarrels with her sister-in-law. A 22-year-old man had set himself on fire after being beaten up by his live-in partner and her relatives. A 36-year-old man had also ended his life by hanging himself due to the extramarital affair of his wife. ALSO READ: Poor health was behind maximum suicides in Ludhiana, reveals NCRBs 2019 data LABOURER HANGS HIMSELF, WIFE, IN-LAWS BOOKED Troubled by marital problems, a 26-year-old labourer hanged himself at his rented accommodation near the Division Number 3 Chowk. The body was discovered on Saturday after a passer-by noticed foul smell emanating from the room and informed the police. ASI Surjit Singh, who is investigating the case, said when the police reached the spot, they found a mans decomposing body hanging from the ceiling fan. The deceased, who lived alone, appeared to have killed himself three days ago. He was identified with the help of a document on his person, and on searching his room, cops also discovered a suicide note, where he had written about his issues with his wife due to his in-laws and other relatives. The deceaseds wife, his sister-in-law, mother-in-law, a relative and his wife, and two others, who were all named in the suicide note written in Hindi, have been booked under Sections 306 (abetment to suicide) and 34 (acts done in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Division Number 3 police station. WOMAN DESERTED BY HUSBAND CONSUMES POISON A 37-year-old woman, abandoned by her husband two years ago, died after consuming a poisonous substance at Jiyunewal village, Koomkalan. The Koomkalan police have booked her husband for abetment to suicide on the statement of the womans brother. The complainant stated that his sister got married 17 years ago and had three children. He said over the past few years, his brother-in-law had been beating up his sister in drunken stupor, forcing them to intervene. The accused then promised not to harass his sister anymore, but abandoned her and started living somewhere else two years ago. Since 2018, he had visited his sister and their kids only twice. This treatment had pushed his sister under depression and she consumed poison on Friday. They rushed her to a hospital in Nawanshahr, where she died on Saturday. ASI Rajbir Singh, who is investigating the case, said a case under Section 306 of the IPC was registered against the womans husband. He will be arrested soon. BLACKMAILED BY NEIGHBOUR, WOMAN JUMPS INTO CANAL, DIES Allegedly blackmailed by her neighbour with her morphed pictures, a 38-year-old woman jumped into the Sidhwan Canal on Gill Road. The womans body was fished out on Saturday, following which the accused, Rupinder Singh, was arrested on Sunday. The womans 17-year-old son told the police that their neighbour, Rupinder, had morphed some images of his mother and started blackmailing her to establish physical relations with him. Unable to handle this, she jumped into Sidhwan Canal on Friday.ASI Jeevan Singh, the investigating officer in this case, Rupinder had been booked under Section 306 of the IPC. They are working to recover the questionable images from him. RICKSHAW-PULLER FOUND HANGING FROM TREE A rickshaw pullers body was found hanging from a tree near Buddha Nullah in Kirpal Nagar on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. Passers-by noticed the body and informed the police. Sub-inspector Davinder Singh, SHO, Daresi police station, said a rickshaw was found near the body, hence, it was suspected that he was a rickshaw-puller. No documents were found to establish the deceaseds identity. Police have made announcements in surrounding areas for his identification and sent the body to the civil hospital mortuary where it will be kept for 72 hours for identification before autopsy. Senate Republicans are trying to tie their strategy for Donald Trump's coming Supreme Court nomination to his election foe: Joe Biden. (Getty Images) A top Senate Republican on Sunday tried to link his partys intention to hold an election-year vote on Donald Trumps coming Supreme Court nominee on a former Democratic chairman of the chambers Judiciary Committee: Joe Biden. Wyomings John Barrasso, the GOP conference chairman, made the claim during a contentious Meet the Press interview with NBCs Chuck Todd, who grew incredulous as he pressed the senator to support his claims. Mr Barrasso, like other Senate Republicans, would not guarantee a vote before the 3 November election on replacing liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who passed away on Friday. But he did say Senate GOP leaders plan to vote this year. House and Senate Democrats are accusing Republicans of hypocrisy over Mr Trumps coming nomination, which he says could come as soon as this week. In 2016, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell established a 10-month blockade of then-President Barack Obamas final high court nominee, Merrick Garland, arguing voters should first decide who they wanted as president and which party would control the Senate. Four years later, Mr McConnell dispatched allies to the Sunday morning talk shows to argue things are different now and he is merely following over a century of precedent. Mr Barrasso and other GOP senators contend when one party has controlled both the White House and Senate in an election year, the chamber has confirmed a Supreme Court nominee each time. Mr Barrasso added a twist to the debate on Sunday morning, dragging the Democratic nominee for president into the debate. We were following the Joe Biden rule. He was chairman of the Judiciary Committee. And he said when there is a Senate of one party and a White House of another the panel would not consider a high court pick in an election year, Mr Barrasso claimed. He said this to George Hebert Walker Bush, he said if there is a vacancy in the final year, we will not confirm, he said of the one-term GOP president. And thats what we did with Merrick Garland. Story continues Mr Todd read several quotes from 2016 John Barrasso, who said at that time Mr Obama should spare the country this fight. Those are your words! the NBC host all but shouted. Not once did you say, It depends on which party. This sounds like a power grab, pure and simple. Mr Barrasso ignored that notion, instead repeating his contention that this is the Biden rule. His claim prompted Mr Todd to shoot back: There is no Joe Biden rule! Read more Trump promises to replace Ginsburg with a woman - and soon The stories Ruth Bader Ginsburg told - from The Notorious B.I.G. to marriage advice Trump seizes chance to reshape America following death of Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A pioneering justice and liberal icon Trump supporters waving flags and chanting slogans staged a rally near a polling center in Fairfax, Virginia, Saturday on the second day of early voting in the state, filmed footage shows. "Some voters, and elections staff, did feel intimidated by the crowd and we did provide escorts past the group," said Gary Scott, the general registrar of Fairfax County. But a local Republican official, Steve Rastatter, denied that protesters had been seeking to intimidate voters and said they had complied with officials' requests to move away. President Trump has spread groundless accusations that Democrats are seeking to steal the election, and has called on supporters to act as poll monitors. Attempts at voter intimidation are illegal in Virginia and other US states. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. (File image) A supporter of President Trump waves flags outside of McKenzie Arena, where U.S. President Donald Trump is holding a rally in support of Republican Senate candidate Rep. Marsha Blackburn, November 4, 2018 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Drew Angerer/Getty Images Supporters of President Donald Trump staged a rally during early voting at a polling station in Virginia on Saturday, in a stunt that an election official said had intimidated voters and disrupted voting. According to footage of the incident posted online by filmmaker Anthony Tilghman, a group of supporters holding up pro-Trump banners staged the protest near the polling station entrance in Fairfax, on the second day of early voting in the state. A county election official, Gary Scott, said that the protest was about 100 feet from the building entrance where voters cast their ballot early. Contrary to some initial reports, the protesters had not blocked access to the polling station, he said. "Citizens coming into and leaving the building did have to go by them," Gary Scott, the general registrar of Fairfax County, said in a statement to The New York Times. "Those voters who were in line outside of the building were moved inside and we continued operations. Some voters, and elections staff, did feel intimidated by the crowd and we did provide escorts past the group. One of the escorts was the county executive." Story continues Fairfax County Democrats Chair Bryan Graham accused local Republicans of seeking to intimidate voters. "The Republicans are straight-up attempting to intimidate voters at the Government Center. Circling the parking lots with their Trump flags and horns blaring," he tweeted. But Fairfax County Republican Committee Vice-Chair Sean Rastatter, who was at the protest, told the Times that they not been seeking to intimidate voters. He said that he didn't think "there was any way to need or feel intimidated in any form" and that protesters had complied with a request from election officials to "back away from the curb" and voters waiting to cast their ballot. The incident reflects the febrile climate around this year's election, with Trump having repeatedly spread disinformation that mail-in votes are exposed to fraud, and Democrats are plotting to steal the election. The president at rallies has called on supporters to act as"poll watchers" to guard against election fraud. Democrats say that the president seeks to delegitimize thousands of mail-in votes to cling to power illegally should he lose in November. Thousands more Americans are expected to cast their ballot by mail this year amid the coronavirus pandemic, with polls showing Democratic nominee Joe Biden holding the lead over Trump. Already some observers say that the escalating tensions could spill over into election day violence. Russ Travers, who served as acting director of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre until March, told ABC News last week: "I fear there are a lot of people out there with very warped views of reality and a lot of guns who could willingly take up their weapons in defense of what they believe is the President and the constitution. "That, I think, is a worrisome possibility that is growing as the political rhetoric gets more and more severe." In a statement Saturday, Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano said that those seeking to intimidate voters would be prosecuted. "I am instructing my office to pursue cases of voter intimidation that may occur," Descano tweeted. Read the original article on Business Insider Two cousins of former Indian Air Force Chief SP Tyagi used shell companies and banking routes to launder Rs five crore of bribe money received in the VVIP chopper deal, the CBI has alleged in its supplementary charge sheet which has also named as accused Giacomino Saponaro, the then Managing Director of AgustaWestland International Ltd. The CBI has named 15 entities (individuals and companies) in its supplementary charge sheet, filed in a special court, which primarily focuses on the money trail of the bribe paid to swing the Rs 3,600-crore deal for 12 helicopters in favour of AgustaWestland which was not in the primary race because of 6,000 metres operational ceiling set for the helicopters to be used to ferry VVIPs including the Prime Minister, the President, the Vice President and the Defence Minister. The supplementary charge sheet was filed on Friday night, nearly three years after the first charge sheet by the SIT under the then Special Director Rakesh Asthana, naming former IAF Chief SP Tyagi as accused in the scam. The court will hear the matter on Monday. According to the CBI probe into the money trail of the bribe, SP Tyagi's cousins -- Sandeep and Sanjeev Tyagi -- through their New Delhi based company Neel Madhav Consultants Pvt. Ltd had acquired a Kolkata-based company Mainak Agency Pvt. Ltd. in 2009 to launder Rs five crore in kickbacks received through banking channels using shell companies and fake bank accounts to camouflage the transactions. Tyagi brothers allegedly acted in collusion with other accused--Narendra Kumar Jain and Rajesh Kumar Jain of Kolkata--who created the shell companies, and Sunil Kothari, then Managing Director of Om Metals Infotech Pvt Ltd who allegedly opened fake accounts in different banks. The agency has alleged that Tyagi's gave Jains and Kothari Rs five crore in black which was routed back to them as clean money through purported business transactions. The CBI has alleged that it has intercepted conversations between middlemen Guido Ralph Haschke and Carlo Gerosa to establish the allegations that AgustaWestland had paid bribes to Sandeep Tyagi. The conversation allegedly paints a picture of Sandeep Tyagi as a reliable man having deep contacts in New Delhi, officials said. Giacomino Saponaro, the then Managing Director of AgustaWestland International Ltd, has also been named as an accused. The CBI has charged the accused under Indian Penal Code sections of criminal conspiracy (120B), destruction of evidence (201), cheating (420) and forgery (471) among others and provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act. In its supplementary charge sheet, the CBI has alleged that Christian Michel James, one of the middlemen in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal already named as accused in the first charge sheet, had allegedly paid Rs 97 lakh to his associate K V Kunhikrishnan, a former GM of Westland Support, to get documents related to procurement process which was passed on to the company. James who was extradited from Dubai in December 2018 had allegedly used services of Kunhikrishnan for procuring the documents pertaining to the procurement process for which Rs 97 lakhs were paid to him as consultancy charges, the agency has said. These documents were passed on to the company and were recovered during searches at the premises of another European middleman Guido Ralph Haschke by Swiss authorities, they said. The agency has further alleged that Praveen Bakshi, PK Aggarwal, then Managing Director of IDS Infotech Ltd and Rajeev Saxena, Director, Interstellar Technologies Ltd, Mauritius, through their respective companies had facilitated in transferring the kickbacks from AgustaWestland. Other accused advocate Gautam Khaitan (named in first charge sheet) and his employee Deepak Goyal allegedly prepared fake invoices and sent mails for transferring the said kickbacks through IDS Tunisia and Interstellar Technologies Ltd and other companies. In its charge sheet, the CBI has named as accused Sandeep Tyagi, Praveen Bakshi, PK Aggarwal, the then Managing Director IDS Infotech Ltd, and the company, Narendra Kumar Jain and Rajesh Kumar Jain of Kolkata, and Sunil Kothari, the then Managing Director of M/s OM Metals Infotech Pvt. Ltd. It has also named KV Kunhikrishnan, former GM of Westland Support Services Ltd and an alleged associate of middleman Christian Michel James, Rajiv Saxena, the then Director of Interstellar Technologies Ltd and the company, and Deepak Goyal. Ltd., New Delhi (through its Director Sandeep Tyagi); M/s Mainak Agency Pvt. Ltd., earlier at Kolkata, now based in New Delhi (through its Directors Sandeep Tyagi and Sanjeev Tyagi as accused. In its first charge sheet filed before Special CBI Judge in 2017, the CBI had named former IAF chief SP Tyagi, his cousin Sanjeev alias Julie and advocate Gautam Khaitan in the bribery case. On January 1, 2014, India scrapped the contract with Italy-based Finmeccanica's British subsidiary AgustaWestland for supplying 12 AW-101 VVIP choppers to the IAF over alleged breach of contractual obligations and charges of paying kickbacks to the tune of Rs 423 crore by it for securing the deal. In its first charge sheet, the CBI has alleged there was an estimated loss of 398.21 million euro (approximately Rs 2,666 crore) to the exchequer in the deal that was signed on February 8, 2010 for the supply of VVIP choppers worth 556.262 million euro. Besides Tyagi, the agency had also charge-sheeted retired Air Marshal J S Gujral along with eight others including European middlemen Carlo Gerosa, Christian Michel, Guido Haschke, former AgustaWestland CEO Bruno Spagnolini and former Finmeccanica Chairman Giuseppe Orsi. The CBI had alleged that Khaitan was the "brain" behind how the bribe money reached India and several firms, through which the money travelled, came into existence and that Sanjeev was known to alleged European middleman Carlo Gerosa. SP Tyagi, who had retired in 2007, his cousin Sanjeev and Khaitan were arrested by the agency in connection with the case. These accused are currently on bail. The agency had registered a case against Tyagi and 12 others, including his three cousins and five foreign nationals, in connection with the VVIP chopper scam. The allegation against the former Air Chief was that he had reduced the flying ceiling of the helicopter from 6,000m to 4,500m (15,000 ft) so that AgustaWestland could be included in the bids. Tyagi had, however, denied the allegations, saying the decision was taken in consultation with the officials of the Special Protection Group and the Prime Minister's Office. The agency has been continuing the investigation. Oracle could buy a 12.5 percent stake in TikTok before a future IPO, and Walmart a 7.5 percent stake. According to a source close to the matter, ByteDance would keep the rest of the shares. But since the Chinese company is 40 percent owned by American investors, TikTok would eventually be majority American-owned. (Photo | AP) Washington: President Donald Trump said Saturday he had approved a deal allowing Silicon Valley giant Oracle to become the data partner for TikTok to avert a shutdown of the massively popular Chinese-owned video app that Washington has called a security risk. The deal, announced by the companies, also includes Walmart as a commercial partner and would create a new US company named TikTok Global. I think its going to be a fantastic deal, Trump said. I have given the deal my blessing. If they get it done thats great, if they dont thats okay too. Shortly after, TikTokowned by Chinas ByteDanceconfirmed the agreement, which came with companies racing against a Sunday deadline set by Trumps administration after which new downloads of the app would be banned. Oracle could buy a 12.5 percent stake in TikTok before a future IPO, and Walmart a 7.5 percent stake. According to a source close to the matter, ByteDance would keep the rest of the shares. But since the Chinese company is 40 percent owned by American investors, TikTok would eventually be majority American-owned. We are pleased that the proposal by TikTok, Oracle, and Walmart will resolve the security concerns of the US Administration and settle questions around TikToks future in the US, a spokeswoman for TikTok told AFP. ByteDance also confirmed the deal on social media, saying the three companies would reach an agreement that was in line with US and Chinese law as soon as possible. If it comes to fruition, the deal could mark the de-escalation of a technology battle between Washington and Beijing. It could also allow Americans to continue using the wildly popular app: the US Department of Commerce announced it was postponing the ban on TikTok downloads until September 27, citing recent positive developments. Security concerns Trump said the security will be 100 percent and that the companies would use separate cloud servers. The deal will lead to the creation of a new company, headquartered in Texas, which will have nothing to do with China but will still be called TikTok, according to the president. Oracle will be in charge of hosting all US user data and the security of the associated computer systems, while Walmart will supply its online sales, order management and payment services. In a joint statement, Oracle and Walmart said TikTok Global would pay more than 5 billion in new tax dollars to the US Treasury, while they and the other companies involved in the deal would launch an initiative to develop online education. According to the US Treasury, the TikTok deal still needs to be finalised by the involved companies and approved by a federal national security committee. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ardila Syakriah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 20, 2020 19:18 488 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4605e92 1 National #COVID19,COVID-19,doctors,medical-workers Free Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto is in hot water because of a recent comment about having deployed thousands of medical interns to the front lines of the nations COVID-19 treatment efforts. "We still have 3,500 interns and 800 Nusantara Sehat [Archipelago Health program] workers In addition to 685 volunteers such as lung specialists, anesthetists, internists, general practitioners and nurses who are ready to be deployed and to help if a larger workforce is needed," Terawan said last week. He said 16,286 medical interns and volunteers had already been deployed to COVID-19 referral hospitals and labs. His statement, the latest of his comments to attract public criticism, followed reports that more than 100 doctors had died of COVID-19 and growing concerns that the nations healthcare system was facing collapse. In the Indonesian system, recent medical graduates must, after passing a national competency exam, sign up for a one-year internship. The internship is split between a hospital and a community health center (Puskesmas), and each segment is six months long. This period of hands-on study is required to obtain a medical license and to be eligible for subsequent specialization residencies. In response to the pandemic, the government has shortened the internship period to nine months, decreasing the length of time spent at hospitals in an attempt to minimize interns exposure to COVID-19. In the program, interns treat patients under the supervision of doctors. The government pays interns assigned to the western part of the country Rp 3.15 million (US$213.79) per month, and those in the eastern part Rp 3.6 million per month. But facing the uncertainty of the pandemic, many young doctors-to-be have decided to put off their internships. In addition, graduates who have tested positive for COVID-19, are pregnant or have comorbidities are currently prohibited from taking part in the program. Only about 60 percent of the quota was filled for the first 2020 internship cohort, which began in May, two months after Indonesia reported its first COVID-19 cases, according to the Indonesian Doctor Internship Committee (KIDI), a team appointed by the Health Ministry to oversee the program. However, the numbers improved in August and September. Some 3,100 people enrolled out of the 3,400-intern quota, KIDI chairman Robby Pattiselanno said. Read also: Follow health protocols, IDI urges the public as more Indonesian doctors die from COVID-19 A 25-year-old doctor-to-be who started her internship last month at a COVID-19 referral hospital in East Java, a hotbed of contagion in the country, said she could have started the internship in May but had decided to postpone. The intern, who wished to remain anonymous, said she put the program off after learning that it required doctors to be relocated if necessary. "I was personally waiting to see if my friends in the previous batch would have to handle COVID-19 patients directly and if any of them were infected. And although some of them did eventually handle those patients and were infected, I thought it was still within what I could handle," she added. The intern said that at her hospital, confirmed COVID-19 patients had to be attended to exclusively by staff doctors. But as the interns were assigned to the emergency room, they would have little idea whether the patients they were treating had the virus until the patients were tested. Even though the nations emergency rooms have been divided into two sections one for patients with apparent COVID-19 symptoms and one for patients without symptomatic patients do not always end up in the right place, said the intern, who was assigned to the non-COVID-19 section. She said she saw about three suspected or probable COVID-19 cases each shift and that many patients who visited the non-COVID-19 section of the emergency room complained of breathing difficulties. Although the government requires all interns to attend a two-week virtual training program on COVID-19 prior to deployment, the intern said she could not help but feel worried. "I won't be visiting my family [while Im participating in the internship]," she said. Hera Afidjati, 24, who is set to start her internship in September at another COVID-19 referral hospital in East Java, said that with no certainty about when the COVID-19 pandemic would abate, she had decided to take the risk. Hera felt it was her duty to help address the outbreak, but she hoped the government would come up with better solutions, including by identifying the root causes of medical workers' deaths. "This is not just about interns. Each life matters, Hera said. One specialist doctor can't be replaced by a number of general practitioners. It takes many more years to study the field, and the competencies are different. It's not apples to apples to compare the doctors who died to 3,500 interns. In Indonesia, a country with 0.52 general practitioners and 0.13 specialists per 1,000 people, at least 117 doctors have died of COVID-19, 53 of whom were specialists, according to the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI). The country's 755 COVID-19 referral hospitals have 793 lung specialists, 484 of whom are based in Java. Four provinces outside Java have a few referral hospitals each but have only one with a specialist in each region. West Papua has no referral hospitals with specialists, according to data collected by the Health Ministry. Read also: Resident doctors take on COVID-19 as training hangs in balance Robby of the KIDI said some interns had caught COVID-19, but he did not disclose the number. He said they all had mild symptoms or none at all. He noted that interns were prohibited from treating COVID-19 patients in isolation rooms and intensive care units and defended Terawan's statement, saying that the interns had indeed been deployed but as support doctors who would be assigned to screen patients in emergency rooms. "Don't look at it as all these 3,500 intern doctors being assigned to isolation rooms. Services start from screening and triage at the ER. In normal situations, one doctor can do A to Z alone, but now, every stage requires different doctors," he said. But interns have concerns beyond contracting the virus. They are also worried about missing opportunities to attain skills and knowledge. Fewer patients are visiting hospitals, meaning interns have fewer cases to study hands-on. And they cannot work directly on COVID-19 cases. Robby said doctors always had the option to put off their internships and wait until the health crisis was over, but he acknowledged it could put them at disadvantage because of concerns of losing competence. A couple filmed having sex near a busy road junction have been spared jail but put on the sex offenders register. Natasha Rice (34) and Adrian Butler (51) were caught on camera by passengers in passing cars while in the middle of an explicit act in broad daylight. It happened on September 12 in Cromac Street, in the Market area of Belfast, near the junction of East Bridge Street which is a major route into the city centre. Rice and Butler were arrested and each charged with a single count of indecent behaviour and exposure. They appeared before Belfast Magistrates Court on Monday where both pleaded guilty to all charges. A district judge sentenced each to one month in prison on each charge, to run concurrently, but suspended it for one year. The pair, both of no fixed abode, were also placed on the sex offenders register for a period of five years for the charges of exposure. Footage of the couple committing the offences went viral on social media last weekend. In one clip of the incident a passenger in a passing car can be heard shouting at them you are out in the street, while two pedestrians mocked the pair by mimicking a sexual act. The Himalayan state has also decided to open its border with West Bengal for unrestricted movement of vehicles from 1 October, officials said Gangtok: The Sikkim government has allowed hotels, homestays and other tourism-related services to restart operations from 10 October, officials said on Saturday. The Himalayan state has also decided to open its border with West Bengal for unrestricted movement of vehicles from 1 October, they said. A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the hotels and the tourism sector is expected soon, they added. Bookings for hotels and homestays will start from 27 September, officials said. While the odd-even road rationing rule for public vehicles will be lifted from 1 October, it may continue for private vehicles, they said. The odd-even rule, which was first implemented in Delhi to tackle air pollution by limiting the number of cars as per the last digit of their registration number, was also imposed in Sikkim to reduce movement amid the COVID-19 outbreak. However, a complete lockdown will be imposed in the Gangtok Municipal Corporation area from 21 to 27 September as part of "special measures" to contain the spread of COVID-19. Vehicles will not be allowed to ply except those authorised or engaged in essential services, as per a state Home Department order. State government offices will operate with 30 per cent staff, and State government offices will operate with 30 per cent staff, and all shops, except those selling essential items, will remain closed, it said. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. - Matthew 15:9. The declaration made by Matsanjeni North MP Phila Buthelezi last week that the so-called Kholwane Declaration will be challenged in Parliament, has certainly stirred the hornets nest. The Honourable MPs contentious declaration is in connection with the former Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini-led governments pronouncement made some five or so years ago, which made it compulsory for pupils to be taught strictly Christian education in schools. This move, according to those in the know, was announced in December 2016, and became known as the Kholwane Declaration, because it was made at an area known as Kholwane. This meant that pupils would no longer be taught using any other religious book other than the Holy Bible. challenge Prominent religious bodies, like the Conference of Swaziland Churches and the League of African Churches, have drawn daggers and have made their own declaration that, Parliament should be ready that we will stand up against their latest resolution to challenge the declaration of offering Christian education only in schools... Well, it seems we are certainly headed for interesting times, ahead! This promises to be an occasion worth looking forward to, since Christian beliefs and moral, behavioural patterns of some of the churches under the umbrella of the above two organisations, at times contradict the very commandments of God they claim to uphold. Take, for instance, the belief in ancestral spirits; some do believe in that unbiblical concept. I do not want to join the fray, except to draw the readers attention to the words of the Matsanjeni North MP, who was quoted as having said something to the effect that, The issue will be brought back when we move the motion because it is wrong to take a person who is 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 emaSwatiHe allegedly went on to say that, it was not good that todays children had no idea what emadloti were all about...our children need to be aware of all religions and not be forced to stick with the Bible all the time....Yes, we are a Christian nation but we also have to respect the Constitution... kingdom In my books, as a nation which professes to be a so-called Christian kingdom, the Bible, as the indisputable Word of God - through its sacred divinity - should, by divine right, supersede all man-made laws, statutes, precepts and human traditions, including our national Constitution. Sadly, our behaviour and beliefs as a nation at times exhibit traits that are shamefully contradictory to the teachings of the Bible. Take, for instance, the contentious issue of the alleged insistence by the MP that our schools need to teach, or rather, make our children aware of the (unbiblical) concept of ancestral spirits. The MP seems allegedly adamant that our gullible children should be made aware of what this means to emaSwati. I and many others out there who subscribe to the core principles of Gods Word, shun this belief. I shall not dwell on the other religions he mentioned in his statement because they do not interest me at all and fall outside the ambit of my religious beliefs and doctrines. Worship of the dead, which is veneration of the so-called, ancestral spirits, is specifically forbidden by Gods Word - at no compromise. Remember, God does not change? He is the same today, just as He has infinitely been ever since before the world came into existence. God is timeless, holy and cannot be mocked. We need to be cautious of the fact that children are easily impressionable and gullible. What we teach them has to be carefully weighed in, lest we pollute their innocent minds. In my opinion, we need to be careful that we do not teach them something that will defile their young minds, especially in light of their religious backgrounds. Consider those children who come from a solid, Christian background which forbids ancestral spirits worshipping. I have my fears that they will be exposed to unbiblical concepts which teach that, for instance, the worshipping of idols or ancestral spirits is Swati, and there is possible danger of their beliefs being compromised. There is a stark possibility that they might fall into a state of confusion as to what is biblically correct or wrong, since they will be exposed to unbiblical teachings that the veneration of the dead spirits is correct, bearing in mind that their true, Christian background teaches something contrary to that. spiritually Based on Gods Word, any teachings that give reverence to the worship of ancestral spirits are as good as spitting on Gods commandments. In my books, and in light of our professed stance of being a Christian nation, teaching our children something that contradicts Gods statutes, is tantamount to two-timing God and being spiritually adulterous - a very spiritually fatal stance. If we profess to love, obey and put God first in our lives, we must religiously adhere to His commandments. Christ cautioned us that, If you love Me, obey my commandments. The first and most important of all the Ten Commandments contained in the Bible, ominously warns us that, I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me (Exodus 20:2-3). Now, do we love God when we will insist that our gullible children be taught traditions or beliefs that teach any concept that is against Gods precepts? There are doctrines, beliefs and philosophies God specifically calls an ABOMINATION to Him. Any teaching that contradicts what God commands, is as good as mocking Him. spiritually God commands us in Deuteronomy 18:10-14, for example, that ..and do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums, or psychics, or call forth spirits of the dead. Anyone who does this is detestable to the Lord.. A person who is detestable is someone abominable, practices abominable acts, arouses, or merits intense dislike. Imagine yourself then arousing intense dislike from someone who is so amazingly tolerant, powerful and loves us as God does? Remember that our God is a very consuming and jealous God, that is, in the sense that as our Maker, He expects exclusive devotion to Him (and Him only) from His creation. Think of your position as a parent to your children: wouldnt you be jealous if your children would worship and venerate any other person other than you, their biological parent? Come on....be honest! God is Holy. Sin is very abominable to Him. Mixing His worship with that of idols or other gods, is a very serious indictment on us and He shall not leave unpunished those of us guilty of spiritual adultery. We live in an environment where human traditions, doctrines and philosophies relentlessly take precedence over Gods statutes. The apostle Paul foresaw this unfortunate occurrence taking place in the future. In 2 Timothy 4:3-4, he prophesied: For there is going to come a time when people wont listen to the truth but will go around looking for teachers who will tell them just what they want to hear... We see this taking place now at a perplexing rate. People tear into shreds teachings of the Bible, introducing a counterfeit gospel, which is very different from that taught by Christ. We unabashedly embrace the counterfeit - and introducing teachings in schools that contradict biblical teachings is the greatest travesty. We do not listen to what the Word of God commands us to teach, but we blithely follow our own misguided doctrines. Christ commissioned His disciples to, Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Take note of my emphasis, that He implored those who profess to be His disciples to, teach them to obey everything I have commanded you... Finally, it is prudent of me to caution leaders like the Honourable MP, about the imminent reality that we need to be very cognisant of the fact that we shall ALL stand before the Judgement Seat of God (an inevitable appointment), and that we will not be judged on precepts based on secular world laws, or national constitutions, but on the commandments of god....Shalom! SHOTLIST MINSK, BELARUSSEPTEMBER 19, 2020SOURCE: RFE/RLRESTRICTIONS: NO RESALEATTENTION: MANDATORY ON SCREEN CREDIT : "Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty" 1. Tracking shot police detaining woman2. Tracking shot prominent activist Nina Baginskaya being detained3. Zoom in Nina Baginskaya going into police van MINSK, BELARUSSEPTEMBER 11, 2020SOURCE: TUT.BYRESTRICTIONS: NO RESALE 4. Tracking shot elderly opposition activist Nina Baginskaya kicking a police van, kicking a masked policeman, shouting and insulting the policemen5. Mid shot Nina Baginskaya insulting the masked policemen, calling one of them a 'bitch' MINSK, BELARUSAUGUST 29, 2020SOURCE: ONLINER.BYRESTRICTIONS: NO RESALE 6. Extreme wide shot Nina Baginskaya marching among moving police vans, carrying a white-red-white flag7. Pan left Nina Baginskaya marching with another female protester, carrying a white-red-white flag, a masked plainclothes policeman following MINSK, BELARUSAUGUST 26, 2020SOURCE: AFPTV 8. Extreme wide shot riot police taking a white-red-white flag from Nina Baginskaya9. Wide shot Nina Baginskaya trying to retrieve the flag taken by the police, shouting: "Give me my flag!"10. Tracking shot Nina Baginskaya trying to retrieve the flag taken by the police, shouting repeatedly: "Give me my flag!" MINSK, BELARUSAUGUST 29, 2020SOURCE: ONLINER.BYRESTRICTIONS: NO RESALE 11. Wide shot Nina Baginskaya posing for pictures with young female protesters who recognise her12. Close-up Nina Baginskaya smiling, turning her back, carrying the white-red-white flag MINSK, BELARUSSEPTEMBER 1, 2020SOURCE: ONLINER.BYRESTRICTIONS: NO RESALE 13. Tilt up Nina Baginskaya carrying the white-red-white flag ///-----------------------------------------------------------AFP TEXT STORY: FOCUSBelarus great-grandmother protest star defies police =(Video+Picture)= Minsk, Sept 19, 2020 (AFP) - At 73, Nina Baginskaya is one of Belarus's most prominent veteran activists, facing regular detention by police as she marches in support of the opposition.The small, sprightly great-grandmother is frequently at the frontline of anti-government protests and altercations with masked riot police who tower over her.On Saturday, police detained her as she took part in a "Shiny March" where women protested in sparkling accessories, demanding an end to President Alexander Lukashenko's 26-year rule.They took away the flag and bunch of flowers she was carrying and pushed her into a van as the petite activist with cropped grey hair and glasses shouted angrily.She was released shortly afterwards. - 'I couldn't not go' - Since huge protests broke out in Belarus over Lukashenko's disputed re-election last month, Baginskaya has resisted arrest, sparred with riot police and stood in front of a police van to block its path.Parading through the streets of the capital Minsk carrying the opposition's white-and-red flag, Baginskaya has become one of the protest movement's most famous symbols."I couldn't not go," she told Nasha Niva newspaper shortly before her detention on Saturday. "How could I just sit there? How could I sleep easily?"In August, a video of the activist pushing past two masked riot policemen with a flag in her hand went viral on social media."I am going for a walk," she defiantly told two policemen towering over her.At a protest this month, she tore off the black balaclava of a security agent to reveal his face, as he was wearing a uniform without a name badge or identifying insignia.A mother-of-two, Baginskaya lives with her son, granddaughter and great-grandson.She sews her protest flags herself, and has become a Belarusian celebrity, with strangers often thanking her and protesters greeting her with chants of "Nina! Nina!" - 'It's my duty' - Tens of thousands of Belarusians have flooded the streets of Minsk and other cities after Lukashenko, who has ruled the ex-Soviet state for 26 years, claimed re-election with 80 percent on August 9.His opposition rival Svetlana Tikhanovskaya also claimed the victory.Lukashenko has refused to step down and turned to Russian President Vladimir Putin for support. His security forces have detained thousands of protesters, many of whom have accused police of beatings and torture. Several people have died in the crackdown.Baginskaya studied geology at the National Oil and Gas University in the western Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk.She became politically active in the twilight years of the Soviet Union, attending her first protest rally in Belarus in 1988 against Soviet rule.A self-described nationalist promoting the use of the Belarusian language, she was fired from her job at a state research centre after Lukashenko came to power in 1994.The Belarusian opposition has traditionally called for greater use of the national language in order to create a stronger sense of identity. Russian, though, is more widely spoken and used by state media.Baginskaya has paid a heavy price since for her activism.She has been arrested many times and spent nights in jail, and half of her tiny monthly pension goes towards paying off thousands of dollars worth of fines she has received over the years.In 2016, court bailiffs seized her microwave and washing machine and later put her two dachas, or country cottages, on sale."I can't say I get a kick out of diving in head-first," Baginskaya said in a 2018 interview with Belsat, a Warsaw-based opposition television channel. "It's my duty. I'm not an animal who just eats and doesn't think about future generations."The elderly woman encourages the young to keep protesting and says she herself will demonstrate for as long as she can."As long as I've got a healthy mind and no Alzheimer's, I'll be coming out with a flag," she told kyky.org, a local news site. bur-pop-as/am/mbx ------------------------------------------------------------- Imperial Valley News Center Two Alleged Hackers Charged with Defacing Websites Following Killing of Qasem Soleimani Boston, Massachusetts - Two alleged computer hackers were indicted in the District of Massachusetts on charges of damaging multiple websites across the United States as retaliation for United States military action in January 2020 that killed Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization. Behzad Mohammadzadeh (a/k/a Mrb3hz4d), believed to be approximately 19 years old and a national of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Marwan Abusrour (a/k/a Mrwn007), believed to be approximately 25 years old and a stateless national of the Palestinian Authority, were charged in an indictment unsealed today on one count of conspiring to commit intentional damage to a protected computer and one count of intentionally damaging a protected computer. The defendants are believed to be living in Iran and the Palestinian Authority and are wanted by United States authorities. The hackers victimized innocent third parties in a campaign to retaliate for the military action that killed Soleimani, a man behind countless acts of terror against Americans and others that the Iranian regime opposed, said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. Their misguided, illegal actions in support of a rogue, destabilizing regime will come back to haunt them, as they are now fugitives from justice. Foreign hackers are a persistent commercial and national security threat to the United States, said United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling. Working with our law enforcement partners worldwide, we will aggressively pursue, prosecute and apprehend those who use the internet to attack American interests. These hackers are accused of orchestrating a brazen cyber-assault that defaced scores of websites across the country as a way of protesting and retaliating against the United States for killing the leader of a foreign terrorist organization. Now, they are wanted by the FBI and are no longer free to travel outside Iran or Palestine without risk of arrest, said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. Todays indictment should send a powerful message that we will not hesitate to go after anyone who commits malicious cyber intrusions against innocent Americans in order to cause chaos, fear, and economic harm. According to the indictment, Mohammadzadeh has publicly claimed to have personally defaced more than 1,100 websites around the world with pro-Iranian and pro-hacker messages, which he began in 2018 and continues through the present day. Abusrour is a self-described spammer (sender of unsolicited emails for profit), carder (illicit trader in stolen credit cards) and black hat hacker (a hacker who violates computer security for personal gain or maliciousness) who has publicly claimed to have defaced at least 337 websites around the world, which he began no later than June 6, 2016, and continued through at least July 2020. The defendants allegedly started working together on or about December 26, 2019, when Abusrour began providing Mahammadzadeh with access to compromised websites. On or about January 2, 2020, the U.S. Department of Defense issued a statement that the United States military had taken decisive defensive action to protect U.S. personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. The statement explained that the strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans and described briefly General Soleimanis past actions and future plans. The United States responsibility for General Soleimanis death was widely publicized. Following this statement, and in retaliation for it, Mohammadzadeh allegedly transmitted computer code to approximately 51 websites hosted in the United States, and defaced those websites by replacing their content with pictures of the late General Soleimani against a background of the Iranian flag along with the message, in English, Down with America, and other text. Some of the websites defaced were hosted on computers owned by a company with corporate headquarters in Massachusetts. No later than January 7, 2020, Abusrour provided Mohammadzadeh with access to at least seven websites, which they defaced with a similar image and text. The defendants took credit online for their website defacements. The charge of conspiring to commit intentional damage to a protected computer provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gain or loss, whichever is greatest. The charge of intentionally damaging a protected computer provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gain or loss, whichever is greatest. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers; United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division made this announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott L. Garland, Deputy Chief of Lellings National Security Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. DAddio of Lellings Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit are prosecuting this case with the assistance of Cyber Counsel Ali Ahmad of the National Security Divisions Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. FILE PHOTO: Philippine central bank governor Benjamin Diokno. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) By Siegfrid Alegado Philippine central bank Governor Benjamin Diokno said the technology behind digital tokens could improve delivery of financial services, as the regulator proceeds to study the feasibility of its own digital currency. Digital tokens expand reach and lessen costs of financial services, Diokno said in an emailed reply to Bloomberg late Thursday. It could also help the central bank eventually reduce the use of fiat money, he said. The Philippines study of a central bank-backed digital currency includes a comprehensive discussion on issues such as price stability and legal hurdles, Diokno said, as monetary authorities in the EU and China consider their own digital currencies. The central bank will also assess the impact on the existing domestic digital-token market and the broader financial system, he said. The Philippines adopted an open and flexible regulation of digital tokens early, paving the way for relatively wider use and trading of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. There are 16 licensed digital currency exchanges operating in the country, according to the central bank. Bank of Thailand is testing its digital currency system with local companies and wants the big ones to eventually adopt the technology, Governor Veerathai Santiprabhob said at a fintech fair in Bangkok on Friday. The Thai authority has tested the system with local lenders and has made some cross-border transfers with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Veerathai said. While theres no formal agreement with other authorities to collaborate on central bank-backed digital currencies, Diokno said this will be a continuing process of knowledge-sharing and close communication. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. US President Donald Trump said on Saturday he supported a deal in principle that would allow TikTok to continue to operate in the United States, even as it appeared to conflict with his earlier order for China's ByteDance to divest the video app. ByteDance was racing to avoid a crackdown on TikTok after the US Commerce Department said on Friday it would block new downloads and updates to the app come Sunday. US officials had expressed concern that the personal data of as many as 100 million Americans that use the app was being passed on to China's Communist Party ... D. James Kennedy Ministries Statement on Death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg NEWS PROVIDED BY D. James Kennedy Ministries Sept. 20, 2020 FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept. 20, 2020 /Christian Newswire/ -- D. James Kennedy Ministries offers its condolences and prayers to the family and friends of Ruth Bader Ginsburg who grieve at her death and their loss. Justice Ginsburg was an American original and an extraordinarily accomplished woman. Her generous and kind character is testified to by her warm friendship with former Justice Antonin Scalia--someone whose judicial philosophy differed sharply from her own. Ginsburg's death at age 87 after more than 27 years on the U.S. Supreme Court creates a High Court vacancy which the President must fill. But at this time we extend sympathy to family and friends who mourn her loss. D. James Kennedy Ministries is a media ministry whose television programs, Truths That Transform and The Coral Ridge Hour, air nationwide. It actively communicates the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the supremacy of His Lordship, and a Biblically informed view of the world. SOURCE D. James Kennedy Ministries CONTACT: John Aman, j.aman@DJKM.org Related Links DJKM.org India has already established air bubble agreements with 13 countries, while more such agreements are on the pipeline. The civil aviation ministry has released a detailed guideline on who can travel to these countries from India along with the criteria for travelling to India from these countries. 1. Afghanistan From India to Afghanistan i. Afghanistan nationals/residents and foreign nationals holding valid Afghanistan visas, if required; and ii. Any Indian national, holding any type of valid visa from Afghanistan and destined for Afghanistan only. It would be for the airlines concerned to ensure that there is no travel restriction for Indian nationals to enter Afghanistan with the particular visa category before issue of ticket/ boarding pass to the Indian passenger, the ministrys document said. From Afghanistan to India i. Indian nationals stranded in Afghanistan; ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding Afghanistan passports iii. Foreigners (including diplomats) holding valid visa issued by an Indian Mission in any category covered under Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines dated June 30 as amended from time to time, the document said. 2. Bahrain From India to Bahrain i. Bahraini nationals/residents ii. Any Indian national holding any type of valid visa from the Kingdom of Bahrain and destined for Bahrain only. It would be for the airlines concerned to ensure that there is no travel restriction for Indian nationals to enter Bahrain with the particular visa category before issue of ticket/ boarding pass to the Indian passenger. From Bahrain to India i. Indian nationals stranded in Bahrain ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding Bahraini passports; and iii. Bahraini nationals (including diplomats) holding valid visa issued by an Indian Mission in any category covered under Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines. 3. Canada From India to Canada i. Stranded Canadian nationals/residents and foreigners with valid Canadian visa eligible to enter Canada; ii. Indian nationals with valid visas eligible to enter Canada. The airlines concerned will ensure that there is no travel restriction for Indian nationals. iii. Seamen of foreign nationalities, seamen holding Indian passports would be allowed subject to clearance from the ministry of shipping From Canada to India i. Stranded Indian nationals ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding Canadian passports; and iii. Foreigners (including diplomats), who are eligible to enter India as per MHA guidelines 4. France From India to France i. Indian nationals who are permitted to travel abroad as per MHA guidelines dated 01.07.2020 and destined for EU; ii. Stranded EU nationals/residents, foreign nationals destined for Europe and transiting through France or spouses of these persons, whether accompanying or otherwise; and iii. Seamen of foreign nationalities; Seamen holding Indian passports would be allowed subject to clearance from the Ministry of Shipping. From France to India i. Stranded Indian nationals; ii. Foreigners (including diplomats and OCI card holders), who are eligible to enter India as per Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines . 5. Germany From India to Germany i. Indian nationals who are permitted to travel abroad as per MHA guidelines dated 01.07.2020 and destined for EU; ii. Stranded EU nationals/residents, foreign nationals destined for Europe and transiting through Germany or spouses of these persons, whether accompanying or otherwise; and iii. Seamen of foreign nationalities; Seamen holding Indian passports would be allowed subject to clearance from the Ministry of Shipping. From Germany to India i. Stranded Indian nationals; ii. Foreigners (including diplomats and OCI card holders), who are eligible to enter India as per Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines. 6. Iraq From India to Iraq i. Nationals/residents of Iraq; ii. Any Indian national holding any type of valid visa from Iraq and destined for Iraq only. From Iraq to India i. Indian nationals stranded in Iraq; ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding passports of Iraq; and iii. Nationals of Iraq (including diplomats), holding valid visa issued by an Indian Mission in any category covered under (MHA) guidelines. 7. Japan From India to Japan i. Stranded nationals/residents of Japan and foreign nationals holding valid Japanese visas subject to the border measures and travel restrictions imposed by the government of Japan at the time of travel; and ii. Any Indian national holding any type of valid visa from Japan subject to the border measures and travel restrictions imposed by the government of Japan at the time of travel. From Japan to India i. Stranded Indian nationals; ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding passports of Japan; and iii. Foreigners (including diplomats), holding valid visa issued by an Indian Mission in any category covered under MHA guidelines. 8. Maldives From India to Maldives i. Maldivian nationals/residents and foreign nationals holding valid Maldivian visas, if required; ii. Any Indian national. From Maldives to India i. Indian nationals ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding Maldivian passports, and iii. Foreigners (including diplomats) holding valid visa issued by an Indian Mission in any category covered under MHA guidelines. Nigeria From India to Nigeria i. Stranded Nigerian nationals/residents, foreign nationals destined for Africa and transiting through Nigeria or spouses of these persons, whether accompanying or otherwise; ii. Any Indian national holding any type of valid Nigerian visa and destined for any country in Africa. iii. Seamen of foreign nationalities; Seamen holding Indian passports would be allowed subject to clearance from the Ministry of Shipping. From Nigeria to India i. Indian nationals stranded in any country in Africa; ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding Nigerian passports; iii. Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding passports issued by any country in Africa who are eligible to enter India as per MHA guidelines. iv. Foreigners (including diplomats) holding valid visa issued by an Indian Mission in any category covered under MHA guidelines 10. Qatar From India to Qatar i. Qatari nationals ii. Any Indian national holding any type of valid Qatar visa and destined for Qatar only. From Qatar to India i. Indian nationals stranded in Qatar; ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding Qatari passports, and iii. Qatari nationals (including diplomats) holding valid visa issued by an Indian Mission in any category covered under MHA guidelines. United Arab Emirates (UAE) From India to UAE i. UAE nationals. ii. ICA-approved UAE residents destined for UAE only. iii. Any Indian national holding any type of valid UAE visa and destined for UAE only. From UAE to India i. Stranded Indian nationals ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding UAE passports; and iii. UAE nationals (including diplomats) holding valid visa issued by an Indian Mission in any category covered under MHA guidelines United Kingdom (UK) From India to UK i. Stranded UK nationals/residents, foreign nationals transiting through UK or spouses of these persons, whether accompanying or otherwise. ii. Any Indian national holding any type of valid UK visa and destined for UK only. iii. Seamen of foreign nationalities; Seamen holding Indian passports would be allowed subject to clearance from the Ministry of Shipping. From UK to India i. Stranded Indian nationals ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding UK passports; and iii. Foreigners (including diplomats), who are eligible to enter India. United States of America (USA) From India to USA i. US citizens, legal permanent residents, and foreign nationals holding valid US visas; ii. Any Indian national holding any type of valid US visa. iii. Seamen of foreign nationalities; Seamen holding Indian passports would be allowed subject to clearance from the Ministry of Shipping From USA to India i. Stranded Indian nationals ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding US passports; and iii. Foreigners (including diplomats), who are eligible to enter India. As a practising physician and father of two children, I find Premier Doug Fords plan for returning to school short-sighted, underfunded and completely unrealistic. The premise of a safe return to school during a pandemic rests in our ability to identify positive COVID-19 cases, isolate them and protect our schools and communities. Unfortunately, our childrens smallest sniffle, cough or sore throat will now require a visit to a testing centre. Yet, in Ottawa where I live and practice, these centres have become overrun with anxious parents whose children are unable to return to school without a test result. Hundreds of parents have resorted to waiting outside in the cold and rain for periods of over six hours before being permitted entry into a testing centre. Many times, they are turned away due to a lack of staffing and testing capacity. Having to return the next day, or the day after that in the hope of receiving a test, only to wait another 2-3 days before a result is finally made available. The government has had months to prepare for this scenario. This is unacceptable. Premier Ford is sitting on $3 billion in reserve funding, which was transferred from the federal government, to respond to the pandemic. It is about time those adequate resources are poured into increasing testing capacity and enabling a safe return to school and work for all. Lukasz Bartosik M.D., Ottawa Read more about: A letter containing the deadly poison ricin that was mailed to the White House may have originated in Canada, Canadian law enforcement has said. Canadian authorities are working with their US counterparts on the investigation. The material was addressed to US President Donald Trump. The envelope was intercepted at a government facility that screens mail addressed to the White House and Trump, a US official said. A preliminary investigation indicated it tested positive for ricin, a poison found naturally in castor beans, the official said. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is cooperating in this investigation with US authorities, the media outlet Global News reported. It quoted a spokesperson for RCMP as saying that initial information from the investigation suggests that the letter originated in Canada. The identity of the sender has not been revealed as yet. A spokesperson for Bill Blair, Canadas minister for public safety and emergency preparedness, also confirmed that there were concerning reports of packages containing ricin directed toward US federal government sites. Investigators in both countries are working closely on the matter, the spokesperson added. This is not the first time that the deadly poison was sent to US presidents or top American officials. A US Navy veteran was arrested in 2018 and confessed to sending envelopes to Trump and members of his administration that contained the substance from which ricin is derived. Authorities said at the time that William Clyde Allen III sent the envelopes with ground castor beans to the president, FBI Director Christopher Wray, along with then-defence secretary Jim Mattis, then-CIA director Gina Haspel, top naval officer Adm John Richardson and then-Air Force secretary Heather Wilson. The letters were intercepted, and no one was hurt. In 2014, a Mississippi man was sentenced to 25 years in prison after sending letters dusted with ricin to President Barack Obama and other officials. (With inputs from Agencies) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON What do you want to see in a new superintendent? Please explain where you think previous superintendents have succeeded and failed. Lastly, to what lengths would you go to make sure the right person is brought to Midland (salary, guaranteed number of years, etc.)? Searching for a superintendent within our surrounding areas is something that I feel would be a great asset to the district. Our previous superintendent failed in making a lasting commitment to Midland and that did not allow him to dedicate himself to the task of changing our schools for the better. Seeking out a superintendent from Midland, or from the surrounding area, would immediately get us a leader that is familiar with our district, and understand just what it needs to thrive. A superintendent from the area would guarantee a person that can see the value of improving our schools and have the heart and dedication to achieve it. Our district needs a superintendent that will hold all the administration across our district accountable, which our previous superintendent was not successful at accomplishing. It is important that we have a leader that can focus on getting our academics headed in a direction that our community can be proud of. We can no longer allow our superintendent to make excuses for failing schools. Our district would benefit from a superintendent willing to engage with our teachers and parents of our community. Our superintendent should welcome open communication from community members, which was not a characteristic of our previous leadership. As a school board trustee, I would ensure that my focus would be to make it a priority to find the right person to lead our district. Leadership can make or break an organization, and having the right person can point our district toward success. Having a leader that supports our teachers would allow our teachers to support our students. I think ensuring that the salary our superintendent receives is competitive to other districts our size is important. An agreed, fair amount of time should be set to see the changes in our district that are written out in the new leaderships list of goals. We need to have goals for our superintendent and see that those are met in a reasonable amount of time. We want to see our district be one of the best districts in Texas, one that other districts can look toward as a model district. We can no longer make our goals easier and easier every year in hopes that our superintendent meets them, we need to increase our expectations and ensure that our leaders meet them. One thing I stand firm in is that all our board members, current and future, need to listen to community input. Please feel free to contact me at Michael Booker MISD School Board District 1 on Facebook or michaelbooker0802@gmail.com. Holiday camp operator Butlin's is yet to tell up to 1,000 furloughed staff if they will keep their jobs when the scheme ends in October. The firm is currently operating at half of its usual capacity and hasn't made a decision about workers on the government's Job Retention Scheme. A document sent to staff suggests employees will either take paid holiday - if they have any remaining - or unpaid leave if not, the BBC reported. Butlin's is currently operating at half of its usual capacity and hasn't made a decision about workers on the government's Job Retention Scheme The furlough scheme is due to end on October 31 and the Government has ruled out any plans to extend it, while Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said he is 'open to creative ideas' History of Butlin's: Billy Butlin opens first site in Skegness in 1936 Billy Butlin opened Butlin's first site in Skegness on 11 April 1936, which doubled in size in its first year. Two years later, a second camp opened in Clacton-on-Sea in Essex. Mr Butlin handed over his two camps to help with the war efforts in the 1940s, with Clacton becoming an army camp and Skegness HMS Royal Arthur. He also had sites at Ayr, Pwllheli and Filey. He bought all the sites back after the war and opened indoor heated pools in the 1950s. In the 1970s, people started holidaying abroad more frequently, losing the specialness of the British seaside. 'Holiday camps' faded and the Butlins sold the business to the Rank Organisation. Mr Butlin died in 1980 and Redcoats lined his funeral procession. Redcoats were brought in after families weren't mingling as Mr Butlin hoped in the first week. He ordered Norman Bradford, a senior engineer, to engage with the crowd and then go to buy a distinctive blazer. Mr Butlin decided red portrayed the cheerful holiday atmosphere he wanted. The Redcoats were born by the end of his first week in business. Advertisement Before the furlough scheme was announced, Butlin's said 10,000 jobs were at risk with seasonal workers at risk of being laid off if it didn't get enough state aid to pay their wages. Butlin's has 6,000 employees in total. A Butlins spokesman said: 'Our aim is to get all of our team back to work as soon as we can. 'We are working closely with UK Hospitality and the government to understand the implications of these constantly changing national circumstances, and as a result, we have made no decisions regarding the end of the furlough scheme.' The furlough scheme is due to end on October 31 and the Government has ruled out any plans to extend it, while Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said he is 'open to creative ideas'. Up to 70 per cent of wages are currently covered by the scheme, with bosses paying 10 percent and national insurance and pension contributions. Employers will be required to pay 20 per cent of employees' wages from October 1, while the Government will continue to pay the remaining 60 per cent. Butlin's was opened in 1936, when Billy Butlin bought a plot of land in Skegness to make a British seaside break accessible to all. He wanted families to feel cared for while they were away and built a team - now known as Redcoats - to set the standard for providing brilliant service to guests. Butlin's has three resorts located in the seaside towns of Bognor Regis, Minehead and Skegness. They host entertainment and activities throughout the day to keep the whole family entertained, from workouts to live shows. The Bognor Regis resort in West Sussex borders the South Downs National Park and has three hotels and a new family pool. Minehead is the largest of the three and is on the hilly moors of Exmoor, Somerset while Skegness is next to the Blue Flag sandy beach. With the passing of two landmark agriculture bills in Parliament, we have been able to take the next step towards our vision of transforming farmers into entrepreneurs with higher incomes and better quality of life, cementing Indias position in the global market and ensuring Atmanirbhar (self-reliant) agriculture. Over the last few years, the government has launched initiatives for farmers and the agriculture sector, including a 6,685-crore scheme for the formation of 10,000 farmer producer organisations (FPOs); the one-of-its kind 1 lakh crore Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF); the national Agriculture Export Policy; and the disbursal of more than 90,000 crore of direct benefit to farmers under PM-KISAN. Now, with The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion & Facilitation) Act 2020 and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act 2020, we have created the foundation to build a world-class agriculture ecosystem that will benefit farmers, consumers, wholesalers, processors, and start-ups. There are some who believe that these reforms will result in the end of procurement at minimum support price (MSP), closure of Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs), and loss of farmers land to corporates. I would like to assure that whether it is MSP or APMCs, all existing systems will continue. We have laid down stringent safeguards to secure farmers from any malpractices. The reforms will introduce competition and efficiency and improve these systems, as well as create freedom and choice for farmers. A FPO, which is an aggregation of farmers, provides higher bargaining power to farmers and helps them realise benefits from economies of scale. AIF and the market reforms have now provided additional enablers and opened up new opportunities for FPOs. They can invest in farm equipment and infrastructure and build forward market linkages by entering into agreements with agribusinesses. This will improve access to advisory, technology, and investment, aligning variety mix and quality as per market demand, and ensuring higher incomes. One of the best examples of a successful FPO is Maharashtras Sahyadri Farmers Producer Company Limited. At least 8,000 marginal farmers are registered under FPO, which exports more than 16,000 tonnes of grapes every season. It helps farmers enter into MoUs with leading FMCG companies and access high-tech infrastructure. With improved market linkages, we will also see a shift in what our farmers produce. For a long time now, India has been self-sufficient in many crops, including rice and wheat. An increase in understanding of market demand and trends, through direct engagement with agribusinesses, will enable farmers to grow crops with higher market value and reduce dependency on imports. For example, due to low domestic production, India imports more than $10 billion worth of edible oils. Similarly, we are seeing an increasing demand for healthy foods such as kiwi and avocado in cities; this is primarily served by imports. With reforms, investments can come in and farmers will be able to gather the market intelligence to diversify crop mix, increase domestic productivity to substitute imported crops, and lead India to complete self-sufficiency. The reforms will also provide an opportunity to agribusinesses to build consistent supply and standardised variety by direct procurement from farmers, run their operations more efficiently, and boost export volumes and share of food processing. This will also help eliminate other system inefficiencies such as high intermediary and logistics costs. For example, at least 1,000 seed potato farmers in Punjab, northern Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh have benefited from an increase of 10%-30% in productivity and 35% margin above cost under agreement with Technico Agri Sciences Limited (a subsidiary of ITC). There are thousands of examples of agribusinesses working with farmers leading to higher farmer income and development of agribusinesses. Beyond the investment in traditional agribusinesses, market reforms will drive innovation in the sector and allow new business models to evolve. Different businesses such as farm management services, quality grading and assaying centres, Grade-A warehousing companies, digital marketplaces, are nascent but growing. Innovative business models will attract more investor money and can achieve scale and improve productivity; improvement in post-harvest management will reduce wastage; and digital marketplaces will increase reach and market linkages. Market reforms will also drive private capital formation in the sector and give a boost to the rural economy. Capital formation in agriculture and allied industries has been stagnant with less than 2% CAGR over the last five years and private sector investments are further declining due to gaps in access. With the new market reforms, we will see growth in private sector investment across the value chain. This will create new jobs in allied sectors such as logistics service providers, warehouse operators and processing unit staff. We will also see multi-generational agriculture jobs children of farmworkers can now aspire to become FPO CEOs or managers for procurement and marketing, without having to go to cities for such opportunities. India is at the cusp of a new frontier in agriculture growth and development one that farmers, businesses, government and consumers will build together. Different government initiatives have been leading us down this path, and with the passing of the two Acts, we are now well-poised to make the vision of doubling farmer income, building India as the food basket of the world, and providing livelihoods in the agriculture and allied sectors a reality. Rajnath Singh is defence minister and has served as agriculture minister The views expressed are personal Representative Image (Image Courtesy: Pixabay.com) The COVID-19 pandemic has wiped out all employment gains made in the white-collar space since 2016 in a span of four months, Mahesh Vyas, Managing Director and CEO, Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) said in a blog post. White-collar employment for May-August 2020 was at 12.2 million, the lowest it has been since 2016, CMIE data shows. Year on year (YoY), job losses were at 6.6 million for white-collar workers while industrial workers were the next hardest hit, losing 5 million jobs. This (May-August 2020) is the lowest employment of these professionals since 2016. All the gains made in their employment over the past four years were washed away during the lockdown, Vyas said. Among the white-collar professionals, clerical employees were not hit but desk-workers such as secretaries, office clerks, BPO/KPO workers and data-entry operators saw opportunities diminish. 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 Compared to a year ago, employment among the white-collar professional employees was down by 6.6 million. This was the biggest year-on-year (YoY) loss among all salaried employees, Vyas noted. Follow our LIVE Updates on the coronavirus pandemic here Employment in the space was steady since 2016, with an estimated 12.5 million jobs between January-April 2016. During the job-wave of May-August 2019, employment in the space peaked to 18.8 million and remained almost the same at 18.7 million in September-December 2019, it added. At 18.1 million jobs in January-April 2020, there was a small fall due to partial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was followed by a sharp decline to 12.2 million in May-August 2020. The next worst hit were industrial workers, who in a similar YoY comparison, lost 5 million employees, a 26 percent fall. Data also indicated that jobs loss in large industrial companies contributed only a fraction to the overall loss in industrial workers employment, the blogpost said. Therefore, the decline in employment of industrial workers is likely to be largely in the smaller industrial units which reflects the distress in the medium, small and micro industrial units, it added. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, September 21 2020 The Transportation Ministry has issued safety rules for cyclists as more people have been turning to the environmentally friendly mode of transportation amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Ministerial Regulation No. 59/2020 signed on Aug. 25 stipulates safety requirements to be met by cyclists, such as using a bicycle certified under the Indonesian National Standard (SNI). Bicycles should be equipped with -- among other things fenders, bells, brakes, lights and reflectors. Bicycles commonly used for sport, such as racing bikes and mountain bikes, however, are exempted from the fender requirement. 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 Champaign, IL (61820) Today Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 12F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 12F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Donald Trump has said he will nominate a woman in the coming week to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, pushing the Republican-controlled Senate to consider the pick without delay. Shortly before her death from metastatic pancreatic cancer on Friday, Ginsburg gave a final statement, saying her most fervent wish was that her successor would not be appointed until a new president had been installed following the 2020 election in November, NPR reported. Mr Trumps Democratic rival, Joe Biden, also said any selection should come after the vote in six weeks. But taking to the stage on Saturday night at a rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina to chants of fill that seat, the president said it was his constitutional right to appoint a successor for Ginsburg, adding: I will be putting forth a nominee next week. It will be a woman. He explained the rationale behind the decision is because he likes women much more than men. Ginsburgs death after 27 years on the Supreme Court handed Mr Trump the opportunity to expand its conservative majority to six-three at a time of yawning political divide in America. At stake is a seat held by a justice who was a champion of womens rights and spent her final years on the bench as the unquestioned leader of the courts liberal wing. The president said he did not yet know who he would choose, but under consideration are federal appeals court judges Amy Coney Barrett and Barbara Lagoa both are conservatives. Any nomination would require approval by a simple majority in the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, who sets the calendar and has made judicial appointments his priority, pledged that Mr Trumps nominee would receive a confirmation vote. However, Democrats argue that Mr McConnell should follow the precedent set in 2016 when he refused to consider then-president Barack Obamas nominee months before the election, eventually preventing a vote on Judge Merrick Garland. Presidential nominee Mr Biden, who has promised to nominate a black woman to the high court if given the chance, said: Voters should pick the president and the president should pick the justice to consider. Republican senator Susan Collins of Maine has also broken ranks and said that replacing Ginsburg should be the decision of the president who is elected on 3 November. Three more defections from within the GOP would be needed to stop Mr Trumps nominee from joining the court. Equally, Mr McConnells strategy is risky because it could drive away moderates who prefer to see the Senate stick to norms or are fearful of a right-leaning court stripping away womens rights, including the decision to choose an abortion. If Mr Trump was to name a successor for Ginsburg, it would be the third justice he had nominated for a lifetime appointment on the court during a single presidential term. Additional reporting by agencies The Trump administration unilaterally declared Saturday that international sanctions on Iran, lifted as part of a 2015 nuclear accord, have been reimposed. There's one problem: Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia the other signatories to the deal President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from have no intention of enforcing those sanctions. The United Nations' 15-member Security Council, which endorsed the Iran agreement negotiated by the Obama administration, has concluded the U.S. has no legal standing to enforce the so-called "snapback" sanctions, since it is no longer a party to the nuclear deal. Still, on Saturday evening, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared: "The United States welcomes the return of virtually all previously terminated UN sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran." Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during his weekly briefing at the State Department in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 2, 2020. Pompeo notified the Security Council on Aug. 20 that the U.S. would be triggering the snapback penalties by Sept. 20. And Elliott Abrams, the U.S. special envoy for Iran, told reporters Wednesday the U.S. expects "all U.N. member states to implement their member state responsibilities and respect their obligations to uphold these sanctions." Abrams added: "If other nations do not follow it, I think they should be asked ... whether they do not think they are weakening the structure of U.N. sanctions." The Trump administration says it had to act because an arms embargo on Iran is set to expire in October. Pompeo has warned about the prospect of Iran being able to purchase conventional weapons from Russia or China. Snapping the sanctions back into place would bar Iran from buying such weapons. Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Pompeo said European countries "havent lifted a finger" to restore the arms embargo. "Theyre still wedded to this silly nuclear deal that was signed now five years ago," he said. Richard Goldberg, who worked in the Trump administration on Iran weapons issues until earlier this year, said he expects the president to threaten sanctions against any Russian or Chinese business that facilitate the sale of weapons to Iran, principally defense companies and banks. Story continues "Its a game of chicken using the deterrent power of U.S. financial sanctions to force Moscow and Beijing to alter their behavior, out of fear that sanctions will cost them a lot of money," said Goldberg, who is now a senior adviser with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a nonpartisan think tank that supports a hardline on Iran. Whether it works, he said, will depend on Trump's willingness to enforce those sanctions and extend penalties to other nations that do business with blacklisted Chinese or Russian entities. In his statement on Saturday, he said the U.S. would "announce a range of additional measures to strengthen implementation of UN sanctions and hold violators accountable." Russia and China fiercely oppose reimposing sanctions on Iran, as do other Security Council members. France, Germany and other U.S. allies have tried to salvage the Iran nuclear deal, despite the U.S. withdrawal. Critics say Trump lost his leverage to expand the nuclear agreement when he withdrew from it and Iran wants to proceed with the original deal, not a new one. "The Trump Administration talked a big game but has produced no results," Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said when the administration announced its plans to force the sanctions snapback. The latest move, he said, "is the ultimate admission of failure." Ever since the Trump administration exited the nuclear deal in 2018, Iran has stayed in the agreement while loosening its adherence to the accord by accelerating uranium enrichment. Iran's leaders maintain they are only interested in nuclear material for civilian purposes, an assertion many question. In addition to the arms embargo, the U.N. sanctions the U.S. is seeking to reimpose would include a total ban on uranium enrichment as well as a complete prohibition on Iran's missile activity. The Security Council rejected a prior U.S. effort to extend the arms embargo, although it did get backing from one country: the Dominican Republic one of 10 current non-permanent members of the Security Council. Israel and some Arab states who signed U.S.-brokered "normalization" accords covering their relations, also support American efforts to slap the additional U.N. sanctions on Iran. "The Security Councils inaction would have paved the way for Iran to buy all manner of conventional weapons on Oct. 18," Pompeo said Saturday. "Fortunately for the world, the United States took responsible action to stop this from happening," he said. "The return of sanctions today is a step toward international peace and security." Others said it was a recipe for heightened confrontation. In an analysis for the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, Iran expert Trita Parsi said that with less than seven weeks to go until the U.S. presidential elections, Trump could be "preparing the ground for an 'October Surprise' a confrontation with Iran that will be cast as both defensive and lawful." Parsi implied that starting a war with Iran could be a tactic Trump attempts to use to help him win the election. He said Pompeo has signaled he will "enforce the non-existent U.N. sanctions," which could see "U.S. warships attacking and confiscating Iranian cargo ships in international waters as well as non-Iranian vessels suspected of carrying Iranian goods." However, Trump has said he does not want a war with Iran. He has repeatedly sought negotiations with Tehran's leaders for what he says would be a better agreement, restricting not only Iran's nuclear ambitions but also its ballistic missile program and its support for terrorist proxy groups in the Middle East. The objective is "not a military confrontation. Its to bring Iran to the negotiating table and have a genuine conversation about how we can change Irans behavior," Timothy Lenderking, Trumps deputy assistant secretary for Arabian Gulf Affairs, told reporters on Thursday. The Trump administration's declaration comes as the United Nations prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversary at a General Assembly forum Tuesday when Trump is expected to address the issue of Iran in a speech to the coronavirus-restricted event. Normalization: Israel signs accords with UAE and Bahrain at White House ceremony This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US says international sanctions on Iran are back; other nations say no The Russian government on September 20 announced the resumption of international flights from four countries as a step forward to ease the COVID-19 restrictions. People from Belarus, South Korea, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan will now be allowed to visit the country without any limitations, as per a statement issued in the Russian cabinet. Read: Russia Records Over 6,000 New COVID-19 Cases In 24hrs Inching Close To 1.1 Million Mark "For citizens of four more countries - Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and South Korea - restrictions on entry to Russia, which were imposed due to the spread of the coronavirus disease, are lifted. This measure was approved by the government," a cabinet statement read. Read: Russia Hopes No Visa Issues Trouble Diplomats Headed To United States For 75th UNGA Meet According to reports, the flight from Capital cities of Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Kyrgyzstan will be resuming from September 21, while the citizens of South Korea will be allowed to take flights to Russia from September 27 onwards. One flight a week will operate from Nur-Sultan, Minsk, Bishkek, and Seoul from the aforementioned dates. As per reports, Russian citizens will also be allowed to visit these countries from Monday onwards. The decision to lift these curbs were reportedly decided at a meeting of the Russian coronavirus response centre of September 18. Read: 'Govt Talking To Russia For Advancing Vaccine To India', Health Ministry Informs Lok Sabha COVID in Russia According to data from Johns Hopkins University, Russia is currently the fourth most affected nation in the world after the United States, India, and Brazil. The country has so far registered over 1 million confirmed cases and more than 19,000 deaths. The country has been continuously recording more than 1,000 cases for the past several months. Moscow is the hardest-hit region in the former Soviet Union. Read: COVID-19: 22 Stable Mutated Strains Identified Worldwide, Says Russia's Health Watchdog (Image Credit: AP) Ali Pastorini is the co-owner of Del Lima Jewelry and President of Mujeres Brillantes, an association which brings together more than 1,000 women working in the gold and diamond trading sector, mainly from Latin America, as well as from Turkey, Spain, Italy, and Germany. The mission of Mujeres Brillantes is to help women in the jewelry and watchmaking sectors consolidate their business in order to exchange professional skills and experience. In the immediate past, Ali Pastorini was also Senior Vice President of the World Jewelry Hub in Panama. In this interview with Rough & Polished she tells about the situation in the jewelry industry in the context of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. How does Del Lima Jewelry feel about the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic? In our case, I believe it helped a lot our speed in understanding and reacting to what was happening. We cut expenses where we could cut, without affecting the functionality and service to our customers. In this way, we were also able to keep with our employees. We had the humility to learn from our mistakes in the past and today everything that we plan to do its with the awareness that the project can go right or wrong, what will make the difference its how fast we react to both scenarios. An interesting thing happened at Del Lima, is that our customers who are used to purchase high luxury pieces still have the same "appetite" to buy these pieces, while the younger consumers who used buy more affordable pieces ,were the ones that most reduced consumption or even did not buy any piece during the pandemic. These consumers are more afraid of the future and consequently chose not to buy. In terms of sales and numbers, Del Lima was not strongly affected, but what will change is our behavior in the current situation. We learned that before we used the virtual as a complement to the physical. Today we understand that the digital will become the protagonist, will not completely replace the physical, but will play a fundamental role in the growth of sales. And the faster a brand understands this, the more it will take advantage to get many customers who are buying during this quarantine. As a co-owner of a jewelry company, please tell us what unsatisfied consumer demand looks like after two or three months of isolation. This surprises me, because at the beginning of the pandemic I believed, I even spoke in an interview about it, that people would considerably decrease their purchasing power due to the new reality. But months later, what we at Del Lima are seeing is greater loyalty to the values of our brand, and consequently a good demand in pieces with precious stones such as diamonds. I believe it was a mixture of behavior, from the need for people to want to consume since they were being forced to stay at home, along with how Del Lima behaved by practicing positive marketing from the beginning. There was a quarantine period where the number of deaths was growing very fast around the world, and we chose not to post anything on our social medias or even communicate with our customers about the brand. I think that decisions like this have gained empathy with our customers and greater loyalty. However, as I said before, younger consumers or those consumers looking for more affordable collections (before Covid19) were the ones who reduced the amount of purchase and in some cases there was no purchase. But we realized that they continue to interact with us, which shows that they also approved the brand's behavior during the Pandemic not presenting ourselves with futility and lack of empathy at the moment that we are going through. We realize that when these consumers are able to go back to consuming, they will look for us because they like to know that they are using a unique product from a brand that respects their moment and the society. What advice could you give to industry businesses on how to overcome the crisis with the least losses and maintain their competitiveness? Do not think that things have not changed. Be humble to cut costs, but do not cut all costs where it affects the quality of your services. Be transparent with your employees about your current situation. Do not make promises this year because we still do not know what exactly will happen in these next months. Look for or reinforce your partnerships and collaborations. It is better for you to earn less than to earn nothing and leave the market. I have always said, with or without crisis, collaboration and partnership contributes to many things within a brand, from reducing expenses to reaching new customers and expanding the brand. Our sector still has an individualistic thinking, I believe when we allow ourselves to look at the scenario in a broader way it facilitates the keep relevant in the market, even in the crisis. Are consumers still attracted to diamond jewelry? More than ever! This behavior on the part of the jewelry consumer also surprised me because I believed that this desire and demand would decrease somewhat during the quarantine and the consumer would buy pieces with less diamonds. But the opposite occurred, I believe that this behavior is due to how the future is still uncertain, the consumer when purchasing a product wants something that will pass somehow security and stability in the future. Gold and diamonds convey this message of solidity and stability, I believe that this made the difference on the customer's decision when buying a diamond jewelry. Talking to colleagues in the industry, I realized that, like my brand, the majority who work with diamond jewelry suffered less losses than jewelry with other material or precious stones. Sales of raw diamonds in recent months are still very low. Do you share the view that opening borders is required to resume trading at a more normal level? Can Russia's recently registered Sputnik V vaccine, which Brazil has already shown interest in, speed up this process? Undoubtedly, opening borders and allowing travel to return to normal will increase and facilitate business between countries. In addition, tourism increases, which contributes to the increase in the consumption of products, mainly luxury products, since people usually buy this type of product when they are traveling instead of buying locally. But we also have to understand that while people are anxious to get back to their normal routine, travel and do business, they are still afraid of this virus and consequently prefer to wait for the vaccine. I think that any vaccine, as long as it follows the proper steps and research before being applied to humans, will be welcome. What we cannot do is in a hurry to find the antidote, to make hasty and irresponsible decisions because we are anxious to return to our normal routine. We have to understand that this virus has affected the lives of many people economically, and consequently the trade and industries around the world. I, as a business owner, know how much this months' stoppage will seriously affect the economy of many countries, but that does not mean that we have to hurry and make decisions that could make the situation worse. The vaccine, whatever country it comes from, needs to be well tested so as not to run the risk of not being effective and in a few months we are all in social isolation again. How do you think prices on the diamond market can be supported in the medium and long term? I am seeing a movement of new platforms looking for solutions to this theme. In fact, on the Business Talk platform I conducted during the quarantine through my Instagram @ali_pastorini, debates with the creators of some of these platforms. I think that at a time like this, common sense on all sides is the most appropriate. I do not know if in practice those who read this interview will become aware that all sides should give in a little, but I hope that perhaps due to the atypical moment we are experiencing, there is this awareness of negotiating and understanding the other side. If companies do not see this, they will gradually lose their customers, because due to the emergence of new companies offering other business possibilities and for more competitive prices, I think that the company that insists on doing business as it did before Covid19 will lose not only medium or long term, but also permanent. Can we expect further growth in online sales of diamonds and jewelry? For sure! It is good to understand that digital sales are here to stay, before Covid19 we could question when all companies would go digital and be in the virtual world. Now that debate has changed, we are talking about a reality that is already present and that will increase and be part in the consumer's life. As I said earlier, I don't think that digital will completely replace the physical, because people will still want to see each other, will want to visit your store, will want to touch the jewelry before buying, and will want to receive a special service that a store offers, so it is a fact that it will not replace, but it will have an important role in the interaction with your client, relationship building, post sales communication and simultaneous launch in several countries. It will also contribute to the purchase of different products at the same time and even in the way of ordering something more special. So I say, that although it does not replace and does not have the magic that a physical experience provides, it does not mean that it should be ignored and less invested, after all it will be your "door of introduction" to new customers and build their loyalty with your brand. Consequently in numbers this will lead to an increase in online sales because the customer will create confidence in purchasing offline or online of your product, in other words, your list of customers will increase when you allow your brand be in both channels. I don't see this theme as a reason for jewelers to be afraid, I see this theme as a great opportunity to get more customers and sell more. COVID-19 probably affected MUBRI's agenda as well. What are your plans for the near future? We adapted the World Meeting this year to virtual. Every year we celebrate the World Meeting in some country, this year when we realized that things would not return to normal anytime soon we decided to perform virtually. It will take place on October 02nd , 03rd, 04th with webinars with the best professionals in the sector from the most diverse countries, and in parallel to this there will be a virtual exhibition with 75 brands of the Association from countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Despite the challenges, with this decision we noticed an increase of the registration of jewelers in the Association, which before in the Annual Meetings we took 40 jewelers to the Meeting, now we will be with the majority of our members participating. So I see the balance with this more positive than negative. Alex Shishlo for Rough&Polished New images from data provided by the Cassini spacecraft provide evidence that Saturn's moon Enceladus has been resurfaced with ice from the interior. Composite images were reconstructed using the NASA spacecraft's monitoring data - gathered over 13 years of exploring Saturn and its moons - to map out the geologic activity on the icy satellite Enceladus. Years of Cassini Data The infrared mapping of the icy Saturn moon was taken through the Cassini Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS). This instrument collected the light that bounces off Saturn, its ring systems, and its ten major moons. The collected light includes those that are most visible to the human eye, as well as its infrared emissions. VINS, onboard the Cassini, then sorts the light gathered based on its wavelength - which also gave scientists an idea of the materials detected by the satellite-based on the discrepancies of the light wavelengths reflected off of it. RELATED: NASA On Saturn: The Final Chapter Of Cassini The research team that handles Cassini data discovered that Enceladus "shoots out enormous plumes of ice grains and vapor from an ocean that lies under the icy crust" in 2005, according to a NASA news release. Geologic Activity in Both Hemispheres A new interactive model from NASA shows infrared images corroborate with the previously inferred geologic activity, which is more distinguishable at the moon's south pole. In the composite images, the so-called "tiger stripe," marked by red lines of varying lengths, represent the ice and vapor coming from the ocean below the surface. The same infrared features were also noted in the northern hemisphere, which tells the Cassini scientists that the northern part of Enceladus is covered with fresh ice. Furthermore, it strongly suggests that the same kind of geologic activity that created ice and vapor in the south also occurs in the northern hemisphere. The smaller amounts of ice and vapor in the northern hemisphere, according to NASA, might be caused by either icy jets or the gradual movement of ice through fractures in Enceladus' crust. "The infrared shows us that the surface of the south pole is young, which is not a surprise because we knew about the jets that blast icy material there," said VIMS scientist Gabriel Tobie, from the University of Nantes in France. The solar system never stands still, and changes have happened here, too. @CassiniSaturn is now @NASASolarSystem . Why? The Cassini mission concluded in 2017, but its legacy of science and engineering - and its people - are active all across the solar system. Some examples: 1 / 5 pic.twitter.com/qlcyFaJu3B April 28, 2020 The Cassini Mission The Cassini-Huygens space-research mission was first launched in October 1997. It included the Cassini orbiter, which is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) located in Southern California, and the Huygens lander that probed the ringed planet's largest moon - Titan. The European Space Agency provided the Huygens probe, which analyzed Titan's atmospheric structure as well as its surface as it landed via parachute. The data collected by the probe was transmitted through a radio link to Cassini, through a probe data relay subsystem (PDRS). RELATED: Engineers from the European Space Agency Solves the Huygens Probe Mistery Cassini-Huygens was a collaboration between the United States' NASA, ESA, and the Italian Space Agency. Cassini has observed Saturn for more than 13 years. Once it ran out of fuel, and to protect Saturn and its moons from damage, moved to finish its mission by plunging into Saturn's atmosphere in September 2017, continuously transmitting data to the NASA JPL up until the end. Check out more news and information on NASA Cassini in Science Times. By Express News Service CHENNAI: A 45-year-old government school teacher was pushed out of a moving share autorickshaw by a co-passenger who robbed her of her gold chain near Pammal on Friday. The woman and the autorickshaw driver were nabbed by the public after a chase. The victim Savithri, 45, from Pammal is working as a teacher at a government school in Urapakkam. On Friday she boarded a share auto rickshaw in Pammal and was travelling towards Pallavaram. There was another woman seated inside, who while on the Pammal main road, snatched the 7.5-sovereign gold chain of Savithri, said a police officer. As Savithri fought back, the woman assaulted and kicked her out of the vehicle which moved on without stopping. She was dragged for about a hundred meters and sustained injuries. Some onlookers chased the auto and managed to intercept it near Pallavaram. The public handed them over to Shankar Nagar police. While taking questions from reporters at Queens Park last week, Premier Doug Ford paused to praise the newly minted leader of the provinces COVID-19 outbreak response standing by his side, calling him Dr. Dirk. I think everyone needs to listen to the doc, Ford said of Ontarios Chief Coroner Dr. Dirk Huyer. Hes a champion. Ford is saying little about criticism of his decision to vault Huyer, who acknowledged at that same press conference that he is not a public health expert, to the front lines of the provinces pandemic response, less than a year after Ontarios auditor general identified serious problems in the coroners office. Listen to Rachel Mendleson discuss Dirk Huyer's Provincial Outbreak Response role The cascade of failures found by the auditor included a lack of oversight and inadequate analysis of available mortality data. The Office of the Chief Coroner and Ontario Forensic Pathology Service misses the opportunity to make more effective use of its death investigation data to identify actions to improve public safety and reduce preventable deaths, Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk concluded in her December 2019 report. In a statement on Friday, a spokesperson for Premier Ford said Huyer, who was previously appointed in May to lead the provinces testing approach, has played a key leadership role in Ontarios fight against COVID-19, crediting him as a driving force behind Ontarios aggressive push to increase testing capacity. Premier Ford has absolute confidence in Dr. Huyer and is incredibly grateful for the work he has done and continues to do in helping Ontario respond to COVID-19, the spokesperson said. The province did not address questions from the Star about how Huyer was selected for the role and the deficiencies the auditor general identified in the coroners office Huyer has led since 2014. A spokesperson for the coroners office said questions about Dr. Huyers role are best addressed by the Premiers Office. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said the governments silence is troubling and speaks to an ongoing concern she has had about a lack of transparency during the pandemic around who is providing medical advice and influencing key policy decisions. Its absolutely fair to say that there are legitimate concerns that have been raised, she said. People deserve information. They deserve transparency. Thats what gives people confidence. There are also questions about the impact Huyers leadership role, which includes preventing and minimizing outbreaks in schools, daycares, farms and health-care settings, could have on the impartiality of the COVID-related death investigations conducted by the coroners office. Dr. Nav Persaud, a former research scientist at the Ontario coroners office and a former investigating coroner in Toronto, said it is important to have some separation between the coroners office and other branches of government. This independence is especially important in a pandemic, Persaud said, citing investigations of COVID-related deaths of migrant farm-workers and personal support workers in long-term care homes as examples. The coroners office doesnt assign blame but the recommendations sometimes point to gaps in public policy or gaps in procedures, said Persaud, who is a family doctor in Toronto and Canada Research Chair in Health Justice at University of Toronto. In response to this concern, Fords spokesperson said that Huyer has delegated all responsibility for COVID-related death investigations to the Deputy Chief Coroner, adding that it is beyond disappointing that anyone would look to disparage someone who has served the Ontario public with integrity and skill for nearly thirty years. But Persaud said he is not sure how delegating pandemic-related investigations within the office of the chief coroner ensures independence. The issue of independence ... is not about the qualifications and track record of any individual, he added. Its about the integrity of the death investigation system. The governments response also does not satisfy Horwath, who said: There doesnt seem to be an appropriate firewall there. Not to suggest that there is going to be anything nefarious, but people have to have confidence that theres complete accuracy, that theres no bias, and (not) even unconscious bias, when it comes to how these death investigations occur and are separate from the policy-making when it comes to COVID-19, she said. In a pandemic that disproportionately impacts racialized people, Horwath is also calling for more transparency around the appointment process to ensure that the medical experts selected for leadership roles reflect the communities they serve. She said it appears that Mr. Ford, once again, has hand-picked someone he feels comfortable with. Huyer has served as a coroner in Ontario since 1992, and has been involved in more than 5,000 coroners investigations. He was appointed to chief coroner in March 2014, after serving as regional supervising coroner. He previously worked in the Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect Program at the Hospital for Sick Children, and is an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Toronto. In a press release announcing his new pandemic leadership role, the government praised his work on his offices investigation of opioid-related deaths that helped inform prevention and response strategies. Fords spokesperson said Huyer has transitioned to help lead the provinces operational response to COVID-19 outbreaks, supported by some of the best public health advice and talent in the country. Dr. Mustafa Hirji, acting medical officer of health in Niagara Region, said its a bit curious that someone with Huyers background has been tapped to lead the provinces outbreak response. This would be something better suited to public health physicians to be taking on Stopping the spread of infection in the community is the expertise of public health, Hirji said. Amy Greer, Canada research chair in population disease modelling and specialist in infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Guelph, appeared to echo this sentiment on Twitter this week. I just had lunch with my 5-year old, she tweeted. In response to my comment that Dr. Dirk Huyer (the coroner) is co-ordinating outbreak response she said, ..if someone doesnt know much about something you should probably not put them in charge. Dr. Jack Stanborough, a former regional supervising coroner in the Hamilton area, has a different take. He said the chief coroner has a long track record of working symbiotically with public health on germane issues and is in a good position to recognize and monitor a surge in natural deaths and to appraise the efficacy of preventative measures. The auditor generals scathing 2019 report found, among other things, that coroners investigated the deaths of former patients without declaring conflicts of interest, coroners conducted death investigations while no longer licensed to practice medicine, and questionable OHIP billing practices such as coroners billing twice for the same service. There was no data tracking to assess whether coroners completed death investigations in a timely and high-quality way. The report said, Although the motto of the Office is we speak for the dead to protect the living, we found that the Office performs limited analysis on the data it collects to identify death patterns or trends. The Office of the Chief Coroner and Ontario Forensic Pathology Service said it welcomed and accepted the insights and recommendations from the Auditor General in an overall response included in the report. It said at the time that key improvement initiatives were already underway and detailed a variety of ways it would implement the recommendations. In an interview with the Hamilton Spectator in 2019, Huyer said he endorsed and appreciated the recommendations in the report. Theyve identified things that are challenging and things that we didnt necessarily know were there and caused us some surprise, Huyer said. But we are going to build better policies, procedures and approaches and evaluate the concerns that have been brought to our attention to ensure that we have a full understanding of things and move forward in a way that these sorts of things dont continue to happen. Weaknesses were also identified late last year by the Death Investigation Oversight Council, an independent agency that investigates complaints against coroners and forensic pathologists and makes recommendations. The council had been investigating a complaint against Huyer and Ontarios chief forensic pathologist, Dr. Michael Pollanen, made by the former director of the Hamilton Regional Forensic Pathology Unit. During the oversight councils investigation into that complaint, Huyer and Pollanen shut down the Hamilton unit, moving the death investigations to Toronto in stages over eight months. The decision drew fire from Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger and Horwath, the Hamilton Centre MPP, who appealed without success to the solicitor general to halt the closure until the councils investigation was complete. The councils recommendations, which were obtained by the Spectator but not released publicly, included further leadership and management training for all staff holding management positions, including Huyer and Pollanen. Neither Huyer nor the province responded to a question from the Star about whether he has completed the recommended training. Huyer first took on a key leadership role in Ontarios pandemic response in May, when he was tapped to lead the provinces testing approach. Fords spokesperson credits Huyer with expanding testing capacity from 3,000 tests to as many as 35,000 a day in a matter of months, making Ontario a global leader in testing. As the surge in demand for testing leads to hours-long waits at some assessment centres, straining hospitals and labs, Colin Furness, an infection control epidemiologist with the University of Toronto, said the unadulterated praise of the testing system Huyer has led is not warranted. On one hand, weve heroically increased our testing capacity, Furness said. On the other hand, our testing strategy is completely flawed....We dont have nearly the capacity we need. With files from Robert Benzie Read more about: Imperial Valley News Center Former Employee At Los Alamos National Laboratory Sentenced To Probation For Making False Statements About Being Employed By China Albuquerque, New Mexico - Turab Lookman, 68, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, was sentenced on September 11 to five years of probation and a $75,000 fine for providing a false statement to the Department of Energy. Lookman is not allowed to leave New Mexico for the term of his probation. On June 6, 2018, Lookman, then an employee at Los Alamos National Laboratory, falsely denied to a counterintelligence officer that he had been recruited or applied for a job with the Thousand Talents Program, established by the Chinese government to recruit individuals with access to or knowledge of foreign technology and intellectual property. Lookman pleaded guilty to the charge in January. The FBI investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys George Kraehe and Jon Stanford prosecuted the case. State-run banks are set to invoke the personal guarantees given by as many as 300 promoters for corporate loans following instructions from the finance ministry, two people with direct knowledge of the development said. Notices to promoters who feature in the first such list being prepared by the banks are likely to be sent in the first week of October, the people cited above said, seeking anonymity. The move follows an August 26 communication by the finance ministry to state-run banks, asking them to prepare a list of cases where personal guarantees of promoters can be invoked based on the revised Insolvency Resolution Process Rules, 2019, which has empowered lenders to file bankruptcy applications against personal guarantors of corporate loans before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). The rules came into effect on December 31. A personal guarantee obligates the guarantor to pay back a business loan if the corporate borrower defaults. In such cases, promoters, typically, provide personal assets as collateral. According to industry estimates, promoters have provided personal guarantees to state-run banks for dues worth 1.85 lakh crore. Banks may consider putting in place a mechanism for monitoring the cases, which may require initiation of individual insolvency processes before the NCLT against personal guarantors to corporate debtors, the ministry said in the letter. Recent instances of invoking personal guarantees include State Bank of Indias move against Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani and Sanjay Singal, former chairman of Bhushan Power and Steel Ltd. SBI, which has the biggest chunk of such cases, is looking at moving against several large promoters of defaulting companies, said one of the two people cited above. All cases of 50 crore and above where personal insolvency cases can be filed in order to ensure that promoters pay up are under review. While the government has suspended all fresh bankruptcy cases for six months from March 25 because of the pandemic, bankruptcy courts are allowed to take up cases where defaults have happened earlier. Legal experts said invoking personal guarantees can be tricky for lenders and entails a lengthy legal process. As things stand, banks are in a bit of a quandary due to the recent Supreme Court ruling in which it refused to vacate a stay by Delhi high court on the invocation of personal guarantees against Anil Ambani. Lenders fear more cases may go the same way as courts may provide interim relief to such promoters, said Ajay Shaw, a partner at DSK Legal. The Delhi high courts final judgement in the matter will be crucial and will set an important precedent. In July, the Supreme Court asked the finance ministry why state-run banks have not invoked personal guarantees of big corporate loan defaulters. The bench, headed by Justice Rohinton F. Nariman asked the petitioner to make a representation to the finance ministry within two weeks. The court also ordered the ministry to respond within four weeks of receiving the representation. On Thursday, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea by SBI to vacate the stay on personal insolvency proceedings against Anil Ambani for recovery of 1,200 crore granted to his firms. The matter will be heard next by the Delhi high court in October. Some of the cases being considered for personal insolvency include those where lenders have not yet invoked guarantees and where promoters were interfering with the resolution of their companies, said a lawyer advising bankers on these matters. Richa Sharma By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha Sunday passed the controversail farm bills amidst pandemonium in the upper house. Rajya Sabha deputy chairman rushed through clauses of the bill as MPs from the opposition parties were in the well of the house, sloganeering, tearing copies of the bills and rule book and even damaging a mic at the podium. The Opposition demanded that the The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill 2020, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 be referred to the select committee for further consideration. The Congress, Trinamool, CPI(M) and DMK had moved resolution to send the bills to select committee and demanded division when their resolution was taken up. However deputy chairman said that division can only be taken up if the members go back to their seats The house started the discussion on two Bill's at 9:30 and went on till 12:50 after which the minister started replying. ALSO READ | Explained: What are the new Agri Bills and why farmers are unhappy Majority of the MPs from the opposition raised concerns about no provisions for ensuring the minimum support price (MSP) to farmers and the move is to benefit the corporates. MPs belonging to regional parties said that it impinges on the rights of the states and they were never consulted. What made the Centre nervous was that parties like TRS, BJD, AIADMK that have traditionally supported the government opposed the provisions of the bills and two even demanded voting in the bill. NDA's oldest ally SAD has already opposed the bill calling it anti-farmer. The pandemonium in the house started after deputy chairman extended the duration of the house obeying 1 pm with the opposition alleging that they were not asked the same as per rules of the house. This lead to the Opposition MPs from the TMC, Congress, AAP and others coming into the well of the house. TMC parliamentary party leader in Rajya Sabha Deek O'Brien flashed rule book at the chair and tried to pull the mic at the podium while Marshall standing near to the chair tried to protect the mic. This seemingly damaged the mic and live Rajya Sabha TV went without audio. The house was adjourned for 15 minutes. As the house assembled, the Oposition continued with the protest, even as the deputy chairman continue with the bill. Both the bills were passed in 20 min before the house was adjourned for the day at 2 pm. We Republican candidates to represent Norwalk in the state Senate, state House of Representatives and U.S. House of Representatives share thanks for the endorsement of the Norwalk Police Union Local 1727. All of us, in our own way and collectively, have been the beneficiaries of the professional law enforcement services provided consistently by the Norwalk Police for decades. Each of us maintains opposition to the so-called police accountability law passed by Connecticuts legislature this summer. Our opposition is based not on the need for accountability in police, or any public service for that matter, but in the fact that this bill was rushed, failed to have an adequate public hearing, failed to include legislation that would truly remove bad actors, and requires additional examination of facts after its enactment. The law casts extraordinary doubt on the ability of even the absolute best police departments and law enforcement officers to discharge their civic responsibilities professionally and fairly. A couple who won a remote lodge in Alaska after taking part in BBC show Win the Wilderness have seen their dream turn into a nightmare after the home's former owner refused to give it up. Emily Padfield, 37, and her partner Mark Warner, 53, from Warwickshire, competed against five other couples to win the three-storey property on the reality show, which aired in January. To win the home, named Ose Mountain after previous owner Duane Ose, contestants had to do things including jumping into icy water and find and cook their own food whilst surviving in the wilderness. The solar-powered 'off-grid' home, which was built from 2,000 spruce trees and is still unfinished, is 100 miles from the nearest road, has no running water and is an area populated by both wolves and bears. But since signing the deeds to the property in June last year, the couple were told by Duane, 78, that he wanted it back. Emily Padfield, 37, and her partner Mark Warner, 53, from Warwickshire, won a remote lodge in the Alaskan wilderness after featuring on BBC show Win The Wilderness. But despite being the legal owners, former owner Duane Ose, 78, now claims to want it back Duane had previously lived there with his wife Rena, 76, who died in May after a heart operation, before retiring to Minnesota. After their victory on the show, Mark and Emily had spent a month living with Duane and his wife and then returned to the UK. But because of the coronavirus pandemic, they have been unable to return to Alaska to lay physical claim to the property, which legally belongs to them. Shortly after Rena's death, Duane became romantically involved with a woman called Ellie-Mae Blair, who he is pictured with on Facebook and claims to have married. The couple competed against five other couples to win the property on the reality show, which aired in January. Pictured: Duane with his wife Rena, who died in May Mark and Emily suspect that the woman may have influenced him and said he became 'distant'. He has since lashed out at the couple on his Facebook page in a deluge of vitriolic posts. 'We'd been talking to him throughout lockdown, planning to go to Ose Mountain with him to scatter Rena's ashes, but suddenly he was distant,' Emily told The Times. Mark added: 'I said, 'Duane, are you dissatisfied with us?' I said, "Is Ellie-Mae talking to you about us? You really should take the time to meet her in person." The solar-powered 'off-grid' home, which was built from 2,000 spruce trees and is still unfinished, is 100 miles from the nearest road, has no running water and is an area populated by both wolves and bears 'And that was the end of him communicating directly to us.' Mark said that Duane now claims to want to return to the homestead, which can only be reached by plane. He has also allegedly ignored emails and calls from Mark and Emily. On his Facebook page, he has written, 'Re Claiming My Legacy, My Home from faux foreigners who do Not Care for my Wishes [sic]'. Shortly after Rena's death, Duane became romantically involved with a woman called Ellie-Mae Blair, who he is pictured with on Facebook and claims to have married In one post, he claimed Mark and Emily had 'incited five weeks of aggressive harassment of an elderly man and a sweet caring woman who has helped me more than any one fb friend ever has.' Emily said she and Duane had previously had a 'really great' relationship, explaining it had been 'frustrating' that they're only able to communicate with Duane via social media and are convinced that Blair is behind the aggressive Facebook posts. Mark said the posts contain words they had never seen Duane use and he could imagine Blair 'banging her fingers through the keyboard.' The couple believe that Duane never wanted to leave the property, which he built after 35 years ago after a trek through the wilderness. Between 40-50 people gathered downtown on Saturday night in front of the Midland County Courthouse to pay their respects to late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The half hour vigil, organized by Women of Michigan Action Network (WOMAN) featured several speakers who shared their insight about Ginsburg, who died Friday at the age of 87. Its just a chance for us to gather together as a community and express our sadness at this loss, said Allison Wilcox of Midland, a leadership team member of WOMAN. Ginsburg was born March 15, 1933 in Brooklyn, New York. She earned a law degree at Columbia Law School in 1959, tying for first place in her class, and eventually became the schools first female tenured professor. Ginsburg not only paved the way for women through her career, but also by her personal example. She supported her husband when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer while they both studied at Harvard Law School and continued to raise her family during her time as a faculty member of Rutgers Law School from 1963 to 1972. In 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed Ginsburg to the Supreme Court, making her the second woman to serve on the Court. During her tenure as a Supreme Court justice, Ginsburg created a reputation as an advocate for womens rights that resounded for decades. She was not just a cultural icon, but someone to be admired for her tenacity and her legal thinking that really opened doors for women in so many ways, said Wilcox. Now the question remains whether to immediately fill Ginsburgs position or wait until after the presidential election. Wilcox stated that people should take to the streets and address politicians if theres a push to fill Ginsburgs seat before Nov. 3. People should not let her death despair them. They should let her death motivate them to make a difference in the election and in the rest of their lives too, Wilcox said. Samantha Bartley of Midland said Ginsburg left a legacy of revolution for women and it is now the job of citizens to preserve that legacy by standing up for what Ginsburg believed in and not backing down when things get hard. She was everything for women. She gave us so many different rights and options to be able to be a part of everything. Its terrifying not having her. She was the path that gave all of us the ability to be able to speak and for others to actually listen to us, Bartley said. Among the speakers was fellow WOMAN member Jennifer Austin of Midland. Austin spoke of how she lost a sense of security when she heard of Ginsburgs death. She talked about how Ginsburg was irreplaceable and how the nation will feel the loss of leaders like her for generations to come. But then a little kernel of hope sparked in my brain, Austin said. What if we lost Elijah (Cummings), John (Lewis), Ruth (Ginsburg) and others because they were making room for the next great mind, the next great activist, the next great fighter? And what if that fighter was me or what if it was you? We cant stand by and let people be our security blankets, or fight for us and take on so much more for us than we do. We have to be out there doing it ourselves too. After Austins speech, members of the crowd were invited to share their messages. Cheryl Levy of Midland stepped up and shared a story about the freedom bird, whose voice could not be silenced or stopped, no matter how hard others fought against it. Even though Ruth Bader Ginsburg isnt with us right now in flesh, her spirit will fly on and take us with her, Levy said. Concern has been expressed about a surge in the number of cases of coronavirus in Northern Ireland over the weekend. Some 222 cases were recorded by the Department of Health on Saturday, and a further 176 cases on Sunday. This brings the total number of cases in the region to 9,341, including 977 positive results confirmed in the last seven days. Updates on the number of deaths will come on Monday. Latest figures of Covid-19 cases deeply concerning. Important decisions to be taken in the days & weeks ahead. Everyone must play their part by following public health advice. Keep your distance Wash your hands Wear a face covering Download the StopCovid NI App https://t.co/0oVnUaHhfD Robin Swann MLA #StopCovidNI (@RobinSwannMoH) September 20, 2020 Stormont Health Minister Robin Swann described the figures as deeply concerning. Important decisions to be taken in the days and weeks ahead. Everyone must play their part by following public health advice, he tweeted. Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill highlighted an increase in Covid-19 cases across Ireland and warned against denial and complacency. There have been over 3,000 new Covid-19 cases and 17 Covid-19 deaths on island of Ireland this week, she tweeted. There have been over 3,000 new COVID19 cases & 17 COVID19 deaths on island of Ireland this week The virus is spreading rapidly within communities & claiming lives - this is the reality COVID19 denial & complacency will result in more deaths We must work together to save lives Michelle ONeill (@moneillsf) September 20, 2020 The virus is spreading rapidly within communities and claiming lives this is the reality Covid-19 denial and complacency will result in more deaths. We must work together to save lives. Earlier the chairman of the Stormont health committee has referred to areas of grave concern within the Covid-19 testing system in Northern Ireland. Colm Gildernew said his committee wants to speak to Mr Swann about rising case numbers and issues in the testing system. The Sinn Fein man has also urged that answers are provided to the families of five patients who died at two hospitals in the region, with coronavirus, in the last week. Expand Close Craigavon Area Hospital in Co Armagh (Niall Carson/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Craigavon Area Hospital in Co Armagh (Niall Carson/PA) The families are entitled to know the truth of what has happened in their loved ones case, but also the health service needs to very quickly learn how this happened and how they can prevent it happening in further settings, he told the BBC. Three of the deaths were at Craigavon Hospital and two at Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry. The Southern Trust said a level three serious adverse incident (SAI) investigation will be carried out into the outbreak at Daisy Hill. An SAI into the outbreak at Craigavon Area Hospital is already under way. Meanwhile, Mr Gildernew outlined some examples of problems within the testing system, including a family who are self-isolating after their child was tested on Thursday and are still waiting for a result. They have been told at times over the phone to speak to people in England, then Scotland, and when they actually got to speak to somebody here they were told that the test hadnt been found, so those are areas of grave concern and I think they need to be addressed urgently by the minister, he said. They were the result of a law that allowed those serving time for crimes that no longer required a prison sentence to seek relief through the board. It is part of an effort to reform the criminal justice process in Oklahoma. I look forward to working with the entire board as we continue to capitalize on the momentum we have seen and move the needle in public safety and criminal justice reform in Oklahoma, Stitt said. Gilliland said Pardon and Parole Board staff at certain times during the commutation process were overworked so the agency could accomplish its mission. Bates said he is evaluating staffing levels, noting the agency has some vacancies. One of the things we need to talk about going forward is what is the sustainable workload of the Pardon and Parole Board and do we need to make ... additions to the staff if that workload is going to continue, Bates said. Bates said that during his first week on the job, he has been very impressed with how hard the staff and board members are working. Featured video Barbara Hoberock 405-528-2465 barbara.hoberock@tulsaworld.com Twitter: @bhoberock 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. By Panos Kotzathanasis | Published on 2020/09/19 The search for originality and uniqueness has always been one of the main pursuits of experimental cinema, through a number of courageous filmmakers who shot films they probably knew they had very few chances to succeed, at least commercially. And although there is something heroic in their effort, being gives no guarantee for the quality of the movies or that they actually work. Unfortunately, "The Interviewees" is one of those movies. Advertisement *the subtitling of the movie was quite bad, which made things worse for a narrative that is almost completely based upon monologues and dialogues. The story takes place in 2220, where people have restored Seoul in a way that does not differ at all from how it was in the 21st century. However, the difference is that the government has created human clones, one for every individual, for a number of reasons most of which have to do with employment in industry and public work. Furthermore, humans must pay monthly health insurance premiums for their clones. In this setting, two men, an original, middle-aged who tries to find a way to pay the medical fees for his sick son, and a young clone that is searching for a meaning in his life, wander around Seoul in search for a job. Hwang Seung-jae directs a film that deals with a number of social, philosophical and financial issues, most of which revolve around the concept of clones and their raison d'etre, both regarding themselves (as beings that have to live in case someone needs them) and for the rest of society and particularly their originals. Corporatism, the practices of the government, particularly regarding the health and insurance sector, new world order, capitalism, and employment are only some of the additional topics the movie deals with. Somewhere here, however, is where the faults start. To begin with, apart from the main "arc" of the narrative revolving around two men walking around and discussing, the rest (the majority actually) is comprised of people talking to the camera (the titular interviewees) answering questions which are never actually asked, since it is expected from the viewer to understand the question from the replies. This approach makes the viewer think, but the people talking and the questions are so many that eventually this tactic becomes quite tedious, with the speed of the change of the people speaking adding even more to that regard. Furthermore, the trick of having a future that is exactly like the present may be a comment that not much change will come, but it definitely does not work, at least in sci-fi terms, since nothing that appears even remotely futuristic ever appears on screen. The same applies to the concept of the clones, who, since their doubles never appear on screen, do not convince at all as different entities. "The Interviewees" makes some interesting points, but its stage play/documentary-like approach does not work at all, with the film essentially ending up as a failed experiment. Review by Panos Kotzathanasis Facebook ___________ "The Interviewees" is directed by Hwang Seung-jae, and features Jung Kyung-ho-I, Kang You-seok, Oh Ryoong, Kang Na-ru, Lee Sang-chan, Kim Min-ho-V. Release date in Korea: 2020. (Photo : NEXU Science Communication/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT./File Photo) A computer image created by Nexu Science Communication together with Trinity College in Dublin, shows a model structurally representative of a betacoronavirus which is the type of virus linked to COVID-19, better known as the coronavirus linked to the Wuhan outbreak, shared with Reuters on February 18, 2020. (Photo : REUTERS/Aly Song SEARCH "WEDDINGS SONG CHINA" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES) An employee works on a wedding dress at Suzhou Jusere Wedding & Evening Dress Co. Ltd's factory, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, China August 4, 2020. Suzhou Jusere Wedding & Evening Dress Co. Ltd, one of Suzhou's largest gown manufacturers, tried to mitigate the downturn by ramping up direct sales to brides and travelling to their customers. But the escalation of the virus to a global pandemic saw foreign orders, which used to account for a tenth of the company's sales, all but disappear. "I hope that the epidemic abroad can get under control, which will allow wedding dress studios to reopen. That can in turn drive consumption," said founder Xu Chuanhai. Researchers claim coronavirus is stronger than what other studies say. A team of scientists in Hungary tried to pierce the novel coronavirus's viral particle using a fine needle. Also Read: FACT CHECK: Will the US have COVID-19 Vaccines Before November Election? Here's Moderna's Statement They conducted the experiment to see how much force the virus could withstand before it explodes like a balloon. However, the scientists were surprised by the result since it did not explode. Also Read: Whistleblower Li-Meng Yan is Publishing a Second Report with "More Scientific" Evidence on How Coronavirus was Manufactured The Sars-Cov-2's native virion, the complete virus particle, is only 80 nanometres wide. The needle that the researchers used is smaller compared to the virus's size. They put the needle's tip from the top of the virus and then pierced it until it reached the viral particle's bottom, squashing the virion. However, it was able to recover quickly after the needle was removed. The scientists repeated the drill 100 times, but the viral particle remained almost intact. Dr. Miklos, a scientist from Kellermayer of Semmelweis University in Budapest who led the study, said that it is "surprisingly resilient." The research's results were posted in a non-peer-reviewed paper of biorxiv.org on Thursday, Sept. 17. Scientists were surprised with the coronavirus' new characteristics The study's results surprised the scientists after revealing its unique structure. Another study conducted by the researchers from Tsinghua University in Beijing released the most detailed coronavirus structural reconstruction. The findings were published in the journal Cell this week, which also revealed that the virus could gather a large amount of nucleic acid ribbon. The acid carries genetic data into a very tight envelope without getting the particles entangled. On the other hand, ABC News reported that coronavirus' death in the United surpasses 200,000. Experts claimed that the death cases could reach more than 415,000 in the United States. by January. For more news updates about COVID-19, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. . Also Read: Wuhan Nurse and Husband Are 'Crushed to Death' After Watching a Show Celebrating COVID-19 Frontliners; Sparks Anger Among Weibo Users This article is owned by TechTimes, Written by: Giuliano de Leon. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A 106-year-old woman from Maharashtras Thane district defeated COVID-19 and was discharged from hospital on Sunday with doctors and nurses giving her a warm farewell. With happiness writ large on her face, the woman proudly displayed her discharge certificate to the media before walking out of the hospital after a 10-day stay. After the Dombivli-based centenarian contracted the disease, no hospital was initially ready to admit her due to her age, said her daughter-in-law, who were happy to see her mother-in-law discharged from the hospital after recovering from the disease. She was finally admitted 10 days back to the COVID-19 treatment facility set up by the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) at Savlaram Krida Sankul (sports complex) and doctors and medical teams there took proper care of her, the daughter-in-law said. We are really thankful to the hospitals medical team who took proper care of her and helped her in defeating the coronavirus, she said. Dr Rahul Ghule, managing director of One Rupee Clinic which is managing this COVID-19 treatment facility, appreciated his team for taking care of the elderly woman. We are happy that she successfully responded to the treatment, he said, adding that the hospital was opened on July 27, and so far it has treated 1,100 COVID-19 patients. One Rupee Clinics, which charge Re 1 per patient for their services, have been set up at select stations on the Central Railways suburban section to provide emergency help to rail accident victims and give medical treatment to the general public. Maharashtra cabinet minister Aaditya Thackery took to Twitter to laud the KDMC staff and Shiv Senas Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde for providing proper treatment to the elderly woman. He said the blessings of the woman and many more like her keep us all going strong. KDMC spokesperson Madhuri Phopale said so far 38,301 COVID-19 cases have been reported from areas falling under the civic limits and of these, 762 have died due to the disease. As of now, there are 5,451 active COVID-19 cases in Kalyan-Dombivli while 32,088 patients have recovered, she said. Also Read | 100-year-old woman in Assam beats COVID-19, hospital staff celebrates her recovery Nearly a million Madrid residents were bracing Sunday for a partial lockdown with several hundred marching in protest as Spanish authorities seek to put a brake on a second wave of Covid-19. The restrictions, which take effect Monday for two weeks, affect 850,000 people living mainly in densely-populated, low-income neighbourhoods in the south -- or 13 percent of the 6.6 million people living in and around the capital. Like many countries in Europe, Spain is battling a coronavirus surge and, once again, Madrid is the worst-hit region. "We're concerned with the data we're seeing, because the number of cases is double that of the national average and the number of hospital admissions... is triple the national average," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a television interview Saturday. But he stressed he was not contemplating a national lockdown. Several districts of southern Madrid have counted more than 1,000 cases per 100,000 inhabitants -- around five times the national average, which in itself is the highest in the European Union. Residents will be banned from leaving their district other than for essential travel like work, medical care or taking children to school, Madrid's regional government said Friday. They will be allowed to move around freely inside their zone but no one from outside will be allowed in unless absolutely essential. Parks will be closed but shops, bars and restaurants will remain open at 50 percent capacity. Meanwhile, gatherings of more than six people will be banned in the entire region, down from ten currently. On Sunday, people took to the streets in some of the affected districts in protest against the new measures. They sported placards reading "No to a class-based lockdown" or "They're destroying our district and now they're locking us up". Hundreds gathered in the districts concerned and outside the regional parliament to shout their displeasure. Story continues "The health centres having been working for years with minimum staffing, they don't have enough staff or nurses ... and this crisis has made the situation worse," lamented Victoria, a 63-year-old civil servant. "You get the impression they take us for fools. We shall be able to continue to go and work in other non-confined zones at the risk of ramping up transmission, and we shall also be able to infect ourselves within our own zone," Bethania Perez, a nurse aged 31, told AFP. Madrid's regional president Isabel Diaz Ayuso, who has been slammed for her management of the crisis, is due to meet Sanchez on Monday. The meeting is a sign of central government concern over the crisis in Madrid, as the management of public health issues is normally the responsibility of Spanish regional authorities. Regional health officials say Madrid's healthcare system is under growing pressure, with one in five hospital beds occupied by Covid patients. As such, experts fear a sharp increase in the regional mortality rate -- which is currently much lower than in the spring -- over the coming weeks. Spain has so far recorded over 30,000 deaths -- one of Europe's worst tolls -- and 600,000 confirmed cases, according to official figures. emi/mbx/cdw/har US Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, holds her weekly press briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on September 18, 2020. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday did not rule out impeaching President Donald Trump or Attorney General William Barr if the Senate tries to push through a Supreme Court nomination during a lame-duck session if Joe Biden wins the November election. "We have our options. We have arrows in our quiver that I'm not about to discuss right now, but the fact is we have a big challenge in our country. This president has threatened to not even accept the results of the election," Pelosi said Sunday on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos." "So, right now, our main goal and I think Ruth Bader Ginsburg would want that to be, would be to protect the integrity of the election as we protect the American people from the coronavirus, and that's I have faith in the American people on this Sunday morning," she said. Only a day after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death, Trump vowed on Saturday he would pick his nominee in the upcoming week, likely a woman, and said that his administration wants to move ahead with the nomination before the election. There are several leading contenders on Trump's short list. Judge Amy Coney Barrett of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago has emerged as a front-runner, sources tell NBC News. As Republicans move ahead in efforts to push a nominee through the Senate Judiciary Committee and to a Senate vote before the year's end, Democrats have pledged to fight the nomination by convincing four Republicans to defect. So far, two Senate Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska have opposed a vote on the nominee before the election. When pressed by Stephanopoulos that she's "not ruling anything out" regarding an impeachment inquiry, Pelosi responded that the Constitution requires Congress "to use every arrow in our quiver." "We have a responsibility," Pelosi said. "We take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. We have a responsibility to meet the needs of the American people." Pelosi also emphasized that Democrats would not shut down the government as leverage to slow the impending nomination. "None of us has any interest in shutting down government, that has such a harmful and shameful impact on so many people in our country," Pelosi said. "We're not going to be shutting down government. I do hope, though, that the focus on health care and what it means in terms of the courts will have public opinion be of such magnitude that the Republicans will finally, finally address the coronavirus crisis." RTHK: Voters must be heard on top court seat: Biden Democratic US presidential candidate Joe Biden urged Senate Republicans not to vote on any candidate nominated to the Supreme Court as the November election approaches, calling his rival Donald Trump's plan an "exercise in raw political power". Biden was speaking on Sunday, the day that a second Senate Republican voiced objections to Trump's plan to vote quickly on a replacement to liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on Friday. Such an appointment by the president, if approved by the Senate, would cement a 6-3 conservative majority that could influence American law and life for decades. "Voters of this country should be heard ... they're the ones who this Constitution envisions should decide who has the power to make this appointment," Biden said in Philadelphia. "To jam this nomination through the Senate is just an exercise of raw political power." Biden said that if he wins the November 3 election, he should have the chance to nominate the next Supreme Court justice. The former vice president rejected the idea of releasing the names of potential nominees, saying that doing so, as Trump did, could improperly influence those candidates' decisions in their current court roles as well as subject them to "unrelenting political attacks". He reiterated his pledge to nominate an African-American woman to the court, which would be a historic first, if he has the opportunity. Earlier on Sunday, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she did not support Trump's plan to move fast on filling the seat, becoming the second of the 53 Republicans in the 100-seat chamber to object publicly following Ginsburg's death. Trump's plan drew immediate criticism from Democrats, who noted that in 2016 Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked a vote on a Democratic appointee, saying it was inappropriate to do so in an election year. "I did not support taking up a nomination eight months before the 2016 election to fill the vacancy created by the passing of Justice Scalia," Murkowski said in a statement. "We are now even closer to the 2020 election less than two months out and I believe the same standard must apply." Senator Susan Collins of Maine voiced similar concerns on Saturday. Collins is locked in a tight re-election battle, while Murkowski's current term extends two more years. A majority of Americans, some 62 percent including many Republicans, told a Reuters/Ipsos poll that they thought the winner of the election should get to nominate a justice to fill the vacancy. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2020-09-20. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. 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. Mumbai: Gold worth rupees more than thirty-seven lakhs has been seized at Mumbai airport on Monday. Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officers intercepted a passenger holding Indian passport form Mumbai Airport, who was trying to illegal smuggle gold weighing 1379 grams. The total worth of the two gold blocks recovered is around Rs 37,353,25. The passenger was attempting surreptitious removal of 2 pieces of gold by concealing the same in housing of copper winding of Mixer/ Grinder which was recovered and seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962. AIU officers intercepted a passenger holding Indian passport at Mumbai airport,2 pieces of gold weighing 1379gms valued at Rs 3735325 seized pic.twitter.com/k7fxB7ZQre a ANI (@ANI_news) January 23, 2017 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Joe Biden must make it clear that he is willing to concede the upcoming US presidential election. Now that's a line that reads as though it was produced by a wonky hot-take algorithm. It's also one you could imagine Donald Trump being just enough of a madman to blurt out on the debate stage, to the distress and confusion of Sleepy Joe. Increasingly, however, this gesture feels like something that will be necessary, if the US is to avoid a real democratic crisis come November. There's a chicken and egg debate to be had about why such a crisis feels possible. One obvious place to start would be with Trump's consistent refusal, when confronted by reporters, to commit to conceding in the event of a Biden victory, preferring to brush the question aside with a wait-and-see response before pivoting to chatter about the perils of mail-in voting. The Biden campaign has jumped on this as an indication of the president's authoritarian character. However, for a leader who has failed to make any discernible power grab in the face of more Reichstag fires than you could spray a hose at this year, a less weighty, if no more flattering, interpretation of the refusal is appropriate. As Barack Obama put it during his speech at the Democratic National Convention, Trump "hasn't grown into the job because he can't". Until the day he's out the door, he'll be the same old Donald we met on the 2016 campaign trail: a cripplingly insecure, often hilarious, hot air balloon of a man, with a reflexive mental tic that tells him to deny, deny, deny whenever he's in a position to potentially be caught out. Not the democratic ideal by a long shot, but not someone with the intention or ability to destroy elective government as we know it. This is why Trump's hedging on the concession question reads more straightforwardly as cheap talk. You put one of these Fake News journalists in front of him, trying to trick him into publicly envisioning a world where Joe Biden takes his job, and right on cue the tic does its thing, making a fool of man and state alike. Of course, Democrats could be forgiven for not accepting such a charitable explanation. This is how we get the Transition Integrity Project (TIP). Organised by academics Rosa Brooks and Nils Gilman, TIP was essentially the banner head for a behind-closed-doors meeting held in June, featuring more than 100 high-level journalists, policymakers and DC insiders, aimed at devising Democratic strategies in the event of a contested election. Leaked reports from the meetings cast the potential for a democratic breakdown in no uncertain terms, predicting that a close election will bring "a street fight, not a legal battle" and urging Democratic leadership to recognise that "technocratic solutions, courts, and reliance on elites observing norms are not the answer here". As might have been expected, once Republicans caught wind of the meeting alarm bells began ringing. A series of viral articles by Trumpist pundits like Byron York and Michael Anton speculated that TIP was the harbinger of a coming Democratic coup. These critics pointed out that the list of attendees known publicly thus far reads like a who's who of 'respectable conservatives' from the Iraq invasion years, and raised particular outrage about the reluctance of TIP to urge a Biden concession, even in the event of a clear Trump victory. While the idea of a coup seems sensational, the Trumpists have justification for feeling slightly under siege here. If there's one thing the respectable conservatives don't do, it's Trumpian cheap talk. They also differ from the president in their relationship with security forces. While we've learned that Trump has systematically alienated key military and intelligence officials while leaving them all comfortably in power - a rather unfascist move if I say so myself - the respectable conservatives are well known for clinging to the state's gun-wielding institutions like lint to a jumper. These are the suspicions driving the coming crisis. Both sides have reason to believe the other is out to steal the election, while seeing themselves as just responding. Both sides have gone on record saying they don't think the other side can win except by cheating. We're getting close to a self-fulfilling prophecy here. Place it all against a backdrop of nationwide rioting, a likely subversion of the popular vote if Trump manages to win, the short-term indeterminacy created by reliance on delayed mail-in voting, a Supreme Court - the ultimate arbiter of contested elections - that has never been more politicised, and millions of depressed, anxious, out of work people who truly believe that a loss for their candidate will signal the end of American democracy, coup or no coup, and you have a powder keg waiting to explode. So why does the burden fall on poor, sleepy Joe to steer the country away from this mess? Because he is the only person left who can. Trump, we know, lacks the character to do so. Biden, for all his mediocrity as a candidate, seems like a decent sort at heart. I don't think he'd have any interest in illegitimately contesting an election, but from the start there's been a strong Weekend at Bernie's quality to his campaign and, in the heat of the moment, especially with a few of those respectable conservatives in the room with him, you wouldn't know what could happen. If I can envision it, team Trump definitely can, and then we're back to the self-fulfilling prophecy. However, if he were to come out now, a few weeks ahead of the election, and break the conspiracy spiral before it gains any more momentum, then he'd be in a position to reassert control. If nothing else he would bring the temperature in the country down, simply by laying out clear conditions under which he would accept defeat. If he's serious about restoring normalcy to American politics, it's the first step he ought to take. In April 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic was still in the initial phases, a team led by two Bengali-origin scientists, Dr Souvik Maiti and Dr Debojyoti Chakraborty, at the Council of Scientific & Industrial Researchs Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) in New Delhi, came up with a simple strip-test to tell you if you have COVID-19, in minutes. They named it Feluda." On Saturday, the Drugs Controller General of India approved the commercial launch of Feluda. What is the new Covid-19 test all about? This test uses an indigenously developed, cutting-edge CRISPR technology for detection of the genomic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 virus. The Tata CRISPR test achieves accuracy levels of traditional RT-PCR tests with quicker turnaround time, less expensive equipment and better ease of use. The Tata CRISPR test is the worlds first diagnostic test to deploy a specially adapted Cas9 protein to successfully detect the virus causing Covid-19, a statement by CSIR said. Moreover, CRISPR is a futuristic technology that can also be configured for detection of multiple other pathogens in the future. The Tata Group has worked closely with CSIR-IGIB and ICMR to create a high-quality test that will help the nation ramp up COVID-19 testing quickly and economically, with a Made in India product that is safe, reliable, affordable and accessible," the statement read. How does it work? CRISPR is a genome editing technology to diagnose diseases. The technology has been developed by CSIR-IGIB (Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology). This testing could also help reduce costs of testing the real-time polymerase chain reaction test (RT-PCR) which is currently used requires machinery worth lakhs and the price of the test is capped at Rs 4,500 in private labs. This Feluda test could cost just about Rs 500. It can be used in a way similar to pregnancy test strips widely available over the counter, reports The Print. This strip will be similar to a pregnancy test strip, and will not require any specialised skill and machines to perform, as is the case with other PCR-based tests. This strip will just change colour, and can be used in a simple pathological lab. The most important part is it will be 100 per cent accurate, CSIR Director-General Shekhar C. Mande told The Print. Why has the test been named Feluda? Whats in a name? Apparently, everything. FELUDA technically is an acronym and stands for FNCAS9 Editor Linked Uniform Detection Assay. And yes, it has been named after the famous fictional Bengali sleuth, Feluda, who popularly appeared in novels by author Satyajit Ray. In an interview with Hindustan Times in May, Dr Debojyoti Chakraborty, who developed the test along with his team, said that he was a Satyajit Ray fan and that it was his wife who came up with the name. For the unaware, heres some context. Prodosh Chandra Mitter, better known as Feluda, is a Bengali private investigator who regularly appears in novels and short stories by Ray. In the novels, Feluda would embark on several adventures with his cousin, Tapesh Ranjan Mitra, or Topshe and the very comical yet lovable, Laal Mohan Babu. Through their investigations into crime in different parts of the country, Feluda and his two companions have come to rule the hearts of every Bengali literature enthusiast for decades. Feluda was also known for his shrewd mind and witty replies and of course, his ability to solve crime quickly. Perhaps that is why the CSIR scientists decided to name the rapid Covid-19 test after him. While scientists in other countries like Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have been testing this approach, this is the first of its kind to be developed in India. (With inputs from PTI) By Rajiv Singh August 2010. Karan Sharma, a graduate in banking and finance from Russell Square International College in Mumbai, was taking baby steps into one of the divisions of his family business. His father, Niraj Sharma, started the power trading vertical in Arunachal Pradesh, where he also ran a business in liquor retail, distribution and manufacturing since 1995. Karan, who aspired to join the Army but was persuaded by his father to study commerce in school, was trying to revive the power trading unitArunachal Pradesh Power Corporation which was set up in 1997 but lying dormant for over a decade. If the task was tough, Karans attitude made it worse. He sported long hair, baggy jeans, and loose T-shirts in business meetings. I was kicked out of a number of meetings. Nobody took me seriously, he recalls. Clients would press the panic button sooner, rather than later. They wanted to talk to my father and find out if the order could be delivered. Power trading was a serious business, and Karan looked causal. Five years down the line, Meenakshi, Karans sister, made her debut in the liquor business in Arunachal Pradesh. After working as an internal auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers for over six monthswhich made her realise that she was not cut out for a corporate roleand arming herself with a PG diploma in food and beverage from Switzerland, the second-generation entrepreneur was all set for a heady start. For three months she sat in her fathers cabin from 10 am to 2 pm, to silently observe his interactions with employees. After a lunch break, she would go to the factory and spend another 4 hours with workers. Nobody took me seriously to begin with, she recalls. After all, a girl in the liquor business was an aberration; workers bypassed her and approached senior officials for work, and even the founder, who started contract manufacturing under United Brothers Distilleries for Diageo, Allied Blenders Distillers, and its own brands such as Royal Casino whiskey and Honey Beehive brandy. 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 Cut to August 2020. The family business has clocked a turnover of 2,000 crore in fiscal 2020. Three-fourths of it came from power trading, and the rest from liquor. Karan has made his company among the top five in power trading in India, with offices in Gurugram, Noida, Guwahati and Bengaluru, and now plans to set up ferrosilicon steel units. His sister has expanded the liquor retail business over the last few years, tied up with Allied Blenders Distilleries to produce Officers Choice Blue Whiskey from October 2018, launched vodka brand Romane, and will soon roll out wine brand Rubiru. The patriarch is delighted. A family that made a modest beginning in liquor retailing in 1989 from Nagaland has seen the business grow manifold over the last five years. Meenakshi has not only broken stereotypes by being a woman in a liquor business, but has also expanded the companys vision. Both are risk takers, aggressive and focussed, says Sharma. Education, he feels, has a lot to do with their approach, and the vision they have for the family business. I learnt from experience, says Sharma, whose father was a contractor with the railways, and his grandfather migrated from what is now Pakistan to Assam in 1932. Education is what Sharma lacked. Back in 1981, he finished his pre-university from Shillong in Meghalaya, and over the next few years started a liquor retail outlet in Nagaland. The business expanded to 10 stores and ran smoothly till 1989, when Nagaland introduced prohibition. Sharmas business got disrupted, and he exited liquor. For the next three years, he tried his luck with medical equipment distribution, and even tried to start an educational institute in Dehradun. Nothing worked. By 1995, he was back to liquor retailing and distribution from Arunachal Pradesh. Having learnt his lessons in Nagaland, he tried to diversify his business by opening petrol pumps and getting into contract manufacturing. Gradually, he became the biggest liquor retailer and distributor in the state with an impressive roaster of brands: Pernod Ricard, Diageo, Bacardi, United Breweries, Heineken, William Grant, Beam Global Spirits, Allied Blenders Distillers, and Radico Khaitan. Sharmas vast distribution footprint is what his daughter realised is their biggest asset. But what was needed most was to cement the tie-ups and expand production. In December, the Sharmas will commission their new brewery with an installed capacity to produce 6 million cases per annum, and has entered into an exclusive contract with Kingfisher to produce Kingfisher Ultra, Kingfisher Strong and Kingfisher Lager. Meenakshi saw the potential in focusing on her own brand, he says. She tied up with a Russian master blender Olga Morozova and launched Romane last December. From hitting the local markets to getting feedback, to keeping a close eye on the sales team, Meenakshi had pressed on the gas pedal till March. Once the lockdowns began, she started manufacturing sanitiser and multi-surface disinfectant spray. The idea was to support our employees, a majority of them women, she says. We couldnt let them go. The plan now is to take the vodka brand across India, and later across the globe. The second generation, say family business experts, has done a terrific job in scaling up the business. Both have been dynamic, passionate and carried on the legacy by adding value to what their father had built, says Hiten Muchhala, a professor of strategy teaching global family managed business programme at SP Jain School of Global Management in Mumbai. The challenge, though, is daunting. Building a vodka brand and scaling it pan-India is not going to be easy. Secondly, having a manufacturing unit in Arunachal Pradesh and catering to markets across the country wont make sound business sense in terms of pricing. For Karan, the challenge would be to keep on aggressively expanding across the country. A meagre bottom line would also be something that the second generation would like to work on. For the year ended 2018, on operating revenue of 1,035 crore, Arunachal Pradesh Power Corporation had a profit after tax of 5.8 crore, according to an ICRA report, underlining the low-margin nature of the power trading business. Profit numbers for the latest fiscal were not available. Sharma, for his part, is confident that the overall revenue of the family business will double over the next three years. As a conventional father he would like his son to take care of liquor and daughter to handle power trading, but as an entrepreneur he knows that its horses for courses. Both know their business very well, he says. Meanwhile, Meenakshi, after being empowered by the liquor business, is in no mood to even entertain talks of swapping roles or quitting the business after marriage. Romane is my baby, she asserts, adding that she is going to stick to the family business. You cant abandon your baby. In fact, there will be more babies to come, she laughs. The Countess of Wessex was joined by her husband Prince Edward and their two children as they took to a Hampshire beach to pick up litter today. Sophie, 55, and the Earl of Wessex, 56, appeared in high spirits as they arrived at the Great British Beach Clean on Southsea Beach in Portsmouth with Lady Louise Windsor, 16, and James Viscount Severn, 12. The Countess looked casual in a pair of blue denim skinny jeans with a pink and white pair of deck shoes, while her hair was swept back in an elegant bun. The Countess of Wessex visited a Hampshire beach today to pick up litter for the Great British Beach Clean Sophie, 55, and the Earl of Wessex, 56, were joined by their two children Lady Louise Windsor, 16, and James Viscount Severn, 12 The family appeared on good spirits as they as cleared away litter on Southsea Beach in Portsmouth She wore minimal jewellery for the occasion, and donned a pair of black sunglasses, later adding an oversized brown coat to her outfit. Her husband also opted for a laid back style, wearing a blue shirt and navy body warmer, paired with a pair of dark blue chino trousers and brown leather shoes. Meanwhile Lady Louise matched her mother, donning a pair of blue skinny jeans and green shirt, with a body warmer and black sunglasses. The Great British Beach Clean, run by the Marine Conservation society, has been leading the way in tackling ocean pollution for 26 years, with volunteers removing 319 tonnes of litter from their local beaches over the years. Prince Edward was seen sharing a friendly moment with son James Viscount Severn as they walked along the beach The Countess of Wessex was spotted chatting with her son as they trawled through the beach to find litter Lady Louise Windsor was seen doing her best to clean up the shingle beach which stretches from Old Portsmouth to Eastney The annual event is running from 18th 25th September, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic cleans will involve smaller groups of friends and family The organisation told volunteers are needed more than ever to the 'worrying combination' of cancelled beach clean events and a 'huge spike in littering and masses of PPE' washing up on shores. Sophie is pictured doing her bit and picking up some litter The annual event is running from 18th 25th September, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the organisation is calling on individuals to adopt a 100m stretch of beach and organise their own beach cleans. These cleans will involve smaller groups of friends, family and bubbles, in line with government guidance. The Marine Conservation Society published an article this week urging the public to take part, due to the 'worrying combination' of cancelled beach clean events and a 'huge spike in littering and masses of PPE' washing up on shores. Yesterday, Sophie was spotted riding a horse and carriage in the grounds of the Queen's residence in Berkshire. The organisation is calling on individuals to adopt a 100m stretch of beach and organise their own beach cleans The family looked content with their work as they posed smiling for a photo on the popular beach The Marine Conservation Society published an article this week urging the public to take part. Lady Louise is seen picking up litter on the beach Sophie is pictured picking up litter along side other volunteers of the Great British Beach Clean Former PR executive Sophie lives at Bagshot Park in Surrey, with Edward and their two children and is widely recognised to be the Queen's favourite royal. It is often Sophie who's picked to travel with the Queen when she is attending church services at either Sandringham or Balmoral. It is believed that the mother is now seen by the Queen as the Royal Familys safest pair of hands, because her marriage to Prince Edward has lasted, while Charles, Anne and Andrew have all been divorced. Volunteers have removed 319 tonnes of litter from their local beaches over the years, and Prince Edward and James were keen to muck in Lady Louise was spotted smiling as she searched for litter on the beach today James, Viscount Severn was spotted showing his mother Sophie Wessex a pice of litter found on the beach Prince Edward was seen holding open a bag as his son James dropped litter found on the beach into it The Queen and Sophie's close bond is said to be down to their similar interests, with the pair often spending Saturday or Sunday evenings together at Windsor, watching old war films and historical documentaries. Sophie, who was brought up in Kent by a tyre company executive father and a secretary mother, is even thought to have convinced the Queen to watch The Crown - suggesting she might enjoy the Netflix series which is based on her reign. The Wessex family are often spotted taking part in outdoor activities at Windsor Castle, which is just 10 miles from their home at Bagshot Park. Sophie can be seen inspecting an object found on the beach as Lady Louise continues to pick up litter The Wessex family are spotted taking part in outdoor activities, regularly being spotted at Windsor Castle The Countess of Wessex was seen taking a closer look at litter found on the beach by her son James The family smiled at each other and chatted as they posed for a picture at the beach clean today The Great British Beach Clean, run by the Marine Conservation society, has been leading the way in tackling ocean pollution for 26 years. Pictured, Edward, Louise and James speaking with an organiser Lady Louise matched her mother, donning a pair of blue skinny jeans and green shirt paired with a body warmer and black sunglasses Edward and Sophie looked in great spirits ahead of their beach clean in Portsmouth this morning Prince Edward, the Queen's youngest son, and his family also visited his parents in Balmoral this summer. The Queen and Prince Philip spent six weeks at their Aberdeenshire home but have now moved to Norfolk together to 'spend time privately' at the their Sandringham estate, where the Duke spends much of his retirement at Wood Farm. Amid the Covid-19 crisis, the Queen will return to Windsor in October, from where she will travel to Buckingham Palace for working visits. The family were pictures listening closely to a volunteer as he explained the organisation's procedures The royal looked casual as she sported a pair of blue denim skinny jeans and swept her hair into an elegant bun Meanwhile Prince Edward opted for a smart blue shirt with a cosy black gilet for the morning activity STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- Police arrested a 30-year-old man early Sunday morning after he was accused of forcing a subway train to jump the tracks and derail in Manhattan. The alleged, unidentified perpetrator was accused of tossing debris on the tracks of an A train at 8th Avenue and 14th Street station, the New York Post reported. The incident occurred at about 8:20 a.m., sources told the news outlet. Three minor injuries were reported, and about 30 passengers reportedly were evacuated from the train. The detention of Chinese-born Australian journalist Cheng Lei has highlighted the risk to foreign nationals from so-called hostage diplomacy and Beijings attitude towards dual nationals of Chinese descent, observers have warned. Cheng, who worked as a TV anchor for Chinese state media, has been held for more than a month and is accused of criminal activity endangering Chinas national security, according to the countrys foreign ministry. She joins dissident Chinese-Australian writer Yang Hengjun who was charged with espionage in March after more than a year in custody an indictment that prompted an official protest from Australia. Yangs wife, an Australian permanent resident, has been barred from leaving China. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China. China does not allow dual citizenship and the Australian government has warned its nationals of Chinese origin that the authorities in Beijing may refuse to recognise their new nationality and deny access to consular services. Grant Wyeth, a researcher at the Asia Institute of the University of Melbourne, said the two countries had different attitudes towards citizenship. The CCP sees itself as being the sole voice for all ethnic Chinese. Because of this the party tends not to respect the citizenship of ethnic Chinese, believing that ethnicity takes precedence over nationality, he said. China is not the only country to make use of so-called hostage diplomacy but it has been thrown into the spotlight as Chengs detention coincided with a sharp deterioration in relations with Australia. Australian writer Yang Hengjun has been charged with espionage. Photo: Reuters Beijing has previously detained the nationals of other countries with which it has had disputes, including two Canadians after the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. China uses detention as part of its diplomatic strategy because it recognises that Western nations with respect for the rule of law cannot reciprocate by arbitrarily detaining innocent Chinese citizens, said Charles Burton, a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute think tank in Ottawa. Story continues It serves to emphasise to nations like Australia and Canada how powerless they are in the face of Chinas asymmetrical power relations, so compliance to Chinas demands is inevitable for them, said the former counsellor at the Canadian embassy in Beijing. Cheng, 45, a bilingual journalist who worked as an anchor for state-run broadcaster China Global Television Network, had one video conversation with Australian officials in late August from the detention centre where she is being held. The Australian authorities did not provide further information, citing privacy rules. On September 8, a spokesman at Chinas foreign ministry said: Her case is still under investigation and in legal process, and her legitimate rights and interests are fully guaranteed. The ministry denied that the country was engaging in hostage diplomacy. However, the Australian authorities have become alarmed enough to issue a warning to its more than 1.2 million residents of Chinese descent. About 41 per cent of them were born in China, according to the 2016 Australian census. The Australian government is aware of the unique threats that Chinese-Australians face Grant Wyeth If youre a former Chinese citizen, authorities may treat you as a citizen and refuse access to Australian consular services, the advisory said. The Chinese government doesnt recognise dual nationality. It wont let us provide consular help to Chinese-Australian dual nationals who travel on their Chinese passport or any non-Australian foreign passport, it added. But Wyeth said Beijing has shown that travelling on an Australian passport does not protect Chinese-Australians. [The specific travel advisory] is an indication that the Australian government is aware of the unique threats that Chinese-Australians face due to the Chinese Communist Partys narrow conception of their status as Chinese first, Australian second, or the blurred lines the CCP has created to suit its own purposes. China-Australia relations took a downturn in April when Australia pushed for an independent review of the origins and spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, which was first detected in China late last year. Beijing then imposed an 80 per cent tariff on Australian barley imports, banned beef imports from four firms, and started an investigation into Australian wines allegedly being sold in China below fair market prices. Chengs detention also came as the Australian Strategic Policy Institute released a report on September 1, saying China is increasingly using coercive diplomacy to force changes in behaviour. The report cited 152 cases involving 27 countries and the European Union that included restrictions on trade, investment, tourism and official travel from 2018. Two Canadians, Michael Spavor (left) and Michael Kovrig have been held since late 2018. Photo: Facebook There does seem to be increasing trend in the PRCs use of coercive diplomacy, including the use of arbitrary detention for what appears to be a means for political ends, said Bec Strating, an Asian security specialist at La Trobe University in Australia. The purpose of hostage diplomacy is to the detainees as leverage in the pursuit of particular political goals, said Strating, citing the case of the two Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. They were charged with espionage after Canada detained Meng Wanzhou, Huaweis chief financial officer, in response to an extradition request by the United States. She is under house arrest in Vancouver pending the result of her case. The Canadian case seems at least on the surface, and according to publicly available knowledge to have a transactional dimension: Canada releases Meng, China will talk about the Canadians, said Strating. The Chinese foreign ministry has said that Canada was playing the role of an accomplice to the US in detaining Meng and has called for her immediate release. Using detention as an instrument of foreign policy is a cruel and counterproductive tactic that damages Beijings global reputation and standing, although China is not the only country to use it, said Paul Evans, a professor at the school of public policy and global affairs at the University of British Columbia in Canada. The detention of Canadas two Michaels is a case in point. It has not been effective in moving Ottawa to release Madam Meng Wanzhou, said Evans. And with Canadian lives on the line it has soured public opinion in ways that will harm bilateral relations for the foreseeable future. This article Detained Australian journalists case shines fresh spotlight on Chinas hostage diplomacy first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #38 Posted on 20 September 2020 by John Hartz Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Review... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... The tipping points at the heart of the climate crisis Many parts of the Earths climate system have been destabilised by warming, from ice sheets and ocean currents to the Amazon rainforest and scientists believe that if one collapses others could follow The Thwaites glacier in Antarctica, where ice is now melting on a massive scale. Photograph: Nasa/OIB/Jeremy Harbeck/EPA The warning signs are flashing red. The California wildfires were surely made worse by the impacts of global heating. A study published in July warned that the Arctic is undergoing an abrupt climate change event that will probably lead to dramatic changes. As if to underline the point, on 14 September it was reported that a huge ice shelf in northeast Greenland had torn itself apart, worn away by warm waters lapping in from beneath. That same day, a study of satellite data revealed growing cracks and crevasses in the ice shelves protecting two of Antarcticas largest glaciers indicating that those shelves could also break apart, leaving the glaciers exposed and liable to melt, contributing to sea-level rise. The ice losses are already following our worst-case scenarios. These developments show that the harmful impacts of global heating are mounting, and should be a prompt to urgent action to cut greenhouse gas emissions. But the case for emissions cuts is actually even stronger. That is because scientists are increasingly concerned that the global climate might lurch from its current state into something wholly new which humans have no experience dealing with. Many parts of the Earth system are unstable. Once one falls, it could trigger a cascade like falling dominoes. Click here to access the entire aticle as originally posted on the Observer/Guardian website. The tipping points at the heart of the climate crisis by Michael Marshall, The Observer/The Guardian, Sep 19, 2020 Toon of the Week... Hat tip to the Stop Climate Science Denial Facebook page. Coming Soon on SkS... Wind and solar are 30-50% cheaper than thought, admits UK government (Simon Evans) (Simon Evans) Why does land warm up faster than the oceans? (Michael Byrne) (Michael Byrne) SkS New Research for Week #38 (Doug Bostrom) (Doug Bostrom) Interactive: What is the climate impact of eating meat and dairy? (Daisy Dunne) (Daisy Dunne) UK's Radical Citizens Climate Assembly (Climate Adam) (Climate Adam) 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #39 (John Hartz) (John Hartz) 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #39 (John Hartz) Climate Feedback Claim Review... Western US wildfires are not the result of widespread arson CLAIM: A distressing number of the [West coast] fires are not accidents, and willful arson is the cause. VERDICT: SOURCE: Glen Morgan, We The Governed, 10 Sept. 2020 KEY TAKE AWAY: Recent wildfires on the West Coast have been ignited by a number of sources, including lightning, power lines, and even a smoke machine at a party. Their severity is the result of strong winds and intense drought driven by a dry summer and record warmth, which is part of an ongoing human-caused warming trend. Western US wildfires are not the result of widespread arson, Edited by Scott Johnson, Climate Feedback, Sep 14, 2020 SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-19 00:48:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TASHKENT, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Fifteen members of the radical Islamic group Hizb ut-Tahrir were arrested after a police and security service joint raid in Uzbekistan's Samarkand region, Samarkand police department said Friday. The joint operation was carried out in Taylak, Samarkand, Urgut districts and the city of Samarkand, a police statement said. Material evidence with extremist contents were found at the residences of the detainees, according to the statement, which added that a criminal investigation was underway. Uzbek Supreme Court listed Hizb ut-Tahrir as a banned religious extremist organization in 2016. Enditem (Natural News) Americas silent majority must speak out to protect the nations foundation from the left, said Douglas Murray, author of The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity, offering his analysis on Wednesdays edition of SiriusXMs Breitbart News Daily with host Alex Marlow. (Article by Robert Kraychik republished from Breitbart.com) Murray described a growing political divide predicated on conflicting perceptions of Americas past across America possibly leading to civil war. I think there is a fundamental divide which occurs in societies on occasion, and it should be eased rather than accentuated, and its been accentuated in the U.S. in recent years, and its for this one particularly concerning issue, which is that whatever discussions and debates people have over where America should be going, you do so or you did so from the premise that you agreed on the American past. But now there are these two totally contrary [and] contradictory views of the American past, continued Murray, remarking on left-wing historical revisionism. One [side] sees the American past as what most of us think of it as being, the Founding Fathers, the Constitution, and much more. Another group of people sees America as an irredeemable country, which not only isnt exceptional but is exceptional only in its terribleness. LISTEN: Murray addressed discordant understandings of American history and philosophical first principles between the left and right. Between these two views, its increasingly clear there isnt very much ability to find common ground, determined Murray, because if youve never done anything good, then you most likely cant in the future if you act on what you already have, and thats why I say that if you cant agree on the nature of your past, you dont have a future. Murray continued, There are people now who simply dont seem to notice that the American Civil War happened, or that America spent many decades going over the issue of slavery. A new generation believes that didnt happen. Left-wing activism is a new religion that is being forced onto America, Murray assessed. He described leftism as providing purpose for existence in lieu of traditional institutions and norms being undermined. Marlow and Murray described China as a geopolitical beneficiary of Americas self-inflicted decline. The warned that Western values will die if the lefts domestic pursuits are unstopped. Murray remarked, It is going to take an awful lot to stop it, and I think conservatives are remiss if they think there will be some grand catastrophe at the end of which everybody will realize we were right all along. The French and Russian revolutions illustrate the some of depths of depravity to which revolutions can sink, Murray stated. Its perfectly possible, and history bears out the central truth that what happens next is not a grand awakening to some truth, but endless further circles down to hell. Murray described protection of the individuals sanctity against the lefts push for collectivism is the solution to growing leftism. Bravery, courage, and outspokenness are necessary virtues, he added. Lady Amelia Windsor swapped her usual boho style for a biker chick look yesterday as she donned a burgundy leather jacket and dark maxi dress to attend an art installation and performance at London Fashion Week. The 24-year-old royal, who is 39th in line to the British throne, attended the launch of a new art exhibition held within the Royal Park grounds of The Serpentine Gallery as part of London Fashion Week last night. D&G model Amelia, who lives in London, donned a black chiffon slip dress while attending the art installation and performance activation of the Mithridate SS21 Anthropocene exhibition. She completed her look with a burgundy leather jacket and a pair of chunky black heeled sandals emblazoned with diamante buckles. Lady Amelia Windsor, 24, switched up her usual boho look for a chic leather biker jacket as she attended London Fashion Week yesterday Lady Amelia donned a natural make up-look, still showing off her glowing natural complexion while wearing an understated black panelled face covering Lady Amelia donned a natural make up-look, still showing off her glowing natural complexion while wearing an understated black panelled face covering. The royal teamed her outfit with an on-trend gold chain, several small silver earrings, a silver chained bracelet and a silver and black beaded hand bag. Mithridates Spring Summer 2021 collection, entitled Anthropocene, was translated into a performance installation by critically acclaimed artists Ania Catherine and Dejha Ti. Lady Amelia was snapped with Zoe Zimmer, a photographer and graphic artist, and the daughter of film score composer Hans Zimmer and Vicki Carolin. The royal was snapped with Zoe Zimmer (right), a photographer and graphic artist, and the daughter of film score composer Hans Zimmer and Vicki Carolin D&G model Amelia donned a black chiffon slip dress while attending the art installation and performance activation of the Mithridate SS21 Anthropocene exhibition Matching Amelia's stylish look, the artist wore a longer burnt orange leather jacket paired with a black turtle neck and cigarette trousers, along with a matching black mask. The royal, who graduated with a degree in Italian and French from the University of Edinburgh last year, is the granddaughter of the Queen's cousin, the Duke of Kent. Amelia has modelled for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana and designed her own range of accessories in collaboration with Penelope Chilvers. The royal teamed her outfit with an on-trend gold chain, several small silver earrings, a silver chained bracelet and a silver and black beaded hand bag Amelia has modelled for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana and designed her own range of accessories in collaboration with Penelope Chilvers She is represented by Storm models, which also looks after the likes of Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne. Additionally she has been named as a contributing editor in Tatler Magazine, and reportedly interned at jewellery house Bulgari, during her time studying at Edinburgh university. Despite most of the royals keeping their private life off social media, Amelia is a big fan of Instagram and regularly shares glimpses at her glamorous life with her followers. Lady Amelia, who is 39th in line to the British throne, is now back in London having spent lockdown in Oxfordshire She was joined by Zoe Zimmer attended the art instillation and performance in central London last night The 24-year-old has a blossoming following of 83,700 followers on Instagram, where she regularly posts snaps from glamorous fashion events, as well as her adventures exploring trendy parts of the capital. In late March, Lady Amelia fled to her parents' house in Cambridge, joining the Londoners escaping to visit their second homes at the start of the UK's coronavirus-related lockdown. She shared a snap of the city dated 23 March, a week after the government advised against all non-essential travel and fears mounted that capital dwellers could be spreading the disease across the country. The streets of Benin City, the Edo State capital, was agog on Sunday following the re-election of Godwin Obaseki as governor of Edo State for another four years. Mr Obaseki, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission having polled 307,955 to defeat his main rival, Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress, who had 223,619. He (Obaseki) won his first election in 2016 as a candidate of the APC, principally supported by Adams Oshiomhole, the immediate past governor and former chairman of the APC. Mr Ize-Iyamu was then the candidate of the PDP. From Reservation Road to Aideyan Crescent, where Philip Shaibu, the deputy governor-elect resides, to Airport Road and other parts of the Government Reservation Area of Benin, motorists displayed the banner of the PDP chanting the four-plus-four slogans. The Government House community was not left out as they rolled out drums to celebrate the reelection of Mr Obaseki. Amid the celebration, PREMIUM TIMES observed that fireworks rained in the air from a street not too far from the Reservation Road. Moses Obahon, one of those celebrating within the Government House community, said the re-election of Mr Obaseki was one of the most outstanding exercises conducted in the history of Nigeria. Mr Obahon said, This election that brought Mr Obaseki back is one of the most outstanding in Nigeria and this is what we want in this country. We need people with the capacity and quality to govern us and that is why the people have come out in their numbers to celebrate his re-election. If a governor is not working, the people have the power to remove him. Mr Obaseki has been working effectively and that is why we voted him back and that is why we are celebrating. Chinyere Onyia, an activist, who was among those celebrating at the Government House, said she was happy because the result of the people reflected the wishes of the people. Mrs Onyia said, I have known the governor as a humanitarian figure in the state, and he has a vision for the people of the state. He has shown that he has a passion for people that are physically challenged and the indigent in the society. He does whatever he has done in the last four years without making noise about it. Tina Okoi, an Abuja-based indigene of the state, who was also sighted celebrating Mr Obasekis victory, said the governors re-election had put an end to godfatherism in the state. Mrs Okoi said, I am celebrating because we do not want godfatherism again. Edo truly is not Lagos and it shows that we (Edo indigenes) are one. Rose Akhigbe, an indigene of Jattu in Etsako West Local Government Area of the state who was also spotted celebrating, said she was rejoicing because of the re-election of Mr Obaseki and Philip Shaibu, his deputy, was a tough fight. I am celebrating the victory of Obaseki and his deputy because it was a tough race and in the end, they won. It shows that when the Edo people believe in a course they can die with it. No more godfatherism, Mrs Akhigbe said. Off the 4-5 favourite, In Secret circled around his competition to score an open-length victory in the $8,500 Preferred 3 Trot at Flamboro Downs on Saturday (Sept. 19). Driver Jonathan Drury landed In Secret in fifth while pylon-starter Waikiki Hanover led to a :27.4 first quarter. Sicario sat the pocket while Caviars Triumph edged first over to apply minor pressure by a :57 half. But the first-over foe lost stride nearing three-quarters in 1:26.2, prompting In Secrets rush to move three wide before sliding past Sicario into the final turn. Through the stretch the eight-year-old Deweycheatumnhowe gelding coasted to a four-length win in 1:56 with Sicario settling for second and Bastiano taking third. Owned by CTC Stable, In Secret won his third race from 14 starts this season and his 40th from 155 overall, earning $889,901. He paid $3.60 to win. To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Flamboro Downs. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A$25,228 check was presented to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation at Joyces Tavern in Eltingville on Saturday after the money was raised during a one-day, 9/11 fundraiser organized by new restaurant union IROAR, the Independent Restaurant Organization Association Rescue. IROAR held its inaugural event Dine Out To Remember on Sept. 11 where proceeds from the days receipts were earmarked for the donation. The Prime Minister is planning an advertising campaign to inform teachers and parents about coronavirus symptoms, it has been revealed. The government has faced severe backlash over the test and trace system which has seen those needing tests sent hundreds of miles and told to join long queues at some testing centres while others stand empty. While Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called on Health Secretary Matt Hancock to apologise for what has happened, Mr Hancock told Sophy Ridge on Sky News that he would not. He said: 'No, I strongly and emphatically support my team who have done an amazing job at building capacity.' As the testing controversy continues, the government's ad campaign will hope to stop pupils with runny noses and colds being sent home and told to get a test. According to the Times, Boris Johnson's aides are working on the public information campaign in a bid to stop the system being overwhelmed. The newspaper also claims rationing plans for coronavirus tests in England will prioritise teachers. Boris Johnson's aides are preparing an advertising campaign aimed at teachers and parents and informing them of the symptoms of Covid in a bid to prevent overload on testing system The testing chaos has been blamed on a mad rush by parents needlessly seeking Covid tests for children with common colds. Typically, coughs and colds spike every September when children head back to class, and become even more common during the winter. But a No 10 source told the Mail on Sunday the surge in demand for tests was due in part by people not understanding when they should and shouldnt get a test. The source said: For example, whole classes of children and their families have been sent for tests after one positive case, which is mad. Loads of kids get sniffles in the autumn the difference now is theyre all being kept off school and trying to get corona tests. Public health experts echoed the sentiments. Linda Bauld, Professor of Public Health at the University of Edinburgh, said the same pattern of over-testing was evident in Scotland, where schools returned around a fortnight before those south of the border. It was apparent from the Scottish example that a lot of unnecessary tests were taken up by parents for their children and the same thing has happened in England and Wales, she told The Mail on Sunday. Dido Harding, head of NHS Test and Trace, told MPs that there had been a very marked increase in the number of young children being tested, a doubling of children under 17 being tested, with even larger rises in those aged five to nine. A graphic shows how parents can tell the difference between a cold, flu and coronavirus According to some reports, more than 300 schools had sent either some or all pupils home after reported or suspected cases by last week. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health advises that children with simple cold symptoms such as a runny nose or sore throats without fever should not be tested. NAHT - the headteachers union - has released data which shows how the testing backlog is affecting schools. The study shows four in five schools have children isolating because they can't access a covid test. The union collected data from 736 schools and found 82% of schools have children currently not attending because they cannot access a test to rule out covid-19. Meanwhile 87% have children currently not attending because they are waiting for their test results. The union also found that 45% of schools have staff currently not at work because they cannot access a test to rule out covid-19, and 60% have staff currently staying home because they are waiting for their test results. Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, last week wrote to the Prime Minister with mounting concerns about the impact the lack of access to covid-19 tests is having on schools, warning that the situation is becoming increasingly disruptive and unsustainable. Today's figures add weight to those concerns. Mr Whiteman says: 'Tests for covid-19 need to be readily available for everyone so that pupils and staff who get negative results can get back into school quickly. 'But we are hearing the same thing repeatedly from our members across the country chaos is being caused by the inability of staff and families to successfully get tested when they display symptoms. Year eight pupils wear face masks as a precaution against the transmission of the novel coronavirus as they walk along a corridor of Moor End Academy in Huddersfield, Yorkshire 'This means schools are struggling with staffing, have children missing school, and ultimately that children's education is being needlessly disrupted. 'The government assured us that testing would be ready for schools reopening it was one of their own key safety requirements to have in place to enable children and teachers to return. 'It is in no way unpredictable or surprising that the demand for covid-19 tests would spike when schools reopened more widely this term. 'And yet the system is in chaos. The government has failed schools and children. 'It is unacceptable for this to happen when schools have put so much effort into getting their part of the plan right, and when pupils have had to endure so much uncertainty and disruption already.' Two other unions representing headteachers and governors have also written to the Prime Minister urging him 'take charge' of Government efforts to ramp up testing capacity. They say the inability of pupils an staff to get a swab have put some heads in an 'impossible situation' after grappling with symptomatic pupils and staff struggling to access tests. This week it was reported that Britain's testing fiasco has forced 740 schools to send children home. Steve Chalke, the head of Oasis Academies Trust, made the alarming claim as Boris Johnson faced mounting pressure to get a grip over widespread lack of access to swabs. Mr Johnson has declared the return of lessons a 'national priority' and the Department for Education earlier this week trumpeted that 99.9 per cent of schools have reopened. Three unions representing headteachers and governors have written to Boris Johnson urging him 'take charge' of Government efforts to ramp up testing capacity. Pictured above people queue for a test in Southend-on-Sea as the testing system continues to see high demand Addressing concerns about testing when appearing before the Commons Education Committee on Wednesday, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said each school was given 10 home-testing kits at the start of term and schools can now order more kits from the NHS directly. Rob Halfon, chairman of the committee, asked if he could 'guarantee' that pupils and teachers who need local Covid-19 tests would be able to get them within 48 hours in the event of outbreaks. But Mr Williamson replied: 'Schools are, I think, the only organisation that actually has a set of testing kits that have been sent to them directly in order to be able to ensure that if they are in a situation where someone isn't in a position to be able to get a test, then they actually have testing kits on site.' Schools have been hit with Covid-19 cases since it became compulsory for pupils to return. Some have closed their doors days after reopening while others have told whole year groups and classes to self-isolate for two weeks following confirmed cases. A poll from the GMB union suggests only half (51 per cent) of school staff have had training on Covid-19 health and safety measures and working practices - including infection control and correct use of PPE. Stuart Fegan, national officer of GMB, said it is 'shocking' that large numbers of school staff are missing basic health and safety training around Covid-19 since schools had fully reopened. It comes as Britain's biggest Covid-19 testing lab is prioritising Premiership Rugby stars and travellers to Dubai, company insiders have claimed. Randox Laboratories in Co Antrim, Northern Ireland, reportedly also regularly fails to provide test results within 24 hours to members of the public. The lab is responsible for a quarter of all community tests across the UK after winning a 133 million contract in March. Randox completed fewer than one in 10 tests on time on September 9 and has also been forced to throw away more tests than any other lab due to human error, according to a report in the Sunday Times citing leaked documents. Staff alleged that tests from rugby players and coaching staff are given 'priority status' and are flown by helicopter to Antrim every week, with results usually available by 9am the next day. Randox Laboratories in Co Antrim, Northern Ireland is prioritising Premiership Rugby stars and travellers to Dubai, company insiders have claimed Randox Laboratories was founded by Dr Peter FitzGerald in 1982 and currently employs more than 1,500 people. Dr Fitzgerald pictured above It is claimed that those travelling to Dubai receive similar special treatment. On September 2, Randox said it was 'delighted' to sign a new deal to screen airline passengers to Dubai. It came on the same day 12,401 tests were voided without explanation. Sources told the publication that the Northern Irish laboratory is unable to process tests quick enough after taking on too much work. The firm is said be having major staffing problems - with 35,000 tests voided since the start of August. The company, based in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, is said to be blaming leaks, damaged tubes and people sending urine rather than saliva, as the reason for voiding the tests. In July, Randox was forced to recall half a million test kits after checks revealed they were not sterile. The laboratory continues to play a key role in Covid-19 testing ahead of an anticipated second wave of cases. Despite its alleged struggles, Randox is taking on commercial testing contracts and is reportedly currently in negotiations with Boots. Randox Laboratories was founded by Dr Peter FitzGerald in 1982 and currently employs more than 1,500 people, with offices in Brazil, America and India among others. The lab employs Conservative MP Owen Paterson as a consultant for 100,000 a year which easily surpasses his salary as an MP. It comes amid growing anger over the Government's testing 'shambles', as centres across the UK are facing huge queues and a backlog of people Paterson has previously lobbied the government on behalf of the company. Randox has insisted its relationship with Mr Paterson had no role in it winning the multimillion contract from the government. It has also denied priorititising commercial contracting. 'Randox takes great care in meeting all its contractual obligations and fully recognises the critical importance of meeting those obligations with regard to the national testing programme,' the firm said in a statement. 'Randox does not prioritise commercial work ahead of other work streams. We do not comment on commercial matters. We do not have a practice of voiding high numbers of test kits on a daily basis. 'On average the Randox void rate is comparable across the programme.' It comes amid growing anger over the Government's testing 'shambles', as centres across the UK are facing huge queues and a backlog of people. Parents in Bolton and Hull have complained of struggling to get tests for their children who have been sent home from school 'with a runny nose'. Meanwhile, others have reported driving for two hours from West Sussex only to be turned away without a test and even being told to make a 280-mile round trip from Durham to Edinburgh. On August 31, the government of Zimbabwe announced that foreign white farmers settled in the country who lost land between 2000 and 2001 under former President Robert Mugabes controversial programme of land reform designed to empower landless Black peasants could apply to get it back. To enforce this dubious arrangement, the government will revoke offer letters to Black farmers who were resettled on the land formerly belonging to white farmers. And where restitution proves impractical, white farmers will be offered land elsewhere. A month earlier, the Zimbabwe government had already agreed to pay $3.5bn in compensation to local white farmers for infrastructure on the farms they lost when their lands were forcibly taken by the government. The arrangement to return confiscated lands to foreign white farmers, coupled with the compensation scheme for their local counterparts, essentially brings to an end Zimbabwes struggle to reclaim the land grabbed by British settlers during the colonial era and serves as the latest final resolution to the land question. Under British colonial rule, Africans could not occupy or buy land freely. The 1930 Land Apportionment Act, passed by the Southern Rhodesian legislature that year and accepted by the imperial British government in 1931, made it illegal for Black Africans to own land outside of established native reserves. These native purchase areas comprised some 22 percent of the countrys least arable land, while the white people living in Southern Rhodesia, who constituted 4.5 percent of the countrys population, gained access to around 51 percent of the countrys most arable land. So approximately 50 million acres of land were made available to a white population of just 48,000 settlers, and one million Africans had to share 20 million acres. Whats more, as with most British colonial heists, the Land Apportionment Act led to African communities being removed from fertile lands to accommodate newly arrived white settler communities. Subsequently, the low agriculture yields accumulated within native reserves led to rising economic hardships and poverty within African communities. With time, land became the colonial administrations raison detre and an emotive rallying point for African nationalism. In 1973, Herbert Chitepo, a leading nationalist, said: To us, the essence of exploitation, the essence of white domination, is domination over land. That is the real issue. Later, at the 1979 Lancaster House peace talks that eventually led to a negotiated agreement for independence, Britain made a commitment to fund Zimbabwes land redistribution programme. It provided 44m ($96.8m) in aid in the years after independence, but that meagre amount could not fund a comprehensive land reform programme. And despite repeated calls for it to honour the commitment made in 1979, Britain reneged on that pledge in 1997. Clare Short, the then-international development secretary, advised the Zimbabwean government that the election of a Labour government without links to former colonial interests meant Britain no longer had special responsibility to meet the cost of land purchases. Short also emphasised that My government recognises that the present pattern of land ownership needs to be fundamentally changed. We remain willing to assist with a land reform programme which is transparent and fair and has the support and participation of beneficiaries and stakeholders. Even Boris Johnson, a man with unbridled passion for the British Empire and colonial relics, criticised former Prime Minister Tony Blairs handling of Zimbabwes land reform programme. In 2015, in a column for the Telegraph, Johnson wrote, The British government agreed to fund the arrangement, compensating the former colonial farmers for land that they gave up. Under that arrangement the white farmers were able to survive more or less; Zimbabwe remained economically viable more or less. He added, And then in 1997, along came Tony Blair and New Labour, and in a fit of avowed anti-colonialist fervour they unilaterally scrapped the arrangement. New Labours decision to reject Britains responsibility towards providing money for the land reform played a role in motivating and advancing the violent farm seizures that gripped Zimbabwe in the 2000s. It also led to a rushed and badly executed land distribution programme that subsequently established a toxic political atmosphere which still prevails in the country. So it just beggars belief that Britain found it expedient to extricate itself from assuming responsibility for the actions committed under the banner of the British Empires colonial designs. Southern Rhodesia was established in 1923 as a self-governing British Crown colony and the land at the centre of todays questionable compensation deal was not acquired through a cordial negotiation process: settlers occupied land and committed atrocities in the name of the British Empire. British settlers, for example, hanged Mbuya Nehanda and Sekuru Kaguvi, two spirit mediums, in 1898, after they led a peoples revolt against attempts to appropriate land and impose colonial rule. The settlers also shipped Nehanda and Kaguvis remains to a London museum, to be displayed as war trophies. So why should Zimbabwe have to compensate white farmers for land that was stolen under murderous circumstances in the first place? Why should Black Africans who suffered 90 years of colonialism, actually have to pay for Britains colonial endeavours? Amid the widespread economic problems that it is experiencing, Zimbabwe cannot afford to pay $3.5bn in compensation to white farmers. Worse still, it cannot just revoke the land offers presented to Black farmers, as that would not be fair. On what basis should the new farmers lose their land? Similarly, how will they be compensated for their losses? And, as the government capitulates to the Wests unreasonable demands, will the large tracts of fertile land lost under colonial rule ever be compensated? The latest deal, far from solving the land issue might, in the long run, lead to further instability on the farms. The government is at pains to stress that compensation is for infrastructure improvements made on farms and the landmark agreement is a prerequisite to mending ties with the West. The United States government, for instance, has reportedly made compensating farmers one of many requirements for lifting economic sanctions. But why is America not insisting that Britain compensate Black Zimbabweans for the original loss of land? Without compensation from Britain, the land deal simply affirms the ill-gotten gains of white supremacist rule in Zimbabwe. It flies in the face of global efforts to demonstrate that Black lives matter too. Surely, Britain must reassess the compensation claims arising in Zimbabwe, and pay up. The West cannot insist on one standard for Britain and white Africans, while promoting another for Black Africans. Britain, not Zimbabwe, must pay for the land appropriated during the colonial era. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. By Ronojoy Mazumdar Paytm Money, a unit of the nations largest digital-payments startup Paytm which is backed by Chinese billionaire Jack Mas Ant Group, is aiming to build a top stock broker by helping local retail investors avoid the biggest investing hazard -- getting burned during a down cycle and quitting for good. The app made zero-fee stock trading available to its millions of users last month. It plans to put algorithms to work so Indias young, smartphone-savvy newbie investors can be nudged to exit loss-making trades and book profits at the right opportunity. The newcomer is stoking competition among Indian brokerages rushing to give hungry traders the perfect platform. Nimble, technology-focused online brokers are pulling ahead of older established rivals by offering easy-to-use platforms with minimal charges. Unable to keep up with falling prices and fast-paced online services, smaller players have been rapidly closing their doors, with about three quarters of brokers shutting shop in the last six years. There is a big debate about who will survive in the Indian broking industry because there is a lot of disruption, said Kranthi Bathini, a director at Mumbai-based WealthMills Securities Pvt. Paytm is very well known, their brand has reach. They could create big awareness about stock investing in India. A sign for PayTM online payment method is displayed at a street stall selling accessories in Bengaluru, India in 2017. The launch of the app could hardly be better timed. Like the Robinhood craze in the US, Indians have been drawn to the stock market this year. Four and a half million individuals had opened trading accounts in the first seven months of this year, compared with less than three million in all of last year, according to data compiled by Central Depository Services Ltd. Paytm, whose parent One97 Communications is valued at $16 billion, has become a fintech leader in India. It was founded a decade ago by Vijay Shekhar Sharma to offer digital payments in a market that Credit Suisse Group AG forecast to reach $1 trillion by 2023. The Ant Group has a 30.33 per cent stake in One97. 'Would be massive' Paytm has a user base of about 80 million for its payment services, according to Vivek Bajaj, co-founder of StockEdge, an education and research platform for retail investors. If they bring 10 million of those users into the stock market, it would be massive. While concerns are growing on the increasingly speculative nature of retail stock wagers, the surge in demand for online and mobile-based broking services has sparked innovation in India. Brokers are racing to offer new features such as access to US markets to stay ahead, while keeping fees rock bottom. Pricing has become commoditized, so whichever broker adds more value will prevail, said Bajaj. Some of the ways in which Paytm Money hopes to stand out include features that could allow users to automate the entry, exit and monitoring of investments in various securities, Varun Sridhar, chief executive officer, said in an interview. Another planned innovation to lure users is to add resources for investor education. The app currently has the ability to set up scheduled monthly investments in individual stocks -- which has proved popular in mutual funds. In three years time, we would like to be either number one or two with a 10-15 per cent market share, said Sridhar. The Lodhas are looking to file an appeal as early as 21 September against the Single Bench order of the Calcutta High Court stopping Harsh Vardhan Lodha from holding any office in M P Birla Group entities. The Business Standard newspaper reports that the Lodhas are planning this move after a court order restrained Harsh Vardhan Lodha, non-executive director and chairman of the company from holding any office in the M P Birla Group. The group informed stock exchanges late Saturday that a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court passed the ruling on September 18, in a probate proceeding to which the company is not a party. The Birla Corporation, the flagship entity of the group, said on September 19 that it would look into Calcutta High Court judgment and take necessary steps, including filing an appeal, because the verdict had ignored shareholders democracy and the right to elect by majority of their votes a person as a director of the company. The order that was passed on September 18 has an impact on 30 companies, trusts and societies holding shares in various companies of the Birla group. The companies are supposed to exercise their voting right in accordance with the directions of the Administrator Pendente Lite (APL) Committee, formed in 2012 with court-appointed administrators to oversee and administer the estate of the late Priyamvada Devi Birla. Read: Birla-Lodha dispute: Calcutta HC shuts out Harsh Vardhan Lodha from Rs 25,000-crore MP Birla Group According to the order, the APL Committee had the right to exercise all such powers and perform all such acts as the late Priyamvada Devi Birla would have exercised had she been alive. Priyamvada Birla had a controlling shareholding in the group's companies either by direct investment or along with other investor companies. Together, the investment companies and Birla via cross-shareholding held the controlling interest in all those manufacturing companies. The Birla Group's pyramid structure There are four manufacturing entities in the M P Birla group that are listed: Birla Corporation, Vindhya Telelinks, Universal Cables and Birla Cable. The M P Birla group companies have a pyramid structure of control under which Priyamvada Birla directly controlled the apex investor firms. She used a mechanism that allowed a chain and cross-holding of shares across the group. This is how Universal Cables, Vindhya Telelinks, Hindustan Gum & Chemicals, Birla Cable, and Birla Corporation were controlled, the report said. The Lodhas stand is that the estate of Priyamvada Birla has only 16.04 percent shareholding, both direct and indirect, in the Birla Corporation. The Birlas and the APL Committee argue that it had a controlling interest of 62.09 percent, via the system of cross-holding of shares, as the promoter stake. In the interest of the estate as well as the M P Birla group, the court has passed strictures and injunctive orders against Harsh Vardhan Lodha including his removal from all positions in the M P Birla group, the Birla side said. These listed companies of the M P Birla group are also expected to raise the matter legally that shareholders had voted in favour of Lodhas reappointment, according to the report. Lodha was reappointed to the position of chairman with a majority of 98 percent votes in favour. Even in other companies like Vindhya Telelinks and Birla Cable, where the APL Committee had opposed reappointment, he was reappointed with more than 97 percent of the votes in favour. Dr. Gideon Boako, Economic Advisor and Spokesperson to the Vice President, has initiated moves to court the friendship of Zongo communities in the Tano North Constituency in the Ahafo Region to rally behind the party to vote massively to maintain power in the 2020 elections. The moves includes house to house, door to door campaigns, frequent engagements with the various Muslims groups, courtesy visits to the various heads of the Zongo Communities, among others. Dr. Gideon Boako speaking today after a keep fit exercise and house to house campaign organized by the Zongo Youth Patriots at Yamfo in the Tano North Constituency urged the Zongo Caucus in the party to form a formidable front ahead of the general elections in order to maximize more votes from the Zongo communities. Dr. Boako, together with the jubilant Zongo Youth and constituency executives visited the Yamfo Chief Imam, Islamic clerics and the Zongo communities in a house to house campaign. According to Dr. Boako, Nana-Bawumia led administration is systematically addressing the developmental challenges confronting Zongo communities, especially in the educational sector and improving the livelihoods Zongo communities. To invigorate the partys youth and broaden the partys appeal to the Zongo Youth, he suggested that they undertook communal activities and frequent meetings to make the NPP more attractive to win more supporters. He advised them to desist from acts that could create image problems for the NPP and said there was the need for them to channel their energies towards helping to expand the support base of the party. He said "don't vote 'skirt and blouse' for one or the other reason. Boako called on the electorate to reject the NDC since it had nothing to offer Ghanaians, saying "at the time the NDC government was in power they did not do anything significant for the Zongo communities except to use and dump them. He called for unity and peace among the rank and file of the NPP Zongo caucus in the area to win over the floating votes for the party. The Zongo Youth Patriots Tano North Chapter presented citation to Dr. Boako for his contributions towards the development of the party in the constituency and the general wellbeing of the constituents. Dr. Gideon Boako has for the past days been in the Tano North constituency offering support to the constituents and canvassing votes for the parliamentary candidate Hon Freda Prempeh and President Akufo-Addo ahead of the crucial December polls. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Deliveroo rider who allowed hit-and-run victim Thiago Cortes to use his account has now had his self-employed contract terminated with the company, it is understood. Mr Cortes was not legally allowed to be working for Deliveroo at the time of his death. The Brazilian (28) died on September 1 from injuries he suffered when he was knocked down in Dublin while cycling as a courier for the fast-food delivery firm. He had only recently become engaged to his partner Teresa Dantas, who said this weekend she remains heartbroken but thanked the Irish public for their support. A north Dublin teenager, well known to gardai, was driving an uninsured and untaxed Ford Focus and is the chief suspect for the hit-and-run at North Wall Quay. In a new development, it has emerged that the much-loved Brazilian had been sub-contracting a friend's Deliveroo account when he was killed. All Deliveroo riders are self-employed and entitled to subcontract services to allow another individual to use their account to do deliveries on their behalf. However, the person they subcontract to must be a permanent resident in the country where they are working. In the case of Mr Cortes, he was in Ireland on a student visa that did not permit him to work as a subcontractor for Deliveroo. The Deliveroo rider who allowed the victim to use his account has now had his self-employed contract terminated with the company, it is understood. This man was legally responsible for ensuring Mr Thiago met all the necessary requirements, which the first rider did not. Deliveroo has been in contact with the victim's fiancee and family since the tragedy. It is understood the company also made a financial donation to Mr Cortes's loved-ones and is assisting with insurance claims. "All of us at Deliveroo are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Thiago Cortes. Since the tragedy, Deliveroo has been in touch with Thiago's family and riders in Dublin," said a company spokesman. "Our thoughts, prayers and condolences are with Thiago's family and all those who knew him. "Riders are at the very heart of Deliveroo and their safety and security is our priority. "Deliveroo riders, like all self-employed contractors, are able to use substitutes, but we are clear that they have obligations when substitution is put into practice." Speaking this weekend, Ms Dantas said she was still devastated over the loss of her fiance but was getting "stronger every day". "My mother came to Ireland after this happened and is staying a couple of weeks more. That is helping," she said. "Deliveroo did get in touch. It was nice of them. I really appreciate the support I have got from everyone in Ireland and Brazil. People have been coming up to me on the street and talking to me about it. It's been amazing." On Thursday last week, her fiance was cremated in a "very nice" ceremony at Mount Jerome in Harold's Cross, Dublin, she added. "His parents are trying to decide what to do with his ashes. I am going to be staying in Ireland for now. I have friends and support here and a sister in France." Mourners held a vigil in Dublin city in memory of Mr Cortes days after his death. #MeToo: Scribe seeks acquittal in MJ Akbar defamation case India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 20: Journalist Priya Ramani on Saturday sought acquittal in a criminal defamation complaint filed against her by former Union minister M J Akbar, saying freedom of speech and expression is intrinsic to a democratic society and her accusations of sexual harassment against him were her truth. In the wake of the #MeToo campaign, Ramani in 2018 accused Akbar of sexual misconduct with her around 20 years ago, when he was a journalist. Akbar resigned as a Union minister on October 17, 2018. Ramani, who concluded her arguments on Saturday in the complaint filed against her by Akbar, told the court through her lawyer that the #MeToo campaign was started to correct the structural wrong, which was continuing for long. "The #MeToo movement gave a platform to thousands of women all across the world to come forward and share their stories of sexual harassment. The #MeToo movement was started to correct the structural wrong. Defamation case: Cross examination of MJ Akbar's witnesses on July 15 and 17 "Freedom of speech and expression is critical and intrinsic to democracy. Ramani was a small part of a large movement. Hundreds and thousands of women participated in the #MeToo movement. I (Ramani) have proved my case and I deserve to be acquitted," senior advocate Rebecca John, appearing for Ramani, told Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vishal Pahuja. What Ramani had said against Akbar was "her truth, said in public good", the lawyer said. In response to the complainant's argument as to "why did Ramani not raise her voice before", John said there was a "culture of silence" when the incident took place. "She could not speak up as there was a culture of silence. Ghazala Wahab (a journalist and a witness in the case, who too have accused Akbar of sexual misconduct while she was working under him) pointed out that there was no mechanism for sexual harassment at the workplace. "The Vishakha guidelines (to prevent sexual harassment at workplace) did not exist in 1993. Even after the guidelines came into place, the judiciary and the media took a long time to implement those," she said. John added that "silence cannot refute Ramani's truth. She is not filing any FIR for the court to test the delay of the FIR on the ground of credibility". "Her silence has been adequately explained by her. There was a long delay in the implementation of the Vishakha guidelines, Ramani cannot be made to bear the brunt of it," she said. Ramani contested the reputation of Akbar through her own evidence, through that of Wahab and 14 other women, who accused him of sexual harassment at workplace in the wake of the #MeToo movement. The court will again hear the matter on October 13. Ramani had earlier told the court that she was "targeted selectively" through a criminal defamation complaint by Akbar "to halt the avalanche of allegations of sexual misconduct that came out against him" in the wake of the #MeToo movement in 2018. Akbar had told the court that Ramani had defamed him by using adjectives such as "media's biggest predator" to describe him, which harmed his reputation. The BJP leader has denied all the allegations of sexual harassment against him. He had earlier told the court that the allegations levelled against him in an article in the "Vogue" magazine and the tweets that followed were defamatory on the face of it as the complainant had deposed those 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 the alleged sexual harassment by Akbar had 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 the workplace. Several women came up with accounts of alleged sexual harassment by Akbar while they were working as journalists under him. The former Union minister has dismissed the allegations as "false, fabricated and deeply distressing". For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 20, 2020, 10:41 [IST] (CNN) No longer confined to territories here on Earth, Russia has now staked its claim on Venus, saying it is a "Russian planet." This week, Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Russian space corporation Roscosmos, revealed that the country plans to send its own mission to Venus in addition to "Venera-D," the planned joint mission with the US, the Russian state news agency TASS reported. Rogozin was addressing reporters at the HeliRussia 2020 exhibition, an international expo of the helicopter industry in Moscow. "Resuming Venus exploration is on our agenda," he told reporters Tuesday. "We think that Venus is a Russian planet, so we shouldn't lag behind," he said. "Projects of Venus missions are included in the united government program of Russia's space exploration for 2021-2030." The statement came the day after scientists revealed that a gas on Earth called phosphine had also been detected in the atmosphere of Venus. Venus is similar in size to Earth and is our closest planetary neighbor, but it spins backward compared to other planets. The study authored by Cardiff University professor Jane Greaves and her colleagues was published Monday in the journal Nature Astronomy. The discovery of phosphine on Venus elevates it to an area of interest worth exploring in our solar system alongside the ranks of Mars and "water world" moons like Enceladus and Europa, Seager said. "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," Seager said. According to the European Space Agency, the Russians do have significant experience when it comes to Venus. Its website states: "Between 1967-1984 Venusian studies carried out in Russia were at the forefront of international research into this planet. "Since then, Russia has still preserved its unique expertise in designing and developing landing craft for Venus and continues to define scientific tasks for those craft." This story was first published on CNN.com, "Venus is a Russian planet -- say the Russians." SIOUX CITY -- Farmers across Siouxland rejoiced this spring, when ideal soil and weather conditions led to early planting. Buoyed by plentiful rains the past two years, the soil had a full moisture profile to support young corn and soybean plants, and optimism was high for a bumper crop. As many combines entered the fields this past week, some of that optimism has faded. Much of the region experienced a dry summer and remains several inches behind normal rainfall totals. Rain, if it fell, was spotty and extremely localized in some cases this summer. It wasn't unusual to see a nice shower in one area while fields a mile or two away remained dry. "The fact we started with our soil profile at capacity for what the crop can use, that saved us this year," said Joel DeJong, an Iowa State University Extension and Outreach field agronomist based in Le Mars. DeJong said he hesitates to predict yields, especially in a year in which the range is going to be all over the board. Of silage chopped so far, he's received some reports that yields were good, others weren't. He suspects that will be the case with corn and soybeans. Based on his observations, he's observed some fields of either crop that look pretty good and others that are stressed by lack of moisture. "The range is really wide," he said. The latest U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics for Iowa back him up. As of Sept. 13, corn statewide was rated 27 percent poor or very poor, 31 percent fair and 42 percent good or excellent. Soybeans were 20 percent poor or very poor, 32 percent fair and 48 percent good or excellent. Nebraska and South Dakota showed higher percentages of crops rated good to excellent. Iowa's numbers can be traced directly to a lack of moisture. After experiencing the wettest two-year period since record keeping began in 1872, the state just completed the 17th driest summer on record, state climatologist Justin Glisan said. August was the third driest on record with 1.51 inches of rain statewide, 3 inches below normal. Glisan said much of western Iowa is about 5 inches behind in average precipitation. Subsoil moisture in the western third of the state is at just 30 percent capacity. As a result, the entire region is now considered to be in drought conditions. The U.S. Drought Monitor has all areas the tri-state Siouxland region in moderate to severe drought. Parts of Clay, Palo Alto and Dickinson counties were "about as dry as I can ever remember" until widespread rain fell across the region the week of Sept. 7, said Paul Kassel, an ISU Extension field agronomist based in Spencer. Some of that optimism from the early planting remains, Kassel said, because of the abundance of subsoil moisture that sustained crops through much of the dry growing season. "We had really good potential. We lost some of it, but it could still be decent," Kassel said of the upcoming harvest. "We still might be able to have a pretty good crop. It's still too early to tell. By and large, it doesn't look too bad. We're cautiously optimistic." If there's any benefit to the dry summer, plants matured quickly and are drying down early. DeJong said crops and harvest are 10-14 days ahead of the usual pace. When interviewed Tuesday, he expected that by the end of the week, combines would be a common site in fields across the area. The rain earlier in September came too late to benefit this year's crops, but it will help recharge soil conditions in need of moisture. DeJong said much more rain is needed -- 10-12 inches in some areas -- to soak in and fully recharge the soil for next spring's planting. "It's going to take a lot of rain to get us back," DeJong said. Precipitation for the remainder of September is expected to be below normal, which will be good for farmers harvesting their crops, Glisan said, but there's a glimmer of hope that Iowa could experience wetter conditions late in the fall and into the spring. PHOTOS: 19th century Sioux City corn palaces Love 0 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. The New York Times building in New York City, N.Y., on June 30, 2020. (Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images) House Republicans Introduce Bill Prohibiting Federal Funds for Schools Using 1619 Project Curriculum Two House Republicans have introduced a bill that would pull federal funds out of public schools incorporating The New York Times controversial 1619 Project as a part of their history curricula. The bill, called the Saving American History Act, was put forward by Reps. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) and Rick Allen (R-Ga.) as a companion legislation to the one introduced in the Senate by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) in July. Spearheaded by New York Times reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones, the 1619 Project aims to reframe American history by presenting the United States as a nation that is inherently racist, with slavery as its foundation. The project consists of a collection of essays that argue, among many other controversial claims, that the real reason for the American Revolution was to preserve slavery, and that slavery was the primary driver of American capitalism during the 19th century. A curriculum based on the project, developed by the Pulitzer Center, has made its way into public school districts across the nation, notably in Buffalo, Chicago, Newark, and Washington. According to the center, some 4,500 classrooms have updated their history curricula to include the work of Hannah-Jones and her collaborators since August 2019. The 1619 Project teaches children a historically inaccurate account of our nations history, said Buck in a statement. Federal funding should not go towards schools that teach flawed and inaccurate curriculum in classrooms. We should be able to acknowledge the stains on our nations history while still continuing to celebrate the good our country has done. If the proposed legislation passes, school districts that adopt the curriculum would lose federal professional development funds. Federal funding would also be reduced to reflect any cost associated with teaching the 1619 Project, including in planning time and teaching time. It would not affect funds intended for low-income or special-needs students. The bill comes as President Donald Trump announced plans of establishing a new commission to promote a patriotic alternative to the 1619 Project in U.S. schools. Speaking during the Constitution Day event, Trump said the 1776 Commission will be tasked to encourage educators to teach about the miracle of American history and make plans in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. He also stated that the National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded a grant to support the development of a pro-American curriculum. The only path to national unity is through our shared identity as Americans, Trump said. That is why it is so urgent that we finally restore patriotic education to our schools. The Bobcat fire burns in Antelope Valley on Friday, which marked the beginning of Rosh Hashana this year. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Friday night we drove home from a Rosh Hashana dinner, with the dog sitting up silently, surveying the neighborhood from the backseat in the usual half-darkness of a suburban night. The car windows were open and the air was breathable for the first time in a while. We passed Black Lives Matter lawn signs and a long placard filled with prescriptive mottos two houses down from ours Feminism is for Everyone, Love is Love, No Human Being is Illegal, Science is Real, Be Kind to All. The palm trees waved their starry fronds down at the street. When we got home, we set off our burglar alarm by accident. Then there was an earthquake, like a bomb. The house shook. Sirens went off in the distance. Sweet dreams. The holiday dinner was in a newly refurbished backyard, with three socially distant tables for us all in our family pods, and some masking. Candles lit in hurricane lamps. Our host and her brother, Jews who know something about what that means, said and sang the old prayers for the new year in Hebrew. We said Amen. Then there was misery about Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and what would happen next. We ate apples and honey for a sweet new year. It was like the Rosh Hashana dinner where we were guests right after 9/11, in New York. Apples and honey. People talking and gossiping and then long silences, during which we all knew that we were thinking about the same terrible thing. Nineteen years ago we walked home past buildings decorated with American flags and candles, in honor of the dead and the country. I couldnt help thinking at last nights dinner that in a year, Donald Trump might be presiding over 20th-anniversary memorial services for those same dead, frowning his I-care frown and puffing out his vast, important Mussolini chest. Maybe by then hell have decorated himself with false medals. Why not? California is still burning, mostly up north, along with Oregon, and in the high desert. The smell in the smoke of lost forests, houses, families and firefighters wafts over us lazily down in the city. It wafts over Latin America, it wafts over Europe. How does the world interpret it? As the last dust of American hegemony over their economies and the globes military future? Or as a sign of the planetary doom being brought to its logical grand finale by the worst leader to take command of a major power since the nuclear age began. Story continues When Arnold Schwarzenegger ran for governor of California in 2003, there was much chatter on the internet about his resemblance to the Antichrist, a figure I had never thought about much. But I was writing a book about the state at that time, so I spent many days reading the comments. Schwarzenegger was a superman, a he-man. He was Austrian, which to the commenters seemed to mean basically German. His father was a policeman in Austria, which to the unschooled meant basically in Hitlers SS. Arnold married a Kennedy spinoff. (Kennedys fascinate the Antichrist crowd.) He was rich, he spoke with a bad-guy accent. Something about his birthdate meant something to those who know tarot. Nostradamus played a part in all this. It wasnt always clear in the chatter whether Schwarzeneggers being the Antichrist was good or bad. But in the event, Arnold turned out to be moderately moderate as governor and gave no indication that his demonic reputation was justified. Now, however, we actually have such an end-times figure running the country. Trump certainly outdoes Schwarzenegger in the Antichrist department, but mostly his maleficence is made manifest in his ability to subvert law, spin outrageous lies to millions of credulous people, encourage violence by gun-toting militias, take credit for what he hasnt done, blame others for the evil he has done, and turn back every rule and regulation that protects human beings in his country and the world from the impending disaster of climate change. Look at the country Trump presides over. His United States is burning. Here in California we are breathing climate change and living in its haze. Doom and disaster are literally in the air. People are fighting each other in the streets. Millions are signing on to the zombielike stupidity and cynical and dangerous mythmaking of QAnon, to which Trump gives the nod. Violent crime is up for the first time in years. The police are angry at the people and vice versa. The left has taken to Stalinist tactics of thought repression and cancellation where it can: Hollywood, publishing, the academy, the media. The right peddles vast lies. The government bureaucracy is depopulated. The Supreme Court is about to lose any semblance of fairness or independence from the executive. The police have not been defunded (not that that is such a bright idea), but the Postal Service, upon which the results of the upcoming election may depend, has been. This dystopia is real now and its our future, too, should Trump win the upcoming election. In a second term, though, things will be more desperate, crueler and more vicious, an exaggerated version of the chaos and menace we see now. No number of flickering candles in hurricane lamps can protect us. No prayers can protect us. No army can protect us. We live in a country under siege, ruled not by the majority of the people but by decree and fiat, and even the threat of violence. Pretend at your risk that this will always be, or even still is, a democracy. From his aerie at the White House, a plantation home if ever there was one, Trump is suppressing opposition votes while suggesting his own supporters vote twice. He has all but promised that should he lose, there will be no peaceful transfer of power. A new judge on the court, chosen by him, will mean that a disputed election that goes to the highest court in the land will surely be decided in Trumps favor. The danger from this president is real and imminent. In the next weeks Americans must protest in the streets, show their strength as citizens in great numbers, and vote as if their future depended on it. Because it does. Amy Wilentz is the author, most recently, of Farewell, Fred Voodoo: A Letter From Haiti. 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He also said that as far as the no confidence motion against Harivansh Singh is concerned, it is the prerogative of the Rajya Sabha Chairperson Venkaiah Naidu. "As far as I know, this has never happened in the history of Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. This very thing happening in Rajya Sabha is an even bigger matter. There have been attempts made to mislead the farmers on the basis of rumours. What happened (inside the house) was against the decorum of the House," said the Union Defence Minister without taking names of any members. The upper house saw a massive ruckus on Sunday. An aggressive Derek O'Brien of the TMC, approached the Chair and tore documents in front of him calling the farm bill "Kala Kanoon". He was also heard saying, "You cannot do this" to the chair. Even AAP MP Sanjay Singh was seen in the well, clapping in front of the chair. Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi dubbed the approach of the opposition as "violent behaviour". Answering the opposition's charge that their division of votes request was not entertained, Naqvi claimed inspite of repeated requests many members did not return to their seats, a prerequisite for the procedure as sought by the Chair. Rajnath said he is also a farmer and reiterated that neither MSP, nor APMC systems are going to end. While refusing to comment on Harsimrat Kaur's resignation from the Union Cabinet, Singh said, "There are some political reasons behind every such decision". Six senior ministers were present in the press conference. Apart from Singh and Naqvi, Prakash Javadekar, Thawar Chand Gehlot, Piyush Goyal and Prahlad Joshi were also present during the media interaction. Image capture of the main page of open.go.kr By Lee Kyung-min A slew of sensitive information about police investigations into deaths and first responders' emergency response records remain available for public access on a state-run website, raising concerns about the poor management of online communication channels that disclose responses to inquiries by the public. Also coming under criticism is the apparent waste of 2.4 billion won ($20 million) in taxpayers' money used to update the website, which was overshadowed by a lack of follow-up training to help civil servants having a full command of the new system. According to the civic group, the Center for Freedom of Information and a Transparent Society, about a dozen reports written by government agencies were available for download on the website open.go.kr operated by the Ministry of Interior and Safety. Included are internal police investigation reports on the death of a man in the capital region as well as complaints filed with the police and the prosecution demanding investigations. Also available were reports in detail on a man who died after a car accident with graphic photos included. The death certificate, autopsy report, crime scene photos and statements made to the police were all included, not to mention the occupations, places of employment, home addresses, phone numbers and resident registration numbers of the victim and family members. The ministry said in a statement that the reports were made available by mistake as civil servants in charge of online data management had yet to "familiarize themselves" with the new system's manual, saying the posts in question were deleted. "We will set up a new protocol to help public servants deal with sensitive information and have them use the updated system with full understanding, as part of measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents," the ministry said in a statement. The center's activist Kang Sung-gook said he was even more shocked by the casual attitude of the ministry officials when he first reported the problem than he was about the poorly managed data. "When I called the official in charge, the person didn't even sound a bit taken aback, casually telling me that the situation would be looked into and necessary measures taken," he said. "I think it goes to show how insensitive and uncaring civil servants are when their supposed duty is to bolster the public interest." If the system is unstable or the administrator has yet to fully grasp the updated system, proper training is needed for them to understand the program, he said. "From what I have heard, there was only one piece of paper informing them about the new system without an in-person session to train them. What good is a 2.4 billion won update to the system if the user does not know how to use it? The ministry should have known better." Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday appealed to residents of the national capital to call up their friends and relatives and urge them to join the 10 Hafte 10 Baje 10 Minute (10 weeks, 10 o clock, 10 minutes) campaign against dengue and other vector-borne diseases such as malaria and chikungunya. Now, we have to call up our friends and relatives and ask them to join the campaign. The public should be convinced that this is our collective fight against dengue, according to a press statement. On Sunday, all cabinet ministers of the Kejriwal government, Rajya Sabha (RS) members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), members of the Delhi legislative assembly (MLAs) and other party leaders joined the initiative and posted photographs on social media. Also Read: Defeat them, this is what farmer wants: Kejriwal on farm bills in Rajya Sabha Several AAP supporters and volunteers also joined the citizen campaign and took to social media in a similar way. The campaign urges the public to inspect their homes for any possible sources of stagnant water, which may lead to the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes that spread vector-borne diseases. The campaign was launched last year in a bid to rein in the number of dengue cases and deaths. The participants, including Kerjriwal, pledged that they would devote 10 minutes at 10 am every Sunday for 10 weeks to inspect their homes for stagnant water and clean it to avoid breeding of Aedes mosquitoes and prevent the spread of vector-borne diseases. In 2015, Delhi had recorded 15,867 cases of dengue and 60 deaths. The national capital had recorded 2,036 cases and two deaths last year, according to the data shared by the Delhi government. The CM urged religious organisations, cultural groups and resident welfare associations (RWA) to endorse the campaign. BS Vohra, the president of an umbrella group of RWAs in east Delhi, said, We shall endorse this campaign. It significantly contributes in creating awareness about fighting dengue. The government should consider launching another campaign to create more awareness about sanitation, social distancing, respiratory etiquettes etc; because of a recent spike in coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases. Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif denounces US bullying hours before unilateral US deadline to reimpose sanctions. Iran has urged the international community to defy the United States unilateral step to reimpose international sanctions, as the US threatened consequences against those opposing its action. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif denounced US bullying hours before Washington, DCs Sunday deadline, which contravenes an earlier United Nations vote against the return of economic and diplomatic penalties on Tehran. The Americans as a rule act as a bully and impose sanction The world community should decide how to act towards bullying, Zarif told Iranian state television. Separately, the chief of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps rejected as a bluff any possibility of a military conflict with the US. As this developed, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatened to impose consequences, as he insisted that international sanctions against Iran were back in effect. If UN Member States fail to fulfill their obligations to implement these sanctions, the United States is prepared to use our domestic authorities to impose consequences for those failures and ensure that Iran does not reap the benefits of UN-prohibited activity, Pompeo said on Saturday. Earlier, sources also told Reuters news agency that despite the UNs stand, US President Donald Trump plans to issue an executive order allowing him to impose US sanctions on anyone violating an arms embargo against Iran, which is set to expire in October. The US, however, is isolated on the dispute, with other major powers, especially its European allies, insisting that the sanctions are not back and the US procedure is without legal basis. Following the US failure last month to extend the arms embargo at the UN Security Council, Pompeo made an unusually strong attack on allies France, Germany and the United Kingdom, accusing them of siding with Irans ayatollahs. On August 20, he announced a controversial move known as a snapback, which aims to re-establish all sanctions against Iran a month later. The sanctions were lifted in 2015 when Iran signed on to the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). However, Trump said the landmark accord, negotiated by his predecessor President Barack Obama, was insufficient. In 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the JCPOA and went on to renew and even strengthen Washingtons bilateral sanctions. The US is insisting it is still a participant in the agreement that it abandoned, adding that it still can activate the snapback option. Other members of the Security Council dispute Washingtons ability to execute such a move, and the council has not taken the measure any further. The UK, France and Germany told the UNSC on Friday that UN sanctions relief for Iran would continue beyond September 20. We have worked tirelessly to preserve the nuclear agreement and remain committed to do so, the UN envoys for the three countries said in a letter to the council, seen by Reuters news agency. The Tax Strategy Group, which is made up of senior civil servants and chaired by the Department of Finance, has explored increasing betting duty tax to 2.25pc, according to papers published before the Budget. In the papers, the Group explored the options of hiking the duty to 2.25pc as well as increasing the quantum of tax relief from 50,000 to 65,000. It found the increase to betting duty would raise an additional 11m in a full year, while the increase in tax relief would reduce this by around 1m next year. The estimates were based on the betting market returning to or towards normal in 2021, and don't take into account potential behavioural changes from consumers. The Department of Finance papers said it understood the tax burden of these two measures combined would "be almost exclusively borne by large bookmaking firms". It added that Revenue had "expressed concerns" with increasing betting duty relief as it would benefit a limited number of operators and add to the State Aid compliance challenge. The paper adds the increases would mean the betting duty liability of a firm with a turnover of 25m would be the same as in 2019. It showed an increase in the liability for a firm with a turnover of 750m. Sharon Byrne, the chairwoman of the Irish Bookmakers Association, said the new proposals would harm the mid-sized players in the sector. Byrne noted the 2pc betting duty, introduced in 2019 and a jump on the previous rate of 1pc, was already bad and an increase could wipe out a sector. For the medium-sized players, these businesses have no hope of surviving at this tax rate, she said. Even for the larger operators, it just wipes out the profitability of the majority of their shops. Mark ONeill, the chief financial officer of BoyleSports, said any increase would be crazy. He added it could make Ireland less desirable for firms looking to open a retail betting presence. India has cemented the strong foundation for Atmanirbhar Agriculture, said Rajnath Singh Farmers shout slogans as they burn an effigy of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, following the passing of agriculture bills in the 'Lok Sabha' (house of representatives), on the outskirts of Amritsar on Sunday. PTI photo Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday described the passage of two farm sector bills as a "watershed moment" in the history of Indian agriculture, asserting that they will ensure a complete transformation of the farm sector and empower crores of farmers. In a series of tweets after Rajya Sabha passed the bills by voice vote amid din created by protesting opposition members, Modi said these proposed laws will liberate farmers from numerous adversities as he noted that peasants were for decades bound by various constraints and bullied by middlemen. He again assured farmers that the existing government support system for them will continue. Farmers in states like Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against these bills, with their leaders alleging that the legislations will dismantle the existing system and leave them to the mercy of corporate interests. Modi asserted, "I said it earlier and I say it once again: System of MSP will remain. Government procurement will continue. "We are here to serve our farmers. We will do everything possible to support them and ensure a better life for their coming generations." These bills will add impetus to the efforts to double income of farmers and ensure greater prosperity for them, he said. "Our agriculture sector is in desperate need of latest technology that assists the industrious farmers. Now, with the passage of the bills, our farmers will have easier access to futuristic technology that will boost production and yield better results. This is a welcome step," the prime minister said. The two bills were earlier passed by Lok Sabha. After they get the presidential assent, they will be notified as laws. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailed the passage of two big ticket farm bills by Rajya Sabha on Sunday, calling it a "landmark day" for India's agriculture sector and farmers. While major opposition parties are against the bills, the government has been maintaining that the proposed legislations will help small and marginal farmers secure competitive prices for their produce. "With the passing of two landmark agriculture Bills in Rajya Sabha today, India has cemented the strong foundation for Atmanirbhar Agriculture'," the defence minister tweeted. "This is the result of endless dedication and determination of the Govt under the leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi," he added. "After the passage of these two legislators in Parliament, a new history of growth and development in the agricultural sector will be written," he said. He said the bills will not only strengthen India's food security, but will also prove to be a major effective step towards doubling the income of farmers. The two bills -- Farmer's Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 -- were passed by Lok Sabha on Thursday. The first bill seeks to provide freedom to farmers to sell their produce anywhere in the country. The second bill is aimed at setting up of a framework under which farmers will be able to engage with agri-business firms, wholesalers, exporters or large retailers for farm services. "A watershed moment in the history of Indian agriculture! Congratulations to our hardworking farmers on the passage of key bills in Parliament, which will ensure a complete transformation of the agriculture sector as well as empower crores of farmers," Modi added in another tweet. Meanwhile, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal urged the President not to give assent to farm bills, return them to Parliament for reconsideration. Farmers in Punjab burn copies of farm bills Farmers at several places in Punjab on Sunday burnt copies of farm bills and effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that the bills related to the agriculture sector will destroy their livelihood. The Punjab Youth Congress also started a "tractor rally" from Punjab to Delhi against the three farm bills. At many places, including Ludhiana, Ferozepur, Sangrur and Barnala, the protesters raised slogans against the BJP-led government at the Centre. "These farm bills will destroy the farmers and farm labourers and we strongly oppose these bills," a farmer in Talwandi Sabo. The farmers have expressed apprehensions that the three bills will pave a way for dismantling the minimum support price system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporates. The three legislations -- Farmers' Produce Trade And Commerce (Promotion And Facilitation) Bill; the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill; and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill-- were passed by the Lok Sabha recently. Punjab Youth Congress chief Barinder Singh Dhillon, while speaking to the media in Dera Bassi in Mohali, said this is the beginning of the fight for the rights of farmers. Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar said all parties, except the Akali Dal and the BJP, are standing with the farmers for their cause. He slammed Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, accusing him of earlier supporting these "black laws". "After seeing the farmers' anger, Badal had to change his stand on the farm bills issue. Farmers have broken his arrogance," Jakhar said. Black balloons were also released in the air by activists of the Punjab Youth Congress as a mark of protest against the farm bills. The deal will lead to the creation of a new company, headquartered in Texas, that will have 'nothing to do with China' but will still be called TikTok, according to the president Washington: President Donald Trump said Saturday he had approved a deal allowing Silicon Valley giant Oracle to become the data partner for TikTok to avert a shutdown of the massively popular Chinese-owned video app that Washington has called a security risk. The deal, announced by the companies, also includes Walmart as a commercial partner and would create a new US company that would generate some 25,000 jobs. "I think it's going to be a fantastic deal," Trump said. "I have given the deal my blessing. If they get it done that's great, if they don't that's okay too." Shortly after, TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, confirmed the agreement, which came with companies racing against a Sunday deadline set by Trump's administration after which new downloads of the app would be banned. Oracle could buy a 12.5 percent stake in TikTok before a future IPO, and Walmart a 7.5 percent stake. According to a source close to the matter, ByteDance would keep the rest of the shares. But since the Chinese company is 40 percent owned by American investors, TikTok would eventually be majority American-owned. "We are pleased that the proposal by TikTok, Oracle, and Walmart will resolve the security concerns of the US Administration and settle questions around TikTok's future in the US," a spokeswoman for TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, told AFP. ByteDance also confirmed the deal on social media, saying the three companies would reach an agreement that was "in line with US and Chinese law" as soon as possible. If it comes to fruition, the deal could mark the deescalation of a technology battle between Washington and Beijing. It could also allow Americans to continue using the wildly popular app: the US Department of Commerce announced it was postponing the ban on TikTok downloads until September 27, citing "recent positive developments." Security concerns Trump has claimed for weeks that TikTok is collecting user data for Beijing, without ever providing evidence for his allegations. In early August, he gave ByteDance until September 20 to hand over TikTok's US operations to an American company. And on Friday, the Trump administration ordered a ban on downloads of the video-sharing app, as well as Chinese-owned messaging platform WeChat. TikTok's brand of short, quirky phone videos has become a global phenomenon, especially among young people, with 100 million users in the United States alone. Trump said the "security will be 100 percent" and that the companies will use separate cloud servers. The deal will lead to the creation of a new company, headquartered in Texas, that will have "nothing to do with China" but will still be called TikTok, according to the president. Trump also said that the companies involved will make a $5 billion contribution toward "the education of American youth." He had previously said that the federal government deserved a cut of the deal for authorizing it. Oracle confirmed its part in the deal in a statement, saying TikTok's decision was "heavily influenced by Zoom's recent success in moving a large portion of its video conferencing capacity to the Oracle Public Cloud." Walmart also confirmed its role in the deal, saying in a statement that it would supply its online sales, order management, and payment services. CEO Doug McMillon would become one of a five-member board of directors. 'Bullying' Under Friday's US order against the Chinese apps, Tencent-owned WeChat would lose functionality in the United States from Sunday. Following the TikTok-Oracle-Walmart deal's announcement, TikTok users will be banned from installing updates starting September 27. In response, China's Commerce Ministry on Saturday condemned what it called US "bullying," saying it violated international trade norms and that there was no evidence of any security threat, shortly before launching a mechanism that would allow it to sanction foreign companies. China's long-expected "unreliable entities list" is seen as a weapon for Beijing to retaliate against the United States, which has used its own "entity list" to shut Chinese telecom giant Huawei out of the US market, in addition to the recent moves against TikTok and WeChat. "While the US/China tensions continue across all aspects of the technology food chain, resolving this TikTok and ByteDance standoff and complex Rubik's Cube political backdrop is a relief for tech investors with Oracle in the winner's circle," said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives. According to the US Treasury, the TikTok deal still needs to be finalized by the involved companies and approved by a federal national security committee. With Trump facing a tough reelection campaign, US officials have described the measures as essential to safeguard against potential Chinese espionage through the platforms. But Trump critics have said that while TikTok's security risks were unclear, the sweeping ban raises concerns about the government's ability to regulate free expression. TDT | Manama A greater amount of focus is required to achieve gender balance in workplaces in the Kingdom, where challenges are in plenty for Bahraini women, a new gender balance report says. The report, which endorses the best practices and recommendations aligned with the Supreme Council of Women, measures the progress of the female in three areas and singles out employment as the area having the most disparity in the Kingdom. Education and society are the other two areas the report surveyed to identify the existing gap between male and female workforce. According to the Bahrain FinTech Gender Balance report 2020, differences between male and female in the field of employment in the Kingdom was at 5.7 percent. Globally, the labor participation rate for males and females is at 68.3pc versus 47.2pc, respectively, the report says. The report also expresses concerns on the considerably lower than the global average of the female participation rate in the MENA region, which is now at 26.1pc - a very high disparity in the employment market, the report points out. In Education, according to the report, the disparity between male and female graduates is relatively low at 4.7pc. Out of the three sectors studied, society, the report says, is the lowest category of concern with a disparity of 2.3pc. Women enjoy greater social support The report finds that women enjoy widespread support in Bahrain, owing to several initiatives launched in her favor. This includes work-life balance, family support, funding opportunities, and other factors. The report, which also analyses opportunities for females in the FinTech space, finds only a narrow gap exists between male and female general employees, where 30 pc of the FinTechs surveyed have females in their founding team. The Gender Balance report attributes this achievement to Bahrains readiness to venture into the FinTech field in regards to having the overall foundation for talent, infrastructure, programs, and regulations. Financial services industry In Bahrains financial services industry, the report sees a gradual increase in female representation, where the rise is 3.3pc over the last ten years. The increase is attributed to an uptick in job opportunities in the industry, with the focus being is on innovation and strategy. However, according to the Bahrain Ministry of Education, there is a gradual decrease in female representation in degrees that are relevant to the financial services industry. Bahrain now has 3,718 female Bahraini employees, compared to 5,712 male employees in the financial services industry. ICT Industry The ICT industry in Bahrain, the report points out, remains as a male-dominated industry, with only 1,523 female employees, compared to 5,700 male employees. Citing an uptick in training programs for developing the technical skills of females, the report expects things to get better in the coming years. Bahrain, the report, citing Startup Genome report 2019, says have a globally high percentage of female founders, but that is lower in the context of FinTech, where the number of female founders is 30pc of the surveyed FinTechs. The upper-management in FinTechs also appears to share similar results while general employees otherwise suggest a narrower gap between male and female, the report adds. The recommendation The report recommends promoting opportunities in the industry in the upcoming years regardless of sex, to increase female representation in upper-level management by implementing national targets for female board positions and promote a flexible working environment to encourage female employment among others. The report also recommends encouraging students to pursue STEM degrees as it will lay the foundation and lower the barrier to entry to emerging industries. Capacity building, mentorship, and training are the other areas the report suggests improvement to alleviate the challenges faced by employees to improve their career opportunities. The report also points out that Bahrain has recorded advanced efforts in balancing the existing gap between males and females, specifically in the financial sector. Wrexham shows that provided we do the right things and act together, things can improve as well as get worse This article is old - Published: Sunday, Sep 20th, 2020 The First Minister Mark Drakeford opened his briefing comments on Friday by talking about a sobering week as the coronavirus position has worsened, but highlighted Wrexham as an uplifting example to the rest of Wales. In the last seven days of stats (although there are issues on getting tests, and Public Health Wales notes their figures are subject to data lag) Wrexham has seen 12 new confirmed cases. That compares to 24 in neighbouring Flintshire, and 123 in locked down Caerphilly or 214 in Rhondda Cynon Taf. Wrexham is the next to lowest for positive proportion of tests in North Wales with 1.3% currently, whereas Merthyr and RCT are over 6%. The First Minister said, Ive heard some people say that the current rise in coronavirus cases is nothing to worry about. That its not serious because no one is in hospital and no one has died. But, we are back already to 41 people being treated for coronavirus in our hospitals in Wales and four people are in intensive care. Weve learned a lot over the last six months about this virus, including how to treat it. But for everything we have learned, it is still a new disease. It is a disease which is highly infectious and has few effective treatments. And, no vaccine has yet has completed the worldwide search or something that would be effective and widely available. We have seen ourselves in both Caerphilly and in RCT how a few cases can quickly escalate in a short period of time into much wider community transmission and how that happens unless we follow the rules and the measures which are in place to protect us and our loved ones. The First Minister used Wrexham as a positive example for the rest of Wales, as we were in the unwelcome position of having three areas of coronavirus concern: An issue connected to a local food factory was formally declared an outbreak on the 23rd of June (with staff walking out in protest at the start of April). Wrexham Maelor Hospital also had an Outbreak Control Team at work, with additional concerns of wider community transmission meaning pop up mobile testing facilities appearing at the end of July in Hightown and Caia testing over 1,400 people in a few days. Despite the extra testing thankfully it was deemed no wider community transmission was taking place based off the results. The First Minister said, Its important to remember that this is not a one way street, that things can get better, as well as get worse. Earlier in the summer we were very worried about the situation in Wrexham. There was a large outbreak at a food processing plant and another centered on Wrexham Maelor hospital. We were testing large numbers of people in two neighborhoods in the town. Today, cases of coronavirus in Wrexham are amongst the lowest in Wales. It shows that provided we do the right things and act together, things can improve as well as get worse. Now we stand on the cusp of autumn and winter and we continue to plan and prepare for an increase in Coronavirus over the weeks and months ahead. Were using everything we have learned from the last six months as we plan for the worst, but work for the best. The First Minister then referred to new modelling published from the Technical Advisory Group about a reasonable worst case scenario that also includes the below graph. The advice notes The Reasonable Worst Case is not what will happen, it is what could happen and It is important to reinforce that this is a deliberately pessimistic scenario in terms of challenging public services; it is not what we think will happen. The First Minister said, We are using expert advice here in Wales, Swansea University has produced modeling, which shows just how serious things could be over this winter. Our ability to make a difference in the weeks and months ahead, depends on each and every one of us. Government can advise, government can inform, government can set rules, but only people can act on that advice. Working together as we have seen, we can make a difference. We have done it before and We can do it again. It is each one of us who has to act responsibly, and to make the right choices to follow those small measures, which keep us and our loved ones safe. We all need to keep our distance from each other when we are out and about. We need to wash our hands often. We need to work from home wherever we can. We need to wear a face covering in indoor public places. We need to follow any restrictions in place locally. We need to ask ourselves, not how many people can I meet, but how few people do I need to meet? Because the fewer contacts you have, the safer you will be. The Public Health Wales updates also echoed the First Minister in their daily statements over this weekend, Dr Chris Williams, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: We are now seeing a steady increase in cases in many communities across Wales, and our investigations show that many of these have been transmitted due to a lack of social distancing. We are also seeing an increase in the number of people who are seriously ill and have been admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-16 21:52:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HARARE, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe is expecting to harvest about 220,000 metric tons of winter wheat this year, more than double last year's output due to increased government support to farmers, Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement Minister Anxious Masuka said Wednesday. He said harvesting and marketing of the wheat was officially opened on Sept. 10 by the Grain Marketing Board (GMB), the sole buyer of the cereal. "In terms of production, some 44,399 hectares were planted. This is an 83.6 percent increase in the area planted from the 24,186 ha planted in the 2019-2020 season. We expect 200,000 to 220,000 metric tons which will go a long way towards meeting the annual national wheat requirement of 400,000 to 450,000 tons," the minister said in a statement. The country produced 60,000 tons of wheat last year, compared to 160,000 tons produced in 2018. Masuka urged farmers not to side market government-funded wheat, and warned unscrupulous buyers that those found on the wrong side of the law will be severely punished. He said government will adequately capacitate the GMB so that it pays farmers timeously. The minister said going forward, there is need to augment the winter wheat program with a vibrant summer program, through enhanced participation of the private sector. He said according to government's agriculture recovery plan, at least 40 percent of agro-players such as grain processors, millers and stock feed manufacturers must secure their agricultural raw materials locally through value-chain financing. "The benefits of this approach are indeed multifarious, including foreign currency savings through import substitution, employment generation, local farmer capacitation and risk reduction," he said. Government last week increased the producer price of wheat from 11,768.44 Zimbabwe dollars per ton to 43,778.84 dollars for ordinary Grade wheat and from 14,143.73 dollars to 52,524.61 per ton for Grade A wheat. Enditem Pennsylvania State Police converge on the Lehigh Valley Mall after reports of a possible active shooter, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020, in Whitehall, Pa. (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call via AP) Read more Shortly before 5 p.m. Saturday, shoppers and workers at the Lehigh Valley Mall scrambled for cover or darted for the doors after hearing several shots fired in short succession. Everyone on all levels started running, said Anjelica Williams, who works at the Cinnabon on the lower level. It was a massive horde. Reports of four shots fired in the lower level of the mall brought a massive police response to the Whitehall Township shopping center around 4:57 p.m. Three hours later, Whitehall Township Police Chief Michael Marks told reporters that the shots were fired in the lower level, beside Modells Sporting Goods, but that police did not find anyone shot. No arrests had been made at that time. Police are in the process of reviewing security camera footage to try to make sense of the chaotic scene, Marks said. The mall was evacuated before the 8 p.m. news conference, though police were still searching the building and would continue doing so into the night, Marks said. Original reports to 911 were for an active shooter at J.C. Penney. Police arrived to find the store in lockdown, the doors also locked, according to police radio reports. Dispatchers said that the shooter was not in J.C. Penney but that four shell casings were found outside the Modells store. Around 5:05 p.m., police were investigating if a shooter was inside the Hollister store, dispatchers said, and then, if a shooter was in Claires on the second floor. A Whitehall Township couple told the Morning Call that their 18-year-old daughter, who works at Villa, which is five doors from Modells, saw a gunman open fire in the corridor. They were at home when their daughter called in hysterics from the stores office, where she ran after the shooting. She told her parents she was standing at Villas entrance, making sure shoppers were wearing masks upon entering, when she saw a man walk up and greet a young man who was waiting to go in. Hey, yo, he said, before firing several shots. Screaming and chaos followed as people scurried for safety. I will never forget the second of silence that happened after the shots, as we processed what we heard, said Ashley Giammona, who was with her husband on the second floor. Then everyone started screaming. My husband slid behind a jewelry display in the middle of the mall and I army-crawled to him. Steve Royer, of Allentown, was walking out of J.C. Penney when he heard gunshots. It sounded like they were right next to me, he said. Everyone around him was racing toward the exits. About three dozen police cars, including an armored vehicle, were on scene from Whitehall, Allentown, State Police, and surrounding communities. Four ambulances also were on the premises. Police apparently were going from store to store, evacuating the building. Marks said law enforcement had a difficult task making sense of the scene between the hunt for the shooter or shooters and customers hiding or fleeing inside the crowded mall. Its about as chaotic as it can be, Marks said. Williams, the Cinnabon employee, said she and her coworkers followed the malls instructions to lock down, and when police arrived, they were instructed to leave. Less than an hour after the shots were fired, she was safely outside the mall. This is the second shooting at the Lehigh Valley Mall in two years. In June 2018, rival gang members collided in a fight that started inside the mall and ended in the parking lot with gunshots and two men hospitalized. That shooting prompted a similarly massive police response. Photo journalist Rick Kintzel contributed to this report. Mr. Mukesh Thakwani, the Chief Executive Officer of B5 Plus Limited, a fast-rising steel and iron company situated in Tema has been awarded for his contributions to the growth and development of the manufacturing sector. Mr. Mukesh and his company was recognized for the massive contributions to the growth in the manufacturing sector in Ghana. Mr. Mukesh and the B5 Plus Limited company were conveyed with the awards at the Ghana Development Awards held at the Marriott Hotel in Accra. The awards held every four years is organized by The Business Executive Limited in Accra. The award is organised with the aim of recognising hardworking institutions and personalities within the public and private sectors who have contributed to the development of the country and the economy. In a brief remarks, Mr. Mukesh expressed his excitement for the recognition from the organizers of the prestigious Ghana Development Awards. We thanked Ghana Development Awards for the awards which was organized by The Business Executive Limited and we are happy. The awards, like I always say, keep us [B5 Plus Limited] on our toes to do more for Ghana as a country. B5 Plus was honoured, myself too received an award for my contributions to the growth of the manufacturing sector. He dedicated the awards to the teaming workers of B5 Plus Limited and believes the awards will go a long way to motivate the workers to work harder. I dedicate the awards to our employees because it we have won the awards due to their hard works, they are the lifeline of every company..B5 Plus Limited will keep sharpening the employees with training and other activities. We have been able to train over 150 of our workers to be future entrepreneurs and currently the training is still ongoing..B5 Plus has been contributing massively to the Coronavirus fight, we donated heavily to the Ghana Covid-19 fund, provide free oxygen for government and private hospitals among others, he added. B5 Plus Ghana Company Limited is West African, manufacturing, fabricating, and trading enterprise with the vision to become the worlds steel industry benchmark through the excellence of its people, its innovative approach and overall conduct. With corporate headquarters in Tema Ghana, today the company operate in all the ECOWAS Countries. They have a significant presence in African steel as an integrated manufacturer of steel and finished steel products. The principal product is steel products which come in seven major categories: Mild Steel, High Tensile & Iron Rods, Galvanized Products, Stainless Steel, Marine & Mining, Roofing & Nails and Concrete & Fencing. As a supplier, B5 Plus Steel is accessible business partner who can ensure quality and security of supply. They value strong relationships with customers and believe that commercial relationships are a learnt skill. Their integrated supply chain helps them to ensure a high standard of product quality and service delivery. This reduces the potential need for rework, increases the reliability of service and saves their customers time and money. The key to their success is the ability to deliver upon promises and skill in responding to the needs of their customers. Their strong facilities and market positions allow them to tailor offer the service to all customers from the smallest to largest 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 El Aaiun (Saharawi Republic) 20 September 2020 (SPS)- The Constitutive Conference of the Saharawi Organ Against the Moroccan Occupation was held Today in the city of El Aaiun, the occupied capital of the Saharawi Republic, under the name "Conference of Martyr Mohamed Abdel Aziz", calling for a quick decolonisation of Western Sahara. Held under the slogan "Unity, persistence and struggle, to resist the occupation", despite the usual Moroccan repression against any Saharawi initiative that defends Saharawi peoples fundamental rights, the founding conference was chaired by Sahrawi militant, Mohamed Salama Hamiya, who delivered an opening speech urging all Saharawis to join forces in order to confront the Moroccan occupation. The works of the congress continued with the projection of a documentary about Martyr Mohamed Abdelaziz, followed by the discussion of the documents proposed by the preparing committee, mainly a guiding framework and a statute for the Organ, both approved by the participants. The Conference elected its General Assembly, consisted of 33 members, in addition to the election of the Sahrawi human rights defender, Ms. Amintou Haidar, as President of the new Organ, along with the election of an Executive Bureau consisting of six members, while the militant Mohamed Salama Hamiya, was appointed by the participants as the Honorary Chairman of the Organ, for his steadfast struggle against the colonisation of his country since the seventies. The Conference issued its Founding Communique, of which SPS received a copy, announcing the commitment of the participants to defending the Saharawi peoples rights to freedom, independence and dignity through legitimate non-violent means as stipulated in international frameworks and the African Charter for Human and Peoples Rights based on the protection of all civil, political, economical, social and cultural rights. The participants also expressed their rejection of all dubious proposals by Morocco and other local and international parties, which do not ensure and guarantee the exercise by the Saharawi people of their inalienable, imprescriptible and ineluctable right to self-determination. They further condemned the current continued stalemate given that the MINURSO is a United Nations mission with the mandate to finalize the decolonization of Western Sahara as Africas last colony, and should not turn into a protection platform for the occupation. In this regards, they stressed the Saharawi peoples right to exercise sovereignty over all their homeland as enshrined in international and continental treaties and norms, in particular the relevant United Nations and African Unions resolutions and the 1975 International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on Western Sahara. To this end, they called upon United Nations and the African Union to immediately intervene to halt the systematic and illegal exploitation of natural resources in Western Sahara by the occupying authorities, as well as multinational companies, countries and other entities responsible for the plunder with the Moroccan regime. They also called upon the United Nations, the African and European Union, and other international and continental bodies, to maintain humanitarian aid to Saharawi refugees who have been suffering displacement and exile from their land since 1975 due to the crimes committed by the Moroccan occupation, as well as the United Nations failure to fulfil its promise and commitment to decolonize their occupied country. (SPS) 090/500/60 (SPS) Iran said Sunday its arch-foe the United States is facing 'maximum isolation' after major powers dismissed a unilateral US declaration that UN sanctions on Tehran were back in force. The Trump administration said the sanctions had been re-activated under the 'snapback' mechanism in a landmark 2015 nuclear treaty - despite Washington having withdrawn from the deal. As other signatories cast doubt on the move having any legal effect, Washington threatened to 'impose consequences' on states failing to comply. But Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said a concerted campaign by Washington to pressure Tehran had backfired. 'We can say that America's 'maximum pressure' against Iran, in its political and legal aspect, has turned into America's maximum isolation,' he said in a televised cabinet meeting. Iran said Sunday its arch-foe the United States is facing 'maximum isolation' after major powers dismissed a unilateral US declaration that UN sanctions on Tehran were back in force. Iran's President Hassan Rouhani (pictured) said Washington's efforts had backfired US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (pictured), announcing the move, said Washington 'welcomes the return of virtually all previously terminated UN sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran' He also praised the UN Security Council's approach to the issue as 'very valuable' as it ignored 'America's request (and) held no session to consider their request.' The Security Council was what 'the Americans always thought of as their point of strength,' he said. The sanctions in question had been lifted when Iran, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (Britain, China, France, Russia and the US) and Germany signed the 2015 treaty on Iran's nuclear program, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. But President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, saying the deal - negotiated by his predecessor Barack Obama - was insufficient. He also renewed and even strengthened Washington's own sanctions as part of a 'maximum pressure' campaign against the Islamic republic. The US insists it is still a participant in the agreement that it stormed out of - but only so it can activate the snapback option, which it announced on August 20. Virtually every other Security Council member disputes Washington's ability to execute this legal pirouette, and the UN body has not taken the measure any further. On Sunday, France, Germany and Britain issued a joint statement saying Washington's 'purported notification' was 'incapable of having any legal effect'. The sanctions in question had been lifted when Iran, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (Britain, China, France, Russia and the US) and Germany signed the 2015 treaty on Iran's nuclear program, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Russia also said the US lacked legal authority and that its 'illegitimate initiative and actions' could not have 'international legal consequences' for others. Rouhani thanked UNSC members who had 'stood against America's illegal request' and said that if remaining signatories let Iran access the deal's economic benefits, Iran would reinstate nuclear commitments it had dropped in response to the US withdrawal. Iran's foreign ministry brushed off the move and called on the rest of the world to unite against 'reckless actions' of the US. 'I imagine these are the most bitter days and hours for' the United States, said spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, announcing the move, said Washington 'welcomes the return of virtually all previously terminated UN sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran'. He said further measures would be announced in the coming days against sanctions 'violators', to ensure that 'Iran does not reap the benefits of UN-prohibited activity'. With around six weeks to go until the US presidential election, Trump could unveil those measures in a speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. But Iran's foreign ministry said that Washington, by leaving the nuclear deal, had 'explicitly denied itself of any right' to use the 'snapback' mechanism. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on August 20 2020, after demanding that UN sanctions on Iran be resumed It also warned that 'if the United States acts on these threats, directly, or with the cooperation of a handful of its puppets, it will face a serious response and be responsible for all the dangerous consequences.' The US had already suffered a resounding defeat at the Security Council in mid-August, when it tried to extend an embargo on conventional weapons deliveries to Tehran, which was due to expire in October. Pompeo responded with an unusually vehement attack on Britain, France and Germany, accusing them of 'siding with Iran's ayatollahs', before announcing the snapback. In Washington's eyes, its move has now extended the embargo 'indefinitely' and reactivated international sanctions on many activities related to Tehran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused Pompeo of not having read UN resolutions or the nuclear deal. 'He's now probably waiting for the movie to come out so he can begin to understand it,' he told state television. On the streets of Tehran, Iranians complained of harsh economic conditions they blamed on US sanctions. 'It's really difficult for the people right now. Whether sanctions are reimposed or not, we are living with utmost difficulty,' said Leila Zanganeh, a martial arts instructor. But Danial Namei, an architect, seemed to care little for returning UN sanctions and doubted things could get worse. 'We've been through difficult things and it is still ongoing. There's nothing worse than the worst, after all,' he said. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who has died aged 87, was the second woman to serve on the US Supreme Court; she was a moderate who moved to the Left as her country's politics shifted Rightwards - her bird-like stature and quiet manner making her an unlikely cult hero. Although she was vilified by detractors as anti-American, her campaigning work as a lawyer tackling gender discrimination and progressive pronouncements on the Court, many in dissent at the judgments of her conservative colleagues, meant that she was long the darling of US liberals. But it was not until her eighties she became a true cultural phenomenon; her face, instantly recognisable behind giant spectacles, was plastered across birthday cards, beer cans and coffee mugs, tattooed on to fans' bodies and painted on their fingernails. She was the subject of internet memes, two movies and an opera. That transformation came in the wake of Donald Trump's surprise presidential victory in 2016, as shocked liberals, devastated by Hillary Clinton's defenestration and mourning the loss of Barack Obama, searched for a new champion. They found one in Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in every way the antithesis of the president: a softly spoken Jewish grandmother who stuck up for minorities and challenged injustice, she was modest, reserved and calm. Just about the only thing the pair had in common was their home town of New York: her birthplace in Flatbush, Brooklyn, is about 10 miles as the crow flies from the president's boyhood neighbourhood of Jamaica Estates, Queens. She was appointed to the Supreme Court by president Bill Clinton 1993; among her most famous findings were her majority opinion in United States v Virginia (1996), which declared the male-only admissions policy at the Virginia Military Institute to be unconstitutional. The nickname "Notorious R.B.G.", a play on the moniker adopted by the rapper "Notorious B.I.G.", took off following a particularly scathing dissenting opinion in Shelby County v Holder (2013), which struck out an aspect of the civil rights-era Voting Rights Act. Born on the social media platform Tumblr, the joke gained widespread attention when the comedian Kate McKinnon began a recurring turn as the judge-turned-hip hop gangsta on the television show Saturday Night Live. She was born Joan Ruth Bader on March 15, 1933 in the working-class New York neighbourhood of Flatbush. Her father Nathan was a first-generation immigrant from Odessa (now in Ukraine, but then part of the Russian Empire), who sold furs; her mother, Celia (nee Amster), was born a few months after her own parents had arrived in the US from Austria. Celia died of cervical cancer the day before her daughter's high school graduation. Having fulfilled her mother's ambitions by scoring top grades at high school, Ruth enrolled at Cornell University in upstate New York at a time when girls were still a rarity on campus. She met her future husband, Martin Ginsburg, known as Marty, within months while still 17. Marty was the family cook (she was barred from the kitchen) and, their children have suggested, the more overtly caring parent. When president Clinton was seeking a nominee for the Supreme Court in 1993, it was Marty, rather than Bader Ginsburg, who lobbied for her to get the job. She enrolled at Harvard Law School, where Marty had begun the previous year, one of nine women in a class of around 500. She turned to academia, going on to teach law at Rutgers. She hid her pregnancy with her second child under baggy clothes and gave birth during the summer break. After a number of female students implored her to take on the subject, in the early 1970s she began teaching a ground-breaking course on gender and the law. Once on the Court, Bader Ginsburg seemed to find common ground with moderates, including the first female justice, Sandra Day O'Connor, a Ronald Reagan nominee. Rankings produced by Cornell Law School and Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1993 put her in fourth place of the nine judges on a scale of liberal to conservative ideology. Over time, as the centre of gravity on the Court shifted right with appointments made under president George W Bush, she moved towards the liberal wing. She retained an ability to maintain friendships with those she disagreed with ideologically. This included an unlikely yet close affinity with the late Justice Antonin Scalia, the conservative who argued for a literal interpretation of the constitution. Among her many accolades were the LBJ Foundation's Liberty and Justice for All Award, the World Peace and Liberty Award and the Berggruen Award for Philosophy and Culture, honorary law degrees from Willamette University, Princeton and Harvard, and induction into the Women's Hall of Fame. She is survived by her daughter, Jane Ginsburg, a law professor, son James Ginsburg, the president of a classical music recording company, and four grandchildren. Telegraph Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] A home burns along Cima Mesa Rd. as the Bobcat Fire advances in Juniper Hills, Calif., on Sept. 18, 2020. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo) Wildfires, Coronavirus, and an Earthquake Collided for Californias Terrible Week It was long, dizzying week to be a Californian. The Golden State has been trying to contain the surge of coronavirus cases that started in the summer while dozens of wildfires are burning and smoke is making it hard to breathe. Then, as if not enough crises had collided, Southern California was caught in the clutches of yet another hazardan earthquake. Heres more about what people in California faced last week. Wildfires As more than 19,000 firefighters scrambled to contain multiple blazes in the state, they had to mourn one of their own, officials said. A firefighter was killed Thursday in Southern Californias El Dorado Fire, the blaze sparked this month by a botched gender reveal party, according to the San Bernardino National Forest Service. The Bobcat Fire burns in the distance beyond a Joshua tree, in Juniper Hills, Calif., on Sept. 19, 2020. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo) The state has seen more than 3.4 million acres scorched so far this year, killing 26 people and reducing hundreds of homes to ashes. Numerous communities were ordered to evacuate after the Bobcat Fire in Los Angeles County exploded to 91,000 acres, fueled by strong winds. Fire officials have warned that warn and dry conditions could elevate the danger of fire over the coming days. Smoke Smoke from the devastating wildfires has stretched for miles, creating hazardous air conditions in California and nearby states. The air was so full of smoke in San Francisco earlier this week that it ranked among the top big cities with worst air quality in the world, according to IQAir, a group which tracks global air quality. The smoke has impacted other cities, including Los Angeles and even Yosemite National Park, which the National Park Service closed to all visitors last week because conditions were in the unhealthy and hazardous range. The vast amounts of thick smoke from the wildfires has also traveled across the rest of the country and even reached Northern Europe, according to data from Europes Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service. Smoke and haze from wildfires partially obscures the view of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge along the Embarcadero in San Francisco, Calif., on Sept. 10, 2020. (Jeff Chiu/AP Photo) Pandemic The state appears to be making progress to slow down the spread of coronavirus, but the threat lingers. Hospitalizations have dropped 22 percent in the past two weeks and the percentage of tests coming back positive is down to 3.6 percent after a surge in cases over the summer, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a news briefing on Wednesday. We are moving forward and seeing a decline in the rate of spread and transmission of COVID-19, Newsom said. So far, there have been 782,828 coronavirus cases in California and 14,972 people have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. But wildfires have become a challenge for health officials. Newsom said access to states mobile testing sites has been impacted by air quality issues. Earthquake Pictures were rattling on the wall, plants were knocked over and some people woke up to beds shaking. An earthquake hit near the city of El Monteeast of downtown Los Angeleslate Friday night, but it was felt widely in San Diego, Valencia, and the San Fernando Valley areas, the U.S. Geological Survey said. What a jolt! We felt it too. No need to call 9-1-1 unless you have an emergency, the San Gabriel Police Department wrote on Twitter. While there were no reports of serious injuries or damage, it was a reminder for those in the greater Los Angeles area that the earthquake risk is far from over. Its a wake up call, reminds you that we do have earthquakes here. We have enough disasters going on right now, Im like everybody else, I rather not have something else in 2020, Lucy Jones, a seismologist with the California Institute of Technology, told CNN affiliate KABC. While experts cant fully predict quake aftershocks, Jones says, the chances of a subsequent larger quake is usually less than 5 percent. The-CNN-Wire & 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. Thousands of protesters who have flooded Belarusian cities for six weeks of demonstrations to demand an end to the 26-year rule of the countrys authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko include people of all ages, professions and social groups. While younger people make up the bulk of the protests pushing for Lukashenkos resignation after the Aug. 9 vote that the opposition sees as rigged, many retirees also have joined the daily demonstrations. Some of them spoke to The Associated Press about their motives and their hopes. NINA BAHINSKAYA The 73-year-old former geologist has become one of the most recognizable faces of Belarus protests, fearlessly waving a huge red-and-white opposition flag in front of riot police. On more than 100 occasions, the police seized the flag from her, but every time she would make a new one. When police told her that she was violating a ban on unauthorized demonstrations, she responded by saying Im taking a walk the snappy reply now chanted by thousands of participants in daily protests. A selfie with Bahinskaya has become a popular rite for many young protesters. I noticed that the riot police more rarely beat protesters when they see elderly people among them, she told The Associated Press. So I come out to protest as a defender, an observer and a witness. Im psychologically and intellectually stronger than the police. Even among those who detained me, there were people who respected me. Bahinskaya says she overcame her fear of authorities when Belarus was still part of the Soviet Union. She was detained dozens of times and the fines she was ordered to pay have run into the equivalent of $20,000. MIKHAIL BATSYAN The 69-year-old former diplomat took part in opposition protests long before last month's vote. His daughter fled the country to Ukraine with her boyfriend after they were beaten by police in the first days after the election, but Batsyan continued to attend demonstrations together with his wife. Now we attend the marches together, Batsyan said. Our dream is to live in a free Belarus at least for a while. I have seen a lot in my life, I dont fear anything anymore and I cant look at whats going on with indifference. The opposition has adopted the red-and-white flag that was the state flag of Belarus in the first years after the Soviet collapse until it was replaced with a modified version of its Soviet-era flag in 1995. Batsyan proudly takes the red-and-white flag that flew over the Belarusian Embassy in Vienna when he worked there in the early 1990s to protests. TAMARA RUZHENKOVA Ruzhenkova, a 66-year-old former cello teacher at a musical school, sees the regular protests as a breath of fresh air. She denounced Lukashenkos description of protesters as drug addicts, noting that his speeches demonstrate a complete lack of culture. I don't want that president. I have no respect for him and feel shame" for what he says and how he says it, she said. Ruzhenkova said Lukashenkos cavalier dismissal of the coronavirus outbreak, which he advised people to ward off by riding a tractor, having a regular shot of vodka and visiting saunas, angered Belarusians and helped fuel the protests. The coronavirus has demonstrated that he hasnt shown any empathy, she said. Ruzhenkova deplored the support offered to Lukashenko by Russia, Belarus main sponsor and ally, arguing that without it Lukashenko would have been forced to step down already. VITAL RAVINSKI Ravinski, a 75-year-old pathologist, attended some protests with his daughter and a granddaughter. I come out to protest so that my children and grandchildren have a good life, he said. By joining the protests, I show that everyone can do it without any fear. Ravinski has become widely popular on social networks when he faced a phalanx of police in full riot gear at a protest shortly after the vote and said: I cant keep watching this madness, and thats why I came here. And I will keep coming until I get killed. LARISA KOVAL The 68-year-old former sales expert said she had little interest in politics before signing up to work as an observer during the Aug. 9 election and witnessing vote-rigging. The way election officials treated us was disgusting and it made me angry, she said. I cant accept such massive lies. Lukashenko has lost his mind, dignity and conscience, hes trying to cheat the entire nation. Early during the protests, she sheltered a young protester when he was hunted by police during a post-election raid in the Belarusian capital. Koval said she attends opposition demonstrations despite having heart problems. I cant allow the thought that Lukashenko will not step down, she said. And I will fight to end his desperate clinging onto power. ALES MARACHKIN Marachkin, an 80-year-old painter, denounces the Belarusian leader who frequently admired the Soviet Union as a Soviet holdover. The authorities have barred Marachkin from having personal exhibitions and removed his paintings from the national art museum. Taking part in protests is a therapy for me, Marachkin said. Otherwise, I would have stayed in bed and would have died long ago. The opposition marches fill me with energy. HALINA LAHATSKAYA The 60-year-old Lahatskaya, who worked in the construction sector, said she tries to speak to riot police when she attends protests, which she has been doing almost every day for a month. Im trying to find something humane in them, she said. She argued that the Belarusian leader has lost public support, noting that even her 94-year-old father who always voted for Lukashenko cast his ballot in August for opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. She would like to personally speak to the Belarusian leader to persuade him to step down. I want to talk to Lukashenko. I think he will listen to me, she said. YAN HRYB The 85-year-old Hryb, a former teacher, said he hopes to live to the day when Lukashenko steps down, adding that it should be declared a national holiday. It will become the countrys main holiday, he said. Hryb lamented that the Belarusians have been patient with Lukashenko for too long. I join protests to make Belarus a democratic and economically developed European country, he said. I have been struggling for it for my entire life. NATALYA KACHANOUSKAYA Kachanouskaya, a 72-year-old English teacher, said she has participated in protests against Lukashenkos rule ever since he took the helm in 1994. Its necessary to learn how to control natural fear, she said. Why should I fear I do everything right! She said she has instructed her 16-year-old grandson how to avoid being detained by police, adding that he was rounded up once because he failed to follow her advice. Im very proud of him! she said. I am so old that I actually once took a Comparative Economics course, although it was taught at night by a semiretired prof in his 80s. These courses, which compared U.S. free-enterprise with French indicative planning, Scandinavian socialism, Japanese tacit directions to industry from government ministries and other international economic approaches, were common in the 1950s and 1960s but faded away after that. The thinking? Why study these other, obviously inferior foreign systems when U.S. economists and their theories had the right answers for everything? There was widespread hope, after the fall of the Berlin Wall and when Chinese Communists welcomed any color cat if it caught mice, that all countries were heading toward the same political and economic ends. The end of history was democracy and mixed-market economies. That is now in tatters. Moreover, important reasons to compare our institutions and outcomes to those of other countries still exist. One reason is that maybe well actually learn something. There are many indicators on which we now lag other countries rather than leading the world. Yes, cultures vary. And some economic policy differences tie closely to culture and are not easily transplantable. In other cases, adapting something that works well elsewhere is feasible. Arching over all this is the Scottish poet Robert Burns wise observation about the benefits of trying to to see ourselves as others see us. But how to do it? After all, the policy approaches of other countries vary greatly. If you talk sweepingly about European health care or Asian trade policy, you obscure more than you illuminate. However, if you identify several countries that do better than ours in balancing out government budgeting or training workers for a modern economy or facilitating getting hard-to-employ people into the workforce, you can analyze how and why they differ from us. Change here need not involve direct copying of another nation, but we can reform our own institutions using insights from policies of other countries. Many people here do not realize the extent to which bad policies do not just cause social harms, they sap the productive efficiency of the U.S. economy. For example, take the effects of U.S. policing and incarceration policies. The World Prisons Brief puts our nation at the top of the list with 655 people incarcerated per 100,000 population and 2.1 million adults in prison. There are another 50,000 juveniles. The next-highest high-education, industrial democracy, New Zealand, comes in 73rd, with 201 per 100,000. The highest in what we long called Western Europe is Scotland at 149. Italy is at 105, France 101, Germany 77, and both the Netherlands and Sweden at 61. If we were in the median of these familiar European democracies, we would have 1.8 million fewer people behind bars and, potentially, that many more workers producing goods and services to meet peoples needs. Potentially is a big if. However, it is clear under our current practices that when you send someone to prison for a year or more, you effectively make them nearly unemployable for life. And when it is difficult for ex-cons to get jobs, recidivism rises in a vicious spiral, creating a permanent underclass that only perpetuate other societal, cultural and economic gaps. Some might respond that the United States is intrinsically different, so comparisons are futile. We have groups here, minorities, immigrants or whomever, who are more crime prone. Americans have a culture of violence that the Dutch or Swiss simply dont have. Yes, in Europe, crime and prison rates for these groups are indeed higher than average. But violent crime across all social classes is much less common, and members of these groups return to the labor force after prison at much higher rates than in our country. U.S. criminologists already know this, but few in the general public know or care. Costs of prisons are a major factor in all state budgets. Prison staff members could be doing more productive things. More people could be in the labor force. This current approach means high incarceration rates act as an implicit tax on output. We satisfy less of peoples needs with the same use of resources than we could if we reformed incarceration. Our system of health care also is an implicit and large tax on the economy. Our nations per-capita health spending is much above the rest of the world. France, Canada, Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom all spend less than half as much per person as we do. These as percentages of output, GDP, are lower than the U.S. All these countries also have higher life expectancies. All have lower infant mortality and are better on a broad range of health indicators. None have anywhere near the disparities in health outcomes across income levels and geographic regions that we do. So, effectively, they appear more efficient, their citizens getting more for their money. Philosopher John Rawls proposed a test for justice: In which nation or situation would people prefer to be, if they did not know ahead of time in which of the alternatives they, themselves, would end up. Most Bolivians, Zimbabweans, Pakistanis and other poor people probably would prefer the United States to their own countries. These poor also would prefer nearly any European country. When we examine, however, what residents of the 30 richest other countries would do, very few would prefer our health system. Also, consider the cost of U.S. health care and how it affects the general economy. Then look at a range of other countries. Here, all federal receipts relative to value of output in our country now stand at 16.2%. The amount by which the cost of U.S. health care exceeds that of other industrialized nations is about 4% of output. In other words, the implicit tax that an inefficient and unjust health system imposes on our economy equals about a fourth of federal taxes. Americans have deeply entrenched beliefs that we are the world leader in myriad political and economic areas. We still are in some, but our ranking has slipped in many others. If the public does not join researchers in considering broad ranges of possibilities, including many from other nations, we wont be America First. We will be America Alone and will increasingly lag nations where hundreds of millions of others thrive. St. Paul economist and writer Edward Lotterman can be reached at bismarck@edlotterman.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 He tried to put it in words, in a video he later filmed and posted to the school systems website. He spoke about having a Black son and how he and his wife had always told the children that they could have and be anything they wanted. He spoke about what it was like to know that anyone out there in the world might see his son as an enemy. Might decide to shoot him. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 00:38:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LONDON, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The number of people who have tested positive for coronavirus in Britain rose by 4,422, the highest daily increase since May 8, official statistics showed Saturday. The total number of coronavirus cases hit 390,358 while the total number of coronavirus-related deaths rose by 27 to 41,759, according to the official figures. The latest figures were revealed as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that a second wave of COVID-19 in Britain is "coming in", and his government may need to "intensify things to help bring the rate of infections down." Countries such as Britain, China, Russia and the United States are racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines. Also on Saturday, hundreds of people attended a rally in Trafalgar Square in central London during a protest against coronavirus lockdown measures. Some of them became involved in "outbreaks of violence towards officers", the Metropolitan Police said. Traffic was brought to a halt as protesters erected a blockade in a bid to prevent police officers from making arrests. Among the demonstrators are coronavirus conspiracy theorists who claim that COVID-19 was a hoax, advocating against people wearing masks, and accusing the government of concealing the truth. In a statement, Scotland Yard said officers had attempted to "explain, engage and encourage" the protesters to leave the rally, but many remained "putting themselves and others at risk". Police has warned that "enforcement action" would be used to disperse those who remain in the area and those who remained there could be arrested. Enditem Tamil Nadu governments decision to bifurcate Anna University, the premier engineering institute in the state, and change its original name has led to a major controversy with teaching and non-teaching staff taking objection to the move. While all affiliated colleges, including those owned by the government and private individuals, would come under the Anna University, four institutes, including the prestigious College of Engineering, Guindy (CEG), and the Madras Institute of Technology (MIT), which are originally part of the varsity will now be known as Anna Technological and Research University (ARTU). Professors and former Vice-Chancellors of Anna University scoff at the renaming of the parent institute saying the move would only benefit private colleges as the name Anna University is known worldwide. As a mark of their opposition to the move, professors will wear black badges from Monday. Certificates of students who graduate from CEG, MIT, School of Architecture and Planning (SAP) and Alagappa College of Technology (ACTECH) will no more carry the tag Anna University, the professors say, adding that it will be the biggest injustice to the students and the university as a whole. They are also worried about funding for ARTU as the institute is involved in several research activities. Anna University is known across the world and these four institutes constitute the varsity. The government wants to snatch the name from us and give it to private colleges whose students will get certificates in the name of Anna University and those who graduate from here will carry the new name of ARTU. Who knows what is ARTU? a professor asked. Anna University was formed in the 1970s by bringing CEG, MIT, SAP and ACTECH under it, while private engineering colleges were affiliated to the University of Madras and other varsities that functioned in various cities of the state. In 2002, all engineering colleges in the state were brought under the control of Anna University and the government had last week moved a bill in the Assembly seeking to bifurcate the varsity for administrative purposes.. While we have preserved the institutes name for so many decades through our hard work, it is nothing but stealing the name and fame from us and giving it to private colleges. Why is the parent institution is denied its original name while the child gets the parents name? We would have been happy even if we had been called Anna University of Tamil Nadu, I Arul Aram, former president of Anna University Teachers Association (AUTA), told Deccan Herald. Former Vice-Chancellor of Anna University and author, E Balagurusamy, went a step ahead to charge the Tamil Nadu government of succumbing to the pressure from private engineering colleges. He questioned the need to rename the parent institute and gift the name to the newly-created institute. I have no qualms in saying that the government has made a terrible mistake here. They could have given any name but Anna University to the institute that manages the affiliated colleges. The government had no business to play with the name of the university. CEG is one of the oldest engineering colleges in India and it is being robbed of its eminent status. This is ridiculous, Balagurusamy told Deccan Herald. He also questioned the logic behind changing the name of the mother university and sought to know whether the government was helping the private institutes many of which are owned by politicians. Prof. Arul Aram said the move to rename Anna University amounts to Intellectual Property Rights theft and breach of trust on the part of the government. When the management of Anna University protested against its renaming in 2019, the government assured them that the name will not be tampered with. But today the name of the university has been gifted to private colleges while we have been given a new name. This is nothing but breach of trust, Aram said. One of the clear injustices of Californias court system is that suspects not convicted but accused are stuck in jail awaiting trial because they could not afford bail. This upends the very American ideal of innocent until proved guilty. A person accused of a crime who cant make bail may well lose his or her job and means of supporting a family, along with future job prospects, no matter how the trial ends. Its unsafe, its unfair and its unjust, said Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Alameda, one of the legislative proponents of Senate Bill 10 to replace money bail with a system that would determine a suspects release on an assessment of risk of flight and threat to the community. Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Los Angeles, has called the legislation ground zero in the fight over criminal justice reform. The bill cleared the Democratic-controlled Legislature by large margins and was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown on Aug. 28, 2018. But the powerful bail-bonds industry, faced with an existential threat, was not about to go away easily. It bankrolled a petition drive to put the measure on the ballot, which received enough signatures to qualify for the Nov. 3 election as Proposition 25. The opposition campaign has tried to make the argument that a risk assessment inherently would be infected with racial bias. Mike Gatto, a former assemblyman and attorney who has studied constitutional law, said he seriously objected to replacing money bail with an algorithm. For some of us, thats just a brave new world, Gatto said, suggesting that most judges would simply follow the risk assessment presented to them. He has opposed Prop. 25. Judges would not be bound to accept the risk assessment, however, just as they now retain the discretion to accept or reject a prosecution recommendation for money bail. Attorneys for defendants would have every right to challenge a risk assessment that found them at moderate or high risk. Most important, SB10 did not dictate how those assessment tools would be constructed other than they would need to be demonstrated by scientific research to be accurate and reliable. This is a significant improvement from the current system where money decides who stays in jail and who gets released before trial. As of June 30, of the 61,000 people in Californias county jails, only 17,000 were actually sentenced to confinement, according to the Board of State and Community Corrections. The injustice and racial disparities of the status quo are not hypothetical. Vote yes on Prop. 25. This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters. Motorists drive past an Alipay logo next to the Shanghai office building of Ant Group on Aug. 28, 2020. (HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images) Chinese Fintech Giant Poses Risks to US Investors, Advocacy Group Warns WASHINGTONA financial affiliate of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba is set to go public, and a sizeable portion of the funds raised are to come from U.S. investors, raising alarms in Washington. Chinese financial technology firm Ant Group Co. is preparing for an initial public offering in Shanghai and Hong Kong next month. Controlled by billionaire Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, the fintech company aims for an approximately $225 billion valuation through the public offering. Ant Group is the parent company of Chinas largest digital payment platform, Alipay, which has 1.2 billion users, serving mainly Chinese customers. Its largest competitor, PayPal, by contrast, serves 346 million active users across 190 countries. The leading U.S. investment banks Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, and Citigroup are joint sponsors of Ant Groups IPO. The Committee on the Present Danger: China (CPDC), a Washington-based advocacy organization, sent letters to the leadership of the Hong Kong stock exchange and four Wall Street banks to warn against a possible new risk to U.S. investors from the increasingly controversial public offering. The group also sent a letter to President Donald Trump. In the letters, the advocacy group warns Hong Kong stock exchange and four U.S. banks that they have fiduciary duties to fully reveal Ant Groups material risks, including human rights and national security concerns. Ant Groups prospectus disclosed potential financial technology and e-commerce sectoral risks. It also cited U.S. sanctions as risks to the companys business. However, it largely ignored the risks arising from the companys ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The advocacy group identified seven problematic risks, including the roles played by Ant Group and its partial owner Alibaba in the severe human rights abuses of Uyghurs by the Chinese regime. The letters also state that Ant Group is a threat to U.S. national security. In 2018, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) blocked Ant Financials acquisition of U.S. money transfer company MoneyGram over national security concerns. The fintech giant raises concerns as its technologies are used by the CCP and its Peoples Liberation Army to oppress the Chinese people. It is also a participant in building Chinas controversial social credit system, which tracks every move and purchase of Chinese citizens. We believe that the IPO should, at a minimum, be delayed to ensure that such disclosures are faithfully done and properly evaluated, Brian Kennedy, CPDCs chairman, wrote in a letter to Trump. Though the company wont be listed in New York, U.S. investors will be exposed to the company through the Hong Kong stock exchange. Kennedy warned that a sizeable portion of the IPO proceeds would end up in the investment portfolios of millions of American investors. The company should also be blacklisted by the Commerce Department as soon as possible, he said. He called on Trump to encourage Americans to invest patriotically and to deny the CCP the resources that enable it to oppress its own people. More Chinese companies are facing increased scrutiny from the Trump administration over national security concerns. The escalation of tensions between the United States and China and potential U.S. government action against Ant Group may cause declines in share-value, harming U.S. investors. For its part, the CCP hopes to translate a huge IPO victory for Ant, largely bankrolled by American investors, into a validation of its bid to continue to have access to hundreds of billions in Western financing, despite its vicious crackdown on Hong Kong, the letter stated. The White House and the four U.S. investment banks advising Ant Group didnt immediately respond to requests from The Epoch Times for comment. Ant Group and many Chinese companies have avoided New York for their listings as Washington has increased its crackdown on foreign companies that fail to comply with U.S. audit standards. Under the White House plan, U.S. regulators would require currently listed companies to come into compliance with the new standards by Jan. 1, 2022. The size of the Ant Groups IPO is subject to market conditions, but the company aims to raise nearly $30 billion from the dual listing in Shanghai and Hong Kong. This could mark the biggest IPO of all time, surpassing the US$29.4 billion public offering last December by Saudi Aramco. Manuu Mansheet, Director of Mansheet Design sat with NewsX in a special segment, NewsX A-list for an exclusive conversation where he talks about his experiences and challenges that he faced during his journey. In an exclusive conversation with Manuu Mansheet, Director of Mansheet Design catches up with NewsX in a special segment, NewsX A-list. He opened up about his journey and life in the creative field. Mansheet is now a renowned interior designer and visual merchandiser. He always desired to be artistic but initially, he started his journey in academics. I always wanted to become an artist and a creative person but I didnt know which field to choose and because of family pressure, mainly which is the typical system, I got into Academics. I did an MBA but my heart was not there because I wanted to do something different and creative, as well as more fulfilling and that took me to this route. I found my calling and started in the profession with visual merchandising and styling and now its been over 25 years and Ive been working in this field. Also read: Dont compete but change the rules: Maneck Malhotra, Director, Choco Swiss Also read: Hiren Gada, CEO of Shemaroo Entertainment discusses the changing nature of streaming services, digital content due to pandemic Speaking of how he ended up in the designing field while working with reputed companies and building his repertoire, Mansheet said, I did not know where this kind of education could be pursued but visual merchandising happened to me by chance. From the start, 9 am to 5 pm jobs didnt suit me and interestingly Taj Khazana- a chain of luxury lifestyle stores offered me the post of doing visual merchandising and window display for them and it really opened up doors. The feeling and desire of not studying at a design school always stayed inside Mansheet but there were no such institutes in those times. But working with IKEA really changed directions for him and he designed for them in Dubai and Abu Dhabi for a year which gave him a lot of practical training and the confidence. It helped me a lot to understand visual merchandising and I learnt about lighting and colour and communication which stayed with me forever. But stepping into his career wasnt a cakewalk, Mansheet opened up about the reactions he received from people. Mostly I am proud of the journey mainly because when I got into this there was a lot of backlash as to what I am doing and why an MBA would be doing this kind of work. It was looked down upon by my family, extended family, neighbours and society in general and I had to win that battle. Mansheet talks about one of his biggest milestones and recognised work, Swadesh Bazaar which he designed for Mukesh Ambanis daughter Isha Ambanis pre-wedding celebration Initially I wasnt aware it was for the Ambanis but I got very nervous when realised the world would be watching it up to my neck but the whole team and everybody was very encouraging. It was a huge project for me and I dont think I slept for 72 hours and was working non-stop. But in the end, it came out very well and very much received and appreciated by the family and people all around. Adding to one of his achievements post the wedding, Mansheet featured in Huffingpost- a renowned International publication and they shot a feature movie on him recognizing his work. Sharing about his thoughts on the personal project of building a house and the ideas behind its aesthetic and organic nature which is very close to his heart, Mansheet says, I grew up in a very big colonial bungalow which wasnt ours and we had to vacate it during my teenage years and that thought lingered for long and I wanted to do an old-world charm project which would be very easy to maintain and initially I didnt imagine it will turn out like this. The house was supposed to be a simple one for me and my parents but it became a sort of Museum and its been one of the most celebrated houses in the city and featured in many magazines but I am very grateful and content especially during such times that it is a safe haven for me and my family. The designer also happens to be a visual lecturer in many reputed design and management institutes honing young, creative minds with his expertise for over 20 years now. During the early 90s when I was looking for creative career options I didnt find any institute to go and learn but I want to give back to society and really look forward to Mondays which is reserved only for teaching and interaction with those young, passionate people. Talking of the pandemic and future and what it means to him, the designer feels it made him realise anything can happen anytime. Besides adding value to myself, I also want to contribute to society and focus on my clients and future projects and help everybody complete their dream home. Also read:AI and blockchain data will revolutionize the world, says Mayur Ramgir, an international award-winning innovator, founder of Zonopact, an incubator for young talent At least two Pakistani soldiers were killed in the northwestern tribal region bordering Afghanistan on September 20,according to a statement issued by the country's military. The soldiers were killed in an exchange of fire, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military's media wing, said in a statement. The ISPR said that the security forces had launched an "intelligence-based operation" against suspected militants in the North Waziristan tribal district. North Waziristan was once the hideout of militants connected to Al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban-linked Haqqani network. The Pakistani military has pushed Islamist militants back from their mountain hideouts near the Afghan border in a series of offensives since 2014. Islamist militants have once again started regrouping in the region from their suspected in Afghanistan, and a spike in attacks on security forces has been witnessed in recent months. In a separate operation, four suspected militants were killed in an exchange of fire with security forces during an intelligence-based operation in the Awaran district of the southwestern Balochistan Province, the ISPR said on September 19. With reporting by dpa Sorry! This content is not available in your region MARY Killing could not have imagined shed be taking calls from as far afield as Scotland and Ontario in Canada when she told her story to the Leader. But thats exactly what happened after news of her heartwarming arrival of a litter of 16 puppies at her home in Crecora was reported by this newspaper. The Killing clan had planned a trip to the vet to give their puppies the snip Covid-19 saw the neutering appointment chopped. It meant Archie, an Irish-setter/English springer-spaniel and Bella, a labrador/border collie produced a brood of 16 puppies. While one baby dog sadly died, the incredible birth equals the second largest number of puppies in a single delivery and is understood to be the largest in Ireland. After the Limerick Leader carried photographer Brendan Gleesons fabulous images on its front page in our edition of September 5, the story gained legs! Newspapers across Ireland, then Britain and further afield cottoned onto the story, and carried the pictures, with Bellas litter of puppies appearing in a huge number of publications from Hello magazine to the Times of London! British tabloid staples, the Daily Mirror, the Daily Star, the Daily Mirror and the Metro freesheet published the story. Even a Dutch news web site has carried a literal translation of the Limerick Leaders feel-good story on Archie and Bella! Good Morning Britain, the flagship ITV breakfast show fronted by Piers Morgan even sought to use a video. Mary, who works in the presidents office at the University of Limerick, has fielded calls from all over the world from people looking to own a critter. It just shows the power of a good story, Mary said this week, I had a letter from a lovely man in Scotland, I had a lovely letter from someone in Galway. Its mostly messages, people wanting a pup. They do their research, they see I am a University of Limerick employee, and they see me there! One communication, from a man in Scotland, reached Marys doorstep. All he had written on the envelope was: Mary Killing the lady with the 16 puppies, Crecora, Limerick, Ireland. Despite Crecora being home to around 400 people vastly spread out, the message reached her safe and sound. The Limerick Leader has also fielded a number of calls from people interested in adopting a dog including from a doctor in Leeds, England. But, sadly, all of Archie and Bellas dogs have been spoken for, with the final one of the litter minus Archie, who will stay in the Killing household heading off to Wales last weekend. One of the dog's new owners came over on the ferry to collect their bundle of joy. Mary who says shes been mortified by all the attention says she cried buckets when the litter left home. But their new owners have been sending her pictures of their new surrounds, where they are being treated like little kings and queens! ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Two weeks after a federal judge prohibited the U.S. Census Bureau from winding down the 2020 census, a manager in Illinois instructed employees to get started with layoffs, according to an audio of the conversation obtained by The Associated Press. During a conference call Thursday, the Chicago area manager told supervisors who report to him that they should track down census takers who don't currently have any cases, collect the iPhones they use to record information, and bid them goodbye. The manager did not respond to an email from the AP. I would really like to get a head start on terminating these people," he said. All of these inactives that we have, we need to get rid of them. So hunt down your inactives, collect their devices, get them terminated and off of our lists." It was unclear whether such actions would violate U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh's temporary restraining order prohibiting the Census Bureau from winding down field operations while she considers a request to extend the head count by a month. Earlier this week, the judge, who is in San Jose, California, held a hearing on other possible violations of the order, but no action was taken after a Census Bureau official said in a declaration that they were unsubstantiated or the result of miscommunication. The judge extended the order for another week on Thursday. Government attorneys told the judge earlier this month that the Census Bureau would refrain from laying off workers who were in the later stages of door knocking at the homes of residents who hadn't yet answered the census questionnaire. They said workers could still be terminated for performance reasons, however. While the Chicago area manager told his supervisors they couldn't lay people off for lack of work, he suggested they could encourage census takers who haven't had an assignment in a while to resign or fire them for poor performance. It doesnt have to be their performance is poor. It just means its not good enough," he said. If you are going to terminate someone for performance, I want you to consult me first. But I'm pretty much going to be on your side, no matter what." Story continues The census manager also suggested that supervisors should unofficially plan on wrapping up their work by Saturday, 11 days short of the Sept. 30 deadline for ending the 2020 census. Census Bureau spokesman Michael Cook said in a statement Friday that the agency was investigating. In the meantime, the U.S. Census Bureau continues to focus on conducting a complete 2020 Census count while instructing field personnel of their continuing obligation to comply with court orders, Cook said. The once-a-decade head count of every U.S. resident helps determine how $1.5 trillion in federal funding is distributed annually and how many congressional seats each state gets a process known as apportionment. The census takers are sent out to knock on the doors of homes that have not yet responded to the census on their own, either online, by phone or by mail. Before the coronavirus pandemic hit in March, the bureau had planned to complete the 2020 census by the end of July. In response to the pandemic, it extended the deadline to the end of October. That changed to the end of September after the Republican-controlled Senate failed to take up a request from the Census Bureau to extend the deadline for turning over the numbers used for apportionment. As a result, government attorneys told the judge, the Census Bureau has no choice but to finish the count by Sept. 30. The temporary restraining order was requested by a coalition of cities, counties and civil rights groups that had sued the Census Bureau, demanding it restore the October deadline. The coalition had argued the earlier deadline would cause the Census Bureau to overlook minority communities in the census, leading to an inaccurate count. The idea is, if you have less time and less people, theres going to be less counting," Melissa Sherry, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said during a virtual hearing Friday. Attorneys for the coalition said Friday that they didn't want to comment on the Chicago case. Meanwhile, the state of Louisiana on Friday said it was being harmed by the judge's order preventing the Census Bureau from winding down operations. In a court filing asking to intervene in the coalition's lawsuit, the state said if census officials were allowed to shutter operations in places where they had completed their work, they could redirect resources to states like Louisiana that are lagging behind in the count. That status quo has been upended," the filing said. ___ This story has been edited to clarify that it was the census manager, not census taker, who suggested supervisors should wrap up by Saturday. ___ Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP DMK MP Gautham Sigamani speaks in the Lok Sabha during ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi. PTI photo Chennai: The DMK has called for an all-party meeting to discuss the three anti-farmer Bills passed in the Lok Sabha recently. The meeting, under the leadership of DMK President M K Stalin, would be held at the party headquarters Anna Arivalayam at 10.30 am on Monday, September 21, a notification from DMK said on Saturday. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami lashed out at Stalin for politicising the passing of the three bills and explained in detail how those new laws would only go on to help the farmers in many ways. In a statement, Palaniswami said the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services bill, the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and Essential Services (Amendment) Bill were passed on September 15 and 17. He debunked the charges made by Stalin, saying the Bills have all the safeguards required to protect the interest of farmers and declared that he was proud to call himself a farmer and would do it not once but a thousand times. A leading corporate travel agent who helped hundreds of people return to Ireland in the early stages of the pandemic has been thanked for her efforts in a letter from Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney. Eimer Hannon of Hannon Travel has a range of corporate clients, with a focus on the aircraft-leasing sector. One of her clients contacted her earlier this year to say the Department of Foreign Affairs was having difficulty bringing people home and she agreed to help. "Embassies connected in with us from abroad, they put their stranded passengers in touch, we negotiated with Qatar Airline and we got chunks of seats on flights. And we set up a call centre and payment methods and got people home." In total, Hannon Travel got 950 people back to Ireland. Hannon had 26 staff before the pandemic and although this has fallen to seven she says there are some very early positive signs of business travel recovering. Hannon was previously a leader on the Acorns programme, which is supported by the Department of Agriculture. Aimed at rural female entrepreneurs, there is currently a call out for applications with a deadline of this Monday, September 21. There is no charge for those selected. "With the southwest monsoon remaining active in the coastal and southern regions of the state, heavy rains have been lashing Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Kodagu districts since Saturday," a state disaster management authority official told IANS. Udupi (Karnataka): Heavy rains and gusty winds lashed Karnataka's temple town Udupi, flooding low-laying areas and disrupting normal life, an official said on Sunday. Udupi, about 400km west of Bengaluru in the southern state, is popular for the 13th-century Krishna temple. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert in coastal and Malnad districts till Tuesday, warning heavy to very heavy rainfall and strong winds in the regions due to depression in the Arabian Sea and active monsoon clouds. "Torrential rains since morning wreaked havoc in the three coastal districts, causing flash floods in many towns and villages, disrupting vehicular traffic as roads and bridges were submerged and damaging power lines," said the official. Hundreds of people in Udupi district were marooned as rain water flooded several low-lying areas and tanks breached in many villages. State Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa directed Udupi Deputy Commissioner G. Jagadeesha to launch rescue and relief operations to save the stranded people from flood-hit areas. Udupi-Chikkamagalur Lok Sabha member Shobha Karandlaje urged the district administration to arrange 2 helicopters from the Naval base at Karwar for rescue operations in the island areas and marooned villages. "Two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been rushed to Udupi for rescue and relief operations," the official said. Heavy rainfall in the Western Ghats has turned several rivers into spate overflowing roads and bridges in the three coastal districts. Heavy rainfall and huge inflows into Kabini reservoir at HD Kote in Mysyru district forced the authorities to release 35,000 cusecs of water from the dam into the Kabini and Cauvery river earlier in the day. "A flood alert has been sounded to the people living in the downstream villages and advised them to shift to safer places from the river banks and low-lying areas," the official added. For months, abortion has been relegated to a back burner in the presidential campaign, eclipsed by a worldwide pandemic, an economic crisis and protests over racial justice. But the death of Justice Ginsburg and the looming confirmation battle to replace her could force the candidates to discuss a volatile issue six weeks before Election Day that carries significant political risks for both sides, even as it energizes portions of their bases. Mainstream views on abortion are more moderate than those of the activists on either wing, with most Americans saying that abortions should be legal with some restrictions. An all-out fight over abortion could further alienate the more moderate suburban voters both sides are competing for. Democrats especially must navigate their own divisions over how far to push an issue that Mr. Biden has long found personally uncomfortable. Since Justice Ginsburgs death on Friday, Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden have so far treaded lightly on the subject. The Biden campaign is trying to steer the conversation to the less politically treacherous terrain of protecting the Affordable Care Act and its popular guarantee of coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. Mr. Trump has focused on his right to appoint a justice so close to the end of his term. But there is pressure on both candidates to address the abortion issue, because of its significance to their respective bases at a moment when so much is at stake. During Mr. Trumps presidency, it has become harder to get an abortion in many places across the country than at any time since the procedure was legalized nearly 50 years ago. Five states now have only one remaining abortion clinic each: Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and West Virginia. Socially conservative strategists see the sudden emergence of the abortion issue as an important opportunity for Mr. Trump, who has lagged in the polls. They believe it may help shore up Republican swing voters in Arizona, or motivate base voters who might not have gotten around to requesting an absentee ballot. Whats old is new again. First United Church of Christs steeple and clock tower has been successfully restored, after crews began the process back in early August. By PTI NEW DELHI: The armies of India and China are set to hold the sixth round of Corps Commander-level talks in the next couple of days to explore ways to defuse tension in eastern Ladakh even as India further bolstered its dominance in over 20 mountain heights around the friction points near the Pangong lake, government sources said on Sunday. They also said that the IAF is set to use the newly-inducted Rafale jets to carry out sorties in Ladakh as part of the overall boosting of combat readiness in view of "provocative actions" by Chinese troops including the three incidents of shots being fired in the air in the last three weeks. On the sixth round of Corps Commander meeting, the sources said a joint secretary-level officer from the Ministry of External Affairs is expected to be part of the Indian delegation as India is looking for some concrete outcome from the dialogue. "It is set to take place in the next two days. There is a possibility that it may take place tomorrow (Monday) itself," said a source. ALSO READ: Corps Commander talks on Monday; Army strengthens dominance in over 20 strategic height The main focus of the meeting is expected to be on the implementation of a five-point agreement reached between the two countries. Both sides reached the agreement to resolve the border row at a meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) meet in Moscow on September 10. 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 Line of Actual Control (LAC). The sources said the Indian Army also strengthened its dominance in over 20 strategic mountain heights around the northern and southern banks of Pangong lake as well as in the extended general area of Chushul in the last few days even as freezing conditions are gripping the area, the sources said. ALSO READ: Government's high-power China Study Group carries out comprehensive review of situation in eastern Ladakh The deployment of French-made Rafale jets in Ladakh came less than 10 days after they were formally inducted into the IAF. At a ceremony in Ambala on September 10 where five Rafale jets were inducted into the IAF, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the induction of the fleet was crucial considering the atmosphere being created along the frontier and that it is a "big and stern" message to those eyeing India's sovereignty. Speaking on the occasion, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria had said induction of Rafale jets could not have happened at a more opportune time considering the security scenario. The Rafale fleet is stationed in Ambala air force station. The multirole Rafale jets, built by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, are known for air-superiority and precision strikes. "The Rafale jets are flying around Ladakh," said a source without elaborating. ALSO READ: India will now have to deploy troops all along LAC - Former Army Commanders The IAF has deployed almost all its frontline fighter jets like Sukhoi 30 MKI, Jaguar and Mirage 2000 aircraft in the key frontier air bases in eastern Ladakh and elsewhere along the LAC. The IAF is also carrying out night time combat air patrols in the eastern Ladakh region. The IAF has also deployed Apache attack choppers as well as Chinook heavy-lift helicopters to transport troops to various forward locations in eastern Ladakh. The sources said the Army has made elaborate arrangements to maintain the current level of troops and weapons in all forward areas in eastern Ladakh and other sensitive high-altitude sectors in the harsh winter months when the temperature drops up to minus 25 degrees Celsius. They said the situation remained tense in both southern and northern banks of the Pangong lake areas as well as in other friction points. There have been at least three attempts by the Chinese People's Liberation Army(PLA) to "intimidate" Indian troops along the northern and southern bank of Pangong lake area in the last three weeks where even shots were fired in the air for the first time at the LAC in 45 years. The situation in eastern Ladakh deteriorated after China unsuccessfully attempted to occupy Indian territory in the southern bank of Pangong Lake on the intervening night of August 29 and 30. On September 7, Chinese troops unsuccessfully attempted to close in on the Indian position and even fired shots in the air in the Mukhpari area of Rezang-La ridgeline on the southern bank of Pangong lake. As Jaishankar and Wang were to hold talks in Moscow, the Chinese military resorted to firing a barrage of "warning shots" into the air on the North Bank of Pangong lake to "intimidate" the Indian troops, Army sources had said. India occupied a number of strategic heights on the southern bank of Pangong lake and strengthened its presence in Finger 2 and Finger 3 areas in the region to thwart any Chinese actions. China has been occupying the areas between Finger 4 and Finger 8. The mountain spurs in the area are called Fingers. China has strongly objected to India's move. However, India has maintained that the heights are on its side of the LAC. 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. 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Digital Editor Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg smiles during a photo session with photographers at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on March 3, 2006. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images) Despite Threats of Riot and Mayhem, Nomination of Ginsburgs Replacement Should Proceed Commentary Everything is much louder now, isnt it? With the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Sept. 18, conservatives observed a moment of respectful circumspection, but the left instantly reached for its high-octane stuff and went to town. A bunch of the excitable ones descended on the Senate majority leaders house on Sept. 19 to dance about and shout after learning that he intendedhorror of horrorsto discharge his duty and bring the presidents SCOTUS nominee, whoever that turns out to be, to the Senate for scrutiny and a vote. The contrast between how conservatives responded to Ginsburgs death and how the left responded to the death of Judge Antonin Scalia is notable. President Donald Trump began his remarks at his Sept. 19 rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, with some words of praiseshe was an inspiration to a tremendous number of peopleand condolences for her family. When Scalia died in 2016, the left erupted like an angry boil, smearing a puss of calumny and vituperation across the blighted landscape of social media. Ginsburg, apart from her identity as the second female Supreme Court justice, was known chiefly for two things: her reliably progressive jurisprudence and her collegiality. I wont say anything about the former because it is already well known. Anything having to do with the distaff side got her worked up. She delighted in forcing formerly male bastions to admit or prefer or promote women and to support or pay for their chosen precautions against maternity. Ginsburgs collegiality went far beyond her storied friendship with Scalia, her ideological antonym but a gentleman in bearing as she was a lady. There was a certain amount of shtick to the relationship, I believe, but the affection was by all accounts genuine. But Ginsburgs politesse didnt end with Scalia. Of particular note was the public courtesy she extended to Neil Gorsuch and, especially, to Brett Kavanaugh after they were mocked andespecially in the case of Kavanaughviciously attacked and slandered by the party of peace and love (unless you are a conservative or an embryo of any affiliation). I will come back to Ginsburgs collegiality in a moment. First, I want to say a word or two about the strange situation her death has, if not precipitated, exactly, then at least highlighted. Authority to Nominate As many commentators have pointed out, Trump has the authority (some, like me, would say the obligation) to nominate Ginsburgs replacement for the Supreme Court. It is one of the important things that a president does: nominate people to the Supreme Court, when there is a vacancy, with the advice and consent of the Senate. As Andrew McCarthy put it, President Trump has the power to make nominations until at least noon on January 20, and maybe for another four years after that. I quoted that last bit just to stir up the gallery. Does anyoneanyonethink that a Democratic president, were he (or, doubtless, she) similarly situated with a Senate majority, forbear to move heaven and earth to get his person nominated and confirmed on the run-up to a presidential election? To ask the question is to answer it. Please dont utter the name Merrick Garland, the moderate liberal whom President Barack Obama nominated to the Supreme Court in 2016 on the run-up to that years presidential election. The lying media is pretending that there is a valid analogy between Obamas nomination of Garland and Trumps nomination of whomever-it-turns-out-be now. The shadow of Merrick Garland hangs over the next Supreme Court fight intones one organ of the gutter press. No, it doesnt. Why? Because although the Democrats occupied the White House in 2016, the Republicans held the Senate. It was, as Joe Biden once put it, a divided government, and in such situationsBiden was speaking in 1992, not 2016action on a Supreme Court nomination must be put off until after the election campaign is over. This time, however, we have a unified governmenta president and a Senate of the same partyand it should be business as usual to nominate a new candidate for the Supreme Court whenever a vacancy occurs, right up to noon on January 20, as McCarthy put it. I dont know enough of the backstories and my political chess skills arent sufficiently sharp to say whether the president will nominate someone right away. He said he would, this coming week, and Sen. Mitch McConnell said he would move it along. Many knowledgeable people on my side of the aisle think this wont happen, or at least that it shouldnt happen, because 1. it will decrease Trumps chances of winning and 2. it will endanger some vulnerable Republican senators. As I say, I dont know enough about that complex game to offer an opinion, though I will say that should Trump nominate some excellent conservativeAmy Coney Barrett, for example, who is on the short listI would suggest that she (and Trump has promised a she) would do as much to energize Republican support all along the ticket as to inflame the opposition. The Mobs Choice Except that when todays Democrats get inflamed, they do so literally. Indeed, one of the strangest things about this entire election seasona season that now includes a Supreme Court nominationis the quanta of threatened violence it involves. Dont elect Trump or else well continue to riot and well litigate the election results forever. Dont nominate a replacement for Ginsburg or well burn down Congress. Im not sure that we really appreciate the bizarre nature of these threats, and the political situation they represent. Elect who we say or else we will riot and burn down your cities. Dont nominate someone we dislike to the Supreme Court, or else we will burn down Congress. How should we react to such threats? I think we should face them down, with extreme prejudice. The mobeven when it has the support of Hollywood and the gutter pressdoesnt, and shouldnt be seen to, pick the president. Nor does it have the prerogative to pick justices for the Supreme Court. Any suggestion that it does should be met with instant and definitive rebuke. Which brings me back to the subject of Ginsburg and collegiality. News of her death had barely entered cyberspace before NPR reported that her dying wish, dictated to her granddaughter, was that her position not be filled by Trump. My most fervent wish, she is supposed to have said, is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed. Yes, that hint of dubiety is deliberate. I have no evidence that Ginsburg did not dictate those words to her granddaughter, only doubts. Of these two things, however, I am certain. If she did express that wish and wanted it to be public, then she delivered a heavy blow against the ideal of collegiality she espoused throughout her career. For such a wish, expressed at such a time, cannot but further poison the well of our public life and fan the flamesliterallyof public unrest. Can you think of anything less collegial? My other certitude is this: Such a wish, assuming it was expressed, has absolutely no claim on those making the decision about when Ginsburgs replacement should be nominated. That is up to the president of the United States. Until at least noon on Jan. 20, 2021, and perhaps until Jan. 20, 2025, that person is Donald J. Trump, duly elected according to the rules prescribed by the Constitution of the United States of America. I think he should get on with it and that McConnell should shepherd his choice through the Senate with all appropriate dispatch. 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. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen speaks to the media in Taipei, Taiwan on Aug. 12, 2020. (Ann Wang/File Photo via Reuters) Taiwan President: Drills Show China Is Threat to Region TAIPEITwo days of Chinese military aircraft approaching Taiwan demonstrate that Beijing is a threat to the entire region and have shown Taiwanese even more clearly the true nature of the Chinese communist regime, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Sunday. Multiple Chinese aircraft flew across the mid-line of the Taiwan Strait and into Taiwans air defense identification zone on Friday and Saturday, causing Taiwan to scramble jets to intercept. China claims Taiwan as its own territory. At a news conference in Beijing on Friday about Chinas U.N. peacekeeping efforts, China announced combat drills near the Taiwan Strait and denounced what it called collusion between the island and the United States. The exercises took place as U.S. Undersecretary for Economic Affairs Keith Krach was in Taipei, the most senior State Department office to come in four decades. Speaking to reporters, Tsai denounced Chinas drills. I believe these activities are no help to Chinas international image, and whats more have put Taiwans people even more on their guard, understanding even better the true nature of the Chinese communist regime, she said. Additionally, other countries in the region also have a better understanding of the threat posed by China, Tsai added. The Chinese communists must restrain themselves, and not provoke. Chinas air force on Saturday put out a video showing exercises by its nuclear-capable H-6 bombers, which have been involved in many Chinese fly-bys of Taiwan. One montage shows a simulation of an H-6 attack against an airbase that appears by its runway layout to be the main U.S. air force base on Guam. Asked about that footage and Chinas decision to release it while Krach was in Taiwan, Tsai said Chinas recent activities were a threat broader than just to Taiwan. Chinas existence is indeed aggressive and will bring a definite threat. In comments carried by Chinese state media from a forum on relations with Taiwan in the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen, the number-four leader of the ruling Communist Party on Sunday did not directly mention the recent drills. Wang Yang, who heads a largely ceremonial advisory body to Chinas parliament, reiterated that Taiwan independence was a dead end, and that relying on foreigners to pump yourself up was to take a risk out of desperation. It will only bring Taiwan risks it cannot bear. We will not tolerate any harm to the countrys sovereignty, security, and development interests, Wang said in comments made by video. Further friction seems likely as Taiwan and the United States continue to deepen relations, with Taiwan angling for a free trade agreement. Taiwan Economy Minister Wang Mei-hua said on Sunday the island plans to hold a formal economic dialogue with the United States, after having what she called informal talks with Krach and his team on issues like supply chain restructuring. By Ben Blanchard 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 Former India football stalwart and noted coach Subhash Bhowmick died in Kolkata after prolonged illness. He was 72 years old. NAITO VS. TANAHASHI & MORE: 9/20 NJPW G1 CLIMAX DAY TWO RESULTS By James Kurokawa on 2020-09-20 03:36:00 Opening Match: 1 - Yota Tsuji vs. Gabriel Kidd. Tsuji forces Kidd to submit with a Boston Crab. B Block Tournament Matches: 2. Juice Robinson vs. YOSHI-HASHI. Juice hits two Left Hands of God and nails Pulp Friction for the pin fall win. Solid match. 3 - Toru Yano vs. SANADA. At the start of the match, the referee took three rolls of tape out of Yanos tights. SANADA was out-wrestling Yano and Yano escaped the ring. Yano teased a count out loss, but he ran back to the ring by 19. SANADA and Yano battled with ringpost pads and took the match back to the outside. SANADA took Yano to the entrance walk and put him in a Paradise Lock. SANADA walked back to the ring to get a count out victory. A young lion helped Yano by releasing him from the Paradise Lock. SANADA confronted the young lion but Yano hit SANADA from behind. Yano pulled out a fourth roll of tape and tied SANADA to the young lion and beat the count back to the ring. Yano wins by count out. Ring cleaning intermission. 4. Hirooki Goto vs. KENTA. KENTA focused his attack on Gotos right arm. Goto fought back and KENTA almost got him in Game Over. KENTA dominated Goto with striking kicks and DDTs. KENTA was able to lock in Game Over and Goto tapped out. Solid match. The match seemed one-sided to me. I expected a more competitive match between these two given their history with the L.A. Dojo. 5. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. EVIL. Dick Togo accompanied EVIL to ringside. Bullet Club immediately took advantage and double teamed ZSJ on the outside of the ring. EVIL was in control until ZSJ wrenched his head with a neck twist. ZSJ attacked EVILs left arm with hammerlocks and submissions. EVIL countered with power move and a superplex. The referee gets knocked out and ZSJ has to fight off both Togo and EVIL. EVIL attempted Everything is Evil and ZSJ reversed it into a pinning roll up. Zack Sabre Jr. beats EVIL! Great match which started slow but it built up as the crowd sided with ZSJ in trying to overcome the 2 on 1 advantage of EVIL. 6. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito. Naito was in control early until Tanahashi hit an insane frog splash on Naito who was on the ring floor. Tanahashi focused his attack on the left knee of Naito. Tanahashi locked on a Texas Cloverleaf. Naito refused to tap and broke it in the ropes. Naito picked up Tanahashi and he reversed it into Slingblade. Action was too much to call. Tanahashi hit two Slingblades. He hit one top rope splash on Naito, but missed a second splash. Naito hit Destino and Tanahashi kicked out at two. Naito hits a second Destino and gets the pin. Tetsuya Naito wins. Great match! Both wrestlers put on a show tonight! Naito takes the mic and thanks the fans in Osaka for joining them for the G1 Climax. The saluted the members of Los Ingobernales de Japon before leaving. General comments on the first two nights of G1 Climax 30: 1. The arena in Osaka seemed full but everyone was social distancing. Such a contrast from American wrestling companies and the difference where our countries are with COVID-19. 2. Those wrestlers returning to New Japan from overseas looked so excited to be back. 3. I miss the live commentary of Kevin Kelly and Rocky Romero. Their voices add a lot to the live product. Thanks for reading. James Kurokawa If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here! More than half of people living in university towns and cities fear the return of students will lead to coronavirus spikes and restrictions in their area, according to a survey. Tens of thousands of students are due back on campus in the coming days and a new poll has suggested 57 per cent of people fear local restrictions will result. Nearly half (48 per cent) indicated they will blame the Government. Earlier this month, Government scientific advisers warned it is 'highly likely' there will be significant coronavirus outbreaks linked to universities. The Survation poll, carried out for the University and College Union (UCU), also found half of respondents believe universities should cancel all face-to-face teaching. People gather in the street and pubs in Swansea, south Wales, as students return to the city In the poll, 57 per cent expressed a lack of confidence in local Test and Trace systems to control outbreaks. UCU general secretary Jo Grady said online learning needs to be the default position and the Government and universities must 'stop selling the lie to students that they can have a full university experience in the current crisis'. She added: 'Vice-chancellors are in denial and creating hygiene theatre to pretend institutions are safe. 'It cannot be business as normal at the moment and they need to stop pretending that is a credible option. People do not want to see local outbreaks on their doorstep. 'With the Test and Trade system in England at breaking point it is no wonder that the public do not have confidence in the system or this Government. The Survation poll found half of respondents believe universities should cancel all face-to-face teaching 'With a nationally co-ordinated, comprehensive testing system in place, universities and colleges simply will not be able to cope with outbreaks or potential outbreaks.' Earlier this month, scientists from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) warned social interactions and accommodation are likely to be a 'high-risk environment' for transmission to occur - and asymptomatic cases among students may be harder to detect. Universities should consider providing dedicated accommodation facilities to enable students who test positive to effectively isolate and minimise the risk of an outbreak, the scientists said. The Sage paper said: 'There is significant risk that HE (higher education) could amplify local and national transmission, and this requires national oversight. UCU general secretary Jo Grady said that 'it cannot be business as normal at the moment' 'A critical risk is a large number of infected students seeding outbreaks across the UK, influencing national transmission.' Ms Grady added: 'Our main objective is to help avert a preventable public health crisis. 'But if our members are concerned with how their college or university is behaving, we will back them if they vote to move into dispute, which could result in ballots for industrial action.' The online Survation poll was conducted between September 11 and 14 with responses from 1,012 residents aged 18 or over living in 25 university towns and cities in England, said the UCU. Yesterday, 4,422 people tested positive for coronavirus in Britain with the total number of confirmed cases tanding at 390,358. Nearly 4,000 new positive tests were confirmed on Thursday, in what was the biggest daily rise since May 8. France, the United Kingdom and Germany have submitted note verbales expressing their views against the seven notes the Chinese mission had proposed for circulation at the United Nations. VietNamNet introduces an article by Ambassador Nguyen Hong Thao on this issue: The note verbales show the view against the seven diplomatic notes China proposed for circulation at the United Nations relating to Malaysias submission on continental expansion submitted to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS). This was the first time that these three powerful countries had submitted note verbales related to the East Sea and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to the UN Secretary-General. The consistency of the three major European countries The note verbales expresses the consistency of the three countries with the biggest economic and legal political influence in Europe in rejecting China's unilateral interpretation of a series of related issues, which cause instability, and affect peace and legal order in the East Sea. France, the UK and Germany exercised the legal rights of UNCLOSs states parties to require that all interpretation and application of the Convention be consistent with the purpose and content of the Convention, consistent with the general views of the countries already ratifying the Convention after nine years of negotiations. The Convention does not allow exceptions. The notes show support for the common voice of notes and letters from the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Australia and the United States on common perceptions of issues arising in the East Sea. France, the UK and Germany emphasized the global and consistent nature of UNCLOS in establishing a legal framework for maritime activities worldwide and the uniform integrity of the Convention must be maintained on the global scale. Freedom of the sea The Joint Note Verable of the Permanent Mission of Great Britain and Northern Ireland expressing their view on the East Sea. Photo: UN Supporting the right to freedom of the sea, including the right to freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea like the United States, the countries issuing the notes were even more specific about the right of foreign ships to pass harmless in the territorial waters. This has the meaning of refuting the "Hainan - Xisha maritime zone" in the "Technical rules for statutory examination of ships in domestic voyages". This document was issued in 1974 and China amended it to localize the waters between Hainan and the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands from August 1, 2020, violating Vietnam's sovereignty and hindering freedom of navigation of international vessels. France and the UK as well as Australia are countries with offshore islands listed in 19 cases applying archipelagic baselines to offshore islands by China International Law Associations document in 2018 to justify the act of drawing the archipelagic baseline in Hoang Sa and the attempt to apply the concept of so-called Nanhai Zhudao (the South China Sea Islands), Xisha, Nansha, and Zhongsha (as the Chinese names islands in the East Sea) in the future. The note verbales affirmed that there is confusion between the application of part 4 of UNCLOS to the archipelagos and land features of a coastal state covered by part 2 of the Convention. Part 4 can only be applied to archipelagic country. There is no legal basis to disrespect the relevant provisions of part 2 or knowingly apply section 4 to the islands and land features of the coastal state. UNCLOS has no provision to justify such action. One note, two meanings The UK plans to send an aircraft carrier to the East Sea. Photo: Skynews The reactions of the three European countries have two meanings. These countries do not recognize China's argument that there is an international custom of applying archipelagic straight baselines to the islands of the coastal state. They also do not admit that drawing the archipelagic baseline for the so-called Nanhai Zhudao or Xisha, Nansha, Zhongsha will treat the waters lying within that self-defined baseline as archipelagic waters. China can establish maritime corridors through the self-proclaimed "archipelagic waters" and countries' freedom of movement will be restricted or prohibited. The response of these countries went further than the US declaration when they not only opposed the application of archipelagic baselines but also the application of the provisions of the archipelagic waters of section 4 to the land features in the East Sea. France, the UK and Germany also affirmed that the provisions of the legal regime of the islands under Article 121 of UNCLOS are applicable to naturally formed land features. Therefore, reclamation activities or any form of man-made transformation cannot change the characteristics of a feature under UNCLOS. This is also the conclusion of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)s ruling in 2016 and the content of recent notes of Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Australia and the US. It was not a surprise when the three European countries rejected historic rights claims and reiterated that the PCAs ruling clearly affirmed these points. All three countries did not forget to reiterate that the Joint Note Verable reflects their traditional and consistent legal point of view and this point only adds to, and does not affect past claims, even in bilateral relations and relations with other member countries of the UNCLOS. Europe is the player, not the playing field France, the UK and Germany did not comment on any relevant notes from the countries in the region on their sovereignty claims over land features and extended continental shelf. This stance demonstrates neutrality against these claims. These countries attach great importance to the peaceful settlement of maritime disputes in the East Sea in accordance with the principles and rules of UNCLOS and the dispute settlement methods and procedures intended by the Convention, including mandatory mediation and arbitration. The notes were released in the context of the US-China competition and Europe's dilemma in the relations with the two partners. Europe has been increasingly tough, as European Council President Charles Michel said: Europe is a player, not a playground." The notes were issued just two days after the online EU-China summit on September 14 with the co-chairing of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President of the Europe Council Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Although it is very interested in trade relations with China, Europe, including the countries inside the EU and outside the EU, cannot ignore the abuse of international law. European support further reinforces the legitimacy of the forces fighting for the integrity of the UNCLOS, considering the Convention as the only legal basis for resolving maritime disputes in the East Sea. Nguyen Hong Thao Speaking up for farmers protesting against the farm bills introduced in Parliament, Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh has said they are the countrys backbone and the governments move to harm their interests is unfortunate. In a video released on Sunday, Giani Harpreet Singh said, the economy of India is based on agriculture. If we want to save this economy and uplift the standards of living of the Indian people, farmers must be saved. The legislation, which harms farmers and their occupation must not be implemented at any cost. All the farmers provide food to the people of the world. So, we must prevent their condition from deteriorating further. For their betterment, the governments should take necessary steps, he said. Today, farmers are in a mess and suffering on the streets in a state of neglect. Their voices must be heard. Their sorrows need to be addressed. This is quite unfortunate that governments are intent on destroying the farmers who are the backbone of the country. Nothing is more unfortunate than this, he added. The bills in question are the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020, The Farmers Produce, Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill 2020 and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill 2020. Farmers across Punjab and other states of the country are protesting against the bills. Two key farm bills, dubbed as the biggest reform in agriculture by the government, were on Sunday passed by Rajya Sabha with voice vote amid unprecedented unruly scenes by protesting opposition members who were demanding that the proposed legislation be referred to a House panel for greater scrutiny. IMAGE: Ruckus erupts in the Rajya Sabha as Opposition rushes to Well of House over agriculture related bills, during the ongoing Monsoon Session, at Parliament House. Photograph: PTI Photo The Farmer's Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 have already been passed by Lok Sabha and will now go to the President for his assent before they are notified as laws. Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed it as a "watershed moment" in the history of Indian agriculture, asserting that the bills will ensure a complete transformation of the farm sector and add impetus to the efforts to double the income of farmers. The Congress and other opposition parties slammed the bills as "death warrants" of farmers, and called it a "black day for democracy". After a heated debate, Rajya Sabha passed the two bills amid a bedlam as some opposition members, ignoring the COVID-19 protocol, charged towards the podium of Deputy Chairman Harivansh, flung the rule book at him and tore official papers. They yanked his microphone and heckled him over their demand for a division of vote on their motion to refer the legislation to a select committee. Twelve Opposition parties later also gave a notice for a no-confidence motion against the Deputy Chairman over the manner in which two farm Bills were passed in the Upper House. Bharatiya Janata Party president J P Nadda and other senior party leaders said the bills will give farmers freedom in selling their produce and rid them of middlemen, and hit out at the opposition members for their "highly irresponsible conduct" in Rajya Sabha. In a series of tweets, the prime minister again assured farmers that the existing government support system of MSP will continue, an issue raised by the Opposition, farmer outfits as well as the BJP's oldest ally, Shiromani Akali Dal, which had quit the Modi government in protest against these bills. Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, however, stuck to his opposition, urging the President not to sign the bills, and instead return them to Parliament for reconsideration. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the food processing minister from the Shiromani Akali Dal party, resigned from the government last week in protest against the bills. "Democracy has been shamed by the manner in which the government passed death warrants against farmers in the form of two farm bills in Rajya Sabha," Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted. Farmers in states like Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against these bills, with their leaders alleging that the legislations will dismantle the existing system and leave them to the mercy of corporate interests. Reaching out to the peasantry in these states, the prime minister on Sunday posted his tweets on the passage of the bills in Punjabi as well. Trouble started in Rajya Sabha when the sitting of the House was extended beyond the scheduled time. Opposition members, who felt such a move should be resorted to only by consensus, rushed into the Well, shouting slogans against the government and accusing it of being anti-farmer. This forced Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar to cut short his reply and Harivansh took up the approval of the bills. Four opposition sponsored motions to send the two bills to a House panel for greater scrutiny were negated by voice vote, but the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Communist Party of India-Marxist and Dravida Munnetra Kazagham members sought a division of vote on the issue. As Harivansh overruled them saying division of votes can take place only when members are on their seat, TMC leader Derek O'Brien charged towards the podium, thrusting the rule book into the face of the Deputy Chairman. House marshals thwarted the move as also blocking a book that was flung towards Harivansh. An attempt was also made to pulls microphones away from the chair but the marshals physically stopped that from happening. DMK leader Tiruchi Siva, who along with O'Brien, K C Venugopal of Congress and K K Ragesh of CPM had moved resolutions for sending the bills to the select committee, tore papers and flung them into the air. Harivansh, who asked members to go back to their places and not come into the Well due to the COVID-19 protocol requiring physical separation, first muted the audio of the live proceedings but with the ruckus continuing, he adjourned the proceedings for 15 minutes. When the House reassembled, opposition parties chanted slogans but this did not prevent Harivansh from putting the bill to voice vote. As the first bill got voice approval of the House and motions for sending it to a select committee were rejected, at least two members tried to climb on the table of Rajya Sabha officers but were pulled down. Both the bills were passed by voice vote and amendments moved by the opposition parties rejected. Besides the BJP, the parties which supported the bills included the Janata Dal-United and YSRC party. After Rajya Sabha was adjourned, opposition members sat on a dharna in the chamber. As Lok Sabha members who were allotted seats in Rajya Sabha chamber could not enter when the Lower House met, Speaker Om Birla had to adjourn the proceedings for an hour. An agitated O'Brien, who was in the thick of the action, claimed that the BJP did not want a vote on the bills because it did not have the numbers. "This story does not end here. It is a sad sad day for Parliamentary democracy," he said outside the House. Congress leader Ahmed Patel said 12 parties have given notice of no-confidence against the Deputy Chairman, as the manner in which the Bills were passed is a "murder" of democracy. "Our demand for adjourning the House and division of votes was disallowed," he said. "We gave a no-confidence against the attitude of Deputy Chairman and the manner in which the Bills were passed." The parties that have submitted the notice include the Congress, All India Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, CPI, CPM, Nationalist Congress Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, National Conference, DMK and the Aam Aadmi Party. In his reply to the debate, Tomar said minimum price or MSP based procurement of agriculture crops from farmers will continue and is not related to the farm bills that seek to give cultivators freedom to market their produce. He sought to allay fears that the bills were an attempt to dilute the country's public procurement system and will lead to exploitation by private companies, saying the minimum support price-based buying by the government will continue. "Purchase on MSP was done in the past, continues now and it will be continued in the future. There is no room for doubt on this," he said. Mandis will not stop functioning and trading will continue as before. Under contract farming, the farmer will have full powers to fix a sale price of his choice and they will receive full payment within three days, he said. Opposition parties as well as the SAD have expressed apprehensions that the bills are the first step toward removing the MSP which will force the farmers to make distress sales to private companies. The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 seeks to give freedom to farmers to sell their produce outside the notified APMC market yards (mandis). This, the government says, is aimed at facilitating remunerative prices through competitive alternative trading channels. Farmers will not be charged any cess or levy for sale of their produce under this Act, according to the government. It will open more choices for farmers, reduce marketing costs, and help them get better prices. It will also help farmers of regions with surplus produce to get better prices and consumers in areas with shortages at lower prices. The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 seeks to give farmers the right to enter into a contract with agribusiness firms, processors, wholesalers, exporters, or large retailers for the sale of future farming produce at a pre-agreed price. It seeks to transfer the risk of market unpredictability from farmers to sponsors. Tomar said this legislation guarantees cultivators the price they negotiate at the time of sowing itself. A third bill, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 that seeks to remove commodities like cereals, pulses, oilseeds, onion, and potatoes from the list of essential commodities and will do away with the imposition of stock holding limits, is to be moved separately. As the bills were taken up, the Bharatiya Kisan Union's Haryana unit, supported by some other farmer outfits, held a statewide protest on Sunday during which they blocked roads for three hours. The Punjab Youth Congress also took out a 'tractor rally' from Punjab to Delhi against the Centre's farm-related measures. Even as the Maharashtra unit of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) has planned a protest on September 25 against the three agriculture sector bills passed by the Centre in the Parliament, the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is yet to decide their stand on the issue. The three parties have not discussed any plan so far to stage any agitation together to oppose the ordinances. The three central ordinances, which would bring far-reaching impacts in the sector, led to large-scale protests by farmer groups in Punjab and Haryana. AIKS general secretary Ajit Nawale announced that the organisation will hold protest across Maharashtra. He added that the protest has the support of 208 other farmer bodies. The passing of the ordinances in the Parliament yet again revealed the lack of coordination between the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress the ruling partners in Maharashtra. While the Congress opposed the three ordinances, NCP did not support or oppose the bills openly but demanded that the Centre build consensus on the issue across the country. The Shiv Sena committed a flip flop as its Lok Sabha member Arvind Sawant welcomed the ordinance in the lower house but Rajya Sabha parliamentarian Sanjay Raut, took a critical view of the bill. The change in stance came after Sena chief and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and NCP chief Sharad Pawar spoke on Saturday evening. Speaking to HT, Raut said, Sharad Pawar is a tall leader in India and was the countrys agriculture minister for 10 years. They [the Centre] should have involved him [in discussions]. These bills, according to him [Pawar] are in favour of the farmers. However, there are some points that need discussion. There is no point in opposing without any reason. The Shiv Sena and NCP have a neutral stand on these bills. [All India] Kisan Sabhas protest is fine, but most of Maharashtras farmer bodies have welcomed the reforms, Raut added when asked on the protests by the Left-affiliated farmers body. Raut also dismissed speculations over the lack of coordination within the MVA. He said that the change in Senas stance on the ordinance came after former Union minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the cabinet in protest of the bills. State NCP spokesperson and minority affairs minister Nawab Malik said that the central government is anti-farmer as it wants a few corporate houses to control the agriculture sector through the ordinances. MSP guarantees minimum remuneration for farmers produce. Once it is abolished, farmers can be exploited easily. This will further result in the elimination of APMC markets in due course of time because these markets will start losing business. After a point of time, it will become financially unviable to run them, Malik said. Minimum Support Prices (MSP) is a guarantee for the farmers to get minimum remuneration for their produce, which has been struck down in the new laws. The Centres plan is to eliminate the farmers network. It is also like giving licence for illegal hoarding to a few big players, who will control the market as well as its prices. The prices of commodities will be inflated as per their whims and fancies. In a way, it is not only harmful for the farmers but also for the consumers as they will also be looted, he added. Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said the party will decide its stand soon. Congress chief ministers Amarinder Singh (Punjab) and Bhupesh Baghel (Chhattisgarh) are opposed to the provisions of the bill which was passed in the Rajya Sabha by a voice vote amid protests by Opposition parties on Sunday. With two sets of Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) legislations that delinked the sale of vegetables and fruits only in mandis (markets) and recently opened up the sale of all agricultural goods, Maharashtra is unlikely to be impacted by the central ordinance. The state government has already amended laws to allow farmers to sell directly without going to APMC. The bulk buyers can also directly procure the products from farmers. However, the scale of procurement by such buyers is much less. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON 8 | Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies, Sept. 18, 2020: The worst fears of liberals came true as the storied justice finally succumbed to cancer less than two months before the Nov. 3 election. Trump did not hesitate to fill the slot, nominating Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the court and likely ensuring a conservative majority for years to come. The move gave conservatives a reason to cheer in what had been a challenging year for the president. But it also galvanized Democrats, particularly women, while allowing the Biden campaign's warnings of threats to the Affordable Care Act and abortion rights to be thrown into stark relief. Waiting for President Donald Trump to speak at a campaign rally in North Carolina on Saturday, Paulette Fittshur was quick to express her sympathy for the family of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Still, she viewed Ginsburgs passing as divine providence. It was Gods perfect timing in this election, said Fittshur, 59, a resident of Leland, North Carolina who plans to vote for Trump. Its a golden opportunity for conservatives. As news of Ginsburgs death reverberated throughout the country, supporters of Trump and his opponent in the November 3 election, Democrat Joe Biden, were adjusting to a presidential race that had suddenly been reframed around a Supreme Court vacancy. For Republicans like Fittshur, the open seat on the high court presents a once-in-a-lifetime chance to abolish the constitutional right to abortion. For Democrats, it was a new, urgent reason to vote Trump out of office in a year already marked by a pandemic, economic upheaval and protests over racial injustice. If Trump wins, things are not going to change for a long time, said Diya Kalra, 18, a student at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis who is planning to vote in her first election. Were going to go backwards. Were not going to go forward. This was like a huge wake-up call. Women voters have long been viewed as the key to the election, and the coming fight over the Supreme Court gives both Trump and Biden fresh ammunition to make their cases to the small pool of undecided women that could make a difference in battlegrounds states such as North Carolina, Minnesota and elsewhere. Both campaigns began fundraising over the Supreme Court vacancy on Saturday, less than 24 hours after Ginsburgs death from pancreatic cancer. The loss of the longtime liberal icon leaves the high court split between five conservatives and just three liberals. Trump has said he will likely announce a nominee this week, while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has pledged to push for a quick confirmation, perhaps before the election. It remains unclear, however, whether Republicans will have the necessary majority to move forward on any nomination. In the interim, Democratic interest groups are prepping for war, largely over the very real threat to Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court case that established abortion as a constitutional right. Everybody understands that the Supreme Court and this election are now one and the same, said Illyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, an abortion-rights advocacy group. Democrats donated more than $60 million in the 19 hours between 9 p.m. Friday, soon after Ginsburgs death was announced, and 4 p.m. Saturday, according to the live tracker on the website ActBlue, which funds groups such as NARAL. There is tremendous grassroots energy across the country right now, said Vanita Gupta, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, another advocacy group that will be involved in pressing Republicans to hold off on a nomination until a new president is in office. But Republicans were newly energized, as well. The vacancy could afford them a chance to sway women voters who may have been leaning toward Biden, said Penny Nance, a conservative activist and president of Concerned Women for America. It is not about personality or the presidents tweets, Nance said. Its about policy. Its about the future of our nation. Its about generations to come. Nance said her organization would like Trump to nominate another women to replace Ginsburg, which, she said, could also help the president politically. Trump named two women on Saturday who he is considering as Ginsburg's replacement. Lynnette Voisard, 40, a spa manager in Fayetteville who was also awaiting the Trump rally said she, too, wanted a woman to replace Ginsburg, preferably Amy Coney Barrett, a federal appeals judge who is considered a leading contender. Shes a devout Catholic, Voisard said. In 2016, during his first run for president, Trump performed well with Catholics, an important voting bloc in states such as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, earning a 58 percent share of their vote to Hillary Clintons 39 percent. Threatening abortion right poses a danger for Trump and Republicans. A 2019 Marist/NPR/PBS poll found that 77 percent of Americans supported Roe, the highest figure in a decade. In that poll, 56 percent of suburban women said they would not support a presidential candidate who would appoint judges to overturn the case. That includes some Republican and independent women who do not want to see Roe overturned, NARALs Hogue said. Trump in 2016 garnered significant support from blue-collar voters who favored abortion rights and who had supported Democrats in the past. Cheryl Battin, 71, a Democrat from Bloomington, Minnesota, said she feared for Roes future. They say Roe v. Wade is settled law. I dont know if it is, Battin said. If the president tries to push through a new justice before the election, I think it will be almost criminal. The Editorial Board on elections For more on U.S. elections, read these recent editorials: Sign up for the Opinions A.M. and P.M. newsletters for opinions delivered to your inbox six days a week. Explore more election coverage from the Washington Post newsroom and Opinions section. By Trend Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 30 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. Armenian armed forces were using large-caliber machine guns and sniper rifles. 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. Demonstrators, both on foot and in their cars, expressed a number of grievances against the government of President Alberto Fernandez - ranging from the state of the economy to lockdown measures. Argentina's government has also launched a bid to reform the judiciary by increasing the number of federal courts, diluting the power of those that already exist, in what critics have labelled as an attempt to manipulate the court system. Latin America's third-largest economy, already in a deep crisis already before the pandemic hit, is now expected to shrink around 12% this year - plunging millions into poverty. Governor Godwin Obaseki, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the Saturdays Edo State governorship election, has been re-elected for a second term in office, the Independent National Electoral Commission declared on Sunday in Benin City, the Edo state capital. Mr Obaseki polled 307,955 to defeat his main rival, Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress, who had 223,619. Mr Obaseki won his first election in 2016 as a candidate of the APC, principally supported by Adams Oshiomole, the immediate past governor and former chairman of the APC. Mr Ize-Iyamu was then the candidate of the PDP. But in the course of his first term as the governor, Mr Obaseki became estranged with Mr Oshiomole causing an epic political battle now capped off with his victory today. The battle contributed to the fall of Mr Oshiomole as the chairman of the APC. But Mr Obaseki also could not get the APCs ticket which made him defect to the PDP with his deputy, Phillip Shaibu. The Returning Officer in the election, Akpofure Rim-Rukeh, the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurum, announced the return of Mr Obaseki as the winner. Days ahead of the election, APC leader and former governor of Lagos, Bola Tinubu, had in a recorded broadcast, made an appeal to the Edo electorate to reject Mr Obaseki, whom he dismissed as having no sound democratic credential. Messrs Tinubu and Oshiomole are close allies. Mr Obaseki won 13 Local Government Areas, including his home Oredo LGA, which is the largest. Mr Ize-Iyamu, on the other hand, picked the remaining five LGAs, including his main backer, Mr Oshiomoles Etsako West. Mr Ize-Iyamu lost his home LGA of Orhiaonmwon. Saturdays election was not without incidents of ballot snatching, over voting ,technical glitches affecting card readers, and violence reported in a few polling units by returning officers during the collation exercise. A total of 14 parties contested the election but PDP and APC are the main parties. The election was conducted with compliance to COVID-19 protocol as officials were seen conducting thermal checks and requiring voters to use face masks before voting. However, there was no social distancing anywhere. Coronavirus Update: With a single day spike of over 92,000 cases, India's Coronavirus case count has crossed the mark of 54 lakh cases, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Indias COVID-19 case tally crossed 54-lakh mark with a spike of 92,605 new cases and 1,133 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday. The total case tally stands at 54,00,620 including 10,10,824 active cases, 43,03,044 cured/discharged/migrated and 86,752 deaths, the Ministry said. As far as active cases of coronavirus are concerned, Maharashtra has 3,01,273 active cases, Karnataka 1,01,148, Andhra Pradesh 84,423, Uttar Pradesh 67,825 and Tamil Nadu 46,506. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 6,36,61,060 samples were tested up to September 19 for COVID-19. Of these, 12,06,806 samples were tested yesterday. The total recoveries in the country crossed 42 lakh. The total number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi rose to 2,42,899 with 4,071 new cases and 38 deaths reported on Saturday. The numbers of active and recovered cases are 32,064 and 2,05,890 respectively. The death toll is at 4,945, according to the Delhi government. Also read: Farm bills tabled in Rajya Sabha amid protests in Punjab, Haryana Also read: Parliament session likely to be cut short amid Covid crisis as parties reach consensus Tamil Nadu health department informed that 5,569 new COVID-19 cases, 5,556 discharges and 66 deaths were reported in the state on Saturday, taking the total number of cases to 5,36,477 including 46,453 active cases, 4,81,273 discharges and 8,751 deaths in the state. Karnataka reported 8,364 new COVID-19 cases, 10,815 discharges and 114 deaths today, taking the total number of cases in the State to 5,11,346 including 98,564 active cases, 4,04,841 discharges and 7,922 deaths. Similarly, Andhra Pradesh reported 8,218 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, taking the total number of cases to l6,17,776 including 5,30,711 recoveries, 81,763 active cases, and 5,302 deaths. Meanwhile, a total of 3,188 new cases and 56 deaths were reported in West Bengal, taking total cases to 2,21,960 including 1,93,014 discharges, 24,648 active cases and 4,298 deaths in the state. Rajasthan health department said, 1,834 new COVID-19 cases and 14 deaths were reported today, taking total cases to 1,13,124 including 93,805 recoveries, 1,322 deaths and 17,997 active cases. As many as 2,696 new COVID-19 cases and 49 deaths were reported in Punjab today, taking the total number of cases to 95,529 in the state. The total number of cases includes 70,373 recoveries, 22,399 active cases and 2,757 deaths. A total of 2,078 new COVID-19 cases were detected in Uttarakhand. Total positive cases in the State are now 40,085 including 12,465 active cases, 26973 recovered cases and 478 deaths, according to the State Health Department. Manipur reported 117 new cases and 3 deaths. The total number of cases in the state is now at 8,724 including 6,723 recovered cases, 1,946 active cases and 55 deaths. Madhya Pradesh reported 2,607 new COVID-19 cases, 2,206 recoveries and 42 deaths, taking total cases to 1,03,065 including 79,158 recoveries and 1,943 deaths. Jharkhand reported 1,222 new cases and 10 deaths, taking total cases to 69,860 including 55,697 recoveries and 615 deaths. Number of active cases stood at 13,548. Haryana reported 2,691 new COVID-19 cases, 2,272 recoveries and 28 deaths today. The total cases in the state stood at 1,08,952 including 86,150 recoveries and 1,120 deaths. Meanwhile, Serum Institute of India (SII) is all set to begin phase three trials of the Covishield Vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University at Sassoon General Hospital in Pune, the hospital administration said on Saturday. As per the official statement of the Sassoon General Hospital, currently, volunteer registration is going on for the trials. Earlier in the day, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said that wearing mask during the ongoing pandemic is the best safeguard against coronavirus. Wearing a mask is important whenever you meet a person outside your house, including outsiders working in your house. This is very important. The second thing is maintaining a safe distance. That is essential till this pandemic goes away, he said. Also read: Serum Institute to begin phase 3 trials of Covid-19 vaccine soon On September 19, thousands of coronavirus conspiracy theorists flooded the central London and clashed with the police at a rally organized to oppose the UK governments safety measures to stem the novel coronavirus. While security forces attempted to disperse the huge crowd demonstrating against the restrictions without social distancing or face masks, they formed human chains and blockades, halting the traffic. As a result, police arrested several hundred in Londons central Trafalgar Square at the Resist and Act for Freedom rally. This week, the Boris Johnson government had imposed a ban on social gatherings of more than six people, according to local UK media reports. Remember the Rule of 6. In England you can only socialise in groups of up to 6 people, both indoors and outdoors. https://t.co/FFc4b9CW8O pic.twitter.com/zTbRVXSI2i UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) September 15, 2020 Scuffles broke out between the officers and the protesters after they started making arrests for people flouting the coronavirus advisory in place. London Mayor Sadiq Khan had warned that the ban on social gathering might in fact increasingly likely get the protesters out on the streets, demonstrating their human rights. He had also suggested the Boris Johnson government to consider more stringent rules to curb the rising infections and death toll in the UK over the past few weeks. A mob of over thousands yelled slogans and held placards, reading, This is now Tyranny as they chanted Freedom! Slogans and confronted the police. Man Falls Unconscious From Police Attack & Is Carried Away Pat 1/2 #London, #UK This was during the Anti lock-down protest in #Westminster today. @WeAreTRR We are unsure of this mans condition... https://t.co/uY4g2uWgYb @VinnieSullivan_ pic.twitter.com/QXbPpK5mqp (@UKStreetCrime1) September 19, 2020 Police arrive en masse at 'anti Coronavirus lockdown' protest in central London. pic.twitter.com/6B71HtOU3g Xavi _El Rojo El covid-19 - sigue latente. (@Mandaosan1) September 19, 2020 Read: Romanians Protest Mandatory Use Of Masks In School Read: Moroccans Protest In Rabat Over UAE, Bahrain's Normalisation Of Ties With Israel I am extremely concerned by the latest evidence Ive seen today from public health experts about the accelerating speed at which COVID-19 is now spreading here in London, London Mayor Sadiq Khan was quoted by AP as saying. It is increasingly likely that, in London, additional measures will soon be required to slow the spread of the virus. UK witnessing second wave However, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in the press conference at Downing Street that the UK was now witnessing a second wave of coronavirus with a similar trend in France, Spain, and across Europe, the administration was considering imposing tighter measures to mitigate casualties. On September 19, the UK recorded over 4,322 confirmed cases of the virus, the highest single-day tally since May. Further, it was estimated that as many as 60,000 people in England were infected with COVID-19 in the week of September 4 according to the UK government data. IMPORTANT: The PM has said that we are now seeing the start of a second wave of COVID-19 across the UK. Londoners should know that I am extremely concerned about the accelerating speed at which COVID-19 is now spreading in our city. My statementhttps://t.co/49IkQQJ9nT pic.twitter.com/q6CPGsYUAc Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) September 18, 2020 [A protester holds up a placard in front of police officers during a "Resist and Act for Freedom" protest against a mandatory coronavirus vaccine, wearing masks, social distancing and a second lockdown, in Trafalgar Square, London. Credit: AP] [Police officers wearing face masks stand next to a "Resist and Act for Freedom" protest. Credit: AP] [People hold placards including one portraying Bill Gates as they take part in a "Resist and Act for Freedom" protest. Credit: AP] [People take part in a "Resist and Act for Freedom" protest against a mandatory coronavirus vaccine, wearing masks, social distancing and a second lockdown, in Trafalgar Square, London. Credit: AP] [Protesters clash with police chanting "Choose your side " against masks and social gathering rules. Credit: Twitter/@PJAiyush_USW] [Protesters clash with police chanting "Choose your side " against masks and social gathering rules. Credit: Twitter/@PJAiyush_USW] Read: Fiery Speeches Cap Day Of Protest In Bangkok Read: Thai Protesters Reinstall Plaque Symbolising Democracy A Vineland man charged in the stabbing death of his neighbor has agreed to stop commenting publicly about the case, following a motion for a gag order in the courts. Zachary T. Latham, 18, is accused of stabbing William T. Durham Sr., 52, during a brawl that the Durham family said followed weeks of harassment and threats by the defendant. Latham claimed he was defending himself when he used a stun gun on the victim, a state corrections officer, then stabbed him multiple times on May 4. A Superior Court judge who approved an order prohibiting public remarks by Latham also expressed concern during a Friday hearing about the public release of communications between attorneys for the Durham family and the prosecutors office. Latham, who was charged with aggravated manslaughter, was released from jail pre-trial and has repeatedly commented about the case on social media. A friend of the Durhams said Latham has taunted him online and the Durhams' home address was shared in the comments section of one of Lathams TikTok posts. The Cumberland County Prosecutors Office filed a motion in August seeking an order that would prohibit all parties, including Latham, the Durhams and their attorneys, from making public comments. In addition to Lathams posts, Assistant Prosecutor Charles Wettstein pointed to comments made by Durham family attorney Diane M. Ruberton regarding Lathams criminal record and prior uncharged conduct. In an August interview with NJ Advance Media, Ruberton described Lathams juvenile record and a history of violence that she said should have been raised during his detention hearing. Wettstein also referenced letters exchanged between attorneys for the Durhams and the prosecutors office, the contents of which were obtained by NJ Advance Media. In a letter to the prosecutor, Ruberton and attorney Robert Simons argued that Latham had lured the victim into the fatal showdown and called for him to face murder charges. The letter also sought dismissal of complaints against the victims wife, Catherine, and the couples two sons, who were also charged in the May 4 incident. William T. Durham Sr., a correctional officer at South Woods State Prison, was stabbed to death in a fight with a neighbor. In addition, Wettstein described comments made by Durham family friend Mike Gallagher, who is a vice president with PBA Local 105, the union that represented the slain officer. Gallagher has been interviewed several times about the case and expressed his opinions on Latham and the charges he should face. All of this, Wettstein argued in his motion, endangered the chance of selecting an impartial jury. The prosecution and Lathams public defender, Nathan Perry, reached an agreement that the defendant would no longer comment on the case in any forum and Superior Court Judge Cristen P. DArrigo signed a consent order memorializing that understanding Friday. The order also notes that Latham must seek permission from the court before any change of address outside the State of New Jersey. Some of his post-release TikToks were apparently made from Florida. While he only acted on the Latham portion of the prosecutions motion and denied the remainder without prejudice, meaning the issues can be raised again, DArrigo expressed concern about the release of information from the letters. Some of the assertions made by the prosecutor are very disturbing to the court, particularly divulging communications between the prosecutor and defense counsel in negotiations of a case or the investigation of any other case, DArrigo said. And I want to make it clear to counsel that that type of information being made public is the responsibility of the attorney who received it or transmitted it. Theres no innocent release of that type of information. When Ruberton responded that she has been compliant with all rules governing attorney conduct, DArrigo stressed that he wasnt saying otherwise, noting that he only heard one side of the story. The only thing the court is really concerned about is if an attorney is violating their professional conduct rules in muddying the water of a potential jury pool. I dont know that thats happened and Im not making any findings that that has happened. Ruberton said she had attempted to file a response motion in the matter, but was unable to because she wasnt a party to this case. The challenge here is that Ruberton represents the Durhams as a victim advocate in this case, but also represents two Durham family members who are defendants facing their own charges in the brawl, DArrigo explained. If the prosecution chooses to pursue the matter, any motions regarding Ruberton would need to be made by the prosecutor handling those cases in which she is acting as defense counsel, DArrigo concluded. This is a unique sort of case, because the victims in one case are defendants in another case, where the victim in that case is the defendant in this case, the judge said. So we have a blended situation. Generally speaking, Im going to focus on each case governing the attorneys and the defendant in each case. Thats the only way I think I can separate it out. Speaking after the hearing, Ruberton noted that she has always followed rules of professional conduct and attorney ethics. Any insinuation otherwise ... they dont have the full picture of what is going on, she said. The Durhams say an argument over Latham speeding on the street they share led to Latham posting videos to TikTok in which he harassed the family and encouraged others to do the same. The conflict reached a boiling point on May 4 when a verbal dispute turned physical. Following a confrontation moments earlier in front of the Durham home, Durham Sr. and his two sons came to the Latham house. Latham, who had armed himself with a stun gun and knives, warned them to leave. The Durhams, who were unarmed, ignored the warning and a fight began. Two of Lathams friends joined in as Lathams wife recorded the incident on her phone. William T. Durham is shown with his wife of 32 years, Tiffany. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 14:13:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Two soldiers were killed when the Pakistani military conducted an operation against militants in the country's northwest tribal district of North Waziristan, an army statement said on Saturday night. Without mentioning the time of the operation, the statement by the military's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the armed offensive was carried out on an intelligence tip-off regarding the presence of militants in the district located in the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Loss on the side of militants was not revealed by the statement which only added that the area of the operation was cordoned off for clearance. Earlier on Saturday, the ISPR issued a statement about an operation against militants in southwest Balochistan province in which the security forces killed four militants. Enditem If you follow 90 Day Fiance, you know Larissa Dos Santos Lima is pretty obsessed with plastic surgery. Over the years, she has received all kinds of procedures, confessing that she wont stop until she achieves her desired look. But who knew she spent this much money? New reports claim that Lima spent nearly six figures with the goal of looking like Kylie Jenner. Larissa Lima of 90 Day Fiance | Instagram via @larissalimareal Larissa Dos Santos Lima has spent a lot of money on plastic surgery TMZ reported on Sept. 14 that Lima has spent $72,000 in 2020 alone with a doctor in Las Vegas, in hopes of looking more like Jenner. The outlet reports that she got a nose job and a breast augmentation that altered her cup size from a 34A to a 34DD in February. She reportedly went back to her surgeon in August as an early birthday present and got more work done, including liposuction on her abs and waist, a fat transfer to her butt, botox, fillers, and laser facials. It doesnt appear that Lima ever addressed the report, but she did show off her curvy new figure in later videos posted to the adult website CamSoda. She has also promised to talk more about her plastic surgery journey in future YouTube videos. RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Eric Nichols Calls Larissa Dos Santos Limas Doctors Office After Her Plastic Surgery Interestingly, Larissa Dos Santos Lima has reportedly already made that money back Less than a week after the report emerged, TMZ reported that Lima had put on a 60-minute lingerie show on CamSoda that generated over $100,000. Sources told the outlet that the funds came from people tuning into the show and from tips and that Lima attracted 10 times the number of viewers than some of the platforms most popular hosts receive. Its unclear what she intends to do with the money, but we know that she recently bought a home in Colorado with her boyfriend Eric Nichols, whom she began dating following her 2019 split from fellow 90 Day Fiance star Colt Johnson. Lima noted in a Sept. 18 Instagram post that she and Nichols had closed on a house in Colorado Springs and would be moving in the coming days. Later, she shared a photo showing her and Nichols posing in front of a U-Haul truck along with the caption, Time to say goodbye to Vegas. She posted videos to her Instagram Story on Sept. 20 showing her and Nichols inside the truck and headed to their new home. RELATED: 90 Day Fiance Sneak Peek: Larissa Dos Santos Lima Confronts Eric About What She Hears From a Woman From His Past Fans can see more of Lima and her journey when 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After? airs at 8 p.m. ET on Sundays on TLC. The next episode is expected to air on Sept. 21. RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Fans Really Want Larissa Dos Santos Lima to Get Her Priorities Together Expelled lawmaker faces call to step down The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) expelled Rep. Kim Hong-gul, the third son of the late President Kim Dae-jung, Friday, for allegedly underreporting his assets. The move came two days after the party set up an ethics inspection body to look into allegations of wrongdoings by its members. Kim's expulsion was made swiftly, without an in-depth investigation, reflecting new DPK Chairman Lee Nak-yon's determination to get tough with those involved in any misdeeds. He is seeking to improve the tainted image of the governing party, which has been mired in a series of corruption and illicit activities allegations. Lee, a presidential hopeful, is taking the lead in enforcing discipline among his party's legislators in a bid to ensure President Moon's promises of equal opportunities, fair procedures and just outcomes. And yet, the Moon administration and the DPK are provoking public anger because they have continued to shout only empty slogans. The party has also been dogged by embezzlement and accounting fraud charges brought against Rep. Youn Mee-hyang, who was indicted for misappropriating donations and public funds for Korean victims of wartime sex slavery committed by Japanese troops before and during World War II. Youn, former activist advocating for the victims, has denied all of the charges, but has damaged her party's reputation to a large extent. On Wednesday, the DPK suspended her party membership. Against this backdrop, Lee must have felt a sense of crisis. He played hardball against Rep. Kim who omitted a purchase right to an apartment in his mandatory assets and property filing with the election watchdog in the run-up to the April 15 general election. If the allegations are confirmed, Kim may lose his seat. People have also raised a question: How could Kim buy three high-priced homes in Seoul although he has held no specific job for a long time? He has refused to follow his party's call on multiple home owners to sell property in which they do not live. He even donated a home to his son to avoid property holding taxes. The action against Kim was inevitable. But it is insufficient, given the serious nature of the allegations. The party cannot deflect criticism that it has played tricks just to save face. Kim has now become an independent lawmaker after he was kicked out of the DPK. He managed to evade any probe by the party, and that is why the opposition parties, including the People Power Party, are demanding that Kim should be referred to the National Assembly Special Committee on Ethics for a proper investigation. They are calling for the Assembly to strip him of his seat if his alleged misdeeds are found to be true. The DPK cannot evade its responsibility for not using a rigorous vetting process to ferret out unqualified candidates such as Kim in the elections. The party might have chosen Kim to attract voters in the North and South Jeolla provinces, the home of Korea's liberal politics, which was a strong power base for Kim's father and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The party has to pay the price for its poor job. 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 The realty sector has been going through a rough phase over the past few years, and covid-19 has worsened the situation. Mint talked to Aakash Ohri, senior executive director, DLF Home Developers Ltd, on how the realtor has changed strategies to meet homebuyers expectations post the pandemic and the challenges that the industry is facing. Edited excerpts: DLF commands a premium over its competitor projects. Post covid-19, how that has changed with the property prices correcting. Is DLF offering any price discounts? Post the pandemic, homebuyers have been asking for covid-19 discounts, but DLF has retained its premium in most of the luxury properties. We have been able to retain our price points in our Grade A properties. In some of the tier-1 or tier-3 cities, we have made some reductions, but that was passed on in the form of incentives than price corrections. We gave our buyers value-added discounts by giving them payment options, including staggered payments, deferred payments, construction allowances and so on. For example, if a customer comes and says he cant pay in one month but 15 months, we gave the customer the option to pay in 15 months under deferred payment plan. It was more of facilitating homebuyers rather than giving direct discounts. We refrained from giving direct price discounts. In the past, DLF has said that it will sell houses only after completing the project as part of its new business model to remove any uncertainty regarding costs and delivery timelines. Has this been implemented across projects? Except for our super-luxury portfolio, where we offer bare shell units and residential plots, we have ready-to-move-in units in residential condos in all our projects across India. Going forward, we are rebooting our overall strategy in two ways. First, as far as future projects are concerned, while certain projects will continue to offer ready-to-move-in inventory, others will resume the sale cycle at the early to mid-stage of construction, instead of waiting until completion. Second, we will also re-index ticket sizes to more mid-value proposition, versus focusing predominantly on the luxury space. We are looking at increasing the base of our launches this fiscal. We will leverage our land bank to re-engineer our product offering and introduce them in the market. What are the big learnings from the covid-19 crisis? Two of the biggest learnings would be, first, promises made must not just be kept but over-delivered to build consumer confidence in this sector and increase investment in this asset class. Second, do not devalue your product, instead offer high-value proposition. As the industry tries to find different ways to emerge from the downturn, a successful transition back to normalcy is dependent on how players, especially with solid reputation and proven track records, behave today to stay afloat in the short term. How have homebuyers expectations changed post-covid-19? We have seen that more people want to own home now from a security point of view. Also, community living and services provided in those communities have suddenly taken an important position. People have realized that you may not need them always, but the day you need it, you should have it. During the pandemic, we had all the services such as food and beverage deliveries going smoothly while in individual bungalows, people had a little bit of a tough time. So, we have seen these two positives changes during covid-19. What are the key challenges the industry is facing? From a selling point of view, todays buyers are more cautious than ever and there is certainly a big change in their buying behaviour. Homebuyers have more clarity of thought on what kind of a property they want to invest in, and which developer they want to go for. Today, the conversation in the market has shifted from bricks and mortar to data and insights. Also, they are looking for additional reassurance, stability and handholding. Also, bank loans processing time in the current environment has made the movement slow. As far as the industry from a supplier side is concerned, smaller players have remained in a stressed environment since the pre-pandemic period. Liquidity and completion of projects seem to have become the biggest challenges, eroding homebuyer confidence. On one hand, while the introduction of Real Estate Regulations and Development Act (Rera) and Goods and Services Tax (GST) brought homebuyers a sigh of relief and helped bridge the trust deficit, on the other hand, lack of access to organized financeand with the non-banking finance companies and housing finance companies in stressthe 12 months before covid-19 were anyway a stressful period for the smaller players. Lack of access to organized finance will give small, and in certain cases even big players with weak balance sheets, a tough time. Some developers are looking at acquiring stressed projects and completing them. Is DLF looking at any such opportunity? As of now we have no such plans. Stressed projects come with their own set of challenges, which we can do without. Our energies and focus is completely on liquidating our existing inventory and launching new products that fit todays consumer demand in the current context. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics The sixth round of Corps Commander talks between the armies of India and China is scheduled to be held on Monday with a sole focus on the implementation of a five-point agreement reached between the two countries on disengagement of troops and de-escalation of the volatile situation in eastern Ladakh, government sources said on Sunday. The talks are set to start at 9 AM at Moldo on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, they said. For the first time, a joint secretary-level officer from the Ministry of External Affairs is expected to be part of the Indian ... For the past few months, we have been inundated with a barrage of negative news, economic downturns, unemployment, and the likes. The COVID-19 pandemic has put brakes on meeting our families and friends, going shopping and bumping into strangers during summer vacations in and outside of India. Various streaming platforms and the idiot box has been our best friend throughout the lockdown period so far this might resonate with those who have been living by themselves a lot more. Theres so much content to read, to watch and to take in on the Internet today and weve been almost stuck in a rut of negativity. Most streaming sites and other similar platforms tend to focus on the darker side time and again. Weve been told how social media interactions can lead us to feel isolated and exist in silos, how too much information that the Internet gives can be harmful, and how weve grown to stare into our devices even at the dinner tables. However, a recent Twitter thread came in like a breath of fresh air amid all the claustrophobic tales. A Twitter user by the name Peter Griffin (@zigzackly) simply asked netizens to share Whats the nicest thing an absolute stranger has done for or to you. The tweets that followed are stuff to make your day and believe that theres some light at the end of the tunnel. It has garnered a global response on the micro-blogging site with many sharing touching incidents they have experienced. Heres the first tweet that started it all: What's the nicest thing an absolute stranger has done for or to you? Peter Griffin (@zigzackly) September 16, 2020 To answer Peter Griffins call to share random acts of kindness, one Twitter user recalled his flight from Berlin to Edinburgh where his co-passenger paid for his meal. Was on a flight from Berlin to Edinburgh and I bought something to eat on the flight. I didn't have enough cash on me and both of my cards got declined. Person seated behind me paid for it. https://t.co/ZDRcjuLyeN Indradhanush Gupta (@indradhanush92) September 18, 2020 Another user wrote about a similar incident where an absolute stranger bought her food because she didnt have enough money to pay for a bite. A few weeks ago when I was traveling from Karachi to Lahore, I had 300 rupees on me and this very friendly woman brought me food and handed me some extra money and gave me her number. On reaching Lahore, I called her and she had arranged a stay for me. I will never forget this https://t.co/QyGUm3ufCq angry feminist (@AngryQadri) September 17, 2020 There were also responses that spoke of strangers being heroic and not just kind. One of the Twitter users shared that a stranger saved my life when I was 6-7 years. When I was a child6-7 yrs I guess a stranger saved my life from drowning at ocean park.Forever grateful for him. https://t.co/Wnw4EeGVVA Hibiscus (@common_man12345) September 17, 2020 Not only do these tales reinforce our belief in humanity, but they also make us believe that theres always going to be enough kindness around to keep us afloat. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Minister of Information has described the ravaging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic as a cloud on the Country's fledging economic gains and a setback to poverty eradication efforts. "In addition to its heavy toll on health, the pandemic has clouded Ghana's emerging economic outlook and can further set back the fight against poverty," he emphasized. This was contained in a speech read on his behalf by Mrs Mamle Andrews, Chief Director at the Ministry of Information at an engagement with the Central Regional House of Chiefs in Cape Coast on Friday The meeting was to officially update the 34 paramouncies of the Region of Ghanas pandemic situation and its efforts in confronting the pandemic through the Community Engagement and Risk Education (CERE). It was aimed at rallying their unalloyed support and commitment towards the Government's renewed efforts to rollback community infections of the novel pandemic. "The Community Engagement and Risk Education (CERE) drive our revered traditional leaders in whom their communities hold in high esteem and listen to, to lead the process of these engagements to deepen awareness on Covid-19 and sustain the safety protocols gains," he said. The CERE sought to prevent, protect and respond to the threats posed by Covid-19 while strengthening national systems for public health preparedness to limit importation, of cases, contain community spread, care for infected persons, limit impact on the socio-economic life of Ghanaians and deepen self-reliance and production capacity. Appealing, Mr Nkrumah said the role of traditional leaders was key in containing community spread and strict adherence to the Covad-19 protocols. He acknowledged that the Government appreciated the immeasurable partnership and roles of traditional authorities in the national development agenda and particularly the support in the enforcement of the restrictions that were imposed on during the lockdown and beyond. "We recognized for instance that the imposition of the restriction on mass gatherings such as funerals and festivals were largely successful because of the understanding and active support of our Chiefs and Queens" and noted that the stringent measures may have inconvenienced many but they were necessary in the interest of public health. Mr Nkrumah said the actual prevalence of Covid-19 infection remained unknown in most countries, posing great challenges to the global containment and mitigation, hence reinforced the need to strengthen response adequately o minimize the risk and impact posed by the pandemic. To further ameliorate the plight of the Ghanaian, he assured that the government will continue to work at sustaining gains made in combating the pandemic with best practices and innovative ideas. He mentioned the nationwide fumigation exercise, free testing, and treatment, free utilities, packages for health workers, free-feeding for communities that were under lockdown, free-feeding for students, and 1billion Cedi business support among others. Dr Da-Costa Aboagye, Director, Health Promotion Division, and leader of the National Risk Communication and Social Mobilisation Response Team called for an end to stigmatisation and urged strict adherence to Covid-19 protocols. In his remarks, Obrempong Nyanful Krampah XI, President of the Central Regional House of Chiefs and Paramount Chief of Gomoa AjumakoTraditional Area, reiterated their commitment to the CERE drive and also called on all to support it. 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 A majority of state governments have chosen to borrow Rs.97,000 crore to plug a shortfall in revenue from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) rather than borrow the entire deficit of Rs.2.35 lakh crore, which may leave no choice to dissenting states but to fall in line, finance ministry officials said. Otherwise, states that have opposed the proposal risk would have to wait 19 months to get the money, the officials said. The Centre has already received approval of 21 states for the first option of borrowing Rs 97,000 crore to plug the shortfall accruing because of implementation bottlenecks; the states wouldnt have to pay either the principal or interest. Even Manipur, which had initially opted for the second option of borrowing the entire Rs 2.35 lakh crore shortfall, accruing as a result of both implementation issues and the Covid-19 pandemic, has now revised its decision in favour of the first option, the officials {two} with direct knowledge of the matter said, requesting anonymity. The larger borrowing comes with significant interest costs The officials said the Centre is confident that the first option will be approved by the GST Council, which is headed by the Union finance minister and comprises state finance minister, as it needs only 20 states to pass any resolution if some members insist on voting. Opposition-administered states such as Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and West Bengal have not yet communicated their choices to the government as yet, the officials said. States and Union territories that are in favour of the first option are Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Puducherry, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, the officials said. The two options were put to the states at the 41st meeting of the GST Council on August 27. Some states, where opposition parties are in power such as Delhi, Kerala, Punjab, West Bengal (WB), Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh,, have opposing the Centres proposals, insisting that the central government borrow the money and reimburse them, instead.. If the rest of the states do not submit their options before the due GST Council meet on 5th October 2020, then they will have to wait till June 2022 to get their compensation dues, subject to the condition that the GST Council extends the cess collection period beyond 2022, one of the officials said. As per the GST law, the cess collected on sin goods and luxury products such as liquor, cigarettes, other tobacco products, aerated water, automobiles and coal will cease to exist after June 30, 2022, unless the council extends it further. At the time of introducing the new indirect tax regime in July 2017, the GST law assured states a 14% increase in their annual revenue for five years (up to June 30, 2022); any revenue shortfall should be made good through the compensation cess levied on luxury and sin goods. Manipur, the only state which had earlier opted for the option 2, later preferred to change it to option-1, one of the officials said. Some states are expected to give their borrowing options in a day or two, he added. The 41st meeting of the GST Council was held against the backdrop of the opinion of the attorney general (AG) expressing the opinion that there was no obligation on the Centre under the GST laws to compensate state governments for the loss of revenue, a second official said. It is the GST Council and not the Central government which has to find ways, according to the attorney general, to meet the compensation shortfall, he added. It is expected that the GST Councils meeting on October 5 would be stormy as the Opposition states would not relent easily on the subject. Addressing a press conference on August 30, West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra said huge debt was being thrust on states in the name of act of God a reference to the phrase used by Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman to describe the Covid-19 pandemic. Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia termed the Centres move a betrayal of federalism. Kerala finance minister (FM) Thomas Isaac had tweeted on August 31, FMs of Punjab, Delhi, WB, Chhattisgarh,Telengana and Kerala agreed to reject the Centres options on GST compensation .Our option: the central government to borrow the entire compensation due regardless of the acts of God, humans or nature , to be paid back by extending the period of cess. Isaac had tweeted on September 9, I welcome the new stance of the Centre that it was never its idea to deny full GST compensation. Glad to be corrected. But deferring half the compensation for better times, ipso facto, is deferring public expenditures to better times. It is the surest way of deferring future good days. States and union territories (UTs) require Rs 3 lakh crore GST compensation in the current financial year, an 82% jump from 2019-20 because of a sharp fall in the tax revenue, as the economy has been severely hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant 68-day nationwide lockdown, the officials said. According to an official statement released on July 27, the total amount of compensation paid to states and UTs in 2019-20 was Rs 1,65,302 crore, while the total amount of cess collected in that year was Rs 95,444 crore. The lower revenue collection was primarily due to subdued economic growth. Indias gross domestic product (GDP) growth had slowed to 4.2% in fiscal 2019-20, the lowest in 11 years. Editor: I have been a resident of Rio Rancho since October 2015. The United States Air Force brought me here. I was excited and hopeful to fulfill my last military assignment and live a regular life as a civilian. However, the death of George Floyd rocked me to my core, shook my Spirit, and woke me up from the slumber of believing that I was an equal human in America. I have been speaking out and protesting ever since another senseless loss of the black man for a trivial crime. I started the Black New Mexico Movement and we held our third protest here in Rio Rancho, New Mexico on Sept. 12. I was surprised to be met by so much opposition within what is supposed to be, my community. The people who chose to protest against us were calling themselves patriots and it was appalling. When you look up the term patriot, Websters dictionary defines a patriot as a person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it against enemies or detractors. I ask you, Was my twenty years serving my country, not enough to be seen as a patriot? I must ask you was the time I served in Afghanistan getting shot at and bombed while being embedded with the Combined Explosive Exploitation Cell (CEXC) not enough for me to be seen as a patriot and to be apart of Rio Rancho? The 16-18 hour days I worked in Kuwait to send troops homes for emergency situations and rest and recuperation leave, was that not enough? Am I still not enough to be included in the fiber of America? I heard someone say, This is the part where Black Lives Matter gets stomped, I should hit them with a rock and Go back where you came from. I heard people yelling all lives matter. I ask you, if all lives actually mattered, then why werent the anti-protesters on the side of the Black New Mexico Movement of Rio Rancho to show that my black life does indeed matter? To be a Black person in America is to be in a constant state of survival. I asked one anti-protester, Do you really think that Rio Rancho, New Mexico is an all-white city? His face went blank and I could see that he was trying to process what I had just said. He seemed almost surprised at the thought that there might actually be minorities residing here in Rio Rancho. There are reported to be 2.2 percent of Blacks in Rio Rancho and we will continue to fight to be acknowledged and to be heard. We will fight for sustained and effective change in this community until not only whites but also all minorities who work and support this city know and feel that they belong and that they are enough. Barbara Jordan President, Black New Mexico Movement/Rio Rancho 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 Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 14:33:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close COLOMBO, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- A Boeing 777-300ER jet painted in the theme for the China International Import Expo (CIIE) has enchanted Sri Lankans recently. The special flight from the China Eastern Airlines touched down at the Bandaranaike International airport in the country's capital on Friday evening with the mission to promote the expo and also highlight China-Sri Lanka trade, economic cooperation, and friendship. The aircraft is gaily painted in blue, prominently displaying the insignia of the China International Import Expo Bureau, organizer of the trade event. The CIIE's theme -- "New Era, Shared Future" and the mascot -- giant panda "Jinbao" painted on the aircraft were eye-catching. As the protagonist of the expo, "Jinbao" was shown holding the four-leaf clover, in an expression of blessing. The third CIIE is slated to be held in November in Shanghai. China Eastern Airlines is the designated air carrier for the event. Earlier, Prabhash Subasinghe, chairman of the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) expressed high expectations from the CIIE when he met with Yang Zuoyuan, commercial counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka. Subasinghe said that the CIIE in Shanghai would enable China to open its market and promote trade. The expo will also be a platform for other countries to showcase their development achievements and discuss global economic and trade issues. The EDB will arrange for local enterprises to actively participate in the CIIE, Subasinghe assured. China is a very important trading partner for Sri Lanka. According to local media, Sri Lankan exporters and producers from the apparel, spices, fresh fruits, and other food & agriculture product sectors are expecting to explore the lucrative Chinese market. Enditem Photograph: Matthew Fortner/AP Charleston, the architectural jewel of the US south, has survived the ravages of revolutionary wars, an earthquake and even a siege waged by the notorious pirate Blackbeard. But the city now needs saving from its largest existential threat yet the climate crisis. Flooding has, in recent years, become a regular menace to streets lined with colonial and Georgian buildings. Protecting the historic core of South Carolinas largest city from being consumed by the rising seas now comes with such a hefty price tag around $2b that Charleston is pinning its hopes on a bold gambit to force fossil fuel companies to foot the bill. default Charleston recently became the first city in the US south to sue large oil firms for damages, claiming they concealed knowledge that their product would heat up the planet and cause the sort of inundation that now bedevils many coastal cities around the world. A trove of internal documents show oil companies knew from at least the 1960s that burning oil and other fossil fuels would cause the global temperature to rise, triggering heatwaves and causing the seas to rise due to rapidly melting glaciers. Charlestons lawsuit claims that by obscuring these findings and funding a campaign of misinformation, the oil companies are liable for damage caused due to deception. Its tragic, just imagine what we couldve done to avoid all this if they didnt deceive everyone, said John Tecklenburg, Charlestons mayor, who said the world hasnt seen such flooding since Noah built the Ark. Flooding was a rare occurrence when Tecklenburg, who is 65, was growing up in Charleston but it now blights the city. Each of his five years as mayor has seen a major flood, with Hurricane Matthew, in 2016, and Hurricane Irma, in 2017, causing vast volumes of water to pour over the Battery, a historic seawall and tourist drawcard. Our city and harbor became one, he said. Its now an annual occurrence. Peoples homes have been damaged, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in insurance claims. Its a major threat to our city. Story continues Even regular high tides now drench downtown Charleston, which is perched on a peninsula surrounded on three sides by water. Half a century ago, water flowed onto the streets around four days a year. By 2019, this had increased to around 89 days a year on average. Within 30 years, Charleston faces its downtown streets being underwater every other day of the year. Power lines spark in flood water on Market Street as Hurricane Dorian spins just off shore on 5 September 2019 in Charleston, South Carolina. Photograph: Sean Rayford/Getty Images Several people have had their homes inundated multiple times, others have fled the city while some with the means to do so have made the costly decision to elevate their stately abodes beyond the reach of the floodwater, 16ft or more above the mean sea level. Youve got these multimillion dollar homes that are historic, so what can you do? said Buz Morris, an architect who has overseen the raising of seven homes in the last few years. On a rainy day here you can a foot or two of water in the street. We are helping protect the historic fabric of Charleston. The majority of residents cant afford such expensive fixes, however, so the city is looking to make a huge investment to fend off the encroaching Atlantic ocean. A new seawall, fortifying the aging Battery, and a new network of drainage tunnels will, Charleston hopes, buy it some time. This is a treasure of a city, a gem of American history and elegance, said Tecklenburg. Im not going to be the mayor that raises the white flag of surrender and evacuates. The Charleston lawsuit which targets a clutch of oil companies including Exxon, Shell, BP and Chevron is the latest in a flurry of court actions aimed at forcing fossil fuel giants to meet the mounting costs of the climate crisis they helped stoke. Since 2017, nearly two dozen cities, counties and states, including San Francisco, New York and Massachusetts, have attempted to recover billions of dollars from the industry. Over the past week this number has swelled further, with Hoboken in New Jersey, the state of Delaware and Charleston entering the fray. We are seeking accountability from some of the worlds most powerful businesses to pay for the mess theyve made, said Kathy Jennings, Delawares attorney general. Brys Stephens struggles to install a metal flood gate along South Battery during Hurricane Dorian in Charleston, South Carolina on 5 September 2019. Photograph: Randall Hill/Reuters These efforts have yet to garner a significant breakthrough, with a number of cases dismissed by judges, as the oil companies have argued the moves are a frivolous waste of time. There is no merit to the claims, said a Chevron spokesman in response to the Charleston lawsuit. They are not a serious solution to a serious problem. There is no evidence Chevron misled the public about climate change. Those claims are false. Climate activists have retained hope, however, that the courts will start to swing behind the cases and have been further buoyed by promises made by Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee for US president, that his administration would pursue fossil fuel companies for climate damages. The best sign the legal strategy is working is that these cases are proceeding through the court system, according to Ama Francis, a fellow at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School. The public is ready to hold this corrupt industry accountable for causing and lying about climate change, and officials across the country are stepping up to take action, said Richard Wiles, executive director of the Center for Climate Integrity. As climate change floods cities like Charleston, Big Oil is now knee-deep in lawsuits seeking justice for decades of the industrys lying about their central role in causing the problem. The World Health Organization on Saturday gave a go-ahead on the protocols for testing of African herbal medicines as one of the potential treatments for COVID-19. Notably, this development has come months after the attempts by Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina for promoting a local medicated plant-based drink with efficacy in malaria treatment were ridiculed, although the plant-based drink is widely used in Madagascar and also distributed in many other countries, especially in Africa. On Saturday, a statement was circulated saying that WHO experts and officials from two other organisations endorsed the protocol for phase III clinical trials of herbal medicine for Covid-19 as well as a charter and terms of reference for the establishment of a data and safety monitoring board for herbal medicine clinical trials. READ | Coronavirus LIVE Updates: India's Tally Crosses 53 Lakh; Parliament May Be Curtailed READ | El Salvador Ready To Reopen Its Airport After Lockdown Recalls Ebola outbreak Regional WHO director Prosper Tumusiime was quoted as saying by the international media that WHO will recommend for a fast-tracked, large-scale local manufacturing of any traditional medicine product if it is found to be safe, efficacious and quality-assured. Tumusiime recalled the plight of the African countries during the Ebola outbreak and contended that COVID-19 has once again brought the attention to the need for strengthened health systems and accelerated research including traditional medicines, however, he did not specifically refer to Madagascar's plant-based medicated drink. WHO Africa Director Matshidiso Moeti had informed media in May that African governments had committed in 2000 over the use of traditional medicines after the clinical trials like other tested and lab generated and researched medicines. He said he can understand the drive to find medicines that could help, but encouraged opting for the scientifically proven medicines. (Image: AP) READ | Romanians Protest Mandatory Use Of Masks In School READ | COVID-19: Justice NV Ramana Encourages Use Of Innovative Technology In Courts For Long Run Romania is among the countries that has had a new spike in confirmed cases, including a national daily record of 1,713 cases earlier in the week and 1,333 more on Saturday. In all, Romania has had 111,550 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 4,402 deaths from the disease since the start of the pandemic. The contentious farm bills that were passed in the Lok Sabha on September 17 have been moved in the Rajya Sabha by Union minister of agriculture and farmer welfare Narendra Singh Tomar. Farmers and Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 will become laws after the Upper House also passes them on Sunday. Out of the 245-member Rajya Sabha, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is confident of getting the support of over 130 members including nine members of the AIADMK and six of the YSR Congress if a division of votes is sought on these bills, according to news agency PTI. The bills will deregularise farm foods from the Essential Commodities Act (ECA) and farmers will be allowed to sell their produce outside government-regulated markets. According to the government, the bills aim to accelerate agricultural growth through private sector investment in building agricultural infrastructure and supply chains for Indian farm produce in national and global markets. A government release called the passage of these bills a historic-step in unlocking the regulated agriculture markets in the country. However, farmers believe that the bills will render the current Minimum Support Price (MSP) procurement system ineffective, leaving them at the mercy of big farmers. The farmers fear they would be forced to make distress sales to private companies. The passage of these bills in Lok Sabha saw protests across the nation with farmers in Punjab holding a three-day rail roko agitation from September 24 to September 26 and Opposition leaders burning copies of the bills in Parliament. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the Narendra Modi Cabinet on Thursday in protest against the anti-farmer bills. I think I failed to convince the government about the farmers grouse on the farm ordinances, she said in an interview with Hindustan Times. Haryana BKU chief Gurnam Singh said the Centre didn't withdraw the three agriculture-related ordinances despite the organisation's 'warning' to not go ahead with the 'anti-farmer' legislation Chandigarh: The Bharatiya Kisan Union's Haryana unit will hold a statewide protest against the Centre's farm bills on Sunday during which they will block roads for three hours, even as Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar appealed for deferring the stir and invited them for talks. Haryana BKU chief Gurnam Singh said the Centre did not withdraw the three agriculture-related ordinances and instead presented them as bills during the ongoing session of Parliament. The bills have been passed in the Lok Sabha. "We had warned the government not to go ahead with these 'anti-farmer' legislations. Tomorrow, we will be holding a protest across the state during which we will block roads for three hours. However, the GT road (national highway) will not be blocked," he said on Saturday, adding that they have support from other farmer outfits. He also said that farmers from Haryana and Punjab will start a movement against the anti-farmer measures which will later intensify into pan-India protests. On 10 September, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) along with some other farmer outfits had held a protest in Kurukshetra's Pipli against the farm ordinances. The BKU leader also demanded that all cases registered against the protesting farmers on 10 September be withdrawn. In an official statement, Khattar urged the farmers to defer the agitation and invited them for discussion. Reiterating his government's commitment towards protection of farmers' interests, the chief minister said on one hand, everyone in a democracy has the right to express their views, on the other hand, maintaining peace in the state is also the utmost duty of any government. He asserted that the farm reforms are in the interest of farmers. "It is unfortunate to see that the Opposition parties have blatantly politicised the issue to achieve their vested interests by misleading the farmers. "Being the son of a farmer, I urge the farmers to remember the appeal made by Deenbandhu Chaudhary Chhotu Ram wherein he said that they should recognise their enemies," the statement quoted Khattar as saying. Khattar said those who are spreading confusion about the farm bills in such times are the ones who are the "real enemies" of farmers and are just trying to serve their own political interests rather than having any concern about peasants. "If the farmers' interest had been at all affected by these farm reforms, I would have been the first person to oppose them," he said. He also reiterated that the 'mandi' system and minimum support price (MSP) mechanism were here to stay. Meanwhile, the state government issued directions to ensure law and order and minimise inconvenience to the people of the state during the protest from 12 noon to 3 pm on Sunday. An official spokesperson said deputy commissioners of police, inspector generals (IGs) and superintendents of police (SPs) have been directed to reach out to farmer leaders and ensure a peaceful protest. He said all executive magistrates and police officers have been asked to remain present in the districts and not to proceed on leave. "Executive magistrates have been directed to remain stationed along with their police counterparts at all such places where congregation of protestors is anticipated. Besides this, joint patrolling of the national and state highways or important roads should be conducted by the executive magistrates along with police officials from September 19 itself so as to instill a sense of confidence amongst citizens," the spokesperson said in a statement. The chief minister said if the farmer associations still go ahead with the agitation, they should ensure that least inconvenience is caused to common citizens. He urged that special care should be taken to ensure no obstruction in the way for any patient going to hospital, pregnant women and vehicles supplying essential commodities. Khattar also asked the protestors of being vigilant against "anti-social elements" who try to spread violence during such protests. Reacting to the protest call, Haryana home minister Anil Vij said all arrangements have been made to ensure that vehicular movement on highways is not disrupted during the agitation. He also appealed to farmers not to block any highway. " " Paper (right) can be made from cellulose derived from all kinds of animal manure (left). Kathrin Weiland It's become an evergreen piece of advice for aspiring writers: Put your butt in the chair and write a first draft, no matter how crappy. Now, thanks to a breakthrough in chemical technology, that first draft can be literal crap or at least printed on it. Researchers announced at a meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) on Wednesday, March 21, 2018 that it's possible to turn manure from cows, elephants, goats and other grass-munchers into, wait for it, paper. As you may already know, paper is made from cellulose that usually comes from trees. Not everyplace has a lot of trees. But as we all know, everybody poops. And some of those poopers leave patties around for the stepping in. Or collecting, if you're of a mind to collect poop like these ACS scientists are. Advertisement One of the researchers who presented this idea at the ACS meeting in New Orleans Alexander Bismarck, Ph.D. was driving around Crete and watching goats eat grass and poop it out. He thought that maybe the goats were doing to the grass what paper manufacturers do to trees: turn it into cellulose that could be made into paper. Because of course that's what you think of while you're driving around an idyllic island: Cretan excretions. Some animals, it turns out, do a pretty good job pooping out paper-ready cellulose. Depending on which animal is doing the manure manufacturing, "up to 40 percent of that manure is cellulose, which is then easily accessible," said Bismarck in a press statement, and who is not, for the record, known as the "maestro of manure." Yet. To make paper from trees, the trees have to be ground way down by machine into a pulp before being made into proper paper. Goats do that work for free every day of their grass-munchin', poop-leavin' lives. The only thing they require is more grass, which makes more poop, which makes more paper. And they need some water to drink. And maybe little scratches on their chinny-chin chins. It's a more environmentally friendly process than traditional paper making. The first uses for this poo-paper would probably be industrial, according to the researchers. It could filter wastewater before it's released into the environment, which seems fitting. But poo-pyrus, or "nanopaper" as the researchers rather boringly call it, could also be used to write on, so don't give up, aspiring authors. Your first draft could soon be really, truly crappy. Now That's Cool It's not just goats; the researchers moved on to piles of patties from horses, cows and elephants, too. Elephants in wildlife parks in Africa are No. 1 at going No. 2. At the San Francisco Zoo alone, an adult male African elephant can produce 300 pounds (136 kilos) of poo. That's a lot of poo-tential paper. The Oregon Department of Education issued a temporary ban on hate symbols including the Confederate flag, swastikas and nooses in public school classrooms in the state, officials said. The All Students Belong rule was adopted unanimously by the state Board of Education on Thursday. Colt Gill, the director of the Department of Education, said the move came as a response to student calls for a ban. Our students called us out and into action, Gill said in a statement. The Oregon Department of Education is committed to ensuring that Oregons schools are safe and inclusive for all students and staff, and the All Students Belong rule is an important step in that process. The rule, which took effect immediately, requires school districts to implement policies by Jan. 1 that prohibit the hate symbols, except as part of the teaching curriculum. Officials said that many districts already had similar plans in the works and that the state would likely present a permanent rule in the coming months. Several state lawmakers threw their support behind the measure, including Reps. Caddy McKeown (D-Coos Bay), David Brock Smith (R-Port Orford) and Cheri Helt (R-Bend), who currently serves on the Board of Education. The Confederate flag is a symbol of treason, racism and white supremacy. It has no place in Oregon, Helt said in a statement. I look forward to bringing forward legislation in the 2021 Legislative Session to ban these symbols of hatred and codify it into Oregon Law. -- Kale Williams; kwilliams@oregonian.com; 503-294-4048; @sfkale (Natural News) Meet Kevin Wharton Price. Of all the people offering abhorrent social media takes on the assassination-style shooting of two Los Angeles sheriffs deputies on Saturday, he may be the winner of a sick race to the bottom. (Article by C. Douglas Golden republished from WesternJournal.com) Price is, according to reports, the man behind a group called the Africa Town Coalition. Hes also an activist who gets around in Angeleno circles. According to the U.K. Daily Mail, Price was livestreaming on Sunday, telling viewers that the two wounded officers 31-year-old mother Claudia Apolinar and her unidentified 24-year-old partner, who were shot by an unknown man while sitting in their vehicle at the MLK Transit Center in Compton were two of Americas most notorious gang members and that the shooting was the start of retribution and a good thing. This was an interesting strategy considering the outrage generated when, according to Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, protesters had blocked the entrance to the hospital the deputies were taken to so that the ambulance couldnt get in, while chanting we hope they die. 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. LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) September 13, 2020 Apparently Mr. Price wasnt trying to curry favor with you or anybody with a soul, because he said in the Facebook video were supposed to celebrate today, because an oppressor has been slain. Heres Price, one of the most prominent left-wing activists in Los Angeles, celebrating the shooting: WARNING: The following video contains graphic language that some viewers will find offensive. Ive been depressed but this right here has lightened my heart because the sheriffs department has murdered too many of our brothers and sisters, Price said. So if this is a start of retribution, then I think its a very good start. And for those who may not like the tone or how I come off I get tired of seeing mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers sad as f because their family member has been dead, murdered by law enforcement I need the people to get out there and take our fing streets back, because black lives matter. The Daily Mail, meanwhile, reported a separate livestream, during which Price tried to enter the hospital grounds where the two deputies were being treated: Were going to go up here and just check on these murderers right here and see whats up. The police, thankfully, stopped Price from carrying out that check. Now, there are trolls on every side of the political equation, particularly after a racially fraught shooting. If you think Twitter and Facebook are bad, just wander into the darker corners of Reddit or any forum that has the suffix -chan. The difference between run-of-the-mill trolls and Price is that most of these trolls dont actually meet with city administrators to discuss issues regarding race and establishing a cultural competency workshop after racial tensions flare up. But thats exactly what Price has done, according to a February report in the Los Angeles Times. One of the goals of Prices group, as the Times reported in 2018, is to establish an autonomous zone in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Leimert Park called Africa Town, in honor of the areas history as a center of black culture in the city. In 2017, Price and the Africa Town Coalition, among other groups, began protesting outside of a store in Leimert Park called Huberts Liquor after an altercation involving a reportedly drunken customer and a Korean stockboy. The protests tapped into long-held complaints about Huberts the prices a dollar or two higher than at big-box stores, the short treatment from employees who didnt seem to live in or care about the neighborhood, the row of photos taped on the bulletproof glass of suspected shoplifters, the Times reported. They didnt know much about the owner, a diminutive woman who spoke faltering English, but it almost didnt matter. To them, she was yet another outsider profiting off the neighborhood. We have the right to hold them accountable and choke off their finances, Price said, according to the Times. Irregardless of how people view our methods, our methodology is sound and successful. That methodology included protesting with signs with slogans like No More Korean Merchant Parasites. At this point, Los Angeles officialdom should have told Price and his group to stuff it, but thats not what happened. Price and the Africa Town Coalition worked with Mayor Eric Garcettis administration and the Korean American Federation in order to, among other things, create cultural competency workshops. These workshops would have been, according to the Los Angeles Times, for business owners to teach them communication skills and the historical context for specific communities, possibly devising a score that would be posted at each store like restaurant sanitation ratings. After several meetings between Prices group and Garcettis administration, the Times reported, the city decided not to follow through on this lawsuit-baiting plan. According to the paper, both the mayors office and the activist group moved on to other priorities. That there is a crazy person in the leftist activist community who is enraptured because of the shooting of two deputies doesnt surprise me in the least. What does surprise, however, is the fact that the city administration met with him and his group after they tried to economically choke a liquor store by protesting outside with virulently racist signs. The Garcetti administration then decided they should be given a seat at the table to broker some kind of solution. We can be thankful they didnt reach one. Garcetti is already on thin ice with Los Angeles police. Due to the protests and riots touched off by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May, the Los Angeles Police Department had racked up $40 million in overtime, some of which the city said it wouldnt be able to pay; officers would be compensated in time instead. Despite the fact that the department couldnt pay its officers overtime, however, Garcetti loudly fought to cut the police budget. I got calls from mayors around the country, some of them saying, Im so excited, and other ones saying: What the hell did you do? Now I gotta shift money, Garcetti said in June. Thats exactly the point. It starts someplace, and we say we are going to be who we want to be, or were going to continue being the killers that we are. Garcetti later walked back part of that killers comment, but it left an acrid taste in the mouth of a fuming police department. Im sure that when Garcettis administration was trying to work out a deal with Prices group, the mayor wasnt visualizing having a partner whod go on to make a social media video in which he celebrated the shooting of two police officers. However, given what was public knowledge about Price and his group including their tactics and their signs it was clear that the Africa Town Coalition wasnt who you wanted to call to craft cultural competency training. To say this calls Garcettis judgment into question is an understatement. Read more at: WesternJournal.com - Judy Ann Santos recently took to social media to share how she disciplined her daughter, Luna Agoncillo - In the video, Luna could be seen crying over a book she wanted to borrow from her brother, Lucho Agoncillo - This prompted the celebrity mom to handle the situation immediately and explain to her daughter why she cannot borrow it - The actress' method of disciplining her children earned praises from netizens on social media as well PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Judy Ann Santos is among the list of celebrity moms who are constantly being praised for being a hands-on mom to her children. Just recently, KAMI learned that the celebrity mom uploaded a video of her daughter, Luna Agoncillo crying over a book. In the video, the celebrity mom could be heard asking why her daughter was crying. Judy Ann Santos (Photo from Flickr) Source: UGC PAY ATTENTION: Shop with KAMI! The best offers and discounts on the market, product reviews and feedback Luna then answered and said that her brother, Lucho Agoncillo won't let her read his book. This prompted the celebrity mom to immediately explain to her daughter why Lucho could not lend her the book. "That book is from the library. You cannot get it from Kuya." When Luna still continued to cry, the actress eventually asked if she got hurt. "Okay, so did you get hurt? Nasaktan ka ba? Oh, why are you crying? Diba usapan natin, iiyak ka lang pag nasaktan ka," Judy Ann said. The actress also reminded her daughter to be patient and to use the book only if her brother is no longer using it for his schoolwork. Watch the video below: The said video garnered comments from netizens who complimented Judy Ann's way of disciplining her children. "Galing mag-disiplina ni Mommy Juday!" "Idol ko talaga si Juday on and off cam!" "Good! Lalo na't kulang sa disiplina yung ibang kids today." "I like when Juday said you only cry when you get hurt. Teaching her daughter to be tough. Life is full of hurdles and difficulties. We have to teach our kids to be tough as nails and to be sensible people. Good job sa magulang nang batang Ito." PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! Judy Ann Santos is a famous actress in the Philippines. She appeared in popular projects such as Mara Clara, Bastat Kasama Kita, Ang Dalawang Mrs. Reyes. She tied the knot with Ryan Agoncillo on April 28, 2009. They have three children Yohan, Lucho and Luna. Recently, the actress uploaded a sweet and heartwarming video of herself together with her children as they spent some quality time together. Her daughter, Yohan Agoncillo, also trended on social media after her parents shared her reaction towards Ryan Agoncillo's 'morning routine' with his children. POPULAR: Read more news about Judy Ann Santos 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 Bradley Cooper proved he was a doting father on Saturday night as he carried his daughter Lea home from dinner. The 45-year-old filmmaker had his adorable three-year-old on his shoulders after they enjoyed a dad and daughter date out in Manhattan's West Village. The American Sniper actor was back on the East Coast after he was seen late last month filming scenes for director Paul Thomas Anderson's follow-up to 2017's acclaimed film Phantom Thread. Loving father: Bradley Cooper, 45, carried his adorable daughter Lea, three, on his shoulders as they left dinner on Friday in Manhattan's West Village In contrast with his bearded film character, who is rumored to be former hairstylist and later film producer Jon Peters, Bradley appeared to be sporting a clean-shaven face, though he kept his brown hair shaggy. The Silver Linings Playbook star wore a casual tan jacket over a white shirt and navy blue pants, along with weathered brown boots. Lea looked cute in her baby blue hoodie and light blue jeans, and she wore tiny shoes with Velcro fasteners. The actor and his daughter were both safety conscious and wore masks, with Bradley sporting a simple black Evolve Together design while she wore an eye-catching tie-dye look. Fresh look: The Silver Linings Playbook star wore a casual tan jacket over a white shirt and navy blue pants, along with weathered brown boots, and he appeared to be clean shaven Sweet: Lea looked cute in her baby blue hoodie and light blue jeans, and she wore tiny shoes with Velcro fasteners The two appeared to be alone for their meal, but Bradley regularly co-parents with his ex Irina Shayk, 34, when he's in New York City. The former pair was most recently seen together earlier this month as they enjoyed a family day around the city. Bradley and Irina began their relationship in June 2015, and in March of 2017 they welcomed their daughter. However, the couple never married, and they separated in June 2019, following months of rumored tensions between them. Working together: The two appeared to be alone for their meal, but Bradley regularly co-parents with his ex Irina Shayk, 34, when he's in New York City The end: Bradley and Irina began their relationship in June 2015, and in March of 2017 they welcomed their daughter. The two separated in June 2019 The eight-time Academy Award nominee was previously in a relationship with the model and actress Suki Waterhouse from 2013 to 2015, and prior to that he dated actress Zoe Saldana. Cooper was married to actress Jennifer Esposito in December 2006, though she filed for divorce by May of the following year. Following his success directing and starring in the Oscar-winning remake of A Star Is Born, Bradley will return to star in Guillermo del Toro's remake of the classic film noir Nightmare Alley, which has an all-star cast featuring Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Toni Collette and Willem Dafoe. Coming soon: Bradley will try to repeat his success with A Star Is Born in the biopic Bernstein, in which he'll direct and star as the legendary conductor, composer and music educator Leonard Bernstein He's also hoping to repeat his success with A Star Is Born in the biopic Bernstein, in which he'll direct and star as the legendary conductor, composer and music educator Leonard Bernstein. Little is known about the portrait of Bernstein, which is currently in preproduction, and Succession's Jeremy Strong is the only other actor currently attached to the project in an unspecified role. Cooper will return to the Marvel fold in the near future with an upcoming third volume of Guardians Of The Galaxy. He voices the animated character Rocket Raccoon in the series and most recently appeared in Avengers: Endgame. By Sept. 11, wildfires raging through western Oregon had already devastated the towns of Phoenix and Talent. At least seven people were dead and dozens more were missing. With the fires burning out of control and advancing on communities up and down the Willamette Valley, tens of thousands of Oregonians had fled their homes. Its exactly in such moments of anxiety and fear when Oregonians need to have faith in those leading the response. Unfortunately, it was in this moment that Oregon State Police Superintendent Travis Hampton decided to put the states top fire official on administrative leave with almost no explanation. Citing a need for a leadership change, the agency said Hampton had put Jim Walker, the state fire marshal since 2014, on leave and that Deputy Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple would assume the responsibilities of acting fire marshal. Shortly after, Walker resigned. Hampton may be entirely justified for making such a drastic change in the middle of an unfolding catastrophe. Perhaps moving an apparently ineffective fire marshal helped avert greater losses. Unfortunately, he has done little to provide that justification. As The Oregonian/OregonLives Noelle Crombie reported, Walker was placed on leave over concerns he may have misused his authority to search for five missing people as a favor to an employee and misled his bosses about it. Sources also told Crombie that Hampton was unhappy with Walkers management of the fires. Yet, Oregon State Police Capt. Timothy Fox told the Salem Statesman-Journal that the decision to put Walker on leave was unrelated to his handling of fires a response that only raises more questions. Rather than clarify why Hampton would take this step, Fox said they regret the distraction and declined to comment. Thats a mistake on multiple levels. Oregon State Police instead should fully disclose the reasons for this ill-timed distraction and any previous issues that contributed to Hamptons decision. The public interest in understanding the reasons for a mid-crisis leadership change far outweigh concerns over personnel privacy. Oregonians' faith in public safety agencies depends on leaders' being open to scrutiny, owning up to mistakes and resolving not to repeat them. The need for full disclosure doesnt stem from idle curiosity. Oregon is burning amid historic wildfires and already, there are questions about various agencies' response, from grossly overstating the number of evacuees to how agencies notified residents of evacuation orders. The states handling of the crisis must be part of that examination of what, if anything, should be improved for the future. And the questions go beyond this crisis. Not only does the public deserve to know whether there was a legitimate reason to put Walker on leave, but Oregonians also should have the opportunity to see whether Hampton himself contributed to this debacle by failing to take action sooner. Were there previous complaints about Walkers management? Did Hampton do anything in response? Should Hampton have enacted a leadership change long ago rather than waiting until unprecedented fires and destruction put tens of thousands of Oregonians' lives and homes at risk? This is as much about Oregons culture of accountability as it is about what Walker may or may not have done. As we have seen with the Oregon Employment Department and its disastrous management of unemployment insurance, failure to address longstanding dysfunction punishes Oregonians when a crisis hits. Its also about Oregons allergic reaction to transparency. As we have seen with the coronavirus crisis, leaders' initial refusal to release critical information, such as outbreaks at businesses, also put Oregonians at greater risk. As an agency charged with protecting the public, Oregon State Police must own up to the circumstances and failures that necessitated a leadership change amid a crisis when experience and professionalism matter the most. Hampton, who has one foot out the door with his impending retirement, might not care that hes leaving Oregonians with these unanswered questions. His successor, Terri Davie, should. If Hampton doesnt deal with the loose ends hes leaving behind, she should ensure a good start to her own tenure by releasing the information herself. How state leaders handle crises can either build trust with the public or break it. The wildfires have already caused widespread devastation. Hampton shouldnt let trust in the agency he has served for so long be another casualty. -The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board Subscribe to our free weekly Oregon Opinion newsletter. Email: Camper fire claims the life of two people in Marshall County Service Engineers with Bluecrest of Danbury, Connecticut. At right is Pat Kephart and Kevin Kavanaugh working on installation of the offset stacker for use with mail-in ballots. The City of Philadelphia invested in purchasing and renting space at Pennsylvania Convention Center for sophisticated equipment for processing, sorting, opening, and counting mail ballots. Photograph in the large hall where the equipment will be set up as seen on Thursday, September 17, 2020. Read more It isnt cheap to run an election, and this years is turning out to be expensive in Pennsylvania. This is the first year everyone in the state can vote by mail, and mail ballots are expected to be in high demand due to the pandemic. So, counties are spending millions on new equipment and additional staff to avoid a long, drawn-out vote count. And this week, I asked labor reporter Juliana Feliciano Reyes about her work, whats changed in the pandemic, and what shes looking forward to in the future. Lauren Aguirre (@laurencaguirre, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com) The week ahead This weeks most popular stories Behind the story with Juliana Feliciano Reyes Each week we go behind the scenes with one of our reporters or editors to discuss their work and the challenges they face along the way. This week we chat with labor reporter Juliana Feliciano Reyes. Why did you decide to become a reporter and what drew you to your beat? I decided pretty early I wanted to be a reporter; I was 17 and had completed a summer journalism program at Northwestern University. I loved how reporting gave me entry into places I never would have had access to otherwise, how it gave me license to talk to all kinds of people. To this day, I still feel that way. I cover labor and find myself in situations where I look completely out of place a rally outside a Teamsters union hall comes to mind. Reporting gives me a kind of boldness which didnt always come so naturally to me, like sometimes I might think: Why would anyone answer my questions? Like I didnt think I was the kind of person who deserved an answer. But being a journalist, you have to work out those hang-ups fast and I love that about reporting how it teaches you to have respect for yourself. As for why I was drawn to labor, we all have such messy, dramatic, intense relationships to work. I was fascinated by organizing the way that workers are fighting for power on the job. Theres just an inherent narrative tension to labor right now: Union membership in the United States is the lowest its ever been. And yet, theres all this organizing and labor activity and support for workers, especially during the pandemic. What is something you expected to see in your reporting with the pandemic? What is something you didnt anticipate? I expected there to be a focus on health-care workers but I didnt realize there would be such a focus on all kinds of workers. In the early days especially, it felt like everything was a labor story. Are there any big trends on your beat youre keeping an eye on? Rank and file members challenging establishment union leaders, the growing political power of nonunion low-wage workers in Philly, and how the labor movement is reckoning with the role of police unions just to name a few! What is one of the best parts of your day or something youve been looking forward to while were all social distancing? I go to Manila every year in the winter to visit my family and get away from the cold and struggle through what it means to be of a place but not live there or be from there. Also Philippine mangos! I probably cant go next year but Im looking forward to going back when I can. What is something you wish more people better understood about your work? You know when youre like, I need to detox from the news, its just too much? That happens to journalists, too. Email Juliana Feliciano Reyes at jreyes@inquirer.com and follow her on Twitter at @juliana_f_reyes. Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly Sunflowers are one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing, @mcjw13! Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and well pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout-out! How to create a pandemic pod for safe social interaction Socially distanced hikes and outdoor summer barbecues have helped people have in-person contact with friends and family during the pandemic. But as temperatures cool and winter approaches, meeting up outside will be less feasible. How can you still get social interaction? Enter pandemic pods, or quarantine bubbles. This is a group of friends or families who agree to strict safety rules that enable them to socialize while reducing the risk of spreading the coronavirus. We have some steps to take and questions to ask if you want to create your own pod. What were Comment of the week An inspiring story, and how gratifying that she got recognition for her lifelong learning experience while still living, AND learning. Many more years, Mrs Schreiber! janetkroll on Holocaust survivor finally gets her high-school diploma - at age 88. Your Daily Dose of | Phillies' cardboard fans Citizens Bank Park has hosted 10,000 photo cutouts of Phillies fans this season, and theyre a hit. Phillies officials said theyd heard nothing but positive reviews from TV viewers, players, and even umpires about the cardboard fans. While the Phillies themselves arent at the top of the standings, they might be leading the league in the number and variety of cutouts. (The Eagles also got in on the action. Check out a photo gallery of their fan cutouts here.) Bahrain is home to the 5th Fleet, which patrols the waterways of the Mideast. Officials have worried in the past that the sailors and Marines attached to the base in Manama could be targeted, as well as others who make up the 7,000 American troops there. Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich, a spokeswoman for the 5th Fleet, declined to comment and referred questions to the Bahraini government. A day after Anurag Kashyap was accused of sexual misconduct, actor Taapsee Pannu extended support to the filmmaker by calling him the "biggest feminist". Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 20 (ANI): A day after Anurag Kashyap was accused of sexual misconduct, actor Taapsee Pannu extended support to the filmmaker by calling him the biggest feminist. Actor Payal Ghosh on Saturday alleged that Kashyap had tried to force himself upon her. Taapsee, who shares a close bond with Kashyap, took to Instagram to show her support for him. She shared a candid monochrome click, presumably from their film set of Manmarziyaan and wrote, For you, my friend, are the biggest feminist I know. See you on the sets soon of yet another piece of art that shows how powerful and significant women are in the world you create (sic). Film director and producer Anubhav Sinha also supported Kashyap. It is the joint responsibility of women and men both to carefully protect the sanctity of #Metooindia It is a very very very important movement that should not be misused for any other reason but the dignity of women. @anuragkashyap72, he tweeted. Also read: Agriculture Bill: Rajya Sabha adjourned after ruckus by Opposition Also read: Farm bills tabled in Rajya Sabha amid protests in Punjab, Haryana On Saturday, the Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi actor Ghosh accused Kashyap of sexual harassment. Speaking to ANI, she said, Five years ago I met Anurag Kashyap regarding work. He called me to his house. When I went there, he took me to a separate room and tried to sexually assault me. He forced himself on me. I request the authorities to kindly take action and let the country see the demon behind this creative guy. I am aware that it can harm me and my security is at risk. I am seeking action against him, said Ghosh. Post the allegations, Kashyap responded on Twitter in which he denied the allegations, claiming that they were baseless. I neither behave like this nor do I ever tolerate this at any price, he said. (ANI) Also read: India registers over 92,000 Covid-19 cases in 24 hours, tally crosses 54L mark The wife of ex-Minister Hugo Swire has been accused by furious Tory activists in his former constituency of 'betraying' friends with her indiscretion-heavy memoir. Sasha Swire's tell-all book Diary Of An MP's Wife: Inside And Outside Power lifts the lid on sex and political shenanigans in the party, describing David Cameron as 'drunken Dave' with a filthy mouth, Boris Johnson as 'calculating' and Theresa May as a 'glumbucket'. Lady Swire, 57, sent her diaries to a publisher last year after her husband retired as East Devon MP. Last night Maddy Chapman, a Conservative district councillor there for 12 years, said local party members were 'absolutely disgusted' at the way she had breached the confidence of friends. Sasha Swire, pictured with husband Hugo, has been accused by furious Tory activists in his former constituency of 'betraying' friends with her indiscretion-heavy memoir 'She has shown herself for what she is,' said Mrs Chapman. 'She has absolutely no class whatsoever. 'This has not gone down at all well in the constituency. Everyone I speak to is less than impressed and some, including myself, are absolutely disgusted. 'Sasha Swire has never mixed within the local community, not even within our local party. 'I suspect a lot of people will be crossing the Swires off their Christmas card list.' In Lady Swire's tell-all memoir, she reveals how David and Samantha Cameron drowned their sorrows following the Brexit vote. She tells how, in the wake of the 2016 referendum, she visited the Camerons for a weekend at their Oxfordshire home. She claims that the then-Prime Minister asked her husband to bring 'two fat Cohibas [Cuban cigars] and plenty of booze' and was 'chomping on cigars' over 'endless bottles of wine'. And she adds that Mrs Cameron had to muster up some Dutch courage before joining her husband for his resignation speech, feeling unable to do so 'without drinking a large negroni'. She also says that Mr Cameron told her former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had a two-way mirror in his bedroom. 'I sit next to Dave at dinner,' she writes. '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. '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?' ' Of Boris Johnson, she is withering, writing: 'It scares the s*** out of me that people don't see [Mr Johnson] as the calculating machine he really is,' and she describes Mr Johnson's fiancee Carrie Symonds as his 'hot young vixen'. She has nicknames for many senior Tories. Former Prime Minister Theresa May is 'Old Ma May', George Osborne is 'Boy George' while Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is 'Raab C Brexit'. Mr Cameron has admitted the diaries, due out next week, were 'kind of embarrassing'. Her defection means the Nationals have lost four seats since Mr Barilaro has been leader; Lismore, Murray, Barwon and now Port Macquarie. "The NSW Liberals and Nationals have delivered unprecedented investment across the Port Macquarie electorate and to put this in jeopardy and hold the Premier and the government to ransom during this COVID-19 pandemic was unnecessary, unhelpful and frankly politically reckless and unreasonable," Ms Williams said. "The events of the past week have represented a further example of a course of conduct and dealing that has once again effectively been condoned and failed to be addressed. "My community deserves to be represented in Parliament by members and leaders that are focused on their needs and their aspirations and they rightly expect to have policy overshadowing politics". Ms Williams' resignation comes as the Nationals try to repair relations with the Liberals and negotiate changes to the koala policy. The four major changes the Nationals want include reducing the number of koala feed trees, which have been increased from 10 to 123, and redefining the definition of core koala habitat. But ministers have been warned to step up after Better Regulation Minister Kevin Anderson told the Nationals party room that Mr Barilaro had done much of the "heavy lifting" with the policy. One senior Nationals minister said all the party's ministers had to work to ensure they delivered the changes to the policy for regional NSW. The party room is also expecting changes to the policy. Another Nationals MP, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said he was confident the policy would be resolved and Mr Barilaro would "return, stronger than ever". Mr Toole, the MP for Bathurst, will front a party room meeting on Tuesday ahead of another sitting week of Parliament. He said COVID-19 and the drought had presented big challenges for the state but they were "not insurmountable". "If you talk to anyone right now, theyre being faced with big decisions - it's not only government and were very conscious that the decisions we make have impacts for everyone," Mr Toole said. Right-hand man: Paul Toole will take over as the Deputy Premier of NSW following John Barilaro's four-week leave of absence. Credit:Nick Moir "There are so many businesses out there having to make tough decisions about how to structure their business and flex it to adapt to the times [and] there are farmers preparing for the biggest crop in years and trying to rebuild a balance sheet and stock numbers knocked around by drought. "They need to be front of mind for us." Ms Berejiklian said on Sunday she had made it known personally to Mr Barilaro that he would be given any support he needed during his leave. "I have made sure he knows that, and I wish him and his family well during this time, she said. "I think it is always appropriate for people to be upfront and honest about what they are going through and I commend that." When asked if she was confident she could work with Mr Toole and find a resolution to the koala policy, Ms Berejiklian said: "I am a Premier who is very tolerant and patient and I get on with everybody." One senior Liberal minister, who asked not to be named, said Mr Toole would be "easier to deal with than Barilaro" and the next month would be a trial run to see if Mr Toole was leadership material. Several Liberal ministers, including Police Minister David Elliott and Transport Minister Andrew Constance, were highly critical of Mr Barilaro's threats. Who is Paul Toole? The deputy Nationals leader grew up on a farm outside Bathurst and was a regional school teacher until he was elected to Parliament in 2011. One of nine children, Mr Toole advocated for better regional healthcare and transport when he first arrived on Macquarie Street. The 50-year-old father of three was made Minister for Local Government in 2014 before being handed the racing and forestry portfolios in 2017. After extending his margin in Bathurst to more than 17 per cent at the 2019 state election, Mr Toole was appointed deputy Nationals leader and Minister for Regional Transport and Roads. He has maintained a relatively low profile since arriving at Parliament but was seen to struggle with the complexities of the controversial council amalgamations. Despite this, he is viewed as the safe option to take over leadership from Mr Barilaro. - With Tom Rabe Perth Amboy Mayor Wilda Diaz has never seen so many people die in her city in such a short time. As the coronavirus swept the state, Perth Amboy was among the hardest hit communities in New Jersey. In just four months, the deaths of 268 of its residents were recorded nearly triple the number the city typically tallies from March through June. Perth Amboy is in Middlesex County, south of the New York commuter communities that were the epicenter of an outbreak that exploded last spring. Yet Perth Amboy was one of the cities and towns that saw the greatest increases in deaths amid a public health crisis unlike any other. To Diaz, that underlines a cold truth that health officials have acknowledged throughout the contagion: Communities of color and poverty are seeing the worst of coronavirus as the disease exposes longtime social disparities. We proved those statistics, said Diaz, whose city is 80% Hispanic and has a poverty rate of 18%. If they ever did a case study, I think Perth Amboy would prove that is a reality. Nor is Perth Amboy alone, according to an analysis by NJ Advance Media of newly released town-by-town mortality data, which captures deaths regardless of their cause. Municipalities with the greatest increases of deaths this year were often those with the highest Black, Hispanic and Asian populations, which have all seen disproportionate impacts from coronavirus. The trends the data shows arent surprising. But its the first full look at deaths in the state down to the town level. To examine mortality, NJ Advance Media compared overall deaths in March through June with the same time period in 2018 and 2019, using figures from the state Department of Health that offer new details into coronavirus' reach. In total, the state had about 16,900 more deaths this year over those four months, a nearly 70% increase from each of the two prior years. Is the map not displaying correctly? Click here. The analysis suggested just how much race and ethnicity played a factor: Statistically, about 21% of the difference in deaths town by town could be attributed to the prevalence of racial disparities. Put another way, every percentage increase in a towns non-white population was associated with an additional 1.4 deaths on average. That is a prism with which to understand a disease that has altered the life of each and every resident of New Jersey. And that isnt to say that other factors werent also in play. Each of them hurts Deaths during the outbreak were regional, with the states heavily populated northeastern tier the hardest hit, and its southern end, which is less populated and more white, less so. A single troubled nursing home could cause a given communitys death totals to rise harrowingly. And some of the largest spikes were seen in those cities that are the most densely populated, where social distancing and isolation were more difficult than in the suburbs or the countryside. That includes a few of the most tightly packed communities in the United States: Union City, West New York and Passaic, all of which had deaths more than triple in the months in which the pandemic was at its worst. Each of them hurts, Passaic Mayor Hector Lora said of the loss of life. Each of them impacted our city. Passaic is 74% Hispanic and 8% Black and nearly a third of its residents live in poverty. It also has many nursing homes, Lora said. Though the city was deeply impacted, it could have been even worse, he said. Ive seen individuals respond extremely responsibly," Lora said. Ive seen children wearing masks. Ive seen teenagers wearing masks. Is the graphic not displaying correctly? Click here. Veronica Altamirano and her family are among those in Passaic trying to make the best of a bad situation. Altamirano, a 36-year-old undocumented immigrant from Mexico, said she is still recovering from the aftereffects of a bout with coronavirus in April that left her bedridden for 15 days with fevers and trouble breathing. Months later, Altamirano said, she still has chest pain and gets tired easily. Her husband was the first in the family of seven to be sickened, Altamirano said in Spanish in an interview interpreted by Rosa Lopez, an organizer for Make The Road New Jersey, an immigrant advocacy group. Altamirano said her husband may have contracted the disease at his job in construction, or on the bus coming to and from home. Her entire body hurt so bad, so she wasnt capable of standing up from her bed, Lopez said for Altamirano. The couple and their five children ages 19 to 4 share a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment that made it difficult to stay apart, Altamirano said. Everyone got sick, though she said she was the most severely affected. At the same time, the family is dealing with other hardship: Until recently, her husband was out of work, and they were not eligible for state or federal assistance because of their immigration status. Even now, with her husband hired part-time, the family has to decide which bills to pay each month, and whether the need for groceries wins out, she said. Still, Altamirano fared better than some others. She said she knew two factory workers who died in the outbreak after going to jobs where protective equipment like masks and hand sanitizers were in short supply. Existing inequality By sheer increase, the states four largest cities Newark, Jersey City, Paterson and Elizabeth saw the greatest number of excess deaths, with 2,352 more deaths than typical, nearly 15% of the states increase from March through June. But adjusting for size, some communities saw even greater rises, including Perth Amboy, Passaic, West New York, Union City and Dover in Morris County. Andover Township, a small, largely white community in Sussex County, saw deaths leap nearly 400%. There were 150 deaths from March through June, compared to the 31 averaged over that time period in 2018 to 2019. The township is the site of the states largest nursing home, the troubled Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation, where 17 bodies were discovered on Easter Sunday in a makeshift morgue. The facility has been slapped with $220,235 in fines and penalties by federal regulators who found failures in its infection control practices. In total at its two buildings, 83 residents and two staff members succumbed to COVID-19, according to Sussex County. All of our deaths really occurred inside Andover Subacute, said Michael Lensak, the townships mayor. Its 100% the long-term care facility." New Jerseys official coronavirus death toll exceeds 16,000 people, and about 45% of those deaths have been attributed to long-term care facilities. The Department of Health also partially tracks the racial breakdown of deaths in the outbreak, and has found that mortality rates among Blacks, Hispanics and Asians all outpace those of whites. In August, an analysis by the Associated Press and the Marshall Project found that nationally and in New Jersey, Hispanics, Blacks and Asian Americans have all seen dramatic and disproportionate increases in deaths. In the state, deaths were up 124% among Hispanics through July compared with the average over the past five years. Deaths among Asian Americans rose 107% in New Jersey, and they increased 68% among Blacks. Among whites, deaths were up 28%. Is the graphic not displaying correctly? Click here. Gov. Phil Murphy has expressed concern over racial disparities in New Jersey, as have public health experts and social justice advocates, who note that longstanding inequities leave those communities more vulnerable to COVID-19. In general, people of color are more likely to have lower incomes, less access to health care and to suffer more frequently from chronic illnesses such as diabetes, obesity or lung ailments secondary health problems that coronavirus exploits. They were also more likely to work labor-intensive, blue-collar jobs that could not be replicated at home, raising their risk of exposure as they went out into the workforce. Who are the easiest targets? asked Christopher Hayes, a historian at Rutgers University whose work focuses on race and urban life. People who are in close contact with other people. People who are already unhealthy. People who are interacting with lots of other people. The outbreak, Hayes said, merely underscored existing inequality. If you take away the disease, nothing else is new. All the problems that make Black and Latinx people get sick and die have been there, Hayes said. Back in Perth Amboy, Mayor Diaz attributed her citys high number of deaths to the realities of its workforce, who often work in warehouses or stocking shelves in supermarkets. They then brought the disease home with them, passing it on to their families who lacked the space or the means to socially distance, she said. Given those circumstances, Diaz said, it spread like wildfire. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Riley Yates may be reached at ryates@njadvancemedia.com. Arjun Kakkar may be reached at akakkar@njadvancemedia.com A trial court in Lucknow is all set to pronounce verdict in the 28-year-old Babri Masjid demolition case in which 32 surviving accused include BJP veterans LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti. While these three are the high-profile accused, others awaiting the verdict include three sitting BJP MPs Swami Sashi Maharaj, Lallu Singh and Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Other big names on the list of accused are former UP chief minister Kalyan Singh, Ram Teerth Shetra Trust president Nritya gopal Das and its general secretary Champat Rai. The trust is overseeing the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya following last years landmark verdict in which the disputed land was handed over to the Hindus. However, unlike the title dispute case which was put to bed, the mosque demolition case still can have a long way to go. Depending upon the judgement by the trial court, the parties concerned will clearly have a right to challenge the verdict in the higher courts. Demolition and Three Different Types of FIRs Just minutes after the demolition of the Babri Masjid, the first FIR no. 197/92 was registered against unknown kar sevaks at 5:15pm under sections 395, 397, 332, 337, 338, 295, 297, 153A of IPC, and section 7 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act. Ten minutes later, a second FIR (no. 198/92) was registered under sections 153A, 153B, 505 of IPC against LK Advani, Ashok Singhal, Giriraj Kishore, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, Vinay Katiyar, Vishnu Hari Dalmiya and Sadhvi Ritambhara. This was the hate and provocative speech case. Forty-seven other FIRs were also registered in the days to come related to offences of assault on media persons, looting valuables like cameras etc. All FIRs were filed at Thana Ramjanmabhoomi in Ayodhya. Over to CBI In days following the FIRs, a curious move was made by the then government. While case no. 197 was recommended for CBI probe, case no. 198 against accused politicians was handed to the CB-CID wing of Uttar Pradesh police. On August 27, 1993, the UP state government transferred all remaining 48 cases, including case no. 198 for CBI probe. The CBI took up the investigation in all the cases related to Babri Masjid demolition and filed a consolidated single charge sheet against 40 people in all the 49 cases in a special court of Lucknow on October 5, 1993. More than two years later, on January 11, 1996, the agency filed a supplementary charge sheet against nine other prominent people. The total tally of accused reached 49. Criminal Conspiracy Charge Added Contrary to initial FIRs in the case, the CBI in its charge sheet came up with the argument of having concrete and strong evidence to prove that demolition of the mosque was the fallout of a larger and sinister conspiracy. It also came up with new names in the list of accused, which included top guns of the BJP and RSS, the stalwarts of the Ram temple movement. A charge under section 120(b) of criminal conspiracy was added against the accused. Legal Battle and Derailments With the chargesheet being filed against the bigwigs of BJP and RSS, the stage was set for the commencement of trial in the case. However, the matter got entangled in legal complexities. September 9, 1997 The special judge, after hearing the petitioner and the defense counsel, passed an order holding a prima facie case for framing of charges against the accused under section 120(B), that is criminal conspiracy, under IPC and other relevant sections of law. The court ordered that formal charges would be framed in the next hearing. Some of the accused moved the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court against the lower courts decision to frame charges. The matter kept lingering through legal maneuverings. February 12, 2001 Justice Jagdish Bhalla of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court passed a detailed order. He found no illegality in a joint single charge sheet for all the FIRs, since the offenses were allegedly committed in the same course of action for accomplishing a conspiracy. However, taking note of an administrative lapse on part of the UP government, relating to notification of the trial court for crime no 198/92, that is hate speech case against Advani and others, the high court while upholding framing of charges in all other 48 cases, denied the same against Advani, Joshi, Uma Bharti, Vinay Katiyar and others. The high court, however, said the state governments faulty notification for fixing the trial court dated October 8, 1993 was curable and could be done so through another notification. May 4, 2001 Against the backdrop of the HC order, the Lucknow court dropped the proceedings against not just the original eight accused, but also against 13 others. June 16, 2001 The CBI wrote to the UP government, asking it to rectify the error pointed out by the high court and issue a fresh notification empowering the special court for resuming trial. The UP government, then headed by chief minister Rajnath Singh, decided not to issue any fresh notification. Trial in Different Courts: Lucknow-Raebareli January 27, 2003 Following legal deliberations, the CBI moved a petition in the designated court of Raebareli, requesting the court to proceed with the trial of the case 198/92 related to hate speeches against Advani and others. September 19, 2003 In a major development, special magistrate, Raebareli, discharged Advani in case no. 198/92 but ordered framing of charges against the remaining accused. Advani was then the deputy prime minister of India. July 2005 On July 6, 2005, the high court after hearing several review petitions filed against the Raebareli courts order of acquitting Advani, ordered re-framing of charges against him and all the other accused. Subsequently on July 26, the Raebareli court framed charges against all the accused. As the matter kept languishing in two different courts, a debate raged about the necessity for it and whether the two separate trials could do justice to the matter in which the sequence of the crimes was related. The earlier order of the Lucknow trial court dropping proceedings against 13 other accused and further striking down the charge of criminal conspiracy against the most important of the accused, also remained a cause of legal concern. March 20, 2012 After a series of derailments and legal hurdles from the trial courts and high court, the CBI finally reached the Supreme Court in 2011 and subsequently filed an affidavit on March 20, 2012, during the UPA 2 government headed by Manmohan Singh. The CBI made a strong argument for a common trial of all the 49 cases. It argued: 1) Investigations in all 49 cases had disclosed that there was a single general conspiracy by all the 49 accused, to demolish the disputed structure. 2) Each of the accused facilitated and participated in the fulfilment of the criminal conspiracy. 3) All the 21 persons against whom the proceedings were dropped were party to criminal conspiracy. 4) The 13 accused who were not being tried for any offenses in any court of law were party to the conspiracy and demolition. 5) Hence, it was in the interest of justice that all the accused involved in criminal conspiracy and demolition of the disputed structure were tried in the court of the special judge at Lucknow. Supreme Court April 19, 2017 After remaining pending for almost five years in the Supreme Court, a major moment in the case came on April 19, 2017. The top court ruled against the Allahabad HC order of dropping conspiracy charges. The SC ordered invoking of conspiracy charges against the accused including LK Advani and 20 others. The trial of all cases was also brought back to the Lucknow court. Day-to-Day Hearing in Lucknow Court From 2017 onwards a speedy hearing in the case started, as the charges were framed and trial on the joint charge sheet began. In between, with Kalyan Singh becoming the governor of Rajasthan, trial against him was stopped since he occupied a constitutional office. However, last year, after he demitted the office of the governor, the trial against him also began. Last month, most of the big names in the case recorded their final statements under section 313 of CrPC. Seven Categories of Accused All surviving 32 accused have been put under seven different categories depending upon the charges for which they have been tried. While Advani, Joshi, Uma Bharti, Vinay Katiyar and Sadhvi Rithambhra are accused of rioting (147), promoting enmity between two religions, provocation, threat to national integration (153 a and 153 b), unlawful assembly ( 149), Ram Vilas Vedanti, Champat Rai and Nritya Gopal Das have also been charged under section 295 and 295a (injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult the religion of other class). Several Accused, Witnesses Already Dead Over the course of 28 years, several accused have already died, including Bal Thackeray, Ashok Singhal and Giriraj Kishore. Others like Advani, Joshi and Kalyan Singh faded out of active public life. Vinay Katiyar and Uma Bharti at the moment remain side-lined within the BJP. Some like Sakshi Maharaj and Brij Bhushan Singh are members of the Lok Sabha. None of the accused except temple trust chariman Nritya Gopal Das and its secretary Champat Rai got an invitation to attend the Bhoomi Pujan event in Ayodhya on August 5. The Upper House of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) on Sunday passed two contentious farm bills amid uproar by Opposition members. The bills have triggered protests by farmers at several places. The two bills - Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 - were passed by Lok Sabha on Thursday. These bills will now be sent to President Ram Nath Kovind for his assent. The Opposition parties protested against the bill, criticising the manner in which they were passed in Parliament. In fact, the Opposition members who had earlier moved amendments refused to participate in the proceedings when the bill was being put to vote. Heres the stand taken by the various Opposition parties: Bharatiya Janata Party BJP president J P Nadda hailed Parliaments nod to two farm sector reform bills on Sunday, saying they will give farmers freedom in selling their produce and rid them of middlemen. He also hit out at the opposition parties over the ruckus in the Rajya Sabha after the Chair proceeded to take up the bills for passage as he termed the behaviour highly irresponsible and an attack on democracy. YSRCP The party led by Jagan Mohan Reddy announced its support for the bill. YSRCP MP Vijaysai Reddy slammed the Congress and said that there is no reason for it to oppose agriculture-related bills. I want to bring the hypocrisy of Congress party. In their manifesto of Lok Sabha elections, they have said the same things which are in the bills and now they are not supporting the bills, he said. Janata Dal (United) Ram Chandra Prasad Singh of the JD(U), while supporting the bills, said it is for the first time that a farmers policy has come after a long time. He said in 1991 when the country saw liberalisation, it missed bringing agriculture reforms. He cited the example of Bihar where the Nitish Kumar government has abolished the APMC Act in 2006 and yet farmers are getting good price for their produce through MSP and farmers are producing more. Congress The Congress has targeted the government on the issue of Minimum Support Price (MSP), calling the farmer bills introduced by the government as black laws. Why the government is running away from providing legal obligation for MSP. Who will take a guarantee of MSP outside Mandi, Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said. The Centre has tried to allay the concerns of the farmers that the MSP will remain intact and slammed the Opposition parties for misleading the farmers for their political gain. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted to say on Sunday afternoon that the MSP will remain intact, and hailed the passage of the bills in Parliament. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) SAD, the oldest constituent in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), said that there cant be any talks with the Centre unless the agriculture bills are taken back. This stand was announced by SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday. Punjab food and civil supplies minister BB Ashu took a dig at SAD for taking a U-turn on the issue. He accused Akali Dal of changing their position on the Bills after realising the seriousness of the matter. Trinamool Congress, DMK and CPM These parties wanted the bill to be sent to a select committee of Rajya Sabha for greater scrutiny. Deputy Chairman Harivansh put their demands for vote and said the motions have been negated by voice vote. There was then slogan-shouting as the members tried to heckle the presiding officer who was protected by House marshals. Rashtriya Janata Dal Hitting out at the Modi government over the issue of the farm bills, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said on Sunday that his party has always fought for the rights of farmers and will fight tooth and nail against this corporatisation of the agriculture sector. Why did a Union cabinet minister resign if the bills were not anti-farmer, he said while speaking to news agency PTI. Yadav was referring to SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal quitting the Cabinet last week over the farm bills issue. Shiv Sena The Maharashtra party took a stand against the farm bills with its leader Sanjay Raut demanding a special session to discuss them. Raut also asked the government to guarantee that no farmer will commit suicide after the bills are passed, and that their incomes will increase. AIADMK The Tamil Nadu party, part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), opposed the bills. It claimed the bills will favour the corporate houses. Telangana Rashtra Samiti TRS chef and Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had said he is against the bills, alleging these would cause great injustice to farmers in the country. Major farmers organisations, such as the Bharatiya Kisan Union and the umbrella All-India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, a front for nearly 200 farmers groups, have also opposed the bills. Aam Aadmi Party The AAP has opposed the farm bill. The partys Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh lashed out at the government alleging it wants the corporates to take over the agriculture sector of India. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Issam Ahmed (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States Sun, September 20, 2020 16:07 488 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45ff6f2 2 Science & Tech Saudi-Arabia,footprint,Science,biology,anthropology,Africa,homo-sapiens Free Around 120,000 years ago in what is now northern Saudi Arabia, a small band of homo sapiens stopped to drink and forage at a shallow lake that was also frequented by camels, buffalo and elephants bigger than any species seen today The people may have hunted the large mammals but they did not stay long, using the watering hole as a waypoint on a longer journey. This detailed scene was reconstructed by researchers in a new study published in Science Advances on Thursday, following the discovery of ancient human and animal footprints in the Nefud Desert that shed new light on the routes our ancient ancestors took as they spread out of Africa. Today, the Arabian Peninsula is characterized by vast, arid deserts that would have been inhospitable to early people and the animals they hunted down. But research over the last decade has shown this wasn't always the case -- due to natural climate variation it experienced much greener and more humid conditions in a period known as the last interglacial. "At certain times in the past, the deserts that dominate the interior of the peninsula transformed into expansive grasslands with permanent freshwater lakes and rivers," explained study co-author Richard Clark-Wilson of Royal Holloway. The paper's first author Mathew Stewart, of the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Germany, told AFP the footprints were discovered during his PhD field work in 2017 following the erosion of overlying sediments at an ancient lake dubbed 'Alathar' (meaning "the trace" in Arabic). "Footprints are a unique form of fossil evidence in that they provide snapshots in time, typically representing a few hours or days, a resolution we tend not to get from other records," he said. The prints were dated using a technique called optical stimulated luminescence -- blasting light at quartz grains and measuring the amount of energy emitted from them. Read also: Making tracks: Ancient footprints shed light on early humans A Green Arabia In total, seven out of the hundreds of prints discovered were confidently identified as hominin, including four that, given their similar orientation, distances from one another and differences in size, were interpreted as two or three individuals traveling together. The researchers argue these belonged to modern humans, as opposed to Neanderthals, on the basis that our extinct cousins aren't known to have been present in the wider Middle East region at the time, and based on stature and mass estimates inferred from the prints. "We know that humans were visiting this lake at the same time these animals were, and, unusually for the area, there's no stone tools," said Stewart, which would have indicated the humans made a longer term settlement there. "It appears that these people were visiting the lake for water resources and just to forage at the same time as the animals," and probably to also hunt them. The elephants, which had gone extinct in the nearby Levant region some 400,000 years ago, would have been particularly attractive prey, and their presence also suggests other plentiful freshwater resources and greenery. In addition to the footprints, some 233 fossils were recovered, and it's likely that carnivores were attracted to the herbivores at Alathar, similar to what is seen in African savannas today. According to the paper, fossils were first recorded for Homo sapiens outside of Africa between roughly 210 and 180 thousand years in southern Greece and the Levant. The new paper demonstrates "inland routes, following lakes and rivers, may have been particularly important to humans dispersing out of Africa" too, said Stewart. "The presence of large animals such as elephants and hippos, together with open grasslands and large water resources, may have made northern Arabia a particularly attractive place to humans moving between Africa and Eurasia," added the study's senior author Michael Petraglia of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. The Oakland County Suicide Prevention Task Force is offering two free Suicide Prevention 101 virtual trainings from 11 a.m. 12:30 p.m. and 6-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday at BlueJeans.com. There will also be a training on Wednesday, September 29 at the same website. Participants will learn about mental health and suicide, warning signs of suicide and basic techniques to have conversations about suicide based on the latest research. Oakland County mental health resources will also be passed out, such as suicide prevention toolkits for parents and schools, a Make Your Home Suicide-Safe Brochure and a flyer on suicide warning signs. Registration is required at oakgov.com/health, by clicking Register and Citizen Register for Services. Select Suicide Prevention 101 Presentation, select the time you want to view the presentation and fill out the prompts. You can then print the page for your records and the appropriate link to the event will appear. In Michigan, suicide is the second leading cause of death in people ages 10 to 34 and the fourth leading cause of death for ages 25-54. For more information on suicide prevention, visit the Task Forces website. Or, the Common Ground Resource and Crisis Helpline is available for those contemplating suicide at 1-(800)-231-1127 or online at www.commongroundhelps.org. Pandemic isolation can erode mental health in several ways Oakland County community calendar Sept. 20 and beyond Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency raises awareness during Suicide Prevention Month Local motivational speaker and mental health advocate dies after brief illness A letter containing the poison ricin and addressed to President Donald Trump was intercepted by law enforcement officers earlier this week. Letters containing the poison were also sent to local law enforcement agencies in Texas. The letters are believed to have come from Canada, and investigators have identified a woman as a possible suspect, according to the New York Times. The envelope that was addressed to the White House was set aside at the final processing facility where mail is screened before going to the White House mailroom. Two tests were carried out to confirm the presence of ricin, reports CNN. The FBI and our U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service partners are investigating a suspicious letter received at a U.S. government mail facility, the FBI said in a statement. At this time, there is no known threat to public safety. Advertisement 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. Canadian officials also said they were aware of the ongoing investigation. We are aware of the concerning reports of packages containing ricin directed toward US federal government sites. Canadian law enforcement is working closely with their US counterparts, Mary-Liz Power, chief spokeswoman for Canadas minister of public safety, Bill Blair, said in a statement. As this is an active investigation we cannot comment further. Ricin is a deadly poison that comes from castor beans and has no known antidote. Ricin is very toxic, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It works by getting inside the cells of a persons body and preventing the cells from making the proteins they need. Without the proteins, cells die. Eventually this is harmful to the whole body, and may cause death. Ricin could potentially be used as a biological weapon, according to the Mayo Clinic. This is not the first time ricin was thought to have been sent to government officials. In 2018, several letters addressed to top Defense Department officials were thought to contain ricin. It was later determined the letters contained castor seeds. A Navy veteran was charged, and his case is still pending. NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Fastly, Inc. (Fastly or the Company) (NYSE: FSLY) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court for the Northern District of California, and docketed under 20-cv-06454, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons other than Defendants who purchased or otherwise, acquired Fastly securities between May 6, 2020, and August 5, 2020, inclusive (the Class Period) and were damaged thereby, seeking to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act), and SEC Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder (the Class). If you are a shareholder who purchased Fastly securities during the class period, you have until October 26, 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 newaction@pomlaw.com 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] Fastly is the provider of an edge cloud platform. Fastlys edge cloud platform purportedly enables customers to create great digital experiences quickly, securely, and reliably by processing, serving, and securing [its] customers applications as close to their end-users as possible. The complaint alleges that during the Class Period, Defendants knowingly and/or recklessly made false and/or misleading statements about the Companys business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose: (i) that Fastlys largest customer was ByteDance, operator of TikTok, which was known to have serious security risks and was under intense scrutiny by U.S. officials; (ii) that there was a material risk that Fastlys business would be adversely impacted should any adverse actions be taken against ByteDance or TikTok by the U.S. government; and (iii) that, as a result, Defendants positive statements about the Companys business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. On August 5, 2020, after market close, Fastly held its second quarter (Q2) 2020 earnings conference call. During the call, Defendants disclosed that ByteDance, the Chinese company that operates the wildly popular mobile app TikTok, was Fastlys largest customer in Q2 2020 and that TikTok represented about 12% of Fastlys revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2020. This news shocked the market, as TikTok had been under heavy scrutiny by U.S. officials and others since at least late 2019 due to fears that the data it collects from its users could be accessed by the Chinese government. Indeed, on July 31, 2020, President Trump announced a plan to ban TikTok in the U.S. over national security concerns. As Fastlys Chief Executive Officer (CEO) admitted on the Q2 2020 earnings call, any ban of the TikTok app by the US would create uncertainty around our ability to support this customer[,] and the loss of this customers traffic would have an impact on our business. On this news, Fastlys share price fell $19.28 per share, or approximately 17.7% from the previous trading days closing price of $108.92 per share, to close at $89.64 per share on August 6, 2020. Fastlys shares continued to decline on August 6, 2020, when President Trump issued an executive order effectively banning TikTok, declining another $10.31 per share from the closing price on August 6, 2020, or approximately 11.5%, to close at $79.33 per share on August 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 rswilloughby@pomlaw.com 888-476-6529 ext. 7980 Queen Elizabeth II cut all the royal family's connection with Harvey Weinstein by revoking his British honorary award. On Friday, the Queen officially drew the line by removing the honorary CBE award she gave to Weinstein. This comes six months after the media mogul was arrested for rape and sexual assault. The royal honorific recognized his contributions to the U.K. film industry. Due to his achievement, he scored the appointment as an honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2004. The London Gazette released a statement regarding the news, officially confirming that the honor had been truly stripped away. "The Queen has directed that the appointment of Harvey Weinstein to be an Honorary Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, dated 29 January 2004, shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order," the announcement disclosed. Career Over Weinstein has started serving his 23-year prison sentence after he was found guilty of the rape and sexual claims thrown at him. The film producer and notrious sex offender saw his career end when dozens of women prompted the #MeToo movement. The crusade mainly focuses on demanding powerful men to be held accountable for their actions, specifically sexual misconduct. Going back to the lost of his title, it is worth noting that the forfeiture committee can strip away an honor upon the approval of Queen Elizabeth II. "Forfeitures are not that uncommon. We don't comment as Her Majesty acts on the advice of the Forfeiture Committee, which sits under the Cabinet Office," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson told Harper's Bazaar. Netizens then shared what they felt about the announcement, with most continuing to slam the infamous film producer. "Thank Queen Elizabeth! Seeing Weinstein in that phony walker as if he is too feeble to attack women," one fan of the move said. Another one wrote, "Prince Andrew was defending him all this time, but the Queen finally took over." What Happened To Harvey Weinstein? In October 2017, The New Yorker exposed the damaging claims about Weinstein. The report included the allegations made by Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd. Following the controversy, Harvey noticeably took a break from his executive position at his Weinstein Company. "I came of age in the '60s and '70s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different. That was the culture then," Weinstein defended himself at the time. "I have since learned it's not an excuse, in the office - or out of it. To anyone." After a 10-month investigation, American journalist Ronan Farrow detailed nearly 30 years of sexual misconduct made by Weinstein, mentioning testimonies from several victims such as Mira Sorvino and Asia Argento. Several stars also supported the victims' claims, including Quentin Tarantino and Tom Hanks. Per Tarantino, he knew Weinstein's reported misconduct for years now. Meanwhile, Hanks told the BBC that there would be no way back for Weinstein anymore after all those revelations. After a few months when the report came out, Weinstein turned himself in. Although he received a 23-year sentence now, the accusations keep on coming. New court documents filed in New York even recalled the several sexual offenses he committed dating from 1984 to 2013. READ MORE: Royal Exit: Meghan Markle Finally Reveals TRUTH About Megxit Mr Gammon claims the proposed studio has in-principle support from the council and regional agency Screenworks. He also claims a temporary studio in a converted industrial building could be operational as early as October. Byron Studios , meanwhile, is a private consortium headed by VFX producer William Gammon, which aims to develop a two-sound stage facility plus a multi-function hub on land opposite Ballina airport, next door to the site of INXS manager Chris Murphy's proposed X Museum . The West Australian government last month invited tenders for a proposed studio within a 20 kilometre radius of central Perth. The tender, which closes on September 25, calls for three or four sound stages, including one large enough to rival the largest Fox Studios in Sydney, Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast and Dockland Studios in Melbourne have to offer. Byron Bay and Perth are leading the rush to build new studios to cater to global demand for film and television content, but some leading industry figures have cast doubt on the need for such high-cost facilities. "The momentum is here to create something like this," said Mr Gammon, whose company Cumulus VFX has done post-production work on Lambs of God, 2040 and Pine Gap. "We are taking calls from multiple films looking to shoot up here in the next year and the local industry is starting to fire up as well." The Northern Rivers region is home to many industry figures most notably the Hemsworth brothers, Liam, Chris and Luke and has become a screen production hotspot, with the Nicole Kidman-led series Nine Perfect Strangers and the Stan series Eden shooting in the area. Also in production is the low-budget feature film Bosch & Rockit, starring Luke Hemsworth and Isabel Lucas. Netflix is also rumoured to be considering the area as a location for an upcoming production, though details are yet to be officially announced. In its submission in response to the federal governments options paper, the streamer noted that "the search for stage space to service the production ecosystem is a worldwide phenomenon". In Australia, the Queensland government has responded by converting former cotton sheds into the SQ Studios facility in Brisbane. In Victoria, the state government is on track to build, at a cost of $46 million, a sixth soundstage at its Docklands Studios large enough to house big-budget Hollywood productions. "If you want to be in this sector there are certain international preconditions that you've got to meet," said Martin Foley, Victoria's creative industries minister. "We've got far too much invested, and there are far too many opportunities, to muck it up." Rajesh Kumar Thakur By Express News Service PATNA: Bihar set the record of becoming the first state in India to conduct highest number of COVID-19 tests in single-day on Sunday. In the last 24-hours, the state health department conducted more than 1,76,511 tests for COVID-19. Sharing this information, state health minister Mangal Pandey said that a total of 5,70,03,36 COVID-19 tests have been done so far, of which 1,68,542 persons were tested positive for the coronavirus. The testing in Bihar got pace with the appointment of IAS officer Pratyay Amrit as principal health secretary, replacing Uday Singh Kumawat, amid mounting pressure from public to increase testing. Pratyay started reviewing testing arrangements in Bihar and toured across state medical colleges and hospitals to check the testing arrangements. Sharing details with The New Indian Express, Pratyay Amrit said that only 864 persons had succumbed to the COVId-19 in Bihar so far. CLICK HERE FOR COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES "Bihar's recovery rate has gone upto 91.63 per cent as on Sunday with only 13,234 active COVID-19 patients under treatment and isolation at hospitals and their homes. So far,1,54,443 patients have recovered that is also a record in itself", Pratyay Amrit said. He said that the infection rate has also dropped significantly in the state with just 1,555 new positive cases tested in the last 24-hours. Official sources meanwhile said that efforts were underway to make Bihar 'corona-free' before elections. ''The entire state health force is working to make this happen and the level of awareness among people has also increased.'' he said. ALSO WATCH: It was his last column, though he had no idea it would be so when he wrote it. It appeared in the Irish edition of the Sunday Times on the morning of July 2, 2017. By lunchtime, Kevin Myers had been fired and his employers had issued a public statement that he would never work for them again. It was an undignified, humiliating end to what had been a long and distinguished, if frequently controversial, career as a journalist. What made it hurt so badly in this instance is that the sin of which he stood accused - namely, anti-semitism - was the exact opposite of the truth. Myers had always held a deep admiration, even love, for the Jewish people. When he wrote that Sunday morning, in the context of an ongoing debate about the gender pay gap at the BBC, that certain named Jewish female TV presenters made sure to be extremely well rewarded for their work, he'd meant it as a compliment, albeit, as he now admits, "a profoundly foolish one". He had ventured into dangerous waters without even realising he was going there, and the frivolous tone he'd often adopted when writing about serious subjects had finally proved his undoing in an age that takes everything literally and doesn't care about nuance or context or even facts. This is where Myers begins his new memoir. It is by now a familiar story. No matter how many times he tells it, though, it never loses its power to shock. Myers was denounced as a "Holocaust denier" on national radio on the basis of a wilfully misrepresented article he'd written years previously. The new Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, publicly welcomed his dismissal. The backlash on social media was ferocious. He retained the full support of the Jewish community in Ireland throughout, but everyone else abandoned him, including those he considered his friends. Powerful enemies finally saw their chance to bring him down. In due course, he decided to sue RTE for defamation for calling him a Holocaust denier, despite being warned that the legal costs could be ruinous, ranging from 250,000 to 2m. For two years, he never had a good night's sleep. He says he lost most of his hair and the rest turned white. Video of the Day RTE opted to deploy its vast store of public money to fight the case to the bitter end, before agreeing to a last-minute, out-of-court settlement. It then buried the resulting apology to Myers on Morning Ireland on the morning of local election results. If all Burning Heresies had to offer was a rehash of this shameful episode in the history of Irish journalism, it would be a fascinating document but one of necessarily limited interest. Myers's scope is thankfully broader. He jumps back in time to his arrival as a young man in the Irish Times newsroom in 1979 after years covering the Troubles in Northern Ireland. He was suffering from PTSD, he now realises, having seen half a dozen people die beside him, and the immediate aftermath of numerous other atrocities. He was immediately informed by one of his new colleagues that the job of sub-editors who set journalists' copy was to "separate the nutritious wheat from the worthless chaff and throw away the former". He notes: "I thought he was jesting. He wasn't." It's only 40 years ago, but it feels like another world, one of smoke-filled pubs, hard-drinking journalists and all-powerful trade unions in a country crippled by economic stagnation and sexual repression. Myers makes it sound like an awful place, but he brings it to life so vividly and writes so elegantly and wittily about the many characters he encounters that the pages can't help but exude a nostalgic charm. The rest of the book chronicles his life in journalism, from the Stardust fire, to his battles with the Irish Times's then editor to tell the truth about Taoiseach Charles Haughey's ill-gotten gains, to the war in Lebanon. After Belfast, he was well and truly "cured of all appetite for violence". Arriving in Tel Aviv en route to the conflict zone, he makes sure to have his passport liberally stamped by the Israelis, having been warned by fellow journalists that no Arab country would let him in if he did so. His ruse doesn't work. The newsroom orders him to Beirut immediately, and arranges a new passport through the Irish embassy in Cyprus. He writes too of his time in Bosnia during the civil war in the former Yugoslavia, where he was sent despite having an "unassailable ignorance" of the region. Dozens of journalists had been killed already while covering the conflict. He didn't want to be there, and admits to being terrified most of the time. It's a welcome riposte to the usual macho bravado that repeatedly draws war reporters back into the line of fire. Many of those he befriended in Bosnia were later killed in other wars. Once out, he pledges never to return to any killing zone again, and writes keenly on how flirting with the IRA "deeply corrupted Ireland's moral fabric". Away from the more momentous high points of his career, the book does lose some focus as it offers a series of bitchy, disobliging vignettes of prominent public figures who are, in the main, not around to defend themselves. The accounts of his erotic misadventures, often with named women who are also conveniently no longer alive to offer a competing account, are soonest ignored as lacking chivalry at best. Much of the later material has the unmistakable air of scores being settled, and is probably of more interest to fellow denizens of the Dublin media village than to general readers. Eventually, it all loops back to where it began, with a more detailed account of how his career ended. Myers believes that history will, in the fullness of time, condemn his accusers, and, having come through the fire, he's earned the right to hope; but the sinister forces that were ranged against him do not seem to be getting any less powerful yet. Several months ago, my son asked me to send him a 1970 article that referred to my medical evacuation in Vietnam. The article was focused on the 247th Medical Detachment, Helicopter Ambulance, called a Dust Off, operating along the South China Sea. It took some searching but I found and sent it. I realized, rereading it, that the five personnel mentioned pilots and crew were all from the South. The crew chief who mentioned my extraction was from Chattanooga, two hours down the road. My son, who was in San Francisco, thought I should contact him and two days later he had located the crew chief, Bill Zinkeler, and had emailed him. Bill said in 50 years he had never met anyone he had combat airlifted out of the field. Over almost 900 missions, that amounted to thousands of people: Americans, Vietnamese, Koreans, Australians and others. I was stunned by this and sent Bill a message saying I wanted to thank him for pulling me out of the boonies so long ago and was remiss for waiting 50 years to do so. The helicopter pilots were heroic Retired Judge George Paine II, left, in the Vietnam war. On Aug. 13, 1970, as an infantry platoon leader, I had led a small group of 10 to 12 soldiers to check out a thatched hut that had recently been used by enemy soldiers in the scrub jungle between Phan Thiet and Phan Rang. As we entered the dwelling area, a booby trap was triggered and six of us were wounded. What follows an explosion like this is a period of chaos and uncertainty as one tries to deal with the situation from a tactical and medical standpoint. Once I regained consciousness, I had to set up a defensive perimeter, direct the medic, contact my company to come assist us, ask them to send a reaction force, and call for a Dust Off. We loved the helicopter pilots and crews who we relied on for transportation, supplies of food and ammunition, gunship protection and removing us from the field if wounded. They were truly heroic, and the most courageous and inspiring were the unarmed Dust Off guys their helicopters and they had no weaponry. Story continues Don't write off Ohio: Why Joe Biden and rich Democrats should go big in Ohio: If they win it, Trump is history They would fly in to help those of us on the ground under the most dangerous situations with seemingly no thought of their own safety. We always knew we could call on them night or day, even in the monsoon rains, and theyd be there for us. Aug. 13 was no exception. Within 20 minutes a bird was on station and preparing to land. Six of us were quickly loaded in the chopper and it took off. For me it was an odd and helpless feeling. I was in extreme pain and was leaving my platoon in possible immediate danger without an officer. Further I was trying to comfort and console the soldiers who had been airlifted with me. Dust Off Crew Chief Bill Zinkeler saved George Paine II's life in Vietnam. In spite of this, I had another thought while on my stretcher. We had a heavy load with six wounded men and it was taking us forever to get into the air. It seemed like we spent an enormous time flying low over the terrain trying to gain altitude. So, Im thinking, This is great, I might possibly survive the booby trap only to be shot down in a helicopter flying way too low for my comfort. It was actually comic relief to think of the absurdity of my thoughts. In a previous war, we might have died During the flight to the base camp, called LZ Betty, for triage that would be done by the only doctor there, I remember talking with this then unknown crew chief to get information from him. I have never forgotten how impressed I was with his concern, kindness and care for all of us, while in his own chaos he was handling his duties of looking after us. At base camp LZ Betty in Vietnam He was coordinating with the pilots who couldnt see behind them, and was in contact with the base camp, getting it prepared for a bird load of wounded. The doctor and the soldiers at the base camp would prepare for us based on his assessment. At LZ Betty we were quickly removed from the helicopter and examined, and two of us were soon on our way to an evacuation surgical unit at Cam Ranh Bay. Remarkably, we had been picked up in the field within 20 minutes, examined within 30 minutes, delivered to a surgical unit within an hour and put on the operating table soon after. In the Korean War and wars previous to it, we would have stood a real likelihood of not surviving. COVID-19 meant we couldn't meet in person, but here's how we connected I never forgot the crew chief and, when reconnected, I was delighted to hear of his successful life after the Army. Bill had returned to college and gotten his degree, spent 30 years with the Chattanooga Police Department, retired as a captain of the Investigative Services Division, and spent another 15 years as manager of the Civil Warrants Division for the Sheriffs Office. Retired federal Judge George Paine II We have spoken by telephone and he answered questions that I had pondered over the decades. How did they get to me so quickly? Who flew me to Cam Ranh Bay? What was the difference in a Medevac and Dust off? (The latter didnt have machine guns and operated under the Geneva Convention.) I didnt even know I had gone to an Air Force hospital rather than an Army one. We had a great telephonic reunion, swapped tales and have since exchanged photographs. Racism in America: I thought I never personally experienced racism. Then I realized I just normalized it. However, what I was really looking forward to was getting together with Bill and his wife for lunch Aug. 13 at their house in Chattanooga on the 50th anniversary of his kindness towards me. Further, my wife and two sons who have lived with my Vietnam experience for four decades were eagerly anticipating the visit. Unfortunately, Bill who has pulmonary issues was told by his primary physician that our reunion was too risky in this time of COVID-19 and it would have to be put off. We did, finally, see each other, but on a screen. We had a Zoom meeting Aug. 13 exactly 50 years to the day after he cared for me and five others in a rescue the likes of which he carried out multiple times daily for soldiers and civilians, too. It wasnt the reunion I had envisioned, but this was a wonderful substitute. We intend to get together in the flesh once the plague is over. George C. Paine II of Nashville was a chief judge for the U.S. bankruptcy court, Middle District of Tennessee. He retired from the court in 2011. This column was originally published in the Tennessean. 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 Nashville Tennessean: A 50-year belated thanks to the man who saved my life in Vietnam After a working life as a probation officer and social worker, Beth Haining reckoned she was a good judge of character and certainly not the sort to suffer fools gladly. So when she read stories of lonely older women falling for toyboys in faraway climes online blowing their life savings on them and even marrying them shed laugh and shake her head in disbelief that they could be so gullible. But Beths not laughing any more. Because at 68 the mum-of-two is counting the 18,000 cost of doing just that and now she wants to warn other women her age not to go down the same nightmare road. I never thought this could happen to me, said Beth, now picking up the pieces of a fateful online encounter with a man in Ghana nearly 30 years younger. I was a stupid old woman who fell for the Mills and Boons chat, but he just wanted me for my money. Ive cried for a year and put on four stone. Against all her better judgment she began falling for him on social media and ended up sending him thousands of pounds when he asked for it. She even flew out to Africa to meet him and fell straight into bed with him after he picked her up at the airport. And when he began to bombard her with proposals on that first trip and arranged a surprise wedding for them, Beth astonishingly went through with it leaving her children stunned. Then she brought him home and all her illusions were shattered. I should have known better, she says. I used to laugh at women falling for good-looking toy boys from abroad and think how gullible and silly they are. Now Im one of them. She was a 63-year-old divorcee when she met musician Rodney online in 2014. He lived in Accra, Ghana and Beth ran a charity that helped orphanages there. We had a mutual friend and both loved music. Rodney was a producer, working with some big names in Ghanaian music, Beth said. I was a bit lonely as my sister Gaynor had died a couple of years earlier and my mum had been diagnosed with dementia. But Rodney was very friendly and chatty. We got on well. Soon the pair were messaging and then talking to each other every day. Beth said: I thought we were friends, but he started saying I had nice hair and he couldnt wait to touch it. Wed seen pictures of each other and there was a huge age difference he told me he was 40 so I didnt realise he was flirting at first. Before long, the first request for money came and Beth, who had taken a shine to him, felt obliged to agree. I liked him and after a few months he asked if he could borrow some money as he was waiting for a cheque, she said. It was just 200 so I did, and he promised to pay me back. Then he needed some money for some studio equipment and I sent him another 2,000. We began talking about meeting up. Id been to Ghana before as Id worked as a volunteer at orphanages over there. He asked me to visit him. Beth flew out in August 2015. He picked me up and gave me a full-on kiss in the car which gave me butterflies, she said. I realised then we werent just going to be friends and that night we had s.e.x. It was a magical time. We spent all our time together, eating out, drinking, meeting his friends. He always had his arm around me and was kissing me. Rodney asked Beth to marry him four or five times but she refused, saying they didnt know each other well enough. Then, a week before she was due to fly home they went to a club and he stood on the stage and proposed. He said he wanted to spend his life with me and had arranged a surprise wedding for five days later, the day before I was to fly home. All his friends were clapping and cheering. I didnt feel I could say no. I loved him but I thought it was too soon. The next day she bought a green wedding dress, the rings and asked a neighbour to send over her divorce papers from her first marriage which ended in the 1970s. She said her horrified children begged her not to go through with it after she broke the news to them on the phone. I knew theyd try to talk me out of it, said Beth. They werent happy. It was during the ceremony she first realised Rodney had lied. When I saw his date of birth I realised hed lied about being 40 and really he was in his 30s. I was a bit shocked but it was too late. Beth flew home the next day and paid a lawyer 3,000 to arrange the spouse visa Rodney needed. It was granted in February 2017 and he flew over to live in the three-bedroom home in Redditch, Worcs, left to her by her mum. Then things began to go wrong. He didnt stop moaning and nothing I did was good enough, said Beth. He spent more time sleeping on the sofa than he did in my bed. He would argue about everything the food, the cold and having to find work in a packing factory. He said, How can you be broke when youre British? He thought this was the land of milk and honey. My children and friends didnt like him. I thought it was a culture shock and hed adapt. Eventually I realised it was all a lie. When she finally told him it was over he kept begging for another chance, buying her flowers, before finally agreeing to leave. She gave him the money to fly home and the taxi fare to the airport. Beth claims he reported her to police for attacking him. Hes over six foot. Im half his size, twice his age and have never hit anyone, said Beth who gave a statement with no action ever taken. She is now waiting for her divorce to be finalised. The application cost her 1,400. Now I just want to get on with my life without him, she said. I keep asking myself how could I have been so stupid as to be taken in by him. I thought it could never happen to me, but I fell for it all. Daughter stunned by mums bombshell call Beths daughter says she had reservations about her mums toyboy husband and didnt like him from the start. Mum-of-three Sasha Haining, 47, said: I was shocked when my mum rang me two days before her wedding to say she was getting married. I told her, You cant. Hes a lot younger than you and no one knows anything about him. But she said he was nice. Obviously, he was going to be nice because thats what you do when youre trying to woo people. I didnt like him from the moment I met him. I thought he was arrogant and rude. The first time we met him he went off and didnt speak to anyone. We thought he was after her money straight away. My nan Barbara was really worried about it all. Mum had been giving him money and was always funding his business enterprises. Im relieved that she isnt with him now and is happy now. She is 100 per cent better off without him. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Last week's chat with Sen. Ben Sasse on Gov. Pete Ricketts' newest podcast is worth a listen. Sasse, with his signature rapid-fire delivery, responds to questions about his academic career, life in the Senate, family and policy issues and focuses on his role as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Intelligence is where he says he "spend(s) most of my time." "China is the biggest long-term existential threat," the senator said. Sasse also sits on Judiciary, which has churned out new judges by the dozen, and Finance, where he says "any grand bargain on entitlement reform will be centered," and therefore a really good place to be. The Senate is "especially frustrating for governors," Sasse told Ricketts, who presumably might have an eye on a future Senate seat as one of his options following the conclusion of his governorship. The slow-moving Senate, where most members would "rather have an issue than an answer," grates on former governors who are in the business of making decisions, Sasse said. "It takes four to six years for governors to stop being angry," he said, as Ricketts exploded with laughter. New Delhi: The move to reimpose a 5% import duty on open cell panels, a key component used in the manufacturing of television sets, will add pressure on the TV industry and impact prices of TV sets sold in India, industry body Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA)said on Sunday. Open cell panels, that form nearly 65% of the total production cost of televisions, will attract 5% import duty from 1 October, Mint reported earlier today citing governement sources. The duty exemption on imports of open cell panels expiring at the end of this month will not be extended as the government pushes to expand domestic manufacturing, the report said. While government officials estimate that the impact of the duty could translate to Rs150-250 per television, manufacturers say end consumer prices could go by Rs400-1,200, depending on the size of the television set. As part of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' the government is keen to expand domestic production capacity for open cell panels as it seeks to curb imports. The year-long exemption given to open cell panels expires on 30 September, the Mint report said. Industry body Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association or CEAMA said the move will add pressure on the industry that is already struggling from covid-induced pressure on consumer demand. The resumption of customs duty on Open Cells will put added pressure on the TV industry which is already reeling under stress due to COVID. This may make the domestic manufacturing uncompetitive and expensive. Open cell panels form nearly 65% of the total production cost of television and the imposition of duty may have an impact on the overall pricing of TVs," said Kamal Nandi, president, CEAMA, and business head & EVP, Godrej Appliances. India is entering the crucial festive season that accounts for a significant quantum of sales for electronics and appliances companies. The government needs to understand demand and supply, with this move, India becomes one of the top manufacturing countries to pay the highest duty and taxes on televisions in the world," said Avneet Singh Marwah CEO SPPL, exclusive brand licensee of THOMSON televisions in India.Firstly panel prices have been increased by 120% in China, now finance ministry will increase customs duty. This has come when industry was looking some support from government," he said. The impact on customer price due to the increase in custom duty could range from 400 to 1,200, depending on the size, he said. Sales value of televisions in India is estimated at 25,000 crores. The industry employs an estimated 40,000 people directly, CEAMA said.Nandi said the industry is closely working with the government to formulate and facilitate both phased manufacturing and end-to-end manufacturing of televisions in the country. 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 Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 20, 2020 14:12 488 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45f83bd 1 National kimia-farma,PT-Kimia-Farma-Diagnostika,sexual-harassment,Sexual-assault,rapid-test,COVID-19-rapid-test,COVID-19,pandemic,Soekarno-Hatta-International-Airport Free Clinical laboratory firm PT Kimia Farma Diagnostika, a subsidiary of publicly-listed pharmaceutical company PT Kimia Farma, is set to pursue legal action against an employee who has been accused of fraud, extortion and sexual harassment during his time working as a COVID-19 rapid test officer at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten. After contacting the alleged victim, Kimia Farma Diagnostika president director Adil Fadillah Bulqini said the company had agreed to bring the case to court. PT Kimia Farma Diagnostika will bring seek legal action against the [employee] who had purportedly faked rapid test results, committed extortion and intimidation, Adil said on Saturday as quoted by kompas.com. He went on to say that the company had already questioned the alleged perpetrator and conducted an internal investigation. However, Adil stopped short of disclosing the exact date the employee would be reported to the police. Meanwhile, Soekarno-Hatta general manager Agus Haryadi said airport operator PT Angkasa Pura would coordinate with the authorities to resolve the case. The allegations surfaced on social media when Twitter user @listongs posted a thread recounting her experience being purportedly extorted and sexually harassed by a medical worker employed by Kimia Farma during a rapid test at Soekarno-Hatta Terminal 3, prior to her departure to Nias, North Sumatra, at 6 a.m. on Sept. 13. PEMERASAN DAN PELECEHAN SEKSUAL OLEH DOKTER RAPID TEST DI BANDARA SOEKARNO HATTA, TERMINAL 3 [A THREAD] lism (@listongs) September 18, 2020 The health worker told her that her rapid test result had come back reactive, but that he could guarantee her a good result should she take another test. After the second test came back nonreactive, the health worker demanded an additional fee for the test result that he had produced. She then transferred Rp 1.4 million (US$95.02) to the health workers personal bank account. Soon afterward, the man forcefully kissed her on the lips. I was shocked, I couldnt do anything but remain still, I was unable to fight back because I felt crushed on the inside, she tweeted, adding that the health worker then proceeded to take advantage of her shock to grope her. Upon arriving in Nias, she immediately reported her experience to the local police. However, they suggested that she report the alleged offense to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport Police instead. Soekarno-Hatta Police general crimes unit head Comr. Alexander Yurikho said on Friday that his office had yet to receive any report pertaining to the case. No one has officially submitted a report to the Soekarna-Hatta Police, he said, calling on @listongs to make a formal statement apart from her Twitter thread. He said the police would examine the airports CCTV footage to confirm that the alleged crime had indeed taken place. (rfa) Editor's note: An earlier version of this article contained an error. PT Kimia Farma Diagnostika is not a publicly-listed company. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-21 00:07:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- The total number of confirmed COVID-19 positive cases in Africa has reached 1,399,186 as of Sunday, the Africa CDC said. The continental disease control and prevention agency said in a statement that the death toll due to illnesses related to COVID-19 in Africa has reached 33,818 as of Sunday. The Africa CDC said the number of people who recovered from the virus across the continent reached 1,148,578 so far. Noting the uneven impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on African countries, the Africa CDC also disclosed that the most COVID-19 affected African countries in terms of the number of positive cases include South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Ethiopia and Nigeria. During the past one-week period, Morocco reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases with 14,603 new cases, followed by South Africa and Ethiopia with 11,013 and 4,742 new cases, respectively. The war-torn nation of Libya and neighboring Tunisia round up the top five African countries reporting the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the past week. Enditem September 20, 2020 / 10:55 PM IST and West Bengal. Yet, Indias recovery rate continues to rise and now stands at 79.7 percent. 'Unlock 4.0' is underway. Globally, there have been over 3.07 crore confirmed cases of COVID-19. More than 9.53 lakh people have died so far. Catch the latest updates here: Coronavirus India News highlights: Today is the 181st day since India implemented a nationwide lockdown, to help curb the novel coronavirus pandemic. So far, India has recorded 54,00,619 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 86,752 deaths. Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have reported the highest number of cases. However, infections are rising rapidly in states like Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh BENGALURU: Godrej Fund Management (GFM), the real estate-focused private equity arm of the Godrej Group, plans to raise a $500-million fund by early next year to invest in office properties and is in talks with global investors, said Karan Bolaria, the companys managing director and chief executive. A year ago, GMF had raised the $450-million Build to Core office development fund and a $150-million office investment fund, which have been fully deployed. Godrejs move comes at a time when Indias commercial office market has suffered a blip because of the covid-19 pandemic, but continues to attract long-term investor interest. We continue to be bullish on the office market. We have ramped up our office platform rapidly and will expand it further. There is a shortage of good quality, Grade A, office space and we believe despite the work-from-home (WFH) trend, clients will work from offices and take up more space as a risk mitigation measure," Bolaria said in a telephonic interview. GFMs existing investors include Dutch pension fund APG Asset Management and Allianz Real Estate. It invested in six properties across Pune, Bengaluru, the National Capital Region, and Mumbai. Its has more than $1 billion in assets under management. The strategy for the new fund remains focussing on the four key markets, buying land and building office properties, Bolaria said. Land prices have corrected by 10-15% and there are good opportunities to deploy money. Unlike before, landowners today are willing to negotiate prices. The new fund has also seen a high level of interest from overseas investors," he said. GFMs key strategy is to buy land and build, but it may make an exception to acquire ready office property depending on the opportunity and value. The new WFH regime has divided companies or tenants over its long-term sustainability as a solution. Property advisory Knight Frank India said in a September report that WFH may not have much of an impact on the corporate real estate on a long-term basis and may not result in significant cost savings by companies, particularly in the IT sector. The sector, which has been at the forefront in encouraging employees to continue to work from home, has been the key driver of Indias office market contributing nearly 44% of cumulative office space demand between 2010-2019. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. How do you solve a problem like friendlyjordies? It was the question on the lips of Nationals MPs last week when the YouTube political commentator dropped his latest video set inside the holiday home of Deputy Premier and party leader John Barilaro. Friendlyjordies real name Jordan Shanks has been a YouTube personality for almost 10 years, oft-described as a Labor-aligned comedian, interviewing Kristina Keneally, Tanya Plibersek and former prime minister Kevin Rudd among others. This year he has interviewed NSW Opposition Leader Jodi McKay and Port Stephens MP Kate Washington. The video Jordan Shanks filmed at the holiday home of Deputy Premier John Barilaro has been watched 350,000 times. Credit:@friendlyjordies Shanks, 31, is known for his sardonic style and pushing the bounds of good taste. He is tacitly endorsed by the Labor Party, which considers his videos a way to reach Gen Y voters. But questions have been raised about his tactics after recent stunts, as well as comments about allegations of sexual harassment against former NSW opposition leader Luke Foley. Police are also investigating a complaint against Shanks. One Labor campaign strategist, who asked not to be named, said Shanks' "nasty" style was starting to cause concern inside the party in NSW. "The stuff he has done with John Barilaro is racist," the person said. "My recommendation to people is to stay away." President Muhammadu Buhari has commended the election process in Edo, which led to the victory of Governor Godwin Obaseki as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission. The president, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Sunday, congratulated the winner and urged him to show grace and humility in victory. In his reaction to the outcome of the election as announced by INEC, President Buhari said: My commitment to free and fair elections is firm, because without free and fair elections, the foundation of our political and moral authority will be weak. I have consistently advocated free and fair elections in the country because it is the bedrock of true democratic order. Democracy will mean nothing if the votes of the people dont count or if their mandate is fraudulently tampered with. He commended the people of Edo, the parties, candidates and security agencies for conducting themselves responsibly. News Agency of Nigeria reports that Prof. Akpofure Rim-Rukeh, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, Delta, and the Returning Officer for the election, had on Sunday announced the result of the Sept. 19 Edo State governorship election after its collation in Benin. He said that Obaseki polled a total of 307,955 votes to defeat the closest rival and the All Progressives Congress (APC), candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu who scored 223,619. Obaseki had also commended President Buhari for ensuring fairness in the just-concluded Edo governorship election. A package containing ricin poison that was addressed to US President Donald Trump has been intercepted before it reached the White House, officials told American media outlets. The letter was discovered at a screening facility for White House mail earlier this week, the BBC quoted the officials as saying to the outlets on Saturday. They said a substance found inside the envelope was identified as ricin, a poison found naturally in castor beans. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Secret Service are investigating where the package came from and whether others have been sent through the US postal system. "At this time, there is no known threat to public safety," the FBI told CNN in a statement on Saturday. One official told the New York Times that investigators believe the package was sent from Canada. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said on Saturday it was working with the FBI to investigate the "suspicious letter sent to the White House". Ricin is produced by processing castor beans. It is a lethal substance that, if swallowed, inhaled or injected, can cause nausea, vomiting, internal bleeding and ultimately organ failure, the BBC reported. No known antidote exists for ricin. If a person is exposed to ricin, death can take place within 36 to 72 hours, depending on the dose received, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Government Railway Police (GRP) has returned goods worth 21,359,310 which were stolen from commuters travelling on local trains across Mumbai. GRP commissioner Ravindra Sengaonkar said that when he took charge in May 2019, around 14,566 cases of theft in trains were solved but the stolen goods which were recovered had not been returned. The officers had recovered the stolen booty from the accused but had not returned it to their rightful owners due to glitches such as wrong address or delay in claiming the property from the magistrate courts etc, said Sengaonkar. He then instructed all GRP units to speed up the process to find addresses of victims and to return their property. The order saw GRP units swing into action to trace addresses. Between April to September this year, GRP officers have returned 787 grams of gold, six laptops, 1,067 mobile phones and 1,547,000 in cash. According to the instructions, during lockdown many people have lost their jobs and hence they could use the money or gold that we have under our possession, said Bhaskar Pawar, inspector, Borivli GRP. Pawar said with the help of social media they have tracked down addresses of commuters who stay in other states as well as people who have shifted since their property was stolen. GRP officers said till August, 4,018 cases were pending. But we have tracked down addresses of 3,518 victims and will return their property by September 30. We will ensure that we return property of the remaining 500 cases soon, said a GRP officer. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said the fact that the death of a single, important individual could set off the political furor that it had raised serious questions about the state of democracy in the United States. We have nine unelected Supreme Court justices, and they have lifetime terms, and the majority leader, any given majority leader in the Senate, can manipulate rules and leverage their position of power to deny even a president the ability to appoint a justice, she said. I think one of the things that it prompts a lot of people to do is actually question how democratic many of our institutions are. We are in a very, very scary place, and that is why her passing was just so earth-shattering, not just to millions of people but to herself, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez added, referencing the fact that days before her death, Justice Ginsburg dictated a statement to her granddaughter saying that her most fervent wish was that she wouldnt be replaced until a new president is installed. My mind keeps going back to how her final moments were preoccupied with that, not taking stock, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said. That took away, fundamentally, from her ability to more fully enjoy her life, her accomplishments, her family and her friends because our democracy is so imperiled. The coronavirus pandemic has put a lot of people out of work, but theres one occupation thats busier than ever burglary. And more brazen too. Look at the numbers. As of Friday, there were 4,983 reported burglaries in San Francisco this year about 21 a day. That represents a 42% increase over the same period in 2019. The highest number of break-ins has been in the San Francisco Police Departments Northern District, with 1,018 burglaries since Jan 1. Northern District covers the Civic Center, Western Addition, Hayes Valley, Pacific Heights, Cow Hollow and the Marina it has seen a 43% rise in burglaries. Supervisor Catherine Stefani, who represents the Marina and Cow Hollow, said the station captain told her that its up more like 90% in the area around Van Ness Avenue and Union Street. The problem is real, and it is completely unacceptable, Stefani said. Four of the citys other police districts Ingleside, Park, Richmond and Southern all reported increases exceeding 40% as well. The Mission police district reported a whopping 78% increase over the same period last year. The lowest increases were in the Tenderloin (18%), the Bayview (3%) and Taraval (2.5%) districts. Even more worrisome is the increase in hot prowl burglaries they used to be known as cat burglaries. Thats when the burglar enters a home or business when the occupant is there as well. There were 530 hot-prowl burglaries from January to August a 64% increase over the 323 hot-prowl burglaries reported over the same period in 2019. Postings about home burglaries, especially garage break-ins, have become a regular fixture on neighborhood social media sites such as Nextdoor. Here are some samples of postings in the Richmond and Sunset areas: Last night someone broke into our garage and stole 5 of our bikes! There were two Trek hybrid bikes, one with a PVC attachment on it, one brand new gray Trek mountain bike, one relatively old orange mountain bike with front and rear suspension, and a green mountain bike that had a tool kit under the seat. Sorry you are going through this. We had 6 locked bikes in our locked garage taken Thursday night. ... Have plenty of pics of the burglars. ... They look pretty professional. Came back with huge bolt cutters to cut through the bike locks. Our garage window was melted with a blow torch on Friday night/Sat morning. This is the second attempted break-in, and we replaced the glass with a plastic window after the first, but they were prepared with a blow torch ... incredible. Alan Byard, who runs a city-sanctioned private police unit that works closely with the SFPD and covers the Marina, Cow Hollow and Pacific Heights, said businesses and boarded-up storefronts are also prime targets. Clothing stores, retail stores, CVS, Walgreens. They smash the glass, grab a few things and are gone before anyone can show up, Byard said. But he said the biggest change has been in residential burglaries. People are breaking in at 1, 2 or 3 oclock in the morning, usually through the garage, Byard said. Then they go through the garage door into the house or through the small door on the side of the house. Burglars have also taken to breaking into cars along residential streets to get automatic garage-door openers. Then they walk up and down the street clicking the device until a garage door opens. 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 the same time that burglaries are exploding, reports of car break-ins and shoplifting are down by one-third. People are bragging about car break-ins going down; well thats because there are fewer tourist cars to break into, Stefani said. So the thieves are breaking into houses. Both are crimes of opportunity, and they see houses as the opportunity now. Like a car break-in, home burglary is a felony. Police need to catch the thief in the act or have proof like video footage, however, to make the charge stick. Police dont seem to be having too much luck the clearance rate for solving burglaries has dropped 25% compared with last year. Police spokeswoman Tiffany Hang said the department is working tirelessly to investigate all burglaries reported to SFPD. Patrol officers are on foot, bicycle and patrol vehicles to educate the community in tools to protect themselves and their business from burglaries as well as provide law enforcement service and visible deterrence of such crimes. Meanwhile, residents are worried. Its not just burglaries, Stefani said. I had a friend who has two small children call me the other night at 9:45. There was a man with two big dogs having what appeared to be a psychotic episode on her front doorstep. She called 911 and waited for two hours, but the police never came. Im sure its not because the police didnt want to come, they just dont have the resources. Sunset District resident Rob Schaezlein, who has been keeping track of break-ins in his usually quiet neighborhood, agrees. Someone is going to get hurt eventually. Scary times, Schaezlein said. Scary indeed. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Phil Matier appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KGO-TV morning and evening news and can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call 415-777-8815, or email pmatier@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @philmatier Jett Kenny has shared a heartbreaking tribute to his late sister Jaimi, who died on Monday at the age of 33. The male model, 26, shared a photo alongside his sister to Instagram and said he'll 'cherish the moments we had together greatly'. 'You were there whenever I needed you, you taught me how to cook gourmet food like roast potatoes, chicken and salad, and tacos - the essentials in our household,' he wrote. 'I will love you forever': Jett Kenny shared a heartbreaking tribute to his sister Jaimi Kenny - six days after her tragic death aged 33 on Sunday 'You gave me a slight insight into fashion by dressing me in up in dresses and putting makeup on me when I was young. you'd sit behind me while I ate dinner and would pick at anything pimple looking on my back - even if it was just a mole,' he added. 'You were my second mother, you were my biggest sister, you were my friend, and you were a fighter until the very end,' he continued. Jett went on to say: 'Jaimi, I will love you forever and you will always have a place in my heart. I will miss you dearly, but cherish the moments we had together greatly. I love you so much, and I will see you again at some point.' He also thanked 'everyone for your overwhelming love and support'. Jett wrote: 'You were my second mother, you were my biggest sister, you were my friend, and you were a fighter until the very end' The Kenny-Curry family confirmed Jaimi's death in a statement on Monday afternoon. 'It is with a very heavy heart that Lisa and I confirm 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 by Jaimi's father, Grant. 'Jaimi will forever be remembered as a caring, bright and loving soul who always put others before herself,' it continued. Jaimi (left), the eldest daughter of Aussie sporting power couple Grant Kenny (centre) and Lisa Curry (right), died at the age of 33 on Monday after battling an eating disorder. Pictured on the Sunshine Coast on April 3, 2008 '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 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.' While the family's statement on Monday did not specify the nature of Jaimi's illness, it's understood she had long battled an eating disorder. Pictured: Lisa carrying Jaimi on her shoulders after winning gold at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, New Zealand While the family's statement did not specify the exact nature of Jaimi's illness, it's understood she had long battled an eating disorder. Her family had supported her through years of treatment at the End ED private clinic on the Sunshine Coast. Jaimi is survived her her sister Morgan, brother Jett, mother Lisa, father Grant and half-sister Trixie. For free and confidential support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Butterfly Foundation for eating disorder concerns on 1800 ED HOPE Things got real, fast, on "Real Time with Bill Maher" Friday night. The HBO talk show was taping when its host was alerted to the news that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at age 87, shocking both his guests and the audience. While in the middle of a panel discussion with The Bulwark writer and political director of Republican Voters Against Trump, Tim Miller, and comedian and producer of the documentary "Inherent Good," Trae Crowder, Maher broke the news. "I just see, they put it on the prompter here, Ruth Bader Ginsburg just died," Maher said. The audience can be heard collectively gasping and moaning, as Crowder turns to look behind him and says, "No way." Maher reacted, "The way you checked the prompter, like I'm lying?" Crowder clarified, "No. I'm shocked." Miller then chimed in, "Remember when I was Mr. Optimism at the beginning of the panel? This is gonna get really, really ugly. Really, really ugly." When Maher asked him to explain, Miller referenced Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who after Ginsburg's death, said that President Trump's nominee to replace Ginsberg "will receive a vote on the Senate floor." McConnell, after Justice Antonin Scalia died amid the 2016 presidential race, refused to fill that seat under President Obama and until a new president was elected. "McConnell is gonna just jam that through," Miller said of replacing Ginsberg. "This is the one thing he's got no compunction about. So this whole like, 'Oh last time it was an election year, wait it out.' There is no way that McConnell's gonna do that." Maher then pointed out that Ginsberg's death is much closer to the election than Scalia's February, 2016 passing was. "This is like literally the worst case scenario," Miller concluded. After some panel discussion of who they think might replace Ginsberg under Trump, Maher said, "First of all, before we go on to the political part of it, she was just awesome." New York Daily News Emmys to donate $2.8M to hunger Every Emmy Award handed out Sunday will come with something extra a $100,000 donation to fight child hunger. The Television Academy announced Friday that each network and streaming service competing on the telecast has pledged the donation for every Emmy they win. With 23 Emmys being handed out and the academy committing $500,000, that will mean a donation of $2.8 million to No Kid Hungry, a group working to relieve child hunger brought on by the coronavirus crisis. The 72nd Emmy Awards air Sunday on ABC. Jimmy Kimmel is hosting from Los Angeles and winners will accept their awards from remote locations, but little beyond that has been revealed about what will happen during the show. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Guests set to appear include Anthony Anderson, Mindy Kaling, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Patrick Stuart, RuPaul and Oprah Winfrey. Associated Press Film based on brothers' lives A new film project based around the lives of Rick James and his brother LeRoi Johnson is in the works by Buffalo native and filmmaker Addison Henderson. Tentatively titled "My Brother's Keeper," the project was announced Friday at a news conference before a screening of Henderson's new Buffalo-made feature film, "G.O.D." ("Givers of Death"). "It's about their lives and how tragedy and triumph set them apart. It's also about how tragedy brought them together and made them more than they could ever be alone," Henderson said. Henderson's family and the Johnsons James was born James Ambrose Johnson Jr. have known each since the 1940s through his father, Bishop William Henderson. It was important to Johnson as well. Johnson, an attorney and artist who was his brother's manager, said, "I think people ought to see what's behind the scenes and what's behind a superstar. They see the superstar, but they don't see his interaction with his family, his interaction with friends." James is credited with creating the music fusion called "punk funk" heard in his hits like "Super Freak." "But the star had a troubled life including cocaine and drug problems, arrests, a two-year prison sentence on assault convictions, and health concerns. James died of heart failure in 2004 at age 56 and is buried in Forest Lawn. Buffalo News President Trump told reporters Saturday that he has approved the deal between Oracle and TikTok in concept, and the U.S. Department of Commerce followed up by issuing a statement that stayed Sundays ban of the app for one week. In its Statement on Delayed Prohibitions Related to TikTok, the department said in light of recent positive developments, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, at the direction of President Trump, will delay the prohibition of identified transactions pursuant to Executive Order 13942 until Sept. 27 at 11:59 pm. More from WWD Oracles proposal for TikTok includes big-box retailer Walmart Inc., which President Trump emphasized as a great American company in comments to the media outside the White House on the way to his rally in North Carolina. I have given the deal my blessing, Trump said. I approved the deal in concept. Trump noted that the company will be based in the U.S., probably Texas, with all data hosted in the U.S. He also said the deal would create 25,000 jobs and include a $5 billion fund for education. As for why this bid passes muster, he explained that security will be 100 percent. Theyll be using separate clouds and very, very powerful security. National security has been at the heart of concerns from U.S. officials, who have taken aim at Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat. On Friday, the Commerce Department ordered the removal of both apps from Google and Apples mobile app stores on Sunday. As it stands, it appears WeChat will be the sole outcast. The Presidents stamp of approval bodes extremely well for the deal, however, a formal review and official approval are still pending. The Chinese government must also approve the transaction for it to proceed. Oracle issued a statement Saturday that it will be TikToks secure cloud technology provider. In the announcement, Oracle chief executive officer Safra Catz confirmed plans for a new entity called TikTok Global. As a part of this agreement, TikTok will run on the Oracle Cloud and Oracle will become a minority investor in TikTok Global, she said. Story continues Oracle will quickly deploy, rapidly scale, and operate TikTok systems in the Oracle Cloud, Catz said. We are a hundred percent confident in our ability to deliver a highly secure environment to TikTok and ensure data privacy to TikToks American users, and users throughout the world. TikTok has also gone on record, confirming the emergence of TikTok Global, as well as discussions with Walmart on a commercial partnership. Both Oracle and Walmart will take part in a pre-IPO financing round in which they can take up to a 20 percent cumulative stake in the company, said a company statement. According to Oracle, its stake alone will be 12.5 percent. As for the status of TikToks lawsuit, ahead of Saturdays revelations, the company was gearing up for a fight against the Sunday ban. Now that its postponed and the Oracle-Walmart bid appears to be moving along, the company seems to be breathing a sigh of relief. On Saturday afternoon, the developer tweeted TikTok is here to stay! with a video message from the interim chief Vanessa Pappas. Other details of the deal have not yet been made public, including how the deal is structured around TikToks underlying recommendation algorithms. It appears that Oracle will have full access to the apps source code, but current TikTok owner ByteDance has told Chinese media that it refuses to sell the technology. As it stands, it looks like TikTok Global will be owned by Oracle, at 12.5 percent, and Walmart, at 7.5 percent, with ByteDance retaining 80 percent. Apparently, in calculating the majority American ownership, the Trump administration appears to be factoring in the 40 percent stake in the company by U.S.-based venture capital firms. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 15:03:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- A senior official of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Sunday called for support from lawmakers in the third round of anti-epidemic fund to fight COVID-19 and revive the economy. Matthew Cheung, chief secretary for administration of the HKSAR government, said in an online article that he will strive to win the lawmakers' support when attending a Legislative Council (LegCo) meeting on Friday. "Given continued epidemic and economic hardships, I genuinely hope LegCo members can ... avoid unnecessary infighting and work with the government to fight the epidemic, develop the economy and improve people's livelihood for the sake of Hong Kong's overall interests," Cheung said. Cheung said the government will implement the measures as soon as possible after the LegCo approved the new fund. The HKSAR government announced on Wednesday a relief package worth 24 billion Hong Kong dollars (3.1 billion U.S. dollars) to subsidize virus-hit businesses and individuals and improve anti-epidemic capacity, which, Cheung said, will be more targeted and precise in helping those in need. The economic relief came as Hong Kong's jobless rate remained high at 6.1 percent from June to August, with the rate in consumption- and tourism-related sectors surging to 10.9 percent. To prop up the struggling economy and ensure people's livelihood, the government has rolled out economic relief of more than 300 billion Hong Kong dollars in total. By the end of August, more than 78 billion Hong Kong dollars of relief had been distributed, benefiting over 4.3 million people and 450,000 businesses. (1 U.S. dollar equals 7.75 HK dollars) Enditem Under attack over the gold smuggling case, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday slammed the congress-led UDF for dragging the Holy Quran into controversy and alleged the Opposition was towing the BJP-RSS line on the issue and they need to introspect. It was the RSS and the BJP which had first made the allegation that gold had been smuggled in the guise of importing Quran from the UAE. This was later picked up by the UDF's Congress and Muslim League leaders, Vijayan told reporters here. Vijayan was asked how protests against minister K T Jaleel, who had been questioned by the Enforcement Directorate and NIA recently over the import of Quran by the UAE consulate here and his telephone conversation with Swapna Suresh, a key accused in the smuggling case, could be described as being against the Holy Book as was described by the ruling CPI(M). After the Holy book was brought to the UAE consulate, the consulate general had sought help from Jaleel for distributing it as sakkath (charity) during Ramzan and the minister had obliged, Vijayan said. "When the BJP-RSS makes such an allegation, it is understandable. But later Congress and IUML leaders spoke in the same vein and gave publicity to it. UDF convener had even shot off a letter to the Prime Minister and league leaders openly made the allegation, we all saw. On what basis were the allegations made? Why did they make the allegations and for whom? But Congress and IUML also joined the chorus and gave publicity. Now, it seems they have understood that it has backfired. It is good they realized their blunder," Vijayan said. There was no need to drag the Holy book into controversy and there was no need to attack the state government and the minister, he said. "They should reply to that," the chief minister said when asked about the opposition allegation that gold was smuggled on the pretext of importing Quran. A day after CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan in an article in "Deshabhimani", the party organ, attacked IUML for dragging the Quran into the gold smuggling controversy, Vijayan took on the League, a prominent ally of the opposition front, saying they should not have insulted the sacred text. "Congress and IUML need to introspect. RSS have their own agenda. Why did UDF toe the RSS stand?" the chief minister asked. Meanwhile, the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Ramesh Chennithala said the Marxist party should not be under the impression that people are fools. They are aware that Balakrishnan is playing the communal card to give space to BJP and help the saffron party in the state, Chennithala alleged. "We all respect religious texts- Bible, Quran, Gita. In the name of a religious text, CPI(M) is trying to unleash communal propaganda to prevent the UDF from speaking about the gold smuggling case," he said. He claimed the LDF ministry was a "sinking ship"and asserted that the opposition will not back out from its demand for Jaleel's resignation. Protests by various opposition youth organisation continued for the eighth day today demandingJaleel's resignation. Since Erin OToole won the leadership of the Conservative Party and became the Leader of the Official Opposition, the Air Force veteran and former cabinet minister has been busy waiting in line. On Wednesday, after an hours-long delay, he and his family were turned away from an Ottawa-area testing centre. OToole continues to self-isolate after a potential exposure from a staffer, and he later obtained a test at a special site offering priority tests to MPs and family. But OToole also wasted no time in pointing out that his experience was an indictment of the Trudeau governments failed approach to COVID-19 testing. Indeed, many testing centres are finding themselves overburdened by lengthy lineups as case numbers are on the rise and students return to school. Many Canadians may soon find themselves in the same position as OToole, shivering in line at a COVID testing centre. OTooles latest attack may resonate with this audience, especially when combined with the imposition of new restrictions in Ontario and the second wave beginning to bear down upon us. Gone is the halo effect of competent leadership in the early days of the pandemic. Instead, we are seeing OToole test-driving criticisms of the government as it enters a distinctly more challenging and vulnerable phase of pandemic politics. As his predecessor discovered, and as I wrote previously in this column, the role of opposition leader in a time of acute crisis can be difficult. You must hold the prime minister and his or her government to account, but at the same time, the rally-around-the-flag effect can insulate the government from even the mildest critique. Andrew Scheer never quite managed to find the right angle to attack Trudeau over his handling of COVID-19, because for months the prime minister cut a sympathetic figure: isolated from his wife and family, working remotely from his cottage. OTooles empathic approach on display with the line-waiting Im suffering because of this governments mistakes, too may yet do the trick. Even as he sharpens his weapons against Trudeau on the pandemic front, OTooles other task is to sell himself to the 905 region, and an effort to grow Conservative support beyond the base. This will require a softer approach, and a tack toward the centre that is already self-evident to those paying attention. Take, for example, OTooles Labour Day greeting. I was raised in a General Motors family. My dad worked there for over 30 years, it begins unremarkably. But by the time OToole is explaining to the viewer that GDP growth alone is not the end-all, be-all of politics and the goal of economic policy should be more than just wealth creation it should be solidarity, and the wellness of families, one gets the distinct sense that OTooles own brand of conservatism will be different from that of his predecessor. To be specific, OToole seems to have his eye on union voters GM families, as he says, just like the OTooles of yore. This is the same strategy used to great effect by Boris Johnson in the U.K., who won his majority government in large part by breaking through the traditional, working-class red wall of Labour supporters. As one leftist publication concluded, Erin OTooles Labour Day message should worry the left. Further to this goal, OToole has been softening some of the hard edges that Scheer neglected. He might yet march in a Pride Parade, and he has been less categorical on issues such as carbon pricing. indeed, his platform promised a national industrial regulatory and pricing regime. Polling indicates that on both these policy matters, the party will need to align with majority opinion in the 905 if it hopes to make inroads there. There remain some challenges to contend with, including the social conservative wing of the party, which has found a new champion in Leslyn Lewis, the breakout star of the leadership campaign. She has since found a riding, in deep-blue Haldimand-Norfolk, where she will almost certainly succeed the retiring Diane Finley. Lewis and her like-minded supporters will expect the kind of action from OToole that runs contra to the partys objectives in the GTA. This is the same challenging electoral bind that vexed Scheer, but OToole with his working class bona fides and his eye on the prize may yet find a way to thread the needle. The way the government got the two farm bills passed was "against the democratic process" and it would go down as a dark day in history, the Opposition said on September 20 after the Rajya Sabha cleared the two pieces of legislation that aim to liberalise the farm sector. The Lok Sabha passed the two bills on September 17 that saw Shiromani Akali Dal leader and minister of food processing industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal quit the Cabinet in protest. "This day will go down in history as a black day. The way these bills have been passed goes against democratic processes and amounts to killing democracy. Twelve Opposition parties have moved a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman," Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Ahmed Patel said. The bills were passed by voice vote amid ruckus by the Opposition parties, which had rushed to the well and reportedly tried to tear the rule book. "He (Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh) should safeguard the democratic traditions but instead, his attitude today harmed the democratic traditions and processes. So we have decided to move a no-confidence motion against him," Patel added. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), too, alleged that the Opposition had "murdered" democracy by creating ruckus in the Upper House. "The Opposition murdered democracy. We condemn this. This is an insult to people's mandate. Congress and TMC think they are the 'Badshahs'. The ruling party and the government will not budge to this," Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said. Also read: Congress, states, Planning Commission all wanted agri reforms; what changed now? The Farmers' and Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, had been passed by the Lok Sabha on September 17, amid a walkout by Opposition. A third bill, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020, was listed but not taken up by the House. The three bills are meant to replace ordinances promulgated by the Centre in June. These bills seek to provide barrier-free trade to farmers, allowing them to sell produce outside notified farm mandis and empower them to enter into farming agreements with private players prior to production for sale of agri-produce. However, protesting farmers claim that the move will "corporatise" the agriculture sector and cripple them financially. The government claims these initiatives will help farmers get better prices for their crops, by legalising contract farming, for instance. Opposition parties such as the Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Trinamool Congress had opposed these bills. Riot police in the western Belarusian city of Brest fired into the air as crowds tried to prevent the detention of anti-government demonstrators on September 20. Thousands of opposition supporters had gathered in cities across the country and in the capital, Minsk, for a sixth-straight week of protests to demand that authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka step down. The White House has sought to restrict the use of the Chinese app, citing national security and data privacy concerns. A United States federal judge has approved a request from a group of WeChat users to delay looming US government restrictions that would effectively make the popular app nearly impossible to use in the country. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler said the governments actions would affect users First Amendment rights as the effective ban on the app removes their platform for communication. WeChat is a messaging focused app popular with many Chinese-speaking Americans that serves as a connector to friends, family, customers and business contacts in China. It is owned by Chinese tech giant Tencent. WeChat users who filed a lawsuit against the government have shown serious questions going to the merits of the First Amendment claim, the balance of hardships tips in the plaintiffs favor, the San Francisco-based judge said in an order dated Saturday. The WeChat users filed the lawsuit after the US Commerce Department said on Friday it would bar WeChat from US app stores and keep it from accessing essential internet services in the country, beginning on Sunday night. The government cited national security and data privacy concerns in taking action against WeChat and imposing similar restrictions on TikTok, another popular Chinese-owned app. The restrictions on TikTok were pushed back by a week on Saturday after President Donald Trump said he supported a proposed deal that would make TikTok a US company. In the ruling, the court said a WeChat ban eliminates all meaningful access to communication in the plaintiffs community and that an injunction would be in the public interest. The US government had earlier argued that it is not restricting free speech because WeChat users still are free to speak on alternative platforms that do not pose a national security threat. Judge Beeler also said that specific evidence cited by the government to show WeChat posed a national security threat was modest. The dispute over the two apps is the latest flashpoint in the rising tensions between the worlds two largest economies, as the Trump administration attempts to counter the influence of China. Since taking office in 2017, Trump has waged a trade war with China, blocked mergers involving Chinese companies and stifled the business of Chinese firms like Huawei, a maker of phones and telecom equipment. Jesse Vasquez, of the San Bernardino County Fire Dept., hoses down hot spots from the Bobcat Fire in Valyermo, Calif., on Sept. 19, 2020. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo) Desert Communities Told to Evacuate as Winds Stoke Flames JUNIPER HILLS, Calif.Strong winds stoked a wildfire burning for nearly two weeks in mountains northeast of Los Angeles, prompting authorities to issue new evacuation orders for desert communities that lost some homes a day earlier. Meanwhile, officials were investigating the death of a firefighter on the lines of another Southern California wildfire that erupted earlier this month from a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used by a couple to reveal their babys gender. The death occurred Thursday in San Bernardino National Forest as crews battled the El Dorado Fire about 75 miles east of Los Angeles, the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement. In northern Los Angeles County, firefighters focused on protecting homes Saturday as increasingly erratic winds pushed the Bobcat Fire toward foothill communities in the Antelope Valley after churning all the way across the San Gabriel Mountains. An evacuation order was issued Saturday for all residents in that zone as the fire burned toward Wrightwood, a mountain community of 4,000, said fire spokesman Andrew Mitchell. The fire grew to 142 square miles on Saturday when winds pushed the flames into Juniper Hills. A San Bernardino County Fire Department member keeps an eye on a flareup from the Bobcat Fire in Valyermo, Calif., on Sept. 19, 2020. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo) Some residents fled as blowing embers sparked spot fires, hitting some homes but sparing others. Bridget Lensing feared her familys house was lost on Friday after seeing on Twitter that a neighbors house three doors down went up in flames. The house stood when she made her way back Saturday afternoon but her neighbors houses in the remote community were burned to the ground. Everything around us is gone, she said. The extent of the destruction in the area about 50 miles northeast of downtown LA wasnt immediately clear. But, Los Angeles County park officials said the blaze destroyed the nature center at Devils Punchbowl Natural Area, a geological wonder that attracts some 130,000 visitors per year. No injuries were reported. On the south side of the Bobcat Fire, firefighters continued to protect Mount Wilson, which overlooks greater Los Angeles and has a historic observatory founded more than a century ago and numerous broadcast antennas serving Southern California. The Bobcat Fire burns in the distance beyond a Joshua tree, in Juniper Hills, Calif., on Sept. 19, 2020. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo) The fire that started Sept. 6 had already doubled in size over the last week. It is 15 percent contained. Officials said the fire has been challenging because it is burning in areas that have not burned in decades, and because the firestorms across California have limited resources. There were about 1,660 firefighters on the lines. The name of the firefighter killed in the nearby El Dorado Fire was being withheld until family members are notified. The body was escorted down the mountain in a procession of first-responder vehicles. No other information was released about the circumstances of the death. A statement from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said it was the 26th death involving wildfires besieging the state. A new blaze sparked by a vehicle that caught fire was growing in wilderness outside Palm Springs. To the north, a fire burning for nearly a month in Sequoia National Forest roared to life again Friday and prompted evacuation orders for the central California mountain communities of Silver City and Mineral King. More than 7,900 wildfires have burned more than 5,468 square miles in California this year, including many since a mid-August barrage of dry lightning ignited parched vegetation. The El Dorado Fire has burned more than 34 square miles and was 59 percent contained, with 10 buildings destroyed and six damaged. Cal Fire said earlier this month that the El Dorado Fire was ignited Sept. 5 when a couple, their young children and someone there to record video staged the baby gender reveal at El Dorado Ranch Park at the foot of the San Bernardino Mountains. The device was set off in a field and quickly ignited dry grass. The couple frantically tried to use bottled water to extinguish the flames and called 911. Authorities have not released the identities of the couple, who could face criminal charges and be held liable for the cost of fighting the fire. Throughout the Northwest, firefighters welcomed cooler weather and rain, as well as much-improved air quality and visibility that would allow some to survey fire activity with drones. By Marcio Jose Sanchez and Christopher Weber Schools reopening partially from today: Check guidelines India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Sep 21: After almost six-months, schools in the country would start partially opening on Monday. In the Unlock 4 guidelines, the union home ministry had permitted schools to reopen from September 21 but left the final call to the states. Seating arrangement has to be made to ensure a distance of 6 feet between chairs, desks etc and the teaching faculty will ensure that they themselves and students wear masks throughout the conduct of the teaching/guidance activities. Sharing of items like notebook, pens/pencil, eraser, water bottle etc. amongst students should not be allowed. Cafeteria/mess facility, if any within the premises, shall remain closed. Specific markings on the floor with a gap of 6 feet may be made. Similarly, physical distancing shall also be maintained in staff rooms, office areas including reception area, and other places such as mess, libraries, cafeterias, etc. Weather permitting, outdoor spaces may be utilised for conducting teacher-student interactions. The concerned teaching and non-teaching employees (up to 50 per cent of the strength) may be called to schools for online teaching/tele-counselling and related work. Installation and use of the Aarogya Setu App may be advised wherever feasible. Appropriate back-up stock of personal protection items like face covers/masks, visors, hand sanitisers, etc shall be made available by management to the teachers and employees. Provide an adequate supply of thermal guns, alcohol wipes or 1 per cent sodium hypochlorite solutions and disposable paper towels, soap, IEC materials on COVID. Pulse oximeter to check oxygen saturation levels of any symptomatic person must be arranged. The guidelines also call for ensuring regular counselling for students and teachers reporting mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. It is advisable that teachers, school counsellors and school health workers should work in unison to ensure emotional safety of the students. Entrance should have mandatory hand hygiene (sanitiser dispenser) and thermal screening provisions. For conduct of skill-based training in workshops/laboratories, a floor area of 4 square metre per person should be made available for working on equipment or work stations. Cleaning and regular disinfection (using 1 pc sodium hypochlorite) of frequently touched surfaces (door knobs, elevator buttons, hand rails, chairs, benches, washroom fixtures, etc.) to be made mandatory in all class rooms, laboratories, lockers, parking areas, other common areas etc. before beginning of classes and at the end of the day, the guidelines stated. All employees who are at higher risk i.e. older employees, pregnant employees and employees who have underlying medical conditions to take extra precautions. They should preferably not be exposed to any front-line work requiring direct contact with the students. Proper physical distancing, sanitisation of buses/other transport vehicles (with 1% sodium hypochlorite) shall be ensured. Prior to resumption of activities, all work areas intended for teaching/demonstrations etc., including laboratories, other common utility areas shall be sanitised with 1% sodium hypochlorite solution, with particular attention to frequently touched surfaces. Schools that were used as quarantine centres will be properly sanitised and deep cleaned before partial functioning is resumed. In case a student/teacher/employee develops symptoms, the ill person should be in a room or area where they are isolated from others and the nearest medical facility (hospital/clinic) should be informed. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 20, 2020, 23:57 [IST] President Trump released a total of three lists of potential Supreme Court nominees since becoming president. The most recent one, released just ten days ago, added twenty to the number, bringing the total to forty four. However, a short list does exist. The following are the names that have been trending and/or mentioned by Trump as a possible appointee. One thing to note is that Trumps first list in 2016 largely adopted the Supreme Court Justices list by John Malcolm, a legal expert at the conservative Heritage Foundation. Donald Trump 8. William H. Pryor Jr. Born in Mobile, Alabama, Pryor graduated from Northeast Louisiana University with his bachelor's degree and from Tulane University Law School with his J.D. He currently sits on the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta. He first joined the court on a recess appointment from former President George W. Bush in 2004 and later received his commission as an Article III judge in 2005. Prior to his appointment, Pryor was the attorney general of Alabama. A conservative, he recently wrote a majority opinion ruling that people with felony criminal records in Florida were ineligible to vote unless they paid back all of their outstanding court fines and fees. At one point, he stated that Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that established a constitutional right to abortion, was the worst abomination of constitutional law in our history. At his 2003 confirmation hearing, he stood by that statement. 7. James Ho Judge James Ho serves on the 5th Circuit at New Orleans. Hes a former solicitor general in the Texas attorney generals office. Ho is a former clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas. A native of Taiwan, Ho earned his bachelor's degree with honors from Stanford University in 1995. He earned his J.D. with high honors from the University of Chicago. Ho served as a counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will consider any nomination, and worked in the Justice Department on civil rights. Story continues He strongly supported police officers in an opinion on qualified immunity. He also ruled against an inmate seeking sex reassignment surgery. The American Bar Association rated Ho Substantial Majority Well Qualified, Minority Qualified for the nomination. 6. Raymond Kethledge Kethledge has been a member of the Federal Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit since 2008. He was nominated by President George W. Bush. He was considered seriously for the vacancy after the death of Justice Antonin Scalias death in February 2016. Kethledge was included on President Donald Trumps 2018 list of 25 potential Supreme Court nominees to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy. Kethledge graduated from the University of Michigan with his bachelor's degree and from the University of Michigan Law School with his J.D. After graduation, he clerked for Sixth Circuit Judge Ralph B. Guy Jr. He then served as counsel to Sen. Spencer Abraham (R) and clerked for Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy. Kethledge has taught at the University of Michigan Law School. 5. Amul Thapar Thapar currently serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. A former Kentucky judge and U.S. attorney with vast trial court experience a rarity on the Supreme Court When Trump nominated more than 200 federal judges in 2017, at first place was Gorsuch. Second was Amul Thapar. Thapar is a protege of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. If confirmed, 51 year old Thapar would be the first Indian American to reach the nation's highest court. Thapar has voted in favor of upholding Ohio's method of lethal injection for executions, and Michigan county's practice of opening government meetings with Christian prayers. Thapar was born in Detroit to Indian immigrants. He grew up in Toledo, Ohio, went to Boston College for undergrad, where he majored in economics and philosophy. He went to University of California-Berkeley for his law degree. He converted to Catholicism when he got married. He and his wife have three children. 4. Allison Eid Eid, 55, hails from Colorado and graduated from Stanford University and the University of Chicago Law School. She is a former law clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas. She later taught at the University of Colorado Law School. Judge Eid succeeded Neil Gorsuchs seat in a 56-41 vote on the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit since 2017 when Gorsuch was appointed to the Supreme Court. She had served as Colorados solicitor general and on the Colorado Supreme Court for over a decade by then. 3. Thomas M. Hardiman Thomas Michael Hardiman is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. He joined the court in 2007 after being nominated by President George W. Bush. Prior to his service on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, Hardiman was a judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Born in Winchester, Massachusetts, Hardiman was the first person in his family to go to college. He received his bachelor's degree in liberal studies and Spanish from the University of Notre Dame and his J.D. from Georgetown. While at Georgetown, he drove a taxi cab to help pay for his law degree. Hardiman passed the bar exam in 1990 and joined Cindrich & Titus in Pittsburgh. He became a partner there when he was 30. He then moved to Reed Smith LLP, where he was when he began as a judge in 2003. Former President George W. Bush appointed Hardiman as the judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania in 2003. In 2005, Bush appointed him as judge of the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. It took the U.S. Senate seven months to approve his nomination, which was eventually approved by a 95-0 vote.[6] Hardiman has a solid record of conservative rulings. Judge Hardiman served with Judge Maryanne Trump Barry, the presidents sister, on the appeals court, and Judge Barry recommended Judge Hardiman to her brother after the death of Justice Scalia. Click to continue reading and see the top 2 picks of President Trump for the Supreme Court. Disclosure: This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. One man was killed and another was severely injured in a shooting at a motorcycle clubhouse in Camden early Sunday morning, the Camden County Prosecutors Office said. Police responded to the Wheels of Soul clubhouse on the 800 block of Princess Avenue in the Parkside neighborhood around 1:45 a.m. for a report of a shooting inside the business, authorities said. Jermaine Wilkes, 38, of Philadelphia, was found dead at the scene, authorities said. Another man with multiple gunshot wounds was transported to a local hospital where he remains in critical condition, the prosecutors office said. Anyone with information about the shooting on Sunday is being asked to contact CCPO Det. Jose Rosado at 609-422-6291 or Camden County Police Det. Shawn Donlon at 856-757-7400. Tips can also be emailed to ccpotips@ccprosecutor.org. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Avalon Zoppo may be reached at azoppo2@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AvalonZoppo. Qatar Airways said it will operate four weekly flights to Accra, Ghana via Lagos from September 29 becoming the fourth new destination launched by the national carrier since the start of the pandemic. The Accra service will be operated by the airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner featuring 22 seats in Business Class and 232 seats in Economy Class. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker, said: We are delighted to be launching flights to the capital of Ghana, one of the fastest growing economies in the region famed for its local hospitality and highly sought after agricultural exports. We first announced our intention to launch flights to Accra in January 2020 and while the pandemic has slightly delayed these plans, it has not stopped us from fulfilling our commitment to passengers in Ghana and around the world. With flights to more than 28 destinations in Asia-Pacific, 31 in Europe, 12 in the Middle East and nine in North America, passengers wanting to travel to or from Ghana can now enjoy seamless connectivity via the Best Airport in the Middle East, Hamad International Airport. By mid-October, Qatar Airways will operate 46 weekly flights to 14 destinations in Africa, including Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti, Entebbe, Kigali, Kilimanjaro, Lagos, Mogadishu, Nairobi, Seychelles, Tunis, Windhoek and Zanzibar. The airline will allow unlimited date changes, and passengers can change their destination as often as they need if it is within 5,000 miles of the original destination. The airline will not charge any fare differences for travel completed before December 31, 2020, after which fare rules will apply. All tickets booked for travel up to December 31, 2020 will be valid for two years from the date of issuance, a Qatar Airways statement said. TradeArabia News Service Governor Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party is leading in Saturdays Edo State governorship election after recording 250,345 votes in the ongoing collation exercise after results from 13 local governments. The governors challenger, Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress has recorded 154,192 votes, so far. Results from 13 LGAs have so far been collated at the INEC collation exercise in Benin City, the state capital. Edo State has 18 LGAs and the election was held in all the local governments. Mr Obaseki has won in 11 LGAs including his home Oredo LGA, the largest, while Mr Ize-Iyamu has only picked two, Owan East and Etsako West, Adam Oshiomoles LGA. Mr Obaseki won his first election in 2016 as a candidate of the APC, principally supported by Mr Oshiomole, the immediate past governor and former chairman of the APC. Mr Ize-Iyamu was then the candidate of the PDP. But in the course of his term as the governor, Mr Obaseki became estranged with Mr Oshiomole, causing an epic political battle now being capped off with his expected victory today. The battle contributed to the fall of Mr Oshiomole as the chairman of the APC. But Mr Obaseki also could not get that partys ticket and he had to switch to the PDP with his deputy, Phillip Shaibu. Washington Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is expected to lie in repose at the Supreme Court for two days, according to two people familiar with the preliminary plans, a public ceremony that is expected to draw large crowds of admirers who have come to view her as a feminist icon and liberal hero. A ceremony inside the court is expected as early as Tuesday, according to someone familiar with the plan, followed by an outdoor viewing that would adhere to social distancing guidelines. A small funeral service is also expected to be held for Ginsburg, who died Friday at 87, as well as a burial at Arlington National Cemetery later in the week. Her husband, Martin Ginsburg, was buried at Arlington in 2010. On Saturday, those plans were still not made final. A spokeswoman for the Supreme Court did not respond to emails about the arrangements. It is not clear whether President Donald Trump will pay his respects in person. Ginsburg had reportedly said before she died that her "most fervent wish" was that she not be replaced before a new president took office. The White House, which had lowered its flags to half-staff Friday night, did not reply to a request for comment. A two-day public commemoration would be out of the ordinary Justices Antonin Scalia, William Brennan, John Paul Stevens and even Chief Justice William Rehnquist all lay in repose for one day, said Barbara Perry, the director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia's Miller Center. But a crush of admirers was expected to turn out to mourn the passing of the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court, who had become in recent years an unlikely cultural icon. Ginsburg was not only a barrier breaker in her field but also, late in life, the subject of children's picture books and a film. Her image appeared on "Notorious RBG" T-shirts and face masks. Ginsburg was deeply identified with her Jewish faith and did not sit in court on High Holy Days, even though she was not particularly observant and rarely attended services, former clerks said. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Jewish custom would mean that Ginsburg would have to be buried Monday, but Judaism is also flexible on matters of burial, and a rabbi could preside over a private funeral days later. For justices who die while still sitting on the bench, the tradition, dating to the late-19th century, is to drape the doors of the courtroom and the justice's seat in black wool crepe. On Saturday, all eight remaining justices expressed their grief at the loss of their colleague. "We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague," Chief Justice John Roberts said in a statement. "Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her a tireless and resolute champion of justice." Justice Clarence Thomas said that "the most difficult part of a long tenure is watching colleagues decline and pass away." "And," he added, "the passing of my dear colleague, Ruth, is profoundly difficult and so very sad." Hey man, whats that? shouted a guy standing on the shore by the mouth of the Humber River as I paddled by. I said the swimming animal he was pointing at looked like an alligator, but seconds later the loud crack that sounded as this improbable gator slapped its tail on the water and dove underneath revealed it was a beaver. A resident beaver, that is, as Ive discovered it is often seen here, living out a Canadian cliche dream in view of the CN Tower and in the shadow of the Mimico highrises. The beaver is just one observation Ive made this past summer while paddling in my kayak. While Ive rented one a few times over the years, Ive always wanted my own. The lake and waterways define Toronto but opportunities to experience the water itself, beyond swimming and ferry rides to the island, are limited. A boat of my own would make the lake more a part of city life, I thought. The shoreline is really the start of a vast wilderness and the lake has a will of its own. The wild beaver aside, the mouth of the Humber by the arch bridge can be fierce, as I found out last weekend when the waves made it seem like my boat was on a roller coaster until I got upstream into calmer river waters. A kayak, or canoe, allows access to places difficult or impossible to get to otherwise. In the Humber Marshes, passages through reeds lead to lily pad ponds, mostly silent but for distant city sounds drifting in. A long-legged egret gingerly walked from pad to pad while other birds watched, a sublime sight just a few hundred metres from a subway station. The Toronto Islands has a maze of passages to paddle as well, and entire islands and secret lagoons are accessible only by the tiniest of watercraft. Perhaps the greatest reveal of the city skyline is when emerging from what seems like a wilderness to the view across the harbour of a sparkling city. The Leslie Street Spits human-made coves can also be explored this way, and Ive seen mink and possums darting in and out of the water there. Floating under the pods at Ontario Place is absolutely unique and up close I really appreciated the size of the three old lake freighters that were sunk to form the sites outer break wall. Paddling along the city edge is like seeing an inverse version of it, looking in rather than out. New kayaks, good ones at least, arent cheap but I was able to get a used one from a friend. Around 25 years old, it still floats, though at times it likes to go in a different direction than the one I want. Boats also have wills of their own, but we are patient with each other. Acquiring the kayak was the first part of making the lake more a part of city life. The other challenge was where to keep it. Though there are a few rental storage locations in Toronto, Im lucky to have space at home so I bought a kayak bicycle trailer. If you want to talk to strangers in Toronto, try towing a big yellow kayak behind your bike. Most people are curious about the trailer or wonder if what theyre seeing is real. One fellow even poked fun at my big banana as I towed it down Lake Shore Boulevard during the ActiveTO weekend closure. This conviviality has been an unexpected and pleasant part of being an urban paddler. One colleague, who also pedals his kayak to the water, said he was once asked, do you go in that, or is it just art? Despite so much shoreline, public spots to launch are actually hard to find, especially in the central city. Between Harbourfront and the Humber there are just a few locations at Ontario Place and then the sandy beaches before and after Sunnyside. Head east, and theres not much opportunity until Cherry Beach. Though perhaps a niche concern for a few people like me right now, making it easy for more people to get a small boat into the water all along the waterfront could open up the lake to more people. We have a wildly successful Bike Share program, so why not boat share too? Toronto could really embrace its location on a Great Lake. Last weekend, when I paddled up the Humber, dozens of people and families were out on the water. They seemed, at least in my view, to reflect the multicultural nature of Toronto. This may seem a trite observation, but outdoor-focussed groups and institutions, like Parks Canada, have been working to attract a more diverse population of visitors and here, on Torontos waters, its already happening and I look forward to an increase in this kind of marine traffic in the years to come. Oona Darling, 11, of West Philadelphia, is protesting along side her mother, Madeleine Darling, at Clark Park in West Philadelphia, Pa., on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. I keep hearing about people dying, Oona said. We are all people. There should be no reason to kill people or hate people. I think we should all love each other and be friends. Read more The alt-right group the Proud Boys promised a rally in West Philadelphias Clark Park on Saturday. The gathering, which had residents on edge over fears that the event could spark violence, never materialized. Those who showed up in one of the most progressive, racially diverse neighborhoods in the city turned out to be largely locals, with up to 500 people assembling to oppose a rally that wasnt. Clark Park remains a place where folks from all walks of life come to recreate and to convene and to just be, Jamie Gauthier, who represents the neighborhood in City Council, said in a speech. The white supremacist hate group that plan to come here today, they set out to disrupt all of that. Gauthier spoke about racial injustice in the city and the importance of maintaining the energy brought to the park Saturday. If these Boys come here today, theyre going to go home to their miserable lives, she said. But we will still have work to do. Its important to resist any anti-democratic rally, said Catherine McCoubrey, 67, a school psychologist who lives in the neighborhood. We want to make it clear this area is not friendly to their [Proud Boys] values. Social media posts claimed there was a Proud Boys presence at the park, with members saying they were there disguised as journalists to gather information about leftist activists, but they did not engage in organized demonstrations. A Proud Boys social media page claimed the event, which had been promoted for at least two weeks, was always intended to be a fake, and was a ploy to expose Antifa violence. On at least two occasions, there was tension in the park. A man brought a bat, but it was taken away. He ran out of the park while being chased by a crowd yelling, Get the f out of my neighborhood! The man pulled something out of a zipped light athletic jacket as he retreated and quickly put the object back in his pocket as he hustled out of the park. The crowd chasing him yelled that he had a gun. It was unclear from video of the incident whether the object was a gun. A second man, a conservative media personality, conducting a video interview with people and defending President Donald Trump was quickly surrounded and called a racist. The group grew to around 50 people who demanded he leave. The interviewer was shouted down and the crowd moved toward him, making him leave. He yelled over his shoulder, You cant have a civilized conversation! Video on Twitter showed a man being chased to his car, where a counterprotester smashed the rear window of a vehicle with Massachusetts plates. It was not clear if this person was one of the two men chased out of the park. The Proud Boy social media site stated neither man was with the organization. The Proud Boys are a self-described Western chauvinist organization the Southern Poverty Law Center has identified as a general hate group. Overwhelmingly male, the right-wing group has become prominent as Trump supporters. The Fraternal Order of Police drew criticism in July when 10 men who identified as Proud Boys attended a party at the unions headquarters. A Proud Boys rally in Kalamazoo, Mich., in August led to fighting between the group and counterprotesters. Another event is planned in Portland, Ore., on Sept. 26. On social media posts, the alt-right group had called Saturdays event Belly of the Beast 2020 and said it was a rally against what they described as antifa terrorism. A Proud Boys post on the social media site Telegram specifically singled out two Philadelphia activists, Daryle Lamont Jenkins and Gwen Snyder, and included slurs about both of them. Though Clark Park seemed typically vibrant Saturday morning, with friends lounging on the lawn and the twang of a mans guitar providing accompaniment to a bright, cool fall day, there were hints of tension. The orange tables and chairs normally at the center of the park had been removed. The market, which usually runs until 2 p.m., shut down at 11:30 a.m. READ MORE: What happened after word spread that the Proud Boys did karaoke in a West Philly bar By then, West Philadelphians and activists had gathered in numbers. Ignoring them is only going to be seen as empowering them, said a local tattoo artist who gave her professional name, Katy A.D. Thats going to be seen as a permissive action. A.D. held a sign that included statistics on the number of domestic terror incidents ascribed to far-right groups. Jenkins, executive director of One Peoples Project, an antiracist organization, led the crowd in a call and response, asking, Whose community is this?" and Whose city is this? This is our city, he said. The rally was supposed to begin at 1 p.m. By 1:30, Jenkins mocked that the far-right group appeared to be a no-show. If they come, hey, thats just them saving face," he said. "But they know we got this. The Rev. Jeffrey Jordan of the Whomsoever Metropolitan Church was with members with seven signs bearing the last words of Black people who were killed by police, including George Floyd and Eric Garner. READ MORE: Phillys police union says it didnt invite Proud Boys to a Pence after-party. It didnt ask them to leave, either. We feel their words are crying out from the grave to end the murder of unarmed Black people, Jordan said. We live in a time when white supremacists feel comfortable enough to come out in the open, and that is a major part of the problem we are facing today. When we look back on September 11, 2001, we think mainly of people. We mourn for the victims of the attacks, we empathize with their families, we honor the rescue workers, and we reflect on our own experience. At the same time, we remember all of the technology of that day -- the airplanes that the hijackers used as flying bombs, the buildings they damaged and destroyed, and the heavy equipment used in the massive rescue and then clean-up effort. Like countless events throughout history, the attacks of September 11 were a crushing mesh of man and machine. The most prominent technology on that day, of course, was the World Trade Center complex. After the attack, the WTC's Twin Towers came to symbolize not only the day itself, but also a collective emotion of people all over the world. Advertisement In this article, we remember the Twin Towers for everything they were: a remarkable technological achievement, a representation of an ideal, and, ultimately, a staggering reminder of our own vulnerability. In remembering this proud structure, we honor the spirit in which it was built, and we memorialize the victims of the attacks. Origins The original idea for a world trade center in New York is generally credited to David Rockefeller, one of industrialist John D. Rockefeller's many grandsons. In fact, the idea was proposed soon after World War II, a decade before Rockefeller ever got involved, but he was the one who actually got the ball rolling. In the 1950s and '60s, while serving as chairman of Chase Manhattan Bank, Rockefeller was dedicated to revitalizing lower Manhattan. He hoped to energize the area with new construction, in much the same way his father revitalized midtown Manhattan in the 1930s with Rockefeller Center. As part of his plan, David Rockefeller proposed a complex dedicated to international trade, to be constructed at the east end of Wall Street. Rockefeller believed that the trade center, which would include office and hotel space, an exhibit hall, a securities and exchange center and numerous shops, would be just the thing to spur economic growth in the area. " " The looming Twin Towers went far beyond the original concepts for the WTC. Photo courtesy NARA By the 1960s, he certainly had something to gain from the WTC project. He had just put up the expensive 60-story Chase Manhattan Bank tower in the financial district, and wanted to increase the value of the bank's investment. But he was also driven by the spirit of international unity. A world trade center would bring together people from all over the globe, a noble ideal in the decades following World War II. With the help of his brother, Nelson Rockefeller, the governor of New York state at the time, David Rockefeller got The Port of New York Authority involved. The Port of New York Authority, now known as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, is a government institution that heads up public projects in the New York and New Jersey port area. While the Port Authority is a public organization, it functions like a private corporation -- it charges its "customers" directly and profits from investments, rather than taking tax money. Since its creation in 1921, the Port Authority had been concerned mainly with bridges, tunnels, airports and bus transportation. It had never undertaken anything near the scale of the World Trade Center before, but nonetheless, the organization was the most logical choice to head up the project. It had the rare combination of government connections, diverse resources and the power of eminent domain. Rockefeller commissioned early designs for the WTC in 1958, the Port Authority got involved in 1960, and the initial plans were made public in 1961. Then things slowed down considerably. For years, the Port Authority slogged through fiscal problems, public relations debacles and legal wrangling, not to mention the unpopular task of evicting the hundreds of businesses and homes occupying the building site. With all the negotiations and logistical conflicts, excavation didn't actually start until 1966. By that time, the design and scope of the project had changed completely, as we'll see in the next section. As the Libertarian candidate, Jorgensen said she and her party provide an alternative to disaffected Democrats and Republicans. The priorities of the two, the former of which she said presses for more domestic spending and the latter demanding more military spending, has resulted in both getting their way putting the county in a deeper deficit. The federal intrusion into local police forces, according to Jorgensen, has only compounded the tensions that have erupted into violence in the nations major cities. She said her administration would work to demilitarize the police, and cut off federal involvement in local law enforcement, which includes the DEA and the Department of Homeland Security. Along with releasing all non-violent offenders incarcerated on drug charges, Jorgensen said she would prioritize bringing an end to the U.S.s War on Terror, which has stretched into its 19th year. She said she envisioned the United States one giant Switzerland. Armed and neutral. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Its back to the books for public school students in New York City, beginning Monday. And we want to hear from you as schools reopen amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) health crisis. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this past week that the city would start the process of returning students to campus in phases, beginning Monday, with the academic year kicking off for both in-person and remote learners. The plan is the right plan, but we have to make sure its implemented properly, is exactly right. And thats what parents would want of us, the mayor said during the press conference Thursday, when he made the announcement. The phases for students enrolled in the citys blended learning model are as follows: 3-K, pre-K and District 75 students will report in-person beginning Monday, Sept. 21; students in K to 5 and K to eight schools will begin reporting on Tuesday, Sept. 29; and middle and high school students will begin returning on Thursday, Oct. 1. Under the blended learning plan, put into place amid the coronavirus pandemic to cut down on the number of students at school at one time, students will return to their classroom one to three days per week, learning virtually the rest of the time. To help mark the new school year, we are asking you to send us your back-to-school photos by using the hashtag #SILive with your pictures on Instagram and Twitter. You can also send photos to education reporter Annalise Knudson at aknudson@siadvance.com. Parents: Take a photo of your child on the first day of school. Send us a photo of your kid before he or she heads back to school. Maybe you have a traditional photo taken each year. Does your child hold a sign showing his or her school grade and age? And if your child is learning remotely full-time, or the first day of school as a blended learner is remote, send us a picture as he or she participates in school from home. Teachers: Share a photo of your newly decorated classroom. How are you planning to bring students together, now more than ever, amid the current health crisis? Will you have signs reminding students of safety protocols? How will student desks be set up? Where will students keep their supplies? And if youre a teacher who is planning to work remotely, we want to see how you are transforming your home into a teaching space. Here is the academic calendar for public schools for the 2020-2021 school year. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** Related stories: NYC to bring in 2,000 more educators for the start of school as de Blasio pushes forward with Sept. 21 reopening 3 S.I. schools see positive coronavirus cases, union says Coronavirus: How to find ventilation inspection results for your childs school What will reopening look like in largest U.S. school districts? NYC school year delayed; in-person learning to start Sept. 21 Reopening of NYC schools delayed: What you need to know Heres how coronavirus testing will work in NYC schools Coronavirus: How NYC plans to safely reopen schools in fall FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. Priyanka Chopra- Nick Jonas welcome their first child through surrogacy, fans feel she'd already dropped hints Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 10:16:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LONDON, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday confirmed the return of Gareth Bale on loan from Real Madrid, along with the purchase of left-back Sergio Reguilon on a five-year contract. Bale returns to the club he left to join Madrid in 2013 for a then-world record transfer fee of over 110 million U.S. dollars. Although he had become a scapegoat at Real Madrid over the past couple of seasons, Bale was greeted by around 100 fans at the Tottenham training ground when he reported for his medical on Friday. "It's nice to be back. It's such a special club for me where I made my name, what an amazing club with amazing fans, it's incredible to be back," commented Bale on the Tottenham website. The Spanish press reported on Saturday that the Welsh international is carrying an injury that sidelined him for a month, but Bale made no reference to that in his first interview. "Hopefully now I can get some match fitness, get underway and really help the team to win trophies." "I always thought when I did leave that I would love to come back one day, the opportunity has now arisen and I feel like it is a good fit at a good time. I am hungry and motivated to do well for the team. I can't wait to get started," said Bale, who will wear the number 9 shirt. "Since I have left the club has been building, the stadium is incredible, the training ground is better than before. It's an exciting time," he added. Enditem Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Ottawa, Canada Sun, September 20, 2020 12:09 489 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45f5934 2 Science & Tech Canada,self-driving,self-driving-car,autonomous-vehicle,tesla Free A driver who allegedly set his car to autopilot and then took a nap as it broke the speed limit on a rural Canadian highway has been charged with dangerous driving, police said. The incident took place near the town of Ponoka in Alberta province, the local force said in a tweet on Thursday. Alberta RCMP received a complaint of a car speeding on Hwy 2 near #Ponoka. The car appeared to be self-driving, travelling over 140 km/h with both front seats completely reclined & occupants appeared to be asleep. The driver received a Dangerous Driving charge & summons for court pic.twitter.com/tr0RohJDH1 RCMP Alberta (@RCMPAlberta) September 17, 2020 "The car appeared to be self-driving, travelling over 140 km/h with both front seats completely reclined & occupants appeared to be asleep," it said. According to Canadian public broadcaster CBC, the car was an electric Tesla model set to autopilot and the man charged was 20 years old. The speed limit on that section of the highway is 110 kilometers per hour, it added. Read also: Road test: Chinese 'robotaxis' take riders for a spin Police Sergeant Darrin Turnbull told CBC that he was "speechless" and had not seen such a case in his two-decade career -- "but of course the technology wasn't there". "Nobody was looking out the windshield to see where the car was going," he said. Tesla's autopilot mode allows cars to steer, accelerate and brake automatically within a lane, but is not supposed to enable trips without human intervention. The US company warns on its website that "current autopilot features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous". But the president of a Canadian Tesla owners' club, who condemned the incident, told CBC that there were videos circulating online with instructions on how to "hack" the cars' safety systems. A 65-year-old woman and a 15-year-old girl each sustained graze wounds when a Philadelphia police officer fired twice at a dog that attacked him Saturday night, police said. The dog also was struck in a front paw. According to police, the officer was talking to the woman on the 7800 block of Nixon Street about a fire about 9:15 when the dog charged at him and he fired his gun. The woman was grazed in the left thigh; the girl, on the head, police said. Both reportedly declined medical treatment at the scene. The pit bull-boxer mix was taken to a veterinarian for treatment, police said. The officer also sustained knee injuries and was listed in stable condition at Chestnut Hill Hospital Sunday, police said. No other information was available. New Delhi: A cab driver was killed when a speeding BMW car crashed into it near IIT Flyover in South Delhi. The accident happened in the wee hours of Monday. Both the cars were on their way from Kalkaji to Vasant Vihar when they collided near Munirka flyover, initial reports say. The hunt for the BMW driver is on, Delhi Police is trying to trace the owner of the car using the registration number of the vehicle. Investigation is underway. More details are awaited. Senator Lamar Alexander on Sunday will support President Trumps intent to fill the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy following the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Senator Mitch McConnells announcement that the Senate will vote on that nomination. He said, No one should be surprised that a Republican Senate majority would vote on a Republican Presidents Supreme Court nomination, even during a presidential election year. The Constitution gives senators the power to do it. The voters who elected them expect it. Going back to George Washington, the Senate has confirmed many nominees to the Supreme Court during a presidential election year. It has refused to confirm several when the President and Senate majority were of different parties. Senator McConnell is only doing what Democrat leaders have said they would do if the shoe were on the other foot. I have voted to confirm Justices Roberts, Alito, Sotomayor, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh based upon their intelligence, character and temperament. I will apply the same standard when I consider President Trumps nomination to replace Justice Ginsburg. Senator David Perdue said, The people of Georgia want a Supreme Court that applies the law, not makes the law. I am confident that President Trump will nominate another highly-qualified candidate who will strictly uphold the Constitution. Once the President announces a nomination, the United States Senate should begin the process that moves this to a full Senate vote. We know Chuck Schumer and Jon Ossoff want to radically reshape our nations highest court. If Democrats take control of the Senate, they have said they will add four seats and pack it with activist judges. The choice for the future of the Supreme Court is clear, and our nation's founding principles are at stake. The National Institutes of Health has awarded the University of Montana a five-year, $33.4 million award for the development and clinical trials of opioid vaccines. It is the largest such award in University history. The award was funded through the NIH HEAL Initiative, a national effort to speed scientific solutions to the national opioid health crisis. It includes funding for two Phase One clinical trials of opioid vaccines developed by UM's Center for Translational Medicine in collaboration with Inimmune Corp. (Dr. Kendal Ryter and Dr. David Burkhart) and the University of Minnesota (Dr. Marco Pravetoni). The UM vaccine research team has spent more than two decades working to improve vaccines through the use of adjuvants - components added to vaccines to improve the immune response - and novel delivery systems to ensure vaccines are safely and efficiently delivered to the right cells. Dr. Jay Evans, principal investigator on this award and director of UM's Center for Translational Medicine, said this is a great opportunity for UM and Missoula to make an impact on a local and global health crisis. This funding is an enormous boost to the research we've already done on the development of an opioid vaccine and is validation of our world-class research team at UM. It will allow us to advance lead opioid vaccine candidates to Phase I human clinical trials and better understand the safety and efficacy of our vaccine adjuvants, which early research have shown will be needed to increase the quantity and quality of the anti-drug antibody response in people with opioid addictions." Dr. Jay Evans, principal investigator on this award and director of UM's Center for Translational Medicine Scott Whittenburg, UM vice president for research and creative scholarship, said the award demonstrates UM's continued commitment to using its research faculty and facilities to address problems of concern to the country and Montana. "Drug addiction is an on-going concern to the state, where roughly half of all deaths from drug overdoses are due to opioids," Whittenburg said. "The development of an adjuvant vaccine for treatment of opioid addiction is key to overcoming a major health issue for the state." UM received one of only two awards granted from this NIH Request for Applications. UM collaborators at Boston Children's Hospital were the other recipient. Both institutions are working in partnership with Missoula's Inimmune Corp., a start-up company located in UM's business incubator, MonTEC. "The public/private partnership between UM and Inimmune provides a critical mechanism to advance multiple vaccine research programs to human clinical trials for the benefit of patients," said Burkhart, COO at Inimmune Corp. and co-investigator on the award. Other collaborators on the UM Opioid Vaccine award include Pravetoni and Dr. Sandy Comer from Columbia University. Both are experts in opioid addiction and drug-addiction vaccine clinical trials. "The growing success of the Center for Translational Medicine and its business partner, Inimmune Corp, demonstrates the value of a tightly coupled public/private partnership that provides economic growth for the community while working to solve issues critical to the state," said Whittenburg. This new award comes on the heels of growing national recognition of UM's work in vaccine development and funding for development and trials. The center is currently in the middle of a five-year, $17.2 million contract to develop a universal flu vaccine. This spring, the NIH also awarded the center $3.7 million to advance a COVID-19 vaccine candidate. UM's COVID work garnered UM a ranking in Successful Student's Top 10 list for "Best Universities Solving the Coronavirus Pandemic," joining schools like Harvard and Oxford. UM President Seth Bodnar said the University's prominence in medical research mirrors its overall reputation for innovation. "When our nation's healthcare, environmental, and business leaders are looking to invest in world-class research, they are turning to UM," Bodnar said. "That is one of the reasons we have seen UM's research expenditures grow by more than 90% in the past six years. This award will further strengthen the efforts of our vaccine research team to develop life-saving solutions to some of our world's biggest problems." Badaun: In a guesome incident in Uttar Pradesh'a Badaun, a father of five daughters allegedly ripped open the stomach of his pregnant wife on Saturday evening. Pannalal, 43, a labourer, returned home in an inebriated condition and got into an argument with his wife. He then slit the stomach of his wife with a sharp-edged weapon allegedly to find out the gender of the baby. Confirming the incident SP (City) Pravin Singh Chauhan told PTI that the incident took place in the Nekpur locality under the Civil Lines police station area. An FIR has been registered against the husband and he has been arrested, the SP said, adding that the reasons behind the crime is being looked into. The injured woman was rushed to a Bareilly hospital in a serious condition by the family of the woman with the help of locals. They alleged that Pannalal wanted a son and committed the crime to know if it was male or female foetus. According to the police, the husband, Pannalal, 43, a labourer, returned home in an inebriated condition and picked up an argument with his wife Anita Devi, 40, forcing her to abort the child. When Anita refused, Pannalal attacked her with a sickle on her abdomen. The woman is said to be six to seven months pregnant, police said. (With agency inputs) Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 19:41:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A woman walks past the United Nations headquarters in New York, the United States, Sept. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) To claim that UN sanctions against Iran have been restored is "wishful thinking," the ministry said. MOSCOW, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) Security Council did not take any action that would lead to the resumption of the previous sanctions against Iran, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Sunday. The statement came shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed that "the United States welcomes the return of virtually all previously terminated UN sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran" and "Sanctions are being re-imposed on Iran pursuant to the snapback process under UN Security Council resolution (UNSCR) 2231." "Now they are trying to force everyone to put on 'augmented reality glasses' labeled 'made in USA' and perceive what is happening around Iran and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, the Iran nuclear deal) exclusively through them. But the world is not an American computer game," the statement read. To claim that UN sanctions against Iran have been restored is "wishful thinking," the ministry said, urging the U.S. side to "have the courage to finally face the truth and stop speaking on behalf of the UN Security Council." "Unbridled behavior contrary to the JCPOA and UNSCR 2231 is becoming a serious blow from the United States to the authority of the UN Security Council, a manifestation of open disregard for its decisions and for international law in general. This is unacceptable," it stressed. Efforts to maintain and ensure the sustainable implementation of the JCPOA will continue, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. "The United States should not aggravate the situation, but immediately abandon its course of destroying the JCPOA and undermining UNSCR 2231," it added. AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine trails remain on hold in the United States, despite resuming in countries such as the United Kingdom, India, Brazil, and South Africa. On September 19, the New York Times reported on the recently published document by AstraZeneca describing protocols of how the trials are being conducted by the pharmaceutical company. The blueprint came amid increasing pressure from the scientific community who demanded AstraZeneca to be more transparent about its vaccine trials. Read: US FDA Investigating AstraZeneca's COVID-19 Vaccine Trial, Says Chief As per the report, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is the top-most authority that clears or holds vaccines, did not allow AstraZeneca to resume trials. The National Institutes of Health, an agency of the US Health Department said that it is a "standard procedure" to pause the trials as they are not sure whether the illness in volunteers was coincidental or tied to the vaccine. In the study published on Saturday, AstraZeneca, however, did not reveal many details about the illness in volunteers Read: COVID-19 Vaccine: AstraZeneca CEO Says 2020 Approval 'on Cards' Despite Trial Pause This comes after the company paused the trials earlier this month as two of the volunteers developed illnesses. Clinical trials of the vaccine, AZD1222, resumed in the UK following confirmation by the Medicines Health Regulatory Authority (MHRA) that it was safe to do so. On September 12, AstraZeneca had said that it cannot disclose further medical information on the trials. Read: WHO Says Safety 'first & Foremost' After AstraZeneca Suspends Vaccine Trials AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine AZD1222, which was being dubbed as the front-runner in the vaccine race by WHO, has been developed by the University of Oxford in partnership with AstraZeneca. The vaccine uses a replication-deficient chimpanzee viral vector based on a weakened version of a common cold virus (adenovirus) that causes infections in chimpanzees and contains the genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein. After vaccination, the surface spike protein is produced, priming the immune system to attack the COVID-19 virus if it later infects the body, said the company. Read: AstraZeneca Puts Its COVID-19 Vaccine Trial On Hold After Patient In UK Falls Ill Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Andrea Shalal and Lawrence Hurley (Reuters) Washington Sun, September 20, 2020 15:13 488 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45f9c04 2 World US-election,Ruth-Bader-Ginsburg,Donald-Trump,Joe-Biden,November-3 Free President Donald Trump said on Saturday he will nominate a woman to sit on the US Supreme Court, a move that would tip the court further to the right following the death of liberal Ruth Bader Ginsburg. "I will be putting forth a nominee next week. It will be a woman," Trump said at a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina. "I think it should be a woman because I actually like women much more than men." He praised Ginsburg as a "legal giant ... Her landmark rulings, fierce devotion to justice and her courageous battle against cancer inspire all Americans." Earlier, he praised two women as possible replacements: conservatives he elevated to federal appeals courts. Trump named Amy Coney Barrett of the Chicago-based 7th Circuit and Barbara Lagoa of the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit as possible nominees for a lifetime appointment to the highest US court. It would be his third appointment during his first term. Trump said it was his constitutional right to appoint a successor for Ginsburg, and he would do so, citing similar moves by presidents dating back to George Washington. "We have plenty of time. Youre talking about Jan. 20," Trump said, referring to the date of the next inauguration. Ginsburg's death on Friday from cancer after 27 years on the court handed Trump, who is seeking re-election on Nov. 3, the opportunity to expand its conservative majority to 6-3 at a time of a gaping political divide in America. Any nomination would require approval by a simple majority in the Senate, where Trump's Republicans hold a 53-47 majority. Not all Republican senators supported the move: Maine's Susan Collins on Saturday said a nomination should wait. "In fairness to the American people, who will either be re-electing the President or selecting a new one, the decision on a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court should be made by the President who is elected on November 3rd," Collins, facing a tough re-election race herself, said in a statement. Democrats are still seething over the Republican Senate's refusal in 2016 to act on Democratic President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland to replace conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who died 10 months before that election. At the time, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate should not act on a nominee during an election year, but he and other top Republican senators have reversed that stance. Even if Democrats win the White House and a Senate majority in the November election, Trump and McConnell might be able to push through their choice before the new president and Congress are sworn in on Jan. 20. Even before Ginsburg's death, Trump had released a list of potential nominees. Barrett has generated perhaps the most interest in conservative circles. A devout Roman Catholic, she was a legal scholar at Notre Dame Law School in Indiana before Trump appointed her to the 7th Circuit in 2017. Abortion-rights groups have pointed to Barrett's conservative religious views and said that as a judge, she would likely vote to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Lagoa has served on the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals for less than a year after Trump appointed her and the Senate confirmed her in an 80-15 vote. Prior to that, she spent less than a year in her previous position as the first Latina on the Florida Supreme Court, after more than a decade as a judge on an intermediate appeals court. During the 2016 campaign, Trump promised to appoint justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade, a longtime goal of conservative activists. Even with the current conservative majority, the court voted 5-4 in July to strike down a restrictive Louisiana abortion law. Cristine Crispell, who works in special education in Reedsville, Georgia, drove five hours to attend the rally with her two teenage daughters. She said Trump "absolutely" had the right to nominate a new justice, even so close to the election. "I would like to see Roe v. Wade overturned. Absolutely," she said. "Sanctity of life is a huge thing." Trump has already appointed two justices: Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. Kavanaugh was narrowly confirmed after a heated confirmation process in which he angrily denied 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. A complaint has been filed against Assam minister Pijush Hazarika for allegedly violating COVID-19 protocols by addressing a poll rally in Baksa district, police said on Sunday. Hazarika, the Minister of State for Health, addressed a rally in Tamulpur earlier this week for the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) election, which is suspended indefinitely due to the pandemic. The meeting drew a huge crowd, raising concerns as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise in the state. The complaint, which was filed in Guwahati, has been forwarded to Baksa district as the alleged violation took place there, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Central) of Guwahati Police Sarmistha Baruah said. "As it was not in our area, we have not registered the case here. We forwarded it to the Tamulpur police station in Baksa on Saturday," she added. When contacted, Baksa Superintendent of Police (SP) Hiranya Barman said they are yet to receive the document. "We have not received any formal document as of now. Once we receive it, we will proceed in accordance with law," he said. The complainant, Tarun Dutta, has alleged violation of the COVID-19 protocols, including that the minister was not wearing a mask. Hazarika, along with Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, has been at the forefront of Assam's battle against COVID-19. He has often appealed to people to adhere to the protocols to prevent the spread of the virus. HAMPDEN Firefighters from at least four different departments have been battling a brush fire on Minnechaug Mountain for more than 20 hours. The fire was reported at about 8 p.m., Saturday, and firefighters have been working to try to extinguish the flames since then, Hampden public safety officials said. No one has been injured in the fire and the flames are not threatening any buildings currently. It is not known how many acres of woodlands have been burned since Saturday night, officials said. One of the biggest problems is access to the mountain is limited so firefighters have to mostly hike in with gear and water to try to control the blaze, officials said. Hampden firefighters are being assisted by the Wilbraham, Monson and Somers, Connecticut Fire departments. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Most of the state is under a significant drought status after four months of below-normal rainfall, according to the state Executive Office of Environmental Affairs. The public is being asked to stay away from the area. Related Content: Anonymous hackers leaked the personal data of 1,000 Belarusian police officers in retaliation for a crackdown on street demonstrations against veteran President Alexander Lukashenko, as protesters geared up for another mass rally on Sunday. As the arrests continue, we will continue to publish data on a massive scale, said a statement that was distributed by the opposition news channel Nexta Live on the messaging app Telegram. No one will remain anonymous even under a balaclava. The government said it would find and punish those responsible for leaking the data, which was widely distributed on Telegram channels on Saturday evening. The forces, means and technologies at the disposal of the internal affairs bodies make it possible to identify and prosecute the overwhelming majority of those guilty of leaking personal data on the Internet, said Olga Chemodanova, the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The loyalty of the security forces is crucial to Lukashenkos ability to cling on to power following last months presidential election, in which he claimed a landslide victory but his opponents say was rigged to hand the former Soviet collective farm boss a sixth term. Security forces have detained thousands of people to tackle a wave of protests and strikes, their faces often obscured by masks, balaclavas or riot helmets. Some protesters have physically torn off the masks of some officers. The government said 390 women were detained for taking part in a protest on Saturday against Lukashenko. Most have been released. Lukashenkos crackdown on the protests has prompted the European Union to weigh fresh sanctions against his government. a male taking money out of the valet. Residents in New South Wales with no leave entitlements will now be able to access a one-off $1,500 payment for each time they are required to self-isolate or quarantine, state premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed. The $1,500 pandemic leave disaster payment is also available to those who are caring for someone who has contracted Covid-19, and includes temporary visa holders. "NSW is successfully managing the Covid-19 pandemic, including through contact tracing and the countrys highest testing rates," Berejiklian said. "By introducing the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment we are ensuring we continue to do everything we can to protect the community against undetected transmission. The premier said the state was partnering with the Commonwealth to provide the payments. "We do not want some workers to have to choose between isolating and financially supporting themselves or their dependents." NSW treasurer, Dominic Perrottet, said the leave payment would support the states health and economic stimulus measures, and provide assistance to workers who dont have access to leave and who might otherwise be getting tested for the virus. NSW is the latest state to introduce the leave payment, which first kicked off in Victoria in early August. It comes days after the Western Australian government confirmed it had implemented the pandemic leave payments. South Australia and Tasmania have also introduced the payments. How do I claim the $1,500 pandemic leave payment? The quickest way to claim the pandemic leave payment is to call Services Australia on 180 22 66 and apply over the phone. You can also print and complete this form and fax it through to 1300 727 760. Are you a millennial or Gen Z-er interested in joining a community where you can learn how to take control of your money? Join us at The Broke Millennials Club on Facebook! Donald Trump gave his blessing to Oracle Corp.s bid for the American operations of TikTok, putting the popular video-sharing app on course to escape a U.S. ban imposed as part of his pressure campaign against China. I approved the deal in concept, Trump told reporters Saturday as he left the White House for a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina. If they get it done, thats great. If they dont, thats OK too. The new company, which will be called TikTok Global, has agreed to funnel $5 billion in new tax dollars to the U.S. and set up a new education fund, which Trump said would satisfy his demand that the government receive a payment from the deal. Theyre going to be setting up a very large fund, he said. Thats their contribution that Ive been asking for. Oracle plans to take a 12.5% stake in the new TikTok Global, while Walmart Inc. said it has tentatively agreed to buy 7.5% of the entity. Walmarts Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon will serve on TikTok Globals board of directors, the retailer said in a statement. Four of the five board seats will be filled by Americans, according to the statement. The deal was forced by a pair of bans Trump issued in August over concerns that TikToks Chinese owner ByteDance Ltd. posed a national security risk, thrusting the video-sharing app into the center of the presidents confrontation with Beijing. Shortly after Trump signaled his approval, the Commerce Department on Saturday delayed by a week a ban that would have forced Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.s Google to pull the TikTok video app from their U.S. app stores on Sunday. Trump is ramping up pressure on Chinese-owned apps in the weeks before the Nov. 3 presidential elections, citing national security concerns about the data U.S. citizens provide to them and the potential for Beijing to use them for spying. The president is trailing his opponent Joe Biden in polls and has sought to portray himself as tougher on Beijing than the Democrat. TikTok said in a statement that it was pleased that the proposal by TikTok, Oracle, and Walmart will resolve the security concerns of the U.S. administration and settle questions around TikToks future in the U.S. The company confirmed Oracle will host all its U.S. data and secure its computer systems. Oracles Generation 2 Cloud fully isolates running applications and responds to security threats autonomously, according to the statement, which eliminates the risk of foreign governments spying on American users or trying to influence them with disinformation. Oracle will quickly deploy, rapidly scale, and operate TikTok systems in the Oracle Cloud, said Oracle CEO Safra Catz in a statement. We are a 100% confident in our ability to deliver a highly secure environment to TikTok and ensure data privacy to TikToks American users. Oracle will get full access to review TikToks source code and updates to make sure there are no back doors used by the companys Chinese parent to gather data or to spy on the video-sharing apps 100 million American users, according to people familiar with the matter. TikTok Global, together with Oracle, SIG, General Atlantic, Sequoia, Walmart and Coatue will create an educational initiative to develop and deliver an online video curriculum driven by artificial intelligence, according to the statement. TikTok said its working with Walmart on a commercial partnership and said that it will take part in a TikTok Global financing round along with Oracle before an initial public offering in which the investors can take as much as a 20% cumulative stake in the company. TikTok Global will likely be headquartered in Texas and will hire at least 25,000 people, Trump said. TikTok will need to hire thousands of content moderators, engineers, and marketing staff that were previously located in China and around the world. The company will also pay more than $5 billion in new tax dollars to the Treasury, according to the statement. To sweeten the deal for Trump, TikTok promised to hire an additional 15,000 jobs, more than the 10,000 positions the company already pledged to fill earlier this year. Its unclear if theres a timeline to achieve that target, or guarantees that it will follow through. Facebook Inc., the largest U.S. social media company, employed about 45,000 people in 2019, while Twitter Inc. employed only 4,900, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Proponents of the deal told the Trump administration that the new company would be controlled by American investors by counting the passive stakes of existing shareholders in TikToks Chinese parent, people familiar with the matter said. Although Bytedance will have an 80% stake in the new company, existing U.S. investors hold a 40% stake in ByteDance. That tallies up to 53% ownership by U.S. companies and investors although that doesnt entail majority control or voter rights, the people said. TikTok Global, which will be an independent company, will hold an initial public offering in less than 12 months and the stock will be listed on a U.S. exchange, according to the statement. After going public, U.S. ownership of TikTok Global will increase and continue to grow over time, it added. While the Chinese government must now sign off on the transaction for it to go forward, as of earlier this week, ByteDance was growing increasingly confident that the proposal would pass muster with Chinese regulators, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. Early reaction from Chinese state media appeared positive. This scheme is still unfair, but it avoids the worst result, that TikTok is shut down or sold to a U.S. company completely, wrote Hu Xijin, the influential editor in chief of Chinas state-owned Global Times. Under the terms of the agreement reached early in the week, ByteDance would retain a majority of TikToks assets and control over the algorithm, with Oracle and other U.S. investors taking minority stakes. Trump seemed to contradict that on Saturday. It will have nothing to do with China, itll be totally secure, thatll be part of the deal, he said. All of the control is Walmart and Oracle, two great American companies. Trump spoke with Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison and Walmarts McMillon on Friday, telling them he still expected the U.S. government to receive a cash payment as part of the transaction, according to people familiar with the matter. They agreed to the educational donation as a way to satisfy Trumps demand, one of the people said. ByteDance first heard about the $5 billion education fund from news reports, a company spokeswoman said. The deal came together last weekend, the result of high-level negotiations between ByteDance, Oracle and top Trump administration officials after ByteDance rejected a bid from Microsoft Corp. and Walmart to buy the U.S. TikTok service outright. Beijing has signaled it would greenlight a deal as long as ByteDance doesnt have to transfer the artificial intelligence algorithms that drive TikToks service, Bloomberg has reported. The Treasury Department said the deal is subject to a security agreement that requires approval by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., or Cfius. The term sheet thats been negotiated between Cfius and the companies will now have to be formalized in a document that details the mechanics for implementing the terms of the deal. That document would likely include requirements related to the establishment of the new company, arrangements governing its relationship with ByteDance, whether an IPO is part of the deal, whether ByteDance will have to divest its entire stake in the IPO and what would happen if for some reason the IPO doesnt occur, said Aimen Mir, a lawyer at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP and a former deputy assistant secretary for investment security at Treasury. In a video posted on TikTok with the caption #WeAreTikTok and we are here to stay, interim head of TikTok Vanessa Pappas thanked users for sticking by us, she said. Were here for the long run. In the comments below, users said they were happy that the ongoing drama around the ban would subside. This on and off situation is working on my nerves, said @iamdavante, who has 4.1 million followers on the video app. Now read: Huawei South Africa stays strong after dropping Google services By PTI LONDON: The UK government on Sunday announced new rules, which make it a legal requirement for people with coronavirus to quarantine, with fines of up to 10,000 pounds imposed on repeat breaches of the stipulated 14-day self-isolation period to control the spread of the virus. Downing Street said the new requirements, which will be enforced from September 28, also come with support payments of 500 pounds for those on lower incomes who cannot work from home, such as construction workers, and stand to lose income as a result of the mandatory self-isolation. The rules come in as Prime Minister Boris Johnson considers further tougher measures after he warned that the UK may now be seeing a second wave coming in of the deadly virus, with the number of cases continuing to rise. People who choose to ignore the rules will face significant fines. We need to do all we can to control the spread of this virus, to prevent the most vulnerable people from becoming infected, and to protect the NHS (National Health Service) and save lives, said Johnson. And while most people are doing their absolute level best to comply with the rules, I dont want to see a situation where people dont feel they are financially able to self-isolate. Thats why were also introducing a new GBP 500 Test and Trace Support payment for those on low incomes who are required by NHS Test and Trace to remain at home to help stop the spread of the virus, he said. New fines for those breaching self-isolation rules will start at 1,000 pounds -- bringing this in line with the penalty for breaking quarantine after international travel -- but could increase to up to 10,000 pounds for repeat offences and for the most egregious breaches, including for those preventing others from self-isolating. For example, this could include business owners who threaten self-isolating staff with redundancy if they do not come to work, sending a clear message that this is now punishable by law. "The best way we can fight this virus is by everyone following the rules and self-isolating if they''re at risk of passing on coronavirus. And so nobody underestimates just how important this is, new regulations will mean you are legally obliged to do so if you have the virus or have been asked to do so by NHS Test and Trace, Johnson said. Just under 4 million people who are in receipt of benefits in England will be eligible for the new Test and Trace Support payment. Downing Street said that local authorities across England will be working to set up these self-isolation support schemes and it is expected that they will be in place by October 12. Those who start to self-isolate from September 28 will receive backdated payments once the scheme is set up in their local authority. The one-off payment of 500 pounds is above the country''s statutory sick pay of 95.85 pounds per week and a previously-announced additional award of 182 pounds for those told to self-isolate in highest risk areas of intervention or areas under localised lockdowns. A number of steps will be taken as part of the new legally-enforceable quarantine rules, including NHS Test and Trace call handlers making regular contact with those self-isolating and escalating any suspicion of non-compliance to Local Authorities and local police. Police resources will be used to check compliance in highest incidence areas and in high-risk groups, based on local intelligence. High-profile and egregious cases of non-compliance will be investigated and prosecuted. Action will be taken on instances where third parties have identified others who have tested positive but are not self-isolating. The UK government says it hopes the new measures will be replicated in the devolved regions of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, which have the authority to set their own coronavirus rules but largely follow government guidelines. The latest set of tougher measures are announced as a further 4,422 new COVID-19 cases and 27 deaths were reported in the UK as of Saturday. The number of infections has been on the rise for a few weeks now, with the R number or the number of people an infected person will pass the virus on to rising to between 1.1 and 1.4, well beyond the outer threshold of one. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 20/9/2020 (488 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. 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. Incident 1039 When: April 28, 2020 Where: First block of Young Street A male and female forced open the front door to an apartment block in West Broadway. Once inside, the pair pried open the mailboxes and stole the contents. Incident 1040 Incident 1040 When: April 16, 2020 Where: 400 block of Tache Avenue The male shown here broke into a parking lot kiosk in St. Boniface and stole items before fleeing on a bicycle. The Chinese Communist Party's mouthpiece published a threatening editorial piece against Taiwan on September 17, the same day when China released a white paper announcing the participation of the country's armed forces in UN peacekeeping missions. The editorial published in the Global Times warned of military action against Taiwan if it tries to move forward with any political decision on the self-governed island's independence. Read: Taiwan's President Pledges Stronger Ties With US Amid Chinese Drills The Global Times wrote that China has gained experience in attacking Taiwan and its key military systems by conducting a series of exercises near the strait. It further added that Taiwan does not have the capability of confronting a modern military attack and thus the independence is a dead end. On the other hand, the Chinese government in the white paper said, 'for millennia, peace has been in the veins and the DNA of the Chinese nation. Read: China Sends More Warplanes As Taiwan Honors Late Leader China crosses median line of Taiwan strait The Chinese army on September 18 ventured across the median line of the Taiwan strait as a top United States diplomat was on a visit to the island nation. According to a statement by Taiwan's Defence Ministry, at least 18 Chinese aircraft, including fighter jets and bombers crossed the median line on Friday morning. China claims Taiwan as its own territory and doesn't want any country to keep formal ties with Taipei. Read: Taiwan, US Pay Tribute To Island's Leader, 'Mr. Democracy' China has on several occasions expressed its willingness to annex Taiwan by force using its military might. The international community, including the United States, wants peace and stability in the region because trillions of dollars worth of goods pass through the South China Sea every year. The United States supply the island nation with arms and weapons and also conducts its own military drills to supposedly keep the status quo maintained, which in turn upsets the draconian Chinese Communist government very much. Read: China Crosses Median Line In Taiwan Strait During US Envoy's Visit To Island (With inputs from ANI) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday that Democrats will use every arrow in our quiver to protect American democracy when asked whether they would seek a second impeachment of President Donald Trump over his push to quickly replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court. We have our options, Pelosi told ABC News' This Week," when asked if shed consider impeaching the president again if Trump and Senate Republicans try to sign off on a new justice before Election Day or during a lame duck session, should former Vice President Joe Biden beat Trump in November. We have arrows in our quiver that Im not about to discuss right now ... Protecting our democracy requires us to use every arrow in our quiver." Ginsburg died on Friday evening at the age of 87. Her dying wish, according to NBC News and NPR, was that the next president after Trump names the nominee to replace her. But the president has said its his obligation to name a potential replacement without delay, noting a nominee could come later this week. .@GOP We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices. We have this obligation, without delay! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 19, 2020 And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who led the Republican blockade against President Barack Obamas nominee, Merrick Garland, in 2016, said the Senate will vote on Trumps pick. Pelosi did say, however, that the push by some progressives to shut down the federal government over the matter goes too far. None of us has any interest in shutting down the government, she said, arguing the move would have a harmful and painful impact on so many people in our country. Pelosi took the opportunity to push people to vote. She said the fight over the nominee is directly tied to the battle over the Trump administrations efforts to eradicate the Affordable Care Act at a time when Americans still face the COVID-19 pandemic. Pelosi noted that arguments over the Affordable Care Act, Obamas signature bill that expanded health care and guaranteed insurance coverage for Americans with pre-existing conditions, pick up again just a week after Trump faces Biden on Election Day. The president is rushing to make some kind of a decision because Nov. 10 is when arguments begin on the Affordable Care Act," Pelosi said. He doesnt want to crush the virus. He wants to crush the Affordable Care Act. Pelosi said she wants everyone across the country who cares about health care for all Americans, crushing coronavirus, for a womans rights to choose, for LGBTQ rights, to vote," noting Congress has the ability to overturn the injustices that spring from the Supreme Court. Thats why we have to have a big turnout in this election. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, in a Saturday night vigil for Ginsburg on the steps of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., condemned McConnell for saying, the night Ginsburg died, that Trumps nominee would see a vote on the Senate floor. Four years ago, Mitch McConnell told us that there would be no vote in the U.S. Senate on a Supreme Court nominee because our president had only one year in office, and every republican stood with him, Warren said. Today, Mitch McConnell and his henchmen believe that they can ram through a Supreme Court justice only 45 days from the election. Mitch McConnell believes that this fight is over. What Mitch McConnell does not understand is this fight has just begun. Related Content: By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 09/20/2020 ADVERTISEMENT [ Spoiler Warning: This report contains spoilers revealing if Kalani and Asuelu are still together or if the : Happily Ever After? couple has split.] ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT So are Kalani and Asuelu still together despite their family issues or did the couple end their marriage? ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. star Asuelu Pulaa impressed Kalani Faagata by taking her side and standing up for her against his Samoan relatives on Season 5 of : Happily Ever After?, but did their marriage work out and last -- or have Kalani and Asuelu broken up?Kalani, a 31-year-old from Orange County, CA, and Asuelu, a 24-year-old from Samoa, met in July 2016 and first appeared on Season 6 of in 2019.Kalani and Asuelu met when Kalani was visiting a resort where Asuelu worked as the activities director, and the couple pursued a long-distance relationship once Kalani returned to America.After getting to know each other a little better, Kalani decided she could fall in love with Asuelu, and so she traveled back to Samoa to visit her man and they had sex for the first time.Not only did Kalani lose her virginity to Asuelu, but the encounter resulted in a surprise pregnancy.Kalani's conservative Mormon family was disappointed in Kalani's actions and choice of partner, especially since her father Low didn't want any of daughters to get involved with a Samoan man like himself, but Kalani opted to follow her heart.Kalani therefore ignored her family's warnings and concerns about Asuelu and went ahead and applied for a K-1 visa so Asuelu could move to the United States and become a hands-on father. At this time, Kalani and Asuelu's son Oliver was five months old.Once Asuelu arrived in the United States, there was quite an adjustment period as he attempted to acclimate to American culture. But Kalani and Asuelu went through with a wedding and got married in September 2018.'s sixth season concluded with Kalani and Asuelu's wedding ceremony as well as Kalani finding out she was pregnant with their second child.Kalani and Asuelu found out they were expecting Baby No. 2 together less than a year after she had given birth to Oliver, and the news was totally unexpected.Kalani and Asuelu are now parents of two sons: Oliver, whom the couple welcomed in January 2018, and Kennedy, who was born in May 2019.About four months later, Kalani suggested in a poll on her Instagram that Asuelu wasn't helping her with the kids and she felt totally overwhelmed."Do all husbands expect their wives to pay bills, clean the whole house, do all the laundry, feed/watch the kids 24/7 (unless said husband is in public or wants a selfie)?" Kalani asked in the September 2019 poll. "Asking for my gottdamn self. Is this normal?"Apparently 70 percent of Kalani's followers who participated in the poll answered "No."However, the couple appeared to be a very happy family at Christmas time in December 2019.On : Happily Ever After?'s fifth season, Asuelu was shown at work passing out free samples. The couple had been married for one year and three months at the time of filming.Kalani suggested her marriage was suffering and she was exhausted all the time, so her parents moved in with the couple to help them out with the boys, which apparently upset Asuelu because he no longer was the man of the house.Kalani believed Asuelu would rather play volleyball or video games after work than spend time with his family, and she felt romance had gone out the window."I just wish that Asuelu and I could get back to the point where we were in the beginning of our relationship, where we loved to be around each other. I just miss that, and if Asuelu refuses to change, I don't know if I can keep doing this anymore," Kalani said in a confessional.Kalani's dad Low also wanted Asuelu to "step up" and stop "f-cking around." Low said Asuelu would get his "ass whooped or sent back to Samoa" if things didn't change for the better.But Asuelu continued to disappoint Kalani and her family, like when he was angry at his wife for turning down an opportunity for their family to travel to Samoa.Not only would the trip cost thousands of dollars in plane fare alone, but there had also been a Measles outbreak recently -- and children in Samoa were dying from it.Asuelu and Kalani's seven-month-old son Kennedy wasn't vaccinated and wasn't supposed to get that MMR vaccine until 12-24 months old, according to his doctor, so Kalani put her foot down and pumped the breaks on Asuelu's dream vacation.Instead of going to Samoa, Kalani decided to celebrate Oliver's second birthday in California, but Asuelu was grumpy and resentful he couldn't get his way.In the car ride to California, Asuelu complained, "I think Kalani can't do what mother in Samoa do," adding that being a stay-at-home mom is "easy."Kalani argued that she was the one up all night with both of their sick kids when she was sick too and did "everything for them," and Asuelu called her out for being "annoying" as well as a "lying b-tch."Kalani's mother was driving the car and scolded Asuelu for being "disrespectful" and talking to her daughter that way, which only made Asuelu more frustrated."I don't know how your husband talk to you when you guys been together. But it's my wife; I can talk whatever," Asuelu said. "Your daughter asks stupid questions."Kalani felt Asuelu was trying to sabotage the weekend and ruin it for everyone as a way to get back at her for canceling their trip to Samoa."It just shows me that he doesn't really care about me and the boys and he's just No. 1 to himself," Kalani complained in a confessional, later adding that she'd never be "subservient" to a man.Kalani subsequently called Asuelu "a manipulator" and said she demands "an equal partnership." But instead of talking things out, Asuelu took off on a bus and Kalani had to pick him up at a random location hours later.Kalani's sister Kolini said Asuelu "sucked the life" out of her sister and it was hard to see, and Kalani's whole family thought Asuelu was "in the wrong" and had behaved rudely.Asuelu even refused to attend Oliver's birthday party at first and hid in a bedroom.Asuelu later apologized to Kalani, admitting he was "so wrong in saying that a woman in Samoa is better" than his wife, but Kalani was tired of Asuelu's apologies. She wanted to see change in his actions rather than his words.In order to smooth things over, however, Kalani agreed to visit Asuelu's mother Lesina and two half-sisters in Washington State.Asuelu wanted to bring gifts for his family and give his mother $1,000, which Lesina had asked for, but Kalani rejected that idea and said they couldn't afford it.Kalani agreed to let Asuelu buy $200 worth of gifts and give his mother an additional $100. After all, Asuelu was only working part-time.Kalani believed Asuelu was "trying to buy his family's love" and it was no longer "a cultural thing." She felt bad for her husband and was angry with Asuelu's family.It had been about a year since Asuelu last saw his mother and sisters Tammy and Rosa, but it didn't take long for the women to bring up money once Asuelu reunited with them.Asuelu's mother was shocked he only had $100 for her, and Tammy advised Asuelu to step up like a man and work full-time. Asuelu's family figured Kalani's family could support his kids.Asuelu told the cameras he couldn't afford to take care of everyone, and so Lesina and Tammy accused Kalani of controlling her husband.Kalani later met with Lesina and Tammy on her own in attempt "to talk some sense into them," but the discussion turned out to be a disaster.Asuelu's mother called Kalani "lazy" for not working and pleaded, "Just give me money. That's all I want... I don't care about the kids. I want to take back my son to Samoa to do his duty as before."Tammy insisted Kalani was "brainwashing" Asuelu, but Kalani insisted she had done nothing but love her husband.Tammy ultimately tried to fight Kalani physically, so Kalani returned to Asuelu upset about the turn of events. Asuelu, however, only seemed concerned about whether Kalani or Tammy would win in a fight.Kalani grew so frustrated that she called Asuelu "a lunatic," who in turn dubbed Kalani "f-cking crazy." She no longer felt supported by her husband and worried he'd never change.Kolini told Kalani that she was too good for Asuelu and didn't deserve to live that way. Kolini advised her sister to leave the relationship for her own well-being."I do feel like I love him still," Kalani griped. "I just feel like every day, it's getting less and less, and I feel like if it keeps continuing on like this, I won't want to be a part of this marriage anymore."Asuelu apparently overheard Kalani and Kolini talking, and so he and Kalani got into a huge fight off-camera."I'm questioning if I can even do this anymore... [I want to see] if we can fix his behavior, and if not, I just need to not be with him," Kalani admitted.Kalani wished her marriage was about love, happiness and supporting each other, and she confessed that that's not what she had. In fact, Kalani believed Asuelu wanted to take possession of her.Kalani therefore told Asuelu that they needed to see a therapist or marriage counselor, and Asuelu replied, "I think that's a good idea." The couple just had to get home in one piece first."I am tired and I'm emotionally exhausted... I just need to go home and figure things out. I don't know, I just want to be done. I don't want to be married anymore," Kalani confessed. "I love him, but I have to start loving myself and loving my boys more."A week after the couple returned home to Utah from "the worst trip" of Kalani's life, Kalani said she wasn't ready to give up on her marriage just yet."I feel like I've tried my hardest with this marriage and I'm doing everything I can to fix it. I feel like therapy has become an ultimatum now and he's going to have go with me," Kalani said. "I can't keep living like this. It's insane."Kalani even told Asuelu that if their relationship didn't get better, she probably wouldn't want to stay married."I don't think he understands that I'm at -- I'm past my breaking point. I'm done at this point. I'm giving him a last chance and he's either going to take it or he's going to take his sh-t out of the house," Kalani shared in a confessional.Kalani and Asuelu later met with Dr. Matt Eschler and a Samoan translator, Ilena Williams.Kalani explained she and Asuelu weren't seeing eye to eye and she was at odds with her husband's family. Asuelu said it made him "mad and frustrated" and feel like less of a man when Kalani said he couldn't give more money to his family back in Samoa.But Kalani said she gave what she could and there wasn't more she could do.Asuelu said that in Samoan culture, the man is the head of the household and the woman is the neck, adding that the woman should not cross a line. But Kalani said it's not okay Asuelu viewed her like his property.Asuelu was also angry Kalani had decided they wouldn't see his family anymore, without letting Asuelu decide what to do. Asuelu felt Kalani had tried to ruin his relationship with his family.Dr. Eschler was hoping the pair could begin new traditions that neither of them were accustomed to in order to blend their cultures and household responsibilities, and Kalani said she and Asuelu had made a little progress in that area.During the ride back home, Asuelu told his wife that she wanted her to make amends with his family, but Kalani wasn't sure how that was going to happen, especially since Asuelu's sister Tammy had tried to fight her."I love you and I'm trying to help our marriage and fix our marriage. It's not that I don't want to. I'll try for you," Kalani told Asuelu.Asuelu later asked his family members, including his mother, to travel from Washington State to visit him in Utah in attempt to repair Kalani's relationship with them. Asuelu demanded that his relatives apologize to Kalani, and Asuelu's mother could tell Asuelu's wife comes first in his life.Asuelu told his family that Kalani had done nothing wrong, and he definitely had his wife's back. Kalani said he was "sick" of the arguing and tension between sides.Kalani, her kids, and parents then met with Asuelu's family at a restaurant, and Asuelu hoped to move forward. Kalani and Asuelu's mother both felt "disrespected," especially since Asuelu's mother still wanted money.Asuelu's mother wanted Asuelu to stop being "weak," but Asuelu said in front of the whole group he'd only give his relatives money in Samoa if he had extra cash and his wife and kids would come first.Asuelu set out to fix his marriage and be a financial provider to his kids, and his mother and sister admitted they'd like to see Asuelu and Kalani get divorced. Asuelu's mother said she'd love her son regardless, but tension lingered in the air."Asuelu said all of the right things today, so I feel more hopeful and think there are a lot more things to look forward to in our relationship," Kalani told the cameras.Asuelu is still working at the same nutrition store in Utah -- which is near the home he shares with Kalani -- where he was shown passing out free samples on an episode of : Happily Ever After?.Also, the pair definitely appear to still be married based on their social-media activity.In late August, Asuelu called Kalani his "wife" when telling fans they can now book him for Cameo videos.And back in late July, Asuelu captioned a series of photos of his family in Pine Valley, UT. They appeared to do some hiking by a lake."Family Adventure #blessed #love #utahcheck," Asuelu captioned the slideshow.Asuelu also posted a TikTok video of himself dancing in the couple's kitchen about a week earlier, and Kalani can be seen in the background preparing food for her family.Asuelu captioned the video, "Morning routine after riding the bus."In early July, Asuelu wished Kalani a happy birthday on his Instagram account by posting a video of his wife and son. He wrote over the video "love of my life."And in the caption, Asuelu gushed, "My wife's birthday. Cheers for 32nd years my love @kalanifaagata and many more to come."Not only has Kalani also posted recent photos with Asuelu on Instagram, but the couple additionally shared two YouTube videos on their channel this past summer after not uploading anything on their channel for almost a year.As recently as June 30, Kalani posted a sweet photo of Asuelu cuddling with their boys on Instagram Stories.One week earlier, Kalani posted a smiling selfie with Asuelu, a video of Asuelu laughing in a massage chair, and brief throwback clips of the couple's axe-throwing date.Kalani uploaded the photos and videos shortly after the June 21 episode of : Happily Ever After? aired on TLC, and she captioned the slideshow, "BTS of tonight's episode. What'd y'all think?"On May 24, Kalani posted a video clip on Instagram of Asuelu and herself talking about how they had once walked through a jungle in Samoa and explored a cave together.The couple was promoting a video they had posted on YouTube."In honor of #samoanlanguageweek, we posted a YouTube video where I butcher basic Samoan, and we talk about our dating life in Samoa (pictures included)," Kalani wrote on Instagram.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage! During the weekend of 23rd to 25th October, Formula 1 will take place at the Algarve International Circuit and the enthusiasm for the Portuguese Grand Prix is enourmous, as can be seen from the speed with which the tickets for the event have sold. The normal capacity of the circuit is around 90,000, but due to measures surrounding the coronavirus, it has been agreed with the government that a maximum of 45,000 people per day may come to the circuit. More than 30,000 tickets were sold in the first week. Miguel Praia, commercial director of the circuit, understands that spirit. "Formula 1 is so popular in Portugal and fans are eager to attend the event when F1 returns to our country," he told Autosport.com. What also contributes to the popularity of the Grand Prix is that it will probably remain a one-off event. "We know this is a one-off opportunity, but we will do our best to make it a very special event for the teams, sponsors, organisers and fans to enjoy our facilities and the Algarve," he said. Grand Prix thanks to Corona The circuit tried to get Formula 1 to the Algarve before, in vain. "To be honest, the fee charged for welcoming F1 was a showstopper for us," said Praia. And then came the coronavirus. "However, that has changed the world now and therefore both Formula 1 and Dorna Sports [MotoGP] were now interested in visiting the Algarve." Washington: When Anthony Fauci predicted in late March that up to 200,000 people could die from COVID-19 in the US, the figure seemed beyond comprehension. At that stage fewer than 3000 Americans had died from coronavirus and President Donald Trump was speaking optimistically about having the country's economy "opened up and raring to go" by Easter. Just a week later, Fauci, the country's top infectious disease expert, said a US death toll of 60,000 was more realistic. The data showed that physical distancing guidelines were limiting the spread of the virus, offering hope the US would be able to get its outbreak under control. In April the White House began to muzzle Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Credit:AP In fact, Fauci's dire forecast turned out to be an underestimate. On Monday, the US was poised to burst through the figure of 200,000 deaths, on Johns Hopkins University's numbers, while other measures, such as the Bing-COVID-19 tracker, show the US has already surpassed the figure. The grim milestone cements the US's bleak status as the country with the highest recorded death rate in the world. It's still common for the country to record more than 1000 COVID-19 deaths a day; so common that such numbers are now just background noise in the national conversation rather than major news. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 20) The company Robotic Activations has apologized after a demonstration of its ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection robot in Baguio City on Saturday left a number of people with eye irritation. From five to 10 people, including members of the media, reportedly required some medical treatment due to exposure to UV light. "We sincerely thought we had exercised enough precautions when the press asked to switch the robot on, but it turns out we didn't," said Camille Anton, the company's chief of business development, on Sunday. Anton said they are already updating their protocols to ensure the incident doesn't happen again. She also assured that the use of UV disinfection is safe as long as proper precautions are in place. Robotic Activations showed off "Keno", its UV-C disinfection robot, at the Baguio Convention Center before the National Task Force CODE team. It is designed to kill harmful pathogens and is supposedly "equipped with state-of-the-art safety and precision sensors." The company added that the machine can disinfect large areas "without human exposure to chemicals." "The discomfort from UV exposure is real, but is supposed to be temporary, by all accounts. We remain in contact with those affected to ensure that this is the case," Anton said. "We have reached out, apologized and offered assistance to them, and are hopeful that they will recover quickly." Both the World Health Organization and the Department of Health have warned against the use of disinfecting UV lamps amid the threat of COVID-19. Health officials said UV light may pose harmful effects if not used properly, including eye and skin burns. The DOH also cautioned against disinfecting sprays, saying it can further "aerosolize" or spread droplets into the air. It said it is still best to manually wipe surfaces using a rag and disinfectant to kill the virus. NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A. (Gol Linhas or the Company) (NYSE: GOL). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980. The investigation concerns whether Gol Linhas and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices. [Click here for information about joining the class action] In mid-June 2020, Gols auditor, KPMG, raised significant concerns about Gol during the accounting firms first annual audit of the Company after being hired in 2019, stating that it had an adverse opinion on the strength of Gol's internal controls regarding the preparation of financial statements, adding that there was substantial doubt about the airline's ability to exist a year from now. KPMGs adverse opinion prompted Gol to carry out a review of its financial reporting procedures. Then, on July 23, 2020, Gol announced the termination of KPMG as its external auditor. On this news, Gols American depositary receipt (ADR) price fell $0.65, or 7.05%, to close at $7.25 per ADR on July 23, 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 . Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 23:41:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- The spokesman of Iran's Foreign Ministry Saeed Khatibzadeh on Sunday urged the United States to "return to the global community" and perform its duties. "The world has reached nothing but insecurity, war and instability with U.S. actions," Khatibzadeh said in his weekly press briefing, as quoted by official news agency IRNA. The Iranian spokesman was commenting on remarks made by the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who claimed that "the United States is returning virtually all United Nations sanctions on Iran." Khatibzadeh described Pompeo's position as "a world full of lies," and the only trace of the U.S. actions in the world is "ruinous and ominous legacy," and Washington is now heading for "a new act of defiance." Iran's message to Washington, he added, is that it should "return to the global community and to its duties." Talking about the possibility that the United States may try to force the unilateral inspection of Iranian ships and planes, Khatibzadeh responded "the fact that the United States is so isolated." He pointed out that the E-3 countries (Britain, France and Germany), "outright allies" of the United States, have issued a statement on Sunday denying Washington's right to impose sanctions on Iran and saying its actions have no legal effect. "Any action that violates Iran's sovereignty and international regulations will be met severely and without a moment of hesitation," he warned. The Iranian spokesman said the United States must "refrain from acts of piracy by land, air and sea, because the era of piracy is over." The global community, he added, must stand united against the United States so it will respect international laws and regulations and "stop it's criminal activities." Enditem English French MONTREAL, Sept. 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI) is offering members of the media the opportunity to talk with uniformed police officers during Rail Safety Week, from September 21-27, about the importance of rail safety at crossings and the dangers of trespassing. Members of the CN Police Service will be available for media interviews throughout the week. Providing that social distancing be respected or in a virtual manner, we invite media outlets to contact CN to arrange onsite, in studio or on air interviews. The CN media relations team is also happy to offer visual elements for on camera interviews. CN will mark Rail Safety Week with a public awareness campaign aimed at reducing the number of collisions and trespassing-related accidents. Throughout the week, CN Police will conduct safety initiatives at commuter stations and railway crossings reminding commuters and motorists about the importance of safety at crossings and the deadly risks of trespassing on railway tracks and property. Media Contact: Mathieu Gaudreault Senior Advisor Public Affairs and Media Relations (514) 249-4735 mathieu.gaudreault@cn.ca With Tropical Storm Betas surge Sunday afternoon already raising tides near Sabine Pass 2 feet above normal, residents living outside of the levee system surrounding Port Arthur have been urged to evacuate. Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bill Bartie took an increasingly familiar place in front of members of local media on Sunday morning to issue a voluntary evacuation for residents of Sabine Pass and Pleasure Island. He also urged all residents to be vigilant against the storm brewing and the novel coronavirus thats been with the nation for months. COVID-19 is still with us, he said, reminding residents that evacuations arent time to stop coronavirus-related precautions. You have to be sure the movements youre doing are with a face covering. Have that more than anything because you want to try to remain COVID-19 free. Related: Hurricane, holiday starting to show COVID-19 impact He said he called for the evacuation for these residents instead of the entire city because theyre forecast to get up to 4 feet of storm surge. Such a rise in water level increases the likelihood that Texas 87 the main route between Port Arthur and Sabine Pass will be submerged. On the Bolivar Peninsula, by about 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Galveston County Judge Mark Henry said the storm had already showed its capacity to do so on their section of the highway. The weather also forced the halt of service from the Bolivar ferry. I dont have a problem with it. You stay. But its between you and God, Bartie said, referencing a refrain he adopted in advance of Hurricane Lauras expected arrival in the region last month. He acknowledged that Beta isnt forecast to do nearly the damage done by Laura. However, he still does not plan to send city workers out into dangerous conditions. Related: Tropical Storm Beta churns slowly toward Texas and Louisiana Until weather prohibits work from continuing, city crews are moving through Port Arthur to pick up trash and other debris that could get washed into ditches and make drainage challenging. Bartie and other elected officials also have begun urging residents to clear their own ditches of any leaves or other debris that may have flowed in. The highest risk for storm surge in the Jefferson County area is expected between Tuesday and Wednesday, said former Port Arthur emergency management coordinator John Owens. He now is acting as a consultant during the citys first hurricane season with a new coordinator in charge. As a result of the risk to residents, Port Arthur ISD and Tekoa Academy of Accelerated Studies STEM School in Port Arthur and Orange made changes to this weeks schedule. Tekoa Academy students will attend virtual class Monday through Wednesday, while PAISD will have virtual class all week. Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox PAISD students who were originally scheduled to start their first week of in-person learning will start Sept. 28. The district will continue the feeding schedule posted to its website. Teachers and students are required to stay connected to their classes during the additional virtual week. Packets for Tekoa Academys Memorial and Orange campus students will be available for pickup at those campuses beginning at 8 a.m. Monday. Parents of students who still will need curbside meal pickup can fill out the curbside pickup form on the schools website. For the rest of Jefferson County and into Orange County, however, this storm is expected to largely be a heavy rain event. National Weather Service Lake Charles Meteorologist Donald Jones said Jefferson County through Thursday is expected to see wind speeds of 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 50 mph and 6 to 10 inches of rain. Isolated areas could see up to 15 inches of rain. Related: Underwater and on fire: US climate change magnifies extremes Expected wind speeds are 5 mph lower in nearby Orange County, but expected rainfall totals are the same. Jones cautioned that areas such as Orange County that still are recovering from Hurricane Laura could experience higher risk from even these wind speeds because trees and infrastructure may have been loosened by the hurricane. Even so, Barties voluntary evacuation for parts of his city was the only issued as of Sunday evening. He does not anticipate extending the evacuation to the rest of the city. However, he did not rule it out should weather patterns change. Being in Port Arthur and so close to the Gulf were the gateway to the hurricane, he said. It causes us to have to plan immediately and act first. He said Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick is aware of his order and county emergency staff is expected to meet Monday morning. kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/KaitlinBain MBABANE The battle of emojis! According to the Oxford dictionary, an emoji is a small digital image or icon used to express an idea, emotion, etc. They exist in various genres, including facial expressions, common objects, places and types of weather, and animals. Imagine finding an emoji or cartoon in an official government document. Last week, an important government document (memorandum) was found to have been inscribed with an emoji. The document dated August 13, 2020, which has been seen by the Times SUNDAY, is a memo that was directed to all principal secretaries and heads of department. It was titled suspension of physical visits to the department of human resource development due to COVID-19 pandemic. It has been gathered that a copy of the memorandum was forwarded to the Central Transport Administration (CTA) with an emoji having been inscribed on it. Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Public Works and Transport Khangeziwe Mabuza has acknowledged the emoji and promised to send more of such. This is said to have irked CTA General Transport Manager Washington Khumalo, who on Friday, wondered why the ministry allowed such an emoji. Who can give seriousness to a document that has an emoji? Look at the level of the person who drew the emoji. She is not taking things seriously, argued Khumalo. He said he was shocked that there were now claims that the emoji was inscribed by a CTA officer. As old as I am, how I can draw an emoji on a government document? This is why I told Parliament that I am being made a scapegoat. But the truth will soon come out, he said. cartoon characters Last week, Naniki Mnisi, the Under Secretary in the Ministry, told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that she got cartoon characters and emojis after writing a formal letter to Khumalo. Mnisi explained that in one of the letters she wrote to CTA, she was requesting Khumalo to give the green light to the appointment of one of the ministrys employees. She said she got more than what she bargained for as Khumalo wrote his response in the same letter that she sent to him. Meanwhile, PS Mabuza said she would continue putting Emojis on all the corresponding letters between the CTA and her office. This, according to the PS, would happen until the administration follows procedure by attaching a minute note. She said procedurally, all government documents come with a minute note, which is used by the receiver to write responses of the document. For the CTA, however, that was not the case. Responding to the Times SUNDAY about the emoji, the PS said: Nice, I want more of such. Khumalo should just acknowledge he is learning from his PS and that should be the spirit in the execution of duty in general. The PS stated that Khumalo should not focus on the issue of the emoji, but rather the audit queries. I need him to work and dedicate himself on what is important, she said. Asked about a way forward regarding the bitter relationship between the CTA and the ministry, the PS said CTA staff no longer submitted reports nor did they submit any kind of work. The bitter relationship has left many in the CTA questioning whether the institution still exists. The 356 employees at the CTA, who are alleged to be paid for doing nothing at the moment, are wondering what will happen to their future. Trading account Firstly, government, after an audit query regarding money spent by the administration, decided to close the trading account. However, CTA management, has told this publication that the administration does not have anything called a trading account. The management wondered what trading account government was referring to. In fact, the management argued that their funds were governed through the Central Transport Board Fund regulations of 1975, which were subsequently repealed by the Finance Management and Audit Act.18 of 1967. Since then, CTA has not had any budget allocation or been included in the national budget, even though according to management, had been submitting financial reports and statement to the Public Enterprise Unit in the Ministry of Finance. The GTM wondered why would then the auditor generals office note an over-expenditure when in essence, the administration, legitimately, does not have a fixed budget but relied on recurrent expenditure. Secondly, in April, government decided to take charge of the administrations bowsers and that is when the issue of petrol shortage for government fleet started to show. A bowser is a fuel tanker used to either deliver or store fuel. There are a total of 215 bowsers that were being managed by CTA and of these, 11 have been decommissioned. These bowsers service the entire government fleet, which consists of about 3 467 vehicles. fleet maintenance Thirdly, government removed the powers of fleet maintenance and the purchasing of vehicles from the administration. This effectively means damaged vehicles are no longer taken for fixing or attended to because the responsible department has been sidelined. Mechanics are receiving salaries while at home. In fact, several government cars due for service are parked, while others have punctured tyres that have not been replaced. Again, the rental of private vehicles has also been removed from the administration. All these duties were redirected to the ministry, including that of fuel management. Items for common use, including batteries, tyres, lubricants, print stationery and vehicle hire, are part of the tenders that the principal has allegedly refused to approve. This effectively means the administration is currently non-functional; it no longer performs its duties. The re-fuelling of government vehicles is no longer conducted by the administration. Government has taken over this role and this has resulted in the ongoing shortage of fuel. In response to these concerns, the PS said: I dont know where CTA staff has disappeared to. We want them to work because we are paying salaries yet we are no longer receiving reports about daily duties. I want them on board, she said. She said the reason she objected to some of the tenders that were submitted by CTA was that she wanted them to be listed under Head 53. She said this was because government had decided to close the administrations trading account due to irregularities on spending. They know what to do and once they follow orders, we will work harmoniously with them. I need CTA to be functional, she said. International Defector caught trying to cross back into N.Korea Seoul, Sep 20 (IANS) | Publish Date: 9/20/2020 12:31:55 PM IST Police in South Korea said on Sunday that they have taken into custody a North Korean defector for attempting to cross into his country through a military unit in an eastern border town. The man in his 30s was caught entering a military unit in Chorwon, Gangwon province, at around 9 a.m. on September 17 in an attempt to cross into the North, reports Yonhap News Agency citing the police as saying. He was found to have four mobile phones and a cutting machine. The police said that the man defected to the South in 2018 and had stayed in Seoul, though they did not provide more details on his identity. Investigation is underway to determine why and how he was trying to return to the North. It is against the national security law to enter the North without state approval. Defectors returning to North Korea have drawn media attention after Pyongyang recently claimed that a defector suspected of having coronavirus symptoms crossed the inter-Korean border and returned to his hometown. The Unification Ministry handling inter-Korean affairs earlier said that a total of 11 North Korean defectors have returned over the past five years. Although not the typical pomp and ceremony of past years, a small annual service took place at Fairview Cemeterys Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Sunday. The annual event usually features a parade, but due to COVID-19 gathering restrictions, this weekends festivities were scaled down to include only a small ceremony at the Stanley Avenue site. The service, as in past years, was organized by Royal Canadian Legion Branch 479 and the citys cemetery services. It recognized Niagaras Unknown Soldier, as well as unknown soldiers around the world who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. Veterans, members of local legions and cadet corps usually march from the Morrison Street entrance and gather at the tomb for the start of the service. But this year, due to restrictions brought about by the pandemic, a smaller group of participants surrounded the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, physically distanced, to hear from dignitaries, including legion members and local politicians. History is obviously important and keeping within our traditions and our ceremonies is crucial, said Mark Richardson, the citys manager of cemetery services. Its important that we take every opportunity we can to remember, specifically unknown soldiers around the world. Whether theres 100 or 10 (attendees), its important that, as a group, we gather and we say thank you, and we remember those who served. Elaine Hall, president of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 479, said its important to always recognize all veterans, including unknown soldiers. These men laid down their lives they never moved on with family, we dont know who they are, they never had a chance to grow old, she said. It is only right, not fair, but right, to recognize them and any soldier. Padre Eleanor Clitheroe said the unknown soldier represents all Canadians, whether they be Navy, Army, Air Force or Merchant Marine, who died or may die for their country in all conflicts, past, present and future. We honour today, those men and women our sons and daughters, husbands and wives, fathers, brothers, sisters, mothers, who have laid down their life for their country, she said. Whether weary or emboldened, quiet or defiant, vulnerable or ready, when they were called home, their sacrifice is too humbling for words, except those uttered in prayer. Clitheroe asked attendees to pray or silently reflect on such sacrifice. Let these warriors find rest at last, ever reminded that we who are left behind cherish their spirit, honour their commitment, and send them our love. We will never forget the service that they gave. With so many Disney+ subscribers boycotting the live-action Mulan, some fans are wondering whether or not other live-action movies will premiere. Heres what we know about Disneys plans for future movies, including The Little Mermaid. People boycott the live-action Mulan due to the cost, the actors, and the filming locations No Mushu, no Shang, no music, and no theaters. Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the premiere of Mulan took place on Disneys streaming platform with Premier Access. This meant subscribers would have to pay an additional fee to view this movie in addition to their subscription fee. As a result, a number of subscribers started the hashtag #BoycottMulan, to tell the company they wouldnt be willing to pay the extra $30 for the film. However, others were boycotting this film for a variety of reasons. The problems didnt stop there. Some Twitter users pointed out that a number of the directors and producers are white. Filming some scenes in Xinjiang, China, generated a lot of issues, according to Disney. There was also the matter of the actress behind Hua Mulan, Liu Yifei, who was previously outspoken in her support of the Hong Kong police. RELATED: How (And Where) the Live-Action Mulan References Songs From the Original Disney Movie A rally calling for a boycott of the Disneys live-action remake of Mulan in front of Walt Disney Korea office | Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images Will Disney stop making live-action adaptations? The reviews for Mulan werent all negative, as the movie currently has a 75% on Rotten Tomatoes. As a result, it doesnt look like Disney will stop making these reboots of their animated feature films. Disney already released a number of live-action reboots of their iconic animated films. That includes the Academy Award nominated version of The Lion King, as well as the reboot of Aladdin, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast. Up next on their adaptation list is the 1989 film, The Little Mermaid. A live-action version of The Little Mermaid is on the way One of the next live-action adaptations slated for release is the reboot of The Little Mermaid, the story of the spirited mermaid Ariel who dreams of life as a human. Everything changes when she falls in love with a human, Prince Eric, and trades her voice for legs. With Halle Bailey as the title character and Awkwafina as scuttle, this adaptation already aims to promote inclusivity. However, not much else is known about this adaptation, including whether or not they will include music. Presumably, more information will be announced in the coming months. Theres also news of other remakes and spin-offs in development. According to Screenrant, that includes new versions of Lilo and Stitch, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Sword In The Stone. The live-action adaptation of Mulan is now available on Disney+, as is the animated version of The Little Mermaid. To learn more about Disneys streaming platform and to subscribe, visit their website. RELATED: Disney is Reportedly Casting Ariels Sisters For the Live-Action Adaptation of The Little Mermaid Lets face it, grocery shopping is the predominant social outing of the COVID-19 era. You can keep your pubs and clubs, these days I get my kicks from roaming the supermarket aisles and chuckling at the vagaries of unit pricing. By far the biggest choice any grocery shopper confronts is which store to walk into in the first place. Credit:Joe Benke Did you know, for example, that the per unit price of cherry tomatoes is about $22.50 per kilogram, compared to just $5 per kilo for the normal sized ones? Ill never be able to look at those delicious little Rudolphs noses in the same way again. Popular with the kids, sure, but terrible for the household budget, as it turns out. However, as fun as comparing unit prices is, by far the biggest choice anyone confronts as a grocery shopper is which store to walk into in the first place. Rebekah Smith didnt need transportation to Anderson Elementary School to get help with her kindergartners quizzes. She didnt even need shoes. Smith and 5-year-old Braxton Smith stepped right outside their apartments front door and tip-toed across the blazing hot pavement to where three white tents were set up next to the complexs laundromat. Under the shade of the first tent sat Jordan Sheffield-Mix, Tulsa Public Schools program manager for early childhood education, waiting to help. All we see is a timer counting down, but no questions, said Smith. I didnt want him to miss anything. Some north Tulsa schools started bringing the school office directly to where students and parents live this week through a new partnership with Tulsa Housing Authority to provide support while schools remain in distance learning mode for at least the first nine weeks. The Smiths moved to Mohawk Manor, 3637 N. Birmingham Ave., in May from Louisiana and, because of the pandemic, little Braxton still hasnt been able to set foot inside a classroom as a first-time student. En la region Junin, el presidente @MartinVizcarraC, junto a la ministra @ananeyra, inaugura la planta de oxigeno del hospital Julio Cesar Demarini Caro, adquirida por la sociedad civil, iglesia, asi como de instituciones publicas y privadas. En vivo: https://t.co/b00b1WXqWn pic.twitter.com/br1RkFdxtf Press Release September 20, 2020 Pangilinan to young Filipinos: Keep fighting for what we value, believe, and love YOUNG people must continue exercising their freedoms and speak out for truth, human rights, and justice despite online trolling, Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan said over the weekend. "Why do I stay consistent with my championing in what some would say 'lost causes'? Why do we do what we do? It may sound cheesy but it's really because of what you love," Pangilinan told an online forum when asked how he has never forgotten his principles when many law students turned lawyers seem to have forgotten theirs. "You love your country, you love your family. And because you love your country, you want what's best for your people even if it's not easy," he told students of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila-College of Law during its celebration of Law Day Saturday. Pangilinan then recalled how he was being trolled and bashed every day for being critical of the Administration's wrong-headed policies and their implementation. "Every time I raise something that's critical of the government, sunod-sunod na ang pang-iinsulto, pambabastos, pambababoy, hindi lang ng aking pagkatao pati 'yung anak ko, pati si Sharon. Hindi madali, pero bakit ako susuko? Bakit ako magpapatinag? Eh 'di sila ang mangingibabaw? Hindi ako papayag," the senator said. Pangilinan, who became the first Student Regent of the University of the Philippines System, recounted his student activist days during the Marcos regime billions of pesos were stolen, rampant abuses in government, and the assassination of former Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., which he said "opened my eyes to what was wrong in the country then". That time, Pangilinan said, he already thought about how his would-be-children would ask him about his role during those dark days of martial law. "When they read about the history of martial law, the many abuses and corruption, and ask me, 'Daddy, noong panahong matindi ang krisis sa bansa, ano'ng ginagawa mo?' "Kung hindi ko maipapaliwanag 'yung mga naging pasya ko sa aking mga anak, ano'ng klaseng magulang ako? If right and wrong for me is unclear, how can I explain that to my children?" he said. The senator then posed the question to the 300 students who attended the Zoom forum: "Amidst all these that's happening, where do you stand? Each of you as law students, where does your generation stand?" "Sa gitna ng pandemya, habang ninanakaw ang bilyun-bilyong halaga ng pondo para sa kalusugan, habang kinukulong ang libu-libo nating mga kababayan sa halip na bigyan ng maskara, habang ipinasara ang ABS-CBN, ipinasa ang terror law, tatanungin din kayo ng mga mas bata ninyong kapatid: "Ate, kuya, ano'ng ginagawa ninyo noong panahon ng krisis?" he said. Pangilinan advised them to "take on the challenge" to be the catalysts for change, to act, take a stand, and work together toward real change. "Lalaban tayo. Hindi tayo susuko. We will keep fighting for what we believe, what we love, and what we value," he said. Actors Rajeev Sen and Charu Asopa celebrated one year of their married life and shared glimpses from the time on social media. Rajeev and Charu have seen a difficult time in their marriage lately and are now back together and also celebrated their anniversary three months after the actual date. The couple wore the same white dress which they had worn during their engagement party in Goa. Charu in a white gown and Rajeev in his white suit looked lost in love. They posted some pictures and their house was beautifully decorated with balloons and other celebratory items. Charu also shared a Vlog on her YouTube channel in which she shares the moments leading up to and beyond their wedding anniversary celebrations. Take a look here. Rumours of a rift between Rajeev and Charu were rife during previous months and both hinted in various interviews that their marriage has hit a rough patch within one year. Charu also blamed Rajeev for leaving her days before their wedding anniversary and flying out to Delhi. Both never confirmed or denied any divorce rumours then but have seemingly reconciled their differences now in hopes of a better future together. They also keep posting loved up images on social media after previously having deleted all pics with each other from their respective Instagram handle. We wish the couple on celebrating their first wedding anniversary. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-21 02:07:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, on Sunday wrote a letter to the president of the Security Council and UN secretary-general, expressing opposition to the U.S. unilateral announcement on the return of UN sanctions on Iran on Saturday. In his letter, Zhang said that the United States unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May 2018, and is no longer a JCPOA participant. Therefore, it is illegitimate for the United States to demand the Security Council invoke the snapback mechanism. In response to the U.S. letter dated Aug. 20, 13 members of the Security Council earlier wrote to the president of the Council and clearly stated that any decision or action resulting from the U.S. letter is devoid of any legal, political or practical effect. Their view was also reflected by the president in his conclusion on Aug. 25. Zhang emphasized that given the above, the snapback mechanism shall not be deemed as invoked. The provisions of resolutions 1696 (2006), 1737 (2006), 1747 (2007), 1803 (2008), 1835 (2008) and 1929 (2010) will continue to be terminated pursuant to OP 7 (a) of Resolution 2231 after Sept. 20. China is committed to upholding the efficacy of the JCPOA and the authority of the Security Council resolution, and will make relentless efforts toward the political solution of the Iranian nuclear issue, he stressed. Enditem B Anbuselvan By Express News Service CHENNAI: A former town panchayat president who is also the ruling AIADMK party functionary was hacked to death by a gang in Cheyyur near ECR on Saturday night. The murder is suspected to be fallout of the land dispute the victim had with a few persons. The deceased Ramachandran (48) alias Arasu of Kolavakkam village was formerly the president of Edaikazhinadu Town Panchayat. The incident occurred when he was going for a walk in his village. A group of men reached the spot on motorbikes with machetes and on spotting them, Ramachandran tried to flee the spot. However, the gang chased him and hacked him multiple times before fleeing the spot. The villagers who noticed him lying in a pool of blood rushed him to a nearby hospital, but he was declared brought dead. On information, Chunambedu police sent his body to Marakkanam government hospital for post-mortem. Agitated over Ramachandran's death, relatives and villagers gathered on ECR in front of the town panchayat office and staged a protest because of which traffic came to a standstill on the stretch for about two hours. Chengalpattu district police superintendent Kannan reached the spot and pacified the protestors after which the protestors dispersed. Chunambedu police have registered a case and launched a hunt for the suspects with three special teams. Further investigation is on to ascertain the motive of the murder is due to land dispute and previous enmity. Belarus will channel about $330 million of a new $1.5 billion loan from Russia to cover its outstanding debt to Russian gas giant Gazprom, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov was quoted as saying by TASS on September 20. Russia will send Belarus the first $1 billion tranche of a $1.5 billion loan by the end of the year and provide the remainder of the loan in 2021. The loan would help Belarus and its state companies honor their debt obligations and support financial stability in the ex-Soviet country, Siluanov said earlier this week. The loan was agreed during a meeting on September 14 between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his embattled Belarusian counterpart, Alyaksandr 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. Based on reporting by Reuters and TASS After remaining closed for six months, Agras Taj Mahal will reopen its doors to visitors on September 21. Only 5,000 tourists will be allowed to visit the Taj Mahal per day. All you need to know * This was the first time that the Taj Mahal was closed for such a long period of time. It was closed on March 17 before the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19 was announced. * Agra Fort will also reopen from Monday. Only 2,500 visitors will be allowed daily. * All other historical monuments in Agra have already reopened from September 1. Also Read | Agra hotels set to welcome tourists as Taj Mahal reopens from September 21 * The local administrations didnt allow tourists at the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort because of their vicinity to containment zones. * Tourists will have maintain six-feet distance even to get clicked in the same photo. Posing for solo photos is allowed. * Only cashless transactions will be allowed. * Only licensed guides to be allowed inside the premises. * The Taj Mahal will remain closed on Fridays and Sundays. Agra fort will remain shut only on Sundays. * The centre allowed all ASI-protected monuments to reopen from July 6. But the final decision was left with the local administrations. * In July, the Agra district administration decided against reopening the Taj Mahal as a few fresh Covid-19 cases got reported at that time. BEIJING: In recent times, the world has witnessed an escalation in China's territorial aggression on all sides of its border. China's expansionist designs continue to haunt all-weather ally Nepal too, as it has encroached on yet another part of the country. China has constructed nine buildings in a Nepal territory without the country's consent or permission. China has secretly built the structures in the Humla district in Nepal, and has also stopped the Nepali population from entering in this area. This issue came into light when the president of the local village council, Vishnu Bahadur Lama, went on a visit to this territory. He revealed that China soldiers had completed the building construction in the Limi village of Lapcha village. He was even prevented from going to the side of the village where the construction had taken place. Lama claims that he even tried to speak to the Chinese forces in vain and they did not respond and he was even told to go back. After denied entry into the region, he took a few pictures of the newly-constructed building by Chinese PLA in the territory on his mobile phone which show the buildings were erected nearly 2 kilometres into Nepali territory. A recent investigation by Assistant Chief District Officer (CDO) Dalbahadur Hamal of Humla from August 30 to September 9 confirmed China's encroachment into the territory of Nepal. CDO Hamal visited the site after locals reported the information of the unauthorised buildings being constructed by China. Khabarhub quoted a member of the monitoring team maintaining anonymity as saying, "We could see the buildings from a distance. We had heard rumours about a building being constructed by China there but found eight more in our visit." The matter has been reported to the Nepal Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When Humla District chief Chiranjeev Giri was contacted for a status check, he said that he too did not have any knowledge of the construction. This is not the first time that China has occupied Nepali territory without their knowledge. Two months ago it was reported that China had merged Nepal's Gorkha district's Rui village with its territories. In June, another report, prepared by Survey Department of Agriculture Ministry of Nepal, showed a list of 11 places, of which China had encroached on ten places comprising about 33 hectares of Nepali land. They did this by diverting the flow of rivers which act as a natural boundary. The Chinese government is widely expanding its road network in so-called Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) "because of which some rivers and its tributaries have changed their course and are flowing towards Nepal. The flow of rivers is gradually receding the Nepalese territories and if it continues to remain so for some more time, it would cede the maximum portion of Nepal's land towards TAR," the document obtained by ANI stated. Chinese road construction in Tibet diverted the flow of Sumjung, Kam Khola and Arun rivers of Sankhuwasabha district resulting in the encroachment on nine hectares of Nepali land. The document had warned that Nepal would lose more lands if proper steps are not taken in time. In August too, the surveying and mapping department of Nepal said China had pushed the international boundary 1,500 metres towards Nepal in Dolakha. It had pushed the boundary pillar Number 57 in the Korlang area in Dolakha, which was previously located at top of Korlang. The pillar has been an issue of confrontation between the two countries and China pressurised the Nepali government not to sign the fourth protocol on resolving and managing border disputes between the two countries as China wanted to maintain the status quo and further transgress the boundary arrangements. The surveying and mapping department also reported that China had occupied Nepali villages in Gorkha and Darchula districts. Similar to Dolakha, China has relocated Boundary Pillar Numbers 35, 37 and 38 in Gorkha district and Boundary Pillar Number 62 in Nampa Bhanjyang in Solukhumbu. China's aggressive expansionist policies have recently led to a violent stand-off with India near Ladakh. Beijing also has had stand-offs with Vietnam and Malaysia in the South China Sea, pressurised Taiwan with night time drills in Taiwan Strait and threatened Australia with the boycott of wine, beef, barley, and Chinese students. Beijing has also brought in a new law - Hong Kong Security law - to increase its control on the semi-autonomous city despite strong protests. Former Prime Minister and former WWF-Canada Director leaves important environmental legacy Former Prime Minister and former WWF-Canada Director John Turner (centre) with ex-NWT Premier Stephen Kakfwi (left) and WWF-Canada President Emeritus Monte Hummel (right) in Ottawa successfully lobbying for funding of the NWT Protected Areas Strategy. ( Monte Hummel) Former Prime Minister and former WWF-Canada Director John Turner (centre) with ex-NWT Premier Stephen Kakfwi (left) and WWF-Canada President Emeritus Monte Hummel (right) in Ottawa successfully lobbying for funding of the NWT Protected Areas Strategy. ( Monte Hummel) Toronto, Sept. 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WWF-Canada mourns the loss of a great Canadian with the passing of John Napier Turner, former Prime Minister and WWF-Canadas director from 1992 to 2003. Mr. Turner had a genuinely deep feeling for the beauty and geography of our country, said Monte Hummel, WWF-Canadas current president emeritus and CEO during John Turners service on the board. As with so many things, he was busy behind-the-scenes and instrumental in positive changes for nature far beyond what is on the public record. It was Turner, for example, who sat down in a private meeting with then-Ontario premier Ernie Eaves and persuaded him to donate the lakebed of western Lake Superior to create the largest protected freshwater reserve in the world. Turner later stood side-by-side with the Gwichin First Nations of Yukon to protect the calving grounds of the Porcupine Caribou herd in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge when that area was first proposed to be opened to oil and gas drilling. Mr. Turner also supported a legal appeal to the federal court to help obtain funding for the Northwest Territories Protected Areas Strategy that resulted in the protecting over 20 million hectares within the Mackenzie River watershed. John Turners two abiding concerns were always water and the north, said Megan Leslie, president and CEO of WWF-Canada. He came by those concerns honestly, from personally paddling many of Canadas largest wild rivers often with his family to renegotiating the Columbia Water Treaty as one of his first assignments as a newly-elected Member of Parliament in the early 1960s. John remained consistently concerned about the fate of Canadas freshwater through the North American Free Trade Agreement and enlisted the International Joint Commissions efforts to ensure Lake of the Woods, an historic area near the U.S. border, remains healthy. Hummel counted Turner as a personal friend as well as a professional colleague in conservation. We travelled together often, even dog-sledded on Great Slave Lake. I remember him saying that Canada is one of the last places in the world where you can still hear your own heartbeat in winter. John loved our country for all the right reasons, and Ill miss him dearly. All Canadians have lost one of natures true patriots and protectors. Story continues Attachment CONTACT: WWF-Canada media@wwfcanada.org Jubilations on Sunday greeted the declaration of Godwin Obaseki as the governor-elect following Saturdays Edo State election. Mr Obaseki, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission having polled 307,955 to defeat his main rival, Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress, who had 223,619 votes. Mr Obaseki had won his first election in 2016 as the candidate of the APC, principally supported by Adams Oshiomhole, the immediate past governor and former chairman of the APC. Mr Ize-Iyamu was then the candidate of the PDP. Mr Obaseki alongside his colleagues, Nyesom Wike and Ifeanyi Okowa of Rivers and Delta respectively, and many other supporters, including Tony Aziegbemi, the state chairman of PDP, danced to the Government House conference where he formally accepted his victory. Addressing journalists, Mr Wike said the efforts of all those who worked for the success of the party in the state were not wasted. in an apparent jibe at Mr Oshiomhole, the governor of Rivers State said Mr Obasekis re-election has finally nailed godfatherism in the state. Mr Wike said, All our efforts are not in vain. My brother has been declared the winner of the 2020 governorship election in Edo State. Let me thank my colleagues, the governor of Delta State, Oyo State, and all other people who served in the campaign council, I do not know how to thank them. I also thank the governor of Edo State for giving us the necessary support that led to this victory. A few hours ago we were here to brief you on what was going on and thank God, thereafter, the announcement came. We also thank all those who worked in the campaign council in Edo, we want to formally thank all of you. Let me now formally welcome the newest governor of Edo, the man who God used to fight godfatherism. If for nothing, we have achieved the fact that there is nothing called godfatherism again in Edo politics. Edo people have spoken and they have said their destiny cannot be in one mans hand and that was what they did yesterday. We want to thank him for putting himself to be used to fight for the interest of the Edo people. I congratulate you and your deputy. An elated Mr Obaseki thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for allowing INEC and security agencies to carry out their constitutional duties without interference. READ ALSO: Mr Obaseki said, The great people of Edo State have spoken and they have spoken loud and clear. We thank God Almighty and give him all the glory for this victory. We thank President Muhammadu Buhari for defending our democracy and allowing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security services to perform their constitutional functions without interference. The security services and INEC have shown Nigerians that they are capable of conducting free and credible elections. Nothing will fail me in saluting the teeming supporters who supported me in the face of intimidation and brutalisation. The collective will of the Edo people made it possible for us to triumph over godfatherism. I thank my brother governor, not only for giving us the umbrella but for the hard work. This has reinforced on me that there is nothing we cannot achieve as a people if we pull forces together and collectively call on God. He pledged to work with his deputy for the development of the state. I reiterate to all of you today that working with my deputy, Philip Shaibu, we are committed to making Edo great again. I thank you all for your support, Mr Obaseki said. Post the military flare-up at Galwan Valley, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) has mobilised four out of five of its military theatre commands with reports suggesting that live firing drills and exercises from the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea to date were a distraction for its calculated aggression in Ladakh. While both India and China have still to finalise the dates of military commanders meeting with each asking for postponement once, PLA is continuing to build-up along the 1,597-km Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the western sector. After the India and China foreign ministers meeting on September 10 in Moscow, a decision was taken to ask the military commanders to implement the total disengagement and then de-escalation agreement on the ground. The two sides are still to fix a mutually convenient date for the meeting but is expected in this week. It is understood that the meetings at the corps commanders level will restrict itself to disengagement of forces post-April and the Depsang Bulge issue will be taken up at a separate divisional commanders level. Also read: PLAs actions aimed to test Indias mettle According to a report in Nikkei Asian Review, PLA has mobilised its Southern Theatre Command, which oversees the South China Sea, Northern Theatre Command, which overseas Korean Peninsula, and Eastern Theatre Command, which oversees arch-rivals Japan and Taiwan. The newspaper said that just like the Chinese annexed Tibet in 1950s against the backdrop of its intervention in the Korean war, the present mobilisation was a distraction for a real stand-off in the Karakoram-Zanskar ranges of Himalayas. For the Ladakh operations, PLAs western theatre command has been fully mobilized with military districts of Xinjiang and Tibet fully involved in the aggression. The Korean War in the 1950s also turned out to be a distraction for Jawahar Lal Nehru government and Indian diplomacy as they got involved in sorting out the North Korea issue leaving their own flanks in western and eastern sector open to Chinese military in 1962. PLA chose to attack India in 1962 when the entire world was diverted towards the Cuban missile crisis. Also read: India readies for QUAD and 2 plus 2 dialogues, China is elephant in the room While India is engaging China through both military and diplomatic channels to resolve the current stalemate, the military commanders are prepared for the worst on all the borders and at sea. They know that distraction, diversion and deception are part of Chinese information warfare with psychological operations playing the lead role before the flag goes up. By deploying three military commands against the US from South China to the East China Sea and test firing both DF-26 also called Chinese Guam Killer and DF-21 D also called the Carrier Killer intermediate-range ballistic missiles in last week of August, the PLA is sending a message that it can take both US on its eastern and India on its western flank. The missile firing was to show-case Chinese capability to taken on the exercising USS Navys supercarrier Ronald Reagan and Nimitz around the Chinese nuclear submarine base at Hainan Islands in the South China Sea. Maybe the Ladakh incursion is a distraction for Chinese moves on Taiwan after Hong Kong and not the other way around. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A Delhi-based freelance journalist and two foreign nationals have been arrested by the Delhi Police for allegedly passing sensitive information about India's border strategy and Army deployment to Chinese intelligence. The journalist, Rajeev Sharma who was writing on defence-related issues for some Indian media organisations, as well as China's Global Times was arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police September 14 based on inputs from central intelligence. ani Police have seized classified defence documents from him. 'He had classified information' "He was found to be in possession of some classified defence-related documents. The investigation is in progress and further details will be shared in due course," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav had said. A Chinese woman and her Nepalese associate have also been arrested for allegedly paying Sharma large amounts of money routed through shell companies. ani At a press conference, Special Cell DCP Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said Sharma was contacted by Chinese Intelligence agents in 2016. Sharma was also in contact with some Chinese intelligence officers, adding the freelance journalist got Rs 40 lakh in one-and-a-half years and he was getting USD 1,000 for each information. ani The development comes at a time when India is stepping up its efforts to counter China's attempts to spy on the country and its citizens by collecting electronic data. Last month, following the arrest of a Chinese national Luo Sang, also known as Charlie Peng for running a hawala network it was revealed that he was paying Buddhist monks to spy on the Dalai Lama, who escaped from Tibet in 1959 following a failed uprising there against Chinese rule and now lives in India. India has also banned hundreds of Chinese mobile apps which the government says are a threat to national security. Ateca Hotel Supplies & Technology Solutions, developed by UAE hotel experts in Uzbekistan, has signed a strategic agreement with Prologic First to support the growth of the hospitality industry in the Republic. Michel Noblet, Executive Chairman of Ateca Holding, said: Technology is the key to the success of the hospitality industry today. Our goal is to provide hotel owners and operators with the latest tools and technologies required to meet the evolving needs of the business and guests. Trusted by global hospitality leaders, Prologic First has been at the forefront of offering multi-functional innovative technology solutions for hotels for more than two decades serving clients in over 40 countries. We are glad to be the first to introduce the companys cutting-edge solutions in Uzbekistan and other parts of Central Asia. Prologic First has been a pioneer in hybrid and on-premise hospitality technology solutions and is the technology partner of choice for many leading hotels worldwide. It also offers the most comprehensive cloud solutions for the hospitality sector. Amit Sharda, Vice President EMEA, Prologic First, said: We are delighted to enter Uzbekistan with a strong and distinguished partner like Ateca Hotel Supplies and Technology Solutions at a time when the country is set for unprecedented growth in the hospitality sector. Our solutions are tailored around improving operational efficiency and, reducing complexity, time and costs, while enhancing guest experience. Today technology is not only about meeting the guest expectations but anticipating their needs especially in a digital era and our solutions enable hotels to complete with the best in order to maximise performance in a new world increasingly turning to Cloud solutions. Karimov Kamoladdin, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager for Ateca Holding, said: Globally speaking hotels are under enormous pressure with coronavirus disrupting every aspect of life and business. This has further accedlerated the adoption of new technogies in Uzbekistan as in other parts of the world, and at Ateca Hotel Supplies and Technology Solutions we are glad to offer the perfect options. -- Tradearabia News Service New Delhi: A 27-year-old tourist guide was allegedly raped by two men at a hotel in Lutyens Delhi on the pretext of giving her loan at subsidised rates, police said on Sunday. The incident took place on Friday night, they said. The victim, who works as a tourist guide-cum-booking agent, was approached by the accused who called her to the hotel on the pretext of giving her loan at subsidised rates, police said. The woman was allegedly gang-raped by the accused inside the hotel room. She approached police with her complaint on Saturday, a senior police officer said. Based on her complaint, a case was registered at Connaught Place Police Station under IPC Section 376D (gang-rape), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) against six persons, including a woman. One of the accused, Manoj Sharma, a resident of Malviya Nagar, has been arrested in connection with the incident," Eish Singhal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) said. Sharma is a contractor by profession, the officer said. The police officer said the room where the crime took place was booked under the name of two businessmen. Further investigation is underway and efforts are being made to arrest the other accused, he added. . Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor By PTI PUNE: The phase-III human clinical trial of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII) will begin at the Sassoon General Hospital in Pune next week. Dean of the state-run Sassoon General Hospital Dr Muralidhar Tambe told this to PTI on Saturday. "The phase-III trial of 'Covishield' vaccine will begin at Sassoon hospital from next week. It is likely to start on Monday. Some volunteers have already come forward for the trial. Around 150 to 200 volunteers will be administered the vaccine candidate dose," he said. "From Saturday, the hospital started enrolling volunteers for the trial. Those who are willing to volunteer for the vaccination should contact the hospital," he said. Under phase-II, trials were conducted at Bharti Vidyapeeth Medical College and also KEM Hospital in the city. The SII has partnered with British-Swedish pharma company AstraZeneca for manufacturing the COVID-19 vaccine candidate, developed by the University of Oxford. Earlier this month, the SII had paused the clinical trials of the vaccine candidate in the country. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) had on September 11 directed the SII to suspend any new recruitment in the phase-II and III clinical trial of the vaccine till further orders after AstraZeneca paused the trials in other countries because of "an unexplained illness" in a participant in the study. However, on September 15, the DCGI gave permission to the SII to resume clinical trial of the vaccine. NSW regulatory authorities have fined 23 restaurants, hotels and clubs during a blitz on COVID-19 breaches, including a Korean BBQ restaurant in Sydney's Inner West. Butchers Buffet in Strathfield copped a $5000 fine after SafeWork NSW inspectors visited last Friday and found patrons sharing food, cutlery and crockery at a buffet. The Butchers Buffet Korean BBQ restaurant in Strathfield is among 23 new venues fined for breaching COVID restrictions. Credit:SafeWork NSW Inspectors observed patrons using the buffet without staff assistance, with diners sharing tongs, trays, plates, condiments and utensils on tables. Shopping Slows Retail sales inched up 0.6 percent in August, a smaller increase than previous months. Analysts blamed the dwindling federal stimulus measures that had propped up consumer spending since April. While people still shopped for social-distancing necessities like home computers, cars and groceries, economists believe that the economic recovery may be trailing off as unemployment remains high, layoffs continue and aid funding runs out. Image Credit... Giacomo Bagnara Whats Next? (Sept. 20-26) Amazons Hiring Spree The worlds largest online retailer is hiring another 100,000 employees in the United States and Canada to keep up with pandemic shopping habits. Its Amazons fourth major hiring initiative in the United States this year, and is meant to keep the company ahead of competitors like Target and Walmart, which are also seeking bigger pieces of the growing e-commerce pie. But Amazon needs more than just manpower to keep its edge. It also needs space, and is reportedly looking to open more than 1,000 small warehouses in suburbs across the country, which will keep products closer to customers and allow for speedier deliveries. Speaking of Competitive Edge Amazon may be hiring, but Walmart is paying more. The nations largest private employer announced that it would raise wages for 11 percent of its American work force, about 165,000 people, as it restructured leadership roles. The move reflects Walmarts effort to expand its foothold in the digital market (particularly with grocery deliveries) and retain skilled staff like bakers and deli employees. It will also affect the broader labor market, as Walmarts hourly rates are often considered a benchmark for lower-wage workers. Meeting in the Middle Stimulus talks went in circles for yet another week as Republicans continued to insist that the Democrats $2.2 trillion proposal was too much. But theres some hope of a compromise. A bipartisan group of House lawmakers put forth a $1.5 trillion alternative still a higher number than most Republicans want to spend, and too low for most Democrats. But Mr. Trump embraced the idea, surprising others in his party and giving Democrats encouragement to hold out for more. On that note, Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, and Jerome H. Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, will testify before Congress this week on the current status of pandemic relief measures, which most lawmakers agree are falling short. She is the Love Island 2019 star who has an eye for great style. And Francesca Allen showed off her figure in a tight all-black ensemble as she headed to dinner at the Bluebird in Chelsea on Saturday night. The reality star, 24, looked stylish in a plunging black satin vest and flares as she stepped out with fellow Love Island alum Maria Wild. Commanding attention: Love Island's Francesca Allen showed off her figure in a plunging black satin vest and flares for dinner in Chelsea on Saturday night She completed the going-out look with a black belt, leather hand bag and chunky white trainers. Her brunette tresses were styled in soft waves while a radiant palette of make-up enhanced her pretty features. Meanwhile Maria, 23, looked effortlessly cool in ripped jeans, a beige top and nude heels. Stylish: She completed the going-out look with a black belt, black leather hand bag and chunky white trainers Girls' night! Meanwhile Maria, 23, looked effortlessly cool in ripped jeans, a beige top and nude heels Over the summer months, Francesca enjoyed several holidays and her Instagram was littered with sizzling bikini snaps. Aside from her frequent getaways, Francesca was spotted cosying up to a new man during a boozy night out in London earlier this summer. She looked to be on cloud nine as she got up close and personal with Edward Crossan, vice chairman of London-based waste management company Powerday. Glowing: Her brunette tresses were styled in soft waves while a radiant palette of make-up enhanced her pretty features The TV personality, who is family friends with Edward, put on a very affectionate display with the hunk who was previously been linked to TOWIE's Amber Turner. In May last year, Edward was seen enjoying a jaunt on a yacht in Ibiza with TOWIE star Amber, 27, who is currently dating Dan Edgar. The accomplished businessman was named vice chairman of his father's company in January and is featured on the company's website. Confident: The reality star looked in high spirits as she hit the town with her friend Maria His working title is described on the website as: 'Edward joined the family business in 2007, starting as a machine driver. 'He has worked in various roles within the company to now being a director overseeing the development of the business.' MailOnline contacted Francesca's representatives for further comment at the time of publication. The social media, particularly Twitter, has been agog since the results of the Edo State governorship election started coming in. PREMIUM TIMES reported that Godwin Obaseki, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), defeated Osagie Ize-Iyamu, his major challenger and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC). While Mr Obaseki polled a total of 307,955 votes to secure his second mandate as the governor of Edo State, Mr Ize-Iyamu scored 223,619 votes. While the election was ongoing, especially when the results were being announced, some major names and slangs became popular (trended) on Twitter due to issues relating to the election. In this report, PREMIUM TIMES reviews some major hashtags that became Twitter trends during the election. #EdoDecides2020 The above hashtag trended because of the election activities that took place in the 18 local governments areas of Edo State. Millions of Nigerians used the hashtag to share news about the election. Variants of the hashtag such as #EdoDecides also trended during the election. Major newspapers, civil society organizations (CSOs), police, local and international observers, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) also used the hashtag to share news about the election. #EdoNoBeLagos Just like O to gee was used to humiliate the former senate president, Bukola Saraki, in 2019 in Kwara State, #EdoNoBeLagos is an anti-Bola Tinubu movement used by many opposed to the former Lagos governor. The slang was used to show that Mr Tinubu, the national leader of the APC, has little or no influence in the determination of who becomes the governor of Edo State. Other variants like #EdoNorBeLagos and #EdoNotLagos were also used. The angst against Mr Tinubu in Edo was probably made worse after the video he did last week where he called on Edo electorates to vote against Mr Obaseki and vote for Mr Ize-Iyamu. For many, that was an indication that he wanted Edo to be a subdued territory like Lagos State. #Tinubu For many commentators, Mr Tinubu appeared arrogant in his video where he described himself as the leader of all democrats regardless of their political parties. Mr Tinubu has been the most influential politician in Lagos for about 20 years since he was first elected governor in 1999. He is also believed to have handpicked all his successors as Lagos governor after he left office in 2007. ALSO READ: Mr Tinubus video showed that he put all he had into the ring in Edo, which probably explains why he was referenced by thousands of Twitter users. #Oshiomhole In the last three months, Mr Oshiomhole has suffered at least two major political losses. He had a long battle with Mr Obaseki which cost him his position as the national chairman of the APC. He was also seen as the major godfather behind Mr Ize-Iyamu. Like he supported Mr Obaseki in 2016, he thought he could win the election for APC. Mr Oshiomhole served two terms as Edo governor and was instrumental to Mr Obasekis first election as governor. Both men later fell out with Mr Oshiomhole fully backing Mr Ize-Iyamu in the latest Edo governorship election. #Ambode Many social media commentators remembered how a former governor of Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode, was denied the APC ticket to seek a second term as Lagos governor by Mr Tinubu and his loyalists. A lot of observers believe Mr Oshiomhole tried to do to Mr Obaseki what Mr Tinubu did to Mr Ambode. Unlike Mr Ambode, however, Mr Obaseki defected to the PDP after he was denied the APC ticket. He won his re-election on the PDP platform. The Ambode hashtag trended on Twitter on Sunday mainly because commentators referenced the former Lagos governor with some saying they wished he had challenged Mr Tinubu in 2019 like Mr Obaseki did to Mr Oshiomhole. Wike: Nyesom Wike has been one of the most controversial politicians in Nigeria in recent time. He led the PDP campaign in Edo and was seen as a major backer of Mr Obaseki. His support for Mr Obaseki and his role in the PDP victory was the reason he trended on Sunday. Islamabad has accused New Delhi of making an attempt to circumvent the effect of downgrading relations between the two nations by appointing one of its senior diplomats as Indias acting envoy to Pakistan. The Pakistan Government on Sunday defended its decision to deny a visa to Jayant Khobragade, whom New Delhi wanted to appoint as its acting envoy to Islamabad. A spokesperson of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in Islamabad that New Delhi was trying to circumvent the effect of downgrading of diplomatic relations between the two nations by proposing to appoint a senior diplomat, who had already served as New Delhis ambassador to another country, as the acting head of the High Commission of India in the capital of Pakistan. Khobragade, who joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1995, served as a counselor in the High Commission of India in Islamabad earlier. He also served in Indias missions in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Spain. He was Indias ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic between 2013 and 2017. He has been on deputation to the Department of Atomic Energy since 2017. Islamabad blocked New Delhis move to appoint him as Indias acting envoy to Pakistan, citing his seniority. However, keeping in view the diplomatic norms, Pakistan has counseled India to nominate an officer with seniority commensurate with Pakistans decision of downgrading the diplomatic relations, said the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan Government. Islamabad in August 2019 made New Delhi withdraw Indias High Commissioner to Pakistan, Ajay Bisaria, in the wake of the decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modis government to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and reorganise the state into two Union Territories. Pakistan also did not send its newly appointed High Commissioner to India, Moin-ul-Haq, to New Delhi. The High Commissions of India and Pakistan in each others capitals are currently headed by acting envoys. India and Pakistan further downgraded diplomatic relations in June this year, withdrawing half of the officials posted in the High Commissions of the respective countries in each others capitals. The Indian Air Force (IAF) is operating its Rafale fighter jets in the Ladakh theatre where the military is on its highest state of alert amid heightened border tensions with China even as corps commander-ranked officers from both armies are set to meet for the sixth round of military talks on Monday, officials familiar with the developments said on Sunday. The military dialogue -- which is likely to start at 9am at Moldo on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) across the Chushul sector -- will, for the first time, involve the participation of a joint secretary-ranked officer from the ministry of external affairs as a step to ensure that the talks yield a positive outcome, the officials said, requesting anonymity. The Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs --- the diplomatic dialogue between the two countries --- involves a representative of the Indian defence ministry. Corps commander-ranked officers from the two armies have so far met five times, but failed to break the deadlock in the Ladakh sector, which has seen a significant military buildup by both sides. The IAFs current fleet of five Rafale fighters is fully operational and ready to undertake any mission, the officials cited above said. India ordered 36 Rafale jets from France in a deal worth 59,000 crore in September 2016. The air force formally inducted the planes at the Ambala air base on September 10 though they landed at their home base on July 29. At the induction, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria made it clear that the warplanes were mission-ready and the ceremony marked their full operational induction into the air force. The Rafale jets are part of the IAFs No. 17 Squadron, which is also known as the Golden Arrows. The IAF chief said at the ceremony that after the Rafales arrived at Ambala on July 29, the squadron had been really busy and in an overdrive to operationalise the new fighters. Within this time (after the jets arrived), they have already flown and familiarised in our operational environment and have undergone intense integrated training with other combat fleets including firing of advanced weapons. They are good to go and deliver, Bhadauria said in Ambala, adding that the warplanes couldnt have joined the air forces combat fleet at a more opportune time considering the current security scenario. India-specific enhancements on the jets include cold engine start capability to operate from high-altitude bases. The Rafale weaponry includes Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missiles, Mica multi-mission air-to-air missiles and Scalp deep-strike cruise missiles --- weapons that allow fighter pilots to attack air and ground targets from standoff ranges. The stalemate in talks is giving time for consolidation of forces. The Rafale too would have been put through its paces and integrated with the existing IAF network, augmenting the air forces capabilities, said Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd), additional director general, Centre for Air Power Studies. The next batch of three to four Rafale jets is expected to reach Ambala from France in October followed by a third batch in December. All deliveries will be completed by the end of 2021. A high-powered panel on China reviewed the latest developments in the Ladakh sector last week, with a focus on charting the course of future negotiations to restore status quo ante of mid-April along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC). The agenda for the upcoming military talks between Indian and Chinese corps commander-ranked officers was discussed at the high-level meeting, even as the situation in Ladakh remains tense after a series of recent manoeuvres by the two armies in the Pangong Tso area. The officials said Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, who heads the Leh-based 14 Corps and has been leading the military talks with China to reduce border tensions, will finish his term next month and is expected to be replaced by Lieutenant General PGK Menon. Singh took charge of the corps in October 2019. The upcoming meeting of Indian and Chinese corps commander-ranked officers will be their first after the Indian Army swiftly moved and occupied a series of key heights to prevent the Peoples Liberation Army from grabbing Indian territory on the southern bank of Pangong Tso in a stealthy midnight move on August 29. The Indian Army now controls ridgeline positions on the southern bank of Pangong Tso that allow it to completely dominate the sector and keep an eye on Chinese military activity, with the positions scattered across Rezang La, Reqin pass, Gurung Hill and Magar heights. The Indian Army has also taken control of key heights overlooking the PLAs deployments on the Finger 4 ridgeline on the northern bank of Pangong Tso where rival soldiers are deployed barely a few hundred metres from each other, as reported by Hindustan Times on September 10. Last week, defence minister Rajnath Singh told lawmakers in Parliament that no force in the world can stop the Indian Army from patrolling borders, signalling a resolve to regain access to several areas that are now difficult to reach due to actions by the Chinese army along the LAC. In tensions that began in early May, Indian and Chinese troops have come face-to-face at multiple points along the LAC. In some of these areas, particularly the Finger Area and Depsang, Indian forces have been cut off from reaching forward areas they could previously patrol. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Former president Bill Clinton slammed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for his 'power play' to push forward with a new SCOTUS pick following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. McConnell vowed on Friday night, hours after the death of Ginsburg, also known as RBG, to call a vote for whomever President Donald Trump nominated as her replacement. RBG died at the age of 87 on Friday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. 'This is what they do. Both for senator McConnell and President Trump, their first value is power and they're trying to fill the court with as many ideological judges as they can,' Clinton told CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday. 'It's a power play, and they think they can do it,' Clinton added. Clinton, who nominated Ginsburg to the Supreme Court, also called McConnell's actions 'hypocritical'. Former president Bill Clinton (right) slammed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for his 'power play' to push forward with a new SCOTUS pick after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Clinton, who nominated Ginsburg to the Supreme Court, also called McConnell's (pictured) actions 'hypocritical' 'Well, of course, it's superficially hypocritical call, isn't it? I mean Mitch McConnell wouldn't give President Obama's nominee, Merrick Garland, a hearing 10 months before the presidential election. And that meant we went a long time with eight judges on the court,' Clinton said. Clinton was referring to the death of Justice Antonin Scalia hours before one of the early-state presidential debates in February 2016. McConnell stunned Washington by announcing the Senate would wait for the next president, after the November 2016 election, to choose Scalia's replacement, blocking Obama's choice of Judge Garland. 'To be fair, there is a case to be made for the argument McConnell made that in the middle of a presidential season, you should give the voters a say, that's what he said when it was 10 months away,' Clinton said. 'But when the shoe is on the other foot and he wants a judge, we're fewer than 50 days away and that argument doesn't cut any mustard,' Clinton said, adding that 'it's going to further spread cynicism in our system and, you know, he said he wouldn't do it'. Fulfilling the Supreme Court seat left vacant by Ginsburg's death before the fall election is as much about McConnell's goal of securing a conservative majority on the court for decades to come as it is about confirming Trump's upcoming nominee. There's no guarantee the Kentucky Republican will succeed, but he is about to move ahead with a jarring and politically risky strategy to try to bend his majority in the Senate. If it works, he will have ushered three justices to the court in four years, a historic feat. 'Sen McConnell already has played a huge role in shaping the Supreme Court for decades to come,' said Edwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California, Berkley School of Law. RBG (pictured in 1993) died at the age of 87 on Friday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. She was nominated to the Supreme Court by former president Bill Clinton On Saturday, protesters gathered outside McConnell's home to demonstrate against his decision Some demonstrators were seen holding placards that read, 'Ruth sent us' and 'Ditch Mitch!' 'A third confirmation, especially under these circumstances, would truly make this the McConnell Court for a long time to come.' The path for how, exactly, McConnell will make this happen is being set swiftly in Washington. Many expect Trump to name his nominee in a matter of days and the Senate to start the confirmation process - condensing a typically monthslong endeavor into a matter of weeks. During a campaign rally in North Carolina Saturday night, Trump declared: 'I will be putting forth a nominee this week, it will be a woman.' Trump claimed that his pick would be a 'very talented, very brilliant woman' because 'I like women more than I like men'. As he left the White House for the rally, the president identified two women as front runners: Amy Coney Barrett, 48, of the Chicago-based 7th Circuit and Barbara Lagoa, 52, of the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit as possible nominees. Barrett is a devout Catholic and mother of seven from Indiana, who has adopted two kids from Haiti and has a biological child with special needs. She is a member of a Christian group named People of Praise, where members are assigned a 'handmaiden', a personal adviser with whom they are encouraged to confess personal sins, financial information and other sensitive disclosures. The other named front runner is Lagoa, a Cuban American from Florida whose parents fled Castro five decades ago. She has spoken about how her father longed to be a lawyer but was forced to abandon his dream because of the communist leader. Her nomination has the potential to greatly aid Trump politically in the crucial swing state. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 01:07:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday urged Republicans to confirm "without delay" a replacement for late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died the previous evening at the age of 87. "We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices. We have this obligation, without delay!" the president tweeted. U.S. media cited presidential aides and advisers as saying that Trump was considering a woman for his latest Supreme Court nominee, who would also be the third appointee during his presidency. Assessment of possible options began on Saturday, according to reports. Ginsburg died of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer, the Supreme Court said in a news release, adding that a private interment will be held at the Arlington National Cemetery, without revealing the specific date for the ceremony. The second female Supreme Court justice in U.S. history and a champion for equal protection under law for women, Ginsburg was nominated to the bench by then President Bill Clinton in 1993 and over the years became the most senior liberal justice on the nation's highest court. The death of Ginsburg set up a fierce partisan fight on Capitol Hill over whether to confirm a nominee less than 50 days away from the presidential election. Democratic lawmakers led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden as well as former President Barack Obama, all maintained that Ginsburg's replacement be nominated by the next president to be chosen by voters in the Nov. 3 election. "The voters should pick the president, and the president should pick the justice for the Senate to consider," Biden said Friday night. Such a position echoed Ginsburg's dying wish. "My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed," she said in a statement dictated to her granddaughter, Clara Spera. On the Republican side, however, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who blocked a Senate hearing of an Obama appointee shortly ahead of the 2016 election to replace late Justice Antonin Scalia who died in February that year, said Friday that the Senate will vote on Trump's nominee to fill the vacancy Ginsburg left. Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who is on Trump's list of potential Supreme Court nominees announced on Sept. 9, said Friday the president should tap a new justice "next week." The number of justices on the bench reduced to eight following the passing of Ginsburg, among whom only three are liberals. Trump is expected to swing the bench further to the right with a new appointee. While Republicans in the Senate changed the rules so that the confirmation of a Supreme Court justice now needs 51 votes rather than a supermajority, the slight 53-47 majority they hold in the Senate means they can only afford a maximum of three defections, a scenario where Vice President Mike Pence's tie-breaking vote will be needed to seat the new candidate. Enditem By PTI ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's deposed premier Nawaz Sharif on Sunday staged a political comeback by criticising the powerful Army and said the Opposition was not against Prime Minister Imran Khan but against those who brought an "inefficient" man to power. Addressing the All-Parties Conference (APC) hosted by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) via a video link aimed at launching a protest movement against the Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, the three-time premier launched a scathing attack on the ruling party for its failure to address the basic problems of the people. Sharif, 70, the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) supremo, has been living in London since November last year after the Lahore High Court granted him permission to go abroad for four weeks for treatment. On Friday, PPP chairman Zardari talked to him over phone and invited him to virtually attend the Opposition-led All Parties Conference (APC) scheduled to be held on Sunday. Addressing the conference, Sharif criticised the country's powerful establishment for allegedly supporting Khan. "Our struggle is not against Imran Khan. Today, our struggle is against those who installed Imran Khan and who manipulated elections (of 2018) to bring an inefficient man like him into power and thus destroyed the country, he said. Sharif said that the foremost priority should be to remove this selected government and this system, adding that "if the change is not brought, it will bring irreversible loss to this country. He asked the powerful Army to stay away from politics and follow the Constitution and vision of the country's father Quaid-e-Azam' Muhammad Ali Jinnah. It is very important that our armed forces stay away from our governmental system according to our Constitution and the Quaid's speech, and not interfere with the people's choice. We have made this country a joke in our own eyes and internationally as well, he said. Sharif pointed out that former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani once said that there was "a state within a state" in Pakistan. It is saddening that the situation has escalated to a state above the state. This parallel government illness is the root-cause of our problems, he said. He asked the leaders attending the conference to make important decisions to change the system of the country, alleging that the current government has enforced martial law in the country. This conference should bring forth a concrete plan of action for saving democracy, a concrete policy should be made for solving the problem of a parallel state I again urge this all-party conference to go beyond its traditional ways and form a plan of action, he said. Sharif reiterated that the vote of people should be honoured which was the only way to save democracy and the country. "Pakistan has been constantly deprived from a democratic system. When the vote is dishonored, the entire democratic system becomes meaningless. When it is decided before the election process as to who will win and who will lose, then it can be guessed how the public is betrayed and how the public's mandate is stolen, he said. He said that military dictators ruled for multiple years but none of the elected prime ministers had been allowed to complete the allotted five years. Without naming former military dictator Pervez Musharraf, he said that the court did not act against him for suspending the Constitution. Courts gave dictators the right to play with the Constitution and acquitted someone (Musharraf) who suspended the Constitution twice. Whereas the ones who follow the Constitution are still in jail, he said. The powerful Army, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 70 plus years of existence, has hitherto wielded considerable power in the matters of security and foreign policy. Before Sharif, former president Asif Ali Zardari also addressed the conference through a video-link and criticised the government which he said was using the tactics to suppress the Opposition. It is important that all parties join hands to get rid of this government, he said. PPP chairman Bilawal is hosting and presiding over the conference with several opposition parties attending it to chalk out a course of action to launch protests against the government. Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar were convicted in the Avenfield properties case on July 6, 2018. Sharif, who was deposed in 2017, was also sentenced to seven years in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case in December 2018. But, he was bailed out in both cases and also allowed to go to London for medical treatment. He was given eight weeks to return but failed to come back due to health complications, according to his lawyer. PTI SH AKJ CPS 09201724 NNNN Peoples action can again defeat would-be dictators Originally published in Tribune September 1960. The charges made against the Communist Party by Attorney-General Sir Garfield Barwick, when introducing the amendments to the Crimes Act to Parliament, were contained in the Recitals to Menzies 1950 Communist Party Dissolution Act. These charges were fully argued before the High Court, which, by six to one, found every section of the Act to be invalid as violating the Australian Constitution. The sole dissenting voice was that of the Chief Justice, Sir John Latham, who, as Attorney-General in an anti-working class government in 1932, sought to strengthen the Acts anti-democratic provisions. Sir Garfield Barwick, who appeared for the Menzies Government, argued that Parliament could say that John Smith was a menace to the security of Australia and order him to be shot at dawn. The Court held that Parliament did not in fact possess such far-reaching power. The Menzies government attempted to rectify this at a Referendum in 1951. Once again the pros and cons of Communism were fully argued and debated, this time before the people of the whole nation and once more the Menzies government was defeated. The government is now seeking, through the amendments to the Crimes Act, to get powers denied to it by the Australian people in 1951, and is reviving all the old and false charges against the Communist Party. The amendments are not by any means directed exclusively against the Communist Party, but, by their drag-net character, can be used to silence criticism of the government and opposition to its policies from any quarter whatsoever. And the past record and utterances of some of those associated with attempts to grab more power over the people confirms that their venom is not reserved exclusively for Communists. For example, there is the well-known outburst of a former reactionary Cabinet Minister, H Thorby, who, in December 1938, said about Labor Leader John Curtin: I hope the time soon comes when Ive got the power to put traitors like that up against a wall and shoot them. Then there is the equally well-known statement by Treasurer Arthur Fadden that he would sooner Hitler than union leftists, made in October 1941, when Australia was at war with Hitler Germany. What could be more treacherous than that, or Menzies own statement of December 12, 1938, just nine months before we were at war with Nazism, that he thought it was a great thing for Germany to have arms. It would really be a betrayal of peace and democracy and treachery to the peoples interests to give these servants of monopoly capitalism the powers they are seeking through the amendments to the Crimes Act. This latest attack on liberty can and must be defeated, as were the attacks of 1950 and 1951, by the mass concerted action of all sections, of the labour and democratic movement in Australia. Wuhan pensioner Zhong Hanneng experienced a parent's worst nightmare when COVID-19 claimed her son in February. Alongside grieving relatives, she wants to sue the local government for the death of her son. Accusing of Wuhan Government of Concealing COVID-19's Emergence Zhong reportedly set forth a lawsuit for the death of her 39-year-old son due to the novel coronavirus. She brought a lawsuit against the Wuhan provincial government for veiling the initial stages of the outbreak but was abruptly declined by the court. According to Zhang Hai, another relative of a COVID-19 victim, at least five legal cases have been filed with the Wuhan Intermediate People's Court. Numerous other next-of-kin are pressurized by authorities not to issue lawsuits, reported SCMP. The families blame the Wuhan and Hubei provincial governments for keeping the coronavirus outbreak furtive when it first surfaced in late 2019, prompting the virus to escalate to prevalence. "They say the epidemic was a natural calamity. But these serious outcomes are man-made," according to Zhong, 67, reported The Times of India. They accuse the Wuhan and Hubei provincial governments of their failure to caution the public and mismanaging their response. COVID-19 has led to almost 3,900 fatalities in Wuhan and over 900,000 across the globe, reported ABS-CBN News. Lawsuits Refused At least five lawsuits have been issued with Wuhan's Intermediate Court. Complainants are seeking an estimated 2 million yuan ($295,000) but they have had their lawsuits declined. Zhong added, "Our family is shattered. I can never be happy again." Zhang Hai's elderly father died of COVID-19. She has emerged as an outspoken advocate and spokesperson for families of the virus victims. Also Read: Halloween Trick-Or-Treat Canceled? Governor Cuomo Says Festivity Will Continue The Wuhan Intermediate Court refused to comment. Plaintiffs are also demanding a public apology. According to Yang Zhanqing, a veteran Chinese activist now based in the United States, the court has declined lawsuits on unidentified procedural grounds. Yang, who is working with two dozen lawyers in China who are furtively advising families, stated that the rejections have come via phone calls instead of formally through official written explanations as legally required which is reportedly to avoid a paper trail. Downplaying COVID-19 first surfaced in Wuhan in December 2019 but city authorities initially stonewalled it, underscoring to whistle-blowing doctors to keep the situation under wraps. The Communist Party initiated a grand ceremony in Beijing last week. President Xi Jinping's announcement indicated that China had passed an "extraordinary and historic test" through a fast and transparent counterattack. According to Zhong, by late January, the contagion was rapidly becoming prevalent in Wuhan, but officials had not yet released a citywide caution. Prior to the extended Lunar New Year festivities, Zhong and her son Peng Yi happily shopped at crowded stores. "We had no idea the buses were full of the virus... So we went out every day. We didn't even know about masks," stated Zhong. As Wuhan finally began quarantine measures, she and Peng fell ill. Zhong recovered soon but her son's illness aggravated. For the next weeks filled with turmoil, the parent and her son spent long hours in overcrowded hospitals pleading to get him admitted. Without a confirmed positive result and with scarce testing kits, he was repeatedly not attended to. Related Article: Zoom Call Beauty Dating Tips for an Alluring Virtual Appearance @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Belarusian authorities on Sunday brought military trucks and barbed wire into central Minsk ahead of a planned opposition march, a day after police detained hundreds of women demonstrators. The opposition movement calling for an end to the regime of authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko has kept up a wave of large-scale demonstrations every Sunday since his disputed win in August 9 polls. The latest opposition protests were set to begin at 2 pm local time (1100 GMT), with opposition social media calling for demonstrators to gather in central Minsk as well as in other cities. Belarusian opposition news sites posted video and photos of a convoy of military trucks and vehicles with rolls of barbed wire driving into the centre ahead of the demonstration. The protest comes after riot police cracked down on peaceful women demonstrators on Saturday who were wearing shiny accessories for their so-called "Sparkly March." They dragged protesters into vans, lifted some women off their feet and carried them. Belarusian interior ministry spokeswoman Olga Chemodanova said Sunday morning that police had detained 415 people in Minsk and 15 in other cities for breaking rules on mass demonstrations. She said 385 had been released. Chemodanova warned Belarusians they could face criminal charges for organising such protests. - 'Escalation of violence' - The number of detentions on Saturday was far higher than at a similar protest last week, prompting the opposition's Coordination Council to warn of a "new phase in the escalation of violence against peaceful protesters." Among those detained was one of the most prominent faces of the protest movement, 73-year-old activist Nina Baginskaya, although she was later released. The aggressive police tactics prompted an opposition Telegram channel, Nexta, which has more than 2 million subscribers, to publish what it said was a list of the names and ranks of more than 1,000 police. Protesters have sought to expose the identity of police who appear at demonstrations in plain clothes or in uniforms without insignia or name badges, trying to pull off their masks and balaclavas. Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who claimed victory over Lukashenko in the polls and has taken shelter in Lithuania, on Saturday said Belarusians were ready to strip police obeying "criminal orders" of anonymity. A female anchor on state television channel Belarus 1 criticised the women protesters on Saturday evening, asking: "How did these women get so aggressive? After all nature intended them to guard their hearth." The broadcast made no mention of police detentions. Lukashenko has dismissed opposition calls for his resignation and sought help from Russia's President Vladimir Putin, who has promised law enforcement backup if needed and a $1.5 billion loan. Tikhanovskaya is set to meet European Union foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday as the EU prepares sanctions against those it blames for rigging the election and the regime's violent crackdown on protesters. Authorities have jailed many of Tikhanovskaya's allies who formed the leadership of the Coordination Council or driven them out of the country. One of her campaign partners, Maria Kolesnikova, has been imprisoned and charged with undermining national security. Search Keywords: Short link: Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, has announced that it has resumed its direct flights to and from Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport on September 19. Last week, the airline resumed flights to Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Cochin and Calicut with plans to announce a further expansion into more destinations within India soon. The flights are operating based on a special agreement between the governments of Bahrain and India. Gulf Air has been operating direct flights between Bahrain and the Indian capital since 1981 and its network of Indian cities has always been key within the Gulf Airs global network. The airline currently flies to and from London, Paris, Frankfurt, Manila, Athens, Cairo, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Thiruvananthapuram, Cochin, Calicut and Delhi. Being one of the few airlines that continued scheduled commercial operations, Gulf Air continuously works closely with the government authorities throughout the destinations on its network to resume operations as soon as airports open. Gulf Air boasts a flexible and agile network by immediately adapting to government orders and civil aviation directives around its network and has been responsive to continuous changes and updates regarding operations to and from its network destinations. Updates are constantly added on gulfair.com/covid19 including travel advice, network and new health and safety procedures, the statement said. - TradeArabia News Service Photo credit: Chip Somodevilla - Getty Images From Esquire It was only an hour after the announcement of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgs death, but political games were already being played. In a statement he posted on Twitter, Majority Senate Leader Mitch McConnell confirmed that he intended to bring a vote on President Trumps nominee to the senate floor before the election in November. This is despite the fact that in 2016, McConnell refused to call for a vote on President Obamas Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland because it was an election year. At the time, there were three hundred and forty-two days left in Obamas second term. As of today, there are only 45 days until the 2020 presidential election. McConnells hypocrisy is breathtaking, and his attempts at defending himself against accusations of such are getting thinner and thinner. According to his statement, the current situation is different from 2016 because now, the president and the senate are of the same party. Or as Michelle Goldberg put it in the New York Times: "His tortuous excuse is that his made-up rule is meant to apply only when the Senate and the presidency are controlled by different parties." Senator McConnell's Full Statement In the last midterm election before Justice Scalias death in 2016, Americans elected a Republican Senate majority because we pledged to check and balance the last days of a lame-duck presidents second term. We kept our promise. Since the 1880s, no Senate has confirmed an opposite-party presidents Supreme Court nominee in a presidential election year. By contrast, Americans reelected our majority in 2016 and expanded it in 2018 because we pledged to work with President Trump and support his agenda, particularly his outstanding appointments to the federal judiciary. Once again, we will keep our promise. President Trumps nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate. The statement is a half-baked and muddled attempt at justifying what is painfully clear: That McConnell intends to proceed with the nomination because Trump is a Republican, and McConnell is an unprincipled party loyalist who is more than willing to make up the rules as he goes so long as his team wins. Story continues The only question that remains is can McConnell get away with it? And the answer is, yes if he has the votes. According to Vox, Supreme Court justices can now be confirmed with a simple majority of Senate votes, thanks to a rules change that Republicans conveniently enacted in 2017. That means a nominee only needs to get 51 votes. If there were a 50-50 tie, Vice President Mike Pence could step in and cast a vote. It's currently unclear whether or not McConnell has the votes necessary to confirm Trump's yet-to-be announced nomination. Republicans currently have a 53-47 majority in the Senate which means that, similar to the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation, the decision will likely be made by a handful of moderate Republicans including Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska; Senator Mitt Romney of Utah; Senator Susan Collins of Maine; and Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa. The issue is further complicated by a special election currently taking place in Arizona. Democrat Mark Kelly is running against Republican Martha McSally. If Kelly wins, he'd likely be seated by November 30th which could be in time for a vote on the new Supreme Court nominee. Then only three Republicans, instead of four, would be necessary to halt the nomination process. According to Ginsburgs granddaughter, the justice made a dying wish: My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed. It is now up to American people and their elected officials to see that wish through. You Might Also Like New Delhi, Sep 20 (PT) Tiger Global-backed is looking to hire about 300 people over the next few months across various roles, including technology, business development and sales, as it looks to further strengthen its position in the country. The company, which helps gated communities manage their security and operations by digitising and automating manual tasks, currently serves about 10,000 residential complexes and is aiming to expand that to 25,000 by January next year. Speaking to 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 Tropical Storm Beta continued to ever-so-slowly make its way toward the Texas coast on Sunday night with 60 mph winds, according to the National Hurricane Center. Although Beta is forecast to stay on a path toward the Texas coast, it is expected to keep clouds and rain in the forecast for south Alabama on and off through the week as well as a high risk of rip currents. A strengthening easterly flow along the beaches and a gradual increase in longer period swell arriving over the surf, coming out from Tropical Storm Beta, suggests that the rip current risk will be high along the beaches starting this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/JJAHDVRTjo NWS Mobile (@NWSMobile) September 20, 2020 As of 10 p.m. CDT Sunday, Tropical Storm Beta was located about 120 miles south of Galveston, Texas, and was tracking to the west-northwest at 6 mph. Beta had top winds of 60 mph and has maintained that all day. The hurricane center said little change in strength is expected before Beta reaches the coast in Texas on Monday night. Beta is not going anywhere fast, even after it comes ashore. The storm is forecast to linger near the Texas and Louisiana coasts through at least Wednesday while weakening. Here are the watches and warnings as of Sunday night: * A Storm Surge Warning is in effect from Port Aransas, Texas, to Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, La., including Copano Bay, Aransas Bay, San Antonio Bay, Matagorda Bay, Galveston Bay, Sabine Lake and Lake Calcasieu * A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect from Port Aransas, Texas, to Morgan City, La. * A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect from Baffin Bay to Port Aransas, Texas. Beta could bring 3 to 5 feet of storm surge to the warning area, and water has been rising along parts of the Texas coast all day: Beta could also bring flooding rain. Six to 12 inches of rain will be possible along the Texas and Louisiana coasts through mid-week. Isolated areas could get up to 15 inches, the hurricane center said. TEDDY, WILFRED AND THE GANG The hurricane center is also continuing to track several other systems in the Atlantic. Theres Category 2 Hurricane Teddy, which had 105 mph winds on Sunday night and was 210 miles south-southeast of Bermuda, where a tropical storm warning was in effect. Teddy is forecast to track to the east of Bermuda on Monday morning. Teddy is expected to continue northward and could cause problems in Atlantic Canada as well, and a tropical storm watch has been issued for part of the coast of Nova Scotia on Sunday. Then theres Wilfred in the central Atlantic, which degenerated into a trough of low pressure late Sunday. The hurricane center said it is done issuing advisories on Wilfred as of late Sunday. The hurricane center is also tracking the Post-Tropical Storm Paulette, which was south of the Azores on Sunday. Paulette has a 60 percent chance of strengthening again into a tropical or subtropical depression over the next day or two and will move eastward. And finally theres a small area of low pressure over the Florida peninsula on Sunday that is forecast to shift to the west and into the Gulf. It had little to no chance of strengthening into a tropical depression over the next few days as it heads to the west-northwest, the hurricane center said Sunday night. Thirty-three years have passed, but the survivors of an Iraqi poison gas attack on the Iranian town of Sardasht still suffer -- and fight for international recognition of the horrific massacre. "If someone lost a leg or an arm in the war, you can put a prosthesis on him," said Saleh Azizpour, who heads an association for victims of the attack. "But when our lungs are burned, who will breathe for us?" he asked. Tehran on Monday commemorates 40 years since Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein attacked Iran, launching a war that raged for eight years. Iraq's June 28, 1987, gas attack on Sardasht, a Kurdish town in northwestern Iran, is considered to be the first time chemical weapons deliberately targeted civilians in an urban area. "The dead and wounded range from a three-month-old to a 70-year-old man," Azizpour said. "All were civilians." The official toll is 119 dead and 1,518 wounded. But, according to Azizpour, who was 25 in 1987, many more were affected. Some 8,000 people were exposed to what experts say was mustard gas and many who survived are struggling with long-term health complications. "Even today, there is sometimes so much pressure on my lungs... that I really cannot sleep," said Mahmoud Assadpour, a 50-year-old teacher. The impact of the novel coronavirus, which has hit Iran hard, is a threat to survivors, said Rojane Qaderi, a doctor who heads Sardasht's public health network. "As their immune system is weak... their chances of survival are low," Qaderi said. Survivors of the attack are asked to stay in their homes for protection against the virus. - 'As if in a cage' - "We are at home, we do not go out, it is as if we are in a cage," said Mohammad Zamani, 59, who remembers hearing "muffled bangs" as the gas canisters dropped. His wife, Leila Marouf Zadeh, was a volunteer nurse. She recalls cries of the wounded at the field hospital begging for help, many people that she knew. Story continues The skin of some victims turned red from burns from the incapacitating gas. "Some had crimson breasts, others, their whole bodies," she said. But after a few hours helping the survivors, she too felt the stinging impact. The gas had blinded her temporarily. Rassoul Malahi, a retired farmer who uses an artificial respirator to breathe, tells a similar story. He was left "totally blind" for 18 days. "The consequences of mustard gas are permanent," said Qaderi. "It affects or destroys the lungs. You have to learn to live with it." The list of symptoms include sore and swollen eyes, red and itching skin, as well as a shortness of breath, difficulty in moving and exhaustion, she said. Now there is an extra problem. Since the United States reimposed crippling sanctions against Iran in 2018, it has been hard to find the drugs needed for survivors. - International silence - Saddam Hussein began using chemical weapons against Iran as early as 1982. But it took the UN Security Council until 1986 to deplore the "use of chemical weapons" in the conflict. Even then, it avoided singling Iraq out specifically for blame. The same phrasing was used after the attack on Sardasht. Survivors say the feeble response from the international community was tantamount to complicity in the attack. The UN Security Council's five veto-wielding permanent members -- Britain, China, France, the US and, in 1987, the Soviet Union -- all supported Iraq. Several Western companies and governments are accused of having contributed to Iraq's chemical weapons programme in the 1980s. Today, the town of Sardasht has more than 46,000 inhabitants -- compared to nearly 18,000 in 1987 -- mainly Sunni Muslims from the Kurdish minority. The town, with modest flat-roofed homes built on the slopes of a hill, is surrounded by farmland. At first sight, there seem few signs of what happened. Only a commercial building, its upper floor gutted by bomb damage, offers a clue. - 'Rotten garlic' - At the time, Iraqi warplanes frequently dropped bombs on the town, a short distance across the border into Iran. People remember the deafening explosions they made. But that June afternoon, when gas canisters were dropped on four different neighbourhoods, they fell without making the usual terrifying bang. "I saw white dust that smelled like rotten garlic," Zamani said. He knew what it was, because he had seen it while a soldier at the front in 1984. "I was the first to say it was a chemical bomb, because I had experienced it before at the front," he said. But others did not believe that poison gas could be used against civilians. So they did what they had been told to do to stay safe during conventional bombing raids, they took cover on the spot or in underground shelters. But the toxic gas swiftly penetrated them. Some realised what was happening and ran, like Ali Mohammadi, now 56, a street seller of cheese. When he returned a few hours later, he found a nightmarish scene. "In front of the Red Crescent building, the corpses were all piled up," he said, his voice choked up at the memory. - 'A symbol'- When Saddam Hussein was captured in 2003, Assadpour said he was "happy". But he was "disappointed" to hear the deposed dictator was executed without being put on trial for his gas attack on Sardasht. In 2005, Marouf Zadeh provided moving testimony in a Dutch court during the trial of Frans van Anraat, a businessman found guilty of selling the chemicals that Iraq used in the deadly gas attacks. Van Anraat was jailed for 17 years on charges of complicity in war crimes in connection with the chemical attacks, both on Sardasht and on the Iraqi Kurdish town of Halabja, where nearly 5,000 died in an attack in March 1988. But while the trial offered some comfort to the victims, it did not dampen their desire for justice. So the survivors campaign for international recognition of what happened in Sardasht. They want the town to become a "symbol" -- like Hiroshima has been since its destruction by a US atomic bomb -- that provides a warning to ensure "it does not happen again". md-ap/pjm/kir/gle Sen. Tom Kean Jr., the Republican leader in the state Senate, is running for Congress from a sealed bunker, refusing to answer even cream-puff questions like this one: What are your three biggest accomplishments? Instead, Kean is relying on his family name alone, which is beloved by those who knew his father, the two-term governor known for his integrity and bipartisanship. Sadly, Kean Jr. is busy soiling that name today with a vile and factually incorrect attack that accuses his opponent, Rep. Tom Malinowski, of protecting sexual predators of children. Its the kind of grotesquely unfair charge that degrades our politics. And its particularly offensive in light of Keans jaw-dropping lack of substance on the issues. This smear, apparently, is all he has. The ad concerns Malinowskis role as Washington director of Human Rights Watch, a globally respected organization that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for working to rid the world of land mines. During the debate over a 2006 crime bill, Human Rights Watch lobbied to soften the terms of a Megans Law provision that was particularly aggressive. The attack ad claims that Human Rights Watch strongly opposed the national sex offender registry and that is simply not true. The Congressional Record of March 8, 2006 (Page H691) includes a letter from Human Rights Watch spelling out its objections, and explicitly stating that it does not oppose the registry. The objection was over its most extreme provisions, like the requirement that states place even misdemeanor sex offenders on the federal registry for 20 years. In some states, that included those convicted of public urination. In others, it included sex between consenting minors. Human Rights Watch did not oppose registration requirements, we just argued that it should apply only those who present an ongoing risk, says Jennifer Daskal, a law professor at American University who was the chief lobbyist on domestic issues for the organization at the time. Malinowski and Daskal both say he played no role in forming this policy or advocating for it, that his responsibility was for foreign affairs and national security, while hers was domestic issues. They put both names on all lobbying forms as a routine (granted, a sloppy one). For this, Kean pronounces him a protector of child sex predators? This Trump-level dishonesty does not come naturally to Kean, who is known in the Statehouse as a gentleman, if a bit timid and ineffective. But ambition can do strange things to people. And this has the whiff of desperation. This district, the 7th, went for Hillary Clinton by a single point in 2016 but has been trending blue in the Trump era. In 2018 Malinowski, a newcomer to electoral politics, won a surprise victory over Rep. Leonard Lance, a five-term Republican who served in the state Legislature for nearly 20 years before going to Washington. In Sundays debate, Kean presented himself as a moderate, as Lance always did, a man who would seek bipartisan deals in a polarized Washington. But hes shown no independence from President Trump. Hes endorsed Trump, he attended his rally in Wildwood in January, and he hasnt offered a peep of protest over Trumps statements and actions. Still, he says anti-Trump voters should not hold that against him. Im supporting the president, he said during the debate. But the real question is who would be in the House seat. Thats a tough sell. Politics is a team sport, and a Kean victory would undoubtedly strengthen the hand of Republican leaders in the House, all of whom who support Trump with religious fervor. That puts Kean in a Catch-22. He says he supports funding for the Hudson tunnel, for example, and eliminating the cap on deductions for state and local taxes, the so-called SALT deduction. But its Republican leaders who are blocking those policies, and a Kean victory would strengthen their hand. As Malinowski said in the debate: We all know, if he (Kean) is in the majority, who the Speaker would be Kevin McCarthy, who has said denying us on SALT would be a top priority. The same Catch-22 applies to climate change, the pandemic, and race issues. A Kean victory could strengthen Trumps hand on all those fronts. Kean has taken no position on most issues, and his campaign would not respond to policy questions, even in writing. The issues section on his campaign web site amounts to 400 words, total, most of them platitudes like, prioritize fiscal responsibilities without saying how. In the debate, Kean emphasized health care above all other issues, claiming repeatedly that he has worked in the Legislature to lower costs through bipartisan actions. But thats not true, either. New Jersey has managed to lower health premiums, a rare policy victory, thanks mostly to three bills drafted by Sen. Joe Vitale, D-Middlesex. One blocked surprise medical bills. Another protected Obamacare from Republican sabotage by establishing a state mandate to buy coverage. And a third helps insurers cover the cost of catastrophic cases, allowing them to lower premiums. Kean opposed all three. Another example: Kean criticized Malinowski for supporting a bill that would allow Medicare to bargain with big Pharma over drug prices, which is now barred by law, thanks to the lobbying power of the drug industry. That bill would lower drug costs; even the drug companies concede the point, which is why they oppose it. Keans claim on health costs, like his attack on Malinowski, is 100 percent fraudulent. The attack ad, which is still running, was paid for the National Republican Congressional Committee, but Keans fingerprints are all over it. I asked the campaigns spokesman, Harrison Nealy, if the NRCC got this information from the Kean campaign, directly or indirectly. I dont recall but probably, he said. We are in constant discussion with RNCC. And, of course, Kean tried to capitalize on the attack ad during the debate, saying Malinowski should have resigned from Human Rights Watch in protest. How in the world can you work for an organization that advocated against protecting children? he asked. For the record, land mines kill or maim more than 22,000 civilians a year, about half of them children, according to UNICEF. Human Rights Watch has been heroic on this issue, as the Nobel committee acknowledged. What exactly has Tom Kean done for children to stack up against that? This campaign is a disaster. Kean needs to come out of the bunker, answer legitimate questions about his alliance with Trump, and pull down these sleazy ads. Voters deserve nothing less. More: Tom Moran columns Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. A man who filmed his girlfriend dying after she took a drugs at a festival will not face a retrial after his manslaughter conviction was overturned. Louella Fletcher-Michie died on the eve of her 25th birthday with traces of 2C-P, MDMA and ketamine in her body at Bestival in September 2017. Ceon Broughton, 31, was handed an eight-and-a-half year sentence in March 2019 after a court heard he supplied her with the 2C-P and then failed to get medical help as she died. The musician from Enfield challenged his manslaughter conviction at the Court of Appeal in June, and the previous ruling was quashed in August by Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett, Mr Justice Sweeney and Mr Justice Murray. The Crown Prosecution Service has said this week it will not be taking the matter further. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 21 January 2022 Willesborough Windmill, a white smock mill built in 1869 is bathed in the morning sunshine as the moon sets behind in Ashford, Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 January 2022 A jet skier jumps the waves off the coast at Blyth in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 19 January 2022 Britains Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, participate in a therapy session with individuals who have experienced the care system, during a visit to the Foundling Museum in London REUTERS UK news in pictures 18 January 2022 Surfers enter the sea as the sun rises over Tynemouth on the North East coast PA UK news in pictures 17 January 2022 Bonhams Danny McIlwraith holds a Nigerian polycrome carved wood mask during a photocall for the sale of the Jim Lennon Collection at Bonhams in Edinburgh PA UK news in pictures 16 January 2022 The moon rises above the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, Hampshire PA UK news in pictures 15 January 2022 Demonstrators outside Downing Street during a Kill The Bill protest against The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in London PA UK news in pictures 14 January 2022 Ecologist Emma Smart (left) and retired GP Dr Diana Warner outside HMP Bronzefield, in Surrey, following their release from the prison where Emma undertook a 26-day hunger strike during her incarceration. Ms Smart was sentenced in November, along with other members of Insulate Britain, to serve four months for breaking a High Court injunction by taking part in a blockade at junction 25 of the M25 motorway during the morning rush hour on 8 October last year PA UK news in pictures 13 January 2022 A TV presenter holds a copy of a newspaper outside 10 Downing Streetafter the Prime Minister apologised for attending a gathering of colleagues in the Number Ten garden in May 2020, while the UK was in strict lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic Getty UK news in pictures 12 January 2022 Fitness guru Derrick Evans after receiving an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 11 January 2022 A couple walk underneath an umbrella during wet weather on Westminster Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 10 January 2022 A jogger passes the Covid Memorial Wall in London AP UK news in pictures 9 January 2021 The sun rises over horses at Seaton Sluice in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 8 January 2022 Riders compete during the Veterans Men's race at the UK Cyclo-Cross National Championships 2022 in Ardingly, south of London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 7 January 2022 A dog looks out of a car window at the wintry conditions in Killeshin, Co. Laois PA UK news in pictures 6 January 2022 People walk through frost and mist alongside a frozen lake during sunrise in Bushy Park, London REUTERS UK news in pictures 5 January 2022 A skier jumps on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 4 January 2022 Freshly-fallen snow covers houses in Corbridge, near Hexham in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 3 January 2022 Dean Morrison, 13, receives his Covid-19 vaccine from student nurse Anthony McLaughlin during a vaccination clinic at the Glasgow Central Mosque PA UK news in pictures 2 January 2022 Konastantinos Tsimikas of Liverpool with Chelseas Mason Mount during the Premier League match at Stamfrod Bridge Liverpool FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 January 2022 New Years Eve Lasers, drones and fireworks illuminate the sky in front of the Royal Naval College in Greenwich shortly after midnight in London EPA UK news in pictures 31 December 2021 Competitors in fancy dress run across the Pennine tops near Haworth, West Yorkshire, in the annual Auld Lang Syne Fell race which attracts hundreds of runners every year PA UK news in pictures 30 December 2021 Sunrise at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 29 December 2021 The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, looks at Becket, a six month old red-billed chough as he visits Wildwood Wildlife Park in Kent on the anniversary of the murder of Thomas Becket PA UK news in pictures 28 December 2021 Troops of the Household Cavalry are seen reflected in a puddle during the changing of the Queens Life Guard, on Horse Guards Parade, in central London PA UK news in pictures 27 December 2021 A pedestrian walks past a winter sale sign outside a John Lewis store on Oxford street in London Getty UK news in pictures 26 December 2021 Riders take their bikes through the snow near Castleside, County Durham PA UK news in pictures 25 December 2021 Patrick Corkery wears a santa hat and beard as waves crash over him at Forty Foot near Dublin during a Christmas Day dip PA UK news in pictures 24 December 2021 People stand inside Kings Cross Station on Christmas Eve in London Reuters UK news in pictures 23 December 2021 Christmas shoppers fill the car park at Fosse Shopping Park in Leicester PA UK news in pictures 22 December 2021 The sun rises behind the stones as people gather for the winter solstice at Stonehenge. Getty UK news in pictures 21 December 2021 People take part in a winter solstice swim at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh to mark the solstice and to witness the dawn after the longest night of the year PA UK news in pictures 20 December 2021 An auction employee displays poultry to buyers and sellers attending the Christmas Poultry Sale at York Auction Centre in Murton PA UK news in pictures 19 December 2021 Joao Moutinho of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 December 2021 Freight lorries queuing at the port of Dover in Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 December 2021 Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, bursts 'Boris' bubble' held by colleague Tim Farron, as she celebrates following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election PA UK news in pictures 16 December 2021 Brussels sprouts are harvested by workers as they prepare for the busy Christmas period near Boston in Lincolnshire PA UK news in pictures 15 December 2021 Lewis Hamilton is made a Knight Bachelor by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 14 December 2021 The Royal Liver Buildings surrounded by early morning fog in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 13 December 2021 People queue outside a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster Getty Images UK news in pictures 12 December 2021 People take part in the Big Leeds Santa Dash in Roundhay Park, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 11 December 2021 People arrive at a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Elland Road in Leeds, PA UK news in pictures 10 December 2021 Stella Moris speaks to the media after the US Government won its High Court bid to overturn a judges decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange PA UK news in pictures 9 December 2021 Camels are lead around Salisbury Cathedral during a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve Service PA UK news in pictures 8 December 2021 Margaret Keenan and Nurse May Parsons, a year after Margaret was the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer vaccine PA UK news in pictures 7 December 2021 Snowfall in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire as Storm Barra hits the UK with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow PA UK news in pictures 6 December 2021 A person tries to avoid sea spray on New Brighton promenade in Wallasey as the UK readies for the arrival of Storm Barra Getty UK news in pictures 5 December 2021 People release balloons during a tribute to six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes outside Emma Tustin's former address in Solihull, West Midlands, where he was murdered by his stepmother PA UK news in pictures 4 December 2021 People walk through a Christmas market in Trafalgar Square Reuters UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty Last week, Ms Fletcher-Michies father, the Holby City and Coronation Street actor John Michie posted a picture of his daughter on Instagram, captioned: Truth stands / When The Law falls / Love is eternal. The prosecution had alleged that Broughton did not seek help for his girlfriend despite being 400m from the Dorset festivals medical tent because he feared being arrested for breaching a suspended prison sentence handed down for possession of bladed articles. The jury was told that he filmed his girlfriends gradual demise, which lasted several hours, as she screamed and collapsed - and that when a friend told him to call an ambulance, Mr Broughton replied: I cant get bagged [arrested]. When her condition worsened, he contacted her family and relatives, but festival officials went to an area called the Ambient Forest rather than the woods. In his closing statement, Broughtons lawyer Stephen Kamlish QC said his actions were explained by the fact that he thought his girlfriend was just having a bad trip, not dying. The act of filming his girlfriend, Mr Kamlish said, showed that Broughton didnt "realise the seriousness or mean for Louella either to suffer or die. Mr Kamlish said that as Broughton filmed Louella he told her When this is all over, you will want to show it to your mum, adding: That is how ironic and tragic this case is." While Broughton did not give evidence, a statement read during his sentencing hearing said: Sorry I didnt do more to save Louella, sorry for the suffering I caused to everyone who loved Louella, I want to make things right. As they quashed the manslaughter conviction, Court of Appeal judges said he had made attempts to get assistance, including by telling a friend to get the medics and sending him a pin on Google Maps. The ruling said: It is not plausible to suppose that [Broughton] was acting in a grossly negligent way whilst actively seeking help for Louella at that time. For the conviction to be safe, judges said, the jury would have had to be sure that at the time when Louellas condition was such that there was a serious and obvious risk of death, the appellant was grossly negligent in failing to obtain medical assistance and that such assistance would have saved her life. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 20, 2020 18:30 488 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c46046c9 1 City COVID-19,pandemic,Jakarta-administration,offices,companies,work-from-home,PSBB,large-scale-social-restrictions,rem-darurat,emergency-brake,coronavirus,COVID-19-Jakarta Free The Jakarta administration has temporarily shuttered 37 companies based in the city since full large-scale restrictions (PSBB) were reimposed in the capital earlier this week due to mounting COVID-19 cases. Jakarta Manpower and Transmigration Agency head Andri Yansyah said his office had inspected COVID-19 protocols at 287 companies across the city. Based on the inspection, 37 companies in the capital were instructed to close temporarily following reports of confirmed COVID-19 cases and low compliance with health protocols. As of the fifth day of the PSBB, 37 companies have been temporarily closed, Andri said in a statement on Saturday as quoted by kompas.com. He said that 17 of the 37 companies were temporarily shuttered after several employees were found to have contracted COVID-19. However, Andri stopped short of disclosing the names of the companies. The agency previously established an online channel, bit.ly/covid19perusahaan, where employees are able to report probable and confirmed COVID-19 cases in their workplaces. We hereby open this channel to the general public so they can report the condition of their offices. This channel serves as a reference for our inspections, Andri said on Friday. Read also: Jakarta back under PSBB, but less strict than before The provincial administration reimposed the PSBB on Monday to contain the spread of COVID-19, as the number of cases kept surging across the capital. The restrictions will remain in place until Sept. 27 and may be extended beyond that. During the PSBB, workplaces in 11 essential sectors including health, food, energy, communications, finance, logistics and daily needs retail are only allowed to operate at 50 percent of their usual capacity. Meanwhile, 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 at the office at the same time. (rfa) Pope Francis met with the members of the organisation that is celebrating its 20 years. the foundation is present in several countries like Afghanistan, Lebanon, Niger, Libya, Kosovo, Djibouti, Somalia, Venezuela, South Sudan and Syria, supporting medical aid projects. Pope calls for action against pharmaceutical marginality. Vatican City (AsiaNews) Pope Francis this morning spoke to a delegation from Italys Fondazione Banco Farmaceutico, an organisation that works with volunteers, pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies to provide medicinal drugs to the poor. Medicine Collection Day is an important example of how generosity and the sharing of goods can improve our society and bear witness to the love in proximity that is required of us by the Gospel (cf. Jh 13:34). The audience was held to mark 20 years since the foundations creation. Every year, the Banco Farmaceutico holds a Medicine Collection Day, usually in February, when individuals and pharmacies are invited to buy or provide medicines for the poorest. Over the past two decades, the organisation has worked in various countries around the world, supporting medical aid projects in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Niger, Libya, Kosovo, Djibouti, Somalia, Venezuela, South Sudan and Syria. Those who live in poverty, Francis said, are poor in everything, including medicines, and therefore their health is more vulnerable. Sometimes there is a risk of not being able to be treated for lack of money, or because some populations of the world do not have access to certain drugs. "There is also a 'pharmaceutical marginality'. This creates a further gap between countries and peoples. At the ethical level, if there is the possibility of treating a disease with a drug, this should be available to everyone, otherwise an injustice is created. Too many people, too many children still die in the world because they cannot have a drug that is available in other places. We know the danger of the globalisation of indifference; I propose instead to globalise treatment, that is, the possibility of providing access to those drugs that can save many lives for all peoples. To do this, a common effort is needed, a convergence that involves everyone. With respect to the current situation, marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, the pontiff noted that "it would be sad if in providing the vaccine, priority was given to the richest, or if this vaccine became the property of this or that country, and it was not for all. Lastly, the Holy Father called on pharmaceutical companies to "contribute to a more equitable distribution of drugs and on rulers to "build a fairer world, in which the poor are not abandoned. Police in Indianapolis are looking for two armed men who shot and killed a mother of four during an armed robbery, injuring her husband and leaving their six-year-old son to call for help. Wilma Hochstetler, 40, died on Thursday night after she and her husband Jonathan were attacked by the side of a road in the west of the city. The deeply religious couple owned a roofing business in Bloomfield, 80 miles south west of Indianapolis. Wilma Hochstetler, pictured with husband Jonathan and their four children, died on Thursday The pair were working to repair a blown tire on Thursday night when armed robbers attacked They had wallets and Wilma's phone stolen, then the robbers turned to leave, and opened fire Jonathan was away with work and driving home, when his tire blew, damaging a trailer light. Wilma then drove from their home, with their six-year-old son Bradon, to Indianapolis to help him. While the couple were working to repair the tire, at 1:50am, two men approached and held Wilma and Jonathan up at gunpoint, stealing Wilma's phone and both of their wallets. The gunmen turned to walk away, but then swiveled back and shot at them, killing Wilma and shooting Jonathan in the neck. Bradon, who was cowering in their truck, then managed to find a cell phone and call 911. Wilma and Jonathan Hochstetler had met through a church youth group Samuel Hochstetler, Jonathan's father, said his son has had two surgeries, required fusion of three vertebrae, and is on a feeding tube. He felt lucky not to be paralyzed. 'He said I have total peace, I'm comfortable, I'm encouraged,' Samuel said. 'He said I have no anger towards those men.' Samuel said that he too forgave the two men who attacked them. 'I extend forgiveness towards the two murderers,' he told Fox 59. 'Revenge only begets more violence. 'My hearts desire for them is that they would repent and fall on their faces before the Lord Jesus and cry out for mercy for their own souls sake. 'Jesus would desire to give them a new heart and a new spirit.' Police in Indiana are still searching for the two gunmen, who Jonathan says he forgives Wilma leaves behind four children - Melissa, 16, Abigail, 14, Kendra, 10, and six-year-old Bradon. Andrew Yutzy, a family friend, told WIS News that the pair were childhood sweethearts living a happy family life. 'They were in the same church and the same youth group, and I guess, they were both kind of shy people,' he said. 'Two shy people met each other and fell in love. 'They were just always the people that were there with a smile, and literally, they would give the shirt off their back, if it would help you.' It prompted a frantic search involving police, family, friends and complete strangers that ended around 7.30pm when the boy's uncle and grandfather found him without a scratch on him sleeping about 2 kilometres away from the house. James O'Reilly, 3, was with his parents Michelle Buckley and Christopher O'Reilly at a holiday house in Yallingup when he wandered into nearby dense bushland around 7am on Saturday. The parents of a toddler who went missing for more than 12 hours in bushland near the South West beachside town of Yallingup on Saturday have spoken about how they had almost lost hope of finding the boy alive. In an emotional interview on Sunday Ms Buckley and Mr O'Reilly revealed that with nighttime approaching and temperatures continuing to drop they had begun to lose hope. "I didn't think we were going to find him alive, I thought I was going to have to bury my son," Ms Buckley said. "Once it started getting to sunset I was really starting to panic because I didn't want him to be out there during the night, especially because it was such a windy and rainy day, I was wearing a big jacket and I was freezing." Ms Buckley said James had gone outside to play and went missing in the space of five minutes. She said she screamed his name but after she got no reply she raced back into the house to wake her partner and call the police. Premier Daniel Andrews has come under fire for 'toxic double standards' after refusing to fine five families behind a COVID-19 cluster in Melbourne while punishing protesters as Victoria's case numbers continue to fall. Victoria recorded 14 new cases and five deaths on Sunday, the lowest daily increase since June and the tenth day in a row the state has recorded a daily infections increase below 50. Five households in Clyde, Cranbourne North, Hallam and Narre Warren South are linked to 34 active cases, with the families believed to have sparked the cluster by breaching coronavirus restrictions. Mr Andrews has been blasted for defending his decision not to penalise those at the centre of the outbreak while anti-lockdown protesters were fined and arrested during rallies in Melbourne on Saturday. Daniel Andrews has been slammed for double standards after fining anti-lock-down protesters but refusing to punish those behind a COVID-19 cluster in Melbourne's southeast. He is pictured at a press conference on Sunday Victoria recorded just 14 new infections on Sunday, but has 34 active cases linked to five Melbourne families believed to have breached coronavirus restrictions Opposition leader Michael O'Brien has slammed the move as 'hypocrisy'. 'Andrews shouldn't be protecting those who spread the virus while fining others Labor's double standards are as toxic as this virus,' he told the Herald Sun. 'Its a disgrace that Labor has locked up innocent Victorians under a curfew while those who break the law and spread the virus get off scot- free. 'This is the same Andrews hypocrisy that saw teenagers fined for learning to drive while 10,000 Black Lives Matter protesters were ignored.' Victoria Police issued 21 fines and arrested 16 demonstrators as up to 150 people clashed with officers during rallies in Elsternwick and Elwood, 11km from Melbourne's CBD, on Saturday. Meanwhile, Mr Andrews told reporters at a press conference fining the families linked to the cluster in the city's southeast may prevent them from being co-operative during contact-tracing interviews. 'Im happy to concede that might seem a counter-intuitive point. Perhaps we would all feel a bit better if they got slapped with a fine, but the value of the information that allows you to take one test result and then find the 33 other people whove got it, is much more than $1652,' he said. A woman is arrested by police at a anti-lockdown protest at Elwood Beach on Saturday Up to 100 people gathering at Elsternwick Park in Brighton dispersed to Elwood when faced with a long line of officers at the site, 11km from Melbourne's CBD. Pictured: Protesters and officers at the Saturday demonstrations A woman could be seen yelling out as two officers pulled her hands behind her back at the rally Despite the new cluster, Victoria's overall case numbers are continuing to decline. Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday said the state's latest coronavirus numbers are cause for great optimism as the state heads towards new a COVID-19 normal. 'That is proof positive beyond any question that this strategy is working. These numbers are coming down thanks to the hard work of every single Victorian,' Mr Andrews said on Sunday. 'We will continue to see them come down in accordance with our roadmap to COVID normal.' 'Ultimately these numbers are a cause for great optimism and positivity right across metropolitan Melbourne.' Metropolitan Melbourne's 14-day average down to 36.2, well below the state's target of 50 to lift some virus restrictions later this month. On Saturday, Victoria recorded 21 new cases of COVID-19 and a further seven deaths. Daniel Andrews urged covidiots not to gather at planned protests on Saturday across the city or 'do anything to undermine' its progress with tackling COVID-19. Protests were announced by rally organisers about 10.30am - half an hour before kicking off at the State Library, and a second closely following at 12pm. Law enforcement teams circled Elsternwick Park included officers from Public Order Response, the Mounted Unit, Air Unit and Highway Patrol. Shouting about Premier Daniel Andrews and coronavirus restrictions was heard throughout the disjointed protests, which were described as 'chaotic'. Victoria recorded 14 new cases and five deaths on Sunday, the lowest daily increase since June and the tenth day in a row the state has recorded a daily infections increase below 50 The cluster which has impacted the five households in Hallam, Clyde, Narre Warren South and Cranbourne North, first emerged on September 4 One photographer said there was 'a lot of running and not much protesting. It comes as Mr O'Brien last week introduced a motion of no confidence into parliament in a bid to oust the Premier, arguing the Andrews government had lost support of Victorians over its handling of the pandemic. Lower house MPs will vote on the proposal next month. Metropolitan Melbourne is under strict Stage Four lockdown - limiting Melburnians travelling more than 5km from their homes and enforcing a 9pm to 5am curfew. Multiple rallies have taken place in Melbourne the past few weekends. Victoria Police have responded with a heavy presence - handing out dozens of fines and making arrests. 'Let's not lose sight of the fact that this week we have seen, day after day, not the 725 cases we had five and a half weeks ago - we have made very significant progress,' Mr Andrews told reporters on Saturday. 'We've got regional Victoria opening up. People should be positive and optimistic this strategy is working, and therefore, let's not any of us do anything to undermine that.' A surge of cases in the Casey and Dandenong area, on Melbourne's southeast rim, has been linked back to five households in the Afghan community. As residents in the city are still under strict Stage Four lockdown, it is thought the infected group may have breached the stay-at-home orders. Public health authorities are racing to stop infections growing in the two council areas, which now have 90 active cases. 'Members of those households visiting other households,' Department of Health and Human Services COVID-19 testing commander Jeroen Weimar said. 'It is that limited amount of contact, relatively infrequent contact between these five households that has now meant that we have 34 people in five houses experiencing or living with a very real threat of the coronavirus.' The cluster in the city's southeast first emerged on September 4, with cases now having spread to Dandenong Police Station and a number of industrial work sites. The Casey and Dandenong cluster is testing the capacity of COVID-detectives. Pictured: Heath workers are seen at a coronavirus testing centre in Cranbourne on September 17 The success of Melbourne's ongoing lockdown could be at risk with a new cluster in the southeast of the city. Pictured: A coronavirus testing centre in Cranbourne on September 17 A man with a dog is seen being questioned by two police officers in the Dandenong area Premier Daniel Andrews on Friday said the actions of the family's involved in the cluster was 'disappointing'. 'Five kilometres is one thing and visiting others is the real issue here,' he said. 'The rules are in place for a reason and anyone who undermines this, undermines the entire strategy and it means the rules will be on for longer.' 'I know many Victorians, when you see examples of people not following the rules, that's disappointing, it makes you angry,' Mr Andrews said. 'You need to look at the bigger picture here. 'We don't want a situation where people don't have a sense of confidence and indeed, you know, the sense they're obliged to tell us the full story as quickly as possible. That's what we need.' Victoria Sunday figures bring the state's toll to 762 and the national count to 849. There are only 26 active infections across regional areas while the number of active cases in Melbourne has fallen to 743. Health authorities are urging anyone in the southeast of Melbourne to diligently monitor their health and immediately get tested if feeling unwell Mr Andrews urged people to stay the course and cautioned against any push to lift restrictions ahead of schedule. 'There's no good opening up too early. There's no good letting our frustrations get the better of us. 'All that will mean is that every metropolitan has given, everything that everyone has done to produce these low, but still not low enough, numbers will count for nothing. 'Because we'll be open, yes, but not open for very long. 'This is a good day though. A day Victorians can be proud.' The next step on Melbourne's roadmap out of lockdown is from September 28 when some on-site work will return, child care will reopen and some school students will be allowed back into the classroom. People will be able to meet outdoors for up to two hours with members of one other household, though the five-kilometre travel limit will remain. State health chief Brett Sutton said on Saturday the five-household cluster of 34 cases in the city's southeast was "under control", with no new cases linked to the cluster on Saturday. Contact tracers have acted quickly to contain the outbreak, with government officials speaking with community leaders and members. Poison ricin was found in a White House package and addressed to President Donald Trump, officials said. The package was discovered at an off-site screening facility for the White House earlier this week, said a BBC report. It has been intercepted earlier this week, before reaching the White House. According to CNN, two tests were done to confirm that the White House's envelope did have the poison ricin. Officials identified the substance on the package's envelope. The poison ricin is found naturally in castor beans. What is Ricin? Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state that it "gets inside the cells of a person's body." It prevents cells from making proteins it needs and will eventually cause cells to die. "Eventually, this is harmful to the whole body, and death may occur," the CDC said. Death from ricin can occur within 36 to 72 hours of exposure, said the CDC. The amount of time before ricin shows its effects depends on the dosage and method of exposure. A person can be exposed to the poison through inhalation, ingestion, and injection. "It would take a deliberate act to make ricin and use it to poison people," the agency said. If a person did get exposed to the substance, they might feel nausea, vomit, internal bleeding, and organ failure. There are no known antidotes to this poison yet. Where Did the Package Come From? The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Secret Service are still looking into the case. They want to find out where the package came from and whether there are more of its kind sent through the US postal system. So far, the FBI did not find any threat to public security, as per a Saturday statement. The White House did not immediately comment on the matter. An official told the New York Times that there are speculations of the package coming from Canada. With this, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Saturday that it would be working with the FBI to investigate. Mary-Liz Power, the chief spokeswoman for Canada's Minister of Public Safety Bill Blair, also weighed in on the incident. She said in a statement, "We are aware of the concerning reports of packages containing ricin directed toward US federal government sites." She assured that law enforcement in Canada is working closely with US authorities. As the investigation is still in progress, Power is not allowed to give further comment. Ricin in the White House Ricin is no stranger to the White House. It has been sent there before, noted The Guardian. In 2018, a US Navy veteran was charged to send the poison to officials, including Trump. His likely victims also included then defense secretary James Mattis, CIA director Gina Haspel and FBI director Christopher Wray. A Mississippi man was also sentenced to 25 years in 2014 for sending letters that were dusted with the poison. It was sent to Barack Obama and other officials. Another sentence was also given to an actor in the same year. The letters were sent to Obama and Michael Bloomberg in a bizarre attempt to frame her husband. Check these out! Trump Signals To Approve New Stimulus Package Trump's Supreme Court Nominee Will Be a Woman Trump Plans to Create New 'Patriotic Education' Commission 10:58 | Lima, Sep. 20. This was stipulated on September 17 by Supreme Decree No. 151-2020-PCM , published in El Peruano official gazette. Pubs and hospitality businesses could be wiped out by further coronavirus restrictions, the boss of Wetherspoons has said. Ministers are considering new measures, including a temporary two or three-week 'circuit break' in an attempt to break the virus' chain of transmission. The move could lead to pubs and restaurants being ordered to close or face a 10pm curfew, with the latter measure already in place in some areas of the north of England. Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin said further restrictions would be 'even more devastating' for a sector hit hard by the pandemic as ministers debates whether to enter a second lockdown Ministers are considering new measures this weekend, including a temporary two or three-week 'circuit break' in an attempt to break the virus' chain of transmission as cases increase Tim Martin, who employs 43,000 people in Wetherspoon's pubs and hotels, told The Sunday Times further restrictions would be 'even more devastating' for a sector hit hard by the pandemic. Greene King chief executive Nick Mackenzie, who is responsible for staff at 2,700 hospitality businesses, told the paper the Government needed to provide further clarity and assistance. 'The sector is fighting for survival - we are already seeing pubs in areas where there are additional restrictions are performing less well, especially those in Scotland,' Mackenzie said. 'New measures such as a 10pm curfew will cause further damage and hit city-centre pubs most, especially in London.' Kate Nicholls, chief executive of lobby group UK Hospitality, warned that the 900,000 hospitality workers who are currently on furlough are at risk. She added that venues where curfews had been imposed were suffering a 40% to 50% reduction in trade. The warnings come as London mayor Sadiq Khan urged ministers to extend the latest regional restrictions to cover the capital as well. The government is in the middle of a debate this weekend over whether to introduce a second lockdown that would devastate the economy. Covid sufferers could be fined up to 10,000 if they leave their house when they are meant to be self-isolating under draconian new rules being introduced by Boris Johnson. Greene King boss Nick Mackenzie has said the government needs to provide more clarity The Prime Minister announced that he was creating a new legal duty for people to self-isolate if they test positive for the virus or are told to do so by Test and Trace staff. Meanwhile, under a carrot and stick approach, 4 million people on low incomes who cannot work from home will receive a 500 lump sum if forced to self-isolate. But fines for those breaching the rules, which come into effect a week tomorrow, will start at 1,000 rising to 10,000 for repeat offenders and the most egregious breaches, which would include business owners who threaten self-isolating staff with redundancy if they do not come to work. Plenty of people were seen in on Saturday in large crowds at Stables Market in Camden, London, and in Nottingham, where people hit the pubs before they potentially close their doors again. Long queues were seen around Nottingham, with security having to step in and ask people to space out more due to zero social distancing going on. Police and community protection were doing patrols. A sharp rise in the number of cases over recent weeks has triggered alarm in Downing Street, with the Governments scientific advisers pushing for a circuit breaking second lockdown but Ministers led by Chancellor Rishi Sunak are warning of the devastating economic impact. Premier Daniel Andrews has been urged not to bow to pressure when easing coronavirus restrictions as the falling daily infection rate leads to growing calls for the government to bring forward its road map. Victoria can avoid repeating the mistakes it made at the end of the first wave of the pandemic by solely focusing on the infection rate not dates when guiding the state out of the lockdown, according to leading public health experts. Industry groups, the Victorian opposition and the Prime Minister have argued for some of the most stringent restrictions in Melbourne to be lifted sooner than planned as a result of falling daily coronavirus case numbers. Victoria recorded 11 new cases on Monday, its lowest daily rise since June 16 when there were nine cases. However, the daily total was revised to nine after two cases were classified. State Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien on Monday said the Premier needed to "change course" and reopen the economy, while Mr Andrews has continued to raise hopes restrictions could be eased sooner than expected with Melbourne's 14-day average continuing to plunge. But University of Melbourne researcher Dr Jason Thompson, who co-authored modelling on which the government based its road map, said easing restrictions too soon risked an explosion of coronavirus cases before Christmas. Dr Thompson urged the Victorian people and government to stay the course, and not fall victim to lockdown fatigue by opening up sooner than is safe. "I would ask people to think about time as an investment time invested now will pay off later," Dr Thompson said. "It's the last-ditch effort we're in the last quarter of a game. We're all tired, we just want to have a drink or sit on the bench, but we know if we do that, the other team will come on top of us." Read the full story here. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Over the past six months, Ive read a lot of existential hand-wringing by food writers about the future of restaurant reviewing. Ive certainly done my share of wrestling with the contradictions of encouraging folks to try new places during quarantine. But last Tuesday night, I watched my dining companions eyes pop wide at a sugar-and-spice-encrusted bite of what he promptly named the best churro Ive ever had. All remaining qualms about pandemic reviewing melted into the dipping ramekin of sweet cajeta caramel on the table. At Zacatlan, the two-month-old Southwest-meets-Mexico venture on Aztec Street, former Coyote Cafe executive chef Eduardo Rodriguez is resurrecting the pure pleasure of culinary invention. It might just be our civic duty to enjoy a visit, then go back again. Zacatlan is the first COVID-era restaurant to come along where Ive felt the urge to eat all the way through the menu. Rodriguez is a native of Zacatecas, Mexico, but his chefs DNA has also been forged in the fires of Santa Fe fine dining. In 1996, he began working his way up the line at Geronimo under the guidance of the late, great Eric DiStefano. Rodriguez moved with DiStefano to Coyote Cafe in 2007, focusing on the innovation and perfection of new Southwest classics at the top of Santa Fes restaurant echelons. Zacatlan feels more personal and less touristy than both of the chefs old stomping grounds. That ambiance is imparted by its humble, intimate digs on a side street in the Railyard, a spot that in recent years has housed a quick rotation of ill-fated cafes. But the quiet two-room interior seems ample enough for lasting success and the brightly decorated patio seating feels cozy, not cramped. Rodriguezs adventurous menu thoughtfully blends the influence of several cultures whose own entangled DNA strands contain unexpected flavor complements. The brunch lineup, for example, ranges far and wide: theres a tomato-pesto-proscuitto-burrata salad and a poached pear, caramelized pinon and arugula salad; two types of chilaquiles and a breakfast burrito; red chile posole; four choices of tacos; French toast; chicken and waffles; and a surf & turf eggs Benedict with smoked salmon and ham. This is a great idea, a neighboring diner said enthusiastically, forking one Sunday morning into the gorgeous Benedict halves topped with globes of poached eggs, cream cheese, green chile Hollandaise and a snarl of fresh arugula. The adjacent table contained a pair of locals on a return visit who seemed to share my reawakening thrill of discovery. I was having my own epiphanic moment over the mole negro chilaquiles ($12.50). Part of the surprise of Zacatlans plates stems from the vague details on the menu, and Id asked my server about the unadorned word chicken tacked onto the end of the dishs description. (I dont have many food hang-ups. But after waiting tables one summer at an Iowa City diner that served a wild rice-and-turkey omelet, Ive mostly been averse to a combo of eggs and fowl.) Was Rodriguez really melding scrambled eggs with chunks of chicken? He was, and the artful brown mountain placed before me was revelatory: mild, but nuanced, mole-covered eggs, toasty home fries, queso fresco, black beans, perfectly crisped tortilla triangles and, yes, juicy chunks of white meat. I sipped a bottomless cup of strong black coffee, relished the sunlight streaming onto Zacatlans secluded side yard, ate a bit more than half and took the rest home for the next days equally delicious reheated breakfast. Dinner offers a set of more complex, but similarly exclamatory, combos. A pair of fried squash blossoms ($16) are stuffed with cream cheese, wild mushrooms and ground veal, then napped with an orangey-red romesco sauce, each element in fine balance with its partners. A sizeable bone marrow appetizer ($18) arrives with three bone trenches covered in pale yellow corn esquites, sided with green chile toast soldiers and a musky truffle mustard. Every element has a distinct zing that harmonizes beautifully with its partners. The braised pork shanks of the mole-soaked cochinita pibil ($36) spoke to the chill in the air and the primal carnivore within. The radish and red pear-topped meat fell from the bone in succulent sheets, nestling comfortably with sweet-and-savory masa, and zesty sauteed strips of poblano, red pepper and corn. A snow-white halibut al pastor ($40) was adorned with glazed mango chunks and drizzled with tarragon butter atop tender sticks of zucchini and purple carrots. Part of the joy of Rodriguezs cooking is in his even showcasing of in-season northern New Mexico produce alongside proteins hes an alchemist of farm-fresh, amply portioned fruits and veggies. Both dessert choices are equally worthy. Besides the excellent churros ($8), theres an elote flan ($8). Its more of a rustic egg-corn pudding than a silky slice, whimsically paired with a few kernels of caramel corn and finished with an elegant fan of strawberries. For now, Zacatlan lacks a liquor license, though a server said it was in the works. But dont pass up a glass of the agua de jamaica (hibiscus-flower tea sweetened with agave, $4). Like everything else made by Chef Rodriguez, its sprinkled with a little extra magic and somehow much more captivating than wherever you last had it. Zacatlan 317 Aztec St., 505-780-7154, zacatlanrestaurant.com Brunch 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday; dinner 5:30-9 p.m. Monday-Sunday No alcohol pending liquor license Agartala, Sep 20 : Tripura Governor Ramesh Bais has stressed upon the positive relations between the government and the media, saying that he would take initiatives to uphold this tradition, an official said on Sunday. The Governor reportedly made this comment when a six-member team of the 'Tripura Assembly of Journalists (TJA)', met him at the Raj Bhavan on Saturday on the issue of Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb's reported "threats to the media". The TJA, a body comprising editors, journalists and media personnel, since September 13, has been agitating to withdraw the Chief Minister's alleged "threats to the media" in an official function at Sabroom (in southern Tripura) on September 11. TJA Chairman and veteran Editor Subal Kumar Dey, who led the delegation to the Governor, said that after the Chief Minister's alleged "threat", four journalists were attacked in different parts of the state but the police did not take any action against the attackers whereas the Chief Minister remained silent. Demanding withdrawal of the comments made by the Chief Minister, the TJA submitted a detailed memorandum to the Governor. The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) has claimed that Deb's comments were taken out of context. An official of the CMO said that the present state government in Tripura is committed towards press freedom, rights of media and the welfare of the journalists. "During the lockdown period, the government had arranged vehicles for transporting newspapers to various districts and sub-divisions, increased the journalists' pension from Rs 1,000 to Rs 10,000, provided financial aid to newspaper hawkers among other welfare activities to support the media. But a section of the media are trying to malign the image of the government, exaggerating the facts with some motives," the official said. The Associated Press checks out some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. This one is bogus, even though it was shared widely on social media. Here are the facts: CLAIM: Maps of recent wildfires in the Pacific Northwest show the fires stop abruptly at the Canadian border. THE FACTS: Maps circulating on social media with this claim include only American data. Canada has its own fire mapping system, which shows there are fires burning in British Columbia, just north of the western U.S. Social media posts this week noted what seemed like a curious phenomenon: Wildfire maps show the blazes stretch across much of the western United States, but end at the Canadian border. Facebook users joked that the fires must lack Canadian passports and called it a geographical oddity. A Twitter user in Canada said he was gratified to see that climate change stops at the 49th parallel. Must be that carbon tax, he wrote. The maps were also shared by Emerald Robinson, a White House correspondent for Newsmax. If the fires in Oregon & Washington are climate change then why do the fires stop at the Canadian border? she wrote in a tweet shared nearly 4,000 times. The answer is that these maps only show American data. One map shared in several social media posts, for example, is a USA Wildfires map from the geographic information system software supplier Esri. It shows more than 100 wildfires in the western United States but doesnt display Canadas fires. Canadians are seeing some fires, and have also endured unhealthy air quality levels as strong winds blow smoke and ash particles from U.S. fires to the north, the AP has reported. But British Columbias wildfire season has been less severe than that of Washington, Oregon and California this year thanks to cooler and wetter conditions in that part of Canada this summer, according to Lori Daniels, a forestry professor at the University of British Columbia. Weather patterns originating in California that have exacerbated the fires along the West Coast of the U.S. became weaker as they traveled north to Canada, Daniels told the AP. Scientists say climate change has contributed to more intense wildfires in both countries in recent years. This is everywhere, Daniels said. Were all experiencing extreme temperatures, extreme droughts, extreme fires driven by those droughts, and they are the hallmarks of climate change. National carrier Gulf Air has resumed its direct flights from Bahrain International Airport to Bangladesh capital Dhakas Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Gulf Air has been operating direct flights to Bangladesh since 1984 and it is one of the airlines main destinations in the Indian Sub-continent region. The first flight took off yesterday (September 19) from BIA. Last week, the airline resumed flights to Indian cities of Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Cochin and Calicut and yesterday it restarted direct flights to and from Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport, said the statement from the airline. Being one of the few airlines that has continued scheduled commercial operations, Gulf Air continuously works closely with the governments authorities throughout the destinations on its network to resume operations as soon as airports open. Gulf Air boasts a flexible and agile network by immediately adapting to government orders and civil aviation directives around its network and has been responsive to continuous changes and updates regarding operations to and from its network destinations. The airline has already started flying to London, Paris, Frankfurt, Manila, Athens, Cairo, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi.-TradeArabia News Service A Spirit Airlines flight attendant has threatened to call police on a passenger who was wearing a neck gaiter as a face covering, claiming it was 'illegal' because it did not have two layers of cloth. The incident, which occurred during a flight on the budget carrier sometime last week, was recorded by the passenger and posted to social media. The video was picked up by SV News on Friday and has since gone viral, with many debating whether neck gaiters - which can be pulled up over the nose and mouth - are adequate face covering for a domestic flight. The passenger's gaiter was also covered in stars and stripes, prompting some to accuse the flight attendant of being anti-American - an accusation that was swiftly shut down by Spirit. A Spirit Airlines flight attendant has threatened to call police on a passenger who was wearing a stars-and-stripes neck gaiter as a face covering The video begins with the flight attendant asking the passenger to put on a face mask provided by the airline. The passenger responds that he is already wearing a face covering. 'No,' the attendant scolds. 'What do you have underneath it [the gaiter]? That is not legal to wear.'' 'Legal by who? What's wrong with my mask?' the passenger snaps back. 'It's not legal according to the CDC,' the attendant claims, before later say that the 'authorities' will be waiting for the passenger when the plane lands. The passenger claims he has flown '20 times' wearing just the neck gaiter over his nose and mouth, and has not run into any problems. The video cuts off before the issue is resolved, and it's unclear whether police subsequently met the man at the arrivals gate. The flight attendant is pictured. Spirit is standing by the employee despite the controversy Spirit is standing by the flight attendant, releasing a statement on Friday, which reads in part: 'The CDC cautions that gaiters may not be effective, which is why we require guests to either double-up neck gaiters so they're dual-layered and hug the chin, or to wear a standard ear-loop face covering underneath it.' The incident divided Twitter users, with one writing: ' I'm an American flag lover all the way. Those neck gaiters are worthless though. I used one at the farm while horse back riding and they do not even filter dust. They are basically like taking the thinnest t-shirt you could imagine and putting it over your mouth.' However, others vehemently disagreed. One wrote: 'I was literally handed a mask of this type by American airlines.. so they are ok to wear.. it must be because it's a flag... I smell lawsuit'. Spirit responded to the anti-American accusations, stating: 'Spirit Airlines proudly welcomes anyone onboard who wants to show their pride with an American flag on a face covering that complies with our policy. 'Our flight attendants asked the guest in this video to double up his gaiter. When he refused, they offered him an ear-loop mask to place under his gaiter, and he refused that option, too.' Harvard Business School graduates Harvard MBA Explains How To Make A Career Switch An MBA, for many, can act as a ticket to a new career. Career switchers often pursue an MBA degree in order to switch industries or disciplines. I think the MBA is a great way to get an introduction generally to business, Idie Kesner, Dean of the Kelley School of Business, tells P&Q. You get a chance to explore a variety of different functional areas, sometimes without the deep dive that you would necessarily get in an MS program, a customized or specialized MS program. And when youre changing your career, you need that breadth of perspective. A former engineering manager at Etsy, Adam Palay, wholl be earning his MBA from Harvard Business School in 2021, recently offered a few pieces of advice for career switchers pursuing an MBA in a blog post for Harvard Business Schools MBA Voices. DO YOUR RESEARCH Palay, who joined the MS/MBA Engineering Sciences Program, wanted to learn about how entrepreneurs and investors are coming up with solutions to climate change. Yet, Palay recalls not having much experience or knowledge of climate change. He tells MBA Voices that he was a career-switcher coming in from scratch; I didnt know the industry terminology or how the energy grid worked, let alone the organizations and roles I should target. So Palay did his research and attended Career & Professional Development (CPD) industry education programs, company presentations, and company conversation events in pursuit of the right internship for his goals. Hearing what companies had to say about their business and their impact gave me a sense of what I could learn in an internship, Adam tells MBA Voices. Those observations helped me focus my internship interests and inform my search strategy. Palay ultimately landed an internship in VC as a Portfolio Greenhouse Gas Impact Analysis Intern at Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV). UTILIZE SCHOOL RESOURCES & NETWORK Story continues Palay also highlights how helpful the resources and wider alumni network at HBS were in helping him career switch. Through the Schools Business & Environment Initiative, which runs a mentorship program connecting students with alumni, I was able to speak to alumni in venture and at technology start-ups that have an environmental impact, Palay tells MBA Voices. Those conversations shed light on the different career paths in venture and cleantech, which proved valuable as I prepared to discuss my transferable skillset in interviews. Ultimately, Palay says, the MBA path is a journey that can open doors to new paths, careers, and findings. When I came to business school and this journey started, I didnt know exactly what I wanted to do, and that is completely okay, he tells MBA Voices. I knew HBS would open a lot of doors, but I didnt know just how many different doors there were out there; Im glad I took the time to figure things out. Sources: HBS MBA Voices, P&Q How COVID Is Impacting The Big 4 Firms An estimated 42% of workers who lost their jobs due to COVID-19 will not return to their previous jobs. Additionally, according to a recent study, for every 10 COVID layoffs, only three new jobs are created in place. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected nearly every organization, including the Big 4 firms: Deloitte, PwC, Ernst & Young, and KPMG. Samantha Stokes, of Business Insider, recently spoke to experts on why the Big 4 might be hiring fewer MBAs and why networking will be critical to landing a full-time job. COVID Job Market At the start of the pandemic in March, we reported how big MBA recruiters such as Adobe, Visa and Wipro had announced hiring freezes. Most recently, according to the Wall Street Journal, PwC announced that it would be pausing some its fall recruiting efforts. A study by RelishCareers found that 36% of 2021 MBA candidates have had job offers and internships rescinded or changed due to the pandemic. Experts say that with fewer Big 4 employees leaving firms on their own, the Big 4 will have two options: lay people off or hire less. Theres a chance the Big 4 wont need to hire as much next year due to attrition, Jeramy Kaiman, head of western US recruiting at the Adecco Group and Accounting Principals, tells Business Insider. If students have some apprehension about finding a job they want in the coming year, it may make sense to extend their time in school to make them more marketable not just at the entry-level, but also as they ascent through their careers. NETWORKING Experts stress the increased importance of networking to make connections and, ultimately, land a full-time job. Heather Byrne, managing director of the career development office at the University of Michigans Ross School of Business, compares todays COVID market to that of the financial crisis. During the financial crisis, some firms realized they were left with not enough talent when the market got better, so we are seeing firms be cautious but also being ready to pivot when they need to, Byrne tells Business Insider. We are encouraging students to keep networking, so they, too, will be ready for the rebound and be able to quickly pick up with existing relationships. Sources: Business Insider, La Salle University, P&Q, Wall Street Journal, P&Q Cartoon image of a man wearing a suit looking up at a stack of resumes that is taller than he is. Tips For MBA Resumes The MBA resume is a critical. In the application, it acts as a summary of your work, volunteer experience, and education. Your MBA resume is also usually the first thing the admissions committee will look at, and serves as an introduction to you; so its imperative to make a lasting, positive impression, Linda Abraham, founder of Accepted Admissions Consulting, writes for P&Q. But what exactly makes for a good MBA resume? Stacy Blackman, of Stacy Blackman Consulting, recently outlined a few critical elements applicants should include in their MBA resumes. CAREER PROGRESSION Blackman stresses the importance of showing career progression in your MBA resume by highlighting promotions or demonstrating how youve grown your skillset in a new job. For example, if you have worked for the same company for five years but received two promotions, you should highlight all three job titles, with separate dates of employment and descriptions, Blackman writes. Those descriptions should reflect increasing levels of responsibility. LEADERSHIP A foundation of leadership is important to MBA admissions officers. Blackman recommends applicants to highlight examples of times when they demonstrated leadership in their MBA resume. Show when you united people behind a common goal, made use of others talents and abilities, instilled a vision, challenged the status quo, identified a new problem, or prioritized the needs of the organization above personal needs, Blackman writes. QUANTIFY RESULTS To make your experiences even more compelling, Blackman recommends that applicants quantify results whenever possible. By giving the reader a number, you provide them with the chance to see just what kind of leader you were and will be, Blackman writes. Sources: Stacy Blackman Consulting, P&Q The post Harvard MBA Explains How To Make A Career Switch appeared first on Poets&Quants. Saturday's Preferred Handicap Pace at Freehold Raceway featured a perfect clash of names. Springsteen was competing for the first time at Freehold, located in Bruce Springsteen's hometown. His fiercest competition was Imarocnrollegend N, which the human Springsteen certainly is. Fittingly, the two hit the wire together, with Imarocnrollegend N winning by a head. Leaving from post three, Joe Bongiorno put Imarocnrollegend N right on the early lead, while George Brennan was forced to take back with Springsteen from post eight. Brennan didn't sit for long, however, and rushed Springsteen up from last to first going up the backstretch the first time. Around the final turn, Springsteen maintained a clear advantage, while Bongiorno sat patiently with Imarocnrollegend N in the pocket. Heading into the stretch, Springsteen began to tire, after going the third quarter in a sharp :27.3. Bongiorno's horse began to make up ground on the inside, while Brennan was all out on Springsteen. In the end, Imarocnrollegend N got the nod, stopping the clock in 1:53.2. This marks the second week that Joe and Jenn Bongiorno won the Preferred pace, having scored with Hot Deuce last week. Jenn co-owns the horse with Robert Weinstein and Blair Corbeil. That win was one of four for Joe on the Saturday card. He won Race 1 on Albert A Scootin, for trainer John Bavosi, Race 2 with Brandon Mongiello's Power Dreaming, and the eighth race on Its Just Too Much, for Allie Reynolds. Earlier in the day, Rockin The Gates scored a 26/1 upset in the New Jersey Sire Stakes - Standardbred Development Fund Final for three-year-old pacing colts & geldings. He sat in the pocket early off leader Rock N Teen, then stormed on in the stretch to get up by a length. He went the mile in 1:54.4, for his first win of the year. Pat Berry was in the bike, for trainer Steve LeBlanc, who co-owns with Glenn Dyke and Doug Johnson. Live harness racing resumes at Freehold on Friday (September 25), starting at 12:30 p.m. (Freehold) In the four decades since Iran and Iraq went to war, Tehran has turned enmity into influence, seeing its allies installed in Baghdad's halls of power and becoming its top trading partner. It's a turn of events Aziz Jaber, a political science professor at Baghdad's Mustansariyah University and a survivor of the conflict, never thought possible. "It would have been hard to imagine at the time that this would happen -- that the parties linked to Iran would now hold the reins," Jaber told AFP. Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Iran on September 22, 1980, fearing the threat to his rule if Tehran's new clerical rulers tried to replicate their 1979 Islamic Revolution in neighbouring Iraq. Throughout the war, Iran offered safe haven to a range of anti-Saddam groups, from Kurdish figures to the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq and its military wing, the Badr Corps -- both founded in Iran in 1982. It nurtured those contacts up to the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 -- meaning it had closer, older ties than Washington did to Saddam's successors. In the 17 years since, Iran's ancient allies have cycled through Iraq's corridors of power. During the war Iran offered safe haven to a range of Iraqi opposition groups, including offering military support -- this photograph from January 23, 1987 shows Iranian troops celebrating a victory / AFP/File Of Iraq's six post-invasion prime ministers, three spent much of the 1980s in Tehran, including Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Nuri al-Maliki and Adel Abdel Mahdi, who resigned last year. Badr Corps officials still hold top positions in the security forces. Masrour and Nechirvan Barzani, whose families sought refuge from Saddam in Iran, are now respectively the prime minister and president of Iraq's Kurdish region. "Iran has cunning politicians," Jaber said. "It did not develop proxies solely for the purpose of war -- it has benefitted from them since they came to power until today." - Tehran's economic lung - In Iran, too, the war remains a powerful symbol: medics battling the novel coronavirus this year are likened to "martyrs" who lost their lives fighting Saddam's forces. Memories of the war run deep and the ruins of buildings remain -- such as this in Iraq's al-Faw region -- but leaders in the two countries now have close ties / AFP The annual parade honouring the war's victims is often used to showcase new weapons including ballistic missiles, while veterans now occupy top military posts in Tehran. The relationship goes far beyond politics. While there was no bilateral trade under Saddam, Iranian goods were smuggled into Iraq through the porous 1,600-kilometre (995-mile) border during the 1990s, when Baghdad faced crippling sanctions. Following Saddam's toppling, normal trade could begin, said Esfandyar Batmanghelidj of Bourse & Bazaar, a news and analysis website supporting business diplomacy with Iran. "It's the natural order of affairs for two countries that border one another to engage in commerce. You can make a similar argument about Poland and Germany after the horrors of World War II," he told AFP. As Iraq sought to rebuild following the US-led invasion, cheap construction materials from Iran were an appealing choice. That trade expanded to include food, cars, medicine and now, even electricity imports. From apricots to painkillers, Iranian goods are sold across Iraq, at lower prices than domestic products. Scars remain today of the damage caused by the Iran-Iraq war, including this mosque's minaret in Iraq's southern region of al-Faw / AFP Iraq is the top destination for Iran's non-hydrocarbon goods, worth $9 billion between March 2019 and March 2020, according to Iran's chamber of commerce. In July, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani vowed to double that number. With Iran's economy increasingly strained by US sanctions since 2018, Tehran is relying on Iraq more and more as its economic lung. "Iranian companies are looking for somewhere full of consumers, as you can't grow your sales in Iran now because things are tough," said Batmanghelidj. - 'Handed to Iran' - Iran's ballooning sway in politics and economics has begun to irk Iraqis. "Iraqis in government today allowed Iran in. They handed over our country -- its economy, agriculture and security," said Mohammad Abdulamir, a 56-year-old veteran of the war. "I fought for five years, and was a prisoner of war in Iran for another 10 -- and in the end my country was handed over to Iran," he told AFP. His frustration is felt by many others and reached a head in October last year, when unprecedented protests broke out in Iraq's capital and south against a ruling class seen as corrupt, inept and subordinate to Tehran. Mourners hold images of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and senior Iraqi military commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis after they were killed in a US drone strike -- both men began their military careers in the Iran-Iraq war / AFP Months later, a US drone strike on Baghdad killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and senior Iraqi military commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Soleimani began his military career in the Iran-Iraq war, rising through the ranks to become Tehran's pointman on Iraq. Muhandis served on the same side, as part of Badr. Their absence slashed Iran's most important nodes of influence in Iraq. Then, in May, Iraq got a new premier. Mustafa al-Kadhemi and his advisers are seen as less Iran-leaning than their predecessors. But Tehran isn't panicking, said Chatham House analyst Renad Mansour, as the diverse network it planted early in its war with Iraq would help it weather the current storm. "Iran cultivated allies in formal political networks but also informal ones -- among militias, businesses, and so on -- to ensure that today's Iraq is one which knows Tehran, and which Tehran knows," Mansour told AFP. With less influence in the PM's office, Tehran has turned to allies in Iraq's parliament and ministries. Already, Mansour said, Iran is asking: "Where do we want Iraq in 50 years?" Winds picking up in Southern California forced more residents to evacuate Friday as relentless wildfires continued to burn across the West. One fire in the region, the Bobcat Fire, destroyed homes after being pushed into the community of Juniper Hills after burning for almost two weeks. Another blaze was linked to the death of a firefighter who went missing this week in the San Bernardino National Forest while battling the El Dorado Fire, which was started by botched pyrotechnics at a gender reveal party. The firefighter was later found dead, officials said, and crews escorted the body out of the fire zone in a solemn Friday procession. "Something like this was not supposed to happen, but it did," a California woman told CBS News' Lilia Luciano. Another man called the firefighter's death "heartbreaking." "You just pray something like this doesn't happen," he said. This image taken from video and provided by the Orange County Fire Authority shows a firefighter saluting as a procession carrying a fallen firefighter passes by at the El Dorado Fire in Southern California, September 18, 2020. / Credit: Orange County Fire Authority via AP Blazes in the state have so far destroyed 3.5 million acres, while Washington state has seen two weeks of historic fires. An official called the 72 hours after Labor Day, when the fires began, her "worst nightmare." "Over 56 fires on the first day of Labor Day," Washington Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz said. "And literally 600,000 acres burned in 72 hours. That's five times the amount of acres that burned in all of 2019." Meanwhile, Oregon residents near Salem were allowed to return home, but were warned a nearly 200,000-acre fire could burn through Halloween. Contributing: The Associated Press "48 Hours" examines the mysterious death of a beloved Texas cheerleader H.R. McMaster says Trumps Afghanistan policy makes U.S. less safe Large crowds gather outside Supreme Court to honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg Italy is the new home for the house where American civil rights icon Rosa Parks lived after her historic bus boycott. The small, old building can be seen in the central courtyard of the Royal Palace in the city of Naples. This is the latest stop for the house. When Rosa Parks was alive, the building used to be in Detroit, Michigan. Her niece saved it from destruction after the 2008 financial crisis. She gave it to an American artist who took it apart and rebuilt it for public display in Germany, and now Italy. The exhibition in Naples opened on Tuesday. It includes a recording called 8:46 that lasts eight minutes and 46 seconds. That is the amount of time government lawyers say it took for George Floyd to be killed by Minneapolis police officers in May. The killing fueled the Black Lives Matter movement and protests around the United States. Officials later said a white police officer had his knee on Floyds neck for seven minutes, 46 seconds. They said the one minute difference did not affect the case. Artist Ryan Mendoza has been working for more than five years to bring attention to the historic value of the old house. Parks lived there for a short time after her 1955 refusal to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama. For the year that followed, African Americans refused to ride city buses in the first major U.S. protest against racial segregation. Speaking with The Associated Press, Mendoza said he hoped the grandeur of the Royal Palace would fuel interest in Parks story. He said it should help America remember a house it didnt know it had forgotten. Parks lived in the small house with her brother and his family as she struggled to make a new life for herself after receiving death threats following the bus protest. The family says Parks, who died in 2005, lived there with 17 other relatives. The house was later abandoned and about to be destroyed, but Parks niece bought it from the city of Detroit for $500 and gave it to Mendoza. He tried unsuccessfully to get Detroit officials to save the building. In 2016, Mendoza took the building apart and moved it to Berlin, the German capital. He rebuilt the house on the property near his art studio for the public to see. Earlier this year, Mendoza asked the Naples-based Morra Greco Foundation to help put together an exhibit. He had once worked for the group. It agreed to help organize the exhibit with the support of the Italian culture ministry and Campania local government. For Mendoza, the house represents the experience of many African Americans who went north in the last century, only to face housing discrimination and other problems. [The] house, in a word, is a way for people to understand why people in America are so enraged, he said. The house, he said, is so fragile that you can almost blow it over. But now, instead of being rejected by the walls of the royal palace, itsprotected by these walls, he said. Im Susan Shand. The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story icon -n. a person who is revered for action or words courtyard n. an outdoor space surrounded by three exterior walls niece n. the daughter of one's sister or brother display n. an exhibit or show segregation n. the practice of separating black and white facilities and homes grandeur adj. majesty or great beauty abandon v. to leave an object behind enrage v. to become filled with great anger fragile adj. delicate or easily broken CPV Towantic Energy Center An Israeli electric generation company has signed a letter of intent to acquire a majority ownership stake in the Maryland company that owns the Towantic Energy Center power plant in Oxford. When completed, the deal with Competitive Power Ventures would give Tel Aviv-based OPC Energy its first entry into the U.S. power generation market. The terms of the letter of intent call for OPC to spend up to $800 million to acquire a 70 percent ownership stake. TORONTO - The COVID-19 pandemic has pummelled Canadas automobile industry but its the lack of supply thats helping to short-circuit electric vehicle adoption across the country. Electric vehicle sales plunged along with gasoline-fuelled models in the second quarter of the year, when dealerships joined widespread lockdowns to prevent the viruss spread. As the economy reopens, consumers are starting to return to auto showrooms but finding an electric vehicle continues to be a problem, especially outside Quebec, British Columbia and Ontario. A series of roadblocks are contributing to the shortfall, including battery shortages and manufacturers prioritizing shipments to China and Europe rather than North America. Its exacerbating difficulties that already existed. Its pretty challenging, says Jeff Turner, senior research lead at Dunsky and author of a recent report for Transport Canada that found two-thirds of Canadian dealerships didnt have any electric vehicles in stock before the virus struck. Supply shortages are a global challenge and the distribution of vehicles isnt even across Canada. Few EVs are available outside three provinces, making it difficult to attract new converts. There were 3,453 electric vehicles available at Canadian dealerships in February, down 21 per cent from December 2018. Quebec led with 1,944, followed by B.C. at 692, Ontario with 536, Alberta with 164, Manitoba 36, Saskatchewan 26, Nova Scotia 22, New Brunswick 21. There were eight electric vehicles available for sale in Newfoundland and Labrador and just four in Prince Edward Island. The disparity in part is due to a wide difference in provincial financial incentives, which are intended to help increase consumer interest. As well, some dealerships have been reluctant to add EVs because of the added costs for consumer education, battery-charging infrastructure and the loss of potential service and repair revenues. British Columbia and Quebecs shortage problems eased for a few months 2018 after the Ontario government cancelled its rebate program. That prompted manufacturers to move inventory to these leading EV provinces to meet the mandates of laws requiring minimum sales. (B.C. and Quebec both offer rebate programs for electric vehicles.) Theyre focusing that inventory in those provinces where they have targets to meet and so thats whats certainly contributed to some of the challenges in those other provinces that have slim pickings right now for EV shoppers, Turner said in an interview. Even so, demand has outstripped supply in Quebec, resulting in waits that range from several months to a year. Long wait lists can be an impediment to sales, especially for drivers coming off leases, says Daniel Breton, CEO of Electric Mobility Canada. On top of that, salespeople are showing some reluctance to push EV sales. After losing income for a few months because dealerships were closed for months early during the coronavirus, theyre not eager to make a sale that would see them wait months for payment-on-delivery commissions, Breton said. Among manufacturers feeling pressure is Toyota, which launched its new RAV4 Prime SUV last month only in Quebec. Its a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) in the popular SUV category that has an electric range of about 68 kilometres and uses gas for longer trips. Were starting in Quebec because we know thats where the highest level of demand is, but its rolling out across the country, said Toyota Canada vice-president Stephen Beatty. Some vehicles will be available in B.C. by the end of the year or early 2021 with other provinces getting the plug-in hybrid by the end of 2021. Toyota knew supply would be tight because there are waiting lists for other versions of the popular RAV4. Predicting market dynamics is especially difficult this year because of COVID-related dealership closures and disrupted industry supply chains, said Beatty. You will see much improved inventories as we move into next year, he said, adding that the company expects electrified vehicles hybrids, plug-ins and fuel cells will account for 40 per cent of sales in Canada by 2025, up from 20 per cent last month and 10 per cent in the last decade. Beatty noted the global shortage of batteries, but said the industry is on the verge of a significant shift in battery chemistry. Manufacturers are generally throughout the supply chain being cautious about over-investing in current technology when they see new types of batteries with much higher energy density and better pricing two, three years out. Electric Mobility Canada is urging the federal government to boost its $5,000 financial incentive to $6,999 for SUVs and pickup trucks. It also wants to see federal incentives for people to purchase used EVs, which is offered in Quebec. Although Ontario shed its incentive for new cars, residents are eligible for a private incentive of $1,000 from Plugn Drive for those who buy a used EV and another $1,000 to those who also dispose of their gas vehicle, said Cara Clairman, CEO of the group. The incentive was provided for more than 500 used cars purchased since April 2019. The political environment has also changed from a year ago when there were large marches around the world regarding climate change, making the topic front-of-mind for many consumers. It was a big deal. This year there is so much focus on COVID and kids going back to school; how is it going to happen, is a second wave going to hit us, so I can understand if some (peoples) heads are not into this as much as they could have been, Electric Mobilitys Breton said. Clairman said she expects supply issues and the current bottleneck will be corrected over the next year or so. Shed also like to see a federal mandate that would require minimum sales of electric vehicles across the country, even though automakers arent big fans of such a move. Clairman added that shes optimistic that EV sales will bounce back after falling by 50 per cent in the second quarter. There has been a lull but Im optimistic its going to really pick up for the rest of the year. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2020. Festival Disney, part of Disney Youth Programs, is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2014. Marching bands and auxiliary ensembles that take part in the adjudicated program at Walt Disney World will find even more magic than those that participated previously. Were all about using the number 10 this year, notes Tim Hill, director of Disney Youth Programs. We have 10 different weekends for the Festival, so we are planning 10 different surprisesone for every weekend. Over the years, Festival Disney has become a popular program for all types of ensembles, including concert bands, jazz ensembles, marching (parade) bands, orchestras, vocal ensembles, show choirs and auxiliary units, Hill says. So what makes Festival Disney better than other travel opportunities? Unique venues, like Disneys Saratoga Springs Resort Performance Hall, are highlights. In addition, marching ensembles can look forward to performing on the streets of Disneys Hollywood Studios. The whole experience is capped with an awards ceremony, where each participant receives a medal and awards are given for the highest-rated groups in each category. Disney characters entertain the students during the event. Hill says that many of the anniversary surprises will occur during the ceremony. Directors can choose between competitive and non-competitive adjudication, and all groups receive comments on their performance. Ensembles also have the opportunity to watch other groups perform. Theres really something for every group, says Hill. And the program shows no signs of stopping. After 10 years of performances, Festival Disney has found its niche at Walt Disney World but might expand. Is [Festival Disney] a program that expands and goes to Disneyland? Hill asked. We often look past the boundaries of Walt Disney World. Abandoned tunnels at St James station in Sydney's city centre remain eerily quiet, almost two years after the NSW government spruiked plans to transform them into a tourist attraction. The project to turn two disused tunnels and four platforms into bars, restaurants, shops or other attractions is running well behind Sydney Trains' initial timeline to finalise a contract by June last year, following a call to the private sector for expressions of interest. Transport Minister Andrew Constance announced plans to transform the abandoned tunnels almost two years ago. Credit:Christopher Pearce The competitive bid process began after Transport Minister Andrew Constance announced plans in October 2018 to transform Sydney's "hidden gem" into a tourist drawcard to rival similar attractions in London, Paris and New York. However, the government is yet to reveal any progress in the project to revitalise about 6000 square metres of underground space. BEIJING, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The eastern theater command of the People's Liberation Army is conducting combat exercises near the Taiwan Strait, a reasonable and necessary action to safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. As some politicians of the United States and Democratic Progressive Party authority in Taiwan are colluding more strongly, frequently creating disturbances in Taiwan Strait, it is just an illusion that China will flinch in the face of threats to its cores interests. With deep-seated Cold-War mindset and anti-China craziness, a handful of self-serving U.S. politicians intend to draw a "new iron curtain" and advocate bloc rivalry to suppress China, regardless of international responsibilities and multilateral rules. They have been attempting to rebut the leadership role of the Communist Party of China (CPC), brandishing the tariff stick to crush China's economy, unilaterally sanctioning Chinese companies to keep its monopoly in science and technology, and playing political tricks and flexing military muscles to infringe on China's sovereignty, security and development interests. These political forces, though they look like powerful monsters, are in essence "paper tigers," which are outwardly strong but inwardly feeble, and doomed to failure given their incapability to represent the common will of the U.S. people and due to their unpopularity in the international community. Washington's neglect of lives in its slow response to the virus, human rights abuses exposed in the domestic social problems, low efficiency in dealing with public crisis, short-sighted approach in handling economic and trade issues, to name a few, have revealed the true face of the politicians in the White House who put their political interests prior to American people. No wonder some U.S. media called the current situation "American Failure." Contrary to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's claim that more and more countries now side with Washington's view of the world, surveys show that the image of the United States has become increasingly unpopular as a result of misguided foreign policies led by Pompeo and his likes. According to the Best Countries 2020 rankings, the world's trust in the U.S. has dropped by 50 percent over the past two years, the sharpest drop of any country assessed in the report. The world is undergoing changes unseen in a century. The Washington hawks are sparing no efforts to contain a nation that is geared up to cope with difficulties and obstacles ahead on its path to realizing the dream of national rejuvenation. The leadership of the Communist Party of China, with its people-centered governance philosophy, has won the firm support of the Chinese people. The Harvard Kennedy School's surveys in China which extended 13 years suggest that over 93 percent of the Chinese people are satisfied with the central government which is led by the CPC. Those who attempt to break this strong bond is making themselves enemies of the 1.4 billion Chinese people. China's economic development and resilience has secured the country to tide over the COVID-19 epidemic and stand against unilateralism and trade bullying. Global credit rating agency Moody's has raised its growth forecast for the Chinese economy this year to 1.9 percent from 1 percent earlier, its only upward revision for the 2020 growth of major economies. China also draws strength from history. A memorial hall commemorating the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) reopened on Saturday in northeast China's Liaoning Province, as the country marks the 70th anniversary of Chinese volunteers entering the Korean Peninsula to fight the war. The reopening came as a reminder that China will never bow to bullying by any country and all the forces who run against the trend of peace and development are merely "paper tigers." Seventy years ago, the United States fought the war at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and with the wrong rival because it made wrong judgement on the world's situation and underestimated China's determination to fight for the state sovereignty, national interests and world peace. Now Washington's hardliners on China are repeating historical mistakes, which will lead to a high price for them to pay. The Chinese people love peace, advocate justice and long for progress. They will continue to deepen their exchanges and cooperation with all peace-loving people across the world, including the American people. As the world is entering a period of turbulence and change due to the rise of unilateralism, hegemony and power politics, China will work with all the countries to champion multilateralism, safeguard the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, defend the UN-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law, and build a community with a shared future for mankind. The death of liberal Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday could spell bad news for Democrats if a legal battle over the results of the Nov. 3 presidential election reaches the high court, as it did in 2000. If President Donald Trump, a Republican, is able to install a conservative replacement in time, the new justice could help resolve any dispute in favor of the president - an outcome that would deepen the countrys partisan divide and threaten the courts reputation as an independent arbiter, some legal experts said. Peoples views of Bush v. Gore would be tame by comparison, said Joshua Douglas, a University of Kentucky law professor, referring to the controversial 2000 Supreme Court decision that effectively handed George W. Bush a victory. Its almost unimaginable what the reaction would be. Before Ginsburgs death, the court had a 5-4 conservative majority, so even if her seat were to remain vacant, Democrats would need two conservative votes to avoid losing or a 4-4 tie in any post-election case. The 2020 campaign has already seen more election-related lawsuits than any other in recent memory, said Dale Ho, who runs the voting rights project at the American Civil Liberties Union. Many of the cases are focused on whether to expand voting options amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has prompted millions of Americans to request mail-in ballots. Ginsburgs death has unleashed a heated political battle over whether Trump should replace her so close to the election, with early voting already underway in some states. A repeat of the situation in 2000, when the election came down to a few hundred votes in Florida out of 100 million cast nationwide, remains unlikely, experts said. Nevertheless, Trump and his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, have assembled sprawling legal teams to prepare for potential post-election court challenges. Trump has spent months asserting without evidence that the election will be rigged due to mail-in voting, and Biden has said he believes Trump will inevitably dispute the results. Fueling fear among Democrats, the Supreme Courts conservative bloc has already ruled against them in several voting rights cases this year. In April, a 5-4 decision by the bloc reversed a federal judges decision to extend the deadline for submitting absentee ballots during Wisconsins primary election. That ruling drew a scathing dissent from Ginsburg, who warned it would cause massive disenfranchisement. The court has also rejected emergency bids to expand voting options in Texas and Alabama, while declining to intervene in a Florida case over whether hundreds of thousands of former felons should be allowed to vote before paying fines. ROBERTS DOESNT WANT TO TOUCH THIS If a post-election case winds up before the Supreme Court and Ginsburgs replacement is not yet in place, Democrats would likely aim to persuade Chief Justice John Roberts, who is seen as the courts swing vote, to rule in their favor. I think just like everybody else in the country, Justice Roberts is really, really hoping the election isnt close, said Sylvia Albert, the director of voting and elections at the good government nonprofit Common Cause. He does not want to touch this with a 10-foot pole. Roberts sided with the courts liberal minority in several key cases earlier this year and has shown a desire to avoid turning the court into a partisan institution. If he were to join the three remaining liberals, that would create a 4-4 split, which would leave in place any lower court decision but could undermine public confidence in the Supreme Court. Republican Senator Ted Cruz said on Fox News on Friday that Trump needed to replace Ginsburg to forestall the possibility of a deadlocked court and a constitutional crisis. In 2016, Cruz was among Republican senators who refused to let Democratic President Barack Obama fill a court vacancy in an election year, leaving the court with eight members. Trumps nominee Neil Gorsuch filled that seat the following year. If a dispute around the 2020 election were to reach the Supreme Court and Ginsburgs seat had already been filled by a Trump nominee, a ruling by the conservative majority that ensured Trumps victory would be hard for many Americans to swallow, said Paul Smith, a Georgetown University law professor and vice president at the Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit voter advocacy group. It would be terrible for the country if you have at the same time a president who is viewed as illegitimate by a large percentage of the country and a court that is seen as complicit, said Smith. Shankkar Aiyar By The most durable myth of Indias political economy is one perpetuated by its politicians that the farmers need their protection. The fact that nearly two-thirds want to quit farming and that half the populace must subsist on barely 15 percent of national income eloquently illustrates the reality. In his soul stirring book What Then Must We Do?, Leo Tolstoy writing about the oppression of the Tula peasantry observed, I sit on a mans back; choking him and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and others that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his lot by all possible means except by getting off his back. Indias political class has consistently promised to ease the lot of farmers by all means except by getting off their back. The Indian farmer is not hankering for charity. The farmer wants to leverage land, labour and capital like any other entrepreneur but alas cannot. The farmer is promised credit but denied access to it. The rhetoric of free power supply translates into unreliability. Pricing is subject to populist whims. Access to markets is controlled by politically blessed cartels. Indias largest private sector, wracked by debt and destitution, is reduced into a case for political charity. The parade of populist pretence persists. This week, the farmer emerged as the collateral cause in the quest of power once again. The cause was legislation of laws which afford farmers access to open markets the dismantling of the stranglehold of Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs), enabling of contracts with private buyers and easing of limits on stocks of essential commodities. Predictably, the first protests emerged in Punjab triggering the resignation of Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal from the Union Cabinet. Soon an allusion, the scrapping of minimum support price, turned into a political declaration. As protests spilled out, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, I assure my farmer brothers and sisters that the system of MSP and government procurement will remain. That didnt detain the opposition from launching theories and protests. Rahul Gandhi alleged it was a corporate conspiracy. Mayawati dubbed the bills anti-farmer and pro-rich. Mamata Banerjees Trinamool Congress said the bills were draconian. Fact is the reforms have been on the national agenda since 1999 and an aspiration of successive regimes. A model APMC and contract law was shared with states as early as in 2003. In 2007 under the Congress-led UPA, model rules were released and the Congress shifted vegetables and fruits out of APMCs in 2013. Indeed, the 2019 Congress Manifesto expressly states, Congress will repeal the Agricultural Produce Market Committees Act and make trade in agricultural produceincluding exports and inter-state tradefree from all restrictions. Explained: What are the new Agri Bills and why farmers are unhappy Typically in politics where a party stands on issues depends on where it sits. Objective analysis demands allegiance to facts. Have APMCs served the farmers cause? In January 2019, the parliamentary standing committee on agriculture including MPs from Congress and Akali Dal observed APMCs have become hotbed of politics, corruption and monopoly of traders and middleman and are not working in interest of farmers. Consider the logistics. Indias agri-sector spread across lakhs of villages is served by just 2,477 APMCs and 4,843 sub-markets. As for government procurement, only a third of the wheat and rice output is bought by government bulk of the wheat from five states and rice from seven states and the rest is bought by private yards. In fact, 22 states already allow direct procurement by private parties and there are no APMCs in Bihar, Kerala, and Sikkim. Frequently, the MSP functions as the cap not the floor for farmer remuneration with farmers selling for less than MSP. Fear though has neither a bottom nor a cap. Sukhbir Singh Badals deftly deployed it in his tweet using hashtags: Small farmers fear that these #Ordinances will be like the #Jio initiative. They think this Act will create monopoly of multinational companies, which will exploit them.Arguably, there are flaws in the legislation on definitions of trader, traded area, dispute resolution and most importantly sustenance of credible choice for farmers to sell their produce to. Credibility of intent calls for addressing fears Indias regulatory landscape is notoriously lazy in curbing monopolies and big players could unleash predatory practices. That though doesnt mean the crop must be destroyed with the weeds. India is one of the largest producers of food grains, fruits, vegetables, milk and animal produce. Studies show over Rs 92,000 crore worth of produce is wasted NSSO 70th round shows 34 per cent of fruits and 44 per cent of vegetables perish between farm gate and market gate. Barely 10 per cent of total food produced in India is converted into value added products. Fragmented holdings deter economies of scale and thus better yields. Transformation needs structural reforms for empowerment. A product manufacturer can enter into a contract with a buyer, seek an advance, source credit using the order, access know-how, insurer output and sell his produce anywhere. The farmer deserves the same freedom and liberation from political licence raj. SHANKKAR AIYAR is the author of The Gated Republic, Aadhaar: A Biometric History of Indias 12 Digit Revolution, and Accidental India. He can be reached at shankkar.aiyar@gmail.com. Barcelona, Sep 20 : FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has urged everyone to look beyond the Lionel Messi transfer saga. The star forward tried to quit the club last month. Bartomeu also said he has no plans to step down from his position despite a motion to remove him. Messi, 33, returned to training with Ronald Koeman's new-look Barca side this month after failing to engineer a move away from Camp Nou this summer. "As president, I will not enter into any conflict with Messi," Bartomeu was quoted by ESPNFC as having told TV3 on Saturday. "Messi is our captain, our leader. The issue is parked. What has been said has been said. I couldn't allow to let the best player in the world go. The team needs him, he guarantees success. Things have to be discussed at home. You have to support the team and the players." Bartomeu said Messi is excited about Koeman's project. "We have to congratulate ourselves that Messi is still with us. He is excited about Koeman's project. The important thing is he plays for Barca, at his home. We want him to retire at the club." On his resignation, Bartomeu said: "Right now, no-one is considering resigning. The club is not going to stop. I think everyone was surprised by the number of signatures but we respect democracy and the club's laws." By Trend A video conference entitled "Heritage of Caucasian Albania" was held within the expert platform of the Baku Network. The conference was held on the occasion of organizing of the first expedition exactly ten years ago to restore the pearl of the historical Caucasian Albania - a church in Kish village, Sheki district. First, moderator of the event, director of the Baku Networks Expert Council, Ph.D. Elkhan Alasgarov delivered the speech at the conference. Then, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Mahabbat Pashayeva, Chairman of the Udi Community of the Volgograd Region of the Russian Federation, Doctor of Philosophy Richard Danakar, Executive Director of the Baku International Multiculturalism Center Ravan Hasanov, Chairman of the Albanian-Udi Christian Community Robert Mobili, renowned Azerbaijani historian and expert Rizvan Huseynov, as well as Deputy Director-General of Trend News Agency, Gulnara Mammadzade delivered speeches. A big expedition of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences arrived in Kish village in Sheki district ten years ago upon the instructions of the Azerbaijani government, Alasgarov added. The work on the restoration of the ancient Christian church was launched. It was a period when Azerbaijan was healing its wounds associated with the war and the country did not have huge funds, director of the Baku Networks Expert Council said. But, despite this, Azerbaijan took a big step, which also has historical significance. Azerbaijan, a country predominantly inhabited by the Muslim population, restored and opened a church, of one of the most ancient people of the Caucasus, the Udi who inhabited the historical Caucasian Albania of the Christian faith, Alasgarov said. I think that this is an unprecedented case in the world history when a country that is busy with the issues of occupation of 20 percent of the territory, a country that healing its wounds, a country that should have to ensure and ensured the viability of a million of refugees, at the same time helped small but native for Azerbaijan - Udi-Albanian community," director of the Baku Networks Expert Council said. Alasgarov stressed that Azerbaijan has very strong traditions of Albanian studies. "The issue is the heritage of all those people who inhabited Azerbaijan during the Christian period, rather than one nation, director of the Baku Networks Expert Council said. Azerbaijan has preserved this heritage in the person of the small Udi community. I think that this is an example for so many countries that have tried in every way to assimilate this community, Alasgarov added. Here we must say that Armenia, which occupied our territories, presents the Albanian church as the Armenian church. Azerbaijan makes an invaluable contribution to the preservation of the historical heritage of world civilization, restoring ancient Christian churches, while Armenia, which claims the title of an ancient Christian country, shamelessly presents the Albanian churches as for its own, Alasgarov said. Azerbaijan and the peoples inhabiting it are the descendants of Caucasian Albania. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Cape Coast, 20th September 2020, Controversial Spiritualist Kwaku Peprah popularly known as Quotation Master or Lucifer has beseeched Ghanaians to begin to pour libation to the memory of Dr Kwame Nkrumah and other ancestors that helped us to gain independence. He said once this is done, these ancestors shall come to our aid and our country will begin to see the development that we yearn for as a people. According to him "Until we begin to show veneration to Nkrumah and other Ancestors of our land, Ghana shall struggle in our development agenda" he posited. He was speaking on Happy TV's programme "Nsm Pii" on the topic "The Existence of Ghosts and Spirits" monitored on YouTube. When asked why he is referencing Nkrumah in his conversation, Kwaku Peprah quizzed "Who gave us the name Ghana?" If you give a name to a child, who does that child belong to"? "Nkrumah named us Ghana and as such Ghana is his" he added. According to him, we only have to show our ancestors respect by pouring Libation to them and let's see what happens. He continued that when that is done, "All these ancestors shall come to support our course and we shall be better". He explained further that, it is an erroneous position to call such things fetish and not do them. This is part of our bane as people. "Once somebody dies, it is his body that is dead but the spirit lives on, if we call upon them they will help us". Libation, as explained by Nehusi (2013), is an African ritual heritage, a drink offering to honour and please the Creator, the lesser divinities, our sacred ancestors, humans present and not present, as well as the environment. This ritual is also practised in many other parts of the world. Among Africans, it may also be deployed to issue curses upon wrongdoers. Quotation Master ended by encouraging Ghanaians to show reverence to our ancestors by pouring libation to them and offering food Sacrifices to them. "That would please them and they shall come to our aid" he ended. Firefighters on the West Coast are facing the worst wildfire season yet. Across California, Oregon and Washington State, at least 35 people have died and some residents are left choking through the worst air on the planet right now. The Golden State is once again setting a record this year with millions of acres scorched. And there are still two months left before the wildfire season ends. Recovery will take years, as the residents of Paradise, California know all too well, after 85 people were killed and their town was burnt to the ground in 2018. Chandigarh, Sep 20 : Hundreds of Youth Congress activists, led by party's Punjab unit President Sunil Jakhar, were stopped from heading towards Delhi at the Haryana border near Ambala on Sunday with the police using water cannons to disperse them. They were protesting against the passage of the three agricultural Bills. The protesters, including Youth Congress chief Barinder Singh Dhillon, were adamant on heading to the national capital to surround the Parliament to lodge their protest. "The Modi-led BJP government has ruined the business class with its anti-people policies and is now hell-bent to destroy the farming sector with the anti-farmer bills," Dhillon told the media. Earlier, Punjab Police barricaded the road leading to Haryana. The protesters, who started their protest march from Dera Bassi town in Mohali district, also set on fire a tractor on which they were riding. Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij had said they would not allow the protesters from Punjab to pass through the state for Delhi. Emily Wilson, a classicist, translator and single mother in Philadelphia, has spent much of lockdown homeschooling her three children and caring for a puppy. On top of that, as one of this years Booker Prize judges, she had to read more than 100 books. She often woke before dawn to keep up the pace, which at times meant finishing a book a day. But she says the task was a great gift during this challenging year. Whenever she thought about turning on the news to check coronavirus death rates, she could tell herself: No, I cant do that. Ive got 300 pages of a great novel to read. For that escape, Wilson says: I was very lucky. Among the countless projects, events and routines that the pandemic has upended, the Booker Prize, one of the worlds most prestigious literary awards, has also had a year like no other. The five judges, who typically gather in London several times before announcing the winner, instead met over Zoom, and they completed their reading assignments in wildly divergent circumstances. The British author and critic Sameer Rahim read book after book with his newborn baby asleep in the crook of his arm. Lee Child, the bestselling thriller writer, has been at his Wyoming ranch, surrounded by acres of emptiness. Poet Lemn Sissay has been in a London apartment. Margaret Busby, a publisher and the chair of the judges, tried to balance the work while coping with the death of her sister from cancer. How did I keep going? Busby asks. She wouldnt have wanted me to give up. The judges announced the six contenders for the Booker Prize on Tuesday, passing over literary heavyweights like Hilary Mantel and Anne Tyler, who made the prizes longlist in July, in favor of debut novelists including Brandon Taylor and Douglas Stuart. The judging process began in December, long before the pandemic had taken hold. Each month, the judges received a stack of books, then met in London or online to work out which ones they thought should make it to the next round. In March, they started talking about holding a meeting at Childs New York apartment. Then, obviously, things changed quite quickly, Rahim says. Almost overnight, as Britain and the United States went into lockdown, the judges stopped receiving physical copies of books, as publishers were unable to get anyone to send them out, Busby says. Instead, the monthly haul arrived as PDFs. (Judges ultimately received 162 submissions.) Wed all be mid-war, some Cromwellian fight over a book, and suddenly Sameers babys lovely head would pop up and wed all just melt That was the negative for me, Child says about the PDFs. I so much prefer an actual book. He ended up reading them lying on my sofa, staring at my laptop for six, eight, 10 hours at a time. Sissay says lockdown, for all its problems, benefited the judges, since all their other plans were cancelled, from book tours to broadcast jobs. There was nothing to do but read, he says. There will never, ever, be a judging panel that has so much time to just focus on the books. Initially, the reading pile overwhelmed him more than the pandemic. There was a point when I was like, I cant do this any more, he says. It was just shock and overload. But Sissay taught himself to read quickly he wont reveal his method and soon appreciated the distraction the books gave him. None of the judges say the pandemic influenced the types of books they favoured. If I hadnt been judging this, Id probably have been reading murder stories, Wilson says. Id have wanted some darkness where it was all wrapped up some sense of closure. But with this, I just enjoyed being taken to a different world every day, even if it had some darkness in it. Rahim agrees. At a time when you couldnt really see anyone, what I found great was being able to take a book every evening and get to know someone, he says. It was like a blind date: sometimes great, sometimes not so great, sometimes indifferent. It was replacement socialising. The judges monthly meetings continued on Zoom. Busby says she liked the glimpses into the other judges lives that came with it. You can see who smokes, she says with a laugh. Thriller writer Lee Child says reading PDFs instead of books has been a negative (Getty) But she missed being in a room together, she says. You cant turn to someone and say, What do you think? The other judges felt there were some advantages. For Child, Zoom was a more intimate environment, making it easier to say when he disagreed with another judge. Rahim thought there were fewer arguments because its harder for people to speak over each other. Even if things did get tense, the medium meant there were easy ways to improve the mood. Wed all be mid-war, some Cromwellian fight over a book, and suddenly Sameers babys lovely head would pop up and wed all just melt, Sissay says. Wilsons puppy a poodle mix called Pepper would make occasional appearances to similar effect. The judging has not ended. The winning book, whose author will receive a prize of 50,000, is scheduled to be unveiled on 17 November at a ceremony in London. The judges will reread the entire shortlist before coming to a decision. Whatever they choose, the impact of this process looks set to stay. Sissay says five weeks ago he used his newly acquired speed-reading skills to read Allen Carrs Easy Way to Stop Smoking in three hours, in the hope of tackling his 40-a-day habit. He hasnt smoked since. Wilson has enjoyed the experience so far. If youre going to be living through a pandemic, then reading a lot of fiction is a good thing to do, she says. Actually, she adds, its a good thing to do while trying to live through anything. The New York Times Harm reduction worker Jeff Miles said he and his colleagues on the front lines of the overdose crisis are on high alert after learning carfentanil has once again been found in Torontos drug supply. This powerful opioid, which is sometimes used to tranquilize elephants and moose, is 4,000 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more toxic than fentanyl. A few grains can be enough to kill someone. On Friday, Sept. 18, Toronto Public Health (TPH) issued a drug alert in which they advised the public about carfentanil being found in 11 per cent or 4 of 36 fentanyl samples by the citys Drug Checking Service between Sept. 9 and 17. Samples were collected in the east and west ends of the city and in the downtown core. Two of the four samples that were tested were reported to be purple. A number of overdoses associated with purple fentanyl have been recently reported by several harm reduction services across Toronto, the alert read. The samples containing carfentanil also had other drugs of concern, including etizolam (a benzodiazepine-related drug). Benzodiazepines combined with opioids increase the risk of overdose and death. Torontos Drug Checking Service said before Sept. 9 it only detected carfentanil in one per cent of checked opioid samples and the last time this substance was found was back in April. Miles, who has worked in harm reduction for close to two years, said hes heard about carfentanil surfacing in the unregulated drug supply a handful of times and said every time this substance turns up he grows especially worried for his clients, many of whom hes come to know and care about. Im concerned for these people already with the fentanyl they use and with (carfentanil) Im even more concerned about one of them dying The concern is people might not know carfentanil is in the supply, said Miles, who is the co-founder of a volunteer-run group called Harm Reduction Community Response, which was established to respond to the harm reduction needs in new communities experiencing an increased presence of substance use and homelessness. I dont want to see anyone die over the weekend This (carfentanil in the drug supply) is bad news for us. Miles said best lines of defence are knowledge and education. (Harm reduction workers) are handing out posters and letting people know what they can do to be safe. Were trying to get information out to our clients as soon as possible, said Miles, who advised his clients to not use alone, to tell someone if they are using on their own, to carry extra naloxone, and to do a test batch before they consume a full dose. He said he worries one of his clients, many of whom are also experiencing homelessness, will unknowingly consume fentanyl laced with carfentanil. Sometimes theyre using alone in dark parks in the middle of the night. Its very scary to think about people dying. It could be anyone, shared Miles, who said because of its potency, a carfentanil overdose requires a stronger dose of naloxone to reverse an overdose, which can cause extreme sedation and suppression of the respiratory system. Drug users and harm reduction workers might not have a large quantity of Narcan (a brand name for naloxone) needed to quickly reverse an overdose. If a person isnt breathing, they could be dead in minutes, he said. According to Toronto Public Health, suspected opioid OD deaths attended by Toronto paramedics are up 85 per cent year over year. So far this month, Toronto Paramedic Services has responded to 13 suspected opioid overdose-related death calls. Miles, who is also an advocate for people experiencing homelessness, said the COVID-19 pandemic has made it even more precarious to be a person who uses drugs as the supply chain has become unstable and harm reduction resources are limited at this time. The citys public health agency agreed. The increasingly toxic drug supply in addition to the public health measures needed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is having a devastating effect on people who use drugs, TPH said in the alert. Miles said more must be done to ensure a safe supply and provide safer places for people to consume drugs. During a Sept. 18 media availability, federal Minister of Health Patty Hajdu reiterated the Government of Canadas commitment of $9.5 million in funding through the Substance Use and Addictions Program for four short-term safe supply projects; two in Toronto, one in Ottawa and another in London. At these sites, pharmaceutical-grade medication will be provided to Ontario residents with opioid use disorder. These initiatives also aim to connect clients with health and social services, including treatment, which has been more difficult to access during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the worsening of the overdose crisis during the pandemic, Ottawa has also issued exemptions under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, which has authorized three temporary overdose prevention sites to operate in Ottawa, Toronto (Etobicoke), and Kingston. These exemptions are in effect across Canada until Sept. 30, 2021. By Aas Mohammad Kaif, TwoCircles.net Uttar Pradesh: On August 23, a 28-year old man, Akhlaq Salmani of Nanauta, a town in Saharanpur, had come to Panipat district in search of work. It was here that he was beaten up and his arm severed. The family says the perpetrators were furious after they spotted 786 tattooed on Akhlaqs arm. Support TwoCircles The family of Ahklaq has now alleged that the Haryana police are protecting the accused. A case of molesting a minor has been filed against Akhlaq. As the two parties file claims and counterclaims, the prospect of justice for Akhlaq appears to be diluted. The severed hand of the victim was recovered yesterday. The distress of the family is evident from the conversation. The powerful people are always presumed to be saying the truth and poor folks like us seen as speaking lies. The police story has now turned political. Isnt it true that my brothers hand has been cut off? There are hundreds of bruises on his body. His head has been hit with a brick. His leg has been pierced with iron nails. His wounds are screaming and the monstrosity of the attack is evident. Given his injuries, isnt it a wonder he has survived? Since he was young and strong, the body managed to withstand it. It took him four days to regain consciousness. He is still fighting for his life, his body is infected and the threat to his life continues to increase. There is no space in Government hospitals. We have no money. The political leaders come and go, with assurances. And now the police have filed a report against us. My family doubts that my brother will get any justice. But I have decided to fight until my last breath, Akhlaqs elder brother Iqram Salmani (40) told TwoCircles.net. Iqram says that he has not been able to sleep for the last twenty-five nights. I have been running between the hospital and the police station day and night and Akhlaq continues to be in pain, he said. We are unable to understand whether we are being punished for our identity or our poverty. Everyone is aware of the incident. A police officer was talking to us about reaching a mutual agreement. The Chandni Bagh police spoke to the media to say we are not cooperating with them when the truth is we are at their doorstep, Iqram added. Iqram is apprehensive that the infection in Akhlaqs body is spreading. He has stopped talking and communicates through gestures. Besides the severed arm, he has also sustained injuries on every part of his body, he added. Akhlaq has a deep wound on his head. A nail-like sharp object has been pierced into his thigh, Iqram said. Iqram said that the police have hastily filed a case against Akhlaq. They have tried to save the culprits in our case as well. The police claim to have recovered his severed arm from the same area where we had looked for it, up to about 8 km and failed. We think it is now being planted there to make it look like a train accident he added. On August 24, Akhlaq Salmani (28) went to Panipat in search of work where he was beaten up and allegedly his arm was cut off as he a tattoo of 786 on his arm, which was a clear religious marker. The incident took place in Chandni Bagh area of Panipat in Haryana. The case shuttled between the railway police and the civil police for a week. The case began to take a political turn as the religious identities of the two parties emerged. Akhlaqs family claimed that he was attacked for religious reasons while the accused Randhir Saini said that Akhlaq was trying to kidnap his child. Iqram is occupied with caring for his injured brother. He says that after the case was filed, the Haryana Police registered a case against his brother at the behest of the ones who tortured him. He calls it a complete fabrication and believes it is being done to pressurize them to withdraw their case. All our time was spent in caring for Akhlaq. Now the police of Panipat is trying to save the accused. We are six brothers. We are barbers by profession. That was our job before the lockdown but now we have had to move. That is why Akhlaq was wandering in the search of work. He was under the stress of unemployment and hence was sitting in the park, frustrated and disappointed (when the incident happened). We are now afraid to step out to look for work. Especially the women of the household say that theyd rather stay hungry than risk their lives. Since the incident, there is fear in Nanauta. Local councillor Mustaqim Ahmed says that the incident has discussed in almost every house in the area. It is a small town where everyone knows everyone. The incident has shocked the town. Akhlaqs injuries suggest that he was assumed dead before he was thrown on the railway tracks. He survived out of sheer luck. People are stunned by the mercilessness of the attack. Akhlaq lay injured on the railway tracks all night and was taken to the hospital by his cousin Nadeem only the next morning around 7:30 am. Nadeem runs a barbershop in Panipat. I saw that Akhlaqs hand was chopped off and there were bruises all over his body. He was completely disrobed. Two policemen helped us take him to the hospital. Akhlaq was the one who had called me, Nadeem said. Akhlaq was admitted to Rohtak PGI Hospital, where he remained until August 28. The police registered an FIR on September 7. Akhlaqs brothers say that the police claimed he was not in a position to record a statement. Iqram says that after much effort, a sub-inspector accompanied him to Randhir Sainis house. The machine is still there that was used to chop off my brothers hand, Iqram said, adding, We are being shuttled around among the GRP, Chandni Bagh and Kishanpura stations. Akhlaq is now accused of molestation. Four people overpowered a lone man then and they are now using a child to further their case. Haryana Police has registered both cases and the investigation is on. Some locals said Akhlaq was beaten up based on rumours of child-kidnapping. Talking to a local media group, the main accused Randhir Saini said that his 7-year old nephew went missing that night and was found with Akhlaq. Akhlaqs family retorts that if that were true, the police would have been contacted. On the advice of the doctor, Akhlaqs statement was recorded 15 days after the incident. Only after that did Randhir Saini file a report. Until then, the police were calling it a train accident. For Iqram, the struggle for justice for his brother is becoming increasingly difficult. Akhlaq has returned home and is bedridden. We only want justice now, he said. Downtown Midland businesses will celebrate Buy Nearby Weekend on Oct. 2-4 by offering special merchandise, sales, and the chance for one lucky shopper to win a $500 gift card. The weekend event is part of the Michigan Retailers Association (MRA) Buy Nearby campaign that encourages shoppers to support their communities by spending their dollars locally. By PTI ISLAMABAD: At least four terrorists were killed by security forces in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, the Army said. The security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in the central Makran range of Awaran district on Saturday, the Army said in a statement. "Terrorist hideouts including logistic base destroyed while (a) large cache of arms, ammunition and communication equipment recovered," it said. Multiple hideouts and administrative camps of terrorists have also been destroyed, it said. In a separate incident, at least two Army soldiers were killed in an exchange of fire with terrorists during an operation in Spalga area of North Waziristan district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on Saturday, the statement said. The troops have cordoned off the area for a search operation. On September 13, the security forces killed terrorist commander Ihsan Ullah alias Ihsan Sanray along with his three accomplices in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The history of Mother Ghana has been an interesting one since olden times and continues to be unique to this present day. In 1996, the dictatorial and invincible reign of ex-President Rawlings was unraveled in an Article titled The Mystery about Ghana and Rawlings, one month to the 1996 elections (Ref: Weekly Insight Newspaper, Jan 2, 1997). It is 24 years now and another election is due soon. In that article I predicted a win for ex-President Rawlings, using the Science of Numbers called Numerology and the Spiritual Foundation of Ghana. More research has followed thereafter and the new revelations are so interesting and important to update readers at this time and year of elections. As said in the old article, Numerology is the science of numbers in a persons life, and this was used to calculate and analyze both the destiny of mother Ghana and its Leaders since Independence. The 2 main aspects of Numerology are the date of birth of a person and the Name of that person at the time of birth. According to the inventors of this Science, all calculations use the digits 1 to 9, and any two or three digits is reduced further to arrive at a final digit number. There are many charts and here is the Numerology Chart of Pythagoras, the Greek Scientist and Mathematician which we shall use. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z The total sum of ones birthdate is called the Life Path Number or Spiritual Number of the person, while the total sum of ones Name at the time of birth is called the Destiny Number or Esoteric Number of the person. Our names are powerful part of us To calculate the Birthdate, all the digit numbers, plus the month number of the year are added and reduced to one digit. And to get the Number of ones Name, each letter is expressed numerically or is represented by the corresponding number according to the Chart above and added together. These Numerology Numbers provide an interrelation of cosmic vibrations in the character, purpose in life and talents inherent in a person. Now to Mother Ghana. This nation called Ghana came into existence after Independence on 6th of March 1957, and Dr. Kwame Nkrumah born on 21 Sept. 1909 became the first ruler or leader. Using the Chart above, the name Ghana sums up to 4. (G=7,H=8,A=1,N=5,A=1. All together is 22 and reducing 22 further is 2+2=4. The birthdate is 06.03.1957, which is 6+3+1+9+5+7=31, and 31 is reduced further to 3+1=4. Thus, both the Spiritual Foundation and Cosmic Vibration Numbers of Mother Ghana is the Number 4. Coming to the first ruler, the name Kwame Nkrumah sums up to 4. (K=2,W=5,A=1,M=4,E=5; N=5,K=2,R=9,U=3,M=4,A=1,H=8). Adding all together comes to 49 and reduces to 13 then 4. His birthdate 21.09.1909 also sums up to 31 then 4(2+1+9+1+9+0+9=31=3+1=4). G H A N A 7+ 8+ 1+ 5+ 1 = 22 =2+2=4 Birthdate 06.03.1957 6+3+1+9+5+7 = 31 = 3+1 =4 K W A M E N K R U M A H 2 5 1 4 5 + 5 2 9 3 4 1 8= 17+32=49=4+9=13=1+3=4 DATE OF BIRTH= 21.09.1909 = 2+1+9+1+9+0+9 = 31= 3+1= 4 Dr. Nkrumah left Ghana for Hanoi, Vietnam on February 22(date 4) and 2 days later on the 24 Feb. 1966, some Soldiers with the help of the American CIA made a coup and removed President Nkrumah and his Government. The Leaders of the coup-detat were Colonel A.A.Afrifa and Colonel E.K Kotoka. The full name of Afrifa is Akwasi Amankwaa Afrifa and was born on 24th April 1936. His birthdate sums up to 2 and his name and destiny number sums up 8. The other soldier was Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka and born on 26th October, 1926. His name and Destiny Number sums up to 4, and his birthdate and Spiritual Number sums up to 9. A K W A S I - A M A N K W A A A F R I F A 1 2 5 1 1 9 1 4 1 5 2 5 1 1 1 6 9 9 6 1 1+2+5+1+1+9+1+4+1+5+2+5+1+1+1+6+9+9+6+1=71=7+1= 8 DATE OF BIRTH- 24.04.1936= 2+4+0+4+1+9+3+6=29= 2+9=11=1+1= 2 E M M A N U E L K W A S I K O T O K A 5 4 4 1 5 3 5 3 2 5 1 1 9 2 6 2 6 2 1 5+4+4+1+5+3+5+3+2+5+1+1+9+2+6+2+6+2+1=67=6+7=13=1+3= 4 DATE OF BIRTH- 26.10.1926= 2+6+1+0+1+9+2+6=27=2+7= 9 In April 1967, Kotoka was killed in an abortive coup, leaving Afrifa and General Ankrah to carry on the mantle of leadership until 1969 when they handed over the baton to a civilian Government. Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia, born on 11th July 1913 and his Progressive Party took over the affairs of the nation as Prime Minister. His Name or Destiny Number sum up to 2, and the total sum of his birthdate or Spiritual Number was 5. There was also Sir Edward Akuffo Addo, as Ceremonial President. His full name and Destiny Number was 4, while his birthdate 26.06.1906 or Spiritual Number summed up to 3. Two years later(1969-1971)the new Government was ousted by another soldier, Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong in a coup-detat on 31 January 1972. Acheampongs full name sums up to 4, and his birthdate 23rd Sept.1931 sums up to 1. He staged the Coup on 31st(date 4)and called his Government the Supreme Military Council. After 6 years(1972-1978)of poor governance, a palace coup was hatched against Acheampong and removed from the hot seat. General Frederick William Kwasi Akuffo, the then Chief of Staff and second to General Acheampong became the new Head of State. With the Destiny Number of 2 from his Name, and Spiritual Number 8 from his birthdate 21.03.1937, he did not last long on the throne just as Busia. The soldiers found out it was easy to make a coup and so the dare-devils tried their luck anytime. Readers, the story is getting interesting, isnt it? General Akuffos reign was cut short on 4th (date 4) June 1979 by Major Kojo Boakye Djan and his Comrades. Prior to this date, J.J. Rawlings an Air Force Flight Lieutenant attempted his Coup on 15th May but failed. He was awaiting trial and death sentence when his good friend and school mate at Achimota College tried his luck and succeeded, perhaps on that favorable day 4. Released from prison, Rawlings joined the other coup makers, and being the vociferous one among them, was made the leader of the Coup and the new Head of State of Ghana. The birthdate of Major Kojo Boakye Djan is unknown to me, but his full name or Destiny Number sums up to 4. Jeremy John Rawlings(Jerry is short for Jeremy)sums up to 1, and his birthdate 22.06.1947 or Spiritual Number sums up to 4. In the heat of the uprising, one of the Government Leaders did not give up easily to the evil plot of these junior officers headed by Boakye Djan. Lieutenant-General Alexander Neville Odartey Wellington rose up and exchanged fire with those that came to him. He fought gallantly, killing many of the soldiers, but in the end, he ran out of bullets and rushed to nearby Nima Police Station for more bullets but was denied. The reinforcement of soldiers closed in on him and sprayed his body with machine guns. They literally shredded his body like pieces of paper while the Police Officers looked on sheepishly. Were they sorry or happy? He surrendered and the Police could have shielded him as peace officers, and later on handed him over to the new leaders. They did not. It is likely Rawlings was among the gunners, and it might interest readers to know that General Odartey-Wellington was the one that foiled the mutiny by Rawlings on 15th May 1979. Rawlings therefore had a score to settle with General Odartey, and you can imagine the hatred Rawlings had for him when they met face to face. Odartey-Wellington was a gallant Number 4 from both his full name and date of birth 12.11.1934. Check it out. The dare-devils, still alive, also had this special number 4 in their nature, and this particular war was a clash of the Titans. K O J O B O A K Y E D J A N 2 6 1 6 2 6 1 2 7 5 4 1 1 5 2+6+1+6 2+6+1+2+7+5 4+1+1+5 =15+23+11=49=4+9=13=1+3= 4 J E R E M Y J O H N R A W L I N G S 1 5 9 5 4 7 1 6 8 5 9 1 5 3 9 5 7 1 1+5+9+5+4+7 1+6+8+5 9+1+5+3+9+5+7+1=31+20+40=91=9+1=10=1+0= 1 DATE OF BIRTH= 22.06.1947=2+2+6+1+9+4+7=31=3+1= 4 N E V I L L E A L E X A N D E R O D A R T E Y W E L L I N GTON 5 5 4 9 3 3 5 1 3 5 6 1 5 4 5 9 6 4 1 9 2 5 7 5 5 3 3 9 5 7265 Neville-34, Alexander-39,Odartey-34, Wellington-50 3+4+3+9+3+4+5+0=31=3+1=4 Or Total 157=1+5+7=13=1+3= 4 DATE OF BIRTH=12.11.1934= 1+2+1+1+1+9+3+4=22=2+2= 4 Rawlings and his new AFRC Government did some serious Military House Cleansing among other things, by killing all the Heads of the Military Service, including ex-leaders Acheampong & Afrifa. After 4 months and on 22nd Sept.1979(date 4),the AFRC Government handed over power to a civilian Government on a 4 year mandate. Dr. Hilla Babini Limann, born on 12.12.1934, happily took the mantle of leadership to do the best he could for the nation. His full name/destiny number was 7, and his birthdate/Spiritual Number was 5. Just one and half years later, another man of 4 decided to remove President Limann from the throne, and again Mother Ghana gave her blessing to this man. J.J. Rawlings, not satisfied with 4 months on the throne, made his coup plans and choosing the favorable date 4, succeeded in overthrowing ex-President Limann and his Government on 31st Dec.1981 with new comrades. This was perhaps to show his prowess at coup-making or to tell Ghanaians that only Dictators like him can rule the nation well. It was evidently clear that he was just an old hierarchy of cosmic number 4 citizen of Ghana getting the backing of Mother Ghana. From 1982 to 1992 Rawlings showed his true colors in what was called the reign of terror, fear, silence and disappearance. He made sure to drown his enemies like Kojo Lee and Yeye Boy, as some Achimotans knew him in school. He eliminated all the 3 Supreme Court Judges and the Army Officer who presided over his mutiny trial. He also made enemies with Boakye Djan, and unable to kill him, framed charges on Kyereme Djan (Boakye Djans brother) and got him executed. Another strange enemy was his own half-brother Isaac Newton Addy. Rawlings banned the Mormon Church headed by his brother for some time, and to make matters worse Brother Addy gave their mother a Mercedes Benz Saloon Car which was later found to be a stolen car during the 1995 new registration of cars in the country. The matter was sent to Court but quickly withdrawn and settled at home because the Police and the Judges feared to prosecute Madam Agbotui, the mother of the President. Rawlings got mad at his brother and remained in loggerheads with him till Mr. Addy died. Rawlings confessed in 2006 that he ordered killers to go and eliminate Yeye Boy(his spiritual master and fetish priest from Atidzive in the Volta Region), and claimed he did it to demonstrate to the people that juju is a sham and does not pay. But this was not true. Yeye Boy wanted to reveal some secrets and Rawlings had to get him out of the way. There were so many killings of about 300 Ghanaians, but Rawlings was not held responsible due to indemnity and immunity clause in the Ghana Constitution for him and all future Presidents. Ex-President Rawlings desecrated the land and soiled the throne with so many innocent bloods that, in the spiritual realm Mother Ghana and other Gods in Accra regretted giving him that spiritual backing. They decided there and then to change the pattern of leadership after Rawlings, and for 16 years they left the seat opened to the survival of the fittest. Mother Ghana did not pamper her 4 favorites again, and in the 2000 elections, the nation saw the two main dominant Parties NDC and NPP select flagbearers who had neither the Spiritual nor the Destiny Number 4 in their nature. The full name of ex-President John Evans Atta Mills of NDC sum up to 3, and his birthdate 21.07.1944 sum up to 1, while ex-President John Agyekum Kufuor born on 08.12.1938 has a Destiny Number 8 and Spiritual Number 5. Kufuor and his New Patriotic Party won the elections and ruled from 2000 to 2008. Next came Atta Mills from 2009 to 2012, and then John Dramani Mahama born on 29.11.1958 from 2013 to 2016. Ex-President Mahama has both the Destiny Number and Spiritual Number 9 in his nature. The new man on the seat from 2017 to 2020 is Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo born on 29.03.1944, and it would surprise readers to know that he is a man of 4 and the new favorite of Mother Ghana. Can this be true? Yes, and this is not from an Occultist or Fetish Priest or a Prophet revelation. This is the science of numbers analysis. Lets find out. The original name of the current President at the time of birth was William Addo Dankwa. He only added more names later in his adult stage. This name and destiny number sums up to 4 and his birthdate and spiritual number sums up to 5. Here is the Chart. W I L L I A M A D D O D A N K W A 5 9 3 3 9 1 4 1 4 4 6 4 1 5 2 5 1 5 9 3 3 9 1 4 + 1 4 4 6 + 4 1 5 2 5 1=67=6+7=13=4 Here is a tough man of the 4 hierarchy and it can be seen that Mother Ghana did not pamper him but left him to struggle to ascend to the throne. Mother Ghana has thus found another favorite and from all indications he is bound to occupy the seat again, come December 7, 2020.This is my prediction from Numerological point of analysis. Now let us see those who could be on the hot seat from 2025 onwards. Again, using this same Numerology analysis, I would plead with all future Presidential Aspirants to check their numbers before they make any move for the Seat. In the NPP House for example, Honorable Kennedy Ohene Agyapong is a favorite. He has the destiny number 4, and his birthdate 16.06.1960 gives him a spiritual number 1. Others like Alan Cash and Mahamadu Bawumia are not among the 4 hierarchy to compete. In the NDC Circle, Madam Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman, the running mate of John Mahama is a top favorite. Her maiden name is Jane Naana Sam which sums up to 4, and her birthdate 22.11.1951, also sum up to 4. She could be the first woman President and Mother Ghana would solidly rally behind her, unless otherwise. With regard to the minor Parties, I would urge them to merge and form one formidable Third Party, and select a man or woman of 4 to be the flagbearer. Here would be a big test for Mother Ghana. A similar situation happened in the 1992 elections. Chairman Rawlings born on 22.06.1947 and with spiritual number 4 was chosen among 2 other Contestants of the same spiritual number 4. General Alexander Erskine, was born on 19.01.1937 which sums up to 4, and Mr. Kwabena Darko born on 23.10.1942,also sums up to 4 These two men were virtually unknown in the political scene and Mother Ghana gave the mantle to the popular Junior Jesus. How exciting the Presidential Race could be if all the Parties would choose a man or woman of 4 for the contest. Let us hope Political Giants like Paa Kwesi Nduom, Dr. Edward Mahama, Madam Samiah Nkrumah, Mr. Greenstreet, Madam Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, Mr. Ayariga Hassan and others, would take a cue from the Numerology analysis and form one Party to throw to the dominant Parties a great challenge in the 2024 election. Long live the President!! Long live Mother Ghana!! Bernard King Hamburg, Germany Email: [email protected] Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 15:00:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday he expected a nominee to replace late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to be announced "next week," and that it will "most likely" be a woman. The president made the remarks to reporters as he walked out from the White House South Portico to depart for a rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina. "I could see most likely it would be a woman ... If somebody were to ask me now, I would say that a woman would be in first place," Trump said of his nominee. "I think the choice will be next week," he added. Ginsburg, the second female Supreme Court justice in U.S. history and a renowned jurist who championed for gender equality, died Friday evening of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer. Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, maintained that a nominee should be tapped by the new president chosen by voters in the Nov. 3 election. However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that Trump's nominee will get a vote in the Senate. Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine tweeted Saturday that given the proximity to the election, the Senate should not vote on the nominee prior to the election. "I totally disagree with her," Trump said, referring to Collins's statement. "That's not the next president - hopefully I'll be the next president ... We have an obligation to the voters ... and it's a very simple thing." Trump also called his shortlist of possible nominees "the greatest list ever assembled." Amy Coney Barrett, a federal appellate court judge, reportedly has been a front-runner to fill the vacancy. "She's very highly respected, I can say that," Trump said in response to a question related to Barrett. The death of Ginsburg, the leader of the liberal wing on the Supreme Court, reduced the number of liberal justices to three. If a Trump nominee, his third during the presidency, is seated, it will swing the nine-member bench further to the conservative side, resulting in a 6-3 GOP majority. Enditem Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 20) -- The Philippine National Police refuted the report released by Human Rights Watch that extrajudicial killings in the country rose by 50 percent during the COVID-19 lockdown. During an online briefing Sunday, PNP Chief for Administration PLtGen. Guillermo Eleazar clarified that drug-related killings rose by less than five percent, a big difference from the figure released by the group. "Tumaas po pero 4.9 percent or wala pong five percent. Ginawa nilang 50 percent so pinabubulaanan po natin 'yon," said Eleazar. [Translation: It rose by 4.9 percent or less than five percent. They turned it into 50 percent and we are denying that.] He added that the PNP is keeping an eye out for erring police officers who abuse human rights. Eleazar then urged the public to immediately report those who step over the line. He said documenting the actions of erring personnel would help in determining their appropriate punishment. "Ito'y pinag-usapan na natin ng ilang beses, pero kung meron ebidensya at meron pagkakamali ang pulis di po tinotolerate 'yan ng ating pamunuan at an investigation must be done. Mananagot kung may abuso sa karapatang pantao ang ating mga pulis," says Eleazar. [Translation: We have talked about this several times, but if there is evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the police, it will not be tolerated and an investigation must be done. The police will be held accountable if they have abused human rights.] In the same briefing, Eleazar, who is also the Joint Task Force COVID Shield Commander, revealed that the crime rate went down by 47 percent since the lockdown started in March. He credited police visibility and the strict implementation of curfew hours for the decline. The PNP's clarification comes after the European Union Parliament recommended to revoke the Philippines' tariff perks over what it referred to as serious human rights violations in the country. Ruth Bader Ginsburg-related social media interactions dwarfed all other topics this week a departure from a run of weeks where, other than the coronavirus, violence in cities was the dominant storyline. The big picture: In just two days, there were 41 million interactions (likes, comments or shares) on stories about the late Supreme Court justice, according to exclusive NewsWhip data. That compares with a recent average of 62 million coronavirus interactions per week and more than five times the number of weekly social media interactions over violence and rioting. Why it matters: Until now, coverage of violence in cities (17.1m per week) has been getting way more traction and eyeballs on social media than other stories dominating the news including Trump revelations from Bob Woodward's new book and devastation from the wildfires in the West. Driving the news: Of those topics, the most viral stories in the past two months got very little national attention on cable news and mainstream media. They were: "Chicago looters attacked Ronald McDonald House with sick children inside, charity says" (Washington Times, 2.02m interactions); and "BREAKING: Over 100 Police Agencies Pull Out of Agreements To Guard DNC Convention" (Daily Wire, 1.87m). Peak interest around the Trump revelations in Woodward's book reached 14.3 million interactions the week of Sept. 7. Attention for the wildfires hit 14.4 million interactions that same week. On stories about antifa, looting and rioting, there have been five weeks with more than 15 million interactions in the last two months. Between the lines: While RBG's legacy and the political fight to replace her is of keen interest to Americans on both sides of the aisle, conservatives may be better positioned to lean into it on social media. The movement's potency on Facebook is one of the biggest weapons in the GOP's arsenal heading into the election. But, but, but: The coronavirus is still the topic consistently driving the most social media buzz. The Rajya Sabha on Sunday passed two contentious farm bills by voice vote as the House witnessed chaotic scenes after some slogan-shouting opposition members lead by the Trinamool Congress climbed on to the chairpersons podium demanding a discussion. The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, was passed by the upper house. The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020, part of the broader farm liberalisation plan, could not be taken up and the House was adjourned for the day. Opposition members, including those from the TMC, Congress and Left, created ruckus after deputy chairperson Harivansh did not consider their demand for a division of votes on a resolution to send the two bills to a select committee. Amid the ruckus, the House was adjourned briefly. Members of the Trinamool, including Derek OBrien, and other opposition members had earlier climbed the chairpersons podium after their demand for voting on motion to send the farm bills to select panel was not considered. They also showed the rule book to Harivansh during the debate on the contentious farm bills. The upper house was adjourned for a short while. Several members, including OBrien, the CPIs KK Ragesh, Trichi Siva of the DMK and Congress KC Venugopal, moved resolutions asking for the two bills to be sent a select committee of the House for consideration before they are taken up for passage. Union minister of agriculture and farmer welfare Narendra Singh Tomar moved two crucial farm bills in the Rajya Sabha on Sunday. The bills The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. Both of them were passed by the Lower House with a voice vote earlier in the week. The two bills are historic and will bring a change in the lives of the farmers. The farmers will be able to freely trade their produce anywhere in the country. I want to assure the farmers that these bills are not related to Minimum Support Price (MSP), Tomar said in the Rajya Sabha on Sunday. Protests Agriculturists, who have been agitating against the bills passed in the Lok Sabha earlier, said they are anti-farmer and fear they will end the mandi system. The Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Trinamool Congress are among the partied which have opposed the bills. The Shiv Senas Sanjay Raut had called for a special session of Parliament for a discussion on the agriculture sector reform bills. You are saying it is in the interest of the people. Can the government assure the country that after the passing of the agriculture reform bills, farmers income will double and no farmer will commit suicide?.... A special session should be called to discuss these bills, Raut said during a discussion on the two agriculture bills in the Upper House. Why farmers are protesting in Punjab and Haryana if it is for their interest? he added. Taking a dig at the Centre over Lok Sabha MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigning from the Cabinet, Shiv Sena MP said, The Prime Minister has said that the government is not ending the MSP system. It is just a rumour. So, did a Union minister resign on the basis of a rumour? The government is giving markets to private companies. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, of the Bharatiya Janat Party (BJP) ally Shiromani Akali Dal, had resigned from the Union Cabinet on September 17 in protest of the three bills. Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad had earlier demanded that reply to the debate on the two bills be postponed until Monday as the scheduled time for sitting on Sunday was over. The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, allows the electronic trading of farmers produce and the setting up transaction platforms for facilitating direct online buying and selling of farm products. The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 provides for a farming agreement prior to the production or rearing of any farm produce. First new drug in years reduces recurrence in high risk HR+ early breast cancer Lugano, Switzerland, 20 September 2020 - Adding abemaciclib to hormonal therapy reduces the risk of cancer recurrence by 25% in patients with high-risk early hormone receptor positive (HR+) human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2-) breast cancer, according to results from a study at ESMO 2020. (1) "This is the first time in more than 20 years that we have seen an advance in the adjuvant treatment of this form of breast cancer," said lead author Prof Stephen Johnston, from the Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. He explained that hormone receptor positive breast cancer is the commonest form of breast cancer, affecting 70% of patients, with most being diagnosed with early disease. "Many of these patients can be cured with currently available treatments: surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and hormone treatment. But about 20% have high-risk disease and will develop a recurrence either locally in the breast or elsewhere in the body over the first ten years of treatment," he explained. "These patients with high-risk early breast cancer show a degree of resistance to hormone therapy, relapsing early despite everything we currently give them," said Johnston. "CDK4/6 inhibitors, such as abemaciclib, have transformed the way we treat metastatic breast cancer over the last few years, overcoming primary endocrine resistance and improving survival. So it was an obvious step to see whether adding abemaciclib to hormone treatment in patients with high-risk early breast cancer could reduce the risk of their cancer returning." The international phase 3 monarchE study included 5637 patients with HR+ HER2- early breast cancer with clinical and/or pathological risk factors putting them at high risk for relapse. After completing their primary treatment they were randomised on an open-label basis to abemaciclib (150mg twice daily for two years) plus endocrine therapy or endocrine therapy alone. "We found a 25% reduction in recurrence of cancer with the first two years when abemaciclib was added to hormone therapy compared to hormone therapy alone," reported Johnston. During this time 11.3% of patients in the control group had a relapse of their cancer compared to 7.8% of those in the abemaciclib group, an absolute difference of 3.5% which translates to a 25.3% reduction in risk. Most of the reductions occured in sites of distant metastases, especially to liver and bone. "This is the first study to show that adding a CDK4/6 inhibitor to endocrine therapy significantly improves invasive disease free survival in the adjuvant setting," said Giuseppe Curigliano, Associate Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Milan, Italy, and Chair of the ESMO Guidelines Committee. "This is a very important trial and the findings will change practice. Once approved for high risk HR+ HER2- early breast cancer the new standard of care for these patients will be to add two years of abemaciclib to endocrine therapy," he suggested. Curigliano suggested it would have been interesting to have included genetic signature into the assessment of patients at high risk, in addition to number of positive lymph nodes, tumour size, histologic grade and Ki-67 (a marker of proliferation). Johnston said that tissue and plasma samples had been collected from all of the study participants for translational research that will include looking at genomic signatures and response to abemaciclib. "The safety data are important, particularly the number of patients treated with abemaciclib who had to discontinue or required dose reductions due to side-effects," said Curigliano. A total of 463 (16.6%) of patients discontinued abemaciclib due to adverse events, most commonly diarrhea; 306 of these continued on endocrine therapy. The protocol allowed dose reduction from 150 to 100mg twice daily if required. He noted: "Adherence to treatment will be an important issue to be considered in the real life population of patients when this treatment is approved and used in clinical practice." Curigliano added, "For the future it will be important to understand if we can potentially spare chemotherapy in this group of patients treated with a CDK4/6 inhibitor. This would need to be investigated in a randomised clinical trial." ### Notes to Editors Please make sure to use the official name of the meeting in your reports: ESMO Virtual Congress 2020 Official Congress Hashtag: #ESMO20 Disclaimer This press release contains information provided by the author of the highlighted abstract and reflects the content of this abstract. It does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of ESMO who cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the data. Commentators quoted in the press release are required to comply with the ESMO Declaration of Interests policy and the ESMO Code of Conduct. References (1) Abstract LBA5_PR 'Abemaciclib in high risk early breast cancer' will be presented by Stephen Johnston in the Presidential Symposium II on Sunday, 20 September 2020, 18:30 - 20:25 CEST. Annals of Oncology, Volume 31 Supplement 4, September 2020. The study will be published simultaneously in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, 'Abemaciclib combined with endocrine therapy for the adjuvant treatment of HR+, HER2-, node-positive, high risk, early breast cancer (monarchE)', DOI: 10.1200/JCO.20.02514, https:/ / ascopubs. org/ doi/ full/ 10. 1200/ JCO. 20. 02514 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 LBA5_PR - Abemaciclib in high risk early breast cancer S.R.D. Johnston1, N. Harbeck2, R. Hegg3, M. Toi4, M. Martin5, Z. Shao6, M. Campone7, E.P. Hamilton8, J. Sohn9, V. Guarneri10, J. Cortes11, P. Neven12, F. Boyle13, I. Smith14, D. Headley15, R. Wei15, M. Frenzel15, J. Cox16, J. O'Shaughnessy17, P. Rastogi18 1Breast Cancer Medicine, Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, 2Breast Center, Dept OB&GYN, LMU University Hospital, Munich, Germany, 3Gynecology and Obstetrics, Gynecological Clinical Service School of Medicine, Univ. Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil, 4Breast Unit, Kyoto University-Graduate school of medicine, Kyoto, Japan, 5Servicio de Oncologia Medica Department, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Maranon, Universidad Complutense, Ciberonc GEICAM, Madrid, Spain, 6Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghi, China, 7MEDICAL ONCOLOGY, ICO Institut de Cancerologie de l'Ouest Rene Gauducheau, Saint-Herblain, CEDEX, France, 8Director, Breast and Gynecologic Research Program, Sarah Cannon Research Institute/Tennessee Oncology, Nashville, USA, 9Division of Medical Oncology, Yonsei Cancer Center, Seoul, Korea, Republic of, 10Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology Instituto Oncologico Veneto IRCCS, University of Padova, Padova, Italy, 11Head, Breast Cancer Program, IOB Institute of Oncology, Quiron Group, Barcelona, Spain, 12Department of Gynaecological Oncology / Multidisciplinary Breast Center, University Hospitals Leuven - Campus Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium, 13Patricia Ritchie Centre for Cancer Care and Research, Mater Hospital, North Sydney, North Sydney, Australia, 14Chief Medical Officer, Artios Pharma Ltd, Cambridge, UK, 15Oncology, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA, 16Oncology, Eli Lilly and Company, Windlesham, IN, UK, 17Breast Cancer Prevention and Treatment, Texas Oncology - Baylor Sammons Cancer Center, Dallas, TX, USA, 18Oncology, NSABP Foundation, Pittsburgh, USA Background: Over 90% of patients with breast cancer are diagnosed with early breast cancer (EBC). While many patients with HR+ disease will not recur or have distant relapse with standard therapies, up to 30% of patients whose cancer has high risk clinical and/or pathological features may experience distant relapse, many in the first 2 years. Novel treatment options are needed to prevent early recurrences and development of metastases for these patients. Abemaciclib is an oral, continuously dosed CDK4 & 6 inhibitor approved for use in HR+, HER2- advanced breast cancer (ABC). Efficacy and safety of abemaciclib in ABC supported phase 3 evaluation in the adjuvant setting. Methods: monarchE, an open-label, phase 3 study, included patients with HR+, HER2-, high risk EBC, who completed primary treatment. Patients with greater-than or equal to 4 positive nodes, or 1-3 nodes and at least one of the following: tumor size greater-than or equal to 5 cm, histologic grade 3, or central Ki-67 greater-than or equal to 20%, were eligible, and randomized (1:1) to abemaciclib (150 mg BID for 2 years) plus endocrine therapy (ET) or ET alone. A prespecified interim analysis was planned at ~293 IDFS events. The primary endpoint was invasive disease-free survival (IDFS) per STEEP criteria. Secondary endpoints included distant relapse-free survival (DRFS), overall survival, and safety. Results: 5,637 patients were randomized. With 323 IDFS events observed in the intent-to-treat population, positive efficacy required a 2-sided p-value Conclusions: Abemaciclib when combined with ET is the first CDK4 & 6 inhibitor to demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in IDFS in patients with HR+, HER2-, high risk EBC. Clinical trial identification: NCT03155997 Editorial acknowledgement: Writing assistance provided by Sarah C. Nabinger (Eli Lilly and Company) Legal entity responsible for the study: Eli Lilly and Company Funding: Eli Lilly and Company Disclosure: S.R.D. Johnston: Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Research grant/Funding (self): AstraZeneca; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (self): Eli Lilly and Company; Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Research grant/Funding (self): Novartis; Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Research grant/Funding (self): Pfizer; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (self): Puma Biotechnology; Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: Eisai; Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Research grant/Funding (self): Roche/Genentech. N. Harbeck: Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Eli Lilly and Company; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: AstraZeneca; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Novartis; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Pfizer. M. Toi: Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution): Chugai; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution): Takeda; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution): Pfizer; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution): Kyowa-Hakko-Kirin; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution): Taiho; Research grant/Funding (institution), Officer/Board of Directors: JBCRG Association; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution): Eisai; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (self): Daiichi-Sankyo; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution): AstraZeneca; Honoraria (self): Eli Lilly and Company; Honoraria (self): MSD; Honoraria (self): Genomic Health; Honoraria (self): Novartis; Honoraria (self), Honorarium for advisory meeting: Konica Minolta; Research grant/Funding (institution): Astellas; Honoraria (self), Honorarium for advisory meeting: BMS; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution): Shimadzu; Honoraria (self): Yakult; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution): Nippon Kayaku; Research grant/Funding (institution): AFI Technologies; Advisory/Consultancy: Athenex Oncology; Officer/Board of Directors: Organization for Oncology and Translational Research ; Officer/Board of Directors: Kyoto Breast Cancer Research Network. M. Martin: Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (self), personal fees: Roche; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (self), personal fees: Novartis; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (self), personal fees: Puma; Honoraria (self), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses, personal fees: Eli Lilly and Company; Honoraria (self), personal fees: GSK; Honoraria (self), personal fees: AstraZeneca; Honoraria (self), personal fees: Amgen; Honoraria (self), personal fees: Taiho Oncology; Honoraria (self), personal fees: Pharmamar; Honoraria (self), personal fees: Pfizer; Honoraria (self), personal fees: Daiichi Sanyo. M. Campone: Advisory/Consultancy, fees to the institution: AstraZeneca; Advisory/Consultancy, fees to the institution: Sanofi; Advisory/Consultancy, fees to the institution: Servier; Advisory/Consultancy, fees to the institution: AbbVie; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Eli Lilly and Company; Advisory/Consultancy, fees to the institution: Accord; Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: Novartis; Advisory/Consultancy, fees to the institution: Pfizer; Advisory/Consultancy: GT1. E.P. Hamilton: Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), advisory board (no personal compensation accepted): Eli Lilly and Company; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), advisory board (no personal compensation accepted): Pfizer; Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Research grant/Funding (institution), speaker's bureau (no personal compensation accepted): Genentech/Roche; Advisory/Consultancy: Flatiorn Health; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), consulting (no personal compensation accepted): Cascadian Therapeutics; Research grant/Funding (institution): Hutchinson MediPharma; Research grant/Funding (institution): OncoMed; Research grant/Funding (institution): MedImmune; Research grant/Funding (institution): StemCentrx; Research grant/Funding (institution): Abbvie; Research grant/Funding (institution): Curis; Research grant/Funding (institution): Verastem; Research grant/Funding (institution): Zymeworks; Research grant/Funding (institution): Syndax; Research grant/Funding (institution): Lycera; Research grant/Funding (institution): Rgenix; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), consulting (no personal compensation accepted): Novartis; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), consulting (no personal compensation accepted): Mersana; Research grant/Funding (institution): Taplmmune; Research grant/Funding (institution): BerGenBio; Research grant/Funding (institution): Tesaro; Research grant/Funding (institution): Medivation; Research grant/Funding (institution): Kadmon; Research grant/Funding (institution): Boehringer Ingelheim; Research grant/Funding (institution): Eisai; Research grant/Funding (institution): H3 Biomedicine; Research grant/Funding (institution): Radius Health; Research grant/Funding (institution): Acerta; Research grant/Funding (institution): Takeda; Research grant/Funding (institution): Macrogenics; Research grant/Funding (institution): Immunomedics; Research grant/Funding (institution): FujiFilm; Research grant/Funding (institution): Effector; Research grant/Funding (institution): Syros; Research grant/Funding (institution): Unum; Research grant/Funding (institution): Sutro; Research grant/Funding (institution): Aravive; Research grant/Funding (institution): Deciphera; Research grant/Funding (institution): Clovis; Research grant/Funding (institution): Sermonix; Research grant/Funding (institution): Zenith; Research grant/Funding (institution): Arvinas; Research grant/Funding (institution): ArQule; Research grant/Funding (institution): Torque; Research grant/Funding (institution): Harpoon; Research grant/Funding (institution): Fachon; Research grant/Funding (institution): Orinove; Research grant/Funding (institution): Molecular Template; Research grant/Funding (institution): Seattle Genetics; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), consulting (no personal compensation accepted): Daiichi; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), consulting (no personal compensation accepted): AstraZeneca; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), consulting (no personal compensation accepted): Silverback Therapeutics; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), consulting (no personal compensation accepted): Black Diamond. J. Sohn: Research grant/Funding (institution): MSD; Research grant/Funding (institution): Roche; Research grant/Funding (institution): Novartis; Research grant/Funding (institution): AstraZeneca; Research grant/Funding (institution): Eli Lilly and Company; Research grant/Funding (institution): Pfizer; Research grant/Funding (institution): Bayer; Research grant/Funding (institution): GSK; Research grant/Funding (institution): CONTESSA; Research grant/Funding (institution): Daiichi Sankyo. V. Guarneri: Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: Eli Lilly and Compnay; Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: Novartis; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution): Roche. J. Cortes: Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Roche; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution): Celgene; Advisory/Consultancy: Cellestia; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution): AstraZeneca; Advisory/Consultancy: Biothera Pharmaceutical; Advisory/Consultancy: Merus; Advisory/Consultancy: Seattle Genetics; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy, Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Daiichi Sankyo; Advisory/Consultancy: Erytech; Advisory/Consultancy: Athenex; Advisory/Consultancy: Polyphor; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Eli Lilly and Company; Advisory/Consultancy: Servier; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution): Merck Sharp&Dohme; Advisory/Consultancy: GSK; Advisory/Consultancy: Leuko; Advisory/Consultancy: Bioasis; Advisory/Consultancy: Clovis Oncology; Advisory/Consultancy: Boehringer Ingelheim; Honoraria (self), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Novartis; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Eisai; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Pfizer; Honoraria (self): Samsung Bioepis; Research grant/Funding (institution): Ariad Pharmaceuticals; Research grant/Funding (institution): Baxalta GMBH/Servier Affaires; Research grant/Funding (institution): Bayer Healthcare; Research grant/Funding (institution): F. Hoffman-La Roche; Research grant/Funding (institution): Guardanth Health; Research grant/Funding (institution): Piqur Therapeutics; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: MedSIR; Research grant/Funding (institution): Puma C; Research grant/Funding (institution): Queen Mary University of London . P. Neven: Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Eli Lilly and Company.F. Boyle: Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Eli Lilly and Company; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Roche; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Pfizer; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Novartis. I. Smith: Full/Part-time employment, Former employee of Eli Lilly and Company: Eli Lilly and Compnay. D. Headley: Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options, Full/Part-time employment: Eli Lilly and Company; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Novartis; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Takeda; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Varian Medical Systems; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Utah Medical Products; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Zoetis; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Bayer; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Merck; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Roche; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Evgen; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: AstraZeneca; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Johnson & Johnson; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Pfizer; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Varex Imaging; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Zimmer BioMet; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Chugai Pharma. R. Wei: Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options, Full/Part-time employment: Eli Lilly and Company. M. Frenzel: Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options, Full/Part-time employment: Eli Lilly and Company. J. Cox: Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options, Full/Part-time employment: Eli Lilly and Company. J. O'Shaughnessy: Advisory/Consultancy: AbbVie; Advisory/Consultancy: Agendia; Advisory/Consultancy: Amgen Biotechnology; Advisory/Consultancy: AstraZeneca; Advisory/Consultancy: Britol-Myers Squibb; Advisory/Consultancy: Celgene; Advisory/Consultancy: Eisai; Advisory/Consultancy: Genentech; Advisory/Consultancy: Genomic Health; Advisory/Consultancy: GRAIL; Advisory/Consultancy: Immunomedics; Advisory/Consultancy: Heron Therapeutics; Advisory/Consultancy: Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals; Advisory/Consultancy: Jounce Therapeutics; Advisory/Consultancy: Eli Lilly and Company; Advisory/Consultancy: Merck; Advisory/Consultancy: Myriad; Advisory/Consultancy: Novartis; Advisory/Consultancy: Ondonate Therapeutics; Advisory/Consultancy: Pfizer; Advisory/Consultancy: Puma Biotechnology; Advisory/Consultancy: Prime Oncology; Advisory/Consultancy: Roche; Advisory/Consultancy: Seattle Genetics; Advisory/Consultancy: Syndax Pharmaceuticals; Advisory/Consultancy: Takeda. P. Rastogi: Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Eli Lilly and Company; Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: AstraZeneca; Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Roche/Genentech. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest. This story has been published on: 2020-09-20. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. 4884 view Add Comment Make 'The Best' our goal in Animation and Modern Art - BD Kalla Digital Art Exhibition 'Amaze-2019' organized by Arena Animation Jaipur, 14 October. Minister of Arts, Literature and Culture, Dr. B. D. Kalla has told the students who have embraced the art sector as their career that they have moved on with the ambition to become 'the best' by adopting the latest disciplines such as animation and modern art. He said that many youths of the state are leaving their mark in these areas by performing 'Perfect Competition' in the country and abroad. Dr. Kalla was addressing the award distribution function of Digital Art Exhibition 'Amaze-2019' organized by Arena Animation at Birla Auditorium, Jaipur on Monday as the Chief Guest. He said that the students should work hard keeping the goal of becoming the best and making a different identity. The Minister of Art, Literature and Culture said that nowadays is the era of animation. The use of animation in films is proving to be quite effective. Due to the popularity of animation films, there is a lot of scope for the youth in this field. In this case, the student should get information about new techniques and techniques. He congratulated the students, winners and their parents who participated in Digital Art Exhibition and said that without music, literature and art, our life is incomplete. Therefore everyone should be interested in them. Earlier, Dr. Kalla started the program by lighting the lamp. The award distribution program was attended by JD Maheshwari of Shakun Group, Senior Public Relations Officer of Railways YK Sharma, Head of Rawat Group of College, representatives of institutes and NGOs related to arts and animation, students, parents and art lovers. Cultural programs were also presented on the occasion. Bidens Outright Covid Lies Are Far Worse Than Trumps Downplaying Commentary As the Election approaches, Joe Biden and the Democrats are seizing on President Trumps admitted public downplaying of the Covid Crisis. Trump says he wanted to limit panic. Joe Biden, on the other hand, has been wantonly lying about Trumps Covid response from the beginning in an effort to cause panic. Joe Bidens campaign regularly tells Americans that we are facing a growing public health crisis. You can find those words on his campaign website and his speeches. In the face of a crisis, what should a President do? Should that President push fear or seek to calm the nerves of the Americans? In other words, should a President tell Americans that the only thing we have to fear isfear itself or should they say things that cause unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts. The World recognizes the fear itself comment belongs to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Few remember his warning in that same speech against unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts. In saying those words, Roosevelt not only downplayed fear, Roosevelt understood that leadership is more physical than verbalthat action matters. Since January of this year, President Trump has undertaken needed efforts en route to the largest government response since Roosevelts presidency. Truthful recognition of that starts with Dr. Faucis April 13 comment that President Trump followed health recommendations every time they were made. In fact, President Trump acted ahead of the recommendations by restricting travel from China. Joe Bidens response to Trumps action was to accuse Trump of hysteria, xenophobia, and fear mongering. Bidens response was clearly designed to promote unjustified terror for the purpose of paralyzing needed efforts. Nevertheless, President Trump continued to act in five broad areas by: Declaring COVID a public health emergency; Instituting the largest and most expensive national mobilization since World War II to deliver needed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and ensure no American who has needed a ventilator has gone without one; Rapidly expanding testing resulting in over 93 million tests having been administered to date; Instituting the unprecedented Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and providing coronavirus relief payments to small businesses and workers; and Leading a world-wide effort known as Operation Warp Speed to provide the world with a COVID vaccine. Overall, the federal government, including the Federal Reserve, has spent nearly $5 trillion addressing the COVID crisis. How much is that? Well, the entire 2020 federal budget was expected to be approximately $5 trillion. In other words, with COVID, the federal government doubled its 2020 spending. In response to that action, Joe Biden lies to the American people and the world, night and day, by stating: The president still does not have a plan. That is not his only lieby a long shot. Biden lied by saying he called for U.S. experts to go to China in January and by saying President Trump made no effort to get medical experts into China. In fact, Biden didnt call for U.S. experts to go to China until Feb. 25 and by then the United States already had personnel in Wuhan, where the pandemic started. Biden lied by stating President Trump refused the World Health Organizations (WHO) testing kits. In fact, WHO never offered them. Biden further lied when he claimed that the White House Pandemic Response Office was eliminated. It wasnt. The Washington Post gave Biden 4 Pinocchios when he accused President Trump of silencing a top CDC official. They did the same when Biden claimed President Trump called COVID a hoax. Biden lied when accused President Trump of cutting funding for the Center for Disease Control and the National Institute of Health. He also lied about claiming he was the first to call for the use of the Defense Production Act and went so far as to claim he called for that in January. In fact, Biden didnt bring it up until March 18after President Trump has already signed an order to do just that. Now, if someone only heard Joe Bidens version of events, they might think President Trump might not be doing enough. But there are 5 trillion reasons they are being misled by Joe Biden. As far as Bidens COVID plan, the Wall Street Journal recently described it as Joe Bidens Me-Too Covid Plan and states A mask mandate aside, Trump is already doing what Joe recommends. Oh, and dont forget, Biden recently backed away from his mask mandate and his threat to shut down the Country. In truth, it appears Bidens only real plan is to lie his way to the presidency and to make Americans fear COVID. As he does, Biden is violating FDRs warning by sowing unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts. Given that, the last thing Biden should be rewarded with is the White House. Instead, President Trump should rewarded for his actions, his plans, and his steadiness in this crisis. Thomas Del Beccaro is an acclaimed author, speaker, Fox News, Fox Business, and Epoch Times opinion writer, and former chairman of the California Republican Party. Hes the author of the historical perspectives The Divided Era and The New Conservative Paradigm. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. With the coronavirus rampaging again, Israel will become the one of the few places in the world to go into a second lockdown, which will take effect Friday, on the eve of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. The government has issued a list of restrictions along with a plethora of exemptions that many criticize as a formula for confusion and noncompliance. Help.org, a trusted online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones, has announced the Best Rehab Facilities in Kissimmee, FL for 2020. The informational guide recognizes the top 12 rehab facilities based on cost, treatment options, location, accompanying services, and more. According to recent studies, drug overdose is the leading cause of death among people under age 50. In Kissimmee, deaths related to opioid abuse increased significantly from 2011 to 2015. Substance abuse among adolescents is also escalating in Kissimmee with 55 percent of high school students reported using alcohol, 38 percent reported using marijuana, 8 percent reported using prescription drugs without a valid prescription, and 2 percent reported using heroin. With the growing need for accessible and high-quality rehab programs, Help.org has developed a unique ranking process to help connect individuals with treatment providers that meet their needs. The Help.org research team analyzed thousands of facilities across the country and then identified the most cost-effective and highest-rated programs in larger cities like Kissimmee. Each facility was evaluated based on rehabilitation services, treatment approaches, cost, special programs for unique demographics and ancillary services. The website also provides information about drug use and side effects as well as educational articles. For a detailed listing of the Best Rehab Facilities in Kissimmee, FL please visit https://www.help.org/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-centers-in-kissimmee-fl/ 2020 Best Rehab Facilities in Kissimmee, FL (in alphabetical order) Addictions Counseling Services New Life Church of God P.O. Box 780097 Orlando, FL 32878 407-332-4666 Bridges of America 2025 Mercy Drive Orlando, FL 32808 407-291-1500 Central Florida Behavioral Hospital 6601 Central Florida Parkway Orlando, FL 32821 321-247-7275 Central Florida Treatment Centers, Inc. 1800 West Colonial Drive Orlando, FL 32804 407-843-0041 House of Freedom, Inc. 2311 North Orange Blossom Trail Kissimmee, FL 34744 407-957-9077 LifeStream Behavioral Center 2020 Tally Road Leesburg, FL 34748 352-315-7800 Orlando Recovery Center 6000 Lake Ellenor Drive Orlando, FL 32809 407-680-1226 Professional Treatment Centers 7151 University Boulevard, Suite 120 Winter Park, FL 32792 321-972-4618 Recovery Solutions 4820 North Highway 19A, Suite 2 Mount Dora, FL 32757 855-704-0900 Sunrise Detox Orlando, LLC 2431 West Sand Lake Road Orlando, FL 32809 407-857-6117 The Transition House, Inc. 3501 West Vine Street, Suite 319 Kissimmee, FL 34741 407-892-5700 University Behavioral Center 2500 Discovery Drive Orlando, FL 32826 407-281-7000 ABOUT HELP.ORG Help.org is an online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones. The website provides the latest research through scientifically proven methods, community recovery resources as well as information about local financial assistance. Help.orgs team of researchers, activists, and writers work together with addiction counselors and other professionals to offer useful and accurate resources to help individuals seeking recovery. To learn more, visit https://www.help.org/. Horsepeople in British Columbia are advised that Fraser Downs will be hosting an upcoming qualifying session in advance of the track's first card later this month. Fraser Downs will be qualifying on Friday, Sept. 25, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. Entries will close on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. Pari-mutuel harness racing is scheduled to start at Fraser Downs on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 with a 5:00 p.m. (PST) first race post time. Fraser's next card will be on Friday, October 2, 2020 with first post of 8:00 p.m. (PST). In recent years Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was surprised to find herself so popular that everyone wants to take a picture with me. The justice, who died Friday at 87, had become a feminist icon, with books, movies, clothing and even coloring books devoted to her. People wanted to give her awards. They wanted to hear her talk. Ginsburg was invited to speak so often that inevitably she was asked the same questions and delivered the same punch lines, always, it seemed, to a delighted new audience. Some of the things Ginsburg liked to tell groups: Ruth Bader Ginsburg on The Notorious B.I.G. Ginsburg came to be known as The Notorious RBG, a play on the name of the rapper The Notorious B.I.G." Ginsburg liked to note they had one important thing in common. Both were born and bred in Brooklyn, New York. Ruth Bader Ginsburg when asked for advice Ginsburg often dispensed a piece of wisdom her mother-in-law gave her on her wedding day. The secret to a happy marriage is this: Sometimes it helps to be a little deaf. Ginsburg said it was excellent advice in dealing with her colleagues on the court, too. Ruth Bader Ginsburg on equal parenting Ginsburgs son James was what she called a lively child," and she would often get calls from his New York City school about his latest caper. Ginsburg finally told the school: This child has two parents. Please alternate calls. It was Ginsburgs husbands turn, she said. So Ginsburg's husband went to the school and was told James had had stolen the elevator, taking a group of kindergarteners for a ride. But after the elevator incident, the calls came barely once a semester, Ginsburg noted, and not because James was any better behaved. They were much more reluctant to take a man away from his work than a woman," Ginsburg liked to explain. Ruth Bader Ginsburg on discrimination Ginsburg often noted that she had three strikes against her in trying to get a job when she graduated from Columbia's law school in 1959, despite graduating at the top of her class. She was Jewish. She was a wife. And she was a mother. Getting the first job was hard for women of my vintage, she'd say. But once you got the first job you did it at least as well as the men and so the next step was not as hard. Ginsburg also liked to note something Justice Sandra Day OConnor would say: Sandra said, Where would the two of us be if there had been no discrimination? Well, today wed be retired partners from a large law firm. Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Antonin Scalia The genuine friendship between the liberal Ginsburg and conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in 2016, puzzled many audiences. Ginsburg explained: The number one reason why I loved Justice Scalia so is he made me laugh. The two shared a love of opera. And they were close enough that their families spent New Years together. Scalia would sometimes call to point out grammar errors in Ginsburgs opinion drafts. Ginsburg, for her part, would sometimes tell him: This opinion is so overheated, youd be more persuasive if you tone it down. She liked to say: He never listened to that. Ginsburg often described a famous picture of the two of them riding an elephant together in India, the heavyset Scalia in front and diminutive Ginsburg in the rear. Ginsburgs feminist friends were horrified. Why was she in the back? Weight distribution, she explained. Ruth Bader Ginsburg on her achievements Ginsburg's mother, Celia Bader, who died the day before Ginsburg gradated high school, never attended college but worked as a bookkeeper. Ginsburg would sometimes ask audiences: Whats the difference between a bookkeeper in New Yorks Garment District and a U.S. Supreme Court justice?" Her answer: "One generation. Ruth Bader Ginsburg on changing the constitution When asked how she might change the Constitution if given the opportunity, Ginsburg liked to point to the effort in the 1970s to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, which fell three states short of ratification. Ginsburg said passing it was still a good idea. I have three granddaughters, Ginsburg liked to say. And Id like to be able to take out my pocket Constitution and say that the equal citizenship stature of men and women is a fundamental tenant of our society. Ruth Bader Ginsburg on women in the supreme court Ginsburg, the second female justice, was sometimes asked when there would be enough women on the Supreme Court. Her response: When there are nine. She'd explain: "Some people are taken aback until they remember that for most of our country's history there were only men on the high court bench. Carole Baskin, the animal rights activist who gained national attention while sparring with exotic tiger keepers on the popular Netflix documentary "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness," is getting her own show. The new show will star Baskin and her husband, Howard Baskin, of Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Fla., according to a statement Thursday from ITV America's Thinkfactory Media, the production company that is developing the show. The new show, unscripted and as yet unnamed, will follow the couple "as they work to expose, like never before, those who abuse and take advantage of various animals," and spotlight history, lawsuits and animal rights violations, Thinkfactory Media said in a statement. "This is a chance for us to use our new platform to battle the everyday evils facing big cats and so many other animals," the Baskins said in the statement. The production company will soon meet with networks and streaming services to pitch it, Thinkfactory Media said. The company has previously worked to bring other shows to networks, including, "Mama June: From Not to Hot," "Gene Simmons Family Jewels" and "Dog and Beth: Fight of Their Lives." Baskin and her husband gained attention in March, as much of the country was homebound during the coronavirus pandemic and millions of viewers were drawn to "Tiger King." The documentary followed Baskin and Joseph Maldonado-Passage (known as Joe Exotic), the flamboyant owner of a lion and tiger zoo in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, through their long-lasting feud. In 2019, Maldonado-Passage was convicted of trying to have Baskin killed. In June, a federal court judge in Oklahoma ruled that Baskin's organization, Big Cat Rescue Corp., could take over the site of Maldonado-Passage's former zoo. Baskin has denied any role in the disappearance of Don Lewis, her former husband, who was mentioned several times in the show. Lewis disappeared in 1997, and the case was never officially closed. Baskin also drew attention this week when she made her debut on "Dancing With the Stars" on Monday, performing to "Eye of the Tiger." She wore her signature flower crown and danced in a pink tiger print dress. (The dance even started with her partner, Pasha Pashkov, and tiger props in a cage.) During the show, the family of Lewis and their lawyer, John M. Phillips, ran a commercial seeking justice for Lewis and asking for tips. As of Thursday, it had more than 800,000 views on YouTube. Carole Baskin said Wednesday that it would be wonderful if the commercial could help solve Lewis' disappearance, according to TMZ. Since the commercial was broadcast, Phillips said Thursday, a tip line and his law office had received more than 100 tips. Some of them are "very specific," but he declined to elaborate. Loading A Victorian doctor said PPE guidelines "have been completely inadequate and way too slow." "I work where over 100 people are now infected," the doctor said. "This was completely preventable." Healthcare workers from both states complained about an ongoing lack of fit testing of respirator masks, leaving them exposed through leaks in ill-fitting P2 or N95 masks when they were provided. "Labouring women do not wear a mask - they breathe heavily all over the obstetrician who is between their legs," said a NSW obstetrician, who reported fighting for months with hospital administrators to get a fit-tested N95 mask for use with suspected COVID-19 patients. "This is a failure of leadership," Dr Ananda-Rajah said. "Our organisational leaders who are directly responsible for our safety have steadfastly adhered to a failing strategy that has resulted in over 3200 healthcare worker infections." Australian Medical Association Victorian board member and emergency physician Sarah Whitelaw said an ongoing lack of mask fit testing and slow progress on addressing cramped working spaces risked holding back the state from getting on top of COVID-19. Victoria still has hundreds of infected healthcare workers across its hospitals and aged care facilities, with many more in isolation. Dr Whitelaw said NSW, where a hospital cluster is growing, must heed Victoria's mistakes and "learn from what we've been through." She warned if Victoria dropped the ball on infection control, "we're looking at potentially holding up the rest of the community at being able to come out of restrictions." Loading "Now is the time to throw absolutely everything at this," she said. A group of doctors wrote to NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Health Minister Brad Hazzard and Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant on Friday, urging them to upgrade personal protective equipment guidelines to allow healthcare workers to wear N95 or P2 masks while treating suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases in areas with community transmission. Paediatric cardiologist Kate Jardine, who drafted the letter, said she believed the improvement in healthcare workers infections in Victoria had come as "a result of them bringing in N95 masks", along with improvements such as separating COVID-19 patients. "The biggest travesty was that they kept saying 'a surgical mask will be fine', yet a huge number of doctors wearing surgical masks in Melbourne were infected," she said. "There is so much evidence for aerosol transmission now." Dr Jardine said she wanted fit testing of P2 and N95 masks to be rolled out across NSW and for "all staff and visitors in NSW hospitals to be wearing surgical masks." A NSW Health spokeswoman said the feedback would be considered "in line with our established clinical governance and PPE strategy". Victorian health authorities were initially reluctant to provide the higher level masks unless COVID-19 patients were undergoing aerosol-generating procedures such as intubation, waiting until hundreds of healthcare workers had been infected before agreeing to do so. NSW follows the national guidelines set by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee's Infection Control Expert Group, which say a surgical mask is sufficient for most interactions with COVID-19 patients because airborne particles are not a "significant" mode of transmission. Mr Hunt announced on September 9 that a new panel of frontline staff would be established to work with the national expert body on infection control guidelines, but the panel was yet to be appointed on Saturday. Victoria went beyond the guidelines to give all healthcare workers in hospitals access to P2 and N95 masks while treating patients in COVID-19 wards from July 31. Dr Whitelaw said better governance and leadership was needed so that healthcare workers were listened to and PPE guidelines could be quickly upgraded as needed. - The women politicians who trooped to the young Moi's Baringo home were lead by Kirinyaga Governor Anne Mumbi Waiguru - The move by Gideon to host the women leaders who are allied to the president is seen as a strategise to tame Ruto's growing popularity in the vote-rich region - Gideon has hinted at succeeding Uhuru in 2022 and appears to be keen on wooing the president's backyard to rally behind him - In March 2020, the Baringo senator hosted a delegation of about 1000 leaders from Mt Kenya region Baringo Senator and KANU Party Leader Gideon Moi has hosted 17 women leaders from Mt Kenya region amid simmering 2022 succession politics. The women politicians who trooped to the young Moi's Baringo home were lead by Kirinyaga Governor Anne Mumbi Waiguru. READ ALSO: Muthee Kiengei's 2 wives peacefully celebrate, share cake during daughter's birthday Baringo Senator Gideon Moi with 17 women leaders from Mt Kenya at his Kabarak home. Photo: Sato Emmanuel. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Watu wawili waangamizwa na virusi vya corona huku 152 wakiambukizwa Although details of the meeting held on Sunday, September 20, are still scanty, TUKO.co.ke understands that Gideon has been strategising and revamping his independence party ahead of the 2022 politics. The son of Kenya's second president has hinted at succeeding Uhuru in 2022 and appears to be keen on wooing the president's backyard to rally behind him. READ ALSO: Cate Waruguru sneers at Ruto's hustler narrative: "Come seduce us first" Countering Ruto wave Deputy President William Ruto who is arguably a frontrunner in the race to succeed Uhuru has been making inroads in Mt Kenya region in a bid to popularise his candidature. The move by Gideon to host the leaders who are allied to the president is seen by political observers as a strategise to tame Ruto's growing popularity in the vote-rich region. 17 women leaders from Mt Kenya visit Gideon Moi at his Baringo home. Photo: Sato Emmanuel. Source: Facebook Earlier in the year, the Baringo senator hosted a delegation of about 1000 leaders from Mt Kenya and gave them his word that he would leave no stone unturned ahead of the 2022 contest. The meeting came barely weeks after the senator lost his father, Mzee Daniel Arap Moi, who served as Kenya's second president for a historic period of 24 years. During the burial of the late Moi, Gideon was handed the symbolic sceptre popularly known as Fimbo ya Nyayo and urged to revive Kanu which has been on a downward spiral since Moi retired in 2002. About a month ago, Gideon also hosted a delegation of leaders from Western region led by COTU boss Francis Atwoli, Devolution CS Eugine Wamalwa and Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya. BBI politics Gideon is among top leaders who have thrown their weight behind the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), a report borne out of the handshake deal struck between Uhuru and Opposition leader Raila Odinga. A section of women leaders in the country have been vehemently supporting the documents on grounds that it would enhance equality in representation by addressing the elusive discussion of gender parity. Waiguru is among female politicians who have been vouching for BBI as a policy document that would increase and expand the position of women leadership in the executive. Gideon will be a key player in drumming up support for the report in Rift Valley region considering Ruto appears to have taken a contrary stand. 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. Where is our son? Our only child after six miscarriages is missing, help us find him |Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke The mutilated body of a man was found in a field at Razool village, Koomkalan, on Sunday. Police have identified the deceased as Dalip, a native of Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh. He was a farm labourer in the nearby Pirthipur village. While the preliminary investigation indicated that the body was mutilated by stray dogs, police have sent the body to the Ludhiana civil hospital to establish the cause of death through autopsy. Police said according to Dalips employer, he had left for Razool village for some work on his motorcycle on September 14. But, he never reported back to work since then. On Sunday, a passer-by noticed his body in a field and alerted the police. Inspector Davinder Sharma, SHO, Koomkalan police station, the body had decomposed as it was lying in water for at least five days. The autopsy will clarify the exact cause of death, following which we initiate further legal action, he added. Islamabad: At least four terrorists were killed by security forces in Pakistans restive Balochistan province, the Army said. The security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in the central Makran range of Awaran district on Saturday, the Army said in a statement. Terrorist hideouts including logistic base destroyed while (a) large cache of arms, ammunition and communication equipment recovered, it said. Multiple hideouts and administrative camps of terrorists have also been destroyed, it said. In a separate incident, at least two Army soldiers were killed in exchange of fire with terrorists during an operation in Spalga area of North Waziristan district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on Saturday, the statement said. The troops have cordoned off the area for a search operation. On September 13, the security forces killed terrorist commander Ihsan Ullah alias Ihsan Sanray along with his three accomplices in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. 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 Lugano, Switzerland, 20 September 2020 - Post-operative radiotherapy (PORT) used in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following complete resection and after (neo) adjuvant chemotherapy shows no statistically significant difference in 3-year disease-free survival (DFS), according to data presented at ESMO 2020. These results give the oncology community a long-awaited answer. (1) PORT in completely resected NSCLC patients has been a subject of debate for many years in patients with mediastinal nodal involvement (pN2), since a meta-analysis in 1998 threw doubt on the benefits associated with it. (2) However, more recent times have seen better selection, (neo)-adjuvant chemotherapy in stage III resected patients, as well as improved radiotherapy and more recent non prospective studies suggested modern PORT could improve outcome. (3,4,5,6,7) As such, there was a clear need for a large, randomised trial to assess the role of modern mediastinal PORT in adequately staged and surgically treated patients. This study provides more robust data to help clinicians to decide the best course of action for these patients. The large randomised controlled trial presented at ESMO 2020, explored the role of modern mediastinal PORT in patients with completely resected NSCLC with histo/cytologically proven nodal involvement. A total of 501 patients were entered into the intention-to-treat analysis, of which 252 received PORT over five weeks, and 249 entered the control arm (no PORT). Safety analysis was carried out in 487 patients. Disease-free survival was of 47.1% in the PORT arm and 43.8% in the control arm, thus not statistically significant, with a hazard ratio of = 0.85 (95% CI = [0.67;1.07]; p value = 0.16) for patient receiving PORT compared to control. Overall survival at three years was 66.5% (95% CI = [59;73]) of patients in the PORT arm compared to 68.5% (95% CI = [61;75]) in the control arm. Study author Dr Cecile Le Pechoux, radiation oncologist from Institut Gustave Roussy, Paris, France, said: "PORT cannot be recommended for all patients with stage II and III NSCLC with mediastinal nodal involvement. Possibly, however, for some patients it might be useful because it does decrease the rate of mediastinal relapse by 50%. This must be put into balance with the risk of over-added cardio-pulmonary toxicity. We need to do further analysis to determine if certain patients, in particular, could benefit from it" she added. Prof Rafal Dziadziuszko, radiation oncologist from the Medical University of Gdansk, Poland, commented on the findings. "Radiotherapy to the mediastinum after surgery, after adjuvant chemotherapy shouldn't be recommended as standard of care. This will change the practice of many institutions that adopted standard use of radiotherapy in these patients. We can safely say there is no net benefit from such treatment but there is also potential harm, which we see from this study, so any potential benefits in some patients are offset by the predominantly higher risk of cardiopulmonary toxicities." ### Notes to Editors Please make sure to use the official name of the meeting in your reports: ESMO Virtual Congress 2020 Official Congress Hashtag: #ESMO20 Disclaimer This press release contains information provided by the author of the highlighted abstract and reflects the content of this abstract. It does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of ESMO who cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the data. Commentators quoted in the press release are required to comply with the ESMO Declaration of Interests policy and the ESMO Code of Conduct. References (1) Abstract LBA3_PR 'An international randomized trial, comparing post-operative conformal radiotherapy (PORT) to no PORT, in patients with completely resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and mediastinal N2 involvement. Primary end-point analysis of Lung ART (IFCT-0503, UK NCRI, SAKK) NCT00410683.' will be presented by Cecile Le Pechoux during the Presidential Symposium II, on Sunday, 20 September 2020, 18:30 - 20:25 CEST. Annals of Oncology, Volume 31 Supplement 4, September 2020 (2) PORT Meta-analysis Trialists Group. Postoperative radiotherapy in non small-cell lung cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual patient data from nine randomised controlled trials. Lancet 1998;352: 257-263 (3) Douillard JY, Rosell R, De Lena M, et al: Impact of postoperative radiation therapy on survival in patients with complete resection and stage I, II, or IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer treated with adjuvant chemotherapy: The adjuvant Navelbine International Trialist Association (ANITA) randomized trial. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 72:695-701, 2008 (4) Lally BE, Zelterman D, Colasanto JM, et al: Postoperative radiotherapy for stage II or III non-small-cell lung cancer using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. J Clin Oncol 2006; 24:2998-3006. (5) John L Mikell, Theresa W Gillespie, William A Hall, et al. Postoperative radiotherapy is associated with better survival in non-small cell lung cancer with involved N2 lymph nodes: results of an analysis of the National Cancer Data Base. J Thorac Oncol. 2015;10(3):462-71. doi: 10.1097/JTO.0000000000000411. (6) Robinson CG, Patel AP, Bradley JD, et al: Postoperative radiotherapy for pathologic N2 non-small-cell lung cancer treated with adjuvant chemotherapy: A review of the National Cancer Data Base. J Clin Oncol 2015; 33:870-876. (7) Corso CD, Rutter CE, Wilson LD, Kim AW, Decker RH, Husain ZA. Re-evaluation of the role of postoperative radiotherapy and the impact of radiation dose for non-small-cell lung cancer using the National Cancer Database. J Thorac Oncol. 2015; 10(1):148-55. doi: 10.1097/JTO.0000000000000406. 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 LBA3_PR - An international randomized trial, comparing post-operative conformal radiotherapy (PORT) to no PORT, in patients with completely resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and mediastinal N2 involvement. Primary end-point analysis of Lung ART (IFCT-0503, UK NCRI, SAKK) NCT00410683. C. Le Pechoux1, N. Pourel2, F. Barlesi3, C. Faivre-Finn4, D. Lerouge5, G. Zalcman6, D. Antoni7, B. Lamezec8, U. Nestle9, P. Boisselier10, F. Thillays11, A. Paumier12, E. Dansin13, K. Peignaux14, J. Madelaine15, E. Pichon16, A. Larrouy17, O. Riesterer18, A. Lavole19, A. Bardet20 1Radiation Oncology, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France, 2Radiation Oncology, Institut Sainte Catherine, Avignon, France, 3France and Institut Gustave Roussy, Aix Marseille Universite, Aix-Marseille University, CRCM, APHM, Marseille, Villejuif, CEDEX 20, France, 4Clinical Oncology, The University of Manchester and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK, 5Radiation Oncology, Centre Baclesse, Caen, France, 6Department of Thoracic Oncology and CIC1425, Hopital Bichat-Claude Bernard, Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris, Universite; Paris-Diderot, Paris, France, 7Radiation Oncology, Institut de Cancerologie Strasbourg Europe, Strasbourg, France, 8Radiation Oncology, Clinique Armoricaine de Radiologie, St. Brieuc, France, 9Radiation Oncology, Universitatsklinikum Freiburg Klinik fur Innere Medizin Hamatologie, Onkologie und Stammzelltransplantation, Freiburg Im Breisgau, Germany, 10Radiation Oncology, ICM Regional Cancer Institute of Montpellier, Montpellier, CEDEX 5, France, 11Radiation Oncology, Institut de Cancerologie de l'ouest, Saint Herblain, France, 12Radiation Oncology, ICO Site Paul Papin, Angers, France, 13Medical Oncology, Centre Oscar Lambret, Lille, CEDEX, France, 14Radiation Oncology, Centre Georges Francois Leclerc, Dijon, France, 15Medical Oncology, Centre Hospitalier Caen, Caen, France, 16Pneumology, CHRU Bretonneau, Tours, CEDEX 9, France, 17Radiation Oncology, Centre de Cancerologie Paris Nord, Sarcelles, France, 18Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Zurich and Center for Radiation Oncology KSA-KSB, Cantonal Hospital Aurau, Zurich, Switzerland, 19Pneumology, Hopital Tenon, Paris, France, 20Biostatistics, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France Background: Adjuvant PORT has been controversial since publication of a meta-analysis showing PORT could be deleterious especially in pN0 pN1 pts. However, changes have taken place in the management of stage IIIAN2 NSCLC pts including use of adjuvant chemotherapy (CT), patients' workup, quality of surgery and radiotherapy. Therefore the role of PORT warranted further investigations in high risk pts. Methods: LungART is a multi-institutional randomized phase III trial comparing mediastinal PORT (54 Gy/27-30 fractions) to no PORT. Pts were eligible if they were PS 0-2, had a complete resection with nodal exploration, proven N2 disease; prior (neo)-adjuvant CT was allowed. The main end-point was disease-free survival (DFS). 500 pts and 292 events were required to show an improvement in DFS from 30% to 42% with PORT (bilateral test). Secondary endpoints included toxicity, local control, patterns of recurrence, overall survival (OS), second cancers, prognostic and predictive factors of treatment effect. Results: Between August 2007 and July 2018, 501 patients were randomized after surgery or after CT: 252 pts allocated to PORT, and 249 to CA. Median age was 61 (range=36-85), 66% male, histology: mostly adenocarcinoma (73%) and work-up included PET scan in 91% pts. Most patients received CT (post op 77%, pre-op 18%). Analysis for DFS was performed with a median FU of 4.8 yrs; toxicity evaluated on 487 pts (246 in CA). Early and late Gr 3-5 cardio-pulmonary toxicity was respectively 7 and 20% in PORT vs 3,2 and 7,7 % in CA. DFS hazard ratio was 0.85 (95% CI 0.67; 1.07); p=0.16; median DFS was 30.5 months in PORT arm [24;48] and 22.8 in CA [17;37]; 3-year DFS was 47.1% with PORT vs 43.8% with no PORT. 3-year OS was 66.5% with PORT vs 68.5% with no PORT. Conclusions: LungART is the first European randomized study evaluating modern PORT after complete resection, in pts selected predominantly with PET scan and having received (neo)adjuvant CT. 3-year DFS was higher than expected in both arms and PORT was associated with a non-statistically significant 15% increase in DFS among stage IIIAN2 pts. Clinical trial identification: NCT00410683 Legal entity responsible for the study: Gustave Roussy Funding: French National Cancer Institute (INCa), French Health Ministry (PHRC), Gustave Roussy and CRUK grant (A13969). Disclosure: C. Le Pechoux: Honoraria (institution): Amgen; Honoraria (institution), Advisory/Consultancy: Astra Zeneca; Honoraria (institution): Lilly; Honoraria (self): PrimeOncology; Honoraria (institution): Medscape; Honoraria (institution), Advisory/Consultancy: Roche; Honoraria (institution), Advisory/Consultancy: Nanobiotix. F. Barlesi: Honoraria (self), Personal Fees: Astra Zeneca; Honoraria (self): Bayer; Honoraria (self): Bristol-Myers Squibb; Honoraria (self): Boehringer-Ingelheim; Honoraria (self): Eli Lilly Oncology; Honoraria (self): F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd; Honoraria (self): Novartis; Honoraria (self): Merck; Honoraria (self): MSD; Honoraria (self): Pierre Fabre; Honoraria (self): Pfizer ; Honoraria (self): Takeda. C. Faivre-Finn: Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution): Astra Zeneca; Research grant/Funding (institution): Elekta. G. Zalcman: Research grant/Funding (institution): Fondation Roche; Honoraria (self), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Astra Zeneca; Honoraria (self), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: BMS; Honoraria (self): MSD; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Inventiva; Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Roche; Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Abbvie; Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Pfizer; Advisory/Consultancy: Da Volterra. J. Madelaine: Honoraria (self), Dr JM received support: Astra Zeneca; Honoraria (self): Chugai Pharma; Honoraria (self): Pfizer; Honoraria (self): Boehringer Ingelheim; Honoraria (self): MSD France; Honoraria (self): Roche SAS; Honoraria (self): Actelion; Honoraria (self): GSK; Honoraria (self): Bristol-Myers Squibb. A. Bardet: Advisory/Consultancy: Roche. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest. PHILADELPHIA - Joe Biden on Sunday slammed President Donald Trump and leading Senate Republicans for trying to jam through a replacement for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and urged more senators to stand with a pair of GOP colleagues who oppose the election-season rush. The extraordinary televised plea from the Democratic presidential candidate to Republican senators reflected the ferocious manoeuvring that has followed Ginsburgs death at 87 on Friday. Her passing upended a campaign that had, until then, focused on Trumps handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the nations economic collapse and racial unrest that has stoked protests in U.S. cities. Trump has said he intends within days to name a woman to succeed the liberal icon, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was moving ahead swiftly with plans for confirmation hearings and votes. Just hours before Biden spoke, a second Republican senator, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, joined Sen. Susan Collins of Maine in opposing efforts to fill Ginsburgs seat before the next president is elected. It takes four Republicans to break ranks to keep Trumps nominee off the court. Attention quickly focused on Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, who voted to convict Trump on one count of impeachment, and Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, a former chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Biden acknowledged that those Republicans and others like them were his target audience when he warned that Trumps plan was an abuse of power. Uphold your constitutional duty, your conscience, said Biden, speaking in battleground Pennsylvania. Let the people speak. Cool the flames that have engulfed our country. There was little chance of calm overtaking the historic campaign as early voting progressed and the death toll from the virus reached 200,000 Americans. Just before Murkowski joined Collins, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi referred to the House having options she did not name to stall or prevent the Senate from confirming Ginsburgs successor to the lifetime job. We have arrows in our quiver that Im not about to discuss right now, Pelosi said on ABCs This Week. The House has no formal role in the confirmation of Supreme Court justices. But Pelosi would not rule out a new round of impeachment proceedings that might divert the Senates attention. That route seemed unlikely. Meanwhile, Murkowski raised by one the number of Republicans opposing a rush to confirmation. For weeks, I have stated that I would not support taking up a potential nomination as the presidential election neared. Sadly, she said, what was then a hypothetical is now our reality, but my position has not changed. Collins, meanwhile, said the next president should name Ginsburgs replacement. Republicans hold a 53-47 edge in the Senate. If there were a 50-50 tie, it could be broken by Vice-President Mike Pence. There is another potential wrinkle: Because Arizonas Senate race is a special election, that seat could be filled as early as Nov. 30. If the winner is Democrat Mark Kelly, that would narrow the window for McConnell. Trump has said he is obligated to act as soon as possible and had at least two women in mind for the seat. Most Republicans concurred on the need for speed and one named a practical reason: The nine-member court, argued Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, must be full if called upon to decide the outcome of a disputed presidential election. But Biden and other Democrats said voters should choose the next president, who should pick Ginsburgs successor. Health care, abortion rights and religious freedom are on the line, they said. Biden, who has run on uniting the country after Trumps divisive tenure, warned against more upheaval. The last thing we need is a constitutional crisis that plunges us deeper into the abyss and deeper into the darkness, he said. He acknowledged that if Trump wins, his pick should be approved. But he added, If I win this election, President Trumps nominee should be withdrawn and as the new president I should be the one to nominate Justice Ginsburgs successor. Nonetheless, the process for replacing her moved swiftly ahead. On a call with McConnell, R-Ky., late Saturday, Trump mentioned two federal appeals court judges: Amy Coney Barrett and Barbara Lagoa, according to a person familiar with the private conversation who was not authorized to publicly discuss the call and spoke on condition of anonymity. To the chants of Fill that seat, Trump told supporters at an event Saturday night in North Carolina that he would nominate a woman as soon as this week. We win an election and those are the consequences, said Trump, who then seemed to signal that hed be willing to accept a vote on his nominee during the lame-duck period after the election. We have a lot of time. We have plenty of time. Were talking about January 20th when the next president is inaugurated. Democrats have denounced McConnells move to push ahead as hypocritical, pointing out that he refused to call hearings for President Barack Obamas nominee, Merrick Garland, 237 days before the 2016 election. If the court were to take cases with eight justices, 4-4 ties would revert the decision to a lower court; for instance, the Affordable Care Act could then be struck down by a lower Texas court. ___ This story has been corrected to show that McConnell was moving ahead swiftly with plans for confirmation hearings and votes, not moving toward hearings to begin this week. Stacey Young gives her daughter, Kylee Potts, a piggyback ride across the flooding Stewart Beach parking lot in Galveston, Texas, on Sept. 19, 2020. (Stuart Villanueva/The Galveston County Daily News via AP) Tropical Storm Beta Churns Slowly Toward Texas and Louisiana HOUSTONTropical Storm Beta slowly crawled toward the shores of Texas and Louisiana on Sunday, stirring worries that it could bring heavy rain, flooding and storm surge to a storm-weary stretch of the Gulf Coast. Beta was one of three named storms whirling in the Atlantic basin during an exceptionally busy hurricane season. If the system makes landfall in Texaswhich forecasters predict it will late Monday or early Tuesdayit would be the ninth named storm to make landfall in the continental United States in 2020. That would tie a record set in 1916, according to Colorado State hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. As of late Sunday morning, Beta was aiming to make landfall along the middle or upper Texas coast but was no longer expected to reach hurricane intensity, according to the National Weather Service. Flooding from rainfall was expected to be the major threat from Beta, which after making landfall was expected to move northeastward along the coast Tuesday through Thursday before heading into Louisiana. Waves crash as Houston resident Tinh Pham fishes from the rocks at Diamond Beach on the west end of the Galveston Seawall in Galveston, Texas, on Sept. 19, 2020. (Stuart Villanueva/The Galveston County Daily News via AP) Coastal communities began preparing for Beta over the weekend, with the Texas city of Galveston and surrounding Galveston County issuing voluntary evacuation orders on Saturday. Seabrook, north of Galveston, issued its own order. Craig Brown, the mayor pro tem of Galveston, said in a statement that high tides and up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of expected rainfall would leave roads impassable, especially in the west end and low-lying areas of the city. Judge Mark Henry, the top elected official for Galveston County, said Saturday that a mandatory evacuation order isnt expected, but that he was concerned about the damage that storm surge could cause and suggested that people find a safer place to wait out the storm, if possible. If you can survive in your home for three or four days without power and electricity, which were not even sure thats going to happen, youre OK, Henry said. If its uncomfortable or you need life support equipment, maybe go somewhere else. Beta was churning slowly through the Gulf late Sunday morning about 180 miles (290 kilometers) southeast of Galveston, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph) and was moving west-northwestward at 3 mph (6 kph). Houston resident Lupe Don removes his flip-flops while moving his car from the flooding Stewart Beach parking lot in Galveston, Texas, on Sept. 19, 2020. (Stuart Villanueva/The Galveston County Daily News via AP) Little change in strength was expected as the system approached Texas, forecasters said. Earlier predictions showed Beta could reach hurricane strength before making landfall. A tropical storm warning was in effect for a stretch of coastline stretching from Port Aransas, about 165 miles (265 kilometers southwest of Galveston, to Morgan City, Louisiana, 80 miles (128 kilometers) west of New Orleans. A hurricane watch, a tropical storm watch and a storm surge watch were all discontinued Sunday morning. In Lake Charles, Louisiana, where thousands of people remained without power more than three weeks after Hurricane Laura slammed into the coast, there were concerns that Beta could super-soak the region again. Up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain could fall in some parts of the area, Donald Jones, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Lake Charles, said during a Saturday briefing. A lot of people have been saying, Is this going to be like Harvey? Is this going to be like Imelda?' Jones said. Were not talking about rainfall totals yet that are on the orders of magnitude that we saw with that. Imelda, which struck southeastern Texas in 2019, was one of the wettest cyclones on record. Harvey dumped more than 50 inches (127 centimeters) of rain on Houston in 2017 and caused major flooding and damage. However, if the storm ends up moving a bit slower than whats being forecast now, rainfall totals could exceed 20 inches, Jones said. Harvey was a very specific and unique event, but we are talking about the same idea in terms of very heavy, heavy rainfall, he said. Forecasters were predicting up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) of storm surge from Port Aransas to the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge near Lake Charles. Strong winds, and life-threatening surf and rip current conditions were also expected. This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image taken shows Tropical Storm Beta, center, in the Gulf of Mexico, on Sept. 19, 2020. (NOAA via AP) Forecasters ran out of traditional storm names on Friday, forcing the use of the Greek alphabet for only the second time since the 1950s. Meanwhile, Hurricane Teddy remained a powerful hurricane Sunday, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph) and moving northwestward at 9 mph (14 kph). Teddy was centered 300 miles (515 kilometers) south-southeast of Bermuda less than a week after Hurricane Paulette made landfall in the wealthy British territory. A tropical storm warning was in effect for Bermuda. Tropical Storm Wilfred was still at sea but was expected to dissipate by Tuesday. Parts of the Alabama coast and Florida Panhandle were still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Sally, which roared ashore on Wednesday. At least two deaths were blamed on the system. Roughly 82,300 were still without power in the Florida Panhandle on Saturday. Gulf Power said 95 percent of its customers in hardest hit Escambia and Santa Rosa counties will have power restored by the end of the day Tuesday. The Salvation Army was distributing roughly 10,000 meals Saturday at 10 locations throughout the Panhandle. By Juan A. Lozano COLUMBIA Proposals to make raffles legal again, consolidate two tiny school districts and make it easier to get a flu shot are expected to head to Gov. Henry McMaster's desk in the final week of this year's legislative session. While the Legislature created the late special session to make decisions on COVID-19 aid and state spending, other measures that haven't received much attention are advancing, too. There's not much time left. Any measure that doesn't cross the finish line before the gavel falls Thursday is officially dead and must be re-introduced after legislators return in January for the process to start all over. Here's a look at some smaller bills legislators are wrapping up. Nonprofit raffles School raffles and church cakewalks officially became illegal again June 30, 5-and-a-half years after voters overwhelmingly approved letting nonprofits raise money by selling tickets for a prize. Before voters' wishes were ratified in 2015, the only legal raffle in South Carolina was the state lottery. Just putting the question on the ballot was a years-long effort. With all the handwringing over raffles morphing into full-out gambling, legislators put a sunset clause in the law that specified how they could legally operate, so if any unintended consequences arose, raffles would automatically become a crime again in 2020. No problems have surfaced, legislators say. But COVID-19 ended the regular session before they could deal with the expiration date. "It left a lot of nonprofits in a jam," said its main sponsor, Sen. Greg Hembree, R-Little River, a former solicitor. "It's kind of a double whammy. These are nonprofits having a hard enough time right now raising money. They can't do the normal fundraising event, but they can do a raffle without bringing a bunch of people in a room together." A bill deleting the sunset provision and ensuring raffles held since June which comply with the expired law don't result in charges passed the House unanimously Wednesday. It also doubles the maximum value of a raffled prize to $80,000. The Senate is expected to concur this week. "During COVID, this is probably one of the smartest things we could do," said Rep. Weston Newton, R-Bluffton, who explained the measure to his colleagues. "Nonprofits need raffles more than ever to help folks." Consolidating districts A bill merging rural Hampton County's two school districts as of July 1, 2021, needs just one vote from the only legislator who lives and attended public schools in the county. The two senators who represent parts of it, and filed the bill, gave their blessing Wednesday. Rep. Shedron Williams, D-Hampton, said the merger puts to bed decades of racial, political and economic divisions between two districts literally separated by a bridge over a swamp. A consolidation attempt in 1983 lasted just seven days before the "powers that be" put a stop to it, said the 1995 graduate of Wade Hampton High in the larger Hampton district. Sign up for updates! Get the latest political news from The Post and Courier in your inbox. Email Sign Up! "The world is changing. Our kids, regardless of what our parents and grandparents felt, this generation is living as human beings. Were all friends," he said. Noting the announcement earlier this month of a company expected to hire 1,500 people, he said the merger will allow for more programs that prepare students for jobs he hopes transform his poor, rural county. Legislators have made a renewed push in the last few years to encourage the state's tiniest districts to merge, last year offering them a chunk of $50 million as an incentive if they did and threatening to force a merger later without the aid if they don't. Hampton 2 in Estill, with fewer than 700 students, fell under the target of 1,500 students. Hampton 1, with 2,100, is over that threshold, but its leaders wanted to participate. Hampton County is set to receive $10 million toward a career center shared with Allendale County students once the consolidation bill becomes law. Hampton 1 Superintendent Ronald Wilcox hopes it's a down payment toward the $37 million total the two districts sought to also build a combined high school. "This is something that will be good for the county and the children we serve here," Wilcox said. "If youre limited in funding, you just do what you can do with whats available. But if youve pooled your funds, you can get quality programs. We wont be competing for teachers like we have in the past. Well be one unit working together." Flu shots A bill enabling pharmacists to give a flu shot to South Carolinians of any age received final approval in the Senate on Thursday. Legislative leaders will add their signatures next week, sending it to McMaster's desk. The idea was to expand access to flu shots and other vaccines beyond a doctor's office and without requiring a prescription. It came from a doctor who moved from Virginia to Columbia and was shocked by South Carolina's vaccine barriers. Currently, pharmacists can give a flu shot only to people 12 and over. Rep. Kirkman Finlay, R-Columbia, said one of his constituents asked, "Why are we making it hard for people, especially in rural and underserved communities, to get their kids vaccinated?" "That's a great question," he responded. He pre-filed the bill last November, months before the pandemic put vaccines on everyone's mind. Health care experts are urging everyone to get a flu shot this year since COVID-19 symptoms often mimic the flu. "We want to do everything we can to make sure people get vaccines and they are readily available," Finlay said. "Let's pull as many healthy people out of the doctors office as we possibly can." Narayan Mitra died on July 16 in Indias northeastern Assam state. His death came one day after going to the hospital with a high temperature and breathing difficulties. Test results later showed that Mitra had been infected with the coronavirus. But his name never appeared on any of the official lists of those killed by the coronavirus. Doctors said the virus was an incidental influence on his death. They said his death was caused by a neurological disorder. The Associated Press reports that Indias national government has asked states not to say an underlying condition caused a patients death in cases where COVID-19 has been confirmed by tests. India has recorded more than 5.1 million COVID-19 infections. That is ahead of all other countries except the United States. It has recorded more than 83,000 COVID-related deaths. That is lower than expected considering its number of infections. Indias Health Ministry said this is evidence of its success in fighting the coronavirus. It has also said the low number of deaths is a reason for easing restrictions and reopening the economy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a nationwide lockdown in March. But some experts say the numbers are misleading and that India is not counting many deaths. We are undercounting deaths by an unknown factor, said Dr. T. Jacob John, a retired virus expert. The Health Ministry has dismissed earlier accusations that it undercounts deaths. But it refused to comment this week on whether states were reporting all suspected and confirmed deaths from the virus. Dr. Prabhat Jha is a disease expert at the University of Toronto in Canada. He said countries should overestimate death numbers -- not underestimate them -- if they want to make progress in fighting the virus. It is better to have no estimate than an underestimate, Jha said. Indias Health Ministry recommends that states record all suspected virus deaths. That includes cases were the patient likely died of COVID-19 but was not tested for it. But these are only guidelines and many states are not following them. Mahrashtra is Indias worst affected state, with more than 1 million cases. There, suspected deaths are not recorded, said the states health director Dr. Archana Patil. Other states, like Assam, have created groups of doctors who separate real virus deaths from those caused by underlying diseases. In some cities, like New Delhi or Mumbai, these doctor groups sometimes add missed deaths to the count. Dr. Anup Kumar Barman heads the doctor group in Assam. He said Assam state is not including many deaths where the virus is listed as incidental and not the cause of death. Assam state has recorded over 147,000 infections but fewer than 500 deaths. Those numbers are current as of September 16. In Mitras case, he had more signs of his neurological disorder, Barman said. He added that Assam state was following the national guidelines. Mitra was not included as a coronavirus victim because his death was not caused by breathing failure, pneumonia or blood clots, Barman added. The guidelines list these problems as possible results of the virus, but other problems are possible as well. P.V. Ramesh used to lead COVID-19 management for Andhra Pradesh state in southern India. He said coronavirus deaths that happen at home, in transit or while arriving at hospitals dont get counted. The low number of reported deaths has resulted in people thinking the virus is not dangerous, said Dr. Anant Bhan, a public health researcher. This has led people to not take protective measures such as wearing face coverings or keeping social distance, Bhan said. Workers at crematoriums in the country have reported an increase in receiving bodies whether from the virus or not. At a crematorium in the Indian city of Lucknow, worker Bhupesh Soni said 30 bodies were being cremated every day, compared to five or six before the health crisis. One cremation normally takes about 45 minutes. Soni said there have been days when he has worked for over 20 hours. It is an endless flow of bodies, he said. Im Ashley Thompson. Andiruddha Ghosal and Sheikh Salliq reported this story for the Associated Press. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. _______________________________________________________ Words in This Story neurological adj. related to the nervous system which includes the spinal cord, nerves and the brain underlying adj. something that is the basis or cause of something pneumonia n. a serious infection of the lungs (blood) clot n. blockage or barrier of dried blood that prevents the flow of blood through its passageways in the body management n. overseeing and dealing with the problems of a large task transit n. the act of moving from one place to another crematoriums n. a place where bodies of the dead are turned to ash We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. Last month I visited Wareham, my home town in Dorset. While there, I sat on the quay by the river Frome watching kids jumping into the water in the sunshine. If Id done the same as them back in the 1950s, my mother would have half killed me. Polio, which was a scourge, could be caught from raw sewage, and the Frome and the nearby appropriately named Piddle rivers were full of it, thanks to the cows of south Dorset, which were productive in every department. During my trip I also visited the graves of my uncle Ronald and aunt Una. I never met them, because they died in infancy in the 1920s from an outbreak of diphtheria. A school nurse giving boys from the Licensed Victuallers School, Slough, their daily anti-flu gargle. David Mellor says: 'There is a great danger now that we are talking ourselves into a panic and that the fear of Covid-19 is far worse than the virus itself.' Unlike Covid-19, diphtheria liked its victims young. It was known popularly as the Strangling Angel, the biggest killer of children under 14 at that time. My grandfather was still recovering from being gassed in the trenches but he, a railway guard, and my grandmother just kept working hard and bringing up their two other children, including of course my mother. They didnt make a fuss and nor did anyone else. It was just the way things were. So why, Id like to ask, cant we behave the same now? Today more than ten million people are effectively locked down once again. It looks very much as though pubs and restaurants everywhere will soon have curfews. We will be asked not to mix with other households, despite the loneliness and misery that enforced isolation causes, particularly to the most vulnerable. And if we do not obey these nannying rules, then we face the prospect of arrest. This was not how we faced down illness in the past, when we were expected to get on with the business of living. We took responsibility for our own actions and the risks we wanted to take. There is a great danger now that we are talking ourselves into a panic and that the fear of Covid-19 is far worse than the virus itself. Boris Johnson is quite right when he says another lockdown would be a disaster for the British economy. But hes drifting into one just the same. All very Boris. He cant even get the kind of camel right in yet another of his orotund analogies to justify this nonsense. Its a Bactrian not a dromedary that has two humps. So go to the naughty step Boris and while youre there, help me with this one. A week ago you were promoting Operation Moonshot, a plan to test ten million Brits every day. But as it turns out, thats all moonshine. Six days later the testing system was described as riddled with chaos and inefficiency, the testing tsar Baroness Harding seems to have got nothing done over the summer and symptom-free people have been told to stay away and wont get tested for the foreseeable future. David Mellor, pictured, says Boris Johnson needs o ask himself 'a few fundamental questions': Why is he so afraid of a virus that kills one in a hundred of its victims? And what is his strategy? Its the way Boris tells them. Those flowery, rhetorical flourishes from a man who is still, at heart a columnist, rather than a Prime Minister introducing and carrying through genuinely effective policies. As Benjamin Disraeli once observed: The British people require grave statesmen. Not what were getting at the moment. Instead of a torrent of words, what is surely needed is a coherent, realistic, achievable policy before the public give up on Boris altogether. And that policy cannot be based on running away from Covid. And yet Boris is holed up in Downing Street right now working on a shutdown of London for at least a fortnight. Catastrophic. Boris sees himself as a Churchillian figure, so let me remind him of a magnificent piece of Churchillian phrase-making, when denouncing the hopelessness of the Chamberlain government in the 1930s: Decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all- powerful to be impotent. As a description of Boriss own government, its not half bad. The thing about Churchill is he saw further than his contemporaries. Does Boris? I dont think Churchill would have missed five emergency Cobra meetings in January, apparently to sort out domestic problems, when there was still time to take effective action against this newly emergent threat. And would Churchill have allowed more than 20 million people to flood through Britains airports in the following three months without any medical checks whatsoever, allowing the virus to take root and spread? Only when the damage was done were panicky quarantine measures introduced, so arbitrary, they are in the main ignored. And by then not only was the virus on the rampage, but the most devastating economic harm the nation has suffered since the war a 20 per cent fall in GDP in the second quarter of 2020 came about as the direct result of the lockdown. But this unprecedented economic pain hasnt done the trick, has it? Within a matter of weeks there were moles to whack, and camel humps to flatten. And, lets not forget, hundreds of billions have been spent in temporary mitigation of the consequences of the lockdown. What we have seen is the worst deterioration in the public finances ever experienced in this country in so short a time. The effect on living standards will be inescapable. Health will deteriorate and life expectancy will fall. When I was Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 1990, national debt was 20 per cent of annual GDP. Now its over 100 per cent, and if we blunder into yet another lockdown, Rishi Sunak will be pressured into further spending, and anything on that scale will be absolutely ruinous. Which is why, of course, even Boris acknowledges how disastrous for the economy that would be. But he seems impotent to stop himself being dragged back into a lockdown, almost by default. Impotence is an insulting charge to level at such an alpha male as Boris, but I do so, and so will millions of others. Watching Ministers chasing around last week, unable to get even a test and trace scheme to work, is risible. These are people seemingly incapable of organising a drinks party in a brewery. So its surely time for Boris to ask himself a few fundamental questions. Such as this: why is he so afraid of a virus that kills one in a hundred of its victims? The Black Death killed 50 per cent. The public know this, and they know the limited impact that Covid has on young and middle-aged people. Anyone under the age of 45 has almost as big a chance of being killed by a meteorite as dying from Covid. Much worse for these folk is losing their jobs, and being thrown onto the unemployment scrapheap. What is Boriss strategy? Is it, as I fear, to keep us in a state of terrified limbo until such time as a vaccine appears? Which might be never. If that is the truth about what the Prime Minister and his Chief Medical Officer privately intend, then it is nothing short of a disgrace. Now is the time to stand up to this virus, as previous generations did. Some 250,000 people died in the Spanish Flu epidemic at the end of the First World War, but the country just got on with it. Up to seven times as many people have been dying from the flu as from Covid-19, yet we hear nothing about their deaths. Isnt it time we stood up to Covid, Boris? Time to be a real Churchill and stop being King Canute? This virus cannot be halted in its tracks, however many lockdowns you impose. This stop-go nonsense brings whole communities to a grinding halt, destroys lives and livelihoods and threatens the prosperity of each and every family in the land. More of this, Boris, can only spell failure for you, reputational catastrophe and, in due course, electoral oblivion. The dismissed captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt claims he knew he was likely ending his military career when he sent his now infamous email warning to top Navy officials about the coronavirus outbreak on board. Navy Capt. Brett Crozier, 50, said that he knew the 'red flare' would jeopardize his position when he broke protocol in sending the letter, but he felt it had to be done to save lives aboard the ship as the outbreak worsened. In a witness statement Crozier made in May obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle, he said he felt compelled to take action as part of an urgent effort to help avoid a 'larger catastrophe'. Recorded during the Navy's investigation into his dismissal, the statement outlines Crozier's thinking when he sent the March email that upended the military world. Navy Capt. Brett Crozier, 50, said that he knew the 'red flare' would jeopardize his position when he broke protocol in sending letter warning of the worsening conditions of the coronavirus outbreak onboard his ship the USS Theodore Roosevelt in March USS Theodore Roosevelt finally arrives back in San Diego after seven months at sea, a COVID outbreak and an ousted captain. In a witness statement made in May Capt. Brett Crozier said that he knew he could possibly end his career with a letter to top brass about the outbreak Crozier was hit with condemnation for the letter from the top Navy admiral overseeing the nuclear aircraft carrier and also faced criticism from President Donald Trump. Crozier, a native of Santa Rosa, California, was stripped of his position in early April but received a rousing hero's sendoff from his crew, who credited him with saving their lives. A frustrated Crozier sent the letter on March 30, saying that more needed to be done to remove 5,000 sailors from the carrier docked in Guam. More than 1,200 sailors, more than one in five, eventually tested positive for the virus, including Crozier, who spent a month in Guam in isolation. Several were hospitalized and one died from COVID-19 complications. Crozier said he sent the email through unclassified channels because of quickly worsening conditions that demanded urgent action. Navy officers said that led to the memo being leaked and jeopardized sensitive talks with Guam officials to house sailors in hotel rooms. They said he was removed for poor handling of the breakout and for going outside the chain of command. 'My intent in sending the email... was to bring a sense of urgency to a rapidly deteriorating and potentially deadly situation onboard the (Theodore Roosevelt) and avoid a larger catastrophe and loss of life,' Crozier said in the witness statement. USS Theodore Roosevelt arriving back to San Diego after the outbreak onboard 'From my perspective, even just one more week of routine planning would have resulted in another week of exponential growth in positive cases and greater risk to more Sailors. We wanted to stop the administrative bureaucracy... so I sent up a red flare,' he said. The conditions on board the Roosevelt became public when the San Francisco Chronicle reported on the email. According to the Chronicle, the investigation into Crozier's dismissal showed that much of Crozier's crew was fiercely loyal to the captain and suspicious of his firing. Some even questioned if he had only been fired because of Trump's criticism. 'I feel (Crozier) was willing to fall on his sword to show that appropriate actions were not being taken. ... I think that he was relieved because of a political decision by Modly or possibly at the OSD/POTUS level,' said Roosevelt Executive Officer Capt. Daniel Keeler in his witness statement. He added that the captain's dismissal was like 'dropping a nuclear bomb in the middle of an ongoing crisis'. Capt. Brett Crozier had the support of much of his crew despite his dismissal Theodore Roosevelt's COVID-negative crew returned from quarantine beginning on April 29 and began making preparations to return to sea, as pictured Crozier's bosses were extremely critical of his actions, however. Vice Admiral William Merz, commander of the U.S. Seventh Fleet, told investigators that Crozier either did not understand military efforts underway to evacuate the crowded ship or wanted to undermine those efforts. Merz hypothesized that Crozier screwed up and panicked, or wanted to play hero. 'Based on the regular and timely feed of information to him and his team, either he wasn't listening, could not comprehend, or maliciously undermined the response,' Merz told investigators. 'When he did act, he did so in a way arguably the most inappropriate possible and in spite of all other avenues being available. All fatal flaws not fit for command.' 'Either way, he surrendered, and brings into question his resiliency and toughness in command,' Merz added. In April, the Navy recommended Crozier's reinstatement but after a deeper investigation the decision was made in June to maintain his dismissal. Officials said he could only be reassigned and was ineligible for future command posts. In his May 8 witness statement, Crozier described how the first three cases were found on board in mid-March, beginning 'Bleachapalooza' in an attempt to prevent the outbreak worsening. Sailors from the USS Theodore Roosevelt who have tested negative for coronavirus and are asymptomatic carry food supply boxes for sailors at local hotels in an effort to implement social distancing and stop the spread of the virus in Guam There was a twice daily scrubbing with all hands, and infected sailors and those with close contacts were isolated in the aft of the ship. The captain would later be criticized for prematurely releasing sailors from that quarantine zone, possibly spreading the virus among the rest of the ship. However, his second in command, Keeler, said the spread had already taken hold. 'We had some true human suffering in aft berthing. Conditions were poor,' Keeler told investigators. 'I regret attempting it and would not do it again.' As conditions worsened, Crozier said he was told to expect a call from Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday on March 28, but the call was canceled. 'The phone call might have provided a more thorough understanding of wider Navy efforts to combat the virus onboard and with our crew, allowed me to communicate our desire to get Sailors into effective isolation quarters ashore, and instilled confidence that the situation was being rapidly addressed at the appropriate levels,' Crozier told investigators. By March 30 he was too frustrated not to take action, he said. 'I believe everyone involved was well intentioned, but some up the chain of command were proceeding more slowly than I would have liked and getting unnecessarily wrapped up in the status quo of (plan) development,' he said. 'From my perspective, even just one more week of routine planning would have resulted in another week of exponential growth in positive cases and greater risk to more Sailors. We wanted to stop the administrative bureaucracy ... so I sent up a red flare.' When he was dismissed, Crozier was told it happened not because he asked for help but because he broke the chain in command. Yet Crozier argued he sent the email through unclassified channels because speed was of the essence at that time and quicker to read than on a government smartphone. '(Merz's) staff was still trying to bound the problem, and information flow there suggested they might see the email as a hindrance to normal staff work (versus) see it as a red flare,' Crozier told investigators. 'In hindsight, there was no good reason for not including (Merz) and I suspect that he would have been as responsive as everyone else was.' Crozier was dismissed from command April 3 after a phone call with Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly who was upset the cpatain hadn't 'reached out to him personally about my continuing concerns'. He said that Modly visited him in quarantine in Guam and said he relieved him of duty because 'he lost trust and confidence in me.' Crozier has been temporarily reassigned to San Diego, where he will serve as the special assistant to the Naval Air Forces chief of staff. Baroness Joan Bakewell has said she was sexually assaulted early in her career by a junior government minister. In an interview with Times Radio, to be broadcast at midday on Sunday, the 87-year-old broadcaster described the sexism she faced over her decades-long career at the BBC. The Labour Party peer, who is a supporter of the MeToo movement, described being the victim of unwanted attention in the 1950s and 1960s. I was the victim of unwelcome attention all the time but so were all women, she said. Baroness Bakewell revealed an incident involving a junior government minister who had to be fended off after he grabbed her. The minister in question has since died. "I was assaulted by a member of the government in a taxi when I went to fetch him from the House of Commons to come on the programme," she said. "You know, this kind of thing happened. It happened all the time." Responding to a question about whether she went to the police, the presenter said it would have been pointless, explaining: "They would've said, well, that's just to do with your private life, you're alright, he's not done anything that breaks the law." The broadcaster, whose career spans over half a century, said there had also been a culture of sexism and harassment at the BBC. She said it would have been futile to discuss harassment with senior members of the BBC "because they would be doing the same thing". The journalist told of an attempt by a group of women at the BBC to file a complaint against a man who was later promoted pretty near the top. "There was someone who was persistently harassing a whole department of women as it were, one by one," she said. "He would invite them home and behave badly and they began to tell each other. "They began to share the secret with each other and found it hateful and so they decided that they would all get together and as a group make a protest about this person. "And they went to the head of department and it eventually went up to, I think as far as the controller, and the person was reprimanded and then he was promoted." The broadcaster said that although there were several predators at the BBC, nobody knew about Jimmy Saville at the time, but everyone thought he was extremely weird. Baroness Bakewell has presented programmes including Late Night Line-Up and Heart Of The Matter. She accepted a peerage from Ed Miliband in 2011, despite voting for the Green Party in the previous election due to her opposition over the Iraq War. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died of pancreatic cancer at age 87 on Friday, made the impossible look easy. One of a handful of women at Harvard Law School, she earned a spot on Law Review and graduated from Columbia at the top of her class, despite spending a year nursing her husband through cancer while caring for her young daughter. She built a career as a distinguished attorney and professor when top law firms and judges refused to hire a woman, a mother, and a Jew. As an advocate, she persuaded a court that a decade earlier had denied women the right to a jury of their peers to recognize equal protection of the laws regardless of sex. She won nearly unanimous Senate confirmation to the Supreme Court despite her long record of feminist advocacy and unapologetic defense of abortion rights. She overcame three kinds of cancer over two decades to serve 40 years on the federal bench, including more than a quarter-century on the Supreme Court. She never relinquished her ideal of collegiality, even as the nations politics fractured into bitter partisanship. READ MORE: Ruth Bader Ginsburg lauded in Philly as a legal and feminist icon whose voice soared above the rest But what made Justice Ginsburg a leader and jurist for the ages is not these individual accomplishments, remarkable as they are. Rather, it was her fight to make the paths she forged accessible to all Americans. Ginsburg knew her own achievements required access to the university education denied to her mother, so she worked to open the doors of higher education to young people who lack the racial and economic privilege her own generation of white Jewish women began to enjoy. Ginsburg often said that her ability to combine a pathbreaking legal career with a rich family life depended upon the steadfast support of a financially and emotionally secure husband who nurtured his wifes ambitions, cooked gourmet meals, and participated in caring for their children. But she also understood that most families lacked the economic means to afford a comfortable home and domestic help, and relied on social insurance in hard times and old age. Ginsburg and her colleagues persuaded the Supreme Court that when the government gave housing, employment, and survivors benefits to wives and not husbands, they devalued womens work outside the home and mens caregiving labor within it. READ MORE: Honor Ruth Bader Ginsburgs legacy by waiting to replace her until after 2020 election | Editorial Ginsburg famously hid her second pregnancy from her employer by wearing loose clothing. But she also recognized that most working women could not avoid discrimination based on pregnancy and caregiving responsibilities. She devoted her career as an advocate to battling workplace discrimination, occupational segregation, pay inequities, and exclusion. As a judge, she championed plaintiffs like Lilly Ledbetter, who lacked a remedy for the pay discrimination she faced as one of the only female managers at her Goodyear Tire plant, and Maetta Vance, a food service worker who suffered harassment at work because she was Black. Ginsburg hardly missed a day of work during her bouts with colon, pancreatic, and lung cancer. But she understood that her survival depended more on access to first-rate health care than on individual willpower, and she resisted attempts to gut the Affordable Care Act. As a person of means, Ginsburg never lacked access to contraception and reproductive health care, but she appreciated how crucial those rights are to human flourishing. As an advocate, she fought for women like Capt. Susan Struck, discharged from the military for becoming pregnant; as a judge, she defended reproductive freedom as integral to womens equal citizenship. READ MORE: Should the size of the Supreme Court expand to change the ideological balance? | Pro/Con Ginsburg heeded her mothers advice to always be a lady; conforming to some conventional norms of femininity eased her way. But she also stood on the shoulders of Pauli Murray, the African American attorney and activist who helped ensure that the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibited sex-based discrimination and who pioneered feminist legal theories Ginsburg later brought to the Supreme Court. Murrays race, fluid gender identity, and intimate partnerships with women put a career like Ginsburgs out of reach. As a justice, Ginsburg helped to lower the barriers Americans face to living, loving, and working because of their sexual orientation and gender identity. Ginsburgs appointments to the bench by Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton relied upon womens increasing assertion of political power at the ballot box; her powerful dissents underscored how the courts evisceration of the Voting Rights Act and approval of voter suppression efforts and of racial and partisan gerrymandering threaten the rights of citizens of color and the very foundations of democratic government. READ MORE: How Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgs death could reshape the presidential campaign Ginsburg left us at a moment that feels impossible. As a global pandemic amplifies entrenched inequality and injustice, existential threats to democracy loom. Ginsburgs deathbed wish, that a new president appoint her replacement, is only the beginning of the challenges that lie ahead. The nations ability to combat inequality and injustice; to provide educational, employment, and economic opportunity; to protect the environment and combat climate change; to provide necessary health care and a social safety net; to safeguard the right to vote and fight political corruption; even to preserve democracy itself hang in the balance. To honor Justice Ginsburgs legacy, we, too, must accomplish what may seem impossible, so that others might enjoy the world of possibilities she made. Serena Mayeri is a professor of law and history at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, and the author of Reasoning from Race: Feminism, Law, and the Civil Rights Revolution. Flydubai will resume flights to Male, the capital of the island nation, the Maldives. Image: Flydubai The service, which the carrier initially operated between 2013 and 2018, will be reinstated from 27 October due to popular demand as the Indian Ocean destination welcomed back tourists of all nationalities earlier this summer. Commenting on the start of flights to Male, Ghaith Al Ghaith, chief executive officer at flydubai, said: We continue to see signs of recovery as more countries start to lift restrictions on international travel. Working together, all the stakeholders in the travel industry have a role to play to safeguard travel in this new environment enabling more people to travel confidently. We remain agile in our operations and committed to gradually adding more flights to further support the flow of trade and tourism around the region as we look ahead to this new way of travel in the months to come. Alok Industries Ltd Alok Industries Ltd is one of the leading textile group and amongst the fastest growing vertically integrated textile companies in India. They are offering world class integrated textile solutions. They manufacture world-class home textiles apparel fabrics garments and polyester yarns selling directly to manufacturers exporters importers retailers and brands the world over. Also they are in the bu...> More Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has said the military presence will be strengthened in the Far East in the wake of rising geopolitical tensions in the region. The military infrastructure is being ramped up due to tensions in the Asia-Pacific, according to media reports. Meanwhile, in accordance with the combat training plan, a two-way tactical exercise was recently conducted at airfields in Primorye and Khabarovsk Krai by units the defence and air force units of the Eastern Military District, the Russian defence ministry said. Air defence units, fighter, assault and bomber aircraft were involved in the exercise. The development comes amid rising tensions between the US and over a number of issues such as alleged interference in foreign elections, Crimea, Belarus political crisis among It also comes as ties have strained between and China after Moscow reportedly announced the suspension of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to China. The S-400 air defence missile system is considered the most advanced of its kind in Russia, capable of destroying targets at a distance of up to 400 kilometres and a height of up to 30 kilometres. Russia's suspension of S-400 missiles to China comes after Moscow earlier accused Beijing of spying, despite the two countries enjoying considerably good relations over the years. Also, the worsening US-China relations have caught eyes across the world, with the two countries sparring over several issues including the Chinese government's handling of COVID-19 outbreak, trade war, Beijing's military aggression in the South China Sea and so on. (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.) You are here: Travel Flash A tourist train carrying 950 passengers departed Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, on Saturday morning for a two-day recreational tour of the province's Xiangyang City. It was the first tourist train that originated from Wuhan and launched by the China Railway's Wuhan bureau since the city was hit hard by the COVID-19 epidemic. The tourists will visit the ancient city wall, Xiangshui River, and other historical and cultural scenic spots in Xiangyang over the weekend, according to the bureau. To ensure their comfort while observing regular epidemic prevention and control rules, the bureau has made arrangements for boarding and alighting times and opened dedicated entrance passages and a waiting area for the passengers. Special staff members were assigned to provide the tourists with travel consultations, taking photos, and porter services. More tourist train routes will be launched to boost tourism within Hubei and trans-provincial tourism, the bureau said. 2 GOP Senators Oppose Vote as Trump Prepares to Nominate Female Justice Two Republican senators have voiced their opposition to holding a confirmation vote on any nominee to the Supreme Court before Election Day as President Donald Trump and key Republicans signaled they are moving ahead without delay. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) over the weekend said the Senate shouldnt hold a vote on a nominee until after Nov. 3. Neither indicated if their opposition to a vote would translate into a vote against a nominee, in the likely case that Trump moves forward with the nomination and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) follows through on his vow to swiftly bring a confirmation vote to the floor. Trump said at a rally on Sept. 19 that he plans to name a woman to fill the seat vacated by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal icon who died on Sept. 18 at the age of 87. The president urged Republicans to move forward with the confirmation without delay, and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who will oversee the potential nominees committee hearings, signaled that hes ready to move forward. So we win an election and those are the consequences, you know, its called fill that seat, and thats what were doing, Trump told a rally crowd in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Sept. 19. I will be putting forth a nominee next week. It will be a woman, it will be a woman. While Murkowski and Collins have no procedural power to block a vote and havent said how they intend to act if a vote comes up, their opposition places them into a small group of Republicans viewed as swing votes in what is building up to be a major confirmation battle. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who voted to convict Trump on one count during the impeachment trial, may also break from the party to vote no on the confirmation. Republicans hold a 5347 majority in the Senate. Even if Collins, Murkowski, and Romney vote with the Democrats, the GOP can still win with Vice President Mike Pence casting a vote to break a 5050 tie. Replacing Ginsburg is by far Trumps most consequential Supreme Court appointment. His first two nominees, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, replaced two other conservative justices on the bench. Ginsburg was a progressive powerhouse largely considered the leader of the liberal minority on the bench. Replacing her with a young conservative justice would result in a conservative supermajority for possibly decades. President Donald Trump pauses at the top of the steps of Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., on Sept. 18, 2020. (Susan Walsh/AP Photo) Collins said she opposed the vote in line with her stance on not holding one ahead of the 2016 election. Democrats are also highlighting McConnells refusal in 2016 to hold a vote on the replacement for the late Justice Antonin Scalia. For weeks, I have stated that I would not support taking up a potential Supreme Court vacancy this close to the election. Sadly, what was then a hypothetical is now our reality, but my position has not changed, Murkowski said in a statement on Sept. 20. I did not support taking up a nomination eight months before the 2016 election to fill the vacancy created by the passing of Justice Scalia. We are now even closer to the 2020 electionless than two months outand I believe the same standard must apply. The confirmation fight appears to be on track to play a major role in the weeks leading up to Election Day. The spectacle that played out during the confirmation of Kavanaugh is an example, and Democrat voters appear to be even more motivated about Ginsburgs replacement. The top Democrat online fundraising organization, ActBlue, raised a record $100 million in the time between the announcement of Ginsburgs passing and the morning of Sept. 20. The shift of attention may change the dynamic between Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, who has been forcing the incumbent to play defense on the handling of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic. Trump issued a list of additional potential nominees for the Supreme Court days before Ginsburgs death and has repeatedly called on Biden to issue a list of his own. In apparent recognition of the new dynamic, Biden gave a speech on Sept. 20 on the topic of the Supreme Court to an audience of 15 reporters and photographers at the Constitutional Center in Philadelphia. Having made this their standard when it served their interest, they cannot, just four years later, change course when it doesnt serve their ends. And Im not being naive, Biden said, referring to the blocked confirmation vote for Merrick Garland. Im not speaking to President Trump, who will do whatever he wants. Im not speaking to Mitch McConnell, who will do what he does, he said. Im speaking to those Senate Republicans out there who know deep down what is right for the countrynot just for their party. And in a sign that the new narrative is top of mind for the presidents reelection bid, Trumps campaign spokesman issued a statement on the Supreme Court minutes before Bidens speech. Biden knows that he is an empty vessel for the radical left and thats why hes refusing to be honest with the American people about who he would want on the court, Tim Murtaugh, Trump 2020 communications director, said in a statement. But make no mistake about this: The President has been clear that he will nominate a woman to fill that seat, and the Senate should vote to confirm her. One of President Trump's closest allies in the Senate, Sen. Lindsey Graham, stated that President Donald Trump should release his tax returns, an issue that has been attached to the President since his campaign in 2015. Releasing of tax returns On September 17, Sen. Graham of South Carolina said in a press conference that he thinks everybody should release their tax returns, not just the President but also former Vice President Joe Biden, who is running against President Trump this November 2020 election. Sen. Graham has sought to make financial disclosure an issue in his reelection by releasing 11 years of state and federal tax returns for press review and demanding that Jamie Harrison, his Democratic opponent, do the same. Harrison has since released the details of several years of past tax returns. The State, a newspaper in South Carolina, reported that after asking both campaigns for candidate tax returns, Harrison's campaign let the newspaper review his returns from 2012 to 2018. In response to a call from Sen. Graham for him to release his tax returns, Harrison wrote on Twitter on September 15, "Done. Now do President Trump." Also Read: Trump's Campaigns Gain Edge Over Biden in Presidential Race Using Obama Strategy A recent poll from Quinnipiac University showed the two candidates tied with 48% of likely voters supporting Graham and 48% of voters supporting Harrison. That follows a Quinnipiac poll in August 2020 that had the two candidates tied, with 44% each among registered voters. Harrison, a former state party chairman, has been outraising Graham, bringing in about $14 million in the second quarter compared to Sen. Graham, who raked in $8.4 million. Sen. Graham downplayed the result of the new poll and projected confidence in the race. He said that he is leading, and he is taking it seriously. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the campaign arm for Senate Democrats, announced on September 17 that it is making a seven-figure investment in support of the Harrison campaign. Harrison has continued to post strong fundraising numbers. On September 17, he announced that his campaign had raised more than $1 million in just 24 hours. Helping with the campaign President Trump is the first president in the modern era of the United States that has not released any personal tax returns, and it is something that Democrats and activists have been asking him to do for the past four years. The President has claimed that he is under audit, and he won't release his tax returns because of it. His statement triggered a lengthy legal battle for his financial records. This is also not the first time that Sen. Graham has indicated he believes President Trump should release his tax returns. He has previously said that everyone running for the White House in 2020 should release their tax returns. The senator was asked if he wants President Trump to help him in the race; he said that they are doing well with the President, he wanted to show the people of South Carolina what he had done for the state. He was also asked if the President will campaign for him in South Carolina, he said he does not foresee it. Related Article: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Could Be Ousted If Donald Trump Wins Re-Election @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Health care was a key issue for Mr. Biden and other Democratic candidates even before Justice Ginsburgs death, as they hoped for a repeat of the success that Democratic House candidates found in the 2018 midterm elections, when the party won control of the chamber. And for months, Mr. Biden had sought to make the election a referendum on Mr. Trumps stewardship of the pandemic and its associated economic fallout. Over the weekend, Biden allies sought to link that message to the Supreme Court, arguing that the coronavirus crisis makes the issue of health care protections all the more urgent. Mr. Biden addressed both of those issues on Sunday as he described the stakes of the current political moment. Were in the middle of a pandemic, he said, going on to add, Health care in this country hangs in the balance before the court. Mr. Biden first weighed in on the Supreme Court vacancy on Friday night, saying in brief remarks that it should not be filled until after the election and pointing to the refusal of Senate Republicans to consider President Barack Obamas nomination of Judge Merrick B. Garland in 2016. But Mr. Trump and Mr. McConnell are pressing ahead with plans to vote on a nominee, a strategy that is fueling calls among some Democrats to consider extreme options should they win in November. Already, some progressives are pushing Democrats to get behind the idea of expanding the size of the Supreme Court in response if the party wins control of the White House and the Senate. Mr. Biden has previously expressed opposition to the idea of adding seats to the court. During his speech on Sunday, Mr. Biden specified that he was not speaking to Mr. Trump or Mr. McConnell, but rather Republican senators who know deep down what is right for the country and consistent with the Constitution, saying at another point that we need to de-escalate, not escalate. ila Banks unique visual identity has impressed branding experts around the world as the year-old brand won four awards at the Transform Awards-MEA, held in Dubai. Ila won the Best Overall Visual Identity, Gold in Best Visual Identity in Financial Services and Silver in Best External Stakeholder Relations during a Brand Development Project categories. ila was also highly commended for Best Use of Typography at the ceremony. This big win for the fastest growing digital, mobile-only Bank in Bahrain powered by Bank ABC, Menas leading international bank, comes as a testament to its innovative DNA and the hard work and collaborative effort that went into developing and launching this truly unique brand. ilas brand is built around the concept of a journey and logo design is based on reflection- the English logo has been designed as a reflection of the Arabic in mind, keeping the brand promise at heart banking that reflects you. The logo is playful, bold and dynamic, setting it apart from other brands in the financial world. The magic of this logo is that it is dual language; when flipped horizontally it can be read fluently in Arabic. Pairing bright green and navy blue, its striking colour palette is smart and futuristic. The typography is minimalist and fuss free, reinforcing the seamless efficiency of the banking app. Arabic for the word to, ila encapsulates the Banks mission to reflect the needs of its users, propelling them on a journey from where they are to where they aspire to be in the future. We are thrilled to have received this remarkable recognition from the industrys finest minds. Since inception, we set out to create an innovative and energetic brand that supports our strategic agenda to disrupt banking and spark a lifestyle movement. We knew we had created something special and this win reinforces our pride in what we have achieved. I would like to congratulate the entire ila team and everyone else who contributed to developing this brand, remarks Bank ABCs Deputy Group CEO and Chairman of ila banks Advisory board Sael Al Waary. ilas energetic brand mirrors the spirit of the team that built it and who they built it for. This is indeed a wonderful achievement and I am incredibly humbled by this win. The brand serves as a continuous reminder of what ila stands for: a bank that listens, understands and acts on customer needs through an extremely personalised approach to banking and financial management, powered by cutting-edge technology, AI and data analytics, remarks Mohamed Al Maraj, CEO, ila Bank Bahrain. Bank ABC Group Head of Communications, Fatema Yusuf added: We are delighted to receive these awards, which attests to the great team effort and months of hard work. The smart play on the word ila embodies the essence of the offering, which is naturally smart and is indicative of our objective to enrich our customers lives with banking solutions that mirror their changing needs, goals and aspirations. We share this recognition with SuperUnion, our branding partner, and Bladonmore for their innovative communication support during the launch. Dedicated to the global rebranding and brand development industry, Transform MEA is organised by the UK based Transform magazine to recognise excellence in brand development, brand advancement and visual identity rebranding based on a number of criteria such as content, strategy, execution, type and business sector. The awards also celebrate the most innovative, creative and successful brand work across the world, including the Mena region. -- Tradearabia News Service Published on 2020/09/20 | Source The flamboyant TV celebrity-turned-restaurateur Hong Seok-cheon has had to close down the last of his seven restaurants in Seoul's party district of Itaewon. Advertisement Unable to afford the rent as business vanished amid the coronavirus pandemic, Hong took the melancholy decision on Aug. 31. At one time he owned 20 eateries across the country, but now he says he plans to take a break. The vibrant strip behind the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon used to be filled with restaurants serving food from all over the world, and Hong's chic eateries were among the most popular. His restaurants had reigned as helpful reference points for first-time epicures and rallying spots for fellow celebrities. But rents cost up to W10 million a month while revenues plummeted to as little as W35,000 a day (US$1=W1,161). Hong took out loans to pay his staff but became exhausted from the stress. He has pledged to return to Itaewon after getting some much-needed rest. "Itaewon accepted me as I am when I came out as gay in 2000 at the age of 30 and lost all of my TV jobs", he wrote on Instagram. "I started with a small, rooftop restaurant and ran up to seven at one time, but the last of them will close down this Sunday". He added, "I braved out the global financial crisis, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and other crises, but COVID-19 was too hard to endure", he went on. "Itaewon is the home of my dreams, relationships and love as a young man. I thought I had realized the dream I had when I was in my 20s of creating a Korean version of Hong Kong's Lang Kwai Fong or New York's SoHo. Now I am disappointed, upset and angry, but at the same time relieved". Hong's decision shows into sharp profile how hard the hospitality industry has been hit by the lockdown, especially small businesses. He's one of the nicest guys in Hollywood. And Hugh Jackman, 51, proved his nice guy credentials yet again on Saturday, while walking his beloved dogs Dali and Allegra in New York. The masked-up X-Men star happily chatted to NYPD officers as he strolled through the city's West Village neighbourhood. Friendly: Hugh Jackman, 51, (pictured) shared a light-hearted exchange with police officers while walking his dogs in New York City on Saturday Ahead of the Grammy Awards, Hugh looked calm and relaxed as he shared a brief conversation with officers on duty. Hugh shared a laugh with the uniformed police men and women by the barricades Despite the sunny day, Hugh opted for a pair of loose-fitting blue chinos and a plain black sweater. He finished his outfit with a pair of blue sneakers and a black trucker hat. Nice guy: Hugh chatted with the officers while taking his dogs Dali and Allegra for a walk Believed to have also been running a few errands, Hugh carried a number of items in a plastic bag. Hugh, wife Deborra-Lee Furness, 64, and their children Ava, 14, and Oscar, 20, recently returned to New York from their stunning holiday home in the Hamptons. In July, Hugh revealed he was homesick for Australia after a lengthy lockdown in New York City due to the coronavirus pandemic. This way? At one point, Hugh seemed to ask about the barricade and in what direction he should walk while holding onto his dogs, Dali and Allegra Deborra-lee and the couple's children, Oscar and Ava, had initially been in Melbourne when COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March. But they returned to the U.S. just four days later in order to keep the family together. Hugh will virtually attend The 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards this week. Locked in: In July, The Greatest Showman actor revealed he was homesick for Australia after a lengthy lockdown in New York City due to the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured with wife Deborra-lee He is one of five nominees up for an Emmy Award for Lead Actor in a Limited TV series or Movie for his role as Frank Tassone in Bad Education. 'I'm humbled by the nominations for both me and the film and excited to be named with such a talented group of actors,' Hugh said in a statement at the time. Jimmy Kimmel will host the show from a stage inside California's Staples Center, which will have no red carpet or audience, Variety reported last month. In the wake of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's on Friday, the Supreme Court is scheduled to begin its new term on October 5 with only eight justices. It is unclear how long the vacant seat will last. On September 29, the judges will meet and review hundreds of pending appeals. They will also decide which cases the Supreme Court will hear first. According to Fox News, later this year, two high-profile cases are already lined up. One of the significant challenges is Obamacare, which on November 10, will be heard in California. Meanwhile, Texas, and other conservative states, argue that Obamacare is now unconstitutional as Congress passed tax legislation in 2017 that decreased the individual's tax penalty to zero. The request to undo Obamacare is the third time, as two previous cases failed to succeed. A major showdown between the Democrat-led House Judiciary Committee and the Trump administration will be argued on December 2. The Supreme Court will decide if the Justice Department has to turn grand jury files to Congress from Robert Mueller, the former Special Counsel, to investigate Russian election interference. In any case, if there is a 4-4 tie before filling Ginsburg's vacancy, the justices can reschedule the case for the next term, then. Besides, the remaining judges can lower the court rulings because of a tie, but no precedent is set. To fill the vacancy, President Donald Trump called on Republicans to move without delay by saying that next week, he will name a nominee and would like to see a vote before the November presidential election. On the other hand, the Democratic senators are unshakable to their will to wait until after the election. Some Senate Republicans also say that they don't want to hold a vote and hearings on a nominee until next year. On Saturday, Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, said that she doesn't "believe the Senate should vote on a nominee before the election." Citing the upcoming election, hours before Ginsburg's death on Friday, Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, told Alaska Public Media that she would not vote to confirm a Supreme Court nominee but the other Republicans want to approve a Supreme Court nominee quickly. One in Trump's list of potential nominees, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, warned of a 'constitutional crisis' if, before November 3, a nominee isn't confirmed by the Senate. On Friday night, Cruz told Sean Hannity, "We cannot have Election Day come and go with a 4-4 court that is equally divided and cannot decide anything. And I think we risk a constitutional crisis if we do not have a nine-justice Supreme Court, particularly when there is such a risk of a contested election." Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader, said that President Trump's nominee would receive a vote on the floor of the U.S.Senate. In 2016, after helping block the nomination of D.C Circuit Court of Appeals Chief Judge Merrick Garland, McConnell was accused of hypocrisy. According to the BBC, Ginsburg died on Friday, weeks before the presidential election. Joe Biden, Trump's Democratic rival, insisted that Ginsburg's replacement should wait after the vote. The balance of the nine-member Supreme Court justices is crucial to its hearings and ruling on U.S.law's significant issues. Ginsburg is a feminist standard-bearer and a liberal icon who died of metastatic pancreatic cancer in Washington, DC, while her family surrounded her. On Friday, her supporters gathered outside the court to pay tribute to the woman known as "The Notorious RBG".Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the second-ever woman who sat on the Supreme court. Check these out: Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Supreme Court Justice Dies at 87, Who Will Replace Her? Trump's Supreme Court Nominee Will Be a Woman When Hillary Mills became a travel nurse in August after being unemployed for several months, the 30-year-old Tiburon resident assumed the job would take her to hospitals overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. Instead, Mills has been on the front lines of Californias most recent crisis, treating injured firefighters as they battle some of the most vicious blazes in the states history. Shes among a small group of emergency response personnel including doctors, nurses, paramedics and emergency medical technicians contracted by the state to work in fire base camps, tending to firefighters who suffer minor burns, aches and even bee stings. Their presence at fire camps may not have been necessary just a few years ago. Back then, it was often sufficient to send a few EMTs or a paramedic. But thats no longer the case. As fire seasons worsen, leaders of the response see an urgent need for more helping hands. These emergency responders are particularly critical during a devastating year for wildfires, which have burned more than 3.4 million acres in California this year the most in the past decade, according to Cal Fire. To be a part of this kind of thing, this kind of disaster strike team relief, during this time in history is a really unique experience, and its really cool to be able to help and give assistance, even if its just giving moleskin to a firefighter who has really bad blisters, Mills said. When the coronavirus pandemic hit six months ago, Mills lost her jobs at a dermatology clinic and a plastic surgeons office on the same day, leaving her with no income and no way to support her 3-year-old son. Rachel Bujalski / Special to The Chronicle One of the clinics rehired Mills in June, but she needed a bigger paycheck. A friend suggested travel nursing, which allows registered nurses to take on temporary assignments at understaffed hospitals or clinics across the country. The job offers flexibility, particularly for nurses who want to see new places, gain new experiences and jump-start their careers. Mills knew nothing about the industry. But she welcomed the opportunity, becoming a certified travel nurse last month through Aya Healthcare, a travel nursing agency in San Diego. Though shes a nurse practitioner by profession, Mills enrolled as a registered nurse to take the job. Shes part of a float pool of roughly 45 travel nurses with Aya who respond to the states most pressing emergencies. Though their recent placements have focused mostly on treating COVID-19 patients, six nurses within the agency, including Mills, have volunteered at fire camps in Northern California in recent weeks through contracts with the California Department of Public Health. Some of their assignments have ended, but a few remain at the fire camps. Cal Fire began contracting with the California Emergency Medical Services Authority in 2018 as wildfires worsened and the need for more medical personnel became greater, said Lynne Tolmachoff, a Cal Fire spokeswoman. In previous years, the agency had a paramedic and some firefighters or a few EMTs stationed at the camps to treat injuries, she said. Bringing in the doctors, nurses and EMTs, that bolsters the level of care that they can give for anybody that comes in and needs it, Tolmachoff said. Were obviously going to more fires, were going to larger fires, particularly this year. With that comes more injuries. Rachel Bujalski / Special to The Chronicle Paid medical volunteers with the authoritys California Medical Assistance Team respond to emergencies across the state, often in field assignments such as base camps to provide medical care to first responders and civilians. When the need for medical care exceeds the teams bandwidth, the medical services authority brings in contracted medical staff, such as travel nurses, to help. There were 37 medical workers including three travel nurses stationed at six fire base camps across the state as of Friday, according to the authority. Travel nurses are often sent to fire camps with less than a days notice. Their assignments can change by the minute. These really are the nurses that are like the special forces, said Sophia Morris, vice president of account management at Aya Healthcare. Theyre having to be deployed where theyre really needed the most. Before the pandemic, Mills patients came to her for plastic surgery, laser treatments, body contouring and other cosmetic enhancements. Today, her patients are battling some of the states most catastrophic wildfires, a shift she said has given her a new outlook on her career. These guys are just super inspiring, said Mills, who arrived at a camp in Chico on Thursday to help treat firefighters responding to the North Complex fires. The firemen are the nicest, most gracious people I have ever met. I honestly didnt know what their job entailed wildfire fighting because Im from Maine. That doesnt exist out there, really. I learned a lot about how their job works and the kind of injuries that they sustain. Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California Mills said her experience in plastic surgery and knowledge of the human skin has helped her treat the many abrasions, wounds and burns she sees in the camps. On one occasion, Mills said she helped excise and drain an abscess on a firefighters neck. Injuries include sprains, burns, smoke inhalation, eye irritations, heat exhaustion, chest pain and lots of poison oak, the nurses said. They also help treat complications or illness because of pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Sometimes, the firefighters needs are simpler: They need to stock up on deodorant or eye wash solution. Firefighters with major injuries are triaged and sent to nearby hospitals. Rachel Bujalski / Special to The Chronicle Beatriz Avalos, a travel nurse from Florida who was born in Mexico, was one of the first people to volunteer at a camp this month. She said she worked 12-hour shifts for the past two weeks, first at a camp in Red Bluff and then at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds in Chico, a sprawling camp lined with tents, where firefighters could eat, get their laundry done and rest. This is something Ive never in my life done or even knew was available, said Avalos, 31, who worked with a COVID-19 crisis response team in Los Angeles for more than four months. I honestly just wanted to do my part for California. Ive been here for some time. This is like my second home. I was also looking forward to the experience I would get. Amid the buzz at the camps, the travel nurses who spoke with The Chronicle said they were most impressed by the resilience of the firefighters they helped. When they finally did get a break sleeping on cots or the ground at the camps all they could talk about was getting back on the line, the nurses said. The firefighters always thanked them for their help. The experience is very humbling, said Amy Butterfield, a travel nurse from Maine who spent several days at the fire camp at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa this month. Theyre just these stoic workers who know what their job is, and they go do it. Tatiana Sanchez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tatiana.sanchez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TatianaYSanchez An Eritrean man who fatally threw a boy under a train in Germany will be placed in psychiatric care, a court ruled Friday at the end of a politically charged trial. The district court in Frankfurt found that Habte Araya, 41, pushed the eight-year-old boy and his mother onto the tracks in an apparently random attack at Frankfurt's main station in July 2019. The judges ruled that while he could not be held criminally responsible due his "acute paranoid schizophrenia", he still posed a danger to society and should be confined to a mental hospital. The mother of the boy was able to roll off the tracks to avoid the oncoming high-speed InterCity Express train, but the boy was killed instantly. Araya, who had entered Germany from Switzerland just days before the incident, was also accused of trying to push a 78-year-old woman onto the tracks, though she managed to save herself. The attack stunned Germany and stoked a heated debate on immigration and security. A psychiatric expert who examined Araya had told the court on Thursday that the accused was experiencing an episode of paranoid schizophrenia at the time and continues to suffer from a "pathological mental disorder". The expert recommended that Araya be placed long term in a secure psychiatric facility. Prosecutors and Araya's own defence team supported the recommendation. - 'Infinitely sorry' - Araya apologised in a written statement read by his lawyer at the opening of the trial on August 19. "I am infinitely sorry, especially for the family," he said, admitting that the crime "must have happened according to all the information I have received", though he could not remember it. The tragic case led the far-right AfD party to call for tighter controls on foreigners entering Germany, although the suspect was not in the country illegally. "Protect the citizens of our country at long last," the anti-migration party's parliamentary group leader Alice Weidel tweeted. Conservative Interior Minister Horst Seehofer also saw the case as an occasion to take a tougher line on immigration, suggesting more extensive screening and "occasional temporary checks" at borders. - 'Successful integration' - A married father of three, Araya had been living in Switzerland and was on the run from Swiss police after a violent incident the previous week. He had threatened a neighbour with a knife and locked her up, and also trapped his wife and their children, aged one, three and four, in their flat before running away. Police said it appeared the suspect had not been listed as wanted in European police databases and had been able to cross borders freely. Araya had been living in Switzerland since 2006 and was granted asylum in 2008. According to the Bild newspaper, he had worked for a local transport company and was described by authorities as "an example of successful integration". He was even featured in a campaign by Swiss authorities to promote positive integration. Thousands of protesters have marched in Bangkok to give police a letter of demands that openly challenges the monarchy and calls for reforms to curb the powers of the Thai king, Maha Vajiralongkorn. Protest leaders declared the handing over of the demands a victory. Our greatest victory in the two days is showing that ordinary people like us can send a letter to royals, Parit Penguin Chiwarak, told the crowd on Sunday. Earlier in the day, protesters cemented a plaque near the Grand Palace, in the area known as Sanam Luang, or Royal Field. It reads: At this place the people have expressed their will: that this country belongs to the people and is not the property of the monarch as they have deceived us. The citys deputy police chief, Piya Tawichai, said that Bangkok authorities would need to determine whether the plaque is illegal and if it is, it will be removed. The mass student-led rally, the biggest demonstration in Thailand in years, began on Saturday with calls for democratic reform and the removal of Prayuth Chan-ocha the prime minister and a former junta leader followed by a new constitution and elections. Protest leaders also called for a general strike on 14 October to show support for change. Thousands camped overnight at Sanam Luang. The marchers were blocked by hundreds of unarmed police manning crowd control barriers and government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri said authorities would not use violence. He added that it was for police to determine and prosecute any illegal speech. Protesters have grown bolder during two months of demonstrations against Thailands palace and military-dominated establishment, breaking a longstanding taboo on criticising the monarchy an activity that is illegal under lese majeste laws. The next protest is scheduled for Thursday. Additional reporting by agencies More Afghan interpreters who were the eyes and ears of British troops will be able to move to the UK, the Ministry of Defence has announced. The government was accused of failing to protect former civilian employees from Taliban reprisals after British combat troops were withdrawn in 2014. It is now expanding a scheme that offers interpreters the option of relocating to the UK with their families, or five years training and a monthly stipend, or the equivalent of 18 months salary. It was previously only open to civilians who had been made redundant after serving more than a year on the frontline. But changes announced on Saturday expand it to interpreters who voluntarily resigned and served for at least 18 months. The Ministry of Defence said the change will allow dozens more Afghan interpreters to use the scheme, which has already seen 445 former staff and their families a total of 1,319 people relocate to the UK. Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, said: Our efforts in Afghanistan simply could not have been possible without the help of brave interpreters who risked their lives to work alongside our personnel throughout the conflict. They did not leave us behind then, and we will not leave them behind now. It is crucial there is a fair system in place to support those who want to relocate to the UK, and that is why we are going even further to make sure more individuals have the opportunity to apply for relocation. The changes will be made through secondary legislation in October, meaning they do not need to go through all the stages of parliamentary approval, and be implemented shortly afterwards. Priti Patel, the home secretary, said: Courageous Afghans worked side by side with our armed forces to defeat terrorism, risking their own lives in the pursuit of peace. Afghanistan's forgotten frontline Show all 5 1 /5 Afghanistan's forgotten frontline Afghanistan's forgotten frontline 54548.bin Terri Judd Afghanistan's forgotten frontline 54546.bin Terri Judd Afghanistan's forgotten frontline 54544.bin Terri Judd Afghanistan's forgotten frontline 54543.bin Terri Judd Afghanistan's forgotten frontline 54547.bin Terri Judd The Ministry of Defence said that Afghan civilians in Helmand Province had often been the eyes and ears of British forces between 2006 and 2014. It said their linguistic and cultural expertise enabled the UK to work hand-in-hand with our Afghan partners and local communities while protecting British troops in dangerous situations. Last summer, ministers were urged to speed up the security vetting of the interpreters who moved to Britain following reports that translators living in Britain faced bureaucratic delays of up to 10 years to get the necessary clearance to secure well-paid jobs with Nato forces. Some had been forced to take low-paid fast food work in the interim instead of doing the specialist work for which they are uniquely qualified, the House of Lords heard. A 2018 report by parliaments Defence Committee said a government scheme to safeguard Afghan interpreters threatened with reprisals for working with the British Army had dismally failed to give any meaningful assurance of protection from the Taliban. The intimidation scheme, which is separate to the redundancy offer, had not seen anyone relocated to the UK at the time. The Hong Kong government has suspended all Air India flights amid a rise in fresh coronavirus cases in the country. The flights have been suspended till October 3 after passengers aboard were found to be infected with coronavirus. The coronavirus cases in Hong Kong rose to their highest level in nearly a month on Sunday. "Hong Kong has prohibited Air India for two weeks -- September 20 to October 3," a spokesperson of the national carrier was reported as saying by PTI. One-third of the 23 fresh COVID-19 cases were in people who had recently travelled from India, according to the Centre for Health Protection. The flights operated by Air India were banned by Hong Kong in August as well.These flights were part of the Vande Bharat Mission. The flights were barred from landing in Hong Kong between August 18 and August 31 after 14 passengers on its Delhi-Hong Kong flight of August 14 tested positive for COVID-19 post arrival. "For those who took a transit [flight] at another place, how can we accurately ask for information whether they have been to high-risk places during the 14 days before boarding a flight [to Hong Kong]?" South China Morning Post reported citing Dr Leung Chi-chiu, a specialist in respiratory medicine, as saying. All international passengers are required to undergo a post-flight COVID-19 test at the Hong Kong airport. According to new emergency health rules put into place last week, any airline with five or more people suffering from coronavirus on a single flight has to be temporarily suspended. Also read: DCGI nod to commercial launch of India's first low-cost COVID-19 test 'FELUDA' Barbara Bush has been spending quality time in quarantine over the last few months with her husband and parents, former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush. Bush, 38, who is the twin sister of TODAY's Jenna Hager Bush, opened up in a recent interview about how the close-knit family kept busy from home during lockdown. Like millions of people in the United States, that included many hour of binge watching shows on Netflixespecially murder mysteries! The George H.W. Bush Points Of Light Awards Gala (Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images) "We really have hit (it) hard over this quarantine," Bush told People. "Every single night after dinner, we watch one episode of a show." Bush and her husband, Craig Coyne, spent the first part of quarantine at her parents' ranch in Texas before finishing the summer with more relatives at the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. "We thought that we would be there for two weeks and have now been living with my parents for the past five months," Bush explained. "I don't think that that was something Craig anticipated when he married me, moving in with his parents-in-law for five months." But Bush has found solace in these moments full of family bonding. "Something that's been really beautiful is that this summer in particular, most of our cousins and aunts and uncles were up here, because we could quarantine together," Bush said. "While it's quieter without (my grandparents former President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush), we keep them alive by telling all of our hilarious and moving stories." She said it has been "wonderful" to have extra time to spend with her parents and has even realized more than ever how much she has in common with them. "Probably it's more stark to me because I've been spending so much time with my parents. But we all love the same things, and it's interesting because really the same things are important to each of us," she said. " So, I definitely feel like I'm becoming more like both of our parents." Bush, who finished her Master's degree from Harvard virtually in May, added that she recently started a new job to work on social change issues. She also volunteered as a poll worker. "Last week was National Poll Worker Day, and we have a shortage of poll workers in the United States," Bush said. "And so my husband and I both volunteered to be poll workers. We'll see what that means for us. I don't know where we'll be. But we're fortunate that we are both healthy, and are not an at-risk population, and can quarantine ourselves after that, beforehand and after." 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, Calif., on Aug. 11, 2020. (Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images) Trump Approves In Concept Oracle, Walmart Deal With Bytedance for TikTok President Donald Trump has given his approval in concept to a deal being discussed between American companies Oracle and Walmart with China-based company Bytedance for ownership of TikTok. We have some very big news on TikTok, TikTok is moving along, the president told reporters before leaving the White House to attend a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Saturday. He said that his administration was working with Oracles CEO Larry Ellison and Walmart to ensure that any deal with Bytedance would mean that security for the app will be 100 percent. Theyll be using separate clouds and a lot of very, very powerful security, Trump said of Oracles proposed plans to establish a new company TikTok Global. Itll be totally secure, thatll be part of the deal. But well see whether or not it all happens, Trump said of the ongoing negotiations being overseen by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States that still need approval from Beijing. If they get it done. thats great. If they dont, thats okay. Conceptually, I think its a great deal for America, Trump said. Theyll be hiring at least 25,000 people. Itll most likely be incorporated in Texas, itll be a brand new company Billions of dollars of taxes will be paid every year, and hundreds of millions of users, and therell be happy so everybody will be happy. Its a severance. Itll continue to be named TikTok, as it was all along. And thats it. Trump also doubled down on his key condition for any deal to go ahead. It will have nothing to do with any outside land and the outside country, will have nothing to do with China, he said. According to an August executive order (pdf), current app owner Bytedance is required to divest its U.S. assets by Nov. 12 or see TikTok shutdown in the United States. The Department of Commerce said Saturday that given the progress in the deals negotiations, Trump had given the green light for Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to delay the blocking of the TikTok app in U.S. app stores, as outlined in the executive order, from Sept. 20 to Sept. 27. The president also told reporters that included in Oracles deal was a $5 billion contribution towards education in the United States. Were gonna be setting up a very large fund for the education of American youth Thats their contribution that Ive been asking for, he said. He said the full details of the deal will be released very soon. 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 RABAT, Morocco (AP) Despite a government ban on large gatherings to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, scores of demonstrators protested outside the Moroccan Parliament to denounce Arab countries agreeing o normalize ties with Israel. Israel on Tuesday signed historic diplomatic pacts with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in a U.S.-brokered deal. Morocco was reported to be among other Arab countries considering a similar move, though the prime minister rejected the idea last month. Protesters in Morocco's capital of Rabat Friday waved Palestinian flags, decrying the deals as treason" and chanting Palestine is not for sale." The Palestinians view the pacts as a stab in the back from their fellow Arabs in the Gulf and a betrayal of their cause for a Palestinian state. Israel and Bahrain's agreements have been condemned by many across the Arab world. The protesters in Rabat also burned a mock Israeli flag. Dozens of police officers watched the scene from a distance. Organizers interrupted the chanting occasionally to urge participants to wear masks and to respect social distancing rules. The normalization deals are an attack on the Palestinian people and their cause," human rights activist Abdelhamid Amine told The Associated Press. We are calling on the Moroccan government not to follow suit and we urge it not to surrender to the Zionist and imperialist pressure like other Arab countries, said Amine, former president of the Moroccan Association of Human Rights and one of the rally organizers. Last month, Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani said the kingdom rejects any form of normalization with Israel. The Moroccan monarch, government and people will always defend the rights of the Palestinian people and Al-Aqsa Mosque, he said in a meeting with his Islamist party Justice and Development Party (PJD). Research has demonstrated that thrombectomy, a highly specialized procedure in which physicians navigate in the arteries of the body to reach the brain arteries and open a blockage, gives patients who suffer a severe stroke a much better chance of survival, said Alejandro M. Spiotta, M.D., MUSC director of neuroendovascular surgery. Some patients will recover immediately on the procedure table, Spiotta said. But time is of the essence, and delays in transferring to other regions of the state lead to strokes progressing to the point where they cannot be helped, he said. With more access to this life-saving surgery directly in our Pee Dee community, stroke victims here will have the highest possible chance of recovering from their stroke. Neurocritical care adds another layer of safety and acuity to an already advanced intensive care unit in MUSC Health Florence, said Rami Zebian, the chief medical officer at MUSC Health Florence Division. We are committed to bringing cutting-edge care here locally, Zebian said. We owe it to our patients, and we will not stop our pursuit of advancing care and fighting disease here locally. The eight justices of the Supreme Court, as well as two retired justices, paid tribute to their late colleague Ruth Bader Ginsburg, calling her a hero, a rock of righteousness, and a cherished colleague, among other characterizations. Justices Stephen Breyer and Clarence Thomas served with her almost the entire 27 years Ginsburg served on the nations highest court, and their emotional statements are a testament to how they felt about their longtime colleague. Breyer in particular stood out because he decided to write Ginsburg a poem. His full statement: Advertisement I heard of Ruths death while I was reciting the Mourners Kaddish at the Rosh Hashanah service. I thought: a great Justice; a woman of valour; a rock of righteousness; and my good, good friend. The world is a better place for her having lived in it. And so is her family; her friends; the legal community; and the nation. 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. Thomas said he and his wife were heartbroken to learn of the death of Ginsburg. He went on: Through the many challenges both professionally and personally, she was the essence of grace, civility and dignity. She was a superb judge who gave her best and exacted the best from each of us, whether in agreement or disagreement. And, as outstanding as she was as a judge, she was an even better colleagueunfailingly gracious, thoughtful, and civil. Through her loss of her wonderful husband, Marty, and her countless health challenges, she was a picture of grace and courage. Not once did the pace and quality of her work suffer even as she was obviously suffering grievously. Nor did her demeanor toward her colleagues diminish. The most difficult part of a long tenure is watching colleagues decline and pass away. And, the passing of my dear colleague, Ruth, is profoundly difficult and so very sad. I will dearly miss my friend. Advertisement Advertisement Chief Justice John Roberts said the United States has lost a jurist of historic stature, while the court lost a cherished colleague, whom he characterized as a tireless and resolute champion of justice. Justice Samuel Alito wrote that he and his wife were deeply saddened by the news: Advertisement Ruth and Marty made us feel at home immediately when I joined the Court, and we will certainly miss her. Justice Ginsburg will go down as a leading figure in the history of the Court. She will be remembered for her intelligence, learning, and remarkable fortitude. She has been and will continue to be an inspiration for many. Justice Sonia Sotomayor called Ginsburg an American hero: She spent her life fighting for the equality of all people, and she was a pathbreaking champion of womens rights. She served our Court and country with consummate dedication, tirelessness, and passion for justice. She has left a legacy few could rival. I will miss Ruth greatly. She welcomed me to the Court with a warmth I could not have expected, and I came to feel a special kinship with her. She was someone whose wisdom, kindness, and unwavering support I could always rely on. I will forever cherish the moments we shared. I send my deepest condolences to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchild. I know how much she treasured and loved you. She often said that leading a meaningful life means living for ones family and ones community, not for oneself. Ruth lived a profoundly meaningful life, and the numerous ways in which she changed ours will never be forgotten. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Justice Elena Kagan also called Ginsburg a hero as she emphasized her fight for equal rights and noted her personal connection to her late colleague: Ruth reached out to encourage and assist me in my career, as she did for so many others, long before I came to the Supreme Court. And she guided and inspired me, on matters large and small, once I became her colleague. I will miss herher intellect, her generosity, her sly wit, her manifest integrity, and her endless capacity for workfor the rest of my life. I give my deepest condolences to her beloved children and grandchildren. May her memory be a blessing. Justice Neil Gorsuch said he and his wife lost a cherished colleague and friend: Advertisement Advertisement We are blessed by the happy memories that will remain, like traveling with Ruth to London where (to her delight) an uninformed guide kept calling her Ruthie, or all the opera she tried so valiantly to teach me, or her sweet tooth at lunch, or the touching stories of her remarkable life with Marty. We will miss Ruth and our hearts go out to her family. May she rest in peace. Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh said that no American had done more to ensure women equal justice under the law: Advertisement A meticulous and pathmarking judge, she held herself to the highest standards of precision and accuracy in her beautifully crafted opinions. And she inspired all of us to try to meet those same exacting standards. I learned from her principled voice and marveled at her wonderful wit at our weekly conferences and daily lunches. Advertisement Retired Justice David H. Souter wrote that he loved Ginsburg to pieces and said she was one of the members of the Court who achieved greatness before she became a great justice. Retired Justice Anthony M. Kennedy called Ginsburg a distinguished jurist and an inspiring, wonderful person: Polls in seven regions and referendum to slim down parliament are taking place under strict COVID-19 measures. Italians are voting in seven regional elections expected to favour the far right and a constitutional referendum to cut down the number of MPs in the countrys two chambers. Voting began at 7am (05:00 GMT) and will run until 11pm local time on Sunday. It will continue on Monday from 7am to 3pm. Results are expected to be announced later on Monday. The main national governing parties the Five Star Movement and the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) are bracing for a poor showing in the first electoral test since the outbreak of the new coronavirus. The opposition, led by Matteo Salvini of the far-right League, is expected to win in at least three regions, including Veneto, the region around Venice, and Liguria in the north, according to projections. The PD is confident of victory only in Campania, the region around Naples, and is desperate to avoid defeat in Tuscany, a former left-wing stronghold where the Leagues candidate could achieve a historic win. Regional leaderships are also being decided in Le Marche, Puglia and Valle dAosta. Constitutional referendum Separately, some 51.6 million people are eligible to vote in a referendum on reducing the number of MPs in the countrys parliament. If the changes are approved in the referendum, the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house, will go from 630 MPs to 400, and the Senate from 315 to 200. 200828145748138 No minimum turnout is needed for the vote to be valid, amid expectations that the reform will be approved. The M5S, which has the most members of any party in the lower house after a 2018 election, says such a move would save 500 million euros ($580 million) during the five-year legislative period. It considers reducing the size of the parliament part of its quest to end perks and privileges for politicians. Most parties back the constitutional reform, which has already been passed by the Chamber but without the two-thirds majority that would have avoided a referendum. Meanwhile, critics of the constitutional reform say it produces minimal cost savings and risks undermining the democratic system by weakening the authority of the parliament. Voters and poll officials are required to wear masks to protect themselves from the coronavirus [EPA] Coronavirus measures Voters at polling stations are required to wear masks and maintain physical distancing as a precaution against the coronavirus. 200723102116384 Italys outbreak has claimed more than 35,600 lives the second-worst confirmed death toll in Europe after Britain and stricken 296,500 people since February. For the first time, voters over 65 have preferential access and are guided to the front of any line by volunteers from Italys civil protection agency. Once inside, voters may lower their masks just long enough to confirm their identity against voting cards and ID documents. Furthermore, voters leaving the voting booths will place the ballots inside the boxes themselves, instead of turning them over to poll workers. In Las Vegas, Nevada, New Mexico fighters went 0-2-1 Saturday on a UFC Fight Night card at UFC Apex. Edgewood welterweight Donald Cerrone (36-15-1) fought to a majority draw with Niko Price (14-4-1) of Coral Springs, Florida. Albuquerque flyweight Jordan Espinosa (15-8) lost by unanimous decision to the Czech Republics David Dvorak (19-3). Santa Fes Jerome Rivera (10-3) lost to Tyson Nam (20-11-1) of Portland, Oregon by second-round TKO (punches) in a bantamweight fight. The draw in the Cerrone-Price fight was created when Price had a point deducted for two unintentional eye pokes in the first round. The official scorecards read 28-28, 28-28 and 29-27 for Cerrone. Without the point deduction, Price would have won by split decision. Cerrone weathered an all-out assault in the first minute of the fight, then battled Price on essentially equal terms the rest of the way. Espinosa was unable to consistently penetrate Dvoraks defense, nor stay away from the powerful leg kicks Dvorak delivered throughout the three rounds. The quickness advantage that Espinosa has enjoyed in most of his fights was not in evidence against Dvorak. All three judges scored the fight 30-27. Rivera, making his UFC debut on eight days notice, won the first round against Nam on all three official scorecards on the strength of multiple solid leg kicks. But early in the second, Nam, a powerful puncher, dropped Rivera with a right hand and launched a furious ground-and-pound assault. Rivera, conscious and clear-eyed, defended to the best of his ability. But his efforts found no favor with referee Chris Tognoni, who called a stop to the fight at the 34-second mark. Tens of thousands of British expats who live in Europe risk having their UK bank accounts closed 'in weeks' due to post-Brexit rules. Lloyds, Barclays and Coutts are among a number of UK banks that have starting giving notice to expatriate customers to say they will close their accounts at 11pm on December 31. The end of the withdrawal agreement makes it a 'bureaucratic nightmare' for UK banks to provide for British customers in the EU post-Brexit, with many simply choosing to pull their services. Lloyds Bank confirmed it will be withdrawing services from Holland, Slovakia, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Portugal - a move that will affect 13,000 British customers [File image] Banks are making their own decisions as to which EU countries to pull out of and which to continue operating in. Lloyds Bank confirmed to The Sunday Times that it will be withdrawing services from Holland, Slovakia, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Portugal - in a move that will affect 13,000 British customers. The bank, which is Britain's biggest banking group, started writing to its customers living in these countries since August, telling them that their UK bank accounts would be shut on December 31. Barclays also confirmed that its banking and credit-card customers living in the EU had started receiving letters. One Barclays customer, who lives in Brittany, confirmed to the Sunday Times that she had received a letter saying her Barclaycard will be terminated on November 16, despite being a customer for more than 40 years. Other Barclays customers living in Spain, France and Belgium have also confirmed that they received notice their Barclaycards will be cancelled. Another expat said that in order to keep their British accounts, a number of their friends who also live abroad were giving addresses of family members in the UK. Barclays confirmed that its banking and credit-card customers living in the EU have started receiving letters, giving them notice that their UK bank accounts will be shut [File image] Upon the completion of Brexit and the UK's departure from the EU, it will become illegal for UK banks to provide for British customers living the EU without applying for new banking licences. The government has failed to negotiate post-Brexit banking rules and so pan-European banking rules, known as passporting, will no longer apply to these customers. Rather than negotiate the specific banking rules of 27 member states, which has been described as a 'bureaucratic nightmare', some banks are closing their customer's accounts. In a statement, the Treasury said: 'We expect banks to treat their customers fairly and provide timely communications to enable them to make appropriate decisions.' 'However, the provision of banking services is a commercial decision for firms based on a variety of factors, including the local law and regulation of specific EEA countries.' Two other major UK banks, NatWest and Santander have said that so far, they had no plans to close customer's accounts but are 'considering their options'. Watertown, NY (13601) Today Partly cloudy skies during the morning hours will become overcast in the afternoon. High 22F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Snow likely. Low 16F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 80%. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.20 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Turkeys Ministry of Agriculture has announced an open tender to attract consulting services for the construction of a reservoir in Izmir province. Both local and foreign companies can participate in the tender. The tender participation fee is 1,500 Turkish liras ($198.7). The tender will be held at 10:30 (GMT+3) on September 22, 2020. All those willing to participate in the tender should send their requests and proposals to: Universiteler Mah. Dumlupnar Bulvar, No: 161, 06800 Cankaya/Ankara. Phone: (+90 312) 258 33 60 Fax: (+90 312) 258 88 65 (1 USD = 7.548 TRY on Sept.20) --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Traffic jams on the flooded Nguyen Huu Canh Street in HCMC following heavy rains, June 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's two largest metropolises, have both fallen 18 places from last year to the bottom half of a global ranking of smart cities. HCMC is in 83rd place and Hanoi in 84th in the 2020 Smart City Index compiled by Swiss business school International Institute for Management Development and the Singapore University of Technology and Design. The report measured 109 cities around the world based on five criteria: health and safety, mobility, activities, opportunities, and governance that focus on how citizens perceive the scope and impact of efforts to make their cities smart, balancing economic and technological aspects with humanitarian dimensions. Vietnam's two major cities lag behind many Asian metropolises such as Singapore (1st), Taipei (8th), Hong Kong (32nd), Seoul (47th), Kuala Lumpur (54th), Bangkok (71st), and Beijing (82nd). But they rank above Jakarta (94th) and Manila (104th). The report said air pollution, road congestion and security are the biggest problems in Hanoi and HCMC. HCMC, home to 13 million people, which began implementing a plan to transform itself into a smart city by 2020, has been struggling with severe traffic congestion for decades and the administration has responded by investing heavily in metro routes. Authorities admit that air quality in HCMC and Hanoi have worsened in recent years due to exhaust fumes, factory smoke and construction dust. HCMC had more than 8.1 million vehicles as of March, 763,000 of them being cars and the rest being motorbikes, while Hanoi, a city of 7.5 million, has around seven million vehicles. Severe traffic congestion during rush hours has long been a problem. Despite efforts by authorities, public buses in both cities still fail to attract passengers. Security in Hanoi and HCMC also remain a challenge with petty street crimes, thefts and robbery not being uncommon. The report also says residents of both cities have showed interest in the ongoing corruption crackdown, green spaces and public transport. The high-profile anti-corruption campaign has been spearheaded by Party Chief and President Nguyen Phu Trong. Several high-profile government officials, top military officers and businesspeople have been arrested and jailed for crimes from graft and money laundering to mismanagement in recent years. Singapore, the world's smartest city, performs well in how services are made available to its citizens and the impact of technology on citizens' daily lives. Helsinki is second, followed by Zurich and Auckland. Cities bringing up the bottom of the list were Cape Town, Manila, Greece, Rio De Janeiro, Abuja, Bogota, Cairo, Nairobi, Rabat, and Lagos. Most Michiganders have a favorite waterway for floating during the summer season -- but if youve never seen that spot when its dressed in fall finery, then youre missing out. Paddling a Michigan lake or river come autumn is a beautiful way to take the proverbial road less traveled to see fall color. Here, weve gathered a short list of Michigan paddling destinations with guide services or liveries that operate through the fall; call ahead to check on hours of operation, seasonal closing dates, and advance reservation protocol. (And if you dont see your favorite spot on the list, give the local livery a call to see if they offer fall paddling trips; a list of many more paddle outfitters by region can be found on michigancanoe.com.) In the wake of protests by farmers in Punjab and Haryana against three agriculture-related ordinances, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday assured the farmers -- through tweets in Punjabi -- that the proposed laws were historic and in their interest. Main pelan vee keha si, tey ek vaar fer kehnda haan: MSP di vivastha jari rehe gi. Asi ethey kisana di sewa layi haan. Asi kisana di madad layi harr sambhav yatan karange tey ohna dian aaun valiyaa pirriyaan layi behtar jiwan sunishchit krange. (I have said this before and I say this once again: the system of MSP will continue. We are here to serve the farmers. We will make all possible efforts to help the farmers and ensure better life for their coming generations), Modi said in one of the series of tweets in Punjabi, hours after the passage of two of the three contentious agricultural legislations by the Rajya Sabha. The tweets come at a time when BJPs alliance partner in the NDA, the Shiromani Akali Dal, has taken a strident stand against the legislations. Its MP and Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the Modi cabinet after the bills were cleared by the Lok Sabha. The Akali Dal has also appealed to the President not to give his nod to the legislations Earlier, dubbing the passage of the farm legislations as a watershed moment, the Prime Minister said: For decades our farmers were stuck in several obstacles and they had to deal with the middlemen. With passing of the (farm) bills in the Parliament farmers will get freedom from this. With this the efforts to double farmers income will get strength and their prosperity could be ensured. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has awarded Bhubaneswar-based Siksha O Anusandhan (SOA) Deemed to be University for creating awareness about the COVID-19 pandemic. Union Minister for Education Ramesh Pokhriyal and AICTE Chairman Prof Anil Sahasrabudhe has conferred the institute with the Utkrisht Sansthan Vishwakarma Award in a virtual ceremony held in New Delhi on Thursday. Prof (Dr) Ashok Kumar Mahapatra, the vice-chancellor of the institute, told ANI on Saturday, Our institute has focused on various aspects to combat COVID-19. We are making efforts like COVID-19 awareness, public service etc. The SOA has been awarded as the institute conducted extensive awareness programmes involving its different faculties, doctors and students to educate the people about the pandemic and methods to ward off the infection in different parts of Bhubaneswar and its neighbouring villages. The focus was on making the people aware of hand wash techniques, wearing masks and practicing social distancing. From February onwards, we have conducted lectures, awareness programs at villages. Even our staff is actively involved in the process. They are talking about the virus to create awareness among people through electronic media, Mahapatra said. Our concern was to control the spread of the virus as we know India has seen a surge in the number of coronavirus cases. We are seeing some positive results in Odisha, he added. The institute has contributed to the efforts of the Odisha government in battling the deadly virus by running four dedicated COVID Hospitals and two COVID Care Centres having a total of 2,200 beds. A standalone COVID Hospital with 725 beds, the largest in the state, is being run by SOA at Bhubaneswar while it was operating three other hospitals at Chandpur, Kendrapara and Talcher. The SOA-run COVID Care Centres are functioning at Jamujhari (500 beds) and Jatni (300 beds). All the hospitals are fully equipped to deal with the disease including ventilators. Police have spent millions of dollars to nearly triple the number of roadside drug tests conducted in the past four years, as the number of positive results as a proportion of tests completed has fallen and drug-related road deaths have stabilised. NSW Police conducted 166,351 tests last year, 2.7 times more than the 62,247 tests conducted on roads in 2015. There were 9446 positive results in 2019, compared to 9123 in 2015. The number of deaths from crashes involving a driver or rider who had an illegal drug in their system stabilised, with 75 in 2015 and 74 in 2019. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal The fate of the Multicultural mural by Gilberto Guzman has been sealed, but activists are now calling on the governor to preserve that bit of Santa Fes history. The mural on the wall of the Halpin Building had its future thrust into the unknown when it was announced the building would be turning into the New Mexico Museum of Arts Vladem Contemporary museum as part of a $10 million project. But now its clear that the mural by Gilberto Guzman and others, will be removed from the east-facing wall of the building. The mural first went up in 1980 and was restored in 1993. It was painted directly on the buildings stucco, which degrades over time. It was also painted over several infilled windows, which are becoming unstable and pose a public safety risk, the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs said. The mural depicts an indigenous woman spreading her arms across the wall of the building. Other New Mexican and indigenous elements are incorporated in the mural, including a train, a canyon and people of different races coming together. The governor was promoting (Joe) Biden and said New Mexico is a multicultural state. We were founded on multiculturalism from all these different entities, Theresa Sanchez, a friend and advocate for Guzman, said. Well, that still stands. Why do we want to erase our history? Sanchez said shes met with the Department of Cultural Affairs, along with Guzman, and has gotten nowhere. The only way to save it, she said, is to call on Lujan Grisham to supersede the department. Governor, we need your help, she said. Governor, whats multicultural New Mexico? When contacted by the Journal, the governors office directed inquiries to Cultural Affairs. The museum Despite its retirement from the outside wall of the building, the mural will live on with the museum. The lobby will have an area dedicated to preserving the history of the mural, along with other elements of the Halpin Building, Daniel Zillmann, marketing and communications manager for the Department of Cultural Affairs, said. Outside the building, there will also be a plaque on the mural wall to memorialize it. The decision to remove the mural had been made for quite some time, Zillmann said. The contemporary art museum is named after a Chicago family that has had its sole residence in Santa Fe for the past seven years; the family donated $4 million to help create the museum. Robert Vladem said the decision to remove the mural was made before he and his wifes donation. He said that, since his donation, they have experienced a lot of name-calling and bullying on social media. If anyone had told me this would be so controversial, I never would have made the gift, Vladem said. When he was first shown renderings of the future museum, the mural wasnt included. It wasnt until recently that he heard of the push to conserve it, and how some people were upset about its retirement. Im sorry to see the mural go, but its a mural, not a Fresco, he said. Vladem also said he found it insulting that some people would insinuate he made removing the mural a condition of his donation which he says isnt true. He said he even hired people on his own dime to examine the building and the wall itself needed substantial work, not just the mural. Santa Fe City Councilor Renee Villarreal said the mural represents an important part of Santa Fes history. Although it is in her district, the state-owned building is outside of her jurisdiction, she said. Growing up in Santa Fe, Villarreal said the mural was always one of her favorites. Although Ive expressed my concerns and my desire to try to preserve it in some way, she said, I realize theres some structural issues with the wall. She said she would like to see the mural repainted on the wall, or a new multicultural mural created in that space. Santa Fe City Councilor Signe Lindell, who also represents District 1, where the mural is located, said the mural had a good 40-year run. Murals arent meant to last forever, she said. One mural, or any number of murals it is a representation of the culture, but we dont erase a culture by removing a mural, she said. Lindell added the lifespan of the mural was decided long ago when the artist originally signed his contract. The contract Guzman originally signed on to paint the mural, along with other artists, on May 12, 1980, according to the original contract, which stated the artists were responsible for the upkeep of the mural. The contract said that both sides the state and the artist have rights and responsibilities concerning the mural. Throughout the contract, there is reference to the murals natural or normal life, but there is no indication of what the natural lifespan of the mural would be. Property owner expresses its intent not to alter or paint over the mural during its normal life, but property owner acquires and retains all ownership rights in the mural on its completion, the contract stated. The contract stated it would also allow the artists access to the mural to maintain it during its natural life. There was an attempt to communicate with Gilberto that pretty much failed, Zillmann said of the contract. We did our due diligence and we tried to speak to him. Sanchez said she recognizes the mural needs to be redone, but doesnt agree with the decision to remove it. She said that in her conversations with Guzman, he mentioned he would be happy to coordinate with other artists on a restoration. She said she and Guzman have met with the department and Guzman proposed redoing the mural under the planned windows on the refurbished wall. Part of the decision to retire the mural does come down to cost, Zillmann said. Advocates requested a cost estimate report to see how much money it would take to restore the mural. A cost estimate would also require money, Zillmann said, along with finding an independent, professional conservator to write the report. It would take a lot of funds to preserve the mural in any way, he said. Even that preservation of the mural wouldnt last forever. This would be an ongoing and expensive process. The advocates For Rick Martinez, who has been fighting to preserve this mural and others across town, the silence by elected officials on this matter is concerning. We kind of feel like our voice is completely gone. Four million (dollars) completely shuts us up, Martinez said, referencing the Vladems donation. Martinez said the murals advocates are still going to try to negotiate its preservation, but the most recent message theyve received has the tone of you shouldnt keep bothering us, we made our decision. He said he understands the wall isnt in good shape, but is disappointed there wasnt any compromise. Guzmans mural connects to a broader era of muralism that took place in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. During that time, there was a renaissance of muralism and Chicano muralism in the Southwest, Alicia Inez Guzman, who has a doctorate in visual and cultural studies, said. More notably, this is one of the few murals downtown, if not in all of Santa Fe, that features an indigenous woman in the center of the artwork, Guzman said. The fact of the matter is its a piece of cultural patrimony and its beloved, Guzman said. Demolishing it is a larger issue of erasure and gentrification, as we see it. Back in February, local artist Hernan Gomez Chavez placed a sign in front of the mural reading Do not erase our history. A Nation that forgets its past has no future. Gomez Chavez said the irony was clear because the mural is being taken down by a museum that is being created for the appreciation of contemporary art, but it ignores the contemporary importance of this mural. Art should have meaning beyond money and shouldnt be whitewashed, he said. For him, the next steps to try and save the mural would be to start a campaign to get the governor on his side, he said. We recognize the sentiment and we know that some individuals will not agree with our decision, Zillmann said. But the intention of this decision is not to erase culture. Advertisement Plymouth could be considered the birthplace of modern America 30 million people can trace their ancestry to the Mayflower, whose historic voyage from the city is commemorated with events to mark its 400th anniversary this year. But even if you dont have a connection to the ship that transported those first pilgrims, youll still be fascinated by the wealth of new cultural events that Plymouth has to offer. Next week, a show-stopping exhibition, The Mayflower 400: Legend And Legacy, opens at The Box a gleaming new 40 million cultural and heritage complex which is the largest museum, art gallery and archive centre in the South West. Plymouth (pictured) could be considered the birthplace of modern America 30 million people can trace their ancestry to the Mayflower, whose historic voyage from the city is commemorated with events to mark its 400th anniversary this year It features 300 objects documenting that incredible journey in 1620. Perhaps most poignant are the 17th Century childrens toys which allude to the fact that there were 19 families on board, including four unaccompanied children. There is no shying away from the impact of colonisation since the exhibition has been curated collaboratively with the Native American Wampanoag nation. The celebration of Plymouths past begins in The Boxs magnificent glass atrium entrance. Try not to flinch as you walk beneath 14 ships figureheads suspended above they weigh a total of 20 tons. All built by city craftsmen, they adorned the bows of 19th Century warships and have been fully restored to their original, vibrant colours. Youll be mesmerised by this celebration of the citys naval and maritime heritage. The celebration of Plymouths past begins in The Boxs magnificent glass atrium entrance where 14 ships figureheads are suspended above Actress Dawn French contributes a voiceover to a virtual re-creation of the 600 vessels that have sunk between Plymouth and the US; you can travel through time to learn how Plymouth transformed from a Bronze Age settlement to become one of the most bombed cities in the Blitz; and you can view paintings by Joshua Reynolds, whose first studio was in Plymouth before he founded the Royal Academy of Arts in 1768. The 100 Journeys exhibition tells the stories of great explorers with ties to the city, from Sir Francis Drake to intrepid 20th Century mountaineer Gertrude Benham. And you dont need to let the history stop even if you get hungry. Head over to Royal William Yard to see the largest collection of listed military buildings in Europe. Formerly the Royal Navys victualling depot, today it is a cool blend of swanky, loft-style apartments with galleries, shops, cafes and bars below. Take a stroll at dusk here to see harbour lights, night swimmers and ships crossing Plymouth Sound. Treat yourself to a Plymouth gin and enjoy simple fresh seafood at newcomer The Hook & Line, where Ben Squire and Steve Page run their own fishing boats (thehookandline.co.uk). Cuttlefish calamari, line-caught mackerel and honey-glazed prawns with chilli are fresh and tangy and taste even better with a tot from their rum bar. Irish president Michael D Higgins has recalled the sacking of Balbriggan as a defining episode in the war of independence. More than fifty homes and businesses were burned in the north county Dublin town and two men killed on September 20, 1920 following the killing of two Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) officers. On the centenary of the night of chaos, Mr Higgins said the ferocity of events were aimed to instil fear but instead galvanised support for the struggle which ultimately led to the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1921. Statement by President Michael D. Higgins on the Centenary Anniversary of the Sack of Balbriggan: https://t.co/te2fmVGDuL #balbriggan President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) September 20, 2020 Mr Higgins had been due to attend centenary events in Balbriggan on Sunday but these were scaled back due to the coronavirus pandemic. The president instead released his thoughts in a statement. Today, as we remember the bloody violence that occurred in Balbriggan exactly a century ago, violence that would result in tragedy, widespread suffering, and lingering bitterness, we must strive to do so ethically and responsibly, he said. The past and present join together today in Balbriggan on this day 20th of September 1920 the town became the site for a night of terror that made global history @BalbrigganHist @Fingalcoco @SubsetDublin continue at this site today on a mural to mark the Sack of Balbriggan pic.twitter.com/BlewEjp4ZG Fingal Arts (@fingalarts) September 20, 2020 Such an ethical remembering must refuse any kind of conscious or unconscious amnesia. The exercise in remembering must be open to all perspectives, requires us all, each of us, to summon up our shared humanity, a humanity which was tested, often brutalised, but also magnified during the War of Independence and indeed over the longer revolutionary period. Mr Higgins said to forgive is not to forget. Forgiving enables us to come to terms with the past, he said. Expand Close A mural is painted on Bridge Street in Balbriggan, to mark the centenary of the sacking of the town (Niall Carson/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A mural is painted on Bridge Street in Balbriggan, to mark the centenary of the sacking of the town (Niall Carson/PA) If forgiveness and forgetting did not exist, we would be trapped in the past where every previous action would be irrevocable and where the present is dominated, burdened even, by preceding events and memories. Recognition of the act committed, however, is essential. It is only through such forms of ethical remembering that we can avoid retreating to the blinding categories of censure or denunciation, or indeed revenge and bitterness, that blighted this island for so long. Let us all continue with, indeed embrace, the new beginning that the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement represented as we continue to carve out our peaceful co-existence on the island of Ireland through a genuine democratic dialogue grounded in respect for our communities identities and their lawful traditions, recognising and paying tribute to John Humes vision of a shared island at peace. As the price of oil begins to falter, Saudi Arabia has stepped up its rhetoric, even going as far as to warn short sellers not to bet against the price of the commodity. Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman gave "clear hints" on Thursday that there could be a change of direction in production policy forthcoming as the price of oil continues its slide, according to Bloomberg. He said Thursday: We will never leave this market unattended. I want the guys in the trading floors to be as jumpy as possible. Im going to make sure whoever gambles on this market will be ouching like hell. At the same time, Brent was falling below $40 per barrel and the market continues to show signs of waning demand. OPEC and its allies said they would be "proactive and preemptive" in addressing the diminishing price, recommending "participating counties take further necessary measures". Abdulaziz started a meeting on Thursday with what Bloomberg called a "forceful condemnation" of members who are pumping out too much supply. His ire may have been directed to UAE Energy Minister Suhail al Mazrouei, who attended the meeting. The UAE has been "one of the worst quota breakers" in OPEC+, only making 10% of its pledged cuts for August. Abdulaziz said: Using tactics to over-produce and hide non-compliance have been tried many times in the past, and always end in failure. They achieve nothing and bring harm to our reputation and credibility. Related: String Of Bullish News Sends Oil Rallying Above $40 Attempts to outsmart the market will not succeed and are counterproductive when we have the eyes, and the technology, of the world upon us, Prince Abdulaziz continued. UAE was overproducing by about 520,000 barrels per day in August and the country will try to make additional cuts in October and November to make up for past month shortcomings. Countries like Iraq and Nigeria have implemented more than 100% of their required cuts, helping give OPEC and Abdulaziz credibility. Harry Tchilinguirian, head of commodities strategy at BNP Paribas SA, concluded: You have to hand it to Prince Abdulaziz. Since he became Saudi oil minister, the kingdom has kept OPEC+ in line through his diplomatic and compelling powers of influence. By Zerohedge.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: President Trump said his Supreme Court nominee to replace late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg would likely be a woman. He said this to reporters at the White House when asked about his Supreme Court nominee. "If somebody were to ask me now, I would say that a woman would be in the first place," he said. Later in the day, his choice became more certainly worded. "It will be a woman," he told supporters at a Trump campaign rally on Saturday evening. Trump said he would announce his Supreme Court nominee within the next week. Just 24 hours after Ginsburg's death, Trump held his rally in front of a crowd in North Carolina. According to USA Today, he told supporters, "we're going to fill the seat." Ginsburg, one of the court's liberal justices, died Friday after announcing she suffered a recurrence of cancer. She was also found to have lesions on her liver. According to CNN, Trump told those at the rally that Ginsburg has "landmark rulings" and "fierce devotion to justice." He added that Ginsburg's battle against cancer was an inspiration to all Americans. He offered prayers to the justice's family. Potential Trump Nominees In a Fox News report, it was said that Trump had had a shortlist of nominees for a while. He believed choosing a woman for the position would "certainly be appropriate." According to The Hill, Judges Amy Coney Barrett and Barbara Lagoa were among those seriously considered by Trump. Others who are getting consideration are Judges Amul Thapar and Allison Jones Rushing. Trump nominated these four judges to their current positions on the federal appellate bench. When asked about Barrett on Saturday, Trump said she was "very highly respected." He also described Lagoa as "an extraordinary person" who's done "incredible things" from what he's heard. He did not, though, that he has not met her yet. He also noted that she is Hispanic. Supreme Court Nominee Announcement Timeline When Trump was asked when he thinks a new justice should be named, he said, "before would be good before or after the election." Trump noted that the White House is still working with Republican senators on the timeline. He said he is on board with a fast-track plan outlined by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Trump said he thinks the process and have a new Supreme Court justice "can go very, very fast," adding that he will be making his choice soon. He also disagreed with Sen. Susan Collins, who issued a statement saying the upper should not vote on a new justice before the election. She argued that the successor to Ginsburg should be selected by whoever wins the election. "We have an obligation," Trump said. He said it was an obligation to pick the next justice. The vacancy started an immediate fight over Ginsburg's successor because the vacancy gives the GOP a rare chance to grant conservative control of the court. The pick can even last for decades to come. Check these out! Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Supreme Court Justice Dies at 87, Who Will Replace Her? Trump Releases List of Possible Supreme Court Picks Trump Plans to Create New 'Patriotic Education' Commission President Donald Trump pauses at the top of the steps of Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., on Sept. 18, 2020. (Susan Walsh/AP Photo) Trump to Nominate a Woman Next Week to Fill Ginsburgs Vacancy President Donald Trump said Saturday that he will nominate a female next week to fill late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgs vacancy. I will be putting forth a nominee next week. It will be a woman, he said during a rally on Saturday night in North Carolina. It confirmed what the president told reporters when he left the White House for the rally. I could see most likely it would be a woman, he told reporters earlier the day. I would say that a woman would be in first place. He also said the process will be started extremely soon and will move very quickly. When asked about Barbara Lagoa, the U.S. circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the president said Lagoa is an extraordinary person and is highly respected in Miami. Shes an extraordinary person. Ive heard incredible things about her. I dont know her. Shes Hispanic, and highly respected in Miami, highly respected, he replied. Lagoa is reported to be one of the frontrunners for the position along with Amy Coney Barrett, a judge for the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Trump made the remarks after Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) voiced objection to voting on the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) nominee before the November election. Collins said earlier the day that the SCOTUS nominee vote should be scheduled after the election to be fair, consistent, and to ensure Americans faith in elected officials. Given the proximity of the presidential election, however, I do not believe that the Senate should vote on the nominee prior to the election, she said in a statement. The decision on a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court should be made by the President who is elected on November 3rd. Collins is the first Republican senator to publicly object to voting on U.S. Supreme Court nominee to fill Ginsburgs vacancy before the election. Her stance on the issue is mostly in alignment with the Democrats. The president said he doesnt agree with Collins. We have an obligation, as the winners, to pick who we want, right now were here [White House], he said. Republicans and Democrats fell into a fierce battle over Ginsburgs vacancy following her death. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced right after the death of Ginsburg that Trumps nominee will get a Senate vote. A day later, President Donald Trump urged Republicans to confirm Ginsbergs replacement without delay. Some Republicans publicly rallied behind McConnells push to fill the Supreme Court vacancy before Election Day. This U.S. Senate should vote on President Trumps next nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) wrote in a statement. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) warned that there will be a constitutional crisis if Republicans fail to do this. We cannot have Election Day come and go with a four-four court, Cruz said during an interview with Fox Newss Sean Hannity. A four-four court that is equally divided cannot decide anything. And I think we risk a constitutional crisis if we do not have a nine-justice Supreme Court, particularly when there is such a risk of a contested election. Meanwhile, Democrats, including presidential nominee Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), insisted the process should be postponed to some time after the November election and the nomination should be left to the one who wins the presidency. The Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate. The views of some other key Republican players in this battle are still unclear. Several top Republicans and some other potential swing votes in the Senate, including Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), havent yet said whether they support replacing Ginsburg before the election. Ghana's laws permit lactating female workers to take a maternity leave of three months, in other words, 12 weeks (84 days) with full salary. The three months maternity leave has however become a bone of contention as some critics argue it's too short a period for the lactating mothers while others are tossed between how many months or weeks that they want the mothers to embark on their leave. One strong opponent to the three months leave is seasoned journalist Kwesi Pratt. Kwesi Pratt, who is the Editor-in-Chief of the Insight newspaper, is of a strong view that women should be allowed to go on a year maternity leave. His reason is very simple and that is to say, it will give the mothers ample time to spend looking after their babies. ''In fact, the addition of one month is small. Any person who's seen a six-week baby and the measures we have say that when your baby is six weeks old, leave the baby home and go to work; then you are wicked," he maintained during a discussion with sit-in host Nana Yaw Kesseh on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme on Friday, September 18. Kwesi Pratt has also pledged to cast his ballot for any Presidential candidate who will promise a year maternity leave for female workers. Although Kwesi Pratt's allegiance lies with the Convention People's Party (CPP), by virtue of his pledge, any political party whose manifesto captures his request will automatically have his vote. It appears Kwesi Pratt has already found the party and Presidential aspirant he will be voting for in the December 7 polls. The party is the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP). The founder and Presidential candidate for the GFP, Akua Donkor has launched her manifesto and in the manifesto, one of the things on her heart is to extend maternity leave from three months to one year. Juxtaposing the words of Mr Pratt and Akua Donkor's promise, it may be right to say the veteran journalist will vote for Akua Donkor and her Ghana Freedom Party. However, the EC has pegged its filing fee for Presidential candidates at Ghc 100,000 which means Akua Donkor's ability to pay the fee will determine whether or not Mr. Pratt will honour his word to her and not a different aspirant. 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 Union Home Minister on Sunday discussed key issues of -- the NRC, demand for granting ST status to six communities and report of a committee set up for implementation of a vital clause of the Accord, officials said. A team of top functionaries of the government, led by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, attended the two-hour-long meeting held at Shah's residence. This was the first major meeting the home minister attended after returning from AIIMS where he was admitted for a medical check up last week. Issues related to Assam-specific NRC, which was rejected by the state government alleging anomalies after its final list was published last year, granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six ethnic communities -- Koch-Rajbongshi, Tai-Ahom, Matak, Moran, Chutia and Tea Tribes -- and recommendations of Clause 6 Committee of the Assam Accord were discussed at the meeting Sunday evening, a home ministry official said. The final Register of Citizens (NRC) was published on August 31, 2019, by excluding 19.06 lakh people. A total of 3.11 crore names were included out of 3.30 crore applicants. The NRC is an exercise to verify citizenship in India. The Assam government had already rejected the much-publicised NRC as it claimed that many ineligible persons managed to include their names while genuine Indian citizens were left out from the database. Chief Minister Sonowal had said the Supreme Court-monitored NRC would have been a correct NRC had the full responsibility of its updation been given to the state government. The long-standing demand of the six ethnic communities of Assam for granting them ST status has been deliberated by both central and state governments for many years now, and there is a possibility of a final outcome to it by the end of this year. Sonowal had said that both the Centre and state governments are serious in meeting the demands of various ethnic communities with regards to their reservation. A high-level committee was set up last year for giving recommendations for implementation of the Clause 6 of the 1985 Assam Accord that came at the culmination of a six-year-long movement against illegal immigration from Bangladesh. The Clause 6 reads, "Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, as may be appropriate, shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people. According to the terms and conditions of the committee, "The committee will assess the appropriate level of reservation of seats in Assam Legislative Assembly and local bodies for the Assamese people". "The committee will recommend the appropriate level of reservations in employment under the government of Assam for the Assamese people," according to a home ministry notification. The committee, headed by Justice (Retd) B K Sharma, submitted its report to the Assam government in February. It recommended reservation of 80 per cent seats in legislative bodies for indigenous people while suggesting the creation of an Upper House in Assam. The report proposed January 1951 as the cut-off date for any Indian citizen residing in Assam to be defined as an Assamese for the purpose of implementing Clause 6. The report also sought reservation in government jobs for locals and talked about issues related to land and land rights, linguistic, cultural and social rights and protection of the state's resources and biodiversity. However, it is to be seen how the central government is going to implement the recommendations of the committee as the Supreme Court has already put a cap of 50 per cent in the case of providing reservations in jobs and other matters. Issues related to floods, erosion, implementation of the Bodo Accord and revival of the two sick paper mills were also discussed at the meeting, another official 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.) NINGBO, China (Reuters) - TikTok owner Bytedance said in a social media post on Sunday that it was the first time it had heard in the news it was setting up a $5 billion education fund in the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump said he had approved a deal, which included a $5 billion education fund, to allow TikTok to continue to operate in the United States. "The company has been committed to investing in the education field, and plans to work with partners and global shareholders to launch online classroom projects based on AI and video technology for students around the world," ByteDance said on its official account on Toutiao. (Reporting by Shivani Singh in Ningbo and Sophie Yu in Beijing; Editing by Jacqueline Wong) Employees at three LCBO stores in Toronto have recently tested positive for the coronavirus. On Saturday, the crown agency corporation was notified that an employee at its 396 St. Clair Ave. W. location in Forest Hill has contracted the virus. In a statement on Sunday, the LCBO said the workers last in-store shift was Saturday, Sept. 12. The corporation said the employee is currently self-isolating at home. Public Health has not provided any directions or recommendations with respect to this location. This general notice is being provided out of transparency, it said. The LCBO has several measures to keep employees and customers safe, including regular cleaning and sanitization and in-store measures that promote physical distancing. On Thursday, the LCBO said it learned about two employees at two different locations in North York that have contracted the coronavirus. The first employee works at the 1618 Wilson Ave. location in Sheridan Mall. Their last in-store shift was Wednesday, Sept. 9. The second case is an employee at an LCBO store at Yorkgate Mall at 1 York Gate Blvd. This workers last in-store shift was Saturday, Sept. 12. We wish them well as they self-isolate at home, the LCBO said in a Sept. 17 statement. The corporation said both stores have been regularly cleaned and disinfected since the employees last shifts. Again, the LCBO indicated Toronto Public Health has not provided any directions or recommendations with respect to either location and said it is advising the public of these cases out of transparency. Toronto Public Health immediately initiates an investigation any time a positive COVID-19 case is confirmed in the city. This involves interviewing anyone who tests positive for coronavirus to determine where they may have gotten the infection and identify their close contacts. The citys public health agency then follows up directly with the persons close contacts, or through their employer, to assess potential risk and provide further instructions, as needed. Because COVID-19 is spreading in the community, Toronto Public Health is urging everyone to consider themselves at risk and stay home as much as possible. Anyone who must go out is being advised to physically distance themselves from others to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19. It is also strongly recommended people wear a face mask or covering when they are unable to maintain a two-metre distance from others. People are also being urged to frequently clean touched surfaces and wash hands often to prevent contamination. Susmita Saha By With Netflixs Young Wallander, we get a modern update on the good old murder mystery. The series opens with the Swedish police officer Kurt Wallander (Adam Palsson) tuning into his radio while out on patrol with his colleague and close friend Reza Al-Rahman (Yasen Atour). As the radio crackles with information, a Nordic rain lashes their car window. It is a befitting setting for a crime fiction-themed web series where Sweden is as much a character as the dark jacket-clad sleuth. But theres a twist in the tale. Breaking away from the timeline of the Wallander novels by Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell, the Netflix version is staged in modern Sweden. The backdrop inevitably turns the lens on the countrys current conversations around racism. The show tracks the Scandinavian nations refugee crisis and the contradictions around it, given that the country has positioned itself for years as a safe haven for immigrants. In fact, the narrative of asylum-seekers presents a vibrant canvas to paint a menace-fuelled drama. The intimacy between the landscape and the young protagonistwhose older reincarnations have already been documented in Mankells books and other screen adaptationswork well to reel the viewer in. In the older and much-appreciated series, Kenneth Branagh played a mature version of the character. The dark crimes that he investigates, affect his family and relationships. The new one, too, has a grey world, against which plays out the diabolical murder of a Swedish teenager. It catalyses events motivated by online propaganda, misinformation, racial discrimination and nightmarish violence. The larger issue of the global immigration crisis owing to revolutions, war and vindictive regimes, as well as its impact on asylum-giving nations, has been expertly woven into the plot. The mystery narrative is strongly anchored by Palsson playing the young Kurt, the only Swede actor in the series. Cast as an investigator deeply invested in his field of inquiry and empathetic towards the marginalised, Palsson delivers a performance contoured with vulnerability. It is disappointing that the shows other characters are not visualised with equal depth. Produced by Yellow Bird UKwhich was also the original producer of the BBC series Wallander in 2008it seems the Netflix show is in practised hands. Enchantingly filmed by cinematographer Gaute Gunnari, the architectural heritage of Malmo in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, is vividly broughtly alive. The Soviet-era apartment blocks offer the perfect backdrop to a dramatic tale toggling themes of gang wars, weapon smuggling and of course, immigration. Young Wallander Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery Creator: Ben Harris Stars: Adam Palsson, Leanne Best, Richard Dillane Streaming On: Netflix The Bachelor front-runners Bella Varelis and Irena Srbinovska called time on their friendship during an explosive cocktail party showdown earlier this season. And it seems the former pals have been unable to move on from their feud in the mansion, with Woman's Day claiming they haven't spoken since filming the finale two months ago. 'They're not friends, and never will be,' an insider told the publication, adding that Bella will 'never forgive' Irena's supposed 'betrayal'. Scroll down for video Rivals: Bachelor finalists Bella Varelis (right) and Irena Srbinovska (left) haven't spoken since filming the last rose ceremony two months ago - as an insider says they're still enemies The Bachelor went into lockdown for about three and a half months, from mid-March until the first week of July, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Once the contestants returned to the mansion, a furious Bella, 25, accused Irena, 31, of lying about the extent of her contact with Locky during self-isolation and called her a 'manipulative little b***h'. According to Woman's Day, the jealousy between the two women 'escalated tenfold' once they returned to the mansion, destroying their friendship beyond repair. 'They're not friends, and never will be': The source claimed Bella (left) had no intentions of mending fences with Irena (right) as she still felt 'betrayed' by the nurse's supposed 'betrayal' It comes after a source told Daily Mail Australia the real reason why Bella lashed out at Irena at the first post-lockdown cocktail party. The insider explained that Bella had been under the impression that she was the only woman having 'lengthy' phone and SMS chats with Locky during self-isolation, when he was in fact having similar contact with several girls. 'The reason they fell out was that Bella couldn't accept the fact that Irena had also formed a close connection with Locky during lockdown,' they said. 'She was furious when she found out multiple girls were talking to Locky on a daily basis - but she took it out on Irena because they were so close.' Jealous: During the first post-lockdown cocktail party, which was filmed in early July, Bella accused Irena of lying about her communication with Locky while the cast was in self-isolation Reality check: 'Bella was furious when she found out multiple girls were talking to Locky on a daily basis - but she took it out on Irena because they were so close,' a source said Bella recently told New Idea that the increasing competition in the house made it difficult to maintain her friendship with Irena. 'I knew she had a good connection with Locky, too. I loved seeing [Irena] come back from her date happy, but seeing her happy made me realise that my connection with Locky may be worse off,' she said. The marketing consultant also told TV Week she didn't regret confronting Irena, and was glad they were no longer friends. Bella is widely believed to be the heartbroken runner-up and Irena is tipped to win, according to betting agencies TAB and Sportsbet. The Bachelor continues Wednesday from 7:30pm on Channel 10 Washington The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has touched off a partisan brawl in the Senate to confirm President Donald Trump's nominee to replace her, a vote that Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, has vowed to hold. With Democrats all but certain to unite in opposition to Trump's nominee or at least the effort to consider one so close to the presidential election McConnell can afford few defections on his side. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, meaning they can lose only three votes, with Vice President Mike Pence breaking a 50-50 tie, and still confirm Trump's nominee. Here are four Republicans being closely watched as possible defectors. Susan Collins of Maine: Collins, the lone New England Republican remaining in Congress and one of her party's most politically endangered members, has been a pivotal swing vote in filling vacancies on the Supreme Court, and all eyes are on her in the battle to come. She is one of two Republican senators who support abortion rights and has said she would not vote to confirm a nominee who would strike down the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case establishing a constitutional right to abortion. Collins, who is trying to defend her reputation as a moderate Republican in the toughest race of her political career, recently said she would not be comfortable moving to fill a Supreme Court vacancy in October, just weeks before a general election. Opposing a drive by Trump to swiftly install a successor to Ginsburg could be a powerful way for her to repair her reputation with moderate voters who turned against her after her vote in 2018 to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. But it could also further energize Democratic activists bent on ousting her. Sara Gideon, her Democratic opponent, has already received millions of dollars raised based on Collins' support for Kavanaugh, and after Ginsburg's death, progressive groups were gearing up to pour more money into targeting voters there. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska: Murkowski was the lone Republican to oppose the confirmation of Kavanaugh in 2018. Like Collins, she is one of the few remaining Republicans on Capitol Hill who supports abortion rights and has shown a willingness to break with her party in the past. She made no mention of how she believed the vacancy should be handled in a statement issued Saturday. But hours before the announcement of Ginsburg's death, Murkowski told an Alaska radio station that she would not vote to confirm a Supreme Court nominee before Election Day. "We are 50 some days away from an election," she said. Murkowski is not up for reelection until 2022, so she will not face the immediate electoral judgment of voters as other senators, including Collins, will. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Mitt Romney of Utah: Romney had not yet been elected to Congress when the fight to confirm Kavanaugh became a partisan brawl in the Senate. But he, like Murkowski and Collins, has shown a willingness to break with the administration and the Republican Party. Most notably, Romney became the first senator in U.S. history to vote to remove a president of his own party from office during an impeachment trial and the only Republican to vote to remove Trump. Like other Republicans being watched closely for their position on Trump's nominee and the timing of any vote, he made no mention of his position in a statement and instead focused on paying tribute to Ginsburg. And Friday night, as speculation raged that he had already decided he would not vote on a successor until after Inauguration Day in 2021, a spokeswoman called the reports "grossly false." Charles Grassley of Iowa: Grassley, who led the Judiciary Committee in 2016, has said that he would not conduct Supreme Court confirmation hearings in a presidential election year, particularly given the Republican blockade of Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama's pick to replace Justice Antonin Scalia. But Grassley no longer oversees the committee. He gave no hint of his intentions in a statement after news of Ginsburg's death, praising her "sharp legal mind, tenacity and resilience." Aden: Clashes in Yemen killed at least 66 people since Saturday, medics and security sources said on Sunday, as pro-government forces pushed to oust rebels from a key stretch of coastline. Air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition and fighting near the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait killed at least 52 fighters among Shiite Huthi rebels and allied troops loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, the sources said. Fourteen members of the pro-government forces were also killed. Forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi launched a vast offensive on January 7 to retake the Dhubab district overlooking the Bab al-Mandab, a key maritime route connecting the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Coalition warplanes and Apache attack helicopters have been pounding rebels in support of pro-Hadi forces advancing towards the Red Sea city of Mokha, military sources said. By Saturday, loyalist forces were within 10 kilometres (six miles) of Mokha, they said, but the offensive has been slowed by mines laid by rebels. The rebels took their dead to a military hospital in Hodeida, a major western port city they control, said a medical source . The hospital received 14 dead on Saturday and 38 today, as well as 55 wounded rebels, the source said. On the pro-government side, 14 soldiers were killed and 22 wounded, according to medics in the southern port city of Aden where Hadis government is based. The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 in support of the beleaguered president. But despite its massively superior firepower, the rebels and their allies still control the capital Sanaa and much of the central and northern highlands, as well as the 450-kilometre (280-mile) Red Sea coast. United Nations peace envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed arrived in Sanaa on Sunday for talks and to push a peace plan that would restore a ceasefire and lead to a political transition in the country. The plan would lead to a political transition under which Hadis powers would be significantly reduced. The World Health Organization says that more than 7,400 people have been killed since the coalition intervention began. A UN spokesman has said the civilian death toll alone could top 10,000. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Washington says it is reinstating virtually all the U.N. sanctions on Iran, including an arms embargo. By Nathan Morley According to the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo the sanctions were re-imposed on Saturday night through the snapback process contained in United Nations. Security Council Resolution 2231. In a statement, Pompeo described Iran as the worlds leading state sponsor of terror and anti-Semitism. The Trump administration has warned that an Iran free from restrictions would lead to further regional destabilization and a regional arms race. The statement added that Washington took this action because Iran failed to up-hold its JCPOA commitments and the Security Council failed to extend the U.N. arms embargo on Iran. In response, the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said, "Americans as a rule act as a bully and impose sanctions. The world community should decide how to act towards bullying". Last month, Britain, France and Germany, said they could not support Washingtons move to restore U.N. sanctions on Iran, insisting the action was incompatible with efforts to support the Iran nuclear deal. The United States withdrew from that deal in 2018, and re-imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran. A white Nebraska bar owner who was charged with manslaughter over the shooting of a black man during a chaotic night of George Floyd protests in May has been found dead from suicide. Jake Gardner, who was a Marine, was indicted by a grand jury for fatally shooting 22-year-old James Scurlock in Omaha on May 30. On Friday, a judge signed paperwork to issue an arrest warrant for Gardner. He was supposed to turn himself in on Sunday - but was found dead near Portland, Oregon. Jake Gardner (left), a Marine, was indicted by a grand jury for fatally shooting 22-year-old James Scurlock (right) in Omaha back on May 30 Gardner shot himself after authorities in Hillsboro, Oregon, received a call of a suicidal party, two law enforcement sources told the Omaha World-Herald. The death happened this weekend, though Hillsboro police would not confirm the death or the time it happened. Stu Dornan, Gardner's attorney, confirmed his suicide, saying that his client - who he said had a traumatic brain injury and PTSD from his military days - would have been proved innocent. 'This is a sad day,' said Dornan on Sunday evening. 'It did not have to happen.' Dornan said it was time to end 'trial by media', and said it was 'a clear case of self defense'. He added: 'He was deathly afraid of coming back here, because he did not feel he could get a fair trial. And who would blame him?' Dornan said: 'I'm a fan of the constitution. I'm a fan of self defense. I am angry at the rush to judgement, and at not having the opportunity to defend a man who had acted in self defense three times, and was found to have acted in self defense. 'Yes, I am angry he didn't have his opportunity for a fair trial, and a fair hearing.' Gardner had been in northern California during the wildfires, and needed to be evacuated with other people. Dornan said they were trying to arrange his reporting to Omaha authorities in the safest way possible. 'When you throw in COVID, with respect to that danger and risk, and that law enforcement itself - it is always much easier to have someone turn themselves in. 'This had exceptional circumstances. 'This doesn't take away from the death of Mr Scurlock. This is a terrible tragedy, for everyone involved.' Scurlock, 22, died in the confrontation on May 30 during George Floyd protests in Omaha Surveillance video showed Gardner in a confrontation with BLM protesters outside his bar prior to the shooting. Gardner was shoved to the ground by two people before he fired two shots. Scurlock then jumped on Gardner's back and Gardner shot him Dornan's partner, Tom Monaghan, said that Gardner had already been found guilty by the city of Omaha. 'We need to stop the violence. What happened in Minnesota should not have caused a riot in Omaha,' he said. 'A peaceful demonstration did not need to lead to violence and damage to property. But it did.' Monaghan said they believed they could have proved Gardner was not guilty. 'Jake was worried that he was going to get shot on the way here; that some of those folks who gave him death threats on his phone would carry through with them. He felt the threats were probably not credible, but you never know. I didn't think they were credible enough to need to see him. 'He became particularly worried when it was announced there was an arrest warrant. I can guarantee, there was not.' Monaghan said that instead of an arrest warrant there was 'an agreement to self-report'. Gardner did not leave a suicide note. Gardner, 38, was also facing charges of attempted first-degree assault, threats and using a weapon while committing a felony. Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine had initially declined to file charges against Gardner, saying he had reviewed witness statements and video and believed the bar owner acted in self-defense. Kleine, who was slammed for overlooking Gardner's alleged racist history, asked the grand jury to review the case after he was heavily criticized. Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine had initially declined to file charges against Gardner, saying the shooting was in self-defense Special Prosecutor Frederick Franklin said the grand jury reviewed additional evidence that Kleine didn't have, including texts from Gardner's phone, messages on his Facebook profile and his interactions with bystanders before coming into contact with Spurlock. He declined to provide specifics of what the new evidence shows except to say it undermines the self-defense theory. 'There was significant evidence that was consistent with there being an intentional killing by Jake Gardner and that evidence comes primarily from him,' Franklin said. The shooting happened outside Gardner's bar as protests and civil unrest unfolded in Omaha and across the US in the wake of the May 25 death of George Floyd. Authorities have said Gardner shot Scurlock outside his downtown bar as he sought to ward off any theft or property damage. Kleine later showed reporters some surveillance video that seemed to show Gardner, his father and protesters exchanging words before Gardner, flashing a gun, backed away. Gardner was shoved to the ground by two people before he fired two shots, sending people scrambling. Scurlock then jumped on Gardner's back and Gardner shot him. Scurlock (above) was fatally shot outside Gardner's bar as protests and civil unrest unfolded in Omaha and across the US in the wake of the May 25 death of George Floyd While there was no audio with the video, Kleine said Gardner warned Scurlock to get off of him several times before he fired the fatal shot. Critics of the initial investigation said Scurlock was trying to stop Gardner from hurting anyone. Some witnesses initially said that Gardner had allegedly 'taunted' protesters and went out to the sidewalk yelling 'n****r lover'. Scurlock's death sparked protests across Omaha in the days after prosecutors initially declined to file charges. Just hours before the deadly clash, Gardner posted a status update on Facebook about protecting his business amid the unrest Scurlock's death sparked protests across Omaha in the days after prosecutors initially declined to file charges In the wake of the shooting, prosecutors were accused of turning a blind eye to the Gardner's alleged racist views and background. Court documents have shown that he has a past criminal record stretching back to the late 1990s, which includes multiple weapons-related charges, as well as arrests on counts of assault and battery. In 2016, Gardner, who reportedly self-identifies as a Libertarian, sparked a controversy when he posted on Facebook that transgender women should not use the women's bathroom at his establishment, unless they have had their 'appendage' removed and their identification legally changed. Just hours before the deadly clash, Gardner posted a status update on Facebook about protecting his business amid the unrest. 'Just when you think, 'what else could 2020 throw at me?' Then you have to pull 48 hours of military style firewatch,' Gardner wrote. He was a retired Marine who served tours of duty in Iraq and Haiti between 2000-2004. GPs are concerned about the number of people calling for a Covid-19 test when they think they may be a close contact. Doctors say they want to keep phone lines free for people who are genuinely unwell. If you are a close contact, you will be phoned by someone from a contact tracing team and they will organise your test. According to the HSE, a close contact can mean: spending more than 15 minutes of face-to-face contact within 2 metres of someone who has coronavirus, indoor or outdoor. living in the same house or shared accommodation as someone who has coronavirus. sitting within 2 seats of someone who has coronavirus on public transport or an airplane. Dr Nuala O'Connor, Covid-19 lead with the Irish College of General Practitioners, says even the app can tell you if you require a test. She said public health officials will identify someone as a close contact. Its only if you get a contact from public health or if you get a ping on your Covid Tracker app to say that you have been identified as a close contact and a red card comes up on you Covid Tracker app, then you are a genuine close contact, said Dr OConnor. If you are a close contact, you need to get tested for the virus and restrict your movements for 14 days, even if your test comes back negative. If you are contacted by a public health official of a member of a contact tracing team, they will arrange a test for you. Of the 274 cases of the virus reported on Saturday, 52% are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case. Loading Khan said he wanted fast action to halt the spread in London, adding that it was better to move too early than too late. "The situation is clearly worsening," his spokeswoman said, adding that Khan would meet council leaders on Monday and any London-specific lockdown measures would be recommended to ministers following that. "The mayor wants fast action as we cannot risk a delay, as happened in March. It is better for both health and business to move too early than too late. Hancock was also asked on Times Radio about the possibility of Londoners being told to work from home later this week, and said: "Well, I wouldn't rule it out." The Opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said he would support whatever measures the government brings forward, but criticised the government's testing system for not having the capacity to deal with increased demand as schools returned. Cases continue to mount in France French health authorities reported 10,569 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday, down from the previous day's record increase of 13,498. Cases are usually always down on weekends due to fewer tests and less reporting. The number of French deaths from the disease rose by 12 over the preceding 24 hours to 31,585, the health ministry said. The cumulative number of confirmed cases now stands at 453,763. The latest death toll amounts to a more sizeable increase of 311 over the 31,274 published on Saturday, a difference that may reflect late arriving data for earlier fatalities. Loading Besides a resurgence in the spread of the coronavirus since lockdown measures ended in May, epidemiologists say higher case numbers are also the result of a six-fold surge in testing since the process became available without charge or prescription. The rolling seven-day count of COVID-19 hospital admissions rose to 3894 from 3853 on Saturday, according to the latest French data, with intensive care admissions stable at 593. Protests in Madrid Protesters in some poorer areas of Madrid that are facing lockdown to stem a soaring COVID-19 infection rate took to the streets on Sunday to call for better health provisions. Madrid's regional government announced on Friday that movement between and within six districts that are home to about 850,000 people will be restricted from Monday, although people will still be able to go to work. Loading The lockdown measures predominantly apply areas of lower income and with higher immigrant populations. Peaceful protests were held 12 of the 37 districts affected on Sunday. About 600 people demonstrated in the southern district of Vallecas, which has one of the highest infection rates in the Spanish capital, almost six times higher than that of Chamberi, a wealthy area in the north of the city, according to regional government figures. "We want adequate measures to protect us in these working class areas. We don't have medical centres. Many people do not have a work contract so they can go into quarantine in peace," said Vanesa, a protester, who lives in Vallecas. "Vallecas is not a ghetto", chanted demonstrators. They also called for the resignation of Madrid regional leader Isabel Diaz Ayuso, who attracted criticism for saying this week "the way of life of immigrants" was partly to blame for the rise in cases. Madrid mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida said the measures did not discriminate against the poor. "There are no first class residents and second class residents. We have to be together at this moment," he tweeted. Authorities in Madrid, which accounts for a third of all infections in Spain, announced the restrictions in areas where the contagion levels exceed 1000 per 100,000 inhabitants. Access to parks and public areas will be restricted, gatherings will be limited to six people and commercial establishments will have to close by 10 p.m. in the areas. Police will be deployed to enforce the lockdown, authorities said on Saturday. However, Madrid regional health chief Enrique Ruiz Escudero said if these measures did not reduce coronavirus cases, a city-wide lockdown could follow. "If it is necessary to shut down Madrid, we will do it," he said in an interview published on Sunday. Spain has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in western Europe, but Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has ruled out a second national lockdown. US sets new testing record The United States set a one-day record with over 1 million coronavirus diagnostic tests being performed, but the country needs 6 million to 10 million a day to bring outbreaks under control, according to various experts. The country performed 1,061,411 tests on Saturday, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer-run effort to track the outbreak. The record comes after testing has fallen for several weeks. The United States tested on average 650,000 people a day in the week ended September 13, down from a peak in late July of over 800,000 people a day. Since the start of the pandemic, testing shortages have hampered efforts to curb the spread of the virus. At one point during the summer, Houston residents lined up in cars and waited hours for tests, even sleeping in their vehicles overnight. Miami saw similar lines. Once tested, people may have to wait up to two weeks to learn if they have the virus, which has killed nearly 200,000 Americans and infected more than 6.7 million. Such delays defeat the purpose of trying to prevent further infections. In March, President Donald Trump said "anyone who wants a test, gets a test." That goal has yet to be achieved. At the heart of the crisis is a reliance by labs on automated testing equipment that locks them into using proprietary chemical kits and other tools made by a handful of manufacturers. The Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorisation for several saliva tests, which require no swabs and use readily available reagents. Joe Biden on Sunday attacked President Donald Trump and leading Senate Republicans for trying to push through a replacement for the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The extraordinary televised plea from the Democratic presidential candidate to Republican senators reflected the ferocious manoeuvring that has followed Ginsburgs death on Friday. Her death upended a campaign that had, until then, focused on Mr Trumps handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the nations economic collapse and racial unrest that has stoked protests in US cities. It was my honor to preside over Justice Ginsburgs confirmation hearings, and to support her accession to the Supreme Court. Her opinions, and her dissents, will shape the basis of our law for generations to come and well be a more just and equal nation because of it. pic.twitter.com/SmZD2KyyyG Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 20, 2020 Mr Trump has said he intends within days to name a woman to succeed Ms Ginsburg, and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell was moving toward the first hearings this week. Just hours before Mr Biden spoke, a second Republican senator, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, joined senator Susan Collins of Maine in opposing efforts to fill Ms Ginsburgs seat before the next president is elected. It takes four Republicans to break ranks to keep Mr Trumps nominee off the supreme court. Attention quickly focused on senator Mitt Romney of Utah, who voted to convict Mr Trump on one count of impeachment, and senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, a former chairman of the judiciary committee. Expand Close People gather at the Supreme Court in Washington on Saturday (J. Scott Applewhite/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp People gather at the Supreme Court in Washington on Saturday (J. Scott Applewhite/AP) Mr Biden acknowledged that those republicans and others like them were his target audience when he warned that Mr Trumps plan was an abuse of power. Uphold your constitutional duty, your conscience, said Mr Biden, speaking in battleground Pennsylvania. Let the people speak. Cool the flames that have engulfed our country. There was little chance of calm overtaking the historic campaign as early voting progressed and the death toll from the virus reached 200,000 Americans. House speaker Nancy Pelosi referred to the House having options she did not name to stall or prevent the Senate from confirming Ms Ginsburgs successor to the lifetime job. We have arrows in our quiver that Im not about to discuss right now, Ms Pelosi said on ABCs This Week. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg may have been petite in size, but the impact she left on America was immense. May her memory be a blessing and inspire each of us to work toward a more equal, more just future for all. pic.twitter.com/tNZ7jsfwHJ Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) September 20, 2020 The House has no formal role in the confirmation of Supreme Court justices. But Ms Pelosi would not rule out a new round of impeachment proceedings that might divert the Senates attention, though that route seemed unlikely. Republicans hold a 53-47 edge in the Senate. If there were a 50-50 tie, it could be broken by Vice President Mike Pence. Mr Trump has said he is obliged to act as soon as possible and had at least two women in mind for the seat. Most Republicans agreed on the need for speed and one named a practical reason. The nine-member court, argued senator Ted Cruz of Texas, must be full if called upon to decide the outcome of a disputed presidential election. Expand Close Ruth Bader Ginsburg died aged 87 (Alex Brandon/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ruth Bader Ginsburg died aged 87 (Alex Brandon/AP) But Mr Biden and other Democrats said voters should choose the next president, who should then choose Ms Ginsburgs successor. Healthcare, abortion rights and religious freedom are on the line, they said. Mr Biden, who has run on uniting the country after Mr Trumps divisive tenure and imparting a sense of comfort to despairing Americans, warned against more upheaval. The last thing we need is a constitutional crisis that plunges us deeper into the abyss and deeper into the darkness, he said. He acknowledged that if Mr Trump wins, his choice should be approved. But he added, If I win this election, President Trumps nominee should be withdrawn and as the new president I should be the one to nominate Justice Ginsburgs successor. After rebuking a senior Czech lawmaker for visiting Taiwan this month, the Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, received an obscenity-laced public letter that punctuated just how far Chinas standing in Europe has fallen. You should be ashamed, another lawmaker, Pavel Novotny, an outspoken district mayor in Prague, wrote, calling the Chinese impudent, thoughtless, uncouth clowns and demanding an apology. The outburst was not an isolated one. In country after country, China is facing rising anger over its policies and its behavior from ... In 2010, Village Repertory Co. determined that they should pull up stakes in their locale in the Old Village in Mount Pleasant and move the theater company to downtown Charleston. "We did an almost yearlong feasibility study," said founder and executive director Keely Enright. From that they gleaned that patrons and their base felt that they should be on the peninsula. "So we started a hunt for downtown space in 2010." They inked a lease with Doris Meddin, the matriarch overseeing the former Meddin Brothers Meat Packing warehouse on 34 Woolfe Street off upper King Street, and set to painstakingly refurbishing the brick space, outfitting it as a theater frequently configured cabaret style, building a bar and a removable black box space. They crowned their labor of love Woolfe Street Playhouse. They did this with such panache that they were able to offset their sizable rent by attracting rentals including Spoleto Festival USA. They also scooped up a coveted Carolopolis Award from the Preservation Society of Charleston. Even with all their success, the pressure of high rent in an exploding area mounted. With the pandemic, the prospect of sliding deeper into a hole loomed. We knew we were in deep trouble, said Enright, who reasoned that if they could get to July they could probably weather it. But the pandemic persisted. This week Enright announced that Woolfe Street Playhouse would close. Sharing stories George Patrick "GP" McLeer, executive director of the South Carolina Arts Alliance, will tell you that Village Rep is by no means alone. In his role leading the charge in arts advocacy, he is currently focused on encouraging arts organizations to share such stories, a tactic he considers crucial for vouchsafing the future of the arts. Its bleak," he said. His main focus is the CARES Act, the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, and pushing through the Statehouse an allocation of its remaining money to the arts. "We're the first industry to shut down and will be the last to fully open," he said, offering that in a $9.7 billion industry, there is a $1.2 billion reduction in the organizations reporting through one survey, or an average $20,000 loss in the early part of the summer alone. Old pressures, new partnerships And, while yes, the pandemic may be the coup de grace, most Charleston artists would point to ongoing threats, chief among them the development boom. Practically every square foot in the city is in the crosshairs of a speculative eye, forcing artists out of affordable spaces in which to make art and to make lives. Before COVID-19, ceramicist and artist Susan Gregory was reeling from such pressures. Along with as many as 30 other potters, she had been making her art at Cone 10, an LLC set up to divide financial and physical responsibilities among the members so they could devote their time to working as studio artists. "We were not business people,' she said. When the building was sold to make way for condominiums, Gregory was the last partner standing after the others slipped from under the Damocles sword of the pending sale. She took the kiln and worktables and went home to mull her next move. That move came by way of a friend, Tracey Pickard. As luck would have it, Pickard is both an arts enthusiast and a general contractor. She proposed buying a building and leasing it to Gregory, who could then set up a similar creative collective. A partnership formed, one that is well on its way to achieving that vision, which is now called Studio Union. Pickard purchased a former upholstery shop in a neighborhood on Hackemann Avenue in North Charleston, transforming it into an airy, raftered space, with tables, wheels and kilns and a painted pink floor ablush with optimism. There are still hoops to clear, but every encouragement that a new collective providing as many 10 artists with a space will soon be green lit. Gregory is benefiting from other new partnerships these days, too. One client, Haegur Plant Shop, which had previously carried some of her pots, increased the order when shipments from places like China were waylaid. The Gibbes Museum of Art has also procured pieces for its shop and the new Emeline Hotel enlisted her in a big order to create soap dishes. "When I got the order, I was like, OK, I can just do dishes," she said, and did so with pleasure. One door closes, an outdoor space opens While enumerating her newly forged partnerships, Gregory observed that her artistic practices are not reliant on gathering, which has stifled other art forms. Among those stifled was Charleston Jazz. The COVID closing of Charleston Music Hall left them with hundreds of subscriptions and a corporate sponsorship from REV Federal Credit Union. Executive Director Tatjana Beylotte was determined to honor all. She learned that Firefly Distillery, which makes vodka, was presenting a Safe Sounds series on its new North Charleston site. The series hosts outdoor concerts on four acres suited for social distancing. When Beylotte reached out to Firefly, event manager Sara Bennett had just come on board, fresh from Spoleto Festival USA, and was savvy to the local arts scene. More serendipitous still was that owner Scott Newitt loves jazz. I play music and have always had Firefly involved with music, said Newitt, a drummer who grew up outside of New Orleans and who regularly supports musicians (along with other community organizations in need of a venue). An enlightened partnership was born. In addition to performing the concerts on Firefly's stage "porch" at no charge, Charleston Jazz uses the venue to rehearse and record the program. The concerts safely accommodate 500 patrons, a significant drop from the Charleston Music Hall. There's no huge money making happening from tickets for the rest of the year, said Beylotte. "We want to make sure our season subscribers get the performances that they've invested in and give them the live music experience theyre so hungry for. For Newitt, the partnership is a win-win, effective cross-promotion. It's 1 plus 1 is 3. They're going to benefit, and we're going to benefit from people that didn't know that we moved. Firefly's enterprise has encouraged Beylotte, who said I was impressed with how they have done an amazing job to organize it themselves, and it inspired me to do it for ourselves. Fixing the fallout At the South Carolina Arts Alliance, McLeer aims to put a face on the industry's challenges. He implores artists to sound loudly about their fallout, with the aim of making a compelling case to those who decide on the statewide allocation. It's all local. It's the artists who are making individual communities better. Were not going away, Enright said of Village Rep. Such resolve was recently affirmed during the companys last show at Woolfe Street, Summer Comfort, a musical revue meant to offer a final, happy show in the space. Enright was surprised by what happened among the limited audience members gathering there for the first time since the shutdown. It was so cathartic for people to be back in the room, getting to cry in the dark. And even though they weren't with a lot of people, it was so exciting," she said. In the meantime, shes all systems go, pursuing potential creative partnerships. This weekend, they performed "Summer Comfort" at Tradesman Brewing Co. They are now in talks with Franke at Seaside and other arts organizations to work out arrangements in their spaces. At Charleston Jazz, Beylotte is energized, too. She said that the recent adjustments have created new ways of operating that the organization plans to continue post-pandemic.They plan to keep performing at places like Firefly in addition to the Charleston Music Hall. They'll keep recording and selling virtual performances, something that has turned into a solid source of revenue and has increased their social media presence, thereby cultivating a new audience and bringing in new donors. They'll amp up their Jazz Academy, which is currently operating online for 60-plus students. "So we're very busy," she said. The Firefly partnership has helped spur this energy. It allowed us to breathe again in a way .... It's not like it used to be, but we are performing, and that's what we're here to do, she said. For McLeer, the most pressing partner is the Statehouse. While he also underscores innovation as key to the arts rebounding, he stresses that the loss of infrastructure means that arts organizations will have to substantially rebuild first. "We can't go fully forward," he said. Still, a welcome alfresco stage at a distillery has offered Beylotte much to help power her organization forward. Its just hope. The UK needs to dramatically increase public research and development expenditure to tackle climate change and challenges like Covid-19, a report has argued. Ministers are being urged by policy experts to set a target to spend 2 per cent of the UKs GDP on public R&D investment over the next 10 years, a huge increase aimed to fill gaps left by the private sector. The researchers at the think tank Common Wealth also urge deep reforms to intellectual property law which it is argued have become outdated and no longer incentivise innovation. The 2 per cent R&D target would be similar to the target the government has for spending 0.7 per cent of gross national income on overseas development aid, or the Nato target requiring alliance members spend 2 per cent of GDP on defence which have both helped increase expenditure in those areas despite changes in government. Labours climate change policy team has seen the report, and this weekend called on the government to lay out a strategy to increase investment across the UK, arguing that action was crucial for the development of a low-carbon economy. The report argues that any intellectual property like patents on new innovations developed from publicly funded research and development should be put into the commons and available for all to use, to maximise its benefit. It also suggests that protection of intellectual property should be conditional on companies being held to certain standards such as not avoiding tax, respecting workers rights, and protecting the environment. Any patents revoked from companies that breach these rules should also be put into the commons for others to work on freely, the report argues. This approach would gradually build a publicly owned and democratically governed intellectual property commons which would make it easier for innovative small firms to build on previous research, unencumbered by patents, the researchers suggest. The report points to examples from the pharmaceutical industry, where some drug companies have restricted access to medicines that are protected by intellectual property law. It recommends that one way to increase public R&D would be for the government to create a publicly owned pharmaceutical manufacturing entity, to control drug costs domestically and safeguard affordable medicine internationally through technology transfers and open access to medical and pharmaceutical research. Campaigners earlier this year urged companies working on a Covid-19 vaccine to drop patents for any resulting treatment so that it could benefit the widest number of people. Miriam Brett, director of research and advocacy at Common Wealth, said: While initially intended to stimulate innovation, our current approach to intellectual property (IP) has increasingly become a driving force for the accumulation and protection of assets by a narrow set of companies and interests and has given way to sluggish rates of innovation, increasing inequity, and reductions in competition. The public health crisis and the development of a Covid-19 vaccine have generated fresh questions around our approach to intellectual property and research and development, with concerns raised around whether a treatment for the virus with be universal and affordable for all, or whether enclosure and corporate profits will be prioritised over access to vital medicines. Thomas Hanna, research director at US think tank Democracy Collaborative, added: Intellectual property rights not only shape our economic and social landscape but have a dramatic impact on our climate. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty If reimagined and harnessed for good, intellectual property and research and development can help tackle the interconnected crises we face today, from the need for affordable access to medicines to technological advances required to combat climate breakdown. To do so not only necessitates a sharp increase in public R&D investment, but must also embrace a mission-oriented approach to creations of the mind to rise to the challenge we face today. Reacting to the report, Labours Matthew Pennycook, shadow climate change minister, said: Developing new and emerging technologies cannot be a substitute for bold action now to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it will be crucial to achieving a low-carbon economy and the government needs a clear strategy for future investment in this area. Young Aisha* has had more than her fair share of misfortunes. She was only six years old when the Boko Haram terror group levied war on the secular society in Nigeria. The ensuing carnage and bloodbath has taken the lives of over 30,000 people. Originally from Goniri, a town in Yobe State, she was forced to move to Bama, about 60 kilometres southeast of Maiduguri in neighbouring Borno State. In September 2014, the insurgents laid siege to Bama and seized control from the army. Many soldiers and residents fled on foot. But others like Aisha were tired of running. For six months, the town was in the hands of the terror group as an Islamic Caliphate. Those in captivity are under serious trauma, starvation, in distress with serious degrees of injuries, one resident reported in the early days of the occupation. Despite her age, Aisha was married to a Boko Haram fighter called Mustafa. When the city was recaptured by the army in March 2015, she initially fled with her husband, brother, and sister, and they all hid in the forest camp. She then returned with her siblings to Bama where they were locked up and interrogated before they were taken to a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs). At the camp, they waited endlessly for food tickets but did not get any. They realised, after a few months, that there was only one way to survive: submitting to the sexual advances of camp officials. Since we did not have money to bribe, we were told to use what we have which is as good as money, she narrated in Kanuri. At night, a male camp official picked up young girls like Aisha who returned from the bush surrounding Bama and took them to tents occupied by soldiers and other security officials. This was usually at a roadblock in Tango. The next morning, they were given N1500 and returned to the IDP camp. I did not hear about it; it was done to me and at least two others that I know, she thought she had to emphasise. There is no way to cater to yourself here without surrendering to the sexual assaults of officials. Aisha is 17 now but was about four years younger when she first experienced these sexual assaults. Her age was a major source of her torment. The demons of sexual assaults in the camp were always attracted and therefore feasted on her like flies would feast on faeces. It happened to her while she lived among the Boko Haram terrorists and persisted in the IDP camp. She recalls sleeping with over 20 soldiers as well as camp officials. Worse still, most of the sexual assaults were without protection. In her words, she always endured the trauma of feeling the water (semen) coming out of the men. Frustrated, she eventually left the camp to find shelter in the town of Bama but was met with hostility. The residents labelled her and her friend Boko Haram women, a tag that accompanied her like a shadow everywhere she went. She was sent out of the rented house. She was forced to return to the Dalori IDP camp, located in one of the neighborhoods close to Maiduguri. There too, she could not get food tickets. Her name was not registered and she had to resort again to trading her body for basic needs. But officials threw her out of the camp because she and her friends were seen as strangers from Bama. When she left Dalori for Bama, she discovered her female friends had moved to Maiduguri. So, she joined them, moving in with Fatima,* whom she had made friends with since her first days at the Bama camp. In her current location she still faces strong distrust from locals, but her resilience keeps her going. She is thankful that she could afford soap to wash her clothes, opportunities to be productive and, most importantly, a sense of control over her body. Nigerias laws criminalise sex with minors. Enforcing the law however is like drawing water from the rock. Both the Criminal Code, which applies to the southern region, and the Penal Code, applicable in the north, outlaw sex with anyone below the age of 18 and stipulate punishment ranging from 14 years in prison or life imprisonment. The Criminal Code and the Child Rights Act further state that it does not matter if the offender believed the child to be older or that the girl was taken with her own consent or at her own suggestion. Attempts to get reactions from the Nigerian Army and Borno State government were not successful. Col. Sagir Musa, Director of Nigerian Army Public Relations, asked to be called back when HumAngle reached out to him on Thursday, September 17; but did not answer multiple calls since placed to his number. He also did not reply to texts sent in the period. Calls to phone numbers belonging to Isa Gusau, spokesman to the Borno State governor, did not scale through, and he neither acknowledged nor replied texts and an email sent to his personal address. Older IDPs as pimps According to the Displacement Tracking Matrix released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in June 2018, 54 per cent of IDPs in Nigeria are estimated to be female and as much as 56 per cent are below the age of 18. Another 37 per cent are between the ages of 18 and 59. But the fact that children constitute the vast majority of the displaced people has not given them special protection from exploitation. Camp officials are not the only ones who sexually take advantage of displaced underage girls. The practise is also common among female IDPs who themselves are too old to trigger the fancy of male camp officials. Some of these older women engage in pimping the underage ones. From interviews with multiple IDPs, HumAngle understands that the older women, known locally as magajiyas, offer up either their daughters or orphaned girls staying with them for the sex trade. The girls then return bearing foodstuff, money, and other supplies from which they benefit. The IDPs who are separated from their parents in the process of fleeing from crossfire have no choice but to seek guardians in the camps. Others are separated from their husbands by the military who detain the men on grounds that they were being investigated. Female IDPs are vulnerable not only in camps but across host communities in the Northeast as there are reports of abuse by people providing them with shelter in the towns. The ring of abusers draws up people with criminal cravings for underage girls, to those who have strong sexual appetites for older women as well as others with a homosexual orientation. Most of the women who spoke with HumAngle said their first rape experience was at the point of interrogation by soldiers after they had just fled from their communities. The soldiers develop a body search protocol in which they compel the women to completely undress under their gaze. Advertisements In the course of this body search protocol several personal valuables are never returned to the owners. The younger ones among them are marked out by the soldiers for severe sexual bondage thereafter. The absurdity has been internalised among these women as an unavoidable reality of life. At the IDP camps, what we have is not a growing case of rape but a growing case of consent and less and less sex without consent, one of the women said. It has become normal. If you are a lady, you cooperate and get what you want much more easily. The IDPs who escaped the interrogation with some money pay to get basic relief such as bed space, blankets, foodstuff, drugs and so on, donated in the first instance by local and international organisations. Those without cash are forced to surrender themselves for sexual gratification. HumAngle learnt that some of the men who eventually regained their freedom from military detention centres returned to find that their wives had been variously impregnated by camp officials. Pushed back to BH territories Fatima, 16, who also hails from Goniri, had a similar string of experiences as Aisha. She had been married to a Boko Haram fighter, a young man from Bula Kuriye. When the Nigerian Army recaptured Bama in 2015, she fled to the bush with her mother. She later returned to the town with her younger brother to see her grandfather. The grandfather was full of revulsion for her on account of her association with Boko Haram. He seized her sibling but rejected Fatima. You Boko Haram people are spoilt. You are copying them. You and we cannot live in the same house, she recalls her grandfather declaring. Sometime in 2016, she went to the IDP camp hoping for a place she could find company. But what did she get? She was treated as a castaway. Every day, they wondered when they would finally get the food tickets. They complained to a male camp official, who kept assuring them their needs would be taken care of. The same official, they would later find out, worked as a pimp for security operatives. I will not deny; I went there once. He carried three of us in his car and took us there, she recalled. Like Aisha and the other girls, she received N1500 the following morning. The food tickets never came, possibly to keep them dependent. But rather than sleep with strangers every few days to stay alive, many of the girls chose to return to Boko Harams enclave. Fatima says there were initially over 30 IDPs from her village around, but only 12 remained. If you dont have a food ticket, you would go back, she said matter-of-factly. What would you do? How would you eat? If you dont have someone, how would you eat? This is my situation. Anyone who doesnt want to submit to sexual assaults would have to go back (to their husbands in the forest). Some other female IDPs interviewed by HumAngle, who previously lived with the insurgents, expressed a desire to return. They said food scarcity is a problem they would face in the terrorist camps as well but, at least, no one except their husbands would attempt to have sexual intercourse with them. Violated humanitarian laws The right of children to be protected from abuse is not only guaranteed by local laws. The 1949 Geneva Conventions on humanitarian law, which have been ratified by Nigeria, have even broader provisions. Article 77 of the conventions Additional Protocol I states, Children shall be the object of special respect and shall be protected against any form of indecent assault. The Parties to the conflict shall provide them with the care and aid they require, whether because of their age or for any other reason. The treaty additionally guarantees the right of women to be protected against rape, forced prostitution and any other form of indecent assault. According to article 89, nursing mothers and children under the age of 15 are to be given additional food in proportion to their physiological needs. Young IDPs, however, continue to face immense pressure in their bid to receive aid. A survey of IDPs in Borno conducted in December 2019 by Ground Truth Solutions, an international NGO, found that younger respondents are more convinced that they need to pay others or offer favours before getting assistance. The provision of food tickets is part of the cash support programme in place to improve the living conditions of IDPs. The displaced people are given Airtel SIM cards and identification cards from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). With the tickets, each person, including infants, especially in areas such as Dikwa and Bama, is entitled to three to four mudus (over 4 kg) of millets per month, one mudu of beans, and about a quarter of one litre of cooking oil. The IDPs also receive salt and other items. But the food is barely enough as many of them oftentimes have to sell some of the supplies to buy firewood and other commodities needed for cooking. A humanitarian worker informed HumAngle that for IDPs in Monguno, their thumbprints are recorded and they receive foodstuff worth N23,000 while IDPs in Dalori receive items worth N17,000. Those directly in charge of the distribution are, however, not workers of WFP. The UN agency employs the staff of other organisations such as the International Medical Corps (IMC) in Dalori and Kubuyo, and the Danish Refugee Council in Bama. Ideally, new arrivals are registered alongside every member of their family, with their thumbprints recorded by the IOM. Those returning from the forest like Aisha and Fatima are supposed to be given cards from the detention centre in Bama before they are moved to camps. The NGO staff are saying the people are too many and registration is getting difficult, the aid worker said in September. Like in Bama, they are in a difficult situation. Some of them were moving to Konduga as of yesterday. It came to the point where they cooked the millets and beans and ate the combination without stew. The scarcity is pushing women over the brink. For those who do not have skills to make a living, prostitution and begging become the only to survive. Increased monitoring needed Weak monitoring mechanisms put in place by donor organisations and the government have been identified as a key reason sexual assault and pimping have continued at the various IDP camps. Places such as Bama, Banki, and Monguno are considered unsafe for travel, and because of security concerns, top officials of international NGOs operating in the region are hardly physically present at the camps. Oftentimes, they instead delegate the distribution of materials to third party contractors who have been accused of being selective, exploitative, and fraudulent in their dealings. In its 2018 report, They Betrayed Us: Women Who Survived Boko Haram Raped, Starved and Detained in Nigeria, Amnesty International (AI) reported patterns of rape and sexual exploitation in satellite camps. Some of the women said they were raped by soldiers or civilian Joint Task Force members at the Bama Hospital camp in late 2015 or early 2016 while they had been starving or near starving. The accounts given to Amnesty International from IDPs strongly indicate that much of the food assistance that reached these satellite camps were stolen, and in some cases sold back to them, the organisation observed. They also indicate that there were inadequate efforts made by the civil authorities to monitor the distribution of aid and to ensure that the assistance they provided reached displaced people. According to the reports of displaced persons, in many of the satellite camps there appeared to have been little, if any, presence in the camp by government officials or emergency management agencies personnel, and thus no oversight or monitoring of whether aid reached its intended beneficiaries. The NGO requested that groups such as the UN missions and United Kingdom Team of Experts should support efforts to address the patterns of violence against displaced women and girls, especially by closely monitoring the camps and ensuring there is equity and fairness. *A pseudonym has been used to protect her identity This investigative news report is a partnership between HumAngle Media and the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism under the media and terrorism programme. The Hong Kong government on Sunday suspended flights from Air India after a surge in the number of coronavius disease cases, according to local media reports. Many local outlets quoted Hong Kongs department of health as saying the flights of Air India and Cathay Dragon have been suspended till October 3 after passengers aboard were found to be infected with Covid-19. Cathay Pacific said in a statement that five passengers from India who were on a Cathay Dragon flight between Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong on September 18 tested positive for Covid-19, even after they submitted negative nucleic acid tests before their trip. The passengers were earlier on an India Express flight. Hong Kong recorded the highest number of new infections in almost a month. One-third of the 23 new cases were in people who had recently travelled from India, according to the Centre for Health Protection. Only four local infections were reported. Hong Kong had banned flights operated by Air India in August too. These flights were part of the Vande Bharat Mission. The Vande Bharat Mission started in early May to evacuate Indians stranded abroad due to travel restrictions in wake of Covid-19 pandemic. A passenger from India can arrive in Hong Kong only if he or she has a Covid-19 negative certificate from a test done 72 hours prior to the journey, according to the rules issued by the Hong Kong government in July. Air India Express flights were suspended for 24 hours on Friday by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) for bringing two passengers with Covid-positive certificates on August 28 and September 4. As per the UAE government rules, each passenger travelling from India is required to bring an original Covid-negative certificate from the RT-PCR test done 96 hours prior to the journey. Several Panjab University (PU) faculty members have in a letter urged vice-chancellor (V-C) Raj Kumar to ensure that the Panjab University Teachers Association (PUTA) elections are postponed due to the steep rise in Covid-19 cases in the city. Six teachers have written to the V-C and registrar asking for delayed elections of office bearers of the PUs teachers body, scheduled for September 25 and 26. To observe safety rules during the pandemic, the polls in which more than 600 faculty members are eligible to vote, will be staggered. In their letter, the six lecturers urged the university administration to intervene in the matter as the elections were being held physically. V-C can intervene They said that the large number of teachers had been concerned about the matter and wanted the polls delayed. It is expected that the University should interfere as PUTA is recognised by the authorities of Panjab University and not registered under any legal act to allow the concerned teacher any other redressal. So the whole responsibility in case of any lapse falls on Panjab University, reads the letter. Dr Priyatosh Sharma, one of the signatories, said, Many teachers are of the view that they will not vote if the elections are being held amid the pandemic. Many persons have been infected on campus in the recent past and we are witnessing a rise in Covid-19 positive cases in city. Staggered elections However, according to the strategy chalked out by the returning officer for the polls, voting will be carried out at two venues, the English auditorium and the evening auditorium. Different departments will be given one of the four time slots starting from 8.30am to 11.30am and going up to 3.30pm to 5pm to prevent overcrowding. Attempts to derail PUTA However, many faculty members are against the postponement request, with the team led by Mritunjay Kumar and Amarjit Singh Naura, contesting the polls, alleging in a statement that a campaign was underway to cancel the elections and efforts made to render the body dysfunctional. We appeal to the community to discourage all those who have sided with the authorities to derail PUTA elections 2020 and ensure that maximum voting takes place, the team members said. Combe Martin is a village, civil parish and former manor on the North Devon coast about 4 miles (6.4km) east of Ilfracombe. It is a small seaside resort with a sheltered cove on the north-west edge of the Exmoor National Park. Due to the narrowness of the valley, the village consists principally of one single long street which runs 2 miles (3.2km) between the valley head and the sea. An electoral ward with the village name exists. The ward population at the 2011 census was 3,941. History Evidence of Iron Age occupation includes the nearby Newberry Castle fort. The toponym "Combe" is derived from Old English cumb meaning "wooded valley". It derives ultimately from the same Brythonic source as the Welsh cwm, also of the same meaning. The name was recorded as Comer in 1128. The 'Martin' suffix on the place name is from the name of the FitzMartin family, feudal barons of Barnstaple, from which large barony the manor of Combe was held. The FitzMartins held the barony following the marriage of Nicholas FitzMartin (d.1260) to Maud de Tracy, heiress of the barony of Barnstaple, until the death of his grandson William II FitzMartin in 1326 who left his two sisters co-heiresses. There are several disused silver mines on the eastern ridge and evidence of tunnels can still be seen, as well as the remains of a wheelhouse used to lift ore from the mine. There are items in the Crown Jewels made from Combe Martin silver and a large part of the war expenses of Edward the Third and Henry the Fifth were paid for by the sale of silver mined here. The unusual dedication of the Church of England parish church to St. Peter ad Vincula ("St. Peter in Chains") is derived from the ancient Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome. One of the village's unusual features is the Pack o' Cards public house built around 1700 by George Ley. Reputed to have been funded by his gambling successes, it originally had 52 windows, 13 rooms and four floors (matching the numbers from a pack of cards). Village street It is believed that the street is the longest village street in England, but this is actually a myth. It was recently measured at around a mile and a half long. The actual longest street is Stewkley, Buckinghamshire. The myth has several possible origins: Combe Martin has the Guinness world record for the world's longest street party, this can easily be confused as longest village street (or, indeed, the longest high street). Many people measure Combe Martin from one "you are entering Combe Martin" sign to the other. One of the signs is placed an unusually long way from the village (approx 1 mile and one half) which can lead to confusion. Combe Martin has several very active pubs. There is a saying in Combe Martin that "At the George and Dragon they talk about my sprained thumb, at the Dolphin they talk about my broken leg." Basically saying is that at the pubs at Combe Martin stories really have a chance to be exaggerated and maybe such is the case here. Annual events At one time there were nine pubs: The Castle, The Dolphin, the Fo'c'stle, the George and Dragon, the Lion Inn, The London Inn, The Marine, the Pack O' Cards and the Top George. As part of the annual Carnival celebrations, there was a wheelbarrow race over the length of the village, competitors having to stop at each pub and consume a glass of beer before continuing. In 2008 the wheelbarrow race was replaced by a Fun Run and alcohol free wheelbarrow parade. The wheelbarrow race was reinstated in 2009. The annual procession "The Hunting of the Earl of Rone" features the rare hobby horse of England and a character called the Earl of Rone. The Hunting of the Earl of Rone takes place over a weekend, finishing with a two-mile procession along the main street, featuring, as well as the 'obby 'oss and Earl of Rone, a Fool, "Grenadiers", drummers and music, a donkey, and hundreds of dancers in festive dress. The custom was banned in 1837 (due to 'licentiousness and drunken behaviour') as well as the death of a drunken parishioner falling off of a wall during the celebrations. The Rone custom was reconstructed in 1970. Legend has it that the Earl of Tyrone fled Ireland in 1607 and was shipwrecked at Rapparee Beach, in Ilfracombe harbour, to the west of the village. In fact, he made it to the continent. It is an interesting and noisy event which takes place over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend each year. Combe Martin a little gem on the North Devon Coast. Cheerful, friendly and fun. Explore from Exmoor to Hartland, from Holsworthy to the sea. Combe Martin is the perfect place to visit for a short break, day trip or family holiday. Sitting at the heart of North Devons beautiful coastline on the western edge of Exmoor national park in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Combe Martin something for everyone. The beach and bay were awarded the Seaside quality award for 2013. Combe Martin offers a tremendous choice of accommodation from quality Hotels, guest houses, bed and breakfast, self catering cottages and apartments, holiday parks and caravan and camping sites. Combe Martin also has a great range of shops and cafes where you will find everything that you could possibly need from top lifestyle brand clothing to superb gifts and provisions Combe Martin offers something for everyone including hours of fun rock pooling with the children, kayaking in the bay (available to hire on the beach), fishing, either sea or coarse, walking the southwest coastal path which runs through the village, visiting the Dinosaur and Wildlife Park and Watermouth Castle, coasteering and rock climbing , horse riding and much more. A Sydney man has been imprisoned in Egypt for over eight months on political charges, housed in a cell with 17 others and unable to socially distance as the threat from COVID-19 grows in the country's prison system. Waled Youssef, a dual Australian-Egyptian citizen who runs a cement rendering business in Sydney after migrating two decades ago, was arrested on January 14 in Cairo while on a family holiday. He has repeatedly had his detention extended and been unable to mount an appeal in court or have visitors, including his family and Egyptian lawyer. Australian man Waled Youssef's family are increasingly concerned for him after eight months in an Egyptian prison. Mr Youssef's international legal team have launched a public campaign and asked the United Nations for urgent intervention to secure his release. They have called on the Australian government, which has been providing Mr Youssef with consular assistance, to escalate their efforts. Egyptian authorities have accused Mr Youssef, 45, of affiliation with a banned political group. His lawyers have rejected the charge, saying he is not politically active and the only evidence offered by prosecutors is he "liked" a Facebook post by a presidential candidate during the 2012 election. The candidate has since been imprisoned. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 21:37:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's seventh national population census will begin on Nov. 1 this year with about 7 million staff to visit homes for registration work, an official said Sunday. A good census can give a full picture of the population size, structure and distribution, and the trend of the demographic change, providing support for mapping national development strategies, said Ning Jizhe, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, at a ceremony held in Beijing to promote the national census. Residents will be encouraged to use mobile terminals such as cell phones to declare personal and family information, he said. The census will collect data including name, ID number, gender, marital details, education, profession and other information about Chinese citizens. China conducts a national population census every 10 years. The last census in the world's most populous country found its population had increased to 1.37 billion. Enditem Last weeks poll leaves little doubt the Poco X3 NFC strikes a perfect balance between how much it costs and what it delivers. Two thirds of the votes went in its favor and the comment section was pretty positive as well. It starts off with the price at 230 it slips under much of the available competition. Available is a key word as one commenter pointed out as the AliExpress store has stock in Europe. This means no import headaches while similarly value-for-money phones often come from China (and thus are subject to duties, long shipping times and customs trouble). Note that the current price is actually 200, but thats a promo discount that will go away soon. Xiaomi nailed the spec sheet too, that 120Hz LCD is a highlight of the phone, as are the chipset and battery. Well, it's not quite perfect - the two 2MP modules are seen as mostly superfluous and there was an even bigger complaint. Nearly 1 in 5 people would have been happier with the Poco X3 if it had 5G connectivity. Of course, the value of that strongly depends on where you live some countries arent getting 5G coverage anytime soon. Then again many countries already have active 5G networks and there is a growing list of compatible phones to choose from. Crucially, however, none of these phones goes for under 250. Furious Democrats are considering total war profound changes to two branches of government, and even adding stars to the flag if Republicans jam through a Supreme Court nominee then lose control of the Senate. On the table: Adding Supreme Court justices ... eliminating the Senate's 60-vote threshold to end filibusters ... and statehood for D.C. and Puerto Rico. "If he holds a vote in 2020, we pack the court in 2021," Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.) tweeted. Why it matters: Democrats are enraged by GOP hypocrisy of rushing through a new justice for President Trump after stalling President Obama's final nominee. Dems aren't optimistic about blocking the nominee. But they have many ways of retaliating if they win Senate control and are licking their chops about real movement on ideas that have been pushed futilely for decades. about blocking the nominee. But they have many ways of retaliating if they win Senate control and are licking their chops about real movement on ideas that have been pushed futilely for decades. For instance, the Constitution doesn't fix the number of justices, which could be changed by an act of Congress and the president's signature, according to the National Constitution Center. On ABC's "This Week," George Stephanopoulos asked Speaker Pelosi about the possibility of impeaching President Trump or Attorney General Barr as a way to stall a Supreme Court confirmation in a post-election lame-duck session. Pelosi replied: "Well, we have our options. We have arrows in our quiver that I'm not about to discuss right now." Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on a call with his caucus yesterday, after a moment of silence for Justice Ginsburg: If Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell "and Senate Republicans move forward with this, then nothing is off the table for next year." Let's unpack what that means: The most controversial of the proposed changes would be adding two more justices to the court. House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler tweeted yesterday: "If Sen. McConnell and @SenateGOP were to force through a nominee during the lame duck session before a new Senate and President can take office then the incoming Senate should immediately move to expand the Supreme Court." of the proposed changes would be adding two more justices to the court. House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler tweeted yesterday: "If Sen. McConnell and @SenateGOP were to force through a nominee during the lame duck session before a new Senate and President can take office then the incoming Senate should immediately move to expand the Supreme Court." Former Obama Attorney General Eric Holder backed the idea yesterday. When court expansion came up during Democratic primaries last year, Ginsburg said she was opposed. At the funeral in July for Rep. John Lewis, President Obama called the filibuster rule which requires a 60-vote supermajority, instead of a simple majority, to advance legislation a "Jim Crow relic." for Rep. John Lewis, President Obama called the filibuster rule which requires a 60-vote supermajority, instead of a simple majority, to advance legislation a "Jim Crow relic." Trying to turn the federal district into a state would be a constitutional thicket, but Democrats are talking anew about pushing statehood for D.C. and Puerto Rico. Capturing the anything-goes spirit among Democrats amid the Supreme Court fight, one party strategist texted me: "Guam want in?" The big picture: Many Democrats see the GOP's success at filling the federal judiciary with conservatives after Hillary Clinton's 2016 popular-vote win as a sign that the machine of democracy itself is broken, and they view these structural changes as fixes. There's lots more Democrats can do if they win control of both the White House and Congress: Obama previewed the progressive wish list at Lewis' funeral, including provisions of what Democrats are calling the John Lewis Voting Rights Act: automatic voter registration, "including former inmates whove earned their second chance," and making Election Day a national holiday. the progressive wish list at Lewis' funeral, including provisions of what Democrats are calling the John Lewis Voting Rights Act: automatic voter registration, "including former inmates whove earned their second chance," and making Election Day a national holiday. Democratic primary candidate Andrew Yang proposed a constitutional amendment limiting justices to 18-year terms an idea that resurfaced on MSNBC yesterday. The other side: Josh Holmes, a former McConnell chief of staff who is president of the public-affairs firm Cavalry, told me: "Why would a Republican be the least bit concerned with the threat of something they've already said they're going to do? ... They shot the hostage before the standoff." P.S. Brian Fallon executive director of the progressive group Demand Justice and a former top Schumer aide and Justice Department official distilled the Democratic game plan: Thousands of farmers on foot, two-wheelers, tractors and in cars poured out of the hinterlands and staged sit-ins at various state and national highways in Haryana on Sunday, blocking the traffic for about three hours to express their anger against the Centres three agriculture Bills. The sit-in began at 12 noon as farmers started parking their vehicles in the middle of the highways. The police and civil administration, already under direction to deal with the agitating farmers with tact and patience, didnt stop the protesters from reaching the dharna sites. Over three-hours later and after having aired their anger and demonstrating unity, the farmers lifted the road blockades. The agitation ended on a peaceful note with police exercising restraint and farmers also refraining from provoking the law enforcement agencies. But the protest caused huge inconvenience to the commuters even as the police personnel, who had been on their toes since Saturday evening, diverted the traffic to alternative roads. The farmers went ahead with the protest even after chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar invited them for talks on Saturday and urged them to call off the stir. As the farmers were not relenting, the Home department had issued directions to deputy commissioners and district police chiefs to ensure that the agitation stays peaceful. Sundays protest was held 10 days after police lathicharged agitating farmers at Pipli in Kurukshetra. Following the incident, farmers staged sit-in protests in every district until Saturday. The undercurrent of the police action was visible as thousands of farmers, especially in Northern and central Haryana, came out in support of stir spearheaded by Bhartiya Kisan Union led by Gurnam Singh Charuni. The protests were peaceful and over 17 farmers unions participated. The next course of action will be decided later, Haryana BKU chief Charuni said, urging farmers to also support the nationwide stir on September 25. The protests remained peaceful. Traffic was restored after the farmers lifted the blockade around 3pm, said Kurukshetra SP Astha Modi. BKU received a huge support from farmers in Kurukshetra as farmers held sit-ins at five locations and almost all the state and national highways. Backed by commission agents, farmers blocked most of the roads in Rohtak, Jind, Sonepat, Charkhi Dadri, Fatehabad, and Hisar. The farmers also blocked highways such as Ambala-Roorkee, Ambala-Panchkula, Jind-Delhi, Ambala-Kaithal, Karnal-Ladwa-Shahbad, Karnal-Assandh and Kurukshetra-Pehowa road, Rohtak-Panipat, Rohtak-Hisar, Jind- Delhi, Jind-Kaithal, Jind-Patiala, Dadri-Jhajjar, Sirsa-Fatehabad. The farmers, however, did not block the Delhi-Chandigarh national highway. Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabhas state chief Phool Singh Sheokand said the farmers unions will hold protests on September 25 also. SUPPORT FROM POLITICAL QUARTERS Apart from the Congress and Indian National Lok Dal, the MLAs of Jannayak Janta Party, the coalition partner of the BJP in Haryana, also reached at the protests sites and extended support to the farmers. JJPs Shahbad MLA Ram Karan Kala met the protesting farmers while another JJP MLA Jogi Ram Sihag (Barwala segment) joined the agitating farmers. Independent MLA from Meham, Balraj Kundu, after visiting dharna sites in Rohtak, Meham and Charkhi Dadri, said: If these bills arent withdrawn I will launch hunger strike from October 2. Meanwhile, Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee president Kumari Selja, in a statement issued on Sunday, said, September 20 will go down as a black day in the history of India. The BJP government has hit the very soul of the nation by hatching a conspiracy against the farmers in the form of three farm- related Bills. At the root of these Bills is a move to snatch the farmers right to sell produce under the MSP. These Bills will ruin the farmers and benefit some capitalists. Terming the new agriculture laws as black laws, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in a tweet said, the government is adopting a dictatorial attitude. The farmers are not happy with this so they are protesting on the streets. The Congress will also stage a sit-in against the black laws, he said. INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala said, It is condemnable to go against the farmers of the entire country and pass the anti-farmer bill in Parliament today. This law is a death warrant for farmers. The Central Government, intoxicated by power, forgot that farmers are the backbone of the country. Responding to the opposition attack, Haryana agriculture and farmers welfare minister JP Dalal said, Some politicians have become used to indulging in petty politics in the name of the farmers. It would have been better had they read the Bills in detail before issuing statements. Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar in the Rajya Sabha reiterated that the crop procurement will continue at the MSP like before. (inputs from Neeraj Mohan and Sunil Rahar) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Inforial (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta, Indonesia Mon, September 21, 2020 00:00 488 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c460941c 4 Inforial Free We are familiar with this topic: Financial technology (Fintech). The use of digital platforms is on the rise as people spend more time at home or physically away from other people, resulting in more apps and digital platforms being used actively. This has resulted in digital commercial activities to resort to fintech, from payments to lending and investment to market aggregators. In the public sector, fintech platforms are increasingly used for government programs, especially to distribute aid, including in the preemployment program, with more involvement in other government programs expected in the future. In Indonesia, 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. Digital payments are driving growth in digital economy though Southeast Asia with value expected to reach US$1.1 trillion by 2025, from $22 billion in 2019, according to the same study. However, growth is still largely concentrated in Java. 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. Meanwhile, Indonesians financial literacy remains low, especially in non-urban areas, posing as a big challenge for industry players to expand services. 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. With all those opportunities and challenges, fintech can do so much more to serve Indonesians for a more inclusive society, boost financial inclusion and create a more effective and efficient market environment across the archipelago. The banking industry plays a big role in fintech development going forward as an established system that can provide a platform for local fintech players to develop their solutions while ensuring data security and compliance. JakPost webinar on Fintech Fest The JakPost Fintech Fest will discuss issues related to fintech to raise awareness about the capabilities of fintech in reaching out to the broader public from the perspectives of regulators, industry players and academics. The Fintech Fest will carry the theme The role of fintech in the future of Indonesias economy on Day 1, Fintech for financial inclusion across Indonesia on Day 2 and Showcasing fintech capabilities (Peer-to-peer, payment, investment, crowdfunding and many more) on Day 3. The virtual discussion will feature authoritative speakers from relevant stakeholders to bring about diverse points of view regarding the matter in order to have constructive public discourse. The series will highlight issues, such as: What the future looks like for fintech industry How the pandemic has transformed fintech industry The room for fintech to contribute more in public service Reaching the unbanked: Success stories in fintech boosting financial inclusion in Indonesia Beyond Java: Challenges in expanding fintech services across Indonesia Fintech capabilities: What are the types of fintech out there and what sets them apart The regulatory perspective of innovation in fintech: Opportunities and challenges The Zoom webinar will be held bilingually, primarily English (simultaneous interpretation available), from 3 p.m. 5 p.m., from Friday, September 23 25, 2020 and will feature: Day 1 Keynote Speech: Sukarela Batunanggar, Financial Services Authority (OJK) Deputy Commissioners of OJK Institute and Digital Finance Speakers: Miguel Soriano, International Finance Corporation (IFC) Senior Digital Finance Specialist* Adrian Gunadi, Indonesian Fintech Peer-to-Peer Lending Association (AFPI) Chairman Darmadi Sutanto, Bank BTPN Deputy President Director Natasha Ardiani, OVO VP of Lending Services *to be confirmed Day 2 Keynote Speech: Sugeng, Bank Indonesia (BI) Deputy Governor Speakers: Chrisma Albandjar, Indonesian Fintech Lenders Association (Aftech) Board Member and Head of G2P Working Group Chaikal Nuryakin, University of Indonesias Social and Economic Research Institute (LPEM-UI) Head of Research Group for Digital Economy and Behavioral Economics Mohan Jayaraman, Experian Asia-Pacific Managing Director for Southeast Asia and Regional Innovation Day 3 Speakers: Erwin Haryono, Bank Indonesia (BI) Executive Director of Payment System Department Triyono Gani, Financial Services Authority (OJK) Head of Digital Financial Innovation Group Budi Gandasoebrata, Gopay Managing Director Tommy Yuwono, Pintek Co-Founder and President Director . (./.) Day 1 Wimboh Santoso, who will deliver a keynote address, will share his views on several issues: OJKs vision in Indonesias fintech industry: Opportunities and challenges in the future for Indonesias fintech, regulations in place and in the pipeline to support fintech while protecting consumers safety, review of regulatory oversight by OJK in creating supportive environment for fintech to grow in Indonesia and partnership with the private sector and NGOs in advancing fintech, and educating consumers about personal data protection, user safety in using fintech especially against the backdrop of the emergence of illegal fintech. Azam Khan will speak on the latest research and findings about fintech in Indonesia and how Indonesia fares against the rest of the world in terms of regulatory framework, private sector initiatives and research in advancing fintech . He will also advise regulators and the private sector in unlocking Indonesias fintech potential. As a chairman of the Indonesia Fintech Association, Niki Luhur will share his views on how the pandemic had transformed the fintech industry, vision for Indonesias fintech: What could be unlocked, or developed further by Indonesias fintech players, opportunities and challenges in advancing fintech industry in Indonesia, from regulations to collaborative works and financial literacy and more. He will also highlights diversity of products and services offered by Aftech members. . (./.) Day 2 Destry Damayanti, who will give a keynote speech, will talk about regulatory framework to support financial inclusion through fintech: What is in place and what is in the pipeline, financial literacy as crucial factor in boosting fintechs role in financial inclusion and women as the force behind fintech development. Adrian Gunadi will discuss several issues, including reaching the unbanked: Success stories in fintech boosting financial inclusion in Indonesia; Beyond Java: Challenges in expanding fintech services across Indonesia and diversification of fintech products and services to reach out to broader consumers. Chaika Nuryakin will talk about the latest research and findings on fintechs role in Indonesias financial inclusion progress; review of public policies to support financial inclusion through fintech. We can also learn lessons from other countries around the world in reaching out to the unbanked using fintech platforms. An OVO representative will share the companys experience in expanding beyond Java, its challenges and opportunities. The representative will also share views on how financially literate Indonesian consumers is in the eyes of OVO and what some key takeaways are in educating consumers in Indonesia so far. Mohan Jayaraman will share his role in supporting financial inclusion in Indonesias fintech industry. He will talk, for example, about how data can be used to learn about consumer behavior and reach out to a broader population and about collaboration projects in Indonesia in support of fintech and financial inclusion. . (./.) Day 3 Filianingsih Hendarta will discuss various issues, including regulatory support for fintech innovation: What is in place and what is in the pipeline?; licensing process for fintech innovation in Indonesia: What has been done to improve ease of doing business and on-the-ground stories about and public-private partnership Triyono Gani will give his review and outlook for fintech and discuss how to create supportive regulatory framework for innovation while maintaining prudential principles: Head of Digital Financial Innovation Group OJKs stories on efforts to balance out dynamics in fintech innovation and prudential principles in policy-making and monitoring. GoInvestasi representative will speak about various issues, including the importance of innovation during the pandemic to meet changes in consumer behavior: The case of rising online investment, the rise of retail investors: Recent trend in investment using fintech platforms, regulatory overview whether Indonesias regulations enough to support the dynamics of innovation in fintech and what on the regulatory front could be done to support fintech innovations. A Pluang representative will share stories about the shift in consumer behavior toward online investment as gold prices rise. The representative will also discuss educating consumers about safety and protection standards and share view on types of investment can be made online and how to ensure consumers make decisions based on as much information as possible. The JakPost webinar will be useful to the public at large, university students, public and private sector leaders and staff, start-up companies leaders and staff, fintech companies leaders and staff, researchers and the international community, as well as well as those interested in seeking information on the latest developments in Indonesias fintech and the countrys fintech prospects. Craig Hubbs loads wood into his truck at a The Home Depot store in Kill Devil Hills in the Outer Banks of North Carolina on September 11, 2018. Alex Edelman | AFP | Getty Images Dividend stocks are a critical part of an investor's portfolio. They are also perfect for market volatility because investors can reap returns even with choppy stock performance. However, knowing which dividend stocks to choose means taking note of both the company's dividend yield and payout, as well as checking whether the stock itself represents a compelling investing opportunity. This is important because a healthy company is less likely to slash, or even suspend, its dividend payments. One way to find quality dividend stocks is to see which stocks the analysts with the strongest stock picking skills are betting on. TipRanks analyst forecasting service attempts to pinpoint Wall Street's best-performing analysts. These are the analysts with the highest success rate and average return measured on a one-year basis factoring in the number of ratings made by each analyst. This means you can pinpoint dividend stocks with the most bullish outlook, based on the latest recommendations from best-performing analysts. Indeed, the dividend stocks covered below all score a 'Strong Buy' Street consensus based on ratings published over the last three months. Here are the best-performing analysts' six favorite dividend stocks right now: TC Energy TC Energy's assets include natural gas pipelines, oil pipelines, power generation, and natural gas storage. The company has more than 92,600km of natural gas pipelines, 4,900km of oil pipelines, 650 Bcf of gas storage, and 4,000 MW of power generation. TRP currently boasts a 5.02% dividend yield, with the next quarterly payout set for $0.604. Looking forward, TRP expects annual dividend growth of 8 to 10% in 2021 and 5 to 7% thereafter. That follows an 8% increase in February, equivalent to $3.24 per common share on an annualized basis. "We expect TC Energy to outperform other energy infrastructure companies in our coverage universe", cheers RBC's Robert Kwan. Excluding larger growth initiatives (e.g., Keystone XL), TC Energy remains confident in its ability to grow its annual earnings in the 5-7% range based on investing roughly $5 billion per year of capital. And that's with the stock trading at an approximate 20-25% discount on a P/E basis to premium-valued Canadian regulated utility stocks. Plus Kwan sees upside optionality for growth from Keystone XL if the pipeline ultimately comes into service. "Alternatively, we see the potential for eventual upside in the stock if KXL is cancelled or mothballed as it would remove headline-risk associated with the project" he says. In total, TC Energy has received 3 recent buy ratings from top analysts vs just 1 hold rating. The $56 average analyst stock price forecast translates into 23% upside potential, with Kwan reiterating his $61.52 price target on September 11. Johnson & Johnson Healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson is in the headlights right now thanks to its coronavirus vaccine trials. But the stock is also worth paying attention to for its attractive dividend. A 'dividend king', JNJ pays out a quarterly dividend of $1.01, with a 2.73% yield and 58 straight years of dividend increases. Most recently, in April, JNJ declared a 6.3% increase in the quarterly dividend rate, with the CEO highlighting the company's strong financial position and the board's confidence in JNJ's future. Credit Suisse analyst Matt Miksic has a buy rating on JNJ and $163 price target. According to the analyst, JNJ's Pharma franchises are less affected by the coronavirus than device businesses, which are more directly tied to elective procedures. This makes the stock attractive for investors concerned about the potential resurgence of the coronavirus infections and its impact on elective surgery trends. "Based on our analysis of price-adjusted scrips and rebate-adjusted sales for JNJ's largest U.S. Pharma franchises in July, the business appears to be tracking roughly in-line with our estimates for Q3" he says. Meanwhile JNJ is enrolling patients for its coronavirus Phase 3 vaccine study, which could include up to 60,000 participants in nearly 180 sites across the US and other countries. All five top analysts covering the stock rate JNJ a buy, adding up to a bullish Strong Buy consensus. Meanwhile the average analyst price target stands at $167, indicating further upside potential of 11%. Shares are currently trading up 3% YTD. Broadcom Semiconductor builder Broadcom is a top dividend stock poised to outperform. It pays its shareholders a quarterly dividend of $3.25 on a 3.61% dividend yield - adding up at a $13 annual dividend- and is currently tracking 9 years of consecutive dividend growth. "We continue to see AVGO as well positioned, driven by 5G networking and wireless, software M&A, strong FCF, and dividends potentially moving to ~$14/share by year-end, with near-term COVID-19 headwinds subsiding" cheered Mizuho Securities analyst Vijay Rakesh. He bumped up his price target on September 4 from $350 to $390 after Broadcom reported an earnings beat on strong demand from cloud datacenter and telecom service providers. Looking forward, AVGO is now guiding for a robust October quarter at $6.4B (vs consensus of $6.2B). Indeed, as Charter Equity's Edward Snyder notes, the pushout of the 5G iPhone ramp and additional RF and WiFi content should deliver 50% sequential growth in Wireless revenue in October. "We believe the launch of next generation switching, routing and WiFi 6 products have kicked off a multi-quarter upgrade cycle at both cloud and service providers" says Snyder. Out of 24 best-performing analysts covering AVGO in the last three months, 21 call the stock a buy, with just three analysts staying sidelined. That gives the stock a 'Strong Buy' consensus. Their average stock price forecast of $405 translates into 10% upside potential, with shares already up 17% YTD. Home Depot Home Depot offers shareholders a lucrative yield of 2.17% with a quarterly cash dividend of $1.50 per share. Most recently, HD paid its dividend on September 17 to shareholders of record on September 3, marking the 134th consecutive quarter the company has paid a cash dividend. Top Wells Fargo analyst Zachary Fadem recently reiterated his HD buy rating and $310 price target after the company exceeded heightened Q2 expectations. HD delivered record breaking results driven by heightened category demand and a new stay-at-home lifestyle. Most impressively, online sales growth accelerated to +100% y/y. Following the results, the analyst noted that a robust start to Q3 bodes well and 2H consensus likely proves conservative (Q3/Q4 comps +6%/+4%). With strong 3QTD trends and favorable category tailwinds, he raised his FY20/21 EPS estimate by +8c/+7c to $11.33/$11.77 on August 18. "All in, HD is proving out the power and sustainability of its model, and in a market that remains supportive of long-term winners, we see few reasons to shy away from HD's accelerating share gains, offensive/defensive characteristics, and strong balance sheet" applauds Fadem. Shares in the home improvement retailer have surged 30% so far this year, but analysts see further upside potential ahead. With 15 recent top analyst buy ratings vs 4 hold ratings, HD boasts a Strong Buy Street consensus and $310 average price target. CVS Drug store chain and health care services company CVS is worth keeping an eye on right now. It coughs up a quarterly dividend of $0.50, with a generous 3.48% dividend yield. And while it hasn't increased its dividend recently, CVS does have a relatively low P/E ratio of 9.06%. "CVS continues to deliver solid results across the diversified portfolio of businesses that position it well as a leader in transforming the delivery of care" says RBC Capital analyst Anton Hie. With the core earnings trajectory still on track, he reaffirmed his buy rating saying: "the company will become a core holding for healthcare investors." Shares are currently down 22% YTD, and Hie sees this as an attractive opportunity, arguing that the market is undervaluing the growth that should become more evident in the coming years. Similarly Bank of America Merrill Lynch analyst Michael Cherny reiterated his buy rating post-print, explaining: "Sticking with the guidance should be enough for the stock at a time when the company is also dedicating extra resources to manage the COVID-19 pandemic." He praised the company's improving enterprise profitability, "incredibly healthy" free cash flow and discounted valuation. The U.S. healthcare giant has scored 5 recent buy ratings from best-performing analysts. Just one top analyst is staying on the sidelines. Meanwhile the $91 average analyst stock price forecast indicates significant upside potential of 56%. Medical Properties Trust This is an unprecedented time for workplaces and employees everywhere. While the coronavirus pandemic has upended the economy and led to job losses on a historic scale, it has also challenged employers and employees to adapt quickly to changing circumstances and markets, to be innovators and creative thinkers. It's in this environment that the Times Union is launching the nomination period for 2021 Top Workplaces, marking the 10th year of the program. Do you know of or work for a company that is making a difference in its employees' lives and for the betterment of the Capital Region? One that has risen to the occasion of supporting workers by being flexible, providing the training and management support they need whether navigating the monumental shifts of 2o20 or just as a matter of course? Where employees are empowered to make decisions and appreciated for all their contributions, not just those that are calculated easily in the bottom line? We want to hear about it and encourage you to nominate any such workplace, whether you're an employee, manager, owner, customer. Nominating an employer is easy: Just go to http://timesunion.com/nominate or call 518-636-0132. (A FAQ with complete details on the program is available on the nomination site.) The nomination deadline is Oct. 16, 2020. Any organization with 35 or more employees in the greater Capital Region is eligible to participate including public, private, nonprofit and government workplaces. Eligible counties are Albany, Columbia, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, and Washington. To choose winners, short, 24-statement employee surveys will be conducted by Energage, the Times Union's research partner in this project. Energage conducts Top Workplaces surveys for media in 51 markets and surveyed more than 2 million employees at more than 7,000 organizations in 2019. Companies will be surveyed September through December. Employers then will be ranked in small, medium and large categories. The winners will be announced in a special report to be published in April 2021, and if the coronavirus pandemic has subsided, a springtime cocktail party at Albany Capital Center will also celebrate honorees. The Times Union Top Workplaces is more than an awards program. It aims to provide helpful feedback to employers, no matter where they rank. Participation is free and voluntary. Employers can pay Energage for more detailed evaluations, but there is no obligation. Rajya Sabha passed three contentious farm bills on Sunday amid massive uproar by opposition members in Parliament, even as farmers in several parts of the country staged protests against legislations. The upper House witnessed a bedlam when some opposition members led by the TMC climbed on to the chairmans podium as the government pushed for the passage of two contentious farm bills. Ruckus prevailed after Deputy Chairman Harivansh overruled opposition pleas for postponing Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomars reply to the debate on the two bills till Monday as the scheduled sitting time of the House was over. Earlier, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad demanded that reply to the debate on the two bills be postponed for tomorrow as the scheduled time for sitting on Sunday was over. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar introduced the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 in Rajya Sabha earlier today. Heres a list of reaction of political leaders from across parties on the farm bill: PM Narendra Modi I said it earlier and I say it once again: System of MSP will remain. Government procurement will continue. We are here to serve our farmers. We will do everything possible to support them and ensure a better life for their coming generations. These bills will add impetus to the efforts to double income of farmers and ensure greater prosperity for them, PM Modi said. P Chidambaram Every political party has to take a stand is it with the farmers or is it with the BJP threatening the livelihood of farmers," Chidambaram said. Farmers need multiple accessible markets and choice. The Congress proposals would have given them that. Once that is accomplished, the Congress manifesto promise on repealing the APMC Act and making trade in agricultural produce free would be a natural sequel in course of time," he said. While our promise is clear, the Modi government has surrendered to the corporates and traders," the Congress leader alleged. Sanjay Raut Can the Government assure the country that after the passing of the agriculture reform Bills, farmers income will double and no farmer will commit suicide?.A special session should be called to discuss these Bills," said Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena, according to NDTV. Rajnath Singh Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailed the passage of two big ticket farm bills and called it a landmark day" for farmers. With the passing of two landmark agriculture Bills in Rajya Sabha today, India has cemented the strong foundation for Atmanirbhar Agriculture," the defence minister tweeted. This is the result of endless dedication and determination of the Govt under the leadership of PM Modi." Manoj Jha RJD MP Manoj Jha said, I am appealing all the parties to rise beyond their party lines. You have to decide if you want to remain with your party or with the farmers." He said that the government is working with ego and added that the bill once passed would become the obituary of the countrys farmers. HD Deve Gowda Former PM HD Deve Gowda asked Modi to explain the short- and long-term impact of the bills on farmers. The prime minister should explain why there is a hurry to pass the bills amid the pandemic, he said. Modi should explain how it will help in achieving the governments goal of doubling farmers income," he said. K Keshava Rao K Keshava Rao of the TRS said the Agriculture Minister claimed that this is a Bill for new-age agriculture, but was against it. Alleging that this bill seeks to change the very character of the country, he said, you have made an agricultural country into a corporate country". Nirmala Sitharaman Parliament has cleared bills to reform agriculture sector. Farmers are now free to choose where and at what price they would sell their products. Farmers were demanding this for decades. MSP shall continue. APMCs (Agricultural Produce Market Committee) remain," Nirmala Sitharaman said in a tweet. CM Arvind Kejriwal Earlier, CM Kejriwal had said his party will vote against the three bills and termed them anti-farmer". Farmers all over the country are watching the Rajya Sabha today. The BJP is in minority in the Rajya Sabha. I appeal to all the non-BJP parties to defeat these bills, this is what farmers in the country wish," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi. Harsimrat Kaur Badal Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) member Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Thursday resigned from the Union Cabinet in protest against three farm sectors bills. I have resigned from the Union Cabinet in protest against anti-farmer ordinances and legislation. Proud to stand with farmers as their daughter and sister," she tweeted, barely hours before the bills were passed by Lok Sabha. MP Prem Singh Chandumajra SAD leader and MP Prem Singh Chandumajra said, It is unfortunate that even after we expressed our concerns to the BJP and conveyed the sentiments of the farming community to its central leadership, it did not address the issue." We, however, will not fail in our duty towards farmers and will continue to strive to ensure justice for them and Punjab," he said. Ram Chandra Prasad Singh Ram Chandra Prasad Singh of the JD(U), while supporting the bills, said it is for the first time that a farmers policy has come after a long time. He said in 1991 when the country saw liberalisation, it missed bringing agriculture reforms. He cited the example of Bihar where the Nitish Kumar government has abolished the APMC Act in 2006 and yet farmers are getting good price for their produce through MSP and farmers are producing more. This man hires woman to slap him every time he opens Facebook; Elon Musk approves How much do Facebook, Google earn from India? Here's what BJP lawmaker says Hateful content: Delhi Assembly panel issues final summons for Facebook to appear on Wednesday India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Sep 20: A Delhi Assembly panel has issued a fresh and final summons to Facebook India, to appear before it on Wednesday, in connection with complaints about the social media platform's alleged deliberate and intentional inaction to contain hateful content in the country. This comes days after Facebook India executives, including Managing Director Ajit Mohan, snubbed Delhi assembly's hearing, saying it has already appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee and that it is the "exclusive authority of the Union of India" to regulate it. "Any defiance to the subsequent notice for appearance shall be deemed to be an act of breach of constitutionally-guaranteed privileges of the committee," a statement released Sunday afternoon said. "The indifference exhibited by the representative of Facebook India is also a contempt to the people of Delhi... was unanimously decided... that in the event of subsequent default, (the) committee shall be constrained to invoke its power to initiate breach of privilege proceedings against Facebook India and thus (invite) penal jurisdiction of the house," the statement added. Non-partisan, denounce hate and bigotry: Facebook responds to Congress charge of political bias The summon by the Delhi Assembly panel on peace and harmony follows a recent Wall Street Journal report which claimed that one of Facebook's senior India policy executives intervened in internal communication to stop a permanent ban on a Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker from Telangana after he allegedly shared communally charged posts. Last month, Facebook had said its social media platform prohibits hate speech and content that incites violence and these policies are enforced globally without regard to political affiliation. "We prohibit hate speech and content that incites violence and we enforce these policies globally without regard to anyone's political position or party affiliation. Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle 2019 A father and his toddler son were out for a walk near Fort Funston on Saturday morning when drawn by the shimmering water below they decided to hike down a cliff. But halfway down, they realized they were stuck. Taking the Opposition head-on, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said while the PM CARES Fund is registered, the PM National Relief Fund, which was set up by the Congress government, was not yet registered. She wondered why the Congress government never bothered to get the PM National Relief Fund (PMNRF) registered. The minister, while replying to the debate on Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020, was responding to various issues raised by the Congress and other Opposition parties about the PM CARES Fund. The Fund was set up by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide relief in times of emergency. Observing that the PM National Relief Fund was set up in 1948, Sitharaman wanted to know why the Congress did not ask for its registration. "Till today you didn't bother to ask it to be registered, I don't understand why. You should have actually asked. .. No, not one voice in that party. It took 23 MPs to write a letter now after 50 years . Like charity, transparency should start from home," she said. Replying to questions raised by Opposition members over PM CARES Fund, Sitharaman compared its provisions, including registration, objectives, audit, RTI ambit, administration, management, CSR funding and tax deductions available, with that of PMNRF. She said the big difference between PM CARES and PMNRF lies in the management of the funds. In PM CARES, while Prime Minister is the ex-officio member and trustees include Ministers of Home, Defence and Finance, and nominated ex-officio trustees who are eminent persons from the field of science. "Management and decision making goes on record with regularly held meetings and recorded minutes," she said. Whereas, in PMNRF, the management consists of Prime Minister, and President of the Congress party. "Only party. And that only party's president will be there and transparency is achieved? How many political parties are there in the country? Thousands of parties we have," she added. The Congress government, she said, could have given a place to Jan Sangh leader Shyama Prasad Mukherjee or socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia on the board of trustees of the PM National Relief Fund. Instead, she said, the Congress government thought it fit to give a place to the Congress president alone, as if it was the only political party. The minister further said that objectives of both the PM CARES Fund and the PM National Relief Fund are the same and both enjoy similar tax benefits. Sitharaman further said that 100 per cent tax exemptions are available on donations made to both the funds. Also donations by companies under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) are allowed for both funds. Trinamool Congress member Saugata Roy wanted to know about the need to set up the second fund when the objectives of both funds are the same. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury accused the government of trampling transparency by not disclosing the details of utilisation of the PM CARES Fund. Also read: PM CARES Fund received donations worth Rs 3,076 crore in 5 days The Supreme Court faces a potential historic realignment following Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death. (Associated Press) The death of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg could allow legal conservatives to take full control of the Supreme Court for a decade or more, imposing a historic shift to the right with vast implications for U.S. jurisprudence and society at large. A conservative court could use its majority to overturn Roe vs. Wade, which guarantees a womans right to abortion, and strike down Obamacare and its promise of health insurance for millions, including those with preexisting conditions. A more conservative court would be likely to strike down affirmative action laws and many current gun control regulations, possibly including laws in California that limit the carrying of firearms in public or restrict the sale of semiautomatic rifles. After decades of frequent 5-4 decisions that kept a relative balance in major court rulings, a decisive 6-3 conservative majority also could stand in the way of future progressive legislation from Congress. President Trump said Saturday he expects to nominate a new justice in the coming week to succeed Ginsburg and he indicated it would be another woman. He predicted the necessary Senate hearings and confirmation vote will go very quickly, although he did not offer a timeline. If Democrats score big wins in November and capture the Senate, they are likely to press ahead in Congress with proposals to expand social programs and put new taxes and regulation on corporations and the wealthy. But even if passed into law, those measures will face legal challenges from the right. In the past, it was often said the future of the Supreme Court depended on the outcome of the presidential election. The winner of White House would have four years to fill vacant seats on the court. But in this presidential election year, conservatives could win a lock on the high court for a generation even if Trump is soundly defeated by Democratic nominee Joe Biden. The outcome will turn on whether Senate Republicans will march in line behind Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to confirm a conservative jurist by the end of the year. Thats far from certain, but Trump is hoping to make it a reality. Story continues The high court now has five Republican appointees who lean right, and none appears likely to retire anytime soon. The youngest, Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, is 53, and the eldest, Justice Clarence Thomas, is 72. Liberals breathed easier this summer when Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who is 65, joined with Ginsburg and the courts other liberals to strike down a Louisiana abortion law, to block Trumps repeal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program for young immigrants known as Dreamers, and to uphold rights for LGBTQ employees. In doing so, the chief justice sent the message that he wanted to steer the court on a middle course and avoid a sharp turn to the right. That meant the retirement of moderate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy in July 2018, and the Senate confirmation three months later of the more conservative Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, 55, have had little impact on the courts direction so far. But if Trump can replace the liberal Ginsburg with a solidly conservative jurist in her 40s, the court would have five reliably conservative votes without the chief justice. That would cast doubt on the future of Roe vs. Wade, the abortion ruling that has been a target of the conservative legal movement since the 1980s. At least half a dozen Republican-led states have adopted laws to ban some or nearly all abortions, hoping to force the more conservative Supreme Court to reconsider its precedent. So far those laws have been struck down or put on hold. But that could change at any time. Trump has also put dozens of new conservatives on U.S. appeals courts, including in the South and the Midwest. If one of those courts were to uphold a state abortion ban, it would send the issue to the Supreme Court and force the justices to decide whether to uphold or strike down the right to abortion. Ginsburgs death has also raised new doubts about the future of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, the most far-reaching social legislation in a generation. The high courts conservatives fell one vote short in 2012 of striking down the law. On Nov. 10, a week after the election, the justices are scheduled to hear a constitutional challenge to the healthcare law that was widely seen as a long shot. A conservative judge in Texas and a 2-1 appeals court ruling in New Orleans adopted the notion that the entire law may be voided as unconstitutional because Congress in 2017 voted to eliminate the penalty for not having insurance. This was seen as a victory by conservatives, including Trump, because it effectively ended the much disputed mandate to have insurance. The challengers, including Trumps lawyers, argue that the mandate was crucial to the law and that all of it including the protections for people with preexisting conditions must fall with it. The case is called California vs. Texas because California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra is leading the blue states defense of the law. The Trump administration has taken the side of the red-state challengers led by Texas. Until Friday, that challenge looked highly doubtful, since Chief Justice Roberts and the four liberal justices had voted twice to uphold the law. But Ginsburgs death could lead to a 4-4 split, which would have the effect of upholding the lower-court ruling. A more conservative court likely would also target some gun control laws. For the last decade, the high court has said that Americans have a right to keep a gun at home for self-defense, but the justices have refused to go further and hear 2nd Amendment challenges to laws in California and elsewhere that limit the carrying of firearms in public or restrict the sale of semiautomatic rifles. Four of the conservative justices have signaled they would like to hear challenges to those laws, but Roberts has balked. A strengthened conservative court could also put in jeopardy affirmative action policies in colleges and universities nationwide. This comes as California voters weigh Proposition 16 and decide whether to repeal the states 1996 ban on affirmative action. Roberts has long believed the government may not use race as a factor for awarding benefits or making other decisions, including the drawing of electoral districts. He has not won a majority for that view, however. In 2016, shortly after Justice Antonin Scalia died, Kennedy joined with the liberal justices to uphold an affirmative action policy at the University of Texas. That defeat did not end the battle. The same challengers who sued Texas launched a lawsuit against Harvard University alleging its admissions office regularly discriminates against Asian American applicants. Regardless of the outcome in the federal courts in Boston, that case will be appealed to the Supreme Court, giving the courts conservatives another opportunity to strike down affirmative action. President Barack Obama greets Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before his State of the Union address in 2012 (Getty Images) Former president Barack Obama has called on the Senate not to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In a statement, he urged Republican senators to abide by the principle that they invented in 2016 when they refused to hold a hearing for the nomination of Merrick Garland before a new president was sworn in, and warned that democracy was at risk should they push ahead. 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, the former president wrote. He added: As votes are already being cast in this election, Republican Senators are now called to apply that standard. Obama also acknowledged that Justice Ginsburg had left instructions as to how she wanted her legacy to be honoured. Her most fervent wish was that her replacement be named by the next president. Justice Ginsburg passed away on Friday at the age of 87. With the election in just 45 days, the political impact of her death is enormous. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stated on Friday night that he would move forward with a hearing for a nominee from president Donald Trump. It is expected that the president will select one next week. Democrats have called for Mr McConnell to follow his own standard and hold over hearings for a new Supreme Court Justice until after the election. After the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016, the Republican dominated Senate held the seat open until 2017 when Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch to the court. Senator McConnells words are coming back to haunt him. In 2016 he said: The American people are perfectly capable of having their say on this issue, so let's give them a voice. Let's let the American people decide. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer echoed McConnells words back at him in a tweet on Friday night. Story continues Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg fought to the end, through her cancer, with unwavering faith in our democracy and its ideals. Thats how we remember her. But she also left instructions for how she wanted her legacy to be honored. My statement: https://t.co/Wa6YcT5gDi Barack Obama (@BarackObama) September 19, 2020 President Obama closes his statement by underlining what is at stake in the appointment of the next justice to the court. He writes: The questions before the Court now and in the coming years with decisions that will determine whether or not our economy is fair, our society is just, women are treated equally, our planet survives, and our democracy endures are too consequential to future generations for courts to be filled through anything less than an unimpeachable process. Read more Mitch McConnell doesnt care what replacing Ruth Bader Ginsburg with a conservative provokes remaking America in his image is too enticing Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Tributes flood in from Obama, AOC and Biden Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a feminist icon memorialized as the Notorious RBG Ruth Bader Ginsburg death: Crowds gather outside US Supreme Court to pay their respects Trumps list of possible Supreme Court nominees to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg Today, London Fashion Week was all about celebrating the female form and doing so from the comfort of your living room. By day four, gone were the socially distanced runway shows and appointments, everything was a virtual affair. While Simone Rocha and Molly Goddard had originally planned on hosting small salon-like shows for select members of the fashion industry, these were soon abandoned due to the rising number of coronavirus cases in England. Thats not to say they didnt put on a show. Far from it. With brands like these, the clothes speak for themselves. While in the past, Goddard has staged kitsch catwalk shows, with some taking the form of tea parties and banquets, this season she needed no such fanfare. Her signature tulle gowns were out in full force, as were her classic vibrant shades of fuchsia and yellow. Simone Rocha was just as pleasing, despite the more pared-back palette. Opulence was instead translated through pearl accessories and intricate brocade patterns that championed a more delicate breed of femininity. And finally it was off to Emilia Wickstead, whose refined simplicity collection was inspired by the South Seas and saw models of all ages and body types move gracefully around our screens in classic sleeveless dresses and structured floral co-ords. Here are our highlights from day four of London Fashion Week. Molly Goddard Molly Goddard spring/summer 2021 (Ben Broomfield @photobenphoto) If anyone knows how to have fun with fashion, its Molly Goddard. The east London-based designer has become one of the highlights on the fashion week schedule thanks to her signature frothy tulle frocks, which rose to fame after Jodie Comer wore a candyfloss-coloured one in her role as Villanelle in season one of BBCs hit drama, Killing Eve. Now, the fashion pack cant get enough of Goddards voluminous yet masterfully crafted designs. This season, the 31-year-old originally planned to produce a neutral collection packed with creams, whites and beige shades. But after considering how bleak lockdown had been, she had a change of heart. And thank goodness she did, because we need Goddards joyous aesthetic now more than ever before. For spring/summer 2021, Goddard drew on inspiration from Camden street style and the 1950s artwork on display in Villa Menagoflio Litta, a lavish home in Italy owned by collectors Giuseppe and Giovanni Panza. The mood board has resulted in Goddard staples rolls of fuzzy fuchsia and pale lemon tulle offset by sheer bodices and some newcomers, like jeans screen printed with roses and shearling-lined clogs, which form part of the brands new collaboration with Ugg. Colours clash with glorious synergy. Tangerine floral frocks are paired with fluorescent green socks while fuchsia tutus are contrasted with checkerboard neon green jackets and deeper shades of pink. Elsewhere, there are bright blue vinyl handbags, black and yellow polkadots, and layers of cream ruffles. Its exactly the kind of audacious maximalism weve all been craving, and Goddard has delivered with aplomb. Simone Rocha Simone Rocha spring/summer 2021 (Simone Rocha) This season, Simone Rocha is looking for comfort and security in the extreme'' and it shows, sort of. While the Irish designers interpretation of comfort may differ somewhat from ours unless you swan around at home in taffeta mini dresses and clotted cream bodices its the craftsmanship that counts. For spring/summer 2021, Rocha has anchored her aesthetic in stillness and sculpture. The palette is simple; mostly monochrome with sporadic splashes of sky blue and navy, and the silhouettes are ergonomic. Hips are given ample breathing room in stiff wide-skirted frocks while lightweight broderie anglaise cottons keep every body part cool and collected. A retro schoolgirl mood permeates the collection, too, with chunky ballet slippers and knee-high socks packing a punch for ensembles with shorter hemlines. This free-spirited sense of youth is accentuated further with the copious strings of pearls that are strewn across the collection. Bright and bulbous, they are the kind of pearls that any young woman would squeal with excitement upon uncovering in their mothers dresser. We can see them on the straps of handbags, hanging from statement earrings, and even lining the pockets of peplum capes. Standout pieces from the collection include a structured strappy dress covered in opulent brocade and a deep navy off-the-shoulder mini dress complete with balloon sleeves, modelled by none other than ballet dancer and Cats star, Francesca Hayward. Emilia Wickstead Emilia Wickstead spring/summer 2021 (Emilia Wickstead) During lockdown, Emilia Wickstead noticed a book in her daughters bedroom that she had never read. Faery Lands of the South Seas is a non-fiction travel book published in 1921 by James Norman Hall and Charles Bernard Nordhoff. Wickstead felt inspired by the fairytale-like stories about Samoa and New Zealand, where she was born, and set about creating a collection that would reference them. Hence why, for spring/summer 2021, Wicksteads signature clean and precise dresses have been printed with hand-drawn sailboats, while shades of sky blue evoke the clear skies of her homeland. The designer says the collection is an exploration of both fantasy and refined simplicity. Sure, the palette is limited deep crimson, beige, and a lot of white but the silhouettes are dynamic. For example, Wickstead has revisited the Delphina skirt from her first collection, a pleated grass skirt-like shape that grazes the knee. For the campaign, it has been styled with a hyper-cropped collared shirt, bringing that classic Wickstead elegance. The tailoring is on point, too, with slick maxi skirts and trench coats that flatter the female figure. Floral prints adorn floaty co-ords, off-shoulder gowns and sleeveless dresses. The standout takeaway from Wicksteads collection, though, is the casting. In an all-too-rare fashion week move, the designer has cast models of all ages for her campaign video. I really wanted a diverse cast, it was important to me to have a range of different ages, different body types, heights, and races, Wickstead told British Vogue. But the designer also employs models who are not normally models, like Caroline Issa of Tank magazine, and Matchesfashion.com co-founder Ruth Chapman, who was one of the first buyers to order from Wickstead. A cool and humid start to the weekend helped thousands of firefighters across Oregon make progress against massive wildfires burning across parts of Oregon. From Friday to Sunday, firefighters made slow but incremental progress against some major blazes, including the Riverside fire near Estacada, which went from 11% to 20% contained. The Holiday Farm fire east of the Eugene-Springfield area went from 12% to 14% contained. The Lane County Sheriffs Office lowered the evacuation orders in some areas to allow some residents along Highway 126 to return home. But the sheriffs office warned residents to be ready to leave at a moments notice if fire conditions flared up again. Recent rains have cleared up air quality across most of the state, and even around the immediate vicinity of the fires, the air was much clearer. That has enabled crews, in some cases, to fly over scorched areas to evaluate the fires or use helicopters to dump giant buckets of water on the blazes. Officials again pleaded with the public not to fly drones over or near the fires because that interferes with the ability of fire crews to fly. Wet weather and even cooler temperatures are anticipated Wednesday through Friday across northwest Oregon and southwest Washington. Welcome to Fall :) #pdxtst #orwx #wawx pic.twitter.com/7beOqpGVql NWS Portland (@NWSPortland) September 20, 2020 Firefighting conditions are expected to worsen slightly Sunday through Tuesday, as the sun shines and dries out the land across much of western Oregon. But rains are expected to hit the northern Willamette Valley Wednesday through Saturday. Precipitation is expected Wednesday and Thursday from Eugene down south to the California border. Here are updates on some of the major fires burning across Oregon, including how much theyve grown from Saturday to Sunday: *** Riverside fire Location: Near Estacada Size: 137,880 acres Growth: 15 acres Containment: 20% Cause: Human Better visibility: Crews have been able to fly over the fire. Infrared scans show the fires perimeter is still hot, and firefighters are continuing to work to contain the fire from spreading further. Meeting Sunday at 6 p.m.: A virtual meeting will be held at Fb.com/RiversideFireInfo. A recording of the meeting, with captions, will be posted later at https://tinyurl.com/RiversideFireInfoVideos. Information: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7174/ or 509-228-7805. *** Beachie Creek fire Location: Mostly southern Clackamas County and eastern Marion County Size: 192,714 acres -- second largest in the state Growth: 702 acres Containment: 25% Cause: Unknown Focused efforts: The primary focus Sunday and Monday will be putting firefighters directly on the fire lines and reinforcing those containment lines, contingency lines, and monitoring any hot spots to protect Marion and Clackamas Counties, especially on the Western edge, including Gregs Corner, Silver Falls State Park, and to the north, Corbets Corner, reads a news release. Roads still closed: The Marion County Sheriffs Office said North Fork Road and Gates Hill Road will remain closed for now and residents of these areas wont be able to return home yet because of hazardous conditions, including falling trees and rocks, spot fires, downed power lines and damaged culverts and bridges. Information: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7001/ or 541-583-0526 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. *** Holiday Farm fire Location: East of Eugene and Springfield Size: 173,025 acres Growth: 0 acres Containment: 14% Cause: Unknown Evacuation levels reduced: The Level 3 Go Now evacuation order for Highway 126 from Camp Creek Road to the McKenzie Ranger Station has been lowered to a Level 2 Be Set warning. That means residents can return to their homes if they can access them through open road. About 22 miles of Highway 126 is still closed from Leaburg Dam Road to McKenzie River Drive. A Level 2 warning from the McKenzie River Ranger Station east to the junction of Highway 126 and Highway 20 has been reduced to a Level 1 Be Ready advisory. Information: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7170/ *** Lionshead fire Location: Near Warm Springs Size: 198,763 acre -- the largest in the state Growth: 532 acres Containment: 10% Cause: Lightning Information: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7049/ or 971-277-5075, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. *** Archie Creek fire Location: Northeast of Roseburg Size: 131,591 acres Growth: 1,163 acres Containment: 38% Cause: Under investigation Rain helped: Between half an inch to an inch of rain has aided fire suppression efforts over the past two days, fire officials said. That has allowed crews to get close to the edge of the fire with hand tools and heavy equipment. But sunnier, warmer and drier weather, which will begin to dry live and dead vegetation will likely result in a more active fire, a news release about the fire said Sunday. Evacuations: Some evacuation warnings were reduced from Level 2 to Level 1 or from Level 1 to no advisory. Information: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7176/ or 971-334-7674 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Wildfire tracker: See all fires in Oregon and across the nation -- Aimee Green: agreen@oregonian.com; @o_aimee I moved from Galway to Umea, northern Sweden, with my family several months before Covid-19 arrived here. It was not a great year to move to a foreign country. Since then, I have become so weary of reading about Sweden in the foreign press. Sweden did everything wrong. No, wait, Sweden did everything right. We should be like Sweden. To put it bluntly, you can't be like Sweden, because you are not Sweden. From my vantage point in Umea, a university city a little bigger than Galway, things are a lot more complex than the news articles suggest. I should stress that these are my personal reflections, and my vantage point is clouded by a hazy knowledge of the Swedish language and a distant view of Stockholm over 600km to the south. There is a lot of forest, a lot of space, between us and the capital. I think that's key. There is simply more space here. Sweden is over six times the size of the Republic of Ireland, but with only twice the population. It helps to have space in a pandemic. This is one reason why it's ridiculous to compare Sweden's death rates with those of densely populated countries like the UK or the Netherlands. We've been incredibly lucky to find ourselves in Vasterbotten, a region that has had a very low infection rate throughout the pandemic and is now the lowest in Sweden. For context, Vasterbotten is about the size of the Republic of Ireland minus a few counties, but with a population of only 270,000. The population density is five people per square kilometre. A lot of space means more places for people to go where they don't meet anyone else. Umea is the biggest urban area in the region and the mass Covid-19 testing that was recently carried out was on staff and students at the university. They tested almost 10,000 people and found six positive cases. I can't help but wonder what the results would have been on a campus in southern Sweden. Teaching at Umea University will be carried out both online and in small groups on campus, but anyone who can do so is asked to work from home and people are advised to travel to campus by bike instead of public transport. Unlike in Ireland, this is an attractive option, thanks to the dedicated infrastructure for people who can walk or cycle. Like many people everywhere, I've been working at the kitchen table since March and have been asked to do so until January at least. There are other factors that make the Swedish context quite particular. For example, the pub issue. Perhaps there are "wet" pubs in the southern metropolises of Gothenburg, Malmo and Stockholm, but any bars I have seen in Umea are really restaurants. So closing down pubs here would have had very little effect. Even though the government didn't order places to close down, many have been closed anyway for the past six months. Museums and cultural centres here shut their doors in March, as did children's play centres, and have only reopened recently. Swimming pools and gyms remained open, but many did not use them. There also seems to be a misconception abroad that the schools in Sweden have been open "all the time". Yes, they were open during term-time for the under-15s, but primary schools were closed for 10 weeks of summer holiday. Add to that the Swedish tradition of taking all of July off, which for many means staying in isolated summer houses and picking berries in the forest, and you can see some reasons why infection rates might have been going down. There is also a huge difference between here and Ireland with regard to housing. Your average young Swede does not live in a house-share situation but is more likely to live in a self-contained apartment by themselves or with a partner. Add to that the importance placed on access to nature, and the ease of travelling by bicycle, and you have a greatly reduced chance of infection. One implication that appears regularly in the foreign press is that Swedes trust the government and are so responsible themselves that the approach has worked. There are plenty of Swedes who are absolutely furious with the government, plenty of individuals and businesses who seem to be ignoring regulations, and, conversely, plenty of people and businesses who seem to be exerting far more caution than the regulations suggest. As a foreigner, I found these regulations to be unclear and delivered piecemeal. I also found the lack of any emotion attached to the crisis to be disturbing. This is not the country for heartfelt, uplifting "we are all in this together" speeches from politicians or health officials. Finally, one cannot help comparing Sweden's death toll with its neighbours, who have similar cultural, societal and environmental factors at play. With a death rate 10 times that of Norway, I don't think Sweden is being complacent now. Almost 6,000 people have died here so far and like everywhere in the northern hemisphere, winter is stretching ahead of us all like a great unknown. Jeff Howley Winston-Salem A fair shake The media have never given President Trump a fair shake. Youve all been against him ever since he walked down that escalator and promised to protect us from illegal immigrants as if that was something bad. Wanting people to use the proper process to come here isnt racist, its sensible. And the media think everyone has to be the same way. We dont all have to accept the liberal climate assessment. The worlds not going to stop turning if we dont buy it. The media keep talking about all the things Trump didnt do to protect us from the coronavirus, but what about the things he did? He appeared on TV night after night with his administrations health experts. He cancelled several campaign rallies and held the Republican National Convention online. But we cant stay hidden in our basements like Joe Biden forever. If not for the coronavirus, the economy would still be soaring. Unemployment had never been so low in my life. We need four more years to let him finish the job of turning America around. By Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News The late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, where her husband was buried a decade ago. A private ceremony will be held for Ginsburg at the cemetery, which is also the final resting spot for many of her fellow Supreme Court judges, the top court said in a statement. Details were still scant Saturday about funeral plans. Jewish tradition normally calls for the deceased to be buried within 24 hours of death. But the Rosh Hashanah holiday started Friday night, which could delay a ceremony until Monday. Ginsburg died Friday night at age 87 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Her husband, Martin Ginsburg, died in 2010 from cancer complications. RELATED: Ruth Bader Ginsburgs death draws big surge of donations to Democrats I lost a dear friend and a champion: Lilly Ledbetter mourns Ruth Bader Ginsburg Trump wants Senate to vote without delay on his Supreme Court pick Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) leader Rajesh Ranjan, alias Pappu Yadav, has appealed to the Congress leadership to facilitate his partys entry into the Grand Alliance (GA), which will take on the chief minister Nitish Kumar-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) dispensation in Bihar in the upcoming assembly polls. The elections are slated for October-November and maybe held on schedule despite the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak. Yadavs appeal followed the exit of the Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAM-S) from the GA. The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, or CPI (M-L), has also parted its ways with the GA over seat-sharing disagreements. Also Read: Bihar Assembly Election 2020: Lefts tie-up talks with RJD hit, CPI-ML fumes over a raw deal I am unconditionally willing to join the GA with a single-point objective to dethrone the NDA government, which did nothing to ameliorate the sufferings of youth, farmers and common people in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak and floods in vast parts of north Bihar, said Yadav, who represents Madhepura constituency in the Lok Sabha. The JAP leader said that he would be ready to bow down before any GA leader, including Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, if it led to his partys entry into the alliance. Kumar has taken Bihar for a ride in the name of religion and communal divide. Crores of youth have been rendered jobless due to the wrong policies of the state and the central governments. The Congress should try to persuade LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan to quit the NDA and join the secular brigade, said Yadav. Yadavs wife, Ranjeet Ranjan, had won last years parliamentary election from Supaul on a Congress ticket and is currently a secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC). Also Read: Election officials in Bihar told to fact check, call out fake news Yadav also commands good influence in Seemanchal and Kosi regions of Bihar, even though the JAP drew a blank in polls in the past. He had floated his own outfit after he was expelled from the RJD. He had fielded candidates in 64 seats during the 2015 assembly polls. The move proved to be a spoiler at best. He has also met Shaktisinh Gohil, AICC in-charge for Bihar, at Sadaquat Ashram, the headquarters of the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC), in a bid to seek the partys support for the upcoming assembly elections. Yadav, who had won the Lok Sabha elections in 2010 on an RJD ticket, is relying on the Congress for his entry into the GA because the RJD did not warm up to his proposal. Akhilesh Prasad Singh, a member of the Rajya Sabha (RS) and the chairman of the BPCC election campaign committee, said that the party leaders should consider the JAPs proposal if it could help the GA to unseat the NDA from power. However, he evaded a response on the JAP leaders plea that the GA would perform better, if the assembly polls are fought under the Congresss leadership. Mrityunjay Tiwari, a spokesman for the RJD, dismissed Yadavs suggestion and said his party has been empowered to lead the GA in the upcoming assembly polls. Educators can now deliver customizable student leadership training from Scott Lang via the BAND mobile app. Interested in developing leadership in your music ensemble, but dont know where to begin? The BAND app collaborated with Scott Lang, who specializes in leadership training in music education, to launch a free online leadership curriculum that directors can make their own. The customizable content is designed for middle school and high school music students. Directors need to take it, and customize it, and own it and build on it in a way thats meaningful for their situation and their group and their COVID crisis, Lang says. The curriculum features five weeks of material with 15 short videos on topics like being you and working with others. Each video ends by inviting students to make a positive change. Lang attributed the programs flexibility to the BAND app. They have a delivery system that not only made it easier but [also made] it more customizable for every individual director, Lang says. Using the app, teachers can assign videos for students to watch and monitor which students have seen the content. Students can comment below each video and interact with the content and each other directly from their phones. We want to enable leaders, says Peter Hensch, BAND app growth manager. The app is free and has more than 170,000 marching band users, Hensch says. The app also has a community for band directors, featuring a range of content. Directors can register for the leadership program at joinsll.com. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 21:59:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KATHMANDU, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Nearly half of the COVID-19 patients in Nepal are staying in home isolation with the Nepali government prioritizing such facilities over hospitals for the asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic COVID-19 cases, Nepal's Ministry of Health and Population said. According to the data from the ministry, there are a total of 17,478 active COVID-19 cases in Nepal as of Sunday. Of them, 8,407 patients, or about 48 percent of total active cases, have stayed in home isolation. "We have urged the COVID-19 patients who show no symptom or mild symptom to stay at home isolation because they get better care at home with homely environment," Sameer Adhikari, joint spokesperson at the health ministry, told Xinhua. "People who stay at home isolation face little mental pressure than those who are kept at isolation centers at hospitals." He said that there would be little risk for family members, care givers and the people of the community as long as the patient stays in home isolation by following the health protocol strictly. Currently, mostly patients with symptoms have been admitted to hospitals, according to the ministry. "Home isolation has saved the hospitals from being overcrowded which would itself pose risk of transmission at hospitals," said Adhikari. "It has also saved the hospital beds for the patients with symptoms." In late August, a cabinet meeting of the Nepali government decided to hospitalize only symptomatic patients while asymptomatic patients would be asked to isolate at home. The Nepali government has prioritized home isolation for asymptotic and mildly symptomatic cases amid resurging coronavirus cases in the Himalayan country. With 1,325 new cases on Sunday, Nepal has reported a total of 64,122 cases. Particularly, Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, has emerged as new hotspot of novel coronavirus in the recent weeks. "It has been difficult for us to manage beds at Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and ventilators for the serious COVID-19 cases in the Kathmandu Valley," said Adhikari. However, home isolation has not always been pleasing for the community who fear transmission from such patients. "It has been difficult to convince people of the community that there is little risk from the asymptomatic patients," said Adhikari. As per the working procedure on monitoring of health condition of the COVID-19 patients staying at home and hotel isolation issued by Nepal's health ministry, a designated health worker needs to provide proper consultation to the patients staying at home isolation regarding the disease, its complexities and how to keep people in the surrounding safe from infection. Those who care the patient needs to notify the designated health worker if the patient develops any respiratory problem, chest pain, color of lip and face changes to blue and the patient becomes unconscious, according to the working procedure. "The health worker needs to rush the patient to the hospital by arranging the ambulance," it says. Enditem Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday appealed to members of all opposition parties to vote against three controversial agriculture bills in the Rajya Sabha. The BJP does not have a majority in the Rajya Sabha. It is my appeal to members of all non-BJP parties to join hands against the bills. This is what the farmers of the nation wants, said Kejriwal, the national convener of the Aam Aami Party (AAP) , which has three members in the Upper House. The bills were tabled in the Rajya Sabha for discussion and passage on Sunday. Also Read: Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar moves crucial farm bills in Rajya Sabha The Lok Sabha, where the BJP and its allies enjoy a brute majority, passed two of these bills --- The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 --- through a voice vote on Thursday. It has earlier passed the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill. The AAP, which has one MP in the Lok Sabha, voted against the three bills. The main opposition Congress and a clutch of smaller parties are opposed to the reforms. A key opposition to the bills came on Thursday from BJP ally Shiromani Akali Dal, whose minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the Union Cabinet over efforts to unshackle the farm sector. Also Read: BJP, Opposition seek to rally support as farm bills reach Rajya Sabha Indias agricultural trade still requires licenced traders who must operate out of notified markets allotted to them. The bills aim to sidestep this system, called agricultural produce market committees (APMC), free up market restrictions, enable farmers and agribusinesses to engage more confidently under a new contract farming law and help to create modern supply chains. Critics argue the new system will lack adequate oversight in its current form. Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Tom Cotton of Arkansas, both conservative senators on President Donald Trumps shortlist for potential Supreme Court nominees, argue the president is right to nominate a replacement for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and that the U.S. Senate will move forward expeditiously to confirm the nominee. Fox News' Chris Wallace on Sunday repeatedly asked Cotton whether any hypocrisy was at play in Republicans' push to replace Ginsburg just 44 days before Election Day, considering the GOP blocked former President Barack Obamas nominee, Merrick Garland, nine months before the 2016 election. Watch the latest video at foxnews.com Wallace played a March 2016 clip of Cotton saying on the Senate floor that it was wrong to squelch the voice of American voters and cut off the national debate over the Supreme Court vacancy following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Cotton argued Sunday that because Republicans expanded on their majority in recent elections, they have a clear mandate to exercise our constitutional authority. Wallace noted that Senate hearings typically come 40 days after a nomination and Senate confirmation about 70 days later. Cotton said senators are not going to rush," and he cited Ginsburgs own confirmation as one that did not take as long as other justices. CNN reported that Ginsburgs confirmation came 50 days after former President Bill Clinton nominated her in 1993. Were not going to cut corners or steps, Cotton said. Were going to move forward without delay. We will move forward in a deliberate fashion. The comments echoed Trumps on Saturday, when he argued Republicans were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices. We have this obligation, without delay! Trump said he will name a nominee, likely a woman, later this week. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Friday that Trumps nominee would see a vote on the Senate floor, sparking the ire of Democrats across the country. Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Joe Kennedy III said over the weekend that if Republicans succeed in confirming Trumps nominee, Democrats should expand the size of the court in 2021. If Trump and McConnell are allowed to fill the Supreme Court vacancy, they will install another far-right ideologue whose agenda is to dismantle our rights and liberties and lock in more power for Republicans and corporations, Markey said on Saturday. On Friday, he blasted McConnell as a hypocrite violating the precedent he set in 2016 by blocking a vote on Garland. Mitch McConnell set the precedent. No Supreme Court vacancies filled in an election year. If he violates it, when Democrats control the Senate in the next Congress, we must abolish the filibuster and expand the Supreme Court. Ed Markey (@EdMarkey) September 19, 2020 If he holds a vote in 2020, we pack the court in 2021, Kennedy wrote on Twitter. Its that simple. If he holds a vote in 2020, we pack the court in 2021. Its that simple. Rep. Joe Kennedy III (@RepJoeKennedy) September 19, 2020 Sen. Elizabeth Warren, speaking at a Saturday night vigil for Ginsburg on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., said our very democracy is on the line. Four years ago, Mitch McConnell told us that there would be no vote in the U.S. Senate on a Supreme Court nominee because our president had only one year in office, and every Republican stood with him, Warren said. Today, Mitch McConnell and his henchmen believe that they can ram through a Supreme Court justice only 45 days from the election. Mitch McConnell believes that this fight is over. What Mitch McConnell does not understand is this fight has just begun. Ginsburg died Friday from complications of metastatic pancreas cancer. She was 87. NBC News reported that the longtime justice said her most fervent wish was not to be replaced until a new president sat in the White House, and hundreds whod gathered at the candlelight vigil held signs reading Honor RBG and Honor Her Wish. Pressed by Wallace on whether he supported a Senate vote on Trumps nominee during the lamest of lame duck sessions" if former Vice President Joe Biden wins the election and the GOP loses its Senate majority, Cotton reiterated that Were going to move forward without delay and there will be a vote for this nominee. The senator also challenged the hypothetical, saying Trumps going to win re-election." Cruz, meanwhile, in comments to ABC News' This Week which he said provided important history and context, which the (mainstream media) ignores, noted that in the 29 times a Supreme Court vacancy opened during an election year, the president has made a nomination every time. The big difference in terms of confirmation is whether the president and Senate are the same party, Cruz said. In 19 of the 29 nominations when the Senate and president were the same party during an election year, the Senate confirmed the nominee 17 times, Cruz said. Of the 10 election-year nominations occurring when the Senate majority and chief executive were in opposing parties, just two of the nominees were confirmed, Cruz said. The reason for that is not just my party, your party, Cruz argued. Its checks and balances. In this instance, the American people voted ... and said, We want constitutionalist judges. The president was elected to do this and the Senate was elected to confirm this nomination. Related Content: The requested page is currently unavailable on this server. Back to [RTHK News Homepage] In the poverty-stricken mountains of southern Mexico, children can only dream of having the internet or television access that would allow them to join millions of others following distance learning during the coronavirus pandemic. Children across the country began a new school year last month with remote learning via television, a move aimed at curbing the spread of the disease in a country that has reported 73,000 COVID-19 deaths the fourth-highest tally in the world. But in the homes of San Miguel Amoltepec Viejo, a windswept village in one of the countrys poorest regions, there are no such modern-day luxuries. The outbreaks impact on Indigenous childrens access to education is just the latest chapter in a long history of marginalisation of the Indigenous communities of Mexico. There are no computers, theres no internet, theres no television signal and the electricity goes out when it rains, said teacher Jaime Arriaga. When he could teach face-to-face classes, Arriaga stayed all week in the remote area to avoid the more than two-hour drive along a winding, sometimes unpaved road from the regions main city, Tlapa. Today, the 33-year-old visits every two weeks to bring educational material and meet parents in the community perched 3,000 metres (nearly 10,000 feet) above sea level in Guerrero state. We have no other way, he said. Arriaga watched from the doorway as 25-year-old Natalia Vazquez helped her daughter Viridiana do her schoolwork in their modest home. Arriagas classroom in San Miguel, where 22 children used to study, now serves as a warehouse or improvised dining room. Instead, Celso Santiagos three children study in their house with wooden walls and an earthen floor. The 29-year-old farmer said he would try to make sure his children did not fall behind, but he worried it would be difficult. We have jobs and I cant be taking care of the children, he said. If they couldnt learn much from what the teacher taught before, now were going to be worse off with this pandemic. Illiteracy among adults makes homeschooling an even bigger challenge, Santiago said. Were in an area thats highly marginalised and falling behind in education because many parents dont even know how to read or write, he said. San Antonio city council members unanimously approved a $2.9 billion city budget on Thursday, which will include increased funds for affordable housing and handling domestic violence. And the police department will not be defunded, although some monies will be diverted. Council members have been listening to what national protests have called for but also to comments from the community regarding making changes to public safety, the citys largest expense. In 2021, the San Antonio Police Department will hire for an additional 16 positions to deal with domestic violence with an allotment of $1.3 million. The SAPD will also receive $500,000 to lay the groundwork for a new police substation on the South Side and to develop a 2022 bond program to fund the project. San Antonio City Hall (Screenshot/Google Maps) However, the police force will see a $3 million cut in overtime pay for their staff. Money will be diverted from the department to fund mental health programs. There has been a lot of planning and discussion about implementing changes how SAPD deals with mental health calls, according to city manager of San Antonio Eric Walsh. The matter of police reform was also part of the discussion. One reform will switch social workers from Public Safety to Metro Health to help prevent violence before it occurs and reduce the need to respond to 911 calls for mental health issues. An additional $6 million will be allotted to mental health services next year. There is a lot of work to do and theres a lot of pain in the voices that we hear from our community and were gonna be working every day to address them and to work together in doing so, said Mayor Ron Nirenberg, Fox San Antonio reports. Another police reform that city councilors hope to implement is to give the Chief more power to fire bad cops. We have talked a lot about what our priorities are in the areas of discipline and changing that framework within the contract as being a top priority and giving the chief more of a role in the final say of discipline, Walsh said. The SAPD will also see a 1.7 percent budget increase as part of its contractual union agreement; however, the upcoming collective bargaining agreement could undergo major changes; negotiations with the San Antonio Police Union will begin in 2021. Beyond the SAPD, one of the citys largest considerations is the high degree of uncertainty imposed by the pandemic and the economic impact it has had locally. Council members are searching for creative ways to keep services running. Some other city budget highlights include the following: $34.8 million for a coordinated approach to housing, $110 million for street maintenance funding for projects across the city, $219,000 for a new micro-mobility team, dedicated to planning and implementing micro-mobility lanes for bicycles, scooters, and other forms of transportation, $1.9 million and 16 new positions to support parks and greenways, $500,000 additional investment in the Parks Tree Fund, which provides for the preservation and adoption of trees, and a $5,000 property tax homestead exemption and no city property tax rate increase, despite significant reductions in revenues. The 2021 budget saw a cut of just $4.5 million compared to last years budget. Next year, the city is expecting a much larger cut, to the tune of $50 million, and council members are already planning how to continue providing services without furloughing or laying off employees. Publicly owned water and energy utilities helped bolster the budget this year, San Antonio Report noted, a result of increased electricity usage during an unusually hot summer in Texas. In order to increase revenue next year, city councilors will vote to add new properties to the countys property tax rolls. They are expecting to see a $26.7 million property tax revenue hike in the coming budget. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc The grieving parents of a teenager who disappeared 22 years ago have issued a desperate public plea to find her body. Rachel Antonio, 16, vanished without a trace after being dropped off at a cinema by her mother in Bowen, in northern Queensland, on Anzac Day 1998. Surf lifesaver Robert Hytch, then 25, was charged with her murder a year later and found guilty by a jury of the lesser offence of manslaughter - but was acquitted at a retrial in 2001. Through each trial and re-trial, Mr Hytch consistently denied being in a relationship with the 16-year-old. But a coroner found in 2016 he had lied and the pair had been in an 'intimate relationship'. Rachel's parents Ian and Cheryl Antonio have issued a desperate public plea to find her body Rachel Antonio, 16, vanished without a trace after being dropped off at a cinema by her mother in Bowen, in northern Queensland, on Anzac Day 1998 Coroner David OConnell also found Mr Hytch fatally injured the teenager and hid her body, which has never been found. Rachel's parents Ian and Cheryl Antonio are begging those responsible for answers. 'We're not after revenge of anything like that. We just want the whole truth and nothing but the truth,' Mr Antonio told Nine News. 'And we want the body, so we can put the body to rest. There are people that do know [where the body is] and we just wish they'd come forward and let us know. The couple fear they will die without being able to give Rachel a proper burial. 'We don't think anybody's going to come clean,' he said. 'I don't think the police can do anything, I really don't.' Ms Antonio added: 'I hope I do find where she is but I really don't believe that I will.' A police reward of $250,000 for information leading to the location of Rachel's remains is still on offer. In the teenager's diary tendered to an inquest, Rachel wrote of how she was scared Mr Hytch, who was the Bowen surf club captain, would break up with her if she didn't sleep with him. A police reward of $250,000 for information leading to the location of Rachel's remains is still on offer Ian Antonio and wife Cheryl (pictured together at Mr Hytch's Supreme Court challenge of the inquest's findings in 2018) have previously expressed their pain at not having a resting place for their daughter 'The biggest issue I have in my life right now is whether to do it - or not. Robert and I have been best friends for over two years and have been going out for six months. I can honestly say I think I love him,' she wrote. 'Although Robert is 24 (almost 25), he is really caring. The only problem I have is that Im scared he will dump me afterwards. This shouldnt really worry me cause he has been with me for six months already. I know he cares about me.' The inquest had used the diary as evidence, despite it being ruled inadmissible at trial. Queensland Police are considering advice from the Office of The Director of Public Prosecutions as to whether Mr Hytch could be charged with perjury. 'The DPP has concluded its consideration of the matter and it was referred to the Queensland Police Service for their consideration,' a spokeswoman for the Office of The Director of Public Prosecutions told The Courier-Mail in June. Daily Mail Australia does not suggest Mr Hytch is guilty of any crime, only that police are considering the advice from the DPP about the possibility of laying perjury charges. Mr Hytch appealed the coroner's findings and has always denied any involvement in her disappearance. Two men who came across Rachel on the night of her disappearance on the town's Queens Beach said at inquest she told them 'I'm waiting for my boyfriend'. Coroner O'Connell meanwhile found Mr Hytch had left his brother's birthday party to hire a movie that night and was unable to account for a half-an-hour discrepancy in his movements. The teenager's diary was tendered to an inquest (pictured as evidence) and formed the basis of a coroner's finding that the man acquitted of her manslaughter, Robert Hytch, had lied about his relationship with her Mr Hytch appealed the coroner's findings and has always denied any involvement in her disappearance. Two men who came across Rachel on the night of her disappearance on the town's Queens Beach said at inquest she told them 'I'm waiting for my boyfriend'. Police also found a tiny drop of blood on his sandal. The inquest found the young girl was likely killed by the surf lifesaver - an outcome unsuccessfully challenged in 2018 by Mr Hytch in the Supreme Court. Ian Antonio and wife Cheryl said in 2015 it was difficult not having a resting place for their daughter - as was coming to terms with the realisation they may never know what happened to her. Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh took up the bills for passing even as Opposition MPs were protesting in the Well of the House and 'ploughed' through the procedure to pass the bill, eventually declaring them as being passed by voice vote The Rajya Sabha passed two contentious agriculture-related bills amid chaos on Sunday, with the Opposition accusing Deputy Chairman Harivansh of violating House rules on the passage of a Bill and moving a no-confidence motion against him. Harivansh took up the bills for passing even as Opposition MPs were protesting in the Well of the House and "ploughed" through the procedure to pass the bill, eventually declaring them as being passed by voice vote. The proposed legislations The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020; and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 will now be sent to President Ram Nath Kovind for approval, after which they will become laws. The two bills were promulgated by the Centre as ordinances in June and were cleared by the Lok Sabha on 17 September. Bedlam ensued in the Upper House after the deputy chairman declined the Opposition's appeals to defer the remainder of the debate on the bills to Monday, as Sunday's session had ended at 1 pm. The situation escalated with Opposition MPs charging towards the podium of the deputy chairman, flinging the Rajya Sabha's rule book at him, tearing official papers and raising slogans about their demand for a division of vote. After the conclusion of the Upper House's session, twelve Opposition parties gave a notice for a no-confidence motion against Harivansh over the manner in which the bills were passed. Defence minister Rajnath Singh condemned the "misbehaviour" witnessed in the Rajya Sabha and said that the proceedings were "seen by the whole country". "This hasn't ever happened in Parliament history. That it happened in the Rajya Sabha is an even bigger issue. We consider the Rajya Sabha the house of elders. This is against the dignity of Parliament. Can there be violence in a healthy democracy?" he said. Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha passed three bills Lok Sabha passes National Forensic Science University Bill, 2020; Lok Sabha passes Rashtriya Raksha University Bill, 2020; Lok Sabha passes National Forensic Science University Bill, 2020. Ruckus in Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha session on Sunday had nearly ended when Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar began his reply to the debate on the Centre's farm bills, which are being protested by farmers in Haryana and Punjab. When Harivansh asked whether the House agrees to extend proceedings till the bills are decided on, the Treasury Benches agreed while the Opposition began protesting against the legislations. Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad reminded the Chair that the House session can be extended if there is consensus, and added that the consensus was for the House to be adjourned and for proceedings to continue on Monday. However, while the ruckus forced Tomar to cut short his reply, Harivansh took up the approval of the bills. Four Opposition-sponsored motions to send the two bills to a House panel for greater scrutiny were negated by voice vote, but protesting MPs of the Congress, TMC, CPM and DMK sought a division of vote on the issue. However, the deputy chairman overruled them saying division of votes can take place only when members are in their seats, and took up voting on amendments amid constant protests from the Opposition. As voting on amendments began, TMC MP Derek O'Brien approached Harivansh with the Rajya Sabha rulebook, while other MPs reportedly tore official papers and broke the Chair's mic, The Indian Express reported. House marshals blocked a book that was flung towards Harivansh, and stopped an attempt to pull microphones away from the Chair, PTI reported. Harivansh, who asked members to go back to their places and not come into the Well due to the COVID-19 protocol, first muted the audio of the live proceedings but with the ruckus continuing, adjourned the proceedings for 15 minutes. When the House reassembled, Opposition parties chanted slogans but Harivansh carried on with the procedure of putting the bill to voice vote. As the first bill got voice approval of the House and motions for sending it to a select committee were rejected, at least two MPs tried to climb on the table of Rajya Sabha officers but were pulled down, PTI reported. Both the bills were passed by voice vote and amendments moved by the Opposition parties rejected. After the adjournment of the Rajya Sabha session, some MPs continued to occupy the chamber in protest. As Lok Sabha members who were allotted seats in Rajya Sabha chamber could not enter when the Lower House met, Speaker Om Birla had to adjourn Lower House's proceedings for an hour. 'Farm bills are death warrants' The TMC, DMK, CPM, Congress began their arguments against the farm bills by moving motions to send both bills to a Select Committee of Parliament. During the debate in the Rajya Sabha, the Opposition said that the bills are "aimed at benefitting big corporates and ending the minimum price (MSP)-based procurement by the government". However, the Centre has maintained that the MSP system will continue. Calling the bills a "death warrant" for farmers, Congress MP Partap Singh Bajwa said, "These Bills are ill-conceived and ill-timed and the Congress opposes it." "Farmers are not illiterate. They understand that this is a way to do away with MSP. Once this is passed, corporate houses will take over farmlands," he said. Brien pointed out that the Centre had promised a double income for farmers by 2022. "But at the current rate, it not double even by 2028", he added. How many BJP MPs have read these two bills, he quipped. BJP's ally in Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK, also questioned the bills and said that big companies will be able to take over large portions of land through provisions in the legislations. Party MP SR Balasubramoniyan added that "a farmer will be reduced to a farm worker," The Hindu reported. Another ally of the BJP, the Shiromani Akali Dal, which was at odds with the saffron party over the bills in the Lok Sabha, also opposed its provisions in the Upper House. SAD MP Naresh Gujral said, "There is a trust deficit or communication gap which is reflected in the contents of the bills, which is why we are telling this party to send it to select committee." Party leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal had resigned from the Narendra Modi Cabinet on 17 September in protest of the bills being introduced in the Lok Sabha. Meanwhile, Congress MP Anand Sharma replied to criticism from the BJP over the Sonia Gandhi-led party having similar provisions in their 2019 Lok Sabha election manifesto. He was quoted by The Hindu as saying that "the Congress party had proposed measures to protect farmers and MSP. But, BJP MPs have selectively picked two points from the manifesto and is accusing Congress of hypocrisy". The YSRCP and the ruling party's Bihar ally, JD(U), supported the bills in the Upper House. In his interrupted reply to the debate, Tomar sought to allay fears over the provision of MSP being overwritten by the new bills. "Not just these Bills, many steps have been taken to double farmers' income in the past six years. There is no need to doubt that farmers will continue to get MSP," he said. During the period in which the Upper House was shortly adjourned, O Brien tweeted a video from the central hall of the Parliament saying, "They cheated. They broke every rule in Parliament. It was a historic day. In the worst sense of the word. They cut RSTV feed so the country couldnt see. They censored RSTV. Dont spread propaganda. We have evidence." Lok Sabha discusses COVID-19, FCRA Several Opposition MPs, including members of the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena, DMK, and TMC slammed the Centre over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Lok Sabha on Sunday. The Opposition alleged a failure in the strategy to deal with the coronavirus crisis, saying a sudden lockdown caused hardships to the migrants and the poor, a charge rejected by BJP and its ally JD(U). Meanwhile, ruling party's allies said Modi led the fight against the virus well, by taking states into confidence and several lives were saved by the government's persistent efforts. Initiating the debate on "COVID-19 pandemic in the country", Tharoor alleged "utter mismanagement" in dealing with the pandemic, saying the country witnessed a "fundamental breakdown" in government machinery in the past few months, instead of mature and proactive governance. He said that instead of clearly-communicated protocol and comprehensive strategies on part of the government, the country witnessed a lack of clarity, readiness and preparedness to combat the virus. Had the government listened to warning about the virus made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and others, the situation would have surely been managed better, Tharoor said. The ruling dispensation, Tharoor earlier said, continued to delay the implementation of a national strategy to stop the spread of the virus. "This was the first failure of the government," he said. The failure to adequately recognise the scale and complexity of the problem compounded their unwillingness to listen to the voices that warned well in advance of the consequences of ignoring the problem of such magnitude, he said. When the number of cases were comparatively low in India there was still time for the government to execute comprehensive strategy to curb it, he said. "It is moral responsibility of any government to take the nation into confidence and not leave them in dark." He also said that due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown, the country's economy is in a bad shape now, and added arrangements were not made to fight with the virus. If the migrant workers were allowed to go to their hometowns in the beginning, the current situation would have not arisen, he said. The government should have taken the nation into confidence which it did not do as a result the nation "is losing confidence in you (government)", he said. DMK's Dayanidhi Maran also slammed the government for its alleged failure in creating enough health infrastructure in the country during the lockdown. He said when the first case was detected in February, the government allegedly did not take initiatives to fight the virus and instead "it was busy gathering people" for the US President Donald Trump's Gujarat visit. "When the lockdown was announced, people got just four hours to prepare. There was no planning. The states were not informed, the way demonitisation was announced in 2016. There was chaos everywhere," he added. In an apparent reference to the Tablighti Jamaat incident in Delhi where scores of people tested positive, Maran criticised the government for "blaming" Muslims for the initial spread of COVID-19 in the country. Rebutting the criticism, BJP member Kirit Solanki highlighted various welfare schemes announced by the Modi government and said the poor and downtrodden were provided free foodgrains and cash incentives during the lockdown and afterwards. Solanki said the country has so far tested five crore people for coronavirus of which 1.5 crore tests were conducted in the last two weeks. The BJP member pointed out that 33 crore poor people were given Rs 31,235 crore through the direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and the beneficiaries include farmers, women and senior citizens. Without naming anyone, Solanki said a leader was tweeting on ways to deal with the virus, but he is not present in the House to debate on the issue. A bill seeking to amend the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), under which providing the Aadhar numbers of the office-bearers of any NGO will be mandatory for registration and public servants will be barred from receiving funds from abroad, was also introduced in the Lower House. The Foreign Contribution Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2020, introduced in the Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, also proposes to enable the Centre to allow an NGO or association to surrender its FCRA certificate. Introducing the bill, Rai said, "There would be no discrimination. The permission which was given earlier to religious institutions for foreign contributions under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 will continue. But these institutions should not deviate from their objective and not be a threat to the country's security." The draft bill proposes that not more than 20 percent of the total foreign funds received could be spent on administrative expenses. Presently, the limit is 50 percent. Manish Tewari of the Congress objected to the bill and made a request to the government to relax the provisions of the FCRA. Saugata Roy of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) also opposed the bill, saying it is an attempt to stop foreign contributions. "The idea should be to deregulate and not over-regulate foreign contributions," he said. With inputs from PTI Staring down a masked man with a rifle, standing alongside dozens of other women all linking arms in solidarity, Anastasiya Antoniuk was prepared to be taken to jail. The 26-year-old copywriter was taking part in a protest against the detention of an opposition leader, one of many demonstrations since Belarus authoritarian leader, Alexander Lukashenko, was named the winner of a contested election on Aug. 9. In a photo of the incident that has garnered international attention, Antoniuk can be seen standing in the first row, in a brown coat, defiant. Image: Belarus women resist the police attempt to detain them as they gathered to support their current leader Maria Kolesnikova, in Minsk, Belarus, (EPA) A compelling and unavoidable theme of Belarus popular protest movement calling for the removal of Lukashenko, now into its sixth week, is the central role played by women. From the weekly protests to the leaders organizing and calling for change, women have had a strong presence. The photo shows Antoniuk and other women shielding some men behind their backs while linking arms they hoped the security forces would remain lenient toward women. But unable to get to the men, Antoniuk said riot police and unidentified men wearing fatigues and balaclavas started detaining everyone. Now it doesnt matter whether you are a woman or man, young or old, she said. Some of them laughed in our faces when we asked them to stop and show some mercy. Standing in the front row, Antoniuk said she was prepared to be detained because she can no longer live under Lukashenkos government. There is nothing to lose, she said. With protests carrying on, Antoniuk struggled to say how long the political crisis might take to resolve. I dont think protests will stop, because there is nowhere for us to retreat to, she said. Too much strength and resources were thrown by Belarusians at these protests. I dont think people will give up easily. Weeks ahead of the disputed election and protests that have roiled the nation, three women, all political novices, galvanized the public after all high-profile opposition male candidates were barred from running. Story continues A now iconic image of the three posing with their campaign gestures Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya with a clenched fist, Maria Kolesnikova with a heart shape and Veronika Tsepkalo with a V-sign quickly spread. Image: Belarus election (Sergei Grits / AP file) In the run-up to the vote, they criss-crossed the country, their rallies attracting tens of thousands of people and taking authorities by surprise. Tsikanouskaya registered as a presidential candidate after her husband, political blogger Sergei Tsikhanouskiy, was jailed. She ran and lost to Lukashenko, although many consider her to be the legitimate winner, accusing the incumbent of rigging the results. Lukashenkos victory outraged thousands, making them take to the streets, only to be met by a violent crackdown. Horrified by the violence, thousands of women wearing all white, carrying flowers and linking arms in so-called solidarity chains came out to defy the crackdown. Every Saturday since, there has been a peaceful womens march, with thousands of women attending, condemning violence and urging Lukashenko to step down. Earlier this month, the United Nations womens rights committee hailed Belarusian women for their role in the political process and protests, saying their voices were not marginal, but central. Its widely recognized that the continuing fight for democracy in Belarus has a female face, the committee said in a statement. Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics Protester Hanna Mirochnik told NBC News that although there is a female presence in the countrys government, women have never before been the face of the protest. But now, girls who have never been to a protest in their life, who have always been apolitical have suddenly understood that they can make history and change something, Mirochnik, 32, said. Mirochnik, who has attended numerous protests including womens marches since the disputed election, said the female trio of Tsikhanouskaya, Tsepkalo and Kolensikova has opened many womens eyes to the possibility of a woman calling the shots in high-level politics. It was unprecedented for Belarus, she said. Image: Hanna Mirochnik attends a rallies in Minsk, Belarus. (Evgenia Suhoverhova) Each of them targeted her own audience, Mirochnik, who works in public relations, added. Tsikhanouskaya had an understandable narrative as a woman following her husband. She was close to your average woman. Maria Kolesnikova was a perfect image for the new elites. She has European education and elegance. And Veronika Tsepkalo, a female manager, was a woman of few words, but very targeted rhetoric. Lukashenkos patriarchal rhetoric about women has angered many women, Mirochnik added. Ahead of the election, the president said the countrys constitution was not meant for a woman. He later clarified it doesnt mean he doesnt respect women, but that the poor things would collapse under the weight of presidential duties. That dismissive rhetoric, that slap on the face was a real gift to the united female campaign, Mirochnik said. From the original female trio of opposition leaders only Kolesnikova has remained in Belarus. Tsikhanouskaya and Tsepkalo both fled the country citing safety concerns. Last week, Kolesnikovas aides said Belarusian authorities tried to forcibly expel her from the country, but she thwarted their plans by ripping up her passport. She was detained and has since been charged with undermining national security. Her bold move and refusal to leave the country have cemented the 38-year-old musician-turned-politicians status as a protest leader. Kolesnikova, with her signature bleached blonde hair and red lipstick, has walked alongside protesters in rallies, boldly approaching riot police, demanding that mass detentions stop. Image: Maria Kolesnikova (Dmitri Lovetsky / AP file) Mirochnik said while she thinks Kolesnikova's arrest will not slow down the protests, people have taken her detention as "a personal insult." "It has turned people angrier," she said. "It has increased their motivation to self-organize better." She is just one of thousands of people to be detained and thrown behind bars, where they complained of beatings and mistreatment. Amid international outrage, the police and security forces have continued detaining protesters as the demonstrations carried on, but police have targeted mostly men, avoiding altercations with women at least in front of the cameras. Videos circulating on social media showed Belarusian women shielding men to protect them from getting detained often kicking, screaming and, in some cases, trying to tear balaclavas off security officers, all while documenting police brutality from up close. But as Lukashenko struggles to quash the unrest, it appears the government is changing its tactic cracking down on female protesters. Image: (AP) On Saturday, police cracked down sharply on a womens protest march, arresting nearly 400 people, according to Belarusian human rights organization Viasna. Among the detained was Nina Bahinskaya, a 73-year-old pensioner who has become one of the most recognizable faces of the protests. The bespectacled pensioner with a boyish haircut has been attending rallies, walking around with a giant version of the countrys historical red-and-white flag and fearlessly engaging with riot police and security officers. After she was filmed telling a police officer "I am just out for a walk," many protesters adopted the slogan. Image: Asya Ilnitskaya at the first Sunday march on Aug.16 in Minsk, Belarus But despite increasing detentions, many women are choosing to press on. Asya Ilnitskaya said the increasing crackdown on female protesters will not deter her from attending more demonstrations. I dont know if I feel fear anymore. Its more like desperation, Ilnitskaya, 25, a social media manager, said. She has protested since the election night on Aug. 9, managing to avoid detention after hiding from riot police in a car wash, and has carried on ever since. Because you either sit at home, shaking, calling everyone and trying to help, or you are on the barricades, so to speak. Its equally unnerving and scary," Ilnitskaya said. "We dont have fear, we just dont have a choice," she added. Planning Minister Hala El-Said, Housing Minister Assem El-Gazzar, and Amir Saeed Ahmed, the presidents adviser for urban development, attended the meeting Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Sunday discussed a number of development projects in the country with Prime Minister Mostafa Mabdouly and other ministers, according to a statement from his office. The projects discussed included urban development projects on Egypts northwestern coast. The president also discussed the latest updates on a development project in the area of St. Catherine and Mount Sinai in South Sinai. The project is known officially as the Great Transfiguration over the Land of Peace Project. It was first announced in August. South Sinai's St. Catherine lies at the foot of Mount Sinai, which is believed by some to be the site where Moses received the Ten Commandments. Planning Minister Hala El-Said, Housing Minister Assem El-Gazzar, and Amir Saeed Ahmed, the presidents adviser for urban development, attended the meeting. El-Said also presented developments regarding the Sovereign Fund of Egypt and its strategy, which aims to provide investments opportunities and to attract foreign direct investments in order to boost the countrys economic growth. Search Keywords: Short link: Once again theres an attempt by the Legislature to weaken the states initiated measure process. Voters should reject Measure 2 placed on the November ballot. The measure sends any voter-approved initiated constitutional measure to the Legislature for approval. If legislators dont approve the measure, it goes back to the voters for another vote. The measure essentially gives the Legislature veto power over the initiative process. Even if a measure wins approval on its second ballot appearance, its going to take supporters more time to achieve their goals. Supporters of the measure argue its needed because out-of-state interests are pouring money into the state to influence voters. They cite approval of a medical marijuana measure, Marsys Law and a wide-ranging ethics revamp. Theres no doubt supporters of the measures have received financial support from outside sources. But with the possible exception of Marsys Law, the measures have been launched and successfully presented by North Dakotans. Legislators griping about the initiative process isnt anything new, though in recent years the attacks have become more aggressive. The initiative process gives a voice and power to the public. It allows them to place proposed laws and constitutional measures on the ballot if they collect enough signatures. There are safeguards built into the system. The Tribune editorial board believes what bothers legislators is the loss of power. They dont like voters telling them what to do. At times, though, the Legislature doesnt reflect the will of the people. The odds of the Legislature approving a medical marijuana bill was more than slim, so voters took action. While legislators reworked the marijuana measure after it passed, voters eventually got medical marijuana. Without the initiative process its unlikely it would have happened. Ballot measures also can generate a storm of opposition. A few years ago a measure to abolish property taxes was placed on the ballot. Opponents got organized and it was easily defeated. A group called ProtectND has been formed to fight the initiative measure. Another group, North Dakotans for the Protection of Our Constitution, has begun campaigning for passage of the measure. Its democracy in action, with opposing groups making their arguments to the voters. The Tribune believes the measure should be rejected because it limits the rights and power of the public. The initiative and referral processes have been messy in North Dakota. Over the years, some individuals have almost made a career out of putting measures on the ballot. They often influenced how bills were written because legislators knew otherwise they could be placed before the voters. The Tribune is a believer in the process even when we dont like the results. We feel Marsys Law was a bad measure and hope some day it will be challenged in court. The problem wasnt that it got on the ballot, but the opposition didnt convince the public to reject it. Legislators or other elected officials shouldnt always have the final say. The public deserves the right to change the constitution or make other changes. If legislators expect the public to trust their judgment, then they must respect the rights of the public. The Legislature needs to quit trying to whittle away at the initiative process. Its messy at times, but its grass-roots democracy. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 British billionaire Lord Alan Sugar and his wife Ann Simons were given special treatment upon their arrival in Australia on Thursday. The couple were granted permission by the New South Wales Government to self-isolate at a private venue instead of a quarantine hotel for two weeks. Unlike other travellers who are being forced to pay a $2,800 hotel quarantine bill upon their return to Australia, the business magnate, 73, and wife Ann were allowed to head straight to the unknown property. Quarantine: British billionaire Lord Alan Sugar and his wife have avoided hotel quarantine after arriving in Sydney - as they're granted permission to isolate privately Inbound travellers are being made to quarantine in hotels at their own expense to limit the spread of COVID-19 as the country faces the threat of a second wave of infection after cases spiked in the state of Victoria. A NSW Police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia on Sunday, the British lord and his wife had submitted a proposal to quarantine in a private facility. 'The couple is compliant with the Public Health (COVID-19 Air Transportation Quarantine) Order (No 2) 2020 and did not require an exemption from quarantine requirements.' 'The couple submitted a proposal to acquire appropriate, independent locations to be nominated as 'Quarantine Facilities' as allowed under the Public Health Order.' Private: Unlike other travellers who are being forced to pay a $2,800 hotel quarantine bill upon their return to Australia, the business magnate, 73, and Ann were allowed to head straight to a private property The spokesperson said: 'The couple is required to abide by the same regulations as any other returned traveller.' Meanwhile, a Nine spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: 'Bringing Lord Alan Sugar to Australia has been months in the making, and all the regular processes were followed, with no special treatment being given.' 'Lord Sugar is currently serving the mandatory two week quarantine in a Government-approved facility.' Daily Mail Australia has also contacted Lord Sugar's office for comment. Quarantine: After arriving in Australia on an Emirates flight last week, Lord Sugar tweeted that it was his first trip on a commercial airline in 25 years as he normally travels by private jet and responded to people asking whether he would have to quarantine The couple's arrival Down Under comes as Lord Sugar prepares to film Channel Nine's Celebrity Apprentice Australia. The 73-year-old, who has appeared on 15 seasons of the hit show in the UK, will eliminate the celebrities with his signature catchphrase 'you're fired'. After arriving in Australia on an Emirates flight last week, Lord Sugar tweeted that it was his first trip on a commercial airline in 25 years as he normally travels by private jet. 'I have never experienced service like it in all my life,' he said. 'It was fantastic. Both on the ground and in the air. Amazing. For the sceptics, it was fully paid for, not free.' He then responded to several people asking whether he would have to quarantine and said he had to have a COVID-19 test to board the plane, wear a mask during the flight, and spend 14 days in isolation. 'Same rules for me and a tosser like you,' he said to one Twitter user. Lord Sugar has made most of his fortune from his property company Amsprop, which he owns with his son, Daniel Sugar. In 1968, the businessman also launched consumer electronics company Amstrad but sold his interest in the company in 2007. You are here: Business Beijing's Haidian district plans to build a hundred-billion-yuan (about 14.8 billion U.S. dollars) aerospace industry cluster in the northern region of the city's Zhongguancun Science City. The project was released on Saturday at a press conference during the ongoing 2020 Zhongguancun Forum held in Beijing. With a total construction area of nearly 1 million square meters, the project will include three functional zones that focus on satellite internet innovation, Beidou satellite navigation, and space information services, as well as scenario applications. Lin Jianhua, deputy director of the Zhongguancun Science City management committee, said Haidian will provide policy support for enterprises settled in the cluster, including investment funds, rental assistance, R&D subsidies, household registration for skills, and public rental housing. As one of the cradles of China's aerospace industry, the Zhongguancun Science City gathers more than half of the country's academics and experts, leading enterprises, and scientific research institutions in the field. The region has formed a whole industrial chain, covering satellite development and manufacturing, ground stations and terminal equipment, satellite telemetry, tracking and control, as well as satellite operations. Papua New Guinea parliament repeals death penalty law TikTok starts testing paid subscriptions Israeli fighter jets, refueling planes hold massive drills aimed at Tehran Barcelona want to sign Juventus defender Ansu Fati may miss 2 months because of injury 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 Cristiano Ronaldo may miss home match against West Ham Germany won't pay compensation if Nord Stream 2 doesn't comply with German, EU laws Antonio Rudiger demands annual salary of 55 million euros from Chelsea 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 Aston Villa sign new contract with Emiliano Martinez 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 Main signs of stroke Lavrov summarizes the results of talks with Blinken Netflix announces creation of entire universe based on The Squid Game series AusOpen Rafael Nadal defeats Karen Khachanov UN agrees on definition of Holocaust denial Lavrov and Blinken talks kick off in Geneva Juventus make offer to Dusan Vlahovic 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 Why is Omicron strain so dangerous for children? 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 First film studio in space to be set up for Tom Cruise movie Armenia FM highlights need for full resumption of Karabakh peace talks Singer Robbie Williams to sell three of Banksy's works 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 Tottenham extend contract with Hugo Lloris Armenia Tourism Committee has new chairperson AusOpen Zverev moves into 4th round 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 American cult actor and rock musician Meat Loaf dies aged 75 Warships of Russia, Iran and China work out counteraction to maritime piracy Armenia first deputy minister of justice dismissed Roma congratulate Mkhitaryan Israeli defense minister tests positive for COVID-19 Karabakh conflict resumption likelihood is moderate, its impact on US interests is low, report says Liverpool set new record Antonio Guterres thinks Russia will not invade Ukraine Azerbaijan ambassador to Russia hastens to sweeten the sediment of statement by US embassy in Baku Virgil Abloh's latest collection for Louis Vuitton presented in Paris (VIDEO) IS fighters attack army barracks in mountainous area north of Baghdad, killing 11 soldiers Sputnik V more effective against Omicron strain than Pfizer Mourinho says he has no intention to move to Everton 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 Henrikh Mkhitaryan turns 33 CSTO chief: Necessary to work on Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation, demarcation FBI search congressman's home in connection with Azerbaijan probe Pamela Anderson splitting with bodyguard husband of one year Newspaper: Armenia PM again goes way of black and white Rex Kalamian heads Armenian national basketball team Newspaper: Scenario devised after war to be implemented in Artsakh EU Special Representative for South Caucasus arrives in Armenia Copa del Rey: Barca are out Coppa Italia: Roma reach quarterfinals, Mkhitaryan plays 100th match and makes assist EFL Cup: Liverpool make it to the final Africa Cup of Nations: Mali, Gambia, Tunisia advance to playoffs Copa del Rey: Real reach quarterfinals Armenian Noah hosts representatives of Spanish Celta 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 Mariam Mkrtchyan becomes chess champion of Armenia 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 Juventus ready to sell De Ligt for 65 million euros WHO advises countries to lift or ease international travel restrictions Bed scene with Lady Gaga and Salma Hayek was cut from House of Gucci Senate Republicans will not cut corners in considering Donald Trumps nominee to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court, an ally of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Sunday as he did not rule out a vote before Election Day. We will move forward without delay, Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas told Fox News Sunday, adding: There will be a vote. Were not going to rush or cut corners. We will move forward without delay in a deliberate fashion. We will process the presidents nominee, and I believe we will confirm that nominee, Mr Cotton said. When pressed several times, Mr Cotton did not guarantee a vote before 3 November, but he did note there have been times in US history when a Supreme Court confirmation process took fewer than the 44 days remaining before Election Day. Mr McConnell is under pressure to follow the path he set in 2016, when he for 10 months blocked then-President Barack Obamas final high court nominee, federal Judge Merrick Garland, arguing the people were about to pick a new president and Senate. But four years later, the Kentucky Republican is vowing to hold a vote on Mr Trumps nominee as his term expires in late January. Mr Cotton argued on Sunday morning that things are different this time because in 2016, there was a GOP-run Senate elected as a check on Mr Obama. This time, voters elected a Republican president while continuing a GOP majority in the Senate. There could not have been a clearer mandate, he said, noting voters expanded our majority. We have a clear mandate to perform our constitutional duty, he said. Thats what we did back in 2016, as well. Notably, the Arkansas senator, a lawyer by trade, said he asked the White House to take his name out of consideration for the seat vacated by Ms Ginsburgs death. The president confirmed as much on Saturday when he told supporters at a rally in North Carolina he expects to nominate a woman to the seat. Meantime, Democratic Senator Chris Coons said he is personally reaching out to Republican senators to try and get at least four to break with Mr McConnell and the president. Thats how many would be required to vote with Democrats to shoot down the coming nominee and kick the matter until after Election DAy and possibly beyond Inauguration Day and the date a few weeks prior when a new Senate would be seated. Mr McConnell has acknowledged in recent week that Republicans holding control of the upper chamber is looking increasingly difficult. That means if enough Republican senators say they oppose a quick vote, a Democratic-run Senate could inherit a Trump nominee. The Republican majority set this new precedent. They worked hard for it, Mr Coons said. The chairman of the Judiciary [Committee], [Lindsey] Graham, restated it in 2018, Mr Coons said. Fair is fair. I think the Republican majority should live with the precedent they set in 2016. Some Congress watchers say Democrats could try a number of procedural moves to try delaying a final, simple-majority vote on the coming nominee. Asked if Democrats are mulling such actions, Mr Coons said only: It shouldnt come to that. An Australian chemicals and bomb expert who was killed in a blast in the Solomon Islands overnight is being remembered as a legendary action man whose efforts earned him a place on an official Australian stamp. Newcastle man Trent Lee, 40, was working with 57-year-old British national Luke Atkinson when the pair were killed by a bomb blast in a residential area of Honiara, the capital city of the Solomon Islands on Sunday night. Trent Lee, originally from Newcastle in Australia, in the Solomon Islands. The pair were working for Norwegian non-governmental organisation Norwegian People's Aid, which has 1850 experts working to remove undetonated wartime explosives in 19 countries. The Solomon Islands is littered with undetonated explosives known as unexploded ordnance (UXO) from World War II. The area was a key battleground between Allied forces and Japan in the early stages of the Pacific campaign. Police say the gang sent four men in crates in TAA flights from Brisbane to swap Reserve Bank cash in crates in cargo holds for telephone books while the planes were in flight. A policeman shows one of the crates used in the daring airline robbery attempt. Brisbane An Alert TAA porter yesterday foiled a Melbourne gangs attempt to steal in mid-air $600,000 belonging to the Australian Reserve Bank. First published in The Age on September 22, 1982 The cash was being flown to banks in Rockhampton, Townsville, Mt Isa and Cairns. Queensland and Federal police officers said last night that five men detained yesterday were well known identities with close connections with Painters and Dockers Union. Police believe the gang depended heavily on insider information from the Reserve Bank, TAA or a security firm. A porter at Rockhampton heard noises coming from a crate as it was unloaded at 10.45 am. When the 120 cm by 60 cm by 60 cm crate was opened, a distinctly air-sick and oxygen-deprived man tried to run across the airstrip but was caught by the porter and a TAA pilot. Inside the crate was $200,000 in cash destined for the Rockhampton branch of the Commonwealth Bank. The banks box contained telephone books. HOMEWOOD, Ill., Sept. 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI) is offering members of the media the opportunity to talk with uniformed police officers during Rail Safety Week, from September 21-27, about the importance of rail safety at crossings and the dangers of trespassing. Members of the CN Police Service will be available for media interviews throughout the week. Providing that social distancing be respected or in a virtual manner, we invite media outlets to contact CN to arrange onsite, in studio or on air interviews. The CN media relations team is also happy to offer visual elements for on camera interviews. CN will mark Rail Safety Week with a public awareness campaign aimed at reducing the number of collisions and trespassing-related accidents. Throughout the week, CN Police will conduct safety initiatives at commuter stations and railway crossings reminding commuters and motorists about the importance of safety at crossings and the deadly risks of trespassing on railway tracks and property. Media Contact: Mathieu Gaudreault Senior Advisor Public Affairs and Media Relations (514) 249-4735 mathieu.gaudreault@cn.ca Parliament LIVE Updates: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman responded to the Opposition's arguments on the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in the Lok Sabha on Saturday. Auto refresh feeds The Bill will replace the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020, which was promulgated on 5 June and prohibited the initiation of insolvency proceedings for defaults arising during the six months from 25 March 2020 (extendable upto one year). On the sixth day of the Parliament's Monsoon session, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday will table the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Second Amendment) Bill 2020 for consideration and passing. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020, came as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which had created uncertainty and stress for businesses. It was also felt that during the coronavirus lockdown, it may be difficult to find an adequate number of resolution applicants to rescue the corporate debtor who may default in discharging their debt. - The Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020. Earlier in April, the government had approved an ordinance that recognised any crime against health professionals as a "cognizable and non-bailable" offence. It means that offenders can be arrested without a warrant, and no bail would be granted. Among the ordinances to be discussed in the Upper House is Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance 2020. The Ordinance seeks amendments to the 125-years-old Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, that protects health workers in the country. TMC leader Derek O'Brien pointed out that the All India Handicraft Board in Kolkata has been abolished by the Centre. He added that All India Handloom and Powerloom board has also faced the same fate, and appealed that they be reopened. Ruckus followed as Opposition demanded discussion on Agriculture Bills passed in Rajya Sabha on Saturday. Chairman Venkaiah Naidu said that Bills are to be taken next day, and the discussion can take place then. He said: "the enactment of 10A will be counterproductive as there is no certainty in how long the pandemic will continue. So I have moved an amendment to remove the cap." Speaking on the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code Bill, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha on Saturday that small traders will be affected by this ordinance and accused the Centre of trying to protect big corporates. "MSMEs must be allowed to initiate CIRB proceedings irrespective of the provisions," he said. BJP MP Arun Singh said the amendment to Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 was a "remarkable and bold step" by the Narendra Modi government. Citing statistics, including ease of doing business ranking, Singh said there has been an overall improvement under the NDA government. "What happens to people who are dependent on global business?" he asks. the IBC has been fairly successful since 2016, 40% recovery, what was the need for three ordinances rather than bringing in changes as it is an evolving law. Amar Patnaik of BJD said that the Insolvency Bill has been linked to a time frame. "260 such cases were initiated by corporate debtors, Section 10 A will only lead to erosion of value going into resolution process," said Patnaik. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman began her response to all the 16 ministers who raised issues with Insolvency Bill. "The situation before us in March was clearly of putting lives before livelihood. When Narendra Modi announced the Janta curfew, he said it was a preventive remedy and did not know for how long it would last. Naturally, lockdown impacted business and financial market, did we just sit and watch? No." Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD raised the issue of unemployment during the coronavirus-induced lockdown. "How many people have lost their jobs? "Look at the thali of underprivileged people. Only Rs 33 is given to people per day as subsistence, that much money is spent on three coffees in Parliament's central hall." Our intention of initiating corporate insolvency for matters that occurred during lockdown, was to give immunity during this period. This is only for those which arrive during COVID-19 period, amendment of section 66 that no obligation shall be filed by a resolution professional, said the finance minister. The Finance Minister stressed the importance to suspend sections 7, 9 and 10 of IBC to prevent businesses from getting pushed into insolvency. "With this intention, Section 10A of the ordinance was brought in," said Sitharaman. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said due to the stigma attached to COVID-19 warriors including doctors and paramedics, the Centre wanted to introduce a prohibitory mechanism to protect them from indignity. Offenders can also be fined anywhere between Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh and will also have to serve a prison term between three months to five years, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar had said in April. Earlier in April, the government had approved an ordinance that recognised any crime against health professionals as a "cognizable and non-bailable" offence. It means that offenders can be arrested without a warrant, and no bail would be granted. The Ordinance seeks amendments to the 125-years-old Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, that protects health workers in the country. "The Centre is using COVID-19 as an excuse to gloss over economic losses due to demonetisation and GST. 80 lakh people were forced to withdraw their EPF contributions, people are asking for jobs," said the Congress leader. Neeraj Dangi of Congress said Rahul Gandhi had forewarned the Centre, but the Centre did not take it seriously." It was the time when Assembly elections in Delhi were being held. The Centre was busy in CAA, NRC and NPR. It was busy in welcoming U.S. President Donald Trump. While Rahul Gandhi warned, the Centre was busy breaking State governments. They were successful in Madhya Pradesh, but not in Rajasthan." "What about those black marketers who hoarded medicines claiming to cure coronavirus and fooled people? There should be provisions in the Bill to address these issues. Moreover, if the sole bread winner of a family has died due to COVID-19, he should be compensated and protected by the government," said Yadav. Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav wanted a provision in the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill to be included that addresses the inflated prices at which the PPE kits were sold to States. Supporting the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill, BJP's Saroj Pandey said that it was brought owing to the attacks on healthcare professionals. "We showered flowers on them, the healthcare workers couldn't even meet their families for months as they wanted to protect them from infection." "West Bengal brought in what the Ayushman Bharat brings in, two years ago. Imitation is the best form of flattery. Features like card being registered in the name of the woman of the house we already had," the TMC leader said. "BJP is telling us no politics, that is why we have not given any amendments. We want to recommend some suggestions. We have health insurance in Bengal for allied workers also, include that. Include the mental wellness of healthcare workers. The State is paying 40%, but when it comes to taking credit, the Centre takes all credit." Derek O'Brien of the TMC said the Bill gives unqualified power to the Centre to interfere into affairs of the State. "You cannot cross constitutional bars. There are sinister provisions in the Bill. The States must be authorised to take decisions." She further added that few hospitals turned the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity and sought some check against them. Similarly, Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said "Healthcare workers should be given PPEs, work hours should be regulated and salaries should be disbursed on time. Policemen, safai karamcharis and ASHA workers should be taken care of." Doctor Sasmit Patra of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) said the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill leaves out policemen, panchayat workers and sanitation workers. He asked the health minister to constitute a task force in this regard, for a comprehensive review. He also sought that the Centre consult the State governments as an important stakeholder in decisions. Congress leader Anand Sharma said the protection should be expanded to a lot more services than just doctors. "Police, should be included in the extended list of those affected by the pandemic." "Issues were raised on charges by private hospitals. Centre gave support to States, synchronised Ayushman Bharat rates, drug controller has taken action. In Mumbai and Surat, legal action was taken against black marketeers. ASHA workers were taken care of, the salary and other issues raised- States were given funds under NDRF. Many States have been given PPEs, ventilators etc., many States do not have space to keep them now," said the health minister. On being asked why ASHA workers, policemen or sanitation workers were not included in the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said "all issues not included under Epidemic Act or National Disaster Management Act will be included in the Public Health Act." Moving an amendment bill in this regard for passage in the Upper House, the health minister said after the ordinance, such incidents against healthcare workers have declined. The government brought an ordinance on 22 April to amend the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 to make incidents of violence on health workers treating COVID-19 patients a non-bailable offence with provisions of penalty and a jail term of up to seven years. A "dramatic" decline in the number of incidents of violence against health workers have been witnessed in the country after an ordinance was brought, making such activities a non-bailable offence, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan informed the Rajya Sabha on Saturday. - The Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill,2020 Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi gives adjournment motion notice in Lok Sabha demanding discussion on the status of clause 6 of the Assam Accord. MoS Labour and Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar sought to introduce three bills in the Lok Sabha on Saturday: The Occupational Safety, Health And Working Conditions Code, 2020, The Industrial Relations Code, 2020, The Code On Social Security, 2020. Meanwhile, Tharoor said that the bills are "discriminatory to women, migrant workers, unorganised sectors". "Many sectors have been left out in these bills. Every bill has to be put in public domain for at least 30 days. Code on Social Security is discriminatory," he said. He added, "Labour rights are intertwined with fundamental rights. There are definitional mistakes in the bill." They said that the bills were introduced in the House without adequate prior notice. Congress MPs Manish Tewari and Shashi Tharoor opposed the introduction of the three bills by the Labour ministry in the Lok Sabha on Friday. "We demand that political leaders be released immediately", he says. He said, "The situation in Kashmir is a cause of concern mor than a year since the abrogation of Article 370 political leaders are still not released, journalists are being harassed, State human rights commissions are closed, education of children is adversely hit, jails have become COVID hot-spots." TMC MP Sougata Ray raised the issue of the political detainees in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir during the time dedicated to 'Issues of Public Importance' in the Lok Sabha. "116 districts throughout India selected for Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY), but so far no district in Bengal has been chosen for the yojana. In my district there alone are 1.5 lakh migrant workers, but nothing has been done for them so far. I have also written to the PM, regarding that," he said. Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that migrant labourers in West Bengal have been left out of the Centre's Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY). He also added that "there has been no progress" in the UT, and said, "People there do not have access to 4G facility, how are they going to grow in the present time when the rest of the country has access to every facility on the internet." "Children today arent getting the education they should. I also demand adequate compensation for the three youth killed recently," he said. National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, who is attending a Parliament session one year after he was detained during the abrogation of Article 370, on Saturday said that the Jammu and Kashmir UT "should have the same right as the rest of the country to progress". The Lok Sabha has begun debate on the Taxation Amendment Bill moved by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The introduction of the bill caused lively discussion on the PM CARES fund, GST, and the state of the economy on Friday. RSP MP NK Premachandran spoke about the Centre's PM CARES fund during the debate on the Taxation Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha. Asking what the logic was "behind having a separate fund" despite the existence of the PMNRF, he said, "PM CARES fund lacks transparency as not audited by Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). Even RTI is not apllicable." "Government appointed a private auditor for PM CARES, without any open tender, how this is possible? How is this auditor connected to BJP?" he added. "Why the need to set up a private trust? Why not form a Parliament trust, a defence trust? Let everything run like this," he said. Congress MP Manickam Tagore said that the House should be informed about what money from the PM CARES fund is being spent on. "Massive donations were done by Chinese companies to PM CARES Xiaomi, TikTok, etc. Why is the government accepting donations from our enemy companies, the tainted money should be returned," she added. She added, "Government allowed CSR to PM CARES, but disallowed to state relief fund, which is an unfair step. Also, 38 PSUs donated to PM CARES, but no audit has been done regarding it." She said that the bill is "deeply problematic because it further weakens the rights and resources available to states by taking away statutory promises made under the new GST regime. It also corners the public funds for PM CARES to the direct detriment of state relief funds." TMC MP Mahua Moitra added to the debate on the Taxation Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha on Saturday, and slammed the Centre on multiple counts including the donations made by Chinese companies to the PM CARES fund. "The initial fund was given by PM Modi's mother and other ordinary people. This will be audited by the same group that audits the PM Relief fund. This will be dispensed by a committee and is not person specific. This is a registered trust," he said. "Why is there such distrust about PM cares fund? Is there any past experience which has caused it?" he was quoted as saying by The Hindu. MoS Finance Anurag Thakur addressed arguments made by the Opposition MPs over the PM CARES fund in the Lok Sabha on Saturday. Originally, the session was set to end on 1 October. The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs will reportedly take the final decision. Reports said that most members of the Lok Sabha's business advisory committee supported the early curtailment of the Session in a meeting on Saturday. The Parliament's Monsoon Session which began on 13 September is likely to be curtailed and might be cut short next week in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, reports said. "Public fund and government machinery was used to serve one family so far. They have trusts, funds and foundations under their name. They have systematically looted public funds. The funds were taken from people like Zakir Naik in 2011 and was returned only in 2015. Three lakh dollars were taken from China. Funds from PM relief fund were diverted to Rajiv Gandhi Foundation from where it was diverted to various foundation including to Christian missionaries," he adds. He added that the PM CARES fund is a "public charitable trust and hence doesnt need CAG audit". Claiming that "not a single rupee in PM CARES will be misused", he said, "What about the various trusts runs by a specific family? Who is doing their audit?" MoS Anurag Thakur targetted the Gandhi family during the discussion on the Taxation Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha on Saturday. While Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, "The rules dont allow such allegation without prior notice and when the member isnt present to defend," another MP Gaurav Gogoi questioned the Centre over when the donation money taken from China will be returned. As Union minister Anurag Thakur targetted the Gandhi family by name in his speech on the PM CARES fund, Congress MPs said that if the Treasury benches name MPs who are not present in the House, while making allegations, the party's MPs "will be forced to leave the House". "You must answer the questions asked by the MoS regarding the use of money in the other funds. If you don't answer, you can't question," she said. On Saturday, Sitharaman said that the Opposition must not belittle Union minister Thakur. She also asked the Congress to answer the questions posed by Thakur about the funds set up by the party and erstwhile governments. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addressed Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's remark on MoS Anurag Thakur in the Lok Sabha on Saturday. On Friday, Chowdhury had said he was "Himachal ka chokra" while raising slogans against his comments in the House. The finance minister also slammed the Opposition over Congress' president Sonia Gandhi's inclusion on the board of trustees of the PMNRF. She said that neither funds are under the purview of the RTI Act. She added that that objectives of both the funds were "similar". Many MPs raised concerns over the audit of the PM CARES, because it is outside the ambit of the CAG. In reply, Sitharaman said that both the funds are being audited by a firm, SARC and Associates. The specifications of the PM CARES and PMNRF funds are "similar", Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in the Lok Sabha on Saturday. Stating that while the PM CARES fund is registered and the PMNRF is not, she addressed the Opposition's questions on the former. The Lok Sabha on Saturday passed the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020 on Saturday. "Indias ease of doing business ranking improved to 63 from 142, as per the report of World Bank. This is only possible because of the strong leadership of PM Modi. And this bill will improve business environment in the country," she said. BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi said that the Companies Amendment Bill will be of benefit to investors. She said, "This Bill will help companies doing their business easily, will help them in ease of leaving. It will also amend companies law to decriminalise various offences." Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman responded to the Opposition's arguments on the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in the Lok Sabha on Saturday. Originally, the session was set to end on 1 October. The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs will reportedly take the final decision. Reports said that most members of the Lok Sabha's business advisory committee supported the early curtailment of the Session in a meeting on Saturday. The Parliament's Monsoon Session which began on 13 September is likely to be curtailed and might be cut short next week in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, reports said. "The Trustees of the PM CARES Fund are all ex officio members, such as Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Finance," said Union Minister Anurag Thakur in the Lok Sabha on Saturday. "Public fund and government machinery was used to serve one family so far. They have trusts, funds and foundations under their name. They have systematically looted public funds. The funds were taken from people like Zakir Naik in 2011 and was returned only in 2015. Three lakh dollars were taken from China. Funds from PM relief fund were diverted to Rajiv Gandhi Foundation from where it was diverted to various foundation including to Christian missionaries," he adds. He added that the PM CARES fund is a "public charitable trust and hence doesnt need CAG audit". Claiming that "not a single rupee in PM CARES will be misused", he said, "What about the various trusts runs by a specific family? Who is doing their audit?" MoS Anurag Thakur targetted the Gandhi family during the discussion on the Taxation Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha on Saturday. While Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, "The rules dont allow such allegation without prior notice and when the member isnt present to defend," another MP Gaurav Gogoi questioned the Centre over when the donation money taken from China will be returned. As Union minister Anurag Thakur targetted the Gandhi family by name in his speech on the PM CARES fund, Congress MPs said that if the Treasury benches name MPs who are not present in the House, while making allegations, the party's MPs "will be forced to leave the House". "You must answer the questions asked by the MoS regarding the use of money in the other funds. If you don't answer, you can't question," she said. On Saturday, Sitharaman said that the Opposition must not belittle Union minister Thakur. She also asked the Congress to answer the questions posed by Thakur about the funds set up by the party and erstwhile governments. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addressed Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's remark on MoS Anurag Thakur in the Lok Sabha on Saturday. On Friday, Chowdhury had said he was "Himachal ka chokra" while raising slogans against his comments in the House. The finance minister also slammed the Opposition over Congress' president Sonia Gandhi's inclusion on the board of trustees of the PMNRF. She said that neither funds are under the purview of the RTI Act. She added that that objectives of both the funds were "similar". Many MPs raised concerns over the audit of the PM CARES, because it is outside the ambit of the CAG. In reply, Sitharaman said that both the funds are being audited by a firm, SARC and Associates. The specifications of the PM CARES and PMNRF funds are "similar", Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in the Lok Sabha on Saturday. Stating that while the PM CARES fund is registered and the PMNRF is not, she addressed the Opposition's questions on the former. The Lok Sabha on Saturday passed the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020 on Saturday. "Indias ease of doing business ranking improved to 63 from 142, as per the report of World Bank. This is only possible because of the strong leadership of PM Modi. And this bill will improve business environment in the country," she said. BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi said that the Companies Amendment Bill will be of benefit to investors. She said, "This Bill will help companies doing their business easily, will help them in ease of leaving. It will also amend companies law to decriminalise various offences." Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman responded to the Opposition's arguments on the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in the Lok Sabha on Saturday. Parliament LATEST Updates: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman responded to the Opposition's arguments on the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in the Lok Sabha on Saturday. She said, "This Bill will help companies doing their business easily, will help them in ease of leaving. It will also amend companies law to decriminalise various offences." The House is adjourned till 3 pm on Sunday. MoS Finance Anurag Thakur addressed arguments made by the Opposition MPs over the PM CARES fund in the Lok Sabha on Saturday. "Why is there such distrust about PM cares fund? Is there any past experience which has caused it? "The initial fund was given by PM Modi's mother and other ordinary people. This will be audited by the same group that audits the PM Relief fund. This will be dispensed by a committee and is not person specific. This is a registered trust," he said. TMC MP Mahua Moitra added to the debate on the Taxation Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha on Saturday, and slammed the Centre on multiple counts including the donations made by Chinese companies to the PM CARES fund. She said that the bill is "deeply problematic because it further weakens the rights and resources available to states by taking away statutory promises made under the new GST regime. It also corners the public funds for PM CARES to the direct detriment of state relief funds." She added, "Government allowed CSR to PM CARES, but disallowed to state relief fund, which is an unfair step. Also, 38 PSUs donated to PM CARES, but no audit has been done regarding it." "Massive donations were done by Chinese companies to PM CARES Xiaomi, TikTok, etc. Why is the government accepting donations from our enemy companies, the tainted money should be returned," she added. The Lok Sabha has begun debate on the Taxation Amendment Bill moved by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The introduction of the bill caused lively discussion on the PM CARES fund, GST, and the state of the economy on Friday. MoS Labour and Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar sought to introduce three bills in the Lok Sabha on Saturday: The Occupational Safety, Health And Working Conditions Code, 2020, The Industrial Relations Code, 2020, The Code On Social Security, 2020. Giving relief to taxpayers following the COVID-19 outbreak, the government had through the ordinance extended the deadline for filing of income tax returns for 2018-19 fiscal till 30 September and linking biometric Aadhaar with PAN till 31 March, 2021. All issues not included under Epidemic Act or National Disaster Management Act will be included in the Public Health Act, said the Union health minister. Sitharaman told the Rajya Sabha that the suspension of Sections 7, 9 and 10 of IBC was aimed at preventing businesses from getting pushed into insolvency. "With this intention, Section 10A of the ordinance was brought in," said Sitharaman. Congress Vivek Tankha said the enactment of 10A will be counterproductive as there is no certainty in how long the pandemic will continue. Uproar in Rajya Sabha followed as Opposition demanded discussion on Agriculture Bills passed in Lok Sabha. Chairman Venkaiah Naidu said that Bills are to be taken next day, and the discussion can take place then. On the sixth day of the Parliament's Monsoon session, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday will table the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Second Amendment) Bill 2020 for consideration and passing. The Bill will replace the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020, which was promulgated on 5 June and prohibited the initiation of insolvency proceedings for defaults arising during the six months from 25 March 2020 (extendable upto one year). The Ordinance came as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which had created uncertainty and stress for businesses. It was also felt that during the coronavorus lockdown, it may be difficult to find an adequate number of resolution applicants to rescue the corporate debtor who may default in discharging their debt. Among the ordinances to be discussed in the Upper House is Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance 2020. The Ordinance seeks amendments to the 125-years-old Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, that protects health workers in the country. Earlier in April, the government had approved an ordinance that recognised any crime against health professionals as a "cognizable and non-bailable" offence. It means that offenders can be arrested without a warrant, and no bail would be granted. Offenders can also be fined anywhere between Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh and will also have to serve a prison term between three months to five years, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar had said in April. The Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020, is listed to be taken in consideration in the Lower House on Saturday. The Bill seeks to replace the Taxation and other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Ordinance, 2020, issued in March 2020. Giving relief to taxpayers following the COVID-19 outbreak, the government had through the ordinance extended the deadline for filing of income tax returns for 2018-19 fiscal till 30 September and linking biometric Aadhaar with PAN till 31 March, 2021. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla called for introduction of the bill on Friday. However, since the minister was not present, the House then took up discussion on two farm sector related legislations. Home Minister Amot Shah will move the Bill seeking to establish a National Forensic Sciences University as an institution of national importance by upgrading the Gujarat Forensic Sciences University in Gandhinagar, be taken into consideration. Parliament proceedings on 18 September On Friday, the Lower House witnessed first adjournment in the Monsoon Session over disruption when Treasury and Opposition members clashed over PM-CARES fund. The proceedings in the Lower House were disrupted as the Opposition raised slogans against Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur for his allegation that the PM National Relief Fund (PMNRF) was set up "only for the benefit of the Gandhi family". "The trust was set up during the tenure of former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and was not even registered as a public trust but it got all relevant clearance, including FCRA," Thakur said, intervening during the introduction of the Taxation and other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Bill. "The PM Cares Fund is a constitutionally set up public charitable trust. PM National Relief Fund was set up only for the benefits of one family the Nehru-Gandhi family," he said. On the other hand Rajya Sabha passed four Bills in less than four hours. The Upper House too was adjourned for 30 minutes to mourn the death of Karnataka MP Ashok Gasti. The Indian Medicine Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020; Salaries and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment) Bill, 2020; Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020; and Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2020, were passed in the Upper House. With inputs from PTI A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump Administrations attempts to ban downloads of the Chinese-owned social media app WeChat on Apple and Google, citing First Amendment concerns. U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler said that WeChat serves as a virtual public square for the Chinese-speaking and Chinese-American community in the United States and is (as a practical matter) their only means of communication. She added in her written ruling dated Saturday and released early Sunday that government attempts to ban the service on app stores and severely limit functions for existing users forecloses meaningful access to communication in their community and thereby operates as a prior restraint on their right to free speech. Also Read: Can You Still Use TikTok After the Trump Administration Bans App Downloads? The Trump Administration has argued that WeChat, which is owned by Chinese company Tencent, is a national security risk because the Chinese government can use the app to disseminate propaganda and steal private data from users. Judge Beeler acknowledged that there are legitimate national security concerns, but also said that the U.S. Department of Commerce has put in scant little evidence that its effective ban of WeChat for all U.S. users addresses those concerns. And, as the plaintiffs point out, there are obvious alternatives to a complete ban, such as barring WeChat from government devices, as Australia has done, or taking other steps to address data security. Also Read: Trump Gives TikTok-Oracle Deal His 'Blessing' to Continue Operating in US Beelers ruling comes after the Trump administration announced a delay on their plans to ban the popular social media app TikTok after Trump agreed in concept to a proposed bid by Oracle to buy U.S. operations of the app from current owner ByteDance, creating a new entity called TikTokGlobal that will be based in the United States. But this ruling will impact the decision to allow TikTok to continue operating, according to an individual with knowledge of the discussion. A great deal of confusion continues to surround the deal to allow Oracle and Walmart to buy a minority stake in TikTok, and within the White House debate continues over whether this resolves the core security issue over Chinas control of the app. Story continues A White House spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Sharon Waxman contributed to this report. Read original story Judge Blocks Trumps WeChat Download Ban, Cites First Amendment Concerns At TheWrap 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. Some of the world's biggest banks let criminals and fraudsters move dirty money around the world, according to leaked financial dossiers. Banking papers detailing $2 trillion in dealings were analysed after being leaked to Buzzfeed News and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, which distributed them to 108 news organisations, BBC Panorama said. HSBC is one of several international banks whose name appears most in the cache of thousands of secret US government documents called the FinCEN files. They show that HSBC continued shuttling funds through to accounts in Hong Kong months after it was warned about the Ponzi scheme worth 62 million. Five international banks which appeared most often in the documents were HSBC, JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, Standard Chartered and Bank of New York Mellon, the ICIJ reported When HSBC, the UK's largest bank, closed down the fraudsters' accounts they had already been drained of the millions. HSBC said in a statement that 'all of the information provided by the ICIJ is historical.' The bank said as of 2012, 'HSBC embarked on a multi-year journey to overhaul its ability to combat financial crime across more than 60 jurisdictions.' Along with HSBC, the other international banks which appeared most often in the documents were JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, Standard Chartered and Bank of New York Mellon, the ICIJ reported. Among the types of transactions highlighted by the report: funds processed by JPMorgan for potentially corrupt individuals and companies in Venezuela, Ukraine and Malaysia; and money linked to a Ukrainian billionaire processed by Deutsche Bank. One of Vladimir Putin's closest friends, billionaire Arkady Rotenberg may have used Barclays Bank in London to launder cash and avoid sanctions, the documents suggest. In March 2014, Russia was hit with sanctions after the annexation of Crimea. Rotenberg, a childhood friend of Putin, and his brother Boris were designated 'members of the Russian leadership's inner circle,' by the US Treasury Department. It is alleged that an account called Advantage Alliance, set up with Barclays in 2008, was used by Rotenberg to transfer funds to buy millions of pounds worth of art in London. The leaked dossiers suggest that many of the transactions through the account came after the Rotenberg brothers had been sanctioned. A spokesperson for Barclays said: 'We believe that we have complied with all our legal and regulatory obligations including in relation to US sanctions.' 'Given the filing of a SAR (suspicious activity report) is not itself evidence of any actual wrongdoing, we would only terminate a client relationship after careful and objective investigation and analysis of the evidence, balancing potential financial crime suspicions with the risk of "de-banking" an innocent customer.' The Rotenbergs have not commented. The FinCEN documents are mostly files banks sent to the US authorities between 2000 and 2017, raising concerns about suspicious activity in their clients' accounts, Panorama said. The programme called the documents 'some of the international banking system's most closely guarded secrets'. One of Vladimir Putin's closest allies may have used a bank in London to launder funds and dodge sanctions, the documents claim Anti-corruption group Transparency International UK said the suspicious activity reports (SARs) 'repeatedly cite weak money laundering defences in the UK financial sector as a major problem'. What is a Ponzi scheme? A Ponzi scheme is a fraud which pays its early investors with the funds it swindles from more recent investors. For example, two investors could each pay 1,000 to the scheme owner. The scheme owner would then draw in another four investors each paying 1,000 - covering the funds of the two previous investors. Then another eight investors could be roped in to pay 1,000 each, and so on. At each stage the owner is siphoning off the bulk of the cash and using the rest to sustain and grow the scheme. It can maintain the illusion of being a legitimate business so long as it can keep luring in new investors. It is named after Charles Ponzi, an Italian con artist who rose to fame in the US in the 1920s. He promised investors a 50 percent profit in 45 days or 100 percent in 90 days by buying discounted postal reply coupons in other countries and redeeming them at face value in the States. However, he was doing nothing of the sort and simply paying his early investors with the money gained from the more recent investors. Although he did not invent the fraud, Ponzi's infamy was such that he has been forever associated with it. Advertisement It added: 'The leak shows how UK banks continually fail to address suspicious activity and instead offered their services to those with money to hide. 'Transparency International UK's research has previously identified 86 UK banks and financial institutions which have, unwittingly or otherwise, helped corrupt individuals acquire assets and move suspicious wealth.' Chief executive Daniel Bruce said: 'These revelations are a damning indictment of the system that is supposed to prevent the UK and other financial centres becoming havens for dirty money. 'The Government should respond rapidly to this significant investigation in order to demonstrate that the UK is serious about tackling dirty money. 'We know the solutions exist; for example by bringing forward reform of corporate liability laws to hold banks accountable for money laundering failings and expediting the legislation to overhaul the UK company law. 'As it stands, it remains far too easy for kleptocrats and criminals to launder their illicit loot using the veneer of UK companies and institutions.' Alex Cobham, chief executive at Tax Justice Network, said: 'As will be revealed over the coming days, many of the world's major financial institutions have comprehensively failed to meet their own responsibilities, in the name of turning a profit - however dirty. 'Swift and robust action is needed, including potential criminal charges, or banks will simply continue to treat the prospects of being caught and fined as a simple cost of business.' Standard Chartered said in a statement to Reuters, 'We take our responsibility to fight financial crime extremely seriously and have invested substantially in our compliance programmes.' BNY Mellon told Reuters it could not comment on specific SARs. 'We fully comply with all applicable laws and regulations, and assist authorities in the important work they do,' the bank said. JPM did not immediately respond to a request for comment but said in a statement to BuzzFeed that 'thousands of employees and hundreds of millions of dollars are devoted to helping support law enforcement and national security efforts.' More than 2,000 sensitive banking papers detailing more than two trillion US dollars' worth of transactions were analysed after being leaked to BuzzFeed News and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, which distributed them to 108 news organisations, BBC Panorama said (stock image) Deutsche Bank said in a statement on Sunday that to the 'extent that information referenced by the ICIJ is derived from SARs, it should be noted that this is information that is pro-actively identified and submitted by banks to governments pursuant to the law.' FinCen said in a statement on its website on September 1 that it was aware that various media outlets intended to publish a series of articles based on unlawfully disclosed SARs, as well as other documents, and said that the 'unauthorized disclosure of SARs is a crime that can impact the national security of the United States.' Representatives for the U.S. Treasury did not immediately respond to an email for comment on Sunday. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrapped up a four-country South America tour by meeting with Colombian President Ivan Duque to discuss joint efforts to bolster growth, crack down on coca cultivation and promote change in Venezuela. The meeting Saturday with one of the Trump administration's key allies concluded with a joint statement in which both dignitaries vowed to deepen bilateral ties, especially in relation to US investment in the country's struggling economy. Pompeo's three-day trip to the region comes as the US presidential election nears. Shoring up support for the Trump administration's Venezuela policy was a key focus. In earlier stops in Suriname, Guyana and Brazil, he emphasized the need for a free and fair presidential election to replace current leader Nicolas Maduro. He also sought to expand economic ties at a time when China is making increasing inroads into the region through its own infrastructure initiative. Colombia has been a steadfast partner in White House efforts to support opposition leader Juan Guaido's bid as interim president, though within Venezuela he has steadily lost the momentum he garnered last year. Duque highlighted a report by the UN's top human rights body accusing Maduro's government of crimes against humanity, including grisly cases of torture and killings carried out by security forces using techniques like electric shocks. By Marisa Taylor and Dan Levine (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc is betting that its coronavirus vaccine candidate will show clear evidence of effectiveness early in its clinical trial, according to the company and internal documents reviewed by Reuters that describe how the trial is being run. In recent weeks, Pfizer has said it should know by the end of October whether the vaccine, developed together with Germany's BioNTech SE, is safe and effective. If the vaccine is shown to work by then, Pfizer has said it would quickly seek regulatory approval. It has not said what data it would use. President Donald Trump, who is seeking re-election, has said a vaccine to fight the coronavirus pandemic is possible before the Nov. 3 U.S. vote, raising concerns over political interference. Scientists have questioned whether drugmakers will have enough evidence to achieve success by that time. Pfizer's clinical trial protocol outlines for the company, scientists and regulators how the drugmaker could show that its vaccine meets efficacy and safety standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A company's protocol is submitted to the FDA for review and is overseen by an independent panel of experts known as a Data and Safety Monitoring Board. The protocol calls for a first assessment of the vaccine's performance by the monitoring board after 32 participants in the trial become infected with the novel coronavirus. So far, more than 29,000 people have enrolled in the trial that started in July, some receiving the vaccine and the others receiving a placebo. The FDA has said that a coronavirus vaccine must prove to be at least 50 percent more effective than a placebo in a large-scale trial to be considered for approval. However, a smaller sample of infections in a clinical trial changes the calculation of how that standard is met, according to researchers. Pfizer's vaccine would need to be at least 76.9% effective to show it works based on 32 infections, according to its protocol. That would mean that no more than six of those coronavirus cases would have occurred among people who received the vaccine, the documents showed. Story continues If the drugmaker's vaccine does not meet the 76.9% efficacy target at this first interim analysis, it would face tougher statistical significance thresholds during subsequent interim assessments, biostatisticians who reviewed the protocol said. Pfizer said its interim analyses were designed to show conclusive evidence "as quickly as possible amid the devastating pandemic if our vaccine meets the stringent standards set by FDA." Pfizer would not say whether it would use an interim analysis as the basis for seeking approval. The FDA declined to comment on whether it would consider such data sufficient for approval. SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE? Interim analyses typically are used by data and safety monitoring boards to determine whether an experimental drug appears safe and effective enough to continue a trial, or whether it should be stopped if a safety problem arises. But if a vaccine meets FDA benchmarks at an interim analysis without any serious safety problems, it could make sense to use it as a basis for authorization to help curb a pandemic that has killed about 940,000 people globally, said Thomas Lumley, chair of biostatistics at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Moderna Inc, another front-runner in the vaccine race, told Reuters it would seek emergency FDA authorization to use its vaccine in high-risk groups if an interim assessment of its trial showed its vaccine was at least 70 percent effective. Moderna, which made its protocols public on Thursday, said its first interim analysis of 53 infections is likely to come in November. Some vaccine experts have said drugmakers should wait to reach their final analyses of more than 150 cases before seeking FDA approval. They note the speed at which vaccines are being developed for COVID-19, compressing what can be a decade-long process into months. Relying on the more limited interim analyses could overstate a vaccine's effectiveness simply because not enough trial participants fell ill, they have said. Moving more quickly through the trial process also means a drugmaker could miss potential side effects that could materialize if trials were given more time. "These interim analyses have a flashing sign of short cuts," said Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California. "You miss safety issues and you may very well exaggerate the benefits." In addition to Pfizer and Moderna, Reuters reviewed the clinical trial protocols for vaccine candidates developed by AstraZeneca Plc and Johnson & Johnson. AstraZeneca set its first interim analysis when about 40 coronavirus infections are reported among participants. Its U.S. trial is currently on hold after a patient fell ill. J&J's first analysis would begin at 20 infections, according to the protocol of their large-scale trial due to begin on Sept. 21. AstraZeneca and J&J declined to comment. (Reporting by Marisa Taylor in Washington and Dan Levine in San Francisco; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Will Dunham) A research conducted by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has shown that beneficiaries of some projects under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP) were barely involved in the projects initiation plans. It also showed that decisions about the projects were usually taken at the national and district levels and many of the respondents complained about the fact that contractors working on the projects were usually not from the communities and in some cases, outside the regions. The research, Monitoring the Implementation of the IPEP, dubbed the One Million Dollar, One Constituency Programme was released at a zonal stakeholders engagement workshop in Tamale. The research began in 2017 and ended in February, this year, and was carried out in 20 selected constituencies across the country to assess the level of citizens and stakeholders awareness about the IPEP projects. It was part of the CDD-Ghanas IPEP Tracker project, which is funded by the Ford Foundation to independently monitor the implementation of projects under the IPEP, and address the institutional and other weaknesses or lapses that were usually associated with such interventions. It was also to improve transparency and accountability of IPEP implementation through sustained collective action by everyone, especially Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the media. Under the IPEP, the government undertakes infrastructure projects in each constituency of the country to the tune of one million dollars to address the felt needs of the people. Mr Mohammed Awal, Project Team Leader at CDD-Ghana, who presented the findings, appealed to authorities to ensure that project beneficiaries were adequately consulted for their inputs to guarantee the success and sustainability of such projects. Mr Awal said it would ensure that the projects served the purpose for which they were executed and ensure value for money. Dr Mamudu Abunga Akudugu, Senior Research Fellow at the University for Development Studies reiterated the call on public officials and other individuals to avoid politicising the implementation of IPEP to ensure full execution of projects. Mr Francis Tsegah, Senior Research Fellow at the CDD-Ghana encouraged CSOs and journalists to strictly monitor projects executed under the IPEP saying Ask about the cost of projects and other relevant questions so that we can oversee successful completion of such projects and ensure value for money as well as curb corruption. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike. We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to discuss the coronavirus situation with the chief ministers of seven states on September 23, news agency PTI reported citing sources. The meeting comes as most of the states in the country have been witnessing an alarming rise in the number of Covid cases over the last few weeks. Chief ministers of Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh among others are expected to attend the meeting. India, the second worst coronavirus hit country in the world after the United States, has more than 53 lakh cases, according to the Union Health Ministry data. About 60 per cent of the country's active coronavirus cases are concentrated across five worst-hit states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. The prime minister has been regularly holding meetings to review the pandemic situation across the country with a focus on states/UTs where the situation is more serious. His last COVID-19 review meeting was on August 11 with chief ministers and representatives of 10 most-affected states, namely, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Punjab, Bihar, Gujarat, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. 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!! if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi... This handout picture posted on Sept. 19, 2020, on the Instagram account of @navalny shows Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Berlin's Charite hospital. Navalny posted the photo showing him stepping down on stairs in the German hospital where he is being treated, proof of his recovery from his suspected poisoning in late August. AFP Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was seen walking down the stairs in a photo posted on his Instagram feed on Saturday, five days after a Berlin hospital said he had been taken off a ventilator and could breathe independently. Navalny, the leading opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, fell ill on a domestic flight in Siberia last month and was airlifted to Berlin while still in a coma. "Let me tell you how my recovery is going. It is already a clear path although a long one," Navalny wrote. In the Instagram post he said he had difficulties using his phone, pouring water or climbing stairs because his hands failed him and his legs trembled. Germany says laboratory tests in three countries have determined that Navalny was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent. Western governments have demanded an explanation from Russia. The Kremlin denied Russia was responsible for Navalny's illness and said that there was not enough evidence of his poisoning. Russian authorities have refused to open a formal probe into Navalny's case and instead have launched a preliminary procedure, which should conclude if an investigation is needed. Russian prosecutors also ordered an inspection of the hotel in Siberian city Tomsk where Navalny stayed before collapsing on a plane and where his team said traces of Novichok were discovered on a water bottle. The inspection found several minor health and sanitation violations in the hotel's restaurant, for which its staff would be fined 62,000 roubles ($820), according to a report on the Prosecutor's General Office website, published on Saturday. Among the listed violations were celery used by the restaurant without documentation on its quality, absence of trash bin covers and drying dishes on unsuitable shelves. The head of Germany's foreign affairs committee, Norbert Roettgen, told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung weekly newspaper that there should be an international investigation into the circumstances in which Navalny fell ill. "This can be done within the framework of the UN or the Council of Europe," he said. Navalny said in his post that after weeks in a medically induced coma and with assisted breathing, his current health problems seemed minor. "I'll tell you why. Only recently I couldn't recognize people and didn't know how to talk," he wrote. Earlier this week he posted his first picture from hospital, surrounded by his family. His spokeswoman said he planned to return to Russia as soon as he recovers. ($1 = 75.6640 roubles) (Reuters) A federal judge early on Sunday temporarily blocked a Trump administration order banning downloads of the Chinese-owned global messaging app WeChat. Why it matters: The temporary injunction means WeChat will remain on Apple's and Google's app stores, despite a Commerce Department order to remove the app by Sunday evening. The move also blocks Commerce from prohibiting other transitions with WeChat in the U.S. that may have affected the site's usability for millions who use the app in the country. What she's saying: WeChat users who filed a lawsuit have shown serious questions going to the merits of the First Amendment claim, the balance of hardships tips in the plaintiffs favor," U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler in San Francisco wrote. [W]hile the general evidence about the threat to national security related to China (regarding technology and mobile technology) is considerable, the specific evidence about WeChat is modest," Beeler said. "[T]he regulation which eliminates a channel of communication without any apparent substitutes burdens substantially more speech than is necessary to further the governments significant interest. This affects the assessment of the public interest." Context: The Commerce Department on Friday issued the order on national security grounds. Channel Ten's long-running soap Neighbours was forced to use a body double replacement for Tim Robards' kissing scenes amid the COVID-19 intimacy ban. Tim's character Pierce Greyson is set to embark on a scandalous affair with Sharon Johal's character Dipi Rebecchi and the scene involves a passionate kiss. However, due to coronavirus distancing restrictions, Ten chose to hire Sharon's husband Ankur as a body double for the storyline. Replacement:Channel Ten has been forced to hire a body double replacement for Tim Robards' (pictured) kissing scenes on Neighbours amid COVID-19 intimacy ban Speaking to the Herald Sun on Sunday, Ankur revealed his wife made him 'practice pretend kissing the night before filming the scene'. 'I thought my kissing skills were up to scratch but obviously not,' he said. 'She told me it was more for blocking because she had spoken to the director and producers about what they were planning to show of me, mainly the back of my head, so she was experimenting with different angles,' he explained. Intimate scenes: Tim's character Pierce Greyson (right) is set to embark on a scandalous affair with Sharon Johal's character Dipi Rebecchi (centre) but due to coronavirus distancing restrictions, Ten hired Sharon's husband Ankur (left) as a body double Meanwhile, Tim and his criminal lawyer wife Anna Heinrich, 33, are due to welcome a baby girl in early November. The actor, 37, recently left Neighbours, which is filmed in Melbourne, after two years playing wealthy businessman Pierce Greyson to be with his wife in Sydney. 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. Growing family: Tim and his criminal lawyer wife Anna Heinrich, 33, are due to welcome a baby girl in early November 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 in November. In the last three weeks, the Indian army has occupied six new major hills on the LAC amid the standoff with China in the Eastern Ladakh sector. According to top government sources, the army has occupied these six positions on Finger 4 ridgeline since August 29, reported ANI. The new hill features being occupied by our troops include the Magar Hilll, Gurung Hill, Recehen La, Rezang La, Mokhpari and the dominating height over Chinese positions near Finger 4, ANI quoted top government sources. Earlier, the situation remained tense at both the north and south bank of the Pangong lake area as well as at other friction points in eastern Ladakh on Friday. There had been at least three attempts by the PLA to intimidate" Indian troops along the north and south bank of Pangong lake area in the last three weeks where even shots were fired in the air for the first time at the LAC in 45 years. With the current breakthrough, the Indian troops have an edge over the Chinese in the region. The hills were lying dormant and the Indian army occupied it before the Chinese. The foiling of Chinese armys attempts to occupy the heights led to air firing on three occasions from the northern bank of Pangong to the southern bank of the lake, sources said. It is also pertinent to note that the Black Top and the Helmet Top hill features are on the Chinese side of the LAC. Chinese army have deployed additional 3000 troops near the Rezang la and Rechen La heights. Nothing is off the table next year, said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in a conference call with congressional Democrats on Saturday. The call was to discuss a response if president Donald Trump and the Republican Party move to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The possibility of a nominee not being confirmed by a vote in the chamber remains, but is deemed unlikely. There are questions about timing though and whether confirmation could be pushed through before the election or in the lame-duck session after 3 November. With polling that suggests they are currently favoured to win back control of the Senate, Democrats could move ahead with a wishlist of progressive changes to government once thought unattainable. The response is likened to total war and armageddon by one commentator and could fundamentally remake the judicial and legislative branches of government. To begin, the number of justices on the Supreme Court is not fixed and could be changed with an act of Congress signed by the president this would require a Joe Biden victory. Congressman Joe Kennedy III tweeted on Saturday: If he [McConnell] holds a vote in 2020, we pack the court in 2021. A sentiment echoed by House Judiciary chairman Jerry Nadler: If Sen. McConnell and @SenateGOP were to force through a nominee during the lame duck session before a new Senate and President can take office then the incoming Senate should immediately move to expand the Supreme Court." The concept of expanding the court has been around since the president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who wanted to add justices to encourage the older members to retire. An expanded court would also mean that individual justices are less critical to the function of democracy and the death or retirement of one would not necessarily trigger a political crisis. The idea resurfaced in 2016 after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to allow a vote on the appointment of Merrick Garland to the court, and the concept was embraced by a number of Democrats including presidential primary candidate Pete Buttigieg and former attorney general Eric Holder. Presidential nominee Joe Biden has previously said he is not in favour of adding justices, but may be swayed by the current mood in the party. Justice Ginsburg said last year that she was opposed to an expanded court. An alternative or additional measure would be a constitutional amendment limiting the term length that justices could serve, allowing for more turnover. Presidential primary candidate Andrew Yang proposed an 18-year cap. A Democrat majority could also end the Senates 60-vote threshold to end a filibuster, a tactic that has stalled many pieces of legislation. This could be changed to a simple majority vote. Former president Barack Obama spoke about changing the rules about the filibuster in his eulogy for congressman John Lewis, and included other ideas to honour the late lawmaker that could be rolled out by a new congress. Once we pass the John Lewis Voting Right Act, we should keep marching to make it even better. By making sure every American is automatically registered to vote, including former inmates whove earned their second chance. By adding polling places. And expanding early voting and making election day a national holiday, Mr Obama said. Perhaps the most dramatic way in which a Democrat controlled Congress could attempt to reform the legislative branch would be by pushing for statehood for both the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico both almost guaranteed to return Democratic lawmakers. Giving US citizens representation in the federal government and adding two more stars to the Stars and Stripes would not be easy though a constitutional amendment would likely be required. Nevertheless, Democrats are gearing up for a fight with House speaker Nancy Pelosi not dismissing the idea of a second impeachment of the president or attorney general William Barr. In an appearance on ABCs This Week, she said: We have our options. We have arrows in our quiver that Im not about to discuss. She later added: We have a responsibility to meet the needs of the American people. When we weigh the equities of protecting our democracy, [it] requires us to use every arrow in our quiver. Two soldiers were killed when the Pakistani military conducted an operation against militants in the country's northwest tribal district of North Waziristan, an army statement said on Saturday night, Trend reports citing Xinhua. Without mentioning the time of the operation, the statement by the military's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the armed offensive was carried out on an intelligence tip-off regarding the presence of militants in the district located in the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Loss on the side of militants was not revealed by the statement which only added that the area of the operation was cordoned off for clearance. Rajya Sabha chairperson M Venkaiah Naidu will take a call on the action that could be taken against the opposition MPs who trooped into the well of the House on Sunday while protesting against the farm bills. According to people aware of the details, the chair has called a meeting with the parliamentary affairs minister to discuss the issue. While protesting, some MPs broke the microphones on the chairmans desk; and were seen on camera tearing papers. Some MPs were caught on camera protesting near the chair. While Derek OBrien from the TMC was caught waving the rule book at the chair, AAPs Sanjay Singh was carried out by the marshals later. At least 12 Members of the Opposition later sat in protest in the House, after the proceedings were over; they also moved a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson Harivansh. BJP MP and national general secretary, Bhupender Yadav critcised the unruly behaviour of the opposition members. He said the chair is competent to take a decision on what action should be taken. As per the rules of the House, the decision to ask an MP to leave is taken by the Chairman. Rule 256 provides for suspension of member; it says, If the Chairman may, if he deems it necessary, name a member who disregards the authority of the Chair or abuses the rules of the Council by persistently and willfully obstructing the business thereof. Rule 256 (2) says if a member is so named by the Chairman he shall forthwith put the question on a motion being made, no amendment, adjournment or debate being allowed, that the member (naming him) be suspended from the service of the Council for a period not exceeding the remainder of the Session: Provided that the Council may, at any time, on a motion being made, resolve that such suspension be terminated; while 256 (3) says a member suspended under this rule shall forthwith quit the precincts of the Council. While several MPs complained the audio system was turned off, hampering the live proceedings of the House through the Rajya Sabha TV; there was no clarity on whether the mikes were turned off on the instruction of the chair. There was a lot of disruption. After the mikes were broken, the sound system was affected, so even inside the House, the members could not hear the proceedings, said a functionary aware of the details. Speaking outside Parliament, Prahlad Joshi, the parliamentary affairs minister criticised the behavior of the Opposition. The people of the country have given a mandate to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and this (ruckus) is an insult of the peoples mandate, he said. He went on to add, Opposition has showed height of intolerance in Parliament today. They think of themselves as baadshah (king). We condemn the unruly behaviour of the opposition and we will never budge to such threats, he said. Questions were also raised about the propriety of MPs shooting videos inside the House. OBrien who tweeted a video from inside Parliament, told mediapersons that recordings were made by MPs to put on record the proceedings. He said he did not tear up the rule book and will put out the proof at the right time. A person familiar with the rules of the house said, the MPs have privileges, but if the chair deems fit, it can seek an explanation. It is considered unethical, but since this an extra ordinary situation, the MPs may have recorded the visuals for the record. However, since the videos include what was expunged or not allowed to go on record; these cannot be used by the media, the person said. The Attorney General (AG) is praying an Accra High Court to dismiss the case of seven Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and four persons who sued government over alleged mining of bauxite in the Atewa Forest Range. According to the AG, the seven CSOs and four private citizens were "mere crying wolf." In a statement of defence filed by Mrs Dorothy Afriyie Ansah, Chief State Attorney on behalf of the AG, over 20 points raised by the plaintiffs have been denied by the state. The AG in response to the case of the CSOs and four private citizens denied that government had started searching or prospecting for minerals on or over land within the Atewa Forest Range without a mineral right and in flagrant abuse of the Mineral and Mining Act. The state further denied that government refused to engage communities and environmentalists who maintained that strip mining was not sustainable. The AG explained that government would utilize a portion of the Atewa Forest and therefore licensed an area constituting 1.95 per cent of the Atewa Forest to be mined. "Indeed, the actual mining in such a minute fraction of the area will not be hazardous to the forest and any species that live within." According to the AG "not the entire Atewa Forest is Globally Significant Biodiversity Area (GSBA)." The AG said with the adoption of responsible and environmentally friendly techniques, no environmental havoc would be caused to the Atewa Forest. "In deed, various institutions including; the Environmental Protection Agency and GIADEC would ensure the protection of the environment through sustainable mining practices", the AG added. According to the defendant (AG) government in ensuring the protection of the environment and spices, had set up a Standing Committee, which comprised various mining and environmental regulatory agencies and commissions to ensure optimum adherence to responsible and sustainable practices, to protect water bodies and spices within the mining area. The AG argued that many countries such as Brazil and Australia had successfully conducted mining activities in Forest reserves such as Amazon Rain Forest and Jarah Forest under well-supervised sustainable mining practices. According to the AG, mining activities was successfully conducted in some forest reserves in Ghana and Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) had been conducted to ensure proper reclamation and afforestation projects in mining areas. The AG noted that bauxite mining was only done on the surface of about "4m to 15m". In July this year, CSOs and four private citizens, jointly sued the Government over the exploration and drilling of deep wells in the Atewa Forest Reserve. Mr Martin Kpebu, the counsel for the plaintiffs filed the writ against the Attorney General at the General Jurisdiction Court (High Court) Division. The CSOs are: A Rocha Ghana, Flower Ghana, Concern Citizens of Atewa Landscape, Ghana Youth Environmental Movement, Ecocare Ghana, Kasa Initiative Ghana and Save the Frogs Ghana. The private citizens are: Awula Serwah, Oteng Adjei, Boakye Twumasi- Ankrah and Nana Asante. The plaintiffs, in their writ, are seeking an order compelling the Government and its agents to declare the Atewa Range Forest (ARF) as a Protected Zone and take steps to protect the forest in accordance with its constitutional obligation, as contained under Article 36 (9) of the 1992 Constitution. They are seeking an order directed at the government to restore and pay cost for the restoration of damages that had been caused to the ARF. The plaintiffs are also seeking a declaration that the mining of bauxite in the ARF violates the right to life and dignity, as enshrined in the Constitution. According to them, the right to life and dignity, as enshrined in the Articles 13 and 15 of the Constitution, included; the right to have the environment protected for the benefit of the present and future generations. They were therefore, praying the Court to restrain government, its agents, workmen, Allotees and guarantees from undertaking mining and its related activities in the forest. Government has a greater responsibility to protect and safeguard the environment and address Climate Change, and secure biodiversity as obligated under two international conventions that it is a signatory to. The plaintiffs said, government, however, in 2017 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Republic of China, with the ARF as one of the sources of bauxite. Based on the MoU, government commenced with the prospecting of minerals and in flagrant disregard of Section 9 of the Minerals Act 2006 (Act 703) as amended, the plaintiffs said. They said government, through the Integrated Aluminum Development Corporation (GAIDEC) entered the forest in May 2019 and as at the time of filing the writ, 53 deep wells had been drilled. They were not against governments quest to mobilise revenue by exploiting Ghanas natural resources for national development, they pointed out. 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 WASHINGTON Republican senators weighing what to do about the vacancy on the Supreme Court are facing questions about their own past comments amid complaints by Democrats that their views have shifted with changing political reality. President Donald Trump on Saturday urged the GOP-run Senate to consider without delay his upcoming nomination to fill the seat vacated by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Friday. The move comes just six weeks before the election. A look at what key Republican senators were saying in the past and what they are saying now about filling a seat on the Supreme Court during an election year. SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, vowed in a statement Friday night, hours after Ginsburgs death, to call a floor vote on Trumps nominee, although he did not specify a date. McConnell, who sets the calendar in the Senate, has made judicial appointments a top priority. McConnells statement on the latest vacancy stands in stark contrast to the position he took in 2016, when he refused to consider President Barack Obamas choice for the high court months ahead of the election. McConnell blocked hearings for Merrick Garland, a federal appeals court judge, saying the choice should be left to voters in an election year. Democrats said Republicans should follow the precedent they set in 2016 by not considering a Supreme Court choice in the run-up to an election, but McConnells comments make it clear he has no intention of doing so. Americans re-elected our majority in 2016 and expanded it in 2018 because we pledged to work with President Trump and support his agenda, particularly his outstanding appointments to the federal judiciary. Once again, we will keep our promise, McConnell said. SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN LINDSEY GRAHAM Graham, who will oversee the vetting of the nomination as Judiciary chairman, tweeted Saturday that he will support Trump in any effort to move forward regarding the recent vacancy created by the passing of Justice Ginsburg. Grahams comment contradicts his statements in 2018 and 2016 that a Supreme Court nominee should not be considered in an election year. If an opening comes in the last year of President Trumps term, and the primary process has started, well wait to the next election, Graham said in 2018 at an event hosted by The Atlantic magazine. Reminded that he was speaking on the record, Graham said: Yeah. Hold the tape. Two years earlier, in the midst of the Garland battle, the South Carolina senator was even more emphatic, urging listeners at a Judiciary Committee meeting to use my words against me. If theres a Republican president (elected) in 2016 and a vacancy occurs in the last year of the first term, you can say Lindsey Graham said, Lets let the next president, whoever it might be, make that nomination.' Despite those comments, Graham said Saturday that he supports moving forward on a new nomination because Democrats had changed the Senate rules to confirm more circuit court judges during Obamas tenure, and because Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and his friends in the liberal media conspired to destroy the life of Brett Kavanaugh and hold that Supreme Court seat open. Kavananugh was narrowly confirmed to the Supreme Court in 2018 after a bitter, partisan fight in which Graham played a key role to advance Kavanaugh. SEN. SUSAN COLLINS Collins, a Maine Republican who is considered a moderate, said Saturday that in fairness to the American people, the Senate should not vote on a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court until after the election and that the nomination should be made by the president who is elected on November 3rd. Collins voted in favor of Kavanaugh in 2018 a vote that has played a key role in her reelection campaign. Liberal groups have targeted Collins over her support for Kavanaugh, and she trails her Democratic opponent in publicly released opinion polls. Her statement seems to leave open the possibility of supporting Trumps nominee in the lame duck session after the election if Trump wins a second term. SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY Grassley, an Iowa Republican, drew condemnation from Democrats in 2016 when, as Judiciary chairman, he blocked confirmation hearings for Garland, who was nominated to the high court after Justice Antonin Scalia died unexpectedly in February 2016. At the time, Grassley cited the Biden Rule in holding up the process. The informal rule never adopted by the Senate in any formal sense stemmed from a speech given by then-Sen. Joe Biden in 1992 that the Senate should not fill a Supreme Court vacancy until after the presidential election. Biden, who served as Obamas vice president, is now the Democratic nominee for president. More recently, Grassley told reporters in July that if he still chaired Judiciary and a vacancy occurred, I would not have a hearing on it because thats what I promised the people in 2016. Grassley issued a statement Friday night praising Ginsburg but did not comment on whether Trump should move forward with a replacement. SEN. JONI ERNST Ernst, an Iowa Republican up for reelection this year, serves on the Judiciary panel. She said in July that in the event of a Supreme Court vacancy, the Senate should hold hearings on Trumps nominee, even if he loses the presidential election in November. Ernsts campaign sent out a fundraising email Friday night saying: Our Conservative values and Constitutional rights are now on the line. The next Supreme Court nominee will shape major decisions for decades to come. Ernst issued a statement later Friday saying the email never should have gone out. Though I never saw it, it was sent out under my name and I take responsibility for it, Ernst said. Tonight, my prayers are with the family of Justice Ginsburg. SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI Murkowski, an Alaska Republican who opposed Kavanaughs confirmation, said in an interview hours before Ginsburgs death that she would not vote to confirm her replacement before the next president is inaugurated. Her comments to Alaska Public Radio on Friday also occurred before McConnell said the Senate will vote on Trumps nominee to replace Ginsburg. Murkowskis comment appeared to put her at odds with McConnell, who will need at least 50 votes to push a Trump nominee through the Senate, plus a tie-breaking vote by Vice President Mike Pence. Murkowski, like Collins, issued a statement after Ginsburgs death that praised her but did not mention whether shed favor voting on a Trump pick to replace her. SEN. THOM TILLIS Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who serves on the Judiciary panel, was among several GOP senators in tough reelection battles to join Trump in calling for a swift vote on a Supreme Court nominee. Arizona Sen. Martha McSally and Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler both appointed to their seats also called for a quick vote. There is a clear choice on the future of the Supreme Court between the well-qualified and conservative jurist President Trump will nominate and I will support, and the liberal activist Joe Biden will nominate and Cal Cunningham will support, who will legislate radical, left-wing policies from the bench, Tillis said on Twitter, referring to his Democratic opponent, former state Sen. Cal Cunningham. In 2016, Tillis opposed giving Merrick Garland a hearing, saying the voice of the American people should be weighted heavily in filling a Supreme Court vacancy, adding that the nomination would be best left to the next president. SEN. MITT ROMNEY Romney, a Utah Republican who was the sole GOP senator to vote in favor of Trumps impeachment, issued a statement Friday praising Ginsburg, but did not comment on whether he would support a vote on Trumps nominee. His spokeswoman called a report that Romney would insist on delaying the vote until after Inauguration Day grossly false. Romney has never faced a vote on a Supreme Court nominee as a senator. (Natural News) Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) told 8 News Now on Monday that she finds great optimism in marches that have taken place around the country since the death of George Floyd, Breitbart reports. (Article by Chris Badger Thomas republished from DCClothesline.com) Marches? In an interview with the local news TV station while she was campaigning in Nevada, she was asked how she would implement police reform. Kamala Harris was in Las Vegas, Nevada, as part of her and Bidens campaign trail. The interview included discussions on the pandemic and local businesses, she was asked what her and Biden are going to do about the defunding police aka police reform. Her response was the same as she always stated, she believes in the movement of Black Lives Matter and she stands with them across our nation. Kamala Harris calls the marches peaceful as she states that she has great optimism in what is going on in our cities. This is referencing Black Lives Matter and the protests that are going on every day in our nations cities that turn into riots and looting. 8 News Now out of Las Vegas, according to Breitbart, released the following statement from Kamala Harris: I THINK THAT IT IS GOING TO BE ABOUT, AGAIN, SPEAKING TO THE VOICES OF THE PEOPLE. YOU KNOW I HAVE TO TELL YOU, IN THESE MARCHES THAT WEVE BEEN SEEING AROUND THE COUNTRY FOR THE LAST MANY MONTHS, PEOPLE OF EVERY RACE AND EVERY AGE, EVERY BACKGROUND, EVERY GENDER, MARCHING TOGETHER ARM-IN-ARM, SAYING WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS AND WERE GOING TO FIGHT FOR THE BEST OF WHO WE ARE AS A COUNTRY, AND I FIND GREAT OPTIMISM IN THAT. SO YES, ITS GOING TO BE PROCESS OF GOING THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE AND HAVING A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES WHO HAS THE COURAGE TO TAKE ON THE ISSUE, EVEN WHEN IT MIGHT BE DIFFICULT TO TALK ABOUT OR HEAR. BUT TO TAKE IT ON TO MAKE THIS A BETTER NATION AND TO ALLOW US TO BE MORE TRUE TO THE IDEALS THAT WE HOLD SO DEAR, INCLUDING EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW. By her own words, and this is not the first time she has openly stated she stands with Black Lives Matter, she not only stands with them but she is openly fighting for the defunding of police departments and using the horrific violence as part of her and Bidens presidential campaign. On August 27th, Harris vowed to stand with those that were protesting in Kenosha, WI. As the video reported by CBS News Shows: Appearing on Desus & Mero on Sunday evening, Harris was asked, When you get into office, what can we expect from you and Biden and are you going to be more progressive as far as what people are asking about the cops? SHE RESPONDED, YES, AND IM GOING TO TELL YOU WHY. SHE WENT ON TO SAY SHE WOULD HOLD THE POLICE MORE ACCOUNTABLE: SO FIRST OF ALL, IN A CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, THERES THIS PHRASE ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONSEQUENCE THAT ALMOST ALWAYS COMES UP WHEN PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE PERSON ARRESTED, BUT NEVER ABOUT THE SYSTEM ITSELF AND THE PEOPLE WHO WORK IN THE SYSTEM. BIDEN AND I ARE COMMITTED TO SAYING EVERYBODY NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE, EVEN WHEN THEY WEAR A UNIFORM AND WEAR A BADGE AND CARRY A GUN. AND YOU KNOW, IVE BEEN OUT THERE MARCHING WITH FOLKS, AND SPEAKING THE NAME OF NOT ONLY MR. FLOYD, BUT BREONNA TAYLOR, AHMAUD, JACOB BLAKE, I MET WITH HIS FAMILY, AS DID JOE BIDEN, SHE SAID. ITS GOT TO STOP. IT HAS TO STOP. Accountability and consequences are not just for Police Officers and civilians, we need to hold the corrupt and greedy politicians accountable for their actions and they too must face consequences. Read more at: DCClothesline.com A Bexar County sheriffs deputy who shot and killed a Black military veteran in mental distress last month has a troubled past that includes an arrest for domestic violence. Seven years after he joined the Sheriffs Office, Deputy John Rodriguez was charged in May 2013 with assault-bodily injury, accused of striking his wife. The charge was dropped because his wife asked for its dismissal. But Rodriguez admitted to throwing an iPad at her and breaking two coffee tables and a television set, according to Sheriffs Office records. He was suspended for three days and allowed to remain on the force. His domestic violence arrest followed an earlier shooting, in 2010, in which he shot and killed another man in mental distress. At least four witnesses said Jack Butler had his hands in the air when Rodriguez shot him seven times outside Butlers far North Side home. But the deputy told sheriffs investigators that Butler was holding a knife and walking toward him when he fired. A grand jury cleared Rodriguez of any misconduct. On Aug. 25, Rodriguez shot and killed Damian Daniels, a Black former Army sergeant who was suffering a mental health crisis at his home on the far West Side. Daniels was armed when Rodriguez and two other deputies tried to detain him for mental health treatment. The shooting remains under investigation by the Sheriffs Office. Brendan Daniels, Damians brother, called it incomprehensible that Rodriguez was kept on the force after the 2010 shooting and the 2013 arrest. Brendan, 32, served in Afghanistan as an Army sergeant, like his brother. In the military, we have the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Brendan said. When it shows a pattern of misconduct with a soldier, they are removed from service, and I believe the same thing should be applied here. You have a history of violence, and its not just any small thing that you can just sweep under the rug. The Sheriffs Office declined to make Rodriguez available for an interview. Rodriguez, 52, has been a deputy for 14 years. His father was a Bexar County reserve deputy in the 1970s who was shot and killed during a traffic stop. No shooting team Sheriff Javier Salazar has taken a hard line against other deputies accused of domestic violence, in many cases firing them immediately after their arrests. Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News Ive fired them on the spot, Salazar said. Weve had deputies who have been arrested for domestic violence, and I dont even wait for the next morning. I go fire them in their jail cell. But Rodriguez was arrested before Salazar became sheriff in 2017. The sheriff said he could not fire a deputy for something that occurred prior to his tenure. Salazar said the 2010 shooting likely would not factor into the ongoing investigation into Daniels death. Thats really all I have to go on, is that he was no-billed and he was cleared of everything, Salazar said. He said there was no discernible pattern in the shootings of Butler and Daniels. Days after Rodriguez shot and killed Daniels, Salazar said the deputies who responded did a good job in handling the call. Lee Merritt, a Philadelphia-based attorney for Daniels family, said the Sheriffs Office should not be the only agency investigating a shooting by one of its own deputies. He noted that district attorneys in other Texas counties, including Harris, Tarrant and Dallas, go to the scenes of officer-involved shootings to monitor investigations, while in Bexar County, the DAs office does not. Merritt raised this issue last month when he and Daniels relatives met with Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales about the shooting. Gonzales was waiting to get the file from (the Sheriffs Office), Merritt said. And I told him, Thats not normal, sitting on your hands waiting for the file. Thats not normal. Gonzales acknowledged that other district attorneys in Texas have shooting teams that monitor investigations of officer-involved shootings, although they do not conduct parallel investigations. He said he has advocated for such a team in Bexar County, but budget issues brought on by COVID-19 have made such reforms difficult to justify. We actually intended to ask for additional personnel, Gonzales said. One of our own police reform ideas that we had was to create this separate unit that did nothing but handle officer-involved shootings. Hands in the air John Rodriguez was 4 years old when his father was fatally shot by a burglary suspect. Joshua Rodriguez was a reserve deputy who aspired to become a police officer. He volunteered his time and his own uniform for twice-a-month shifts with the Sheriffs Office. On Feb. 2, 1973, the 28-year-old reserve deputy and his partner, Deputy Jerry Walker, stopped a van for a license plate problem on Bandera Road. A suspect inside opened fire, killing both officers. When John Rodriguez joined the Sheriffs Office in 2006, he took his fathers badge number: 208. On Sept. 17, 2010, Rodriguez was on patrol when he heard an emergency call that someone had cut himself with a knife and stabbed his sister. Jack Butler, 35, was intoxicated that night and despondent over losing a job. His sister, Shannon Butler, later would say she accidentally sliced her hand when she tried to take the knife from Jack, who suffered from bipolar disorder. As Rodriguez pulled up alone in his patrol car to the house where Butler lived with his mother and 3-year-old daughter, he saw Shannon with her right hand wrapped in gauze. She said she begged the deputy to call for backup. My brother has this knife, but he had put it in the back of his pants, she later said. He wants a cigarette. Hes not threatening anybody. In a statement given later that night, Rodriguez told an investigator with the Sheriffs Office that Butler picked up a large knife from the ground and said, Shoot me, kill me (expletive), while moving in the deputys direction. The deputy said he ordered Butler to drop the knife and that Butler was within about 5 to 7 yards when he fired his weapon to stop the threat. When he was coming at me, he was holding the knife in his right hand and down by his side, Rodriguez told the investigator. When I discharged my weapon, I was in fear for my life and believed he was going to attack me with the knife. That was disputed by four witnesses: Shannon Butler; Dwayne Wilkins, who also was standing outside; Betty Butler, Jacks mother, who was watching from a window; and Tammy Franco, a neighbor who was watching from a window across the street. All said Butler had his hands up when Rodriguez fired. He did, Wilkins, 60, said last week. Like night and day, I remember that. He had his hands in the air. I thought hed dropped the knife. He had his hands in the air and walking toward him, saying, Shoot me, (expletive). Shoot me. That was the words out of his mouth. Wilkins added, He did not shoot him from 5 yards. He shot him from 20 or 30 yards. He shot him from the street, and Jack was just walking off the car (in the driveway). An autopsy report said none of the wounds displayed evidence of close range firing. After the shooting, Franco, 60, told investigators what she saw. In a manila folder that still contains a strip of police tape from that night, she kept the statement she scrawled on yellow notebook paper. Jack had his hands in the air palms out, she wrote. He did not have anything in his hands and was walking toward the officer. He did not lunge or pull a knife on the officer. His hands were in the air the whole time. Conduct unbecoming On May 31, 2013, Rodriguezs daughter called 911 to report that her father had assaulted her mother. Rodriguez was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault-bodily injury married. About four months later, Rodriguezs wife signed an affidavit that said she was not assaulted by her husband and did not want to prosecute him. Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News My daughter was mistaken when she said in a statement to police that she saw John Rodriguez slap me, she wrote. Soon after, Rodriguez was suspended for three days for conduct unbecoming an officer. You admit that you were upset and became angry and threw an iPad in the direction of your wife, an agreed order of suspension said. You further state that you continued your frustrations by breaking two coffee tables and a television set. As a law enforcement deputy, you are held to a higher standard, and your conduct is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by the Bexar County Sheriffs Office. Using annual leave in lieu of his suspension, Rodriguez returned to patrol. Brendan Daniels said this never should have happened. If they gave him a desk job or something, fine, he said. But he should not have been interacting with the general public, given his previous violent outbreaks. On Aug. 25, Damian Daniels, 30, was suffering from hallucinations when Brendan called the American Red Cross to get his brother help. It was the fourth call in a 24-hour span that the decorated veteran was in mental distress. The Red Cross called the Sheriff's Office. Despite access to clinicians at the Center for Health Care Services and a mental health unit of 14 deputies trained to interact with the mentally ill, the Sheriff's Office tapped none of those resources. Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News Rodriguez and two other deputies spent 30 minutes on the front porch talking to Daniels, who was carrying a firearm under his shirt. Eventually, the deputies tried to detain Daniels for mental health treatment, Salazar said. A struggle ensued, and Rodriguez fired two shots, striking Daniels in the chest. County Judge Nelson Wolff said the shooting should have never happened and tasked county officials with devising a better way to handle such calls. Last week in a partnership with the Sheriffs Office, the Center for Health Care Services, Acadian Ambulance and the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council for hospitals Wolff and other county commissioners set aside $1.5 million to create a specialized team that will respond to low-level calls related to mental health. Launching Oct. 1, the team will consist of a licensed mental health professional, a peer support specialist, a mental health deputy and a paramedic. You wont be able to distinguish whos who, Salazar said. So basically that deputy is undercover. He or she is armed, and theyre wearing body armor under their shirt, but its going to be an untucked polo shirt. The change thats coming with the new team, he said, thats a huge change. India and China are scheduled to hold a Corps Commander-level talks at Moldo, on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on Monday, on the border standoff. This will be the sixth such talks on the issue. An official from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is likely to be part of Indian delegation. This is the first time that an MEA official will be present in this meeting, people aware of the developments said. A high-powered government panel on China had on Friday reviewed the latest developments in the Ladakh sector where the two countries have been engaged in the standoff since May. The agenda of the next round of military talks was discussed in Fridays which was meeting attended by defence minister Rajnath Singh, national security adviser Ajit Doval, chief of defence staff General Bipin Rawat, army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane and other top officials. The meeting took place a day after Singh told Parliament that no force in the world can stop the Indian Army from patrolling borders, signalling a resolve to regain access to several areas that are now difficult to reach due to actions by the Chinese army along the LAC. In the previous five meetings, the Corps commander-ranked officers have failed to break the deadlock. Mondays meeting will be their first after the Indian Army swiftly moved and occupied key heights to prevent the Peoples Liberation Army from grabbing Indian territory on the southern bank of Pangong Tso in a stealthy midnight move on August 29. This will be the first meeting since the foreign ministers of the two countries agreed on a five-point roadmap to take forward the disengagement and de-escalation process. The five-point plan was discussed when external affairs minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi met on the margins of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet in Moscow earlier this month. Come September, the United Nations (UN) shifts gears. Open spaces at its premises give way to tightly-configured booths for backroom diplomacy. The General Assembly Hall becomes a platform for public diplomacy. This combination of hushed conversations in backrooms and loud proclamations from public platforms attracts more than 100 Heads of State and governments. These dual forms of diplomatic endeavours make the High Level Week or the Leaders Week unique. While the rhetoric of the General Debate makes for media headlines, it is individual and group meetings, away from the limelight, that add ballast. This year, things will be different. As the UN marks its 75th anniversary, all events will be largely virtual. After much speculation that United States (US) President Donald Trump may use the physical pulpit, he too, like most leaders opted to send a video. This is awaited with some trepidation. There is talk of announcements that could trigger a crisis at UN, as the US seeks to enforce snap back UN sanctions against Iran. The schedule provides for a 75th anniversary commemorative event on September 21. The General Debate begins on September 22 and ends on 29. A summit on biodiversity is on September 30. The 25th anniversary of the World Conference on Women (Beijing + 25) is on October 1. With concerns aplenty, a virtual talk fest is in store. However, the usual allure will be missing. This at a time when global deaths from Covid-19 infections are comparable to that of major wars and unemployment is worse than at anytime since the Great Depression. The virus has exposed the failings of existing global arrangements. Some say that a globalised world without effective global platforms has made the virus more lethal. After all, the spread was accelerated by global connectivity. The adverse impacts have caused economic slumps, stoking States to focus internally, reducing international cooperation. Existing geopolitical tensions have exacerbated and global mistrust worsened. The global order is infected, with no vaccine for its ills is in sight. Historically, acute disorder provides opportunities for change. Crises catalyse states to rise above inertia, myopia, and narrow self-interest. The Peace of Westphalia in 1648; the Congress of Vienna in 1815; the Treaty of Versailles in 1919; and conferences at Bretton Woods and San Francisco in the 1940s followed crises. No peace-time crisis, even a crisis like none other that we now confront, has changed a global order. Hence, diplomats have banked on the resilience of the existing system and kicked the can of reform down the road. The 75th anniversary declaration, agreed amid the pandemic, provides for the UN Secretary General to report back before the end of the 75th session of the General Assembly with recommendations to respond to current and future challenges. Sometime in 2021, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will take a stab at suggesting a recalibration of the multilateral system in keeping with the sessions goal of, The future we want, the United Nations we need. For now, he will share the concerns and findings of consultations with civil society groups across the globe, including a global online Pew survey. The statements of leaders will be inputs for him to reflect on in future submissions. From an Indian perspective, this comes when Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, is displaying more of an internationalist orientation than our leaders have exhibited since the end of the Cold War. During the 50th anniversary of the UN in 1995, the then PM PV Narasimha Rao spent five days in New York. He met five or six leaders bilaterally, and spoke once for the specified five minutes. In contrast, at last years Leaders Week, the PM maximised bilateral meetings, principally with those who he had not engaged otherwise and had several pluri-lateral and multilateral conversations on global issues including the climate crisis, health, Sustainable Development Goals and cyber-security. For the first time, an Indian PM hosted an event at the UN to commemorate an Indian Mahatma Gandhi. Some among us view the UN from an India-Pakistan prism. For example, after PM Imran Khans diatribe at the General Debate last year, Pakistani diplomats made statements against India in various General Assembly forums during the course of the year, without a single supportive statement from anyone else. The UN is a platform to address global issues. The global order is faltering in addressing transnational dangers of conflict, terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, pandemics, climate crisis, cyber-security, and poverty. Advocating change of a status quo in turmoil, is a global good. Yet, there is no coherent vision of change. For India, the principal utility of the session is the opportunity to articulate the why, what, when and how of our conception of Reformed Multilateralism and work with others on reinvigorating multilateralism. We need to be beneficent in contributing to rejuvenate multilateralism, before we can be beneficiaries of it. Else, international cooperation and the global public good that we take for granted will decline, and, we will all be poorer for it. Syed Akbaruddin served as Indias Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York The views expressed are personal Elyse Knowles and her boyfriend Josh Barker jetted into Sydney on Saturday, four days after announcing they're expecting their first child together. The couple were spotted arriving at Sydney Airport after enjoying a holiday in the Northern Territory. Elyse, 27, concealed her growing baby bump underneath a baggy beige T-shirt and loose matching-hued pants. Bumping along: Pregnant Elyse Knowles covered her baby bump in a baggy T-shirt as she jetted into Sydney with boyfriend Josh Barker on Saturday She carried a jumper around her shoulders and held a brown bag. The mother-to-be completed her ensemble with a brown hat and wore a pair of black comfortable sneakers. Meanwhile, Elyse's boyfriend Josh also looked stylish in jeans, a striped T-shirt and matching black sneakers. He wore a green hat and held a brown backpack on his shoulder while holding onto another blue bag in his hand. Going back home: The couple were spotted arriving at Sydney Airport after enjoying a holiday in the Northern Territory Comfort: Elyse, 27, covered her baby bump underneath a baggy beige T-shirt and loose matching coloured pants Josh and Elyse have been vacationing in the Northern Territory, and during their trip chose to announce their pregnancy. The model shared the joyful news to her Instagram page on Wednesday night. 'And then there were 3 #babybarker,' she wrote alongside a gallery of images of the couple on holiday. The announcement comes four months after Elyse and Josh bought a $2.3million beach house in Byron Bay. Style: The mother-to-be completed her ensemble with a brown hat and wore a pair of black comfortable sneakers All smiles: She carried a jumper around her shoulders and held a brown bag Their new 1960s built property is located in the old part of Byron Bay town, just a short walk from the main beach and surrounded by tranquil greenery. Last year, Elyse told Daily Mail Australia that the couple had moved to Byron Bay from Melbourne while chasing a more sustainable lifestyle for themselves. Speaking at an event in September, the model explained she'd physically confront strangers that she would see littering in Victoria, before eventually leaving. She explained: 'I just can't see it being left on the ground and when they're dropping rubbish, I think they need to be told off.' Exciting! Josh and Elyse have been vacationing in the Northern Territory and during their trip, the pair announced they're expecting their first child together Those supporting Bay of Plenty people with disabilities is welcoming the governments new Working Matters: Disability Employment Action Plan. Developed by the Ministry of Social Development, the document is part of the governments wider employment strategy and seeks to ensure fair and equal access to sustainable job opportunities for disabled people and those with health conditions. It includes people with temporary health conditions as well as longer term disabilities; those who have interacted with mental health or addiction services; and those who experience learning-related issues. The Working Matters report recognises that 74 per cent of disabled people not in paid work, would like to work if a job was available, and that they are an untapped talent pool that could be instrumental in meeting New Zealands increasing workforce demands. Disabled people, whanau, service providers, employers and unions were among those involved in a consultation period prior to the documents July release. One area specifically identified as a barrier to employment has been a lack of work experience for students and school leavers with disabilities. According to the action plan many young, disabled jobseekers lack the work experience that others gain through an after-school or holiday job. Transitions from school for these students are most successful when started by age 14; when their goals are at the centre of decision-making; and help is given to build their confidence and aspirations. We would support any plan that saw engagement with disabled people at an early age to support them with their goals says Tony Marsden, CEO of disability services provider SILC. Disabled people have a valuable contribution to make in our communities which is often overlooked so to see Government develop this Working Matters Action Plan is a positive start. The plan does a good job of outlining a number of the challenges faced by disabled people in accessing employment. I think it provides a useful high-level framework but the devil will be in the detail, Tony says. The desire of disabled people to have meaningful employment is not new and the plan captures what the disabled community have been saying for many years but it is the detail around the how which will be critical if the plan is to be successful. The Working Matters plans priorities are to support people in determining their own employment path; to back them in those aspirations providing them and would-be employers with whatever support they need; and to work together with industry to create the employment opportunities. Some people with disabilities or health conditions will only need minimal help, in the form of their employer receiving good advice in order to support them better. Better uptake by individuals of existing disability employment services has also been identified as an opportunity to improve working outcomes. One such agency, Workbridge, supports job seekers with disabilities or health conditions, as well as employers and workplaces. It has 22 branches around the country, including Tauranga and Rotorua. CEO Jonathan Mosen says his organisations goal is to ensure everyone has a fair go at employment, and its policies are focused on achieving this. The benefit stand-down period, currently acts as a disincentive for some people to accept some employment opportunities, says Workbridge. For instance, someone with a disability or health condition might need to go back on a benefit for a while, after being in employment, and the stand-down period is an added source of stress during what is already a difficult time for them. Public education promoting the benefits of employing disabled people and dispelling common myths is also seen as a way forward, as is training disabled people for self-employment. The Working Matters action plan says the public service sector will lead by example in actively recruiting and retaining workers with disabilities and health conditions. Photo: Rob Kruyt/BIV files The Insurance Corp. of British Columbia (ICBC) spent $1 each on 100,000 reflective pedestrian armbands awarding the contract in April, a month before Attorney General David Eby said the provincial insurers financial picture was unknown. A request for proposals (RFP) for the reflectors was published February 5 with the competition closing nine days later. The request said delivery was to be over 12 months. ICBC said in the RFP that the armbands are distributed through October for fall traffic safety campaigns. Distracted driving and failing to yield the right-of-way are the top contributing factors for drivers in crashes with pedestrians, the RFP said. Even when drivers proceed with caution, it's hard to see pedestrians at this time of year when visibility is poor. Because of this, ICBC conducts an annual pedestrian safety campaign with advertising and social media. And with the help of community policing volunteers and TransLink, we distribute the coveted safety reflectors throughout the month of October. Eby said in April that ICBC was facing a billion-dollar loss on its investments, but the following month said a decline in claims due to the pandemic could yield a surplus. On August 13, Finance Minister Carole James said the loss was $298 million. The supplier chosen for the armbands was Salmon Arms C Me Pedestrian Reflectors. For the fiscal year ending March 2019, ICBC spent 141,157, corporation financial records show. ICBC could not immediately respond to queries. T J S George By In a non-democratic family enterprise such as the Congress, even the appearance of rebellion is unthinkable. That is why last months letter of dissent by 23 senior leaders triggered an earthquake in the party. The letter was in fact no rebellion. It raised a call for internal reform, a reasonable idea in a party that is older than Indian independence. It should have been doubly welcome because it came from respected veterans whose objective was to make the party stronger. The ideas they put forward a fulltime leadership available at national and Pradesh levels, transparent elections for block, pradesh and all-India committees were constructive. But loyalists saw the letter as criticism of the High Command. And the power of loyalists should never be underestimated. They are the nuts and bolts of Rule by High Command. Thats why we saw a seven-hour debate in the Working Committee ending with renewed affirmation of faith in Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. The non-democratic family enterprise character of the party thus reaffirmed, all was well. Given her background, Sonia probably suffers from an insecurity complex. She wants her top position affirmed and reaffirmed so that she wont have to worry about her personal incomprehension of Indias convoluted party politics. Once the Working Committee was all-in-all in the party. Today it is the High Command that calls the shots. And the High Command consists of the family and its loyalists. As for Rahul, nothing seems to give him sufficient confidence to take command de jure as well as de facto. Instead of deriving benefit from the Brave 23, mother and son went into gyrations that suggested activity when there was none. Loyalists are one hundred-percenters. Their allegiance is all-out and categorical. So the Gandhi loyalists stood firmly against dissent. Kapil Sibal, a loyal Congress leader if ever there was one, put it plainly when he said that nominations could not be a substitute to elections. He drew attention to the party constitution which stipulated that the Working Committee should have 12 members who were elected to the AICC. But not one elected member is currently in the Committee; all are nominated. Responding to the Brave 23s letter, the AICC and Working Committee were reconstituted, but through nominations by the President, not elections. Some of the signatories did not find place in the new Committee. The message was clear: Leadership will be in the hands of a select few who will need no electoral approval. There were reports that some of the Brave 23 and some from outside that group held a private meeting and surveyed the internal situation in the party. They were said to have hardened their position against leadership by nomination. But they are up against formidable forces. Remember the WikiLeak expose which quoted wellconnected Americans saying how the Gandhi family has been secretive about who belongs to the inner circle and how the inner circle carefully controls her access to information and inoculates her from criticism, while her carefully scripted public appearances protect her from making gaffes or missteps. When Rahul held office in the AICC (2013 to 2019), his team included Mohan Gopal, Jairam Ramesh, Madhusudan Mistry, K Raju and Divya Spandana who were often at loggerheads with Sonias loyalists. That was irony of a revealing kind Rahul loyalists being inimical to Sonia loyalists and vice-versa. These internal rivalries and clashing loyalties helped reduce the Congress to the status of a virtual non-entity. In the 2019 elections, the Rahul caucus expected to win not less than 164 seats in Parliament. It got 52, two seats short to have even the status of the official opposition. Sibal felt angry enough to say that, if nominations are to replace elections, then it was best to re-write the partys constitution. The loyalists pretended that they did not hear it. The bottomline is clear: There are Congress leaders whose eminence depends on patronage by the Gandhis and they put their self-interests above the interest of the party and the country. Mahatma Gandhi must have foreseen this. Hence his opinion, openly expressed, that the Congress must be disbanded. He said: India having attained political independence through means devised by the Congress, the Congress in its present shape and form, i.e., as a propaganda vehicle and parliamentary machine has outlived its use... The Congress has won political freedom, but it has yet to win economic freedom, social and moral freedom.Poor Gandhi! Not in his wildest dream could he have imagined India coming under a-moral freedom. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 21:32:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close -- The COVID-19 hit China's catering industry hard as the epidemic forced the temporary closure of many restaurants and saw cautious customers stay home rather than dine out. -- As the epidemic has been generally contained, China's catering industry is seeing clear signs of recovery. -- Experts say the catering consumption is expected to return to the pre-epidemic level by the end of the year. CHANGSHA, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- As dinnertime approached, food aficionados began to form a long line at the entrance of a popular crayfish restaurant in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province. After the resumption of dine-in service on March 16, Wenhoyo Superb, also began accepting online reservations. However, many diners still line up at the gate. "Our business began to gradually recover after the resumption of work. The online booking service helps a lot to prevent long queues and attract more customers," said Li Mingyue, a staffer with the brand. The COVID-19 epidemic hit the Chinese catering industry hard as the epidemic forced the temporary closure of many restaurants and saw cautious customers stay home rather than dine out. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China's catering revenue was 1.46 trillion yuan (about 216 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half of this year, down 32.8 percent year on year. Customers dine at a restaurant in the Quantang community of Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, Sept. 19, 2020. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan) As the epidemic has been generally contained, China's catering industry is seeing clear signs of recovery. The catering revenue decline narrowed to 11 percent year on year in July, and to 7 percent in August, new data showed. "The catering consumption is expected to return to the pre-epidemic level by the end of the year," said Liu Yan, an expert with the China Hospitality Association. FOOD AND CATERING EXPO With the theme of "innovative integration, quality consumption," the 2020 China International Food & Catering Expo was held in Changsha from Friday to Sunday. More than 2,000 companies from home and abroad participated in the expo, aiming to seek potential cooperation partners, promote products and services, and revive their business. Given the epidemic's impact, the expo this year served as a crucial platform to stabilize the market and boost the orders of domestic food and catering enterprises. A customer (R) buys dry goods at the China International Food & Catering Expo in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, Sept. 19, 2020. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan) It is an excellent platform to promote Sino-British trade and exchange of the food and catering industry, and also brings opportunities for British companies to explore the Chinese mainland market, said Tom Simpson, managing director of the China operations of the China-Britain Business Council, at the event's opening ceremony. INNOVATION AND RECOVERY The epidemic has forced the catering sector to innovate, said Zhao Jingqiao, a researcher of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, at the expo. Zhao said development trends including market integration, industry digitalization and capitalization, as well as internationalization and specialization of the division of labor will bring more opportunities to the catering sector. Wenhoyo Superb has set up booths for other popular local food and beverage brands. While energizing other brands, the move helps attract more consumers and enrich the dining experience, said Li. Food deliveryman He Xingwen picks up customer orders at a restaurant in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, March 16, 2020. (Xinhua/Yang Zongyou) Meituan Dianping, a major e-commerce platform for services, launched a program in September to facilitate the digital transformation of the catering industry after the epidemic, which is expected to benefit about 1 million merchants within one year. "Online catering platforms will help consumers make inquiries and reservations, and more accurately match supply and demand between consumers and catering enterprises," said Jiao Weiming, director of Meituan's consumption promotion center. NEW TREND As the nationwide "Clear your plate" campaign is gaining steam in China, many restaurants on Meituan have joined the movement and introduced "small-plate meals" to reduce food waste and lower prices. Four associations in related sectors, including the China Cuisine Association, have recently issued a joint proposal with Meituan, calling on catering firms to promote thrift and combat food waste throughout the catering sector. A restaurant staff member packs up leftover food for takeaway in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Aug. 15, 2020. (Xinhua/Feng Kaihua) At the same time, a Meituan system is helping restaurants forecast their daily turnover, monitor their inventory in real time, and estimate their purchase quantity, all in a bid to reduce food waste. Meituan will provide more guidance for restaurant owners so that they can continue to share the dividends brought by the digital process and be properly equipped to face the challenges of online operations, said Wang Xing, CEO of Meituan. (Reporting by Zhang Yujie, Xi Min, Liu Fangzhou, Xu Ruiqing) (Video reporter: Feng Yuanyuan, Li Xiaobo, Ding Chunyu, and Cheng Ji'an; video editor: Lin Lin) Preparations have been made to avoid the destruction that has taken place in some neighbouring countries, according to officials The head of the Irrigation Department at the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources Abdel-Latif Khaled has said that the flow of Nile water is very promising for Egypt this year, and the annual flood is set to be high, so very special preparations have been made. The annual Nile flood takes place in August, September and October, and is caused by heavy rain in the Ethiopian highlands. Preparations have been made to avoid the destruction that has taken place in some neighbouring countries, Khaled said on Sunday morning. Dozens of people have died and hundreds of thousands have been displaced in Sudan and South Sudan amid heavy rains and flash floods. Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said earlier in a Tweet that the Nile has recorded its highest water level since 1912. Khaled referred to the role of Egypts Aswan High Dam in containing excess water during floods, calling it the safeguard of the nation. The massive decades-old dam in Upper Egypt retains water that reaches the country from Ethiopia by way of Sudan. Khaled said the annual floods start in late July/early August. The ministry disposes of excess water collected in the Aswan Dams Lake Nasser reservoir after floods so that it does not damage the dam. The excess water is utilised for many purposes, including securing water needs, washing Nile waterways and getting rid of pollution and ammonia, he added. A crisis department at the High Aswan Dam Authority continuously follows up on the situation of the annual flood, Khaled said, adding that people can breathe easy by mid-October. Wet season Concerning preparations, Khaled said the Irrigation Department has three sectors working on avoiding the consequences of heavy rains, including the irrigation sector, which is tasked with cleaning 117 water drains, which transfer water to Upper Egypt, before mid-September. He affirmed that this goal has been fulfilled this year. The groundwater sector of the department is concerned with the Red Sea governorate and South Sinai governorate, Khaled said. This sector works on protecting villages and cities there by building dam-like structures between mountains, which protect people from the floods and form artificial lakes that can secure residents water needs throughout the year. Earlier this month, several roads connecting parts of the Egyptian Red Sea coast with Upper Egypt were closed after torrential rains hit the south of the Red Sea governorate, which is known for its mountainous terrain. The flooding caused some damage but no deaths were reported. Although many people in desert areas find torrential rains every year useful, as they can collect them in wells, dams and barriers to use in agriculture and for drinking, they can still be deadly. In October 2016, torrential rains hit parts of southern and western Egypt, causing the death of 26 people, mainly in the Red Sea governorate and South Sinai, according to the health ministry. Some 35 others were injured. In Cairo, widespread flooding in March this year caused by two days of heavy rain across Egypt killed at least 20 people, the cabinet said, explaining that such conditions had not been experienced in the country for 40 years. This years preparations for the Nile flood have included efforts to remove illegal buildings along waterways, especially those along the Nile, as they hinder water networks ability to contain excess water. Authorities have also put in place a plan for the immediate evacuation of all buildings on land near the two branches of the river if water levels rise to a certain level. Search Keywords: Short link: She never fails to turn heads in her daring ensembles. And Chelsee Healey put on a jaw-dropping display in a plunging white wrap shirt as she stepped out for an evening at San Carlos in Hale, Cheshire, on Sunday. The Hollyoaks star, 32, flaunted her toned pins in tight cream shorts and opted for tan suede knee-high boots to keep all eyes on her figure. Wow: Chelsee Healey, 32, put on a jaw-dropping display in a low-cut white wrap shirt as she stepped out for an evening at San Carlos in Hale, Cheshire, on Sunday A radiant Chelsee beamed as she posed in the neutral ensemble for the glamorous occasion at the Italian restaurant. The buttoned-down top featured a plunging neckline which allowed Chelsee's ample cleavage to be on display. The former Strictly Come Dancing star opted for a statement gold chain necklace and matching hoop earrings as she kept all eyes on her decolletage. Beauty: Chelsee pinned her raven tresses in a chic updo allowing tendrils to fall around her face and frame her pretty features Chelsee pinned her raven tresses into a chic updo allowing tendrils to fall around her face and frame her pretty features. The actress, who plays Goldie McQueen in the Channel 4 soap, opted for bronze eyeshadow and swept mascara over her fluttery eyelashes for the glam outing. Finishing her look, Chelsee carried her evening essentials in a rose gold structured bag as she made her way to her dinner reservation. Gorgeous: Chelsee carried her evening essentials in a rose gold structured bag as she made her way for her dinner reservation Her outing comes as Hollyoaks resumed filming in July after it was forced to suspend production for four months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bosses confirmed stars returned to the soap's Liverpool set, with temperature checks and social distancing measures in place. Hollyoaks announced that episodes would increase from two nights a week to four from September. The US said international sanctions on Iran are automatically snapping back, in a move that most nations say the Trump administration doesnt have the authority to demand since quitting a 2015 nuclear deal two years ago. Sanctions are being re-imposed on Iran, secretary of state Michael Pompeo said in a statement late on Saturday. The United States expects all UN member states to fully comply with their obligations to implement these measures. Thats unlikely to happen, with key European powers on Sunday stressing their commitment to the nuclear agreement. A chorus of opposition Their support for the deal has left the US isolated on the United Nations Security Council, and most nations say America has no authority to demand the return of international sanctions, since its no longer a party to the deal. We have worked tirelessly to preserve the nuclear agreement and remain committed to do so, the foreign ministers of France, Germany and the UK said in a statement on Sunday. The accord is a key pillar of the global non-proliferation architecture, Josep Borrell, the European Unions foreign policy chief, said in a separate statement, adding that all parties should do their utmost to preserve the agreement. Iran challenges US Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, at a cabinet meeting on Sunday shown on state television news, called the US move a sign of certain failure which only demonstrates that President Donald Trumps strategy has resulted in maximum isolation for Washington. On Saturday, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that Iran would set Washingtons military outposts in the Persian Gulf on fire at once if its adversary tried to start a war. US to slap more sanctions The US on Monday will sanction more than two dozen people and entities involved in Irans nuclear, missile and conventional arms programmes, a senior US official told Reuters, putting teeth behind UN sanctions that Washington argues have resumed. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said Iran could have enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon by the end of the year and that Tehran has resumed long-range missile cooperation with nuclear-armed North Korea. He did not provide detailed evidence regarding either assertion. A major part of the new US push is an executive order targeting those who buy or sell Iran conventional arms and will also be unveiled by the Trump administration on Monday, the official said. Madam, May I bring into light that Christianity is not a professional faith but a heart matter; yet people easily confuse theologians as men of god particularly by the world media. True Christianity has no requirement from God to be a scholar but its of the humble in heart and one is given as a gift to be a man of God but to be a man of the cloth is by man from man, Galatians 1:1,12. Jesus Himself had not theologically learned, John7:15 and so were his disciples, Acts4:13. Yet that doesnt imply total illiteracy but exempt necessary measuring in a field as the world requires. So, the Mazibuko hullabaloo is addressed and debated as a Christianity matter yet the man is just a theologian leading a man made denomination which theologically qualifies its preachers. Do people remember what the Lord Jesus taught in Matt6:24;no man can serve two masters for he will lean more to the other at the cost of the other one, so no man can be a theologian and a genuine Christian at the same time. Spiritually, no human capacity is truthfully able to be both a theologian and be a Christian at the same time. This is a devils lie sown in the church which unfortunately has been used as a measurement standard by the world people. But true Christians should make the difference here. The mourning period signifies the importance of the passed away individual in the lives of the mourners. So as for a wife which one has spent more than 20 years with, that should take a significant stretch of time recovering from that loss not dwelling on the remembrance as the Scripture branch of Ecclesiastes 9 was severed to defend one. The issue here is mourning not remembrance Mr Mazibuko, context please as a theologian. The Lord Jesus said, we shall recognise pseudo preachers by their fruit. I laughed when I heard the alibi of returning from preaching and having someone to talk to, I thought Apostle Paul must have had it tough in his preaching journeys since he had no one, yet I think you have a different gift as a man here, 1Cor7:7. My appeal is that Bible school graduates must not be carelessly regarded as man of God but of the cloth as well put by the media. The fruits are clear and we dont need the explanation of how they are formed to beg to differ. Lastly, I repeat the subject matter on the table is mourning not remembrance saints so dont be fooled here. That defence flies out of the window. Other reverends wont condemn their own but if it was a so-called prophet the trumpets would be loud and clear from the church bodies. And all being said now, nothing should be a condemnation to hell for Mazibuko since no one has that right but Scriptural correction is made here. Any one who responds here must put scriptures not unwisely use a human point of view because the concerned person has put himself forward as a preacher so that confines the matter to be thrashed by scriptures in the Holy Bible. Ungabhayizi labanengi batakubona. Thank you, Charles Abraham Yami Gautam shared a teaser for her upcoming film, Ginny Weds Sunny, which is scheduled for a direct-to-digital release on Netflix on October 9. The short video shows her and Vikrant decked up in traditional outfits and dancing at a wedding. There is also a brief glimpse of some sweet moments shared by them. Love at first sight? LOL no. #GinnyWedsSunny premieres on 9 October, only on @netflix_in, Yami captioned the video, which also teases the first song of Ginny Weds Sunny, titled LOL. Ginny Weds Sunny is directed by Puneet Khanna and written by Navjot Gulati and Sumit Arora. The synopsis of the romantic comedy reads, Living with her matchmaker mother in Delhi, Ginny is set up with Sunny, who has given up on the idea of love and just wants to get married and settle down. But, the match is not that simple. As Ginny meets Sunny, theres a lot more that comes to the fore than previously imagined in this tale of love, life, weddings and music. Will this be a match made in heaven? Youll just have to wait to find out. Yami spent much of the lockdown in Mumbai and wrapped up her professional commitments before flying to Chandigarh last month, to be with her family. I must admit it wasnt easy at all, especially in the initial days (of lockdown). But then, I got used to it (living alone). As far for my professional commitments, I had assured all my producers that I wont leave the city till I complete my job. And as a professional, I just couldnt have left any of my work mid-way, she told Hindustan Times. Also read: Kangana Ranaut says Anurag Kashyap is very much capable of sexual assault, claims many big heroes misbehaved with her Yami was scared as she had to resume dubbing for one of her upcoming projects. It was tough to step out, as the fear always plays on your mind. So, I wanted to wrap it all quickly. But on the third day, I felt a bit unwell with a slight fever and breathlessness. Naturally, I was very distressed but then, I went for some home remedies including kadha etc. that my mother had suggested. And thankfully, I recovered and was absolutely fine in 2-3 days, she said. Follow @htshowbiz for more John Farnham's long-time manager has condemned the use of You're The Voice by anti-lockdown protesters who sang the tune during a small flash mob at Chadstone Shopping Centre on Sunday. About 50 protesters came together outside the Coles supermarket about 1pm, only long enough to sing a rendition of the Australian classic before dispersing. Farnham's manager Glenn Wheatley, a giant of Australia's music scene, said the song had been co-opted by demonstrators against the wishes of the legendary singer-songwriter. "Im personally concerned people will hear the song and think John Farnham is personally endorsing these protests, and in this case its not right," Mr Wheatley said. It remained unclear, however, whether McConnell, himself up for re-election along with a handful of vulnerable Republican incumbents, would try to advance the nomination before election day. He could also opt to do so in a lame-duck congressional session after November 3. Does McConnell have the votes to confirm a nominee? It depends. Because Republican hold a slim majority 53-47 Democrats would need only four Republicans to join them in opposition to sink the nominee. (In the case of a tie, Vice-President Mike Pence, in his role as president of the Senate, would cast the tiebreaking vote.) Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death has shaken up the presidential election campaign. Credit:AP Although McConnell vowed that the Senate would vote on Trump's chosen nominee, he notably made no mention of when that would occur a signal that he was weighing the political calculus for the handful of vulnerable Republican senators facing tough races. Given McConnell's decision to refuse so much as a hearing for Merrick Garland, Obama's pick to succeed Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016, a handful of Republicans have signalled a desire to wait until after election day to approve a nomination. It is unclear, however, what objections remain to approving a nomination in the lame-duck session between November and the start of a new Congress in January. Which Republicans might defect? Senator Susan Collins of Maine, one of the most vulnerable Republicans facing voters this year, said on Saturday that while she would not object to Trump naming a successor to the post, she did not believe the Senate should vote on confirmation before Election Day. Ultimately, she said in the statement, she believed the vacancy should be filled by the winner of the presidential election. "In fairness to the American people, who will either be re-electing the president or selecting a new one, the decision on a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court should be made by the president who is elected on November 3rd," Collins said. Loading Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska told a local radio station in an interview before Ginsburg's death was announced that she would not vote to confirm a Supreme Court nominee before election day. Senator Mitt Romney of Utah has not indicated how he might regard an election-season confirmation push, but he has established himself as one of the few Republicans willing to break with Trump, most notably at his impeachment trial, when he voted to convict the president and remove him from office. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, a former chair of the judiciary committee, previously said that he would not conduct Supreme Court confirmation hearings in a presidential election year given his party's blockade of Garland, but he no longer controls the panel. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the current judiciary panel chair, also said in 2016 that a Supreme Court vacancy occurring in the last year of a president's term should not be filled until after the election. But on Saturday, he reversed himself, saying the bruising battle over Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation had changed his mind. "I will support President @realDonaldTrump in any effort to move forward regarding the recent vacancy created by the passing of Justice Ginsburg," he wrote on Twitter. What effect will the election have on the vacancy? The proximity of the election was already weighing heavily in Republicans' planning for the confirmation process and its timing. Collins is facing the toughest race of her career in Maine, in part because of her 2018 vote to confirm Kavanaugh, and her political challenges in a state where Trump is deeply unpopular are likely to stiffen her resistance to a quick confirmation. On the other end of the spectrum, several Republicans, including Graham, are facing difficult reelection races in conservative states where Trump is revered by the party, and they are spoiling for an election-season fight that can demonstrate their loyalty to the president and activate conservatives. Loading For many Republicans, the ideal situation might be to begin the confirmation process quickly, injecting it into the political bloodstream but waiting until after Election Day when vulnerable incumbents no longer have to worry about being cast out by angry voters to hold a confirmation vote. McConnell, who is also up for re-election, counselled his members to avoid stating a position on how they would handle the vacancy as he privately gauges how to time any confirmation fight for maximum political advantage. "This is not the time to prematurely lock yourselves into a position you may later regret," McConnell wrote late Friday night after Ginsburg's death was announced. "I urge you all to be cautious and keep your powder dry until we return to Washington." McConnell's majority could narrow even further if Mark Kelly, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Arizona, defeats Senator Martha McSally, the Republican incumbent, and is seated before January 2021. Because McSally was appointed to her seat and began serving last year, the race is a special election. Kelly could be sworn in as early as November 30. On Friday, Republican and Democratic election lawyers told The Arizona Republic that such an outcome was possible. What if Republicans lose the White House, the Senate or both? Could they still confirm Trump's nominee after the election? Yes. Congress typically reconvenes after election day for what is known as a lame-duck session, when lawmakers act on unfinished business before adjourning for the year. Since the newly elected members would not be seated until the new Congress convened in January, the partisan breakdown during this period would be unchanged from what it is now, meaning that Republicans would remain in control of the Senate even if they had lost their majority. Similarly, if he were to lose on election day, Trump would remain president until former vice-president Joe Biden was sworn in in January. Sudhir Suryawanshi By Express News Service MUMBAI: After Centre's warning over the excessive use of oxygen, which is three times more than the national average in Maharashtra, the state government asked civic authorities, hospitals and district collectors to ensure there is judicial use of oxygen while catering to COVID-19 patients. Principal secretary of Maharashtra health department Dr Pradeep Vyas asked concerned authorities to ration the available oxygen. In his letter Mr Vyas said that Maharashtra is consuming largest quantity of oxygen for catering COVID-19 patients in India. The 5 to 6 per cent active Covid 19 positive patients have given the oxygen in India while in Maharashtra, 10 per cent to 15 per cent. That is three times more than the national average. In this rate, of we continue to use then very soon we will exhaust our oxygen supplying resources, Dr Vyas said. He pointed out that there is a mismatch in the consumption of oxygen in Mumbai and other parts of the state. In rest of the state, more quantity of oxygen has been used, which needs to be monitored. The concerned authority should take a review of patients and total use of oxygen. A proper audit should be conducted by fixing the patient and use of oxygen. Private hospitals use more oxygen and keep the patients for a longer time than required." said the health secretary. CLICK HERE FOR COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES He further said that the private hospitals are admitting patients based on rapid antigen tests which are not even officially promoted by ICMR. -Proper Covid 19 test should be carried, then only treatment and admission should be done. Besides the local Tahsildar revenue officer should monitor the oxygen refilling 65 centres. They should check the entry and dispatch of vehicles that carrying an oxygen cylinder. They should ensure that there is no pilferage and misuse of oxygen. The proper audit should be done. If they are not following the order, then action should be taken, Dr Vyas. In Maharashtra, Pune is consuming the largest quantity 235 metric tonne of oxygen out of a total consumption of 953 metric tonne of oxygen across the state. According to Maharashtra government oxygen demand and supply report, presently the demand for oxygen in 1,072 COVID-19 hospitals of Maharashtra is 953.21 metric tonne against the 953.470 metric tonne supply, while there is 458 metric tonne oxygen, has remained as a balanced stock in various hospitals. ALSO WATCH: Nicolay Albrecht, the grandson of Aldi founder Theo Albrecht, has brought legal action against his mother and siblings, continuing a long-running feud within the family according to The Irish Times. In his formal legal complaint, Mr Albrecht accuses his mother, Babette, his two sisters and their lawyer of enriching themselves at the companys expense and contrary to two legal rulings from 2017 and 2019. Mr Albrecht claims that he was excluded from the latest of these payouts, reportedly worth approximately 30 million annually. The supermarket giant has operations in 20 countries, posting an annual profit in excess of 80 billion. The company was founded by brothers, Theo and Karl Albrecht in 1945, before splitting the company in half in 1961, with each brother taking charge of operations in North and South Germany respectively. Aldi Sud is the company currently operating in Ireland. Aldi Nord is the company in which Nicolay Albrecht is involved. Advertisement While the family had maintained a very low-profile up until recently, following the death of Berthold Albrecht, Theo's son and Nicolay's father, Berthold's widow, Babette has been involved in a number of high-profile court cases, including a case on art swindling. Earlier this month a new study showed that for the first time Aldi has lost its crown as Germanys most popular supermarket to the co-operative retailer Edeka. Donald Trump, who is lagging in the polls behind Joe Biden, has a powerful incentive to move ahead: providing a jolt of enthusiasm among his anti-abortion and evangelical supporters Washington: US President Donald Trump vowed Saturday to quickly nominate a successor, likely a woman, to replace late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, only a day after the death of the liberal stalwart. The president's desire "to move quickly" on the process despite Democrats' vehement opposition, is likely to dominate the campaigns alongside other hot-button issues like the coronavirus and America's ongoing racial reckoning ahead of the 3 November presidential election. .@GOP We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices. We have this obligation, without delay! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 19, 2020 "I think it's going to move quickly actually," Trump told reporters outside the White House Saturday, adding that he thought his choice would be made "next week." The 87-year-old Ginsburg, immensely popular among Democrats, died on Friday after a long battle with cancer, prompting an outpouring of national grief. She was one of only three women on the nine-person bench, and Trump indicated Saturday he would aim for a female replacement, telling reporters his pick "most likely would be a woman." Ginsburg's death, coming just weeks before the election, offers Republicans a chance to lock in a decades-long conservative majority on the court, where justices are appointed for life. The stakes are high as the decision could affect such life-and-death issues as abortion, healthcare, gun control, and gay rights. They are pushed even higher in a bitter election year when the justices can play a decisive role in legal wrangling over a contested such as when they ruled in George W Bush's favor to end the 2000 election debacle. Trump has already named two justices during his first term as president, Brett Kavanaugh, and Neil Gorsuch, giving conservatives a 5-4 majority before Ginsburg's death, though that does not guarantee rulings in Trump's favor there have been several recent examples of conservatives siding with their progressive colleagues to tilt the balance. Trump, who is lagging in the polls behind Biden, has another powerful incentive to move ahead: providing a jolt of enthusiasm among his anti-abortion and evangelical supporters. But, with 45 days to go before the election and some early voting already begun in some states, Democrats are pushing back furiously. Biden said Friday that "the voters should pick the president and the president should pick the justice for the Senate to consider." The prospect of a fierce partisan nomination battle and rushed Senate confirmation vote has ignited his party, still seething over Republicans preventing Barack Obama from filling a court vacancy through most of the 2016 election year. 'Nothing is off the table' While Democrats' options seem limited, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer told party members Saturday that if Republicans press ahead then "nothing is off the table," according to media reports. "This vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president," Schumer said Friday, carefully echoing the words of Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell in 2016 when he blocked Obama nominee Merrick Garland. Republicans in theory have the Senate votes to push through a Trump nominee, but they could be blocked by only a handful of defections. Analysts predicted Democrats would do their best to drag out the process while fanning public outrage over what Democrats called the Republicans' hypocrisy. "Their option is to build a groundswell... to try to convince at least four Republican senators to vote 'no' on whoever the president puts forward," Amy Howe, co-founder of a Supreme Court blog, said on CNN. A confirmation vote of Trump's eventual nominee before 3 November would be unusually quick. The average period from nomination to confirmation is around 70 days. Republican doubters Republican Senator Susan Collins became the first to break ranks with her party when she announced Saturday she would not support a vote on any Trump nominee before the election. "The decision on a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court should be made by the president who is elected on 3 November," she said in a statement. The Maine lawmaker is among a handful of moderate Republican senators including Lisa Murkowski of Alaska who have already expressed doubts about a rushed vote. "I totally disagree with her" Trump said of Collins' stance, referencing his 2016 election in adding that "we have an obligation as the winners to pick who we want." One prominent Democratic member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will oversee the confirmation hearings, is none other than Senator Kamala Harris, Biden's running mate, who commanded the spotlight 2018 with her aggressive questioning of Trump court nominee Kavanaugh. On Saturday, Harris and her husband visited the Supreme Court building to join hundreds of mourners, many of them women, to pay homage to Ginsburg. "RBG was one of my pioneers, an icon, a fighter," Harris told AFP. "She was a woman in every way." Court reform? Trump has already named scores of conservatives as federal judges, and Democrats fear a deep and lasting shift in balance at the Supreme Court. "If he's allowed to put more conservatives in, this is going to be disastrous for the next 40 to 50 years," said Gloria Browne-Marshall, a civil rights attorney, on CNN. Some Democrats have mused that if Biden is elected and Democrats control both houses of Congress, they might expand the court from nine seats to 11 allowing the new president to appoint two more liberal justices. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg moved slowly. When court was in session, she often had her head down, sometimes leading visitors to think she was asleep. She once acknowledged that she did occasionally nod off. But it was a mistake to equate her gait and gaze with frailty, for Ginsburg showed over and over a steely resilience in the face of personal loss and health problems that made the diminutive New Yorker a towering womens rights champion and forceful presence at the court over 27 years. Ginsburg, affectionately known as the Notorious RBG, died on Friday of complications from pancreatic cancer in Washington at 87. But even as large crowds of mourners gathered outside the Supreme Court to pay tribute to the liberal jurist, battle lines were forming. Her death has added new weight to the November 3 election, potentially giving President Trump a chance to expand the courts conservative majority to 6-3 at a time of a gaping political divide in America. Supreme Court appointments require Senate confirmation, and Trumps fellow Republicans control the chamber, holding 53 seats of the 100 seats. Democrats lack the votes to block any Trump nominee unless some Republican senators join them. Early on Saturday, Trump urged the Republican-run Senate to consider without delay his upcoming nomination to fill the Supreme Court seat. We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices. We have this obligation, without delay! he wrote in a tweet. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said any vote should come after the election. Voters should pick the president and the president should pick the justice to consider, Biden said. The impending clash over the vacant seat when to fill it and with whom is sure to significantly affect the stretch run of the presidential race, further stirring passions in a nation already reeling from the pandemic that has killed nearly 200,000 people, left millions unemployed and heightened partisan tensions and anger. For liberals who considered Ginsburg a heroine, the grief they have expressed over her death was tinged with fear over what happens next. Conservative activists for years have sought to get enough votes on the Supreme Court to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalised abortion nationwide. During the 2016 campaign, Trump promised to appoint justices who would overturn that landmark decision. In her final years on the court, Ginsburg was the unquestioned leader of the liberal justices, as outspoken in dissent as she was cautious in earlier years. Ginsburg was outspoken in her condemnations of President Trump, a man she criticised for his ego and whose impact on the court she said she did not even want to contemplate. Just a few days before her death, Ginsburg dictated the statement to her granddaughter Clara Spera: My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed, US media reported. In 2019, doctors treated Ginsburg with radiation for a tumour on her pancreas. She maintained an active schedule even during the three weeks of radiation. When she revealed a recurrence of her cancer in July 2020, this time with lesions on her liver that were treated with chemotherapy every two weeks, Ginsburg said she remained fully able to continue as a justice. Her determination was perhaps most evident on the day the court met for the final time in June 2010. Her husband had died a day earlier, and her children told her their father would want her to go to work. The justices filed into the courtroom that Monday, and Ginsburg was there. Well, the Lok Sabha on Saturday passed a bill to further amend around 48 sections of the Act, 2013 by decriminalizing various non-compoundable offences in case of defaults, but not involving frauds, omitting imprisonment for various offences which were considered procedural and technical in nature. The bill comes at a time when are reeling under stress due the coronavirus pandemic. The (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was passed by the Lower House through voice vote. The (4th amendment) Bill was introduced in the lower house in May, 2020 by Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister To recall, the 2013 is an Act of the Parliament of India which regulates incorporation of a company, responsibilities of a company, directors, dissolution of a company. Speaking on the bill, Sitharaman yesterday said decriminalisation of various penal provisions under the companies law will also help small companies by reducing the litigation burden on them. Sitharaman said there are currently around 124 penal provisions compared to 134 in 2013 under the The proposed amendment will be carried out in Section 23 of the The bill removes the penalty, imprisonment for 9 offenses which relate to non-compliance with orders of the national company law tribunal (NCLT), and reduces the amount of fine payable in certain cases. These include matters relating to winding-up of companies, default in publication of order relating to reduction of share capital, rectification of registers of security holders, variation of rights of shareholders and payment of interest and redemption of debentures. Listen to the podcast for more Every name on the BrandBucket marketplace is exclusively listed with BrandBucket. That means that all of our sellers are very responsive, making for quick domain transfers. A dedicated BrandBucket agent will manage your domain transfer from beginning to end, ensuring a secure and easy transaction. They will manage the receipt of the domain into one of BrandBuckets secure registrar accounts and then complete the transfer to you. 1. Verification and registrar choice After we receive the payment and verify it, we will reach out via email to confirm which registrar you want the domain transferred to. We also provide a link to our tracking system, where you can communicate with us, check on the status of your transfer, view your invoice, and download your logo files. In most cases, if a domain is moved between accounts at a single registrar, the transfer is quick and usually completes within 48 hours. If a domain changes registrars (in other words, you would like to move it away from where it is currently registered), the transfer is slower. The total transfer time can then be anywhere from 48 hours to 7 days. BrandBucket has vetted and supports the following registrars: GoDaddy Namesilo Uniregistry NameCheap Google Domains Network Solutions Name.com Dynadot Amazon Route 53 123 Reg Gandi 2. We request the name from the seller. Once we know where you would like the domain transferred, BrandBucket will request the domain from the seller. All of our sellers are very responsive, making for a quick process. 3. Transfer the name into your account As soon as we receive the name from the seller, we start the transfer into your account and guide you through the whole process. 4. Verify with the buyer that the transfer is complete Once we confirm that you have received the name, we consider the escrow process to be complete. Only then do we release payment to the domain seller. Seventeen organisations from UAE will be honoured with Stevie Awards this year at the 17th Annual International Business Awards. Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of Dubai and Dubai Municipality were the big winners in this years competition. High-achieving organisations and executives around the world have been recognised as Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners. Nicknamed the Stevies from the Greek word for "crowned," the awards will be presented at a virtual awards ceremony on Tuesday, December 1. Tickets for the event are on sale now at www.StevieAwards.com/IBA. It is the world's only international, all-encompassing business awards programme. Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie winners were selected from more than 3,800 nominations about 200 fewer than last year, from organisations in more than 60 nations. Given the extraordinary circumstances in which businesses and other organisations around the world have operated over the past six months, were gratified by the number of entries the IBAs received this year and the amazing number of stories of continued business success, individual heroism and selflessness, and increased commitment to the health and safety of employees, customers, and communities, said Stevie Awards President Maggie Gallagher. All organisations worldwide are eligible to compete in The International Business Awards, and can submit entries in a wide range of categories, including management awards, company of the year awards, marketing awards, public relations awards, customer service awards, human resources awards, new product awards, IT awards, web site awards, and more. Dubai's RTA won two Gold Stevie Awards, one Silver, and two bronzes for Technical Innovation of the Year, Best Use of Social Media - Covid-19-related Information, Achievement in Product Innovation, Governance, and Risk & Compliance Solution. Dubai Municipality won two Golds, one Silver, and one Bronze Stevie Award. Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs won two Golds for Human Resources Department of the Year and Organisation of the Year - Non-Profit or Government Organisations Category. Other winning organisations are Al Zahra Hospital Dubai, Dubai Municipality, Federal Electricity & Water Authority, Horizontal, HQ Worldwide Shows, Kifaya Thallam (Individual), Public Prosecution Department in Ras Al Khaimah, and Smart Dubai. A total of 174 organisations from the Middle East and North Africa region such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan and Qatar will be honoured in this years award programme. During the week of 21 September the winners of the Best of the IBA Awards, five best-of-competition prizes, will be announced. Winners will be determined by a tally of the total number of Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevies won by organisations, and will be honored on 1 December. -- Tradearabia News Service Bail fund promoted by Kamala Harris led to release of alleged child rapist, violent offenders Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment An organization promoted by Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris has come under fire for helping post bail for an alleged child rapist and other violent offenders. The Minnesota Freedom Fund was founded in 2016 to pay criminal bail and immigration bonds for those who cannot afford to as part of an effort to end discriminatory, intimidating, and oppressive money bail. In the four days following the death of George Floyd, when riots and protests began to engulf the city of Minneapolis, the Minnesota Freedom Fund raised $20 million to bail out jailed protesters. On June 1, one week after Floyds death, Harris, who had yet to be selected as the Democrats 2020 vice presidential nominee, took to Twitter to urge followers to chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota. However, as the Minnesota Freedom Fund admitted two weeks ago, only $210,000 of the $3,475,000 in bail money it has paid since the uprising has gone to protest-related bails. 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 A Daily Caller News Foundation report, published Wednesday, shed some light on where some of the rest of the money has gone. Based on a court document obtained by the DCNF, the Minnesota Freedom Fund played a role in securing Timothy Wayne Columbus release from jail. Columbus faces up to 30 years behind bars for criminal sexual conduct by engaging in sexual penetration with victim, a person under the age of thirteen years. According to the document, Columbus victim, who was 8 years old at the time of the incident, said that he laid her on her couch and held her down as he unbuckled his pants and then pulled down her pants. The girl claimed that he put his thing inside me. Columbus is not the only person charged with a serious criminal offense who successfully secured bail from the Minnesota Freedom Fund. A court document shows that Richard Raynell Kelley, charged with first degree assault and violating an order for protection, requested that any refunded bail money be returned to the MFF. Kelley allegedly hit, beat, punched, and tied up his elderly mother after entering her home in violation of the order for protection she had against him. A week after his release, which was secured in part by the MFF, Kelley was found to have violated his bail terms by disobeying electronic court monitoring rules. Another violent offender that the MRFF provided bail for, Lionel Timms, assaulted a man less than two weeks after his release, according to Alpha News. The attack left Timms victim with a traumatic brain injury. Timms had previously been in jail after assaulting a man on public transit, leaving him with a fractured nose. Greg Lerwin, the interim director of the Minnesota Freedom Fund, did not deny that he was bailing violent offenders out of jail. I often dont even look at a charge when I bail someone out, he told Fox 9, Minneapolis Fox affiliate. A Fox 9 report, published in August, revealed that MFF paid $100,000 bail for Darnika Floyd, who was charged with second degree murder after stabbing her friend to death. MFF also posted bail on behalf of Jaleel Stallings, who shot at members of a SWAT team during the riots that broke out following George Floyds death, and Christopher Boswell, a twice convicted rapist who faces kidnapping, assault, and sexual assault charges. As of Friday, the fundraising page Harris linked to in her tweet promoting MFF was still accepting donations. Umno should not have fielded party-hopper in Melalap - PBS deputy SABAH POLLS | PBS deputy president Radin Malleh did not mince his words when asked about Umno fielding a candidate against him in the Melalap seat - which he had lost by just 293 votes in the last general election. However, he also said voters in the constituency were wise enough to evaluate a candidate's background and integrity - casting aspersions on Umno challenger Jamawi Jaafar's history of party-hopping. Speaking to Malaysiakini in an interview, Radin said they were disappointed by Umno's decision to crowd the field. "We are disappointed because, under PN's umbrella, Umno should not have fielded a candidate in Melalap as the seat had already been given to PBS," he noted. Umno had decided to contest in Melalap at the 11th hour, just as PBS did in seven other seats. This resulted in the PBS, BN, and Perikatan Nasional clashing in 17 seats in total. Read more: Behind the scenes of breakdown that exacerbated friendly-fire in PN Asked whether he felt threatened by Umno's presence, Radin (below) responded with a laugh before acknowledging that it could split the votes and give Warisan incumbent Peter Anthony an advantage. "However, I think if the people of Melalap are wise to evaluate the integrity and background and the party they're representing. We have the edge," he said. He said PBS had a known track record for being multiracial and fighting for Sabah's rights as per the Malaysia Agreement 1963. He also said that Jamawi had a tainted reputation. "Jamawi's name is also tainted because he jumped here and there. Umno to Warisan and then back to Umno. "The people must see who these people are, jumping frogs and all," he added. He also chided Jamawi for abandoning the Mebakong seat he won in the last election, saying voters were angry with him. As for Warisan, he said the party only knew how to make promises but not keep them. On being outmatched in terms of resources, Radin said he hoped the people would understand and not encourage money politics. Story continues Radin, 70, has held Melalap since 1999 before being ousted by Peter in the 2018 general election. He attributed his defeat that year to the political tsunami and political issues such as the Goods and Services Tax. The battle for Melalap is a six-corner fight. Polling day is next Saturday. Follow Malaysiakini's coverage of the Sabah state election here. A Michigan resident's apparent joke showing disdain for voting by mail is no laughing matter for one election official. The resident put a toilet on their lawn in the city of Mason with a sign that says, 'Place mail in ballots here.' Barb Byrum, the Democratic clerk of Ingham County, filed a complaint with police over the display, saying it could mislead people who aren't familiar with the voting system. 'It is a felony to take illegal possession of an absentee ballot,' Byrum said Friday. 'Elections in this country are to be taken seriously and there are many people who are voting by mail for the first time this election,' she said. Police told the AP that the complaint is being investigated. The resident put a toilet on their lawn with a sign that says, 'Place mail in ballots here' - but it is now being investigated by the police. The lawn also has a sign that calls for the recall of Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer 'Elections in this country are to be taken seriously and there are many people who are voting by mail for the first time this election,' said Barb Byrum, the Democratic clerk of Ingham County President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that voting by mail could lead to fraud and spoil the election, making distorted claims that elections officials fear could cause anxiety and confusion among voters. It's the 'safest way to vote during the pandemic,' Byrum said. She didn't identify the person who lives at the address. The lawn also has a sign that calls for the recall of Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Barb Byrum, the Democratic clerk of Ingham County, filed a complaint with police over the display, saying it could mislead people who aren't familiar with the voting system No one answered the door Friday night, the Lansing State Journal reported. More than 2 million Michigan voters could cast absentee ballots after changes in election law. Separately, a judge on Friday said absentee ballots postmarked by Nov. 2 can be counted if received within 14 days after the Nov. 3 election. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 17:31:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LOS ANGELES, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Video-sharing social networking platform TikTok on Saturday voiced hope that an agreement reached by its Chinese parent company ByteDance with Oracle and Walmart will "resolve the security concerns of the U.S. administration and settle questions around TikTok's future in the U.S.." The Los Angeles-based company issued a statement Saturday afternoon, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had approved a deal between the three parties. TikTok disclosed some details about the three-party agreement handed over to the authority Monday and weighed by the White House so far, saying Oracle will become its "trusted technology provider," and Walmart will play a role in "commercial partnership." As part of this proposal, Oracle would be in charge of hosting TikTok's all U.S. user data and securing associated computer systems to "ensure U.S. national security requirements are fully satisfied," the statement noted. According to the company, as of June, the total number of TikTok's monthly active users in the country soared to 91,937,040, and based on quarterly usage, 100 million Americans used the app. The statement also said both American companies will take part in TikTok's global pre-IPO financing round in which they can take up to 20 percent cumulative stake in the company. A business insider familiar with the deal told Xinhua that TikTok had a plan to finish IPO in the U.S. market in one year if possible. "We will also maintain and expand TikTok Global headquarters in the U.S., while bringing 25,000 jobs across the country," the company promised, adding "Our team works tirelessly to provide a safe and inclusive platform and we're thrilled that we will be able to continue serving our amazingly diverse and creative community." Trump and some U.S. politicians have repeatedly speculated that TikTok poses a national security threat to the country, though no evidence has been provided to support the allegations. On Aug. 6, Trump issued an executive order banning U.S. transactions with ByteDance, citing the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The ban will take effect on Sept. 20. On Aug. 14, he signed a second executive order that will force ByteDance to sell or spin off its U.S. TikTok business within 90 days. TikTok has sued the U.S. administration to block the order issued on Aug. 6, arguing it is unconstitutional. Trump, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and the Department of Commerce were listed as defendants in the 39-page indictment. The U.S. Commerce Department said Friday that according to the order on Aug. 6, as of Sunday, any moves to distribute or maintain TikTok on app stores such as Apple Store and Google Play will be prohibited, and a more extensive ban against the app would be applied from Nov. 12. TikTok replied on Friday that it felt disappointed with the decision. After Trump's remarks earlier in the day, the department posted a statement on its official website Saturday afternoon to postpone the ban against the popular app. "In light of recent positive developments, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, at the direction of President Trump, will delay the prohibition of identified transactions pursuant to Executive Order 13942, related to the TikTok mobile application that would have been effective on Sunday, September 20, 2020, until September 27, 2020 at 11:59 p.m," said the U.S. Commerce Department. U.S. users rushed to download the popular app. TikTok downloads rose 12 percent to 247,000 in the US on Friday compared to the previous day, according to preliminary estimates from Sensor Tower, which tracks mobile apps. China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Saturday that it is resolutely opposed to the U.S. move to block downloads of WeChat and TikTok apps, urging the United States to immediately stop bullying and safeguard international rules and order. In the absence of any evidence, the United States has repeatedly used state power to suppress the two enterprises for unwarranted reasons, which seriously disrupted their normal business activities, undermined the confidence of international investors in the U.S. investment environment, and damaged the normal global economic and trade order, the MOC said in a statement. Users showed their strong support for the platform as well. Cosette Rinab, a 21-year-old TikTok star, and two other creators, said Friday night that they had filed a lawsuit challenging Trump's ban on the app. "This journey is not over, I am excited to announce myself, @dougmar_, and @imalechambers have filed a lawsuit challenging the President's decision to ban TikTok and take away our voices and rights to reach our audience. I am proud to be part of the TikTok Creator Community, and we do not give up a fight!" Her Instagram page read. TikTok, for its part, hopes users continue enjoying their lives on the platform featuring user-made videos of three to 60 seconds. "We're delighted that the individuals who've turned their creativity on TikTok into thriving careers, the small businesses using TikTok to connect with customers during the pandemic, and the families who've found joy and connection through our platform will be able to use TikTok for many years to come," the company said in the statement. Enditem Were beyond frustrated with the inaction and posturing in Washington over a new coronavirus relief package while Americans continue to suffer from one of the deepest economic disruptions in history. Congress and the White House have fiddled for so long, it is now just weeks before the November elections. Leaders of both parties see a relief bill only as a path to political advantage. Meanwhile, millions of Americans are still unemployed. Families are going hungry. School districts are scraping for resources to reopen. Local governments are slashing budgets and staff. The country still doesnt have enough testing, contact tracing and personal protective equipment should the virus surge in the winter months. People cant wait until after Election Day for a lifeline. Congress and the president need to make a deal now. The House passed a $3.3 trillion relief bill in May, with another round of direct payments to Americans, unemployment money, small business aid, school aid, rental assistance and nearly $1 trillion in aid to state and local governments. Republicans, including Rep. John Katko, voted against it, saying it was larded with non-coronavirus items. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has since said shed consider reducing the size of the package to $2.2 trillion. The Senate never even took up the House bill. In July, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell could not rally support for a $1 trillion bill from Republicans who opposed spending that much. He put forth a skinny $300 billion bill that aided businesses and schools but had no direct payments, no state and local aid and no rental assistance. It wasnt nearly enough. Democrats (plus one Republican) voted it down. Hoping to break the stalemate, a bipartisan group of centrists last week put out a $1.5 trillion relief package that splits the difference. The framework from the Problem Solvers Caucus proposes aid to small businesses, the unemployed, schools, individuals and $500 million for state and local governments. The details are too few to score it as legislation. But its a serious proposal and a good start. Two local House members belong to the Problem Solvers Caucus: Republican Katko and Democrat Anthony Brindisi. Both are in tough re-election fights. So are many other members of the caucus. They know they cant come home empty-handed. The leaders of both parties also are feeling the heat. Under pressure from her own caucus, Pelosi said last week the House will stay in session until a coronavirus deal is reached. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump called on Republicans to go for much higher numbers and authorize another round of stimulus payments for Americans. No amount of wishful thinking will make the coronavirus go away. Its with us for the long haul. So are its economic effects. Americans are suffering. They need help now. Do your job, Congress. Loading About Syracuse.com editorials Editorials represent the collective opinion of the Advance Media New York editorial board. Our opinions are independent of news coverage. Read our mission statement. Members of the editorial board are Tim Kennedy, Trish LaMonte, Katrina Tulloch and Marie Morelli. To respond to this editorial: Submit a comment through the Google form above, or submit a letter or commentary to letters@syracuse.com. Read our submission guidelines. If you have questions about the Opinions & Editorials section, contact Marie Morelli, editorial/opinion leader, at mmorelli@syracuse.com By Thomas Neuburger. Originally published at DownWithTryanny! Boogaloo Boys. Are these people any match for the hegemonic state? When the government watches you 24 hours a day, you cant use the word liberty. Thats the relationship between a master and a slave. Chris Hedges, speaking with Chris Hedges, speaking with Juliana Forlano Theres more in Julianna Forlanos Act.tv interview with Chris Hedges than I can do justice to in a short piece, but I will say he has all the answers; hes figured it out. Forlanos questions are brilliant and she asks the right ones, from the meaning of the Assange extradition hearing to whether there will be a revolution in the U.S., what it will look like, and what the elite response will look like. His thoughts on the Sanders campaigns (both of them) are more nuanced than you might think based on Hedges oft-played soundbites, and they make perfect sense. Context is everything, and Chris Hedges comes to his analyses from the right set of contexts. If you stand on the earth and look at the planets, their motion makes no sense at all. If you stand on the sun, what the planets are doing is obvious. The same with Hedges. When you start from his starting point, what you see around you soon becomes perfectly clear. A New Totalitarian State or the One We Have Already? But lets focus briefly on just one of the questions he was asked, about the possible emergence of a new, Trump-led totalitarian state, a possibility liberals and other Biden supporters are making much noise about these days. And like Hedges, lets start from the right starting point, which is this: Biden is the candidate of the elites, of almost everyone who counts in America. For them, Trump is an aberration, a mole that must be removed. If that isnt obvious, it should be the evidence is everywhere, from all the non-Fox news sources, to the behavior most of our public figures, even to the behavior of a great many Republican leaders. Given this as context, lets look at the possibility of a descent into Trump-led totalitarianism during and immediately following the next election. In short, will Trump seize power, dictator-like, to win and rule like Mussolini? This is the Big Fear in Democratic eyes, the one weve been hearing about, week after week after week. Its possible, of course. But consider: 1. Trump doesnt have the backing of the military; theyve made that perfectly clear. Without the military, the only possible coup will have to come from the courts. 2. Trump may have the instincts of a dictator, but he doesnt have the skills or the desire to put in the work. Frankly, if he really wanted to be a dictator, hed be one already. Hes an egocentric, relatively mindless, easily distracted, lazy, unbright narcissist whose monomania is simply himself the incoming adoration he basks in minute-to-minute; the minute-to-minute state of his pleasure; the joy he takes in disrupting any room hes in before he leaves it. Sure hes a person like the rest of us in many ways hes functional, or his kids would put him away and he has a feral understanding of interpersonal dominance. But he does wake up each day asking, How can I be more like Mussolini? It doesnt seem so. From all appearances, instead he wakes up asking, How can I enjoy myself today? Wheres my fun going to come from? Lets start with a couple hours of Fox, and see where things go from there. 3. Finally, as noted above, Trump is not the candidate of the oligarchy, of the American hegemonic state and most of its private organs like CNN and the mainstream press. Biden is their candidate, and its been obvious since forever. The oligarchy wants Trump gone, and wants it badly. The military wants him gone, the CIA wants him gone, the press wants him gone, the diplomatic service wants him gone, and most of the billionaires want him gone. Yes, some are neutral and a few, like Sheldon Adelson, are rabid supporters, but most of the rest CEOs of Google, Apple, military and security companies like Raytheon and Boeing, and any business doing business in China are truly set against him. Bankers are perhaps agnostic about his election, but if they have pro-Trump preferences they can easily surrender them. After all, the bankers will make bundles either way. Same with the energy giants. Biden is talking a decent climate-change game, but his actions send messages everyone understands: Fossil fuel profits are safe in my administration. The risk that the Democratic Party will disrupt the Establishment game has been dispatched. They kicked Sanders and his people off the Interstate months ago. Let them complain; its back roads for all of them now. As an alternative to Trump, the Party now offers a new Ronald Reagan, their sleepy iteration anyway, and theyre begging Reagan voters to vote for him. Who among those who matter could complain about that? Battles in the Courts, Not in the Streets With this new context in mind, lets look at the terror-porn fantasy, war in the streets with a Nazi Germany outcome, by considering these four cases. First, if Trump wins in a landslide, or at least by a comfortable margin, hes in. Democratic voters will take to the streets (they should), but it wont change the outcome. There will be hell to pay afterward the country may well come apart but thats a different story. (There will be hell to pay after this election no matter who wins it.) If Biden wins in a landslide, hes in and nothing can unseat him. The Boogaloo Boys may take to the streets, and if so, the cops will coddle them. But if protest turns into a battle between Boogaloos and Biden supporters, the state will eventually shut the whole thing down and let it die off, as it did with the left-inspired George Floyd protests. If Trump wins narrowly by less than the number of disqualified ballots, for example there will be disruption for a while, but then it will go to the courts, probably a whole series of them, state and federal. Public life will be messy and uncomfortable for a while and people will take to the streets. But when the courts decide the outcome, it will be over. Someone, most likely not Trump, will be president, though a Trump win is possible. Keep in mind, Trump is not the candidate of the oligarchy, of the small clutch of people who actually run the country. Biden is. So Biden has the edge. If the presidency can be handed to Biden it will be. If it has to be handed to Trump, it will be, but not because the Boogaloos and their fascist cop friends let the streets run red with anger. It will be handed to Trump because Trumps case is too strong to overturn, even for the oligarchs. And if you fear a Supreme Court coup like the one in 2000, ask yourself: Who was the candidate of the oligarchy in that election? Clearly it was Bush; even the mainstream press hated Gore, assigning his worst critics to cover his campaign. So of course when the Supreme Court decided in Bushs favor, there wasnt much fuss and enough affirmation that even the public stood down. Yes, the Roberts Court is a right-wing court, but would even John Roberts, who sees as his primary mission to protect the Courts legitimacy, let the Court rule for Trump if Bidens case was strong enough to go with and all the elites were solidly on his side? Its possible, but I dont think so. Remember, most of the Republican powerful hate Trump as well, and the oligarchys candidate is Biden. Republicans can take another shot in 2024, not that far away, and Biden in the meantime could prove useful. In addition, a narrow Trump win will be questionable at best its already looking a bit rigged and easy to overturn if one is inclined to. If the Court does decide against Biden, the reasons will have to be solid, since oligarchic thumbs, many on Republican hands, will be tilting scales toward Biden throughout the process. Bottom line: Roberts is a Republican. Which Republican powers will he listen to? Finally, if Biden wins narrowly, hes in for sure. Again, it will take a bunch of court cases to sort it out, and the nation will look a bit of a mess for a while. But in the end, the candidate of the elites the people with real power just wont be denied, especially if the alternative is four more years of that moron Trumps sobriquet among most of them, including many who serve ostensibly work for him. Yes, a close Biden win will spark a kind of war in the streets, at least for a while. But do you think the guardians of the state will let street punks, even their own street punks, put that moron back in power, when they have Joe Biden teed up and ready to go? For the reasons noted above, I think even Justice Roberts will go along. After Biden Wins Biden was almost created for just this moment, to be the able caretaker of our predatory state at a time when most of the country would elect a stuffed doll just to be rid of Trump. In the short run at least, voters and elites alike just want someone to get the machine rolling again, regardless of what it does. With Biden in charge, the machine can shift back into high and return to course. After our Trumpian nightmare, Biden looks like a dream. But not for long. Biden could bring his own nightmare. Its after Biden wins and rules for a while shows his own destructive inclinations that a real war could begin. Ill make a prediction. After Biden takes power on behalf of the people he really represents predatory elites who care only about themselves and will gladly let people sicken and die in droves so long as their profits are safe the battle wont be oligarchs versus Trump. That day is done; our lazy, incompetent captain of the hegemonic ship will be gone for good. Instead, the combatants will be Biden and the ruling elite against almost everyone else whose lives they control, citizens of a nation whose hurt they will never heal. If you truly fear a modern civil war, fear it after the oligarchs retake control. (Todays title, Civil War? What Civil War? echoes the title of this Nicole Sandler interview Crisis? What Crisis? in which Nicole and I discuss many of these same subjects. If you click to listen, the interview starts at the 26-minute mark.) Agra, Sep 20 : India's star tourist attraction, the 17th-century monument of love, the Taj Mahal, and the Agra Fort, are all set to reopen from Monday, after an unprecedented closure of six months, due to Covid-19 pandemic. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officials have made all necessary arrangement for the reopening. Amar Nath Gupta, caretaker of the Taj Mahal, said: "Sanitisation at the Eastern and the Western gates, thermal screening, painting of circles for social distancing, etc., are in place. Only 2,500 visitors will be permitted inside the mausoleum in one shift and this will only be possible through online booking. Foreigners will need to buy Rs 1,100 entrance tickets and domestic visitors will be able to enter paying Rs 50 per ticket. Rs 200 ticket is additional to enter the main platform for a view of the graves of Emperor Shah Jahan and his beloved consort Mumtaz Mahal. Meanwhile, the health department reported 105 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours. The total number is now 4,706, of which 3,727 have recovered. The number of active cases is 862. So far, there have been 117 deaths. Meanwhile, the Agra University late on Saturday evening announced postponement of MBBS exams scheduled from Monday after 25 medicos tested positive. They have been admitted to the isolation ward. University officials said the new dates will be announced after consultation with S.N. Medical College authorities. I knew him very well. In the party, he was invariably non-controversial, low-profile, well-mannered and always very guarded and measured in his utterances. A perfect description of the late George Michael Chambers, the countrys second prime minister and political leader of the Peoples National Movement (PNM), from Ferdie Ferreira, a foundation member, in his book Political Encounters 1946 -2016. As the daily headlines and mounting death tolls sow widespread anxiety among a population grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, many businesses and others have sought to ease fears through a newfound and costly obsession with deep cleaning and sanitizing. The pandemic-era trend of publicly exhibiting all sanitation efforts has taken both the private and public sector by storm, but some medical experts express concern that these surface-cleaning endeavors may not be the most effective means of combatting the spread of the respiratory virus. MORE: Masks may offer better protection against COVID-19 than any potential vaccine: Experts Hotels in California proudly display their $100,000 UV disinfecting robots. United Airlines similarly announced it was using high-tech antimicrobial-spraying robots on some aircrafts to ensure the "deepest cleanings." United noted that it was a complementary technology used in combination with masks and other measures. The New York City subway system, which operates around the clock, announced nighttime closures for the first time in its history in order to disinfect train cars, a move that comes with an estimated additional price tag of $500 million in 2020 alone. That price tag includes a small portion for protective gear and temperatures checks for employees. The often-overlooked sanitizing industry has boomed. Stock for Clorox reached a new all-time high last month, and has spiked some 35% in 2020. And a slew of private firms and startups touting disinfecting wands and other gadgets have also reported skyrocketing spikes in interest. PHOTO: In this Aug. 14, 2020, file photo, an employee cleans a hallway as he walks by a seat wipe station at a theater in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images, FILE) The public-facing displays of disinfecting efforts by companies have been dubbed "hygiene theater" in a recent The Atlantic article, which equated the showy presentations to the post-9/11 "security theater" phenomena, an endeavor that was slammed for focusing more on quelling peoples worries rather than actions that actually emphasized safety. Story continues Is there a 'danger' in so-called hygiene theater? Dr. Emanuel Goldman, a microbiology professor at Rutgers University and co-editor of the Practical Handbook of Microbiology, warned in a commentary published in the medical journal Lancet in July that the risk of catching COVID-19 from a surface has been "exaggerated" and became one of the major voices raising concerns over misdirecting resources to so-called "hygiene theater." Goldman told ABC News that the "danger" of hygiene theater is that "it changes the focus from what will really protect you, and that is protecting what you breathe." Obsessive cleaning in a pandemic is not necessarily a bad thing, Goldman clarified, especially for high-touch, high-traffic locations such grocery store checkout lanes. "When you start applying this strategy to the New York City subways for example, public school systems, then its starting to be a bad thing, because it's wasting limited resources," he said. "In the case of the New York City subways, it's not only a huge hit on their budget, its also a tremendous inconvenience on their transportation system to be shut down every night." PHOTO: In this May 23 ,2020, file photo, an MTA cleaning contractor sprays Shockwave RTU disinfectant inside a New York City subway car on the Upper East Side during the coronavirus pandemic in New York. (Noam Galai/Getty Images, FILE) Earlier this week, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the agency that runs the subway, issued a desperate plea for $12 billion in federal funding, warning that without it, all supplier contracts are in jeopardy. Ken Lovett, a senior advisor to the chairman and CEO at the MTA, told ABC News in a statement that the MTA "resolved to do everything we could to keep our customers and heroic employees safe, and we continue to do that with round-the-clock cleaning and disinfecting of stations and rolling stock, piloting new methods like UV lights, anti-microbials and electrostatic sprayers, and requiring everyone in the system wear masks." "Even while the subway fresh air exchange far exceeds the minimum rates required by the CDC for certain health care facilities and restaurants, we are tackling the aerosol issue by bringing new technologies to address the issue through the COVID Challenge and we will continue to respond in real-time to do everything we can to keep our customers safe," he added. Goldman said that he also received an email recently from a teacher who read his research and told him her school board was planning on shutting the schools down one day a week for "deep cleaning." "They have limited resources, thats going to cost a lot of money, thats going to cost time," he said. "I wrote the school board for her and miraculously, they listened to me, and redirected their budget to ventilation systems, because breathing is where you catch this disease." MORE: CDC reverses testing guidelines after report of interference Ultimately, high tech and pricey sanitizing equipment is not necessary in most cases, according to Goldman. "Soap and water kills COVID," he said. "Ordinary alcohol kills COVID." Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Boston Childrens Hospital, told ABC News that so-called hygiene theater can be "really important" in certain circumstances -- such as healthcare settings or places where high-risk individuals live or work, where he says, "we want to do everything as much as possible to reduce transmission." He added, however, that "these kinds of interventions are not absolutely appropriate for every setting." What is the risk of catching COVID-19 from a surface? Brownstein explained to ABC News that there was a "theoretical risk" that you could catch COVID-19 from a surface, but it is "probably not the predominant mode of transmission." The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that "it may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this isnt thought to be the main way the virus spreads." The international World Health Organization says that fomite transmission is "considered a likely mode of transmission" for COVID-19, but adds that despite evidence that the virus can survive on surfaces, "there are no specific reports which have directly demonstrated fomite transmission." The U.N. health agency also noted that people who come in contact with potentially infectious surfaces often also have close contact with an infected person, making distinctions between respiratory droplet and fomite transmission difficult to discern. While there have been studies conducted in the past that show COVID-19 can live on surfaces, Goldman said that in real-world scenarios outside of a lab he found evidence of surface (or fomite) transmission of the virus "to be extremely weak." PHOTO: In this July 9, 2020, file photo, cleaning supervisor Jose Mendoza uses an electrostatic sprayer to disinfect the cabin area of a United Airlines 737 jet before passengers are allowed to board at LAX in Los Angeles. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images, FILE) "A lot of steps have to happen before you would get transmission of the virus from a surface," Goldman told ABC News. "First, you would have to have someone infected cough or sneeze on that surface. Next, you would have to have the individual touch that surface within I would say within the hour or two, and then without washing their hands in between touch their faces, mouth, ears or eyes." He added that there is then a "presumed risk" of catching the virus that way. "I dont want to misinform people," he added. "Hand-washing is still important. Proper hygiene is still important. That would be important even if there was no pandemic -- Thats what we should be doing anyways." If not obsessive surface cleaning, where should efforts be focused? Brownstein said that one of his biggest concerns with hygiene theater is that "it's just not sustainable." "Were asking the population and industry to do a lot and at some point there is going to be pandemic fatigue," he added. He noted that the more experts attempt to enforce these sorts of efforts around a theoretical risk, "the more chance people are just going to, basically, not want to implement them." "We know that things like mask-wearing is so critical, lets focus on the handful of issues that we know are driving those transmissions," he added. Similarly, Goldman told ABC News that, "the most important things that can be done is to wear a mask." While hygiene theater has been largely welcomed by an anxious public, mask-wearing, what experts say is one of the best lines of defense against the spread, has become a flashpoint in the U.S. Besides strict adherence to mask-wearing, both experts said social distancing, moving indoor activities outdoors, and improving ventilation systems are key for combatting the virus' spread. Finally, Goldman said if you are entering a store or restaurant or elsewhere, don't look first to their hygiene theater routine for assurance. Rather, he recommends checking out if all of the workers and people are wearing masks, what socially-distancing measures are being implemented and even asking about ventilation efforts. 'Hygiene theater': Disinfecting sprays and sanitizing robots alone wont keep you safe from COVID-19 originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Introduction: The Bongo District CSOs Platform on SDGs in an effort to promote transparency and accountability of public resource management for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals embarked on monitoring and tracking of COVID-19 response activities and resources in the district. As a strategy to obtain adequate, accurate and reliable information for tracking and monitoring of the COVID-19 response activities of the government and political parties, the Platform began the process by organizing public engagement forums on radio with the Bongo District Assembly and the political parties contesting the 2020 general elections to engage with citizens especially community advocacy teams on their respective activities aimed at not only containing and preventing the spread of the virus but also mitigating the impact of Covid-19 on the population. Public Engagement Forum with District Assembly: The Bongo District Assembly led by the District Chief Executive (DCE), Hon Peter Ayimbisa in the engagement forum on Bongo Community Radio stated that the Assembly had used a total of Two Hundred and Thirty Six Thousand, Three Hundred Ghana Cedis (Ghc236, 300.00) from the Assemblys Common Fund and the District Performance Assessment Tool (D-PAT) to provide 173 Veronica buckets, 1,753 liquid soap, 323 hand sanitizers, 876 tissue, 4,150 nose masks and 5 thermometers. It was stated further that the Assembly had always prioritized water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in its development agenda and had therefore planned and budgeted for key development projects to promote WASH in the district even before the advent of Covid-19. These projects were listed as one mechanized borehole with 3 poly-tanks in the Bongo town market, hand pump borehole at Zorko market with 3 poly-tanks, and another 3 Poly-tanks provided in Bongo-Soe market which was to be connected to small town water project in the area. It was stated that the Assembly also constructed toilet facility in the Bongo market square and was waiting to be connected to the mechanized borehole in the same area. The Hon DCE added that another toilet facility which was constructed near the house of the linguist of the paramount chief was about to be commissioned for use following the procurement of some remaining items worth Ghc3,000.00 for its completion. According to the DCE, more toilet facilities had been constructed by the Assembly in a number of locations in the district with considerable large public gatherings. In providing the specifics, the DCE said new 10-seated toilet facilities had been constructed and these were located near the District Health Management Team (DHMT) in Bongo as well as Adaboya, Feo, Namoo, Asogta, Balungu and Soe communities. In an acknowledgement of the contributions of development partners to the fight against Covid-19 pandemic, the support of Water Aid Ghana was acknowledged and appreciated as the organization provided 20 veronica buckets, 20 liquid soap, 250 hand sanitizers, 20 tissue paper, 500 nose masks and 3 thermometers. The Bongo District Assembly used the opportunity to sensitize the people about policy interventions, resources and opportunities in the 2020 Mid-year Budget Statement of the Government meant to reduce the impact of Covid-19 on the people and mentioned the extension of free water policy for another 3 months, free electricity for households consuming 50kw and 50% of those consuming beyond 50kw, allocation and disbursement of Ghc 600 million to support Covid-19 impacted businesses. It was said that a number of applicants especially those who applied for smaller amounts had started receiving the support through their mobile money accounts. Public Engagement Forum with the Political Parties: Political parties took turns in the engagement forum to share with the public, the impact of the pandemic on their campaign activities, contributions of the parties to fighting the pandemic and their commitments to providing more Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as well as observing the health and safety protocols. In addressing the engagement forum, the Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Bongo Constituency, Mr Awinmakya Nsobila Stephen stated among others that the party led by the Chairman and Member of Parliament had always valued the lives of the people of Bongo and therefore used the Common Fund of the MP and other party funds to provide 75 Veronica buckets to markets and other areas of social gathering, 1,296 liquid soap, 400 hand sanitizers, 265 tissue paper, 10 thermometers to Bongo hospital and clinics in Zorko, Anafobiisi , Namoo, Soe and Awaglega communities. According to him, the NDC was the first party to do a jingle on Radio Bongo to sensitize the people of Covid-19 and how to contain and prevent the spread of Covid-19. The party also visited all communities and markets in the district for public sensitizations on the safety protocols and how to contain and prevent its spread. On the NDC partys commitment to prioritizing supply of PPE in gatherings for political activities in the elections, the Constituency Secretary said the party had committed to using 50% of its resources to providing more nose masks and ensuring availability of adequate water and liquid soap at campaign grounds for proper hand washing. He added that the NDC would meet with smaller groups instead of large gatherings to sell their campaign message. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) on its part, said the number of nose masks, veronica buckets, liquid soap, thermometers, tissue paper and other Covid-19 response items that the party in government and the DCE who is also the parliamentary candidate did for the people in Bongo were countless and could not be mentioned within the time-frame of the programme. He said the DCE and Parliamentary Candidate, for instance, used his own pocket money to provide 80 veronica buckets to the various markets in the District and also worked hard to get the support of Water Aid Ghana to support the whole district with many items. Like the NDC, the NPP represented by the Constituency Communication Officer, Mr. Kwame Amoah also stated the partys commitment to a continued observation of the safety protocols and reducing the usual partys T-Shirts, handkerchiefs and other paraphernalia and rather increasing the supply of Covid-19 response items. Field Monitoring and Tracking: The Platform after obtaining a lot of information from the District Assembly and Political Parties on Covid-19 response activities and projects undertaken by them then embarked on field monitoring and tracking of the activities and projects shared during the engagement forum. In the five communities that were visited, a number of the projects were seen but with some still under construction. Most of the veronica buckets were without water and liquid soap. Conclusion: The Bongo District CSOs Platform on SDGs would continue to monitor progress of those projects under construction for documentation and reporting. Signed Bismark Adongo Ayorogo (Convener) Thousands of Israelis resumed their weekly protest Sunday outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus official residence in central Jerusalem, despite a new nationwide lockdown order aimed at curbing a raging coronavirus outbreak. An exception allowing people to hold public demonstrations was included in the three-week lockdown imposed last Friday. But many participants in the gathering appeared to ignore social-distancing rules that order them to remain in small separated capsules of people. Thousands of Israelis have participated in the protests throughout the summer, calling on Netanyahu to resign while he is on trial for corruption charges and accusing him of bungling the countrys coronavirus crisis. In the ultra-Orthodox town of Bnei Brak near Israels commercial hub of Tel Aviv, over 100 activists took to the streets and burned garbage to protest restrictions on gatherings for public prayers. The demonstrations restarted hours after the end of the Jewish new year holiday, Rosh Hashana. Netanyahus government imposed the new lockdown just hours before the holiday began. Israels first lockdown, in March and April, put a damper on Passover, the Jewish spring holiday marking the deliverance of the ancient Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. Netanyahu is charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases. His criminal trial began in June, but he has refused to step down from office and denies any wrongdoing. After moving quickly to contain an outbreak last spring, Israel appears to have reopened its economy too quickly. The country now has one of the highest per-capita rates of coronavirus in the world, and critics say the new lockdown measures will hurt an already struggling economy. Israel has recorded more than 180,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 1,200 deaths. Eddie Murphy won his first-ever Emmy on the fifth and final night of the virtual 2020 Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Saturday. The legendary actor and comedian, 59, took home the award for Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series for his hosting spot on Saturday Night Live last December. Murphy had some stiff competition in the category: beating out Brad Pitt and Adam Driver who were also up for SNL roles, Fred Willard in Modern Family (in a posthumous nomination), Dev Patel in Modern Love and Luke Kirby for his role as Lenny Bruce on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Finally! Eddie Murphy won his first-ever Emmy for his Saturday Night Live hosting gig during Saturday's virtual 2020 Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Saturday Murphy wasn't available to accept his Emmy during on the virtual Creative Emmys FXX telecast. His guest starring episode marked the show's highest ratings in over two years. His return to Saturday Night Live as host was his first appearance on the longtime NBC sketch comedy in 35 years. Legendary: Murphy, 59, brought back some of his most famous characters when he hosted SNL in December 2019 Long wait: Murphy's SNL appearance was his first since leaving the show as a regular in 1984 The Brooklyn, New York native joined the SNL cast for season six in 1980 when he was just 19-years-old, and lasted until his departure in 1984. His run on SNL helped launch his meteoric rise as a stand-up comedian and A-list leading man in such films as 48 Hours, Trading Places, the Beverly Hills Cop franchise, The Nutty Professor, Dreamgirls, the Shrek franchise, Dr. Doolittle and Dolemite Is My Name, among others. Murphy had previous been nominated for four Emmys over the years which included Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy, Variety, Or Music series for SNL in 1983; both Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety Or Music Program and Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series for SNL in 1984; and Outstanding Animated Programming, Hour Or Less for The PJs in 1999. Another SNL winner! Maya Rudolph won her second Emmy this week when she took home the trophy for Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series for her impression of United States Senator and 2020 Vice Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris on SNL The night's event also crowned Maya Rudolph a two-time Emmy winner. The 49-year-old actress and comedian won the award for Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series for her impression of United States Senator and 2020 Vice Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris on Saturday Night Live. Rudolph was up against herself in the category for her role on The Good Place alongside fellow nominees Wanda Sykes for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Bette Midler for The Politician and Phoebe Waller-Bridge for SNL. Earlier this week the Florida native won an Emmy for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance for her role as Connie The Hormone Monstress on Netflixs animated series Big Mouth. Whoops: The final night of the event had a major hitch during the announcement of the winner for Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series Blunder: During the reveal for Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series, a voiceover announced Jason Bateman the winner for The Outsider as This Is Us Ron Cephas Jones appeared onscreen The last night of the event was not without a major hitch. During the announcement of the winner for Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series, a voiceover announced nominee Jason Bateman's name for his guest role in The Outsider as This Is Us Ron Cephas Jones appeared onscreen. Producers sent the telecast to a break to deal with the issue and then returned a few minutes later to clarify that Cephas Jones was in fact the winner, along with an apology for the editing mistake. Some of the other notable winners on the final night of the virtual 2020 Creative Arts Emmy Awards include: Dave Chappelle's Sticks & Sones for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) and Outstanding Writing For A Variety Special; Bad Education won Outstanding Television Movie; The Cave took home the award for Exceptional Merit In Documentary Filmmaking; Rick And Morty won Outstanding Animated Program; and Watchmen took home the trophy for Outstanding Casting For A Limited Series, Movie Or Special. After cutting to a break the event returned and clarified that Cephas Jones was in fact the winner for Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series for This Is Us RuPaul won the award for Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Competition Program for the fifth time in a row with RuPaul's Drag Race. That set a new record for the most victories in the categorys 13-year history. In his acceptance speech, RuPaul (born RuPaul Andre Charles) dedicated the win to the late Chi Chi DeVayne, and urged fans to get out and vote in the upcoming election. The 59-year-old beat out fellow nominees Nicole Byer for Nailed It!, Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman for Making It, the cast of Shark Tank, and the cast of Queer Eye. Locked-down Melburnians could be freed in two weeks as experts predict the average number of daily cases will fall below five in the next two weeks. Victoria recorded just 11 new infections on Monday and two deaths - the lowest number in three months - pushing Melbourne's 14-day average down to 34.4, well below the state's target of 50 which was the mark for restrictions to be lifted. Under Daniel Andrews' targets, restrictions will be eased in Melbourne on September 28 but the lockdown won't be fully lifted until after October 26 with a 14-day average of five or less coronavirus cases. Melbourne University head of population and global health Nancy Baxter believes state's average will be less than five within just two weeks. Professor Baxter is hopeful this will see the state reopen 'a couple of weeks early'. Locked-down Melbourne residents could be freed by mid-October as experts predict cases will fall below five in the next two weeks. Pictured: Women walking through Footscray during protests on Sunday Victoria recorded just 14 new infections on Sunday, the lowest number in three months. Pictured: Police talking to a protester on Sunday 'It's going to be at least a week and a bit from now, because even if we got down to almost zero, we have the tail, the numbers from the past 14 days, adding into our averages,' she told the Herald Sun. Deakin University head of epidemiology Catherine Bennett agreed with Professor Baxter and said it was due to the state's testing and tracing improving during the second wave. Ms Bennett also believes Victoria could fall below the magic number of five cases by the end of September and hopes it will give the government 'confidence to reset some markers'. Melbourne University Professor Tony Blakely is not as bullish about the fall as some of his counterparts, predicting daily cases will fall to ten by September 28. 'We are on a good track if the recent past predicts the near future,' Mr Blakely said. 'If we are aiming for tight suppression, which I am led to believe we are, and it is consistent with opening up borders and a hot spot strategy, then there is a case for considering opening up to step three earlier than October 26.' Kids on scooters are seen enjoying the warm weather at Elwood Beach in Melbourne over the weekend Large numbers of Police arrive at Chadstone Shopping Centre as they respond to a small group of protesters who appeared in the Supermarket CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement Premier Daniel Andrews declared Sunday's low cases was a 'cause for great optimism and positivity right across metropolitan Melbourne'. Mr Andrews said the path towards easing rules would be constantly reviewed, but he is standing firm by his 'safe and steady' approach. 'That is proof positive beyond any question that this strategy is working,' he said at Sunday's press conference. 'There's no good opening up too early. There's no good letting our frustrations get the better of us. 'All that will mean is that everything metropolitan Melbourne has given, everything that everyone has done to produce these low, but still not low enough, numbers will count for nothing.' Optimism has risen among Melbourne small businesses, with a survey showing 35 per cent now believe the Victorian economy will be better in one year's time. That compares with just 17 per cent in August believing the state's economy will improve by then, the Sensis Business Index shows. More also think the national economy will mend, with 26 per cent saying it will be better in a year compared with 14 per cent last month. Premier Daniel Andrews declared Sunday's low cases was a 'cause for great optimism and positivity right across metropolitan Melbourne' Locals are seen at Elwood Beach in Melbourne during the COVID-19 Crisis over the weekend Despite the premier's upbeat tone, frustrations were evident on Sunday as anti-lockdown protests continued in Melbourne. More than a dozen protesters illegally gathered at Chadstone Shopping Centre and belted out a rendition of John Farnham's You're The Voice before police intervened. Two people were arrested and six were issued fines, adding to Saturday's 16 arrests and 21 fines after up to 100 people rallied in Melbourne's inner beachside suburb of Elwood. People wearing face masks to help protect against the spread of the coronavirus walk under a banner informing mandatory mask wearing in front of Seoul City Hall in Seoul, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. AP South Korea's new coronavirus cases dipped below 100 for the first time in more than a month on Sunday on the back of the country's strict social distancing scheme, but untraceable infections still pose a challenge to the country's virus fight. The country added 82 more COVID-19 cases, including 72 local infections, taking the total caseload to 22,975, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It marked the first time for the daily tally to fall below 100 since Aug. 14. The two-digit figure, however, apparently came as fewer tests are normally carried out over the weekend. The country's new daily infections have been in the triple digits for more than a month on a surge in cases tied to a church in northern Seoul and an anti-government rally in mid-August. The greater Seoul area that houses around half of the nation's population earlier adopted the so-called enhanced social distancing policy, which made it mandatory for restaurants to offer only takeout after 9 p.m. This was lifted last week, but the Level 2 scheme is still in force nationwide. MINSK, Belarus (AP) Thousands of protesters who have flooded Belarusian cities for six weeks of demonstrations to demand an end to the 26-year rule of the countrys authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko include people of all ages, professions and social groups. While younger people make up the bulk of the protests pushing for Lukashenkos resignation after the Aug. 9 vote that the opposition sees as rigged, many retirees also have joined the daily demonstrations. Some of them spoke to The Associated Press about their motives and their hopes. NINA BAHINSKAYA The 73-year-old former geologist has become one of the most recognizable faces of Belarus protests, fearlessly waving a huge red-and-white opposition flag in front of riot police. On more than 100 occasions, the police seized the flag from her, but every time she would make a new one. When police told her that she was violating a ban on unauthorized demonstrations, she responded by saying Im taking a walk the snappy reply now chanted by thousands of participants in daily protests. A selfie with Bahinskaya has become a popular rite for many young protesters. I noticed that the riot police more rarely beat protesters when they see elderly people among them, she told The Associated Press. So I come out to protest as a defender, an observer and a witness. Im psychologically and intellectually stronger than the police. Even among those who detained me, there were people who respected me. Bahinskaya says she overcame her fear of authorities when Belarus was still part of the Soviet Union. She was detained dozens of times and the fines she was ordered to pay have run into the equivalent of $20,000. MIKHAIL BATSYAN The 69-year-old former diplomat took part in opposition protests long before last month's vote. His daughter fled the country to Ukraine with her boyfriend after they were beaten by police in the first days after the election, but Batsyan continued to attend demonstrations together with his wife. Story continues Now we attend the marches together, Batsyan said. Our dream is to live in a free Belarus at least for a while. I have seen a lot in my life, I dont fear anything anymore and I cant look at whats going on with indifference. The opposition has adopted the red-and-white flag that was the state flag of Belarus in the first years after the Soviet collapse until it was replaced with a modified version of its Soviet-era flag in 1995. Batsyan proudly takes the red-and-white flag that flew over the Belarusian Embassy in Vienna when he worked there in the early 1990s to protests. TAMARA RUZHENKOVA Ruzhenkova, a 66-year-old former cello teacher at a musical school, sees the regular protests as a breath of fresh air. She denounced Lukashenkos description of protesters as drug addicts, noting that his speeches demonstrate a complete lack of culture. I don't want that president. I have no respect for him and feel shame" for what he says and how he says it, she said. Ruzhenkova said Lukashenkos cavalier dismissal of the coronavirus outbreak, which he advised people to ward off by riding a tractor, having a regular shot of vodka and visiting saunas, angered Belarusians and helped fuel the protests. The coronavirus has demonstrated that he hasnt shown any empathy, she said. Ruzhenkova deplored the support offered to Lukashenko by Russia, Belarus main sponsor and ally, arguing that without it Lukashenko would have been forced to step down already. VITAL RAVINSKI Ravinski, a 75-year-old pathologist, attended some protests with his daughter and a granddaughter. I come out to protest so that my children and grandchildren have a good life, he said. By joining the protests, I show that everyone can do it without any fear. Ravinski has become widely popular on social networks when he faced a phalanx of police in full riot gear at a protest shortly after the vote and said: I cant keep watching this madness, and thats why I came here. And I will keep coming until I get killed. LARISA KOVAL The 68-year-old former sales expert said she had little interest in politics before signing up to work as an observer during the Aug. 9 election and witnessing vote-rigging. The way election officials treated us was disgusting and it made me angry, she said. I cant accept such massive lies. Lukashenko has lost his mind, dignity and conscience, hes trying to cheat the entire nation. Early during the protests, she sheltered a young protester when he was hunted by police during a post-election raid in the Belarusian capital. Koval said she attends opposition demonstrations despite having heart problems. I cant allow the thought that Lukashenko will not step down, she said. And I will fight to end his desperate clinging onto power. ALES MARACHKIN Marachkin, an 80-year-old painter, denounces the Belarusian leader who frequently admired the Soviet Union as a Soviet holdover. The authorities have barred Marachkin from having personal exhibitions and removed his paintings from the national art museum. Taking part in protests is a therapy for me, Marachkin said. Otherwise, I would have stayed in bed and would have died long ago. The opposition marches fill me with energy. HALINA LAHATSKAYA The 60-year-old Lahatskaya, who worked in the construction sector, said she tries to speak to riot police when she attends protests, which she has been doing almost every day for a month. Im trying to find something humane in them, she said. She argued that the Belarusian leader has lost public support, noting that even her 94-year-old father who always voted for Lukashenko cast his ballot in August for opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. She would like to personally speak to the Belarusian leader to persuade him to step down. I want to talk to Lukashenko. I think he will listen to me, she said. YAN HRYB The 85-year-old Hryb, a former teacher, said he hopes to live to the day when Lukashenko steps down, adding that it should be declared a national holiday. It will become the countrys main holiday, he said. Hryb lamented that the Belarusians have been patient with Lukashenko for too long. I join protests to make Belarus a democratic and economically developed European country, he said. I have been struggling for it for my entire life. NATALYA KACHANOUSKAYA Kachanouskaya, a 72-year-old English teacher, said she has participated in protests against Lukashenkos rule ever since he took the helm in 1994. Its necessary to learn how to control natural fear, she said. Why should I fear I do everything right! She said she has instructed her 16-year-old grandson how to avoid being detained by police, adding that he was rounded up once because he failed to follow her advice. Im very proud of him! she said. By PTI NEW DELHI: Expressing concern over COVID-19 fatality rates in some states being higher than the national average, the Cabinet secretary on Saturday urged 12 states and UTs to analyse mortalities district and hospital-wise to identify critical areas of intervention. At a high-level review meet, he also exhorted them to ensure optimal utilisation of RT-PCR testing capacity, while underlining the need for ensuring that no symptomatic negative case tested in rapid antigen examination is missed, and all such cases mandatorily undergo RT-PCR test, the Union Health Ministry said. During the meeting chaired by the cabinet secretary, the minister of commerce and industry addressed these states and UTs and reviewed the oxygen availability there. The 12 states and Union Territories that participated in the virtual meet included Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Chandigarh, Telangana, Kerala, Delhi, Punjab and West Bengal, the health ministry said. "About 80 per cent of the COVID-19 caseload in the country is concentrated in these states and UTs," it said. "The Minister of Commerce and Industry specifically requested them to focus on analysing district-level and health facility-level status and effectively plan and manage logistical issues related to oxygen availability," the health ministry said. He also urged the states and Union Territories to share their best practices which in turn can be emulated by others in the country. The Union Health Secretary, Member (Health) in NITI Aayog, Secretary in the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, senior officials of the Health Ministry, Home Ministry and chief secretaries of the 12 states and Union Territories participated in the review meeting. "The cabinet secretary, while complementing the states for significantly ramping up testing, expressed concern that the case fatality rates of several states are still higher than the national average. He urged the states to analyse mortalities district and hospital-wise for identification of critical areas of intervention," the statement said. The Union Health Secretary also presented a detailed status note of COVID-19 in all these states with particular focus on the number of tests being conducted in each of them, their positivity rate and average daily fatality rate, availability of health infrastructure and their district-wise oxygen availability. India's COVID-19 tally of cases mounted to 53,08,014 on Saturday, with 93,337 infections being reported in a day, while the death toll climbed to 85,619 with the virus claiming 1,247 more lives in 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed. As the kind of veteran of the morning show, I think things so far have gone fantastic, Josh said. She was dedicated from the get-go and had a solid idea of what she wanted to bring to this show, and she has followed through on all of that. Kathleen said shes enjoyed getting to see much more of Josh in action as a journalist. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Hes such a good, calm presence in what can be a frantic environment. Hes wonderfully detail-oriented and is a leader in terms of keeping everyone where they need to be, Kathleen said of Josh. I appreciate Joshs even-handed approach to the stories he reports. He is all substance over flash. His goal, over and over, is to represent something clearly and not hype things up. Josh said he appreciated Kathleens passion for and dedication to their shared profession. Some opposition members led by the Trinamool Congress climbed on to the chairman's podium, tore official papers, and heckled the presiding officer as they opposed the government's push to pass two contentious farm bills on Sunday without considering their demand for sending the proposed legislations to a house committee. IMAGE: TMC MP Derek OBrien attempts to tear the rule book as ruckus erupts in the Rajya Sabha over agriculture related bills, during the ongoing Monsoon Session, at Parliament House. Photograph: PTI Photo Ruckus prevailed after Deputy Chairman Harivansh overruled opposition pleas for postponing Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar's reply to the debate on the two bills till Monday as the scheduled sitting time of the House was over. As slogan-shouting opposition members rushed into the well, Harivansh put motions by Congress, TMC, DMK and CPM members for sending the bills to a select committee of Rajya Sabha for greater scrutiny, for vote. He declared the motions have been negated by voice vote even as movers of the motion sought division of votes. As the Chair took clause-by-clause passage of the bills, Derek O'Brien of the TMC and some other opposition members climbed on to the podium showing the rule book to Harivansh. Some members tore official papers. Slogan-shouting members tried to heckle the presiding officer who was protected by House marshals. As unruly scenes prevailed, mikes installed in the House were muted and a few minutes later the proceedings were adjourned for around 15 minutes. When the House re-assembled, the opposition members were again in the well chanting slogans. At least one of them climbed on the table of officials. Harivansh said a division of vote cannot be sought from the well of the House and insisted they should first return to their seats. As per procedure lobbies have to be cleared for enabling electronic voting on a legislation. Amid the uproar and slogan-shouting, the Deputy Chairman put the two bills -- Farmer's Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 -- for approval through voice vote. With government having numbers of its favour the bills were passed. This completes parliamentary approval process for legislation of the bills. Now they would be sent to the President of India for his assent. Once the President gives assent, they will become law. Australian doctors have warned that up to one in seven patients could be misdiagnosed after largely preventable errors by medical professionals. But they say patients also bear some of the responsibility to meet clinicians half way to help get the best possible treatment and outcomes. Patients have been urged to divulge all the information about their illness so doctors don't head down the wrong diagnostic track. Credit:Virginia Star In a perspective article published in the Medical Journal of Australia, two leading clinicians, Professor Ian Scott, from Brisbanes Princess Alexandra Hospital, and Associate Professor Carmel Crock, from the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, analysed diagnostic error rates in the United States. They used the data to extrapolate to Australia the number of diagnostic errors, finding an estimated 140,000 such cases annually, with 21,000 cases of serious harm and between 2000 and 4000 deaths. The new cluster had raised fears that it could compromise the city's road map out of lockdown, when Melbourne moves into step two at midnight on Sunday, September 27, allowing child care centres to reopen, some students return to school, and permitting up to five people to gather together outdoors. Mr Andrews said the Casey outbreak had been "expertly handled", and he was confident all of the close contacts had been traced and were being monitored for coronavirus symptoms. "This is a good day, though," the Premier said. "A day where Victorians can be proud of the work that they've done, their commitment, their resolve to see this off; to defeat this virus in its second wave properly, comprehensively and sustainably. We can hope to keep numbers low, and that's where the trend is going." There have been mounting calls for the government to begin easing restrictions sooner and to open up the state's economy, which has been decimated during the second wave of the pandemic. Critics in business, the federal government and Victoria's opposition have argued the conditions attached to the road map are too stringent. Mr Andrews has committed to undertaking the biggest economic stimulus package in the state's history to revive the economy when the second wave has been brought under control and coronavirus case numbers are sufficiently low. "We need to get this health issue dealt with first," he said. "You can't reopen the economy until you've got that COVID-normal, and you've got very good prospects ... to lock that in for potentially a very, very long time." Despite Melbourne's rolling 14-day average falling to 36.2 on Sunday, Mr Andrews said he could neither commit to, nor rule out, lifting restrictions sooner than had been flagged. However, he said he was confident he would make "significant announcements" on September 27. "We're confident that come Sunday, we'll be able to make some significant announcements because we'll be in that 30-50 band [to ease into step two]. "We will update and make sure that the plan reflects the data we're seeing, the amount of virus we've got in the community. But it's got to be done safe." Prominent lawyers and epidemiologists who spoke to The Age were united in their opinion that people should not be fined for admitting to breaking public health orders. Legal experts argue the legal directions that curtail freedoms are a result of a public health crisis, and the response needs to be on suppressing the spread of coronavirus. Some have likened it to a criminal investigation, in which criminals can receive a lighter sentence or have charges dropped in the pursuit of "greater justice". Australian Lawyers Alliance Victorian president Jeremy King said the law had always tried to incentivise people to co-operate. "If you want to encourage people to co-operate with contact tracing, you need to think of ways to do it, so they're not penalised," Mr King said. Liberty Victoria president Julian Burnside says the ultimate objective is to reduce the spread of coronavirus. Credit:Arsineh Houspian Burnet Institute epidemiologist Professor Mike Toole said people would be less likely to admit to having had contact with someone who had coronavirus, or to breaching restrictions, if they thought doing so would get them into trouble. "If contact tracers arrive at your door, and you know you've done something wrong and there was a threat of a fine if you admitted to doing something wrong, would you admit it?," Professor Toole asked. In that instance, he said, fining people "would be counterproductive." Professor Toole said he did not believe any country had penalised people for admitting to breaching coronavirus restrictions during contact tracing interviews. Liberty Victoria president Julian Burnside said: "If the punishment reduces the likelihood of obtaining the ultimate objective of the offence which in this case, is reducing the spread of coronavirus punishment doesn't always make sense." Former chief Magistrate Nick Papas, QC said he hated seeing freedoms curtailed, but "as a law-abiding citizen, I accept that if the health advice is that it's better to permit the tracing to occur than to punish what is otherwise illegal activity, I'll wear that health advice". Chair of Epidemiology at Deakin University, Professor Catherine Bennett said: "This is a really difficult one ... from a public health point of view, we've got ourselves in a corner here. If this is the way contact tracing operates, people can get tested without fear or favour. They might know they've done a silly thing, but if they get tested and subsequently interviewed, that info would be protected." Dr Marion Kainer, head of infectious diseases at Western Health, said the ability to build rapport with people so they would give honest answers about things that they may have done "which were not quite right" was one of the most important skills of contact tracing. "Only then can we know who potentially is at risk and to protect others," she said. "It's really important not to be judgmental." At around 1:45 a.m. on Friday, Dustin Gerig heard what sounded like air being suctioned out of his house in Lebanon. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 20) Authorities on Saturday discovered explosive materials in a barangay in Jolo, Sulu, the same site of the twin explosions caused by suicide bombers last month. In a statement, the Armed Forces of the Philippines - Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) said on Sunday that the Philippine Coast Guard discovered a set of abandoned explosives, consisting of two electric blasting caps, a rifle grenade, a spark plug, and some concrete nails in Barangay Walled City, between Harbor Master and the Maritime Police Office. A bomb-sniffing dog had sat beside the materials, prompting the attention of authorities who were conducting area paneling at Jolo pier at 6:02 p.m. on Saturday. Troops of the 35th Infantry Battalion immediately cordoned the area while the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team of Sulu Provincial Police Office and Jolo Municipal Police Station visited the site to confirm the explosives, the WestMinCom added. "I commend our troops and our partners for this accomplishment. You saved the lives of the innocent people and foiled this terroristic activity of our heartless enemies, said Brig. Gen. William Gonzales, JTF Sulu Commander. Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan, Jr., WestMinCom Commander, added that they have been intensifying intelligence operations and strengthening collaboration with the police and other security agencies to quell another possible terror attack in the area. Barangay Walled City was the same village where the twin blasts left 15 people dead and 78 wounded on August 24. Abu Sayyaf group subleader Mundi Sawadjaan was tagged as the mastermind behind the explosions. Authorities have offered up to 6 million worth of cash reward for anyone who can provide information that will lead to the arrest of Sawadjaan, along with other suspects involved in the blasts. As the world mourns the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, coverage has focused on her lifelong fight for gender justice under the Constitution, and the loss of one more progressive voice on the nations most powerful court. But history should take care before labeling Ginsburg an uncompromising liberal, as if politics defined her jurisprudence more than the law and facts. Ginsburg wrote relatively few majority opinions, to be sure, but her votes revealed a significant willingness to support conservative principles during a period of conservative legal ascendancyone spearheaded by her good friend and ideological counterweight, the late Justice Antonin Scalia. When President Bill Clinton put her on the Supreme Court in 1993, Ginsburg already had a formidable record as a judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. According to a 1993 archive from Congressional Quarterly Almanac, [Judge] Ginsburg was known as a restrained and fair-minded judge who did her homework and then some. She was considered moderate to conservative on criminal issues and business law, relatively progressive on issues such as free speech, religious freedom and separation of church and states, and more liberal on civil rights and access to the courts. In the wake of Justice Clarence Thomas tempestuous confirmation hearings two years before, Ginsburg was easily confirmed by a Senate vote of 96-3. For non-lawyers, such political grades ascribed to judges by outsiders might signal personal penchants rather than an intellectually honest approach to hard legal questions. Deemed the most important woman lawyer in the history of the Republic, Ginsburg did urge courts to draw a once-novel conclusion about the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which forbids government from deny[ing] to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws: that it should operate to stop arbitrary laws based on gender. Note that person, equal, and protection are all terms the Constitution does not explicitly define. Absent a constitutional amendmentwhich takes an affirmative vote of two-thirds of both houses of Congress and ratification by three-quarters of the statesthese words are among many in the Constitution that the Supreme Court must ultimately define. (Congress can provide legislative definitions, but the high court can strike those down.) Because the constitutional text is vague, for many years the Equal Protection Clause was read to tolerate laws that effectively deprived women of the same opportunities men enjoyed in all realms of public life. That narrow, male-only reading of the Constitution allowed the government to ban women from working as lawyers or bartenders, for example. It prevented women from serving on juries or lifting more than 15 pounds on the job. Through her work as a lawyer and jurist, Ginsburg prompted the Supreme Court to read the Equal Protection Clause to constrain arbitrary legal constraints on people of all genders. Story continues Is this a radical, leftist idea? Would a more conservative approach have confined the meanings of person, equal, and protection to the prevailing understanding of those terms in 1868, when the 14th Amendment was ratified amid post-Civil War Reconstruction? Some judges, lawyers and scholars would argue that only the original public meaning is relevant even today. But in 1868, Webster defined the word protection to include numerous meanings, including [t]he act of protecting or preserving from evil, injury, or annoyance, as well as a slew of synonyms: Preservation; guard; shelter; refuge; security; safety. Which of these would a conservative judge pick? Which would a liberal one choose? The fact that this exercise doesnt fit neatly into political definitions of liberal and conservative is something Ginsburg acutely understood. You probably know what Im getting at here: Many peopleeven some with a nuanced understanding of legal and constitutional interpretationargue that good judges do not read anything into the Constitution, but stick to its plain language (so-called textualists or originalists), and bad judges treat the document as a blank slate on which to craft a wish list for social reform (so-called living constitutionalists). Ginsburg defied this false dichotomy by routinely applying conservative analytic principles in the service of causes that might be considered politically liberal. Yet troublingly, this false dichotomy has become de rigueur in our national conversation about presidential candidates and potential Supreme Court picks. It is corrosive. For Ginsburg, adherence to procedure, principles of federalism, judicial independence and ensuring that government does not wield arbitrary power over regular people were hallmarks of her jurisprudence. This list is not stereotypically progressive. If anything, it has marks of conservatism. On what remains perhaps the most sensitive constitutional question of our time, whether the Constitution protects against governments interference in a womans decision to medically terminate a pregnancy, Ginsburg was critical of the courts decision in Roe v. Wade, which lodged abortion rightsrather precariously, it turns outas a matter of privacy under the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment. For her, it was more about gender equality under the Equal Protection Clause. Although both due process and equal protection appear in the 14th Amendment, due process has its roots in English common law, dating as far back as the Magna Carta of 1215. The notion is that the government cannot take someones life, liberty and property without fair notice and a hearing. But the Constitution doesnt specify protections for numerous liberties that most Americans would assume are bound up in the idea of freedom from arbitrary confinement. So the Supreme Court long ago identified certain basic rights as nonetheless protected under the Due Process Clause, including the right to decide ones own medical care and to raise children according to ones own values and not the dictates of the government. Its this concept of substantive due process that undergirds Roe. By contrast, equal protection is a uniquely American standard that was designed to stop states from discriminating against formerly enslaved Black people. Ginsburg perceived equal protection as a more natural means of ensuring a womans ability to keep government out of her personal medical decisions relating to the female reproductive system. Ginsburg also feared that Roe went too fast for the public which, ironically, had been steadily moving toward legalizing abortion through state legislatures, not the courts. The court ventured too far in the change it ordered in Roe, she wrote in a 1985 law review article. On a range of other cases, Ginsburg cast votes that were not decidedly liberal, and in fact might have gone differently had she been an elected politician and not a judge with life tenure. Consider, for example, Republican Party of Minnesota v. White, in which Ginsburg in 2002 dissented from the majoritys decision that struck down, on First Amendment grounds, a Minnesota canon of judicial conduct that barred candidates for elected judgeships from publicly expressing their political views. Like Scalia, who wrote the majority opinion, Ginsburg was a reliable defender of First Amendment rights, writing numerous majority opinions. But in White, she took the position that candidates for elected judgeships must sacrifice certain constitutional rights if they are to preserve another essential bulwark of constitutional government, i.e., [t]he guarantee of an independent, impartial judiciary. For Ginsburg, [u]nlike their counterparts in the political branches, judges are expected to refrain from catering to particular constituencies or committing themselves on controversial issues in advance of adversarial presentation. (To be sure, Ginsburg stoked controversy when she publicly expressed concerns about Donald Trumps possible election in 2016.) Scalia took direct aim at Ginsburg in his opinion, expressly rejecting her resort to the notion that the First Amendment provides less protection during an election campaign than at other times. But Ginsburgs emphasis on judicial restraint, favoring social change through the legislature rather than through the courts, is hardly a touchstone of liberalism. One could argue that her defense of judicial independence is no less an example of classic conservative jurisprudence than Scalias insistence on unfettered free speech. The unabashedly conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch has likewise insisted that the Constitutions framers charged individuals insulated from political pressures with the job of interpreting the law and applying it retroactively to resolve past disputes. In a 2019 case called United States v. Sineneng-Smith, as well, Ginsburg wrote an opinion for a unanimous court reversing a 9th Circuit ruling that a federal statute making it a felony to encourage entry of aliens into the United States violated the First Amendment on free speech grounds. The case arose from a conviction of a California-based immigration consultant who was prosecuted and convicted under the law. Despite her strong support for First Amendment and immigrant rights, Ginsburg wrote that the Ninth Circuits radical transformation of this case goes well beyond the pale. Also in 2019, she voted with conservative Justices Thomas, Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh to reject a criminal defendants argument that his period of supervised release cannot be paused during his detention over a new criminal offense, concluding that pretrial detention does not qualify as imprisonment within the meaning of federal law. Gorsuch joined Justices Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan in dissent, charging the majority with misconstruing the law and creating needless uncertainty and unfairness. Court watchers were surprised by the ideological breakdown. Just this year, Ginsburg joined Kagans majority opinion in Kelly v. United States, which reversed the fraud convictions of two associates of former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in connection with their closure of several lanes of the George Washington Bridge in retaliation against a local mayors refusal to endorse Christie for reelection. Kagan reasoned that the scheme did not aim to obtain money or property so as to trigger the criminal fraud laws. Christie, of course, is a Republican. Ginsburg also sided this year with the conservative wing of the court in endorsing the construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline beneath the Appalachian Trailto the chagrin of environmentalistsas well as the Trump administrations policy of expediting deportation of people seeking asylum in the United States. In the latter case, Department of Homeland Security v. Thuraissigiam, Ginsburg again opted to reverse a decision of the famously liberal-leaning 9th Circuit. Consider, too, Ginsburgs adherence to principles of federalismthe view that states autonomy is essential to confining the grandiose power of the federal government. This, again, is an approach to constitutional interpretation that typically leans conservative. In BMW of North America, Inc. v. Gore, she penned a dissent to the majoritys 1996 decision to strike down a $2 million punitive damage award that had been upheld by Alabama courts on due process grounds. The Court, she wrote, unnecessarily and unwisely venture[d] into territory traditionally within the States domain. Somewhat remarkably, as a D.C. Circuit judge Ginsburg dissented from that courts majority opinion striking down the Ethics in Government Act, a statute passed in the wake of the Nixon Watergate scandal that authorized appointment of a prosecutor outside the presidents chain of command to look into alleged presidential wrongdoing. On appeal, a 7-1 majority of the Supreme Court in 1988 adopted her view in Morrison v. Olson, upholding the law (which eventually expired). Six years later, independent counsel Kenneth Starr was appointed under the law for purposes of investigating President Bill Clinton, the man who put Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. Clinton was later impeached based on Starrs report of his findings. Famously, Scalia dissented in the Morrison case. Perhaps in an ironic twist, it was Joe Biden as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee who argued in his questioning of Ginsburg that judges ought to lead society in some circumstances. As a Supreme Court nominee being interviewed for the job, then-Judge Ginsburg demurred. Judges must be mindful of what their place is in this system and must always remember that we live in a democracy that can be destroyed if judges take it upon themselves to rule as Platonic guardians, she said. The Senate should heed Justice Ginsburgs exquisitely blended strains of legal conservativism and liberalism as they contemplate who has the intellectual rigor, honesty and temperament to replace her. By PTI NEW DELHI: Pakistan has denied visa to senior diplomat Jayant Khobragade who was set to be appointed as acting head of Indian High Commission in Islamabad, people familiar with the development said on Sunday. It is learnt that Pakistan did not approve his visa on the grounds that he is too senior for the post. The people said Pakistan was conveyed by India in June about its move to send Khobragade as India's deputy high commissioner to that country. There was no official comment on the issue either by Pakistan or India. Following India's decision to withdraw special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August last year, Pakistan had downgraded diplomatic ties by expelling the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad. Pakistan also decided not to send the new envoy it had named to head its mission in New Delhi following India's decision on Jammu and Kashmir. Since then, both the Indian and Pakistani high commissions in Islamabad and New Delhi respectively are being headed by the deputy chiefs of mission of the two countries. On August 5 last year, India announced its decision to withdraw special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state into two Union territories. Since then Pakistan has been unsuccessfully trying to rally international support against India on the issue. The relations between India and Pakistan nosedived following the decision. In June, India asked Pakistan to reduce the staff in its high commission here by half and announced a reciprocal reduction in Indian strength in Islamabad. The decision came after Indian authorities allegedly found involvement of certain officials of Pakistan High Commission in "acts of espionage". Thu Duc is the highest district in HCMC, but this fact has not helped it escape the scourge of seasonal flooding. Worse still, residents have no early respite to look forward to, with proposed solutions moving at snail's pace. Dang Thi Huong, 64, lives on To Ngoc Van Street near its intersection with Pham Van Dong Street in Thu Duc District. She says that for the past three years, her neighborhood has been inundated every time it rains. Her family have had to raise their houses floor to half a meter above the street's surface, but whenever it rains, they still need sheets of hard plastic to shield its facade. Whatever measures they think up "have not helped much," she rues, adding that the water flows in anyway. "I do not dare to buy any type of sofa or couch for my home because the floodwaters will ruin them all. Other things like the fridge and washing machine have to be propped up higher so they are not damaged by the floodwater," she said. Dang Thi Huong removes a sheet of plastic she uses to prevent floodwater from going in her house in HCMC's Thu Duc District, September 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Gia Minh. A kilometer away from Huongs house, Nguyen Ngoc Phuong, 34, who works for a fashion store on Vo Van Ngan Street, says that every time it rains, the entire street gets flooded and the traffic is thrown into chaos. It is common to see motorcyclists fall off their bikes and cars send waves of floodwaters into houses along both sides of the street. A heavy downpour that lasted for more than an hour on the evening of September 11 paralyzed many areas in and around Thu Duc District. Dao Muoi, 67, said her family spent all night "fighting" the floodwaters that flowed from outside into her house on an alley in Linh Dong Ward. When it began raining, her family prepared three sandbags and two wooden planks about half a meter high, to keep water from flowing into the house through the door. This proved an exercise in futility. "The water rushed in, bringing along trash and insects and when it was gone, mud and soil covered the entire floor, and it stank," she said, adding that this had become a regular occurrence of late. Thu Duc and a part of its neighbor, District 9, form the highest area in HCMC, at 20-30 meters higher than the national level, set as zero at Do Son District in the northern city of Hai Phong. The inner-city areas, like Districts 1 and 3, are just two-three meters higher than the national level. Local residents help a woman pick up her motorbike amid raging floodwater on Vo Van Ngan Street, Thu Duc District, HCMC, September 11, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran. Vu Van Diep, director of the Infrastructure Management Center under HCMC Department of Construction, said the two streets of Vo Van Ngan and To Ngoc Van run downhill until they reach the Thu Duc Market. Sewer systems in this area were built a long time ago and are all of small scale, incapable of draining large amounts of water when it rains heavily. "The mouth of the sewer across Pham Van Dong Street near To Ngoc Van Street, meanwhile, has been encroached by locals, which narrows the flow of drainage, worsening the flooding," he added. Vo Kim Cuong, HCMC's former deputy chief architect, said the citys flood control planning has been carried out too slow. As a result, even places in high terrain areas like Thu Duc have suffered much worse flooding in recent years. Tardy planning While the existing drainage system is outdated and is yet to receive proper investment for upgrading, more concrete buildings have gone up across the city, reducing its drainage capacity, Cuong said. "Thu Duc, along with Districts 2 and 9, are to become an innovative urban area called Thu Duc City in the future and therefore, the drainage problem must be handled carefully with plans made one step ahead of other urbanization projects," he added. In late 2018, the citys Steering Center for the Urban Flooding Control Program suggested building seven reservoirs, six of them underground, to hold 40,000 cubic meters of water in total. The reservoirs would be built in the five districts of Go Vap, Binh Thanh, Phu Nhuan, Tan Binh and 10. The reservoirs would be made of polypropylene and around 95 percent of the water stored in these could be used for watering trees and firefighting. Workers at the underground reservoir built by the Japanese firm Sekisui on Vo Van Ngan Street, Thu Duc District in 2017. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Anh. Japanese firm Sekisui Chemical Co. worked with a partner in Vietnam to build the first underground reservoir in the city in Thu Ducs Vo Van Ngan Street under a pilot scheme. The VND1.5 billion (64,700) underground reservoir is 10 meters long, nine meters wide and 2.5 meters deep. However, even with a capacity of more than 100 cubic meters, the reservoir has failed to save Vo Van Ngan from flooding. Ho Long Phi, former director of the Center for Water Management and Climate Change at the Vietnam National University HCMC, said such reservoirs do help collect water and slow the flow of water into the drainage system. "But just one small underground reservoir on Vo Van Ngan Street cannot have a significant impact on reducing floods in that area," he said. The citys Urban Infrastructure Construction Investment Projects Management Unit has said that the district will launch several anti-flooding projects in the coming months, including one to upgrade a drainage system on the four streets around Thu Duc Market, including To Ngoc Van. It will also have the Cau Ngang Canal dredged to improve water flow. For almost two decades, urban flooding has been a major headache for HCMC, and no comprehensive solution has been identified yet. The citys development plan before 1975 was designed for around 2 million residents but that population has risen to 13 million, excluding migrants, and yet the drainage system has not been upgraded. Experts have noted that the drainage plans being used now are outdated. They have also warned that without a sea change in flood-fighting efforts, the current situation will continue and even worsen. From Tom Hardy and Idris Elba to Rege-Jean Page and Cillian Murphy, theres a long list of actors being touted to play 007. There has been speculation about who will replace Daniel Craig as James Bond ever since 2015, when he joked he would rather slash his wrists than do another Bond film. As the release date of the 25th Bond film and Craigs final outing as the spy, No Time to Die, is pushed back yet again, heres a list of the actors who are tipped to replace him based on the latest betting odds. Tom Hardy Tom Hardy (Chris Jackson/Getty Images) The 43-year-old, known for his roles in Venom and The Revenant, previously spoke about Bond rumours with The Daily Beast, saying: If I mention it, its gone. You know, theres a saying amongst us in the fraternity of acting, and in the fellowship of my peer group, that if you talk about it youre automatically out of the race. So I cant possibly comment on that one. Cillian Murphy Cillian Murphy (AFP via Getty Images) Peaky Blinders star Murphy said he is flattered by speculation that he could become the next James Bond. The 44-year-old told GQ: Its incredibly flattering to be in that conversation. I think it should be a woman [next]. Rege-Jean Page Rege-Jean Page (Rex Features) When the 31-year-old Bridgerton star was asked by Jimmy Fallon about the Bond rumours, he said: I think the internet thinks a lot of things, that's one of the more pleasant ones, so I'm pleased as far as that goes. But there might be an element of cultural translation here. If you're a Brit and you do something of any kind of renown, that people regard well, then people start saying the 'B' word. It's like a merit badge. You get a 'B' word merit badge. James Norton James Norton (Rex Features) The 35-year-old star of War & Peace and McMafia recently told The Independent that if playing Bond meant sacrificing roles in indie films, it would be a hard thing for me to swallow. Sam Heughan Sam Heughan (Rex Features) The Outlander star has previously said he would like to bring Bond back to Scotland for the first time since Sean Connerys stint as 007. Of course it would be a dream role and a Scottish Bond, said the 40-year-old, who doesnt want to see another Scottish Bond! Aidan Turner Aidan Turner (Rex Features) In 2018, Turner broke his silence on the 007 rumours. Respecting the fact that Daniel Craig hasnt yet finished his tenure as the spy, the 37-year-old Poldark favourite said: Theres someone else playing the role at the moment, but when its free Ill have a look at it. Tom Hiddleston Tom Hiddleston (Getty Images) There were lots of rumours that Hiddleston, 39, would be the next Bond after a reported meeting with Bond producer Barbara Broccoli a few years ago. However, in 2016 he told fans that your guess is as good as mine, to be honest. Richard Madden Richard Madden (Rex Features) The 34-year-old Bodyguard and Game of Thrones star previously told GQ: Im more than flattered to be mentioned, for people to consider putting me in that role. Im very flattered and thankful. Its a really brilliant thing to be in. Jamie Bell Jamie Bell (Rex Features) The 34-year-old star, who rose to prominence for his debut role in Billy Elliot, said he would give playing Bond some serious consideration. He also suggested, however, that future films in the franchise need to be more progressive. Jack Lowden Jack Lowden (Rex Features) The 30-year-old Dunkirk actor has been tipped for Bond, but hes said he never wants Craig to leave the role. Im a massive Daniel Craig fan and I dont think he should ever stop doing it, Lowden told GP. Bond dealing with age is a brilliant idea and I think we should go the whole way until Daniels 85. Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender (Rex Features) Fassbender, 43, is one of the favourites to play 007, even though he has ruled himself out as he thinks a younger actor or a woman should take on the role. When asked in an interview with GQ magazine if he would be up for the part, he said: "To be honest, no." Idris Elba Idris Elba (Rex Features) Luther star Elba, 48, has long been tipped to replace Daniel Craig, however he has attempted to quash the rumours, saying to Event: Bond is one of the biggest franchises in the world, and for that reason, whoever ends up playing it, lives it. Youre THAT character, and known as that character for many, many years. Im creating characters now that can still live alongside Idris. Not ones that take over me and solely define me. Henry Cavill Cavill asiste al estreno de 'The Witcher', estrenada en Netflix (Getty Images for Netflix) The 37-year-old star of The Witcher actually already auditioned for James Bond in his 20s but obviously never got the role. In an interview last year, he said of the opportunity coming around again: If Barbara [Bond producer Barbara Broccoli] and Mike [co-producer Michael G Wilson] were interested in that, I would absolutely jump at the opportunity. At this stage, its all up in the air. Well see what happens. But yes, I would love to play Bond, it would be very, very exciting. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-19 22:38:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A promotion is held at the booth of Argentina at the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, east China, Nov. 6, 2018. (Xinhua/Han Yuqing) The researcher at the Argentina-China Studies Center of the University of Buenos Aires talked with Xinhua about how China's example of poverty reduction "should be considered as one of the most important in the history of humanity." BUENOS AIRES, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's efforts to alleviate poverty have generated "unparalleled" results, making the Asian country an example in this field, Argentinean academic Santiago Bustelo said on Friday. The researcher at the Argentina-China Studies Center of the University of Buenos Aires talked with Xinhua about how China's example of poverty reduction "should be considered as one of the most important in the history of humanity." Bustelo said that China has achieved this result through strategies combining political leadership with a robust model of economic growth, as well as a strong capacity to adapt to different circumstances. For this reason, he said that China's goal of eliminating absolute poverty this year is achievable, as over 90 million people in rural areas have already been lifted out of poverty from 2013 to 2019. The academic said China's successful experience in poverty alleviation has shown the world that economic growth can also be fostered through fighting poverty and improving living conditions, not just the other way around. "Many times, it is believed that the reduction of poverty is a consequence of economic development, but what China shows us is that the fight against poverty is one of the engines and causes of development," said Bustelo. "These are two concomitant processes that feed into each other. In a sense, economic development is necessary to reduce poverty, but in turn, poverty reduction is also a necessary factor in achieving economic development," he added. "The issue of poverty is one of the most important elements of the Chinese government's agenda. In addressing it, one of the main measures has been the allocation of fiscal resources to the most vulnerable sectors," the academic said. Bustelo regarded China's experience as an example that Latin American countries could learn from, as the region is subject to political and economic instability which has impeded the long fight against poverty. The researcher said that global poverty alleviation should be a result of global stability, and unilateral and protectionist actions only increase the climate of instability, moving the world far away from poverty eradication. "A stable and cooperative global context is undoubtedly one of the necessary conditions for development," he said, adding that "the recent unilateralism of the United States affects the stability and orderly function of the international system, particularly in economic, commercial, and financial aspects." "Instability and unpredictability" both have detrimental effects on developing countries, as these two factors will hamper the expansion of trade and investment, said Bustelo. He further said the fight against poverty should also be a result of a cooperative environment, which will only be possible within an international system where the voices of the least developed countries are heard. By Sudipta Sengupta To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield Alfred, Lord Tennyson Fifty years ago, a very determined group of six young women climbers set out on a big adventure to climb a peak in the Lahaul Himalayas. Most of us were in our early twenties. The leader Sujaya Guha, a keen climber, was in her early thirties. The other members were Kamala Saha, Nilu Ghosh, Shefali Chakraborty and Purnima Sharma. I was the deputy leader of the expedition. Sujaya and I had completed the basic and advanced courses at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling. We were both members of the Ronti Expedition (19,893 ft/6,064 metres) in 1967. Kamala had done an advanced course and the others had completed their basic mountaineering courses. Purnima was our doctor. The aim of the expedition was to climb an unnamed virgin peak (20,130 ft/6,136 m) in the Lahoul Himalayas. If successful, we planned to name it Lalana, which means woman in Bengali. Before the expedition, we sought the advice of Robert Pettigrew, the famous British mountaineer and an authority on the region. He warned us that it was a dangerous and difficult peak. That made us even more determined. We were well trained and had a meticulous plan. If we could overcome hurdles and achieve success, it would be all the more satisfying. If we failed, we would try again with the experience gained from this expedition. Lalana, a peak that has only been scaled once, was named by the expedition team 50 years ago. Image via The Third Pole/ Sudipta Sengupta The journey On 25 July, 1970, brimming with confidence and enthusiasm, we left Howrah station in West Bengal on the Kalka Mail train. We reached Manali in Himachal Pradesh on 30 July and met the director of the Manali Mountaineering Institute and the head of the Sherpa Guide School to arrange the necessary climbing equipment, sherpas, porters and mules. We hired Sherpa Pasang and Gyalgen and porters Palgun, Lama, Shering and cook Guptaram. Mules were hired to carry the expedition loads to our base camp at the snout of the Bara Shigri glacier. We bought the rations, groceries, vegetables and other food items and packed them in loads for the mules to carry. Above photo: At the base camp, before the climb began. From left: Lama (porter), Shefali (member), Palgun (porter), Sujaya (leader), Pasang (Sherpa), Purnima (doctor), Nilu (member), Kamala (member), Gylgen (Sherpa), Gupta Ram (cook) Image via The Third Pole/ Sudipta Sengupta Reaching the base of Bara Shigri glacier Our journey for the expedition finally started from Manali on August 5. We got a lift in a truck up to Gramphu across the Rohtang Pass. At Gramphu, we left the Manali-Leh highway to take the road to Kaza which passes through Batal. After spending the night at a roadside shack in Gramphu, our trek started on the morning of 6 August. By then the mules and their handlers had joined us. The route was along the northern bank of the Chandra river. The pathway proved to be a geologists delight as there was hardly any vegetation. We stopped at Chhatru and Chhotadara for night halts, trekking about 17 kilometres a day. The terrain was stark, rugged, desert-like but with a different charm. There were several mountain streams, small and big, running down the slope across the road. On the morning of August 8, we started from Chhotadara and crossed the Chandra river by a rope bridge. The rope bridge was just a thick metal wire connecting two pillars on either side of river. We had to sit on an open swing holding a railing for dear life while this was manually pulled from one side to the other, as the fierce river raged below us. We crossed safely and trekked along the southern bank of Chandra and reached the confluence of Bara Shigri glacier. We crossed the glacier over the terminal moraine. By late afternoon we established base camp at 12,700 ft (3,871 m). In this photo: Setting up Camp II at 17,000 feet. Image via The Third Pole/ Sudipta Sengupta Base camp and advance base camp The mule party had gone along the road to Batal and crossed the river over a proper bridge. This was a longer route as we had taken the shortcut. We expected them to arrive later but before dark. They did not arrive that night. Our tents, equipment and rations were with them. Fortunately, we had our sleeping bags, air mattresses and some food in our rucksacks. We had no option but to spend the night under the open sky. It was windy and very cold. Gradually with nightfall, the temperature dropped further. There was no firewood to light a fire. But we were happy and excited and did not worry. We huddled together and sang till midnight and then snuggled into our sleeping bags. Our roof was the clear night sky in all its magnificence with bright stars shining brilliantly like diamonds. Journey to Camp I We were relieved when the mules arrived the next morning (August 9) and we set up the base camp. Sujaya, Kamala and I, with two sherpas, reconnoitred the route and proposed campsites, and for the next few days, unpacked and redistributed our loads. It started raining on August 11. Nevertheless Sujaya, Shefali, Kamala and I established the Advance Base Camp 1 (ABC1) at 13,100 ft (3,993 m). The rain continued but we decided to carry on and set up Advance Base Camp 2 (ABC2) at 13,700 ft (4,176 m) which faced the feeder glacier to Lalana (see: route map). Adapted from Google Earth. Images via The Third Pole/ Sudipta Sengupta Being a geologist, I was observing the rocks. They were mostly of granite gneiss and quartzite with some conglomerates, quartzose mica schists and slates. At places, there were beautiful ice caves with small lakes with blue water. Over the next two days the weather turned worse. There was continuous rain with fierce winds. From our tents we could hear the noise of rocks falling from the adjoining mountains. Rainfall is rare in this region and the porters told us they had not seen so much rain in the past 10 years. After two days the weather improved. 15 August, Independence Day, was no holiday for us. We busied ourselves in preparation for higher camps. On August 16, Sujaya, Kamala, Gyalgen and Pasang established Camp I on the Lalana glacier at a height of 16,100 ft (4,907 m). On the same day Nilu and Purnima joined us from ABC 1. The next day Lama and I started for Camp I. After leaving the Bara Shigri glacier, there was a sheer rise of more than a thousand feet of a scree wall of loose rocks which led to the snout of the Lalana glacier. The next obstruction was a vertical ice wall which we negotiated with a fixed rope. After climbing the wall, we traversed another ice wall with a 70-degree slope for more than an hour. All along this path we had to negotiate the steep slope with the help of crampons and our ice axes. After this, the slope of the glacier eased but the going was slow because of knee-deep snow. We finally reached Camp I by late afternoon. Sujaya and Kamala greeted us with a cup of hot tea. Above photo: Enjoying tea at camp III, 18,000 feet, with Kamala (left) and Sudipta (right). Image via The Third Pole/ Sudipta Sengupta The difficult climb and success On 18 August, we started for Camp II. The going was tough and the altitude made breathing difficult. The gradient of the glacier gradually increased. As a result, the whole glacier was crisscrossed with crevasses, some wide and some narrow. Most of the crevasses were transverse, across the flow of the glacier. Some were crescent shaped, resulting from joining of two sets of shear fractures. The wide crevasses were difficult to cross but were visible. The narrow crevasses were treacherous as they were covered by snow-bridges and were not visible. They would collapse when one would step on them. We had to keep deviating from our route as going straight was impossible under the circumstances. After an arduous journey we started looking for a site for Camp II. Not finding any suitable place, we selected to pitch our tents on a narrow ledge between two monstrous crevasses at 17,000 ft (5,182 m). As the width of the ledge was barely enough for one tent, we set up both tents along the length of the ledge. Given the precarious set-up, each time we went out of the tent we had to anchor ourselves with a rope. We spent a tense night wondering about our fate in case the ledge collapsed while we were asleep. We were happy to get up in the morning and set out for Camp III. We roped up and started the climb. The weather was good but the route ahead was dangerous. Suddenly, I found myself dangling on the rope. Looking down I could see a bottomless pit turning from deep blue to complete black. I was second on the rope after Gyalgen followed by Sujaya. The snow-bridge bore his weight but collapsed when I stepped on it. Luckily, both Gyalgen and Sujaya secured themselves immediately and then pulled me up. This unnerved us a bit and we were more careful for the rest of the journey. We established Camp III, our final camp at 18,000 ft (5,486 m). The trekking was difficult, and the beauty of the landscape both terrifying and magnificent. The Lalana peak is in the backdrop. Image via The Third Pole/ Sudipta Sengupta 20 August, 1970, my 24th birthday, was a gloomy day. The previous night was bad with howling winds and incessant snow. We rested in preparation for our next big day. On 21 August, Sujaya woke us up at 2 am. It was still dark. After a breakfast of hot tea and biscuits, we started for the summit at 4 am. There was hardly any noise around except the crackling of the ice. Our peak, Lalana, was clearly visible on the horizon. The ascent. Image via The Third Pole/ Sudipta Sengupta It was beautiful outside, with soft moonlight bathing the mountains. After an hour of trudging through soft snow we had to climb a steep slope with exposed rocks, mostly slippery granite. We used fixed ropes to tackle this difficult part of the route. The crampons, which were faithful holds on ice, became a nuisance on rocks. This, however, was a much safer route than approaching the summit through the glacier. At places we had to do rock climbing using pitons. After an hour and a half, we reached the summit ridge and turned west towards the summit. Trying to open a can of food with ice axes. Sujaya (left) and Kamala (right). Image via The Third Pole/ Sudipta Sengupta Just 500 ft below the summit we discovered that we had used all our five ropes. We carried on carefully, belaying each other. Ten feet below the summit, we all sat on a block of granite and rested for a few minutes. Then at 10.30 am we all went up together to the summit of our dear peak, Lalana. We hugged each other and laughed, cried and talked. Finally we had reached the top! We placed our flag and took photographs. We then put a piece of paper with our names in a water bottle and dug it in the ice for future summiteers to find. We just sat in silence to absorb the breathtaking beauty surrounding us. All around us we could see several ranges with shining ice-capped peaks rising majestically into the blue sky. To the west, there was a beautiful dome-shaped peak of about the same height as Lalana, joined by a razor-sharp ridge. There was an endless number of glaciers, frozen rivers of white ice flowing down between the mountain ranges. We sat there mesmerised. It is a pity that I do not have any colour photos of this expedition, but the scene has been imprinted in my mind forever. After more than an hour at the top, we started to climb down. The return journey was far more difficult, especially the part without a fixed rope. Once we reached the fixed ropes, we all rappelled down, one by one. The rest of the path seemed long, dreary and endless. We recovered three ropes and left two in the mountains for use by anyone who came later. We reached Camp III at 5 pm and immediately collapsed into our sleeping bags. Very tired but happy, we slept like logs. Sudipta Sengupta at her home in Kolkata. Image via The Third Pole/ courtesy Sudpita Sengupta Tragedy We came down to ABC2 by evening the next day. The three other members of the expedition were waiting anxiously for us. There was another round of celebrations with hot drinks and a real hot meal after many days. On 23 August, we came down to the base camp and arranged a gala camp fire with our used cardboard boxes. Guptaram prepared a nice meal and we sat around the fire, our spirits high as ever. All of us sang, laughed and started to plan our next trip. We were anxious to return to civilisation and let the world know of our success. We planned the wordings of the telegrams to the mountaineering federation and our families. For this we had to return to Batal, the nearest post office. On morning of 24 August, Lama was sent to Batal to fetch the mules for our return journey. But he did not return. Next morning, instead of sitting at the camp, I utilised that day looking at the nearby rocks. Nilu and Purnima accompanied me. We came back around 2 pm and learnt that there was still no sign of Lama or the mules. On 26 August, Sujaya, Kamala, Shefali, Pasang and Gyalgen started for Batal at 9 am to fetch the mules. Nilu, Purnima and I finished packing and waited. They did not return by 6 pm so we assumed that all of them had reached Batal. The three of us were enjoying our evening tea. At 6.30 pm Gyalgen arrived breathless and declared Leader didi mor gayi (our leader is dead). We were stunned and took some time to absorb the news. He was out of breath and could barely talk. Finally, we gathered that at 12.30 pm they had all reached Karcha Nala, seven kilometres from our base camp and just one kilometre short of Batal. They found that knee-high ice-cold water was swirling down the slope creating a strong current. It was impossible to cross the stream at that point. The sherpas advised Sujaya and others to go back as it would be too risky to cross it without a rope at that time of the day. The sherpas climbed higher and crossed the stream where there were some big boulders and the stream was narrower. After getting the mules they returned and were crossing the stream at about 5 pm. They noticed a yellow windproof jacket downstream and got down from the mules to see what had happened. To their horror they found that it was the body of our leader. Gyalgen ran as fast as he could to reach us to break the news. Pasang was still looking for the others. We were shocked. It was beyond our wildest imagination that after coming through such a perilous climb unscathed, this situation would arise when we were on our way home. We wanted to rush to the spot but were prevented by the porters as it was already dark. They said that they did not want another accident to happen. All the porters went out immediately to join Pasang to search for the two missing members, Kamala and Shefali. It was like living a nightmare. We prepared big torches with clothes soaked in kerosene and put them around the base camp, so that the flare could be seen from a distance. Purnima got ready with the first aid box. Around 9.30 pm some of the porters came back with Shefali. We were very relieved to see her though she was soaking wet and had scratches all over her body, had no shoes and was shaking uncontrollably. Purnima took her inside the tent to give the necessary first aid. The porters informed us that they could not find Kamala. At our request they all went out again to search for her. They returned at 2.30 am in despair and empty handed. She was still missing. In the meantime, we learned from Shefali that after the sherpas left, all three of them had sat at the bank of Karcha Nala till 2 pm. Then Sujaya suggested they would make a last attempt to cross the stream. The other two were reluctant but agreed when Sujaya told them that they would come back if it was too difficult to cross. Hand-in-hand they got into the ice-cold water. Sujaya went first, followed by Kamala and then Shefali. Shefali was the only one who was carrying an ice axe. Suddenly the ice axe slipped from her hand and she herself slipped. While being carried down by the swirling water she heard Sujaya shouting ice axe, ice axe. Then Shefali got stuck between two boulders close to the bank, collapsed and perhaps lost consciousness for a while. When she regained her senses, she pulled herself out of the water with great effort. She looked around for the other two and found no one. She shouted for them but there was no answer. Dazed with pain, cold and wet, she started back towards the camp without any shoes as they had been washed away by the strong current. A difficult return Even after 50 years, it is difficult for me to write about that fateful night and the traumatic days that followed. Early morning next day, we returned to Batal, crossing the Karcha Nala with the help of a rope. We went straight to the police station. They started an immediate search for Kamala but to no avail. Her windproof jacket was found at the confluence of Karcha Nala and Chandra. It was concluded that she was carried away to the Chandra, a big turbulent river with tremendous force. The bad weather of the past few weeks had raised the water level and it had become immensely dangerous. Everyone including the army, the Border Roads Organisation and other agencies were alerted and they started their own search for Kamala. A very different telegram to the one we had earlier planned and worded, was sent from Batal. With Sujayas body, we were taken to Khoksar that night through an unsafe route full of landslides. Everybody including the locals, police, administrators and the army were helpful and sympathetic. It took us three days to hear from Kolkata, which too was experiencing bad weather. We learnt through the Ministry of Defence that Sujayas husband, Kamal Guha, who was a mountaineer himself, wanted her to be cremated in the mountains that she loved so much. The army carried out a ceremonial cremation for Sujaya at Stindri, a place near the confluence of Chandra and Bhaga. They also promised to look for Kamala along the Chandrabhaga and even beyond the border. We came back to Manali under very different circumstances. On 6 September, 1970, we returned to Kolkata without two members of our team to a tearful reunion with our families and friends. There was a tremendous sense of emptiness in me. Our remarkable success after the arduous climb of a difficult peak was overshadowed by the unexpected tragic turn of events. Not only had I lost two close friends but also my only companions with whom I had shared the most thrilling and adventurous days of my life. The only consolation is that we left them in their beloved mountains. *** Banner image: The expedition to climb Lalana was an adventure that none of the people on it would forget; Sudipta (right) and Kamala. Image via The Third Pole/ Sudipta Sengupta Sudipta Sengupta, a professor of geology, is a mountaineer, and was along with Aditi Pant the first Indian woman to set foot on Antarctica The Third Pole is a multilingual platform dedicated to promoting information and discussion about the Himalayan watershed and the rivers that originate there. This report was originally published on thethirdpole.net and has been reproduced here with permission. Here are three of the week's top pieces of financial insight, gathered from around the web: First woman to head major U.S. bank Citigroup's next CEO, the first woman to head a major U.S. bank, has been public about the challenges women have to overcome to reach the top of the corporate ladder, said Felix Salmon and Erica Pandey at Axios. Jane Fraser, who Citi announced last week will take over the bank in February, said that she often felt "exhausted" and "guilty" despite being "blessed with a great partner in my husband, who shares the responsibilities fully." Though Fraser worked part-time while her kids were young, "part-time" at the McKinsey consulting firm meant she could routinely be found "working on her computer in the kitchen at 3 a.m." Still, her ascent marks progress: Any time spent on the "mommy track" used to disqualify women from the top jobs. Fraud charges in PPP loan program The U.S. last week charged 57 people with stealing $175 million from the small-business COVID relief programs, said Aaron Gregg at The Washington Post. Among them was former New York Jets wide receiver Josh Bellamy, who along with 10 associates was "charged with fraudulently accessing $24 million in Payroll Protection Program loan and spending the funds on luxury items at Gucci and Dior and gambling." Loans from the program were given with little vetting, to speed the delivery of relief. Most PPP fraud cases so far fall into two categories: "people who illegally spent PPP loan funds on themselves, or groups of individuals who coordinated to defraud the program on a massive scale." One New Jersey attorney who got $9 million in loans allegedly claimed to own businesses with hundreds of employees. After IPO, Nikola faces tough questions Just "two days after General Motors announced a $2 billion deal" with high-flying electric-truck startup Nikola, a report from a short seller accused the newly public company of perpetrating an "intricate fraud," on investors, said Claire Bushey and Peter Campbell at the Financial Times. Among the headline accusations from Hindenburg Research is that Nikola faked a product video "by rolling its Nikola One truck along a downhill stretch of highway, to disguise the fact that the vehicle had no working engine, and filming it to appear it was being driven." Hindenburg, which makes money if Nikola's shares fall, also said that it had "extensive evidence" that Nikola's highly hyped technology was actually bought from another company. The Justice Department has opened an investigation. This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here. More stories from theweek.com How a productivity phenomenon explains the unraveling of America How the Trump-Russia story was buried The conservatives who want to undo the Enlightenment Boris Johnson has backed The Mail on Sunday's campaign to end lone births, saying 'no woman should have to go through labour alone'. Nearly half of hospital Trusts continue to ban partners from attending either labour or scans, or both, because of draconian Covid-19 rules. This newspaper is campaigning to end the scandal, which has left women to give birth or receive devastating news of miscarriages without support. The Prime Minister said it is of 'upmost importance' that every hospital allows partners to be present in what are 'incredibly special moments in people's lives'. The Government has published guidelines on how hospitals can safely do this, but many Trusts are refusing to implement it. Mr Johnson told The Mail on Sunday: 'No woman should have to go through labour alone without the support of partners or loved ones.' Boris Johnson has backed The Mail on Sunday's campaign to end lone births, saying 'no woman should have to go through labour alone' 'The guidance has changed to ensure pregnant women can have someone with them for vital appointments and throughout the birth of their child.' He said Ministers have been working with NHS England to ensure every hospital follows the guidance. Since The Mail on Sunday launched the campaign last weekend, several Trusts have performed U-turns. In one victory, Ruth Watson, whose husband had been banned from attending her 36-week scan tomorrow, was told he could be there after this newspaper reported her concerns. Sir Simon Stevens, the NHS chief executive, said: 'Wherever possible mums should be able to be accompanied by their partners for scans, antenatal visits and of course for childbirth. The Mail on Sunday is quite right to highlight the importance of getting this right.' The Prime Minister said it is of 'upmost importance' that every hospital allows partners to be present in what are 'incredibly special moments in people's lives'. (File image) The chief midwife will be putting more pressure on hospitals that continue to ban partners from attending. But former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says more action is needed to ensure all NHS trusts change their policies. Writing in today's Mail on Sunday, he says: 'I don't think a voluntary framework will end the arbitrary way these rules are being applied by some hospitals. A postcode lottery is unacceptable.' A petition to allow partners at all stages of labour into all hospitals has attracted more than 418,000 signatures. Joeli Brearley of campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed said: 'Pregnant women must be a priority considering the impact stress has on a growing foetus.' I am 64 years old. I am a veteran. I have been working from home these last five months...reading, watching, and listening to everything I can...but when I see all the bias, the flatout lies, and the endless deception in the mainstream media and so many other sources...I feel like I have to do something...that "we" have to do something. I was reminded on this past anniversary of 9/11 of how we as a nation came together after that horrific day. Specifically how we as a nation were all on the same page...the values and truths our country and flag stood for were unquestioned and understood by all. I remember all the American flags that went up...everywhere. In windows, on houses, in yards, on almost every passing vehicle. How neighbor talked to neighbor, stranger talked to stranger...the unity and the love for our country I have never felt stronger. Years ago, I worked for a company with over 200 people...a call center. I had always displayed an American flag on the top of my cubicle wall, and one day I was approached by a boss and told I had to take it down. Someone had complained. The cancel culture we see now came earlier than supposed. I was told I could still display it, but I had to put it on my desk, behind the wall...hidden from all who might see. I refused, and that night I took home all my personal photos and things I had displayed on my desk, and the next day I brought back two boxes full of items to replace them with. In those boxes I had my ribbons and insignia from my time in the U.S. Army. I had pictures of the gravesites in France with all the crosses on all the graves. There was a picture of the Statue of Liberty with a chain and lock wrapped around her face and mouth and a warning about how freedom is never free. I had a photo of my great grandfather from World War I with his rifle, his grandson, and a huge American flag. My boss approached me and asked if I was trying to start trouble. I smiled, said no, and proceeded to put up 20 items or more...and that flag never moved. I tell you this so that I can tell you "the rest of the story" as Paul Harvey liked to say. They never did push the issue and that flag stayed up every single day that I worked for that company. But the best part of the story is what happened next. As word got around the floor about what had happened, a wonderful thing took place. An American flag went up on another wall...and then another...and then another. After a few days there were flags everywhere. It was not a planned event...it was just heartfelt love for our country and our shared values...displayed proudly for all to see, by all who cared. Which brings me to what I would suggest everyone do... For lack of a better name I call it simply, "Plant a flag, watch it grow." This is not a flag day thing, this is not a Veterans Day thing...this is a "from this day forward, everyday type of thing." Put one up in the window of your home. Display one on the side of your house or on a pole in your yard. Display it on your vehicles. Display it proudly at work for all to see. Our country was founded on a loving God and His holy word and all of that demands we do our part or we risk losing it all. A flag is symbolic, yes, but it may set the stage for changing this negative culture I described above. Before election day...and after...my hope and prayer is that you will stand with me...plant a flag, plant five. Wouldn't it be a wonderous thing to walk outside and see hundreds of flags...on every corner, in every home, in every town and city...supporting this nation that God has so graciously blessed? Danny Ray Berg is a patriot, a Christian, and a hopeless romantic. "I believe we can make a difference but we must stand united and we must be heard!" Images credit: Danny Ray Berg WASHINGTON, Wash. - "I hope you're recording this, so you get it down," Bob Woodward says, nary a hint of irony in his voice. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 20/9/2020 (488 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Journalist Bob Woodward speaks during an interview prior to a speaking event in Montreal, Thursday, March 28, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes WASHINGTON, Wash. - "I hope you're recording this, so you get it down," Bob Woodward says, nary a hint of irony in his voice. Indeed, relying solely on notes for a conversation with the celebrated Washington Post reporter and editor would border on journalistic malpractice, considering the starring role audio tapes have played in Woodward's 49-year career. At the beginning, of course, was Watergate, the definitive presidential scandal he exposed with colleague Carl Bernstein, culminating in 1974 with what Richard Nixon's surreptitious microphones caught him saying in the Oval Office. Some 46 years later, the sound of a president's voice on tape is again making headlines, thanks to Woodward. This time, it's Donald Trump, admitting in an interview his intentional efforts to "play down" the clear and present danger of COVID-19. "What was coming to the United States, what was here, was a pandemic very much like the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. That's the key moment," Woodward, 77, said over the phone about the Jan. 28 briefing where Trump learned the gravity of the threat. Ten days later, Woodward would learn the truth. The rest of the country found out the hard way. "(Trump) failed to tell the American people the truth," he said. "He failed to carry out his responsibility as president to take care of and protect the American people." That charge of nonfeasance is just one of several explosive revelations driving Woodward's latest book, "Rage," a sequel of sorts to "Fear," a 2018 account of Trump's first term that featured no direct interviews with the president. For Rage, there were 19 of them only one wasn't recorded; Trump called out of the blue, a reporter's nightmare that give the book a remarkable Watergate echo: the most damning details come from the president himself. Critics have slammed Woodward himself for waiting so long to reveal what he learned in February. But he needed time, he says, to confirm what he'd heard from a man notorious for lies, exaggerations and self-aggrandizement. That took until May, by which point none of the details would have been particularly revelatory, since the virus was already raging in the U.S. and around the world. So Woodward focused instead on getting the book done before the Nov. 3 presidential election. "I, many times, have gone to editors of The Washington Post and said, 'I have a story here that needs to be in the paper,'" he said. "I would have done so in this case if at any point I could save a single life, but they would have said, 'What's the story?'" Woodward doesn't disclose many of his sources, describing them only as "first-hand participants and witnesses" who spoke on "deep background" another Watergateism that describes non-quotable conversations. That doesn't prevent "Rage" from attributing countless quotes to members of his supporting cast, including ex-intelligence chief Dan Coats, former defence secretary James Mattis and ousted secretary of state Rex Tillerson, all of them ultimately derailed by Trump's stubborn I-know-better attitude. Woodward himself encountered that intransigence first-hand. At one point, armed with a list of 14 priority areas, he pressed Trump on the plans to improve things like testing, international co-operation, intelligence gathering and national shelter-in-place plans. Like so many others, he got nowhere. "He was blowing off both me and the list," Woodward writes in the book. "Beyond being a reporter, I was worried for the country." Woodward describes himself as an "old-school" reporter, one for whom trying to sway public policy isn't part of his job description, a philosophy he learned from Post editor Ben Bradlee during the Watergate era. "That's not the business we're in, the business of changing public policy, affecting public policy, affecting politics. It's 'Get the best obtainable version of the truth out.'" But with Trump, he found himself straining to better understand the man behind the Resolute Desk, and unable to resist passing judgment on a president who "doesn't know the difference between a lie and a truth," according to his own former secretary of defence. "That is not a qualification for president of the United States." Woodward recalled how much of the most important Post reporting on Watergate was published in September and October 1972. Nixon promptly went out and got re-elected, claiming victory in 49 of the 50 states. His mentor was surprisingly sanguine. "Bradlee was, 'OK, we did our job. People can accept that or not accept that.' And then people realize, not only what we had written was true, but in fact understated," he said. "That was the evolving process. He always said the truth emerges. And I believe that's true." As for how America will fare on and after Nov. 3, Woodward knows it will be less clear-cut. He sounded genuinely worried about the risk of political and public pandemonium, given how many voters are expected to cast their ballots by mail in the face of COVID-19. As the president, publicly and without evidence, seeks to discredit mail-in voting, observers fear a delay in results could combine with early in-person support for Trump to result in a chaotic, uncertain and disputed outcome in the weeks that follow. "I think it's a toss-up; I think he could win, and I think he could lose," Woodward said. "We're heading into a blizzard, a political, electoral and moral blizzard. It's gonna test us." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2020. 20.09.2020 LISTEN Dear MzbeL, I've come to your home this evening. I've seen your "work" on indefatigable Abdul Malik Kweku Baako. Before what I have to say comes out, it is imperative to remind you that vintage A.M.K.B is least perturbed by the fatuous rants of your communication officer, Sammy Gyamfi. The Abdul Malik of yesterday remains the same today and tomorrow. Insha Allah! No amount of insults/character assassination by you latter-day NDC apologists can tickle his button let alone his shirt nor skin. His long-held principle of non-glorification of unbridled buffoonery stands so expect NO word/response from him, 'Maame No!' He has forgiven you. Go and sin no more. But then, listen to common sense: I've always known you to be a foolhardy but little did I expect this magnitude of unbridled tomfoolery by you on social media in an attempt to redeem your lost image and career after Tracey boakye snatched from you a certain John Mahama alias 'Papa No' an alleged "sugar daddy" of yours who used to dole out taxpayers money to his numerous girlfriends at the expense of the state. O-girl, your decision to repost that derisive remarks by that doltish soul, Yayra Koku corroborates the perception out there about your recklessness and psychedelic tendencies. I recall how some KNUST students 'fingered' you after a live show on their campus in 2005--something which I condemn anyway. Just when I thought that unfortunate incident would have reshaped your character and mental faculty, you are on record to have recently entered 'prophet' Nigel Gaisie's bedroom half-naked for prayers. As for what happened, the rest is history. Madam, if you think you've come of age and can take swipes at no less a person than A.M.K.B, then fasten your seat belt because "yb k no ppp." You can expect a bumper-bumper response from me. Have a good evening! Sir-Obama Pokuase No. 345 Baobab Street Haiti - News : Zapping... Panic near the Cathedral of Port-au-Prince Around noon on Saturday, armed individuals fired in the air, triggering panic, looting under the threat of the stalls of small merchants installed near the cathedral of Port-au-Prince before leaving without being worried with their loot made up in particular of electronic goods including telephones. Following this attack, merchants and sellers hurriedly left the area... Collateral victims On Saturday in the Bel-Air neighborhood, at least two people lost their lives in a clash between heavily armed gangs. Several houses were said to have been set on fire... 3 bandits arrested Friday 3 individuals: Raymond Rodmil (34 years old) aka "Roro" Matilien Taleuis (39) and Blondine Mareux (29) were arrested in Port-de-Paix on charges of illegal possession of firearms, drug trafficking and criminal association. 2 new Presidential Decrees In the official journal Le Moniteur N151 dated September 18, 2020, a decree was published declaring the day of September 20 "Dessalines Day" https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31843-haiti-social-262nd-anniversary-of-the-birth-of-emperor-jean-jacques-dessalines.html and another decree declaring the day of October 17 "National Day of Mourning". Heavy rains, RN #2 impassable Following the heavy rains that fell on the nights of September 16 and 17, RN #2 at Carrefour and Boulevard Harry Truman was covered with alluvium, water and rubbish, making vehicle traffic difficult due to the overflow of canals filled with waste and filth... 293,342 people received aid of 3,000 gourdes from the State Friday September 17 3,373 additional beneficiaries received via the MonCash service of Digicel 3,000 Gourdes of aid promised by President Jovenel Moise during his address to the Nation on March 27 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30405-haiti-covid-19-moise-promises-food-to-1-million-families-and-cash-to-15-million-others.html as part of the emergency aid during the Covid-19 health crisis. So far 293,342 beneficiaries have received this subsidy out of the 1.5 million provided by the Head of State... HL/ HaitiLibre President Donald Trump on Saturday promised to put forth a female nominee in the coming week to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, pushing the Republican-controlled Senate to consider the pick without delay. Taking the stage at a North Carolina rally to chants of Fill that seat, the president said he would nominate his selection despite Democrats objections. And, after conducting what he joked was a very scientific poll of the Fayetteville crowd as to whether supporters wanted a man or a woman, he declared the choice would be a very talented, very brave woman. He added that he did not yet know whom he would choose. We win an election and those are the consequences, said the president, who then seemed to signal that hed be willing to accept a vote on his nominee during the lame duck period after the election. We have a lot of time. We have plenty of time. Were talking about January 20th. But one Republican senator already broke ranks. Maines Susan Collins, who is in a tough reelection battle, said Saturday that she believed replacing Ginsburg should be the decision of the president who is elected November 3. Three more defections from the GOP ranks would be needed to stop Trumps nominee from joining the court. At stake is a seat held by a justice who spent her final years on the bench as the unquestioned leader of the courts liberal wing. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. vowed to call a vote for Trumps nominee, but Democrats countered that Republicans should follow the precedent that GOP legislators set in 2016 by refusing to consider a Supreme Court choice in the run-up to an election. The impending clash over the vacant seat when to fill it and with whom scrambles the stretch run of a presidential race for a nation already reeling from the pandemic that has killed nearly 200,000 people, left millions unemployed and heightened partisan tensions and anger. McConnell pledged to Trump in a phone call Friday night to bring the choice to a vote though he has not said if it would be before the election. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said any selection should come after Nov. 3. Voters should pick the president and the president should pick the justice to consider, he said. The president this month added 20 more names to his roster of potential court nominees, and aides in recent days have focused on a short list heavy on female candidates, according to four White House aides and officials close to the process. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss private conversations. Those under close consideration for the high court include three women who are federal appeals court judges: Amy Coney Barrett, beloved among conservatives and an early favorite; Barbara Lagoa, who is Hispanic and comes from the battleground state of Florida; and Allison Jones Rushing, who clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas and for Neil Gorsuch, when the current Trump-appointed justice was an appeals court judge. McConnell, who sets the calendar in the Senate and has made judicial appointments his priority, declared unequivocally in a statement that Trumps nominee would receive a confirmation vote. In 2016, McConnell refused to consider President Barack Obamas nominee months before the election, eventually preventing a vote on Judge Merrick Garland. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York convened a conference call with Democratic senators at midday Saturday, according to a person on the private call who was not authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. He told senators the number one goal must be to communicate the stakes of the confirmation vote. Schumer also warned that if Republicans push through the nominee, nothing is off the table for Senate rules changes to come, the person said. The death of Ginsburg, a champion of womens rights and a pop culture icon, led to a wave of mourning, including an informal memorial at the Supreme Court and a protest outside McConnells house. It also seemed certain to stoke enthusiasm in both political parties as the election could now be viewed as referendum on the high courts decisions, including the future of abortion rights. Democrats raised more than $60 million in the hours after Ginsburgs death, indicating her passing has already galvanized the partys base. A confirmation vote in the Senate is not guaranteed, even with a Republican majority. McConnell has launched a risky, unprecedented strategy. It could motivate conservative voters to rally behind Trump and GOP senators or it could push away moderates who prefer to see the Senate stick to norms or are fearful of a right-leaning court stripping away womens right to choose an abortion. Typically, it takes several months to vet and hold hearings on a Supreme Court nominee, and time is short before November. Key senators may be reluctant to cast votes so close to the election. With a slim GOP majority, 53 seats in the 100-member chamber, Trumps choice could afford to lose only a few. McConnell did not specify the timing. But trying for confirmation in a lame-duck session after the Nov. 3 election, if Trump had lost to Biden or Republicans had lost the Senate, would carry further political complications. Democrats immediate denounced McConnells move as hypocritical, pointing out that he refused to call hearings for Garland 237 days before the 2016 election. The 2020 election is 46 days away. The average number of days to confirm a justice, according to the Congressional Research Service, is 69, which would be after the election. But some Republicans quickly noted that Ginsburg was confirmed in just 42 days. Obama waited more than a month to nominate Garland after Justice Antonin Scalia died in February 2016. John Fischetti, who waited in line more than two hours to enter Trumps Fayetteville rally, said replacing Ginsburg would inflame tensions but was within the presidents rights. I would assume it would make everyone more energized, Fischetti said of the political repercussions. Trumps people want him to always press forward. Four GOP defections could defeat a nomination, while a tie vote could be broken by Vice President Mike Pence. After Collins decision, focus grew on Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah, who have been critical of Trump and protective of the institution of the Senate. And because the Arizona Senate race is a special election, that seat could be filled as early as Nov. 30 which would narrow the window for McConnell if the Democratic candidate, Mark Kelly, wins. The next pick could shape important decisions beyond abortion rights, including any legal challenges that may stem from the 2020 election. In the interim, if the court were to take cases with eight justices, 4-4 ties would revert the decision to a lower court; for instance, the Affordable Care Act could then be struck down by a lower Texas court. Biden has promised to nominate a Black woman to the high court if given the chance. His campaign reiterated Saturday that it would release names before the election. Brokers are expecting a clamour for shares in The Hut Group today as the firm begins trading in full on the stock market. Investment platforms such as Hargreaves Lansdown and AJ Bell have reported strong demand from customers for the shares, which began 'conditional' trading on Wednesday. But even as savers prepared to plough in, there was no sign of a new independent director at the firm. The Hut Group had promised an appointment to allay concerns over its governance, and increase protections for investors. Dual role: Matthew Moulding, pictured left, is both chairman and CEO at The Hut Group But a company spokesman declined to comment on whether an appointment was imminent, only stating that a decision would be made over the next 12 months. Andy Agathangelou, of the Transparency Task Force, said a quick appointment was vital to ensure shareholders' interests were represented in the boardroom. He added: 'This person will require superhuman skills to avoid the inevitable biases and relationship-based influence on judgement which could be rife on a board of long-standing friends and associates.' The UK Corporate Governance Code, which listed businesses are expected to follow, says at least half of a board should be independent non-executive directors. To be 'independent', that person should have no material relationship with the company and not be involved in daily operations. They should also have held the role for fewer than nine years, and after six years must have their independence reviewed. The Hut Group, which has shunned the code, only has two independent directors Zillah Byng-Thorne and Dominic Murphy on its six-strong board. Both have worked closely with the company and its founder Matthew Moulding for years. Byng-Thorne was an adviser to The Hut for four years before joining the board in 2018, and Murphy helped to broker the investment by private equity giant KKR in The Hut in 2014 before joining as a director. Several other 'red flags' have been raised. Moulding, 48, is both chief executive and chairman, a position banned by all corporate governance codes. He also holds a 'golden share', which gives him a influence over big decisions. And Moulding is now The Hut's landlord, having bought all of its properties into a company he controls and leased them back. Sources close to The Hut have said Moulding's role is key to retaining its entrepreneurial structure. They added that the property transaction was completed at a fair value, and would help to remove debt. The Hut is likely to be popular with savers, as analysts have claimed its ecommerce technology and online retailing sites will be winners. Its shares have already climbed 18 per cent during conditional trading since Wednesday. (Natural News) Minneapolis city councilors are describing their constituents as terrorized by a recent violent crime wave that has swept through the city, with the Minneapolis Police nowhere to be seen. The council recently advanced a proposal to abolish and replace the Minneapolis Police Department. (Article by Richard Moorhead republished from BigLeaguePolitics.com) Jamal Osman of Ward 6 described the public safety situation in such terms in a council meeting with Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo. The actual plan to abolish the Minneapolis Police seems to have fallen by the wayside, but the police seem largely absent from sections of the cities after some of the worst riots in American history erupted in the city after the George Floyd. There have already been more murders through the first nine months of 2020 than there were in all of 2019, and crimes were generally down in the early months of the year on account of the coronavirus pandemic before the riots. Burglaries, auto theft and arson are all up as well, with the latter up by a considerable amount. And yet, the police appear largely absent to local residents, who Osman is saying have come to him with their grievances. The police didnt end up being defunded, but for all intents and purposes residents of Minneapolis seem to be living everyday life without them. Osman says constituents are telling him police have adopted a politically correct approach to law enforcement, openly declining to arrest and charge stone cold criminals. Jeremy Schroeder, who represents Minneapolis 11th ward, is stating his constituents are experiencing the same thing, including a string of robberies and break-ins of small businesses already devastating by the riots and coronavirus. More than 700 buildings were damaged by the initial George Floyd race riots, and more than $50 million of damage was inflicted upon the city, with some estimates ranging the damages at over $100 million. The city may never recover. Minneapolis has destroyed its once serene reputation through radical pro-crime leftism, and as the city residents realize theyve been left to the devices of violent criminals, they have no one other than the citys leftist council to blame. Read more at: BigLeaguePolitics.com Trade unions move against US war threat: Khrushchev warning to US serves peace cause Originally published in Tribune September, 1958. Thousands of Australian unionists, through their leaders, have called on the Menzies government for action to avert the deadly danger of world war arising through US aggression against Peoples China. The workers know that Soviet Premier Khrushchev told US President Eisenhower nothing but the truth in his so-called abusive letter. It can hardly be denied that Eisenhower is personally responsible for Dulles brink-of-war policy. Dulles was not elected but was appointed by Eisenhower. Khrushchevs blunt warning served the cause of peace. It let the US atomaniacs and the bloodthirsty admirals and generals know what forces will, oppose them if they start a war. Khrushchev was correct when he said that while US forces occupied Taiwan (Formosa) they would represent a constant threat of war. The whole world can see that. Despite the falsifications of the US official spokesmen, Australia must not get dragged into aggression by the Menzies Government but must do everything to restrain the US warmongers. The war they want would be a war against China for the restoration of the Chiang Kai-shek dictatorship which killed more Chinese than even the Japanese did. It would be a war to make China a US colony, with Chiang Kai-shek as a front man. The Sydney Morning Herald says: Why the US, far from acting to disengage herself from these useless and untenable islands, allowed Marshal Chiang Kai-shek to reinforce them remains incomprehensible. But there is nothing incomprehensible about it. It is the logical culmination of US aggression against the Chinese people. This has included the payment of billions of dollars to the Chiang clique; recognition of it as the government of China, non-recognition of the Peoples Government and its subjection to a trade blockade and denial of any representation in the UN. The Federal conference of the Building Workers Industrial Union last week carried a resolution protesting against the interference by US armed forces in Taiwan (Formosa). The resolution declared that Taiwan rightfully belonged to China. The interests of world peace required that the Peoples government be given its rightful place in the UN and recognised by Australia, US, and other countries. The resolution was sent to Menzies and US Ambassador Sebald on behalf of the 50,000 unionists represented by the conference. Similar resolutions were carried last week by the Queensland Trades and Labour Council and the Newcastle Trades Hall Council. Many more such resolutions are needed to force the government to heed the peoples feelings which are strongly hostile to Dulles brink of war policy. In Parliament last week Menzies declined to commit himself on the question of who owned the Chinese offshore islands. He asked the people not to voice any opinions about it. He called for silence, whereas what is needed is a sustained broadside, of vigorous protests. Acting External Affairs Minister McBride more frankly defined the governments real policy when he said earlier: The Commonwealth government fully supports the US. Its position is identical with that of the US on the Formosa Strait situation. This view is opposed by most of the daily papers, including the Sydney Morning Herald, the Sun and Daily Telegraph and the Melbourne Age and the entire labour movement. For months Joseph R. Biden Jr. has condemned President Trump as a failed steward of the nations well-being, relentlessly framing the 2020 election as a referendum on the presidents handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, confronted with a moment that many believe will upend the 2020 election the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the prospect of a bitter Supreme Court confirmation battle Mr. Bidens campaign is sticking to what it believes is a winning strategy. Campaign aides said Saturday they would seek to link the court vacancy to the health emergency gripping the country and the future of health care in America. While confirmation fights have long centered on hot-button cultural divides such as guns and especially abortion, the Biden campaign, at least at the start, plans to chiefly focus on protecting the Affordable Care Act and its popular guarantee of coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. Arguments in a seminal case that could determine the future of the health care law are set for a week after Election Day, with the administration supporting a Republican effort to overturn it. Mr. Biden will accuse the president, as he already has, of trying to eliminate protections for pre-existing conditions during a pandemic, aides said, with the stakes heightened by a Supreme Court now short one of the liberal justices who had previously voted to keep the law in place. News Washington, DC - Proclamation on National Gang Violence Prevention Week, 2020: During National Gang Violence Prevention Week, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to ensuring gang members are removed from our streets and prosecuted for their crimes, so all Americans can live and thrive in a safe and peaceful environment. Our Nations law enforcement officials are our first line of defense against gang violence, and we continue to express our eternal gratitude for their selfless devotion to upholding the rule of law and keeping us safe. Street gangs pose grave threats to the safety of communities and the wellbeing of children, teenagers, and families. Gangs aim to perpetuate the trafficking and smuggling of humans, weapons, and drugs. They destroy public and private property, corrupt Americas youth, and ruin businesses. To break the pernicious cycle of gang violence and crime, my Administration has enacted comprehensive solutions focused on prevention, intervention, and suppression. In July, we launched Operation LeGend a sustained and coordinated law enforcement surge in communities across the Nation. Operation LeGend is named in honor of 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed while he peacefully slept early in the morning of June 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. This unfathomable tragedy is one of many examples of the scourge gangs pose to our youth and to our communities. The eponymous operation spans every Federal law enforcement agency and is being executed in conjunction with State and local officials. Our national effort to fight violent crime will protect our Nations children and bring violent criminals to justice. Every child in America should enjoy a youth without any risk of falling victim to violence, drugs, or other harmful criminal acts that can destroy their future. And every parent should see their children grow into the people that God intended for them to become. It is the responsibility of all public leaders to do everything in our power to make this possible. As President, my highest obligation is to protect our Nations citizens, which is why we are relentlessly working to restore law and order throughout our country. In the past year, the Department of Justice has prosecuted thousands of violent gang members, including hundreds of leaders, members, and associates of transnational criminal organizations such as MS-13 and the 18th Street Gang. The spread of these vicious groups, and the human suffering they bring, is accomplished through a sophisticated and well-organized campaign of violence meant to intimidate neighborhoods and boost illegal money-making activities. In response, my Administration has taken strong actions to secure our borders, shut down smuggling networks, and expedite the removal of illegal immigrants associated with these transnational criminal networks. Additionally, the Attorney Generals Joint Task Force Vulcan has taken steps to disrupt, dismantle, and ultimately destroy MS-13, including strategically targeting the highest ranking leaders and bringing terrorism charges against the organization. Through these initiatives, and working with our foreign law enforcement partners in Operation Regional Shield, we have reduced the ability of transnational criminal organizations to commit murders and other violent crimes, as well as hindered their funding by stopping crimes such as robbery, extortion, drug and gun smuggling, and despicable acts of human trafficking. Under my Administration, the Department of Justice has revitalized the Project Safe Neighborhoods program, which provides crucial support to local law enforcement agencies across the country to combat gang violence and prevent violent crime. This community-based initiative targets the most violent criminals in the most dangerous areas of our country and has successfully delivered justice by getting them off the streets and behind bars. None of these significant strides would be possible without the dedicated law enforcement officials of our great Nation. In light of the growing, radical movement attacking the police, I take this opportunity to once again reemphasize my unending support for our Nations heroes in blue. We are forever grateful for the incredible men and women of law enforcement who risk their lives every single day to combat crime and mayhem. As a Nation, we must band together in the fight against criminal gangs that threaten our democracy and terrorize our children, families, and communities. National Gang Violence Prevention Week is a time to reflect on the honorable service of our heroes in law enforcement and dedicate ourselves to doing all that we can to prevent criminal gangs from infiltrating our communities with violence and crime. We will not rest until we have removed the scourge of gangs and transnational criminal organizations from our country. NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim the week of September 20 through September 26, 2020, as National Gang Violence Prevention Week. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth. At 2:28 a.m. Sept. 11, The Oregonian/OregonLives data specialist Mark Friesen was feeling bugged. Friesens a numbers guy, and something didnt add up. He fired off an early morning email to the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, questioning data the state had sent out the day before via press release. I see that OEM is saying that 500,000 people have been evacuated, he also wrote to several editors overseeing wildfire coverage. AP reported this and a lot of people are picking it up Im skeptical of this number. Rightly so, it turns out. Before Friesen raised questions, however, the figure had rocketed around the world, as information is wont to do in this digital news age. In addition to The Associated Press, the half-million total was reported by the Washington Post, the New York Times, Reuters and many, many others. If true, a staggering 10% of Oregons population had been evacuated, and thats the information most Americans had. Friesen checked the math. I did a rough population analysis of the evacuation zones and it looks like there are roughly 95,000 people who live in Zone 3 areas, he wrote. Zone 3 is the go, evacuate now level. If you expand that to Zone 2 its around 255,000, so Im not sure how you get to 500,000 actually evacuated, he wrote. Zone 2 is be ready. At 8 a.m., I alerted The Associated Press to the apparent error but was told the Oregon emergency management agency was standing by its estimate. It defies the logic test, I wrote back to the AP. For comparison, an estimated 1.5 million evacuated before Hurricane Katrina. Reporter Brad Schmidt teamed up with Friesen to set try to pin down the facts. The emergency management department reiterated to Schmidt that the half-million number was correct. We thought they must mean 500,000 under some level of evacuated order, but they insisted Friday morning that the number referred to people who were actually evacuated. As Andrew Phelps, director of the emergency management office, said later, These are important numbers to us, theyre important numbers to our local emergency management partners, and theyre important to the Red Cross to develop capability assessments and plans for how many folks may need some level of assistance. To be sure, information was flying fast and furious during the height of the fires. But the need for accurate information during a crisis is also heightened. Oregonians should be able to rely on what the state is telling them. I also know we sometimes have to gulp and admit error even when its embarrassing or difficult. Ive certainly had to do so, many times. We believe it builds credibility to acknowledge forthrightly when something we have reported is inaccurate or incomplete. Maybe for that reason, the evacuation error was by now really bugging me. At 10:37 a.m., I emailed Gov. Kate Browns office to ask for clarification, saying the states press release seemed wildly out of whack. Schmidt published his story based on Friesens analysis saying the numbers didnt add up. At the governors news conference later that day, where she said more than 40,000 Oregonians had been evacuated, Phelps seemed to indirectly acknowledge the error. I really appreciate the governor allowing an opportunity to clarify the 500,000 evacuation number, he said. That number does refer to the folks that were in some level of evacuation. By then, the genie was truly out of the bottle. Theres no way all the news organizations that reported a half-million Oregonians had been evacuated ever updated their stories. At the fast pace of news today, they likely just moved on to the next story. On Think Out Loud, Phelps said the difference was splitting hairs. Certainly, were all doing the best we can right now. The pandemic was bruising, protests exhausting. And now historic wildfires. Phelps pledged his office would do better. Were committed to getting these numbers right, he said. And were going to be working to ensure that every time we release numbers, those numbers are factual and confirmed. That what we pledge to you as well. Well continue to bring our skepticism and expertise to inform our journalism. I wish I could say well work tirelessly on your behalf. But, honestly, like everyone else in 2020, were tired, too. We thank you for your support for the important work we do. Police have urged hundreds of protesters to immediately leave an anti-vaccine, anti-lockdown protest in Trafalgar Square or face arrest. The warning came after heated clashes between demonstrators and officers during a Resist And Act For Freedom rally on Saturday afternoon. Dozens of officers, including some on horseback, were repelled by human blockades with loud cheering and chanting as they tried to make arrests. Scotland Yard said the large crowds of people are putting themselves and others at risk just a day after Mayor of London Sadiq Khan warned it is increasingly likely restrictions will be needed to slow the spread of coronavirus in the capital, adding he was extremely concerned about the rate of transmission in London. Here are todays leading news stories: Politics -- Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong required Hanoi to set a good example in all fields during a meeting between the Politburo and the citys Party Committee on Saturday. Society -- Vietnam has not documented any community-based COVID-19 cases for 18 days. The countrys tally stands at 1,068, with 942 having recovered and 35 fatalities, according to Ministry of Health statistics. -- Rainfall will reduce and temperature will rise in southern Vietnam on Sunday and Monday as a southwest monsoon has weakened, according to the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting. -- A 52-year-old man who is the vice-principal of an elementary and middle school in the northern province of Bac Kan has been caught using drugs with three other people, including one teacher, in his office, police confirmed on Saturday. -- The Department of Transport in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho and FUTA Bus Lines on Saturday inaugurated five local bus routes that offer modern services with on board air-conditioning and Wi-Fi connection. -- One person was killed, another missing, and 110 others injured after Storm Noul, the fifth to hit Vietnam this year, made landfall in north-central Vietnam on Friday. More than 22,000 houses had their roofs blown away by strong winds, the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control reported on Saturday. Business -- A runway upgrade project at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi is expected to be complete in December, the developer has stated. -- Vietnamese milk producer TH Group has initiated the construction of a high-tech, concentrated dairy cow project worth VND2.54 trillion (US$109.5 million), in Sa Thay District, located in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum. World News -- Nearly 31 million people around the world have caught the novel coronavirus while more than 22.5 million patients have recovered, according to the health ministry's statistics. Above 960,800 have died. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! University of Torontos law school allegedly blocks hiring of scholar due to her work on Israels human rights abuses. Toronto, Canada Students and teachers at the University of Toronto have called for the reinstatement of an international scholars job offer after it was allegedly rescinded by management over her work on Israels human rights abuses in the occupied Palestinian territories. The universitys law school has been accused of blocking the hiring of Valentina Azarova as director of the International Human Rights Program (IHRP) following pressure by a sitting federal judge, who is also a major donor to the faculty, according to emails seen by the Toronto Star newspaper. In an email sent to law school Dean Edward Iacobucci on September 12, also seen by Canadian daily The Globe and Mail, two former directors of the IHRP programme said the school made an offer to Azarova that she accepted in August. However, when a judge in the Tax Court of Canada, whose name has not been disclosed, expressed concerns about Azarova, Iacobucci rescinded the offer, media reports said on Thursday. The decision led to a series of resignations at the university, including law professor Audrey Macklin, who chaired the hiring committee that unanimously found Azarova to be the best candidate for the position. On Thursday, a second member of the committee, Vincent Wong, resigned. The IHRP programmes three-member advisory board Vincent Chiao, Trudo Lemmens and Anna Su have also resigned. Apologise for improper interference More than 100 IHRP students and alumni have also sent a letter to Iacobucci, calling for a thorough and public review of donor practices at the law school, as well as of the alleged improper external influence and pressure by, in this case, a member of the judiciary. As a public institution, the Faculty should not be swayed by wealth and influence at the expense of academic freedom and fair and accountable hiring practices, said the letter, calling on the Faculty to reinstate Dr Azarovas offer and to apologise for this improper interference in the hiring process. As students, we look to the IHRP to engage with pressing international legal issues, including Israels occupation of the Palestinian territories, the letter read. Dr Valentina Azarovas scholarship on this topic is principled and reputable. She was unanimously selected by the hiring committee after months of consideration. Azarova, an international legal practitioner and researcher, told The Globe and Mail she was offered the IHRP directors position and accepted it in August through a Zoom call. She has held positions at several universities, including in the occupied West Bank, with immigration detention, arms trade, and occupation and annexation being her areas of research. However, in a letter sent to the Faculty of Law on Thursday and shared with Al Jazeera, Iacobucci denied any offer was made for Azarova. Even the most basic of the conjectures that are circulating in public, that an offer was made and rescinded, is false, he wrote, adding that he would never allow outside pressure to be a factor in a hiring decision. Iacobucci said conversations with a candidate were ongoing, but no offer of employment was made due to legal constraints on cross-border hiring within the timeframe required. Other considerations, including political views for and against any candidate, or their scholarship, were and are irrelevant, he wrote. Kelly Hannah-Moffat, vice president of human resources and equity at the university, told Al Jazeera the hiring process for IHRP director, which is a managerial staff position, not a faculty one, was confidential. [And] the university is continuing to do its best to maintain confidentiality, notwithstanding insinuations and the selective discourse of information, she said. Anti-Palestinian racism Dania Majid, president of the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association (ACLA), said Iacobuccis denial that an offer was made to Azarova was appalling considering that members of the hiring committee had resigned in protest. He is throwing his faculty under the bus for an error he has made. Its unacceptable, Majid told Al Jazeera. It has sent a terrible message to the students at the law school, faculty members, to all prospective Palestinian students, that their voices, their opinions are not welcome on campus and he will not be there to defend their rights to express those opinions if they were to come under attack. Majid said the controversy came as no surprise since anti-Palestinian racism is alive and well in legal institutions as it is in other institutions. This is a story of how Palestinian voices, Palestinian academics or those who work on Palestine are specifically targeted in order to delegitimise the Palestinian voice, Majid said. The ACLA has demanded that the law school report this matter of interference to the Canadian Judicial Council and an investigation should be conducted. Corey Balsam, national coordinator for Independent Jewish Voices Canada, said the incident is indicative of a broader chill being felt throughout the North American academia. Those who openly criticise Israel and support justice for Palestinians are finding themselves under attack left, right and centre, he told Al Jazeera. Balsam said pro-Israel groups have intensified their attacks to force universities to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliances (IHRA) controversial redefinition of anti-Semitism that includes certain forms of criticism of the Israeli state. Its likely no coincidence that the incident with Azarova occurred at University of Toronto, which has been one of the main targets of this campaign in Canada, Balsam said. A bill to adopt the redefinition is currently before the Ontario state government, with Majid being very concerned about it. What does that mean for those who are doing work on Palestine? They are going to come under attack [if they] speak up for Palestinian rights. Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson has warned that the Government is playing "fast and loose" with the country's two biggest airlines, and warned that flight services out of Dublin could be reduced in the coming months if the Covid travel restrictions continue. Speaking to the Sunday Independent on Friday, he compared the severity of the crisis the industry now faces with the comparatively minor downturn that followed the September 11 attacks. "Think about this. In 2001 airplanes didn't fly for three days. Swiss went bust, Sabena went bust, most of the American airlines went bust. What people don't realise is that [now] most of the largest airlines in Europe - Lufthansa, KLM, Air France - are technically bankrupt. They have to be bailed out and they may have to be bailed out again. And that means that the overall number of airplanes in Europe and elsewhere throughout the world is going to shrink dramatically and, because it is such an expensive business to get back into again, countries are going to have to compete for that traffic when things [eventually] turn around." He explained: "In this country we don't have a government-owned airline anymore. "We have two private companies that essentially own the infrastructure of connectivity into this country and we have the Government here taking it for granted - as if it will be here forever." Describing how the companies could be forced to pull flights from Ireland and chase business elsewhere if what he described as the Government's "chaotic" quarantine rules are not brought into line with the rest of Europe, he said: "It's like somebody who owns the national grid and who can turn off the national grid and bring that to Scotland or France. [Ryanair] and Aer Lingus will be driven to doing that because we have got to get a return and the Government have sat on their hands." He said to date the airlines have managed to keep aircraft here because they have stayed well capitalised, but he added, "There is this assumption in Ireland that 'ah sure that's fine' [but] they are playing fast and loose." He said: "As it stands at the moment [air] traffic in Ireland is already back to 1992 levels, and I don't know where you were in 1992 but I remember it being a dark and dismal place. "At this stage we should be finalising our deals for the summer schedules with airports and if we are not there [at those airports] then we just put the traffic elsewhere." He added: "Aircraft are the most transferable [assets]. Factories take time to close and relocate, but airplanes can be moved tomorrow. It doesn't mean you are going to close them all, but significant amounts of capacity will go." His comments come after Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary confirmed it is "highly likely" the airline will close its bases at Cork and Shannon airports over the winter months. The final decision is not due to be made by the airline until the end of September. Mr Wilson explained: "We are talking about closing Cork and Shannon next month [and] on a bigger level you might take more aircraft out of Dublin because you would significantly reduce your connections with those European countries that the Government won't allow us to fly to." He said: "The Government is killing confidence so that people won't book. That's what is happening here." Ryanair and Aer Lingus appeared in the High Court last week to call out the Government's "nonsensical" travel restrictions. The airlines are challenging measures announced in July, including a directive that persons should not travel outside the island of Ireland save for essential purposes. It is also challenging the requirement that persons returning to the State from countries not on a designated list, known as the green list, self-isolate for 14 days. Most EU states opened to flights from other nations within the bloc on July 1, following advice from the European Aviation Safety Agency and the European Centre for Disease Control. Have you read about my hero? Shes a python. Let me explain. In case you didnt see the news story, last week at the St. Louis Zoo, a 62-year-old female python gave birth to seven eggs, even though she hadnt had contact with a male python for 15 years. So you see where this is going. Its me. Ladies, theres hope for the celibate. You can still drop a few eggs. They hold snakes, but you cant have everything. The newspaper also said that the snake is a ball python. Youre telling me. This is a girl after my own heart. Here I was, thinking that I couldnt get pregnant at my age, especially since I havent had sex this decade. At least I think thats true. I cant remember. Theres the good news. If I had sex in the past decade, it wasnt memorable. But back to the python. Nobody can explain how she became pregnant. They think she reproduced asexually, which is a process called facultative parthenogenesis. By the time you get through saying that, you could give birth. Meanwhile, I saw Jurassic Park. The snake wrote it. The zoo never expected the snake to live that long. Apparently, pythons usually live only 40 years. Are you feeling this girl yet? I am. Shes making her own rules. Shes not buying into the patriarchy. Or the python-archy. What a woman! Never mind that the newspaper headline called the 62-year-old snake ancient. Hissssssssss. Sixty-two is not ancient. Its barely a good start. And evidently, 62 is the new puberty. I think the newspaper is ageissssssssst. And sexissssssst. Meanwhile, the more you know about the story, the weirder it gets. For example, the zoo got the python in 1961, from a private owner. Who privately owns a python? You know what I privately own? A bunch of old bras. Meanwhile, the zoo never even named the snake. What middle-aged female has not been marginalized? I mean, really? Cant we name this girl? How about Goddess? Or Heroine? Or Lisa Scottoline? I cant think of a name worthy enough for such a queen. I cant get over this, about the name. The zoo had a snake for almost 40 years and didnt name her? Thats procrasssssstinating. Meanwhile, I name everything. Naming pets is fun. I have even acquired animals to fit a name I had in mind. For example, I wanted a draft horse so I could name him Final Draft. I wanted a pony so I could name him Edgar Allen Pony. Anything that lays eggs deserves a name. I mean, its ungrateful not to. The zoo was absolutely certain the python hadnt come in contact with any male snakes. She has her own glass case, and the only male snake she sees is in the glass case next door. This is my idea of the perfect relationship. I love living alone. I love my house and I love being the only one in it, except for one daughter during quarantine. I couldnt imagine sharing a closet again, or even a drawer. I need all the room. In fact, I need more room. Honestly, I hate sharing anything. But I wouldnt mind a man to look at through glass. And if he could get me pregnant just by looking at me, he must be Bradley Cooper. According to the news story, there are some species of snakes and lizards in which females produce asexually, and no males exist. And whats the bad news? The article also said that snakes are able to store sperm from an earlier encounter for delayed fertilization. Thats the bad news. Reportedly, the longest delayed fertilization was seven years. Oy. That would be the one-night stand from hell. Try to remember who you slept with seven years ago. Now, try to forget. Look for Lisas first historical novel, Eternal, coming on March 23, 2021. Also look for Francescas debut novel, Ghosts of Harvard, on sale now. As per data, 95,880 people recovered from Covid-19 in a span of 24 hours, 93,337 new infections were recorded during the period A gym owner sprays disinfectants on equipment after authorities allowed opening of gym and yoga centres with certain restrictions, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, in New Delhi. PTI photo Indias single-day recovery outstripped the number of new infections as nearly 96,000 people recuperated from the novel coronavirus infection, even as the total caseload went past 53 lakh. According to the Union health ministry data, 95,880 people recovered from Covid-19 in a span of 24 hours, 93,337 new infections were recorded during the period. India has overtaken the US and become the top country in terms of Covid-19 recoveries, said the health ministry on Saturday. Cabinet secretary chaired a high level review meeting with chief secretaries of the 12 state/ UTs, with 80 per cent total caseload, for effective containment and management of the Covid-19 pandemic. Minister of commerce and industry also addressed the states and reviewed the oxygen availability. He specifically requested them to focus on analysing district level and health facility level status and effectively plan and manage logistical issues related with Oxygen availability. With the latest inclusions, the total number of cases mounted to 53,08,014 and the recoveries to 42,08,431, pushing the recovery rate to 79.28 per cent. The death toll, meanwhile, climbed to 85,619 with the virus claiming 1,247 lives in a span of 24 hours. India now accounts for close to 19 per cent of the total global recoveries. This has strongly pushed the national recovery rate to 79.28 per cent, it said. The Covid-19 case fatality rate has further dropped at 1.61 per cent. There are 10,13,964 active cases of Covid-19 in the country, which constitute 19.10 per cent of the total caseload. The countrys Covid-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, the 30-lakh mark on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5, and it went past 50 lakh on September 16. A record 95,880 patients recuperated from Covid-19 in a span of 24 hours, with 90% of the new recoveries reported from 16 states and Union territories. About 60% of the new recoveries were reported from five states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, a cumulative 6,24,54,254 Covid-19 samples have been tested up till September 18 8,81,911 of them on Friday. The 1,247 new deaths include: 440 from Maharashtra, 179 from Karnataka, 98 from Uttar Pradesh, 67 each from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, 62 from Punjab, 59 from West Bengal, 31 from Puducherry and 30 from Delhi. ALBANY Throughout the first few months of the coronavirus pandemic, Micky Jiminez said her phone line was clogged with grief and confusion. After Capital District Latinos, a cultural and resource center for the Latino community, closed its doors in March, Latinos in the Capital Region found themselves physically cut off from the information and resources they needed to survive and cope during the pandemic. Jiminez, who serves as the executive director of the nonprofit organization, was overwhelmed by the number of people reaching out who had lost their jobs and were hungry, did not understand the dangers of COVID-19, had no personal protective equipment and did not know where to seek health care or whether they could afford it. Jiminez said local government outreach efforts to the Latino community during the pandemic have been extremely insufficient. We have been at the department of health constantly, trying to make them aware of the fact that our community needs messaging thats linguistically appropriate, said Dan Irizarry, board member of Capital District Latinos, pointing to what he views as nonexistent bilingual public health messages. We have a very large immigrant community from Central and South America, and so they dont have English skills that would be sufficient for them to understand all of the things that one needs to do to prevent COVID and be tested and treated for COVID. The Latino community has been also been hit hard by infection rates and unemployment across the nation, making messaging and outreach to the community about the deadly virus that much more critical. In Albany County alone, Latinos have made up 9 percent of the countys positive COVID-19 cases, while they make up 6 percent of the countys overall population. Experts point to a variety of factors contributing to the impact of COVID-19 on Latinos. For example, Latinos are disproportionately represented in the essential workforce in the U.S., making the population more exposed to the virus. Access to health care is another issue 19 percent of Latinos did not have health insurance in 2018. And finally, mistrust of the government particularly with more anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy in the current federal administration have made many Latinos less likely to seek health care. And it wasnt only the closure of the Central Avenue Capital District Latinos building that proved difficult for the Latino community, but also the closure of churches. Many of them would really rely on their churches because they would go to Spanish services, Jiminez said. Many churches would at least have information and disseminate it in their language. But everything had shut down, so they had no one. Even COVID-19 posters at bus stops were solely posted in English, Jiminez and Irizarry said. In an email, Albany County spokeswoman Mary Rozak said Spanish speakers can visit the county website, where information is translated from Center for Disease Control posters and informational videos in a variety of languages. They also have posted bilingual information on financial support during the pandemic, and updates on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Irizarry had pointed out that most people don't have laptops, rather using their cell phones and sticking to platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp. The first few months of the pandemic, Capital District Latinos focused on trying to bridge that information gap: handing out PPE, educating the community on wearing masks and washing hands, and what to do if they show symptoms of COVID-19. At one home Jiminez visited to deliver food, she met an undocumented immigrant who was exposed to COVID-19 by a coworker, but had kept working because he didnt have insurance. He and four other coworkers out of seven ended up at the hospital with COVID-19, three of whom had to be placed in the intensive care unit, Jiminez said. They didnt speak any English, and just because their symptoms were so bad, that is how they ended up getting help, she said. When the county launched mobile testing sites in collaboration with the Whitney Young Health Center, in an attempt to better reach the disproportionately impacted Latino and Black communities, officials told Jiminez they werent seeing many Latinos taking advantage of the site. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. I pushed back and said, Well, how are you reaching them? she recalled. Then she learned each individual was required to bring their own interpreter to the sites thereby putting interpreters at risk of contracting the virus and all of the forms to fill out were in English. No wonder youre not getting a good turnout, Jiminez said. Weve been translating forms, were going to do a health event for Latino men, but we have no money. Most recently, Jiminez sent a letter to County Executive Dan McCoy on Aug. 28, stating that under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, health care providers that receive federal funding are required to provide language access services for patients. She said she received a call from a county employee in response indicating that their department did not have anyone to translate the forms, however, they would appreciate CDL's assistant with the translation. Jiminez said money and resources would have to be provided to her nonprofit in order for them to partner in such an endeavor. Rozak said translation was available with the mobile van, and that the Whitney Young website lists the languages various doctors speak. Albany County has worked with local refugee and immigrant organizations in a variety of ways, she said in an email. We welcome all suggestions from our partners on how we may best serve their communities. Jiminez and Irizarry said Schenectady and Rensselaer counties have also had disappointing outreach to the Latino community. Schenectady and Rensselaer counties have both distributed COVID-19 materials in other languages, county spokespeople said. Rich Crist, director of operations for Rensselaer County, said their health department deployed a Spanish-speaking employee to distribute information about COVID-19. He said the county had not received complaints regarding their community outreach. We find ourselves like the voice in the wilderness screaming out and fearing that theres a larger problem than any of us understands, Irizarry said. Were tired of having to jump up and down with local government and other stakeholders to say, When are you going to treat our community with respect and equity? Its coming to a point where its going to demand of us to take greater action. Whitehall Township police continue to investigate what led to a shooting Saturday afternoon inside Lehigh Valley Mall. Multiple shots were fired just before 5 p.m. Saturday in the area of Modells Sporting Goods on the malls lower level, police said. A massive police response and first responders quickly arrived as customers and staff rushed to safety. There were no reported injuries in the incident as officers secured more than 120 stores inside the mall. No arrests were made Saturday evening and descriptions of any suspects have not been released as of Sunday afternoon. Police Sunday were continuing to investigate. There will be no further comment or any news conferences Sunday, a Lehigh County 911 dispatch supervisor told lehighvalleylive.com. The supervisor, relaying information from a Whitehall Police Department shift commander, said additional details would likely be forthcoming Monday. Whitehall Police Chief Michael Marks said during Saturdays news conference investigators are combing through mall surveillance footage and urged the public to contact the department if they had cellphone footage of the incident. The investigation is expected to also include interviews with dozens of witnesses. Casings were seized inside the mall and taken into evidence, Marks said. The chief did not provide information during the news conference as to how many casings were found. The chief did say the mall was full with shoppers and employees when shots rang out. It was fairly crowded for a weekend night, Marks told reporters. It was packed as it can be. Shoppers and employees were told to shelter in place as police arrived and eventually people were escorted out. The mall was empty as of 8 p.m., however, police continued to search the building into the evening hours. Multiple police departments across Lehigh and Northampton counties, as well as the Pennsylvania State Police Special Emergency Response Team and K-9 units, were called in to assist in the investigation. Those with information about Saturdays shooting are asked to call Whitehall police at 610-437-3042 or Lehigh Valley Dispatch 610-437-5252. Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. The NSW Nationals have been accused of branch-stacking and then dissolving a rural branch after members raised questions about the preselection process of a state MP. The MP, Gurmesh Singh, was selected at a November 2018 meeting for the seat of Coffs Harbour. But office holders of one of the seat's two branches raised doubts about the voting process and his eligibility. Barry Lee, the former chairman of the Orara Valley Nationals branch, who says he is 'dumbfounded' by the actions of his party in the Coffs Harbour area. Credit:Kate Geraghty Members of the Orara Valley branch, who had raised the questions, say they turned up to their annual general meeting in July 2019 only to find their numbers had suddenly swelled by almost double. The newcomers included Andrew Fraser, Mr Singh's predecessor as MP for Coffs Harbour and currently chairman of NSW Nationals. They intervened to spill existing office holders before the meeting ended in chaos. US officials have intercepted an envelope addressed to Donald Trump that contained the deadly poison ricin. The letter was intercepted at a government facility that screens mail addressed to the White House and the president. A preliminary investigation indicated it tested positive for ricin, a poison found naturally in castor beans which can be extremely lethal if inhaled or injected. Federal investigators are working to determine where the enveloped originated from and who posted it. It is believed that the letter was sent from Canada, a law enforcement official told the New York Times. The FBI, the Secret Service and the US Postal Inspection Service are leading the investigation. In a statement, the FBI confirmed agents were looking into a suspicious letter received at a US government mail facility and that there is no known threat to public safety. Deadly ricin has previously been used to target American politicians through the mail A Navy veteran was arrested in 2018 and confessed to sending envelopes to Mr Trump and members of his administration that contained the substance from which ricin is derived. Authorities said the man, William Clyde Allen III, sent the envelopes with ground castor beans to the president, FBI director Christopher Wray, along with then-defence secretary Jim Mattis, then-CIA director Gina Haspel, Admiral John Richardson, who at the time was the Navys top officer,m. The letters were intercepted and no one was hurt. In 2014, a Mississippi man was sentenced to 25 years in prison after sending letters dusted with ricin to President Barack Obama and other officials. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government described the two farm bills passed by Parliament on Sunday to liberalise the agriculture sector as historic, but farmers groups and activists opposing them allege that the legislation will create a system lacking adequate oversight and make cultivators vulnerable to exploitation. Replying to the debate on the bills, farm minister Narendra Tomar said the bills would not jeopardise or end minimum support prices (MSPS) in any way. He also said the bills do not end the current agricultural produce market committee system in the country. The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 aims to ease all restrictions on trade of agriculture produce. The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, lays down a new architecture for contract farming in the country so that agribusiness and farmers can engage with one another more confidently, enable modern supply chains and investments by agribusinesses in cultivation. Farm produce, under a decades-old system, is sold and bought in wholesale markets run by so-called agricultural produce marketing committees, or APMCs, under state laws. This is the mandi system. The bill enables food traders to buy farmers produce from any market, outside the purview of APMCs, rather than be bound to a specific market where they are licensed to operate. Ushered in during the 1960s, APMCs were originally meant to protect farmers from distress selling by creating a system of notified markets that records all transactions and prices. Over time, however, these have often acted as monopolies, evidence suggests. In December 2010, when onion prices peaked, a probe by the countrys statutory anti-monopoly body, the Competition Commission of India, revealed that one firm accounted for nearly a fifth of the total onion trade for that month at Lasalgoan APMC, Asias largest onion market in Maharashtras Nashik. While the APMC system is cartelised, bypassing it altogether will leave farmers vulnerable to big food corporations and the country will have no way of knowing what is being traded and at what price, critics argue. Intelligence on price and stock are critical to protect farmers and consumers interests, they say. The government is abdicating all oversight responsibility since it is not prescribing a system of registration of all traders of farmers produce, says Kavitha Kuruganti of the Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture. Nor does it want to build a price intelligence system even as it weakens the mandi system. How and when will it intervene then? On Sunday, parties such as the Congress and Biju Janata Dal said the government ought to have included federally fixed minimum support price (MSP) as the benchmark for any farm trade. The lack of any mention of MSP, which is considered as a basic remunerative price mandated by the government in any of the legislation has given rise to suspicion that the new system will weaken the existing MSP regime. Its not surprising that farmers and middlemen have come together to oppose the bill. Critics say the bill doesnt consider the realities of interlocked farm markets. In India farmers typically are locked in with middlemen because the latter loans farmers money to meet cultivation costs with an assurance to buy their produce. HT research shows that farmers value MSPs highly and dont negatively view middlemen (https://bit.ly/35SWAIU). The bill allows tax- or levies-free markets, whereas APMCs charge between 4.5% to 8% in mandi levies. This will lead to a loss in revenue. Critics say the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, which brings a new contract-farming regime, doesnt adequately protect the farmer. Sections 19 states that no civil court shall have jurisdiction to entertain any suit or proceedings in respect of any dispute which a Sub-Divisional Authority or the Appellate Authority is empowered by or under this Act to decide. This bar of jurisdiction will hurt the interests of farmers, they argue. The bills were passed in a hurry. They lacked greater scrutiny of select committees. They create a system which will leave farmers vulnerable to exploitation. We will continue to protest, said VM Singh, convenor of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Dismay gripped Dublin's publicans following the announcement that ended indoor eating and drinking throughout the capital's hospitality sector. Beleaguered bar owners claimed that loan defaults loomed for many as the new regulation for the city's hostelries have coincided with the ending of the six-month freeze on repayments due to banks. The new rule that a limit of only 15 customers be allowed at once, and only in the open air, makes their businesses not viable and is effectively a closure notice for at least three weeks. So there will be no cash generated to repay loans or meet fixed costs. Relief among publicans in the rest of Ireland that they can finally reopen after a tough six months contrasted with the plight of their Dublin colleagues. Ollie Grimes has kept his bar business closed in Skerries in Co Dublin since March but completely overhauled his premises and had been planning to finally reopen, selling food, in the next few days. The Taoiseach's announcement put an end to that plan. "We're totally out in the cold again. We're fairly distraught. It's a diabolical situation for the bars and the restaurants. We have just been totally let down again," he said. "A major concern for publicans, if you look at banking systems right across Europe, is that the moratorium on repayments has come to an end. If publicans cannot pay their mortgages now, their pubs could be dumped into a different category by the banking system. "Banks could sell off the loans of publicans, which would allow vulture funds back in. Publicans could end up in big, big trouble." He said he has no capacity to serve customers outdoors in his newly revamped pub, The Snug. And for pubs with that capacity, the limit of 15 customers does not make it viable for them, he claimed. "At this stage, publicans in Dublin don't even believe they will open in three weeks," he said. "The problem now is that the off-licences are open. People who can't go out to eat will end up visiting each other. How will that be managed?" he asked. Tom Kerrigan, assistant manager in Toner's of Baggot Street, also pointed out that off-licences were being allowed to remain open and this was where people bought alcohol for the house parties that were causing so much concern. Billy Dempsey, owner of Davy Byrne's in Duke Street, said he was having difficulty seeing how he could possibly continue remaining open because of the outdoor-only rule and the cap of 15 customers. His outdoor tables were popular but city publicans have to contend with Irish weather. "This is not the Mediterranean. Rain and wind is forecast from Tuesday onwards. How can you serve people in that weather? If it pours rain out there and the wind is whistling down Duke Street, there is no one out there except seagulls." "My biggest worry is for my staff at this time," he added. Declan Doyle of Doyle's pub in College Street said: "We're banjaxed. We will have to close. We have no outside area. We've been the whipping boy. Our business is already down 70pc. Once it closes, we don't know when it will open again. I have terrible worries about it. "If the banks play ball, there will be some hope of us all getting out of it," he said. Daniel Smith, assistant manager of Grogan's pub in William Street South, said it has been very tough on everyone in their business, which has remained shut since March. Part-time staff were let go in May and full-time staff let go at the beginning of this month. He was critical of the latest development recommended by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) "It seems to me that Nphet views pubs as a big threat to the nation. They seem hell bent on keeping as many bars closed as they possibly can. "But what keeps people safe in pubs are responsible staff and responsible management. We always ran a tight ship. No messing. We would have no interest in making a mockery of the rules. We just want to open," he said. Donall O'Keeffe, chief executive of the Licensed Vintners Association which represents the city's publicans, greeted the new rules with worry and a sense of foreboding for his members. "We're absolutely devastated. Not alone are the wet pubs closed, but now our members selling food are closed. It completely makes a joke of the road map announced on Tuesday. "It's hard to explain the devastation. This is closure, lockdown, by other means. Given that the pub sector is not the source of infections, and we are not the source of outbreaks, we just don't understand what's going on. "It's clear to us that Nphet is anti-pub. "We had a call with Paschal Donohoe on Thursday about the banks. After a six-month mortgage payment break, if pubs can't trade, they can't pay their mortgages because they've been closed for so long. Government policies are actually forcing publicans into mortgage default. "After six months, under the regulations, the banks have to talk to publicans about making a repayment. The banks allowed the six-month payment break. But after six months, you either engage in a payment plan or if you don't, it's a default. It's a default as a result of Government policy, not by our own actions," he warned. Later, he issued a statement from the association declaring: "Nphet has imposed the most severe, draconian and punishing restrictions on the hospitality sector in all of Europe. "The pubs of Dublin widely accepted and backed the approach being taken by Nphet and Government at the beginning of this crisis. But the approach being taken is shattering that support among the pubs of Dublin ... Nphet are not in this together with the pubs of Ireland and the Government are standing by and allowing them to sacrifice our sector," he said. Prince Charles will warn that the climate crisis will 'dwarf' the impact of coronavirus and call for 'swift and immediate action' in tackling the matter. In a recorded message from Birkhall in the grounds of Balmoral, the Prince of Wales, 71, will say that the Covid-19 pandemic is a 'window of opportunity' to reset the economy for a more 'sustainable and inclusive' future. The prince's comments come months after he urged nations to work together to tackle the environmental threat to the planet as he attended WaterAid charity's Water and Climate event at Kings Place in London. The Prince of Wales will call for 'swift and immediate action' in tackling the climate crisis in a recorded message from Birkhall in the grounds of Balmoral In his message, to be played at the virtual opening of Climate Week on Monday afternoon, the prince said: 'Without swift and immediate action, at an unprecedented pace and scale, we will miss the window of opportunity to 'reset' for a more sustainable and inclusive future. 'In other words, the global pandemic is a wake-up call we cannot ignore '[the environmental] crisis has been with us for far too many years decried, denigrated and denied. 'It is now rapidly becoming a comprehensive catastrophe that will dwarf the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.' Prince Charles, who tested positive for coronavirus in March, previously urged members of the Commonwealth to come together to tackle climate change. He also called on business and political leaders to embrace a radical reshaping of economies and markets in order to tackle the crisis at the Davos summit back in January. In January, the prince has also met teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Meanwhile in March, the Prince of Wales, who was made President of WaterAid in 1991, urged nations to work together to tackle the environmental threat at a climate event at Kings Place in London. He told a round-table at the event: 'With the urgency that now exists around avoiding irreversible damage to our planet, we must put ourselves on what can only be described as a war footing. Prince Charles smiles as he attends the WaterAid water and climate event at Kings Place in London in March 'The current battle against the coronavirus at least demonstrates, if nothing else, how quickly the world can mobilise when we identify a common threat.' Last month a study suggested the global lockdown will have a 'negligible' impact on rising temperatures but a green recovery could avert dangerous climate change. Experts led by the University of Leeds found that lockdowns caused a fall in transport use, as well as reductions in industry and commercial operations, cutting the greenhouse gases and pollutants caused by vehicles and other activities. However the impact is only short-lived, with analysis showing that even if some measures last until the end of 2021, global temperatures will only be 0.01C lower than expected by 2030. One of the packages had arrived in the city via the provincial capital Changchun, Fuyu city's health office said on its official WeChat account on Sunday. It asked people who had bought and eaten imported squid at the local Sanjia Deda frozen seafood wholesale shop between August 24th-31st to report to neighbourhood authorities and seek a Covid test. The Changchun Covid-19 prevention office said the squid had been imported from Russia by a company in Hunchun city and brought to the provincial capital. Chinese customs said on Friday they would suspend imports from companies for a week if frozen food products tested positive for coronavirus and for a month if a supplier's products tested positive for a third time or more. Mainland China has recently reported very few infections with the virus which emerged in Wuhan late last year, with just 10 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday. It says most recent cases come from people entering China from elsewhere. Advertisement In August, local authorities in two Chinese cities said they had found traces of the virus on cargoes of imported frozen food. The World Health Organization said then it saw no evidence of Covid-19 being spread by food or packaging. Reuters Noah Berger/Associated Press Major fires continue to burn through parts of Northern California, including the states largest ever, the August Complex in Mendocino and Humboldt counties, which had scorched 834,000 acres and continued to grow Sunday. Ignited by lightning more than a month ago, the August Complex fires are burning mostly forest land but have caused thousands to evacuate, destroyed 86 structures and led to one fatality, according to Cal Fire. The agency said the complex was 34% contained Sunday morning. More than 2,000 firefighters are fighting the blaze, including crews from Montana, New Jersey, Texas and Idaho. Families of only 64 doctors have claimed the benefits of governments special Rs 50 lakh Covid-19 insurance package though Indias biggest body of doctors asserted that nearly 400 doctors perished in the pandemic. The discrepancy in the number of doctors killed by Covid-19 showed the governments indifference to the sacrifice of (private) doctors and health care workers, the Indian Medical Association said in a statement. Responding to a question in the Parliament on Friday, the Union Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey said families of only 64 doctors applied for the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Insurance package along with 91 healthcare workers. Follow the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak in India here. An IMA list dated September 16 mentioned the names of 382 doctors who died due to Covid-19 infection. A day later (Sept 17), Trinamool Congress MP and a former IMA office-bearer Santanu Sen said in the Rajya Sabha that 389 doctors were killed in the epidemic. The Union Health Ministry, however, informed the House that no list of health care workers died in the epidemic was maintained at the central level. Read: Data on health workers infected or those who died during Covid-19 duty not maintained at central level: Govt No nation has lost as many doctors and health care workers like India. Doctors suffer four times more mortality than an ordinary citizen and private practitioners suffer eight times mortality on the same scale. To feign that this information doesnt merit the attention of the nation is abominable, the IMA said. Earlier this week, the World Health Organisation too flagged the higher risks taken by doctors and other healthcare workers. While health workers represent less than 3% of the population in the large majority of countries and less than 2% in almost all low-and middle-income countries, around 14% of Covid-19 cases reported to WHO are among health workers, said the world body. In addition to physical risks, the pandemic has placed extraordinary levels of psychological stress on health workers exposed to high-demand settings for long hours, living in constant fear of disease exposure while separated from family and facing social stigmatization. In the Rajya Sabha, Sen said 573 healthcare workers died in the last eight months due to the pandemic. The government list presented in the same House showed a figure of only 155 displaying the chasm between the private and government healthcare services. If the government doesnt maintain the statistics of the total number of doctors and health care workers infected by Covid-19 and the statistics of how many of them sacrificed their lives due to the pandemic, it loses the moral authority to administer the Epidemic Act 1897 and the Disaster Management Act. This also exposes the hypocrisy of calling them corona warriors on one hand and denying them and their families the status and benefits of martyrdom, noted the IMA. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Richard Borsuk (The Jakarta Post) Singapore Sun, September 20, 2020 12:15 489 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45f5e80 1 Books #Jokowi,#president,#literature,#review,#book,#bookreview,#Indonesia,#biography,#politics,#government,#COVID19 Free Joko Jokowi Widodo was the first leader not from the countrys elite or military and was widely seen as a man of the people and reformer who pledged to strengthen democracy, spur faster and more equitable economic growth and put human rights on his agenda. Unsurprisingly, that has proven too tall an order. These days, nearly one year into his second five-year term, not everyone is thrilled with Jokowi, who has had better years than this one. COVID-19 has posed an enormous challenge for Indonesia, and his leadership in combatting it particularly his withholding news of Indonesias first cases to prevent panic has been criticized by many. Still, Jokowis standing with ordinary Indonesians doesnt appear to be impacted. Jokowis story, personality and record as president are the subject of a new book by Ben Bland, the Financial Times correspondent in Indonesia when the furniture-shop owner was elected Jakarta governor in 2012 and president just two years later. Ben Bland (Courtesy of lowyinstitute.org/-) Blands 146-page book is titled Man of Contradictions: Joko Widodo and the struggle to remake Indonesia. It tracks Jokowi on his stunning journey from a furniture business in the Central Java town of Surakarta to Merdeka Palace in nine years. Bland, now at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, has met or interviewed Jokowi more than a dozen times, and has nice color and detail on the leader that Malcolm Turnbull, Australias former prime minister, called a cool cat in every respect. Jokowi doesnt get a great report card from the author, and his grades have weakened the longer hes been in office. By his second term, the man who pitched himself as an outsider had become deeply embedded in elite politics, Bland writes. And along the way, Indonesia has seen some moves that resemble Soehartos New Order, during which opponents were repressed. He notes that a growing number of people criticize Jokowi as a latter-day Soeharto lite. The Presidents authoritarian turn, as some called it, stemmed largely from developments in 2016 and 2017 involving Jokowis one-time political partner in running Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known as Ahok. He was accused of blasphemy for comments taken out of context on voting and the Quran, which led to huge anti-Ahok rallies organized by radical Islamic figures. He was defeated in the Jakarta governor election and was imprisoned for two years and Jokowi felt powerless to do anything. The President, Bland says, was blown off course by the mass movement that swept Ahok away and responded by reaching for the guide ropes of authoritarian rule, many of which had been left in place since the fall of Soeharto. Jokowi has never been the democratic reformer that he has allowed some of his boosters to think he is. But neither is he some sort of authoritarian wolf in sheeps clothing, writes Bland. Rather, he has been shaped by the winds that swirl around him. After Ahok was pulled down, Jokowis government threw the coercive power of the state at some Islamic groups, tactics redolent of Soehartos government. A presidential decree outlawed a radical Islamic organization, Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia. Jokowi, who has emphasized economic development and growth, has allowed a weakening of the countrys anti-corruption agency, and in September 2019 that sparked the biggest student protests in Jakarta since ones pushing for Soehartos resignation in 1998. And Jokowi has given a greater role in society to the military, which had seen its special dwifungsi (dual function) position, for defense and government, reduced in much of the post-Soeharto era. Jokowi was not intentionally seeking to revive New Order governance structures, the text says. Rather, he was reaching for any practical levers of power that might help him achieve his aims. But, regardless of his intentions, the former mayor who used democratization to rise to the presidency has proven to be a poor guardian of democracy. To be sure, Jokowi has had accomplishments. In his first term, Jokowi improved access to health care for poor Indonesians, though COVID-19 this year has illustrated how woeful the state medical system is. He kept the economy growing at 5 percent a year even though commodity prices, pivotal for Indonesia, were poor. Also in the first term, Jokowi proved serious about building infrastructure, as dozens of airports and toll roads were constructed. Bland labels him the hard-hat president and notes hes driven more by action than ideas. (In a debate before the 2019 election, Jokowis opponent Prabowo Subianto complained infrastructure projects were done without good feasibility studies). After beating Prabowo in the 2019 vote by a larger margin than in 2014, Jokowi shocked many by naming the ex-general as his defense minister, the same man who had gone to court in an unsuccessful bid to annul the 2019 vote as rigged. In 2014, Prabowo had also tried to get his loss to Jokowi overturned. Although Jokowis inclusion of his main rivals party boosted his parliamentary majority, theres no guarantee of support for his agenda, as shown by the difficulty of passing an omnibus bill aimed at reducing regulatory obesity and boosting job creation. One factor is that Jokowi isnt his partys chairman; Megawati Soekarnoputri is. And COVID-19 has complicated or derailed many plans, including Jokowis controversial one to move the capital to East Kalimantan. Noting how complicated Indonesia is, Bland comments, It is incredible that this diverse nation of thousands of islands and hundreds of languages and cultures has survived as a unitary state, through civil wars, coup attempts, genocidal violence, insurgencies and outside meddling. Bland is a good writer, and the book is an easy read, though some word choices are obscure. Prabowo is described as a tub-thumping rhetorician. Also, the text says mining giant Freeport was nationalized, which implies that the government unilaterally took it over, when there were long negotiations over the price. With COVID-19 and so many other challenges, can Jokowi go out with notable achievements, or will his tenure ending in 2024 disappoint? Bland isnt optimistic, writing, It seems he will do little more than muddle through his final term as President. He may once more demonstrate that being underestimated is his greatest strength. I hope so. But I fear that while Jokowis story shows what is possible in Indonesia, it also shows the limits. (ste) -- The writer was the Wall Street Journal's Indonesia reporter from 1987 until 1998. With insomnia a feature of this pandemic for many of us, a company that makes mattresses ought to be an investment dream. But Aim-listed Eve Sleep has been more of a nightmare in recent years, after a failed merger with rival mattress maker Simba and an association with disgraced fund manager Neil Woodford, whose former fund offloaded Eve stock at a penny per share. Woodford had initially pegged Eve as a market disruptor; it's one of a raft of companies that offer you a 'bed in a box' squashed flat for delivery, as well as a 100-night satisfaction guarantee. Sweet dreams: Eve Sleep is a bet on a miserable winter, when families may want to upgrade their mattresses without trawling round John Lewis first But there are only so many disruptors that the bedtime market can bear, and with Simba, Casper, Leesa and Emma also available, there was significant downward pricing pressure. This week's interim figures, though, indicate that Eve investors might be able to rest more easily. Sales picked up hugely in the second quarter, so although they were down five per cent for the six months as a whole, they were up 25 per cent year on year in the second quarter and the company has trimmed costs and moved away from chasing low margin sales. As a result, Eve has been profitable for the past four months when currency fluctuations are stripped out and on a lower sales number than before. The company also has a strong cash position. Eve has been helped by rivals such as Leesa and Casper pulling out of the European market, so there's slightly less competition, while we've all become more accustomed to buying everything online, which augurs well for a cosy autumn for the brand. As well as mattresses, Eve sells beds and pillows, and if the stamp duty holiday results in more people moving house, this should drive revenue too. Eve's share price graph is the stuff of nightmares, slumping from over 1.30 a share in 2017, to 4.85p this week. But there's the possibility of a real turnaround story here if Eve can leverage the TV marketing campaign it is planning for this autumn to bring in new orders. Midas Verdict: Eve Sleep is a bet on a miserable winter, when families may want to upgrade their mattresses without trawling round John Lewis first. The company is loss-making, but Eve's management now has a better handle on costs, which should hopefully lead to profitability. As a company with a market capitalisation of under 18million but 9million cash, it's also worth noting that there's not much value attributed to its business model. Worth a punt, unless you think the risk will stop you sleeping at night. Listed on: AIM Ticker: EVE Contact: evesleep.co.uk or 020 8036 5535 The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, has commended all stakeholders who made Saturdays Edo State governorship election a success. Mr Yakubu gave the appreciation while winding down INECs Situation Room on the Edo governorship election in Abuja on Sunday. The chairperson reminded all stakeholders that there is no respite yet for all as the attention will be shifted to Ondo where another governorship election would hold on October 10. He said three weeks after that, it would be a series of by-elections in 11 states, on October 31. Mr Yakubu challenged all INEC staff members and participants in the conduct of elections in the country to prove that the success in Edo is not a fluke by the standard in the conduct of elections. The sheer scale of the dissident shareholder win at Aryzta's extraordinary meeting during the week shows how out of touch the previous board had become with the investor base. It is one thing to be offside with a chunk of shareholders, but it is surely a lot worse not to realise just how offside you are. The election of new chairman Urs Jordi to the board of the baked goods group was backed by 96.59pc of shareholders who cast their vote. His appointment as chairman was backed by 65.79pc. The board's pick for chairman to succeed Gary McGann had the support of at least one voting proxy agency, yet Andreas Schmid decided to withdraw as the candidate, in what became a landslide for Jordi. Did Covid-19 do for Aryzta's Gary McGann or did the board actually do for themselves? McGann's tenure at Aryzta, since late 2016, has not been a lucky one. Underlying problems in the business, from high debt levels, to problems with the North American business, were all there when he took over. However, the pace of response to the company's crisis has not been good enough. Throw in setbacks like Covid, and the picture is a pretty grim one. In particular, the board's response in recent months to the arrival of the so-called dissidents (96.59pc is a lot of dissidents), has been out of touch. The board hired Rothschild & Co to conduct a strategic review of the business. The strategy was obvious - cut more costs, sell more units especially in North America or say "yes" if somebody came along with a foolishly high-priced offer. But the strategic review never materialised - publicly anyway. All the focus came on approaches and possible bids for Aryzta at a very questionable time to sell. Shareholders who stumped up 800m just a couple of years ago had seen much of that equity wiped out. The financial performance of the group during the lockdown period tells us little about the future. However, the last set of results before the lockdown were published on March 10 and they showed that of the 1.65bn in revenues in the 12 months to January 2020, North America had chipped in 704m. This enormous volume of baked goods sales delivered earnings before interest (Ebitda) of just 46m. European operations generated 807m in revenues and 100m in earnings. Sales in the rest of the world accounted for just 144.9m but generated earnings of 22.6m, or almost half North America's earnings contribution on a fraction of the revenues. Not only were revenues down in North America, but margins were down too. If the board felt the American business was at least about to turn the corner and it was therefore not a good time to sell it, Covid-19 levelled much of the progress that had been made. The shareholder group which got its man at last week's meeting, has said Aryzta should sell off more assets - at least another 600m worth. The new chairman, Jordi, has already poured cold water on the idea of selling the business as a whole, part of the previous board's approach. That is not to say that a deal had been reached, but they were in advanced takeover discussions with US hedge fund Elliott Management. So, where to now for Aryzta? There aren't any Irish directors left on the board. This shouldn't matter one way or the other. Chief executive Kevin Toland was voted off the board by 62pc of the vote. He remains as chief executive, but this doesn't augur well for his influence within the group in the weeks and months ahead. There is now more industry expertise around the boardroom table and this might prove vital in getting Aryzta out of its remaining difficulties. Its North American business looks too hard to fix and nobody wants to sell at a bad price, but this unit will probably have to go if the group is to retain an independent future. Central Bank Governor gives an ivory tower view on business So much for institutional memory. Central Bank Governor Gabriel Makhlouf made some extraordinary comments about the pending risk of insolvencies due to the Covid-19 economic downturn. He said it was in nobody's interest to support loss-making enterprises as some companies are unlikely to survive. "It is not in the community's interest that it supports loss-making enterprises", he said. This is a little bizarre from a Central Bank which regulates a series of banks that were supported by the State through the financial crash. If the same logic had applied then, the banks would have been let fail. Presumably, the logic of the time was that banks were strategically important businesses. Hard to see how that applied to Anglo Irish Bank (26bn) or Irish Nationwide Building Society (5.4bn). Surely it is in the interest of employees of loss-making businesses and the communities that they live in to have those companies supported, albeit not indefinitely. Many businesses are strategically important to their regions. Small ones are central to community life - especially in rural areas. Obviously, Makhlouf wasn't in Ireland or running the Central Bank when it contributed in its own way to the failure of the banks. Hopefully nothing like this would happen at the Central Bank today. However, it is ironic to have the person in charge of that organisation engaging in such 'ivory tower' commentary from the rather 'ivory-towered' HQ of the Central Bank which was slated to be the new head office of Anglo Irish Bank - one of those failed institutions. Government will have tough decisions to make about which companies to support and for how long when insolvencies do start. But Makhlouf's comments weren't a million miles away from the sentiments of Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, who had wanted to distinguish between businesses that would have been in trouble anyway, without the pandemic, and those which have been knocked back by the onslaught of the virus. Who is really to know the answer to that question? And of course, the State had supported loss-making State-owned companies for decades. Think of the money that went into Aer Lingus or CIE. The banks were bailed out and became State-owned, only to be re-privatised again. And then to shaft customers all over again with the tracker mortgage scandal. The cost to consumers of the collapse of Quinn Insurance is well over 1bn. The Central Bank reached settlements with two of the most senior executives in that business, following a detailed investigation without disclosing any details to anybody of the terms of the deal to any consumer now paying for the mess. Makhlouf is right that not every loss-making business can be supported indefinitely by the taxpayer. Yet, it would be nice to think that when tough decisions are made they are done with a long-term perspective in mind. EDWARDSVILLE The Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for the Metro East at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is celebrating the one-year anniversary and growth of its client Arch Equipment Group (AEG) LLC. Owner and president Lisa McQuade has worked with the SBDC and director Jo Ann DiMaggio May since last December to successfully build a fleet sales and service company. AEG is a woman-owned business, of which McQuade is proud, she said, providing professional, comprehensive management solutions for the entire lifecycle of a customers fleet equipment. The business work involves consulting, administration assistance and various fleet services, including selling and servicing heavy duty trucks, and providing customization to install accessories, such as safety items, light kits, required graphics and other mounted equipment. McQuade is no stranger to this business. Her father was a heavy duty diesel mechanic with his own shop. She recalled getting a commercial drivers license at a young age, as well as taking a high school mechanics class to be able to help her father. After pursuing a different career path, she found herself supervising the fleet department for another company. At that point, she knew this was something she wanted to do on her own. Her passion continued to evolve, and Arch Equipment Group officially opened in September 2019. Like many businesses during this time, Arch Equipment Group has faced its share of challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Having only been open for a few short months, the states stay-at-home order last spring made it difficult to get the business going. It affected marketing and networking opportunities, such as canceled truck shows and business events, and halted the employee hiring process. Despite the difficulties, McQuade is grateful to be on the upswing now. May provided McQuade assistance with a business plan, Small Business Association loan preparation, Women Business Enterprise (WBE) certification, marketing research and networking. Jo Ann has been a great sounding board, especially regarding our challenges with COVID, McQuade said. She has always been available to talk me through any difficulties and provide a multitude of assistance along the way. Lisa is always willing to learn and ask questions, May said. She is a strong business woman with a sound business plan. I am happy to have offered help when needed and look forward to Arch Equipment Groups future success. McQuade is especially proud to be a WBE certified business. This has provided a wide variety of educational and networking opportunities, business information, and financial assistance she has found extremely beneficial. WBE certification is important to my customers, and having it has given us an edge over the competition, McQuade said. It has presented numerous opportunities that we otherwise may not have had. McQuade is grateful for the relationships AEG has built with its customers and is proud that their customers are highly satisfied with their work. Building trust with customers is a huge plus for us, as we strive to be a trusted partner for the industries that never sleep, and where days off are not an option, McQuade said. McQuade strives to maintain a workplace where her mechanics receive the credit and respect they deserve, know they are appreciated and feel as if they are making a difference. She plans on growing AEG by adding implement sales and affiliating with additional heavy duty/medium duty/light duty truck up-fitters. For more information, contact AEG at 618-972-1224 or lisam@archequipmentgroup.com, find AEG at Facebook at Arch Equipment or visit archequipmentgroup.com. (Newser) The chaos of 2020 is reaching into 2021 for college students. Worried about the coronavirus being brought back to campus after vacation, schools are starting to remove spring break from their calendars. The University of Michigan and University of Kentucky did that last week, ABC reports, with Kentucky saying it will have "a condensed semester in which students remain engaged in coursework on campus." The school had scrapped its 2020 fall break, as well, per the Courier-Journal. The list of schools canceling spring break includes the University of Florida, Kansas State, Perdue, Iowa State and Texas Christian. story continues below A few colleges have made winter break longer instead, which helps with another threat. Carnegie Mellon said that change will "reduce the number of weeks we are in session during flu season." The school will sprinkle "break days" or "reading days" throughout the semester instead to give students a little time off. At the University of Tennessee, per WBIR, students' only day off next semester will be Good Friday. By dropping spring break, Kentucky announced, the school will be "assured that we did everything we could to protect the health, safety and well-being" of students and employees. (In March, a group of students on a spring break charter flight tested positive.) By Ayya Lmahamad The volume of trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Moldova amounted to $5.7 million during the period of January-August, local media has reported. According to the report, Azerbaijan exported products worth $3.5 million to Moldova, while the cost of products imported by Azerbaijan from Moldova amounted to $2.2 million during the reporting period. Additionally, during the reporting period, 591.4 million tons of cargoes were transported by sea. Some 4.4 billion tons of cargoes were transported by railway, and 2.3 billion tons of cargoes by automobile means of transport. Some 46.7 million tons of cargoes were transported by air during the first eight months of the year. It should be noted that Azerbaijans main trade partners during the reporting period were Italy with $3.3 billion, Turkey with $2.8 billion and Russia with $1.7 billion. During the reporting period, legal entities and individual entrepreneurs carried out trade operations with partners in 175 countries. The volume of Azerbaijans foreign trade turnover amounted to $16.5 billion during the period of January-August 2020. The value of export amounted to $9.8 billion or 59.6 percent of the total turnover, while the value of import amounted to $6.6 billion or 40.4 percent. Thus, foreign trade turnover resulted in surplus of $3.1 billion. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz My dream is to see Jammu and Kashmir emerge as a center of knowledge, enterprise, innovation and skill development, said President Ram Nath Kovind while addressing a conference on the implementation of the National Education Policy in the Union Territory. New Delhi [India], September 20 (ANI): My dream is to see Jammu and Kashmir emerge as a center of knowledge, enterprise, innovation and skill development, said President Ram Nath Kovind while addressing a conference on the implementation of the National Education Policy in the Union Territory. The President addressed the Conference through a video message which was attended by the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Vice-Chancellors of Universities and Principals of Colleges in Jammu and Kashmir as well as other stakeholders in Srinagar on Sunday. According to an official release, President Kovind said that determined efforts should be made to make this paradise a hub of knowledge, innovation and learning by implementing NEP in letter and spirit. He said that these steps would make Jammu and Kashmir once again a Firdaus on the earth, a bright jewel on the crown of Mother India as it was referred to in the medieval age. Also read: Agriculture Bill: Rajya Sabha adjourned after ruckus by Opposition Also read: Farm bills tabled in Rajya Sabha amid protests in Punjab, Haryana Talking about the rich heritage in the field of education inherited by Jammu and Kashmir, President Kovind said that it has been a center of literature and learning since time immemorial. Citing the examples of Kalhanas Rajtarangini and the Mahayana Buddhism, the tenets of which were popular in Kashmir, he opined that the history of Indias cultural traditions would remain incomplete without taking them into consideration. Reiterating the importance of NEP, the President said that India has an unprecedented demographic dividend but it could be positively realized only if the young people constituting a substantial segment of the population become skilled, professionally competent, and above all educated in the real sense. He further added that the implementation of the education policy will produce students with ignited minds. Emphasizing on value-based education, President Kovind said that it is important to understand our tradition and rich cultural heritage which can be achieved only in our mother tongue. It is this mother tongue that is being encouraged in the new education policy as it adheres to the cultural ethos of our country. He further observed that the three-language formula which is envisioned in this policy is of immense significance and could promote multilingualism as well as national unity but at the same time no language will be imposed on any state or union territory. (ANI) Also read: India registers over 92,000 Covid-19 cases in 24 hours, tally crosses 54L mark The Kapil Sharma Show has always managed to entertain the fans by bringing famous Bollywood guests. In the same vein, the show recently had Bollywood Jodi of Renuka Shahane and Ashutosh Rana. Kapil Sharma recently shared the teaser of the upcoming episode on his social media account. In the promo, the comedian is seen welcoming the couple on the stage. Renuka Shahane then took fans through her and Ashutoshs romantic journey and proposal. She revealed the funny incident when she met her husband for the first time and Ashutosh's Sangharsh where he played the role of a transgender person. The actress made everyone burst into laughter with the details of her love story. She also sang a song from the film on The Kapil Sharma Show for Ashutosh. Renuka shared that she first saw Ashutosh in his film Sangharsh portraying a transgender character on screen. She then went on to add that she heard him mouth the dialogue, Main insaan nahi hu (I am not a human being). Check out the hilarious promo below: Ashutosh too shared how he took Renuka's number and wished her on Dussehra. He then revealed how he proposed to Renuka by penning romantic poetry, and her admission of the fact that she loves him. Renuka Shahane and Ashutosh Rana recently celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary. Renuka had wished her hubby with an adorable throwback picture on social media and captioned it as, "You and I....what a beautiful world....19 years ago today.... love eternal." ALSO READ: Renuka Shahane, Ashutosh Rana Celebrate Wedding Anniversary With A 19-Year-Old Throwback Pic ALSO READ: The Kapil Sharma Show: Chandan Prabhakar Is Back; Reveals The Reason Behind His Absence A two-year-old boy has been killed from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in North Carolina. The toddler lost his life a couple of days after the accident, which happened on Wednesday morning at the home in Fayetteville, in the center of the state. How the child managed to get his hands on the gun is so far a mystery as it was revealed two adults and a teenager were home with the little boy at the time of the shooting. A two-year-old boy was killed after he accidentally shot himself at a home in Fayetteville, North Carolina on Wednesday morning. He later died in hospital on Friday from his injuries Officers were called to a house in the McArthur Place Community. Fayetteville Police Department, Lt. Gary Womble confirmed the presence of three other people at the time of the emergency call although it has not been revealed who, if any, were supposed to be watching the child. 'In my opinion, any gunshot wound is serious, especially when it happens to a juvenile,' said Womble during a press conference, as reported by WTVD. 'It's even more serious and more serious for us in our investigative methods to find out exactly what occurred that a child would suffer a gunshot wound. That's important to us and that's what the detectives are working hard to determine what happened.' Fayetteville Police Department, Lt. Gary Womble said there were three other people at the home where the shooting took place but it was not clear who was looking after the child One neighbor told the station that she witnessed a woman crying outside of the home in the moments before police and paramedics arrived on the scene. The child was taken to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill immediately after Wednesday's shooting but later died from his injuries on Friday. So far, the identity of the child or those who were with him at the time have not been made public as the investigation progresses. Oracle will host all US user data and manage security, while Walmart will supply its online sales, order management and payment services. Oracle could buy a 12.5 percent stake in TikTok before a future IPO, and Walmart a 7.5 percent stake. According to a source close to the matter, ByteDance would keep the rest of the shares. But since the Chinese company is 40 percent owned by American investors, TikTok would eventually be majority American-owned. (Photo | AFP) Washington: President Donald Trump said Saturday he had approved a deal allowing Silicon Valley giant Oracle to become the data partner for TikTok to avert a shutdown of the massively popular Chinese-owned video app that Washington has called a security risk. The deal, announced by the companies, also includes Walmart as a commercial partner and would create a new US company named TikTok Global. I think its going to be a fantastic deal, Trump said. I have given the deal my blessing. If they get it done thats great, if they dont thats okay too. Shortly after, TikTokowned by Chinas ByteDanceconfirmed the agreement, which came with companies racing against a Sunday deadline set by Trumps administration after which new downloads of the app would be banned. Oracle could buy a 12.5 percent stake in TikTok before a future IPO, and Walmart a 7.5 percent stake. According to a source close to the matter, ByteDance would keep the rest of the shares. But since the Chinese company is 40 percent owned by American investors, TikTok would eventually be majority American-owned. We are pleased that the proposal by TikTok, Oracle, and Walmart will resolve the security concerns of the US Administration and settle questions around TikToks future in the US, a spokeswoman for TikTok told AFP. ByteDance also confirmed the deal on social media, saying the three companies would reach an agreement that was in line with US and Chinese law as soon as possible. If it comes to fruition, the deal could mark the de-escalation of a technology battle between Washington and Beijing. It could also allow Americans to continue using the wildly popular app: the US Department of Commerce announced it was postponing the ban on TikTok downloads until September 27, citing recent positive developments. Security concerns Trump said the security will be 100 percent and that the companies would use separate cloud servers. The deal will lead to the creation of a new company, headquartered in Texas, which will have nothing to do with China but will still be called TikTok, according to the president. Oracle will be in charge of hosting all US user data and the security of the associated computer systems, while Walmart will supply its online sales, order management and payment services. In a joint statement, Oracle and Walmart said TikTok Global would pay more than 5 billion in new tax dollars to the US Treasury, while they and the other companies involved in the deal would launch an initiative to develop online education. According to the US Treasury, the TikTok deal still needs to be finalised by the involved companies and approved by a federal national security committee. The Kaduna Internal Revenue Service (KADIRS) has so far shut down 40 bet9ja offices in the last seven days in its ongoing operation to close all unregistered gaming offices in the state. Lite Anthony, Head of Gaming in the agency, who made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, added that eight others were also closed within the period. Mr Anthony said that five King Bet, two Access Bet offices and one office of Derby Lotto were also closed, amounting to 48 offices closed so far within the period. KADIRS had on September 10 commenced shutting down of all gaming companies operating illegally in the state and for withholding taxes. Mr Anthony said that 38 of the gaming offices were closed in Kaduna metropolis while 10 offices were sealed in Zaria. He said that the operation would be extended to Kafanchan within the week, adding that the revenue agency was awaiting court injunction to go after other gaming companies. The exercise will continue until we seal the about 1,500 gaming offices across the state. It is therefore in the best interests of the gaming operators to come to KADIRS and duly register their companies and obtain license to reopen, Anthony said. Said Abubakar, Executive Chairman, KADIRS, had explained at the commencement of the operation, that apart from operating illegally, the gaming companies were owing tax liabilities close to N500 million. Mr Abubakar said that the gaming companies were mopping about N2.0 billion monthly from the state and were not paying a kobo to the state government as tax. He also said that the operators of the gaming companies were equally required by law to integrate their operations into the KADIRS Service Software, stressing that the companies failed to do so. We will continue to go after them until all the operators of the gaming companies regularise their operations and obtain the needed licenses to operate in the state, he said. Samuel Akins, a business development consultant to the agency, said that gaming operators generated an estimated one trillion naira annually in the country. Mr Akins said that in Kaduna state, the operators generate more than N24 billion annually without remitting any tax to the state. NAN recalls that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had recently placed the accounts of some gaming companies in the country under post-no-debit (PND) for alleged unauthorised foreign exchange transfer and economic sabotage. The ensemble cast of Friends Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer is still beloved to this day. However, over the years, there were many characters that fans disliked. This one actor played a genuinely sweet character, so she was not prepared for the amount of hate she received from the live audience daily. Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay | NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images Why was Friends filmed in front of a live studio audience? Each 22-minute episode of Friends took six hours to film, which was twice the length of most sitcoms. However, the producers felt that the audience played an essential role in the series. They even hired a comedian to entertain the audience in between takes. Executive producer and director Kevin Bright explained in a chat with USA Today that it was challenging to develop the right story to take the show on location. RELATED: Friends: Rock Star Behind Smelly Cat Wasnt Very Comfortable With It We find that taking the show out of the studio makes it less funny, even when we shoot on the lot outside, Bright explained. The live audience is such an integral part of the show. The only reason we went on location to London is we knew we had such a large fan base there. Rosss season 2 girlfriend was met with venom from the studio audience In Friends Season 2, Ross (Schwimmer) returns home from China with a new girlfriend, Julie (Lauren Tom). Rachel had gone to the airport to confess her love to Ross but instead finds that he is dating an old friend from grad school. She is just the nicest person on the planet, Tom told Today about her character. And I think that the writers meant to have her that way so that the joke would play more that Rachel thinks shes a b*tch no matter what she does or says. RELATED: Friends: Brad Pitt Was Hesitant to Guest Star with Jennifer Aniston for 1 Major Reason Viewers were so into the budding romance between Ross and Rachel that Tom believes they were rabid when they saw her. I wasnt prepared for the amount of venom I was about to receive in a live audience where they actually booed my character, she explained. And, of course, I was trying very hard not to get my feelings hurt. So I had to get used to that. But I did understand intellectually that, you know, the audience was meant to be rooting for Rachel. Even I was rooting for Rachel, on some level, cause I was a fan of the show. The audience wasnt welcoming, but the cast on Friends was Luckily for Tom, the cast was completely the opposite of the audience. They welcomed her with open arms, although they had already formed such a strong bond with each other at that point. They kind of really clung onto each other, Tom describes the cast when she joined the show. They would literally walk down the set on Warner Brothers arm-in-arm. I still remember it was my birthday on my first day of rehearsal, and so they all took me out to lunch. It was very, very fancy, and it was so, so sweet of them to welcome me in that way. She still talks about the cast very fondly, so it made up for the audiences terrible reaction. If Donald Trump wins the election, then the Senate should move on his selection and weigh the nominee he chooses fairly, he said. But if I win this election, President Trumps nominee should be withdrawn. As the new president, I should be the one who nominates Justice Ginsburgs successor, a nominee who should get a fair hearing in the Senate. President Trump has vowed to nominate a woman for the position in the next week, seizing on an issue that has the potential to electrify the bases of both political parties and to inject a new measure of uncertainty into the presidential race. The election is little more than six weeks away. Justice Ginsburg was a righteous soul, Mr. Biden said. She was proof, proof that courage and conviction and moral clarity can change not only the law, but can change our culture, can change the world. His remarks come as he and other Democrats seek to frame the Supreme Court vacancy battle as one defined, above all else, by the issue of health care amid a global pandemic. They are casting their arguments in particular around protecting the Affordable Care Act, which Justice Ginsburg had voted to uphold, and its guarantee of coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments a week after Election Day in a case that could determine the future of the health law. Gettyimagesbank All kindergartens and schools in Seoul and its adjacent areas will resume limited in-person classes this week, the education ministry said Sunday, as the spread of the new coronavirus is showing signs of slowing down. The move to be enforced until Oct. 11 is in line with the government's eased social distancing guidelines announced early last week amid a recent drop in new coronavirus cases. According to the ministry, students at kindergartens and elementary, middle and high schools in Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi Province will go to school for in-person classes starting Monday. Attendance, however, will be limited to one-third in kindergartens and elementary and middle schools and two-thirds in high schools to ensure social distancing, the ministry added. Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday did not dismiss the idea that House Democrats might impeach Donald Trump again in order to force the Senate to hold a trial in removing him from office in order to delay a battle over the presidents coming nomination to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. We have our options. We have arrows in our quiver that Im not about to discuss, the California Democrat said on ABCs This Week program when asked about impeaching the president or Attorney General William Barr. But the fact is, we have a big challenge in our country, Ms Pelosi said. "This president has threatened to not even accept the results of the election with statements that he and his henchmen have made. So right now, our main goal would be to protect the integrity of the election as we protect the American people from the coronavirus. The move would be an unprecedented one for Ms Pelosi and Democrats, but in the extreme year that is 2020 and with Americas politics so divided, just about no one in Washington is ruling out anything as Republicans try to install a 6-3 conservative lean on the highest court in the land and Democrats scramble to try delaying a vote until after Election Day or even into next year. When ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos asked if she is ruling out any step the House could take to interrupt the Senates agenda, the speaker left all options on the table. We have a responsibility, we take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, she said. We have a responsibility to meet the needs of the American people. When we weigh the equities of protecting our democracy, [it] requires us to use every arrow in our quiver,. There has been some scuttlebutt about impeaching the president for a second time, with the charges related to what Democrats say has been his ineffective and cruel response to the coronavirus pandemic. Some Democrats have suggested impeaching the attorney general for a list of actions, including appearing to do Mr Trumps bidding on cases involving his friends or campaign associates, as well as his use of federal law enforcement against US citizens who have been protesting racial inequality and police violence against black people. Under the Constitution, the Senate would be required to hold a trial if the House votes to impeach a president or Cabinet official. Because a trial would tie up the chambers agenda for weeks or longer, it would not have time to take up something as complicated as a Supreme Court nomination at the same time. All senators are required to be inside the Senate chamber during the trial, meaning Judiciary Committee members would not be able to hold confirmation hearings with any Trump nominee. Democrats are pressing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to follow the path he set in 2016, when he blocked then-President Barack Obamas final high court nominee, Merrick Garland, arguing voters should speak first about who they wanted as president. Four years later, he and his allies are vowing a vote before Mr Trumps term expires in late January. And they are not ruling out trying to hold confirmation hearings and have a simple-majority floor vote before 3 Novembers election. Voters should pick the president," Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said on Friday night, "and the president should pick the nominee. 6966 view Add Comment Customer Interaction Initiative by OBC Bank on 21 October OBC Bank is appointed nodel bank to organize this event Bikaner, 18 October. As per the instructions of the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, New Delhi, "Customer Interaction Initiative" program is being organized at the Ravindra Manch on 21 and 22 October 2019. Yogendra Singh Solanki, Chief Manager of Leading Bank informed that Oriental Bank of Commerce has been made nodal bank in the district for this program. All government banks, private banks, NBFCs, MFIs and NABARD will participate in this program. He said that the objective of this event is to organize a fair for retail trade, agriculture, vehicles, housing, micro small and medium units, education and personal loans to raise the standard of general public and to facilitate the access of credit to them. Union minister Smriti Irani on Sunday strongly condemned the ruckus created by Opposition parties in Rajya Sabha as the Upper House of the Parliament cleared the farm bills. Calling the whole incident saddening, Irani slammed the lawmakers for breaking the microphone of deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha. The kind of attack on the Chair of Deputy Chairman, is saddening incident. Is it befitting to the politics of this nation? Is it right to go and break the mic at a chair on which not only deputy chairman but also the Vice President of the nation sits?, the BJP leader was quoted by ANI as saying. A major ruckus was created in Rajya Sabha by Opposition parties over farm bills on Sunday. Many lawmakers firmly protested against the bills in the House. Some MPs broke the microphones on the chairmans desk. The camera showed some MPs tearing papers and protesting near the chair in Rajya Sabha on Sunday. The Opposition has moved a no-confidence motion against the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh Narayan Singh. The Vietnamese Embassy in Romania held a photo exhibition in Bucharest on September 18 to introduce the history, people and nation of Vietnam. An overview of the opening ceremony of the exhibition (Photo: VNA) The event, held on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of Vietnams National Day (September 2), drew representatives from a number of ministries of the host country and embassies of some countries in Romania, as well as Vietnamese community in the European country. Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Romania Dang Tran Phong highlighted achievements that Vietnam has gained over the past 75 years. He thanked the Government and people of Romania as well as international friends for the valuable support they have given to Vietnam. He said that the exhibition aims to give foreign friends an insight into the land and people of Vietnam as well as the countrys process of integration and development with rising position in the world arena, and an image of a friendly country that has been a friend, trustworthy and responsible partner of all countries in the world. More than 60 photos at the exhibition featured the socio-economic attainments of Vietnam, along with cultural heritage, landscape, festivals and cuisines of the Southeast Asian nation. The exhibition will be held in different places in Bucharest as well as different localities in Romania from now till the end of the year. This year, Vietnam and Romania are celebrating 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties./.VNA (Natural News) Social media giant Facebook is in hot water once more over alleged privacy violations. A New Jersey user sued the company over alleged spying on Instagram users through unauthorized access of their mobile phone cameras. The lawsuit filed Sep. 17 follows a report in July that the social media app owned by Facebook appeared to be accessing iPhone cameras despite not being used actively. Brittany Conditi filed the lawsuit in San Francisco, N.J.s federal court, contending that the apps use of the camera was done intentionally to collect lucrative and valuable data on its users it would not otherwise have access to. The suit also mentioned that Facebook collected valuable insights and market research by means of obtaining extremely private and intimate personal data on their users, including in the privacy of their own homes. Furthermore, the suit highlighted that Facebook had the ability to see in real-time how users respond to advertisements on Instagram before forwarding these insights to advertisers. Meanwhile, Facebook denied accusations of spying and blamed a bug in the photo-sharing app for the issues. The tech giant added that the aforementioned bug that triggered false notifications is being fixed as of writing. We found a bug in the iOS 14 Beta that mistakenly indicated some people are using the camera when they arent. We do not access your camera in those instances, and no content is recorded, according to an email from an Instagram spokesman. (Related: Yes, Facebook is watching you through your phone and computer cameras without your permission.) The company declined to comment on the Sep. 17 lawsuit. Prior to the federal case filed by Conditi, Facebook was named as a defendant in an August lawsuit over its illegal collection of biometric data though Instagrams photo tagging tool. The case filed by Illinois resident Kelly Whalen in the state court of Redwood City, California claims that the apps use of the photo tagging tool violated a state privacy law prohibiting collection of biometric data without consent. Facebook spokeswoman Stephanie Otway called Whalens lawsuit baseless and reiterated that Instagram does not use face recognition technology in an email. The company offered to pay $650 million to settle the suit. Big Tech is the new Big Brother The same behavior was also earlier reported on the Facebook app for iOS. According to a 2019 report by The Verge, using the Facebook app in certain situations activates the smartphone camera. The company submitted a fix to address these issues to Apple after some users pointed it out, the same report said. Aside from apps gaining unauthorized access to ones camera just like the case of Instagram and Facebook, some apps were also found to be copying data from a mobile phones clipboard. These included video-sharing app TikTok, job networking app LinkedIn and online discussion site Reddit. Following the discovery, TikTok said it would disable the apps access to mobile phone clipboards. LinkedIn followed suit and announced it would also stop copying clipboard data. Reddit said that it was fixing a piece of code in its app that caused the behavior. The lawsuits filed by Conditi and Whalen follow concerns of privacy violations by the social media company led by Mark Zuckerberg. Monitoring users through their smartphone cameras isnt enough for Facebook. In July, Facebook filed a patent permitting it to conceal a sound that humans cannot hear but will serve as a signal for smartphones installed with the Facebook ad to start recording background audio. This system will be used alongside ads to find out if people are actually paying attention. And if spying on people without their consent through their mobile phones wasnt enough, Zuckerberg plans to crank up the surveillance to 11 by monitoring what people think through wearable technology. Learn more about the myriad ways Facebook and other Big Tech companies are spying on their users at BigTech.news. Sources include: Bloomberg.com 1 TheVerge.com 1 TheHill.com Bloomberg.com 2 TheVerge.com 2 Telegraph.co.uk House lawmakers had planned a new stimulus bill on Friday and they plan to release the details in the chamber on Monday. Pres. Trump urges Republicans to support the bill. Congressional leaders and the White House top officials struggled to finalize a stopgap spending bill on Friday to avoid a government shutdown on Oct. 1 and keep federal agencies funded into December. Democrats had deliberate to introduce a law on Friday that might fund the government until Dec. 11, according to aides. however, the bill is now anticipated to be revealed on Monday with both parties still finalizing information in the new stimulus package. The primary hang-ups have protected the expiration date and resource for farmers who have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told Bloomberg tv around noon Friday that she nevertheless anticipated that the stopgap bill will be filed later in the day and that the negotiators have been "very near." "Now we are just working out the information. However, we are hoping to have it today so we will deliver it to the floor early subsequent week and then go to the Senate," Pelosi said. Republicans and the White residence have been pushing for the bill, known as Continous Resolution, to last into mid-December to carry lawmakers through the elections. But a later expiration date into early next 12 months may be more beneficial to Democrats if they win the White House or the Senate, rather than negotiating again with the Trump management in a consultation after the November elections. Democrats in the end opted for the Dec. 11 expiration date, keeping off a protracted back-and-forth over the stopgap's period as lawmakers' goal to go away Washington via the stop of this month with a purpose to go back home to campaign. President Trump announced for the duration of a rally in Wisconsin on Thursday that his administration would make an extra $13 billion to assist farmers to recover from the pandemic. Trump has previously made billions in payouts to farmers to soften the blow of his management's alternate trade warfare with China. The Trump administration is pushing to ensure that farm payments can retain flowing via the Commodity credit business enterprise, which has a borrowing restriction of $30 billion. Trump tweeted also "Pelosi wants to take 30 Billion dollars faraway from our great Farmers. Can't allow that show up!" House Democrats are hoping to vote on the stopgap spending bill early next week so that the Senate has sufficient time to take it up earlier than Sept. 30 closing date. But with the delayed launch of the bill, that timeframe should doubtlessly slip. The House Rules Committee, which sets up law for ground debate, has allocated time on Monday to put together a CR. If both chambers manipulate to pass a spending bill in the coming days, it is viable that the Senate will allow members to leave Washington at the end of next week and hit the marketing campaign trail. Check these out! (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. government delayed a ban on TikTok that would have forced Apple Inc. and Google to pull the video app from their U.S. app stores. In light of recent positive developments, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, at the direction of President Trump, will delay the prohibition of identified transactions pursuant to Executive Order 13942, related to the TikTok mobile application that would have been effective on Sunday, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement. The order has been delayed until Sept. 27 at 11:59 p.m. local time, the statement added. The Department of Commerce on Friday ordered the app stores to stop distributing ByteDance Ltd.s TikTok and another Chinese-owned app, WeChat. The removals would have prevented new users from downloading the apps and TikTok and WeChat would not have been able to update the software for existing users. Thats on hold now for TikTok, at least for seven days. The delay followed U.S. President Donald Trumps decision Saturday to approve Oracle Corp.s bid for the U.S. operations of TikTok in concept. Read more: Trump Says Hes Approved Oracle Deal For U.S. TikTok The looming ban has sparked deep concern across the internet industry. Chinas communist government has blocked several major overseas internet services, including Alphabet Inc.s Google and Facebook, for years. In contrast, the U.S. has mostly fostered free expression online and kept its digital market open to foreign businesses. The crackdown on TikTok and WeChat by Trump represented a drastic policy reversal. Its good that Trump greenlit this deal. Everybody loses with a ban, said Daniel Castro, vice president at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. These surprise announcements catch everyone off-guard and leave companies scrambling. Its not good policy making. Its unclear if WeChat, owned by Chinas Tencent Holdings Ltd., will still be banned from U.S. app stores on Sunday. The statement from the U.S. Treasury Department on Saturday only referred to TikTok. Story continues WeChat is still on the chopping block, said Castro from ITIF, the industry group. And the administration had not given any indication that they see a scenario where they spare that app. The big question then becomes: who is next? (Updates with ITIF comment in seventh 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. File image of Marovo, one of the Solomon Islands where the British aid worker was killed - 350 Pacific A British bomb disposal expert has been killed in an explosion in the Solomon Islands. Luke Atkinson, 57, was working for Norwegian Peoples Aid, an 81-year-old humanitarian organisation, specialising in mine disposal and relief aid. Mr Atkinson, from London, was a programme manager working on creating a database of unexploded ordnance, dating back to the Second World War. Trent Lee, an Australian in his 40s who was a chemical weapons adviser, was also killed. Police are working overnight to clear the site of the explosion in a residential area of Honiara, the Solomon Islands capital. The blast could reportedly be heard three miles away, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. "Explosives ordinance disposal officers will have to render the scene safe before forensics and other investigators access the scene to find out what happened," Inspector Clifford Tunuki said. According to ABC, investigators are trying to ascertain why the explosives were taken to a flat, which serves as the project office. The Solomon Islands, which was a major battleground in the war, is strewn with unexploded ordnance and workers have been trying to clear the site ahead of the 2023 Pacific Games. There is a worldwide problem with the remnants of war all kinds of munition are left after conflict and it takes a tremendous toll on societies, Per Nergaard, the deputy general secretary of Norwegian Peoples Aid, told the Telegraph. We have been doing for the last 25 years. We are among the largest in the humanitarian field. Mr Nergaard paid tribute to Mr Atkinson. Luke is a very experienced ex-army guy and worked with us for more than 10 years in various countries. I knew him very well, I have been working with him since the mid-90s. He was a fantastic person. You could deploy him at any theatre he would be an extremely accomplished manager at these kind situations. Currently, the utilization of ICU beds in Rio is around 85%, the city government said. Mayor Marcelo Crivella blamed citizens who have been "irresponsible" for the need to increase the city's hospital beds. Rio has made headlines lately for its crowded beaches on sunny weekends. "The state shut down some beds and we had private hospitals that also reduced their number of beds, and that led the city to face an overload," the mayor said. "The people are tired of the quarantine and we have seen that in the beaches and the bars, and that has been reflected ... in the curve, which is not falling as we'd like." More than 10,000 people have died in Rio, Brazil's second largest city. Rio currently faces the prospect of a second wave, after it loosened a lot of its restrictions at a time when deaths falsely appeared to be falling, when in reality they were stable and there had been a delay in the reporting of the data. Brazil on Friday registered 858 new coronavirus deaths, bringing the total to 135,793, the health ministry said. Cases rose by 39,797 to 4,495,183. Brazil, the third worst-hit country, accounts for roughly 15% of global coronavirus cases. Donald Trump Jimmy Fallon When former Special Counsel Robert Mueller testified before Congress in July 2019, he noted that the U.S. Department of Justice has a longstanding policy against indicting a sitting president on criminal charges and some legal experts have argued that this year's presidential election could mean the difference between whether Trump does or doesn't face any type of prosecution in 2021 or beyond. Journalist Jeff Wise, in an article for New York Magazine published this week, examines the type of prosecutions that Trump, according to legal experts, could face if he loses this year's presidential election to former Vice President Joe Biden in November. He explained: 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 you're 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 country's 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. Trump could become the first former president in American history to find himself on trial and perhaps even behind bars. Story continues So where to begin with the potential charges? Trump has described the Mueller Report as a total vindication, but that isn't what former FBI Director Mueller actually said. The Mueller Report was divided into two sections: one on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, one on obstruction of justice. Mueller concluded that the evidence of Trump's 2016 campaign's interactions with Russians, although questionable, did not rise to the level of a full-fledged criminal conspiracy. But on obstruction of justice, Mueller laid out significant evidence that Trump could be guilty, leaving it up for others to make the final decision. Wise writes that if Trump faces some type of criminal prosecution in the future, prosecutors will "have plenty of potential charges to choose from" and they range from obstruction of justice to lying to investigators. However, Wise also notes that "any crimes he committed as president would face" some "significant and perhaps fatal hurdles"; one is that if Trump loses to Biden in November, he "could decide to preemptively pardon himself." Norm Eisen, who served as counsel for House Democrats during Trump's impeachment, told Wise, "I wouldn't be surprised if (Trump) 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." But Timothy W. Hoover, president of the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, is skeptical about Trump ever going to trial on any federal charges and told Wise, "If federal charges were ever brought, it is unlikely that a trial would be scheduled or start anytime in the foreseeable future." And Wise notes that according to some legal experts, Trump is more likely to face legal headaches at the state level because "state laws aren't subject to presidential pardons, and they cover a host of crimes beyond those committed in the White House." It's at the state level, and in New York especially, where Trump's biggest legal dangers lurk. Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance, Jr., Wise argues, is "likely to pursue" charges of "falsifying business records." "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," Wise explains. "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 who'd 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." Related Articles Chinas ByteDance Ltd. is seeking a valuation of $60 billion for TikTok as Oracle Corp. and Walmart Inc. take stakes in the short-video apps business to address US security concerns, according to a person familiar with the matter. Oracle and Walmart have rights to buy 12.5% and 7.5% respectively of a newly established TikTok Global under an agreement that won the approval of President Donald Trump, the person said, asking not to be named discussing private negotiations. The two companies would pay a combined $12 billion for their stakes if they agree to that asking price. The final valuation had not been set as the parties worked out the equity structure and measures for data security, the person said. Terms are still in flux and the proposed valuation could still change. Beijing also has yet to approve the deal, though regulators are said to favor any transaction in which ByteDance maintains control of its valuable recommendation algorithms and other proprietary technology. ByteDance was pressured into a deal for TikTok when Trump threatened to ban the app in the US over national security concerns. After Microsoft Corp. made a proposal for a full buyout of the service, ByteDance instead turned to Oracles offering in which the Chinese parent will maintain a solid majority stake. I approved the deal in concept, Trump told reporters Saturday as he left the White House for a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina. If they get it done, thats great. If they dont, thats OK too. ByteDance and Oracle representatives didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. The valuation for TikTok has been a looming question as Washington and Beijing escalated their rhetoric over the negotiations. The service for the US market alone has been estimated to be worth $20 billion to $50 billion, or even more. Snap Inc., for context, trades at a $35 billion valuation. ByteDance, the Beijing-based parent company, is the most valuable private startup in the world at $140 billion, according to market researcher CB Insights. The TikTok Global deal does not include the apps China twin, Douyin, which has become an enormous hit in its own right. ByteDance may end up owning as much as 80% of TikTok Global, which would include the apps operations in the US and the rest of the world excluding China. Venture firms, including Sequoia Capital and General Atlantic, may also acquire equity in the new business. Under the current proposal, there will be five seats on the board of TikTok Global. Walmart Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon will become a director, the retailer said in a statement. TikTok Global will likely be headquartered in Texas and will hire at least 25,000 people, Trump said. It will need to hire thousands of content moderators, engineers, and marketing staff that were previously located in China and around the world. TikTok Global intends to hold an initial public offering within 12 months, Oracle and Walmart said. And Trump said Saturday he wants $5 billion from companies creating a new US-based TikTok venture directed toward teaching American children the real history of our country. Oracle will get full access to review TikToks source code and updates to make sure there are no back doors used by the companys Chinese parent to gather data or to spy on the video-sharing apps 100 million American users, according to people familiar with the matter. The US software giant has given reassurances it can protect TikTok user data from foreign influence. Oracle will quickly deploy, rapidly scale, and operate TikTok systems in the Oracle Cloud, CEO Safra Catz said in a statement. We are a 100% confident in our ability to deliver a highly secure environment to TikTok and ensure data privacy to TikToks American users. Shiva Montazeri was looking forward to a year of working in Niagara, putting her knowledge into use after graduating from Brock University last fall. Instead, the international student from Iran and her husband Majiv spent most of the year struggling, unable to work due to the pandemic. And now that her one-year post-graduate work permit is about to expire, Montazeri said government agencies say they are unable to help and advise her to leave Canada. I wanted to work for at least one year and gain Canadian experience, but now I cant. It ruined all of my plans. All of my dreams. Oruaro Osifo from Nigeria had been studying kinesiology and health sciences at York University with plans of eventually becoming a physician, as her mother Mary Elo worked as a tailor. All that changed when the pandemic hit, and without jobs to pay for Oruaros education, she has been unable to cover the cost of resuming her studies. We all want better jobs, better everything, she said. They were among dozens of people who gathered at St. Catharines MP Chris Bittles Geneva Street constituency office, Sunday, demanding full and permanent immigration status for all migrant workers after many have been hard hit during the COVID-19 pandemic. What this pandemic has shown us is that if youre not making sure every single person is safe, then none of us our safe, said rally organizer Kit Andres, from Migrant Workers Alliance for Change-Niagara. It was one of at least 10 protests that took place at Liberal MP constituency officers across the country. The rallies were timed in advance of Prime Minister Trudeaus throne speech in which he is expected to announce a new mandate for COVID-19 recovery. From B.C. to Nova Scotia, theres action happening at all different levels, Andres said. For this, we really wanted to show the community that status for all means everybody. Everybody is involved in this from migrant students to farm workers. Rally participants covered the windows of Bittles Geneva Street constituency office with poster-sized photographs of struggling migrant workers, calling for full and permanent immigration status for the workers who often spend most of the year living and working in communities including Niagara. Even their family members back in Jamaica are participating, Andres said, pointing out photographs submitted by the loved ones of people who are tending to crops in Niagara, many holding signs saying status for all. This is really about the entire community with no exceptions, she said. We hear a lot of messages about essential workers, like the farm workers especially this year. RELATED STORIES Niagara Region Migrant worker rally calls for Status for All What were saying is that we are all essential, from the people who grow the food, to the people who prepare it in the restaurants migrant students who work in restaurants here in Niagara, to the people who work in the grocery stores to the people who clean the grocery stores. Although the federal government introduced a new program in mid-August to help some asylum claimants working in health-care towards becoming permanent Canadian residents, far more migrant workers are left behind. Andres said many migrant workers do not benefit from Canadas universal healthcare, access to emergency income supports, and decent work. Many are separated from their families. As a result of the pandemic, hundreds of thousands of migrant workers, refugees, students and undocumented people have lost their income, leaving them unable to protect themselves. Every one of us is saying we deserve equal rights, we all deserve to be safe at work, we all deserve to be together with our families, Andres said.. The commander of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said his country is capable of setting fire to all US bases in the Persian Gulf at once, according to an interview on state TV. General Hossein Salami, the commander of the IRGC -- the most powerful and influential branch of Irans armed forces -- said the US army is exhausted and doesnt have the power to start a ground war with the Islamic Republic. . SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Matthew Lavietes (Reuters) New York, United States Sun, September 20, 2020 11:07 489 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45f589c 2 Environment clock,New-York-City,environment,climate,climate-crisis Free Climate campaigners unveiled a huge countdown clock on Saturday, showing how little time is left before global temperatures hit a critical high, to kick off a week of climate action in New York. The digital installation shows seven years and 102 days remain before average global temperatures, at current emission rates, reach 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. "There's good news. That number isn't zero," said Gan Golan, an artist and activist who co-created the display. "We can meet this challenge, but we don't have any time to lose," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The United Nations has warned of huge global changes, such as the loss of coral reefs and Arctic sea ice, if the 1.5 degree threshold is crossed. Countries in the 2015 Paris Agreement agreed on measures to limit emissions to stay below the critical temperature mark. The clock's installation will take over what is known as the Metronome, where 15 spinning LED digits tell the time of day and the time remaining in a day, down to a hundredth of a second. It is set in the side of a glass building overlooking Union Square. The Climate Clock will run for the length of Climate Week, an international summit involving New York City and the United Nations, with panel discussions, film showings and performances on global warming, many of them virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic. Read also: Climate strikers plan 'safe' return to protests, Greta Thunberg says "A monumental challenge needs a monument, and the Climate Clock could serve as this constant, public reminder in the media and cultural capital of the globe of that shared deadline," said Daniel Zarillo, New York City's chief climate policy advisor. The unveiling comes as the United States has faced unprecedented wildfires and hurricanes, events of particularly ferocious and destructive weather that scientists say are linked to global warming. Dozens of wildfires have raged across the Pacific Northwest, scorching more than 4.5 million acres (1.8 million hectares) and killing several dozen people. Hurricane Sally hit the US Gulf Coast on Wednesday, the eighth storm of tropical or hurricane strength so far this year. The extreme weather underscores the need to focus attention on climate change immediately, said Andrew Boyd, also a co-creator of the Climate Clock. "This clock is not saying 'Hey in seven years we get to wake up and start to do something,'" said Boyd. "It's about taking action right now. Climate change is already here." The artists said they were in talks with officials in Berlin and in Geneva about similar clock installations. Last year, Golan and Boyd said they created a handheld version of the clock for teen climate-change activist Greta Thunberg before she made a speech to world leaders at the UN. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) walks through the Senate subway area during a break in impeachment proceedings, in the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 28, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Sen. Murkowski: Supreme Court Nominee Should Not Be Taken up Before Election Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said the Supreme Court nominee fight should not be taken up before the November election, becoming the second Republican senator to voice their opposition to vote in the coming weeks. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) also said she opposes voting on a Supreme Court nominee before Novembers elections. For weeks, I have stated that I would not support taking up a potential Supreme Court vacancy this close to the election. Sadly, what was then a hypothetical is now our reality, but my position has not changed, Murkowski said in a statement on Sunday. I did not support taking up a nomination eight months before the 2016 election to fill the vacancy created by the passing of Justice Scalia. We are now even closer to the 2020 electionless than two months outand I believe the same standard must apply, she added. Both President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have said they want to nominate a judge. Trump told a rally that he intends to nominate a woman for the position, following Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgs death on Sept. 18. Collins, meanwhile, said that in fairness to the American people, who will either be re-electing the President or selecting a new one, the decision on a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court should be made by the President who is elected on November 3rd. McConnell has not elaborated on the timing of the confirmation. If he wants to hold a vote before the election, he will have to hold together at least 50 of the 53 GOP members, with Vice President Mike Pence breaking the tie, as the customary procedure. Democrats will now have to win over two more GOP senators. Some have speculated that Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), the only Republican to vote to convict Trump in the impeachment trial earlier this year, would be the third. Democrats have largely objected to the nomination, with some threatening to pack the court with extra Supreme Court judges in 2021 if it permits. When he took the stage Saturday night at a North Carolina rally to chants of fill that seat, the president said he would nominate his selection despite Democrats objections. And, after conducting what he joked was a very scientific poll of the Fayetteville crowd as to whether supporters wanted a man or a woman, he declared the choice would be a very talented, very brilliant woman. We win an election and those are the consequences, said the president, who then seemed to signal that hed be willing to accept a vote on his nominee during the lame-duck period after the election. We have a lot of time. We have plenty of time. Were talking about January 20th. With another nomination, it could potentially tip the scales in favor of conservatives, 6-3. The Associated Press contributed to this article. I do think COVID-19 is real, but its not as bad as theyre saying, Wood explains, accusing social media sites of censorship. Wood has raised about $6,200, mainly in small donations, with most of it already spent, according to his most recent campaign filing. 17 years in office By comparison, Grijalva has raised about 100 times that amount more than $600,000 at last report. Some of the largest donations have come from tribal casinos and from unions representing teachers, hospitality workers and food workers. Grijalva says hes counting on voters who have supported him for the past 18 years to return him to Washington again at a critical juncture in U.S. history. Repercussions from the pandemic are going to push Congress to look at how we stabilize and rebuild, said Grijalva, 72, who has represented the 3rd District, and its predecessor district, since 2003. The effort will be challenging, he said, because merely putting things back the way they were is not going to work. If your company has worked hard to serve employees and customers during challenging times, it deserves to be rewarded. Heres how. And best of all, participation is free. Nominations are open for the 2021 New Jersey Top Workplaces awards. Any organization with 50 or more employees in New Jersey is eligible for consideration, whether public, private, non-profit, government, even schools. All types of employer are welcome to enter. Workplaces are evaluated by their employees using a short 24-question survey. Companies will be surveyed anytime from October through December. Energage, the Pennsylvania-based research partner for the project, conducts Top Workplaces surveys for more than 50 major metro markets and surveyed more than 2 million employees at more than 7,000 organizations in the past year. Nominations are due by Oct. 30. Anyone can nominate their company. Just go to nj.com/topworknoms. Want to talk to a person? Call (862) 227-4703. There is no cost to enter the program. Winning companies will be featured on NJ.com, Jerseys Best magazine and in a special section of the Star-Ledger. They also will be honored at a special event. This is the third year of New Jersey Top Workplaces. For 2020, the program honored 40 winning companies, from large companies such as CompoSecure and RWJBarnabas Health to small companies such as Turpin Realtors and CMC Food. Why participate? Consider the advantages. Shout out, stand out: Encourage workplace pride. If you work at a great company, give yourself a morale boost with something to celebrate. Assess, reward and improve: The results from the Top Workplaces survey can validate achievements, reveal problem areas and set a foundation for new goals within an organization. Every company that participates gets a free overview of results. Boost recruiting: Attract and retain the best talent. Employees want to work at companies recognized as high achievers. Raise the business profile: Use the Top Workplaces logo on company materials and websites. Customers and business partners will take notice. That can create new business opportunities, too. Earn public recognition: Winners are featured in print and online in New Jerseys top sources for news and information: on NJ.com. Jerseys Best magazine and a special section of The Star-Ledger. The Top Workplaces program can be that positive outcome your company can rally around in the coming months to celebrate leadership and the importance of maintaining an employee-focused culture, even during challenging times, said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. For more, visit nj.com/topworknoms She recently debuted her new relationship with athlete Matt Poole. And on Friday, Tammy Hembrow and her new man were spotted leaving popular Asian eatery, Maggie Choo, in Broadbeach, Queensland. Known for her bold fashion choices, the 26-year-old risked a wardrobe malfunction in a skimpy pink number. Date night! Australian model Tammy Hembrow is pretty in pink as she stepped out with her new man Matt Poole in a skimpy thigh-split mini dress on Friday. Pictured together Leaving little to the imagination, Tammy dared to bare in the thigh-split mini dress during the night out. Her halterneck ensemble was backless, featured a plunging neckline and cinched in at her waist. As she walked, the mother-of-two's famous derriere could be seen as the dress slightly lifted in the breeze. Chic: The 26-year-old dared to step out in a skimpy thigh-split mini dress for the night out Stylish: Tammy went all out with a glamorous look, her makeup consisted of a pale pink pout, bold winged eyeliner and false eyelashes. She was accompanied by her sister Emilee (right) Tammy went all out with a glamorous look, with her makeup consisting of a pale pink pout, bold winged eyeliner and false eyelashes. She kept her long blonde tresses in a bun, while her fringe was parted at the front. Meanwhile, her beau Matt opted for a casual look in a white T-shirt and ripped denim jeans. Tammy hung a small pink handbag over her toned arms, as she kept one hand near her top to avoid a wardrobe malfunction. The new couple appeared to be accompanied by Tammy's sisters Emilee and Amy. Strong: At one point, while leaving the popular Asian eatery, Tammy was seen flexing her toned biceps as she pointed to the ink on her arm The social media sensation's night out on the town comes after she recently returned from a romantic getaway with her new beau, Ironman Matt Poole, 32. Last week the couple, along with a group of friends, jetted off to the Whitsundays. While Tammy has yet to officially share a photo of him on her Instagram, the hunky triathlete debuted their relationship on his social media posting a photo of them cosied up together on a yacht during the tropical holiday. Stacker uses Federal Election Commission data to analyze how donations to both candidates differ in the states while also examining each states political climate. 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. Advertisement A small group of anti-lockdown protesters stormed a Melbourne shopping centre to sing a John Farnham anthem before scattering when riot police arrived. Almost 700 demonstrators had vowed to swarm Melbourne's CBD on Sunday for a mass rally against the Victorian government's coronavirus restrictions. The operation was touted as the 'biggest protest yet' by organisers, but kicked off in underwhelming fashion at Chadstone Shopping Centre in the city's southeast. Footage showed a group of no more than 20 people standing outside a Coles supermarket singing 'You're The Voice'. One man held a guitar and others waved their phones in the air before the group fled when police arrived. A handful of protesters gathered inside Chadstone Shopping Centre, in Melbourne's inner southeast, to sing John Farnham's 'You're the Voice' on Sunday after before scattering when police arrived Anti Lockdown protestors wearing masks inscribed with 'come and take it' are seen in Chadstone Shopping Centre on September 20 A second video showed police officers flooding into the centre, at which point protesters had already dispersed. Despite the rally lasting less than five minutes, an organiser said the flash protest was a 'victory' because police were caught off-guard. 'We were able to get in and out in about 50 minutes with so far no known arrests or fines,' the organiser told the Herald Sun. 'However Victoria Police spent many hundreds of thousands of dollars on PORT for today. We consider it their fine for opposing our freedom. 'Were going to relish in this victory.' The group were instructed to regather for another protest at Footscray Market, on the opposite side of the city, but the plan fell through. Protesters waved their phones in the air as they chanted 'we're not going to sit in silence' with some pulling off their masks to sing a long Members of Victoria Police patrol through Chadstone Shopping to break up a group of singing protesters but the group had already dispersed The group could be seen holding up a flag as they paraded through the complex protesting Melbourne's lockdown restrictions Police swarmed into the centre (pictured) but the demonstrators had already fled the scene, with a plan to regather at Fitzroy Markets A row then erupted among protesters over a lack of direction. At least five Public Order Response Teams arrived on the scene with security guards turning shoppers away from entering the centre. They were accompanied by hundreds of general police, who quickly set up road blocks in and out of Chadstone, and checked people's licenses as they left the shopping centre. One man was detained and taken to a room in the centre for questioning after being asked to be escorted away from the media, The Age reports. Two people have been arrested and six fines have been issued as a result of the unlawful gathering. 'Police will continue to play an important role in enforcing the directions of the Chief Health Officer and contributing to limiting the spread of the coronavirus,' a Victoria police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia. 'We acknowledge and appreciate the vast majority of the community who are doing the right thing. It is only a very small number of people that still choose to put the rest of the community at risk through their selfish behaviour.' Victoria police vowed to continue taking actions against those who breach the Chief Health Officer's directions. Police will also continue to investigate those who attended the rally. At least five Public Order Response teams arrived on the scene as security began turning shoppers away from entering the centre A group of masked and gloved police officers entered the complex in search of the 'freedom day' protesters Security personnel guard the entrance to the shopping centre after the protest in Melbourne's inner southeast on Sunday Screenshots of message exchanges between demonstrators were later shared on Twitter, with organisers expressing disappointment the Fitzroy Market rally had fizzled. Another leaked correspondence showed protesters discussing how Footscray Markets were closed on Sunday, with someone offering Blackburn Lake, 11km north of Chadstone, as an alternative. However, a discussion in one group chat claimed news of the second protest was fake, made only to throw off police so those left in Chadstone could escape. 'There are no more [protests] for today unfortunately. We had a successful protest but conditions didn't allow the second one,' a person using the alias Be Water wrote. But when asked by a fellow protester if that meant they should 'just disperse', the same author changed tune. 'We wanted to move people out of Chadstone so that anyone stuck "shopping" could leave, so we announced Footscray,' Be Water added. Organisers have been planning Sunday's flash protest over the past week using encrypted messages, with attendees ordered to remain within 10 minutes of the main location so they could stream to the area in unison. A photo shared online shows the poster issued to protesters instructing them to head to Chadstone Shopping Centre Screenshots of message exchanges between demonstrators were later shared on Twitter, with organisers expressing disappointment the Fitzroy Market rally had fizzled Protesters discussed whether Blackburn Lake, 11km north of Chadstone, could be an alternative after hearing the Footscray Markets were not open In another group chat, one protester claimed news of the second protest was fake, made only to throw off police so those left in Chadstone could escape The details of the location were released 30 minutes prior to the rally. In an Instagram poster promoting the event, organisers vowed to 'flow like water' during the main protest. Scouts and rogue cops will reportedly be feeding information about where police are conducting patrols. 'We are exceptionally thankful to the small number of Victoria Police officers who came forward and are willing to provide information,' an organiser said. It comes a day after up to 150 protesters descended on Elwood and Elsternwick Park in Brighton, 11km from the city's centre, resulting in 21 fines and 16 arrests. A sea of police flocked to the city's Bayside suburbs on Saturday as scores of conspiracy theorists and coronavirus deniers flooded into a park to rebel against Melbourne's lockdown. Up to 100 people gathering at Elsternwick Park in Brighton dispersed to Elwood when faced with a long line of officers at the site, 11km from Melbourne's CBD. Pictured: Protesters and officers at the Saturday demonstrations A woman is arrested by police at a anti-lockdown protest at Elwood Beach on Saturday Protests were announced by rally organisers about 10.30am on Saturday - half an hour before kicking off at the State Library, and a second closely following at 12pm. Law enforcement teams circling Elsternwick Park included officers from Public Order Response, the Mounted Unit and Highway Patrol. A helicopter also monitored the situation from above. Footage shared online showed mount police chasing dozens of protesters as they fled down a footpath. 'Get ready to run,' the man filming can be heard calling out. Protesters marching along Elwood beach about 1pm were dispersed a third time, and several arrests have been made by officers. Shouting about Premier Daniel Andrews and coronavirus restrictions was heard throughout the disjointed protests. The protests were described as 'chaotic', with one photographer saying there was 'a lot of running and not much protesting.' Some protesters continued to scatter through backstreets, even jumping fences into private property. One arrested by police was filmed by Nine News telling officers: 'Wake up, I know you already know this is wrong.' A woman could be seen yelling out as two officers pulled her hands behind her back at the rally A man ran from police as mounted officers chased protesters down a street during Saturday's protest The encrypted messages are being used to announce the 'flash protests' and to attempt to avoid police finding out the location of the planned rally Melbourne remains in a Stage Four lockdown, meaning residents cannot leave their houses without a valid reason, and restrictions are in place to limit movement more than 5km from a person's home. The restrictions and both a State of Emergency and State of Disaster have been extended a further four weeks. Multiple rallies have taken place in Melbourne over the past few weekends, with Victoria police responding with a heavy presence - handing out dozens of fines and making arrests. Victoria recorded 14 new cases and five deaths on Sunday, the lowest daily increase since June and the tenth day in a row the state has recorded a daily infections increase below 50. The residents welfare association of Ganga Apartment, part of a large gated society in south Delhis Vasant Kunj, is planning to approach the police to get verified all tenants who have already vacated flats, following the arrest of a Chinese woman resident in an alleged case of espionage. NS Mor, the RWA president, said, Henceforth we are also planning to propose that a member of the RWA be witness during the tenant verification process when someone shifts to our society. We had never doubted the Chinese woman during her stay here, but her arrest has come as a shock for all residents of the society, Mor said. Delhi Polices special cell has arrested Qing Shi, the Chinese woman, along with a Nepalese man, Sher Singh, and an Indian journalist all of whom have been booked under the Official Secrets Act for allegedly spying for China. Mor said some Chinese students had lived in the society previously, but as of September, Qing was the only Chinese person living there. Residents of Ganga Apartment said Qing and Singh were always aloof. Rajeev Kumar Mishra, a security guard in the society, said he saw the news of their arrest on television. He said, The chequered orange top she wore in the image was one she frequently wore while leaving for work every morning. They never interacted with anyone. Whenever I went to collect the monthly maintenance charges from their flat, the Nepalese man would open the door only slightly and give the cash without saying much, Mishra said. The security guard said that earlier this year, the duo had disposed of a rickshaw full of some electronic items such as transistors and speakers. It came across as unusual, but I didnt ask them anything, Mishra said. Sandeep, who owns a general store below the duos second-floor flat, said his interaction with the suspects was limited to Singh shouting for drinking water from his balcony. He would just say paani and I would send a delivery boy. I always thought they didnt know any Indian languages, he said. A neighbour who didnt want to be identified said the duo was very very aloof. They were aloof to such an extent that her roof leaked for days on end about a month ago, but she didnt raise the issue. Only when she heard me speaking about the same problem in my flat did she ask to keep her updated about any possible solutions, the neighbour said. I always worried that the Chinese woman could get cornered by people due to the ongoing hostilities between India and China, but no one could have guessed that she could be working against our country, said the neighbour. Businessmen at the busy Mahipalpur market, where the duo had taken up an office, which police said they used to run an alleged shell company to receive funds from their handlers in China, had similar reactions to their arrests. The company, MZ Pharmacy, was running out of the first floor of a three-storey commercial building. The pharmacy office is located above a cellphone store, adjacent to which is another pharmacy, which receives customers frequently. The insides of the MZ Pharmacy office looked dark through the large glass windows in the front. Some bare wooden furniture was visible near the windows even as the shutters to the staircase leading to the office was found locked. I would see the Chinese woman and a man visit the office every morning around 9-10 am. I wondered if they were husband-wife or business partners, said Narender, a staff member at the other pharmacy. The two would come together every morning and leave in the evening. The board outside their office said it was a pharmacy but they never had any customers. In fact, I dont remember anyone else visiting that office in the last six months that I have been working here, said Narender, who just gave his first name. The only visible sign that the floor served as an office is a 15x3 feet green board that read MZ Pharmacy in English. Qing, Singh and journalist Rajeev Sharma were arrested between September 14 and 19 after the special cell received inputs from a central intelligence agency about their involvement in the alleged espionage. Sharmas wife, who is a teacher, remained unavailable for a comment despite HT reaching out to her through phone calls and text messages. Sharma is accused of passing on classified and sensitive information to the Chinese. His lawyer, senior advocate Adishi Aggarwala, has denied the allegations and quoted Sharmas wife as saying that no classified and sensitive documents have been recovered from his home, contrary to the police version. Theres no question the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the delicate balance between work and home life, with many of us forced to abruptly adapt to our new realities practically overnight as remote working became the norm. In essence, many of us very quickly became role blurrers, sending and receiving communications about work matters outside of normal working hours, multi-tasking between work and family, seemingly going above and beyond for the job. During normal times, role blurring might signal to an employer that one is an ideal worker, fully committed. But during a period of upheaval such as the pandemic, these role-blurring activities may now signal a loss of control over work-life balance. In September of 2019, I led a study with PhD student Philip Badawy to investigate if role blurring provides a status boost. It does at least it did before the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a national study of 2,500 Canadian workers with the help of Angus Reid Global. To measure what sociologists call subjective social status, we showed study participants a ladder with 10 rungs that represent where people stand in our society. At the top of this ladder are the people who are the best off, and at the bottom are those who are the worst off. Participants chose where they felt they fit on the ladder. We found that role blurrers, measured by participants own responses to specific questions, seemed to be higher up that ladder even beyond the common predictors such as education, occupation and income. Why should we care? Because decades of research shows that subjective social status matters for health even more strongly than education or income. Simply put: those who place themselves higher on the ladder tend to be happier and live longer. We were somewhat surprised at how strongly role blurring could predict ones perceived social status. But that was a year ago and a lot has happened since then, namely COVID-19. So we wondered: Did the relationship between role blurring and social status change during the pandemic? We hypothesized that the pandemic might have weakened the status boost. To test this idea, we conducted another survey of 2,500 Canadian workers in March of this year. This timing was vital as the pandemic ramped up and stay-at-home orders kicked in. When we compared the September 2019 and March 2020 samples, the status boost role blurrers displayed in September had weakened considerably just six months later. Importantly, we made sure both samples were highly similar on key sociodemographic characteristics like gender, age, marital status, education and income. In addition, we found that workers with greater flexibility in scheduling their hours experienced the largest status boost back in September, before the pandemic. But that additional gain was diminished by the onset of the pandemic. These kinds of changes are unusual in such a short period so powerful forces are at play. Three are most likely. First, the abrupt social and economic transformations ushered in by the pandemic reduced individuals sense of personal agency in determining when and how role blurring occurs. Second, abrupt role restructuring during the early months of the pandemic caused role blurring to be laden with demands and ambiguity. Third, the loss of choice around role blurring diluted the distinctive status it once carried. Before the pandemic, the status boost once associated with role blurring might have made it tolerable or even more desirable especially if it contained elements of choice. I can decide if I send that email after hours. But now, I might need to send emails after hours. If that status lift has abated, and agency is more restricted, many workers might come to resent the role-blurring requirements of working from home. There might be a whats in it for me? response to answering the call outside of normal work hours. Ultimately, this loss of status might add some wrinkles to the desire to expand and continue work-from-home arrangements. The Karnataka government on Sunday issued a circular directing schools to remain shut till the end of September in view of the rising number of Covid-19 cases, even though the Centre has allowed reopening of schools for classes 9 to 12. Many schools in the state had geared up to conduct the academic year offline, but the growing number of Covid-19 cases has made the government wary. On Sunday, the state recorded 8,191 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of positive cases in the state to 98,043. Some private schools have condemned the move and called the U-turn by the government a conspiracy. We have spent thousands of rupees in sanitizing the school buildings and calling-in teachers and asking parents to give their consent letters, but at the last minute in order to attract students and parents to the Vidyagama scheme and push private candidates to take admission in government schools they have issued this circular," said D Shashi Kumar, General Secretary, Association of Private School Managements. Earlier in August, the state government launched the Vidyagama scheme, aimed at taking school education to the doorsteps of children in villages as physical classes are no longer being conducted. As per the scheme, teachers can engage students gathered at a selected point close to their homes, preferably an open space, in academic activities. We demand the education minister to stop the Vidyagama scheme. Government school students are under threat of Covid-19. Students in government schools are in as much threat as private schools, so why should vidyagama continue?" Kumar questioned. There in the clinic room, as I listen to the air moving in and out of my patients remarkably clear lungs, I remember how the nurses turned his head toward Mecca and bathed his body in holy water that his family dropped off in the hospital lobby when they thought he might die. I remember how even from outside in the hallway we could hear the religious music playing from an iPad inside the room. No matter how many times I return to these moments, I still dont know what to make of it all. His is a tremendous outcome, one of our very best successes, a survival we did not expect and still cannot fully explain. A father is back with his family. He will feel the pride of seeing his son start college, even if remotely. But there is something bittersweet. His eyes are haunted, and he cant sleep, and I have no idea how or when he can return to his work. His son hears sirens passing by their home on the way to a nearby hospital, and it is as if it is all starting again. As much as I want to reassure them that things will be OK, I cant make that kind of promise. (CNN) New York City diners may soon see a COVID-19 surcharge on their bills as the restaurant industry continues to hobble due to the coronavirus pandemic. The New York City Council passed a bill on Wednesday 46-2 that would allow restaurants to charge as much as 10% on customers dining indoors or outdoors to help cover COVID-19 expenses. Labeled the "COVID-19 Recovery Charge," the surcharge does not add to the bill's overall tax, nor applies to delivery or takeout orders. A restaurant implementing the surcharge is free to use the new funds however it likes, though it must also make it clear that the surcharge is not a substitute for a tip or gratuity for waitstaff. Republican City Councilman Joseph Borelli, the bill's prime sponsor, told CNN that the new option will help owners who don't want to go through the trouble of raising prices on their menus. "New York was actually the only city that we knew of that actually had a ban, a 45-year-old law made when the Department of Consumer Affairs essentially reorganized, and it prevented restaurants, the only industry in New York City, from applying a surcharge," he explained. "If you go to a hair salon, a gas station, or any other business in the city of New York, the owner is allowed to charge you a surcharge for basically whatever they want," Borelli said. "They obviously have to disclose it and you have to agree to pay it, but they're allowed to. It's only restaurants that are banned from this." Once the bill is signed, restaurants would be able to tack on the surcharge up to 90 days after full indoor dining is restored and there is no longer a statewide disaster emergency declared for the virus. Mayor Bill de Blasio is said to support the bill that passed Wednesday, though there are no details yet on when he will sign it. A spokesperson for the mayor did not immediately respond to CNN's requests for comment. "We will support the bill as long as there is a guarantee that restaurant workers will at least earn similar wages before the pandemic," said Anthony Advincula, spokesman for Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, a non-profit advocating for higher wages and better working conditions for restaurant workers. Advincula further stressed that proper enforcement is necessary, and said he hopes that customers will realize the surcharge does not go directly to workers per se. Restaurants could face a civil penalty between $50 and $350 for not adhering to the rules, according to the bill. Earlier push for surcharge in 2018 Restaurateurs have pushed de Blasio for the option to add surcharges even before the pandemic. In April 2018, more than 200 restaurants signed an open letter to de Blasio pleading that the city allow them to implement an optional surcharge, which is already allowed throughout New York State. Borelli had also introduced a similar bill in 2018 that would allow up to a 5% surcharge, and says he hopes the optional surcharge remains after the pandemic eventually subsides. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced earlier this month that indoor dining can resume on September 30 with strict restrictions, including temperature checks, mandatory collection of contact information for contact tracing purposes, and a 25% capacity limit. Nearly 64% of New York state restaurants could close, according to survey Despite the city's embrace of outdoor dining, the industry is still in crisis. According to a survey by the New York State Restaurant Association of 1,000 restaurants across the state, almost 64% of owners said they could close shop by the end of the year without additional financial relief. For Philippe Massoud, CEO and executive chef of Flatiron District-based ilili, the optional surcharge would allow his business to not "die on the operating table." A box of gloves that originally ran about $26 to $32 now costs roughly $160, not to mention masks that add another $1,500 to $1,800 every four to six weeks, he said. "This is not a moneymaker for me, at least in our company's culture. We are using it to deflect costs that we otherwise would not have," he continued. Though customers may still be too reluctant to eat indoors under the 25% capacity limit, Massoud said operating at 50% down the line would give the restaurant a "strong fighting chance." "There is nothing more beautiful than to see life sprout out of the sidewalks of New York again. I think eating out at a restaurant creates a certain sense of normalcy and that everything will be OK," he said, emphasizing that restaurants can only stay in business if customers follow proper social distancing and mask-wearing protocols. This story was first published on CNN.com, "NYC restaurants can soon add a Covid-19 surcharge to customers' bills." Lincoln University first inducted Dr. Brenda Allen as its 14th president in a ceremony in October 2017. Read more Lincoln Universitys president was approved for a new five-year term by the schools board Saturday, concluding a months-long drama. The decision is a striking reversal from July, when the universitys board of trustees voted against renewing a contract for Brenda Allen, who has served as the historically Black colleges president since 2017. That vote was then challenged by lawsuits from Allens lawyer, Gov. Tom Wolf, and Attorney General Josh Shapiro. They claimed the board violated the state Sunshine Law and its bylaws by holding a private vote, which they also said excluded five state-appointed trustees. READ MORE: Lincoln U. board unanimously authorizes negotiations on a new contract for ousted president After reflecting on the many discussions with President Allen, board members, students, alumni, employees, and community members that have occurred this summer about Lincolns future, I am more hopeful than ever that the next five years will take this institution to new heights, said Theresa R. Braswell, the boards chair. In a statement released by the university, Braswell declared the board eager to work with Allen, whose contract expired June 30. Allen, a 1981 Lincoln graduate, has served as provost at Winston-Salem State University and worked at two Ivy League universities. She has proven popular with Lincolns students, faculty, and alumni, and has been credited with improving the universitys reputation, alumni donations, student retention, and ensuring the schools reaccreditation. More than 14,000 signed an online petition supporting Allen when they learned the board announced it would not renew her contract. Never before in our history have we ever had a president that has been supported by everybody the alums, the students, parents, the faculty, former Lincoln trustee Rosalie Hornbuckle told The Inquirer in July. READ MORE: Lincoln University might keep its ousted president in the job after all Within weeks, the legal action this summer prompted a Chester County judge to order the university which has board representatives for the governor and attorney general because it is a state-related school to reinstate Allen and hold another vote on whether to renew her contract. Lincoln has struggled for a decade with enrollment and finances, with a rosier outlook emerging in recent years. State funding has stabilized and the enrollment base has grown. The school had 2,040 undergraduates and 200 graduate students last year. I am confident that the administration and board are more aligned in our vision for the future because of discussions during the past three months, said Allen in the statement issued by the school Saturday. By working together with the board, we will lead this institution through this unprecedented time and emerge more resilient and ready for the next 167 years. The thing about birders is that they love beginners, says Julia Zarankin. I experienced that enthusiasm first-hand on a grey morning in March 2019 when I set my alarm early on a Saturday morning to head to Tommy Thompson Park for the inaugural walk of the Toronto chapter of The Feminist Bird Club. The organization, which started in New York City by birder Molly Adams, is dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusivity in birding and to fundraising to protect the rights of women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and people of colour. I loved what the group stood for and wanted to support my friend, Suzanne Isaacs, who co-founded the Toronto chapter. Lucky for me, she brought an extra pair of binoculars as mine were trapped behind a bookcase thanks to my cats persistent attacks on the cheap neck strap. Despite the raw spring chill, I enjoyed that morning and the lovely feeling of bonding while hovering over a guidebook to identity a water fowl. Its something Julia Zarankin, describes in her new book, Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder. Feeling at loose ends, Zarankin had been auditioning new hobbies when she went out on her first watch. It wasnt an obvious choice: she didnt own binoculars and the only bird she could identify was a pigeon. But then she spotted her first red-winged blackbird, with its shoulder patch of crimson and yellow. I was so mesmerized by the birds beauty, she says. I thought, Oh my God, this must be a rare species from like Peru. And the group I was out with said, Oh, no, this is one of the most common migrants. Zarankin wondered to herself, What else had I been missing this whole time? Despite that moment of epiphany, it took Zarankin a while to fully embrace her birder-nerdiness. It wasnt until she fell into a construction well because she was so thrilled at identifying a Blackburnian warbler in full plumage that she realized this was more than a hobby. I was so ecstatic, she says. By some miracle, I didnt kill myself. But this was the moment where I was like, All right, Im obsessed. Its easy to get caught up in Zarankins enthusiasm, both in print and on the phone. Although it took her more than 35 years to find her passion, shes making up for lost time. She loves birding because it forces her to stay in the present moment and embrace the process of learning. The more the more you know, the more you realize you dont know, she says. As a writer and a scholar she holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Princeton University specializing in Russian and French literatures Zarankin felt the urge to write about her new pursuit almost immediately. The book started as a blog about learning to be a birder, but underneath, it was about becoming comfortable with making mistakes. For the first five years, everything I identified was wrong, she says. I had to make peace with the fact that I was a master of misidentification. Birding also made Zarankin more comfortable with spontaneity. It doesnt matter how prepared you are, birds will fly away. You really have to be open to OK, what else is there? Very often when you dont see your target bird, you see something else thats better or just as good, she says. That to me is directly applicable to writing. Things dont always turn out as planned. In Field Notes Zarankin connects birding and avian behaviour to her own personal stories of migration. Writing the book made Zarankin examine her familys journey as evacuees when the Nazis entered Ukraine. Born in the former Soviet Union herself, Zarankin grew up in Vancouver and Toronto and studied abroad. She writes of her first marriage and subsequently falling in love with her second husband, who encourages her passion but doesnt follow her on 6 a.m. treks. The book describes her upbringing as the child of Russian concert pianists who still dont understand the appeal of nature. Zarankins grandmother also wasnt shy with her desire for her granddaughter to become a doctor or microbiologist. I tried to tell her that ornithology is science, but she just barked, Its the wrong kind of science! But now she calls me every time she walks by a clothing store and sees a dress with birds on it, says Zarankin. Shes come around. Before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Zarankin thought nothing of driving several hours outside of Toronto on her quests but now sticks closer to home. The day before our interview, she went to Earl Bales Park in North York, where she spotted 12 species of warblers. Back in May at the height of migratory season, she drove to Colonel Sam Smith Park almost every single day, where shed recognize the same birders on the trails. Since COVID-19, Zarankin has also spotted more newbies with their eyes to the sky. In fact, the members of The Feminist Bird Club is still going strong Zarankin even sponsored a friend and raised over $28,000 in its May Birdathon for Racial Justice, which was donated to the Black Legal Action Centre. Theyre not birdwatching together these days, but are bonded by their individual experiences. But I am not an early bird and never experienced the a-ha moment that would drag me out of bed regularly the way it does Zarankin. She is seriously so enthusiastic that I cant help but want to give it another try. It something she appreciates, the new interest so many others have in birding and being able to share her love with them. There is nothing better than getting to relive that moment of seeing a bird for the first time and you do it by showing a bird to somebody else, Zarankin says. Alert Border Security Force (BSF) personnel foiled a bid to smuggle arms, ammunition and narcotics into India from Pakistan at Arnia along the 198km international border (IB) in the RS Pura sector of Jammu division of the union territory (UT) of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. The consignment that comprised 62 packets of drugs, two pistols and four magazines was being pushed via a pipe near the Budhwar post around 2 am on Sunday, said NS Jamwal, inspector-general (I-G), BSF, Jammu. Also Read: Farooq Abdullah calls for 4G restoration in J-K, talks with Pakistan The BSF troops deployed at Budhwar and Bullechak posts observed suspicious movement of around four Pakistani nationals near the IB during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday and fired at them. Around four Pakistanis beat a hasty retreat. Their contacts must have been on the Indian side as well, who may have also escaped following the firing by the troops, said Jamwal. The officer said searches were launched at the first light on Sunday. Also Read: Pak trying to promote terrorism in J&K in every possible way, says DGP Dilbag Singh We recovered 62 packets of narcotics, which are likely to contain heroin, two pistols, four magazines and some ammunition from the spot, he said. The drugs are yet to be tested. Usually, Pakistan tries to push through heroin, he added. Earlier, on Friday, security forces had arrested three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET) terrorists at Rajouri in the Jammu division after they had picked a consignment of arms and ammunition and Rs 1 lakh in cash that was dropped by a Pakistani drone. On June 20, security forces had shot down an arms-laden Pakistani drone at Rathua in Kathua districts Hiranagar sector. The BSF authorities had also detected a trans-border tunnel in the Jammus divisions Samba sector. Drugs and cash sent via hawala are part of Pakistans strategy to push narco-terrorism into J&K. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Will take BJP, its allies to court over 'unconstitutional' farm laws: Amarinder Singh India oi-Deepika S Chandigarh, Sep 20: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday said his government would take the BJP and its allies, including the Akalis, to court over the new "unconstitutional, undemocratic and anti-farmer" laws of the central government. He said he would fight till his last breath to protect the farmers' interests in the state. "We will move the court and fight the draconian legislations as soon as they get the presidential nod and become the law of the land," he said. Singh expressed shock at the way the BJP-led Union government "brute-forced" the agriculture Bills through the Rajya Sabha. The CM questioned the rationale behind putting the "controversial and vicious" Bills, which, he said, was a "blatant encroachment" of the state''s powers and control of the agriculture sector, to voice vote, despite strong reservations by the Opposition and inadequate numbers in the House. Why did the House not go for division of votes on this critical issue, which has even divided the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), he asked. He said his government will not allow the central government, of which the SAD "shamelessly" continues to be a part, to "trample" the rights and interests of farmers through these "cruel" legislations designed to "destroy" the farming community, and Punjab state for which agriculture is its lifeline. 'Extremely shameful': Rajnath Singh on ruckus over farm bills in RS "We stand with the farmers and will do whatever it takes to protect their interests," he said in a statement here. "They (BJP and its allies) clearly don't care for what these laws will do to the farmers," he said, flaying the BJP-led government for "selling" farmers' interests to big corporates. Amid an uproar by the opposition, Rajya Sabha on Sunday passed the Farmers'' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. They were passed by Lok Sabha on Thursday. A third bill is yet to be passed in Rajya Sabha. The Delhi Police on Sunday said it has deployed its personnel at border areas as a precautionary measure in the wake of a protest call by farmers in neighbouring states. Two companies of forces have been deployed by the Delhi Police near Ashok Nagar -- Ghazipur side, the police said, adding that there are no protesters at the border as of now. The force has also been put on alert at the Delhi-Haryana border. "We have deployed border pickets as a cautionary measure on Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border," Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Jasmeet Singh said. The development comes after the Bharatiya Kisan Union's Haryana unit announced that it will hold a statewide protest against the Centre's farm bills on Sunday during which its members will block roads for three hours, even as Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar appealed for deferring the stir and invited them for talks. Chancellor Rishi Sunak chats to Colin Colcloughl during a visit to the Emma Bridgewater pottery on September 14, 2020 in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Photo: Andrew Fox - WPA Pool / Getty Images Britains manufacturers remain under acute pressure, according to the industrys leading trade body, which has urged the government to urgently seek a trade deal with the EU to avert widespread job losses in the sector. Make UK said a survey of its members conducted with accountants BDO found manufacturers were still struggling despite a recent mild uptick in business. Output and order levels remain well below historical averages and Make UK said hopes of a quick bounce back for the industry were misplaced. Manufacturing has begun to climb away from the abyss that it stared into earlier in the year, said Stephen Phipson, chief executive of Make UK. But, make no mistake it is going to be a long haul back towards normal trading conditions, with talk of a V shaped recovery nothing more than fanciful. READ MORE: Predictions for UK economy stop getting worse but remain dire Phipson said a possible no-deal Brexit at the end of the year would be a final nail in the coffin for many companies and warned it would lead to an avalanche of job losses. He said a comprehensive trade agreement with the EU was essential. What is a no-deal Brexit and what are the potential consequences of it? Make UKs third quarter survey found members were already slashing investment and laying off staff to try and preserve cash. The group said it now expects UK manufacturing output to contract by almost 11% this year. Make UK also downgraded its expectations for a bounce back next year, saying it now expects output to rise by just 5.1% in 2021 compared to an earlier forecast of 6.2%. READ MORE: MPs urge chancellor to extend furlough for struggling industries With a no-deal exit from the EU and associated logistics, customs and cost implications looking increasingly likely, British manufacturers will need to step up a gear in order to compete internationally, and this will require significant investment in productivity and digitalisation improvements, said Tom Lawton, head of manufacturing at BDO. No-one is in any doubt about the financial challenges facing manufacturers, but turning the investment taps off now will have serious medium to long term implications. The Government must be alive to this risk and provide the support required to help UK manufacturers through this transition period and beyond. Railway Basti Jan Sangharsh Morcha September 12, 2020 We, the undersigned citizens, organisations and movements, write today to urge the Supreme Court to reconsider its order of 31.08.2020 in M.C. Mehta v Union of India & Ors. (Writ Petition No. 13029/1985). The order summarily demands forced evictions of long-established communities on lands entrusted to the Railways in New Delhi. Passed in a long-pending case on waste management in the city, the order will have devastating consequences on the lives, livelihood, dignity and rights of nearly 50,000 households, or over 2.5 lac people. It also comes at a time when the city is barely coping with the assault of the COVID-19 pandemic and will expose marginalised communities to health risks that further compound the threat to their homes, assets and livelihoods. The order does not address or take into account both established policy protections for residents under the Delhi Urban Shelter Board (DUSIB) policy on relief and rehabilitation (2015), as well the law laid down by the High Court of Delhi in Ajay Maken vs Union of India (2019) a also known as the aShakur Bastia judgment a that the DUSIB policy (on procedures to be followed in case of forced evictions including adequate notice and clear rehabilitation arrangements) applies specifically and wholly to settlements on Railway land. The current SC order cannot be read or implemented without the procedural safeguards and entitlements to rehabilitation as set out in Ajay Maken, and previous judgments of the High Court of Delhi such as Sudama Singh vs Government of Delhi. Further, it is a matter of concern that no affected resident or community was aware of this case, and therefore has not been able to exercise their right to be heard and represented in a hearing that has such grave implications on their lives. Similarly, the Government of Delhi and DUSIB, whose policies govern these communities, have not been heard on the order. Many of these communities have fought legal battles for their rights before, and have been granted stay orders by the court that protect their homes, after due legal examination of their specific cases. Those have been en-masse set aside by this order, and this should not be done without addressing the merits of their claims on the basis of which the stay orders were granted. The residents of these communities are workers, are economically vulnerable households, and many are members of SC/ST communities. Many are precisely those that labour to keep our city clean, manage waste and contribute to the cityas economy, producing immense ecological and economic value. It is ironic that their own homes are being threatened under the guise of waste management in a case where slums were never a part of the original petitionas mandate or scope. Sweeping demolitions during a time of the COVID19 pandemic further exposes residents to risk of infection which is deeply irresponsible and unethical, and has significant consequences for the public interest at large. This is particularly so while the National Disaster Management Act and the Epidemics Act have been activated, which insist on a positive obligation of the state to protect and safeguard communities from health and other risks. The United Nations has also called for a moratorium on forced evictions during the pandemic, asserting that losing oneas home at this time could result in losing oneas life. We, therefore, ask: a That the Supreme Court reconsider and revise its order with immediate effect, in particular the provisions of a three-month deadline for forced evictions within the asafety zone.a a That the Government of Delhi and the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board accept and assert their responsibility to apply the Delhi Slum and JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy (2015), and commit to abiding by the Ajay Maken and Sudama Singh judgments. aThat the United Nations Basic Principles and Guidelines on Development-based Evictions and Displacement, which are cited in both the above judgments, are complied with in order to develop a comprehensive participatory rehabilitation plan for all affected persons. a That all elected members of the Legislative Assembly and Parliament from NCT Delhi publicly perform their duty and protect the rights of all residents of this city. a That no demolitions be carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic while the NDMA and the Epidemics Act are in force. a That the Railways seek to establish a programme to work with communities to voluntarily remove threats within the safety zone without forced demolitions. a That the Government and different agencies come together to discuss the actual issues at hand on waste disposal and come up with a Plan of Action that does not involve the forced eviction and mass displacement of hundreds of thousands of people who are not responsible for the waste generation. The scale of these forced evictions will represent a blow from which working families of this city will not be able to recover. We urge all citizens to unite stand against this order that violates human rights and Constitutional protections, violates national and international laws and agreements to which India is bound, and betrays every promise we make to each other as citizens of this city. List of signatories below. SIGNATORIES AS OF 13.08.2020 o Railway Basti Jan Sangharsh Morcha o Delhi Housing Rights Taskforce o Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR) o National Alliance of Peopleas Movements (NAPM) o Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN) o National Coalition for Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanisation o Slum Jagatthu, Karnataka o Madhya Pradesh Navnirmaan Manch o Alliance on Land, Livelihood & Housing o Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (YUVA) o Working Peopleas Charter o Rashtriya Awas Adhikar Abhiyan o Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) o National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) o Social Accountability Forum for Action and Research o CityMakers Mission International o Forum Against Corruption and Threats o Delhi Rozi Roti Abhiyan o Satark Nagrik Sanghathan o Centre for Promoting Democracy o SEWA, Delhi o Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reform (CJAR) o Main Bhi Dilli Campaign o Hawkers Joint Action Committee o M Ward Convenor Forum o Divya charitable trust, Gujarat o Baljeet Nagar F-Block Resident Welfare Association o Peeli Kothi Pul Mithai Rehdi Patri Association o Bal Vikas Dhara o Mahila Pragati Manch o Footpath Vikreta Ekta Manch (FVEM) o Gurgaon ki Awaaz Samudayik Radio o Gurgaon Nagrik Ekta Manch o Gurgaon Water Forum o Jagori, Delhi o Nari Ekta Shakti Sanghathan o Koshish, TISS o Prasar o ANHAD ( Act Now for Harmony and Democracy) o AIPWA ( All India Progressive Womens Association) o NINEISMINE o Right to Food Campaign o Bebaak Collective o All India Kisan Sabha o AIFRTE ( All India Forum for Right to Education) o Maadhyam o PAIGAM (Peoples Association in Grassroots Action and Movement) o Mazdoor Pahal o Mayapuri B Block Railway Line Basti Welfare Union o Safdarjung T-Huts Basti Welfare Union o O-Zone Mukti Sangharsh Samiti o Workers Dhaba- Wazirpur Mazdoor Samuh o Delhi Forum o All India Confederation of Slum And Land Rights Movement o DHURI - Buikding Sustainable Livelihoods o SANG - A Youth Collective o PUDR - Peoples Union for Democratic Rights o DASAM - Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch Residents of: o Sansi Camp o Harkesh Nagar o Indira Camp CRRI Mathura Road o B-45, New Sanjay Camp Okhla Ph- 1 o Sanjay Camp Okhla Phase -1 o Gram Kheda o Lalbagh Jhuggi o D-Block Seema Puri o Janta Mazdoor Colony o GP-Block Pitampura o Sunlight Colony,Seemapuri Old o AradakNagar o Chandarpuri o E39 Rajendra Prashad Colony o E 48 Old Seemapuri o Gulshan Chowk Basti Bachao Sangharsh Samiti Individual Endorsements o Hussain Indorewala, Asst. Professor, KRVIA o Shweta Wagh, Associate Professor, KRVIA o Nilesh Patil, Joint Secretary, BKS o Nisha Kundar, Architect - Urban Designer Passengers wearing face masks at Waterloo station in London. (PA) The government has been accused of attempting to subsidise reckless behaviour as ministers are reportedly planning to offer 1 fares to get people to use the rail network. The rail industry has called for a Head Out to Help Out scheme similar to Eat Out to Help Out which offered a much-needed boost to the restaurant industry last month. Rail companies are said to be mulling 1 fares and a blanket 20% cut to off-peak tickets under the proposed scheme, according to The Telegraph. But Richard Wellings, deputy research director and head of transport at the Institute of Economic Affairs think tank, said: Head Out to Help Out looks like another ill-conceived government scheme to subsidise reckless behaviour. Moreover, if the railways' finances are in such dire straits, why on earth are ministers hellbent on wasting 100billion on HS2? An information banner telling people to adhere to social distancing at Waterloo. (PA) Passenger numbers dropped 95 per cent during lockdown and are currently at just 30 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. The government is preparing to make a statement on the future of the railways amid pressure from industry bodies to get people using trains again. Read more: Freeze rail fares to help commuters return safely to work, urges Labour Anthony Smith, chief executive of Transport Focus, said earlier this week: Peoples feelings about travel, and the way they use public transport, have changed. While the rail leisure travel may bounce back, our research tells us almost two in three former rail commuters expect to work from home more so we will probably now travel less for work, both commuting and on business. The government needs to get train companies to offer a combination of cut-price deals, carnet style bundles, flexible season tickets for commuters and better value for money fares across the board. Like the governments restaurant deal, we need a Head Out to Help Out campaign to help get the country on the move again, boost the economy and reduce traffic on our roads. And Bruce Williamson, of the campaign group Railfuture, said: Its very important that the government sends a signal that they want people to use trains. If it can find money for me to get 10 off at Burger King, then it can afford to freeze rail fares. Story continues Yahoo News UK has contacted the Department for Transport for comment. Coronavirus: what happened today Click here to sign up to the latest news, advice and information with our daily Catch-up newsletter The Reverend Thomas Henry Quamson, Head Pastor, Assemblies of God, Holy Ghost Worship Centre, Ashaiman has cautioned his congregants not to undermine the COVID -19 protocols. He said most persons were losing commitment of wearing face masks, washing of hand and the use of hand sanitizers among others as prescribed by the World Health Organisation. He said this during their Sunday worship service. Reverend Quamson said the church was not the only place for them to observe the protocols and urged them to make it part of their daily activities. "The virus is not gone, it's still around; don't think it is gone so you will not keep to the protocols again," he said. He said history could repeat itself as it happened in 1918 during the outbreak of the Spanish Flu. He said at a point in the fight people thought it was over, so they gave up on the Protocols and that caused the death and infection rate to increase. He said the pandemic, which lasted for two years affected about 500 million people globally and claimed over 580 thousand lives globally. "What is happening now has happened before and we have to learn from it," he said. He urged them to take the protocols even more seriously and not be complacent as the figures were going down. "Don't forget that in Ghana we started by recording only two cases and the number of cases we have now is far more than two," he said. ---GNA After the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Trump says he will name a nominee this week as Senators plan pre-election vote. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has urged Senate Republicans not to vote on any candidate nominated to the Supreme Court as the November election approaches, calling his rival Donald Trumps plan an exercise in raw political power. Biden was speaking on Sunday, the day that a second Senate Republican voiced objections to Trumps plan to vote quickly on a replacement to liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on Friday. Such an appointment by the president, if approved by the Senate, would cement a 6-3 conservative majority that could influence American law and life for decades. Voters of this country should be heard theyre the ones who this Constitution envisions should decide who has the power to make this appointment, Biden said in Philadelphia. To jam this nomination through the Senate is just an exercise of raw political power. I appeal to those few Senate Republicans, the handful who really will decide what happens, Biden added. Please follow your conscience. Dont vote to confirm anyone nominated under the circumstances President Trump and Senator [Majority Leader Mitch] McConnell have created. Dont go there. Trump on Saturday promised to nominate a woman and said he will make his nomination this week, naming federal appeals judges Amy Coney Barrett and Barbara Lagoa as possible candidates to fill the vacancy created by the death of liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday. I will be putting forth a nominee next week. It will be a woman, Trump said at a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where supporters chanted fill that seat. I think it should be a woman because I actually like women much more than men, he said. The death of Ginsburg could affect the November election, with Republican brass promising to vote on an appointee before voters go to the polls, despite resisting a similar election-year nomination by Democrats in 2016. The vacancy has brought new urgency to perennial social issues like gay rights, voting rights, religious rights, abortion rights, and gun rights, which could be reshaped for years to come by a resounding conservative majority. Ginsburgs death has also raised the stakes on the upcoming Senate elections, with attention turning to how voters will respond to Republicans actions in the weeks to come. A banner with an image of the late US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and a message referring to the selection of her successor is displayed outside the Supreme Court Yuri Gripas/Reuters] Second Republican opposes pre-election vote With a 53 to 47 majority, at least four Republican senators would need to break from party ranks and vote against a Trump nominee to thwart the current plan. The vice president casts the deciding vote in the event of a tie. On Sunday, Lisa Murkowski, a senator from Alaska, became the second Republican in the chamber to oppose voting on a nominee before the November election. Susan Collins, a Senator from Maine, said on Saturday she would not support replacing Ginsburg before the election. My statement on the Supreme Court vacancy: pic.twitter.com/jvYyDN5gG4 Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) September 19, 2020 Senator Mitt Romney, the sole Republican to vote against the president in an impeachment trial earlier this year, is also considered a potential opponent to the move. Meanwhile, Senator Lindsey Graham, who staunchly opposed voting on a Supreme Court justice candidate nominated by then-President Barack Obama in 2016, said on Saturday he supported the Republican plan to move forward with the pre-election vote. Back from the brink During his speech, Biden cast the conflict over the nomination as bringing the country to the precipice of fundamental changes to social issues shaped by the court: The right to health care, clean air, clean water, environment, equal pay for equal work, the rights of voters, immigrants. Right now, our country faces a choice, a choice about whether we will come back from the brink, Biden said. The former vice president also emphasised Trumps attempts to overturn the Obama-era Affordable Care Act, the likelihood of which is expected to increase substantially with a more a conservative Supreme Court. Biden connected the attempt to repeal the legislation, which prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage based on a pre-existing condition, directly to the coronavirus pandemic. Donald Trump is before the Supreme Court trying to strip health care coverage away from tens of millions of families, strip away the peace of mind of more than 100 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, Biden said. Its complications from COVID-19 like lung scarring and heart damage that become the next deniable pre existing condition for over 6 million Americans who have already contracted the disease. he said. Incredibly dangerous Earlier on Sunday, Republicans and Democrats sparred over the way forward, with Senator John Barrasso, a Republican speaking on NBC, brushing off Democratic complaints about the nomination process. Lets be very clear if the shoe were on the other foot and the Democrats had the White House and the Senate, they would right now be trying to confirm another member of the Supreme Court, Barrasso said. Meanwhile, Democrat Hillary Clinton, whom Trump defeated in the 2016 election, called Barrassos view indefensible. Whats happening in our country is incredibly dangerous, said Clinton, a former secretary of state whose husband, Bill Clinton, nominated Ginsburg to the court in 1993. Our institutions are being basically undermined by the lust for power, she said. Some observers have raised the prospect of Democrats packing the court or increasing the number of judges on the court if Republicans push through with a confirmation before the election and Democrats go on to take control of the Senate. On Saturday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told a conference call of Democrats that nothing is off the table for next year if Republicans are successful in their attempt, Reuters news agency reported on Sunday, citing an unnamed source who listened to the call. Trump has already appointed two justices: Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. 20.09.2020 LISTEN I dont really blame Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine for the bad actions of those supporting him, but he kind of incriminated himself one way or the other. Peng Peng (based in Sweden), for instance, is on record saying that he now works for Bobi Wine after dropping NRMs Brian White. Bobi was seen in the pictures with Peng, and the latter also boosted that they met and talked often. He has been instrumental in slandering whoever questioned Bobi's credibility. Patricia Sewungu(based in the UK) has been making anti-Besigye posts on Facebook for the last 3 yearscalling him a mole,giant killer, e.t.c, and guess what, her Facebook account is full of photos of her meeting Bobi in Kampala, or wherever they meet. There was a time some guy called Jacob was being attacked on social media by PP supporters, Bobi came out and defended him, and they all shut up, but he never did that for Besigye, till recently. TV presenter, Kasuku of Spark TV, too, mentioned this in one of the shows I watched. Bobi, himself, is on record making some flippant and disrespecting comments about Dr.Kiiza Besigye at the DP-block Reunion, basically, calling him a four times failure-- a message that echoed with what his bloggers, such as Fred Lumbuye(based in Turkey), Kakensa(based in Sweden), and several others, were selling on social media. It was the craziest political backstabbing Ive ever seen considering Bobi kept claiming that he was friends with Besigye, and that he was his mentor. He didnt just stop there, he was several times hosted on several TVs and radio stations around 2018-19, and he kept telling people that his businesses were closed but some other peoples petrol stations were operatingsomething that forced Hon. Nambooze Beti, now belonging to NUP, to reveal that Bobis Petrol stations in Gomba, Butambala, were also working untouched by the state( Yes, this info is in the Daily Monitor somewhere if anybody wishes to search for it). The attack on Besigye outside CBS FM in 2019 takes the tipping point, and it left most of us wondering who exactly Bobis working for. Thank God, that time, General Henry Tumukunde had not revealed yet that it was Gen.Saleh and other NRMs that mostly financed his coming to parliament. Creating a new, weak, and inexperienced face of opposition, would be political craftsmanship by Mr. Yoweri Museveni. Anyway, Bobi later issued a statement condemning it but the intended message had been sent out. After Ashburg Katto dropped him for NRM, he revealed that they was a WhatsApp group of 9 'People Power' generals, where he( Ashburg) was a member, and Bobi( the admin) used to give them instructions to increase the heat on Besigye such that he gives way for him. Kato was removed from the group as soon as he went rogue and turned yellow. So, as you can see, by extension, he is the man behind those bloggers that attack several people. The buck stops with him, and a lot of people are keenly watching him. This is the very reason why those who love Besigye will probably never like him in any shape or form, unless something miraculous happens. He kept quite over the propaganda against Besigye simply because it was self-serving, and that hurt deeply. Besigye is a very experienced leader deserving respect, and, to that end, Bobis silence over the attacks hurt so many of us. The result of all this has been felt by almost everyone who has ever opposed Museveni.The bloggers insult, defame and blackmail whoever doesnt support Bobi. His party, National Union Party, is sponsoring candidates against the people that have been opposing Museveni for ages. Bobi, himself, is shining but the opposition is generally floundering and needs someone to give it a mouth-to-mouth. Besigye has kept himself away from election, so far. It's safe to say that in four months time, Museveni will be sworn in as president again without any sweat, unless God intervenes. By Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba, UK. Prasanta Mazumdar By Express News Service GUWAHATI: Love knows no barriers. An Assam woman had crossed over into Bangladesh and married her Bangladeshi boyfriend digitally but the police soon got a whiff of it and arrested her for trespass. Anjuma Begum (name changed) of Taparpathar village in Goroimari area of Kamrup district had developed a relationship with Abdus Sattar who hails from a village in Sunamganj, Bangladesh. Five years ago, Sattar (27) had fled to Kamrup as the Bangladesh Police were searching for him in connection with a criminal case. He returned to Bangladesh after spending a few years in Assam. In due course, he left for Bahrain to eke out a living but his love affair with Anjuma (20) continued through the social media. According to locals in Kamrup, Anjumas parents were aware of her relationship with the Bangladeshi man but they disapproved of it. As they were planning to marry her off to a local against her wishes, she decided to flee to Bangladesh and marry Sattar. Despite the risk of being caught, she braved a journey of hundreds of kilometers and eventually, reached Sattars residence on Tuesday. She was, apparently, helped by a relative of her lover who had come all the way to the international border to help her cross over. Later, the marriage was solemnized through a WhatsApp video call made to Sattar. However, the euphoria lasted barely a day as the police arrested her for entering the country without carrying travel documents. She is now in the custody of Bangladeshi authorities. The parents of Anjuma were not available for comments. The locals said they had no idea where in Assam Sattar had stayed and worked or where the couple first met. Her parents moved to Changsari (in Kamrup) recently. I tried to reach him but his phone was switched off, a local said. The incident is a testimony to Assams burning problem of illegal migration from Bangladesh. The man had entered Assam when the National Register of Citizens (NRC), 1951 was being updated. K Rathna By Express News Service MYSURU: If everything goes as per the plan, Mysuru city is all set to get cycle lanes on major roads connecting a radius of 10 km. The new cycle lane track has been planned from MS Jois Road (Mysuru Urban Development Authority) to Crawford Hall; Ramaswamy circle to Ashoka Road; Field Marshal Cariyappa Circle to Ramaswamy Circle; Nijalilngappa Circle on Vishwamanava Double Road and from New Kantharaja Road connecting to Ring Road. People in good number are using cycles and the numbers have gone up after the launch of Trin Trin Cycles in the city. Extension of the cycle lane would benefit a good number of non-motorists in the city and will also be helpful to promote eco-friendly transport. Mysuru City Corporation has sent a proposal to the Urban Development Department for the approval of the project. The Directorate of Urban Land Transport will study the possibilities and submit reports to the Urban Development Department. Mysuru City Traffic Police will also inspect the stretches to understand the feasibility of the project. India Cycles 4 change challenge to inspire cities to implement cycle-friendly interventions, has also motivated MCC to develop cycle lines in the city. Under the challenge, the winning cities will be granted cash rewards. MCC official said that developing new cycle tracks will give the city recognition as cycle city. Shyam Kumar, a regular cyclist, welcoming the proposal said that developing cycle tracks will be helpful to host cycle competitions. However, A Nagaraj, another cyclist said that already existing cycle lane on Karanji Lake stretch (Lalithamahal Road) and near Cheluvampa park is not used by cyclists and creating more cycle lanes would only end up with them being occupied by roadside vendors. Any potential are unlikely to prevent countries from selling arms to after the United Nations (UN) embargo on the country expires on October 18, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday. Earlier this week, members of the Trump administration warned that fresh sanctions may be imposed to deter countries from selling arms to following the expiration of the embargo. "(Once the embargo is lifted), we will be able to satisfy our needs with the help of countries with which we have strategic relations, for example, Russia and China...We can provide for ourselves, we can even export weapons. However, when necessary, we can buy from these countries. I doubt that secondary will be an obstacle for them," Zarif said during an appearance on Iran's IRIB TV2 broadcaster. The UN Security Council arms embargo on expires on October 18. Washington has said that it expects the sanctions to be reinstated at 12 am (GMT) on Sunday after Secretary of State Michael Pompeo announced in late August that the US had triggered a 30-day period to snapback UN sanctions on Iran. The US has levied tough sanctions on Iran as part of President Donald Trump's campaign of so-called maximum pressure, which began once Washington pulled out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran nuclear deal, in 2018. (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.) 1. Yes. Too many kids are staying home. They need a virtual learning option to keep up. 2. Yes. Teachers are out sick and subs cant handle the load. Online learning is needed. 3. No. Its too late in the school year to make a wholesale switch in teaching platforms. 4.No. Many parents arent in a position to stay home while their kids learn virtually. 5. Unsure. It may seem like a good idea from a health standpoint, but it has shortcomings. Vote View Results The stop comes two weeks after Biden made his first visit to Wisconsin as the nominee. Biden on Sept. 7 went to Kenosha in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake. His stop there came two days after President Donald Trump also came to Kenosha, where he thanked police for their response to sometimes violent protests. In the fight against three agriculture ordinances that were passed in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, the farmer protests across Punjab are getting an overwhelming support from youngsters who are dominating the agitations with their participation. Not only men, young women are also coming in large numbers to attend the protests organised by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugarahan) in the hometowns of chief minister Amarinder Singh and his predecessor Parkash Singh Badal at Patiala and Badal village. Moreover, the youngsters are helping the farmer organisations to run their social media accounts for live updates. This is for the first time that the youth is actively participating and thronging to the protest sites. Of the gathering, almost 50% is youth, which is a positive sign for the movement against the draconian ordinances, said Joginder Singh, state president of the union. Not only those from the farming background, those from teaching field, unemployed men and women besides students and research scholars are also coming in large numbers, he added. Parminder Singh (24) of Gharacho village in Sangrur district, who handles social media accounts of the union, said technology is a crucial role in getting huge response from youngsters. We have around 49,000 followers on the unions social media page. We cant sit at our homes accepting this injustice with the farming community which is fighting for its survival, he said. Ajaydeep Singh (29) said when thousands of farmers, many of them in their 50s and 60s, are sitting at the dharna sites despite the coronavirus threat, how could they sit in the comforts of their homes. People from various fields extend support People from all walks of life have extended their support to farmers against the agriculture ordinances. From Punjabi artists to economists, social activists to the members of the civil society have pressed upon the Centre government to roll back these ordinances. Balwinder Singh Tiwana, former economics professor at Punjabi University, Patiala, said these ordinances and bills are opening the way for entry of big corporate houses in agriculture, and they will ultimately capture the land and agricultural market. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym MSF, last month opened a clinic in the South Sudan town of Pibor. Already the team is building more flood defenses around it as the water is increasing at an alarming speed, Josh Rosenstein, emergency coordinator there, said in a statement. Om Birla says it pained him that Lok Sabha did not run smoothly during Monsoon session Farm bill row in Parliament: Who said what India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Sep 20: The Opposition led by the Congress in Rajya Sabha on Sunday criticised the farm bills, saying they will not sign on the "death warrant" of farmers, and demanded that they be sent to the Select Committee for scrutiny, while the ruling BJP accused these parties of misleading the farmers. The opposition charged that the two bills are aimed at benefitting big corporates and ending the minimum price based procurement by the government, though the Centre has maintained that the MSP system will continue. The Upper House on Sunday took up the discussion on The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill that have already been passed by Lok Sabha. 'Watershed moment': PM Modi hails passage of farm bills in Rajya Sabha K K Ragesh (CPI-M), Derek O'Brien (TMC), Trichi Siva (DMK) and K C Venugopal (Congress) moved resolutions for sending the two bills to a select committee of the House for consideration before they are taken up for passage. Death warrants of farmers: Congress Initiating the discussion on the two bills, Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa slammed them as "ill-conceived and ill-timed" and said his party "completely rejects" them. "We will not sign on death warrants of farmers," he said. He said the bills are against the spirit of cooperative federalism. "We do not want any tinkering in APMC (Agricultural Produce Market Committee) and the minimum support price ( MSP)," he said, and wondered what was the need to bring these bills during the COVID-19 crisis. Referring to protests by farmers in some states, Bajwa said: "Those whom you want to benefit are on the streets". Bajwa said the bills have been brought with an "intention of ending the MSP (minimum support price) operations". "Slowly, the government will come out of this and then Ambani, Adani and big corporate houses will enter (market)," he alleged. He said the two bills are against the economic interest of Punjab, which has contributed a lot in making India self-sufficient in foodgrain production. Congress misleading farmers, says BJP Defending the two Bills, Bhupender Yadav of the BJP charged that the Congress was doing politics over the issue and misleading farmers. He asked the Congress why the farmers' income did not increase in the last 60-70 years even as the country became self-sufficient in farm production. These two important bills are the biggest agriculture reform in the country and will give justice to farmers by increasing their income, Yadav said. He said the new age agriculture bills will boost processing, marketing and exports of farm produce. Yadav said a report of the working group of agriculture production in 2010 suggested similar reforms. "Today, you (Congress) are doing politics. You are doing injustice with farmers because of politics," he said. However, he said the country and farmers are understanding the "politics" of the Congress. "Opposition should stop doing politics and also misleading farmers," he said. "We are not taking away the land of farmers," he said, and added that the two bills are only meant to harness the huge potential of the agriculture sector. Send bill to select committee: TMC TMC leader Derek O'Brien demanded that the Bills should be sent to a select committee. "These bills need to be debated in Parliament. You have the numbers to have your way and we have the right to have our say and to keep you on track of Parliamentary democracy. "This is a very very dangerous trend we are following. Select committee is not a hand break...it is there to contribute. I am going to move select committee," he said. "The PM said the opposition is trying to mislead the farmers. Let us see what credibility you have to make these speeches. You promised to double farmers' income by 2022. At the current rate, the farmer incomes would not double till 2028," he said. Noting that the government promised two crore jobs every year, he said: "Now you have the highest unemployment." Why govt hurry to pass the farm bills: Samajwadi Party The Samajwadi Party's Ram Gopal Yadav said there seems to be some compulsion that the ruling party does not want to discuss the bills and is in a hurry to pass them. "It appears that this bill has not been drafted by you. A son of a farmer cannot draft such a bill. When you go back to your native place, the youths would ask you what were you doing when our death warrants were being issued in Parliament," he asked. Intention to "sell the farmers", alleges DMK Tiruchi Siva (DMK) alleged the government's intention was to "sell the farmers" and make them dependent. Siva claimed the government said it was an attempt to save farmers from the clutches of traders but in fact it was to send them into the clutches of corporates, as he questioned the government's "sudden affection" towards farmers. What is the hurry, asks Deve Gowda Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, who took oath as a member of the Upper House today, suggested forming a permanent commission to advise the government on MSP and other issues. Ahmed Patel (Cong) said UPA's NYAY (Nyuntam Aay Yojana) scheme has promised an income of Rs 72,000 per year to the poorest 20 per cent households in India. Patel claimed that the previous government has added 70 per cent people in the National Food Security Act but the present government reduced it to 20 per cent. Akhilesh Prasad Singh (Cong) and Dola Sen ( Trinamool Congress) termed the Bills anti-farmers. The two bills were later passed by the House amid protests by the opposition members. A new treatment for patients with a common type of breast cancer has cut the risk of recurrence by a quarter, a new study has shown. Patients with hormone receptor positive (HR+) early stage breast cancer at a high risk of recurrence were recruited to the global randomised study led by the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. The phase three monarchE study, with 5,637 patients in 38 countries, has been described as one of the most promising breakthroughs for patients with this type of breast cancer in the last 20 years, the institution said. It tested if patients taking the CDK 4/6 inhibitor abemaciclib along with hormone therapy following standard of care treatments such as chemotherapy, surgery and/or radiotherapy would reduce the risk of recurrence compared with the standard hormone treatment alone. Over two years, it found a 25% reduction in recurrence of cancer when abemaciclib was added to the standard hormone therapy compared with hormone therapy alone. Some 11.3% of patients in the control group suffered a relapse of their cancer compared with 7.8% of those in the abemaciclib group, Royal Marsden said. Around 70% of breast cancer patients have hormone receptor positive tumours, and a proportion of those have a higher risk of relapse in the first two years, it added. Patients with disease that has spread to lymph nodes, a large tumour size at the time of diagnosis, or an increased cellular proliferation (determined by high grade of the tumour, or number of dividing cells) were considered to be at high risk of recurrence and recruited to the study Royal Marsden said. Study patient Sarah Ryder, 57, from Dorset, said she did not feel much hope after finding out her cancer had spread to 23 lymph nodes when she was referred last year. She said: The trial has helped me believe in a future again. I can see my daughter grow up, go off to university next year and maybe have a family of her own one day. Professor Stephen Johnston, consultant medical oncologist at the Royal Marsden and professor of breast cancer medicine at the Institute of Cancer Research, said: This research could potentially save many lives in the future. He said: The monarchE research has given us confidence that we will soon be able to offer our high risk HR+ patients a greater chance of keeping them cancer-free. While there have been many advances in other early breast cancer subtypes such as HER2 positive disease, there has been no significant advancements for the large group of patients who have hormone receptor positive breast cancer since the late 1990s when aromatase inhibitors were introduced. The results of the monarchE study are being presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Virtual Congress on Sunday evening and simultaneously published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The monarchE trial was funded by Eli Lilly pharmaceutical. The market lost momentum in last hour of trade amid mixed global cues on September 18 as bears turned strong due to selling pressure in banking & financials though hefty buying in pharma stocks capped losses to some extent. The BSE Sensex was down 134.03 points to close at 38,845.82, while the Nifty50 fell 11.10 points to 11,505 and formed Bearish Belt Hold kind of pattern on daily charts. For the week, it gained 0.4 percent and witnessed Doji kind of formation on weekly scale. Experts see rangebound movement in coming sessions and advise investors to stay cautious given the profit booking taking place on every rise. "Nifty continued to rest on the support of 200-day EMA and has failed to show any significant upside bounce from there. We observe 7-8 sessions of range movement on the daily chart and that has eventually resulted in a downside breakouts, after opening highs for few occasions and upside breakouts have failed to sustain. Hence, one needs to be cautious about 1-2 range movements and any sell on rise (from new swing highs)," Nagaraj Shetti, Technical Research Analyst at HDFC Securities told Moneycontrol. "A Doji or a high wave type candle pattern was formed on the weekly chart. Nifty shifted into a minor upside bounce after the formation of crucial reversal pattern like bearish engulfing pattern on week before last, as per weekly chart. Hence, as long as the high of this pattern is protected at 11,800 levels, we are unlikely to see any sustainable upside bounce in the near term," he said. We have collated 15 data points to help you spot profitable trades: Note: The open interest (OI) and volume data of stocks given in this story are the aggregates of three- month data and not of the current month only. Key support and resistance levels on the Nifty According to pivot charts, the key support levels for the Nifty is placed at 11,439.37, followed by 11,373.73. If the index moves up, the key resistance levels to watch out for are 11,577.37 and 11,649.73. Nifty Bank The Bank Nifty corrected 289.35 points or 1.30 percent to 22,031 on September 18, underperforming Nifty50. The important pivot level, which will act as crucial support for the index, is placed at 21,720.87, followed by 21,410.63. On the upside, key resistance levels are placed at 22,405.37 and 22,779.63. Call option data Maximum Call open interest of 43.90 lakh contracts was seen at 12,000 strike, which will act as crucial resistance in the September series. This is followed by 11,600 strike, which holds 34.47 lakh contracts, and 11,800 strike, which has accumulated 33.25 lakh contracts. Call writing was seen at 12,000 strike, which added 9.77 lakh contracts, followed by 11,800, which added 8.21 lakh contracts, and 11,600 strike, which added 5.3 lakh contracts. Call unwinding was seen at 11,300 strike, which shed 53,775 contracts, followed by 11,000 strike, which shed 14,475 contracts. Put option data Maximum Put open interest of 33.83 lakh contracts was seen at 11,500 strike, which will act as crucial support in the September series. This is followed by 11,000 strike, which holds 32.67 lakh contracts, and 11,400 strike, which has accumulated 24.65 lakh contracts. Put writing was seen at 11,200 strike, which added 4.08 lakh contracts, followed by 10,900 strike, which added 2.29 lakh contracts and 11,500 strike which added 1.97 lakh contracts. Put unwinding was witnessed at 11,600 strike, which shed 70,800 contracts, followed by 12,000 strike which shed 44,625 contracts. Stocks with a high delivery percentage A high delivery percentage suggests that investors are showing interest in these stocks. 19 stocks saw long build-up Based on the open interest future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which long build-up was seen. 46 stocks saw long unwinding Based on the open interest future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which long unwinding was seen. 36 stocks saw short build-up An increase in open interest, along with a decrease in price, mostly indicates a build-up of short positions. Based on the open interest future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which short build-up was seen. 36 stocks witnessed short-covering A decrease in open interest, along with an increase in price, mostly indicates a short-covering. Based on the open interest future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which short-covering was seen. (For more bulk deals, click here) Analysts/Board Meetings Tata Motors: Company declared its schedule of meetings with the Analyst / Institutional Investors from September 21 to September 25, 2020. Shriram City Union Finance: Company's representatives will have conference call with Fidelity International, and Ruane, Cunniff and Goldfarb, Inc on September 21. Jindal Saw: Its 35th Annual General Meeting to be held on September 25. Dixon Technologies: Company's representatives will be meeting JP Morgan and Copper Rock Capital on September 21, and USS on September 22. Stocks in the news Seamac: Promoter entities HAL Offshore Ltd & PACs acquired 60,000 shares in company, increasing stake to 69.80%. RITES: Company announced buyback of shares up to Rs 257 crore at a price of Rs 265 per share and has fixed September 30 as record date for the purpose of buyback. JSW Steel: Urmila Bhuwalka released 40,000 pledged shares. Chemcon Speciality Chemicals: Its 318-crore IPO will open on September 21 and close on September 23. Price band is fixed at Rs 338-340 per share. Computer Age Management Services: Its 2,244-crore IPO will open on September 21 and close on September 23. Price band is fixed at Rs 1,229-1,230 per share. Rushil Decor: Company will open its rights issue of Rs 24.89 crore on September 21. Chambal Fertilisers & Chemicals: Promoter entity Zuari Global created a pledge on 2.5 lakh shares. Allcargo Logistics: Sheetal Gulati has resigned as Group Chief Financial Officer of the company. Fund flow FII and DII data Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) net bought shares worth Rs 205.15 crore, whereas domestic institutional investors (DIIs) net sold shares worth Rs 100.83 crore in the Indian equity market on September 18, as per provisional data available on the NSE. Stock under F&O ban on NSE -- Adani Enterprises, BHEL, Canara Bank, Glenmark Pharma, Vodafone Idea, Jindal Steel & Power, L&T Finance Holdings, SAIL, Tata Chemicals and Vedanta-- are under the F&O ban for September 21. Securities in the ban period under the F&O segment include companies in which the security has crossed 95 percent of the market-wide position limit. Barcelonas Gadea Films, co-producer of Laura Herrero Garvins Mexico City-set documentary La Mami, a hit at IDFA, is reaching across the Atlantic once more, linking to Colombias Rara Colectivo Audiovisual on the production of Cordelia Alegres La Union. Put through this years Screen-Incubator at the Madrid Film School (ECAM), La Union marks yet another feature debut from a Barcelona-based female director, this time a fiction film. La Union also turns on one of the key leitmotifs of movies made by Spains newest generation of filmmakers, weighing in as an identity drama marked by a return to the protagonists and directors roots. Also written by Alegre, in La Union, Cecilia and Juliana, 18-year-old twin sisters, travel from Barcelona to their birthplace, their mothers home village in Colombia, where they attempt to find traces of their family history and discover some of its secrets. The project has been put through the Ibero-American Screenwriting Residency at Cali in Colombia, and the Novos Cinemas Lab. Jaime Guerrero is producing for Rara Colectivo. Its involvement on board La Union from its beginning, even before Gadea is not just a question of finance but also for the film to have Colombian creative input, becoming a non-colonialist vision of Colombia, Alegre said. La Union could be seen as a coming-of-age tale. The sisters do change as a consequence of their visit, Alegre said. But she hopes the film is more than that. Its a journey they make to understand themselves, their family, where they come from, and how that affects them, what theyve left behind, said Alegre. The union of the title is the bond the sisters share, weighted by a growing realization that they may just have one other. Alegres mother is Colombian. She commented: I felt a real need to know more about my grandparents, to understand my mother and through her myself. The need for a sense of self may reflect a response to an age of galloping globalization. At the same time, it comes in at the phenomenon of immigration from the angle of two sisters discovering the life they might have had in Colombia if their father hadnt died, forcing their mother to migrate. Story continues In terms of influence, Alegre admires 2011 Locarno Golden Leopard winner Back to Stay, from Argentine-born (and Swiss-raised) Milagros Mumenthaler, and Argentine 2020 Berlinale Generation entry Mum, Mum, Mum, both movies that, like La Union, talk of absence, here of a father, the presence of somebody who isnt there, but is in another way, she observed. Writing about a subject close to the directors heart is also one hallmark of a new wave of Catalan female directors whose ranks are still welling and with whom Alegre says that she identifies. She trained at one of Spains foremost film institutions, Barcelonas Pompeu Fabra, returning for a Masters degree in documentary filmmaking, where she co-directed as her graduation film a feature doc, The Distance of Names. Another subject which really interests me is memory, Alegre recognized. The documentary turns on four graduates from Pompeu Fabra who set out to locate, 75 years later, in present-day Spain, the children sent by humble Republican families to foster colonies in Catalonia during the Spanish Civil War, simply so that they could have enough food to eat. We wanted to record their memories, while thats still possible, Alegre said. La Union is slightly similar: About two sisters recuperating their family history, before its erased. Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Rep. Jahana Hayes is in quarantine after one of her staffers tested positive for COVID-19. Hayes said in an announcement Saturday that she had been working in close contact with the staffer. Hayes, however, did not say whether the infected staffer worked in her Capitol Hill office or in her district office in Waterbury. Hayes represents the 5th Congressional District, which covers a large area of northwestern Connecticut. After a phased in reopening of my offices, I was notified today that one of my staffers has tested positive for COVID-19. I have been in close contact with the staffer and I have worked in both my CT and D.C. offices over the last week. said Hayes in a statement. All of my staff has been notified and directed to quarantine and get tested. Hayes said she is asymptomatic and awaiting an appointment to get tested. I will quarantine until I have the test and receive the results, she said. She also said her offices in Washington D.C. and the district will work remotely until further notice. This is the second time Hayes has announced she has quarantined herself because of the pandemic. The first time was in April when her husband, Milford Hayes, a Waterbury police officer, tested positive for COVID-19 at his workplace. The policy, unveiled by Chief Minister K Palaniswami, would benefit the public at large by ensuring that government departments connect and design efficient workflows for users in various sectors. The platform 'Nambikkai Inaiyam' ( Backbone) would help establish a single trusted source that would be used to create an efficient and manipulation resilient system for government services, the IT department said in a policy note. "The initiative will directly benefit the public of Tamil Nadu," it said. "The Nambikai Inaiyam is the state's backbone. It will be a state-of-the-art blockchain platform that will allow government departments, public, start-ups, private sector to connect, transact, build secure applications and design efficient workflows upon it", it added. The blockchain facility would be a single platform that can be used for developing and deploying block chain applications for all departments and public sector enterprises within the state. Some of the key features of the policy include seamless access to government services 'anywhere, anytime'. "It is one of the largest blockchain roll out in the country," the government said. The facility would provide a secure, scalable and signature-based authentication for electronic data, machines and personal information. Enterprise-grade government to government and government to citizens products and services would be implemented using this infrastructure. Meanwhile, the safe and ethical artificial intelligence policy also launched by the Palaniswami government aims to address the challenges faced in the use of AI technology. The policy recommends -- six dimensional framework, transparency and audit, accountability and legal challenges, misuse protection, digital divide and data deficit among others, the note 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.) Chicago Avenue and East 38th Street in Minneapolis has become hallowed ground Chicago Avenue and East 38th Street, the intersection where George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis earlier this year, has become hallowed ground. Protesters and well-wishers have adorned it with flowers and notes since the father of five died after being detained there, where one officer put a knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Protesters gather at a memorial for George Floyd, June 1, 2020, in front of Cup Foods in Minneapolis. Floyd was killed May 25 while in police custody outside the store. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File) That street corner will now bare Floyds name. The Minneapolis City Council on Friday voted to rename Chicago Avenue between East 37th Street and East 39th Street as George Perry Floyd Jr. Place, CNN reports. Robin Hutcheson, Minneapolis Public Works Department director, said the commemorative street sign will be placed right at the fateful intersection, and it wont confuse pedestrians. READ MORE: NOLAs Jeff Davis Parkway renamed for Black educator Norman C. Francis The commemorative name addition will not affect addressing on the street. The signage to indicate the commemorative street naming will be placed at the intersection of 38th St E and Chicago Ave only, Hutcheson stated. George Floyd was killed this past spring while in the custody of police. (Credit: Getty Images) While Floyds name is being honored in Minneapolis, his death inspired several re-designated street names as a show of solidarity to him, Breonna Taylor and others unarmed Black Americans who were killed at the hands of law enforcement. READ MORE: Court weighs allowing courtroom cameras in George Floyd case As previously reported by theGrio, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser renamed a corner of 16th Street at Lafayette Park adjacent to the White to Black Lives Matter Plaza. A large mural of Black Lives Matter was also painted on 16th Street leading to the park, which became an epicenter of protest in the nations capital. Black Lives Matter street murals began popping up all over the country. Forbes reported that the murals have been painted on streets in cities like San Francisco, Austin, Texas and New York City, where murals have popped up in the Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn boroughs. Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now! The post Minneapolis street to be named for George Floyd appeared first on TheGrio. By PTI NEW DELHI: The top brass of the central government on Sunday flayed the opposition over its members' "unruly conduct" in Rajya Sabha during the passage of the two farm bills, condemning their behaviour as "extremely shameful" and unprecedented in Parliament's history. Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Prakash Javadekar, Pralhad Joshi, Piyush Goyal, Thawarchand Gehlot and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi held a press conference to hit out at opposition members, with Singh asserting that such conduct was not expected in a healthy democracy. Singh also reassured the farmers on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMC). "I want to assure farmers that minimum support price and APMC will continue. These will never be removed at any cost," he said. Singh noted that opposition members tore rule book and papers at the desk of the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, who was in the Chair, and climbed on to the podium -- something, he added, he had never witnessed before. Lauding Harivansh as a man of values, he said the "misconduct" of opposition members towards him was unprecedented. Even if opposition leaders were not convinced with the Chair's decision, does it allow them to attack him and be "violent," he asked. Asked about the decision of BJP ally Shiromani Akali Dal's minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal quitting the Cabinet in protest against the farm bills, Singh said there are some "political reasons" behind certain decisions. The Upper House, which witnessed a brief adjournment due to the pandemonium, passed by voice vote the Farmer's Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. The bills have already been passed by Lok Sabha and will now go to the President for his assent before they are notified as laws. Some opposition members led by the TMC climbed on to the chairman's podium, tore official papers, and heckled the presiding officer as they opposed the government's push to pass the two contentious farm bills without considering their demand for sending the proposed legislations to a house committee. As the Chair took the clause-by-clause passage of the bills, Derek O'Brien of the TMC and some other opposition members climbed on to the podium showing the rule book to Harivansh. Some members tore official papers. Referring to the incident, Rajnath Singh said, "When discussion was taking place on the two agriculture bills in Rajya Sabha, at that time whatever happened in Rajya Sabha was saddening as well as unfortunate. I would go to the extent of saying that it was extremely shameful." He hit out at the Opposition for creating "misunderstanding" among farmers acting on vested political interests, and asserted that such actions were not befitting a healthy democratic practice. "The two bills are historic for farmers and the agriculture sector. With their implementation, income of farmers will increase. But misunderstanding is being spread among farmers that MSP and APMC are being ended. The truth is that when these bills come into force, the farmers will be free to sell their produce in any market of the country. N either APMC is being ended nor MSP," Singh said. He said the government has also succeeded in fulfilling its promise of doubling farmers' income to a large extent. The behaviour of some MPs towards the Deputy Chairman is shameful and cannot be condemned enough, Singh said. "Behaviour such as this has not only affected the Deputy Chairman's image, but also parliamentary prestige," he said. "Harivansh ji has worked for a long time in the journalistic field. He has commitment towards values and that has been his image throughout. Going near his seat, standing there, tearing the rule book, also tearing the papers kept there, also climbing the podium...as far as I know such an incident has not taken place in parliamentary history -- neither in Lok Sabha nor in Rajya Sabha," Singh said. He said that on the basis of "misleading facts", there is an attempt to "mislead" the farmers of this country. "I am also a farmer. I can't think of the government taking such a step which will hurt the interests of the farmers," he said. Whatever has happened is against the parliamentary prestige, he said referring to the chaos in Rajya Sabha at the time of the passage of the agriculture bills. Asked about Opposition parties giving a notice for a no-confidence motion against Harivansh over the manner in which the two farm bills were passed, Singh said the Chairman will take a decision on it. To a question on the Opposition's demand for division in Rajya Sabha, Naqvi said when division was being called on amendments, the Opposition members "were not only in the well but had broken mikes". "So, if they are talking of any kind of parliamentary decorum it is wrong. The vice chairman repeatedly said if you want division go to your seat, but nobody complied," he said. By Akbar Mammadov Azerbaijans Presidential Aide, Head of the Military Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, Colonel-General Maharram Aliyev and Chief of the State Border Service (SBS), Colonel-General Elchin Guliyev have inspected the military units on the border with Armenia, the SBSs press service reported on September 18. The officials visited the military units and divisions of the "Gazakh" special border division of the Border Troops of the Border Service. They viewed the service and living conditions of servicemen, and met with border guards serving at border checkpoints on the state border with Armenia. Moreover, the military construction work in the "Gazakh" special border division and measures to further strengthen the necessary border protection and defense infrastructure at the state border were also reviewed. The senior military officials also gave necessary instructions to increase the combat readiness of military units and formations, to ensure the inviolability of the state border and the security of personnel. It should be noted that earlier, on August 12, Presidential Aide, Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev and a number of other military officials visited the military units and village in the foremost line of the front. 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. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Puerto Rico's endangered parrots are facing a new threat to their survival: their strange squarks. In a phenomenon never seen before, Puerto Rican parrots bred in captivity, with a view to being released into the wild, were communicating with a different dialect to the wild populations. The new language posed a problem, because it meant that the reintroduced birds would not socialize and eventually breed with the wild parrots, seriously hampering efforts to reintroduce the birds to their natural habitat. The Puerto Rican parrot is endangered, with numbers plummeting as their habitat vanished El Yunque national forest was home to two parrot populations - one wild, one captive In the 1970s there were only 13 Puerto Rican parrots left in the wild, down from a population of a million when European colonizers arrived in 1493. Scientists began to breed the parrots in captivity, in a bid to prevent the birds from becoming extinct. By 2006 there were 600, living in four separate populations: a captive flock in El Yunque forest, which was first formed in 1973; one captive and one reintroduced flock in Rio Abajo State Forest; and the remaining original wild flock in El Yunque. In 2013 Tanya Martinez, a conservation biologist with the Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Project, run by the Puerto Rico department of natural and environmental resources, noticed something strange about the different parrot groups. She realized that the three captive populations sounded different to the one wild group. 'If you would go into the El Yunque forest to work with the wild population, it would almost sound like a different species' from the captive birds, she said, according to National Geographic. A Puerto Rican parrot is pictured inside an aviary, as part of the breeding program Parrot chicks were given to Hispaniolan Parrots as surrogate parents The three sites that supported Puerto Rican parrots: (1) El Yunque National Forest, (2) Rio Abajo Commonwealth Forest, (3) Maricao Commonwealth Forest She began researching their calls, and recording the noises. Martinez converted more than 800 hours of bird recordings to visual displays called spectrograms, and the images were grouped according to their similarity. Looking at the two most common calls - the caw and the chi, which birds make to keep in contact with each other - she found significant differences. Captive birds made caw and chi calls with at least two different syllables, while the wild El Yunque birds made entirely different calls, described as being essentially a single syllable on repeat. The difference, Martinez believed, came from the Puerto Rican parrot chicks being raised by closely-related Hispaniolan parrots - which were relatively plentiful in their native countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The Puerto Rican chicks mimicked their Hispaniolan surrogates' squawks. Furthermore, the captive Rio Abajo group began to sound distinct from its captive parent flock in El Yunque, and after the Rio Abajo captive birds were reintroduced into the Rio Abajo forest, the calls changed again. Martinez finished her study in 2017, shortly before Hurricane Maria ravaged the island and wiped out the remaining wild population in El Yunque. Hurricane Maria, which hit in October 2017, destroyed the remaining wild parrot population Conservationists are now working to reintroduce more of the parrots, and blend their dialects closer to the original sound. They have stopped using Hispaniolan parrots as surrogates, and have begun gradually reintroducing the birds - giving them time to watch, listen, and learn to mimic the existing populations. Earlier this year 30 parrots were reintroduced to El Yunque, as the conservationists' efforts began to pay off. A robot and three teams of surgeons worked simultaneously on a single patient to perform what is thought to be a first-of-its-kind cancer operation, slashing recovery time by a third. The astonishing procedure, involving 14 surgeons, was carried out in July on a married father-of-one with advanced rectal cancer. The experts behind it hope the breakthrough will throw open the doors for further operations involving more than one surgeon working at the same time. About 43,000 Britons are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year. The majority of cases occur in the rectum. Symptoms include changes in bowel patterns and bleeding, and more than 50 per cent of cases are diagnosed at a late stage when extensive surgery may be required. The astonishing procedure, involving 14 surgeons, was carried out in July on a married father-of-one with advanced rectal cancer. Pictured: An illustration of the procedure An example of the type of surgery that may be needed is pelvic extenteration, in which the organs in the pelvic region, including the bladder, rectum, prostate and part of the kidney, are removed to stop the disease spreading. It requires the expertise of at least three surgical teams, and the patient is left with colostomy and urinary bags for life. Until now the operation has been done in shifts. One team follows the other, with a bowel doctor going in first, followed by a prostate specialist and finally plastic surgeons to repair the damage. But doctors at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital took the decision to do all three stages simultaneously with a 1 million Da Vinci Si robot. The procedure took less than ten hours, compared to the 12 hours required when done step by step. But the greatest success of the operation was the recovery time. Pelvic extenteration patients typically spend three weeks in hospital this patient was there for just seven days. Colorectal surgeon Irshad Shaikh said the idea started as just a thought but quickly became a concrete plan when he discussed with his colleagues the potential advantages. The experts behind it hope the breakthrough will throw open the doors for further operations involving more than one surgeon working at the same time. Pictured: Stock image He says: Pelvic extenterations are extremely traumatic because so much tissue has to be removed. Working together, we realised we could make the procedure less invasive and so could reduce tissue trauma significantly and blood loss. The patient, Peter Fabb, 53, from Heveningham, Suffolk, is thought to be the first person in the world to have the operation done like this. He was relieved to get out of the hospital so quickly and is now recovering with his family at home. He said: Im still getting back on my feet, but the other day I managed a one-mile walk with the dog, which felt like an achievement. Peter was diagnosed with colon cancer in November after suffering discomfort and lower-back spasms while driving. A beer delivery driver, he began to feel uncomfortable sitting in his truck as he did his rounds. He was at first given antibiotics because his GP believed he had a prostate infection but when the pain didnt go away he went for a scan, and that revealed cancer had spread from his rectum and into his prostate. He was recommended for the surgery after chemotherapy failed to have the desired impact. Mr Shaikh felt he would be the perfect candidate to trial the new tandem pelvic extenteration. In the past, pelvic extenterations have been an open surgery, where the pelvis area is cut open. Mr Shaikh and prostate surgeon Omar Al Kadhi performed the procedure through keyhole incisions with the helping hands of the Da Vinci Si. Surgical instruments are attached to the robots four arms, each of which has fully rotating wrists. The arms are controlled by the surgeon, sitting at a console with two joysticks and a 3D screen. In the weeks before, the teams at Norfolk and Norwich carried out a dress rehearsal mapping out everyones positions in theatre. Peter arrived the morning of the procedure and was in the operating room, under general anaesthetic, less than an hour later. Throughout the ten-hour operation, Mr Sheikh and Mr Al Kadhi would take turns controlling the robot. First, the colon and most of the rectum were removed, followed by the bladder and prostate. At the same time, plastic surgeons Anais Rosich-Medina and Richard Haywood took muscles from Peters inner thighs, which were transplanted into the pelvis to provide support once the organs had been removed. Finally, Peters colostomy and urinary bags were attached, via stomas (ports) in his mid-abdomen. Mr Shaikh said the team had to be careful of the robots arms, which are capable of knocking people off their feet, but he said the operation went very smoothly thanks to fantastic teamwork. Returning home seven days later, Peter says he was surprised at how small the scars were considering the size of the procedure and he is now cancer-free. 20.09.2020 LISTEN Nothing surprises more at all these days as the NDC still has the guts to campaign against the NPPs record of governance, leadership and accountability. I was expecting something more substantive and refreshing from the NDCs manifesto, but it only feels and sounds like a completely empty tank, to say the least. To be honest some of the policies of the NDC are dead on arrival. Policies such as on Okada, Free SHS, double-track system and job creation. Many people who use Okada, regardless of the dangers it possesses, do so because they feel they have no alternative. According to the National road safety Campaign in Ghana, accidents related to Okada accounts for 27.7 per cent of all road crashes in Ghana in 2018, costing millions in damages and health care. The solution is what the NPP government is providing, jobs jobs jobs. The one district one factory with over 58 brand new factories to their credit, the birth of jobs for Ghanaians, and the evolution of the automobile industry in Ghana under the NPP government alone will lead the exponential growth in jobs in Ghana, where there will be no need for Okada. The automobile industry in the UK contributes 87million to the British economy in a year while it added $545billion to the USA economy last year. The potential is huge, and with the interest of such strong conglomerates like Toyota, Volkswagen, Nissan, Sinotrack among others the future is bright for Ghana. The stability and continuity of the Free SHS, a nationwide policy that has been the envy of many countries across the globe, is very threatened by the NDC. This policy has allowed the highest number of Ghanaian children (over 1.2 million children) access to education like never before and has saved Ghanaian parents an amount of over GH 2.2 billion cedis in school fees. Brilliant to say the least! The controversial double-track system, in all its glory, presented an opportunity of a lifetime and supported over 400,000 Ghanaian children to gain access to some of the best schools Ghana, without which they would have never had that opportunity. The most laughable of all the policies is the claim to create a million jobs in their first term. In 7 years the NDC according to their own green book created 367,000 jobs, how on earth are they ever going to manage this policy? Or they are planning the back of the successful job creation policies already started by the NPP administration. The NPP after taking over from the mess created by the NDC has managed to uplift every sector of the economy and has planned for every aspect of society being it Zongo development, disability rights, women rights, looking after the poor in society and many more. The development of Ghana is on track for a major take-off and there is more to be done, the more reason why we need 4 more years for Nana to do more for you. Lets not derail the journey that has started so well after the mess left by the NDC administration not long ago. Long live Ghana, Long live the NPP. 4 More for Nana. Kwaku Bimpeh NPP UK Deputy Director of Communications, [email protected] How Arundhati Roy chose the dangerous life of a dissenter Arundhati Roy may be incorrect in her reading of the causes she has chosen to take up, she may not have the answers to the problems of our times. But we need her to pose the questions Arundhati Roys assault on the establishment is all-encompassing. She has questioned the hanging of Afzal Guru, a Kashmiri convicted for his role in an attack on Indias Parliament in December 2001; condemned the Congress for its role in the Sikh riots of 1984; castigated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the communal riots that happened in Gujarat during his tenure as chief minister; lashed out against American imperialism; railed against Israels policies towards the Palestinians; criticized the government of Sri Lanka for human rights abuses during its confrontation with the LTTE; spoken out against the surge in Hindu nationalism in recent years. advertisement advertisement Its hard not to admire the energy she brings to her causes. Roy has the capacity to burrow through mounds of literature on any subject, be it irrigation or power generation. She may not always be able to persuade but she certainly challenges you to think through your own position. Take her essay on the hanging of Afzal Guru, for example. Roy raises doubts about Gurus culpability in the attack on the Indian Parliament. Her account is bound to leave the reader unsettled; you are left wondering whether the case was not cooked up by the law-enforcement agencies. She could be wrong about Guru. But its hard to dispute her basic contention: wherever we look, what we have today is a brutal and iniquitous system that pits the elite against large numbers of ordinary people. advertisement advertisement When you ask what is to be done, Roy leaves you groping for an answer. Roy would like the existing structures to be razed but she does not tell us what should take their place. If governments, political parties, corporates, the judiciary and the media are all fatally flawed, where do we begin in terms of setting things right? Parliamentary democracy and capitalism have their shortcomings but what alternatives do we have? How do we progress other than by bringing about incremental change, demanding greater accountability? Roy has all the right questions; she provides no answers. advertisement advertisement What Roy is clear about is that she is a compulsive dissenter. The only way to keep power on a tight leash is to oppose it, never to seek to own it or have it. Opposition is permanent. She adds, There are people who have comfortable relationships with power and people with natural antagonism to power. I think its easy to guess where I am in that. Rebels with a Cause: Famous Dissenters and Why They Are Not Being Heard, published by Penguin Random House India, Rs599 Taking on the establishment the way Roy has done is not easy anywhere in the world, certainly not in India. A lesser person would probably be in jail on some frivolous charge or the other. Or she could get bumped off, as has happened to several dissenters such as the rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and M.M. Kalburgi or the journalist, Gauri Lankesh. Roys international stature is, perhaps, what keeps a vengeful state or corporate and other interests from harming her. advertisement advertisement But she is well aware of the tenuous nature of the protection her fame gives her. She told an interviewer, . . . its become really frightening. There are people who say, She should be shot. She should be jailed. Ive had rocks thrown at my house . . . If Im supposed to speak somewhere, these gangs of storm troopers gather, shouting, Arundhati Roy, shes a traitor, shes a friend of Pakistanall just stupid stuff. She is equally aware that when you are so completely at odds with the establishment, it is vital to have sources of sustenance. Roy finds sustenance within herself and in her friendships. She told a writer from the Guardian, . . . Its a game of survival, and if you allow yourself to become unhappy, you will lose everything . . . I think its important to patrol the borders of your happiness, to understand your sources of joy and to protect them, and to know that, so often, its only when that happiness has gone that you know what it was. But you can be cooking or listening to music and think, I dont need anything else to happen or anyone else to be any other way in order to be happy. advertisement advertisement She calls her friends extraordinary people who have learnt to deal with her fame and money and who have kept the democratic nature of our relationships. The Guardian interviewer writes, Happiness for her, she says, might be going to the market and choosing glass beads after weeks of late nights drafting an affidavit, or just lying on the floor all day with friends under a ceiling fan in the Delhi summer. Even gossiping with friends about relationships as the police move in to break up a demonstration at a dam site. advertisement advertisement Its not easy to be Arundhati Roy. It takes extraordinary courage to have lived the life she has livedwhether it was leaving home at sixteen to study in Delhi; living in a tin shack while pursuing her studies; marrying somebody several years her senior and then separating; standing up for the underdog in Indian society and elsewhere; railing against top politicians and businessmen. It would have been simple enough for Roy to use her stardom to find a cosy niche for herself in the establishment. She could have become a member of the Sahitya Akademi committee, Indias national academy intended for the promotion of literature in Indian languages, won state honours, become a nominated member of Parliament, or obtained government land for a cultural organization she wanted to set up. She could easily have become a member of Delhis Lutyens elite, attending lavish parties and rubbing shoulders with ministers, bureaucrats and other members of the establishment. advertisement advertisement Roy has eschewed these safe sanctuaries in favour of the dangerous life of a dissenter. She may be incorrect in her reading of the causes she has chosen to take upKashmir, dams, Naxalism, economic liberalization, globalization, etc. She may not have the answers to the problems of our times. At times, her criticism may seem to border on nihilism. But we need her to pose the questions. We need her to speak up for the oppressed, to challenge and shake up the establishment. Not many of us can speak up as freely as she does because we have jobs to protect and we lack the means to withstand any onslaught that any serious challenge to the system would bring. If Roy is willing to use her celebrity status to hit at the establishment, more power to her. In a world of conformists and cowards, Roys courage inspires and kindles hope. Roy sums up her philosophical outlook aptly: Whether youre fearful or fearless, what happens will happen. Its idiotic to be fearless, but its not worth living in fear. advertisement advertisement Excerpted from Rebels With A Cause: Famous Dissenters And Why They Are Not Being Heard by T.T. Ram Mohan with permission from Penguin Random House India. Hungarian PM Viktor Orban refused to grant final approval without guarantees on a linked mechanism on the rule of law. Hungary has refused to grant final approval of the European Unions planned 750 billion euros ($889bn) borrowing to spur economic recovery in the bloc from the coronavirus pandemic without guarantees on a linked mechanism on the rule of law, diplomatic sources have said. Prime Minister Viktor Orban has long been at loggerheads with the EU over democratic checks and balances, and stands accused of undermining the independence of the judiciary, media, academics and advocacy groups in Hungary. Under an historic deal, the EU agreed last July that its executive would borrow 750 billion euros ($889bn) on the market to top up a trillion euros worth of spending under the blocs joint budget in 2021-27 to help the continent recover from the COVID-19 slump. The agreement between the 27 member states still requires approval by the European Parliament, as well as many national parliaments across the EU. The package would also link access to EU funds to respecting democratic principles, which Orban now wants to ensure would not hurt him in order to grant Hungarys final approval, according to the sources. Hungary has said that, to pass that decision, they want to sort out the rule of law, one senior EU diplomat told Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity. Hungarys Justice Ministry on Thursday said that the July deal was an overall package and that none of its components can be decoupled or removed from the package and decided or amended separately from other components. Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, it added. While the European Parliament wants to toughen the rule of law conditions on obtaining EU funds, countries like Spain and Italy that have been hit hardest by the pandemic demand smooth ratification to ensure the money starts flowing swiftly. Queensland researchers are developing a material that dramatically lowers the amount of time coronavirus can survive on surfaces. The QUT team has discovered that covering a surface in "nano-pillars", or microscopic spikes, can reduce the amount of time SARS-CoV-2 can live on surfaces from days to hours. QUT medical devices specialist Professor Prasad Yarlagadda and virologist Professor Kirsten Spann. Credit:QUT The virus that causes COVID-19 has been found to survive on surfaces for up to 72 hours; however, during a series of tests of the material at a secure Queensland Health facility, the longest the virus lasted was six hours. QUT virologist Professor Kirsten Spann said they had been developing the nano-pillar material for three years, and it actually seems to have more effect on SARS-CoV-2 than other viruses. President Donald Trump said he expects to nominate a replacement for the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court next week and that hell likely select a woman. Ill be making my choice soon, Trump told reporters as he departed the White House on Saturday for a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Well have a nominee very soon. He said that choosing a woman would certainly be appropriate to replace Ginsburg, and complimented two Appeals Court judges said to be on his shortlist, Amy Coney Barrett and Barbara Lagoa. Barrett is very highly respected, he said. He said Lagoa is an extraordinary person and Hispanic. Both are Trump appointments to the circuit courts and are on a list of more than 40 potential Supreme Court picks he issued earlier this month. Trump said it would be very good if the Senate confirmed his choice before the Nov. 3 election and that he expects the process is going to move very quickly, actually. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in a statement Friday less than two hours after Ginsburgs death was announced promised Trumps nominee would get a vote, but he gave no timetable for when that would be. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Saturday hes had multiple conversations with McConnell about the confirmation. We talked about the Supreme Court process and what to expect from the Senate, Meadows said. The discussion was more directed at process than individual persons. Many of Trumps allies, conservative activists and Republican aides believe theres not enough time for a confirmation vote before the Nov. 3 election, people familiar with the matter said. That raises the specter of a handful of defeated, lame-duck senators voting on Trumps choice for a lifetime appointment to the court, even if the president also loses re-election. If that happens, the Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, told colleagues in a conference call Saturday, then nothing is off the table for next year. Nothing is off the table. Some Democratic activists are already advocating for Joe Biden, if hes elected president, to expand the Supreme Court with new justices who would dilute the current conservative majority. McConnell could call a vote anytime he is certain of having at least 50 senators supporting confirmation. With 53 Republicans in the 100-member Senate, McConnell can afford to lose three senators and still confirm Trumps pick with Vice President Mike Pence casting a tie-breaking vote. The question may be whether whether a pre-election vote is not only practical but politically viable. At least seven incumbent Republican senators face tough re-election contests, and a pending fight over a pivotal Supreme Court seat could energize the partys voting base, though it also risks motivating Democrats. Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican facing a difficult re-election contest this year, on Saturday became the first Republican to declare that a new justice should be selected by the winner of the presidential election. In fairness to the American people, who will either be re-electing the president or selecting a new one, the decision on a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court should be made by the president who is elected on November 3rd, she said in a statement. On Friday, before the announcement of Ginsburgs death, GOP Senator Lisa Murkowski, who isnt up for re-election until 2022, told Alaska Public Radio that if there were a vacancy on the court this year she wouldnt vote to confirm a nominee before the election. Republican senators will be under tremendous pressure in a tight election year from anti-abortion groups and evangelicals to take what could be their last chance to overturn Roe v. Wade, the ruling that made abortion legal. North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, one of the most vulnerable GOP incumbents in 2020, tweeted out a statement saying he would vote for Trumps still-unnamed pick, sight unseen. Senator Martha McSally of Arizona, another endangered Republican on the ballot, also tweeted that the Senate should vote on Trumps nomination. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee that considers court nominees, tweeted Saturday that he would support Trump in any effort to move forward regarding the recent vacancy created by the passing of Justice Ginsburg. Graham also is up for re-election and is facing a surprisingly strong challenge. Trump has pressed GOP senators to line up behind him. Were now, right now were here, and we have an obligation to the voters. Its a very simple thing, he said. Thats now the way I read it. Foodics, the popular F&B and Retail tech startup based in Saudi Arabia, has announced its expansion into the Egyptian market. Having already established a strong presence in KSA and the UAE since its inception in 2014, this latest expansion comes at the back of closing its series A, with the company now fundraising for series B. The tech start-up, which offers an all in one Point Of Sale Solution and management platform which helps restaurants and cloud kitchens owners run their business, has so far successfully serviced over five thousand customers and processed over a billion orders through the Foodics SaaS (Software As A Service) platform, totalling over $2 billion GMV transactions in 2019 and catering to more than 5,000 clients and over 10,000 F& B outlets. Ahmad Al-Zaini, Co-Founder and CEO commented: With an F&B Market estimated to be worth around $15 billion and growing at a 15-20% rate over the next 5 years, Foodics expansion into Egypt was always an integral part of our business plan. Al-Zaini added: Our objective is to continue to accelerate the F& B and retail end to end digitization across the region and beyond. As our proprietary technologies continue to add value and facilitate the growth of the industry, we are confident that our latest market entry into Egypt will be a tremendous success. Starting its Egyptian operations in Cairo city in the prestigious Masaken Sheraton, the Egyptian Foodics team will first focus on its SaaS platform and hardware for restaurants, later followed by the launch of its Foodics NOW products. Mohammad Ayman, the newly appointed Egypt Country Manager said: Given the market potential, we have ambitious targets for Egypt. During our pilot phase, our 360 SaaS Ecosystem was in fact extremely well received by Egyptian businesses, with our sales team in Egypt already successfully closing over 15 new businesses. Now that we are officially launching, we are forecasting closing well over 50 businesses before year end. The company is set to make waves by replicating the tremendous growth and success achieved in its existing markets, combining the knowledge of local and regional market experts along with their international experience of the industry and SaaS products. -- Tradearabia News Service Rolls-Royce is on the cusp of launching an emergency fundraising to tap shareholders for between 2billion and 2.5billion. City sources said the FTSE100-listed jet engine maker is close to securing the funds from investors, possibly through a rights issue and placing. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are believed to be among the investment banks working on the fundraising deal for Rolls-Royce. Emergency: City sources said the FTSE100-listed jet engine maker is close to securing the funds from investors It had been thought Rolls-Royce may look to raise 1.5billion from investors. But sources claimed the blue chip firm is now seeking an extra 500million to 1billion, possibly from sovereign wealth funds. The move to launch such a large rescue fundraising comes as Rolls-Royce shares which closed last week at 1.80 flirt with a 16-year low amid concerns about the company's financial position. Investment bankers last month told The Mail on Sunday that they had heard rumours the Government was 'starting to get worried', raising the possibility of state intervention. Rolls-Royce in which the Government has a 'golden share' that gives it the right to block a takeover has been hit hard by the pandemic. In part that has been because the company operates a power-by-the hour model, where it sells engines at a loss and later receives payments according to how much they fly. This arrangement has left the company bleeding cash. The firm is also particularly exposed to the collapse in long-haul travel because it makes engines for bigger planes such as Boeing's 787 Dreamliner and Airbus's A350. Rolls-Royce's debt has been downgraded to junk status and major long-term shareholders, such as American activist ValueAct Capital, have been selling out of the company. In a note to clients several weeks ago, David Perry, an analyst at JP Morgan, said: 'An 8billion hole will need much more than a 1.5billion rights issue. We believe RollsRoyce needs to raise at least 6billion [through equity raise sales and disposals] to put itself on a sound financial footing.' Perry added that the company's debt pile will be almost 19billion by the end of the year. He believes that 1.5billion may not be enough to save the firm. The analyst suggested that Rolls-Royce needs to issue 6billion of equity and this might not be possible by just relying on institutional investors. 'We think there is a high chance of Government intervention,' he added. Aside from tapping stock market investors for fresh cash, Rolls-Royce is also seeking to generate about 2billion from selling divisions including ITP Aero over the next 18 months. ITP Aero is Rolls-Royce's Spanish engineering division that makes turbine blades for engines. A spokesman for Rolls-Royce said: 'We continue to review a range of funding options to further strengthen our balance sheet. 'These could include debt and equity, but no final decisions have been taken. We have already taken swift action to strengthen our liquidity with 6.1billion at the end of the first half of the year and a further 2billion term loan agreed in the second half. 'We have also announced 1billion of cost mitigation activity in 2020 and launched a re-organisation of our Civil Aerospace business to save 1.3billion annually.' Last month, the firm's woes were compounded by the announcement that finance chief Stephen Daintith was leaving the business for online delivery firm Ocado. Daintith has said he will stay for a transition period. F avourable global context is a blessing for the Rajapaksas. For example, the siblings are likely to use the excuse of the new constitution to disembowel provincial devolution. Provincial Councils will remain, with vastly reduced powers falling into the decentralisation rather than devolution category. by Tisaranee Gunasekara If history is continuity and discontinuity, resolution and catastrophe, it is also surprise and unanimity; a total fascist state that in January 1933 was highly contested and rather improbable was widely accepted and broadly realised one hundred days later. Peter Fritzche (Hitlers First Hundred Days: When Germans Embraced the Third Reich) Think of it as the Rajapaksa fairy tale. Mother Lanka is captured by the messy and wobbly monster called Democracy. The Rajapaksa brothers and sons rescue her by slaying the Democracy monster with the magic sword called 20th Amendment. Then they all live happily ever after. If anyone is still confused about the why and what of the 20th Amendment, they should muse on the words of Namal Rajapaksa. Addressing a media conference on September 15th, Mahinda Rajapaksas eldest son said, During the election season we said 19 will be removed. When 19 is removed, 18 automatically comes. So there is no need to discuss about it. It is according to that 20 was brought. If anyone has a problem about 20 they can go to the courts. Theres no bar to that. What has to be discussed now is not who wrote 20 or who brought it. What should be discussed is whether a stable government can be built in this country or not now. It is good look at it as a policy and decide (Lanka News Web 16.9.2020; emphasis mine). The 18th Amendment was created for Mahinda Rajapaksa, to give him unlimited power and as many presidential terms as life permitted. The 20th Amendment is focused on the Rajapaksa family as a whole. It has something for every Rajapaksa and nothing for anyone else. It will create an omnipotent President Gotabaya and pave the way for an equally omnipotent President Basil (in 2029 or sooner) and President Namal (in 2039 or sooner). It will ensure the political future of Shashindra Rajapaksa, Nipuna Ranawaka and any other Rajapaksa son or nephew or cousin who chooses to enter politics. In 2009, the then royal astrologer, Sumanadasa Abeygunawardane predicted that Sri Lanka is heading for a half-a-century of Rajapaksa rule: President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Rajapaksas will rule this country for a long time. The Rajapaksas will become beloved leaders of this country The next chapter in Sri Lanka is reserved for the Rajapaksas. (Silumina 7.6.2009). In 2015, politics gave a different verdict. Thanks to the inanities, errors and crimes of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration, the twin victories of 2015 turned out to be a semi-colon rather than a full-stop to the pulverising Rajapaksa Yathra. Now the Rajapaksas are back, with a near two-thirds majority. Gotabaya Rajapaksas first term is also the third Rajapaksa term. Unsurprisingly, the familys first priority is to return Sri Lanka to where it was constitutionally and politically between September 2010 and in January 2015. This means eviscerating the democratic gains of the 19th Amendment. How else can Sri Lanka be made safe again for familial rule and dynastic succession? And this time from brother to brother, from uncle to nephew, in true oriental style. The great Sinhala poet Rapiel Tennakoon in Wavuluwa characterised King Dutugemunus war as riding the Sasana to defeat Tamil power (Sasuna pita nega, Demala bala binda). The Rajapaksas are weaponising monks and military, race and religion, to establish familial rule and dynastic succession. Their ethno-religious racism is both real, and instrumental. The Rajapaksas will not hesitate to damn as a traitor any patriotic warrior *lay or ordained) who seriously opposes the 20th Amendment. The cavilling of the likes of Wimal Weerawansa and Medagoda Abeytissa thero shows how little they understand this reality. Some of the SLPP dissenters might have dreamt of premiership or even presidency, someday; others might have believed that President Gotabaya, as an outsider, will drain the swamp. The 20th Amendment, especially the dual-citizenship clause, should remind them that for the Rajapaksas, family comes first, always. The SLFP as the deciding factor In 1933, the German parliament approved the Law to Remedy the Distress of People and Reich, giving sweeping powers to chancellor Adolf Hitler for four years. This Enabling Law opened the door for the replacement of Weimer democracy with Nazi autocracy. We are at a similar inflection point today. In a letter sent to the Justice Minister, the Retired Judges Association sounds a powerful warning about how the 20th Amendment will impact on judicial independence and rule of law. Among the serious problem areas the RJA points out are permitting the President to appoint another person to act in the place of a judge of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court when that judge is temporarily unable to perform that judicial function, and the politicisation of the JSC, which handles the appointment, promotion, transfer, dismissal, and other disciplinary measures of judicial officials: ...the proposed amendment to Article 111 (D) deleting the requirement that the two senior-most judges of the Supreme Court constitute the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) with the Chief Justice as Chairman, along with the removal of the condition that a judge with judicial experience serving as a judge of a court of the first instance be part of the JSC (The Sunday Times 20.9.2020). Juxtapose these warnings with State Minister of Defence Chamal Rajapaksas recent advice to the police: We are not asking anyone not to hit. What you should do is to learn the way to hit (Lanka News Web 12.9.2020); and the shape of the future is clear. It is a future in which more Shani Abeysekaras and more Hejaaz Hisbullahs will be created, more suspects will drop dead from one cause of the other while in custody and judges will be subjected to the same limiting pressures as writers and government officials. It is a future in which the decimation of environment will happen in broad daylight with no culprits ever being caught. It is a future in which making a political statement will be turned into a crime like Mangala Samaraweera being questioned by the Matara police for saying that Sri Lanka is not a Sinhala-Buddhist country. The 20th Amendment will not only turn the legislature and the judiciary into presidential appendages. It will also turn the SLPP and its coalition partners into Rajapaksa serfs. If the amendment is passed, the only future any relatively young and ambitious non-Rajapaksa SLPP leader can hope for is to become a minister. The 20th Amendment will create an iron ceiling for all non-Rajapaksa politicians. The SLPPs (not-so) Young Turks know that. That is why they opposed the dual-citizenship clause. That resistance seemed to have collapsed already. Their proposals were not even taken up for discussion at the last cabinet meeting. As JVPs Vijitha Herath said, the cabinet was bulldozed. That too is a telling indicator of the kind of servile existence the SLPP can expect under Rajapaksa rule. Under Rajapaksa rule, no one else can have their way or even say. This future is not inevitable. The 20th Amendment can still be defeated in parliament. The most obvious way is for a few of the SLFP parliamentarians (and there are 12 of them) to vote against the bill. The post-Rajapaksa SLFP retains around 12% of the national vote, as the result of the 2018 LG election indicated. Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the presidency thanks to this SLFP vote. The SLPP won a near two-thirds parliamentary majority thanks to this SLFP vote. The Wimal Weerawansas and the Udaya Gammanpilas have no real bargaining power because their party-lets cannot stand on their own. The SLFP is in a different, far stronger position, for now. The Rajapaksas need the SLFPs backing to win the 20th Amendment and to push the new constitution through. The SLFP should reflect on the way it was treated when ministerial spoils were divided. The party general secretary was humiliated with a joke of a ministry while the party leader wasnt given even that. If this is how the SLFP is being treated when it retains some use value, imagine what its plight will be once the Rajapaksas have the constitution of their dreams. Once the constitutional battles are won, a key objective of the Rajapaksas would be to decimate the SLFP politically and organisationally. And they will go about that task with their customary ruthlessness. Before the SLFP votes for the 20th Amendment, it should think of what coalition politics did to the old left and the JVP. If the party wants to retain its independence, if it wants to ensure its survival, opposing the 20th Amendment is where it must begin. Rajapaksas, Modi, Trump, and the new Reactionary International In his latest interview with the New Statesman, Noam Chomsky calls Donald Trump the figurehead of a new reactionary international which includes Brazils Bolsonaro, the family dictatorships of the Middle East, and Narendra Modi. It is to this reactionary national-populist family of nations Rajapaksa Sri Lanka belongs. Less than ten days after the presidential victory of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Dr. Steve Turley, a pro-Trump conservative radio talk show host, celebrated Sri Lankas entry to this International with great glee: An increasing number of populations are turning away from globalism and re-embracing nation, culture, custom and tradition as the basis for a vibrant political and cultural renewal. Just so another nation embraced the nationalist right. Sri Lanka recently held its presidential election and as a result we can add another nation to the growing number of nationalist populist governments throughout the world (Sri Lanka Turns to the Nationalist Right!!! - YouTube). President Donald Trump might be hard pressed to point out Sri Lanka accurately on a world map. But when it comes to politics, he is certainly borrowing from the Rajapaksa copybook. In a rally in Nevada, he suggested that he will negotiate a third term once he wins the upcoming presidential election (https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-negotiate-third-term-in-office-2020-9). In his Republican National Party Convention speech, Mr. Trump expressed his backing for a female president and indicated that his daughter Ivanka might be the woman for the job. A senior advisor to the Trump re-election campaign, Brad Parscale, drew a stark word-picture of this future (unknowingly echoing Sumanadasa Abeygunawardane): The Trumps will be a dynasty that will last for decades propelling the Republican Party into a new party... I think they are all amazing people...with amazing capabilities... I think you see that from Don Jr. I think you see that from Ivanka. You see it from Jared. You see it from all ( The Trump Family: A Political Dynasty For Decades To Come? - YouTube). There is much that unites the Trumps, the Modis, the Bolsonaros and the Rajapakas of todays world, apart from their visceral opposition to pluralist democracy. They all dream of bringing back an ideal past where the (racial/religious) majority ruled and the minorities knew their place, abided by it and were violently punished whenever they tried to overstep it. Patriotic posturing of the flag-kissing, my country right or wrong type is a cornerstone of this new ideology. President Trump, like the Hindutva ideologues of India and Sinhala-Buddhist extremists of Sri Lanka, backs patriotic education and equated anti-racist teaching with child abuse (https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-calls-patriotic-eduction-says-anti-racism-teachings-are-child-n1240372). An anti-sustainable development strategy - and a resultant willingness to decimate the environment in the name of growth - is another shared quality. They embrace a slash and burn approach to governance, which spares nothing, not democracy, not the rule of law, not basic rights, not environment, not common, ordinary decency. They want to bring majority religion and state together, and share antediluvian notions on issues such as gender and sexual orientation. This favourable global context is a blessing for the Rajapaksas. For example, the siblings are likely to use the excuse of the new constitution to disembowel provincial devolution. Provincial Councils will remain, with vastly reduced powers falling into the decentralisation rather than devolution category. Given Narendra Modis politics (especially his non-dependence on Tamil Nadu) India is likely to look the other way, so long as some appearances are maintained. A President Trump wont even notice. The new reactionary international will be rendered headless if Donald Trump loses the American presidential election. A Biden-Harris victory will make it a tad harder for the Rajapaksas to ride roughshod over everyone and everything. But eventually, the Rajapaksas will fall for the same reason they fell the last time economics. The ongoing wave of national populism is driven by politicians and parties who oppose spending that can narrow the knowledge gap and the wage gap while exploiting the discontents resulting from those inequalities. They try to win over the poor and the have-nots in the majority community by using racism, and turning this or that minority into the enemy/threat. But patriotic tittle-tattle cannot substitute for a liveable life indefinitely. Someday the breaking point will come. The 20th Amendment is in part a defence against that eventuality. The point cannot be made strongly enough. The Rajapaksas gained their near two-thirds victory not because their votes increased between 2019 and 2020 but because a substantial chunk of UNP supporters, disgusted by the infantile antics of Ranil Wickremesinghe and Sajith Premadasa, boycotted the election. And without the SLFPs backing, the Rajapaksas wont even have a simple majority, electorally. The 20th Amendment is expected to bridge these lacunae by making free politics, fair elections and non-partisan justice impossible. That is why it must be resisted, with every democratic and peaceful means at our disposal. If the Rajapaksas are allowed to win this battle uncontested, their happily ever after will last longer than it needs to. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 01:36:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on July 14, 2020 shows the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) The decease of Ginsburg sets up a fierce partisan fight on Capitol Hill over whether to confirm a nominee less than 50 days away from the presidential election. WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday urged Republicans to confirm "without delay" a replacement for late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died the previous evening at the age of 87. "We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices. We have this obligation, without delay!" the president tweeted. U.S. media cited presidential aides and advisers as saying that Trump was considering a woman for his latest Supreme Court nominee, who would also be the third appointee during his presidency. Assessment of possible options began on Saturday, according to reports. A screenshot taken from U.S. President Donald Trump's Twitter account shows that he tweeted on Sept. 19, 2020 "We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices. We have this obligation, without delay!" (Xinhua) Ginsburg died of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer, the Supreme Court said in a news release, adding that a private interment will be held at the Arlington National Cemetery, without revealing the specific date for the ceremony. The second female Supreme Court justice in U.S. history and a champion for equal protection under law for women, Ginsburg was nominated to the bench by then President Bill Clinton in 1993 and over the years became the most senior liberal justice on the nation's highest court. The decease of Ginsburg set up a fierce partisan fight on Capitol Hill over whether to confirm a nominee less than 50 days away from the presidential election. People gather in front of the U.S. Supreme Court mourning the passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Washington, D.C., the United States, Sept. 18, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) Democratic lawmakers led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden as well as former President Barack Obama, all maintained that Ginsburg's replacement be nominated by the next president to be chosen by voters in the Nov. 3 election. "The voters should pick the president, and the president should pick the justice for the Senate to consider," Biden said Friday night. Such a position echoed Ginsburg's dying wish. "My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed," she said in a statement dictated to her granddaughter, Clara Spera. People mourn the passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., the United States, Sept. 18, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) On the Republican side, however, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who blocked a Senate hearing of an Obama appointee shortly ahead of the 2016 election to replace late Justice Antonin Scalia who died in February that year, said Friday that the Senate will vote on Trump's nominee to fill the vacancy Ginsburg left. Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who is on Trump's list of potential Supreme Court nominees announced on Sept. 9, said Friday the president should tap a new justice "next week." Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen seated second from right in the front row of a group photo of the U.S. Supreme Court's nine Justices. Prior to Ginsburg's decease, the U.S. Supreme Court was made up of nine Justices: one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. (Photo source: supremecourt.gov) The number of justices on the bench reduced to eight following the passing of Ginsburg, among whom only three are liberals. Trump is expected to swing the bench further to the right with a new appointee. While Republicans in the Senate changed the rules so that the confirmation of a Supreme Court justice now needs 51 votes rather than a supermajority, the slight 53-47 majority they hold in the Senate means they can only afford a maximum of three defections, a scenario where Vice President Mike Pence's tie-breaking vote will be needed to seat the new candidate. LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Rolls-Royce Holdings plc (RYCEF.PK, RR.L, RYCEY.PK) said it is seeking to raise up to 2.5 billion pounds to strengthen its balance sheet, through a variety of options including a rights issue, new debt issue and other forms of equity issuance. Rolls-Royce notes the continued media speculation regarding the possibility of the Group undertaking a fund raising. Rolls-Royce said it continues to review all funding options and no final decisions have been taken as to whether or when to proceed with any of these options or as to the precise amount that may be raised. The company said to be in talks with sovereign wealth funds such as Singapore's GIC about participating in the raise, the Financial Times reported, which will be launched in early October. 'We continue to review all funding options to enhance balance sheet resilience and strength,' the company stated. Rolls-Royce announced its major reorganization in May, is progressing well and is forecast to deliver at least 1.3 billion pounds in annual pre-tax cash savings by the end of 2022. The company expects a reduction of over 17% of its workforce, equivalent to more than 9,000 roles across the Group worldwide, including approximately 8,000 in Civil Aerospace business. Rolls-Royce also announced the restructure of its civil aerospace division and aiming to raise more than 2 billion through selling off parts of the group, including its ITP Aero turbine-making business in Spain. 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. Violence in Afghanistan continues to be a regular occurrence even with the government and Taliban entering into peace negotiations. In the latest skirmish, two airstrikes on a Taliban base in the northeastern Afghan province of Kunduz left up to 30 civilians dead on Saturday, September 19. The long-awaited Afghan Peace talks began in Doha, Qatar last week and are being seen as a historic opportunity to end decades of war in the country; however, the week has seen an uptick in daily clashes in Afghanistan. Read: Trump Partnered With Taliban Ahead Of Afghan Peace Talks, Claims Ex-security Adviser 30 civilians killed According to reports, one airstrike was carried out in the Nikpai area of the Khanabad district of Kunduz, drawing civilians from around the area. That is when another airstrike is reported to have occurred which resulted in 30 civilian casualties. In addition, 18 people have also been left injured in the incident. As per Sayhoon News reports, Afghan Defense Minister Asadullah Khalid has stated that the attacks by Taliban forces have actually increased since the beginning of the peace talks. Khalid is also reported to have added that in an effort to ensure the violence does not negatively impact the ongoing talks, Afghan security forces have refrained from any aggressive retaliatory measures. Read: Afghan Govt, Taliban To Begin Peace Talks In Doha, Experts Hope For A Lasting Ceasefire The Intra-Afghan peace talks are a result of an agreement signed between Washington and the Taliban back in February. As per the terms of the agreement, the US agreed to move troops out of Afghanistan while the government and the Taliban agree to exchange 4,000 and 1,000 prisoners respectively. The peace talks were delayed because the Afghan government was reluctant to release the final batch oof 400 Taliban prisoners as they were convicted of heinous crimes. But after much talks and deliberations, the remaining 400 prisoners were released and the talks could finally commence. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attended the first day of the Afghan peace talks in Doha and affirmed US commitment to the peace processes in the region. While the talks are currently being held in Qatar, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have offered to host any future talks between the Taliban and Afghan government. (With ANI inputs) Read: Afghan Forces Clash With Taliban In Kandhar Region Ahead Of Day 2 Peace Talks In Qatar Read: Afghan Peace Talks Come With Heightened Clashes Between Security Forces, Taliban At Home President Donald Trump made clear he has no interest in waiting and vowed Saturday that he will name a woman next week to fill Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgs seat on the Supreme Court. I will put forward a nominee next week, Trump said. It will be a woman. Speaking at a rally in North Carolina on Saturday night, Trumps supporters periodically broke into chants of what looks likely to be the new rallying cry for the presidents campaign events from now on: Fill the seat! Trump said the rallying cry will soon be on T-shirts. I love that chant, he said. Advertisement "Fill that seat!" is the hot new chant at the Trump rally. Trump says he'll announce RBG's replacement next week. pic.twitter.com/8WE75M4L3m Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 19, 2020 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump began his rally by briefly paying tribute to Ginsburg, saying that her landmark rulings, fierce devotion to justice and her courageous battle against cancer inspire all Americans. He quickly talked about Ginsburgs famous friendship with our friend late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, which Trump said was a powerful reminder we can disagree on fundamental issues, while treating each other with decency, dignity and respect. From there, the president quickly pivoted to say he has the power to fill the seat left vacant by Ginsburgs death and he intends to use it. So, Article II of the Constitution says that the President shall nominate justices of the Supreme Court, Trump said. I dont think it can be any more clear, can it? Advertisement Advertisement Get Slate in Your Inbox 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. Trump also seemed to leave open the possibility that the vote to confirm his nominee for the Supreme Court could come during the lame-duck session after the election. We have plenty of time. Theres a lot of time. Youre talking about Jan. 20, he said. Although Trump said his nominee would be a woman, he suggested he was open to changing his mind by what he joked was a very scientific poll of the crowd and whether those who attended the rally wanted him to nominate a man or a woman. The crowd cheered more for a female nominee, and Trump was satisfied with the result. And by the way, thats a very accurate poll, because thats the way I feel. It will be a woman, a very talented, very brilliant woman, he said before adding he hadnt picked whom it would be yet. But we have numerous women on the list, he said. Earlier in the day, Maine Sen. Susan Collins was the first Republican senator to seemingly break ranks with the president and saying she believed that the winner of the election should select Ginsburgs replacement. Trump called out Collins during the rally: We won the election. Now then we have some senators that, forget it. Think of it, I wont say it. I wont say it, Susan. I wont say it, Susan. Insurance fraud seems like it might be an easy thing to do. Insurance companies are often so huge, one wonders how they might not even notic... Under the agreement, the appliance maker and the badminton team will jointly promote the development of China's sports industry through a "technology + sports" collaboration mode. At the ceremony, Changhong also announced the global debut of a new series of TVs, refrigerators, air conditioners and washing machines. Li Wei, General Manager of Changhong, said that the National Badminton Team is not only full of passion, innovation and dedication but also imbued with the fighting spirit that gives them the confidence to face the sport's most fearsome rivals. The attitude is well in line with Changhong's corporate spirit of responsibility, innovation and persistence. The new collaboration brings together a champion team, a highly-developed industry and best-in-class products; a formula expected to create more value for badminton fans and consumers. To date, Changhong has established global leadership in nearly ten segments, including refrigerator compressors, IoT modules, rail transit power sources and 5G specialty connectors. The Chinese provider supplies around one hundred of the world's leading firms with its products and services. The new series of products, including the 5G+8K TV, the M Fresh refrigerator, the AI air conditioner and the hallmark 487mm super-thin washing machine, serves to demonstrate Changhong's strength in producing best-in-class products. In addition to the continuous flow of innovative products, Changhong has taken the lead in the transformation as the world enters the IoT era. The company has achieved results in terms of the development of a "new infrastructure" for the sector. To enhance the company's competitiveness, Changhong has established a three-tier R&D system comprised of research and competitiveness laboratories, and a technology ecosystem, providing technical support for the development of smart home appliances and core components, to better serve both consumers and corporate buyers. SOURCE Changhong Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 05:45:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ALGIERS, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Algeria on Saturday reported 210 new COVID-19 cases and six new fatalities, bringing the total infections to 49,623 and the death toll to 1,665, said the Ministry of Health in a statement. Meanwhile, 105 more patients were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recoveries to 34,923. Algerian Health Minister Abderrahmane Benbouzid on Saturday expressed his satisfaction with the results of the fight against COVID-19, the official APS news agency reported. Benbouzid said there is a drop in new cases in recent weeks, which is due to "the effective participation of all sectors and all sections of society, despite the fact that some still do not respect the compulsory wearing of masks." Algeria has been resuming economic and commercial activities since June 7 as part of its efforts to return to normal life. On Feb. 25, Algeria recorded its first infection with COVID-19. China and Algeria have offered mutual help in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. In early February, Algeria sent medical donations to help China combat the coronavirus. China sent two batches of medical aid to Algeria on March 27 and April 15 respectively. A Chinese medical team arrived in Algeria on May 14 for a 15-day mission to help fight the coronavirus by sharing China's experience in curbing the spread of the contagious disease. Enditem Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) as an investment opportunity by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to today's value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. There's really not all that much to it, even though it might appear quite complex. Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model. View our latest analysis for Walt Disney Step by step through the calculation We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Levered FCF ($, Millions) US$2.54b US$7.30b US$9.78b US$11.4b US$12.6b US$13.6b US$14.5b US$15.2b US$15.9b US$16.4b Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x9 Analyst x8 Analyst x3 Analyst x3 Est @ 10.53% Est @ 8.04% Est @ 6.29% Est @ 5.07% Est @ 4.22% Est @ 3.62% Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 8.9% US$2.3k US$6.2k US$7.6k US$8.1k US$8.2k US$8.2k US$8.0k US$7.7k US$7.4k US$7.0k ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$71b Story continues The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (2.2%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 8.9%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2030 (1 + g) (r g) = US$16b (1 + 2.2%) (8.9% 2.2%) = US$251b Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= US$251b ( 1 + 8.9%)10= US$107b The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is US$177b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of US$129, the company appears reasonably expensive at the time of writing. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent. dcf Important assumptions Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Walt Disney as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 8.9%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.113. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business. Looking Ahead: Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. What is the reason for the share price exceeding the intrinsic value? For Walt Disney, we've put together three important factors you should assess: Risks: For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Walt Disney that you should be aware of before investing here. Future Earnings: How does DIS's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered! PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the NYSE every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks just search here. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. US President Donald Trump has announced a possible deal between Oracle and Walmart to share the US operations of Chinese video sharing application TikTok, which was placed on a ban list due to security concerns. The deal mandates the creation of a new American company -- incorporated in Texas -- and the prospect of 25,000 new jobs. Further, TikTok will give USD 5 billion to fund the education of American youths. Trump said he has given his blessings to the new deal. "TikTok is moving along. We're dealing with Oracle, which you know of, in combination with Walmart, another great American company. The security will be 100 per cent. They'll be using separate clouds (data) and a lot of very, very powerful security," Trump told reporters at the White House on Saturday. Also read: Apple, Google app stores in US to take down TikTok from Sunday Last month, Trump had signed an executive order to ban Chinese applications TikTok and WeChat by September 15 unless the ownership of the two Chinese companies changed to American hands. "They'll (TikTok) be making about a USD 5 billion contribution towards education. We're going to be setting up a very large fund for the education of American youths, and that will be great. I've been asking for this (education fund)," Trump said on Saturday. "We'll see whether or not it (the deal) happens, but conceptually, I think it's a great deal for America. They'll be hiring at least 25,000 people. It will most likely be incorporated in Texas. It'll be a brand new company. It will have nothing to do with any outside land, any outside country. It will have nothing to do with China. It will be totally secure," Trump said. "I think it's going to be a fantastic deal. The technology is superior to anything in the world, and we like that. Again, a lot of jobs, a lot of money for our country. Billions of dollars of taxes will be paid every year. Hundreds of millions of users, and they'll be happy. Everybody will be happy," he said. Trump said TikTok will keep its name. "I have given the deal my blessing. If they get it done, that's great, if they don't, that's okay too. It's a great deal for America," he said. "They'll report the full scope of the deal very soon, but it will be totally controlled by Oracle and Walmart," he added. Also watch: Mexico has a wide range of cuisine that originated within its diverse regions. Mexican food took different directions when it crossed the border and fused with American taste. Although some of the well-loved Mexican food is now Westernized to fit the American palates, there are still restaurants in the U.S that serves authentic Mexican food that will make you feel like you just traveled to the other side. Avila's Mexican Food in El Paso, Texas If you are looking for the authentic taste of Mexico and not the Mexican food that are found in supermarkets, Avila's is the place to go. The restaurant has been running for the past 65 years, and they've served numerous combo platters and Mexican dishes that rule El Paso. You can try their hunk-a-hunk hamburger steak with Hatch chiles and melted white cheese. You can also attempt to best the twin molten cheese-stuffed chile rellenos. Go for the local staples like burritos or the Avila's Super Combination that lets you taste one of everything on the menu. Also Read: Top 5 Best Korean Restaurants in America Barrio Cafe in Phoenix, Arizona For 20 years, Silvana Salcido Esparza's take on Mexican cuisine has garnered her local customers. The striking graffiti murals bedecking the exterior of the restaurants add on to the effect. You can try Barrio Cafe's cochinita pibili, slow-roasted overnight, and is wrapped in a banana leaf with sour orange and achiote, it is their best-seller. You can also go for other items like heralded chiles en nogada, which is roasted poblano stuffed with a mixture of apple, chicken, pear, dried apricot, and pecan before being covered in almond cream sauce and topped with cilantro, queso fresco, and pomegranate seeds. Birrieria Zaragoza in Chicago, Illinois Birrieria Zaragoza is a long time Mexican restaurant in Chicago, and it has all the comforting welcome of a destination restaurant. You can try the La Barca-style birria, which is roasted lamb that makes use of tomatoes. You can sit at the counter on the other side of the glass guard form the chopping block where the massive chunks of juice bone-in lamb are cleaved and plated in a pool of the tomato-based consomme. Their tortillas are also made fresh. Broken Spanish in Los Angeles, California Broken Spanish is famous for its squid that is packed with a mix of brown rice, fava leaves, green chorizo, and ravigote. The pairing of king oyster mushrooms and lambs neck is bound by queso Oaxaca in the form of a tamal. Desserts are also amazing, you can try Arroz con leche, which is a series of graham cracker streusel with brown butter, honeycomb, and edible flowers. Casa Enrique in Long Island City, New York Casa Enrique opened in 2012, and it turned Long Island City into an essential destination for New Yorkers who are looking for the best Mexican food. This restaurant has Michelin stars since 2014, but even though they have that seal, they make sure that their prices are still within budget. You can go for their best-selling spicy and citrusy lime-cured ceviche, the lengua tacos. They also have the chicken smothered in nutty, complex mole de piaxtia. Related Article:Best Italian Restaurants in America @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. But fighting fires put him in developers cross-hairs. His world was turned upside down late last year when local police accused him and three fellow firefighters of setting a protected forest area ablaze. Intense media coverage followed: They were jailed for three days and, upon release, threatened by those who accused them of being radical environmentalists who set the fire to sully Bolsonaros reputation and undermine his plans to develop the Amazon. Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala on Sunday continued to receive heavy rainfall even as IMD issued red alert for eight districts for Monday and sounded orange alert in ten more districts. The weather agency said that a low pressure area had formed over North East Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood on Sunday morning. "A low pressure area has formed over Northeast Bay of Bengal and neighborhood today morning. It is likely to move west-northwest during the next 2-3 days and become more marked over Northwest Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood during next 24 hours," a weather bulletin issued at 3 pm said. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert in Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod districts onSunday. Meanwhile, the IMD has issued Orange alert on Monday for the districts of Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod. A red alert is sounded for rainfall of over 20 cm while an orange alert is for 6 cm to 20 cm of rain. As Muvattupuzha river is reaching flood level, banks of the river in Ernakulam and Kottayam districts are expected to be flooded,Ernakulam district officials said. Authorities have directed the panchayats and municipalities through which the river flows to issue necessary warnings. Heavy rains lashed many parts of Ernakulam. Also, heavy winds were reported in Edathala near Aluva this morning, uprooting several trees, damaging four houses and disrupting power supply. No one was injured in the localised weather event which occurred in Edathala panchayat, police said. The State Disaster Management Authority has banned fishing for the next 48 hours startingfrom Sunday morning. Three units of the National Disaster Response Force have reached Kerala and have been deployed in Wayanad, Malappuram and Thrissur districts. Already there are two teams in Idukki and Kozhikode districts. While Vadakara in Kozhikode district received 21 cm rain in the last 24 hours, Thaliparambu in Kannur received 17 cm, Munnar received 14 cm, Irikkur in Kannur and Kudulu in Kasaragod received 13 cm of rain. Fishermen have been warned not to put out to sea as strong winds with speed reaching 45-55 kmph are likely to prevail along and off Kerala, Karnataka coasts and over Lakshadweep area. A landslide triggered by heavy rains in the hilly district of Idukki on August 7 had flattened a row of dwelling units of tea estate workers at Pettimudi in Rajamalai claiming 66 lives. WASHINGTON Senator Lisa Murkowski said on Sunday that she would not support a confirmation vote to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before the November election, becoming the second Republican senator to voice an objection and potentially complicating efforts to swiftly fill the seat. Ms. Murkowski, a moderate from Alaska who often acts independently of her party, has long said that she would not support a vote in a presidential election year. But her decision to reaffirm that stance as President Trump moved toward selecting a pick underscored how tenuous an effort to seat a nominee less than two months before the general election is. Within hours of the announcement of Justice Ginsburgs death on Friday, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, vowed that the Senate would vote on Mr. Trumps nominee for the seat. But Mr. McConnell and his top lieutenants, even as they lay the groundwork for a bitter political spat over a lifetime seat on the nations highest court, have yet to say whether the Senate will act before Nov. 3 or instead seek to include the vote in the unfinished business lawmakers will address in the weeks after the election. With Ms. Murkowski joining Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican entangled in a tough re-election campaign, in resisting a confirmation vote before the election, Mr. McConnell will be unsuccessful if he loses the support of two more Republicans, given the slim 53-to-47 majority his party maintains in the Senate. (Vice President Mike Pence can break a tie.) - In a video that emerged on social media recently, a drunk Nigerian lady could be seen begging a street hawker for a kiss - The lady was in a car and someone was filming her as she called the street hawker as if she wanted to patronise him, after which she grabbed and begged him to kiss her - The drunk lady also told the street hawker that she would like to be slept with PAY ATTENTION: Help us change more lives, join TUKO.co.ke's Patreon programme A video has emerged in which a drunk lady can be seen grabbing a street hawker and begging him for a kiss. In the video which was shared on Instagram by one Media Gist, the lady who was inside a car, called the hawker as if she was going to buy something from him, and when the man obliged, the lady grabbed him and requested for a kiss. The street hawker thought the young lady wanted to buy things from him but he got a weird request from her. Photo: Media Gist/Instagram Source: UGC The man was shocked by the lady's demand and told her that he does not know what she was talking about. PAY ATTENTION: Subscribe to TUKO Love Letter and receive amazing true stories about relationships. Sign up for free now! Hawker, I want to kiss you. Kiss the hungry me." the lady said. Apart from begging the street hawker for a kiss, the young lady also told him that she would like to be slept with. Social media users took to the comment section to share their thoughts on the video. Instagram user Slimberry_01 wrote: "But this is not funny, it's harassment. If the tables were turn now..." Official_kahlan1 wrote: "She's high on something." Sagircarpenter wrote: "My Muhammad namesake did not let us down. Not all of us are desperate to kiss anything. Buy in every market there is a mad person." In other news, a stunning South African woman recently took to social media to celebrate her 40th birthday in style. Lindelwa Mthethwa known as @LindiMthethwa15 on Twitter posted a series of photos of herself on her milestone birthday. Lindelwa is the embodiment of "black don't crack" as she looks nowhere near her age. She captioned the beginning of her post: "They say life begins at 40. Its been an amazing day." Dressed in a skintight pink and white dress, with both her hair and make-up as perfect as ever, Lindelwa posed for pictures with her birthday balloons. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. My children are not a curse - Judy Kemuma | Tuko Talks | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Imperial Valley News Center Seven International Cyber Defendants, Including Apt41 Actors, Charged In Connection With Computer Intrusion Campaigns Washington, DC - In August 2019 and August 2020, a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., returned two separate indictments charging five computer hackers, all of whom were residents and nationals of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), with computer intrusions affecting over 100 victim companies in the United States and abroad, including software development companies, computer hardware manufacturers, telecommunications providers, social media companies, video game companies, non-profit organizations, universities, think tanks, and foreign governments, as well as pro-democracy politicians and activists in Hong Kong. The intrusions, which security researchers have tracked using the threat labels APT41, Barium, Winnti, Wicked Panda, and Wicked Spider, facilitated the theft of source code, software code signing certificates, customer account data, and valuable business information. These intrusions also facilitated the defendants other criminal schemes, including ransomware and crypto-jacking schemes, the latter of which refers to the groups unauthorized use of victim computers to mine cryptocurrency. Also in August 2020, the same federal grand jury returned a third indictment charging two Malaysian businessmen who conspired with two of the Chinese hackers to profit from computer intrusions targeting the video game industry in the United States and abroad. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued arrest warrants for the two businessmen. On Sept. 14, 2020, pursuant to a provisional arrest request from the United States with a view to their extradition, Malaysian authorities arrested them in Sitiawan. The department appreciates the significant cooperation and assistance provided by the Government of Malaysia, including the Attorney Generals Chambers of Malaysia and the Royal Malaysia Police. In addition to arrest warrants for all of the charged defendants, in September 2020, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued seizure warrants that resulted in the recent seizure of hundreds of accounts, servers, domain names, and command-and-control (C2) dead drop web pages used by the defendants to conduct their computer intrusion offenses. The FBI executed the warrants in coordination with other actions by several private-sector companies, which included disabling numerous accounts for violations of the companies terms of service. In addition, in partnership with the department, Microsoft developed and implemented technical measures to block this threat actor from accessing victims computer systems. The actions by Microsoft were a significant part of the overall effort to deny the defendants continued access to hacking infrastructure, tools, accounts, and command and control domain names. In coordination with todays announcement, the FBI has also released a Liaison Alert System (FLASH) report that contains critical, relevant technical information collected by the FBI for use by specific private-sector partners. The department of Justice has used every tool available to disrupt the illegal computer intrusions and cyberattacks by these Chinese citizens, said Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen. Regrettably, the Chinese communist party has chosen a different path of making China safe for cybercriminals so long as they attack computers outside China and steal intellectual property helpful to China. Todays charges, the related arrests, seizures of malware and other infrastructure used to conduct intrusions, and coordinated private sector protective actions reveal yet again the departments determination to use all of the tools at its disposal and to collaborate with the private sector and nations who support the rule of law in cyberspace, said Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers. This is the only way to neutralize malicious nation state cyber activity. Todays announcement demonstrates the ramifications faced by the hackers in China but it is also a reminder to those who continue to deploy malicious cyber tactics that we will utilize every tool we have to administer justice, said FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich. The arrests in Malaysia are a direct result of partnership, cooperation and collaboration. As the cyber threat continues to evolve larger than any one agency can address, the FBI remains committed to being an indispensable partner to our federal, international and private sector partners to stop rampant cyber crime and hold those carrying out these kind of actions accountable. The scope and sophistication of the crimes in these unsealed indictments is unprecedented. The alleged criminal scheme used actors in China and Malaysia to illegally hack, intrude and steal information from victims worldwide, said Michael R. Sherwin, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. As set forth in the charging documents, some of these criminal actors believed their association with the PRC provided them free license to hack and steal across the globe. This scheme also contained a new and troubling cyber-criminal component the targeting and utilization of gaming platforms to both defraud video game companies and launder illicit proceeds. The actions announced today reflect a years-long commitment by the FBI Washington Field Office to pursue the perpetrators of the computer intrusion campaigns described in the indictments, and to bring those perpetrators to justice, said Acting Assistant Director in Charge James A. Dawson, FBI Washington Field Office. This case demonstrates the FBIs dedication to pursuing these criminals no matter where they are, and to whom they may be connected. The August 2019 indictment charged Zhang Haoran (), 35, and Tan Dailin (), 35, with 25 counts of conspiracy, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, money laundering, and violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). The indictment charged Zhang and Tan with participating in a Computer Hacking Conspiracy, which targeted high-technology and similar organizations. The indictment also charged that, as an additional way to make money, Zhang and Tan participated in a Video Game Conspiracy, through which Zhang and Tan, together with others, sought to make money by hacking video game companies, obtaining and otherwise generating digital items of value (e.g., video game currency), and then selling such items for profit. In several instances, they used their unauthorized access to gaming company networks take action against other unrelated groups engaged in the same fraudulent generation of gaming artifacts, thereby attempting to eliminate the criminal competition. One of the August 2020, indictments charged Jiang Lizhi (), 35, Qian Chuan (), 39, and Fu Qiang (), 37, with nine counts of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to violate the CFAA, substantive violations of the CFAA, access device fraud, identity theft, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering. The racketeering conspiracy pertained to the three defendants conducting the affairs of Chengdu 404 Network Technology (Chengdu 404), a PRC company, through a pattern of racketeering activity involving computer intrusion offenses affecting over 100 victim companies, organizations, and individuals in the United States and around the world, including in Australia, Brazil, Chile, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The defendants also compromised foreign government computer networks in India and Vietnam, and targeted, but did not compromise, government computer networks in the United Kingdom. In one notable instance, the defendants conducted a ransomware attack on the network of a non-profit organization dedicated to combating global poverty. The defendants associated with Chengdu 404 employed sophisticated hacking techniques to gain and maintain access to victim computer networks. One example was the defendants use of supply chain attacks, in which the hackers compromised software providers and then modified the providers code to facilitate further intrusions against the software providers customers. Another example was the hackers use of C2 dead drops, which are seemingly legitimate web pages that the hackers created, but which were surreptitiously encoded instructions to their malware. However, they also employed publicly available exploits and tools, including the following common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVE): CVE-2019-19781, CVE-2019-11510, CVE-2019-16920, CVE-2019-16278, CVE-2019-1652/CVE-2019-1653, and CVE-2020-10189. The second August 2020 indictment charged Wong Ong Hua, 46, and Ling Yang Ching, 32, both Malaysian nationals and residents, with 23 counts of racketeering, conspiracy, identity theft, aggravated identity theft, access device fraud, money laundering, violations of the CFAA, and falsely registering domain names. The indictment alleged that Wong and Ling conducted the affairs of Sea Gamer Mall, a Malaysian company founded by Wong, through a pattern of racketeering activity involving computer intrusion offenses targeting the video game industry in the United States, France, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. The indictment alleged that Wong and Ling worked with various hackers, including Zhang and Tan, to profit from the hackers criminal computer intrusions at video game companies. The indictment against Zhang and Tan charges the defendants with two counts of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; five counts of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; nine counts of intentional damage to a protected computer, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; four counts of unauthorized access to a protected computer, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; two counts of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison; and one count of money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The indictment against Jiang, Qian, and Fu charges the defendants with one count of racketeering conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; one count of intentional damage to a protected computer, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; one count of unauthorized access to a protected computer, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; one count of threatening to damage a protected computer, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; one count of access device fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; one count of identity theft, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison; and one count of money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The indictment against Wong and Ling charges the defendants with one count of racketeering conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of racketeering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; three counts of intentional damage to a protected computer, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; five counts of unauthorized access to a protected computer, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; five counts of furthering fraud by unauthorized access to a protected computer, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; two counts of access device fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; two counts of identity theft, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison; and three counts of money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The indictment also alleges false registration of domain names, which would increase the maximum sentence of imprisonment for money laundering to 27 years; the maximum sentence of imprisonment for unlawful access to a protected computer to 10 years instead of five years; the maximum sentence of imprisonment for intentional damage to a protected computer to 17 years instead of 10 years; and the mandatory sentence of imprisonment for aggravated identity theft to four years instead of two years. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only; any sentencing's of the defendants will be determined by the assigned judge. The investigation was conducted jointly by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia, the National Security Division of the Department of Justice, and the FBIs Washington Field Office. The FBIs Cyber Division assisted in the investigation and, along with FBIs Cyber Assistant Legal Attaches and Legal Attaches in countries around the world, provided essential support. Numerous victims cooperated and provided valuable assistance in the investigation. The department is also grateful to Microsoft, including Microsofts Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) and Digital Crimes Unit (DCU), to Google, including its Threat Analysis Group (TAG), to Facebook, and to Verizon Media, including its Paranoids Advanced Cyber Threats Team, for the assistance they provided in this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Demian Ahn of the District of Columbia, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tejpal Chawla of the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney Evan Turgeon of the National Security Divisions Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting this case. The Justice Departments Office of International Affairs provided critical assistance. The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.20 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: The export of cement from Turkey to Uzbekistan slumped by 55.04 percent in the first eight months of 2020, compared to the same period of 2019, making up $4.3 million, the Turkish Trade Ministry told Trend. In August 2020, the export of cement from Turkey to Uzbekistan plunged by 76.67 percent compared to August 2019 and amounted to $559,000, said the ministry. Turkeys export of cement to global markets from January through August 2020 increased by 2.3 percent compared to the same period in 2019, exceeding $2.3 billion. At the same time, the cement export from Turkey amounted to 2.3 percent of the countrys total export for the reporting period. In August 2020, Turkeys export of cement to international markets amounted to $319.6 million, which is 12.5 percent more compared to the same month of 2019. Turkeys export of cement to foreign markets in August this year amounted to 2.6 percent of the countrys total export. During the last 12 months (from August 2019 through August 2020), Turkey exported cement for more than $3.5 billion. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Ohio law bars closing churches, changing election dates Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has signed a bill into law that restricts local and state officials from closing churches or other houses of worship and from changing election dates. Pushed by Republican lawmakers, House Bill 272 prohibits a public official from ordering the closure of all places of worship in a geographic area and changing the time, place, or manner of conducting an election, except in certain circumstances. The law will take effect in mid-December, according to Cleveland.com. DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney said that the governor agreed to enact the law curbing his own power to close churches because he never even contemplated taking such a step. DeWine has been criticized for postponing the states March 17 primary election due to COVID-19 fears at the time. Tierney said DeWine doesnt want to change the election dates again, as state officials instead have to prepare for a potential rise in the number of novel coronavirus cases around the voting. The new legislation states that no public official shall cause an election to be conducted other than in the time, place, and manner prescribed by the Revised Code. At that stage, remember, the pandemic was emerging in March, and the situation on the ground changed very rapidly and unexpectedly, Tierney was quoted as saying. That was certainly a unique situation. The spokesperson added, Moving forward, the virus will not have the element of surprise. DeWine has also been criticized for discouraging churches from holding in-person services, although he never passed such orders. It just seems to me to be a huge mistake for any pastor of any church to bring people together tomorrow or any other day, DeWine said in late March, according to WCMH. This is a critical period of time and its not just for the safety of the people in your congregation. Frankly, its for the safety of their friends, their neighbors and total strangers. So I just cant imagine that anyone would want to take that risk. Several states have restrictions in place on religious gatherings, which have led to legal battles for the religious freedom of churches and other houses of worship. In California, several churches are fighting Gov. Gavin Newsoms COVID-19 orders banning indoor services. In an earlier statement, Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver called Newsoms orders unconstitutional. Gov. Newsom supports tens of thousands of protestors, saying God bless you. Keep doing it. This is wrong, and the governors unconstitutional hostility and discrimination against religious worship must end, he said. Beatrice Bea Mandelman isnt as well known as Georgia OKeeffe or Mabel Dodge Luhan. But she should be. This is the exact reason Michael Kamins jumped at the opportunity to tell Mandelmans story. When I learned about Beas story, it was a situation where you realize how amazing New Mexico is with its arts and history, Kamins says. I also wanted to continue to recognize the contribution of women artists. Bea is one of those great stories. Poetry in Paint: Bea Mandelman in Taos will premiere at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, on New Mexico PBS. The Taos resident was an abstract artist who was associated with the Taos Moderns. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she studied art in New York City, where she was employed by the Works Progress Administration Federal Arts Project. In 1944, at age 32, Mandelman moved to Taos with her husband, Louis Leon Ribak. Her arrival in New Mexico came at a time when Taos was going through a transition with art. The group of modernist artists arrived and set a new course for the area. Following World War II, Taos became an important crossroads. Artists from New York and San Francisco found Taos a conducive place to work devoid of the distractions of the big cities. Many of the modernist artists arrived in Taos with little if any knowledge of the earlier artists, as if inexplicably drawn to the areas creative atmosphere. While in New Mexico, her work began to be influenced by the area. The subdued colors were being replaced by a brighter palette, with more geometric forms, an evolution from her abstract beginnings. Kamins was drawn to Mandelmans drive and poise. When I read, One should try to live in a world where one must constantly play a role in creating that world, I thought it was interesting for a woman in the 40s wanting to make that change. Creation is pure freedom. For the documentary, Kamins was able to view Mandelmans work at the University of New Mexico Foundation, which received her collection. He was able to sit at the Center for Southwest Research and read from Mandelmans journals. When I read her journals, she came to life, he says. You can understand what she was excited about and (what she) wanted to accomplish with art. Kamins pored through the collection of artworks, personal photographs and previously unreleased journal writings for the documentary. At one point, he found himself with too much information. It got to the point of weighing what stays in the film and what gets cut, he says. It was a tough process. Along the way, he was able to secure interviews with colleagues and longtime friends who knew Mandelman best David Witt, Phaedra Greenwood, John Nichols, Alexandra Benjamin, and Brenda Euwer. Bea would say, I am trying to come up with a new vocabulary in art. So the question is, how to do that. But, it was a question that could not be answered in words. It could only be answered in paint, Witt says. Greenwood says, There is a mystery to the artistic process and that is what she was exploring. And that takes courage. Nichols respected her hard work. She had a long life and a long life of not being recognized. She struggled with that, Benjamin says. Kamins agrees with her colleagues and friends. Bea didnt have anyone holding her back, Kamins says. She was so passionate about that. She was painting every day. She wanted to find her own path and do her own thing. Kamins says one of his goals was to show off many of her works. In the post-wear years, everything is changing, Kamins says. Bea is that next evolution of New Mexicos art history. On TV Poetry in Paint: Bea Mandelman in Taos will premiere at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, on New Mexico PBS. Defence minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday the passage of the two landmark agricultural bills in the Rajya Sabha has cemented the strong foundation for Atmanirbhar Agriculture as he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his vision and leadership. Amid protests from the opposition, the Rajya Sabha passed the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. With the passing of two landmark agriculture Bills in Rajya Sabha today, India has cemented the strong foundation for Atmanirbhar Agriculture. This is the result of endless dedication and determination of the Govt under the leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi, Singh tweeted. The passage of both the Bills in Parliament is indeed a landmark day for Indian Agriculture. I am thankful to the Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi for his vision to unleash the true potential of Indias agriculture, he added. The defence minister also congratulated Tomar for explaining all aspects of the Bills with clarity and conviction in both the Houses of Parliament. Opposition parties demanded that the farm bills be sent to select committees but the Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson did not agree to do so which led to a ruckus in the Lok Sabha following which the proceedings were adjourned till 9am on Monday. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has maintained that the farm bills will increase the scope for farmers to earn more profits and expand the markets. The opposition still believes that the farm bills will hurt the minimum selling price (MSP) and procurement of food grain processes. A Peterborough masseuse now faces a total of 13 charges of sexual assault. According to court records, Gerard Rodrigues was arrested and charged again with sexual assault on Sept. 10 after a woman alleged being sexually assaulted by the massage therapist. This is the 12 person to come forward after an investigation was launched by the Peterborough Police Service in Dec. 2019. Police started looking into the accused after a woman reported she had been sexually assaulted during a massage at a Peterborough spa on Dec. 9, 2019. Following Rodriguess arrest, a male came forwarded and reported to police that he was sexually and physically assaulted. Since January, 10 more people have reported being sexually assault by the masseuse, police say. Following the initial charges, the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO) launched an investigation into Rodrigues. The colleges website lists his place of business as Euphoria Wellness Spa on Water Street. Angie Brennand, CMTO director of policy and communications, says the college is only able to investigate Registered Massage Therapists (individuals), not spas or clinics. This authority is provided by the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991. Anne Pawchuk, concierge director for Euphoria Wellness Spa, says that due to the investigation shes limited in what she can say, but adds the spa is doing everything thats required during the investigation. Were doing everything thats required by the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario and the full investigation, she said in an interview in January. Its unclear if Rodrigues remains employed as a massage therapist, but his bail conditions require him to inform his employer or any potential client of the charges before he can provide paid or unpaid massages or related services. The 61-year-old returns to court in October. 20.09.2020 LISTEN The Automobile Dealers Union of Ghana says the suspension of the Customs Amendment Act is an attempt by the Akufo-Addo government to win more votes in the upcoming 2020 general elections. The government has suspended the implementation of the law that bans the importation of salvaged vehicles into the country. It was supposed to take effect on November 1, 2020. The Customs Amendment Act 2020 among other things, provides incentives for automobile manufacturers and assemblers registered under the Ghana Automotive Manufacturers Programme and prohibits the importation of salvaged motor vehicles and cars over ten years of age into Ghana. The General Secretary of the Automobile Dealers Union, Clifford Ansu in a Citi News interview said the group wants a total cancellation of the Act instead of the suspension. According to him, the government suspended the implementation because of the upcoming 2020 elections. If this is what you want to do at the moment then it means that immediately after the elections, the law can come back because if something is good, you don't suspend it. Suspensions are only done when someone misbehaves but if you only say this is what you can do for us now, then the decision by the government on this issue is not definite and we are not happy with the decision. He thus urged the government to take the law back to Parliament for it to be repealed. We have only expressed our opinions that there is no way we are going to accept that. The government can take the law back to Parliament for review. Its so simple, it didn't take them more than three weeks to pass this law so they can equally do the same. Governments Automotive Development Policy Details of plans to ban the importation of older vehicles into Ghana are captured in the Customs Amendment Bill which is a key step in the government's Automotive Development Policy. Ghana put in place the Automotive Development Policy to provide the necessary framework to establish assembly and manufacturing capacity in Ghana. Toyota, Suzuki, Volkswagen, Nissan and Sinotruk are among the major automobile companies with an interest in Ghana, with some set to begin operations in 2020. The Akufo-Addo administration wants the Ghana Automotive Manufacturing Development Programme to boost employment and offer an import substitution and export promotion to improve the balance of payment. Amid the fears over job losses and a potential revenue drop by GHS802 over the next three years, the government said it has plans to make second-hand car dealers distributors of the cars assembled in Ghana by international automobile firms. citinewsroom New York will release the footage from body-worn cameras to the public after deadly police-involved shootings, Attorney General Letitia James announced Sunday. Why it matters: James made the announcement after meeting with the family of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died seven days after being hooded and held down by Rochester police. The details of Prude's death came to light earlier this month. What she's saying: "We will no longer wait for local authorities to determine when videos should be made available," James tweeted. Video PlayerClose Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presides over a meeting with grassroots representatives in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, Sept. 17, 2020. Xi has called for efforts to integrate enhancing top-level design and soliciting public opinion in formulating the 14th Five-Year plan. [Xinhua/Li Xueren] CHANGSHA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for efforts to integrate enhancing top-level design and soliciting public opinion in formulating the 14th Five-Year plan. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during a meeting with grassroots representatives in central China's Hunan Province on Thursday. Stressing the goal of realizing people's aspirations to live a better life, Xi encouraged the public to offer advice and suggestions for compiling the plan through various channels to ensure that the plan will respond to the wishes and meet the expectations of the people. During the meeting, 10 primary-level representatives offered their suggestions on rural education, poverty alleviation through industrial support, and the development of micro and small businesses, among other aspects. Noting that their ideas better reflect primary-level realities, Xi urged relevant departments to carefully study and fully absorb the suggestions. China is still in an important period of strategic opportunity for development, but is facing new opportunities and challenges, Xi said, noting that the people have been united as one in the face of hardships and difficulties and worked hard to make major contributions. When making plans for the 14th five-year period (2021-2025), more efforts should be made to improve weak links concerning people's livelihood, while striving for high-quality development so that the people will always have a stronger sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security, according to Xi. He also called for more targeted measures to perform relevant tasks. Xi emphasized consolidating governance at the primary level and uniting and guiding the people to give full play to their enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity. Xi urged Party members and officials to play an exemplary role, lawmakers to strengthen their ties with the people, political advisors to better communicate with and serve the people, and rural people who have become well-off to more actively help those who lag. Video PlayerClose Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presides over a meeting with grassroots representatives in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, Sept. 17, 2020. Xi has called for efforts to integrate enhancing top-level design and soliciting public opinion in formulating the 14th Five-Year plan. [Xinhua/Li Xueren] Video PlayerClose Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presides over a meeting with grassroots representatives in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, Sept. 17, 2020. Xi has called for efforts to integrate enhancing top-level design and soliciting public opinion in formulating the 14th Five-Year plan. [Xinhua/Li Xueren] (Source: Xinhua) Eating out Tom travels west to visit a waterside eaterie serving the freshest local catch It feels apt, surrounded by water and sitting in a restaurant called Fish. Beneath our feet, the Avon flows, all quiet, muddy magnificence, while above, the British summer hammers down, not so much damp as downright sodden. Yet inside this converted barge, on the edge of Bristol docks, all is cool, calm and dry. The converted barge has been a Bristolian favourite for decades. Service is lovely, prices sensible and Bristol, once again, finds itself with another cracking place to eat This was once called The Glassboat, and very smart, says my old friend and food writer Mark Taylor as we sit down at our blonde wood table, in the shade of a hanging plant. Hugely respected, too. The owner remains the same, although things seem a little more laid back. Takeaway fish and chips at one end, and a longer menu, featuring lots of sustainably caught West Country fish, in the main cabin. Mark reckons it will be OK. Mark is invariably right. The salmon fishcakes are gloriously old school Devilled whitebait have a crisp, paprika-heavy crunch. Boiled white prawns are so fresh they still wear the scent of the sea. Scallops, big bruisers cooked to a tender translucence, arrive in the shell, drenched in a buttery, tarragon-scented chlorophyll green sauce. So far, so simple. And gloriously so. Then a fish soup of startling beauty, featuring dill, curry powder and cumin. Three swaggering flavours that can easily overwhelm, but here tamed into rapt submission. Theres a gentle but bracing depth, with subtle Pernod sweetness, that is at once Provencal and deeply Bristolian, too. Stephen Markwick, says Mark after one spoonful. Its his recipe, no doubt about that. Jake Platt, head chef here, trained under him. Markwick was chef proprietor of the eponymous Markwicks for 35 years, and trained under George Perry-Smith and Joyce Molyneux two food heroes of not just the Southwest, but the whole country too. This soup makes a fine legacy, and Platt does them all proud. Lemon sole is every bit as fresh as youd hope, and cooked just right, while salmon fishcakes are gloriously old school, with great chunks of pink nestled in among the mashed potato. A sharp, lemony sorrel sauce makes sure things dont get over heavy. For pudding, an immaculate creme brulee, and poached pears in bracing raspberry sauce. Service is lovely, prices sensible and Bristol, once again, finds itself with another cracking place to eat. Around 30 a head, Welsh Back, Harbourside, Bristol BS1, fishbristol.co.uk Drinks: Ollys glorious Grenaches Every grape has its day literally. Last Friday was International Grenache Day; every year this widely planted yet largely uncredited grape is celebrated for its velvet texture, spicy purity and versatility. It is found in famous French red blends such as Cotes du Rhone, but also forms part of the elfish, mercurial pale roses from Cotes de Provence and red Spanish blends of Rioja. It generally feels mellow and soft lovely for autumn. Cotes du Rhone Villages Plan de Dieu 2018 (14%), 9, M&S. Thrillingly spicy with the perfect bold body for a pie or a stew thanks to 60% Grenache in the blend Gerard Bertrand Les Aspres Reserve 2016 (14%), 10, Morrisons. Punches way above its price point; stock up on this deep blend from a top producer La Garnatxa Fosca 2018 Proyecto Garnachas (14.5%), from 12.99, Majestic. Purity, richness and power from Spanish vines over 60 years old. Wonderful! Cune Imperial Rioja Reserva 2016 (14%), 19.75, Co-Op. A dash of Grenache in the midst of savoury splendour and sumptuous delight. Treat yourself to the best On Saturday, the story of Cayley Mandadi, the beloved cheerleader whose death stunned the Trinity University community, will be highlighted by "48 Hours." "The Final Hours of Cayley Mandadi" will air at 9 p.m. on CBS. RELATED: Records reveal Cayley Mandadi's boyfriend had history of violence prior to arrest in her death The network says the episode is the "first in-depth" look into the death of the teen and the case against her boyfriend Mark Howerton. Mandadi was last seen alive on Oct. 29, 2017, while attending the Mala Luna Music Festival in San Antonio with Howerton. He later told police the couple took party drugs and had consensual sex. When he noticed she wasn't breathing while traveling to Houston after the concert, he rushed her to a nearby hospital in Luling. Alison Steele, Mandadi's mother, described the extent of Mandadi's injuries in the 48 Hours episode. Even the most explicit television shows dont show you what I saw that day, Steele said. Did she fall out of an airplane? Was she thrown off a bridge? Mandadi was eventually declared brain-dead and was taken off life support on Oct. 31. She was 19. According to the medical examiner, Mandadi died from blunt force trauma to the face and head. Howerton faced charges of murder, sexual assault and later, with kidnapping. By February 2018, he had turned himself in. Since there were no witnesses, there was debate as to what led to Mandadi's injuries assault, a fall at the concert or the result of life-saving procedures performed at the hospital? Bexar County prosecutors accused Howerton of killing Mandadi in a jealous rage after she tried to break up with him at the music festival. "This is a case where there's more than what meets the eye and things aren't always what they seem," said John Hunter, Howerton's attorney. While Hunter maintains his client's innocent, Steele says Howerton, who has been described by Mandadi's friends as being volatile, killed her daughter. He knew that Cayley would be an easy mark, and so he fixated on her, she told the show. And when it didnt go the way he wanted he snapped. Last December, a Bexar County judge declared a mistrial in the case against Howerton after the jury could not reach a verdict. Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said he was disappointed in the outcome and would retry the case and bring justice to Cayley Mandadi. On Sept. 13, Steele spoke about the forthcoming episode on a "Justice for Cayley" Facebook page on Sept. 13. She said she understands presentations of her daughter's death will be depicted without the family's consent and decided the "best defense is a strong offense," choosing "48 Hours" to speak to based on its history and ethics. "If Cayleys story must be told, then its preferable that it be handled by one of the most distinguished news correspondents in America," she told supporters online. Madalyn Mendoza covers news and puro pop culture for MySA.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @maddyskye By William Schwartz | Published on 2020/09/19 Some fifteen years ago director Kim Mi-rye was working in Japan documenting active Japanese labor movements when she learned of the radical "East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front" from the seventies. It's easy to see how they made such a strong impression on Kim Mi-rye, a Korean woman. Despite being Japanese themselves, the Armed Front hated the Japanese Empire and saw the then current Japanese government as a reincarnation of that power. The South Korean government, then, being little more than a puppet state equally oppressing its own people. Advertisement "East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front" isn't too big on theory if only because most of the surviving terrorists aren't all that clear on their exact motivation themselves. They were idealogues who wanted to make a point more than they did to work toward a coherent long-term goal. The 1974 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Bombing and further attacks by the Wolf sect of the Armed Front made that point at the time, even as now they've been largely forgotten. This documentary serves as a reminder that the Japanese are not as homogenous a group as some people would like us to believe. The Armed Front recognized that the Japanese Empire had as little regard for its own people as it did for those of other countries. They also recognized that Japanese corporations benefited during the war much as they did in the present day. The immortal Mitsubishi, much like the Japanese Empire, has been allowed to regain its honor in nostalgia for those who can't remember what life was actually like in the world they created. The main driving force of "East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front" is to just ask, why is that? At the time of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Bombing, a sizable part of the population was old enough to remember the war and the Japanese Empire, yet were more angry about the loss of life caused by the bombing than the political message. How did this issue go from openly contestable forty-five years ago to verboten in the present day? Unfortunately Kim Mi-rye never really tries to get into these questions, instead focusing on the fairly narrow historical scope of how the terrorist attacks were seen at the time. While there's nothing wrong with this approach it's surprisingly dry, and even mundane when contrasted with the often lackadaisical reactions given by the various interviewees. This is perhaps part of the point. No one has much to say about the Armed Front because it was a lifetime ago. Still, it's easy to see how people could be encouraged by their ambivalent example. Because if nothing else, the Armed Front believed in the here and now. They didn't bother themselves with waiting until the right moment. They just acted. Even if they failed in most of their objectives, even if they express doubt in the present day, these people stood for something. They believed in a higher justice that was not defined by the abstract concept of Japan. That may not have been much but it was better than nothing. Review by William Schwartz ___________ "East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front" is directed by Kim Mi-rye. Release date in Korea: 2020/08/20. Two Vietnamese are among the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 of Europe in the Social Entrepreneur Category. Jesse Khanh Tran, born in 1992, and Son Chu, born in 1996, met each other in Finland while they were studying. Khanh said: Both Son and I still haven't defended our theses to obtain bachelors degree for Son and masters degree for me." Khanh pursued a masters degree in international business and logistics at Aalto University, the leading university in Finland. Both of of them decided to put off their thesis preparations to spend time on their business. After a period of working as an employee, Khanh began running his own business. His first startup helped European small fashion brands work with high-quality environmentally friendly factories in Vietnam and China. However, the first business was ineffective. With experience in the fashion industry, Khanh and Son then set up Rens Originals. At that time, Son was working for Zalando, the largest European fashion e-commerce site. At first, Rens shoes were not made of coffee grounds and plastics, but of organic cotton. When surveying the market, the two realized that their products were not truly appreciated, so they decided not to market them. Later, they decided to use coffee grounds as a material. We chose coffee grounds because they dry fast and have anti-bacteriaal and anti-odor features, Khanh explained. Finland is the biggest coffee consumer in the world, while Vietnam has the largest coffee output in the world, he added. Starting with Rens in late 2017, they finally in the summer of 2019 began marketing the first products after experiencing many difficulties. There were only two of us in the first days. No office and no investor, Khanh recalled. Khanh said that people liked the idea, the materials and the features of the shoes, but the design of the first version was not as good as the most recent version. We wanted to build a fashion brand that was environmentally friendly and targeted youth. The products must have sustainability, but also attract customers thanks to the cool design with hi-tech features, Khanh said. A pair of Rens shoes contains 60 percent of materials from coffee grounds and recycled plastics. The biggest markets for Rens shoes are the US, Germany, UK and Finland. The two men plan to launch new models with new recycled materials in the next two months. Entering other European markets is also a part of their business plan. Rens has sold 20,000 pairs of shoes at the price of US$119 over the last year after launching the products into the market. The two men revealed that they will relocate their production line from China to Vietnam next year. With Rens, Khanh and Son said that earning big money was not their biggest goal. Our ambition is to turn Rens into a trend that will lead other fashion brands to shift to use environmentally friendly materials, Khanh said. They hope that fashion, which is now the second most polluting industry in the world, will become an industry that treats waste and adapts to climate change. Entrepreneurial spirit Khanh said businesspeople need to have an "iron will" because they face pressure every day. Those who want to start a business because they hope they can earn big money, appear in newspapers, and succeed in their life shouldn't be encouraged, because the possibility of failure is very high, he said. They hope that fashion, which is now the second most polluting industry in the world, will become an industry that treats waste and adapts to climate change. I personally think that you should only start a business when you can bring some special value to the market, he added. As for his personal life, working too hard and having no free time was the reason behind Khanh's breakup with his Finnish girlfriend. She could not stand my startup lifestyle, so we broke up, he explained. Finns can't understand why I work so hard. Their culture is a balance between life and work. Asian people throw themselves into work." At that time, he felt depressed, but it was his colleagues and the business culture that helped him" stand up". Khanh praised his partner Son and said he was lucky that he found a like-minded person who has very good skills. Son is creative and technically skilled, while Khanh has experience in production, finance and capital calls. Both Son and I can work until 2 am, and then go out and take photos at 3:30 am. We have a similar working culture, so we can work together for a long time, Khanh said. Their company now has 15 workers with eight different nationalities. Now is the time to learn how to grow together with the company. We need to gather experience in leading the company and use workers from different cultures, he said. Their employees are happy at work and look forward to Monday, although the work can be stressful, they said. The long-term target of Rens is to create a long-lasting business for future generations. Now I feel happy every working day because I can do what I want to do, Khanh said. Nguyen Thao Why do startups fail? Entrepreneurs have ambitious plans when starting up a business, but they often experience a thorny path to success. Hermann Hauser was crystal clear when I spoke to him in New Zealand via Zoom this weekend. The serial entrepreneur says it is not too late for Britain to block the 30billion bid for Arm Holdings by US giant, Nvidia. Hauser may be thousands of miles away on his farm, where he has been stuck since lockdown, but that has not stopped the Arm co-founder from launching his one-man Save Arm campaign calling on the Government to intervene in the bid which he describes as a disaster for Cambridge, Britain and Europe. After writing to the Prime Minister who has yet to reply Hauser is firing off another media blitz in a final attempt to persuade the Government to block the bid. He says time is on the UK's side as Nvidia's bid will take months to clear regulatory hurdles. The chips are down: Hermann Hauser says it is not too late for Britain to block the 30billion bid for Arm Holdings by US giant, Nvidia Some would argue that it's already too late, that the time to intervene was four years ago when Japan's SoftBank was allowed to buy Arm. But Hauser says that if the PM is serious about nurturing homegrown technology giants to rival those in the US and China, then they should stop the takeover on national interest grounds and use Arm to build such a rival. His solution is ambitious. SoftBank should divest Arm and float on the London Stock Exchange as a new company backed by the UK government, taking an anchor stake of 1billion or so held as a golden share. The Arm team would then invite other interested parties such as the big licensees of its chip design technology Apple and Qualcomm to become minority shareholders. There is a logic to this. Having Arm's main clients on board as investors would help ensure its neutrality as the Switzerland of the semiconductor industry. Staying neutral is essential for Arm's growth because of fears over conflicts of interest as Nvidia produces its own processors. This may mean Arm's clients which compete with Nvidia will depend on a rival. Hauser, who was a fervent Remainer, also supports Dominic Cummings, the PM's chief adviser, in his ambition to nurture British technology businesses to match its US $1trillion rivals. Hauser believes Arm could create a powerhouse to rival Intel. Sound fanciful? Not if Arm, he says, is allowed to develop and to make its own strategic acquisitions with other great UK innovators such as the Bristol-based Graphcore, leaders in machine learning. His fund, Amadeus Capital, is an investor. Blocking the bid on national interest grounds under the Enterprise Act 2002 is the sort of move you can imagine Cummings would encourage. But it's unlikely because of the message it might give to overseas investors. More probable is that the bid is referred to the Competition and Markets Authority. That would be the right decision. Hauser has serious points to make and they should be investigated. He is not alone in kicking up a fuss: many of its big clients like Apple are also worried. A referral would also give time for a rival bid to be put together. If nothing is done, Nvidia has said it will protect the Cambridge HQ and jobs, and even suggests it will grow the UK business. But the world of chip processing is moving so rapidly that such promises are meaningless unless legally binding. If in doubt, remember Kraft's disastrous takeover of Cadbury. For Erin Comerford, a 15-year-old from Kildare, the coronavirus pandemic has created new hurdles in her long-running battle with anorexia and exacerbated her difficult relationship with food. All her mother Julia can do is watch helplessly as her daughter struggles more each day. The teenager paces up and down the living room of their home for up to 14 hours a day in a bid to burn off energy. She refuses to sit down and will never travel in the family car because that would mean having to be seated for a period of time. She makes herself sick and hides food in containers or ornaments around the house, and even attempts to conceal it up her sleeves. "I just want to be normal," Erin says. "I want to be able to eat a proper meal with my family instead of feeling the way I do." Her eating disorder started after the sudden death of a family member. That, coupled with being bullied online, led her to believe that the only thing she could control was her food intake. It has affected her mental health for the past three years - and spending most of her time indoors during recent months made that anxiety worse. But she's not alone in feeling this way. Bodywhys, the Eating Disorders Association of Ireland, has seen a 13pc increase in the use of its services since last year, while through the pandemic there has been a 93pc rise in the use of its online support groups, BodywhysConnect and YouthConnect. Last year between March and August, some 232 people sought help online - while that figure for the same period this year was 447. The HSE estimates that approximately 1,757 new cases occur in Ireland each year in the 10-49 age group, with an estimated 188,895 people experiencing an eating disorder at some point in their lives. The vast majority of those diagnosed with anorexia nervosa across the country in 2019 (71) were women, compared with only six men, according to recent figures from the HSE. The isolating nature of being at home, having not been able to return to school following the easing of Covid restrictions due to her worsening condition, is playing on Erin's mind. "I don't like my weight," she says. "That makes it harder for me to sit down, I want to stand like this to burn off that energy. Since being at home because of Covid and all, I will stand all day, apart from two-and-a-half hours when I have my rest." Erin is bright, articulate and talented; she enjoys art, mostly painting when she feels up to it, and woodwork with some of her creations, including a spice rack and a car, on display at home. Art is a distraction, she admits. So is speaking Irish, which she is fluent in. She watches only Netflix as it is her way of avoiding advertisements about losing weight on other TV services. On the outside, she seems happy and content, answering each question with a smile - but on the inside she feels different. "Every time I eat I think to myself about all the meals I have had I think I have had too many and that is always in my head. I look at the plate of food and I think of the calories. That's why I sometimes hide the food, and why I put it in my pocket," she says, in her soft and gentle voice. She longs for a return to school and the opportunity to ride horses again, which she used to do once a week. "I should be in school now, I should be in fourth year." She would like to be a primary school teacher one day but only if she can feel better. Erin's mother, Julia, listens to her every word, with tears falling down her face, as she speaks. "I am so proud of her, I am finding it hard not to get upset," she says. "But she is worse than ever she was in those three years. Since coming home during the lockdown she started this thing of standing for hours, and now after every meal she gets very distressed. "She needs help with her thoughts, she is really struggling." "Erin needs help - and if she doesn't get it, she could die. That's my worry." Former senator Joan Freeman, who founded Pieta House, has been trying to help Erin and her family and believes those suffering from eating disorders in Ireland need to be treated "holistically" - so that both their psychological and physical health are taken into account. She says this is a problem that stretches across the country. "There is no such service for the children of Ireland," Ms Freeman told the Sunday Independent. "There are thousands of families suffering the same issues all over the country. "Anorexia in Ireland has largely been ignored - in particular with children who suffer from it or bulimia, or obesity. The child is seen as having a medical, physical issue instead of seeing anorexia and other eating disorders as a psychological one. "The focus is on the child's weight and the target goal is to increase kilos in order to discharge them." Ms Freeman believes no matter how much weight is gained under HSE care, "a child will never improve unless the psychological part of their journey is addressed". She adds: "The likes of Erin and her family are now left alone, aimlessly wandering in a sea of fear and uncertainty. While no one denies that there are so many good doctors, nurses and mental health care workers in Ireland, we must face the truth that the processes, procedures and protocols used by the HSE are seriously lacking. "Let's be honest. If you are waiting for the HSE to resolve this life-threatening issue, by the time they use the excuses of waiting lists, lack of personnel, Covid-19, many more children will have succumbed to this tragic disorder." The HSE has said it cannot comment on individual cases as it must "preserve client confidentiality at all times". But a spokeswoman accepted eating disorders "are serious mental health disorders". "They occur in all ages and across the weight spectrum. Most people with eating disorders can and do recover with early intervention and evidence-based treatment," added the spokeswoman. "While a small number of people benefit from more intensive treatment through day programmes or inpatient care, the most effective treatment setting is in the community. "Dedicated community- based eating disorder services, where multidisciplinary teams have specialist training, can provide evidence-based care and treatment." In January 2018, the HSE published a National Model of Care for Eating Disorders in partnership with the College of Psychiatrists' of Ireland and Bodywhys which aimed to establish a network of 16 regional community-based specialist eating disorder teams across the country. "These multidisciplinary teams provide specialist eating disorder assessment and treatment in the community," the spokeswoman added in a statement. Meanwhile in Leixlip, Erin's struggle continues. "I want people to listen to me. I want them to focus on what's important, instead of just Covid all the time. I want help, I need help," the teenager says. Leftists Suggest Violence If McConnell Attempts to Name New Judge to Supreme Court Demonstrators over the weekend appeared in front of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells (R-Ky.) home in an attempt to put pressure on him to not go ahead with the Senate nominating process for a new Supreme Court justice following Ruth Bader Ginsburgs death. Photos showed a few dozen protesters in front of his home in Louisville, Kentucky. Meanwhile, a number of celebrities and verified Twitter users made veiled threats of violence. Over our dead bodies. Literally, former CNN host Reza Aslan wrote in response to a Twitter post saying McConnell intends to fill Ginsbergs seat. If they even TRY to replace RBG we burn the entire [expletive] thing down, he also wrote. Were shutting this country down if Trump and McConnell try to ram through an appointment before the election, wrote Beau Willimon, a Writers Guild of America president, to his 162,000 followers. Katie Herzog, a podcaster, said she hoped McConnell suffered a stroke. All we can hope for in times like these is that Mitch McConnell has a stroke from laughing too hard, she wrote, adding, To clarify: I dont want him to die. I just want him to be brain dead. Im not a monster. We have to be as tough as Mitch McConnell and not allow them to do one freakin thing until the election is over, longtime actress and activist Jane Fonda said. We have to rise up and not allow them to do it. If Mitch McConnell can do it, lets grow some balls and ovaries. Oh, my God. Democrats began vehemently opposing the move to fill the seat before the election immediately following Ginsburgs death. On Saturday, President Donald Trump said he would nominate his selection despite Democrats objections. And, after conducting what he joked was a very scientific poll of the Fayetteville crowd as to whether supporters wanted a man or a woman, he declared the choice would be a very talented, very brilliant woman. We win an election and those are the consequences, said the president, who then seemed to signal that hed be willing to accept a vote on his nominee during the lame-duck period after the election. We have a lot of time. We have plenty of time. Were talking about January 20th. Two GOP senators, Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), have signaled that they do not support nominating a judge to the Supreme Court ahead of the November elections. However, Democrats would still need to convince two more Republican senators to break the tie. Ginsburg, considered a member of the liberal wing of the Supreme Court, died on Sept. 18 after several bouts of cancer. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The DRCs support comes a few weeks after the GERD issue hit a deadlock as Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan failed to reach consensus in the latest African Union-brokered talks The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has expressed its support for Egypts stance over the disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a letter delivered to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi from Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi read. According to a statement by the Egyptian presidency on Saturday, El-Sisi received Congolese presidential advisor Jean-Claude Kabongo in Cairo, where he delivered a message from Tshisekedi. According to the statement, the DRC expressed its support for Egypt on the GERD issue, and aspirations to develop bilateral ties with Egypt and benefit from its expertise in the fields of infrastructure and major developmental projects. Kabongo also delivered Tshisekedis praise for aid delivered by Egypt to his country, the latest being medical aid sent by Cairo to help stem the spread of coronavirus. El-Sisi expressed his appreciation for the DRCs support of Egypt on Nile water issues, stressing that Cairo is keen to offer support to the DRC and all of the continents countries on issues of cooperation, development and peace. El-Sisi also affirmed his appreciation of special cooperation ties with the DRC, and keenness on supporting the country in several developmental and technical fields, with an eye to increasing the volume of trade exchange between the two countries. The DRCs support comes a few weeks after the GERD issue hit a deadlock as Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan failed to reach consensus in the latest African Union-brokered talks. Search Keywords: Short link: I cant have another stressful, clingy person in my life, I told him My week. Tuesday: extreme wax, hair dye, pedicure. Wednesday: lunch with the mysterious P. Thursday: dinner with the mysterious P. Friday: boyfriend-binning barney. There. Nice! Must be the shortest relationship in history! Shall I expand? As you may recall from last weeks missive, at our lunch P gave me a wallet, a silk scarf and two other items I was unable to reveal, as you would all be able to guess his brand. Even as I drove away, he was texting to invite me for champagne at his hotel in Darlington that evening, or on a dog walk the next day. Reader, I chose champagne, but at a more neutral hotel near me, ie, one that didnt house his pants upstairs. Dinner was promising, with no awkward gaps. I regaled him with stories from my award-winning career: Bosnia, a refugee camp in Somalia, an earthquake in Pakistan, dinner with Donatella Versace. Oh, he said. I thought you just wrote about fashion. He paid, unfurling a wad of notes. He walked me to my car and got a mouthful of hair for assuming Im lightweight. Even when a fashion editor I took it to the next level, exposing the fact Philip Green asked for his Topshop Unique trench back when I gave him a bad review. And then, on Friday afternoon, moments after my weekly podcast went live, I got this: Noooo! Liz!! If you talk about a tiny coin purse how does that make me look? You could have mentioned it was a gift set. xx I have no idea what you mean. My hearing hasnt gone. It looks like that was all I got you. I am honestly not mean. Im afraid I lost it. If a man gave me a cross-body bag on our first lunch, that is over the top. We said on the podcast the wallet is lovely. I cant have this complaining about what I write or talk about: its just too stressful. In my column I say its a wallet and a scarf, and that if I were to mention anything else people would clock its you. But if you are going to be sensitive and not treat my work for what it is, which is a job, we should end this now. Sorry if you are upset but get over yourself. Who cares? Youre right. A strange reaction from me; youve been nothing but nice to and about me. My judgment is usually better than that, I promise. And I dont care what people think. Sorry, Liz. Im bound to make mistakes, but I wont make that one again. Xx Me: I cant have another stressful, clingy man in my life who thinks it is all about him. I only listened to the podcast as I wanted to hear your voice. How old is he? Twelve? Why are men so arrogant? Why is there no vulnerability, humility, humour? No wonder great male novelists and columnists are as endangered as the white rhino. This new one, like David, has already told me hes a member of Mensa, sent me photos of leggy blondes hes dated, and told me he went out with a pop stars mum for three months. Whereas Im not ashamed to say my bookshelf is exclusively I Had Three Ponies, A Pony for Sale and Riders From Afar, that I have a Captain Haddock beard, scars from a breast reduction, a face that has been rebuilt and zero money. He then accused my reaction of being extreme! Mine! Its a shame, as wed been planning to meet at a hotel in London to have sex. He then kept writing that he misses me, that hes never met anyone like me. Well, actually, no, you havent. And probably never will again. I text Nic: Oh well. I got three columns out of him. Oh dear God, no. I realise Ive just texted P by mistake Everyones talking about Liz Joness Diary: The Podcast! Join Liz and her trusty (long-suffering) assistant Nicola as they dissect her weekly YOU magazine diary and delve into the archives to relive the bust-ups, betrayals, bullets and so much more in this brilliant podcast. Theyre outspoken, outrageous and utterly hilarious. Find it now at mailplus.co.uk/lizjones, iTunes and Spotify. Contact Liz at lizjonesgoddess.com and stalk her @LizJonesGoddess She never fails to turn heads with her daring sense of style. And Lauren Goodger cut a sultry figure as she enjoyed a night out at Jin Bo Law bar in London for her 34th birthday on Saturday. The former TOWIE star ensured all eyes were on her as she donned a white blazer with a plunging neckline that displayed her ample assets. Wow: Lauren Goodger, 34, cut a sultry figure as she enjoyed a night out at Jin Bo Law bar in London for her 34th birthday on Saturday Lauren also wore a matching pair of trousers for the evening and cinched her waist with a white belt. The reality star added height to her frame with a pair of white heels while she also carried a matching handbag. Lauren styled her brunette locks into an updo towards the end of the evening as she departed the venue with a group of pals. The beauty shared a snap from the party to her Instagram and wrote: 'Making memories @jinbolaw_skybar my birthday with my best lot friends are family.' Stunning: The former TOWIE star ensured all eyes were on her as she donned a white blazer with a plunging neckline that displayed her ample assets It comes after the beautician enjoyed another fun night out in Manchester for her birthday on Thursday evening. The reality star shared several updates to her Instagram where she sipped Champagne with her friends and even downed shots at Menagerie Restaurant and Bar. Lauren has been in Manchester to brush up on her beautician skills at training centre Cosmetic Couture Clinic. Earlier this month, the star revealed in New! magazine that she hasn't spoke to her family or parents since finding fame. Party: Lauren styled her brunette locks into an updo towards the end of the evening as she departed the venue with a group of pals She explained: 'No, I don't talk to any of them and they don't talk to me. They're good people, I'm not going to s**g them off. I just can't have that in my life. 'I feel very hurt, upset and used at times. It's such a shame since coming into the public eye how much my relationships have changed with my family. It's quite upsetting, but I have to look after me. 'They probably think, "If we invite Lauren she won't turn up," so they create a problem because I feel rejected when they don't invite me. I feel like they set me up to fail so they can all go, "Told ya".' The TV star claimed her mother Cheryl 'rejected' her as a child and she lived with her father, who started his 'own life', from the age of four. China dismissed accusations of targeting US firms as it seeks to punish foreign companies that damage its national security by adding them to a unreliable entity list," the Ministry of Commerce said in a press conference. China said it would continue to welcome foreign investors, open its economy by deepening market reforms, and that it has no intention to target any particular countries or entities. The list will comprise a small number of foreign entities that have put Chinas national sovereignty, security and development interests in danger, it said. Penalties will only be imposed if offenders fail to rectify their transgressions during a grace period, it added. China said it would reveal the list without specifying the timeline for the release. The new policies for punishing those on the list took effect on Saturday. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 16:40:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SARI PUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- A Taliban key commander identified as Mullah Abdullah was killed in a clash with security forces in northern Sari Pul province on Sunday, provincial government spokesman Zabihullah Amani said. "The infamous Taliban key commander Mullah Abdullah who was notorious for his brutality lost his life in a clash with government forces in Khamarabad area outside provincial capital Sari Pul city today morning," Amani told Xinhua. Describing Mullah Abdullah as a very powerful commander in Sari Pul province, the official said that Abdullah's death could give a major blow to Taliban fighters in Sari Pul and its vicinity. The Taliban outfit hasn't made a comment yet. Enditem Here are the headlines this Sunday evening - Ex Pak PM Nawaz Sharif Launches No-holds-barred Attack On Military In a major embarrassment for the Imran Khan-led government on Sunday, former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif exposed the military establishment's complete interference in the democratic process. Addressing a conference of opposition parties in Islamabad via video conferencing, he lamented that the sanctity of people's vote has been always trampled upon by the Pakistani Army. To buttress his point, the PML(N) leader highlighted that not a single PM has been allowed to complete the 5-year tenure in Pakistan's history. Read full story here - PM Modi Reassures Farmers On MSP System & Government Procurement Terming the passage of the farm bills in the Parliament as a "watershed moment", PM Modi on Sunday reiterated that the MSP system and government procurement will continue. Earlier in the day, The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 were cleared by the Rajya Sabha via a voice vote. According to him, the aforesaid legislation would ensure a complete transformation of the agriculture sector and empower crores of farmers. Read full story here - Facebook India Chief Defends Hate Speech Handling Facebook India Head Ajit Mohan has defended the companys alleged mishandling of hate speech on its social media platforms after a scathing report. According to a report by Wall Street Journal, Ankhi Das, Facebook's Director for Public Policy in India, had allegedly told the social media giant that punishing hate-speech violations by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on the social networking site would damage the company's business prospects in India. Read full story here - Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu Mulls Action Against MPs Who Created Chaos In House Condemning the Opposition MPs ruckus over the Farm Bills in the Rajya Sabha, Vice President and House Chairman on Sunday is mulling to take disciplinary action against the unruly MPs. A high-level meeting is currently underway at Naidu's residence with RS Dy Chairman Harivansh, Union Min Piyush Goyal & Parliamentary Affairs Min Pralhad Joshi present in the meeting. 12 Opposition parties have already submitted a no-confidence motion against Deputy Chair Harivansh Narayan Singh for passing two the Farm Bills via voice vote. The bills - Farmers' and Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 introduced earlier in the day, was passed amid chaos. Read full story here - Payal Ghosh's Lawyer To File Complaint Against Director Anurag Kashyap Trouble could be mounting for filmmaker Anurag Kashyap as actor Payal Ghosh has decided to file an official complaint against the director at Oshiwara Police Station, Mumbai on September 21. Payal's lawyer Advocate Nitin Satpute released an official statement and said, "2015, Payal Ghosh was molested and was treated badly at Kashyap's house. Paperwork is still on and will file a complaint on September 21." Read full story here - Training your lower body can often feel more gruelling than all those arm, chest and ab workouts, simply because youre working some of the largest muscles in your body. Plus, the recovery period can feel longer and more painful. Despite this, if we want to take on whatever hills, mountains or broken lifts life throws at us, we need our legs to be strong and mobile, which requires spending some time building power in our lower body. Personal trainer Aimee Victoria Long shares three key moves for getting your legs into great shape 1. Fire hydrants How to do them: Start in a kneeling position on all fours with your wrists stacked directly under your shoulders and your hips over your knees. Keep your belly button drawn in toward your spine, with a neutral back and your right leg bent at 90 degrees. On an exhale breath, lift your leg out to your side, stopping at hip height and ensuring you can feel the connection in your glutes and not your lower back. Inhale to draw the leg back to the ground. Repeat 12-15 times on each leg. Why are they effective? Being in this box position mimics your most foundational gait; the crawl. When youre on all fours, you truly switch on your core stabilisers and strengthen your base. Although it looks like a fairly easy move, it works more muscles than you might think. Aside from your abs, this move primarily targets the glutes; chiselling them from all angles. 2. Barbell squats How to do them: Before attempting this move, I recommend getting a qualified personal trainer at your gym to show you how to safely use the barbell. Stand with your feet more than shoulder-width apart. Hold the barbell across your upper back using an overhand grip (a common mistake is allowing the bar to rest on your neck). Hug the bar into your traps [the trapezius muscle, across the upper back] to engage your upper back muscles. De-rack the barbell and move a few steps back so you have enough space to perform the move. Slowly squat down with your head up and back straight. Lower yourself until your hips are aligned with your knees, with legs at 90 degrees. Drive your heels into the floor to push yourself back up, and keep good form until youre stood up straight. Do three sets of 12-15 reps. Why are they effective? Barbell squats directly strengthen your posterior chain; the hamstrings, glutes, and the adductors [hip muscles]. Theyre also a whole body move. Your legs work to move the weight of the barbell and create a squat. Your abs and lower back muscles stabilise your trunk, and your upper back, shoulders and arms are working to balance the bar. 3. Bulgarian split squat How to do them: Stand two to three feet (depending on your height) in front of a bench or chosen elevated service, such as a sofa or chair. Extend one leg behind you and rest your toes on the bench. Toes can be flat or tucked, and you should ensure your hips and shoulders are square to the front of the room. Keep your torso upright and engaged by relaxing your shoulders down and actively pulling your navel to spine. Then slowly lower your back knee down towards the floor. Your front knee will form approximately a 90-degree angle creating a lunge position. Ensure your front knee doesnt rotate inwards, and try to disperse the weight throughout the front foot. From here, drive yourself up to standing and squeeze your glutes at the top. You can hold a weight to make this move harder. Repeat 12 times on each leg. Why are they effective? Split squats are a unilateral lift that not only improve strength but also balance, hip mobility and tone. By focusing on one side of the body at a time, you can work to build strength and resilience especially on the weaker side of the body. Donald Trump supporters sparked fears of voter intimidation after they protested outside a polling station in Virginia as early voting took place this weekend. Demonstrators were seen outside the Fairfax County Government Center on Saturday as the second day of early voting took place in Fairfax, Virginia. At least two dozen supporters of the US president held Trump - Pence placards and waved American flags, about 100 feet from the entrance to the polling location. The group chanted four more years, The New York Times reported, as voters entered a polling location that, at one point, appeared to be blocked from voters. Voters were said to have been forced to walk around outside the centre, in order to enter, after the protesters formed a line near the entrance. It comes within two weeks of president Trump telling his supporters to act as poll watchers for Novembers presidential election, whilst falsely claiming that polling stations were places of fraud. "Gotta be careful with those ballots. Watch those ballots. I don't like it, the president said at an event in North Carolina this month. You know, you have a Democrat governor, you have all these Democrats watching that stuff. I don't like it," Telling his supporters to "watch it," he told a crowd: "Be poll watchers when you go there. Watch all the thieving and stealing and robbing they do. Because this is important. Election officials in Fairfax acknowledged that some voters and polling staff felt intimidated by the small protest, which required an indoor waiting area to be set-up to stop protesters harassing voters. Citizens coming into and leaving the building did have to go by them, Gary Scott, the general registrar of Fairfax County, said in a statement to the NYT, whilst adding that the presidents supporters did not directly block the entrance. Those voters who were in line outside of the building were moved inside and we continued operations. Some voters, and elections staff, did feel intimidated by the crowd and we did provide escorts past the group, he added. One of the escorts was the county executive. The US president, who trails his Democratic opponent Joe Biden in national polls, has spent months delegitimizing both mail-in ballots and in-person voting, as he claims in-advance that Novembers election outcome will be fraudulent. There is no basis in his claims. Gritty makes his exit from Philly Tech Week in Center City, Philadelphia last year Thursday, May 09, 2019. The popular Flyers mascot made a special appearance after "The Brains Behind Gritty" panel. Read more Chris Wink embraces inefficiency. Hes trying to add as much as possible to this years Philly Tech Week. Virtual tools and software are built to be efficient, and theyre remarkable, he said. But humanity thrives in inefficiency. Its where life and serendipitous meetings happen." Philly Tech Week, which began a decade ago as a celebration of technology and innovation, has evolved into one of the regions key recruiting events. Its where feisty start-ups and Fortune 100 companies alike trawl for talented software engineers, programmers, and technologists. This years iteration of Philly Tech Week, which will begin Monday and run through Friday, is sponsored by Comcast NBCUniversal. The event drew 20,000 attendees last year, though half that are expected this year online. Tech Week has its prominent fans. Theyve become a magnet for the community, helping to attract new people, and serving as an on-ramp to the tech ecosystem, said Josh Kopelman, the venture capitalist who founded First Round Capital. He also is board chair of The Philadelphia Inquirer LLC. Networking is going to be a lot tougher to pull off this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But Wink, who said he was forced to totally rethink the conference, says it can still happen. This years Tech Week will be all virtual, with sessions held on Zoom, Hopin, Google Meet, and Twitch. Keeping it human and providing for chance meetings that result in jobs will require inefficiency. In virtual events, youre trying to create some inefficiency, where people can bump into each other by doing something unusual, Wink said. Relationship building does not happen at mass scale. "A Twitch stream of a million people is cool, but functionally it doesnt do anything for you if you want to find a job, a business lead, or build some relationships. So the 40 events we have scheduled will be given to smaller settings. One of Tech Weeks marquee events, the Technical.ly Developers Conference on Wednesday, will be broken into groups of 15 people to provide opportunities for informal chats. We are still bringing together the biggest collection of the hardest-to-reach professionals in the region, said Wink, who expects 7,000 to 10,000 people to take part in PTW2020. And its that massive collection of professionals at Tech Week that has Mike Maney optimistic about finding candidates for open engineering and programming jobs at Linode, the privately owned cloud hosting company headquartered on N. 3rd Street that books $100 million a year in business. Tech Week plays a large role in our recruiting efforts, especially this year, said Maney, Linodes head of corporate communications. Its definitely the one week where the Philly tech community comes together en masse, whether physically or virtually. We can go with the expectation well find someone to fit the bill. Comcast, too, values Tech Week as a source for talent. "We consider it a key opportunity to engage with local tech talent and build our network and talent pipelines, said Jenni Moyer, a Comcast spokeswoman. We consistently engage with these networks/pipelines, build meaningful relationships, and draw from them as positions open for hiring across our organization. Tech Week didnt start out intending to become a venue for tech job seekers. In 2011, a trio of brash millennials took a cue from Philly Beer Week and set out to to celebrate the citys growing technology scene. They organized a series of meet-ups with a few dozen technologists, start-up scene-sters, and early software CEOs. Back then, it was a cute fringe idea that was essentially seen as poseurs trying to re-create a little Silicon Valley, said Wink, who co-founded Technical.ly, the network of local technology news sites and Tech Week with two fellow Temple University alumni, Brian James Kirk and Sean Blanda. (Kirk left Technical.ly in 2019 to found Bikeout, a bicycle adventure start-up. Blanda departed in 2012 to edit a daily online publication in New York.) Since its founding, Philly Tech Week has been Technical.lys biggest event of the year, pulling in most of the start-ups revenue in the early days. Now it generates 20% of annual revenues, Wink said. During the same period, Technical.ly sought to morph into a tech intelligence brand with additional online publications in Baltimore, Washington, and Delaware. (A pilot is running in Pittsburgh.) What began as a trio has grown to staff of 16 headquartered in Philadelphias Curtis Building. Technical.ly now derives a third of its funding from events through tickets and sponsorship, another third from grants, and the remainder from recruitment advertising, Wink said. The tech ecosystem also has undergone a rapid maturation. Though hard to imagine now, most CEOs at established firms a decade ago regarded their [information technology departments as a place to get their Blackberries fixed, Wink said. Those IT departments are now chiefly responsible for their companys competitiveness and survival for whatever market or industry they compete in, Wink said. "What was seen as a nerdy afterthought is now a key part of their business and a core function of what is needed for them to survive. The IT guys have gone from the basement to the C-Suite, and tech is now a new corner of the citys economy. Philly Tech Week 2020 will run from Sept. 21-25. Most of this weeks 40 events are free. Others range from $25 to $250. Highlights include: For a full calendar of events, go to 2020.phillytechweek.com/events Lugano, Switzerland, 20 September 2020 - Adding abemaciclib to hormonal therapy reduces the risk of cancer recurrence by 25% in patients with high-risk early hormone receptor positive (HR+) human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2-) breast cancer, according to results from a study at ESMO 2020. (1) "This is the first time in more than 20 years that we have seen an advance in the adjuvant treatment of this form of breast cancer," said lead author Prof Stephen Johnston, from the Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. He explained that hormone receptor positive breast cancer is the commonest form of breast cancer, affecting 70% of patients, with most being diagnosed with early disease. "Many of these patients can be cured with currently available treatments: surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and hormone treatment. But about 20% have high-risk disease and will develop a recurrence either locally in the breast or elsewhere in the body over the first ten years of treatment," he explained. "These patients with high-risk early breast cancer show a degree of resistance to hormone therapy, relapsing early despite everything we currently give them," said Johnston. "CDK4/6 inhibitors, such as abemaciclib, have transformed the way we treat metastatic breast cancer over the last few years, overcoming primary endocrine resistance and improving survival. So it was an obvious step to see whether adding abemaciclib to hormone treatment in patients with high-risk early breast cancer could reduce the risk of their cancer returning." The international phase 3 monarchE study included 5637 patients with HR+ HER2- early breast cancer with clinical and/or pathological risk factors putting them at high risk for relapse. After completing their primary treatment they were randomised on an open-label basis to abemaciclib (150mg twice daily for two years) plus endocrine therapy or endocrine therapy alone. "We found a 25% reduction in recurrence of cancer with the first two years when abemaciclib was added to hormone therapy compared to hormone therapy alone," reported Johnston. During this time 11.3% of patients in the control group had a relapse of their cancer compared to 7.8% of those in the abemaciclib group, an absolute difference of 3.5% which translates to a 25.3% reduction in risk. Most of the reductions occured in sites of distant metastases, especially to liver and bone. "This is the first study to show that adding a CDK4/6 inhibitor to endocrine therapy significantly improves invasive disease free survival in the adjuvant setting," said Giuseppe Curigliano, Associate Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Milan, Italy, and Chair of the ESMO Guidelines Committee. "This is a very important trial and the findings will change practice. Once approved for high risk HR+ HER2- early breast cancer the new standard of care for these patients will be to add two years of abemaciclib to endocrine therapy," he suggested. Curigliano suggested it would have been interesting to have included genetic signature into the assessment of patients at high risk, in addition to number of positive lymph nodes, tumour size, histologic grade and Ki-67 (a marker of proliferation). Johnston said that tissue and plasma samples had been collected from all of the study participants for translational research that will include looking at genomic signatures and response to abemaciclib. "The safety data are important, particularly the number of patients treated with abemaciclib who had to discontinue or required dose reductions due to side-effects," said Curigliano. A total of 463 (16.6%) of patients discontinued abemaciclib due to adverse events, most commonly diarrhea; 306 of these continued on endocrine therapy. The protocol allowed dose reduction from 150 to 100mg twice daily if required. He noted: "Adherence to treatment will be an important issue to be considered in the real life population of patients when this treatment is approved and used in clinical practice." Curigliano added, "For the future it will be important to understand if we can potentially spare chemotherapy in this group of patients treated with a CDK4/6 inhibitor. This would need to be investigated in a randomised clinical trial." ### Notes to Editors Please make sure to use the official name of the meeting in your reports: ESMO Virtual Congress 2020 Official Congress Hashtag: #ESMO20 Disclaimer This press release contains information provided by the author of the highlighted abstract and reflects the content of this abstract. It does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of ESMO who cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the data. Commentators quoted in the press release are required to comply with the ESMO Declaration of Interests policy and the ESMO Code of Conduct. References (1) Abstract LBA5_PR 'Abemaciclib in high risk early breast cancer' will be presented by Stephen Johnston in the Presidential Symposium II on Sunday, 20 September 2020, 18:30 - 20:25 CEST. Annals of Oncology, Volume 31 Supplement 4, September 2020. The study will be published simultaneously in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, 'Abemaciclib combined with endocrine therapy for the adjuvant treatment of HR+, HER2-, node-positive, high risk, early breast cancer (monarchE)', DOI: 10.1200/JCO.20.02514, https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JCO.20.02514 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 LBA5_PR - Abemaciclib in high risk early breast cancer S.R.D. Johnston1, N. Harbeck2, R. Hegg3, M. Toi4, M. Martin5, Z. Shao6, M. Campone7, E.P. Hamilton8, J. Sohn9, V. Guarneri10, J. Cortes11, P. Neven12, F. Boyle13, I. Smith14, D. Headley15, R. Wei15, M. Frenzel15, J. Cox16, J. O'Shaughnessy17, P. Rastogi18 1Breast Cancer Medicine, Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, 2Breast Center, Dept OB&GYN, LMU University Hospital, Munich, Germany, 3Gynecology and Obstetrics, Gynecological Clinical Service School of Medicine, Univ. Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil, 4Breast Unit, Kyoto University-Graduate school of medicine, Kyoto, Japan, 5Servicio de Oncologia Medica Department, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Maranon, Universidad Complutense, Ciberonc GEICAM, Madrid, Spain, 6Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghi, China, 7MEDICAL ONCOLOGY, ICO Institut de Cancerologie de l'Ouest Rene Gauducheau, Saint-Herblain, CEDEX, France, 8Director, Breast and Gynecologic Research Program, Sarah Cannon Research Institute/Tennessee Oncology, Nashville, USA, 9Division of Medical Oncology, Yonsei Cancer Center, Seoul, Korea, Republic of, 10Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology Instituto Oncologico Veneto IRCCS, University of Padova, Padova, Italy, 11Head, Breast Cancer Program, IOB Institute of Oncology, Quiron Group, Barcelona, Spain, 12Department of Gynaecological Oncology / Multidisciplinary Breast Center, University Hospitals Leuven - Campus Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium, 13Patricia Ritchie Centre for Cancer Care and Research, Mater Hospital, North Sydney, North Sydney, Australia, 14Chief Medical Officer, Artios Pharma Ltd, Cambridge, UK, 15Oncology, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA, 16Oncology, Eli Lilly and Company, Windlesham, IN, UK, 17Breast Cancer Prevention and Treatment, Texas Oncology - Baylor Sammons Cancer Center, Dallas, TX, USA, 18Oncology, NSABP Foundation, Pittsburgh, USA Background: Over 90% of patients with breast cancer are diagnosed with early breast cancer (EBC). While many patients with HR+ disease will not recur or have distant relapse with standard therapies, up to 30% of patients whose cancer has high risk clinical and/or pathological features may experience distant relapse, many in the first 2 years. Novel treatment options are needed to prevent early recurrences and development of metastases for these patients. Abemaciclib is an oral, continuously dosed CDK4 & 6 inhibitor approved for use in HR+, HER2- advanced breast cancer (ABC). Efficacy and safety of abemaciclib in ABC supported phase 3 evaluation in the adjuvant setting. Methods: monarchE, an open-label, phase 3 study, included patients with HR+, HER2-, high risk EBC, who completed primary treatment. Patients with greater-than or equal to 4 positive nodes, or 1-3 nodes and at least one of the following: tumor size greater-than or equal to 5 cm, histologic grade 3, or central Ki-67 greater-than or equal to 20%, were eligible, and randomized (1:1) to abemaciclib (150 mg BID for 2 years) plus endocrine therapy (ET) or ET alone. A prespecified interim analysis was planned at ~293 IDFS events. The primary endpoint was invasive disease-free survival (IDFS) per STEEP criteria. Secondary endpoints included distant relapse-free survival (DRFS), overall survival, and safety. Results: 5,637 patients were randomized. With 323 IDFS events observed in the intent-to-treat population, positive efficacy required a 2-sided p-value <0.0264. Abemaciclib plus ET demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in IDFS versus ET alone (p=.0096, HR: 0.747, 95% CI: 0.598, 0.932), corresponding to a 25.3% reduction in the risk of an IDFS event. The 2-year IDFS rates were 92.2% vs 88.7%, respectively. A similar improvement was observed for DRFS (HR: 0.717, 95% CI: 0.559, 0.920) with 2-year DRFS rates of 93.6% and 90.3%, respectively. Consistent benefit was seen in all prespecified subgroups. The most frequent AEs were diarrhea, neutropenia and fatigue in the abemaciclib arm and arthralgia, hot flush and fatigue in the control arm. Safety was consistent with the known profile of abemaciclib. Conclusions: Abemaciclib when combined with ET is the first CDK4 & 6 inhibitor to demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in IDFS in patients with HR+, HER2-, high risk EBC. Clinical trial identification: NCT03155997 Editorial acknowledgement: Writing assistance provided by Sarah C. Nabinger (Eli Lilly and Company) Legal entity responsible for the study: Eli Lilly and Company Funding: Eli Lilly and Company Disclosure: S.R.D. Johnston: Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Research grant/Funding (self): AstraZeneca; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (self): Eli Lilly and Company; Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Research grant/Funding (self): Novartis; Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Research grant/Funding (self): Pfizer; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (self): Puma Biotechnology; Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: Eisai; Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Research grant/Funding (self): Roche/Genentech. N. Harbeck: Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Eli Lilly and Company; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: AstraZeneca; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Novartis; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Pfizer. M. Toi: Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution): Chugai; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution): Takeda; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution): Pfizer; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution): Kyowa-Hakko-Kirin; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution): Taiho; Research grant/Funding (institution), Officer/Board of Directors: JBCRG Association; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution): Eisai; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (self): Daiichi-Sankyo; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution): AstraZeneca; Honoraria (self): Eli Lilly and Company; Honoraria (self): MSD; Honoraria (self): Genomic Health; Honoraria (self): Novartis; Honoraria (self), Honorarium for advisory meeting: Konica Minolta; Research grant/Funding (institution): Astellas; Honoraria (self), Honorarium for advisory meeting: BMS; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution): Shimadzu; Honoraria (self): Yakult; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution): Nippon Kayaku; Research grant/Funding (institution): AFI Technologies; Advisory/Consultancy: Athenex Oncology; Officer/Board of Directors: Organization for Oncology and Translational Research ; Officer/Board of Directors: Kyoto Breast Cancer Research Network. M. Martin: Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (self), personal fees: Roche; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (self), personal fees: Novartis; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (self), personal fees: Puma; Honoraria (self), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses, personal fees: Eli Lilly and Company; Honoraria (self), personal fees: GSK; Honoraria (self), personal fees: AstraZeneca; Honoraria (self), personal fees: Amgen; Honoraria (self), personal fees: Taiho Oncology; Honoraria (self), personal fees: Pharmamar; Honoraria (self), personal fees: Pfizer; Honoraria (self), personal fees: Daiichi Sanyo. M. Campone: Advisory/Consultancy, fees to the institution: AstraZeneca; Advisory/Consultancy, fees to the institution: Sanofi; Advisory/Consultancy, fees to the institution: Servier; Advisory/Consultancy, fees to the institution: AbbVie; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Eli Lilly and Company; Advisory/Consultancy, fees to the institution: Accord; Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: Novartis; Advisory/Consultancy, fees to the institution: Pfizer; Advisory/Consultancy: GT1. E.P. Hamilton: Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), advisory board (no personal compensation accepted): Eli Lilly and Company; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), advisory board (no personal compensation accepted): Pfizer; Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Research grant/Funding (institution), speaker's bureau (no personal compensation accepted): Genentech/Roche; Advisory/Consultancy: Flatiorn Health; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), consulting (no personal compensation accepted): Cascadian Therapeutics; Research grant/Funding (institution): Hutchinson MediPharma; Research grant/Funding (institution): OncoMed; Research grant/Funding (institution): MedImmune; Research grant/Funding (institution): StemCentrx; Research grant/Funding (institution): Abbvie; Research grant/Funding (institution): Curis; Research grant/Funding (institution): Verastem; Research grant/Funding (institution): Zymeworks; Research grant/Funding (institution): Syndax; Research grant/Funding (institution): Lycera; Research grant/Funding (institution): Rgenix; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), consulting (no personal compensation accepted): Novartis; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), consulting (no personal compensation accepted): Mersana; Research grant/Funding (institution): Taplmmune; Research grant/Funding (institution): BerGenBio; Research grant/Funding (institution): Tesaro; Research grant/Funding (institution): Medivation; Research grant/Funding (institution): Kadmon; Research grant/Funding (institution): Boehringer Ingelheim; Research grant/Funding (institution): Eisai; Research grant/Funding (institution): H3 Biomedicine; Research grant/Funding (institution): Radius Health; Research grant/Funding (institution): Acerta; Research grant/Funding (institution): Takeda; Research grant/Funding (institution): Macrogenics; Research grant/Funding (institution): Immunomedics; Research grant/Funding (institution): FujiFilm; Research grant/Funding (institution): Effector; Research grant/Funding (institution): Syros; Research grant/Funding (institution): Unum; Research grant/Funding (institution): Sutro; Research grant/Funding (institution): Aravive; Research grant/Funding (institution): Deciphera; Research grant/Funding (institution): Clovis; Research grant/Funding (institution): Sermonix; Research grant/Funding (institution): Zenith; Research grant/Funding (institution): Arvinas; Research grant/Funding (institution): ArQule; Research grant/Funding (institution): Torque; Research grant/Funding (institution): Harpoon; Research grant/Funding (institution): Fachon; Research grant/Funding (institution): Orinove; Research grant/Funding (institution): Molecular Template; Research grant/Funding (institution): Seattle Genetics; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), consulting (no personal compensation accepted): Daiichi; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), consulting (no personal compensation accepted): AstraZeneca; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), consulting (no personal compensation accepted): Silverback Therapeutics; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), consulting (no personal compensation accepted): Black Diamond. J. Sohn: Research grant/Funding (institution): MSD; Research grant/Funding (institution): Roche; Research grant/Funding (institution): Novartis; Research grant/Funding (institution): AstraZeneca; Research grant/Funding (institution): Eli Lilly and Company; Research grant/Funding (institution): Pfizer; Research grant/Funding (institution): Bayer; Research grant/Funding (institution): GSK; Research grant/Funding (institution): CONTESSA; Research grant/Funding (institution): Daiichi Sankyo. V. Guarneri: Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: Eli Lilly and Compnay; Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: Novartis; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution): Roche. J. Cortes: Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Roche; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution): Celgene; Advisory/Consultancy: Cellestia; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution): AstraZeneca; Advisory/Consultancy: Biothera Pharmaceutical; Advisory/Consultancy: Merus; Advisory/Consultancy: Seattle Genetics; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy, Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Daiichi Sankyo; Advisory/Consultancy: Erytech; Advisory/Consultancy: Athenex; Advisory/Consultancy: Polyphor; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Eli Lilly and Company; Advisory/Consultancy: Servier; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution): Merck Sharp&Dohme; Advisory/Consultancy: GSK; Advisory/Consultancy: Leuko; Advisory/Consultancy: Bioasis; Advisory/Consultancy: Clovis Oncology; Advisory/Consultancy: Boehringer Ingelheim; Honoraria (self), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Novartis; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Eisai; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Pfizer; Honoraria (self): Samsung Bioepis; Research grant/Funding (institution): Ariad Pharmaceuticals; Research grant/Funding (institution): Baxalta GMBH/Servier Affaires; Research grant/Funding (institution): Bayer Healthcare; Research grant/Funding (institution): F. Hoffman-La Roche; Research grant/Funding (institution): Guardanth Health; Research grant/Funding (institution): Piqur Therapeutics; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: MedSIR; Research grant/Funding (institution): Puma C; Research grant/Funding (institution): Queen Mary University of London . P. Neven: Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Eli Lilly and Company.F. Boyle: Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Eli Lilly and Company; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Roche; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Pfizer; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Novartis. I. Smith: Full/Part-time employment, Former employee of Eli Lilly and Company: Eli Lilly and Compnay. D. Headley: Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options, Full/Part-time employment: Eli Lilly and Company; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Novartis; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Takeda; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Varian Medical Systems; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Utah Medical Products; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Zoetis; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Bayer; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Merck; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Roche; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Evgen; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: AstraZeneca; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Johnson & Johnson; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Pfizer; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Varex Imaging; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Zimmer BioMet; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options: Chugai Pharma. R. Wei: Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options, Full/Part-time employment: Eli Lilly and Company. M. Frenzel: Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options, Full/Part-time employment: Eli Lilly and Company. J. Cox: Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options, Full/Part-time employment: Eli Lilly and Company. J. O'Shaughnessy: Advisory/Consultancy: AbbVie; Advisory/Consultancy: Agendia; Advisory/Consultancy: Amgen Biotechnology; Advisory/Consultancy: AstraZeneca; Advisory/Consultancy: Britol-Myers Squibb; Advisory/Consultancy: Celgene; Advisory/Consultancy: Eisai; Advisory/Consultancy: Genentech; Advisory/Consultancy: Genomic Health; Advisory/Consultancy: GRAIL; Advisory/Consultancy: Immunomedics; Advisory/Consultancy: Heron Therapeutics; Advisory/Consultancy: Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals; Advisory/Consultancy: Jounce Therapeutics; Advisory/Consultancy: Eli Lilly and Company; Advisory/Consultancy: Merck; Advisory/Consultancy: Myriad; Advisory/Consultancy: Novartis; Advisory/Consultancy: Ondonate Therapeutics; Advisory/Consultancy: Pfizer; Advisory/Consultancy: Puma Biotechnology; Advisory/Consultancy: Prime Oncology; Advisory/Consultancy: Roche; Advisory/Consultancy: Seattle Genetics; Advisory/Consultancy: Syndax Pharmaceuticals; Advisory/Consultancy: Takeda. P. Rastogi: Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Eli Lilly and Company; Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: AstraZeneca; Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Roche/Genentech. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest. Vietnam is willing to assist the United Kingdom in joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Le Thi Thu Hang, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a press meeting in Hanoi on Thursday. CPTPP is a high-quality free trade agreement with comprehensive commitments to promoting economic cooperation among member countries, boosting rules-based trade cooperation, and creating open trade liberalization based on international law, Hang stated. Economies interested in joining the pact should meet its high standards and follow an admission process, the diplomat continued. We have learnt that the UK has discussed the potential entry into the CPTPP. As a member of the CPTPP, Vietnam is ready to share information and experience with the UK if the country has any interest, she said. On June 17, the UK Department of International Trade released an official document expressing the kingdoms desire to join the CPTPP as well as the strategic and economic reasons behind this decision. On September 9, UK International Trade Secretary Liz Truss held talks between senior UK trade officials and chief negotiators from all 11 members of the pact to discuss potential UK membership. Joining the CPTPP would send a powerful signal to the rest of the world that Britain is prepared to work with countries who champion free and fair trade, Truss said at the meeting. Since 2009, trade between the UK and CPTPP member countries has increased by an average of six percent per year and topped US$145 billion in 2019. According to the Canadian governments estimation, the full implementation of the CPTPP will help 11 member countries including Canada, Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam create a trade bloc equivalent to 495 million consumers and 13.5 percent of global GDP. The participation of the UK is expected to elevate this figure to 16 percent. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Bharat Book Bureau Provides the Trending Market Research Report on Global Environmental Sensing and Monitoring Technologies Market Size study, by Product Type (Analog, Digital), by Sensor Type, (Fluid Sensor, Pressure & Vibration Sensor, Temperature Sensor, Chemical Sensor, Others), by Sampling Method (Continuous Monitoring, Active Monitoring, Passive Monitoring, Intermediate Monitoring), by Application (Air Pollution Monitoring, Water Pollution Monitoring, Noise Pollution Monitoring, Soil Pollution Monitoring), by End-User (Government, Defense, Meteorology, Others) and Regional Forecasts 2020-2027under Environmental Category. The report offers a collection of superior market research, market analysis, competitive intelligence and Market reports. Global Environmental Sensing and Monitoring Technologies Market is valued at approximately USD 18 billion in 2019 and is anticipated to grow with a healthy growth rate of more than 6.3% over the forecast period 2020-2027. Environmental sensing and monitoring technologies are defined as a technology that is extensively involved in the organized process of illuminating and monitoring the quality of the environment. A wide spectrum of techniques associated with environmental sensors and monitoring is frequently used in the formulation of environmental impact assessments (EIA). Also, human perform several activities which usually have distinctive impacts on the quality of the environment. Request a free sample copy Environmental Sensing and Monitoring Technologies Market Report @ https://www.bharatbook.com/marketreports/sample/reports/2166460 This has led to the expansion of environmental monitoring and lowering the impact of various kinds of pollution thereby, creating a huge demand for environmental sensing and monitoring technologies all over the world. Furthermore, the rising government initiatives for environmental management around the world, along with the technical advancement in sensing technologies and the development of new monitoring technologies for preserving the environment are the few factors responsible for the CAGR of the market during the forecast period. For instance, in December 2018, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has awarded funds of about USD $187 million to the State of California for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure and drinking water improvements. Therefore, such initiative is likely to strengthen the demand for environmental sensing and monitoring technologies, globally. Moreover, the recent outbreak of COVID-19 around the world has adversely affected the sensor and monitoring technologies industry as the manufacturing operations are temporarily suspended due to the lockdown imposed by the government to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus. This has led to a shortage in demand for environmental sensing and monitoring technologies, thereby, inhibiting the market growth at least in the recent year. However, the high cost and lack of awareness about the technologies are the few factors impeding the market growth over the forecast period of 2020-2027. The regional analysis of the global Environmental Sensing and Monitoring Technologies market is considered for the key regions such as Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America, and Rest of the World. North America is the leading/significant region across the world in terms of market share owing to the presence of a large number of government acts for protecting the environment, along with the presence of a significant number of new technology-based manufacturers in the region. Whereas Asia-Pacific is anticipated to exhibit the highest growth rate / CAGR over the forecast period 2020-2027. Factors such as the rise in problems of water scarcity and growing health problems due to air pollution would create lucrative growth opportunities for market growth in the Asia-Pacific region. Major market player included in this report are: Lockheed Martin Corporation Agilent Technologies AirTest Technologies Inc. City Technology Ltd. Coastal Environmental Systems Inc. Danaher Corporation ChemTreat Hach Company Trojan Technologies TE Connectivity Ltd. E.S.I. Environmental Sensors Inc. The objective of the study is to define market sizes of different segments & countries in recent years and to forecast the values to the coming eight years. The report is designed to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the industry within each of the regions and countries involved in the study. Furthermore, the report also caters the detailed information about the crucial aspects such as driving factors & challenges which will define the future growth of the market. Additionally, the report shall also incorporate available opportunities in micro markets for stakeholders to invest along with the detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product offerings of key players. The detailed segments and sub-segment of the market are explained below: By Product Type: Analog Digital By Sensor Type: Fluid Sensor Pressure & Vibration Sensor Temperature Sensor Chemical Sensor Others By Sampling Method: Continuous Monitoring Active Monitoring Passive Monitoring Intermediate Monitoring By Application: Air Pollution Monitoring Water Pollution Monitoring Noise Pollution Monitoring Soil Pollution Monitoring By End-User: Government Defense Meteorology Others By Region: North America U.S. Canada Europe UK Germany France Spain Italy ROE Asia Pacific China India Japan Australia South Korea RoAPAC Latin America Brazil Mexico Rest of the World Furthermore, years considered for the study are as follows: Historical year 2017, 2018 Base year 2019 Forecast period 2020 to 2027 Target Audience of the Global Environmental Sensing and Monitoring Technologies Market in Market Study: Key Consulting Companies & Advisors Large, medium-sized, and small enterprises Venture capitalists Value-Added Resellers (VARs) Third-party knowledge providers Investment bankers Investors Browse our full report with Table of Content : https://www.bharatbook.com/marketreports/global-environmental-sensing-and-monitoring-technologies-market-size-study-by-product-type-analog-digital-by-sensor/2166460 About Bharat Book Bureau: Bharat Book is Your One-Stop-Shop with an exhaustive coverage of 4,80,000 reports and insights that includes latest Market Study, Market Trends & Analysis, Forecasts Customized Intelligence, Newsletters and Online Databases. Overall a comprehensive coverage of major industries with a further segmentation of 100+ subsectors. Contact us at: Bharat Book Bureau Tel: +91 22 27810772 / 27810773 Email: poonam@bharatbook.com Website: www.bharatbook.com For decades, the American public has been warned about rising sea levels, storm surges, prolonged drought and overpowering wildfires. These warnings, appearing in study after study from climate scientists and policy experts, have been forward-looking. They are chronicles of a warming world foretold, and while in some circles they have been dismissed, ignored or put off for another day in the not-too distant future, the crisis of climate change also raises profound questions about our responsibility to future generations. Just what will our children and grandchildren have to contend with in a warmer world? What responsibility do we bear in limiting our carbon emissions and, in turn, Earths warming? How can we pivot away from fossil fuels through regulation and innovation without disrupting our economy? What are the environmental and economic consequences of doing nothing come 2040, 2050 or 2100? These are still critical questions to ask, but with the western United States ravaged by wildfires and the Gulf overwhelmed by catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Sally, we are again reminded by extreme weather that climate change can no longer be confined to the not-so-distant future. Unlike our previous presidential election editorials on criminal justice and trade, there isnt much nuance to dissect about the records of President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden on the issue of climate change. There is near universal consensus among scientists that human activity is warming the planet. Nevertheless, Trump has dismissed man-made climate change as a hoax and in a recent visit to California said of climate change, I dont think science knows, actually. Trump has instead focused on forest management in this season of wildfires, and while that is a legitimate issue and concern, it is no excuse to antagonize climate science or deny climate change. But that has been the pattern. He has withdrawn the United States from the Paris climate agreement, and his administration has pursued many policies that are retrograde when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Biden, nudged by the youth-led Sunrise Movement, has put forward a $2 trillion plan linking renewable energy to infrastructure spending, set a goal of having the electricity sector free of carbon pollution by 2035 and pledged to return the U.S. to the Paris climate agreement. Climate change is a global issue with local impacts. Just what does climate change, left unchecked, mean for Texas and San Antonio? A study released in March from the Office of the Texas State Climatologist at Texas A&M University found the number of triple-digit degree days in Texas has doubled over the past 40 years and will likely double again by 2036. San Antonio has seen a steady increase in 100-degree days, particularly in the last decade. This year, the mercury hit triple digits 36 times, a tie for fourth-most times on record. Extreme rainfall will be more likely, leading to urban flooding. Hurricane storm surge will be more pronounced along the Gulf Coast, particularly in Galveston and Rockport. And the state has gotten drier, risking wildfires. When we think of climate change in Texas, its impossible not to reflect on Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The economic implications are jarring. Harvey caused about $125 billion in damage, and in its aftermath, ratings firms warned they may consider climate change in assessing risks to cities and states. As Moodys noted in 2017, Climate shocks or extreme weather events have sharp, immediate and observable impacts on an issuers infrastructure, economy and revenue base, and environment. But there will be smaller manifestations, too. For example, the Union of Concerned Scientists, in 2017, warned of routine coastal flooding, meaning every two weeks, in Galveston and the Bolivar Peninsula. This is not a lost cause. Texas leads the nation in wind energy production and has immense potential to produce solar power. The state is blessed with an abundance of natural gas, a far cleaner alternative for power generation than coal. It is poised to remain an energy leader. At the federal level, there are many ways forward to address climate change, be it through a market-based fee-and-dividend program, regulatory efforts or incentives to fuel innovation. We are open to any step forward, but if we fail to act out of denial or polarization, no one can say we werent warned. With the Centre rolling out a slew of development projects for Bihar ahead of the Assembly polls, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday said grandiose PR exercises" are a poor substitute for governance, and the real issues in the elections would be unemployment, corporatisation of agriculture" and handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. In an interview to PTI, Yadav also asserted that it is undisputed and settled" that the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is the natural leader of the mahagathbandhan (grand alliance)" and seat sharing will be settled soon. Hitting out at the Modi government over the issue of the three farm bills, the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly said that the RJD has always fought for the rights of farmers and will fight tooth and nail" against this corporatisation of the agriculture sector". These bills will strip farmers of their financial security net which has been safeguarded by provisions like public procurement and MSP (minimum support price)," Yadav said. Why did a Union cabinet minister resign if the bills were not anti-farmer", he asked referring to Shiromani Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal quitting the Cabinet last week over the farm bills issue. The Opposition has been hitting out at the government over the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, alleging that they are anti-farmer, a claim the government has denied, stressing that they will be beneficial for the agriculture sector. Asserting that his party will fight the Bihar polls on peoples issues, Yadav said this is going to be an election between unemployed youths, pro-democracy and pro-Constitution forces versus an authoritarian, divisive and anti-constitution regime". Bihar is the land of revolutionary political movements like the Champaran Satyagraha, and I am sure this election will be a watershed moment in the current political discourse plagued by authoritarianism," the former Bihar deputy chief minister said. Asked if the Sushant Singh Rajput case could be a poll issue with many leaders raising it, Yadav said, We were the first to demand a CBI inquiry into Sushants death and now, since the investigation has begun, we shall have faith in it and wait for its results." We never made it a political issue and it shouldnt be one. The major problems and issues in Bihar are rising unemployment, corporatisation of agriculture, rampant corruption, crippled healthcare, deteriorating law and order, education, unchecked bureaucracy, among others," he said. Yadav said the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the treatment meted out to migrant labourers are also important issues. Claiming that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has failed miserably" on all these fronts in his nearly 15-year-long rule, Yadav said the RJD will ensure that poll issues are these real issues pertaining to the lives and future of the people of Bihari. Our state should not suffer due to shrewd deflection strategies of the BJP-JD(U)," the former deputy chief minister said. On whether he would be the Opposition alliances chief ministerial candidate and the RJDs standing in the mahagathbandhan, Yadav asserted that it is undisputed and settled that the RJD is the natural leader of the mahagathbandhan and still the single largest party of the state". I have been honestly discharging the responsibilities entrusted to me and shall be doing so in future too. At the moment, I am working tirelessly to oust the most corrupt and anti-people government of Bihar," he said. Yadav asserted that unemployment was the most critical challenge the country and Bihar in particular should address. Over 4.5 lakh posts are lying vacant since long and I assure the youth of Bihar that in the first cabinet meeting our government will initiate floating of these vacancies and the process will be completed within a stipulated time frame," he said, adding that he would also bring in a domicile policy in government jobs if voted to power. Asked about the Centre rolling out a slew of development projects and schemes for Bihar, Yadav alleged that announcing projects on the eve of election to lure voters were hallmarks" of both Chief Minister Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Bihar wants to know the outcome and status of the 1.65 lakh crore package which Modi announced during his 2015 election campaign, the RJD leader said. Biharis know who are the best overrated salesmen, high on promises and low on delivery. What happened to the promise of special status to Bihar," he said. Grandiose PR (public relations) exercises are a poor substitute for governance. Nitish ji cannot cheat Bihar again, kaath ki haandi baar baar nahi chadhti," Yadav said. Asked about the Lok Jan Shakti party chief Chirag Paswans jibes at Nitish Kumar and JD(U), Yadav said he would not comment as its NDAs business, but added that people are observing how an NDA ally is questioning their own government, its policies and echoing oppositions voice. Attacking Nitish Kumar, Yadav said his sushasan (good governance) was a hoax" and talk of vikas (development), a delusion". If Nitish Kumar is proud of his achievements why doesnt he fight alone? I can write on a piece of paper, he cant fight alone and win seats in double digits," Yadav said. The term of the Bihar assembly ends on November 29 and elections are likely to be held sometime in October-November. . Department personnel, wearing protective suits, screen mail as it arrives at a US government facility near the Pentagon in Washington, DC - AFP Federal officials intercepted an envelope addressed to the White House that contained the poison ricin, a US law enforcement official said on Saturday. The letter appeared to have originated in Canada, according to a statement from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), which said it was assisting the FBI The letter was intercepted at a government facility that screens mail addressed to the White House and President Donald Trump, the US official said. A preliminary investigation indicated it tested positive for ricin, a poison found naturally in castor beans, the US official said. The US official was not authorised to discuss the ongoing investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. But an RCMP spokesman confirmed "it has received a request for assistance from the FBI in connection with a suspicious letter sent to the White House". The RCMP added "the FBI conducted an analysis on the substance found in the envelope. This report indicated the presence of ricin, a toxic substance." Federal investigators were working to determine where the enveloped originated and who mailed it. The FBI, the Secret Service and the US Postal Inspection Service were leading the investigation. In a statement, the FBI said agents were working to investigate "a suspicious letter received at a US government mail facility" and that there is "no known threat to public safety". A Navy veteran was arrested in 2018 and confessed to sending envelopes to Mr Trump and members of his administration that contained the substance from which ricin is derived. Authorities said the man, William Clyde Allen III, sent the envelopes with ground castor beans to the president, FBI Director Christopher Wray, along with then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, then-CIA Director Gina Haspel, Adm. John Richardson, who at the time was the Navy's top officer, and then-Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson. The letters were intercepted, and no one was hurt. In 2014, a Mississippi man was sentenced to 25 years in prison after sending letters dusted with ricin to President Barack Obama and other officials. Shes a face of Gucci whos dreaming big not just for herself but for all people with disabilities. Essex teenager Ellie Goldstein showcases the new seasons fresh and fabulous new looks From Nike to Vodafone and the London Film Festival, Ellie Goldstein's star is on the rise as she joins an exclusive but growing clique of professional models with Downs syndrome who are breaking down barriers. Ellie wears shirt, 29.99, topshop.com The day Ellie Goldstein was born, her mother Yvonne was told by a paediatrician her daughter would never talk, walk, nor live an independent life. It was even hinted that Yvonne should leave Ellie at the hospital and go home without her, like the last mother who had a baby like that. Today that baby is the face of Guccis Unconventional Beauty campaign. The first model with Downs syndrome to pose for the luxury brand, earlier this summer Ellie, 18, graced Vogue Italia dressed in the designer label. The Gucci campaign was just the latest big name on what is already an impressive CV, even though Ellies been modelling for less than three years. From Nike to Vodafone and the London Film Festival, her star is on the rise as she joins an exclusive but growing clique of professional models with Downs syndrome who are breaking down barriers. Today Ellie is on her latest assignment, modelling for YOU magazines fashion issue. Striking pose after perfect pose, she radiates professionalism and, between shots, her infectious laugh fills the studio. Sitting quietly in the shadows is Yvonne. A 56-year-old support worker from Ilford, Essex, she beams with pride as she watches her daughter at work. Im not remotely surprised Ellies forged a career like this, she says. From the age of five shed tell me she wanted to be famous, catwalking up and down our living room or singing and dancing around the house. Looking back, all the signs were there shed end up in front of a camera. Yvonne, who lives with husband Mark, 60, and also has an elder daughter Amy, 26, had a normal pregnancy with Ellie, the standard antenatal scans and tests failing to detect the chromosomal condition. As I was wheeled into theatre for a caesarean because Ellie was lying transverse, Downs syndrome wasnt on my mind at all, remembers Yvonne. After Ellie was born, Mark and I barely saw her before she was whisked away. We were terrified we had no idea what was happening until a nurse said, We think she might have Downs syndrome, but were not sure. For Ellie, hearing how dark the early hours of her life were for her mother is poignant. When I hear Mum talk about the negative attitudes she faced when I was born, I feel sad she went through that, but also very proud that Ive proved those people wrong. Kimono, 139, Biba, houseoffraser.com. Dress, 17.99, hm.com Reunited with Ellie, Yvonne and Mark were then left for four agonising hours in a private room before a team of medics arrived and the consultant gave his diagnosis and prediction. He confirmed she had Downs syndrome, said that she wouldnt walk, talk or go to university and told us there were leaflets outside if we wanted more information. He then went, leaving us in silence, says Yvonne. Ellie was wrapped in a blanket in the crib beside my bed. She cried but I couldnt bring myself to lift her it was Mark who had to comfort her. I felt little connection to her this wasnt the baby I believed I was having. I thought about how excited Id been to bring this baby home and introduce her to her big sister. Now everything seemed hopeless. Yvonne admits that back then she knew little about Downs syndrome and even shared some of the preconceptions that still exist today. Ellie in Guccis unconventional beauty campaign with Jahmal Baptiste (right) and Enam Asiama The day Ellie Goldstein was born, her mother Yvonne was told by a paediatrician her daughter would never talk, walk, nor live an independent life I imagined Ellie in the future shuffling around, holding my hand and never able to live a life of her own. She was eight days old before I could bring myself to tell family and friends she had Downs syndrome. I couldnt even speak the words. Its hard to reflect on those early days, but I was heavily influenced by the negativity of the health professionals around me. They saw Ellie as a child without a meaningful future and I went along with that. For Ellie, hearing how dark the early hours of her life were for her mother is poignant. When I hear Mum talk about the negative attitudes she faced when I was born, I feel sad she went through that, but also very proud that Ive proved those people wrong, says Ellie, whos currently studying performing arts at a mainstream college alongside her modelling work. They defined me by my Downs syndrome, but Im just Ellie. The day after her birth, Ellie was diagnosed with a serious congenital heart defect. Too tiny to be operated on, she was sent home with Yvonne and Mark until she was old enough for surgery. It took time but as we got into a routine at home, my love for Ellie began to grow, says Yvonne. On the school run, people would peek in the pram and sometimes Id see their face fall when they realised Ellie has Downs syndrome. Theyd struggle for something to say some would even cross the road to avoid me. It wasnt easy to feel peoples pity but by then Mark and I had resolved to turn away from the negativity. This baby was just our Ellie we werent going to wrap her up in cotton wool or label her. When she was five months old Ellie underwent complex heart surgery, spending over a week in intensive care, Yvonne never leaving her side. It was then I finally felt the fierce love most mums experience when a child is born. Faced with the fear we might lose Ellie, it hit me just how much I loved her. Ellie came through her surgery and, says Yvonne, has never looked back. She pragmatically acknowledges that every child with Downs syndrome is different and many dont have Ellies abilities. Dress, 335, rixo.co.uk. Im doing something I love, and if it helps other people with a disability follow their dreams, that feels great, says Ellie She was able to attend mainstream schools, to sing and dance in plays and lead a very typical childhood. At times, I encountered resentment from other parents with special needs children. I understood it cant be easy, but no two children are the same. In 2017, when Ellie was 15, Yvonne received a call from a friend telling her to switch on ITVs This Morning. On the show were the founders of a new talent agency, Zebedee Management, specialising in models with disabilities. Ellie had never let go of her dream of being famous and having a performing career. Modelling was something wed been thinking about, so I got in touch with the agency and after a photo shoot in October 2017 she signed with them. I had no idea if there would be work out there for her would brands want a model with Downs syndrome? For any mother, allowing a teenage girl to go into modelling, particularly in todays world of social media scrutiny and trolling, is not a decision to be taken lightly. However, for Yvonne any concerns about negativity Ellie might face once in the public eye didnt outweigh her determination to support her daughters dream. From the day she was born Ellie has faced judgment, but I would never hold her back in life because some people might be unkind. Thats their problem, not hers. I also believed that the majority of people would see her for what she is a beautiful, inspirational young woman. But Yvonnes uncertainty whether there would be demand for a model like Ellie has proven to be unfounded, with the teenager landing one high-profile job after another since signing with her agency. And her faith that the public would react positively to her daughter has also been rewarded. None of us imagined the Gucci shoot would attract so much attention but out of thousands of comments online, Ellie and I have only seen around half a dozen that are a bit sneery. We just focus on all the supportive comments from people around the world telling Ellie she has inspired them, says Yvonne. Im doing something I love, and if it helps other people with a disability follow their dreams, that feels great, adds Ellie. Yvonnes priority has always been that Ellie enjoys what shes doing, without feeling under pressure to challenge attitudes to Downs syndrome. Ive raised Ellie to always be herself and enjoy life. But I never want her to feel her life is a mission to change what people think. Whats wonderful is thats happening naturally, the more people see of her. Laura Johnson is the co-founder of Zebedee Management and set up the agency with her sister-in-law Zoe Proctor in 2017. Laura was working as a social worker and Zoe, who had previously been a model, was a teacher for people with learning disabilities when they were inspired to establish their agency, which also represents disabled dancers, presenters and performers. We were bemoaning the fact that the young people we worked with who wanted a career in performing arts were hitting a brick wall because it was so hard for them to break into the industry, says Laura. How were they ever meant to get in front of casting directors when there was such a dearth of agencies to represent them? Success didnt come overnight, with the agency coming up against ingrained reluctance to use disabled talent. Its been three years of doggedly breaking down those attitudes by putting our talent forward for jobs, so they can show what they can bring to a brand or a programme. Today were busier than ever but theres still a long way to go. Less than one per cent of those featured in advertising have a disability, despite the fact more than 20 per cent of the population are disabled. Brands should want to appeal to those customers as well as being inclusive. Laura says that in the past its likely there was an element of tokenism to the use of disabled talent. Often it was about being seen to be doing the right thing. However, this movement had to start somewhere, and today consumers are savvy enough to see through token gestures. Brands know it has to be a firm part of their identity, not a one-off. Has Yvonne ever worried that her daughter could be used cynically simply for good PR? I really believe the brands Ellie has worked with are genuinely committed to diversity in their campaigns. Her images may bring them a lot of publicity but the likes of Gucci hardly need that, do they? Bravely honest, Yvonne says she is thankful she didnt know 18 years ago that she was carrying a child with Downs syndrome. I really dont know what Id have done, whether Id have carried on with the pregnancy. I know Id have been terrified, anxious how Mark and I would have coped as older parents with a disabled child, and the impact on Amy. Im relieved we never had to make that decision. The YOU magazine shoot is a wrap, but it wont be long before Ellie is back in front of a camera, with demand for her ever growing. Dress, 645, Samantha Sung, fenwick.co.uk I want to carry on modelling, she says. And also do some acting. I hope the success Ive had shows there is an appetite for diversity in advertising, so that more people like me can have these opportunities. Dress, 475, Red Valentino, mytheresa.com Id love to go back in time, though, and tell that paediatrician all about the person Ellie has grown into. How wrong he was to think she would achieve nothing in her life. The YOU magazine shoot is a wrap, but it wont be long before Ellie is back in front of a camera, with demand for her ever growing. I want to carry on modelling, she says. And also do some acting. I hope the success Ive had shows there is an appetite for diversity in advertising, so that more people like me can have these opportunities. What is certain is the future is bright; the future is models like Ellie Goldstein. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 07:16:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SANTIAGO, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Chilean government reported on Saturday that the country has administered over 3 million polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) since the disease was first detected in the country. Chilean Health Minister Enrique Paris told local press that "the figures that we can report today reflect the enormous effort of health workers, who have made it possible to conduct more than 34,000 tests in the last 24 hours, surpassing 3 million tests in total." The ministry reported that 34,822 PCR tests were administered in the last 24 hours, for a total of 3,010,713 tests administered nationwide so far. The ministry also reported 1,848 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, bringing the total caseload to 444,674, with 14,319 currently active cases. Additionally, 55 more deaths from the disease were registered in the same period of time, bringing the death toll to 12,254. Enditem [Live coverage of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg funeral, which begins on Wednesday with three days of honors.] In 2014, the Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the pioneering legal mind and advocate for equal treatment of the sexes who died on Friday, did something that probably none of her male colleagues were ever asked to do: she gave a tour of her office closet. The occasion was an interview with Katie Couric after Justice Ginsburgs strongly-worded, 35-page dissent in the Burwell vs. Hobby Lobby decision, in which the court sided with a corporations desire to challenge the Affordable Care Acts contraception mandate on the grounds of religious freedom. But Justice Ginsburg did not seem remotely put out about starting the conversation with fashion. Opening the imposing wood doors of her wardrobe, the Justice revealed, on one side, the long black robes of the court, and on the other taking up more than half the hanger space her extensive collection of elaborate collars. She had them, she said, from all over the world. She had them for every occasion, and for every kind of opinion of the court. In the 1990s Daniel Yergin emerged as one of the great chroniclers of our day. Both The Prize, his epic history of oil (which won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize in general nonfiction), and The Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy, written with Joseph Stanislaw, were turned into blockbuster television series. The New Map is Mr Yergins effort to chart the world of 2020. A sense of increasing disorder and multipolarity pervades The New Map. Indeed, it is implied in the books organising idea the map. Maps are ordering devices. But they are also perspectival. ... Syracuse, N.Y. -- Its been more than three months since New York confirmed more than 1,000 coronavirus cases in a single day, according to state data. On June 5, another 1,108 Covid-19 cases were confirmed. That news came on a day when the state got results for more than 77,000 cases. Since then, the state has steadily increased its daily testing even as the number of new cases has remained below 1,000 a day, a review of the data by syracuse.com | The Post-Standard shows. On Saturday, New York received results for more than 100,000 coronavirus tests -- and just 0.86% were positive, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomos office. Yet the new statewide cases keep coming -- and coming in the hundreds. Some days, as few as 500 new cases are found. On other days, like Saturday, 862 new cases were confirmed. That pales with the situation last spring, when more than 11,000 people tested positive in a single day. And those 862 new cases reported Saturday come weeks after many colleges and universities have reopened for some on-campus living and learning. As of Saturday, SUNY Oneonta confirmed 680 cases since the semester began. SUNY Oswego is up to 223. Syracuse University had 30 active local cases, as of Friday. Overall, New York has confirmed 449,900 cases since March. Two more people died of coronavirus on Saturday, according to Cuomo. The total number of deaths reported by the state is up to 25,427. Central New Yorks daily positive rate ticked back up to 1.2%, according to the governors office. That rate on Friday was 0.5%. The regions seven-day average of positive test results is 1.1%. Here are more details from Cuomos office about Saturdays data: Patient Hospitalization - 468 (+1) Patients Newly Admitted - 72 Hospital Counties - 31 Number ICU - 132 (-12) Number ICU with Intubation - 60 (+0) Total Discharges - 76,179 (+78) MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Young doctor from LaFayette dies from coronavirus SUNY Oswego confirms more than 200 cases since semester began Onondaga Countys coronavirus caseloads top 4,000 Sick kids in Onondaga County can get quick test Got a story idea or news tip youd like to share? Please contact me through email, Twitter, Facebook or at 315-470-2274. An 89-year-old grandfather has died days after being 'king hit' at his nursing home by another resident and suffering a broken neck, his family claims. War veteran Robert Driver had been in his walker at the Macquarie View aged care facility at Bolton Point, Lake Macquarie, NSW, about 7pm when a dementia patient allegedly hit him from behind, knocking him to the ground. 'That evening my father was hit from behind by another client of the dementia ward in a totally unprovoked and surprise attack,' daughter Julie-Anne Jones told the Sunday Telegraph. Macquarie View aged care facility at Bolton Point, Lake Macquarie, NSW where the shocking alleged attack occurred on the evening of August 20 The family was told that the person who hit Mr Driver was known to be aggressive and had recently been transferred from another facility, Mrs Jones said. Mrs Jones said her father, a former army lieutenant who also served with the RAAF was not taken to hospital immediately after the punch on August 20, but instead was put to bed for the evening. The following day-he had difficulty breathing and a stiff neck and was taken to John Hunter Hospital, where it was discovered his neck was broken. The break was in a critical juncture of the cervical cord which affected his breathing, and the hospital told the family they did not expect Mr Driver to survive. He was transferred back to the nursing home to die, which he did on August 25, five days after being punched. A post-mortem showed Mr Driver died from a cervical spinal injury and police are investigating the death. NSW Police are investigating the alleged attack by a dementia patient in a nursing home 'Why was my father put to bed and not taken directly to hospital? Everyone knows if you have a concussion you do not lay down,' Mrs Jones said. 'We want accountability for this incident. This was totally preventable.' Bolton Clarke chief operating officer David Swain told Daily Mail Australia on Sunday that management were working with both NSW Police and with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission after a male resident struck another male resident at Macquarie View. 'Both were residents of our special care dementia unit which provides care for residents with higher needs,' he said via email. Registered nurses were on site and available at all hours, supported by clinical teams, he said, and a staff member had been present and responded immediately. 'The resident was monitored closely and in consultation with the hospital was transferred for treatment when symptoms increased ... We are deeply saddened at these events and our thoughts are with the family,' he said. 'The male resident who exhibited aggressive behaviour was also taken to hospital for further assessment and has been permanently transferred to a different specialist centre for ongoing care.' NSW Police said the alleged attack took place at 7pm on August 20, they were awaiting the results of the post mortem and that a report would be prepared for the coroner. Washington, Sep 20 : A package containing ricin poison that was addressed to US President Donald Trump has been intercepted before it reached the White House, officials told American media outlets. The letter was discovered at a screening facility for White House mail earlier this week, the BBC quoted the officials as saying to the outlets on Saturday. They said a substance found inside the envelope was identified as ricin, a poison found naturally in castor beans. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Secret Service are investigating where the package came from and whether others have been sent through the US postal system. "At this time, there is no known threat to public safety," the FBI told CNN in a statement on Saturday. One official told the New York Times that investigators believe the package was sent from Canada. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said on Saturday it was working with the FBI to investigate the "suspicious letter sent to the White House". Ricin is produced by processing castor beans. It is a lethal substance that, if swallowed, inhaled or injected, can cause nausea, vomiting, internal bleeding and ultimately organ failure, the BBC reported. No known antidote exists for ricin. If a person is exposed to ricin, death can take place within 36 to 72 hours, depending on the dose received, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan has sent a congratulatory message on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, as reported the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia. The message reads as follows: I congratulate the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative on its 5th anniversary. I convey my warm greeting and best wishes to the founding members and entire personnel of the Initiative. Of course, Aurora Humanitarian Initiative is a young initiative, and I am certain it has a long way to go. However, today, it is safe to state that it is making its undeniable contribution to the dissemination of humanitarian values and the strengthening of peace through the dissemination of those values. It also contributes to the advancement of mankind and the establishment of the principles of justice, peace and solidarity. The geography and spheres of activity of the Initiative are expanding every year, and the Initiative is becoming recognizable among other prestigious international organizations. Through its activities, Aurora also helps increase the reputation of Armenia and the Armenian people, and it has unquestionably become one of the unique business cards of the Armenian people. The founders of the Initiative Vartan Gregorian, Noubar Afeyan and Ruben Vardanyan have truly done a great and sincere job and have achieved implementation of the idea of eternalizing the memory of the innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide by encouraging unconditional dedication to the advancement of peace and mankind. Unfortunately, there are wars and conflicts everywhere in the modern world. The Aurora Awards are one of the tools that help truly make a major contribution to the prevention of human tragedies and the establishment of peace. Aurora supports and pays homage to those who, overlooking all dangers and hardships, act for human lives, health, the protection of dignity and rights and for peace. Congratulating Aurora on its 5th anniversary once again, I express my admiration and gratitude to all those who are working to implement the programs of the Initiative I wish you all success and more achievements. Hong Kong: 23 COVID-19 cases reported The Centre for Health Protection today said it is investigating 23 additional COVID-19 cases, taking the number of confirmed cases in Hong Kong to 5,032. Among the new cases, four are locally transmitted and 19 are imported. The four local cases involve two males and two females aged between 12 and 58, who live in Mong Kok and Shek Kip Mei. The 19 patients classified as imported cases arrived from India, Nepal, the Philippines and Sweden. For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Government's dedicated webpage. This story has been published on: 2020-09-20. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Protests by MPs in the Rajya Sabha on Sunday took a rare toll on the proceedings of the Lok Sabha as a crucial debate on the Covid-19 situation was delayed. According to the new protocol adopted due to the Covid-19 pandemic, MPs of one house are asked to sit in the other House in order to maintain social distancing to reduce the risk of infection. As a result, Lok Sabha MPs allotted seats in the Rajya Sabha were unable to sit for the session as the chamber was occupied by the protesting MPs. The Lok Sabha proceedings were scheduled to start at 3 pm. However, with opposition MPs protesting against the three farm laws in the Rajya Sabha, Congress floor leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury appealed to the Speaker to delay the discussion on Covid-19. Inclined to start the debate at the scheduled time, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla assured the House that any MP who cant find a seat in the other House, will be accommodated in the Lok Sabha galleries and the chamber. Chowdhury, however, persisted and Birla agreed to halt the proceeding for an hour. The Congress leader said the magnanimity of the Speaker will set an example. During the debate on the situation arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Congress lashed out at the government. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor described India as the poster child for the worst-case scenario, saying, We have the worst of both sides. We have neither managed to stop or limit the spread of the virus nor have managed to keep the economy afloat. The GDP for the first time in 41 years will actually shrink and our employment crisis has become even worst than before. Reacting to the Congress attack, BJP member Kirit Solanki highlighted various welfare schemes announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government. He said the poor were provided free food grains and cash incentives during the lockdown. Solanki said the country has so far tested five crore people for coronavirus of which 1.5 crore tests were conducted in the last two weeks. The BJP member also pointed out that 33 crore poor people were given Rs 31,235 crore through the direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and the beneficiaries include farmers, women and senior citizens. Sir Philip Green cut a low-key figure on Thursday as he continues to live it up on his 100m superyacht in Capri, Italy. The Topshop boss, 68, was joined by his wife Tina, 71, and friends onboard his luxury vessel, Lionheart, with the group also enjoying an outing to the Italian island. Sir Phillip, who recently issued a grovelling apology in a humiliating U-turn over plans to exploit the government's furlough pay cut loophole to reduce payments to staff his company Arcadia was making redundant, opted for a casual look. Low-key: Sir Philip Green cut a low-key figure on Thursday as he continues to live it up on his 100m superyacht in Capri, Italy The billionaire wore an oversized grey V-neck T-shirt with a pair of matching jogging shorts. Sticking to his low-key look, Sir Phillip finished the ensemble with black trainers, white tube socks and a fitness watch. Sir Philip appeared relaxed and care-free during the trip and he even steered his superyacht's speed boat for a group outing with his friends in Capri. At a later point in the day, he was seen wearing a white T-shirt and swimming shorts for another excursion with the group. Stepping out: The Topshop boss, 68, was joined by his wife Tina, 71, and friends onboard his luxury vessel, Lionheart, with the group also enjoying an outing to the Italian island Casual: Sir Phillip, who recently issued a grovelling apology in a humiliating U-turn over plans to exploit the government's furlough pay cut loophole to reduce payments to staff his company Arcadia was making redundant, opted for a casual look The billionaire has been enjoying plenty of trips on his superyacht and just last week he was joined by Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton and model Florence Mueller in Corsica. Although earlier this month, his superyacht, Lionheart, was confined to a port in Monaco after two of the crew tested positive for coronavirus. Sir Philip's appearance comes just days after he issued a grovelling apology in a humiliating U-turn over plans to exploit the government's furlough pay cut loophole to reduce payments to staff his company Arcadia was making redundant. Arcadia Group, which has taken tens of millions of pounds in taxpayer-funded furlough money, was savaged after it emerged that employees who were losing their jobs would miss out on money during their notice period. Fun: Sir Philip appeared relaxed and care-free during the trip and he even steered his superyacht's speed boat for a group outing in Capri with friends In an extraordinary statement, the company crumbled, axeing the plan and apologising to its employees. Sources close to Sir Philip said he had ordered the U-turn after learning of the details of the proposed pay cut. 'We recently implemented a policy for those employees who are working their notice on furlough to receive their furlough pay instead of their full pay,' the company said in its statement. 'We got this decision wrong and the board has today amended this policy to ensure all affected employees will receive their full pay. They will be notified of this decision immediately. 'We are extremely sorry to all those individuals impacted for the distress that we have caused and apologise unreservedly.' Arcadia, which includes the fashion brands Topshop, Miss Selfridge and Dorothy Perkins, is making 300 staff redundant at its head office after sales slumped during the coronavirus lockdown. Famous pals: The billionaire has been enjoying plenty of trips on his superyacht and just last week he was joined by Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton and model Florence Mueller in Corsica But it was revealed that bosses had planned to take advantage of a loophole in rules allowing it to pay axed staff at reduced rates during their notice period. Arcadia made 300 staff at its head office redundant and paid then reduced rates for their notice period through a loophole in the government rules. Since July, companies have been required by law to pay full pre-coronavirus salaries to those who have been made redundant and who are serving a statutory notice period. But the rule does not apply to employees whose contracts include a longer notice period, which is the case for many of Arcadia's head office staff. Arcadia seized on the loophole to pay these staff according to their furlough and not their pre-crisis rates of pay. One executive at Arcadia reportedly told staff that the company needed to take 'every penny we can get' of public money. It would have saved the retail empire less than 1million. The move meant some higher-earning staff were set to receive just 50 per cent of the notice period pay they would have been entitled to if Arcadia had not taken advantage of the furlough scheme. A senior employee earning 100,000 would, for example, normally have been paid a full monthly salary of 5,553 during their notice period, but would have received just 2,777 under the ditched plan. The company's stance was in stark contrast to other big chains, including John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, WH Smith, Boots and Dixons Carphone, which say all redundancy packages are based on full pay. Finnegan Lee Elder, the Marin man who is on trial for the murder of Italian police officer Mario Cerciello, gave a surprise statement in court Wednesday, apologizing publicly for the first time for his role in the death of the officer. Elder, now 20, asked the Rome court for permission to speak, saying he finally had the "courage" to make a spontaneous statement. Elder said the night of July 26, 2019, when Vice Brigadier Mario Cerciello was fatally stabbed on a Rome street, was the worst of his life because I took a mans life, I took a husband away from his wife, I broke a bond between brothers and I took a son away from his mother. Ill never be able to forgive myself for this, and I dont expect Mr. Mario Cerciellos family to ever forgive me, although I truly hope one day they will, he said. Elder has been on trial in Rome since February along with a fellow Tamalpais High grad Gabriel Natale-Hjorth. The pair, who were vacationing in Italy in July 2019, are accused of stabbing Carabinieri Deputy Brigadier Mario Cerciello Rega to death. Although prosecutors allege Elder was the one who stabbed Cerciello Rega 11 times, in Italy accomplices to murder are also charged with the murder itself. According to prosecutors, Natale-Hjorth fought with Cerciello Rega's partner, Andrea Varriale, preventing him from coming to Cerciello Rega's aid. Both prosecutors and the defendants do not dispute that Elder and Natale-Hjorth tried to buy cocaine from a local dealer in Trastevere, a nightlife district in Rome. According to police, Elder and Natale-Hjorth got upset when the man who showed up for the drug deal didn't give them the cocaine. In retaliation, they allegedly stole the man's backpack and demanded 100 euros and a gram of cocaine to get it back. Unbeknownst to them, the man was a Carabinieri informant; he then told police he'd been robbed. The informant arranged to meet back up with the Bay Area teens. At that meeting, around 2:30 a.m., two plainclothes police officers Cerciello Rega and Varriale arrived. Here is where the stories vastly deviate. More for you Graphic testimony in trial of Marin teens accused in Italy murder Police and prosecutors say the officers identified themselves as law enforcement and showed their badges but were attacked "immediately" by the teens. Lawyers for Elder and Natale-Hjorth say the officers did not identify themselves as such, and the fatal scuffle was an act of self-defense by Elder. "We are absolutely certain that the two boys especially Finn, who doesnt speak a word of Italian had no idea that they were policemen," Renato Borzone, an Italian lawyer for Elder, told the New York Times. Elder, who wore a mask as he entered the courtroom Wednesday, said he had been struggling ever since that night, but was able to reflect on what happened while in prison. He recalled his mother wrote to Cerciello's family months ago, expressing his anguish and desire to apologize. But I didnt have the courage to write or speak out until now, Elder said. I understand that maybe its impossible to gain forgiveness from someone who lost a loved one, but I wanted to be honest that my desire is sincere, he said. All I can say is that Im filled with remorse and it pains me to think of the suffering Ive caused. Cerciello, who was killed soon after returning from his honeymoon, was hailed as a national hero at his funeral. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Katie Dowd is the SFGATE Managing Editor. Contact: katie.dowd@sfgate.com | Twitter: @katiedowd Thousands of asylum seekers are at risk of becoming homeless after the Home Office announced it was lifting a ban on asylum evictions with immediate effect. Individuals who have claimed asylum and had their cases refused will begin receiving notices to leave within 21 days from this week. It comes despite Boris Johnson announcing on Friday that the UK is now seeing a second wave of coronavirus and that it was inevitable that the pandemic would hit the country again. Charities and MPs said it was a reckless and irresponsible move that would put both asylum seekers and the public at risk, and accused the government of making already cash-strapped local authorities and third sector groups responsible for its actions. The Home Office announced at the end of March that asylum seekers would not be asked to leave their accommodation once their claim or appeal had been decided, as a protective measure in response to the pandemic. In a letter to charities on Tuesday, the director general of UK Visas and Immigration said asylum seekers with negative decisions would be served eviction notices with immediate effect in England. Officials in the devolved administrations in the rest of the UK will be consulted before evictions. Prior to the pandemic, failed asylum seekers who had been evicted would often become homeless and rely on third sector groups to provide support but charities said much of this provision had been forced to cease due to the pandemic and so was no longer available. People who have been refused asylum are usually not eligible for public funds, meaning it is questionable whether cash-strapped local councils will be able to provide them with support. Renae Mann, national director of the No Accommodation Network (NACCOM), which supports destitute migrants in the UK, said the move was completely out of line with the wider messaging from central government around the safety precautions needed to prevent the spread of the virus. Describing it as reckless and irresponsible, she said the decision also ignored the reality for the charity sector, which she said would bear the impact of asylum seekers being evicted. Over the last few months our members have told us how they are having to either shut down or rethink services entirely because of the pandemic. There was never enough capacity to meet the need before the pandemic the gap now is starker than ever, said Ms Mann. Against such a backdrop, it is profoundly unreasonable to think that the voluntary sector and local authorities could meet peoples needs and fix the problems that the Home Office has created with this decision. Our message could not be clearer: this decision needs to be reversed if we are to avoid a devastating return to destitution on the streets of our towns and cities. Stuart McDonald, SNP MP, said: With Covid on the rise again this is an utterly appalling decision by the Home Office, putting both asylum seekers and the public at risk. Making people homeless and destitute as the pandemic continues is especially shocking when that pandemic is known to be of particular danger to those very populations and indeed BAME people. Mariam Kemple-Hardy, head of campaigns at Refugee Action, said starting mass evictions just as Covid appeared to be snowballing was a sucker punch from the Home Office for people seeking asylum. There has been no warning to ensure the system including the voluntary sector is prepared to cope with vulnerable people being turfed out onto the streets. The government must share what plans it has in place to protect people in the asylum system as the pandemic looks set to worsen with winter coming, she said. Alex Fraser, director of refugee support and restoring family links at the British Red Cross, said the charity welcomed the decision from the Home Office in March to suspend evictions from asylum accommodation and that now was not the time to reverse that decision. We know from our work with people in the asylum system that this decision could create a cliff edge into poverty, destitution and potentially exploitation. Instead, people need to be supported to be able to keep themselves, their families and their communities safe, he added. A Home Office spokesperson said: The phased cessation of support has now begun in order to reduce the demand on the asylum system. We have been clear from the outset that this was a temporary measure which would be brought to an end as soon as it was safe to do so. Those who have received a negative asylum decision, which means they have no right to remain the UK, are given a 21 day grace period. During this time they are expected to make steps to return to their country of origin while still remaining in accommodation and receiving support. Assistance is available for those who leave voluntarily, but for those who do not, enforcement action may be taken to facilitate removal. State-run, private financial firms joining low-carbon drive By Lee Kyung-min A growing number of state-run organizations are seeking to prioritize an anti-coal drive in selecting banks that will handle a combined 34.1 billion won ($29 million) in state funds. The move is part of the environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) initiative, defined by the three central factors in measuring the sustainability and societal impact of an investment in a company or business. Of 16 education offices nationwide, five including Seoul, Daegu, Gangwon, Jeju and Busan will see the contract with their current partner banks expire in 2020, followed by nine in 2021. Anti-coal campaign a plus Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) said Sept. 2 that a new criterion will be added to evaluation standards to be met by banks that apply to manage its 1 billion won fund. According to the education office, banks seeking to handle its fund for four years starting 2021 will be evaluated on their degree of corporate social responsibility (CSR) contributions to education as well as anti-coal campaigning efforts. This means banks that invest in coal-fueled energy will be eliminated from selection and those making investments in green renewables will be up for consideration in a move to encourage financial firms to join the fight against climate change, a global concern emerging as the most devastating public health crisis to humankind. Banks will be evaluated on whether they have renounced investments into coal and subsequent plans on ways to reduce carbon emissions. In the neck-and-neck race are KB Kookmin Bank and NongHyup Bank, the latter of which has been the handler of the education office's fund since 1964. KB Financial Group, the holding firm of Kookmin Bank, has set up a long-term objective whereby the group's investment portfolio will reduce investment in carbon-heavy projects via increased investment in solar and wind among other renewable energy generation sources. NongHyup in response will highlight its five-year investment of 8 trillion won into ESG businesses as a key task undertaken by Green Finance Taskforce set up under the bank. The eco-friendly drive is expected to spread rapidly to other municipal governments nationwide pending the passage of a related bill submitted by Rep. Min Hyung-bae of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. Under the bill, municipal governments are to consider how much ESG investment was made by banks that apply to handle state funds and whether they have a long-term plan to contribute to carbon emission reduction. Financial firms joining in Brokerages and state-run lenders have already renounced carbon-heavy investment plans. Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) said Aug. 27 that it will no longer participate in business projects that undermine environmental safety, including one involving Adani Abbot Point Terminal (AAPT) through which coal from Adani's controversial Carmichael coal mine in Australia will be exported. This was a day after Korea Investment and Securities and Sansung Securities made a similar announcement, Aug 26. The two financial firms were the latest to join the anti-coal campaign following Samsung Securities and Hanwha Investment and Securities, both of which made the announcements in July. An activist Oh Dong-jae of For Our Climate, an environment advocacy group, said the series of renouncements should be a sobering reminder of how coal energy will no longer be a lucrative business plan. "Investing in AAPT is a backward-looking growth model, to put it mildly," Oh said. "The risk and repercussions of current business portfolios based on fossil fuel energy have been increasingly becoming a worldwide concern more directly felt by people in low sea level areas. I hope Korean financial firms would consider this a chance to rearrange their business portfolio in a more sustainable, future-oriented way." Bank portfolio adjustment inevitable Many state-run and commercial lenders will have little choice but to reorganize their business portfolio, an inevitable step following the notable push backing anti-coal campaigns. Data submitted from Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) to Rep. Kwon Eun-hee of the People's Party who sits on the National Assembly National Policy Committee, indicates the country's five major commercial lenders KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Woori, Hana and NongHyup spent 917.2 billion won to finance coal-powered energy businesses between 2015 and June 2020. Woori topped the list having spent 227.3 billion won in seven projects, followed by Shinhan (223.9 billion won), KB Kookmin (205.2 billion won), Hana (188 billion won) and NonhHyup (123.9 billion won). Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank) spent a combined 428.8 billion won to finance two coal-powered plants, 292.3 billion won in Indonesia April 2017 and 136.5 billion won in Vietnam in April 2018. Korea Development Bank (KDB) has invested 372.1 billion won in similar projects since 2015 including 16.5 billion won in refinancing involving Saemangeum Seawall in Gunsan. The IBK financed 22.6 billion won in the fossil fuel-related projects including 21.1 billion won in equity investment. Financial firms are increasingly urged to do business with robust fiscal soundness measured by their degree of compliance with the Paris Agreement, a crucial step to help them "internalize" the new environmentally sustainable and therefore desirable norm, according to the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEPFI) Korea Representative Lim Dae-woong. "The green initiative will be among their top priorities, not because they feel environmentally conscious or morally obliged, but because they are able to make money that way. Many Korean financial firms and state-run entities seeking to embrace anti-coal campaign is capitalism at its best," the environmental finance expert. This is a major improvement from the past whereby the financial sector barely took any interest in green initiatives, no more than caring about whether they would be able to boost profit by lending money to firms with an eco-friendly business model, a reason why Lim says there is cause for hope. "The global discourse is moving towards effective financial management of climate change-oriented risks. It is heartening that more organizations are seeking to adopt the environmentally conscious drive regardless of their profit motive." Editors note: The Journal continues Whats in a Name?, a twice a month column in which staff writer Elaine Briseno will give a short history of how places in New Mexico got their names. Arno Huning is a notable figure in the citys history but his most visible mark was something he had absolutely no hand in creating. Arno Street bears his name thanks to his father, Franz Huning, a pioneer in the urbanization of Albuquerque. Arno is a primarily residential road, about a block east of Broadway, that spans from the South Valley north through the Huning Highland Historic District to Granite. The Huning Highland District was also named by Franz Huning and was the citys first residential subdivision. Many of the homes in the district, including along Arno, are historical treasures in Albuquerque. The homes there were built in the Queen Anne architectural style, which features a variety of materials, gables, towers and screened-in porches. Smaller, one-story homes are sometimes referred to as Simplified Anne style because they have less elaborate features than larger homes and structures. Arno was born in 1869 and was the second child of Ernestine and Franz Huning. He grew up in the famous Huning Castle an opulent mansion that once sat guard along Central Ave. straddling the border between Old Town and Downtown. It was demolished in 1955 after falling into disrepair. As a young man, Arno Huning moved to Philadelphia to start his career as an engineer, but returned in 1905 after his fathers death. He once again took up residence in the castle along with his mother and his wife, Helen, formerly Scroggs, whom he had married in 1889 in her hometown of Lenox, Iowa. Huning Castle begin to show some signs of wear when Arno lived there but he didnt seem to panic much. After reading this Aug. 14, 1911, Albuquerque Journal story, Im pretty sure I would have panicked if this happened to me. According to the report, the homes east tower completely collapsed at 6 p.m. on Aug. 13. The incident created so much ruckus that the neighbors thought half the house had crumbled before the family put an end to the rumor. We were looking for it (the tower) to go over at almost any time as it had been sagging more and more, probably from a weakened foundation, Arno said. I am just as well satisfied to dispense with it, and we shall not rebuild it. His father left to him in trust all of his real estate holdings. It was near the castle his father built that Arno Huning erected another architectural marvel the Huning Castle Apartments, obviously named after his mansion. He wasnt holding on very tight to his purse strings when he built them either. According to advertisements at the time, the apartments would help to fill a long-felt need in this city in providing homes for those of the most exacting requirements. The architect, while not restricted as to cost, has not permitted fancy to wander at random but has kept his product within the bounds of refined elegance. The U-shaped building had a central courtyard and 20 one- and two-bedroom units with nine-foot ceilings and hardwood floors. Another advertisement at the time suggests Huning was trying to attract a certain type of clientele to his newly built apartments. Beautifully situated in our citys most exclusive residential section and occupying a most liberal portion of the spacious Huning Castle grounds are the Castle Apartment homes, now nearing completion. The ad went on to say he wanted them occupied by well-chosen and congenial families Not sure how well that would go over these days, but they definitely remained a trendy place to live decades after they were built. But it was a fire in 2009, not the wrecking ball, that took this historical structure. The building was gutted and too costly to repair. It was torn down and a bank has taken its place. Arno Hunings main occupation was running the Arno Huning Electric Co., which he started in 1906. Huning died of pneumonia on Jan. 8, 1936, and the company was sold a year later. An obituary for Helen Huning in 1947 indicates the couple had two daughters, Ernestine and Jane. Though not much more is known about him on a personal level, and while his castle is gone, apartments destroyed by fire and business sold off, his street remains. Curious about how a town, street or building got its name? Email staff writer Elaine Briseno at ebriseno@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3965 as she continues the monthly journey in Whats in a Name? Tariffs being cut to zero under the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) from January 1 this year and the COVID-19 pandemic have made for a tough year for the sugar industry, heard an online seminar. Farmers in Tra Cu District, Tra Vinh Province, harvest sugar canes. One third of sugar mills have closed and many other companies are facing bankruptcy since the beginning of this year. VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Hoa The Vietnam Sugar and Sugarcane Association (VSSA) reported that a third of sugar factories have closed and many companies are facing bankruptcy as they cannot sell their products, meaning there is no money to cover production costs and pay farmers or workers. Unbalanced competition between domestically produced sugar and imported sugar from Thailand under the ATIGA's commitments is seen as the cause of the problem by industry insiders. Currently, the Thai sugar industry is being supported by its government in many different forms to boost exports. Therefore, the domestic sugar price cannot compete with sugar imported from Thailand, said VSSA secretary-general Nguyen Van Loc. The low sugar price has caused sugarcane prices to fall, seriously affecting the raw material areas as well as farmers' income. Many businesses have increased the purchase price of sugarcane to VND800,000 - 850,0000 per tonne (US$35) to encourage farmers to keep growing sugarcane. However, the increase in raw material prices leads to higher production costs. It is estimated that the average cost of producing a kilo of white sugar in Vietnam in the 2019-20 crop year will increase by VND1,000-2,000 per kilogramme compared to that estimated from the beginning of the crop. Chairman of Lam Son Sugar Joint Stock Corporation Le Van Tam said that due to excess global sugar supply, the price of sugar was lower than cost, products could not be sold, inventory was large and cash flow was not circulating, while banks had restricted lending limits. Along with the effect of the ATIGA, smuggled sugar has also plagued the domestic sugar industry. Pham Hong Duong, vice chairman of Thanh Thanh Cong - Bien Hoa JSC (TTC Sugar), expressed concern as Vietnam had 41 sugar factories with an area of about 300,000 hectares of sugarcane before ATIGA but 11 had to close after the agreement took effect. Of the 30 factories in operation, only 13 were efficient, and 17 were suffering losses, he noted. Data from the General Department of Customs said Vietnam imported about 200,000 - 400,000 tonnes per year, including both raw and refined sugar, on average in 2017-19. However, statistics this year showed imports of sugar into Vietnam reached 820,000 tonnes since the ATIGA took effect, an increase of seven times compared to 2019, mainly Thai sugar. Vietnam is one of the largest sugar producers and consumers in the world and in ASEAN. The average annual production capacity of Vietnam is from 1 to 1.3 million tonnes of sugar. Compared to other countries in Asia and ASEAN, Vietnam's annual average sugar production volume is sixth after China, Thailand, Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Thailand and Australia are the two largest sugar exporters in the region and Thailand exports about 5 million tonnes of sugar on average per year. Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines are major sugar importers from Thailand. VNS Local sugar firms concerned by reduced import tariffs under ATIGA Domestic sugar companies are worried about losses in the local market as the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) will lower the tax rates for sugar imports from ASEAN markets to only 0%-5% on January 1 next year. Friday nights announcement that the justice had died of cancer is the latest twist along an uncommonly tortuous path for a major piece of social legislation. The ACA has been in peril in the courts and from President Trump and congressional Republicans since it was adopted by a Democratic president in 2010, becoming Barack Obamas main domestic policy achievement. The newest legal challenge comes as polls were showing health care was a dominant issue in the November elections, even before the coronavirus pandemic removed millions of Americans jobs and health insurance and elevated peoples worries about whether they would have coverage if they got sick. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More While the coronavirus pandemic has been a bane for most, it seems to have boosted the demand for personal grooming, particularly those that encourage the care and styling of natural black hair. According to a report by Bloomberg, demand was growing even before the imposition of the lockdown, and personal-care companies such as Unilever and Procter & Gamble had already expanded their offerings in the $1.8 market for all black-hair products. In 2020, as most of the salons and barbershops where Black Americans got their hair straightened, treated or cut shut for several months, many people from this community had little choice but to let their hair go natural. It was during this time that sales of some products for natural hair have doubled, according to Unilever. While big chain stores are stocking more of the goods, entertainers and social influencers have moved to capitalise on the rising popularity of naturally curly and coily hair, the report said. Garrett Donato, a Black Catholic school employee in Detroit who is growing his hair for the first time in years, was quoted as saying that this was a very interesting time. If youre Black, your hair is black," he said. Sales of black hair products took off after the pandemic lockdowns, according to Unilever and P&G. Neither of the retail companies disclosed actual figures. However, grocery chain Kroger Co has added shelf space for black hair-care products this year. It also said that there were plans to expand this range next year. In fact, over the past year, CVS Health Corp, another pharmacy chain, said it has increased shelf space by 35 percent for textured hair and colour cosmetics products, including adding new, Black-owned brands. Godrej Consumer Products in February revived Afro Sheen, which was around during the 1960s, after a two-decade hiatus. The risk of discrimination has prompted some of the leading makers of hair products, especially companies that benefit from the sales, to wade into the effort to battle workplace bias against black hair, the report said. The taxman is being given new powers to seize bank customers' financial details without their consent. New laws will allow the taxman to demand the information from banks with no need to ask a court or the taxpayer they are chasing. The new laws in the Finance Bill are designed to help HMRC tackle tax evasion. But the banking industry has warned they risk 'watering down' protections for taxpayers. Changes: New laws will allow the taxman to demand the information from banks with no need to ask a court or the taxpayer they are chasing UK Finance said the authorities were looking for an 'easy fix' to speed up tax investigations by cutting out the courts. The trade body said: 'We are concerned that HMRC, in removing independent oversight and appeal rights from the process, are simply inclining toward a convenient and easy fix to their timing issues, at the expense of a marginally harder path of fixing the current process, which has appropriate and necessary safeguards.' A spokesman for HMRC insisted the new rules contain safeguards for taxpayers. They said the new process was more in line with tax powers in other G20 nations. 'The power can only be used in specific circumstances where the information is reasonably required for the purposes of checking a taxpayer's tax position. It cannot be used to collect debts,' the spokesman said. Mr Jerry Asamani, the Upper East Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has dismissed claims that some school children got drowned in floods at Kobore in the Bawku West District, Upper East Region. He said since the Kobore Bridge was submerged as a result of the recent floods in the Region, some people transported people across the floods. I want to issue a disclaimer here, people say they used boats to take school children across and they got drowned, nothing of that sort happened. Mr Asamani refuted the stories in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga, on the sideline of a ceremony organised by the Volta River Authority and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company to present food items to his outfit for distribution to flood victims in the Region. He said, One of the unofficial boats capsized with about five occupants including; minors, the minors were really endangered, but were rescued with the help of the people around. Asked why operators of those unauthorised boats would still be allowed to operate despite the dangers involved, Mr Asamani said We called in the Police when the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia was around. They barricaded the two ends so that people could not have access to the place. After Dr Bawumia left, the police rather moved their barriers further. So, that protocol the police gave was broken and that is why they are using the place. Touching on the level of damage caused by the floods, the NADMO Director said crops such as maize, groundnuts, onions, watermelons among others were submerged including; collapsed bridges. He said some houses in the region collapsed, but the worst hit was Anateem, a community in the Bolgatanga Municipality, Their houses were submerged and they had to run for their lives, and settled in the Anateem Primary School. Mr Asamani disclosed that preliminary data on the floods indicated that a total of about 7,561 persons including children were affected in the Region. In the Bolgatanga Municipality for instance, the Director said a total of 544 persons comprising 132 males, 145 females, 130 male children and 137 female children were affected by the floods. He added that The major problem we are now faced with is the Kobore Bridge that has literally been eroded, a distance of about 20 to 30 metres has been destroyed. Mr Asamani said a recent visit to the bridge by Mr Frank Fuseini Adongo, the Upper East Deputy Regional Minister and some officials from his outfit revealed that the water was gradually receding. He said they were hopeful that government would take measures to ensure that stranded trucks loaded with goods would be able to cross. He said an option would be to redirect the trucks, but the containers had tracking devices and could not be diverted to use unapproved routes. So we have arranged with the Regional Customs Director to reprogramme some of the drivers to use the Paga route instead of staying there. The NADMO Director further stated that per their checks, the trucks had no perishable goods. 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 Macon, Georgia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 20, 2020) - Dr. Wayne Johnson, a senior official within the Trump administration now running as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in the Georgia Special Senate Election, is calling for President Trump to stand-down on his declared intention to immediately set forth a nomination to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Dr. Johnson believes that proceeding with a nomination prior to the November elections for President and members of the Senate will only serve to further polarize our nation and will create serious unintended consequences for the future. Additionally, Johnson wants citizens to remember that U.S. Senate elections are equally as important as is the Presidential election when it comes to a final decision on a U.S. Supreme Court Justice. According to Johnson, many American's will interpret President Trump's wielding of the power of nomination in a rushed manner - along with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's forcing of a vote with the currently seated U.S. Senate - as being disrespectful of established political norms, as well as being uncaring about the "will" of the American people that will soon be expressed by way of the election. Most importantly however, is Dr. Johnson's concern that the action of moving forward with a nomination - and perhaps even getting a confirmation - will push Democrats to the point of extracting revenge in the future. And this revenge could potentially manifest as a "packing of the court" by way of an increase in the number of Supreme Court Justices. Dr. Johnson is also troubled that appointed Senator Kelly Loeffler and Senate Candidate Doug Collins are blindly voicing support for the intended actions of President Trump with regard to such a nomination. Both Collins and Loeffler, who are seeking election to the U.S. Senate in November, should be insisting that a Supreme Court Justice nomination and vote by the Senate be deferred until after the election out of respect to the voters of Georgia who will be deciding who - by election, and not by Governor appointment - they want as their Senator making such decisions. Story continues "Our country's selection of a Justice to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court is far too important than to be weaponized; nor should it be undertaken as "win-lose" gamesmanship by our Federal government leaders. We as a nation are better than this," stated Dr. Johnson. Dr. Johnson is setting forth a proposal of compromise that he believes should be agreeable to both Republicans and Democrats in serving to restore dignity and statesmanship to both the current situation, and to the process of selecting a U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Dr. A. Wayne Johnson Candidate for U.S. Senate To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7213/64213_0dda855184a669ef_001full.jpg The proposal that Dr. Johnson is putting forward is as follows: 1) President Trump should allow that the nomination for the next Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court be made by whomever the people of the United States elect as President in the pending 2020 election. 2) That both Democrats and Republicans agree that for the next 25 years neither party will undertake to expand the Supreme Court beyond the current number of nine Justices. 3) That the "nuclear option" related to the limitation of filibuster in the Senate that was put in place in April 2017 be reversed; and with the proposal of Senator Tom Harkin as set forth in 2013 for a "staged" reduction of votes needed for cloture be adopted. 4) That there be an understanding between Democrats and Republicans that any non-substantiated accusations against a nominee be first discussed in Senate closed session - and that there shall be no surprise "grandstanding" around unsubstantiated claims against a nominee. Dr. Johnson also added this for consideration, "It is recognized by a great number of American's, regardless of political persuasion or ideology, that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a true and consequential American hero and public servant. One of the best and most noble ways to honor Justice Ginsburg is to respect what has been reported as her dying wish - that the President to be elected this coming November be the one to nominate her replacement, whether that be Donald Trump or Joe Biden." Johnson further added, "That if elected to serve the people of Georgia in the U.S. Senate, I commit that I will at all times make my decisions in light of what I think is best for the people of Georgia, independent of White House or Senate Leadership influence. The stakes as it relates to everyday life issues for Georgians are just too high - and I will always remember that the people of Georgia put me in office." About Dr. A. Wayne Johnson Dr. Johnson served as a senior executive within the Trump Administration overseeing the nation's $1.6 trillion student loan program that affects 44 million Americans and their families, including 1.8 million citizens of Georgia. During his time in office he witnessed first-hand the devastating life impact that un-checked student loan debt is having on the very fabric of America. During his time working in the Executive Branch of the government he reached the conclusion that only changes in Federal Law would serve to correct the serious problems brought about by the current Federal Student Loan Program. Therefore, Dr. Johnson resigned his position with the government and now seeks election to the U.S. Senate for Georgia so that he can lead the charge to make the required changes to Federal higher education finance law. Johnson has put forth an Opportunity Plus Plan for Higher Education that can be reviewed on his website www.johnsonsenate.com. This plan would cancel more than $1 Trillion in student loan debt and would provide $50,000 to each high school graduate in order to fund these graduates as they undertake job skills training or academic pursuit. Dr. Johnson holds both an earned Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership and a Masters in Business Administration. He is also an accomplished and successful private sector executive. He considers his time working in Washington as highly challenging and professionally rewarding. Dr. Johnson is not a politician, and considers himself fortunate to have been allowed to be a public servant in the Federal Government of the United States of America. He is a U.S. Army veteran, an Eagle Scout and a product of Georgia's education system. He makes his home in Macon, Georgia. Website: www.johnsonsenate.com. Twitter: www.twitter.com/johnsonsenate Facebook: www.facebook.com/johnsonsenate Paid for by Wayne Johnson for Senate, Inc. For further information: media@JohnsonSenate.com Davis Lundy, 423-240-5749 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/64213 Protesters with old Belarusian national flags march during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, on Sept. 20, 2020. (TUT.by/AP Photo) March of 100,000 Marks Week 7 of Belarus Protests KYIV, UkraineTens of thousands of Belarusians calling for the authoritarian president to resign marched through the capital Sunday as the countrys wave of protests entered its seventh week. Hundreds of soldiers blocked off the center of Minsk, deploying water cannons and armored personnel carriers, and erecting barbed wire barriers. Protests also took place in several other cities, including Brest and Grodno. Protesters with old Belarusian national flags march during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, on Sept. 20, 2020. (TUT.by/AP Photo) The crowd in Minsk included about 100,000 people, said Ales Bialiatski, head of the Viasna human rights organization. He said dozens of demonstrators were arrested in Minsk and Grodno. Protests began Aug. 9 after an election that official results say gave President Alexander Lukashenko a sixth term in office; opponents and some poll workers say the results were manipulated. Police detain a protester during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, on Sept. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/TUT.by) Lukashenko, who has repressed opposition and independent news media during 26 years in power, has rejected suggestions of dialogue with the protesters. Many members of the Coordination Council that was formed by the opposition to push for a transition of power have been arrested or have fled the country. The Minsk demonstrators carried the red-and-white flags that were independent Belarus national standard before being replaced in 1995, early in Lukashenkos tenure. Some bore placards depicting Lukashenko as a mustachioed cockroach. Protesters carry a huge old Belarusian national flag during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, on Sept. 20, 2020. (TUT.by/AP Photo) Although protests have taken place daily since the election, the Sunday gatherings in Minsk have been by far the largest, attracting crowds of as many as 200,000 people. Every Sunday, you are showing yourselves and the world that the Belarusian people are the power, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who was Lukashenkos main election opponent, said in a video message from Lithuania, where she is in exile. Protesters with old Belarusian national flags march during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, on Sept. 20, 2020. (TUT.by/AP Photo) The marchers also carried portraits of Maria Kolesnikova, a top opposition figure who has been jailed for two weeks and is facing charges of undermining state security that could bring a five-year prison term. Kolesnikova has said security forces drove her to the border with Ukraine to try to make her leave the country, but that she tore up her passport so she couldnt cross the border. In a statement relayed by her lawyer on Sunday, Kolesnikova urged protesters to continue. Politician and representative of the Coordination Council for members of the Belarusian opposition Maria Kolesnikova attends a news conference in Minsk, on Aug. 24, 2020. (Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters) Freedom is worth fighting for. Do not be afraid to be free, she said. I do not regret anything and would do the same again. Also Sunday, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Olga Chemodanova said an investigation has been opened into the release by hackers of the personal information of more than 1,000 employees of the ministry, which runs the police forces. By Yuras Karmanau Katie Piper has made her first appearance as a presenter on Songs Of Praise where she spoke to a farmer whose wife took her own life after a battle with mental health. The TV personality, 36, spoke to semi-retired farmer David Brooke, who ran a farm for more than 25 years in Carmarthenshire, Wales, before his wife Cathy died in 2015. Katie revealed how she felt a 'sense of healing through God' as she learned about the scheme that David volunteers with which helps to support farmers during difficulty. Open: Katie Piper, 36, has made her first appearance as a presenter on Songs Of Praise where she spoke to a farmer whose wife took her own life after a battle with mental health The mother-of-two was seen walking through a farm in wellies as she learned of the importance of the helpline for famers in the programme which aired on Sunday. Katie said: 'At this time of year the pressure for a good harvest for some farmers can make or break them. 'And when they fear that they can't get through - this is when they need someone to turn to.' Natural: The mother-of-two was seen walking through a farm in wellies as she learned of the importance of the helpline for famers in the programme which aired on Sunday The philanthropist spoke to The Venerable Eileen Davis who started the Tir Dewi scheme in West Wales to help farmers 'facing times of crisis'. Welcoming Katie into the church, she explained: 'Agriculture today is one of the industries today that sees the greatest number of unfortunately suicides because of the fact of rural isolation.' Katie later met with David who she described 'knows the pressures only too well' of managing a farm and a large family. Speaking to Katie, the father-of-four said: 'Cath wasn't very happy and my work was very demanding. We had been short of money a bit and it had been quite tough to raise a large family.' Katie said: 'At this time of year the pressure for a good harvest for some farmers can make or break them' Learning: The philanthropist spoke to The Venerable Eileen Davis who started the Tir Dewi scheme in West Wales to help farmers 'facing times of crisis' 'She just seemed to spiral down and down and I don't seem to know what actually caused it.' He added: 'She rallied and she seemed fine and then gradually I think life got too much for her again.' Speaking about the scheme, he said: 'When Cath died I thought I would like to do something to help. Speaking out: Katie met with David Brooke who she described 'knows the pressures only too well' of managing a farm and a large family 'Men are very reluctant to talk about their feelings and farmers are not very good at communicating either.' Earlier this month Katie told the BBC how she was 'thrilled to be joining the Songs Of Praise team'. Songs of Praise producer Matthew Napier said: 'When we first filmed with Katie we heard her eloquently express her faith and the important role it played at a difficult time of her life.' Farming: Katie spoke to semi-retired farmer David Brooke, who ran a farm for more than 25 years in Carmarthenshire, Wales, before his wife Cathy died in 2015 Katie is mother to daughter Belle, six, and Penelope, two, who she shares with her husband Richard Sutton after the couple married in 2015. She suffered life-altering burns after being doused in sulphuric acid by Stefan Sylvestre in a horrific acid attack in 2008, which was orchestrated by her jealous ex-boyfriend David Lynch. She endured significant damage to her face including her eye which forced her to have a skin graft last month to have her lid replaced after struggling to open it. If you have been affected by this story, please call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org Washington President Donald Trump pressed Senate Republicans on Saturday to confirm his choice to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg "without delay," setting up a momentous battle sure to inflame the campaign even as party leaders weighed whether they could force a confirmation vote before the election Nov. 3. Trump appears likely to nominate a successor to Ginsburg this coming week after her death Friday a selection that, if confirmed, would shift the Supreme Court to the right for years. But with some Republican senators balking, Sen. Mitch McConnell, the majority leader from Kentucky, was canvassing to figure out whether he had enough votes to rush a confirmation in the next six weeks. "We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices," Trump wrote Saturday morning on Twitter. "We have this obligation, without delay!" He addressed the message to "GOP" but did not define "without delay" or explicitly demand a Senate decision before voters cast their ballots. It was not immediately clear whether Trump would push ahead with the gamble of a Senate showdown before the election that would cement his legacy or wait to confirm a choice in a lame-duck session that would follow the election. Some Republican strategists said it would make more sense for the president to name a choice right away and proceed with hearings but wait for a Senate vote until after Nov. 3 to give Republicans who have soured on Trump because of the coronavirus pandemic or other reasons an incentive to turn out to vote. Trump spoke with McConnell on Friday night and identified his three top choices as Judges Amy Coney Barrett of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, Barbara Lagoa of the 11th Circuit in Atlanta and Amul R. Thapar of the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati, according to two people familiar with the discussion. The front-runner appeared to be Barrett, a favorite of anti-abortion conservatives who was a finalist for a previous Supreme Court vacancy when the president reportedly said he was "saving her for Ginsburg." The White House has been working since spring on a plan to replace Ginsburg if the opportunity arose, although some aides were still pressing candidates in addition to the three the president mentioned to McConnell. The Senate leader made no comment on the names, nor did he offer any of his own suggestions, said the people familiar with the conversation. McConnell moved to stave off defections in his conference by sending a letter late Friday to Republican senators urging them to "keep your powder dry" and not "prematurely lock yourselves into a position you may later regret." At least two Republicans have made clear that they would not support jamming through a nominee so close to a presidential election, meaning McConnell, with a 53-47 majority and Vice President Mike Pence as a tiebreaker, could afford to lose only one more. But some Republicans like Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas were agitating for a quick vote, arguing that a potentially messy pandemic election with the president already challenging the legitimacy of mail-in voting could wind up at the Supreme Court much as the 2000 election did. A short-handed eight-member court could deadlock at 4-4 if Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the three remaining liberals, as he has on a few occasions, whereas another Trump-appointed justice would cement the conservative hold on the bench. "We cannot have Election Day come and go with a 4-4 court," Cruz said Friday night on Fox News. "A 4-4 court that is equally divided cannot decide anything. And I think we risk a constitutional crisis if we do not have a nine-justice Supreme Court, particularly when there is such a risk of a contested election." No vacancy at the Supreme Court occurring so close to a presidential election in U.S. history has been filled by Senate vote before the election. The closest came in 1916 when Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes resigned 150 days before the election to run as the Republican candidate, and his successor was confirmed before the balloting. When a retirement opened up a seat right before the 1956 election, President Dwight D. Eisenhower filled it with a recess appointment, reaching across the aisle to install a Democrat, William J. Brennan. After winning a second term, Eisenhower formally nominated Brennan for the lifetime position. The recess appointment was not controversial at the time, and Brennan was eventually confirmed with almost no opposition. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. For today's partisans, the more memorable precedent was Justice Antonin Scalia's death in February 2016, which came 269 days before the election. McConnell blocked President Barack Obama from filling the seat with his nominee, Judge Merrick B. Garland, arguing that it was too close to the election. "The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court justice," McConnell said in a statement released after Scalia's death. "Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president." McConnell later amended his rationale, saying it was not just proximity to the election that justified blocking a nominee but the fact that the president and the Senate majority at the time were held by opposite parties. Still, after Ginsburg's death Friday, Democrats, led by former Vice President Joe Biden, their presidential nominee, demanded Republicans respect the precedent they set of not acting so close to a presidential election and threw McConnell's words back at him. Senate Democrats held a conference call Saturday to plot strategy, and Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, the party leader, warned of possible retaliation if the Republicans forced through a confirmation. "Let me be clear," he told his fellow senators, according to a person on the call. "If Leader McConnell and Senate Republicans move forward with this, then nothing is off the table for next year. Nothing is off the table." Some Democrats have argued that if they take control of the Senate, they should consider eliminating the filibuster used by the minority party to block legislation and potentially even add seats to the Supreme Court to offset what they consider Trump's illegitimate appointments. The number of seats on the Supreme Court is set by law, not the Constitution, and has shifted over the years, but the last time a president tried packing the court by expanding it, Franklin D. Roosevelt suffered one of his biggest legislative defeats. Either way, Democrats wasted little time mobilizing their supporters and issuing fundraising appeals after Ginsburg's death. "We cannot let them win this fight," Sen. Kamala Harris of California, the party's vice presidential nominee, wrote in an email. "Millions of Americans are counting on us to stand up, right now, and fight like hell to protect the Supreme Court not just for today, but for generations to come." I've read many college admission guides. I've even written one. Few match the depth and intelligence of higher education journalist Jeffrey Selingo's latest book, "Who Gets In And Why: A Year Inside College Admissions." He provides something publications of this genre rarely do: imagination. He gives good advice on getting in. He makes clear how little our stressful and controversial admission system has changed in the past few decades, and why that is the case. Then Selingo, a former Washington Post contributor, makes creative suggestions for change. That's risky. Stepping away from reality can get you in trouble. Some of Selingo's proposals don't work for me, but several others are compelling. They are worth considering at a time when our colleges and universities have been knocked askew by the pandemic. Even the most prestigious -- and thus the most rigid -- institutions of higher learning might consider serious reform to get back on their feet. Here are some of Selingo's best ideas: 1. Colleges should disclose their needs for certain kinds of applicants. If a college is looking for "five specific zip codes in Florida, or for students who want to major in history, or for those interested in Catholic colleges," they should say so, Selingo says. That makes sense. Admission office perspectives have some odd twists. When my daughter was an 11th-grader in love with a certain Southern California college, her counselor sadly informed her that the campus of her dreams tended to reject students from the Washington area for fear their parents didn't let them go that far from home. My daughter, my wife and I told him we had all been born less than 50 miles from that college. We were sun-loving California chauvinists. He said he could work with that. A little more data from the college on its admission patterns might have helped. 2. Colleges should reveal what they charge students of varying family incomes and academic credentials. Discounts are common is college recruiting. But colleges fear they will weaken their bargaining power if they reveal how low they might go. Selingo recommends a searchable database to provide at least some clues. 3. Colleges should discourage listing every extracurricular activity and have applicants focus on just their deepest interests. Selingo notes that fewer than 15% of colleges think application essays, counselor and teacher recommendations, and extracurricular activities are of considerable importance. That is true for most colleges, but the big brand names rely heavily on those factors. I spent 20 years as a volunteer alumni recruiter. Each year we picked the applicants we thought our selective alma mater would like best, emphasizing what we knew the admission office wanted. Extracurriculars were important tiebreakers. In our discussions, we gave candidates weird labels, like the ballet-dancing third baseman or the cheerleading pastry cook. Two big activities will do for schools like that. 4. Colleges should build more dorms and open more campuses. Selingo shares my view that prestigious schools should stop celebrating their rejection of nearly every applicant and offer their gifts to more young people. I have suggested a Princeton campus at Pismo Beach or a Cornell in Corpus Christi. Selingo has researched the issue much more deeply than I have. I was surprised when he revealed that in Canada "the three most-prominent universities -- the University of Toronto, McGill University and the University of British Columbia -- enroll nearly 150,000 undergraduates." That's more students than the top 18 U.S. universities in the U.S. News & World Report rankings combined. Selingo rightly urges more creativity in university planning offices. They could learn something from the pandemic, rather than just wail and bemoan their fate. I think if they found better ways to do online courses, for instance, they might expand their admit lists without adding more lecture halls. Is it crass to discuss money at academic institutions older than our country? Selingo convinces me the answer is no. He recommends colleges respond to their financial problems with fresh thinking. Colleges demand that applicants show how resourceful and thoughtful they are. Selingo suggests university presidents and deans apply those same standards to themselves. Until now our higher education system has been the envy of the world. It should shake off its gloom and start fantasizing. Pioneering initiatives have the best chance in times of crisis, like this one. Here are some of the endorsements for John Mahama in the 2016 Elections. The chief of Kukurantumi in the Eastern Region, Nana Bosoma Asor Nkrawiri in October 2015, is said to have assured President Mahama of 50 per cent of the total votes in the region. The Chief of Sunyani, in October 2015 however, was surprised all the Eastern Region could put on the table was a paltry 50 per cent with a powerful declaration below: "I was surprised that the people of the Eastern Region promised President Mahama 50 percent of the votes but I am promising that we will give the president 80 percent of the total votes in the region, Nana Bosoma Asor Nkrawiri said this on the back of the development his area was enjoying under the Mahama administration. Also, the President of the Northern Regional House of Chiefs, Nayire Naa Bohugu Mahami Abdulai, on November 21, 2015, could not hide his enthusiasm for Mahama and sought to galvanise support for him with the statement below: We passionately pray that almighty God and our ancestral skins will support and back you to achieve your desired aim of continuing to be the president of the Republic of Ghana come 2016. when President Mahama visited the area as part of his #ChangingLives tour ahead of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). The story was not different in the Upper East Region as the Paramount Chief of Bawku, Naba Asigri Azoka Abugrago II, is reported to have appealed to residents in the area to vote for John Mahama during his 'Accounting to the People' tour in the Upper East region in July 2016 after the president cut sod for the reconstruction of the Bolgatanga-Bawku Road and an irrigation dam. The Omanhene of Yeji, Nana Pemapin Yaw Kagbrese also ceased the opportunity to endorses President John Mahama in October 2016 when he visited the area as part of his Brong Ahafo regional tour. The chief of Bassa, Nana Owusu Sekyi III, in the Brong Ahafo Region, also endorsed the candidature of President John Mahama during a campaign tour of the Brong Ahafo Region by the President with a remarkable appreciation in the statement below: We will not be able to list all the NDC government has done for this community. Although they havent constructing all the roads, we can clearly see that they are in the process of doing so. He used just three years to do all this because the first year was marred with the court saga so we congratulate him. He furthered his statement that he had done a lot in the education sector by providing a lot of infrastructure for us. The chief of Odumase No. 1, in the then Brong Ahafo Region, Nana Kwasi Yeboah also endorsed Mahama by saying "we do not need to make noise about it, all the projects we are seeing bears testimony to his [Mahamas] good works. We are solidly behind you Mr President, he told a gathering of people when the President Mahama called on him during in the run up to the 2016 elections. The story was not different in the Volta Region as Nana Saafo Attara II, the Adontenhene of the Dodo Traditional Area also endorsed President John Mahama with a touching statement in this shape, "people in Accra and the bigger cities who claim, we the people in this part of the Volta Region can sit there and do their politics. We here can feel the impact and we appreciate what President John Mahama has done for us, he said. The Akrosohene in the Akyem Kotoku area of the Eastern region, Nana Kwabena Ofori II also said President Mahama has brought to the area a number of laudable development projects and therefore needs to be given a second term. The Omanhene of Ajumako Bisease in the Western Region in his address to the chiefs and people, said I was abroad but decided to return for the festival because of the President. It is unfortunate that he could not make it for this event; I would have danced with him on the floor today for all to see how we appreciate him. As for me and my people, we know what we are going to do. He should not worry; the 2016 elections wont be a problem for him. God has already done it for him. So he should go to rest and forget about it; it is done, he said. Muslim and Zongo chiefs in the Eastern Region in October 2016 endorsed the re-election bid of President John Dramani Mahama. The chiefs made the affirmation when a delegation of the Council of Elders of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Zongo Caucus led by Alhaji Shamsu Kwakwa, called on chiefs at Koforidua, Suhum and Nsawam, all in the Eastern Region. Akufo-Addo's Endorsements in the run up to the 2016 Elections The Chief of Tuobodom in the Brong Ahafo Region, Nana Obeng Ameyaw Barimah II, in July 2016, declared his support for flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo by saying in this world, it is only those who embark on good missions who are encouraged and supported. He endorsed Nana Akufo-Addo when he paid a courtesy call on him at his Palace as part of the flagbearers campaign tour of the region towards the 2016 elections. The Paramount Chief of the Tumu Traditional Area, Kuoro Richard Babini Kanton VI, in September 2016, was looking forward to seeing Nana Akufo-Addo become the president of the republic with the statement below: We have been following governments, since time immemorial, and, still, we have not gotten a dam. So I believe that if you give us a dam, it will really help us so much. And we are looking forward to you coming to office, so you give us a dam, he said. The Chief of Garu, Naba Asuguru Akuntam Wini also believed Nana Akufo-Addo was the only one who would bring progress and prosperity to his people by saying our problem, in the past, was a district. President Kufuor, before the 2000 elections, came here and told us that if he won the election, it will be done. True to his word, the creation of the district was done. When NPP promises you something, it will be done. Thanks to his Excellency, President Kufuor, for giving us the district, he said. The Chief of Bawku, Naba Asigiri Azoka Abugrago II, also endorsed the NPP flagbearer Nana Akufo-Addo when he visited his palace as part of his campaign tour of the Upper East region by saying this is the proper endorsement I want to make. God willing this year, you will get what you want and become the President of Ghana. Mpaboahene of Asante monarch Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Nana Yaw Owusu on behalf of some 58 chiefs of the Asanteman Traditional Council, endorsed Nana Akufo-Addo, as he began his four-day tour of the region on Wednesday, October 19, 2016. The Gyasehene of the Peki Traditional area in the Volta Region, Togbui Takon Tutu Brempong in October 2016, also endorsed the Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo Addos bid to become Ghanas president during his campaign tour of the Volta Region. Fast forward in 2020, the endorsement seem to have swung in favour of Nana Akufo-Addo leaving John Dramani Mahama with paltry doses from the endorsements that have cropped up so far. It is important to stress that, any meaningful analysis could be hampered at this time in respect of the endorsements from our chiefs because there are still some weeks ahead of December 7, and as such, more and more of such endorsements are yet to come. However, looking at the proportion of the endorsements of the incumbent governments vis-a-vis that of the major opposition from the examples of the 2016 and that of this year, one wonders whether the chiefs are ordinarily playing their roles as agents of development of their respective traditional areas by giving such endorsements to lure the incumbent government to consider them in the distribution of development projects or they are members of either political camps covertly but fail to simply hide their political colours on such occasions. It appears Article 276(1) of the 1992 Constitution is cryptic as ambiguous and provides leeway for traditional rulers to dabble in politics as long as it's not an active partisan one. We are in huge conundrum as to who determines what an active partisan politics is in order to begin the process of abdication of the stool or skin of chiefs found to have gone contrary to the this Parent Act of the constitution. The questions that must be addressed with appropriate legislation could be two of the following: 1. Should we only classify active partisan politics of chiefs only on the basis of wielding political paraphernalia and campaigning vigorously for a party? 2. Should we classify only the contest of parliamentary seat especially on the ticket of a political party as chiefs dabbling in active partisan politics as the Article 276(1) purports to suggest? Whatever the options are, our chiefs remain the only symbolism of unity and as such, appropriate measures ought to be put in place to insulate them from making political statements that compromise their neutrality and make them caricature in the very eyes of the subjects who are supposed to revere them. [email protected] Sydney Australia's flagship airline Qantas on Thursday announced a new seven-hour non-stop flight around the country for travellers who are missing the experience of flying. With most of the country's state borders still closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, on October 10 a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner will take off from Sydney for a special scenic flight to nowhere, Deutsche press agency (DPA) reported. The low-level "Great Southern Land" flight circuit will go past sites such as Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef and Sydney Harbour before landing back in Sydney. "Just six months ago, we would have never imagined not being able to jump on a plane and visit family interstate or take a holiday internationally," Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said. "While we may not be able to take you overseas right now, we can certainly provide inspiration for future trips to some of Australias most beautiful destinations." The flight will also include an in-flight auction of Boeing 747 memorabilia. On Thursday Australia's consumer watchdog ACCC released its first report into the impact of Covid-19 on domestic air travel. In April 2020, travel restrictions led to a 95 percent drop in passengers compared to the same time last year. The route between Sydney and Melbourne, which had been the second-busiest flight corridor in the world, saw passenger numbers fall from 742,000 in April 2019 to 17,000 in April 2020. "Domestic airline travel was expected to be on its way to returning to more regular operations by now but infection spikes in some states and tighter border restrictions have delayed the recovery," ACCC Chair Rod Sims said. Edith Cowan University will vacate its Mount Lawley campus to move to the Perth CBD under a $695 million deal announced by the state and federal governments on Sunday. The new campus will be located west of Yagan Square on the Wellington Street bus station and falls under the Perth City Deal, a joint effort between federal, state and local governments to kickstart major projects in the city centre. An artists impression of the new ECU campus. The long-awaited deal was expected to bring more than 9200 students and staff from the uni's technology, arts, business and law and cybersecurity schools to the city by 2025. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the project would be a 'game-changing' investment in education, culture, jobs and lifestyle that Perth would benefit from for generations to come. Lucknow, Sep 20 : Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar on Sunday met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at the latter's official residence to discuss the chief minister's announcement about the country's "biggest and most beautiful film city" to be set up in Gautam Buddha Nagar district. The chief minister gifted the filmmaker a coin with Lord Ram's inscription on it, a copy of the Ram Charitramanas, a garland made of basil seeds and a coffee table book on the Kumbh Mela that was held at Prayagraj last year. According to a government spokesman, Bhandarkar congratulated the chief minister for planning a film city and assured full cooperation from the film fraternity. The spokesman said that the meeting assumes significance in the backdrop of the film city announcement. Adityanath has asked officials to identify land suitable for the film city project in NCR. "The CM announced to set up the biggest and most beautiful film city of the country in Gautam Budh Nagar district. He instructed officials to search for a suitable plot in or around Noida, Greater Noida or Yamuna Expressway and prepare an action plan to that effect," said a statement issued by the UP government. Chandra Mohan, secretary of the BJP's UP unit, said that the proposed film city would generate revenue, create jobs and also help showcase the state's rich heritage. "There are vast untapped spots in UP that have pristine natural beauty. Though the project (film city) has been talked about for long, now it has got the much-needed push," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 14:29:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The United States claimed on Saturday that all pre-2015 UN sanctions against Iran had been restored, a unilateral effort ignored by the international community. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that the sanctions are being re-imposed according to the "snapback" mechanism under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The United States unilaterally invoked the "snapback" on Aug. 20 after its failed and isolated attempt in the UN Security Council to extend the arms embargo against Tehran that expires next month. However, the overwhelming majority of Security Council members asserted that the United States has no right to invoke the "snapback" mechanism as the country is no longer a participant following its withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018. Indonesia's UN ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani, whose country holds the Security Council presidency for the month of August, said last month that he is "not in the position" to take further action as there is no consensus among council members over the issue. In the statement, Pompeo also threatened consequences if other countries fail to implement the sanctions. "The United States is prepared to use our domestic authorities to impose consequences for those failures and ensure that Iran does not reap the benefits of UN-prohibited activity," he said. He added that additional measures to "strengthen implementation of UN sanctions and hold violators accountable" would be announced in the coming days. It is reported that Britain, France, and Germany told the Security Council on Friday that any decision or action taken to reimpose UN sanctions against Iran "would be incapable of legal effect." Enditem Medical neglect and forced sterilisation at US immigrant detention facilities In a complaint lodged to the Office of the Inspector General on 14th September, several human rights groups in the US have drawn attention to the horrifying conditions in which detained immigrants are being kept in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities. The complaint was lodged by Project South Institute for the Elimination of Poverty and Genocide, Georgia Detention Watch, Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, and South Georgia Immigrant Support Network on behalf of detainees at the Irwin County Detention Centre (ICDC) in the state of Georgia. The complaint is based on interviews with detainees conducted by Project South and the testimony of ICDC nurse-turned-whistleblower Dawn Wooten. The document details accounts of jarring medical neglect at the ICDC, including refusal to test detainees for COVID-19 even when they are symptomatic, the transfer between facilities of detainees that have tested positive for COVID-19, the fabrication of medical records, systematic refusal to provide life dependent medication, and the destruction of medical requests filed by detainees. Detainees reported unsanitary conditions, spoiled and infested food, and medical staff dispensing ibuprofen for serious illnesses. One detainee reported that he did not receive his HIV medication for three weeks and another was not given her breast cancer medication for six weeks. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, overcrowded living spaces make social distancing impossible for detainees and protective equipment is either inadequate or non-existent. Sadly, such conditions are the norm in ICE facilities across the US. Overcrowding, unsanitary conditions and cruel, punitive measures are such systemic problems throughout these detention centres that it is impossible not to conclude that these outcomes are the result of a deliberate strategy to dehumanise and punish immigrants. This most recent complaint highlights a particularly troubling attack on the rights and bodies of detainees. The document presents credible evidence that medical professionals employed by ICE are performing hysterectomies on female detainees, often without their consent. A hysterectomy is the partial or complete surgical removal of the uterus. The procedure can be performed to treat conditions such as cancer, endometriosis, fibroids and severe period pain. However, alternate treatments are preferable in the majority of cases and hysterectomy is generally considered to be a last resort when other treatments have failed. Detainees interviewed by Project South reveal that women at ICDC are sent to one particular gynaecologist outside of the facility, while whistleblower Dawn Wooten reported that everybody he sees has a hysterectomy. Wooten tells the story of how one young female detainee with a cyst on her left ovary ended up having a total hysterectomy after the right ovary was removed by mistake. Wooten also expressed concern that most of the women detainees who have received a hysterectomy do not understand why the procedure was performed on them. These immigrant women, Wooten explains, I dont think they really, totally, all the way understand this is whats going to happen depending on who explains it to them. The testimonies included in the complaint suggest that these hysterectomies are being performed on immigrant women without their informed consent. Some commentators have used the word genocide when describing the heinous acts that have allegedly taken place at the ICDC. At this stage such a claim is hyperbolic. It is, however, completely reasonable to claim, based on the evidence at hand, that the US has carried out forced sterilisations on immigrant women during their detainment at ICE facilities. This is a serious assault on immigrants human rights and a ghastly indication of the depths to which modern capitalist authoritarian governments are willing to plunge in order to discourage unwanted immigration. Imperialism facilitates the flow of capital out of the imperial core, where it can exploit people and resources in the peripheries. This capital then returns at an increased magnitude, benefiting only those in the centre. The flow of people from the peripheries to the centre is not part of this design. Imperialist nations are reluctant to allow those at the edges of the empire to enjoy the wealth that has been plundered from their own soil. Thus, when imperial subjects attempt to escape their miserable conditions they must be punished. This punishment is then deliberately broadcast as a deterrent to other would-be immigrants and refugees. We here in Australia should be paying close attention to how the US is treating detained immigrants and refugees within its borders. After all, Australias off-shore detention centres provided the blueprint for the inhumane treatment of undesired immigrants that has come into fashion throughout Europe and the US. Successive Australian governments, both Labor and Coalition, have pursued policies of violent, punitive treatment towards immigrants and refugees for the sake of deterrence. What this demonstrates is that human rights violations against refugees and undesired immigrants is not an Australian problem, an American problem or a European problem. It is a capitalist problem common throughout the global north. The horrific treatment of unwanted immigrants is an integral part of capitalist imperialism. It is a problem that must be addressed by striking at the heart of capitalism itself. (Bloomberg) -- Chinas ByteDance Ltd. is seeking a valuation of $60 billion for TikTok as Oracle Corp. and Walmart Inc. take stakes in the short-video apps business to address U.S. security concerns, according to a person familiar with the matter. Oracle and Walmart have rights to buy 12.5% and 7.5% respectively of a newly established TikTok Global under an agreement that won the approval of President Donald Trump, the person said, asking not to be named discussing private negotiations. The two companies would pay a combined $12 billion for their stakes if they agree to that asking price. The final valuation had not been set as the parties worked out the equity structure and measures for data security, the person said. Terms are still in flux and the proposed valuation could still change. Beijing also has yet to approve the deal, though regulators are said to favor any transaction in which ByteDance maintains control of its valuable recommendation algorithms and other proprietary technology. ByteDance was pressured into a deal for TikTok when Trump threatened to ban the app in the U.S. over national security concerns. After Microsoft Corp. made a proposal for a full buyout of the service, ByteDance instead turned to Oracles offering in which the Chinese parent will maintain a solid majority stake. I approved the deal in concept, Trump told reporters Saturday as he left the White House for a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina. If they get it done, thats great. If they dont, thats OK too. ByteDance and Oracle representatives didnt respond to requests for comment. TikTok has emerged as a top target in Trumps effort to crack down on China ahead of the November U.S. elections. Tensions between Washington and Beijing are escalating as the Trump administration wages a campaign to contain the countrys technology ascendancy thats also ensnared Tencent Holdings Ltd., whose WeChat social media app faces a ban in the U.S. Story continues This is part of the broader technology decoupling of our two countries, said Melissa Hathaway, president of Hathaway Global Strategies and an advisor to the Obama and Bush administrations. Were using our different rules or policies or authorities within our countries to drive that wedge, and forcing choices between our companies and its overall customer base, unfortunately. The valuation for TikTok has been a looming question as Washington and Beijing clashed over the negotiations. The service for the U.S. market alone has been estimated to be worth $20 billion to $50 billion, or even more. Snap Inc., for context, trades at a $35 billion valuation. ByteDance, the Beijing-based parent company, is the most valuable private startup in the world at $140 billion, according to market researcher CB Insights. The TikTok Global deal does not include the apps China twin, Douyin, which has become an enormous hit in its own right. ByteDance may end up owning as much as 80% of TikTok Global, which would include the apps operations in the U.S. and the rest of the world excluding China. Venture firms, including Sequoia Capital and General Atlantic, may also acquire equity in the new business. Under the current proposal, there will be five seats on the board of TikTok Global. Walmart Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon will become a director, the retailer said in a statement. TikTok Global will likely be headquartered in Texas and will hire at least 25,000 people, Trump said. It will need to hire thousands of content moderators, engineers, and marketing staff that were previously located in China and around the world. TikTok Global intends to hold an initial public offering within 12 months, Oracle and Walmart said. And Trump said Saturday he wants $5 billion from companies creating the new TikTok venture for an education fund that would teach American children the real history of our country. TikTok plans to use proceeds from its IPO for the $5 billion grant, a person familiar with the matter said. ByteDance first heard about education fund payment from news reports, a company spokeswoman said. Oracle will get full access to review TikToks source code and updates to make sure there are no back doors used by the companys Chinese parent to gather data or to spy on the video-sharing apps 100 million American users, according to people familiar with the matter. The U.S. software giant has given reassurances it can protect TikTok user data from foreign influence. Oracle will quickly deploy, rapidly scale, and operate TikTok systems in the Oracle Cloud, CEO Safra Catz said in a statement. We are a 100% confident in our ability to deliver a highly secure environment to TikTok and ensure data privacy to TikToks American users. (Updates with details of $5 billion payment in 12th 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. She confirmed her romance with Brandon Myers last month, when the new couple were spotted enjoying night out together in London. But Gabby Allen was focused on another man in her life on Sunday, when she shared a throwback snap of herself with pal Lyle Whittaker to celebrate his 30th birthday. The Love Island star, 28, looked sensational in a skimpy green bikini as she posed alongside shirtless Lyle during one of their recent sunny getaways together. Throwback shot: Gabby Allen shared a throwback snap of herself with pal Lyle Whittaker to celebrate his 30th birthday Further glamming up her look with a selection of statement jewellery, the reality star was also seen playfully hugging her friend as they stood in a sparkling pool. Captioning the images, she wrote: 'Wishing the happiest of 30th birthdays to my partner in crime my mentor (sorry I never listen to you) my hairdresser, my go to plus 1 and my friend for eternity! 'Thank you for being such an amazing friend to me over the years, I dont know what I wouldve done without you. Strike a pose: Further glamming up her look with a selection of statement jewellery, the reality star was also seen playfully hugging her friend as they stood in a sparkling pool 'Thanks for always being there for me at a drop of a hat, for listening to me and mostly helping me create some AMAZING memories! Heres to many, MANY more.' Her post comes weeks after she was spotted enjoying a romantic night on the town with Ex On The Beach hunk Brandon Myers, 23, at Harry's Bar in London. They've since been seen looking loved up on each other's Instagram accounts. Only recently, the reality star shared a Q&A to her Instagram stories in which she revealed how her relationship with the Ex On The Beach hunk 'puts everything into perspective'. New romance: Her post comes weeks after she was confirmed her romance with Ex On The Beach hunk Brandon Myers, 23 Gabby was asked: 'How did you know you were ready for another relationship after your last one?' The reality star responded: 'I didn't. It was a slow burner. But this is VERY different to any relationship I've been in before. 'It puts most of my others to shame and I can't believe what I put up with to how well I am respected and how loved I feel now. 'It puts everything into perspective when someone treats you right.' Confirmed: Gabby recently confirmed and went Instagram official with new boyfriend Brandon after weeks of speculation In June, Gabby insisted her fellow reality star was a 'really good friend' but nothing more following relationship speculation. They were first reported to be dating in May, when he posted a flirty comment under one of her scantily-clad bikini snaps. But the fitness enthusiast insisted they are little more than close friends, telling OK!: 'No. We've known each other for a long time. He's the loveliest person and a really good friend of mine, but that's all it is. 'Someone must have seen him comment on a picture on my social media, and automatically assumed he's my boyfriend.' Baby mama: Her ex-boyfriend Marcel Somerville who she met in the 2017 Love Island villa announced earlier this year that he is expecting his first child with his fiance Rebecca Vieira Meanwhile her ex-boyfriend Marcel Somerville revealed that he is expecting his first child with his influencer partner Rebecca Vieira, and he recently announced that they have become engaged. Marcel and Gabby appeared on the 2017 season of the ITV2 dating show Love Island, in which they placed fourth, but she dumped him in February 2018 when she discovered he'd been unfaithful. Gabby also previously dated Rak-Su star Myles Stephenson until August 2019, when she accused him of cheating on her. - Waruguru said Mt Kenya region will only support a presidential candidate who will "seduce" its voters with best development deals - She dismissed Deputy President William Ruto's hustler narrative saying it would not bore fruits in Mt Kenya region. - The MP further asked the DP to desist from mounting pressure on President Uhuru Kenyatta to support his 2022 presidential bid - Waruguru was one of Ruto's loyal supporters until recently when she changed tune and joined Uhuru and Raila Odinga's handshake team Outspoken Laikipia Woman rep Cate Waruguru has challenged Deputy President William Ruto to sell his development agenda and desist from using the hustler's tag to popularise his 2022 presidential bid. Waruguru said Mt Kenya region would only support a presidential candidate who would clearly outline his agenda to the country and convince the masses on how he would solve their problems. READ ALSO: Uproar as Pumwani Maternity workers lockout woman giving birth from facility Laikipia Woman Rep Cate Waruguru. Photo: Cate Waruguru. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Bahati kama mtende! Muthee Kiengei afurahia sherehe ya mwanawe na wake wawili Addressing a group of women in Laikipia on Saturday, September 19, the woman rep said leaders from the vote-rich region will continue to meet to deliberate on 2022 politics and other development issues. "I would like all of you to know that the people of Mount Kenya will not be ruled by greedy individuals who think they can just ascend to power and start dictating to us on who should lead this and that area. We have been portrayed as rich by some media houses but that is not true, we have problems too, our kids have no schools, electricity and even roads. We are just as poor as any other person in Kenya and we need a leader who will address our problems," said Waruguru. READ ALSO: Senator Murkomen wants Solskjaer sacked after Man United's defeat to Crystal Palace "You must seduce us" Waruguru challenged all presidential aspirants to "seduce" Mt Kenya people with best deals if they need the region's support. She dismissed Ruto's hustler narrative saying it would not bore fruits in Mt Kenya region. The MP further asked the DP to desist from mounting pressure on President Uhuru Kenyatta to support his 2022 presidential bid, insisting the people of Central Kenya were sober enough to decide who will them. "Anyone who wants to win our hearts should come and take our hearts, seduce us. Mt Kenya is a beautiful girl who must be seduced well, the one with the best deal will be given to the man," she said. Cate Wauruguru during a past public rally. Photo: Cate Waruguru. Source: Facebook Church donations She further tore into Ruto penchant to dish out handouts and church donations at the expense of supporting development programs in the country. "We only see money being given to churches in millions but when it gets to money for development, we receive only receive peanuts. We as women from Nanyuki want someone who will talk about development agenda, be it Raila Odinga, William Ruto or even Musalia Mudavadi" said the Laikipia women rep. Waruguru was one of Ruto's loyal supporters until recently when she changed tune and joined President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga's handshake team. She has since vowed to support the head of state to deliver services to Kenyans and unite the country before the expiry of his final term in office come 2022. As 2022 political realignment gains momentum, different political factions are now forming with key interest focusing on who will succeed the outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta. 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. I have infected multiple men with HIV, my entire family hates me -Kiki wa Nge'ndo | Tuko TV. Source: TUKO.co.ke Remember when you were little, and adults fell under three categories: vaguely young, vaguely middle age, and vaguely smelling of adult diapers? We tend to apply the same metric to video game characters, whose uncanny valley faces defy proper dating unless their creators give out their age. And even if they tell you, you may not want to know; otherwise, you might find out that gaming's most beloved mustachioed New Yorker is actually a twenty-something, cloth cap, overall-wearing Brooklyn hipster. Nintendo There he goes, running to the nearest raw milk bar. In a 2005 interview, Mario Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto revealed that he only gave Mr. Mario one background detail -- a (disturbingly) young age. "side from the fact that he's about 24-25 years old, we didn't define anything else," said Miyamoto, not realizing that little detail changes everything we know about the potbellied plumber, who looks old enough that he didn't just grow that mustache ironically for Movember. The reports were received from Faridkot, Moga, Ludhiana, Ferozepur, Sangrur, Hoshiarpur and other places in Punjab and also many places in neighbouring Haryana. However, there was no report of violence anywhere in both the states. Chandigarh; Farmers in the states of Punjab and Haryana on Sunday held protests on a call given by various organisations against the "anti-farmer" bills introduced by the Union government in Parliament. The protesting farmers, under the banner of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), said they imposed a blockade on movement of vehicles, including public transportation, from rural areas to cities and towns as a mark of protest. They also burnt the copies of the farm bills. The farmers' organisations were demanding, among others, continuation of the minimum support price to their produce. Haryana unit BKU President Gurnam Singh Charuni said the farmers were forced to start the protest as the Central government was not helping the community. In Hisar, farmers blocked the toll plaza near Mayyar village on the national highway. Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Soni and Superintendent of Police Ganga Ram Punia reached the toll plaza to hold talks with the agitated farmers. Fearing a backlash from its alliance partner Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government in Haryana advised authorities to exercise restraint while dealing with farmers protesting against the central farm Bills. In a communication to Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Vjai Vardhan said the protesters should be dealt with "tact and patience". In Punjab, Akali patriarch and five-time Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has expressed "immense satisfaction and pride" over the strong and principled stand taken by the Shiromani Akali Dal "to save the beleaguered peasantry and the country". "I am pleased and proud that when the hour of reckoning arrived, my party as always has held aloft the flag of justice for farmers and other exploited sections of society. This flag symbolises the identity of the Akali culture and movements and it is a great feeling to watch it flying high," he said in a statement here. Badal said the farmers' issue relates to the overall national interest. His party SAD, an ally with the BJP in Punjab, has appealed to all political parties to join the "struggle" against the proposed legislations. It has castigated the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for what it called "back-stabbing the farmers" by not opposing the passage of the Bills in the Lok Sabha. On the contrary, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has asked opposition SAD leaders, including the Badal couple, 10 pointed and pertinent questions to nail the "lies" they have been allegedly perpetuating in the last few days to save face on the agriculture Bills. Responding to the no-holds barred attack launched by both Sukhbir Badal and his wife Harsimrat Badal since the ordinances were ready for introduction in Parliament, the Chief Minister said the duo had been fabricating lies on the whole issue just to cover up their "muddied faces", which had been completely exposed. New Delhi: There has been an over 19 per cent drop in Hepatitis-B doses administered at birth and 31 per cent drop in vaccination sessions in health facilities and outreach sessions from April to June this year as compared to the same period last year in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, Parliament was informed on Friday. During the same months this year, there has been a drop of 23.9 per cent in institutional deliveries in the country in comparison to the same duration in 2019 as per the Health Management Information System (HMIS), Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. As per the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) portal, a total of 10,96,048 antenatal checkups have been conducted from March to August this year. "There has been 19.4 per cent drop in Hepatitis-B birth doses administered and 31 per cent drop in vaccination sessions held in health facility and outreach sessions from April to June '20 as compared to same period last year as per Health Management Information System (HMIS), in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic," Choubey said. Giving details of restoration of vaccination drives in containment zones, Choubey said immunization services are being provided to beneficiaries who reach the immunization session sites in containment zones with measures to prevent COVID-19 spread like physical distancing, use of mask, hand sanitizer etc. Appropriate communication material has been developed and shared with the states and UTs for addressing vaccine hesitancy and strengthening routine immunization with due precautions during the pandemic. Supply chain of vaccines and other logistics has been ensured during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. Further, sub-national Pulse Polio Immunization activities have been allowed in containment zones with measures to prevent coronavirus infection spread, he said. Elaborating on the steps to address disruption in routine child and adult immunisation activities due to COVID-19, Choubey said to ensure universal immunization states and UTs have been provided with a series of guidelines for delivering immunization services as well as Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health Plus Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) services in the midst of the pandemic. The same has also been reiterated in video conferences with the states and UTs. Guidelines are also uploaded on the Ministry of Health website for wider dissemination. He further said regular reviews are being held with the states and UTs to discuss challenges being faced during the pandemic and the necessary measures taken to ensure immunization services. Choubey further clarified there is no shortage of vaccines in the country. Appropriate communication material has been developed and shared with the states and UTs for addressing vaccine hesitancy and strengthening routine immunization during COVID-19 pandemic, the minister said. As per HMIS, 58,14,588 children were fully immunized from April-June 2019, whereas during the same period in 2020, 44,13,896 children were fully immunized. On whether the Government has formulated a policy to track and trace individuals that may have missed their regular shots due to COVID-19, Choubey said, "Yes, due list is prepared after each immunization session to track and trace individuals who have missed their regular vaccine including individuals who have missed vaccination due to COVID-19 pandemic." The Trump administration unilaterally declared Saturday that international sanctions on Iran, lifted as part of a 2015 nuclear accord, have been reimposed. Theres one problem: Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia the other signatories to the deal President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from have no intention of enforcing those sanctions. The United Nations 15-member Security Council, which endorsed the Iran agreement negotiated by the Obama administration, has concluded the U.S. has no legal standing to enforce the so-called snapback sanctions, since it is no longer a party to the nuclear deal. Still, on Saturday evening, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared: The United States welcomes the return of virtually all previously terminated UN sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran. Pompeo notified the Security Council on Aug. 20 that the U.S. would be triggering the snapback penalties by Sept. 20. And Elliott Abrams, the U.S. special envoy for Iran, told reporters Wednesday the U.S. expects all UN member states to implement their member state responsibilities and respect their obligations to uphold these sanctions. Abrams added: If other nations do not follow it, I think they should be asked ... whether they do not think they are weakening the structure of UN sanctions. The Trump administration says it had to act because an arms embargo on Iran is set to expire in October. Pompeo has warned about the prospect of Iran being able to purchase conventional weapons from Russia or China. Snapping the sanctions back into place would bar Iran from buying such weapons. Richard Goldberg, who worked in Trump administration on Iran weapons issues until earlier this year, said he expects the president to threaten sanctions against any Russian or Chinese business that facilitate the sale of weapons to Iran, principally defence companies and banks. Its a game of chicken using the deterrent power of U.S. financial sanctions to force Moscow and Beijing to alter their behaviour, out of fear that sanctions will cost them a lot of money, said Goldberg, who is now a senior adviser with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a non-partisan think tank that supports a hardline on Iran. Whether it works, he said, will depend on Trumps willingness to enforce those sanctions and extend penalties to other nations that do business with blacklisted Chinese or Russian entities. In his statement on Saturday, he said the U.S. would announce a range of additional measures to strengthen implementation of UN sanctions and hold violators accountable. Russia and China fiercely oppose reimposing sanctions on Iran, as do other Security Council members. France, Germany and other U.S. allies have tried to salvage the Iran nuclear deal, despite the U.S. withdrawal. Critics say Trump lost his leverage to expand the nuclear agreement when he withdrew from it and Iran wants to proceed with the original deal, not a new one. The Trump Administration talked a big game but has produced no results, Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said when the administration announced its plans to force the sanctions snapback. The latest move, he said, is the ultimate admission of failure. Ever since the Trump administration exited the nuclear deal in 2018, Iran has stayed in the agreement while loosening its adherence to the accord by accelerating uranium enrichment. Irans leaders maintain they are only interested in nuclear material for civilian purposes, an assertion many question. In addition to the arms embargo, the UN sanctions the U.S. is seeking to reimpose would include a total ban on uranium enrichment as well as a complete prohibition on Irans missile activity. The Security Council rejected a prior U.S. effort to extend the arms embargo, although it did get backing from one country: the Dominican Republic one of 10 current non-permanent members of the Security Council. Israel and some Arab states who signed U.S.-brokered normalization accords covering their relations, also support American efforts to slap the additional UN sanctions on Iran. The Security Councils inaction would have paved the way for Iran to buy all manner of conventional weapons on October 18, Pompeo said Saturday. Fortunately for the world, the United States took responsible action to stop this from happening, he said. The return of sanctions today is a step toward international peace and security. Others said it was a recipe for heightened confrontation. In an analysis for the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, Iran expert Trita Parsi said that with less than seven weeks to go until the U.S. presidential elections, Trump could be preparing the ground for an October Surprise a confrontation with Iran that will be cast as both defensive and lawful. Parsi implied that starting a war with Iran could be a tactic Trump attempts to use to help him win the election. He said Pompeo has signalled he will enforce the non-existent UN sanctions, which could see U.S. warships attacking and confiscating Iranian cargo ships in international waters as well as non-Iranian vessels suspected of carrying Iranian goods. However, Trump has said he does not want a war with Iran. He has repeatedly sought negotiations with Tehrans leaders for what he says would be a better agreement, restricting not only Irans nuclear ambitions but also its ballistic missile program and its support for terrorist proxy groups in the Middle East. The objective is not a military confrontation. Its to bring Iran to the negotiating table and have a genuine conversation about how we can change Irans behaviour, Timothy Lenderking, Trumps deputy assistant secretary for Arabian Gulf Affairs, told reporters on Thursday. The Trump administrations declaration comes as the United Nations prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversary at a General Assembly forum from Tuesday, when Trump is expected to address the issue of Iran in a speech to the coronavirus-restricted event. Read more about: Imperial Valley News Center Former DEA Agent and His Wife Plead Guilty for Roles in Scheme to Divert Drug Proceeds From Undercover Money Laundering Investigations Miami, Florida - A former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agent and his wife pleaded guilty Monday to all charges in a 19-count indictment unsealed against them on Feb. 21, 2020. U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Wilson accepted the guilty pleas in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Jose Ismael Irizarry, 46, and his wife, Nathalia Gomez-Irizarry, 36, admitted to participating in a seven-year scheme to divert over $9 million in drug proceeds from undercover money laundering investigations into bank accounts that they and co-conspirators controlled. Irizarry and Gomez-Irizarry are scheduled to be sentenced at a later date. In a shocking breach of the publics trust, former DEA Special Agent Jose Irizarry, together with his wife, Nathalia Gomez-Irizarry, abused his position by illegally diverting millions of dollars in drug proceeds from undercover operations to personally benefit themselves, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Departments Criminal Division. Sworn law enforcement agents are entrusted with great responsibility, and the department will hold accountable those who exploit their positions to profit from public corruption. Irizarry joined forces with the same criminal drug organizations he promised to investigate and prosecute, said U.S. Attorney Byung J. BJay Pak for the Northern District of Georgia. He and his wife now stand as convicted felons, potentially facing years in federal prison with little to show for the betrayal of his oath to uphold the law. This former federal agent turned his back on the people he swore to protect and caved to greed and deceit, said Special Agent in Charge Michael F. McPherson of the FBIs Tampa Field Office. The FBI will not tolerate those who abuse the public trust and will persist in safeguarding the American people from public corruption. HSI is committed to maintaining the publics confidence in our law enforcement community by rooting out those corrupt individuals and criminal organizations who abuse the U.S. financial system for their own personal gain, said Acting Special Agent in Charge Kevin Sibley of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa Field Office. By working in partnership with federal, state, local and international partners, this investigation is a prime example of law enforcement agencies working collaboratively in pursuit of justice. Rather than upholding his oath to stop drug trafficking and money laundering, Irizarry actively participated in these schemes and collected millions of dollars for himself and his associates, said Special Agent in Charge James F. Boyersmith of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Miami Field Office. Irizarrys conduct enabled criminals, endangered the public, and jeopardized public trust in law enforcement. DEA worked with the FBI, the U.S. Attorney, and others in law enforcement to investigate and bring Irizarry to justice, said DEA Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea. Law enforcement, at any level, is based upon integrity and public trust. DEA employees work tirelessly every day to keep our communities safe from drug-related crime, and former DEA Special Agent Jose Irizarrys criminal actions 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. Its never pleasant to employ our unique financial investigative skills against a member of the law enforcement community, but no one dislikes a bad cop more than a good cop, said Special Agent in Charge Brian Payne of the IRS Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI) Tampa Field Office. Thankfully, the vast majority of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers vigilantly honor the badge, and we take great pride in teaming up with them. Together with our federal partners, we worked tirelessly to uncover the disgrace this particular agent attempted to bring on our profession. Irizarry filed for personal bankruptcy protection in December of 2010. As part of his plea, he admitted that soon after his bankruptcy was filed he began to exploit his position of public trust as a special agent to divert funds from undercover DEA money laundering investigations to himself and to co-conspirators. Diverted funds were then used to purchase jewelry, luxury cars, and a home. The scheme lasted throughout Irizarrys assignments to the DEAs Miami Field Division and to its office in Cartagena, Colombia. Irizarry resigned from the DEA in January of 2018. Irizarry further admitted that he and his criminal associates opened a bank account with a stolen identity and then utilized the account to secretly send and receive drug proceeds from active DEA investigations. Gomez-Irizarry admitted that she allowed her bank accounts and a Florida corporation in her name to be used in the scheme. By his own admission, Irizarry was in personal bankruptcy proceedings for nearly the duration of his criminal conduct and failed to disclose any of his illicit income to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Irizarry pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, honest services wire fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to commit identity theft, and aggravated identity theft. Gomez-Irizarry pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. Trial Attorneys Joseph Palazzo and Mark A. Irish of the Criminal Divisions Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Kurt Erskine of the Northern District of Georgia, are prosecuting the case. The FBI, HSI, Justice Departments OIG, DEA, and IRS-CI investigated the case with significant contributions from former Assistant U.S. Attorney James Mandolfo and investigators William Campbell and Paul Serletti. The U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Justice Departments Office of International Affairs, the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Sections Judicial Attaches Office in Bogota, Colombia, the U.S. Attorneys Offices for the District of Puerto Rico, Southern District of New York, and the Eastern District of Texas, the Colombian Attorney Generals Office (Fiscalia General de la Nacion), the Department of Homeland Securitys Office of Inspector General, and the South Florida Money Laundering Strike Force at the Miami-Dade State Attorneys Office provided valuable assistance. Democratic activist Rufi Natarajan was celebrating her birthday at home with a few close friends Friday evening when she learned that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the revered feminist icon known as RBG, had died at age 87 less than two months before the presidential election. It was supposed to be a celebration, but it very quickly turned into something else, Natarajan, of Houston, said Saturday morning. I am absolutely, totally devastated and heartbroken. Millions of Americans shared that sense of grief over the passing of Ginsburg, who devoted her career to fighting for gender equality and gained a huge following with her strongly written dissents on an increasingly conservative high court. That this 5-foot-tall, 100-pound grandmother continued to be such a force while beating cancer twice before, working out with a trainer regularly and maintaining a wry, charming demeanor made her a hero to many, and women in particular. I have not shed tears for anyone since my mother passed until now, said state Rep. Sarah Davis, the only openly pro-choice Republican legislator in Texas, on Twitter. Democrats lamented that Senate Republicans were moving swiftly to try and fill the seat of Ginsburg, who had dictated a note before her passing that said, My fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed. Republicans didnt even waste time, said Jen Ramos, the president of Austin Young Democrats, on Saturday, adding that she was still reeling from the news. They didnt even let us sit and mourn. Still, President Donald Trump acknowledged that Ginsburg recently the focus of a hit 2018 documentary RBG and a feature film about her early career, On the Basis of Sex was an amazing woman who led an amazing life. Born in Brooklyn in 1933, she became one of the only women in her class at Harvard Law School; she eventually graduated at the top of her class (a tie) from Columbia Law School after moving to New York. She then taught law at Rutgers Law School and Columbia Law in addition to leading the ACLU in key fights as director of its Womens Rights Project. Lobbying by her ever-supportive husband Martin Ginsburg, also an attorney, brought her to the attention of President Bill Clinton, who was reportedly won over during a 90-minute private meeting. She was confirmed by a 96-3 vote in August 1993, during a more civil era of Supreme Court confirmation hearings that Ginsburg herself had voiced hope that the Senate might return to someday. As a Supreme Court justice, Ginsburg established herself as a fearless, steadfast and dignified voice for womens rights, LGBTQ rights, and civil and voting rights. While it was known that Ginsburg was being treated again for pancreatic cancer she had survived colon cancer in 1999 and early-stage pancreatic cancer a decade after that her passing still felt like a gut punch during a year marked by nearly 200,000 COVID-19 deaths, changes to daily living, the killing of George Floyd, protests in the streets and the passing of civil rights leader John Lewis. In a year that has brought hardship to so many Americans, and left so many voters on both sides of the aisle worrying about the stability of our institutions and the viability of our democratic experiment, it was cruel timing to lose Ginsburg during the final weeks of an unsettling presidential campaign. It was shocking and painful, said Dyana Limon-Mercado, the executive director of Planned Parenthood Texas Votes. Theres already so much anxiety and fear happening about reproductive rights. Ginsburgs record as a trailblazer, she continued, has been vivified in recent years by documentaries and movies depicting how often Ginsburg was literally the only woman in a room filled with men, as well as a lone voice for equal rights. Its hard to imagine the isolation, and also the courage that it took to really stand out in those days, Limon-Mercado reflected. Limon-Mercado recalled that in the Supreme Courts 2016 ruling striking down House Bill 2, a measure passed by the Texas legislature in 2013 that required facilities providing abortions to meet hospital-like standards, Ginsburg wrote her own opinion in addition to concurring with one by Justice Stephen Breyer for the Courts 5-3 majority. It is beyond rational belief that H. B. 2 could genuinely protect the health of women, and certain that the law would simply make it more difficult for them to obtain abortions, Ginsburg wrote, demonstrating the forthrightness that helped endear her to a younger generation of activists and inspire future jurists. She always had purpose with everything she said, with everything she did, said Judge Amy Clark Meachum, a Democrat who is currently running to be the first woman to lead the Texas Supreme Court. There were no moments wasted. There were no words wasted in her opinions. They were often succinct, biting, and illuminating all at the same time. Ginsburgs voice would be missed on the Supreme Court regardless, but all the more so given that Trump, who has a track record of misogynistic statements and actions, will nominate her successor. We have this obligation, without delay! he tweeted. His allies in the GOP-controlled Senate have already begun maneuvering. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who notoriously refused to hold confirmation hearings on President Barack Obamas nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the high court in 2016 because it was an election year, is trying to argue that the circumstances are different this time around. President Trumps nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate, he said in a statement Friday evening. Texass two senators, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, were quick to indicate their support for this plan, even though both waxed eloquently in 2016 about the importance of not approving a Supreme Court nominee in an election year. On HoustonChronicle.com: Ted Cruz says Senate should confirm Justice Ginsburgs replacement before election How this will play out for the GOP remains to be seen. A new survey from Marquette Law School, completed three days before Ginsburgs death, found that 48 percent of respondents considered the next Supreme Court pick to be a very important consideration in their vote this year. That figure will likely increase in the wake of Fridays news and on Saturday morning, some of the Texas women left reeling were getting to work. I know many people feel hopeless and helpless, Limon-Mercado said of Ginsburgs passing. But she left us a legacy and we have to carry it forward. Said Ramos: We dont have the luxury to have political apathy anymore. erica.grieder@chron.com FLINT, MI -- What could the $600 million partial settlement for victims of the water crisis really mean to the people of Flint? Families have been left pondering this question as they wait for details to emerge on the potential payout. Many families have already had to foot the bill for healthcare expenses accrued after they were poisoned by the water. Some have children who will forever live with the effects of lead poisoning. Some have seen their friends and neighbors die of Legionnaires' disease before the settlement ever seemed possible. The $600 million settlement hasnt yet been filed in the U.S. District Court. A summary of the proposed deal says it will provide a claims process that allows payment to children without proof of personal injury. Larger amounts of compensation would go to children whose parents or guardians can show personal injuries, elevated blood or bone lead levels, or that their children lived in homes with lead service lines. Adults in Flint exposed to city water would be eligible to recover compensation with proof of personal injury, the summary document says. Related: Critics pick at $600-million Flint water crisis settlement, but state says the offer is as good as it gets But Flint families say the issue goes deeper than a one-time payout. Money wont fix the damage thats already been done Takisha Moller was pregnant with her daughter Destinee Wilson in 2014, the year the city moved from its water supply to the Flint River. I was just worried about her well being and her development, and my first thought was: Thats not fair, Moller said. "Because if they knew that was in the water the whole time, why wouldnt they let us know so we can protect ourselves and our children and our unborn children? Destinee turns 5 years old on Dec 6. As her daughter has grown older, Moller said she has noticed some issues Destinee experiences can be correlated to the effects of lead poisoning. Shes very aggressive, too, Moller said. I know thats one of the side effects that you have with having lead ingested is the aggression and the behavior problems and the learning disability and sometimes some days are better than others and some days I can see all the lead coming out of her. The lead that leached out from the pipes into Mollers home also played a part in her own health. The mother of one is scheduled to have a hysterectomy soon due to fibroid tumors. They (doctors) think its due to me drinking the water, Moller said of the fibroid tumors growing on her uterus. Moller was expecting to have more children. When I was pregnant with her I had to get an ultrasound every two weeks because I had these tumors growing in my uterus with her, Moller said. Now, I cant have any more kids because Im having a hysterectomy soon. Despite the circumstances, Moller continues to have a positive outlook on the future. However, she thinks money from the $600 million lawsuit wont fix any of the damage thats been done. I wish it never happened because just because you give someone some money, its not going to change how they develop, Moller said. Im going to appreciate the money, but I just wished it never happened. Related: 12 critical moments in the history of the Flint water crisis Moller said if her daughter does get some of the money from the settlement, she wouldnt tell her about it until after shes older and sets up a plan to have a successful future. I would just keep going forth as usual, Moller said. I would let her graduate from school. I would even get her enrolled in college and then I would tell her because I want her to be responsible. I dont want her to feel like just because she will be getting some money you dont have to do anything or stop at life. I want her to work for what shes getting. Moller stressed that even though the family is negatively impacted by the situation, she believes in being proactive and persevering through any situation. She added if she was given any money for the settlement she would buy a house for her family. I would love to live in a house, Moller said. " I want a place to call our home." What about coverage of lifelong health needs? While the extent of the settlement is not yet known, Florlisa Fowler has two children in high school and three now over 18 years old. If we choose to go along with the settlement, which we have not fully decided yet -- I would hope any and all money would be used for their health and damages caused due to their exposure to the water, Fowler said. Three out of the five (children) have had drastic medical issues that arose after the switch, with medical documentation--one even has required surgery. As others have said, Fowler would like to see lifelong health needs be included as part of the settlement or any restitutions provided for residents. I also feel that all who were exposed need to be compensated, especially those who have lost loved ones due to the crisis, Fowler noted. Nearly 80 percent of the settlement, which state officials said is likely the largest in Michigan history, would be paid to children who were younger than 18 when they were first exposed to Flint River water, which contained elevated levels of lead and bacteria in 2014 and 2015. Adults will be eligible for some funding, but they will have to provide documentation on how lead damaged them. This will still not restore us all whole, as the homeowners, businesses, as well as physical damages to the entire water and sewer infrastructure has not been fully addressed, not to mention any accountability to those who were directly responsible for the decision made that led up to this disaster, Fowler said. I wont believe it until I see it LuLu Brezzell, the mother of Amariyanna Copeny, also known as Little Miss Flint, has three children eligible for the settlement. The settlement is a very small fraction of what the residents of Flint deserve for what we endured and continue to endure as this crisis and the after effects are still being felt throughout our community, she told MLive-The Flint Journal. It was nice to see the state take some responsibility, but it is just the first step to me. She added no matter the amount of money received by her children -- ages 13, 9 and 8 -- a large majority will go into savings, but thats still in limbo as the details on how the money will be parceled out have not yet been finalized by state officials. I havent even thought about how I would like them to use the money in the future, said Brezzell, whose daughters activism led her to became one of the faces for the Flint water crisis and its impact on children in the community. This is still one of those things that I wont believe it until I see it. Brezzell would also like to see money for Flint Community Schools for ongoing educational needs and health insurance for life for all those affected by the water crisis since the effects of lead last their entire life for starters. She expressed some discontent with the amount of money that is expected to be distributed to legal officials. The lawyers are the ones who are making out the best in this settlement and that makes my blood boil, said Brezzell. Remember the people who lost their lives Tuquaria Williams, 30, and her 5-year-old son were residents of Flint through the water crisis. They have moved to Mt. Morris since, but Williams is still able to register a claim for her son without proof of personal injury. If her son receives money from the settlement, Williams said she hopes he spends it on college when he turns 18. Williams said that while her son may qualify for money she knows others have been affected more directly and hopes they are able to receive payments as well. While they were in Flint through the water crisis, Williams said her family was not affected as seriously as others around her. She said she knew one woman who died of Legionnaires' disease. People have actually lost their lives and had lead in their blood. Actually, were kind of blessed, Williams said. It is important not to lose sight of the damage that has already been done, Williams said. The community is still in mourning. The crisis isnt over, said Matia White, mother of eight children. She is concerned people have lost sight of ongoing problems in Flint caused by the crisis, including issues with indoor plumbing and longtime health concerns that persist after the water source was switched. Its lifelong. Its generational. It will affect my childrens children, White said. Her son had high lead levels in his blood and daughter had eczema. In a lead abatement class, White said she learned about the long-term effects of lead in the body and the amount of time it takes lead to leave the body. The $600 million settlement cannot fix whats still broken. The settlement doesnt recognize the broadness of the issue is, she said. Its the children, the adults, the grandparents who are taking care of the children, White said. I mean, come on. She said she thinks the settlement is a cover up for continued problems in the city. It is not a full solution. The community will continue to come together to help each other through continued challenges from the water crisis, White said. The only solution I can say is keep God and prayer in the household because thats the only thing that can help families is prayer and the community getting together to help one another, help children with schooling, White said. You see someone struggling, a family member or a neighbor, struggling, help them out. If someone needs an extra meal, take them an extra meal. Read more: Flint mother details how water crisis impacts son on autism spectrum as $600M settlement announced Concerned Pastors, ACLU ask judge to require Flint to check water service lines in newest subdivisions $600 million Flint settlement puts water crisis lawsuits against state on hold for 60 days The Catholic Archbishop in Ireland has expressed concern at the underestimation of Covid-19 in Dublin. The capital city came under tighter restrictions on Saturday following a surge in the number of cases. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said the spread of the virus has reached serious levels and constitutes a real risk of radically increased infection within the community. In many cases, the increase in numbers is due to gatherings within households and communities, he said. That is the reason why the public health authorities are stressing the urgent need to reduce the number of contacts that each one of us has in this period. Reducing contacts requires a specific effort on the part of each of us to deliberately change the number of people with whom we would normally come into contact. This is as important in the current situation as the need for face masks, social distancing and hand-washing. Restrictions in Dublin city and country includes a limit on public worship. Archbishop Martin paid tribute to the extraordinary effort of parishes in adapting church buildings and reducing attendance. Thank God, there has been no indication of the virus being spread in worshipping communities, he said. However, the situation today has changed and the measures introduced, no matter how they may sadden us, are appropriate at this time. He also cautioned against the rushing of First Communions and Confirmations. I understand the disappointment of families who had been ready for the celebration of First Communion and Confirmation and find them postponed, he said. Unfortunately, they cannot take place during the current period. Places of worship must remain closed except for private prayer as well as for limited attendance at funerals and weddings. I am also worried about parishes taking initiatives to get First Communions and Confirmations done. The idea that sacramental acts have to be done quickly and can be done outside the normal liturgical situation is false. There is no urgent need to celebrate these sacraments just because they fit into the school calendar. This would reduce the Eucharist to a commodity. First Communion and Confirmation ought to be celebrated through personal participation in a liturgical act. KABUL - Government airstrikes in northern Afghanistan killed 24 civilians, including children, and wounded six others, witnesses told The Associated Press on Sunday. The two witnesses contacted by the AP said most of those killed in Saturdays airstrikes, which struck the village of Sayed Ramazan in northern Kunduz province, were civilians. The Khanabad district in the province where the village is located is Taliban-controlled. The Afghan Defence Ministry, however, said the airstrikes killed 30 Taliban fighters, but added an investigation was being made into claims that civilians were among those killed. The airstrikes come as Taliban and government-appointed negotiators are meeting for the first time in Qatar to discuss the future of Afghanistan and an end to decades of war and conflict. Villagers said an initial airstrike targeted a house belonging to a Taliban fighter, whose home doubled as a checkpoint for stopping and frisking people to ensure they were not connected to the government. The explosion set fire to a nearby home, trapping a family inside, said Latif Rahmani, who witnessed the airstrikes and spoke to the AP by phone. Rahmani said farmers and villagers ran to douse the fire and rescue trapped family members inside when a second airstrike hit, killing many of them. Rahmani, who said he was working on his house at the time of the airstrike, warned his neighbours against running toward the burning buildings for fear of a second airstrike. I yelled at people and told them not to go because maybe there would be another bombing, but they ran to help and to put out the fire, Rahmani said. A second witness in the area, Kalamuddin, who like many Afghans uses just one name, said the lone Taliban fighter who lived in the house that was initially hit had been killed. He said five children were among the 24 civilians that were killed. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the airstrikes and said the Taliban had no military operations in the area at the time of the airstrike. The United Nations has harshly criticized both sides in the conflict for the relentless killing of civilians in Afghanistans protracted war. A U.N. report said 1,282 Afghan civilians were killed in the first half of 2020, down 13% from 2019. The peace talks in Qatar are part of a U.S.-brokered deal with the Taliban that will eventually lead to U.S. withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. In late July, an Afghan government airstrike killed at least 14 people in the western Herat province, many of them women and children. Witnesses said hundreds of people had gathered to welcome home a former Taliban fighter freed from jail when aircraft pounded the gathering. Earlier that month, Afghan national army personnel fired mortars into a busy market in southern Helmand, killing 23 people. The Defence Ministry is still investigating the incident. Also Saturday, at least six rockets were fired at NATOs Resolute Support base in southern Kandahar. No casualties were reported and no one claimed responsibility. NATO said in a statement that if the Taliban were behind the rocket fire, it could jeopardize the U.S. peace deal in which the Taliban have promised not to attack U.S. and NATO forces. Read more about: A 35-year-old New Jersey man swatted Ramsey police seven times since June by leaving anonymous tips about made-up domestic disturbances, authorities said. Vadim Pinskiy was arrested last week at his Fair Lawn home following a months-long investigation and charged by Ramsey police with seven counts of making false reports to law enforcement as well as one count each of harassment and stalking. Pinskiy knew the victims, though Ramsey police didnt say how. Pinskiy began his swatting spree in June when he sent an anonymous tip to the State Polices Regional Operations Intelligence Center reporting a domestic disturbance involving possible violence at a home, Ramsey police said. When cops arrived, the learned the tip was a hoax. Pinskiy provided six more tips to the Ramsey police departments anonymous tip line about domestic disturbances at the same home since June, none of which proved to be accurate, police said. Police eventually traced the IP address for the tips and obtained a search warrant, officials said Under a tougher law passed in 2015, the crime is punishable by five to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $150,000. 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. Gemma Collins will reportedly give a 'deeply personal' interview on Piers Morgan's Life Stories. The former TOWIE star, 39, is said to have spent 'more than six hours' filming the show on Friday in an episode which will air later in the year. Gemma will reportedly discuss her 'toxic' on-off relationship with James Argent on the show and some of her previous exes. 'Deeply personal': Gemma Collins will reportedly give a 'deeply personal' interview on Piers Morgan's Life Stories The reality star will also be asked about her 'self-made millionaire status' after she was said to have landed a six-figure contract with Wizz Air and 500K fashion deal with In The Style over the summer. Gemma and James split for good in July after she posted break-up texts on her Instagram account in which he called her a 'hippo' and a 'fat f**k'. The former couple had split in 2019 after Arg, who admitted he is a cocaine addict and overdosed twice last year, refused rehab yet they reconciled weeks later. A source told The Sun On Sunday: 'It was an emotional rollercoaster and Gemma opened up to him about deeply personal subjects, including how toxic her relationship with Arg had become and some exes who were abusive to her. Emotional: The former TOWIE star, 39, is said to have spent 'more than six hours' filming the show on Friday in an episode which will air later in the year (pictured with ex James Argent in 2018) 'It was a cathartic experience, though, and she's proud of how far she's come.' MailOnline has contacted ITV, Gemma and Piers' representatives for comment. Piers resumed filming Life Stories last month where he was joined by Vinnie Jones and Captain Sir Tom Moore for two special emotional episodes. Meanwhile Gemma and James split for good in July after she posted break-up texts on her Instagram account in which he called her a 'hippo' and a 'fat f**k', after she suggested that he had bought another woman dinner and not her. Candid: Gemma will reportedly discuss her 'toxic' on-off relationship with James Argent on the show and some of her previous exes (pictured in 2018) Yet the reality star went on to apologise to her former beau for releasing the messages. In a screenshot obtained by MailOnline, the Diva On Lockdown star contacted James in the early hours of the morning. She wrote: 'I am sorry about putting the messages up, I was just so hurt you suggested an open relationship, it didn't look like a joke when you typed it. 'I was so upset but I shouldn't have put the messages up, that was anger on my part which was wrong. I am so sorry about that x.' (sic) Deals: The reality star will also be asked about her 'self-made millionaire status' after she was said to have landed a six-figure contract with Wizz Air and 500K fashion deal with In The Style over the summer The series of original messages began with Gemma saying: 'What man pays for another woman!!!', while Arg responded by saying: 'Insensitive.' Clearly riled, the blonde said: 'And the woman that saved your life has to pay for herself!!!' Her next message was masked, but her now-ex responded: 'You are supposed to be treating me you hippo.' Moments later, Gemma uploaded another series of messages, where he sent her a plane emoji in reply to a picture of flight details. Special episodes: Piers resumed filming Life Stories last month where he was joined by Vinnie Jones and Captain Sir Tom Moore for two special emotional episodes (pictured) 'I'll take a mate, I'm not booking it. You said you would be a gentleman!', she penned, before he shockingly said: 'YOU FAT F**K. IVE JUST LOST ANOTHER 2000' (sic). He didn't refer to what he had lost 2000 of. It was later reported that Gemma had decided to split with Arg after he told her he wanted to move to Spain and have an open relationship. An insider told The Sun: 'Arg went to Spain and he told Gemma that he wants to go back there forever and be in an open relationship. 'Gemma feels like she's done everything she possibly can to help Arg but enough is enough. He said that he wants to stay in Spain for good which is worrying as he is known to have suffered relapses there in the past. 'Gemma was devastated by the conversation and decided to end their relationship entirely - she feels like she had no choice but to walk away.' Hurtful: Gemma and James split for good in July after she posted break-up texts on her Instagram account in which he called her a 'hippo' and a 'fat f**k' (James pictured in February) The Essex native also uploaded a cryptic post about the 'Top 10 Signs of Emotional Abuse In A Relationship' and 'finding the strength to walk away'. She wrote: 'To all who have suffered in lock down or are suffering in general. please please find your strength to walk away. 'There is a better life for you filled with love and respect and always remember the problem isn't within you it's within them. 'Walk away it's never too late. something will happen one day and you will just say enough is enough. It's in that moment the nightmare is over. this is when you find your strength and this is when you will learn self love.' (sic) Arg recently admitted he is a cocaine addict and suffered two near-fatal overdoses at his home last year with Gemma calling emergency services after his family feared he was dead. He is now nearly nine months sober. He checked himself into a 10-week bootcamp at The River rehab facility in Thailand earlier this year where he kicked his habit. The couple reconciled late last year after jetting off on holiday to Dubai in a final bid to resolve their issues. Gemma originally dumped Arg after he refused rehab and said their relationship was over until he beat his addiction once and for all. But less than three weeks later, MailOnline exclusively revealed the reality TV pair were spotted holding hands and kissing on a romantic trip to the 250-a-night Palazzo Versace Hotel. The duo briefly dated in 2012, before embarking on a tumultuous love story from December 2017. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 15:44:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ULAN BATOR, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia reported one more COVID-19 case, bringing the total caseload in the country to 312, the country's health ministry said Sunday. The latest case is a Russian transport driver who has recently entered Mongolia via Altanbulag border point, the ministry said in a statement. So far, Mongolia has registered no local transmissions or deaths. Most infections were imported from neighboring Russia. The ministry noted that 302 people have recovered, and 10 are under medical care at the country's National Center for Communicable Diseases, three of them in severe condition. Enditem A a two-year study of migratory birds on southern Vancouver Island, that would have been the first of its kind in the area in more than two decades, has been cancelled. The Capital Regional District (CRD) initially planned to conduct a survey of migratory birds along Esquimalt and Victoria harbours, Esquimalt Lagoon, the Gorge Waterway and Portage Inlet and put out a call for proposals to do so in September 2019. Some common birds in the area include great blue herons, harlequin ducks and short-billed dowitchers. Some species, like marbled murrelets, are threatened or endangered. The CRD has now decided to scrap the plan, saying it would prefer to find another way to carry out the survey that could get community members more involved. Simon dEntremont Ann Nightingale, who sits on the board of directors of the Rocky Point Bird Observatory, a Victoria-based organization that monitors the status of migratory birds in the region, was disappointed with the district's decision. "A number of groups had put in bids for it, and the work that they were going to do was quite extensive," Nightingale explained. "But my understanding was that in the end, the budget was not sufficient to do what they had hoped to do." CRD spokesperson Nicki Fellinger paints a different picture. Rather than hiring professionals to carry out a rigorous inventory, she says the district now would prefer to involve the local public. Fellinger did say, however, that the project, for the time being, is stalled. The importance of hiring professionals Nightingale had not heard of the CRD's new vision for the survey. She said the community is already involved in the inventory of birds in the area and bird watchers regularly report birds they see to a website called ebird.org. Nightingale gives the example of a rare bird in the region that passed by the Esquimalt Lagoon a few weeks ago and attracted bird watchers. "Dozens of people went to see it, and they would all submit reports," she said. Story continues However, Nightingale said, it is difficult to know, based on the information in that database, if a single bird was seen by dozens of people and reported, or, if dozens of birds were seen by less than as many people. Megan Thomas/CBC So it is impossible to know, with the information in this database, if a single bird was seen by dozens of curious people, as in this case, or if dozens of birds were seen. Nightingale believes having professionals handle the count is a better way to guarantee the numbers will be accurate. "You make sure you count even the boring birds and that it's done consistently," she said, adding she hopes the CRD will reconsider its decision. "In Esquimalt lagoon, there's an awful lot of development going on," she said. "You need to get the data now, because five years from now, the area is going to be very different." Arizona News Phoenix, Arizona - Former charter school principal, Harold Cadiz, was sentenced to 3.75 years in prison and ordered to pay $2,538,722 in restitution for his role in enrolling fake students to obtain funding from the Arizona Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Cadiz worked at the now-closed Bradley Academy of Excellence (formerly Discovery Creemos Academy and Bradley Creemos Academy), a K-8 charter school located in Goodyear, Arizona. Cadiz, along with the schools CEO Daniel Hughes and Vice Principal Joann Vega, reported hundreds of fake student profiles to the Arizona Department of Education to fraudulently secure additional funding for the financially-failing school. Fake students, that the group referred to as caspers were reported to Arizona Department of Education and enrolled in the U.S. Department of Agricultures school lunch program during the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 academic years. After the school abruptly closed its door in December of 2017, it was discovered that for the 2016/2017 school year, Bradley Academy included 191 fake students in its reported enrollment of 652. For the 2017/2018 school year, which was cut short by the schools closure in December of 2017, Bradley Academy included 453 fake students in its reported enrollment of 528. This resulted in overpayments of $2,216,366.91 by the Arizona Department of Education, $91,356.75 by the U.S. Department of Education, and $230,998.42 the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "Instead of finding innovative ways to better education for students, Cadiz and others devised a scheme to bilk taxpayers out of more than $2 million," said Attorney General Mark Brnovich. "Its despicable because real Arizona students could have used these critical funds. It's now up to the court to teach an important lesson on what happens when you break the law." As part of the investigation, the Attorney Generals Office seized hundreds of fraudulent documents created by Cadiz at the direction of Hughes to support the enrollment of fake students. Documents included forged birth certificates, drivers licenses, immunization records, and performance exams. Upon release from prison, Cadiz will be placed on 5 years of supervised probation. Assistant Attorney General Mary Harriss is prosecuting the case. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 21:46:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TOKYO, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Japan's new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump via phone on Sunday night, which was their first conversation since Suga took office last week. In the talks that lasted about 20 minutes, the two leaders affirmed the importance of Japan-U.S. alliance and discussed the situation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as well as COVID-19 response, according to local media. Suga, the new leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, was chosen as Japan's new prime minister to succeed Shinzo Abe in an extraordinary parliamentary session Wednesday. The election was triggered by Abe's abrupt announcement late last month that he was stepping down due to a recurrent health issue. Local observers said among the diplomatic challenges Suga inherited from his predecessor is Trump's claim that Japan is not contributing enough to the Japan-U.S. alliance. According to the prime minister's office, Suga's national security adviser Shigeru Kitamura will visit Washington next week to meet with his counterpart Robert O'Brien. Before the talks with Trump, Suga also held a phone call with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison earlier in the day. Enditem Residents in a Pilbara town don't know if the dust blanketing their homes could harm them, two years after the government committed to testing the air for harmful particles. Newman locals regularly wake up to dust-blanketed cars. Mine blasts nearby are so intense a mother said her child got so frightened they wet themselves. Dust sweeps through a street in the Pilbara town of Newman. The town's blue sky often has an orange tinge, with plumes of dust from mining operations and sudden dust storms that sweep through the streets covering everything with a thick layer of dirt. Newman resident Angela Wilmot said she always thought dust was just a part of Pilbara town life, but she was becoming concerned about the impact it could have on her family's health. Om Birla says it pained him that Lok Sabha did not run smoothly during Monsoon session Monsoon session Day 7: Centre mulls action against Oppn MPs over 'ill-treatment' to Harivansh India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Sep 20: The Centre is considering to move a motion against lawmakers who treated Rajya Sabha deputy chairman "badly" in the House today. The development comes after 12 opposition parties gave a notice for a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh over the manner in which the bills were passed in the House after he overruled their pleas for an adjournment of the proceedings. Soon after opposition parties gave the notice, several Union ministers rushed to the residence of Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu and discussed with him the entire episode of unruly behaviour and ruckus allegedly created by opposition MPs, a source said. Making farmers shed tears of blood: Rahul Gandhi on farm bills row The government is actively considering to move privilege motion against three to four MPs, including the floor leader of a party, the source said. The Rajya Sabha on Sunday witnessed unruly scenes with members throwing papers at Harivansh, who was presiding the House during the passage of the Farmers' and Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill. Opposition members were seen standing on officials' tables and even broke the mike in front of the chair as they alleged that their demand for a division of votes on their motion to refer the legislation to a select committee was overruled. The bills were passed through voice votes amid the din caused by opposition protests. The parties that have submitted the notice against the Deputy Chairman include the Congress, All India Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, CPI, CPI(M), Nationalist Congress Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, National Conference, DMK and the Aam Aadmi Party. with PTI inputs Lucknow: The University of Lucknow on Saturday (September 19, 2020) announced to postpone the counselling dates of the UP BEd Examination from September 21 to October 19, 2020. As per the official announcement, the decision to postpone the counselling was taken because the final year university exams are still in progress which may result in students missing the counselling process. The notice also read that the counselling will be held between October 19 and November 8 and the new session will commence from November 9. The admission forms will cost Rs 750 each. Meanwhile, the Lucknow University also released the tentative schedule of entrance tests for all the PG programs on www.lkouniv.ac.in. The University said that few important changes have been made in the admission procedure in view of the COVID-19 situation. In MVA programs: Admissions will be done only on the basis of marks obtained in the written test. There will be no practical or viva. The entrance test will be MCQ with 100 questions. In LLM: Admissions will be done only on the basis of marks obtained in the written test. There will be no interview. The entrance test will be MCQ with 100 questions. In MEd: Admissions will be done only on the basis of marks obtained in the written test and academic index. There will be no interview. Details of entrance test and formula for calculation of academic index are given in the admission guidelines. The University also announced the online off-campus counselling guidelines for the undergraduate and undergraduate management programs. They said that the choice filling will start from September 22 at 2:00 PM. By Express News Service RAMESWARAM: As part of investigation into Angoda Lokka's drug dealings, CB-CID officials, on Sunday, brought a Sri Lankan constable arrested on charges of illegally entering India, to Dhanushkodi and conducted an inquiry with fishermen in the locality. The Lankan constable, Pradeep Kumarapandara, was brought to Dhanushkodi by a CB-CID team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Raju. After his arrest on September 5, Ramanathapuram Judicial Magistrate II Judge Radhakrishnan, on September 17, granted his custody to CB-CID for five days. He will be produced before the Court again on Monday. The 30-year-old Sri Lankan police constable who is an accused in a narcotics theft case that happened recently in Colombo was arrested on charges of illegally entering India in fibre boat. ALSO READ | Two more cops probing Lankan don Angoda Lokkas death test positive Investigation by the Q-branch police revealed that while he was posted on duty at a store of Colombo Crime Department where seized narcotics drugs are stored, a huge quantity of the drugs went missing. Sources said that a few days later, during a police search, 23 kilograms of heroin were recovered from his house and his elder brother was arrested on August 28. Kumarapandara had been on the run since then. "He boarded a fibre boat from Talaimannar, reached Dhanushkodi on September 4 around 10.30 pm. Growing suspicious over the Sinhalese-speaking man, the fishermen in the locality who spotted him wandering in their neighborhood in the early hours of September 5 alerted the marine police," they said. Kumarapandara was arrested and was produced before Rameswaram court. He was later remanded in Puzhal prison. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 20:14:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A woman casts her vote at a polling station in Naples, Italy, on Sept. 20, 2020. Over 46 million Italians are being called to the polls on Sunday and Monday in a nationwide constitutional referendum on cutting the number of lawmakers in the country's parliament. (Xinhua) ROME, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Over 46 million Italians are being called to the polls on Sunday and Monday in a nationwide constitutional referendum on cutting the number of lawmakers in the country's parliament. Reducing the number of lawmakers is a key platform plank of the Five Star Movement, which currently rules Italy in coalition with the center-left Democratic Party in the government led by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. Parliament in 2019 approved a law cutting the Lower House from 630 members to 400 and the Senate from 315 to 200. But voters are being asked to ratify this law because it requires changing the country's constitution. The exact number of voters involved in the constitutional referendum is 46,415,806, while another 4,537,308 voters who live abroad will be mailing their votes, according to the Interior Ministry. In addition, voters in seven out of Italy's 20 regions will choose new governors in what could be a test for the Conte government as it battles to pull Italy out of a recession in the wake of a pandemic-induced March-May lockdown that drove the country's economy to a halt. Regional elections are taking place in Valle d'Aosta, Veneto, Liguria, Tuscany, Marche, Campania and Puglia, and will involve almost 18.5 million voters, according to the Interior Ministry. In Italy, a total of 1,820 voters are casting their ballots from home because they are under quarantine, the ministry said. Polls opened at 7 a.m. local time on Sunday and will remain open until 11 p.m., while on Monday, they will be open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. local time. Enditem FORTHRIGHT former Cabinet minister, Tshinga Dube, says the push by South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa and his ruling African National Congress (ANC) to end Zimbabwes decades-long political and economic crises rests on them winning support from brawling Zanu PF factions. Speaking to the Daily News On Sunday in an exclusive interview yesterday, the steadfast Zanu PF politburo member said it would be very difficult for Ramaphosa and the ANC to find a breakthrough in Zimbabwe as long as hardliners in the ruling party and their relatively more moderate counterparts continued to fight over the SA intervention. This comes as Zanu PF is once again riven with sharp divisions that are similar to those that almost disembowelled the former liberation movement in the last few years in power of the late former president Robert Mugabe who was later ousted from high office by a stunning and widely popular military coup in November 2017. It all starts with the leaders in Zanu PF agreeing that we need dialogue and that South Africa has a critical role to play. They need to find common ground on that to make the ANCs work easier. We can blame this group or that group, but I dont want to do that because what is important, for the sake of progress, is that they must find each other. It is not difficult for the leaders to find each other because they have been working together for quite a long time, the fearless Dube told the Daily News On Sunday. I dont think it is impossible for them (Zanu PF factions) to do that for the good of the country and our people. That is what leadership is all about. If they do not agree and continue like that, then it will be difficult for anyone who wants to help, including the ANC, he added. This comes as sharp differences have emerged in Zanu PF over the push by Ramaphosa and the ANC to help end Zimbabwes decades-long myriad crises. Two weeks ago, the former liberation movements secretary for external affairs, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi who is also a former Cabinet minister pooh-poohed the ANCs mediation efforts, adding that the SA ruling party had no mandate to meet the local opposition and civil society organisations. At about the same time, Zanu PFs secretary for administration, Obert Mpofu, told the Daily News on Sunday that the ruling party was happy for the ANC to meet with the opposition in future, as this was in line with their principles post the 2017 military coup. But Mumbengegwi told the media that there was no need for the ANC to act as a mediator, because there was no crisis in the country. The question of a sister party coming to the country of another sister party to establish bilateral relations with the opposition party is unheard of as that can only happen in the context of mediation, and mediation can only occur with the consent of the conflicting parties. But where there is no crisis, there is no real need for mediation and, therefore, no purpose will be served by trying to play a mediatory role. It is common knowledge that some individuals in our sister party the ANC had been made to believe that there was a crisis in Zimbabwe. We are not sure how they became convinced with that. But some of them came here with that notion. However, in our meeting, the notion of a crisis in Zimbabwe was quickly dismissed, Mumbengegwi said. On his part, Mpofu said Zanu PF was happy to engage with the opposition and also had no problems with the ANC meeting its rivals. 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 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 told the Daily News on Sunday then. This comes after ANC bigwigs recently visited Harare 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. Briefing the media at the end of the talks, ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule said the meeting with Zanu PF had progressed well, as both parties were frank with each other. Dube is among many influential people who are calling on Mnangagwa to initiate much-needed national dialogue in the interests of the country. Last month, the former military officer repeated his calls for Mnangagwa to hold talks with MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa. The former War Veterans minister also said that the biggest threat facing Mnangagwas rule was the countrys shrinking economy warning further that rising poverty could drive Zimbabwe into civil strife. This comes as Mnangagwa, who ascended to power via the popular 2017 military coup has come under growing pressure from long-suffering Zimbabweans over his governments failure to mend the countrys broken economy. As a result of Zimbabwes worsening rot, Ramaphosa has stepped in to try and end the countrys crises, which have once again attracted international attention following the governments alleged breach of human rights during last months foiled mass protests. 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. Zuma also assisted in minimising Zimbabwes chaotic approach to the equally disputed 2013 national elections. Both Chamisa and Mnangagwa have previously said that they were interested in dialogue, although nothing concrete has happened primarily because of differences over the form and platform on which the talks should take place. On Wednesday, Mnangagwa hailed his partys engagement with the ANC while also repeating his calls for dialogue among Zimbabweans to engender local peace. This morning (Wednesday) I was pleased to receive a delegation from the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations which comprised the leadership of the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, Catholic Bishops, Zimbabwe Council of Churches and the indigenous churches. Dialogue must be encouraged throughout all inceptions of our society in the spirit of constructive engagement, among others. This is the culture of the second republic, of national building peace harmony unity and love as we develop the Zimbabwe we love, Mnangagwa said. Earlier this month, Mnangagwa also said the countrys deepening challenges required unity of purpose among all Zimbabweans to mitigate them. I wish to unequivocally state that there is no crisis in Zimbabwe as elections were held in July 2018 and a winner was declared in terms of the countrys Constitution. All contestants were invited to join this dialogue in the national interest. The door is still open for those outside Let me say the challenges facing our country call for continued unity of purpose across the political divide. Your continued commitment to the call to serve the country is acknowledged and will surely result in making our country great, Mnangagwa said, emphasising that all dialogue would be held under the auspices of the political actors dialogue (Polad). Daily News Guests pose for a group photo after a promotional activity introducing the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Demonstration Zone for Local Economic and Trade Cooperation at the SCO Secretariat in Beijing, Sept. 18, 2020. [Photo by Tao Lijiao/China.org.cn] The 2020 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) International Investment and Trade Expo will be held from Oct. 16 to 18 at the China-SCO Demonstration Zone for Local Economic and Trade Cooperation in Jiaozhou, a county-level city of Qingdao in eastern China's Shandong province, an official announced on Friday at a promotional activity in Beijing. With the theme of "share opportunities for open development," the expo will showcase the economic development and trade of SCO countries, said Xiang Zhiqiang, deputy head of the demonstration zone's management committee. More than 600 companies have been invited to exhibit agricultural produce, home appliances, as well as cultural industries such as tourist packages, and other products, Xiang said. "In addition to SCO-related countries, we've also invited companies from Japan and South Korea to promote economic cooperation and trade, and better leverage the role of the demonstration zone as a 'sea access' to Asia-Pacific markets," he said. Liu Jianjun, secretary of the Communist Party of China Jiaozhou Municipal Committee, speaks during a promotional activity introducing the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Demonstration Zone for Local Economic and Trade Cooperation at the SCO Secretariat in Beijing, Sept. 18, 2020. [Photo by Zhang Liying/China.org.cn] A virtual exhibition will be available for companies that cannot attend the live exhibition, and the online show will remain open throughout as a platform for SCO countries to deepen exchanges and trade cooperation, Xiang added. In last October, China's Ministry of Commerce rolled out a general plan which listed four major tasks to build the demonstration zone, namely, forging a regional logistics center; building a modern trade center; promoting production capacity cooperation and constructing a center for two-way investment; and building a business, tourism, and cultural exchange center. During the promotional activity, Liu Jianjun, secretary of the Communist Party of China Jiaozhou Municipal Committee, explained the progress achieved in developing the demonstration zone over the past year. The SCO multi-modal transportation center currently operates 17 regular rail freight service lines connecting SCO countries, and the "SCO railway express" was launched on April 27, Liu said. Xiang Zhiqiang, deputy head of the management committee of the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Demonstration Zone for Local Economic and Trade Cooperation, speaks during a promotional activity at the SCO Secretariat in Beijing, Sept. 18, 2020. [Photo by Zhang Liying/China.org.cn] Measures have been introduced to establish platforms for international trade, develop cross-border e-commerce, increase trade in goods, and facilitate trade in services, he added. "In the first half of this year, Qingdao's foreign trade volume with SCO-related countries reached 22.1 billion yuan." In terms of investment, Liu said Qingdao has formed an economic partnership with 21 cities, provinces, states, or institutions in SCO-related countries, and companies from countries including Russia, Tajikistan, and Cambodia have set up branches at the demonstration zone. Since opening, the demonstration zone has received 76 delegations from SCO countries, and efforts are being made to promote cooperation between research institutes in Qingdao and Russia, Liu said. Ramayanas shared Southeast Asian heritage showcased by multi-racial artistes of Maya Dance Theatre at IHC CultureFest 2020 The Indian Heritage Centre's CultureFest 2020 kicked off with its first-ever digital launch on September 5 followed by an eclectic line-up of programmes from September 5-20. Also watch: Indian arts through the lens of Ramayana: A sneak peek of CultureFest 2020 Maya Dance Theatre's 2-part dance drama series - Ramayana, The Journey Begins, Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 was premiered at the IHC CultureFest 2020. Photo Courtesy: MDT The second weekend of the IHC CultureFest brought to audiences Maya Dance Theatre's 2-part dance drama series - Ramayana, The Journey Begins, Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. Connected to India spoke with Kavitha Krishnan, co-founder, Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer at the Maya Dance Theatre to learn more about the institution as well as its production for IHC CultureFest. Maya Dance Theatre (MDT) Established in 2007 MDT was founded by Kavitha and Imran Manaff, who serves as creative producer and company manager. A trained Bharatanatyam dancer, Kavitha has represented Singapore internationally. Mayas distinctive expression is grounded in the visceral nature of the human spirit, says Kavitha. Using a hybrid language of expression, steeped in Asian dance training philosophy, the Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam and contemporary dance, MDT works in collaboration with diverse partners to tell social stories that are compelling and relevant with artistic integrity. Performance at IHC CultureFest 2020 Ramayana, the Journey Begins is an interdisciplinary creative collaboration that brings together different elements: storytelling, illustrations, film, dramatization, dance and music to give an introduction to the Asian epic - Ramayana. It walks the audience through the plot of the story from the perspective of Ravana, the ten-headed King of Lanka. I am indeed blessed to have worked with a good team of creatives who collaborated with myself and Maya Dance Theatre for this project. We have worked from April this year; and my journey continues, as I discover new moments with the Ramayana, says Kavitha. The illustrated book brings the story forward and binds all the characters together, despite their solo choreographies. Photo Courtesy: MDT Watching the series, it will barely be noticed that never are the characters together, except in one scene between Sita, Rama and Maricha, where there is a three-person choreographic composition. All the other scenes have been filmed in solo dance frames. What brings the story forward and binds all the characters together, despite their solo choreographies is an illustrated book. The Illustrations Illustrations by emerging artist, Vimal Kumar weave the narratives beautifully. I illustrated them digitally on a Samsung tablet using digital brushes that mimic pencil and have crayon-like textures, so that it has a very hand drawn feel to it, an aesthetic that I am personally drawn to, Kumar tells Connected to India. Illustrations are done by emerging artist, Vimal Kumar on a Samsung tablet using digital brushes. Photo Courtesy: MDT He adds that while he has done a lot of religious and cultural art for clients and as personal projects, This is the first time I got to make illustrations for a complete series of this manner, which is also a wonderful collaboration of performance and visual artists. Researching on the characters to depict each scene, gave me a renewed love for this everlasting classic. The Choreography The choreography for Ramayana, The Journey Begins has a hybrid language of expression drawn from Asian and contemporary dance forms such as Bharatanatyam, modern dance forms such as Jazz and Hip Hop as well as the classical dance of Java. The choreography for Ramayana, The Journey Begins has a hybrid language of expression drawn from Asian classical, contemporary and modern dance forms. Photo Courtesy: MDT Each of the inter-cultural dancers brought their own unique perspective of the character to the screen. I also wanted the scenes to be as close to real as possible and opted to film the scenes outdoors. And it was quite a challenge really during Phase 2 of the Circuit Break, says Kavitha. The Music Music composer/flautist Raghaveendra Rajasekaren says that he enjoys listening to stories of Lord Hanumans dedication and loyalty to Lord Rama. Music composer/flautist Raghaveendra Rajasekarens composition was deeply inspired by a visit to Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. Photo Courtesy: MDT I was deeply inspired by my visit in December 2019 to Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple where we sat and performed at the sanctum where Kambars Ramayana was first staged! he explains. Raghaveendra Rajasekarens music composition has given me wider scope to explore nuances in the choreography with the dancers, adds Kavitha. The Creative Direction The creative direction to pan the work from the lens of Ravana was a spark ignited by creative director and filmmaker Yahssir M from Millenia Motion Pictures. The costumes and accessories for the characters were also designed to retain the essence of Asia. Photo Courtesy: MDT Yahssir has been working with Maya Dance Theatre and myself for more than 10 years and this creative relationship has offered itself to the creation of this work, Ramayana, The Journey Begins, says Kavitha. The costumes and accessories for the characters were also designed to retain the essence of Asian influence, which was pivotal for this work. The Characters The artists playing the various characters are multi-racial Singaporean artistes. Does Ramayanas interpretation vary across the South East Asian races? Lets find out from the artists themselves. Akshara Thiru as Ravana Ravana is the character this journey starts out with. Akshara Thiru is a percussion artist who created the sounds for the emergence of Ravana. He then continued his interesting journey by embodying the character himself. "It is the first time for Akshara Thiru (who is a percussionist) to work with us in the production as an actor instead of a musician,, says Kavitha. Ravanas knowledge, talent, and sheer arrogance inspired Thiru to portray it both in sounds as well as in his character. Photo CourtesyL MDT The inspiration to create Ravana and the sound for the character came from Thirus understanding of the Lankan king which grew deeper as he Focused less on what people said about him and tried to see him for who he really was. I grew up reading about Ramayana and focused a lot on Hanuman in my teens. However as I worked on Ravana in a few projects, my understanding for him has grown deeper, Thiru adds. Ravanas knowledge, talent and sheer arrogance inspired Thiru and he wanted that to be portrayed in the sounds as well as in his character. He also had to work the angles and see things from the point of the lens while performing for the camera. Shahrin Johry as Rama Shahrin got involved in the Ramayana story for the first time when he was in Secondary 3 (about 15 years old) while on an exchange programme to Bali, Indonesia for a cultural study. Shahrin Johry uses abhinaya and nritta to express Ramas character through Bharatanatyam. Photo Courtesy: MDT From then I have been playing Rama and I am certain that his character has grown into me so much that today it feels so natural to be playing him, says Shahrin. The storytelling was framed using abhinaya and nritta to express Ramas character through Bharatanatyam. The scene portrayed was set in the palace where Rama saw Sita for the first time and stole her heart by breaking the bow. Shahrin Johry as Rama. Photo Courtesy: MDT Usually, I play Rama from start to end for a stage dance-theatre work. However this time it was only for one episode and for a camera lens instead of the audience, Shahrin says. This production in particular took quite some dedication on his part with Shahrin having to bear the heat while dancing outdoors in a thick, heavily adorned costume with several takes and with ants biting his feet! Varsha as Sita Varsha has grown up listening to the Ramayana as a story of good winning over evil. But with time, the depth of the characters, their ideologies and motives have grown to interest me and it's no longer a black/white epic, she notes. Sita is someone who has time and again come to me, each time bringing in a new dimension. It is always interesting to see how the character changes and grows with time, Varsha adds. Varsha as Sita in Maya Dance Theatres production for Indian Heritage Centre's CultureFest 2020. Photo Courtesy: MDT Kavitha showed her a different perspective of Sita, but at the same time gave Varsha the rope to explore and interpret her, resulting in the creation of a different dimension of Sita. While filming outdoors, given the weather conditions and locations, Varsha had to modify and adapt what was rehearsed in the studio to the surrounding. It was a challenge but gave an extra dimension and flavour to the mood of the character and I thoroughly enjoyed the process, concludes Varsha. Subastian Tan as Hanuman Before this project, Sebastian Tan was exposed to Ramayana stories through videos and text. But as a performer embodying Hanuman, I felt like I could immerse myself into the world of this epic story and understand the characters and the nuances of the story better, he says. Subastian Tan as Hanuman in Maya Dance Theatres production for Indian Heritage Centre's CultureFest 2020. Photo Courtesy: MDT As I was portraying the scene where Hanuman meets Sita in Ravana's palace, we started by working on the characterization of Sita to understand her emotional journey, says Subastian. Thereafter as Hanuman, I was able to react to a clearly imagined Sita which made the creation more real and immersive, he adds. As we filmed in an outdoor space, the unpredictable elements made it a challenge - however, recognising and acknowledging the spaces we danced in as well as our characters added to the portrayal, concludes Subastian. Eva Tey as Maricha, the golden deer Eva was aware of the story of Ramayana prior to this project. However portraying Maricha was refreshing and exciting for her. She researched the character and then brought him out from her point of view. Eva Tey as Maricha, the golden deer in Maya Dance Theatres production for Indian Heritage Centre's CultureFest 2020. Photo Courtesy: MDT The duality of the character which was a demon or Rakshasa as golden deer was challenging, as I had to negotiate sweetness and yet display cunningness, says Eva. It was challenging not just shooting outdoors but also performing for the camera instead of an audience. We were used to performing for a live audience, whereas here I had to focus my eyes appropriately in order to bring attention to the lens, concludes Eva. Mohd Sharul as Jatayu Prior to the project, I just knew Hindu Gods as statues at temples. I became aware of the love and the war stories involved only after playing the role of Jetayu, says Mohd Sharul. Mohammed Sharul uniquely identified the movements for the mystical bird Jatayu through his Malay dance practice. Photo Courtesy: MDT Working with Kavitha, Sharul uniquely identified the movements for this mystical bird through his Malay dance practice. The outdoor weathers vagaries and the painful ant bites were sacrifices that were worth it for the arts, he feels. However due to social distancing measures, most shots were filmed solo. So we had to imagine the positions of the other characters in the space and it determined my eye line for the filming, says Sharul. Constant direction cues on where to look were given during the shoot. As I was using the camera lens as Ravana during my battle with him, Sharul says. Watch Maya Dance Theatres Ramayana, The Journey Begins Chapter 1 here. Watch Maya Dance Theatres Ramayana, The Journey Begins Chapter 2 here. Follow the interesting workshops and performances revolving around the epic Indian literary work - The Ramayana and get your daily dose of culture on the IHC CultureFest 2020 at IHCs Facebook page. A 12-year-old head Potter, Ms Sumaiya Ibrahim, has appealed to individuals and organisations for assistance when schools re-open in January 2021, after the COVID-19 pandemic forced her into Kayaye. The teenager, who is being raised by a single mother comes from Walewale in the North East region, but was obliged to migrate to Accra to engage in Kayaye following the coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent closure of schools countrywide. She told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that she earns little as a Kayaye and that people who needed her service paid as low as GH1.00 for any bulk stuff she carried. The situation, she said was making it extremely difficult for her to survive the high cost of urban living. She sobbed, while narrating her life in Accra, saying, Ive lost my dad and my mom is unemployed. Life is hard for us in Walewale but its harder here in Accra. The money I make is what I use to eat. I often earn too little. It is insufficient to save. I want to be a nurse so that I can help people, she added. Ms Sumaiya said she migrated with her elder sister to Accra in search of greener pastures because of the closure of schools due to the Coronavirus, which infected over 45,714 with 294 deaths, though 44,896 had since recovered from the virus. I live with my fellow Kayaye at Mallam Atta market, however, I come to work in the Nima Market on Wednesdays since its a market day. According to Sumaiya, she and her elder sister were the only children of her parents. Kayayei or Kaya Yei is a Ghanaian term for a female porter or bearer. Many of the women migrated from rural communities to Ghana's urban cities in search of work. They generally carry their burdens on their heads. Ms Sumaiya who is a primary four student in Walewale is one of them, although she could not mention the name of the school, she is attending, but kept saying: I want to be a nurse to help people. She pleaded with philanthropists, non-governmental organisations and the Government to extend their utmost support to Kayaye girls to cope with urban life. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Two unpopular leaders, two powerful backers. Pictures this week of Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko beaming for the cameras, leaning in eagerly to address an impassive Russian president, evoked another pair 4,000 miles away and months earlier. Against a similar background of street unrest, Hong Kongs Chief Executive Carrie Lam found support from Chinas President Xi Jinping last year. Its not a parallel that bodes well for Minsks burgeoning opposition. Under pressure since claiming victory in a disputed election last month, and facing demonstrations that show no sign of fading, Lukashenko has turned to Vladimir Putin for succor. Moscow sees its smaller neighbor as a crucial, Russia-friendly buffer with Europe, and has no desire to see a popular uprising result in genuine democracy. Belaruss leader, meanwhile, needs financial fortification and a hint of military support. Lam, too, received solace in Beijing last year during months of tumult and after a painful local election defeat. Both got what they wanted: a televised display of support to appease elites and security forces at home. From the start, the crowds in Minsk learned from Hong Kongs broad-based, leaderless campaign. They, too, were making demands of a system ill-equipped to compromise. The current stalemate between the opposition and Lukashenko looks familiar. Could Hong Kong, then, offer a hint of what may be next for Belarus, as the leadership digs in? Its a path that includes more aggressive tactics by police and protesters, more government efforts to silence opponents, and economic stagnation. There are pronounced differences between the two. Hong Kong, after all, is a Chinese autonomous territory and a financial center with a penchant for laissez-faire capitalism. Belarus is an independent country in the heart of Europe with many Soviet traits. Hong Kongs demonstrations were triggered by efforts to preserve the former colonys freedoms; marchers on the other side of the world were demanding a change from the status quo. Story continues Yet both are pro-democracy movements under the shadow of a superpower. Hong Kongs endgame provides a glimpse of one possible future. In the first instance, this would include increasingly tough tactics as the government compensates for lost legitimacy. In Hong Kong, violence escalated as protests dragged on, Lam remained unmoved and police began to deploy tear gas and water cannon. Eventually huge quantities of gas were used, along with rubber bullets and even live ammunition. A Hong Kong-style escalation in Belarus would probably require the government to perceive a greater threat: say, if widespread strikes resumed in tandem with protests. That isnt impossible. The past weeks demonstrations have been relatively peaceful, after the beatings and rubber bullets of the first days after the August presidential election, yet arrests continue and masked special forces police are pulling people off the street. Support from a muscular power removes the incentive to meet halfway, and Lukashenko has already hounded out or jailed all opposition leaders. Maryia Rohava of the University of Oslo points out that officials are going to great lengths to remove symbols, like the white-red-white flags associated with the opposition, or painting over protest murals. Thats familiar to Hong Kong, where Lennon Walls have been scrubbed and a television director was pressed to quit this week after rubber gloves were displayed in a sitcom in a way that hinted at a protest slogan. The former British colony shows that such crises offer the opportunity for the protecting nation to step in more forcefully. Beijing has tightened its grip, as seen with the passing of a national security law for Hong Kong. Minsks predicament is more complex. Lukashenko needs Putins support, but with few alternatives the Kremlin also needs him, says Nigel Gould-Davies, a former British ambassador to Belarus whos now with the International Institute for Strategic Studies. The shape of a closer union and intervention is still unclear, but dependence links will be tighter. The economic front looks little better. Hong Kong has struggled since last year, as mainland tourists and shoppers stay home a slump exacerbated by the pandemic. Multinationals have become increasingly wary, as the independence of Hong Kongs judicial system and its broader autonomy comes into question. Still, Chinese corporates have the firepower to make a difference and are keeping the stock market active. Belarus is no global financial hub and Russia will ensure it survives, but not that it thrives: Its IT industry, a growing part of an otherwise unimpressive economy, is already seeing a brain drain. Every comparison has its limits. While Belarus may be in a Hong Kong-style impasse, its trajectory could be very different if the elite begins to crack, perhaps encouraged by an organized opposition in exile. A heavily personalized system is also limited by the mortality of the leader. Hong Kongs precedent serves to temper any flights of optimism. 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. New Delhi, Sep 20 : With another significant single-day spike of 92,605 coronavirus cases, India's total tally on Sunday breached the 54-lakh mark to reach 54,00,620 cases even as 1,133 more COVID-19 deaths were recorded in 24 hours. Of the total cases, 10,10,824 are still active, 43,03,043 patients cured and discharged, whereas another 86,752 lost the battle against the viral disease. While the recovery rate stands at 79.68 per cent, the fatality rate has come down to 1.61 per cent, data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. Maharashtra continues to be the worst-hit state with 11,89,815 cases, including 32,216 deaths, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research data, India conducted 12,06,806 sample tests in a single day on Saturday, taking the total samples tested so far to 6,36,61,060. Hi Nicole, When enquiring with CommInsure about visiting our holiday house, 185kms away, to check on any damage or maintenance needed, we were informed that if we had not been in attendance at the property for 60 days, our insurance excess would rise from $200 to $2000. We cannot go to check on the property due to lockdown rules. However, it appears this does not change the strict rules of the insurer, even in these unusual circumstances. Are there examples of other insurers using the present situation to boost excess amounts? John. House-and-contents insurance that covers holiday homes generally requires that the property is not left unoccupied for lengthy periods, typically 60 to 90 days. This is also common for owner-occupied premises. House-and-contents insurance that covers holiday homes generally requires that the property is not left unoccupied for lengthy periods, typically 60 to 90 days. Credit: Because of various degrees of lockdown, a lot of homeowners have been unable to visit. However, insurers are generally cutting them some slack. Campbell Fuller, head of communications at the Insurance Council of Australia, says: "Insurers are offering leniency to customers, where possible, and most of the requirements around occupancy are being negotiated on a case-by-case basis between the insurer and property owner. Lea Collet, abandoned by her birth mother at a HCMC hospital in 1995 and adopted by a Frenchwoman and taken to France, now wants to find her roots. Collet, who was abandoned by her mother at Tu Du Hospital, says: "I turned 25 on September 9. I told myself if I wanted to find Mom, its now or never." For many years she has been thinking about finding her birth mother, but has embarked on her journey only now. "My birth mother should be 59 now," she says. Lea Collet in the arms of a nun at the Mam Non 2 Thu Duc orphanage in HCMC. Photo courtesy of Lea Collet. With her adopted mother's support, Collet, who lives in Lyon in France, began her search by sharing all the information and images she had on Facebook, where she hoped someone would recognize her. She had been born Tran Thi Kim Oanh. Her birth mother, whose name she says was either Tran Thi Sen or Tran Kim Sen, was a housewife. But she had refused to take the child home. "I was sent to the Mam Non 2 Thu Duc orphanage, where nuns raised me." When she was five weeks old she was adopted by a single Frenchwoman and taken to France a couple of months later. Lea Collet (L) with her adoptive mother in France. Photo courtesy of Lea Collet. "Since I was old enough to be aware that I was adopted, I always thought about my mother and family in Vietnam. I really wanted to find my birth mother and family." A nun has told Collet that she also had a brother and sister, but she has been unable to verify the information yet. Nevertheless, she already has plans to visit Vietnam within the next two years to continue her search. Her Facebook post has gained traction with hundreds of shares and comments, but there have been no leads so far. Arizona News Phoenix, Arizona - On Friday, members of the U.S. Marshals Service led Arizona Wanted Violent Offenders Task Force recovered an endangered 2 year old who had been kidnapped last night in Mesa, Arizona. Task Force members attempted to contact and arrest Esau Tineo, 39, wanted by Mesa Police department on charges of kidnapping, misconduct involving weapons, aggravated assault and stalking. On Thursday, September 17th , Ezmeralda Tineo, 2, was forcibly taken from her home in Mesa, AZ by her biological father, Esau Tineo, who does not have any custodial rights to the child. Tineo, who has an extensive, violent criminal history to include burglary, armed robbery, aggravated assault and prior weapons offenses, was reported to be carrying a handgun at the time of the kidnapping. During the kidnapping Tineo drove off from the location dragging the childs mother and grandmother who were attempting to recover the girl. Mesa Police asked for the assistance of the community in locating Ezmeralda as family members and law enforcement were concerned for the safety of the young child. Tineos recent behavior was described as erratic and he was known to make threats of violence against law enforcement to include vowing to shoot it out with police if he did not get to see his daughter. Task Force members tracked Tineo to a house near 59th Avenue and Thomas where he was observed leaving the home with Ezmeralda. An unsuccessful attempt to stop Tineo was made by task force members as he drove around police vehicles, onto the sidewalk, and into oncoming traffic. During this time, Ezmeralda was observed in the vehicle without the use of any safety restraints. Task force members continued following Tineo to 19th Avenue and Southern where contact was made with the fugitive. During their attempt to arrest Tineo, an officer involved shooting took place. Ezmeralda Tineo, who was uninjured, was quickly recovered from the vehicle and has been safely returned to her family. By Express News Service BHUBANESWAR: AT a time when the State capital continues to report more than 300 cases a day, decreasing RT-PCR tests and poor response to critical patients by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) are only making things worse in the city. The civic body conducted 2,808 tests on September 12 and just 1,860 tests on September 13. Similarly it conducted 2,495 tests on September 14; 2,603 on September 15 and only 2,277 tests on September 16. However, only 25 to 30 per cent of the total tests carried out by the BMC are done through RT-PCR, which is considered as the gold-standard for tests by experts. The number of RT-PCR tests conducted was 594 on September 12; 480 on September 13; 603 on September 14; 621 on September 15; and 705 on September 16. The number of tests conducted by the private labs in this period also remained between 1,300 and 2,100. However, BMC officials failed to provide details about the number of RT-PCR tests conducted at the private health care facilities. The State Capital recorded 305 new cases in the last 24 hours which included 90 cases related to quarantine and 215 cases of local transmission. The civic body, however, didnt share any information regarding the number of tests carried out on the day. With BMC admitting to rapid rise in cases in the last 15 days in the city, many believed that increasing RT-PCR tests would have helped the civic body to gather information about spread of the virus with more accuracy. Apart from less number of RT-PCR tests, poor response of civic body to patients as well as those who need civic bodys help in testing, is another drawback. Municipal Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary, however, said the cases in the city are declining and the situation of Bhubaneswar will improve soon. More than 73 per cent of the citys active cases are in home isolation, he added. Judicial complex declared containment zone Bhubaneswar: The BMC on Friday declared the areas under the boundary of Bhubaneswar Judicial Complex and District Legal Services Authority as containment zone from September 19 to 25. Issuing a notification to this effect, the civic body stated that the decision was taken after detection of multiple Covid cases in the Civil Court. The BMC, however, clarified that the offices of the Sub-Collector, Tehsildar and District Sub-Registrar there will be excluded from the containment zone area. While entry of visitors has been banned to the containment zone, the civic body asked people residing in the area to dial 1929 to seek help or register grievance. Here is a quick History lesson: On June 25, 1992, Biden argued on the Senate floor that if there was a Supreme Court vacancy, President Bush should consider following the practice of a majority of his predecessors AND NOT, AND NOT name a nominee until after the November election is completed. Biden went even further by stating, the Senate Judiciary Committee should seriously consider NOT scheduling confirmations hearings on the nomination until after the political campaign season is over. Of course, Biden changed his position in 2016 for Merrick Garland, hence the hypocrisy. Biden stated at the time, I made it absolutely clear that I would go forward with a confirmation process as [Senate Judiciary] chairman, even a few months before a presidential election if the nominee were chosen with the advice, and not merely the consent, of the Senate, just as the Constitution requires. Now (September 18, 2020), Biden says, "Let me be clear: that the voters should pick the President and the president should pick the justice for the Senate to consider." In doing so, Biden reverses his 2016 stance and resumes his 1992 position. As a practical matter, we all know there must be a ninth Supreme Court Justice before November 3rd. The democrats have made it clear that they will try to steal the election with mail-in ballots. In August of this year, Hillary Clinton told Biden, Joe Biden should not concede under any circumstances because I think this is going to drag out. The Supreme Court may very well decide who will be president. A 4-4 tie would be a crisis for our country. In the background of all this, the Left is conducting political terrorism against those who either agree with the 2016 Biden or recognize, like Mitch McConnell, that the party controlling the Senate is an important factor and you have to go back to [the] 1880s to find the last time a Senate controlled by a party different from the president filled a vacancy on the Supreme Court that was created in the middle of a presidential election year. On Friday, Reza Aslan tweeted, If they even TRY to replace RBG we burn the entire fucking thing down (Why do I think Twitter wont suspend Reza?). Again, on the same day, MSNBC legal analyst, Neal Katyal, said that the Democrats should think about increasing the size of the Supreme Court in a Biden administration. Well, that is nice: The Democrats are issuing calls for political violence and court-packing. And we thought the Left acted crazy for Brett Kavanaugh. At least we know for sure who the adults in the room are. President Donald Trump said he has approved a bid by Oracle and Walmart to take over TikTok's U.S. operations in a move that would mean the app beloved by American teens won't be banned after all. Trump told reporters the news Saturday as he left the White House, saying that the combined company is "conceptually" a great deal for the U.S. The new company will continue to go by the name TikTok, Trump said. And it would be headquartered in Texas and employ at least 25,000 people, he added. "I have given the deal my blessing, if they get it done thats great, if they dont thats OK too," Trump said. "We'll see whether or not it all happens but conceptually I think it's a great deal for America. In an emailed statement, TikTok said it's pleased that the proposed deal between the three companies settles questions around the app's future in the states. "We are pleased that the proposal by TikTok, Oracle, and Walmart will resolve the security concerns of the U.S. Administration," TikTok said. USA TODAY reached out to Oracle for comment. Epic Games vs. Apple: Fortnite creator files new court documents against iPhone giant An AFP collaborator poses for a picture using the smart phone application TikTok on December 14, 2018 in Paris. The approved deal is a major step in the Trump versus TikTok saga, which Trump says is over security concerns. The Trump administration has warned that TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, might share user data with the Chinese government. TikTok has said it doesn't share U.S. user data with China nor send that information to its hub in Beijing. The new U.S.-based version of TikTok would use "a lot of very, very powerful security," Trump said. "It will have nothing to do with any outside land and the outside country. It will have nothing to do with China." Oracle, a software giant, has taken the lead in the proposal and would be responsible for hosting user data in the U.S. and ensuring national security requirements are met, according to TikTok. Story continues The deal could give Walmart access to an active, young consumer base that's known to frequent TikTok. Trump's announcement comes ahead of what was a pressing deadline for TikTok. The President issued an executive order giving the app until Sunday to reach a deal with an American company, otherwise, it'd be pulled from app stores in the U.S. WeChat, which is owned by a Chinese company, is also a target of the executive order. Effective Sept. 20, the government is blocking WeChat's ability to facilitate fund transfers and payment processing. It's also barring ther companies from updating the app, maintaining the app and supporting the apps code in other software or services. Follow Dalvin Brown on Twitter: @Dalvin_Brown. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump has approved a TikTok deal with Oracle, Walmart Since it would be too much of a stretch to refer to a series of stage performances as Carnival, the Government has decided to offer instead a Taste of Carnival. For traditional Carnival interests whose events will be facilitated and supported by the State, the proposal presented on Wednesday by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, Randall Mitchell, must be a welcome case of half a loaf being plenty better than none. BEMIDJI, Minn., Sept 18 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump, informed by reporters after a rally about the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, said: "She was an amazing woman." "She led an amazing life," Trump said. In brief remarks to reporters before boarding the Air Force One following the Minnesota rally, Trump did not mention any potential plans to nominate a replacement for Ginsburg, who died of pancreatic cancer earlier on Friday. (Reporting by Steve Holland and Eric Beech; Editing by Mohammad Zargham) By Tong Kim This column continues, from a previous one, to discuss the potential contribution of a Northeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (NEA-NWFZ), consisting of the two Koreas and Japan, to the realization of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and to the settlement of peace and stability in the region. The purpose of an NWFZ is to permanently prevent and prohibit any presence or transit of nuclear weapons in or through its zone, and to guarantee the protection of its members from external nuclear threats. Hence, the establishment of such a zone should provide an additional tool of security assurance for North Korea, in addition to, or as part of, a peace regime that should also be settled on among the countries concerned. When nuclear talks resume between the U.S. and North Korea, the concept of an NWFZ also will help the two parties to agree on a common definition of what "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" means. This will clarify the end state of nuclear negotiations. In the past, South Korea and the U.S. dismissed NWFZ proposals as propaganda, largely because they were offered by North Korea or Communist countries during the Cold War. The North Korean proposal also included a demand for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Korea. North Korea may still demand a withdrawal of U.S. troops from the South. However, this issue should not be a precondition for an NWFZ. In 2000, Kim Jong-il, the father of Kim Jong-un, said he would not object to the presence of U.S. troops in the South, if their role were changed from "invasion of North Korea" to that of peacekeeping on the peninsula and in the region. In negotiating a Northeast Asia NWFZ, North Korea may demand a provision that does not only prohibit the presence of nuclear weapons in the territorial boundaries of the two Koreas and Japan, but also bans the transit of such weapons through international waters and airspace surrounding the three countries. In other words, North Korea may propose to establish an extended nuclear-free zone to international waters, in order to keep at a further distance U.S. strategic bombers, submarines, and aircraft carriers that may carry nuclear weapons. Existing international law does not allow an NWFZ to control navigation in international waters for any vessels, including those carrying nuclear weapons. However, it is not impossible that the five nuclear states that recognized the Non-Proliferation Treaty the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France may agree on nuclear-free zones on international waters and in international airspace. The termination of the U.S. extended nuclear deterrence provided to South Korea and Japan will have to be addressed cautiously, as a replacement of the extended nuclear deterrence by a deterrence system of conventional forces will not be readily acceptable to South Korea or Japan, until North Korea has been completely denuclearized. In the meantime, it is important to continue pursuing a refined approach to the following three areas, building on the Singapore U.S.-DPRK summit agreement of 2018: (1) the normalization of relations between Washington and Pyongyang, (2) the establishment of a peace regime, and (3) the "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." A long-term, phased, reciprocal, and verifiable process of negotiations with built-in conditions for lifting sanctions and snap-back measures is still considered the most realistic approach to the goal of the ultimate denuclearization of the peninsula. If all necessary terms and provisions are agreed in the three areas mentioned above, they can be incorporated within the framework of an NEA-NWFZ, into one comprehensive settlement package for: peace, denuclearization and protection against future nuclear threats. An NEA-NWFZ, if successfully established with an effective verification mechanism, could serve as a nuclear buffer between the U.S. and China, minimizing the chances of an apocalyptic nuclear clash in the region. For this reason, China would probably welcome it, as it has traditionally sought a buffer zone against U.S. encroachment, while supporting stability in the region. Japan, as the only country that actually experienced the horrific devastation of nuclear bombing, is also expected to accept the proposal for an NWFZ. It can also serve as a buffer for Japan against China's expanding nuclear forces. Would the U.S. accept an NEA-NWFZ as a buffer against China? Probably not, as long as Trump occupies the White House. But, who knows? Anyway, it is time to seek a new approach to denuclearize the peninsula and secure peace and stability in the region. Diplomacy must continue its work, harder, towards achieving what it has yet to achieve in the last 25 years. Tong Kim (tong.kim8@yahoo.com) is a visiting professor with the University of North Korean Studies, a visiting scholar with Korea University, a fellow at the Institute for Corean-American Studies, and a columnist for The Korea Times. Dr. Mrs. Beatrice Wiafe Addai, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Breast Care International and Peace and Love hospital, has reminded Ghanaians especially women that breast cancer is still in existence despite the huge concentration on the COVID-19 pandemic. She said a lot of attention have been shifted to the COVID-19 pandemic thereby closing most Breast Cancer Centres across the country. Speaking during the enstoolment of the Kwahu- Mpraeso Adontenghene who happens to be a woman, she said the COVID-19 pandemic had not stop any disease and therefore urged people living with other diseases such as stroke, diabetes, cervical cancer among others to visit their specialists frequently for check- ups. She said breast cancer was not affected by only women but men could also be affected as well and entreated them to also go for regular check- ups to enable them know their status. According to Dr. Mrs. Addai, breast cancer was more common to the youth, advising that the youth must take their health situations seriously and frequently go for thorough check- ups. She said early detection and prompt action was key to saving lives among women and reducing their risks of been affected by breast cancer, hence the need for them to be well examined. Sending good will message to the newly enstooled Adontenghene of Kwahu- Mpraeso, she encouraged women to take up positions in society and make education their utmost priority. She also ureged the newly enstooled chief to fight for women empowerment in the area as she ascended the throne to help strengthen active women in society. 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 By PTI NEW DELHI: The espionage case lodged against arrested freelance journalist Rajeev Sharma under the Official Secrets Act is "false" and the "evidence was planted" by the Delhi police, his lawyer claimed on Sunday. The Delhi Police on Saturday said Sharma, a resident of Pitampura, was allegedly passing sensitive information about India's border strategy, Army's deployment and procurement, and foreign policy to Chinese intelligence agencies. He was arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police in connection with a case under the Official Secrets Act as he was allegedly found in possession of defence-related classified documents. Senior advocate Adish Aggarwala, who is representing the journalist, alleged that the police's claim of finding incriminating evidence from his possession was "not true". "We are not denying that he was working for a Chinese news organisation. The only dispute is the police's claim that they have found incriminating evidence, which is not true. "The evidence was planted later on. On September 14, when the police took him in custody, they searched his house that night and no incriminating evidence was found. e is being framed in a false case. He has not committed any of offence," Aggarwala told PTI. The advocate said the police could have informed the media on the day of the arrest itself, but they did not "as nothing incriminating was found". "Once they (police) analysed and could not find any anything incriminating, they planted the evidence," he further alleged. "They are not interrogating any official from the Defence Ministry. He must have found the documents from someone. It isn't that he printed them at his home," he claimed. Aggarwala also alleged that Sharma's family was not allowed access to him, nor was any information regarding the allegations furnished to them. "No copy of the FIR is uploaded online. Despite multiple requests, the police have not furnished a copy of the FIR. He was not given access to a lawyer when he was produced before a judge through video conferencing," he said and termed it "illegal". The lawyer said the only thing the police had was that Sharma was working with a Chinese media organisation. "Our country has not stopped business with China. A lot of people from China are working here and a lot many Indians are working there. There's nothing wrong in that," he said. Sharma's counsel has filed a bail application which is scheduled to come up for hearing on September 22 before a Delhi court. In the application, the counsel has said that there is "no risk of him running away from the process of justice". "The applicant has deep roots in society and is a respected senior journalist. His wife is also Associate Professor at Venkateswara College, Delhi University. Therefore, there is no risk of him running away from the process of justice. "There is no chance of influencing any witness or tampering with any evidence. The investigation would no longer require custodial interrogation of the applicant, and he can join the investigation as and when directed," the application stated. It added the accused was of 61-years-old and was "suffering from an acute case of sinus problems, and requires constant treatment from a nebulizer". "He has also undergone two surgeries for the same. Due to the same, he stands to be high risk to COVID-19. He is also a patient of high blood pressure, and taking medication for the same for the past decade," it said. The journalist had sent several documents in the form of reports to Chinese intelligence officers and got a handsome remuneration in return, police alleged. I have found my instincts for measuring up people have served me well. This isnt to say I pass judgement on anyone, but Im pretty good about knowing which ones not to make any eye contact with. Ive learned people who act strange usually turn out to be strange. A kook on Monday is still a kook on Sunday, and there simply aint no cure for stupid. I also avoid braggarts and those who are just downright crazy. That established, I am humbled yet pleased to admit one of my greatest mis-reads in my 71 years of living. My newest best friend is Kim White. Frankly, I have never had reason to be around her. When she babbles about partnerships which, to me, are almost as unsavory as committees, I turn the channel, and as she noted when I spent a good part of Friday afternoon with her, I was against her downtown development district, because I thought (at the time) it was an expensive folly. I am telling you; I was flat-out wrong. Now that Kim, just days before her 60th birthday, is running for mayor of the fourth worst-run city in America, our paths are unavoidable. I am ashamed of Chattanooga and what it has been allowed to become. Per capita, the FBI tells us we are in the Top 20 Most Dangerous cities in the United States. Our No. 1 asset Erlanger Hospital is floundering. Our public schools are precisely what nobody wants them to be, our children in our poverty areas are hungry, our black-on-black shootings the Black Lives Matter crowd has clearly shown dont matter, and our bike lanes are an ever-embarrassing flop. The city is dirty with grime, it costs more to park than eat downtown, and you can buy heroin anywhere you want. The list is darn-near endless. Yet the biggest problem I had, when I left her soon-to-be-bustling campaign headquarters for the March election, was a problem she herself just created. The old adage is When something is too good to be true it usually is, and, for the life of me the only thing Im not ecstatic about is that she wont share her favorite cuss word. Before we met, I saw a list of her campaigns finance committee and it was freaky! Of the 32 names listed, I know all but five, and, if I were tasked to prepare a list of the people who I most respect in our city, the other 27 would be on my list. Sure, many are personal friends, but I am talking about true leaders, those who have earned my respect and admiration. Its a stronger lineup than the 27 Yankeesand they had Murderers Row! (Earle Combs, Mark Koenig, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Meusel, and Tony Lazzeri.) When I shared that with Kim, she beamed. I am very, very fortunate for someone who grew up loving Chattanooga but then moved away for such a long time. I actually made a cold call on Bob Corker when he was mayor, looking for a job. I didnt know anybody! Actually, thats not entirely true. A graduate of Hixson High School, she worked her way through UTC where her biggest lesson learned was as president of her sorority. It taught me that if you can get good people with the same hearts and same goals you can accomplish anything. Kim explained she knew no one in business. Id never met Bob Corkerreally. And politics was the last thing on my mind. I knew nothing about it until I started working at River City. Then I became fascinated by it, particularly when a group of people can do more than you can alone. A fast-rising star at Alltel Communications, she was in Augusta when she met and married her husband, Joe Dan. Hes a country boy with a double first name and hes who I live for. Hes my delight. Hes also 21 years older than I am! What, you have an 81-year-old husband? Weve been married for 31 years, she laughed. Soon after he retired from a concrete-forms company, Alltel wanted me to move to another city and we moved all over to the point he told me he had a hard time keeping up with his underwear drawer. We were in Chattanooga one really pretty weekend. There was an outdoor concert and Chattanooga was such fun we suddenly looked at each other and he said, This is it. This is where we are going to live,' and for me, coming back home? It is the greatest decision weve ever made. But, Kim, look at what we have become? No, she replied, Lets look at what we CAN become," and there began her vision for the journey ahead. Here are some of the things we talked about: * -- CRIME: The City has to form a much better partnership with the black community. They can do more to eliminate the shootings than the police department can. When I have visited so many different areas of the city, the No. 1 thing every neighborhood wants is a greater police presence. Chief David Roddy is a real prize. The most pressing thing for me is to keep him. (The Police Chief works at the whim of the mayor, not the City Council.) The same is true for our Fire Chief (Phil Hyman) and I want to keep both of them. We must add police officers and we must succeed to make Chattanooga among the safest cities in America. * - METRO GOVERNMENT: Tennessees three largest cities have some kind of home rule that ties city and county resources together, eliminating millions of dollars of overlap. Sure, we ought to look into that but COVID changes the landscape. I have talked to County Mayor Jim Coppinger and we need to partner on a lot of things. It will take years for us to recover from COVID, but the city and county can partner anytime about anything and still celebrate our individual identities. Mayor Coppinger and I have already talked about this. Should our fire department roll when there is a fire just outside the city limits. Thats what good neighbors do. Our police think the world of our county police. Both are begging to work together. Thats what good neighbors do. If I get the chance, Chattanooga will be a much better neighbor. And you want to know something? That's what the citizens of the city really want." * -- COMMUNICATION: The question made Kim pause, quickly saying, Yes before laughing. My office door will always be open. If anybody needs to be seen, come right away. Obviously, some appointments must be made to assure the right people will be available, but anyone who shows up will be welcomed and, if not by me, Ill have staff available to handle almost anything. Listen, we will be totally transparent, and well soon bore people with the information we want to share. Our communications will be dynamic and we will gladly serve each and every citizen." * -- ERLANGER: "I served on the Erlanger Board of Trustees when Jim Brexler was president so I know how crucial Erlanger is to the community. I most certainly do not wish to sell Erlanger but also believe Erlanger needs to take dramatic steps in a hurry to get back on track. The fact an outside group of investors wants to buy it assures me they think the hospital can make money, so what must be done for the city and county to do the same thing? Right now, that is a huge problem, but it is such a safety-net we cant allow it to fail. It requires immediate action because of the Chattanoogans it serves every day." * -- PUBLIC SCHOOLS: "If 60 percent of our children cannot read, and if inner-city school children have nothing to eat on weekends, I am open to almost anything because life centers on education. Ill listen to any idea 12-month schooling, after-school tutoring, summer programs, fall-break, and spring-break in-school classesanything. But when a father or mother is recruited to move to Chattanooga, the very first thing they ask is about the schools their children will attend. Right now, we dont have a good answer that is not acceptable." * -- BUSINESS RECRUITMENT/JOBS: "Sure, its flat. Blame it on the virus, unemployment, whatever. Chattanooga is dead. We have all kinds of office space because COVID has forced employees to work remotely. I get that. But I have developers who have told me to my face they refuse to bring ideas to the city until there are drastic changes. I mean, real changes. You wrote about the travesty Publix endured at the hands of the Planning Commission. That was not only horrible, it sent up a bright-red flare that Chattanooga will drive you away, that Chattanooga will fight any company with its leadership. No, we cant have that! I believe we need to take a very hard look at the whole infrastructure because the damage was incredible." * -- DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT: "Ill concede the presentation was lacking, but the idea was a good one and I can prove it because it is working! We werent complaining about existing city services; we wanted to pay for more from other service companies. And its worked! We had 82 percent of all businesses and residents who wanted better and were willing to pay for it. Right now, we have 12 ambassadors in the district every day. Do you want to hear about the homeless man we reunited with his sister in Ohio who immediately took him in? Would you like me to tell you about another who we got him his medicine, clothes, and a place to stay? Downed tree limbs are gone, gutter repairs are made, potholes are repaired. We partner with the citys social services and the public works. Members of the Downtown Development District are very pleased because things are much better. How can anybody oppose that if they are the ones paying the bill for better? So, go ahead. Ask them. Any of them. We dont get many complaints." - - - Kim and I talked about a bunch of other stuff. At one point I told her that discipline in the public schools was a huge problem, no matter what the HCDE Office of Propaganda might say, and she said she was well aware of that. You need to shore up our Hamilton County Juvenile Court because Judge Rob Philyaw and Gary Behler, his top clerk, are giants who will soon need help. Kim laughed and then said, You may be low in your estimation of those twoI just spent the morning with them, and each is greater than you think! So, tell me, wheres the wringer? Where is the monkey thats going to jump out at the end and show me why it isnt possible for anything to be too good to be true? Until then, Kim White is my newest best friend and my hunch which has only let me down once that I can recall is poised and purposed to become the best mayor in our history in the wake of Ron Littlefield and Bob Corker. * * * KIM WHITES FINANCE COMMITTEE TREASURER: Mary Kilbride, Co-Chairs Alexis Bogo and Mitch Patel MEMBERS: Darlene Brown, Lewie Card, Allen Corey, Fred Decosimo, Ken Defoor, Hiren Desai, David Devaney, Kurt Faires, Zan Guerry, John Healy, Jim Haley, Craig Holley, Matt Hullender, Karen Hutton, Dr. Harish Manyam, Bubba Morgan, Glenn Morris, Johnny OBrien, Matt McGauley, Brett Rousch, Emerson Russell, Keith Stanford, Roger Smith, Mike St. Charles, John Thunder Thornton, Greg Vital, Amy Walden, Miller Welborn and Jimmy White. And remember this: it was in 1927 that The Babe smacked 60 homers for the Yankees. No matter, this is still a deeper line-up. royexum@aol.com 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. With two weeks of classes in the books for many New Jersey schools, at least a dozen districts have had to switch students to virtual learning because of positive cases of coronavirus. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The global market for process analytical technologies (PAT) for pharmaceuticals should reach $412.7 million in 2017 and nearly $539.3 million by 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.5% for the period of 2017 to 2022. Report Scope: Although PAT was by and large developed for pharmaceuticals, its scope is much broader and ranges to the food, biotechnology, biopharmaceuticals and other process-prominent industries. However, this report covers only the pharmaceutical industry. The advancements and enhanced implementation of PAT solutions benefit primarily the overall pharmaceutical industry along with drug developers and manufacturers, and pharmaceutical and PAT solution development companies. The scope of the study is global. Its sales analyses are broken down geographically for North America (U.S. and Canada), Europe, Asia-Pacific and emerging markets. Applications of PAT tools are summed up from the perspective of commercial and R&D usage. BCC Research also analyzes the regulatory environment, new products and advancements, market projections and market shares. Request For Report sample @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/12225 Also included in the report are relevant patent analysis and profiles of leading companies in the PAT industry, such as Siemens, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Emerson Electric Co., Agilent Technologies Inc., Danaher Corp., ABB Group, Honeywell International Inc., Bruker, Shimadzu Corp. and PerkinElmer Inc. Report Includes: - 70 data tables and 25 additional tables - A comprehensive analysis of the global process analytical technology for pharmaceuticals markets with respect to tools, services, and applications - Analyses of global market trends, with data from 2016, estimates for 2017, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2022 - Qualitative analysis, which covers such aspects as drivers, restraints, and opportunities, and provides insight into market forecasts of the PAT submarkets - Details pertaining to the regulatory scenarios that are expected to boost or constrain the markets potential - Patent analysis - Tracking of recent developments for key companies and strategies that may lead to a better understanding of the market from a practical perspective - Profiles of companies that play major roles in the market including ABB Ltd., Agilent Technologies Inc., Bruker, Foss, GEA, Jeol Ltd, Sotex AG and Zeiss Summary Traditionally, each step of the pharmaceutical process is carefully monitored, and representative samples are taken and analyzed at each step, to ensure the highest quality. If the final product does not meet the desired criteria, the batch needs to be repeated, adding cost and time to the overall process. In order to enhance process productivity as well as achieve the product quality during the manufacturing process itself, the U.S. FDA announced the Pharmaceutical Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs) for the 21st CenturyA Risk-Based Approach initiative in 2002. The initiative encouraged the implementation of several new technologies, one of which was PAT. The goal of PAT is to incorporate quality by design (QbD), innovation and real-time monitoring into pharmaceutical manufacturing. A variety of analytical techniques are used in the pharmaceutical industry, including ultra-violet (UV)spectroscopy, gas chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, particle size analysis, dissolution testing and titration tools. These methods can be used at-line or on-line to assist in monitoring, controlling and/or designing the process and its performance. The continuous real-time control and multivariate analysis features of a PAT process allow increased productivity and shorter manufacture-tomarket time. A comparison of patent analysis from the last report offers insight into the growing trend towards innovation in the analytical methods currently available. The number of patents issued jumped from 592 in the period 2011 to 2013 to 867 for the period of this report (2015-August 2017). A significant increase in technology improvements was seen for chromatographic methods, spectrophotometric tools and techniques, particle size analysis methods and capillary electrophoresis methods. There are many technology and process solution providers in the global market for PAT instrumentation. Recognizable names include Agilent Technologies Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., PerkinElmer Inc., Bruker Corp., Jeol Ltd., Hitachi High-Technologies Corp., ABB Ltd., GEA, Rockwell Automation Inc., and Shimadzu Corp. There are also many small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the instrumentation market. The global market for PAT technologies is currently small when compared to the multi-billiondollar pharmaceutical market it caters to. The market forces of innovation and the need to implement PAT in the pharmaceutical processes will drive this market in the coming years. There is a growing trend by the pharmaceutical manufacturers to implement the process analytical technologies in their manufacturing processes. In February 2017, Eli Lilly and Co. received the Facility of the Year award for Process Innovation by the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE). The companys continuous direct compression process for oral solid dosage drugs employs spectroscopic PAT, automation, real-time monitoring and sensors to estimate the critical quality attributes. Increased R&D budgets, collaborations among public-private and private-private entities, and favorable government initiatives are other factors driving the PAT market. The market of spectrophotometry offers huge potential for the growth of the overall PAT market, owing to the integration of spectrophotometric tools in almost every analytical method for increased ease of use and higher accuracy. Restraints and challenges limiting the growth of this market include the high cost of the technology, cultural barriers, changing political conditions and strict governmental regulations More Info of Impact Covid19 @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/covid-19-analysis/12225 Ciarran Stott has shared a cheeky response to a troll who mocked his teeth online. On Sunday, the British-born Bachelor in Paradise star made a TIkTok video addressing the cruel comment. The 25-year-old first showed the comment on screen, which read: 'Without the tattoos and badly bleached blonde hair you are still just an ordinary British guy with bad teeth'. No thanks! Ciarran Stott (pictured) has shared a cheeky response to a troll who mocked his teeth online. On Sunday, the British-born Bachelor in Paradise star made a TIkTok video addressing the cruel comment Ciarran then popped up, flashing his very white smile for the camera and propping his lips open with his finger to flaunt his perfectly straight gnashers. In a show of defiance, the reality star's smile dropped off his face, and he raised his middle finger at the person who made the comment. In addition, the star, who originally hails from Bolton, Manchester, added the caption: 'Pearly whites up in here!' The 25-year-old first showed the comment on screen, which read: 'Without the tattoos and badly bleached blonde hair you are still just an ordinary British guy with bad teeth' Looking good! Ciarran then popped up, flashing his very white, very straight smile for the camera. In addition, he added the caption: 'Pearly whites up in here!' A tad rude! In a show of defiance, the reality star's smile dropped off his face, and he raised his middle finger at the person who made the comment Last week, ladies' man Ciarran set his eyes on new Bachelor intruder, Bec Cvilikas. The English lad has been checking out the 25-year-old's Instagram page, liking one of the bombshell's bikini pictures from back in February. In the photo, Bec flaunted her pert derriere in a g-string leopard print bikini bottoms paired with a white top as she soaked up the sun. Ciarran's apparent Instagram stalking was first noted by Instagram account Bachiefunny, who wrote alongside their post: 'Didn't take long'. Busy boy! Last week, ladies' man Ciarran set his eyes on new Bachelor intruder, Bec Cvilikas He's a fan!The English lad has been checking out the 25-year-old's Instagram page, liking one of the bombshell's bikini pictures from back in February. Bec is pictured Noticed! Ciarran's apparent Instagram stalking was first noted by Instagram account Bachiefunny, who wrote alongside their post: 'Didn't take long' That post was liked by Ciarran's Bachelor In Paradise ex Kiki Morris, who also commented 'Mate' with a laughing emoji. Ciarran hooked up with several woman during his stint on the Channel 10 dating show. A love triangle quickly developed between Ciarran, Cass Mamone and Abbie Chatfield, but he eventually fell for Jessica Brody. He later turned his attention to Kiki, and the couple vowed to give their relationship a go outside of the show, but the pair broke up shortly after filming wrapped. Were excited about celebrating 46 years in business for the next 3 months, he said. Were in the early stages, but were coming up with some fun things. We hope people will still find us accessible and safe. We will decorate for Christmas; there will be carolers. We dont know the specifics yet, but theyll be dressed up. At an event that was part of the commemoration of Los Alamos National Laboratorys 75th anniversary in 2018, the current lab director and five of his predecessors were asked what they believe were the nations biggest security threats. There was some talk about whether the nations nuclear arsenal can ever be considered totally reliable without actual, real-world weapons test explosions, now banned by international treaty. But the lab directors talked more about the info wars of the 21st century. Participation in democracy and the values that we have require that youre well grounded in education, said then-LANL director Terry Wallace. So when you look at a website that tells us that theres a conspiracy in a pizza parlor, that everyone goes there for pedophile activities, you should be able to apply scientific principles to that to understand that its not (true). So am I fearful? Yes, because nobodys got a plan for that. Former lab director John Browne said, Just think of how many times you look at social media today and someone thinks something is true because someone has put something out there. I think that threatens our way of life. In the two years since the lab directors made those comments, things seem to have only gotten worse. Here are some recent examples: The QAnon conspiracy, which promotes the insane idea that President Trump is fighting off a deep-state, Satan-worshiping pedophile ring, has taken off to the point that a soon-to-be elected Republican congressional candidate in Georgia is a self-avowed QAnon adherent. People who should know better, including mainstreamers, such as a member of the Taos County Republican Partys executive committee, are promoting the idea that the COVID-19 pandemic has been overblown because the number of COVID-19-only deaths is much lower than the reported total fatalities. That total is now over 200,000 Americans, most of them people who had underlying conditions before they contracted and died from the virus. What is true is that 6% of the death certificates list only coronavirus as the cause. But regardless of other health conditions among the deceased, 92% of the death certificates show COVID-19 as the underlying cause. If your friend or relative whos lived a normal life for decades with diabetes contracted COVID-19 and died, would you really stand up and say that person died of diabetes? Vaccines, like the ones we all hope will emerge soon to fight the coronavirus, face doubters from a bipartisan crowd. The concerns range from a debunked study published a couple of decades ago and doubts about the ethics of Big Pharma to more government intrusion into freedom of choice. Regardless of any philosophical, political or metaphysical arguments, the truth is that vaccines work. Many of us of a certain age had childhood friends who suffered from crippling polio before a vaccine almost totally eradicated it. Smallpox and measles also have been whacked by vaccines, at least until the anti-vaxxers starting letting down our defenses. And now the U.S. census count is also under suspicion as another bad thing promoted by a government out to control our lives. The Journals Joline Gutierrez Krueger reported recently on the troubles faced by census workers whose job is to get an accurate count of New Mexicans, something that serves to ensure our state gets its share of federal programs and dollars. I come home wondering, how on earth did Americans become so ignorant or stupid about our country? one census worker said in a comment that echoes, albeit in more forceful language, the concerns among LANL directors. I was very disheartened that something that has been done since the 1700s has been politicized and that some have no idea what it is for, the worker said. There are lots of things that have happened in 2020 that are cause for alarm and depression. The hastening dissolution of standards for whats considered true and accurate is, unfortunately, among the disasters of this unusual year. Theres no need to repeat here that the country is divided. It would just be so much better if we could agree on some basic facts behind the issues that we fight over. American Thinker, because of its prominence, ends up on a lot of mailing lists, both conservative and leftist. Thats why I received an email from the Poor Peoples Campaign inviting caravans to descend upon both Sen. Mitch McConnells offices and his home on Monday to create a massive disruption. This plan will undoubtedly work to get people on the streets but will it get them into the voting booths? I have my doubts because of the nature of poverty. The email is entitled Caravans to protest at McConnell offices in Kentucky & home in DC on Poor Peoples Campaign national Moral Monday. The purpose is to tell him to stop the misery, meanness and mayhem created by his refusal to act in the greatest public health crisis of our times. To do this, says the Poor Peoples Campaign, McConnell must stop suppressing the vote, sabotaging the USPS, stopping the stimulus, stealing healthcare, stifling living wages and separating families. You probably didnt know that separating families, a practice in which Obama vigorously engaged, was related to the Wuhan virus. You probably also did not realize that, when Rep. Nancy Pelosi walked away from the stimulus bill debate in the House and refused to enter into new negotiations when Trump made more generous offers, that this was all Sen. Mitch McConnells fault. As a preliminary matter, I believe that the lefts newest tactic of swarming politicians at their homes needs to stop. It truly is one step away from packing people in tumbrils and then parading around with their heads on pikes. Moreover, because its inherently threatening to descend in a mob on someones home, these protests should not have the protection of the First Amendment right to assemble peaceably. But thats not actually the point I wanted to make. What was more interesting was the caravan organizers assurance that, if poor people would just be united, they cant be defeated: The Poor Peoples Campaign has released a groundbreaking report titled Unleashing the Power of Poor and Low-Income Americans: Changing the Political Landscape. The report shows that poor and low-income people can change the political calculus of this nation in the presidential race in 15 states and 16 U.S. Senate races with just a small uptick in voting. More than 140 million poor and low-income people live in the United States, or 43% of the countrys population, and that was before the COVID-19 pandemic. The Poor Peoples Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, with organizing committees in 45 states, is building a moral fusion movement to address the five interlocking injustices of systemic racism, systemic poverty, ecological devastation, the war economy and militarism and a distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism. Our demands are reflected in our Jubilee Platform. It sounds so easy. Get poor people riled up and theyll file into the voting booths like lambs and kick that bad man Trump out of office, along with all the other Republicans withholding government goodies from the poor. The organizers, though, are missing a few important points. For those poor people who want to rise out of poverty, Trumps presidency has been the best thing to happen since the end of World War II. If you have a work ethic, you can make it in Trumps America. As for those poor people who do not want to or cannot work, the same deficits, pathologies, or behaviors that keep them poor also keep them from voting. One of the tragedies of poverty is that it is chaotic, with the poor bouncing from one crisis to another. Some are self-made crises (substance abuse or other poor lifestyle choices), some are health problems (both physical and mental), and some are just behavioral choices. I have acquaintances among what I call the permanently poor. George Bernard Shaws delightful character, Alfred P. Doolittle, who proudly characterized himself as one of the undeserving poor whom charity had unfairly left behind, would have recognized these people as his modern descendants. The permanently poor have no interest in the 60- or 80-hour workweek that helps one leave poverty behind. They dont want affordable Obamacare when theres free healthcare to be had in the emergency room. Many of them have low-level mental deficits, often connected to substance abuse. These include car accidents while under the influence, one too many bar fights, or just the gradual degradation of self that comes with chronic substance abuse. The permanently poor whom I have known want a lifestyle of periodic work, easy access to beer, cigarettes, and pot, and a basic safety net. Theyre not aiming for affluence. They just want their comforts. And that gets me back to that email about besieging Sen. McDonnell at his home. Poor people may turn up for a political caravan so that they can rage and stomp. Doing that is fun, allows them to vent, and theres probably a buzz from the feeling of power and camaraderie. However, my experience around many impoverished people tells me that, for them, no matter how fun the riot may be, sometimes the effort to vote is just too much. Image: Still from a 1926 production of Pygmalion, with Henry Travers as Alfred Doolittle. Public Domain. That makes sense. Admission office perspectives have some odd twists. When my daughter was an 11th-grader in love with a certain Southern California college, her counselor sadly informed her that the campus of her dreams tended to reject students from the Washington area for fear their parents wouldnt let them go that far from home. My daughter, my wife and I told him we had all been born less than 50 miles from that college. We were sun-loving California chauvinists. He said he could work with that. A little more data from the college on its admission patterns might have helped. Union minister of agriculture and farmer welfare Narendra Singh Tomar moved three crucial farm bills in the Rajya Sabha on Sunday. The bills include the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020. The two bills are historic and will bring a change in the lives of the farmers. The farmers will be able to freely trade their produce anywhere in the country, Tomar said in the Rajya Sabha. I want to assure the farmers that these bills are not related to Minimum Support Price (MSP), he said regarding the farmers concern that it will lead to the sale of their products below MSP. Agriculturists, who have been agitating against the bills passed in the Lok Sabha earlier, said they are anti-farmer and fear they will end the mandi system. The ordinances have been opposed by several opposition parties as well including the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Trinamool Congress. Farmers who contribute at least 20% to the total GDP of the country, will be made slaves by these bills. It will kill the farmers and make them a commodity, said TKS Elangovan of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party in the Rajya Sabha. It appears that there is a compulsion that the ruling party doesnt want a debate or discussion on these Bills. They are only rushing through these Bills. You have not even consulted any farmer associations, said Ram Gopal Yadav of Samajwadi Party. Also read | Farm bills: Farmers body announces three-day rail roko agitation in Punjab from September 24 Trinamool Congress MP Derek OBrien also opposed the bill in the upper house of Parliament. Prime Minister said that Opposition is misleading the farmers. You (Centre) said double farmer income by 2022. But, at current rates, the farmer income will not be doubled before 2028, he said. Your credibility is low to make promises, he added. Congress opposes these ill-conceived and ill-timed Bills. Congress rejects these bills. We will not sign on this death warrant of farmers, said Congress Partap Singh Bajwa. PM should explain why theres a hurry to pass the bills amid pandemic. He should explain what would farm bills do for farming community in short & long term & how it will help in achieving government's goal of doubling farmers income, said former PM and Janata Dal (Secular) MP HD Devegowda. A fire that killed eight people and did more than $500,000 damage at an Alabama marina started accidentally but was worsened by the marinas limited fire safety practices, according to a federal report. The National Transportation Safety Board, in a report released this month, said the Jan. 27 fire started near the electrical panel of a houseboat named Dixie Delight at the Jackson County Park Marina in Scottsboro. The fire spread quickly because of the abundance of combustible lawn furniture and propane cylinders for barbecue grills on the dock and boat decks. The report found the county and marinas limited fire safety practices contributing to the severity of the fire and loss of life. The fire spread due to the neighboring vessels of similar fiberglass construction, an abundance of combustible lawn furniture on the vessel decks and open dock areas, and the presence of portable liquid propane cylinders used for barbecue grills, which all increased the docks fire load, the report found. The marina did not have to adhere to current fire code standards that requires annual electrical inspections, fire response training and fire drills because it was built before those standards were adopted, but investigators said marinas should still have measures and guidelines in place to prevent and mitigate accidents for all moored boats and their occupants," the report stated. The Jackson County Park Marina did not observe several existing safety best practices and guidelines created for and used by the marina industry, investigators wrote. Investigators could not determine the cause of the fire, but said it began near the Dixie Delights electrical panel. The owner tried to extinguish it, and then to push the burning boat away from the dock, but the blaze engulfed the 43-foot houseboat and then spread to neighboring vessels and the wood-framed covered dock, the report found. Five children, their mother and another woman died after they were trapped in one boats cabin by the flames. Another person drowned after jumping in the water to try to escape, the report said. Seventeen people trapped on the dock were able to get away in two cabin cruiser-style boats after the Dixie Delight caught fire. But they couldnt start the engines and tried to paddle them with folding chairs and wash brushes, the report said. As the fire fully engulfed the dock, the two boats were drawn back toward the end of Dock B, in what some survivors referred to as a fire-induced draft or vortex, it recounted. Docked, unoccupied boats caught fire, burned through their mooring ropes, drifted into the other boats and set them on fire. The fire destroyed the dock and 35 boats, worth a total of more than $500,000, the report said. State investigators found in April that the fire was accidental. People blocked by Belarusian law enforcement officers gather during an opposition rally to protest against police brutality and to reject the presidential election results in Minsk, on Sept. 19, 2020. (BelaPAN/REUTERS) Hackers Leak Personal Data of 1,000 Belarusian Police on Weekend of Protests Anonymous hackers leaked the personal data of 1,000 Belarusian police officers in retaliation for a crackdown on street demonstrations against veteran President Alexander Lukashenko, as protesters geared up for another mass rally on Sunday. As the arrests continue, we will continue to publish data on a massive scale, said a statement that was distributed by the opposition news channel Nexta Live on the messaging app Telegram. No one will remain anonymous even under a balaclava. Police use truncheons on protesters during a protest of the disputed presidential election in Minsk, on Aug. 10, 2020. (Sergei Grits/AP Photo) The government said it would find and punish those responsible for leaking the data, which was widely distributed on Telegram channels on Saturday evening. The forces, means, and technologies at the disposal of the internal affairs bodies make it possible to identify and prosecute the overwhelming majority of those guilty of leaking personal data on the Internet, said Olga Chemodanova, the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Law enforcement officers detain opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk on Aug. 30, 2020. (Tut.By via Reuters) The loyalty of the security forces is crucial to Lukashenkos ability to cling on to power following last months presidential election, in which he claimed a landslide victory but his opponents say was rigged to hand the former Soviet collective farm boss a sixth term. Security forces have detained thousands of people to tackle a wave of protests and strikes, their faces often obscured by masks, balaclavas, or riot helmets. Some protesters have physically torn off the masks of some officers. The government said 390 women were detained for taking part in a protest on Saturday against Lukashenko. Most have been released. Lukashenkos crackdown on the protests has prompted the European Union to weigh fresh sanctions against his government. Minsk reacted angrily on Saturday to reports that Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leading opposition candidate in last months election, could soon meet EU foreign ministers. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also criticized the EU for inviting Tsikhanouskaya to the ministerial meeting as well as for considering sanctions against Minsk, saying Brussels was trying to rock the boat in Belarus. By Matthias Williams Members of the Nebraska Democratic Party were spreading their message with signs and bumper stickers at Frank Park in Scottsbluff on Saturday. Led by Nebraska Democratic Party (NDP) Chair Jane Kleeb, volunteers gave away free signs and magnetic bumper stickers to supporters as the country gears up for the 2020 election. Scottsbluff is one of those areas that we see a lot of hope, Kleeb said. She said outreach is the key to turning the Panhandle blue. For Democrats to do that, Kleeb said the party needed to earn the votes of rural Nebraskans. She said the party was in the process of creating hub offices, providing counties with tents and materials for outreach. We have to do (outreach) more and more. It cant just be every few months, Kleeb said. The signs given away were primarily presidential ones, but the event also featured an ongoing election and dispute that was far from the White House. Throughout the event, lurking in the background was Chris Janicek. Its sad that he doesnt have enough support to create his own event, Kleeb said. Mike Pompeo declared that all UN sanctions against Iran have been restored - Reuter The Trump administration declared on Saturday that all UN sanctions against Iran have been restored, a move most of the rest of the world rejects as illegal and sets the stage for an ugly showdown at the world body ahead of its annual General Assembly. The administration said that its triggering of the "snapback" mechanism in the UN Security Council resolution that enshrined the 2015 Iran nuclear deal had taken effect at 8pm Eastern Time. That is 30 days after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo notified the council that Iran was in "significant non-performance" with its obligations under the accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). "The United States took this decisive action because, in addition to Iran's failure to perform its JCPOA commitments, the Security Council failed to extend the UN arms embargo on Iran, which had been in place for 13 years," Mr Pompeo said in a statement released at precisely 8pm. "In accordance with our rights ... we initiated the snapback process to restore virtually all previously terminated UN sanctions, including the arms embargo," he said. "The world will be safer as a result." The White House plans to issue an executive order on Monday spelling out how the US will enforce the restored sanctions, and the State and Treasury departments are expected to outline how foreign individuals and businesses will be penalised for violations. Soon, we will announce a range of additional measures to strengthen enforcement of @UN sanctions on Iran. Our maximum pressure campaign on the Iranian regime will continue until it stops spreading chaos, violence, and bloodshed. Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) September 20, 2020 "The United States expects all UN, member states to fully comply with their obligations to implement these measures," Mr Pompeo said. "If UN, member states fail to fulfill their obligations to implement these sanctions, the United States is prepared to use our domestic authorities to impose consequences for those failures and ensure that Iran does not reap the benefits of UN-prohibited activity." Story continues But the US move faces stiff opposition from the other members of the Security Council who have vowed to ignore it. They say the US lost legal standing to invoke snapback when President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed American sanctions on Iran. The US argues it retains the right to do it as an original participant in the deal and a member of the council. Even before the US declaration, fellow Security Council members said the declaration had no legal force, calling into question the ability to enforce snapback. Snapback means that international sanctions eased or lifted by the nuclear deal are reimposed and must be enforced by UN member states, including hitting Iran with penalties for uranium enrichment to any level, ballistic missile activity and buying or selling conventional weapons. Those bans were either removed or set to expire under the terms of the deal in which Iran was granted billions of dollars in sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear program. China and Russia have been particularly adamant in rejecting the US position, but US allies have not been shy either. In a letter sent on Friday to the president of the Security Council, Britain, France and Germany - the three European participants who remain committed to the deal - said the US announcement "is incapable of having legal effect and so cannot bring in to effect the procedure". "It flows from this that any decisions and actions which would be taken based on this procedure or on its possible outcome would also be incapable of having any legal effect," they wrote. Thus, the three countries said, the sanctions relief provided by the nuclear deal will remain in place. Russia's deputy ambassador to the UN, Dmitry Polyanskiy, said the US had only isolated itself. "It's very painful to see how a great country humiliates itself like this, opposes in its obstinate delirium other members of UN Security Council," he wrote on Twitter. Its very painful to see how a great country humiliates itself like this, opposes in its obstinate delirium other members of UN Security Council. We all clearly said in August that US claims to trigger #snapback are illegitimate. Is Washington deaf? #Iran https://t.co/EbQ6UkJ6FE Dmitry Polyanskiy (@Dpol_un) September 20, 2020 In its own letter to the Security Council on Saturday, Iran said the US move "is null and void, has no legal standing and effect and is thus completely unacceptable". US officials have talked tough about their intentions to ensure the sanctions are enforced, but it remains unclear how the administration will respond to being ignored, particularly by its European allies, which have pledged to keep the nuclear deal alive. A wholesale rejection of the US position could push the administration, which has already withdrawn from multiple UN agencies, organisations and treaties, further away from the international community. In the midst of a heated campaign for reelection, Mr Trump plans to address Iran in a speech to the General Assembly's annual high-level meeting on Tuesday. Officials say he will also touch on his brokering of agreements for Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to normalise relations in part to solidify a regional bulwark against Iran. And, as he seeks to demonstrate statesmanlike credentials ahead of the election, Mr Trump has injected another element of uncertainty into the mix by threatening to retaliate "1,000 times" harder against Iran if it attacks US personnel overseas. Iran earlier on Saturday warned that it may still strike US interests to avenge the death of a top Iranian general in an American airstrike earlier this year. But the head of the country's Revolutionary Guard Corps mocked a report that it was plotting to assassinate the US ambassador to South Africa, saying Iran's response would target people directly or indirectly involved in the general's death. Amid uncertainty over that, the other 14 members of the Security Council and all but about five of the UN's 195 member states say the US lost its legal standing to act on sanctions when Mr Trump withdrew from the nuclear accord more than two years ago. Mr Pompeo travelled to the United Nations on Aug. 20 to formally notify the Security Council that the US was triggering snapback because Iran is not complying with the nuclear deal. He dismissed suggestions that the administration was engaged in anything legally questionable or even controversial. He has said the snapback mechanism was the "one thing that the previous administration got right" in the nuclear deal that Mr Trump has denounced as the worst deal ever negotiated. Yet, aside from Israel and the Gulf Arab states, almost no country in the world agrees with the US. Trump administration officials have been attacking the 2015 nuclear deal for years. They say it is fatally flawed because certain restrictions on Iran's nuclear activity gradually expire and will allow the country to eventually develop atomic weapons. Since the dawn of Obama, the American media have asserted themselves as rabid, partisan watchdogs advancing the interests of the Democrat party and protecting it against all threats. In terms of the continued success of the American experiment, what the media are doing is dangerous. However, in terms of the humor factor . . . well, lost in all the post-Ginsburg madness was a good laugh: The Washington Post has absolved Biden of the blame for failing to win over Hispanic voters. Instead, its all Donald Trumps fault. That statement does not derive from some close textual reading of Henry Olsens column in Thursdays Washington Post. Instead, its right there in the title: Bidens weakness among Hispanics is not his fault. Its Trump. You and I, talking amongst ourselves, might have come up with multiple reasons for Hispanics falling out of love with the Democrat presidential candidate. They might be unimpressed with his failing mental abilities and his campaigning from the basement. Those who escaped failing socialist societies may worry that Biden will be a pawn of leftist forces in America and impose socialism here. People who want to work hard, repeat the rewards of that work, and raise their families according to their cultural values, may well be hostile to a political party that promises to raise taxes, regulate everything, send jobs back to China, and generally interfere with the nuclear family (or, in the case of tight-knit multi-generation Hispanic families), the extended nuclear family. Hispanics have noticed, as blacks have, that Trump was great for their economic bottom line. They also appreciated his bringing the rule of law to our previously unconstrained border traffic. Those who came here legally resent those who dont. Law-abiding residents in immigrant communities dislike the crime that comes from having drugs and sex trafficking pour over an uncontrolled border. And of course, while Biden is a slave to the teachers unions, Donald Trump strongly supports school choice and vouchers. Only with that competition will schools improve, allowing immigrants children to rise into the middle class in classic American style. In other words, Biden offers them nothing. An honest newspaper would say that. However, the Washington Post isnt an honest newspaper. Its a sycophantic party organ. And thats how you end up with Henry Olsen blaming Trump for Bidens disastrous campaign outreach to Americas Hispanic community: Democrats have started to worry about polls that show former vice president Joe Biden doing worse among Hispanic voters than Hillary Clinton did in 2016. Most punditry ascribes that to Bidens presumed weakness. The data, though, suggest President Trumps own appeal is the cause. Olsen then marches through all sorts of polls showing Trumps rising profile in Hispanic communities. Its not that Joes bad; its just that Trump is so darn good. The thing with those darn Hispanic voters, says Olsen, is that, instead of knowing whats good for them (Democrat policies), they like a winner and, right now, thats how they perceive Trump: This is surely not a coincidence. Analysis shows that a presidents job approval in his reelection campaign is an excellent predictor of his final share of the popular vote. Currently, 33 percent of Hispanics approve of Trumps performance as president; it would be shocking if his share of that demographics vote were significantly lower than this. If Trump gets 33 percent of the Hispanic vote on Election Day, it would be the highest share of the Hispanic vote for a Republican nominee since George W. Bush won 44 percent of the demographic in 2004. Bushs showing provides a clue as to why Trump might be doing better than expected. Both Ronald Reagan and Bush saw notable increases in their Hispanic vote totals in their successful reelection bids. Even Bushs father, George H.W. Bush, did relatively better among Hispanics in his failed 1992 reelection bid, losing them by 39 points that year vs. losing them by 36 points in 1988 (despite Bush Sr. going from winning in 1988 overall by 8 points to losing the 1992 race to Bill Clinton by 6 points overall). At the end of the day, the article is nothing more than a bootstrapping argument that says Biden is losing amongst Hispanics because Trump is winning. The appropriate answer to that is Well, duh! The article is useful only insofar as its a reminder that having a lapdog media is not necessarily a benefit to the candidate getting all the love. If a more rigorous media could tell Biden hes losing because hes a lousy candidate with an even worse platform, he might be able to change. As it is, though, the media is treating Biden like the kid who refuses to train, loses the race, and then hears from his foolishly doting parents that it wasnt his fault. Instead, it was all the fault of those mean kids who were better than he was. Thats not how you create winners, at least not outside of woke-land, where every kid, no matter how little he brings to the table, gets a participation trophy. Image: Latinos for Trump; Twitter screengrab An explosive report by Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter to the Eskom board reveals Eskoms position in respect of unproven allegations of corruption, nepotism and victimisation orchestrated against COO Jan Oberholzer on social media and other platforms. The Eskom report dated 24 August 2020 was presented to the Eskom board by De Ruyter at a board meeting on 31 August 2020, and deals with apparently orchestrated and ongoing suggestions by the EFF, trade union federation SAFTU, Corruption Watch and other murky elements that have suggested a corrupt and conflicted relationship by Oberholzer with Stefanutti Stocks, Black & Veatch and Aveng. The Eskom report also deals extensively with unproven allegations by former Eskom general manager: coal and clean technologies, Mark Chettiar, who was also the portfolio project manager for the disastrous Majuba rail project, and the new ash dam project at Camden power station where delays have caused the whole 1600 MW power plant to shut down for several months at the end of May 2020, leading to at least one stage of load shedding in South Africa. The Eskom report is the third investigation into alleged wrongful actions by COO Jan Oberholzer. All three of these investigations have cleared Oberholzer of wrongdoing, and this latest Eskom reports clearly states: None of the investigations found any substance to the allegations of wrongdoing as put forward by Mr Chettiar. It is recommended that the board endorses the COOs actions as having been fair, transparent, procedural and professional in upholding and fulfilling his contractual mandate in serving the interests of his employer Eskom. In the report, the Eskom CEO warns of an emerging pattern of underperformers to style themselves as whistle-blowers when called to account, a trend that is entirely at odds with the desired high-performance culture that Eskom is seeking to inculcate in its employees. According to the Eskom report, Chettiar went on sick leave on 29 January 2020 after he was transferred following a transparent process from his position as general manager: coal and clean technologies at Eskom to a similar position of the same grade in the human resources department at Eskom. This was said to be due to under performance and a breakdown in the trust relationship because of false and unproved allegations he made in a grievance process against the COO. Since then to date, Chettiar has not returned to work, nor complied with any work instructions, yet he continues to receive his full salary with benefits as a general manager at Eskom, while he pursues a claim of victimisation at the CCMA. Chettiar also faces a disciplinary hearing served to him on 20 January 2020 due to serious unfounded and unproven allegations against the COO. Through his attorneys, Chettiar has also been attempting to claim a severance package of R41-million from Eskom, while at the same time making allegations of corruption, nepotism and victimisation through various channels including the EFF, SAFTU and Corruption Watch to the media against Eskom COO Jan Oberholzer. The severance package tabled through Chettiars attorneys would require Eskom to withdraw all disciplinary charges against Chettiar; all his legal costs to be paid by Eskom; all his medical costs not covered by medical aid to be paid by Eskom; the full current value of his Eskom pension fund (estimated at R7-million) to be transferred to a preservation fund nominated by Chettiar; his full salary to be paid by Eskom until he reaches retirement age in about 12 years (estimated at about R24-million); and compensation of R10-million to be paid by Eskom for the alleged reputational harm he has suffered. Documents seen by EE Business Intelligence indicate a number of alleged reasons and justifications by Chettiar for the above, including suggestions that despite his efforts Chettiar cannot find other employment because he alleges Eskom has damaged his reputation and caused him physiological and emotional distress and damage. In the meantime, Chettiars former position as general manager: coal and clean technologies at Eskom has been filled by Naresh Singh, general manager: Africa strategy, who was seconded to the coal and clean technologies portfolio with effect from 1 February 2020. This, according to the Eskom report, was to ensure stability and continuity of service in this department, and to manage and oversee the execution of critical projects in Chettiars former portfolio. In a further development, a landmark high court judgement on 15 September 2020 appears to vindicate Eskom COO Jan Oberholzers stance on a R40-million disputed payment to Aveng, and undermines the suggestions by Chettiar, that Oberholzer irregularly authorised this payment to Aveng. According to the Eskom report, the R40-million payment to Aveng had been authorised by Oberholzer on the recommendation of Chettiar, an official opinion from an external legal company, Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs (ENS), and after an independent arbitration award settlement in favour of Aveng in its dispute with Eskom. Chettiar subsequently claimed to the Zondo commission that this was a corrupt and irregular payment on the part of Oberholzer. As a result, payment was suspended by Eskom pending the outcome of a high-court action by Aveng to enforce the arbitration decision. The judgement now orders Eskom to pay Aveng the R40-million, plus interest on the debt to Aveng, plus costs of the legal action by Aveng. In addition, the arbitrator has since ruled in favour of Aveng on claims in excess of a further R16-million. Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter commented on 19 September 2020 that the court judgement has now vindicated the COOs stance on the matter. Impeccable sources indicate that the Eskom board is supportive of the Eskom CEO and COO following the presentation of the report by De Ruyter at the board meeting of 31 August 2020, and that the report has since been given to Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan. When approached for comment and response to a number of questions from EE Business Intelligence arising from the Eskom report and high-court judgement, the Minister responded through his spokesman Sam Mkokeli that the matter should be referred to the Eskom board. The interim Eskom board chairman Prof. Malegapuru Makgoba in turn responded that: The board will respond at the appropriate time. When afforded opportunity for right of response, Mark Chettiar replied: Kindly take note that I am taking legal advice on this matter and therefore am not in a position to comment further. Chris Yelland is the managing director of EE Business Intelligence. Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter report Earlier this year, Calgary's deaf community celebrated the opening of a new gathering space. Just over six months later, organizers say they need to start all over again. Organizers with the Calgary Association of the Deaf (CAD) say they entered the organization's offices on Sept. 16 to discover a painful scene. "We entered the building and didn't realize that our office had been broken into," said Rytch Newmiller, CAD's secretary and treasurer. "Everything had been stolen." According to Newmiller, thieves stole about $50,000 in material goods, including computers, iPads, laptops and video production equipment. They also stole items that are hard to put a dollar value on. "The files, the papers, the documentation that we had those were invaluable," he said. "Our history, our antiques from the seniors who have donated we had stuff from 1935 until now. So how do you place a value on that?" Vincent Bonnay/CBC Calgary police said a break-in took place at the CAD offices at about 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 16, adding that they are currently seeking out information and potential witnesses. "My heart, my energy, we have worked so hard for the last eight years doing fundraising for the local community," Newmiller said. "The businesses that support us everything is lost. It's gone." One of only five spaces across Canada CAD celebrated its 85th anniversary this year with the opening of the new centre in northwest Calgary, a location that took years of work to open. It featured assistive technologies like video-relay services, and is one of only five spaces like it around Canada. Terri Trembath/CBC Clark Archibald, president of CAD, said the break-in means the organization will have to put all of its services including those for seniors, youth and those intended to respond to COVID-19 on hold. "I feel really sad. I'm really upset. I feel almost like I'm grieving, really It was quite the impact on [us] and we are a non-profit organization," Archibald said. "I would never expect someone to come in to rob us. Story continues "Now, everything is lost and we're starting all over from day one." Beyond the material losses, CAD anticipates the break-in will have a huge impact on isolated persons that use the services of the organization on a daily basis. "[To provide] services within Alberta, we've been struggling and fighting for that. And after the break-in, it's really unfair that we have to start all over again," Newmiller said. "But we're not giving up. We will fight back. We'll make sure we have access for all deaf people in Alberta. We can't lose that." Your browser does not support the audio element. Students in middle and high schools in Vietnam will be allowed to use their mobile phones in class for educational purposes, according to a new charter. On Tuesday, the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training adopted a circular which sets out a new charter for middle schools and high schools across the Southeast Asian nation. The circular, which is slated to take effect in early November this year, lifts an earlier outright ban on the use of mobile phones in class. In this regard, Sai Cong Hong, deputy director of the ministrys Secondary Education Department, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the change aims to be aligned with the application of information technology in teaching. Students are allowed to use phones during class time, but only to serve learning purposes with their teachers permission, said Hong, who added that the use of smartphones in the teaching and learning process is necessary. In some practical situations, he said students need to use several features of their devices in order to fulfill their learning needs, such as to look up information and browse reference materials. Second thought needed The new rule has raised public concern in Vietnam over its supposed detrimental effects on students. Anh Hoa, a Tuoi Tre reader, commented that students should not be allowed to use mobile phones during lesson time no matter the reasons. The reader said it would be impossible for teachers to supervise students use of their devices to make sure it is for the right purposes. Worse still, Hoa said, students will become reliant on online knowledge and information whose accuracy has yet to be verified. Nguyen Bich Trang, the mother of a sixth grader at Tran Van On Middle School in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, told Tuoi Tre that the school has banned students from using mobile phones within its campus since the beginning of the 2020-21 academic year. The new rule by the Ministry of Education and Training gives parents like me a shock, said Trang. Allowing students to use modern devices, including computers, tablets, or smartphones, is an inevitable need of todays education, but I dont think it is necessary for students to bring their phones into class to apply modern forms of teaching, she explained. The principal of a high school in the citys Tan Phu District said, We have banned students from using their mobile phones at school because they bring much more harm than benefits. The head teacher feared students would use their phones to set up gaming sessions with their peers after school, chat online in class, or arrange fist fights when there is conflict among them. Students will also sneakily visit their Facebook accounts or play games in class. It would be tough for teachers to supervise their students, due to overcrowded class sizes, said the principal. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Aerial photo taken on July 16, 2020 shows farmers picking daylily flowers in Yanchi County, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Yanchi County has been developing daylily planting as a characteristic industry to help local people get rid of poverty. (Xinhua/Feng Kaihua) If eradicating poverty can be achieved in such a big and formerly impoverished country like China, other countries are hopeful they can do it as well. BEIJING, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- As the raging COVID-19 pandemic is dragging an increasing number of people into poverty across the world, China's poverty alleviation efforts are offering hope. China's achievements and efforts in fighting poverty have not only contributed to the global cause of poverty reduction, but also set a pioneering example of practical significance to the international community. In the past seven decades, China has managed to lift 850 million people out of poverty, which accounts for more than 70 percent of global poverty alleviation, setting a record in human history. At the end of 2019, the number of impoverished people in China's rural areas fell to 5.51 million from 98.99 million in 2012. Ma Huihuang (L), leader of the poverty relief team of Shibadong Village, together with villager Shi Linjiao, promotes local products via live streaming at Shibadong Village of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, central China's Hunan Province, May 15, 2020. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan) Furthermore, China is on course to eradicate extreme poverty across the country by 2020, which will make the country the first in the world to end absolute poverty. Given China's large population, such achievements contributed not only to the global cause of poverty alleviation, but also improved the human rights of the Chinese people. Ending poverty tops the 17 United Nations (UN) 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. However, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the global response to realizing poverty and environmental goals agreed by world leaders in 2015 has not been "ambitious enough," and it would be very difficult to bring the rate of extreme poverty below 3 percent by 2030. Even worse, the UN has predicted that the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic would cause an increasing number of people to fall into poverty. Will China's path help the world lessen global worries over poverty? The answer is yes. If eradicating poverty can be achieved in such a big and formerly impoverished country like China, other countries are hopeful they can do it as well. Poverty alleviation is a "microcosm" of China's development, as it demonstrates how the country's system actually works on the ground, said Robert Lawrence Kuhn, a leading U.S. expert on China and chairman of the Kuhn Foundation. China's experience has also shown that the poverty alleviation cause must be based on one country's own national conditions and entails practical actions and the involvement of the whole society. To maximize poverty alleviation results, Beijing has arranged different funds and customized support according to different situations in villages and families. International engagement has also played a key role in China's poverty alleviation cause. A worker makes musical instruments at a musical instrument factory in Wuqiang County of Hengshui, north China's Hebei Province, June 2, 2020. Authorities in Wuqiang County have carried out a poverty-relief initiative which encourages local musical instrument industry to employ rural residents living below the current poverty line. (Xinhua/Zhu Xudong) International organizations including the United Nations Development Programme and the World Food Programme have supported China, and China also played an active role in global cooperation, offering much help to other countries' poverty-reduction efforts via providing material, financial aid or personnel support. Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has praised China's national development and success in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, saying it was integral to global gains in the field. As always, unilateralism and protectionism pose a stumbling block in the global cause of poverty reduction. The world should remain sober and realize that only through open cooperation can we embrace common development, which is the fundamental way to wipe out poverty. Meanwhile, extreme poverty is not about a lack of income alone, or faults of individuals or families, said Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. "It's about political choices that exclude, discriminate and marginalize people," he said. China's poverty reduction efforts will never end as alleviating poverty in all forms still remains a long-term cause for the whole world. Thus it is indispensable for countries to tackle this common challenge facing humanity with strong political wills, targeted policies and close international cooperation. The American software giant buying Britain's biggest technology company is willing to make legally-binding commitments to keep its tax revenues in the UK, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Nvidia, which is buying Cambridge-based chip designer Arm in a controversial 31billion deal, makes vast profits outside the US but only pays a tiny fraction in taxes. Analysis by the think-tank Tax Watch found that Nvidia paid taxes worth just 3 per cent of the $6.15billion (4.76billion) in profits it has made overseas since 2015. Almighty row: Nvidia's Jensen Huang (right) and Arm co-founder Hermann Hauser High-profile critics of the Arm deal this weekend raised serious concerns that Nvidia could try to shift hundreds of millions of pounds of tax out of Britain by using its international structure. Arm paid 268million in tax last year, mostly in the UK. Its co-founder Hermann Hauser told The Mail on Sunday that if Nvidia moved Arm's tax base out of the UK, the Treasury could miss out on even larger receipts in future because Arm has the potential to become Britain's first $1trillion company. Hauser who has written an open letter to the Prime Minister urging him to intervene in the deal said: 'If Arm becomes a division of Nvidia the accounts will be consolidated and they'll play the usual tricks of all the tax transfer and the tax loopholes that all the big American companies are playing. 'I'm not accusing them of doing anything illegal I'm just accusing them of being unethical and immoral.' Former business secretary Sir Vince Cable another critic of the takeover said it would 'add insult to injury' if Nvidia shifted Arm's taxes abroad. Last night Nvidia hit back at the criticisms and strongly insisted it would not move Arm's taxes out of the UK to limit its bill. In a statement, an Nvidia spokesman said: 'This deal won't change how Arm pays taxes in the UK. 'Nvidia will keep Arm's headquarters, IP [intellectual property] and R&D [research and development] activity in the UK, and will gladly guarantee that with legally binding commitments. 'That means Arm's UK profits after the acquisition will continue to be taxable in the UK as they are today.' Arm designs chips that are used in most smartphones, computers and tablets. Critics fear for jobs across the UK and are concerned that the US government could in future limit the sale of Arm's chips to other customers. There are also fears Nvidia will try to limit the sale of Arm's technology to customers that compete with it. The UK Government has yet to comment on whether it will block the deal or impose strict conditions. Ministers are likely to be concerned about Nvidia's tax affairs after criticising the low UK taxes paid by other US tech giants, including Google and Amazon. Last year, countries outside the US accounted for more than three-quarters of Nvidia's total profits at $2.35billion. But the firm paid just $103million in taxes on that profit effectively a tax rate of 4.4 per cent. The effective tax rate for its US business last year was far higher at nearly 11 per cent. Nvidia said in its annual report that its overall tax rate is low because of profits banked in low-tax jurisdictions such as the British Virgin Islands, a renowned tax haven, and Hong Kong. This is the type of tax regime Hauser fears Arm would be brought under if the deal goes through, potentially depriving the UK taxpayer of valuable revenue. Arm, a former FTSE 100 company, was bought in 2016 by Japanese investment giant SoftBank, which has been selling off assets it owns amid financial troubles. That 2016 deal came shortly after the UK voted for Brexit and tested Theresa May's resolve on foreign takeovers. The deal was waved through on the condition SoftBank signed undertakings to double the number of UK employees and keep the headquarters in Cambridge. But while SoftBank has kept to its promises and treated Arm as an investment, critics of the new deal fear Nvidia's ownership will be different. They argue that when Arm becomes a subsidiary of Nvidia, the US company will limit Arm's global capability to hurt its rivals. Hauser who is sending his letter directly to Boris Johnson this week urged Nvidia boss Jensen Huang to give legally binding commitments that it will not stop Arm from licensing its technology to competitors, but he is not hopeful. Hauser wants SoftBank to float Arm on the London Stock Exchange instead, with the Government investing up to 2 billion to take a stake. He said that if this happens Arm can be the foundation for Britain's first trillion-dollar company, referring to the plan by the Prime Minister's chief adviser Dominic Cummings to create a trillion-dollar tech giant to match the likes of Apple and Google. 'If ever there was an industrial strategy to create the first trilliondollar company in the UK, it must start with Arm, which has a dominant position in the IoT [internet of things] and the smartphone space,' said Hauser, adding that it could combine with other British semiconductor companies such as Graphcore. He added: 'For once, we've got a full house of cards here to make an industrial strategy out of. This is the time to act to build Britain's first trillion-dollar company.' Residents of an idyllic village dating from the 12th century claim it is being destroyed by a Kazakh oligarch. Nurlan Bizakov wants to build an estate of more than 200 homes in East Hoathly in East Sussex. But some of the 1,600 locals say he is damaging the character of their historic home. Mr Bizakov built his fortune in his homeland after hiring armed mercenaries to storm his former offices at an oil refinery and get his job back even though he had resigned in the first place. Nurlan Bizakov, left, with his horse Tomyris after it won the Betfred 'Supports Jack Berry House' Chartwell Fillies' Stakes at Lingfield. Bizakov launched himself on the European racing scene not long after becoming the majority owner of 100m firm Kazphosphate in 2007. He now wants to build a 205-house estate in East Hoathly against the objections of residents who say it will damage the town's historic charm. Jockey Frankie Dettori is pictured on the right (file photo). He then went on to make huge amounts in phosphorous and phosphates there, claiming his business was worth 1billion. Over the past decade he has become a major figure in British horse racing, setting records with his lavish spending. But it is his purchase of the 400-acre Hesmonds Stud farm that has brought him into his latest battle. Residents of East Hoathly welcomed the takeover, but then he made applications to build housing estates on the equestrian land while shifting his focus to another stud farm he bought in Normandy last year. Then he won permission to build 205 houses against the will of hundreds of local objectors. East Hoathly locals initially welcomed Bizakov's investment in the area but now want to mount a legal challenge against his plans, which were approved by Wealden District Council in July. Campaigner Jonathan Walker, front left, said: 'A development of this size would destroy a unique village which has been around for more than 1,000 years.' There are only around 500 homes in the village and locals say there are plans for 200 more on other fields. Campaigner Jonathan Walker said: Everyone thought Mr Bizakov was great because he invested millions. [But] a development of this size would destroy a unique village which has been around for more than 1,000 years. 'He built a modern Bond-style mansion and has remained hidden away. It seems only a matter of time until he disappears off to France and takes with him the millions made by devastating this historic rural community. Mr Bizakovs application was approved by Wealden District Council in July. Campaigners wish to mount a legal challenge but Mr Bizakovs past would suggest he is unlikely to compromise. Bizakov owns what was described as a 'Bond style mansion', pictured above, in East Hoathly. Locals fear it seems only a matter of time until he leaves for France, where he has a second stud farm in Normandy. The 400-acre Hesmonds Stud farm in the historic village is set to be developed into a 205-home estate, nearly doubling the number of dwellings there. In 2000, he resigned as chairman and manager of the Shymkent Oil Refinery after former Kazakhstan president Nursultan Nazarbayevs government began supporting moves against foreign investors. He then called for the firm to be renationalised and won a court judgment allowing him to take his job back. Mr Bizakov entered by force accompanied by soldiers from the Kazakh internal affairs ministry. He denied taking orders from Mr Nazarbayev. The BBC reported: Special task force soldiers ensured Bizakovs passage by overcoming... company guards and breaking down the main door. Canadian executive Marlo Thomas regained control with his own security team. A few years later, Mr Bizakov became the majority owner of firm Kazphosphate, leading its purchase for 100million in 2007. Not long after, he launched himself on European racing. He declined to comment on the planning row. In a letter Friday night, Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, urged his Republican colleagues to be cautious and keep your powder dry until we return to Washington. But one G.O.P. senator is already making the case for not voting on a Supreme Court replacement for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg until after Election Day. If we fail before the election, it really deflates our side, said this senator. And even if we succeed, it takes the prize off the table. And I think the prize is pretty motivational. In light of the sensitivities around the issue, and Mr. McConnells admonition, the lawmaker requested anonymity to offer a candid assessment of this extraordinary moment. TDT | Manama Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam (BKS) has denied allegations published by a newspaper and posted on social media that it has fully purchased Gulf Air tickets, defeating the purpose of an air bubble meant for Indians across the country. We have not purchased or sold any tickets, BKS president P V Radhakrishna Pillai and general secretary Varghese Karakkal told The Daily Tribune. As part of our assistance to the Indian community during the COVID-19 pandemic, we had facilitated inbound flights to support the people who were on the verge of losing their jobs due to visa expiry. We had received around 1,700 requests much before the bubble agreement, which came into effect this week. Out of this, in collaboration with our travel partners Bahrain International Travels and Al Amal travels, around 800 people arrived in Bahrain through six inbound Gulf Air flights to date. Five of these flights came before the air bubble agreement and one flight on September 15. Gulf Air is expected to bring the remaining 500 passengers in the upcoming flights. BKS officials denied claims that the Gulf Air flights in the India-Bahrain sector from September 14 to 18 were converted to chartered flights for the convenience of as many as 2,200 passengers who paid money to BKS. Applications for necessary sanctions from government authorities for bringing these passengers were filed long back and were awaiting approvals, BKS officials clarified. All these arrangements were made well before the air bubble agreement. On September 11, Gulf Air agreed with our airline partners to carry these pending passengers on their upcoming flights. BKS has neither sold tickets nor engaged in any commercial activity. All the arrangements were done in collaboration with Bahrain International Travels and Al Amal Travels, wherein necessary assistance was provided from our side, they said. The officials added that any money collected is not meant for BKS; rather, it is for Gulf Air through BKS travel partners, and BKS has not issued any receipts other than priority slips. Individual receipts can be arranged from the respective travel agents, if required, they added. Since the air bubble agreement had come into place, BKS has completely stopped facilitating chartered flights. We had extended our help based on humanitarian grounds when normal scheduled international flights between India and Bahrain were suspended, the officials noted. BKS, established in 1947 by a group of visionaries, is today one of the oldest and largest leading socio-cultural bodies in Bahrain. Under the air bubble arrangement between Bahrain and India, carriers from both countries are permitted to operate a specified number of flights between Bahrain and India and carry passengers of specific predetermined categories. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The lawyer for a Brooklyn restaurant owner who has filed a lawsuit against Gov. Andrew Cuomo over the new midnight food curfew-- slated to go into effect on Sept. 30 when indoor dining is allowed in New York City -- wants the new mandate put on hold. Jonathan Corbett, a Los Angeles, Calif.-based attorney for The Graham -- the popular tavern that filed the lawsuit against Cuomo on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York -- on Friday filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to put the midnight food curfew on hold. The Governors food curfew treats the people of New York City as misbehaving children who cannot be trusted after their bedtime, said Corbett. On the contrary, New Yorkers have dutifully given up their lives and freedoms for the last six months in order to protect their neighbors and flatten the curve, and do not need the Governor to tell them when they can grab a bite to eat, he added. The lawsuit says: Coronavirus does not behave as a vampire, infecting others only when the moon is out. Restaurants in the rest of New York state, which have been open for indoor dining since early July, dont have a midnight curfew. Currently, outdoor dining in NYC is only permitted until 11 p.m., according to state guidance. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** The rule is arbitrary and unsupported by anything except speculation and the Governors bias against the people of New York City, and accordingly, plaintiff requests that the court protect the status quo and immediately place a hold on the order by issuing a preliminary injunction before the order takes effect on September 30, 2020, said Corbett. In response to the lawsuit, Jack Sterne, Cuomo administration spokesperson earlier this week said: Bars are closed in 10 other states and many -- including Rhode Island, North Carolina, and Washington -- have similar restrictions in place because they recognize that late-night service can encourage individuals to gather and mingle, increasing the risk of COVID transmission. The plaintiffs lawyers are right: this virus is not a vampire -- it is real, it is deadly, and the state will do everything we can to protect New Yorkers from it. STRUGGLING TO PAY RENT According to court papers, The Graham is desperately struggling to pay its rent, having been ordered by Cuomo to discontinue indoor dining for a full six months, and now starting September 30th, 2020, is allowed indoor dining at 25% capacity until midnight when it must boot its customers out the door. The Graham traditionally generated a substantial amount of its revenue after midnight and faces extreme financial hardship as a result of Cuomos new rule, which lacks any real or substantial relationship to stopping the spread of coronavirus, and instead actually makes the situation worse, as shrinking the hours during which New Yorkers can get a meal will result in more crowding during the fewer remaining hours, says court papers. OTHER REGULATIONS FOR INDOOR DINING The midnight food curfew and 25% capacity rule are just two of many regulations that NYC restaurants will have to follow when they are allow to open for indoor dining. Temperature checks will also be required at the door, diners must wear a mask when not sitting at a table, and a member of each party will need to provide contact information for tracing purposes in case of an outbreak. There will also be no service at restaurants' bars. Restaurants will also need to have enhanced air filtration systems. There also have been various lawsuits filed against the city and state to allow indoor dining in NYC over the last few months. FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK and TWITTER Two-wheeler major Yamaha Motor on Sunday said it estimates sales in the Indian market to be the lowest in a decade in 2020 because of drastic fall in consumer's buying sentiment due to COVID-19 pandemic. The Japanese company's wholly-owned subsidiary Yamaha Motor India Sales, which has witnessed a fall of over 36 per cent in its domestic sales in January-August this year, opines that the pandemic is likely to change the practice of shared transportation as people will prioritise social distancing and personal hygiene. "Yamaha expects demand to gradually grow, although the total sales volume for the year 2020 will remain the lowest in a decade," Yamaha Motor India Sales (YMIS) Senior Vice President Ravinder Singh told PTI in an interview. While the next few months will be tough, the market sentiment is estimated to improve by mid-August onwards during festive seasons, he added. The growing impact of the pandemic has made it important for businesses and to re-look at their strategies for the future, he said. "The change in consumer journey will fuel new business models and Yamaha will also need to establish new processes to ensure growth," Singh said, adding the company is focussing on usage of digital platforms by the dealers to reach the customers. The company had witnessed that the pandemic brought about a drastic shift in consumer buying habits and behaviours in terms of usage of transportation means, the official said. "It's likely to moderate the trends of shared mobility as people will prioritise social distancing and personal hygiene. This will effectively build higher preferences for affordable personal mobility, which could boost sales for auto manufacturers," Singh opined. Citing a research conducted by Kantar, he stated that shared mobility will take a hit by 55 per cent as people will stop using the public mode of transportation. During January-August this year, YMIS sold 2,88,942 units of two-wheelers compared to 4,54,617 units in the year-ago period, a decline of 36.44 per cent. The company, however, is witnessing its sales coming back on track in the last two months with 4.32 per cent rise in July and 14.8 per cent rise in August as against the same period of last year. When asked about the company's plans to bring customers back into purchasing mode as most of the sectors have unlocked now, Singh said: "Right now, Yamaha's major concern is to bring back shape to the business and ensure that the customers also return to the dealerships. "The new normal calls for major strategic transformation in retail planning and the company is currently driving the whole retail scenario by digital initiatives as far as possible." He further said the challenge right now lies with strength and endurance of business and not expansion, while the Yamaha will gradually unfold its new strategies to "enhance excitement" in the market. The senior YMIS official informed that for the current year, the digital platforms of the brand will strongly focus on building the company's new campaign 'The Call of the Blue', which will promote the global experience of Yamaha. "Automobile normally witness an upward trend during the regional festive season, especially with Durga Puja, Diwali till Christmas in Eastern India. Also, the demand for two-wheelers may increase owing to changes in travel preferences due personal safety," Singh added. The company also plans to launch 15 'Blue Square' showrooms across the country in 2020 focussing on sport and style of the Yamaha models, he added. "By 2021, we will be opening approximately 100 Blue Square outlets across India. Our sole objective is to provide our customers a premium experience through these exclusive showrooms, while they spend their time to buy premium Yamaha products and accessories," Singh said. On attracting more customers towards its two-wheelers, Yamaha might revisit its advertising strategy also, the official said. "For the auto category, the second half of the year is an important business period with many tactical campaigns. Yamaha will continue advertising with different media mix and strategy while addressing key challenges and objectives," Singh 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.) Amid the spike in Covid-related deaths and a surge in the number of infections caused by the fatal pandemic, a four member team of experts from the Union health ministry is in Jammu on a two day visit to ascertain the causes and suggest corrective measures to reverse the trend, said officials. The team visited government medical college and hospital (GMCH) Jammu and held deliberations with principal Dr Nasib Chand Digra and senior faculty members for nearly two hours on the first day of their visit on Saturday. Dr Vijay Hadda, one of the team members said, We are here to see how hospitals are combating Covid-19 pandemic, how are they equipped to tackle it, how can we make them better and how Centre can help improve the situation. Dr Hadda also said that the team spoke to the medical superintendent, deputy medical superintendent, the principal of the hospital and other faculty members to understand difficulties faced by them. We felt that there are certain areas where we can improve the facilities. We have also come to know about certain problems, but I wont be able to discuss them before the media. These problems certainly need a solution and we hope that all of us contribute in controlling the pandemic, he added. Dr Hadda said that the team will also be visiting other major hospitals in the region. We discussed about ICU beds, per day arrival of patients, death rate and trend of the infection. We have prepared a list of three to four major hospitals in Jammu where the team will visit. These are the hospitals that witnessed a sudden spike in deaths and they include government chest diseases hospital and the GMCH, said Dr Hadda. Besides Dr Hadda, who is a professor with the department of pulmonary critical care, AIIMS, New Delhi, the team comprises SK Singh, director, national centre for disease control (NCDC), and Dr Ramesh, an epidemiologist. The Centre on Friday decided to depute a high-level medical team to Jammu after the district reported a rise in the number of new Covid cases in recent days. Also Read: Amid spike in Covid-19 cases, NC says declare medical emergency in Jammu Principal of the GMCH, Dr Nasib Chand Digra said the visiting team discussed facilities, reasons behind the recent spike in deaths and new Covid infections. Patient care has been severely hit at GMCH Jammu, which has become a battlefield for senior doctors and the incumbent principal Dr Nasib Chand Digra. Peeved over indiscipline and chaos, Dr Digra had recently written to L-G Manoj Sinha, opting for VRS citing interference in working of the hospital from extra-institutional officials. He, however, didnt name them in the letter. Attendants of Covid patients at the hospital complained of shortage of oxygen cylinders and an unavailability of beds while a video, in which paramedics were seen escaping out of windows leaving behind patients at the mercy of God at an isolation ward of the hospital, went viral on Thursday. The team said it will support the states efforts towards strengthening containment, surveillance, testing and efficient clinical management of the positive cases. The Central team shall also help in effectively managing the challenges related to a timely diagnosis and follow up. Quantadyn Corporation And Owner Settle False Claims Act Allegations of Bribery To Obtain Government Contracts For Simulators San Antonio, Texas - The Department of Justice announced Tuesday that QuantaDyn Corporation (QuantaDyn), headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia, has agreed to resolve civil claims arising from allegations that it engaged in a bribery scheme to steer government contracts for training simulators to the company, as part of a broader settlement that includes a guilty plea by the company. As part of the plea agreement, QuantaDyn has agreed to pay $37,757,713.91 in restitution, which also will resolve the companys civil False Claims Act liability for the scheme. William T. Dunn Jr., the majority owner, President, and Chief Executive Officer of QuantaDyn, has separately paid $500,000 to resolve his personal False Claims Act liability. When government contractors pay bribes to military contracting officials to obtain contracts, they prevent both our military and the American taxpayers from receiving products that are procured fairly and objectively and at a reasonable price, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Bossert Clark for the Department of Justices Civil Division. Todays settlement demonstrates our continuing commitment to protecting the integrity of the governments procurement process and ensuring that is untainted by fraud and corruption. I am proud that our team and our law-enforcement partners were able to obtain justice for the American taxpayer in this case. We will not tolerate fraud against important federal programs, stated U.S. Attorney John F. Bash for the Western District of Texas. The integrity of GSAs contracting is vital to good government, said U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Inspector General Carol Ochoa. Our special agents have been tireless in investigating corruption, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to vigorously prosecute it wherever we find it. Founded in 2000, QuantaDyn is a privately held software engineering firm specializing in developing training simulation systems for Department of Defense agencies, including the Air Force and the Air National Guard, both as a prime contractor and a subcontractor. The civil settlement announced today, which was based on the company and Dunns ability to pay, resolves allegations that QuantaDyn, during the time period when Dunn was President, engaged in a bribery scheme to steer the award of government contracts for training simulators to QuantaDyn. The United States alleged that while Dunn was QuantaDyns President, the company formed a corrupt partnership with an Air Force contracting official who provided procurement-sensitive information to QuantaDyn during the pre- and post-award phases of the contract in exchange for bribes. The United States contended that, as a result of this scheme, QuantaDyn caused a prime contractor to submit false invoices to the United States. Contemporaneous with the civil settlement, U.S. Attorney John F. Bash for the Western District of Texas announced that the United States and QuantaDyn have entered into a plea agreement to resolve criminal allegations related to the bribery scheme. On Jan. 15, 2020, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Texas unsealed indictments against QuantaDyn, the former Air Force contracting official, and other individuals. Under the plea agreement, QuantaDyn has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, serve a five-year term of probation and to take certain remedial measures, and pay $37,757,713.91 in restitution, a criminal penalty of $6,300,000, and forfeiture of $7,099,863.77. This civil settlement was the result of a coordinated effort among the Civil Divisions Commercial Litigation Branch; the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Texas; the GSA Office of Inspector General (OIG), Greater Southwest and Rocky Mountain Investigations Division; the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southwest Field Office; the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), Procurement Fraud Detachment 3 in San Antonio; the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, Major Procurement Fraud Unit (CID/MPFU), Southwestern Fraud Field Office; the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); and the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA), Headquarters, Operations Investigative Support Division (OIS). Except as admitted in the plea agreement, the claims resolved by the civil settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 17:15:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SAN SALVADOR, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- El Salvador expects to attract Chinese investment and export aquaculture products, Salvadoran Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Pablo Anliker said. Speaking with Xinhua on Friday, the official said doing business with China has become much easier since 2018, when the two countries established diplomatic ties. During a work trip to China, Anliker observed that the country consumes a large amount of tilapia, shrimp, and other seafood, which he believes represents an opportunity for Salvadoran producers. "You have to take advantage of that demand that you have as a nation," Anliker said, adding that his country seeks to take advantage of the market and investments from China. "I invite the Chinese people to come to invest here in El Salvador," Anliker said, mentioning the abundance of fish and shellfish produced in the maritime area along the country's clean, long coastline. Bilateral cooperation in agriculture could also include training and educational opportunities for both Chinese and Salvadoran experts, he added. According to El Salvador's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, the largest tilapia processing plant in the Central American country produced in May over 40,000 pounds (18,143 kg) per day, with the ultimate goal of processing over 2 million pounds (907,184 kg) per month. China and El Salvador established diplomatic relations in August 2018. Since then, bilateral cooperation in the economic and commercial spheres has greatly expanded. Enditem ALBANY After 3-year-old Brook Stagles was beaten to death in 2016, damning accusations emerged about the inaction of child welfare investigators in Rochester: In the three weeks prior to the killing, Monroe County Child Protective Services (CPS) workers had allegedly made numerous missteps including ignoring "countless" phone calls warning of escalating abuse. When deaths like Brook's occur in New York, the state Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) is required to create a report detailing whether caseworkers followed protocol in investigating any allegations of abuse. But after five recent high-profile child deaths, including three in the Capital Region, the state has sidestepped public release of the reviews of county CPS actions. In several cases, the Times Union found reviews had been suppressed at the urging of county governments that were the subjects of the reports' scrutiny and possible criticism. Before a report is released to the public, county CPS offices at times urge the state agency to keep the reviews under wraps, through a process that is itself secretive. When a member of the public requests a copy of a child fatality report, OCFS asks the relevant county social service agency for a written recommendation as to whether the release is in the best interest" of surviving siblings or other children in the household. That is the lone exemption in state law allowing a report's suppression by the commissioner of OCFS. In making such recommendations, counties also may have their own interests in mind including negligence lawsuits from grieving families or desire to avoid public criticism. All provide incentive to exaggerate the harm a report's release might cause to the child's surviving siblings. Criticism of the rule's use is longstanding: A 2008 report issued by the Children's Advocacy Institute, an arm of University of San Diego Law School, called the exemption a "severely restrictive, substantive limitation" of the law. A follow-up report cited the 2010 murder of Marchella Pierce in Brooklyn as a possible consequence. "Perhaps if New Yorks Office of Children and Family Services had not been working to limit access to case reports...further system reforms could have occurred before Marchellas tragic death," the report stated. After receiving the requested recommendation from Monroe County, OCFS decided to keep the report on Brook Stagles 2016 death a secret under the rationale that suppressing the information was in the best interest of Brooks surviving siblings. While the reasoning behind that determination is unknown Monroe County and OCFS both declined to provide any further information suppressing the report was also likely in the interest of Monroe County CPS officials, whose actions may well have been criticized. The idea that suppressing the report was in the best interest of Brooks siblings came as news to John Geer, the child's maternal grandfather, who was among the family members that repeatedly called Monroe County CPS before Brook died. I dont see what that has to do with anything, Geer said. ABOUT THE FAMILY COURT SERIES PART 1: Children died despite warnings in New York Family Courts PART 2: After children die, questions of standards and biases PART 3: Before children died, investigations skirted state rules PART 4: Grieving parents look to Albany for Family Court reform CONTINUING COVERAGE: Editorial: The deaths of innocents After children die, counties find a way to avoid scrutiny Citing the same rationale in response to requests from the Times Union, OCFS has suppressed its review of the 2014 death of 5-year-old Kenneth White in an Albany County hilltown, and the 2019 death of 6-week-old Eli Harmon-Ojeda in Cohoes. In a somewhat different scenario, a report on the 2017 death of 1-year-old Luka Patrick in Albany County was publicly released. The report stated, however, that the OCFS fatality review team hadn't examined the matter and would meet retrospectively, pending a criminal investigation. But after the criminal proceedings played out, the report was never updated with any new findings concerning Albany CPS workers' conduct. The OCFS report on the 2018 death of 2-year-old Gabriella Boyd in Westchester simply bypassed the most controversial aspects of CPS' alleged actions conduct that was later the subject of a negligence lawsuit brought against Westchester County CPS. The OCFS reports dont identify anyone by name, including the person accused of killing, the surviving siblings, or the child welfare officials involved in the case. At times, the reports find caseworkers performed their jobs correctly. In other instances, the reviews can be scathing. Because the process is so secretive, it's difficult to access the validity of the "best interest" recommendations made by counties and adopted by OCFS. The agency refused to provide copies of counties recommendations that preceded its decision to suppress reports; so did several counties, also citing privacy restrictions. OCFS likewise refused to release any records detailing OCFS Commissioner Sheila Pooles rationales for suppressing reviews. An OCFS spokeswoman, Monica Mahaffey, confirmed that a two-level review of a best interest determination is conducted first at the county level, then by the state. This determination is based solely on an assessment of the potential for further trauma and public humiliation for surviving siblings, Mahaffey said. Pending litigation or criminal investigations are not part of the best interest determination. When OCFS disagrees with the best interest determination conducted at the county level, the agency publicly releases the report. Mahaffey declined to provide any specific example of OCFS going against a countys recommendation. She also declined to say if OCFS before it suppresses a report in the best interest of a dead childs siblings ever consulted the families themselves, or only asked for the opinion of counties that might have vested interests. Mahaffey called the idea that OCFS would ever intentionally suppress a report in order to protect a county government from scrutiny "outrageous and without basis in fact," and accused the Times Union editorial board of recently making such an implication in the case of the death of Eli Harmon-Ojeda. Brook Stagles On Nov. 14, 2016, Brook Stagles died after beatings from her fathers girlfriend, Erica Bell, who was convicted of second-degree murder. Her father, Michael Stagles, would plead guilty to criminally negligent homicide. John Geer, Brooks maternal grandfather, filed a lawsuit several months after Brooks death, alleging that Monroe County CPS was responsible. According to the lawsuit, three weeks before Brooks death, Geers wife Brooks grandmother filed an abuse complaint with Monroe CPS. Along with Brooks mother, she then met with Colleen Cufari, a Monroe County CPS caseworker. At the meeting, the family raised concerns about bruising on Brooks body that showed up while in the care of her father, bruising that was increasing in severity since Michael Stagles began dating Bell. The Geers advised that Bell had been duct-taping Brooks mouth shut to keep her from speaking. They reported that Brook was sleeping on a mattress in the basement of Stagles residence and regularly and routinely being bitten by insects. At the meeting, according to the lawsuit, Cufari refused to look at photographs documenting the injuries and went after Brooks mother as the suspected source of abuse. Two days after the meeting, Cufari went to Michael Stagles house and spoke with him at the doorway, but did not go inside because Stagles said that he was moving. Cufari did not speak with Bell, the lawsuit alleged. CPS workers are required to evaluate the childs living environment when a complaint is filed, and to interview the person accused of abuse. Whether or not such requirements were followed would be exactly the types of matters typically reviewed in the OCFS reports. The lawsuit maintained that if Cufari had examined the basement in which Brook was sleeping, that alone would have warranted emergency removal from her fathers home. Over the next three weeks, Cufari then ignored repeated phone calls detailing new instances of abuse, according to the lawsuit. When Brook died, she was bruised head to toe. OCFS would not say when the agency made its decision to suppress its review of Brooks death, a decision that could have been triggered by the Times Union asking for the report this year, or by an earlier request from someone else. Its not clear, therefore, if Monroe County's recommendation to OCFS was made while the county was facing a negligence and wrongful death lawsuit, or afterwards. On Oct. 11, 2018, state Supreme Court Justice Scott Odorisi ruled that despite Monroe County CPS botched probe into whether Brook was being abused, the county was on its face not liable for such behavior. Although this Court heartedly disagrees with how CPS and/or Cufari handled the investigation, including the failure to ensure (Brooks) safety, there is no way to classify that botched probe as anything but protected, discretionary governmental actions/inactions, Odorisi found. Monroe County refused to say whether the OCFS review contained negative conclusions concerning the county's handling of Brooks case. Commissioner of Human Services Thalia Wright said that the county by law is prohibited from discussing or commenting on any CPS case, open or closed. Yet in October 2017, Monroe County did issue a lengthy press release defending CPS' actions. In that statement, which provided many specifics about CPS conduct, the county said that in the three weeks before Brook died, CPS made "three in-person home visits." At Michael Stagles' sentencing, according to reporting by the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, Monroe County Court Judge Christopher Ciaccio said that CPS workers visiting Stagles' home before the death discovered the girl living in "deplorable" conditions with more than a dozen spider bites on her body. Eli Harmon-Ojeda When 6-week-old Eli Harmon-Ojeda died last year after ingesting methamphetamine in his father's apartment, questions immediately arose about whether social services workers in Rensselaer County had done enough to protect the infant. But OCFS, citing the best interest of Elis siblings, is keeping that report secret as well. Rensselaer County refused to say whether the OCFS review contained negative conclusions concerning the county's handling of Eli's case, stating only that the county believed its workers "fulfilled their duties and obligations." Since Elis death, Rensselaer County has been in conflict with various entities seeking the county's CPS records, including Cohoes police, and later a defense attorney representing the man who claimed to be Eli's father, Anthony Ojeda, who is facing criminal charges related to the infant's death. Upon the OCFS report's completion, Rensselaer County submitted a three-page document to OCFS arguing against the reviews release. The county refused to provide a copy of the document to the Times Union. In a statement to the Times Union, Rensselaer County Department of Social Services Commissioner Theresa Beaudoin said there are two siblings of Eli's, ages 15 and 8, and a third child, 11, whose "paternity is in question." The OCFS review of Eli's case should therefore be suppressed, the county argued. Its not clear how Elis four siblings on his mothers side are relevant to the OCFS report, since they did not live with Eli and his father. Beaudoin said only that the OCFS report "details information about the family and the conditions in the household and within the family." In recommending against the report's release, Beaudoin also said Rensselaer County was also concerned about "public disclosure of information before the criminal trial involving Mr. Ojeda." Beaudoin declined to say why Rensselaer County social services was concerning itself with the outcome of a criminal case in Albany County. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Albany District Attorney David Soares office, which is prosecuting Ojeda, told the Times Union it played no role in Rensselaer County's recommendation that the report be suppressed. Kenneth White OCFS also declined to release its review of 5-year-old Kenneth Whites death in 2014, again citing the best interest of his surviving siblings. Albany County, which had handled Whites child welfare case, said it had no record of having submitted a best interest recommendation form to OCFS concerning the release of Whites review. OCFS does have a copy, but declined to provide any information about Albany County's recommendation. Kenneth was killed by his then-19-year-old cousin, Tiffany VanAlstyne, who strangled him in the family's trailer. Caseworkers from Albany County's Child Protective Services visited the trailer three times, according to Kenneths aunt, and declared it a safe living environment. In 2019, their foster mother officially adopted Kenneths sisters. Luka Patrick In May 2018, an Albany County jury convicted Troy resident David Bridges of first-degree manslaughter for using blunt force trauma in the killing of 1-year-old Luka Patrick. About two months earlier, Bridges had begun dating Lukas mother, Rebecca Patrick. Ten months before David Bridges conviction, OCFS issued a partially completed report containing information about the death provided by Albany County CPS. But the report stated that OCFS' child fatality review team never met before its issuance. At the time of the fatality notification to the district attorneys office, the report stated, it was decided the Child Fatality Review Team will be meeting retrospectively due to the pending criminal investigation. Yet a spokeswoman for Soares' office which also handled the Bridges prosecution said the office never advised OCFS to delay that review, either. Following David Bridges manslaughter conviction, its unclear if any further review of Albany CPS' actions was conducted. OCFS officials said that there was no updated fatality report and that any investigation records outside of the fatality report would be confidential. The agency offered no further explanation. Rebecca Patrick who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor child endangerment testified against Bridges. CPS workers made three home visits in the 10 days before Luka's death on Feb. 6, 2017, according to the 19-word "OCFS review" that is contained in the report. The home visits were prompted by a complaint called in to the CPS central hotline stating that Patrick and Bridges were making Luka stand in a corner facing a wall for 30 minutes while they acted aggressively and screamed. The complaint also stated the home was infested with cockroaches. This report was under investigation" at the time of Lukas death, Albany County CPS said in a statement published in the original OCFS review. There was some credible evidence gathered through home visits and interviews to substantiate the allegations. Records from David Bridges criminal case include an interview that an Albany CPS caseworker conducted with Rebecca Patrick following Lukas death. According to the interview, David Bridges moved into the home on December 14, 2016; about two weeks after, Luka started having bruises. She subsequently would leave Luka at home in order to hide the bruises. Ten days before Luka died, an Albany CPS caseworker filed a report stating that the child was observed in diaper only and free of visible marks and bruises. Whether Albany CPS erred in any way is not clear, since no review was released. Gabriella Boyd Two-year-old Gabriella Boyd was killed her mother, Cynthia Arce, on April 28, 2018, in an attempted murder-suicide in Westchester County. The day before, a Westchester County Family Court judge issued an order giving Gabriellas father, Stephen Boyd, temporary custody and barring the mother from seeing her child after the father had raised concerns that Arce's mental health problems were placing the girl in jeopardy. That afternoon, Village of Mamaroneck Police served Arce with a copy of the protective order, yet the mother refused to relinquish custody of Gabriella and slammed the door in the officers faces. Still, the officers did not arrest Arce, and the Westchester district attorneys office also declined to take action. Police then gave a copy of the protective order to Westchester County Child Protective Services, which made a follow-up visit that night. The CPS workers arrived at the residence, knocked, saw the residence was dark and despite their knowledge of the mandates of the protective order left the residence and never returned, according to a federal lawsuit Gabriella's father filed against Westchester County CPS and others. The CPS workers were unable to get Mamaroneck police to accompany them. They could have asked Westchester County police to come instead, but did not, the lawsuit states. The OCFS review of the Gabriella Boyd case was issued on Oct. 19, 2018 nine months before Stephen Boyd filed the federal lawsuit. Gabriella did not have any siblings whose well-being could have justified suppressing the report. The state review, however, brushes past the CPS visit to Arces home entirely. It states that CPS workers made diligent efforts to conduct interviews following Gabriellas death, while not accessing the CPS visit to the home the night before. If the OCFS report had weighed in CPS' visit to the home, the findings certainly could have been evidence in the lawsuit against Westchester County, said Martin Rosen, an attorney representing Gabriella's father. Absolutely, Rosen said. It should have been addressed. KALAMAZOO, MI Its been six months since courthouse doors across Michigan were closed to the public. Some court proceedings have continued virtually amid the pandemic, such as arraignments, probable cause conferences, preliminary hearings, settlement conferences, motion hearings and even some sentencings. But jury trials have been in a holding pattern due to state-mandated COVID-19 restrictions. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 03:28:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RAMALLAH, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Palestine on Saturday recorded five more fatalities from the novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of deaths to 291. In a press statement, Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said that three fatalities were recorded in the West Bank, while two deaths were reported in East Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the health ministry reported 726 new cases infected with the virus in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the coastal enclave, raising the total number of infections to 44,763. Palestine currently has 13,234 active cases. Meanwhile, the Hamas-run Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip warned of the increase in infections among the population. The government in Gaza has eased the tight restrictions imposed on the coastal enclave, allowing the big malls, as well as shops of clothing, jewelry, shoes and others to open for 12 hours a day. Enditem 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. - 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. The second ministerial meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad is expected to be held in Tokyo early next month, people familiar with developments said, with the meet coming against the backdrop of Chinas aggressive actions across the Indo-Pacific. The meet will be held at a time when all four members of the Quad have serious differences with China India is engaged in a border standoff in Ladakh, the Australian government has pledged to halt projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Japan is worried about Chinese intrusions near the Senkaku Islands, and the US is engaged in a trade war. There has been no official word on the Quad meeting, with the external affairs ministry only saying the four sides were in talks to decide the venue and timing. The people cited above said the meeting is expected to be held in the Japanese capital in early October. ALSO READ | India forging key ties, with an eye on China The members of the Quad, especially India, Japan and Australia, have also stepped up work on forging partnerships with like-minded countries in the region, or those with interests in the Indian Ocean, with an eye on Chinas increasing assertiveness and aggressiveness. External affairs minister S Jaishankar said last week India and Japan were looking at cooperating on projects in Bangladesh and Myanmar as part of their efforts to work together in third countries. India, Australia and France held their inaugural senior officials trilateral dialogue, with the focus on building convergences in the Indo-Pacific, on September 9, the same day that India and Japan signed the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), a pact for reciprocal provision of supplies and services between their defence forces. ALSO READ | India, Japan sign key pact for reciprocal provision of supplies, services between defence forces China has eyed the Quad, which was revived in 2017, with suspicion, especially after the grouping was upgraded to the ministerial level in September last year. The upcoming Quad meeting will also be the first such high-level meet to be held in Tokyo since March, when the Covid-19 pandemic stopped virtually all travel by top government functionaries. Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had played a key role in the revival of the Quad and the holding of the meeting in Tokyo is expected to signal that his successor Yoshihide Suga is expected to continue with similar security and diplomatic policies, the people cited above said. Senior officials of the Quad countries have held several virtual meetings during the pandemic to share experiences and coordinate on efforts to counter the Coronavirus. Washington: US President Donald Trump pledged on Sunday to begin renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement in upcoming talks with the leaders of Mexico and Canada. Were meeting with the prime minister of Canada and we will be meeting with the president of Mexico, who I know, and were going to start some negotiations having to do with NAFTA, Trump said while addressing White House staff on his second full day in office. Trump will receive his Mexican counterpart Enrique Pena Nieto on January 31. No date has been given for a meeting with Canadas Justin Trudeau, but it is expected soon according to a readout from a call between the two leaders on Saturday. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. KYODO NEWS - Sep 19, 2020 - 22:37 | Feature, All Japanese woman Kane Tanaka, who is recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest living person, set an all-time Japanese age record Saturday at 117 years and 261 days. The previous record was held by compatriot woman Nabi Tajima, a resident of Kikai Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, who died in April 2018, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Tanaka, born as the seventh child of nine siblings on Jan. 2, 1903, currently lives in a nursing home in Fukuoka city in southwestern Japan. She was awarded the title of the world's oldest living person by Guinness in March 2019. On Friday, when Tanaka tied Japan's all-time age record, she celebrated the feat by drinking coke, her favorite drink, and wearing a T-shirt with her face photo printed, which was given to her by her 60-year-old grandson Eiji. "Even amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, my grandmother is well and looks to be enjoying her life every day. As a family, we are happy and proud of the new record," Eiji said. Related coverage: Number of elderly reaches record 36.17 mil. in Japan Japan newlyweds can receive up to 600,000 yen to start new life Centenarians top 80,000 for 1st time in rapidly aging Japan The U.S. Department of the Interior is proposing a regulation that will not allow oil producers to avoid picking up their offshore well decommissioning tab when they go bankrupt, the acting director of the departments Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Walter Cruickshank, told Bloomberg. The administration wants to implement stricter requirements for bonds issued by bankrupt companies for cleaning up and decommissioning non-producing offshore oil wells. Our current rules that were written back in the 1990s have fairly broad criteria and really left it up to our regional directors to interpret and apply them as they wanted, without necessarily getting public input on how we do so, Cruickshank told Bloomberg in an interview published on Friday. The lower-for-longer oil prices and the high debt levels of many U.S. oil companies resulted in as many as 16 filings for bankruptcy protection in the shale patch in July alone, bringing the total since the price crash to 50, the latest bankruptcy monitoring data from law firm Haynes and Boone showed. While most bankruptcies were for companies with presence predominantly in the U.S. shale patch, some of them also have operations in the Gulf of Mexico. It is reasonable to expect that a substantial number of producers will continue to seek protection from creditors in bankruptcy even if oil prices recover over the next few months, the law firm noted at the end of August. In the U.S., notably in the Gulf of Mexico, companies are set to spend around US$15 billion on well decommissioning until 2029, according to estimates from Wood Mackenzie cited by Bloomberg. The U.S. will have the second-largest decommissioning tab after the UK, and ahead of Brazil, Australia, and Norway, WoodMac has estimated. According to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), some 1,885 active production platforms exist on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), with more than 60 percent of these facilities more than 25 years old. Some 200 platforms have been removed each year over the past decade, BSEE said. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The Premier has announced a major road project on the Gold Coast, saying it was only possible because of her governments success at keeping coronavirus contained. Queensland recorded two new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, both of them detected in people already in quarantine. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says Queensland can now focus on its economic response to COVID-19, having already focused on its health response. One was an international traveller who had returned to Queensland and the other was a known contact of an existing case from the corrective services cluster. The cases bring Queenslands total cases since the pandemic began to 1151, with 19 of those considered active. The situation is stable as preparations are under way to evacuate the Amorella, coastguard says. A Finnish passenger cruise ship ran aground off the island of Aland in the Baltic Sea with emergency services saying they were preparing to evacuate nearly 300 people on the vessel. The ship was headed towards Stockholm from Turku in Finland and ran aground about 12:50am local time on Sunday (21:50 GMT, Saturday) outside the city of Mariehamn on the autonomous Finnish island of Aland near the Swedish coast. There are no personal injuries and no ones life is in danger, and the situation aboard is stable, Eleonora Hansi, the head of information for Viking Line Scandinavia, told AFP news agency. The ship, Amorella, is 169 metres (555 feet) long and does daily trips between Stockholm and Turku. Normally it carries between 1,800 and 2,000 passengers, but because of the pandemic the number was heavily reduced, Hansi said. There are about 200 passengers and about 80 crew members on board, Hansi said. Local media reported passengers had gathered on deck and were wearing life jackets. The Amorella also ran aground in the same area in 2013, according to Finnish and Swedish media reports. Images on social media showed the large cruise liner stuck just off a wooded islet among the picturesque Aland Islands, an autonomous region of Finland 70km (40 miles) from Sweden. Amorella stands firmly on the bottom. The 281 people on board are in not in immediate danger but the captain has decided that all extra people be evacuated from the ship, the West Finland Coast Guard said. Although colds, flu and COVID-19 are caused by different viruses, some of the symptoms can be similar. Photo: Getty Lockdown measures have eased across much of the UK and more people are heading back to their offices and workplaces after months of working from home. But with cases of coronavirus on the rise, were all wary of potential signs and symptoms of infection. Last year, we might not have thought twice about heading to work with a runny nose, sore throat and aching limbs. Instead, its likely we would have dosed up on painkillers and Lemsip and forced ourselves to head to the office, rather than taking a sick day. Since 1993, the number of sick days taken per worker per year has almost halved from 7.2 days a year to 4.1 in 2017. But with the symptoms of many common respiratory illnesses similar to that of COVID-19, should we really be heading to work if were unwell? The symptoms of COVID-19 Although colds, flu and COVID-19 are caused by different viruses, some of the symptoms can be similar. Most people who become infected with coronavirus will have at least one key symptom, such as a high temperature, a new and continuous cough and a loss or change to their sense of smell or taste. A high temperature is unlikely with a cold, but some people may experience chills, aching limbs or a sore throat. READ MORE: What do you do if your employee isn't social distancing? If you do experience any Covid-related symptoms, you should get yourself a coronavirus test and self-isolate while you wait for the result. However, there is a shortage of tests available in many areas in the UK with many people having to travel much further, or simply being turned away. If you cant get a test, ring your manager and explain the situation. Even if you are unsure whether you have coronavirus symptoms or not, it might be worth staying off work or working from home if you can. Your employer might already have a plan in place for employees who may have symptoms, in which you can work remotely. Taking a sick day can be worth it Unlike more serious illnesses which justify recovery time, a bad cold can be a grey area. On the one hand, you might feel rubbish and unable to concentrate on work. On the other, youre probably still able to turn up to the office, even if you know you wont get much work done. Story continues Not all businesses will pay their employees when they take sick days, so many people cant afford to take time off when they need to. Its also common for people to turn up to work when theyre unwell over fears they will be penalised or seen as lazy. A lack of job security due to the recession triggered by the pandemic may also led to sick employees heading to work. But even if its unlikely that you have coronavirus, sometimes it can be worth taking a sick day if you need to. READ MORE: Why forcing people to turn on their Zoom cameras isn't inclusive Workers being on the job but not fully functioning because of illness, otherwise known as presenteeism, is a growing problem in the UK. According to a survey by CIPD and Simply Health, 86% of more than 1,000 respondents said they had observed presenteeism in their organisation in 2018, compared with 72% in 2016 and just 26% in 2010. You may feel the need to power through and come into work when youre unwell. But if you get into the habit of it, research suggests this can have serious consequences for both you and your employer. Its a situation many employees have found themselves in. Youve woken up feeling rotten, with a pounding head, aching arms and a stuffy nose. You drag yourself to work, but you know you arent going to be as productive as you normally are. Youre normally pretty diligent, but you find yourself making silly mistakes because youre tired. Having a foggy head can lead us to make mistakes, spend more time on tasks and struggle to make decisions, all of which can be costly for employers. Research from Nottingham Business School in 2017 found that the average UK employee spends almost two weeks a year working while ill. In turn, this cost firms more than 4,000 ($5,058) per person due to low productivity. Watch: How To Answer Difficult Interview Questions READ MORE: Why being authentic at work is important but so are boundaries Presenteeism has also been linked to an increase in reported mental health conditions, including stress, anxiety and depression. Yet it is these conditions that are among the main causes of long-term sickness absence. Workers who rarely take time off to recover from an illness also risk developing burnout too. And when you are ill even with the common cold your body needs time to recover before you can get back to life as normal. You need to rest, drink plenty of water and avoid stress, which can compromise your immune system further. Of course, its not always practical to call in sick every time you have a stuffy nose. But considering the risks posed by COVID-19 and the impact of presenteeism it might be worth going easy on yourself and taking time off if you need to. 'What's the catch?" It was the question Emily MacKeogh often asked the 6ft 4in former rugby player Killian Roche after he walked into her life on a night out in Dublin four years ago. "He was gorgeous," smiles Emily, her eyes alight at the memory. "I thought, 'This can't be ... it's too good to be true'. He was kind, open and bubbly. He was the dream." Today, Emily is incredulous. Last week the couple should have been celebrating their wedding in Italy. Instead, she is describing how Killian's life was cut short at the age of 32 - just five hours after the couple had arrived in Dubai to start a new chapter in their life together. "We had just landed, he was just there he was perfect," she says shaking her head. "What? Why? It's so insane you can't even process it. "It was like if you had just climbed to the top of a beautiful mountain and then someone pushed you into the abyss." She smiles again when she casts her mind back to the early days of their relationship. Within weeks, they had moved in together. "He brought me flowers for no reason. He cooked the most amazing food - we called them the 'Big K' burgers, they were dangerous but delicious." "Every single morning he would bring me coffee in bed, then kiss me goodbye before leaving for work. He was such a good person." One night the couple were watching After Life, a TV series about a man who loses his wife, when Killian turned to Emily. "He said, 'If anything ever happens you better let me go first. I wouldn't be able to cope without you'. He said, 'You are way stronger than me'. I laughed and said, 'No I'm not'. I told him I would give him a week's head start. "We were inseparable. Both of us knew it was right. I know it sounds mad but we didn't even have one argument in our entire relationship." Soon they were discussing marriage and children. They had adopted a French bulldog, Zeb, and had been dating for two-and-a-half years when Killian landed his dream job, the head of digital for media company Wavemaker for the Middle East and Africa. It would be based in Dubai. The pair planned to leave in April 2019 but first Killian had a surprise. He took Emily on a romantic break to Switzerland that February for her birthday. "We were staying in a boutique hotel and we got into a hot tub on the roof overlooking the Alps. It was night time." She recalls he got out a ring and "he said, 'I want to spend the rest of my life with you'. I still have the photo of us kissing beforehand". The day they were due to leave for Dubai, Emily felt nervous. She shakes her head at how her main stress was the number of suitcases they had packed. "We lay on the bed and he bear-hugged me for five minutes and calmed me down," she says. At the airport, both of their families were there to say goodbye. "His mum had even said to me, 'It just feels so final, I don't know what it is' and I said, 'Don't be silly, we will see you in a few weeks' because we were planning to come home for the registry office." The flight over was calm, says Emily. "We were both quiet and watched two movies. It was all very normal. I remember we held hands the whole way." She says Killian was the type of guy who did everything by the book. He thought he was going to have a medical as part of his visa so he wouldn't touch a drop of drink on the flight. "When everything happened, and they did his bloods, I said 'I can tell you now there is nothing there. He wouldn't even take a paracetamol off me'. "He didn't want to do anything to jeopardise his test. He wanted everything to go right." At the airport, a car was waiting to take them to an apartment-hotel, where they would be staying for the first few weeks. "We were laughing in the car on the way there, saying 'We are freeeee'. We were so excited. We had a viewing that day for a home on the Palm." The couple arrived early and their room wasn't ready so they sat and had coffee while they waited for a key card so they could have a rest in a temporary room. "We were sitting at the table and he was next to me and he texted me 'I love you' and I texted him back 'I love you more'." Emily begins to get emotional and apologises. "He decided to go to the gym while I went up to get some rest. Then he joined me shortly afterwards and we slept for about an hour. "He woke and said he would go downstairs to see if our room was ready. After about 10 minutes he wasn't answering his phone. He was always so responsive so I went to check on him. "I had just opened the door when the phone rang in the room. A voice said, 'There's been a terrible accident. You need to come down'." Killian had gone to the reception for the key card and was in the bathroom in the lobby washing his hands when he collapsed. An ambulance took him to hospital and Emily followed. Once there, she says: "I barged through the doors and shouted at them to keep trying. I was very conscious I was the only one there for him and I was responsible to make sure they did everything they could." Doctors worked on him for over an hour but it was too late. In shock, Emily rang Killian's parents, who took the next flight out. She then went to be with her fiance and to hold his hand. "I just lay on his chest and cried," she says. It's been a little over a year but months of post-traumatic stress followed. She had "the same nightmare every night" and describes the moment the grief hit her in the mornings "like someone stabbing your chest, it was horrific". A post-mortem found Killian had suffered sudden cardiac death syndrome, an illness that takes the life of two people under the age of 35 each week in Ireland. Cardiac abnormalities can be spotted with an ECG test and Emily wants to encourage others to get checked. She also encourages those who have lost a loved one from the illness to seek help from the Irish charity CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young). For her own part, she has met the reality of their stolen future together with a notable grace. "I haven't found myself that angry. Maybe it will come. I feel very fortunate for having had him. I had an epiphany one day: yes, I'm angry at the universe for taking him but whatever took him away from me also gave him to me. "Killian showed me what true love is and what goodness is and nothing can ever change that." She recalls a conversation they had with her sister two weeks to the day before he died. "We were in my kitchen and I said I do think there is so much more to this world than we'll ever be able to understand. And he said, 'If you are right and anything ever happens, I'll be around'." To find out more about CRY, visit www.cry.ie or telephone 01 414 2235 115 Shares Share Locum tenens means to hold the place of, to substitute for and locum tenens contracts are a common form of agreement for physicians who provide temporary medical services in place of full-time physicians. Now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, increased demand puts physicians in a better position to negotiate their locum tenens contracts. However, too many practitioners sign them without fully understanding their implications. This is a mistake. A well-drafted locum tenens contract (a) protects the physicians interests beyond compensation, (b) anticipates and addresses disputes, and (c) limits risks. Jack A. Gordon and Andrew E. Sarti are attorneys, Kent, Beatty, & Gordon, LLP. They share their story and discuss the KevinMD article that they co-wrote, Anatomy of locum tenens contracts: a physicians guide to understanding contractual provisions to maximize opportunities and minimize risks. Did you enjoy todays episode? Please click here to leave a review for The Podcast by KevinMD. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app to get notified when a new episode comes out! Do you know someone who might enjoy this episode? Share this episode to anyone who wants to hear health care stories filled with information, insight, and inspiration. Hosted by Kevin Pho, MD, The Podcast by KevinMD shares the stories of the many who intersect with our health care system but are rarely heard from. We were in a situation in 2016 where the White House was controlled by one party, the Senate by another, and the referee in that case was going to be the American people, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said Sunday on CBS Newss Face the Nation. In this case, both the White House and the Senate have some obligation to do what they think in the majority in the Senate is the right thing to do. Muzaffarnagar (UP): At least four brick kiln workers were killed and 30 others injured when a speeding truck hit their DCM vehicle on the Gangoh-Titro road in Saharanpur district, police said on Sunday. The accident took place late on Saturday night, they said. Some of the injured are in critical condition and have been admitted to a nearby hospital. Police said the labourers were on their way to Punjab for work from Pipalhera village of Muzaffarnagar district. All the deceased belonged to Muzaffarnagar district. 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 Rajya Sabha is likely to take up the contentious farm bills on Sunday with the Congress and many opposition parties trying to put a united front to oppose these proposed legislations terming them as anti-farmer and pro-corporate, even as the ruling BJP is also reaching out to several regional outfits for support. The numbers, however, appear to be in favour of the ruling dispensation to get these bills passed from Rajya Sabha, while the lower house has already cleared them despite a key NDA member Shiromani Akali Dal vehemently opposing them. Also read: Why western UP farmers are silent on Centres new farm bills Some key BJP leaders are said to be in touch with various non-Congress opposition parties to seek support from their Rajya Sabha members for these bills. While the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is yet to have a clear majority of its own in the 245-member Rajya Sabha, many regional parties have backed it for the last several sessions to ensure passage of various legislations proposed by the government. BJP leaders expressed confidence that they will get the support of over 130 members, including nine of the AIADMK and six of the YSR Congress -- both of whom are not part of the ruling alliance if a division of votes is sought on these bills. Another regional party, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) was also being wooed by the BJP, but its chief and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday asked his party MPs to vote against these bills, alleging these would cause great injustice to farmers in the country. The BJP itself has the highest tally with 86 seats, followed by 40 of the Congress. The three members of the SAD are sure to vote against the bills, but Shiv Sena, a former BJP ally and now in opposition, has expressed it support for these bills. The Maharashtra party has three members in Rajya Sabha. Several other regional parties, including three-member Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party with eight seats, and BSP with four, have joined the oppositions ranks in protest against these bills but it may not prove enough to hinder their passage. Prime Minister Narendra Modis forceful defence of the three bills and blistering criticism of the Opposition for protesting against them on Thursday made it clear that he remains unfazed by the opposition and that his government will press on to get Parliaments nod for these measures aimed at opening private avenues for farmers to sell their produce. Also read: PM Modi defends farm bills, says critics misleading farmers His assertion came amid Congress and several other parties besides the SAD coming out strongly against these bills, calling them anti-farmers. Farmers in states like Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against these proposed laws which, their leaders allege, will end up dismantling the existing government-backed support system they have. A number count of parties that have come out against these draft legislations suggests that there are as of now nearly 100 MPs opposing them. There is no clarity about the stand of some small parties which have around a dozen members put together. Since the Modi government assumed office for its second time in 2019, its rivals have not been able to scuttle any of its major bills due to a rise in the ranks of treasury benches and a corresponding fall in the opposition ranks. The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill were passed by Lok Sabha on Thursday, while the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill was passed on Tuesday. These bills seek to replace ordinances already promulgated by the government. With opposition parties dubbing the three bills as anti-farmers and the SAD quitting his government to protest them, Modi refuted their criticism, describing these proposed laws as historic and stating that they will unshackle farmers by allowing them to sell their produce anywhere at a better price. A day after resigning from Union Cabinet, senior SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal said she feels saddened that her voice in support of farmers was not heard and demanded that the government should pause on these legislations by referring them to a parliamentary panel for wider consultations. Also read: Agriculture bills passed in Lok Sabha, farmers protest: All you need to know The government has presented these bills as pro-farmers, saying these will ensure that farmers get better prices for their produce and do not get subjected to regulations of mandis. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had said on Thursday in Lok Sabha that farmers will be free to sell their produce to anyone and these bills will increase competition and promote private investment, which will help in the development of farm infrastructure and generate employment. However, opposition parties have slammed the bills as anti-farmers, claiming that the agriculture sector will be left to the fate of corporate interests. Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal also appealed to all non-BJP parties to unite in Rajya Sabha and oppose the three bills that he claimed would leave farmers in the hands of big companies for exploitation. Two MLAs from the JJP, part of the BJP-led ruling coalition in Haryana, also participated in protests, reflecting a rift in their ranks Chandigarh: Farmers on Sunday blocked roads in Haryana and burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in neighbouring Punjab, in protest against the farm bills passed in Parliament. Two MLAs from the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which is part of the BJP-led ruling coalition in Haryana, also participated in the protests, reflecting a rift on the issue among their ranks. Farmers occupied portions of roads and highways at several places in the state between 12 and 3 pm, following a call given by the Haryana unit of the Bhartiya Kisan Union against the agri-marketing bills, two of which were passed by Rajya Sabha on Sunday. After 3 pm, reports said the road blockades were lifted, ending the day's protests in which BKU was also supported by several other farmer organisations. In Ambala, Haryana Police used a water cannon at the state's border to stop Punjab Youth Congress workers from entering the district and travelling ahead to Delhi as part of their tractor rally. The Punjab protesters set fire to one of their own tractors when they were forced to end their rally at the Haryana border, police said. Farmers were joined by 'arhitiyas' or the commission agents at mandi' during their protests at many places in Haryana. There was heavy police deployment across the state, particularly where the bigger gatherings were expected. Police diverted traffic to alternative routes. Executive magistrates were stationed along with police at many protest venues. Ambala-Nahan national highway near Naraingarh, Jind-Patiala and Jind-Delhi roads near Julana and Sonipat-Gohana highway were among the roads blocked in Haryana. Traffic was also disrupted on Ambala-Chandigarh highway due to the protests by the Punjab Youth Congress activists. But there was no blockade on the Ambala-Delhi road. The situation at the Haryana-Punjab border was tense for a while as Youth Congress activists were bent upon moving on the national highway towards Delhi. But the spot was heavily barricaded by police, who also used water cannons to disperse the protesters. Farmers at several places in Punjab burnt effigies and copies of the farm bills, claiming that the new laws will destroy their livelihood. The three bills are aimed at giving farmers the choice to sell their produce at competitive prices. But many farm organisations fear they will lead to the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system. Two JJP MLAs, Jogi Ram Sihag (Barwala) and Ram Karan Kala (Shahbad), participated in the Haryana protests, going against the official line spelled out by the party's senior leader and Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala. Sihag said he will not hesitate even to resign if his constituents want him to do that when at any point they feel that the farmers' interests are compromised. Chautala, however, hit out at the Opposition Congress accusing it of misleading farmers. Nowhere in the new farm reforms there is any talk of abolishing the crop MSP, he told reporters. Varun Chaudhary, the Haryana Congress MLA from Mullana in Ambala who joined the protest at Mandour village near Panjokhra Sahib, said the bills were not a shield for farmers but for hoarders. Meham Independent MLA, Balraj Kundu, who protested in Rohtak and Charkhi Dadri districts, claimed the bills will benefit the corporates. From 2 October, I will sit on a fast to protest against these anti-farmer measures, he said. In Yamunanagar, Haryana BKU chief Gurnam Singh said, It is the country's misfortune that despite the farmers' protest these bills were passed. He called it a murder of democracy. "Laws are for people and if they are the ones who are protesting then for whose benefit have they been passed?" he said. These laws are not pro-farmers as the government claims, but the big corporates will benefit. He said the statewide protest was peaceful and 17 farmers' organisations extended their support. Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, who also joined the Youth Congress protesters, said all parties except the Akali Dal and the BJP are with the farmers. He slammed Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, accusing him of earlier supporting these "black laws". The SAD has pulled out of the Union government in protest against the bills. Joining the tractor rally, Indian Youth Congress president Srinivas BV said his party stands shoulder to shoulder with the farmers. This government wants to destroy 80 crore families. Former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri gave the 'Jai Jawan-Jai Kisan' slogan, but under the present regime the farmers are ruined, Srinivas said. Haryana Congress president Kumari Selja said when a Congress-led government comes to power the law will be repealed. The party will hold protests on Monday against the anti-farmer bills at district headquarters across Haryana. On Sunday, Rajya Sabha passed the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. The bills were passed by Lok Sabha on Thursday. A third bill is yet to be passed in Rajya Sabha. NHS hospitals have been banned from launching their own coronavirus testing for staff and patients who have symptoms despite a nationwide shortage in tests. Leaked NHS documents, passed to The Independent, show the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has now capped funding for Covid-19 testing in the health service, even though the lack of tests has left hospital doctors, nurses, teachers and other key workers forced to stay at home. The diktat warned hospitals that, if they did choose to go ahead, the six figure costs would have to come from their own budgets. The warning was sent just a day after testing tsar Baroness Dido Harding admitted to MPs that demand for coronavirus tests is three to four times the number available. She claimed the spike in demand as schools and hospitals re-opened was unexpected and meant the 242,000 tests available were not enough. Despite a pledge from Chancellor Rishi Sunak that the NHS would be given what it needed, hospital bosses have been sent new guidance on funding which makes clear the levels of cash for testing has been capped. The imposition of a cap means NHS England has been forced to tell hospitals not to spend money on testing unless they get formal approval. One senior NHS director told The Independent that NHS trusts had the ability to buy Covid-19 test capacity in local laboratories but now faced the risk of not getting the money to pay for it. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 15 January 2022 Demonstrators outside Downing Street during a Kill The Bill protest against The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in London. PA UK news in pictures 14 January 2022 Ecologist Emma Smart (left) and retired GP Dr Diana Warner outside HMP Bronzefield, in Surrey, following their release from the prison where Emma undertook a 26-day hunger strike during her incarceration. Ms Smart was sentenced in November, along with other members of Insulate Britain, to serve four months for breaking a High Court injunction by taking part in a blockade at junction 25 of the M25 motorway during the morning rush hour on 8 October last year PA UK news in pictures 13 January 2022 A TV presenter holds a copy of a newspaper outside 10 Downing Streetafter the Prime Minister apologised for attending a gathering of colleagues in the Number Ten garden in May 2020, while the UK was in strict lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic Getty UK news in pictures 12 January 2022 Fitness guru Derrick Evans after receiving an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 11 January 2022 A couple walk underneath an umbrella during wet weather on Westminster Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 10 January 2022 A jogger passes the Covid Memorial Wall in London AP UK news in pictures 9 January 2021 The sun rises over horses at Seaton Sluice in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 8 January 2022 Riders compete during the Veterans Men's race at the UK Cyclo-Cross National Championships 2022 in Ardingly, south of London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 7 January 2022 A dog looks out of a car window at the wintry conditions in Killeshin, Co. Laois PA UK news in pictures 6 January 2022 People walk through frost and mist alongside a frozen lake during sunrise in Bushy Park, London REUTERS UK news in pictures 5 January 2022 A skier jumps on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 4 January 2022 Freshly-fallen snow covers houses in Corbridge, near Hexham in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 3 January 2022 Dean Morrison, 13, receives his Covid-19 vaccine from student nurse Anthony McLaughlin during a vaccination clinic at the Glasgow Central Mosque PA UK news in pictures 2 January 2022 Konastantinos Tsimikas of Liverpool with Chelseas Mason Mount during the Premier League match at Stamfrod Bridge Liverpool FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 January 2022 New Years Eve Lasers, drones and fireworks illuminate the sky in front of the Royal Naval College in Greenwich shortly after midnight in London EPA UK news in pictures 31 December 2021 Competitors in fancy dress run across the Pennine tops near Haworth, West Yorkshire, in the annual Auld Lang Syne Fell race which attracts hundreds of runners every year PA UK news in pictures 30 December 2021 Sunrise at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 29 December 2021 The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, looks at Becket, a six month old red-billed chough as he visits Wildwood Wildlife Park in Kent on the anniversary of the murder of Thomas Becket PA UK news in pictures 28 December 2021 Troops of the Household Cavalry are seen reflected in a puddle during the changing of the Queens Life Guard, on Horse Guards Parade, in central London PA UK news in pictures 27 December 2021 A pedestrian walks past a winter sale sign outside a John Lewis store on Oxford street in London Getty UK news in pictures 26 December 2021 Riders take their bikes through the snow near Castleside, County Durham PA UK news in pictures 25 December 2021 Patrick Corkery wears a santa hat and beard as waves crash over him at Forty Foot near Dublin during a Christmas Day dip PA UK news in pictures 24 December 2021 People stand inside Kings Cross Station on Christmas Eve in London Reuters UK news in pictures 23 December 2021 Christmas shoppers fill the car park at Fosse Shopping Park in Leicester PA UK news in pictures 22 December 2021 The sun rises behind the stones as people gather for the winter solstice at Stonehenge. Getty UK news in pictures 21 December 2021 People take part in a winter solstice swim at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh to mark the solstice and to witness the dawn after the longest night of the year PA UK news in pictures 20 December 2021 An auction employee displays poultry to buyers and sellers attending the Christmas Poultry Sale at York Auction Centre in Murton PA UK news in pictures 19 December 2021 Joao Moutinho of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 December 2021 Freight lorries queuing at the port of Dover in Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 December 2021 Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, bursts 'Boris' bubble' held by colleague Tim Farron, as she celebrates following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election PA UK news in pictures 16 December 2021 Brussels sprouts are harvested by workers as they prepare for the busy Christmas period near Boston in Lincolnshire PA UK news in pictures 15 December 2021 Lewis Hamilton is made a Knight Bachelor by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 14 December 2021 The Royal Liver Buildings surrounded by early morning fog in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 13 December 2021 People queue outside a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster Getty Images UK news in pictures 12 December 2021 People take part in the Big Leeds Santa Dash in Roundhay Park, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 11 December 2021 People arrive at a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Elland Road in Leeds, PA UK news in pictures 10 December 2021 Stella Moris speaks to the media after the US Government won its High Court bid to overturn a judges decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange PA UK news in pictures 9 December 2021 Camels are lead around Salisbury Cathedral during a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve Service PA UK news in pictures 8 December 2021 Margaret Keenan and Nurse May Parsons, a year after Margaret was the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer vaccine PA UK news in pictures 7 December 2021 Snowfall in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire as Storm Barra hits the UK with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow PA UK news in pictures 6 December 2021 A person tries to avoid sea spray on New Brighton promenade in Wallasey as the UK readies for the arrival of Storm Barra Getty UK news in pictures 5 December 2021 People release balloons during a tribute to six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes outside Emma Tustin's former address in Solihull, West Midlands, where he was murdered by his stepmother PA UK news in pictures 4 December 2021 People walk through a Christmas market in Trafalgar Square Reuters UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 2 December 2021 Duchess of Cambridge inspects a Faberge egg at the Victoria and Albert Museum Getty UK news in pictures 1 December 2021 Meerkats at London Zoo with an advent calendar PA UK news in pictures 30 November 2021 Workers put the finishing touches to the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree ahead of the lighting ceremony later in the week PA UK news in pictures 29 November 2021 Home Secretary Priti Patel is greeted by a police dog at a special memorial service for Met Police Sergeant Matiu Ratana Getty UK news in pictures 28 November 2021 Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City battles for possession with Aaron Cresswell of West Ham United during a match at the Etihad during snow Manchester City/Getty UK news in pictures 27 November 2021 Residents clear branches from a fallen tree in Birkenhead, north west England as Storm Arwen triggered a rare red weather warning AFP via Getty Images They said: This is just barmy at a time when we have cases rising and we need to get test results for staff and patients who are isolating at home waiting for results. We have access to local testing but are being told we cant use them. They want to control testing and the money spent. It doesn't make sense and I know some hospitals that are going to have to ignore this and wont be reimbursed. Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: We need to understand the full implications of this change in policy and there may be some merits in it. But public confidence in Test and Trace has already been undermined and anything that introduces further delays for staff and patients will undoubtedly raise more concerns. When the pandemic initially hit Britain, hospitals were able to claim back money spent on responding to the virus. In the guidance sent to trusts, NHS England said: Testing is now overseen by DHSCs NHS Test and Trace service, and the NHS will be funded for Covid-19 testing services by government on a capped actuals basis. This means that, for a clear set of deliverables, there is a maximum budget, with funding up to that maximum for the actual costs NHS providers incur. It warned: NHS providers who have not been commissioned to deliver the service should not establish testing without formal approval and will not be able to access funding to reimburse costs incurred from establishing testing unapproved by the DHSC NHS Test and Trace service. While some NHS pathology labs have been formally commissioned to carry out Covid-19 testing, other hospitals have turned to their own testing to make sure staff and patients are not left waiting too long. The turnaround time for NHS testing is significantly faster than the centralised Lighthouse Labs, which have seen turnaround performance collapse with just 33 per cent of test results being returned within 24 hours. The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England were approached for comment. PORTLAND Scores of people turned out Saturday to show their support for police and law enforcement. The rally drew residents and off-duty law enforcement officers from Portland and beyond. The rally was the idea of Robert Cosenza, a retired Meriden firefighter who has family members who are law enforcement officers. Cosenza had previously held a similar rally in his hometown of Hebron. Its definitely a great turnout, a beaming Cosenza said. Its definitely been very positive, he said. Cosenza said he was so encouraged by the turnout that he is considering approaching Middletown officials about holding a similar rally in the city. Town officials, including First Selectwoman Susan S. Bransfield, Fire Chief Robert Shea, members of the Board of Selectmen, and Town Clerk Ryan J. Curley, joined by state Rep. Christie Carpino, R-Cromwell, who was accompanied by her daughter, were on hand as well. I support our police not just here in town but across the nation, Portland resident Darlene Rice said, as she stood at the intersection of Main Street and Marlborough streets. Im (here) just because I believe in them, Rice added. Passing motorists honked their vehicle horns to signal their support. In addition to voicing their support for police in general, several of the people at the rally said they were particularly troubled by attacks on law enforcement personnel. Several mentioned the shooting on Sept. 12 of two Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies. Although seriously wounded, both deputes survived and are expected to recover, according to news reports. Marlene, a Durham resident who declined to give her last name, said she came to the rally because I believe the police need our support. Raymond Lanoie, who served two tours with the Army in Vietnam, and his wife Beverly, who is a nurse, traveled from Hebron for the rally. Their families are dotted with present and former law enforcement officers, the couple said. The attacks on police officers weighed on husband and wife Bob and Jennifer Vanacore as well, they said. Jennifer Vanacore is a nurse, while her husband,an Army veteran, is an East Hartford police officer. The couple has been married for 17 years. Bob Vanacore said he gave his wife a ride-along a year or more ago, so she could better appreciate the ins and outs of his job. He wont repeat the offer any time soon, Bob Vanacore said. Things are so unpredictable now, and he wont take a chance on her safety, Vanacore said. Jennifer Vanacore said that, in addition to violence against police officers, the couple also is concerned about the police accountability bill passed by the legislature last month, as officers hands are tied even more. After the military flare-up in Galwan Valley, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) has mobilised four out of five of its military theatre commands, with reports suggesting that live firing drills and military exercises from the East China Sea and Yellow Sea to the South China Sea were intended to be a distraction for its calculated aggression in the Ladakh sector. While the next India and China military commanders meeting is due to be held on Monday, the PLA is continuing its build-up along the 1,597km Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the western sector. After the India-China foreign ministers meeting on September 10 in Moscow, a decision was taken to ask the military commanders to implement a total disengagement and de-escalation agreement on the ground. It is understood that the meetings at the Corps Commanders level will restrict itself to disengagement of forces post-April, and the Depsang Bulge issue will be taken up at a separate Divisional Commanders level meeting. According to a report in Nikkei Asian Review, the PLA has mobilised its Southern Theatre Command, which oversees the South China Sea; Northern Theatre Command, which overseas the Korean Peninsula; and the Eastern Theatre Command, which oversees arch-rivals Japan and Taiwan. The paper said that just like the Chinese annexed Tibet in the 1950s against the backdrop of its intervention in the Korean war, the present mobilisation was a distraction for a real stand-off in the Karakoram-Zanskar ranges of the Himalayas. For the Ladakh operations, PLAs Western Theatre Command has been fully mobilised with the military districts of Xinjiang and Tibet fully involved in the aggression. The Korean war in the 1950s also turned out to be distraction for the Jawaharlal Nehru government and Indian diplomacy as they got involved in sorting out the North Korea issue, leaving their own flanks in the western and eastern sectors open to the Chinese military in 1962. The PLA chose to attack India in 1962 when the entire world was diverted towards the Cuban missile crisis. While India is engaging China through both military and diplomatic channels for resolve the current stalemate, the military commanders are prepared for the worst on all the borders and the sea. They know that distraction, diversion and deception are part of Chinese information warfare with psychological operations playing the lead role before the flag goes up. By deploying three military commands against the US from South China to East China Sea and test firing both the DF-26 also, called the Chinese Guam Killer, and DF-21 D, also called the Carrier Killer intermediate range ballistic missiles, in the last week of August, the PLA is sending a message that it capable of taking on both the US on its eastern and India on its western flank. The missile firing was to showcase the Chinese capability to taken on the exercising USS Navys super carrier Ronald Reagan and Nimitz around the Chinese nuclear submarine base at Hainan Islands in the South China Sea. . SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Sumi Sukanya Dutta By NEW DELHI: Health researchers, apparently under instructions from ICMR bosses, removed a crucial part of the first national serosurvey study conducted to assess the true extent of Covid-19 spread before it was finally published, this newspaper has reliably gathered. The omitted data showed that 15 to 48 per cent of the populations sampled in containment zones in 10 hotspot cities had been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 infection, several researchers involved in the serosurvey told this correspondent. Ahmedabads containment zone had the highest seropositivity level. The ICMR-led survey, made public earlier this month nearly three months after completion showed a national seropositivity level of only 0.73 per cent based on 28,000 samples collected from 70 districts. After analysing the data from 70 districts and 10 hotspot cities in May, the researchers had submitted their results to the ICMR DG Balram Bhargava. They were told that mention of the containment zone data would have to be removed before the results can be published in the ICMRs Indian Journal of Medical Research, sources said, requesting anonymity. We were told either to remove the figures from the containment zones or not to publish the findings at all on the grounds that there was no approval for publishing the full paper without specifying from whom the permission was sought, said a source. We pushed for the publication of the full data, but when it didnt work, we agreed to go ahead reluctantly with the first part of the survey thinking that getting the paper peer-reviewed was important, the source said. Also, some of us felt that omission would be obvious and could prompt independent pressure or questioning.The Centre and the ICMR have been insisting that the nationwide lockdown imposed in March had successfully reduced the spread of the disease and deaths, but the figures from hotspot cities did not fit in that narrative, another source said, adding that there is no plan to publish the second part of the survey. All efforts to reach out to Dr Bhargava for his response were futile as he did not answer phone calls, nor did he reply to an e-mail query sent by this newspaper. Independent experts expressed shock at what they called was a clear case of violation of research integrity by the ICMR. This cherry-picking of data looks a clear bid to help the story the ICMR has been trying to sell, said Dr Amar Jesani, bioethicist and the editor of the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics. But research integrity means that the sponsor of a research project cannot selectively publish one part of data and not release another part, whatever may be the consequences. Senior virologist Dr T Jacob John said, What has happened with the CDC under the Trump administration is happening with the ICMR in India, which seems to also be interfering with science, he said. I feel the ICMR will lose whatever credibility it has because of its politicisation of health science and research. Mapping Covid spread Researchers collected 28,000 samples from the districts, categorised on the basis of zero to high prevalence, in early May and 5,000 samples from 10 hotspot cities that contributed nearly 70 % of Indias total Covid-19 cases at the time. These cities included Mumbai, Ahmadabad, Pune, Delhi, Kolkata, Indore, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Jaipur, and Surat. Blaming the Uttar Pradesh government of misleading people with its employment data released last week, Samajwadi Party on Sunday said that the BJP government in the state included jobs given during the Akhilesh Yadav regime in its data. The Yogi Adityanath government had earlier released data of jobs given to the youth during its three-and-a-half year of governance. Speaking to News18 on figures of the data, Samajwadi Party MLC Sunil Singh Sajan said that the data included most jobs given on contractual basis, asking how the government could consider that as an achievement. The state has recently released the data of employment given in its three and a half year tenure. After releasing false figures of employment, the government just wants to mislead people. 90% of the posts filed under Medical Health and Family Welfare are by contract or outsourcing. In the National Health Mission, 100 percent recruitment is contractual. Why does the government consider outsourcing and contract jobs as an achievement?" he said. Why does the government not provide details of outsourcing, contractual recruitments, contractual recruitment and permanent jobs? The recruitments done in the Subordinate Selection Service Commission and Public Service Commission, are the ones whose results came in 2017 during the tenure of Akhilesh Yadav. The government also added this to its achievements. Why is the Bharatiya Janata Party government describing the recruitments made in Akhileshs time as their own? After inaugurating the projects made under the SP government, now the BJP government is also counting employment in its share," he added. However, countering the attack, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed that its government had given more jobs in just three-and-a-half years than the Samajwadi Party or Bahujan Samaj Party could give in five years. The saffron party also claimed to have provided employment to more than four lakh people in the state, whereas, over one-and-a-half lakh jobs were provided during the Covid-19-induced lockdown. Earlier in a meeting with officers of the Recruitment Board on Friday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asked the government departments to furnish details of all vacant posts. He also directed recruitment agencies to fill the vacancies within the next three months and give appointment letters to the applicants within a time span of six months. During the meeting at Lok Bhavan in Lucknow, Adityanath directed all the departments to give details of the vacant posts in order to start the recruitment process for the same. We will have to fill these vacancies like we have done earlier in employment to around 3 lakh people in a transparent manner," he said. Speaking to reporters, BJP state vice-president and MLA Vijay Bahadur Pathak had said that the Adityanath-led government was the first to go for such large-scale appointments in the government sector. I thank our CM Yogi Adityanath for the decision on large scale appointments. Our government is probably the first one to go for such large scale appointments and that too in a transparent manner," he said. 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 Baharampur: A secret chamber was found on Sunday by sleuths of the NIA at the residence of suspected al-Qaeda terrorist Abu Sufiyan, one of the six arrested from Murshidabad district in West Bengal, officials said. The chamber, measuring 10x7 feet, was found during a raid at the house in the Raninagar area of the district, a senior district police officer said. Several electronic gadgets and a board of bulb were also found during the hour-long raid at the single-storied house, he said. Sufiyan's wife later told reporters that the chamber was dug for a septic tank for an attached toilet. "We have told the cops about this," she claimed. During the interrogation, Sufiyan told the investigators about the chamber, the officer said. Interrogation of the six continued in Kolkata during the day, officials said. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday arrested nine suspected al-Qaeda terrorists from West Bengal and Kerala. While six of them were arrested from Murshidabad district, three others were nabbed from Ernakulam in Kerala. Special NIA court judge Prasenjit Biswas remanded the six persons, arrested from Murshidabad, in NIA custody. They have been charged under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Those arrested from Murshidabad were identified as Najmus Sakib, Abu Sufiyan, Mainul Mondal, Leu Yean Ahmed, Al Mamun Kamal and Atitur Rehman, according to an NIA spokesperson. It said that the group was planning terrorist attacks at vital installations in India with an aim to kill innocent people and strike terror in their minds. Digital devices, documents, jihadi literature, sharp weapons, country-made firearms, a locally fabricated body armour, articles and literature used for making home-made explosive devices have been seized from them, the NIA statement said. Army modernization officials will conduct two demonstrations next week using low-Earth orbiting satellites, drones and artificial intelligence in an attempt to reduce the time it normally takes to track targets and send firing data to artillery units to fire on a threat. "Back in the days of Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, it was probably OK to take tens of minutes identifying the target and then actually putting rounds on the target," Gen. John M. Murray, the head of Army Futures Command, said in am Army news release. "But if you look at what we envision a future battlefield to look like, it's not going to be tens of minutes. ... It is going to be hyperactive, and it's going to be widely dispersed because it's going to be exceptionally lethal." Read Next: No More Drill Sergeant 'Shark Attack': Army Moves Toward Kinder Basic Training Start In the two demonstrations, planned for Sept. 21 and Sept. 23 at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, test teams of soldiers will attempt to reduce the time it takes to see and hit targets to less than 20 seconds, according to the release. One scenario will combine using sensors from satellites in low-Earth orbit with sensors in the MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft system in the sky to connect with ground sensors. The targeting information will be fed into a surrogate developmental program at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, and then sent to howitzer artillery on the ground at Yuma to engage the target, according to the release. Senior Army leaders are scheduled to attend the demonstrations, which are part of the service's Project Convergence -- a complex effort involving experiments to refine the Army's contributions to the joint force's command-and-control network. The Army is also testing three future warfare capabilities at Yuma -- artificial intelligence to improve human decision-making; autonomy; and robotics -- in an attempt to accelerate the pace of battle and boost soldier lethality. "Those are going to be fundamental technologies that will change how we fight in the future," Murray said. Demonstration participants will use a two-sensor, two-shooter, two-target format that will help form a basic blueprint for artificial intelligence to be used in brigade-size formations and below, according to the release. "How do you start to combine and connect all these things so they interoperate?" Murray said, explaining that it's more than just fielding a new weapon system. "It's artificial intelligence. It's machine learning. It's the network that will support all that. It's autonomy, it's robotics, and it's really the underlying data architectures and how we manage data because, when you boil it right down, it all comes down to how you manage that data," he said. "We have to learn from the technology demonstrations how we're going to have to change how we fight and how we organize for that future fight." -- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. Related: Army Destroys Cruise and Ballistic Missile Targets in 2nd Test of New Defense System Police believe that the two victims who were killed in a shooting early Saturday in Rochester, New York, were not the intended targets. Gunfire at a backyard party killed two people and wounded 14 others on Saturday. Rochester police Captain Frank Umbrino said during a news conference that an argument sparked the shooting at the party. Umbrino said investigators believe there were between three and four shooters. Authorities said both victims were 19. Our community has been hurting enough already, Rochester City Council Vice President Willie Lightfoot said. This is just another thing on top of all the things that weve been going through. Contextualising the left and right stance on Australias police brutality The response of the Andrews government to COVID-19 has been a punitive response, mobilising police and sometimes the Australian Defence Force, to ensure that residents adhere to lockdown. This has sparked new discussions around police powers in the state. The Victorian police state For years now activists in Victoria have been speaking up against the militarisation of Victoria Police, the expansion of the prisons into the private sector, the lack of accountability for police brutality, and, of course, the over-policing of minorities and the resulting Bla(c)k deaths in custody. For example, the incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has increased by seventy per cent since Daniel Andrews was elected in 2014. Many people on the left recently pointed out the hypocrisy of Victoria Police posting an infographic about mental illness on R U OK? Day to only three days later running over a disabled man with mental health problems, chasing him down to arrest him, and then stomping him in the neck. The man, who was struggling with his mental health during lockdown, is now in a coma because of police brutality. His family, like many others, are urging for an independent body to investigate the police for accountability. However, its not only Victoria Police that is being rightfully criticised. After the death of Aunty Sherry in police custody in Brisbane on Thursday 10th September, a Black Lives Matter snap action was organised the following day to call for justice and an end to Bla(c)k deaths in custody. One of the cops who policed this action was caught wearing the thin blue line symbol associated with Americas right-wing. The right-wing and the police The links between fascism and Australias police have been exposed numerous times. However, a new phenomenon has risen in which some of Australias right-wing have now found themselves in opposition with the cops. The current anti-lockdown protests in Victoria Markets in Melbourne saw seventy-four arrested and 176 fined last Sunday the 13th September. Photos of geared up riot police spread throughout social media with criticisms from both the right and left. However, its a first for right-wing journalists and even Liberal opposition members to take the opportunity to denounce Victoria as a police state. The only group silent on the increased powers and militarisation of the cops and their lack of accountability are the centre-left liberals. Melbourne Activist Legal Support (MALS) wrote an article called Where does MALS sit with all these anti-lockdown protests? that explored possible reasons why the right-wing have taken up anti-cop rhetoric. MALS suggests that the reason is because the over-emphasis on police-led and punitive responses to COVID-19 have increased the perception of unfairness in Victoria, and have also increased the likelihood of a backlash and misplaced resistance. So, what can we takeaway from this? The current right-wing trend to hate the police has given us a domestic example of how anti-cop rhetoric is not an inherently left-wing position. Any clash between protestors and the police must be examined with a class analysis of both the state and the protestors. Communists and the police As communists, we view the police, like the army, as tools of state violence. In State and Revolution, Lenin referred to these tools as the states special bodies of armed men placed above society and alienating themselves from it. These special bodies of armed men are no longer a part of society, and therefore do not belong to a class, but have been lifted above society as an arm of the state. This is the reason why there is no use to have a class analysis of the police. Rather, there needs to be a class analysis of who controls the state. As mentioned in last weeks article Follow the uprising, the Trotskyist said (#1932), we cannot clearly delineate support based on where the police presence is, because in some situations, such as in Venezuela, the police are functioning as a tool of the state that is fighting against imperialism. When we analyse the class character of the anti-lockdown protesters, what do we find? We find petty-bourgeois elements, repeating chants about individual freedoms and proclaiming their status as sovereign citizens. This group have temporarily found themselves in conflict with the state that is prioritising public health measures that restrict personal freedoms and the capitalist economy. If we do an analysis of the Australian state what do we find? We find a white supremacist bourgeois-democracy controlled by capitalists that have been profiting off the myth of terra nullius since 1788. This analysis explains why the Aboriginal led and working class supported Black Lives Matter protests are a direct threat to the state. This explains why it is a left position to stand against the rising Bla(c)k deaths in custody and to demand land rights for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The police will always be a violent force against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the working class since our interests are in contradiction with those of the state. Because of this, we should be very careful to not sympathise with Victorias punitive lockdown when opposing anti-lockdown protests. Instead, we should expose the right-wing for being opportunist with their anti-cop rhetoric and trying to co-opt fair criticism of Victoria Police to further their capitalist interests. "Sit for a while in the sun and enjoy this moment," is the message Holly Kennedy most wanted to share with the world. As a young mother who was facing death, she urged people to treasure the gift of each moment. Holly asked that her message be inscribed on "a sturdy bench" in some sunny spot in the beautiful Wicklow valley of Glendalough. She was founder and editor of a magazine named Happy which she created for her fellow cancer patients nationwide. The magazine had the tagline: "Because we can still be happy during cancer." Although she died earlier this month aged just 35, her husband Derek believes her extraordinary attitudes of positivity and gratitude can still bring hope to many. Holly set up happymagazine.ie to bring positivity and support to people with cancer. Last year, three editions of the bright and colourful magazine were printed and distributed free in hospital cancer departments and health centres. "Cancer brought us closer together We got a better outlook on life and learned to enjoy the moments we're given," Derek said. Their only child Andrew (4) was in playschool when Derek (40) invited the Sunday Independent to the family home in Adamstown in west Dublin to speak about the inspirational work of the woman he loved. Holly was 16 when she moved from South Africa to Dublin with her parents Dee and Laxon Mack and her brother Travis. A couple of years later she met Derek in The Turk's Head pub in Dublin; they had their first date on St Valentine's Day. Holly got a degree in journalism and became a graphic designer. Derek trained as a mechanic and spent several years overhauling aircraft engines before opening his own 9D Diagnostics motor vehicle workshop in Dublin. While on holiday in Switzerland, Derek asked Holly to marry him. They wed in City Hall in Dublin in 2012. They joyfully welcomed baby Andrew, although there were difficulties at his birth with Holly losing a lot of blood. Their lives changed shortly before Christmas in 2016 when Holly noticed a lump in her breast. She thought it might be a blocked milk duct but tests revealed it was aggressive triple negative breast cancer. She underwent 13 months of treatment, including radiation and chemotherapy. She was spending a lot of time in oncology department waiting rooms and she realised there was a need for something uplifting and useful to read for cancer patients during those long hours. She set up Happy Magazine online and filled it with useful information and articles by people with positive viewpoints about living as full a life as possible. She eventually received the 'all clear' that the cancer was gone. Holly enjoyed more than a year-and-a-half free of cancer. She continued her upbeat bulletins for "wellness warriors" living with cancer and worked on the launch of a printed version Happy. "Holly was so passionate about publishing a positive message, and she had such a wonderful personality and a good way with people, that people came on board to write for her and support the magazine," said Derek. In August last year, Holly began experiencing pain and was told the cancer had returned. This time it was stage four cancer which spread to her lungs, liver and bones. She told readers last December why she named her magazine Happy: "Because 'happy' is all I wanted to be after my diagnosis and all that I felt I would never be again. But, I found happiness again, and so will you, no matter what you are going through. Happiness is there for us, in every day, every moment, even right now, if we can look for it, if we can see it." She continued to undergo intensive treatments but it appeared that the cancer would keep the upper hand. Her hopes rose when she got accepted on to an experimental drugs treatment plan in the US and special arrangements were made for her to visit California in the midst of the Covid crisis. Holly made the journey alone to San Francisco in June and underwent the drug treatment. She was informed later that further doses of the drug would be sent to her in Ireland. During the June bank holiday, Holly wrote about how cancer had changed their lives. She said: "My husband and I were talking late into the night. We talked about the 'old us', the 'us' before cancer came into our lives. "We talked about how much we have grown and changed in the last three-and- a-half years since cancer came to call. And while it's terrible that the cancer is back and we're fighting it all over again, we both agreed that we actually like the way cancer has changed us. "We're more grateful for everything good in our lives. We're more thankful for what we do have. We don't sweat the small stuff (mostly). And cancer had brought us even closer together in our relationship. "It has taught us invaluable lessons in life - the real importance of family and friends. That happiness really does come from within and not from material things." She said she sometimes found it hard to believe she had stage four cancer, saying, "I want to live so badly. So desperately. I want to see my little boy grow up." Pain became a very serious problem for Holly in recent weeks and doctors recommended palliative care. She entered Our Lady's Hospice in Harold's Cross on August 25. At dawn, one week later, as Derek held her hand, she died at 5.51am. She asked that her words of love for the special people in her life be read at her funeral: "When you are feeling low, wrap my love around you. Talk to me. I will answer you." Derek said his life with Holly has taught him to value each moment, adding, "Don't waste time, choose to do enjoyable things with your loved ones while you can." The Rajya Sabha on Sunday passed through a voice vote two key agricultural reforms bills, which have been opposed by farm groups, even as the opposition protested against the legislations and stormed the well of the House. Opposition members from the Trinamool Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam were seen on camera tearing documents some reports claimed it was the rule book --- and rushing to the chairman to register their protest. This led the Centres ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to demand action over violation of rules. No division of votes was sought as opposition members continued to oppose the chairs decision of extending the house beyond the scheduled 1pm closing time to complete the voting process. On Thursday, the Lok Sabha passed by a majority voice vote the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. Also Read: Haryana farmers block highways including NH 344 over farm bills In the Rajya Sabha on Sunday, a section of the opposition demanded that the two bills be sent to a select committee for further scrutiny. The opposition members, who had earlier moved amendments, refused to participate in the proceedings when the bill was being put to vote. Earlier in the day, agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar introduced the legislations in the House. The two bills are historic and will bring a change in the lives of the farmers. The farmers will be able to freely trade their produce anywhere in the country, Tomar said in the House, reassuring farmers. Speaking to the media outside Parliament, parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi said the people of the country have given a mandate to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and this (ruckus) is an insult of the peoples mandate. If the Opposition wanted, they could have asked for a division, the minister said. The deputy chairperson was ready, he added. BJP president JP Nadda said the bills will bring in historic reforms in the agriculture sector and those opposing these bills have proved that they are anti-farmer. Commenting on the protest by opposition MPs, he said their behaviour was irresponsible and condemnable, and that they broke the rules for physical distancing imposed in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. Also Read: Delhi Police on alert amid farmers protests on agriculture bills Trinamools Derek OBrien said 12 MPs will sit in the Rajya Sabha chambers till 3pm to protest the passage of the bills. He said the MPs had to record evidence inside Parliament and denied that he tore the rule book. We have all the footage with us and we will release it at the right time, he said. The main opposition Congress and a clutch of smaller parties are opposed to the governments farm liberalisation plan. A key opposition to the bills came on Thursday from BJP ally Shiromani Akali Dal, whose minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the Union Cabinet over efforts to unshackle the farm sector. PM Modi has accused detractors of spreading misinformation and lies, while reassuring farmers the reforms were in their best interests. Modi has called the reforms a protective shield around farmers, which would bring more options and opportunities. The two legislations seek to liberalise farm trade, enable modern supply chains, allow agribusinesses and farmers to engage with one another more confidently, break interlocked markets and create a seamless commodities trade, currently fragmented. Indias agricultural trade still requires licenced traders who must operate out of notified markets allotted to them. The bills aim to sidestep this system, called agricultural produce market committees (APMC), and free up market restrictions. But critics argue the new system will lack adequate oversight in its current form. The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, allows buyers of farm produce to trade outside the mandi system or wholesale markets run by states under APMCs, which have become cartelised over time. APMC laws require farmers to only sell to licensed middlemen in notified markets, usually in the same area where the farmers reside, rather than in open markets, which economists say scuttles price discovery, hurting farm profits. The bill enables farmers and buyers of their produce to trade outside these markets without any taxes and will therefore open up APMCs to competitions. The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, lays down a new architecture for contract farming. It provides for a national framework on farming agreements, enabling a farmer to engage with agri-business firms, processors, wholesalers, exporters or large retailers for sale of future farming produce at a mutually pre-agreed price. Major farmers organisations, such as the Bharatiya Kisan Union and the umbrella All-India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, a front for nearly 200 farmers groups, have opposed the bills. After the Upper House passed the bills, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh tweeted: The dictatorial attitude of the Chair in not wanting to get a sense of the House, which is the convention to extend the session beyond the scheduled 1 pm, led to bedlam & chaos. The anti-farmer Bills were passed in the din without voting. Why the tearing urgency? On whose orders? Imperial Valley News Center Broker Sentenced to Prison for Multimillion-Dollar Investment-Fraud Scheme Las Vegas, Nevada - A Montana man was sentenced to 87 months in prison Tuesday for his role in a multimillion-dollar international investment-fraud conspiracy. Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Departments Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Aaron C. Rouse of the FBIs Las Vegas Field Office made the announcement. Sean Finn, 51, of Whitefish, Montana, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kent J. Dawson of the District of Nevada. Judge Dawson also ordered Finn to pay $6,075,000 in restitution and to forfeit $830,000. On Feb. 4, 2020, after a one-week trial, Finn was convicted by a jury of one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud, four counts of wire fraud, and four counts of securities fraud. He was acquitted of one count of wire fraud. According to the evidence presented at trial, Finn conspired with others in the United States and Switzerland to promote investments and loan instruments that he knew to be fictitious. Finn and his co-conspirators told victims that, for an up-front payment ranging from $100,000 to $1 million, a Swiss company known as Malom Group AG (Malom), whose name stood for Make A Lot Of Money, would provide access to lucrative investment opportunities and substantial cash loans. The evidence showed that to effectuate this scheme, the defendant and his co-conspirators provided victims with fabricated bank documents purporting to show that Malom held hundreds of millions of dollars in overseas bank accounts, as well as documents falsely stating that Malom had previously closed similar deals. The evidence showed that when victims wired their money into an escrow account controlled by the co-conspirators, the money was released and disbursed to, among others, Finn for his own personal use. The evidence further showed that shortly before he was indicted in 2013, Finn fled to Canada, where he was arrested in 2014 and ultimately extradited back to the United States in 2018. According to the evidence presented at trial, losses to the victims from the scheme totaled more than $3.8 million. Finn was charged together with five other defendants. Two of these defendants, Anthony Brandel and James Warras, were found guilty of conspiracy and multiple counts of wire fraud and securities fraud following a jury trial in 2015. Brandel and Warras were each sentenced on Aug. 3, 2016 to 87 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. A third defendant, Joseph Micelli, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and securities fraud in 2015 and was sentenced on Feb. 23, 2016 to 60 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The other two defendants, Martin Schlaepfer and Hans-Jurg Lips, remain at large outside the United States. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The FBIs Las Vegas Field Office investigated the case. Assistant Deputy Chief Anna G. Kaminska and Trial Attorney Blake C. Goebel of the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section prosecuted the case with assistance from the Justice Departments Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Nevada. Deputy Chief Brian Young of the Fraud Section previously handled the prosecution. The Securities and Exchange Commissions Enforcement Division, which conducted a parallel civil-enforcement investigation, as well as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, also provided valuable assistance. Weston High School will close Monday and shift to remote learning after a student tested positive for COVID-19. The test was confirmed positive Saturday evening, according to an email to students, teachers and parents from Weston Public Schools Superintendent William S. McKersie. We need the day to ensure thorough contact tracing and provide time for focused deep cleaning, McKersie wrote. All other Weston schools are open Monday, McKersie wrote. School officials are coordinating with the Westport/Weston Health District and the schools medical advisor. Weston students and staff were to be updated on details of shifting to remote learning. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal New Mexico reported 67 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, many of which came from the southeastern part of the state. The state also reported two more deaths, bringing the death toll to 849. Chaves County, where Roswell is located, led the state with 14 new cases. Dona Ana County reported 12 cases and Bernalillo County reported 11. Eight cases were reported in Eddy County, home to Carlsbad, seven cases were reported in Lea County and three cases were reported in Lincoln County, where Ruidoso is located. The deaths include two men in their 60s, one from Bernalillo County and one from Chaves County, who were hospitalized and had underlying conditions, the Governors Office said in a news release Sunday. The state has now reported 27,579 cases of COVID-19 of which 15,412 have recovered. There are 64 people hospitalized throughout the state with the disease, state officials say. Quay, Sandoval and Santa Fe counties each reported two new cases Sunday. McKinley County, Rio Arriba County, Roosevelt County, San Juan County, San Miguel County and Socorro County each reported one case. Eighteen counties reported no new cases. The Department of Health has found at least one case of COVID-19 among residents and staff at 36 long-term care facilities across the state in the last 28 days. Uline president Liz Uihlein and two colleagues were allowed to avoid Canada's 14 day quarantine rule on recent visit ((CBC News: The National - YouTube)) A billionaire megadonor to Donald Trump, who has publicly criticised coronavirus restrictions, was granted an exemption from Canadas mandatory 14 day quarantine for foreign travellers when she visited the country by private jet. Liz Uihlein, the president of US packaging company Uline, visited Canada through the Pearson airport in Toronto on 25 August to visit one of her companys warehouses, according to CBC News. The 75-year-old was accompanied on the two day visit by senior company executives, Phil Hunt and Glenn Quaiver. A company spokesperson told CBC that the three of them were granted a formal exemption from the quarantine rule, which has been active in Canada since March, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. CBC reported that the waiving of the rule, known as a national interest exemption, can only be issued by five officials in the country. The officials approved to issue exemptions are the minister of public safety Bill Blair, minister of foreign affairs Francois-Philippe Champagne, minister of health Patty Hajdu, minister of immigration Marco Mendicino, and chief public health officer Dr Theresa Tam. On Thursday, Mr Blair said that the officials were not involved in waiving the quarantine, and confirmed that the decision was made by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers. He tweeted: No special entry exemptions were provided to Uline executives, nor were any National Interest Exemptions. This was not a political decision. "A decision was made by officers based on the information provided. Entry should not have been permitted. The news drew criticism from political figures in the country, and Jagmeet Singh, leader of the leftwing New Democratic party, directed his anger at Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau. While Mr Trudeaus been asking Canadians to follow public health advice, behind closed doors hes been giving exemptions to billionaires, he tweeted. While Mr. Trudeaus been asking Canadians to follow public health advice, behind closed doors hes been giving exemptions to billionaires. We know he thinks theres one set of rules for him and his rich friends, and another for the rest of us but this is something else. https://t.co/isnbu4PmB2 Jagmeet Singh (@theJagmeetSingh) September 17, 2020 Mr Singh added: We know he thinks theres one set of rules for him and his rich friends, and another for the rest of us but this is something else. Story continues Ontario premier Doug Ford also criticised Ms Uihleins visit, and said: It doesnt matter who you are. I dont care if you have fifty cents or ten billion dollars, and added: It doesnt make a difference: the rules are the rules. Combined, Ms Uihlein and her husband Richard are the biggest donor to the Republican Party, and have so far donated $40bn (30.96bn) in this fiscal year, according to CBC. Ms Uihlein has also been a vocal critic of coronavirus guidelines, and told the Guardian in April that lockdown procedures have been overhyped. The 75-year-old added: And I don't wish anybody ill will. You know I don't wish that, but I think it hurts certain ages in certain places and largely in a lot of parts of the world. In the country it's not as rampant as the press would have you make it. Although Canada is only a tenth of the size of the US, it has so far recorded at least 142,000 Covid-19 cases and 9,201 deaths, while its neighbour has announced more than three 6.6 million positive tests and 197,946 fatalities. Read more Trudeau says Canada handled coronavirus pandemic better than US US-Canada border has seen 1000 percent increase in drug smuggling since lockdown began The skeletal remains of four missing persons in the 2013 Kedarnath tragedy have been found between Garud Chatti and Gau Mukhda. A five-day search operation for the missing persons ended on Sunday, police said. So far, 699 bodies, or skeletal remains, have been recovered from the Kedarnath area, including 545 in 2013, 63 in 2014, three in 2015, 60 in 2016, seven in 2017 and 21 in 2018. Sundays recovery takes the total count to 703. Also Read: Char Dham road project: Restoration plan for damaged Himalayan slopes sought Navneet Singh Bhullar, superintendent of police (SP), Rudraprayag, said the skeletal remains of four persons were found between Garud Chatti and Gau Mukhda in Kedarnath on Sunday. The health officials accompanying our teams took their DNA samples. By Sunday evening, they (the skeletal remains) will be brought to Sonprayag, which is located between Rudraprayag and Gaurikund and on the way to Kedarnath. Their last rites will be held at Sonprayag. Later, the DNA samples will be used for matching with the family members of the missing people in a bid to ascertain the identity of the skeletal remains, he said The SP said that the latest search operation ended on Sunday and another round would resume after receiving fresh directives. The search operation was undertaken by 10 teams for the past five days. So far, we have found skeletal remains of 703 people, he added. Also Read: Parliament monsoon session: Char Dham road project not referred for appraisal, says ministry in Rajya Sabha On September 16, 10 teams comprising police and state disaster response force (SDRF) personnel along with health officials, had started a search operation in Kedarnath to trace the skeletal remains of 3,075 people who had died in the tragedy that had struck the region in June 2013. The teams were equipped with body bags, trekking gear, and other tools in their bid to trace the skeletal remains along the trekking route towards the Kedarnath shrine. The search was resumed following repeated directions from the Uttarakhand high court (HC) that bodies need to be recovered from Kedarnath for conducting their last rites as per the Hindu tradition. In 2014, Ajay Gautam, a Delhi-based activist, had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions from the HC to the authorities concerned to take expedient steps to search the missing persons in the June 2013 Kedarnath tragedy and perform their last rights as per the Hindu tradition. In September, the Uttarakhand government constituted a high-level multi-institutional expert committee to suggest appropriate technology and methodology to conduct searches for the mortal remains of the 3,075 missing people. The committee, which is headed by the inspector-general (I-G), SDRF, has been asked to submit its report to the state government in two months. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Back in the darkest days of lockdown, scoring an Ocado delivery slot was almost as exciting as winning the lottery. Six months on, even if most of us have moved on from wanting to kiss Pete the van driver when he turns up with the goods, we're still embracing online shopping at an unprecedented rate. It's unsurprising; when a physical supermarket shop involves a mask and a one-way system that means you can't go back if you want an extra pint of milk, it's tempting to have food delivered to your door instead. Secret weapon: Ocado has put Percy Pigs on its vans to underline its tie-up with Marks & Spencer And Ocado Group, which is by rights a technology company rather than an online supermarket, has the systems to make that happen. The company also has a new secret weapon in Percy Pig. The gurning gummy sweet is the face of Marks & Spencer food, and Ocado is so excited by the new tie-up with the retailer that it's even rebranded some of its vans with pictures of Percy and friends to celebrate. Fears that shoppers might not warm to Ocado's new partner, which has replaced Waitrose, were allayed last week when the company announced third-quarter figures. They were impressive. What company manages a 52 per cent increase in revenue during a global pandemic, and increases its basket size per customer to boot? At present, shoppers are spending an average of 141 per shop with Ocado a fall from the panic-buying heights of total lockdown but nonetheless significantly higher than pre-pandemic. In a sign that the M&S goods now available are attractive to existing customers, they're making up more of the average basket than Waitrose goods were before the change. That might be down to the novelty factor (there are only so many Percy Pigs anyone can buy, right?) but for analysts it's a relief that the M&S partnership has gone so well. Ian Forrest, who covers the stock for The Share Centre, says the 'encouraging early signs are very positive for investors' although he warns that it's too early to make a definitive judgment. Forrest also points out that for all the focus on Ocado's retail arm, it has a services side too. Ocado Solutions partners with existing supermarket chains around the world to help them to deliver online shopping. It recently raised 1billion in equity and debt to finance these, and its clients include Kroger in the US and Casino in France. Revenue from these can only be booked once the distribution warehouses it builds for clients are open, but it's a good place to be as everyone races into ecommerce before the next lockdown. Ocado is loss-making and expensive. That's why it is important to see it as a tech stock rather than a supermarket chain. The shares hit record highs on this week's update and closed at 28.17, compared with about 13 a year ago. Midas Verdict: Ocado didn't get it all right during lockdown. Unable to scale up fast enough, it was forced to restrict slots and disappoint customers. Many were worried that M&S wouldn't please loyal customers who were accustomed to their Waitrose products, which created uncertainty. But at the moment, Ocado's formula is a winning one. Internet grocery shopping is growing, and it is well-placed to take market share from rivals now it has capacity. The stock is expensive and, as analysts point out, hard to value as it is loss-making and there's little similar to compare-with. But with a stay-at-home winter on the cards and the prospect of cold and wet queues outside shops unappealing, the appearance of Pete in the Percy Pig Van will be a welcome one to many households. Buy. Listed on: Main market Ticker: OCDO Contact: ocado.com or 0345 656 1234 However, unlike Claire Underwood, Melania Trump has few policy or political aspirations and does not covet power herself. "She was happy at Trump Tower. She loved Trump Tower. She was thrilled at her life," Wolkoff says. If her husband loses the presidency at the November 3 election, "she'll be in the south of France on a really big yacht with a really big brim hat doing what she's always wanted to do: nothing". In her view, the first lady's apparent aloofness and superficiality is a way of avoiding scrutiny. "By remaining mysterious, by keeping up that steel wall, she doesn't have to answer to anyone. To make her human, and to make her feel, would mean opening herself up for criticism," Wolkoff says. "Melania looks unapologetically, authentically skin-deep... The reality is she is not unhappy, she is complicit." Wolkoff became friends with Melania Trump in 2003, when Wolkoff was directing special events for Vogue magazine, including New York City's famed Met Gala. They were regular lunchers, but the friendship didn't canvass politics. Wolkoff helped organise the Trump inauguration, which became infamous for its low turnout despite the President's claims to the contrary. She then joined the first lady's office as a special adviser, working on a children's wellbeing initiative called "Be Best". Wolkoff says she tried to explain to Mrs Trump that the name was "illiterate" and "doesn't make sense". Loading Their relationship deteriorated after The New York Times reported Wolkoff's company received $US26 million ($35 million) to plan the inauguration. In the story, an inauguration committee operative said Wolkoff was personally paid $US1.6 million, although she says her actual fee was $US480,000. Wolkoff left the first lady's office in early 2018, and her book Melania and Me relies heavily on quotes taken from conversations she secretly recorded with her boss after their friendship began to deteriorate. "I pressed record for my safety, my protection and my validation, because of course they were going to turn around and say none of it was true," Wolkoff tells 60 Minutes. "I do not regret pressing record at all." Holyoke firefighters battled a kitchen fire in an apartment at 569 South Canal St., Saturday. Holyoke Fire Department spokesperson, Capt. Kevin Cavagnac said at about noon first responders found smoke coming from the windows of a first-floor apartment at that address and that all the buildings occupants had been evacuated. A fire in the apartment kitchen, determined to have been started by food on the stove, had spread to cabinets and the ceiling structure. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire quickly and overhauled the apartment making sure there was no extension. One resident was displaced by the fire, but Cavagnac said the landlord of the building is providing a place for the tenant. The government on Sunday said it strongly condemned the aggressive and violent behaviour by opposition members towards the Rajya Sabha vice-chairman during the debate to pass the two farm bills in the Rajya Sabha. Addressing a press conference along with several of his colleagues, defence minister Rajnath Singh said: Whatever happened was against parliamentary dignity. It has delivered a big blow. Rule books were torn, other important papers were torn. Mikes were snatched. Opposition members were in the well and attempts were made to climb on the vice-chairmans chair. He was joined by his colleagues Prakash Javadekar, Pralhad Joshi, Piyush Goyal, Thawar Chand Gehlot and Mukhtar Abbas Naqwi. I would go to the extent of saying that it was extremely shameful, Singh added. Parliament witnessed chaos during the voice vote to pass the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. Opposition members, claiming that their demand for a division of votes were being ignored, attempted to stall the proceedings and raised slogans in the well of the house, leading to an adjournment for 10 minutes. Such an incident has never happened in the history of Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. It is all the more unfortunate that this happened in Rajya Sabha, which is known as the house of elders, Singh said. At a press conference in the evening, Singh said the opposition was trying to mislead farmers. Neither minimum support prices (MSPs) nor agricultural produce market committees are going to be ended. Our government has increased MSPs and they will never be ended under any circumstances, Singh said. On the issue of a no-confidence motion planned by the opposition against deputy chairman Harivansh, Singh said: Notice has gone. Chairman will decide. It is his prerogative. On the resignation of Shiromani Akali Dal minister in the Narendra Modi Cabinet, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Singh said there were political reasons behind it and he would not like to comment on it. There was full discussion from 9.30 am to 1.30 pm. Even if one were to assume that the opposition was being ignored, is there are right to get violent and attack the deputy chairman? On the question of opposition MPs seeking a division of votes and being ignored, minister of minority affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the deputy chairman kept urging opposition MPs to go to their seats and demand a division vote. The Congress party condemned Singhs statement. It is unfortunate that the defence minister justified the actions of the Rajya Sabha deputy chairman and the procedure adopted during the debate on bills, said Congress general secretary KC Venugopal. He said the Congress and other opposition parties will not accept this and take this issue to the people. Trinamool Congresss Derek OBrien, who was seen on camera flashing the rule book at the chair later, said the MPs were forced to record the bedlam as the live coverage of the House was disrupted. He also denied ripping apart the rule book and said, Many opposition members wanted the bill to go for further examination. These bills were brought in as an ordinance. There hasnt been any scrutiny of these bills. In a video message, OBrien said, Yes, some MPs broke the microphone, what do you want them to do sit on the seat and have a lollipop? This was a protest and I was part of it. He said the MPs were forced to tape the proceedings on their phones since the Rajya Sabha television was being censored. Referring to the commotion inside the House, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh tweeted that all the parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had agreed to a four hour discussion on the two bills. This was unilaterally cut short by the governments floor managers by almost 45 minutes. This was the starting point for the chaos in the Parliament this afternoon. The dictatorial attitude of the Chair in not wanting to get a sense of the House, which is the convention to extend the session beyond the scheduled 1 pm, led to bedlam & chaos. The anti-farmer Bills were passed in the din without voting. Why the tearing urgency? On whose orders? the Congress MP said. By David Shepardson, Alexandra Alper and Echo Wang WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he supports a deal that will allow TikTok to continue to operate in the United States, after threatening to ban the Chinese-owned app in August. He told reporters at the White House he backs the deal with TikTok owner ByteDance, Oracle and Walmart to create a new company that will assume TikTok's U.S. By David Shepardson, Alexandra Alper and Echo Wang WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he supports a deal that will allow TikTok to continue to operate in the United States, after threatening to ban the Chinese-owned app in August. He told reporters at the White House he backs the deal with TikTok owner ByteDance, Oracle and Walmart to create a new company that will assume TikTok's U.S. operations called TikTok Global. Trump said the new company will be "totally controlled by Oracle and Walmart ... All of the control is Oracle and Walmart." U.S. shareholders are expected to control 53% of TikTok Global, a person briefed on the matter said, while Chinese investors will hold 36%. Oracle said it will take a 12.5% stake in TikTok Global. TikTok said under the deal, Oracle and Walmart will take part in a TikTok Global pre-IPO financing round in which they can take up to a 20% cumulative stake in the company. The source said the remaining 80% of shares will be distributed to ByteDance investors, a source briefed on the matter said. U.S. investors currently own about 40% of Bytedance. Tiktok said it was "pleased that the proposal by TikTok, Oracle, and Walmart will resolve the security concerns of the U.S. Administration and settle questions around TikTok's future in the U.S." Tiktok said Oracle will become the company's "trusted technology provider, responsible for hosting all U.S. user data and securing associated computer systems to ensure U.S. national security requirements are fully satisfied." Trump offered strong support for the deal he said would create 25,000 U.S. jobs. "I have given the deal my blessing," Trump said. "I approve the deal in concept." About 100 million Americans use TikTok and U.S. officials have expressed concern about user data and the potential for China to access that data. "The security will be 100%," Trump told reporters. Reuters reported on Thursday that TikTok Global will have a majority of American directors, a U.S. chief executive and a security expert on the board. Oracle and Walmart are expected to take significant equity stakes and ByteDance has agreed to significant security safeguards on the data of U.S. users with Oracle housing all data and getting the right to inspect the TikTok source code. Walmart did not immediately comment. The Commerce Department said on Saturday it will delay by one week an order that had been set to take effect late Sunday that would stop Alphabet Inc's Google and Apple Inc from offering TikTok in their U.S. app stores. Trump expressed annoyance this week that government lawyers told him it was not permissible to demand a "chunk" of any TikTok sales price for the Treasury. He said there would be a $5 billion U.S. education fund as part of the deal. "That's their contribution I've been asking for," Trump said. He said the new company will most likely be incorporated in Texas and have at least 25,000 employees. Reuters reported on Thursday that ByteDance is planning a U.S. initial public offering of TikTok Global. The filing of an IPO for TikTok Global would be on a U.S. stock exchange and could come in about a year, the sources said, requesting anonymity because the matter is confidential. Part of the proceeds from the IPO are expected to be used to finance the $5 billion education fund, the source said. ByteDance and Oracle did not immediately respond to requests for comment. China still must approve the deal. "We'll see whether or not it all happens," Trump said. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said earlier on Twitter that he had talked to Trump about the deal. "I let him know that if he approves the deal Texas would be the perfect place for the HQ," Abbott said. (Reporting by Alexandra Alper; Writing by David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Reese and Daniel Wallis) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. TALLAHASSEE Federal appeals court Judge Barbara Lagoa of Florida has emerged as a little-known front-runner for President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nomination. If confirmed as successor to the late Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Lagoa, 52, would bring lengthy judicial experience in state courts, as well as potential political benefits: She is a Cuban American from a battleground state Trump needs to win in November. Trump praised Lagoa and another front-runner, appeals court Judge Amy Coney Barrett. He said Saturday that he has "heard at length" about Lagoa: "She's Hispanic and highly respected." The president nominated her for the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last September, and she was confirmed by an unusually lopsided 80-15 Senate vote in November. Most of Trump's nominees win confirmation narrowly. Before that, Lagoa served briefly on the Florida Supreme Court. She served for a dozen years on the state's 3rd District Court of Appeals after being appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush. There she took part in more than 11,000 cases and wrote more than 470 opinions. The short list: Front-runner to replace Ginsburg is a favorite of religious conservatives Lagoa was among 20 people on a list that Trump unveiled this month as possible Supreme Court nominees. She is a protege of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a close Trump ally. In 2019, DeSantis appointed her to the state's highest court, making her the first Cuban American woman to serve there. She was in the majority last week when the 11th Circuit ruled 6-4 that hundreds of thousands of Florida felons who have served their time cannot vote this fall or in the future unless they pay fees and fines owed to the state. More: Federal appeals court blocks Florida's felons from voting until fees and fines are paid The decision along strict ideological lines, with all five judges appointed by Trump in the majority, could have a major impact on the presidential race because of Florida's history of razor-thin margins. In 2000, George W. Bush won the White House with a 537-vote victory margin there. Story continues "Floridas felon re-enfranchisement scheme is constitutional," Lagoa wrote in a 20-page concurrence. "It falls to the citizens of the state of Florida and their elected state legislators, not to federal judges, to make any additional changes to it." Federal appeals court Judge Barbara Lagoa is among the contenders for the vacancy on the Supreme Court created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Perhaps more striking was a one-page concurrence penned by Chief Judge William Pryor, who also wrote the majority opinion. Signed only by himself and Lagoa, it said that "in the end, as our judicial oath acknowledges, we will answer for our work to the Judge who sits outside of human history." A graduate of Florida International University and Columbia University Law School, Lagoa was raised in Hialeah, Florida, the daughter of parents who fled Fidel Castro's Cuba. Justice Lagoas proven commitment to upholding the rule of law, unparalleled legal career and vast experience on the appellate bench distinguish her among the most qualified individuals to serve on our states highest court, DeSantis said. Lagoa, a registered Republican when selected by DeSantis, is a member of the conservative Federalist Society, which stresses that judges should "say what the law is, not what itshould be. Before she became a judge, she was an attorney with Miami firms, including the nationally prominent Greenberg Traurig. She also was an assistant federal prosecutor. Contributing: David Jackson This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Supreme Court: Latina judge Barbara Lagoa eyed as possible nominee In all the perfervid reporting this week (Victor Davis Hanson calls this concocted melodramas) there are only three big stories to my mind: The Presidents stunning success in the Middle East, Secretary of Education Betsy De Vos brilliant parlay to Princetons virtue-signaling president and the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Each of these are likely to further tip Trump toward an election victory in which according to Rasmussen hes already reached 53% approval among likely voters. The Middle East No one has better described the significance of the Abraham Accord than Spengler (David Goldman). The President, defying the conventional wisdom of decades of big thinkers in foreign policy establishments here and in Europe, offered the Palestinians their last best hope for peace. Since peace was never their objective, they turned it down and now they are like the petunia in an onion patch of the childrens song -- standing alone among its neighbors. The author details the wisdom of those big thinkers -- that a resolution of the Palestinian statehood issue was a precondition for peace; that American influence required massive military deployment in the region; that we had to back Turkey in Syria. Trump did the opposite on all three counts. He ignored them and moved our embassy to West Jerusalem -- a signal we would not stand for Israels liquidation, and other nations have followed on his lead. He assassinated Irans war chief Qasem Soleimani, making his point Iran would pay a heavy price for its pinprick warfare against its Arab neighbors. Only then could the Gulf leaders risk a deal with Israel. This week he met with a representative from Kuwait and predicted they too would soon sign on to the Accord and that other countries were likely to follow. Dont doubt Spengler on how significantly the President demolished the reputation of the international foreign policy pundits in the process. If your memory is short on this point, heres John F. Kerry, Americas number one globalist foreign policy fop, on the subject. By way of further example, heres Brookings Institution; Martin Indyk on PBS ; and John Brennan echoing the same fact-free, foolish strategy pap. After the fact of the Accord, there seems to have been a sea change in bipartisan support for it. As Matthew Continetti notes, Trump changed the world: The irony is that Trump's opponents are ready to accept this "very positive thing" despite warning against and objecting to the policies that contributed to it. Through his personal relationship with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump reaffirmed that there is "no daylight" between the United States and Israel after an eight-year caesura. He defied conventional wisdom when he moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, when he withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear deal, when he cut off aid to the Palestinians, when he recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and when he ordered the lethal strike against Qassem Soleimani. But the catastrophes that the foreign policy establishment predicted would follow each of these measures never materialized. What emerged instead were the Abraham Accords and a growing alliance against Iran. It is in the realm of foreign policy that Trump's deviations from political norms have had the most positive and irreversible consequences. If he becomes president, Joe Biden may mistakenly try to revive the chances for Palestinian statehood by getting tough on the Israelis. He may attempt to resuscitate the moribund Iran deal. But it is highly doubtful that he will rescind the Abraham Accords, or withdraw recognition of Israel's Golan sovereignty, or return the U.S. embassy to Tel Aviv. He won't have the support for such decisions. And he won't have any good reason to make them. Anyone who has read the news lately understands that a strong and engaged Israel is good for security. Her enemies are our enemies. For this and for bringing about the peace deal between Serbia and Kosovo, the President has been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize. Reuters Gwladys Fouche, to its shame, thinks high school dropout Greta Thunberg should get it instead. Princetons Systemic Racism If like me youre disgusted with the corporate, political, and academic nonsense about systemic racism which now covers everything, including being on time for appointments, mowing your lawn, doing your homework, and speaking and writing standard English, Secretary of education Betsy De Vos seems deftly to have called the bluff of these virtue signalers. Christopher Eisgruber, president of Princeton University, sent a missive to the university community admitting that his institution was plagued by institutional racism. Doubtless he intended this merely to add to the sickening masochistic white male limbo dance. As Paul Mirengoff at Powerline blog observed, however, the move was a dumb one. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, discriminating on the grounds of race , color, or national origin can cost an institution federal funding. (Princeton received over $75 million in federal aid in the seven years Eisgruber headed it.) The Secretary of Education rather quickly informed Eisgruber that her Department had opened an investigation into racism at Princeton. Rather costly virtue signaling on his part and a valuable lesson to other institutions who might otherwise be inclined to follow his lead. First, Princeton is asked this: The Presidents Letter admits Racism and the damage it does to people of color... persists at Princeton and racist assumptions remain embedded in structures of the University itself. Do these admissions mean Princetons non-discrimination and equal opportunity assurances and representations to the Department and/or to students, parents, and consumers in the market for education... have been false and misleading? If not, why not? Good question. The second question is: How many individuals were, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, excluded from participation in, denied benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance by Princeton January 1, 2015 and the present? Is this number evidence of systemic or embedded racism? Finally, the Department asks for the number of public nondiscrimination and equal opportunity representations... Princeton has made, measured by website visits, between January 1, 2015 and the present. Eisgruber has put Princeton in a box. It either must formally admit to engaging in unlawful discrimination, which might well result in serious financial penalties, or it must admit, in effect, that Eisgruber was blowing smoke when he copped to systemic racism at Princeton -- an admission that surely would enrage the militant students and alumni Eisgruber has been working so hard to appease. I expect Ill keep getting systemic racism mea culpas in emails and ads from every purveyor on the continent, but I expect universities with competent counsel will no longer follow suit. Ruth Bader Ginsburgs Replacement On Friday we learned that Justice Ginsburg, who had been valiantly fighting health issues for some years, had died, and the fight to replace her was underway. Progressive groups pledged $10 million dollars to keep the slot open, doubtless in the belief that Biden would win and keep this seat in similar hands. Majority leader Mitch McConnell, who has shepherded through the Senate so many judgeships, said he intended to bring it to a vote on the Senate floor this session. (He was helped in reshaping the federal judiciary by Obamas failure to fill so many vacancies and former Senator Harry Reids rule change precluding filibustering.) There are 53 Republican Senators and 47 Democrats. In case of a tie, the Vice President may cast his vote. Senator Susan Collins says she will vote no. Senator Lisa Murkowski has said she will not vote for a Supreme Court Justice before the election. Rumor has it that Mitt Romney would vote against a replacement, something his spokesperson vehemently denied. Even assuming they all bail, Manchin, who voted for Kavanaugh, indicates thst he'll vote yes, and theres at least one other Democratic senator in a tight race who might jump ship on this (Doug Jones of Alabama). The President has made clear some time ago that hed move ahead with any replacement, observing honestly that a Democratic president would. Those who want to deny him another seat on the Court will bring up whats called the Biden rule arguing that traditionally no president should do this in an election year. Unfortunately for them, as recently as four years ago, when Obama tried this with Merrick Garland, Biden said there was no such rule. Biden said that statement, taken out of context, glosses over his main gripe from the time -- that Bush nominated Thomas, an "extreme candidate," in 1991 without consulting his committee just four days after Justice Thurgood Marshall retired. There are a number of candidates on the Presidents short list. I put my money on Amy Coney Barrett, a conservative Catholic mother of seven (including two children adopted from Haiti and one with Down Syndrome) who presently sits on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. At the American Spectator, Robert Stacy McCain persuasively argues for her appointment. He notes that there has not been a Republican woman on the Court since Sandra Day O Connor; shes not from the Ivy League, graduates of which load the court who come from a very insular, elitist perspective that does not reflect the experience of ordinary Americans; and shes from the middle of the country, not the coasts. During Barretts confirmation hearings to the Court of Appeals, Senator Dianne Feinstein famously slammed observant Catholics The dogma lives loudly within you, and thats of concern when you come to big issues that people have fought for years in this country. Democrats have to risk alienating Catholics and traditional women concerned with family issues if they repeat this. Barrett has said that women shouldnt be pigeonholed into specific roles based on other dogma on the issue; rather, the individual circumstances should govern and nobody should assail their choices out of some feminist or traditionalist perspective. Thats a healthy viewpoint the majority of American women, and particularly middle-class or upper-middle-class women in the suburbs, will find wisdom in. Which is a trap the Democrats could easily fall into, seeing as though so many of them have taken on the perspective that women who choose family over a career are somehow selling themselves short or are traitors to their sex and seeing as though the Left is insistent on forcing women to adopt more and more unrealistic ideals for themselves, at an increasing cost to the happiness of women in America. Nobody would accuse Amy Barrett of that, but to paint her as barefoot and pregnant because she has seven kids, including two adoptees from Haiti and one with Down Syndrome, will be an unmitigated disaster in front of suburban women far more likely to see her as a hero. You guys want to alienate the rest of the Catholics you havent pissed off? You want to drive away those suburban white chicks youre competitive with because of Trumps mean tweets, the ones you had a brief flirtation with in the 2018 midterms but who are ignoring your texts thanks to the mostly-peaceful riots just a few miles away from where they do yoga a couple of days a week? Go make a run at Kavanaughing Amy Barrett. Lets see how well that works for you. Id advise any senator on the fence to listen to Ted Cruz, who argues we cant afford to have a vacancy on the court and resultant 4-4 ties with election disputes already underway and likely to continue. An unresolved election is dangerous to the world and could well lead to civil war here. As for the rioting which grabbed our attention these past months: A funny thing happened as soon as polls showed majority of voters of all races opposed them: they stopped. Just like that. Three women's right organisations referred to as the three Coalitions have jointly commended the National Democratic Party (NDP) and Progressive People's Party (PPP) for selecting women as their Presidential candidates in the general election. The three included; The Network for Womens Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT), the Domestic Violence Coalition (DV Coalition) and the Womens Manifesto Coalition (WMC). In a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency and signed by Pauline Vande-Pallen NETRIGHT Convenor, said their most heartfelt congratulations to Mrs. Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings and Ms. Brigitte Dzogbenuku on being selected as the Presidential Candidates of the NDP and the PPP respectively in the 2020 National Elections. It said as womens rights and gender equality organisations, the trio considered the 2020 Elections as the dawn of a new era for women in national leadership as more political parties were recognising and accepting womens leadership. It said their readiness to participate at the highest levels of Ghana's politics was a game changer and vital to democratic growth and gender equality. It said they welcomed the NDPs decision to nominate Mrs. Konadu Agyeman Rawlings for the second time and the elevation of Ms Dzogbenuku by the PPP from a Vice presidential slot in the 2016 Election to a presidential candidature in the 2020 Elections. "This action delivers a strong message in support of the various endeavours women groups had engaged in to demand for the promotion of gender sensitivity in political leadership," it said. It said all political parties should acknowledge womens readiness to contribute as critical decision-makers at all levels of the governance system. It said political parties must recognise that promoting women to high level positions of leadership was a key determinant of womens political empowerment and equal engagement. It said women participation must be backed by a commitment to undertake systemic and structural reforms that enabled a gender equal participation at all levels of society. "We believe that womens active participation in politics at the highest level can lead to a qualitative difference in the way the country was governed in terms of inclusiveness and equitable distribution of national resources," it said 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 With the $200,000 (est.) Dayton Pacing Derby just two weeks away, Dorsoduro Hanoverfresh off an upset win in the Canadian Pacing Derbydropped into town for a prep race and left with an impressive 1:50 victory. The five-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere left the gate with speed, hitting the quarter in :26.3 before turning Hurricane Emporer loose for a pocket ride. With Turbo Hill ranging to challenge the leader up the backstretch, driver Chris Page elected to sit in with Dorsoduro Hanover before swinging three wide at the head of the stretch. From that point the winner of close to $1.9 million accelerated to a three-quarter length win over Turbo Hill, with Shagnwiththedragon third. Ron Burke trains Dorsoduro Hanover for Burke Racing, J & T Silva-Purnel & Libby, Weaver Bruscemi and the Wingfield Five. Through the first week of the 2020 meet at Hollywood Dayton Raceway, Brett Miller has raced out to a commanding lead in the Dash Derby. Jeremy Smith is a solid second, while Trevor Smith has opened the meet on fire, including a Grand Slam on Friday night, to be third. Racing will not be on tap Monday through Thursday of this coming week, in deference to Little Brown Jug week, but will resume on Friday, Sept. 25. (Dayton Raceway) The Delhi Police's Special Cell will write to the Ministry of Defence to ascertain the authenticity of defence-related classified documents found in possession of arrested freelance journalist Rajeev Sharma, officials said on Sunday. The journalist was arrested on September 14 in connection with a case under the Official Secrets Act. He is accused of passing sensitive information about India's border strategy, Army's deployment and procurement, and foreign policy to Chinese intelligence agencies, police said. Sharma (61) has been in police remand for six days, police said, adding that they will seek an extension of his custody. "We will be writing to the Ministry of Defence on Monday to verify and ascertain the authenticity of the documents found in possession of the arrested journalist," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said. He said the police will seek the defence ministry's opinion to ascertain how the documents might have reached the journalist. The officer said they will also be writing to Enforcement Directorate regarding the illegal financial transactions allegedly carried out by the accused. Yadav said e-mail and social media accounts of the journalist are being examined to ascertain the kind of information passed by him to Chinese intelligence officers. At a press conference held on Saturday, the DCP had said that based on Sharma's statement during interrogation, a Chinese woman and her Nepalese associate were arrested. "Both the Chinese woman and her associate were directors of shell companies in Delhi's Mahipalpur area and they would export medicines to China and in return, would get huge money which they gave to their agents here," the officer said. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Victorian police have brought in overseas experts and ramped up the search for secret lovers who vanished without a trace on a camping trip six months ago. Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, went missing on March 19 in the Wonnangatta Valley in Victoria's East Gippsland region. Their disappearance has baffled authorities, who found their campsite burned to the ground and Mr Hill's car slightly damaged by fire two days later. Missing persons squad chief Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper said this week police were still hopeful of getting answers for the Hill and Clay families. Russell Hill, 74, and his friend Carol Clay, 73, went missing during a camping trip on March 19 in the Wonnangatta Valley in Victoria's East Gippsland region Mr Hill's white Toyota Landcruiser was found with minor fire damage at their burnt campsite near Dry River Creek Track in the valley on March 21 'Six months is a long time to be waiting by the phone for information, however, police haven't given up,' he told the Herald Sun. 'When the weather allows, our investigators and specialist search teams will return to the area to conduct further searches in the hope of finding any clues about what has happened to Russell and Carol.' Mr Hill left his Drouin home on March 19 and collected Carol from her home in Pakenham in his white Toyota LandCruiser. They then travelled through Licola, spending one night at Howitt High Plains before heading into Wonnangatta Valley on March 20. The pair were in a secret relationship and didn't tell anyone where they were going. Friends described Ms Clay as a 'glamour queen' who 'always looked gorgeous and well-dressed.' Mr Hill was last heard from on that day over HF radio, while Ms Clay just told friends she would be gone for a few days. Police are still keen to speak to anyone who was in the Wonnangatta area around that time, including campers, day-trippers, hunters, people fishing, or trail bike riders, regardless of whether they saw or heard anything. Detectives are also keen to speak to anyone who was in the area of Howitt Plains and Zeka Spur Track on March 19 or 20, and the Wonnangatta Valley and Wonnangatta Station between March 20 and 24. Campers found his vehicle with signs of minor fire damage at their campsite, which was completely burnt near Dry River Creek Track in the Wonnangatta Valley on March 21. Investigators have been told that Mr Hill took his drone with him but it is yet to be recovered. Det Insp Stamper said it was yet to be determined if their disappearance was suspicious. Victoria Police Missing Persons Squad Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper is leading the investigation into the mystery 'We know there were vehicles in the area at the time with Victorian, NSW, Tasmanian, Queensland and South Australian registrations, so potentially there are people now interstate who have some information or need to contact us,' he said. 'Although six months have passed, police still believe that we can solve this but we need the public's help.' The call for information comes amid reports the search has gone international, with detectives turning to overseas and interstate experts for assistance. Det Insp Stamper said he couldn't divulge any details about the nature of the global assistance - but said cops were getting closer to solving the mystery. 'We've learnt a lot along the way. We know a lot more than we did six months ago,' Insp Stamper said. Last month police revealed they were exploring a theory that the couple were attacked in their sleep. Detectives believe the potential attackers may have torched their campsite to destroy forensic evidence of a crime. In June, investigators said three theories about Mr Hill and Ms Clay's disappearance were being probed. Carol Clay, who was once the President of the Country Women's Association of Victoria, had been in a relationship with Russell Hill for many years in the lead up to their disappearance Foul play is strongly suspected on the balance of probabilities, but there is no evidence and no suspects. Another possibility is that the couple were flying Mr Hill's $2,000 drone and died of exposure after getting lost off the path looking for it. The third is that they died lost in the bush for any reason, but have not been found because wild dogs ate their remains. Police are confident the pair did not fake their own deaths and don't believe it's a case of murder-suicide. The key to unlocking the case may have gone up in flames in a fire that destroyed their campsite. At the time, police had believed the fire was probably started by a dodgy phone charger or campfire spark and the couple had simply been lost in the forest. But the fire could also have been lit by a thief rummaging around in the tent - or by a murderer trying to cover their tracks. A spare set of keys was found hidden on the car, but it is believed Mr Hill took the main set with him. The pair went missing in the Wonnangatta Valley, more than 200km north east of Melbourne That the car was locked likely indicated the pair left the campsite voluntarily, probably to go for a walk or fly the drone. The drone remains missing despite an extensive search that ended on April 6 without anyone finding a trace of them. If wild dogs had found the pair before police, their remains could have been eaten and scattered to the point they would be missed by searchers. Dogs would have had plenty time to scavenge on the bodies because the pair were not reported missing for some days after their likely deaths. Mr Hill was a keen amateur radio enthusiast and made his last broadcast from the bush on March 20. 'This place is in the middle of nowhere,' the source said. 'It's just problematic in the extreme.' Police are now certain the couple died within 18 hours after Mr Hill's last message, as a passing hiker saw the burned-out campsite about 2pm the next day. Because the pair weren't due back until up to a week later, the alarm wasn't raised for days and precious time was lost. Personal belongings (circled) were left in Russell Hill's vehicle, which sustained fire damage when his tent went up in flames The police source said despite the delay in the missing person squad being brought into investigate the case, the fire ravaged camp site was thoroughly investigated at the time. In May, bizarre details emerged of an 'oddball loner' living in the Victorian Alps, who has been questioned over a number of mysterious disappearances. Known as 'Buttons' or 'the Button Man', the expert bushman became a person of interest after concerns about his odd behaviour was raised by locals. He is understood to have earned his nickname due to his hobby of using deer antlers to make buttons - which he then uses as large ear piercings. 'Being creepy is not illegal,' a police source told Daily Mail Australia at the time. The source confirmed there was nothing to indicate the mysterious loner had killed the couple. 'We don't think they're in Queensland living (a secret) life. They're too old really to drop off the grid and why would they?' the source said. Police believe it is more likely than not that the pair met with foul play while out in the remote wilderness. The area itself is considered an ideal spot to commit murder. Russell Hill hangs onto a drone that he had with him when he went missing. The drone has not been found despite an extensive search of the area Phone reception is practically nil and unlike some other areas popular with hikers, the remote Wonnangatta Valley does not see a lot of foot or road traffic. While cold-blooded murder was an avenue of investigation, detectives remain open to all kinds of scenarios. 'There are a lot of people who go up there and do illegal stuff. Like people who go hunting in the national park and ride motorcycles. Has he had a dispute with one of them that turned bad?' the source said. The pair had been carrying out a secret affair for years behind the back of Mr Hill's wife Robyn, who has described Ms Clay as a 'long time family friend'. While the relationship was largely hidden from Mr Hill's devastated wife, it has been well known to police since the pair were reported missing by Mrs Hill days after her husband last made contact via radio. When questioned about the couple's relationship in April, Victoria Police Missing Persons Squad Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper skirted around the question. 'It is delicate and we are being very respectful of both families wishes and concerns here,' he said at the time. 'Both of these people have large and loving families who are grieving at the moment, and they want answers about where their loved ones are.' Three volunteers search through the Wonnangatta Valley after the couple's disappearance in March While detectives probed the couple's relationship, it was quickly ruled out as a likely reason for their mysterious disappearance. Police are desperate for people who may have been in the area at the time to let them know so that they can be ruled out of the investigation. Detectives are also keen to learn if anyone may be hanging onto dash cam footage that could help identify other leads. It is understood the case remained 'very wide open'. 'It's a genuine mystery,' the source said. Anyone with information is urged to contact CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 00 The other night, there was a documentary on the signing of the peace agreement between the United States and Vietnam. It showed the recently released American POWs on the plane ride coming back home. It was heartening to see the exuberance they were displaying, happy and aware they were now free. It was also gratifying to see how excited they were for the simple things they asked for, like a Coke cola and chewing gum, and to watch their spirits further buoyed with the pretty stewardess -- the lucky ones receiving a kiss. Its a powerful documentary and emotion filled. These men suffered greatly at the hands of the Vietcong, not knowing if they would ever come home again. They went, served our country, sacrificed, suffered physically, mentally and emotionally in a way that most of us could not imagine, and many of them saw their fellow soldiers die in their arms. These are the men Trump called not heroes. (Dennis Semenza, a U.S. Army veteran, is a Dongan Hills resident.) Inside Hook When it comes to going to the movies, 2020 has been a year like none before it. Whether the ways the year has changed moviegoing routines are temporary or permanent remains to be seen. But even if 2021 sees a return to something more familiar, the issues raised so far this year have had a serious impact on all parts of the theatrical ecosystem. A new article by Laura Reiley at The Washington Post explores one facet of these ecosystems: the popcorn farmers who have had to deal with a significant decrease in demand for their product from theaters across the country. Its not that popcorn consumption itself is down microwave popcorn is having a banner year, Reiley reports. The popcorn companies that sell to movie theaters (and other event producers) operate with a very different business model and its one thats being pushed to its limit. Carjacker Shot and Killed Young Husband in Front of Pregnant Wife: Officials The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) revealed more details about a chase and hostage situation that left three people dead, saying a husband was shot and killed in front of his pregnant wife. The suspect, identified as Dangelo Dorsey, was among those who were killed, according to the TBI. He shot and killed himself following a police chase on Interstate 24 after reaching in excess of 100 mph before crashing. A spokesperson for the agency told The Tennessean newspaper that Phillip Jordan Stevens, 23, of Morrison was the male hostage who was killed in the incident. But before that, Dorsey shot and killed Darcey Johnson, 28, inside a vehicle on Interstate 24. The agency spokesman, Josh DeVine, reported that his body was found along Interstate 24 about 65 miles southeast of Nashville. It was an argument of some sort, but beyond that, we have no details to provide at this time, DeVine said, adding that he also injured another person in the vehicle. When traffic stopped after the incident, Dorsey tried to carjack another vehicle but the driver escaped. He approached a nearby truck and shot the driver in the face, said the TBI. A gunman shot and killed two people and wounded three others in a series of shootings and carjackings that ended up in a police chase before he turned the gun on himself, said officials. (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation) He approached another driver, firing through the window when she tried to drive away, hitting the victim in the head, said the agency. Dorsey then sped away in another vehicle and hit a Ford Mustang in which Phillip Stevens and his pregnant wife, Aileen, were driving. The couple stopped, believing it to be a fender-bender, and Dorsey took them hostage at gunpoint, officials said. He forced them to drive to their home about 30 miles away. When they arrived, it appears Dorsey took two additional firearms from the home, swapped vehicles to a blue Toyota Rav4, and forced the man and woman to accompany him, said the law enforcement agency. The agency said that he took both hostages to McMinnville, separated them, and executed Phillip Stevens in front of his wife. Dorsey then drove the Rav4 elsewhere and crashed the vehicle. After inflicting this harm on the community, this murderer stepped out of the vehicle that he wrecked and fatally shot himself, Coffee County District Attorney Craig Northcott told the Manchester Times. A GoFundMe for Stevens family says: 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! For more than a decade, Alejandra Rivera and her two elderly dogs, Sophie and Chasta, were a tight-knit family but earlier this week, that family was torn apart. Rivera and her brother-in-law want to see changes after what she says was an aggressive dog attack at a Saskatoon off-leash area that left Chasta, a 12-year-old Yorkshire terrier and a long-time family pet, dead. Rivera says she was at the Hampton off-leash area on Wednesday with her two dogs. She says she was carrying her 13-year-old dog, Sophie, when a large dog ran over and picked up Chasta, shaking the small dog violently and throwing it into the air. Rivera, originally from Colombia, says she was able to get Chasta away from the attack. She approached the owner about taking responsibility for the aggressive dog one of three at the park but he downplayed the situation and left without providing any information, she says. Chasta was taken to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine Small Animal Clinic, but later died from her injuries, which included a broken back in four places. Rivera says she's trying to find a way to preserve her beloved pup, and is seeking out a taxidermist who works with small canines to take on the commission. Rivera and her brother-in-law, George Barreras, are asking the owner of the other dog to come forward and take responsibility. She says she doesn't understand how a fellow dog owner could be so cruel. Submitted by Alejandra Rivera "I would say to him, how can he look at his face in the mirror," she said, fighting back tears. "How can he look into his eyes in the mirror knowing that a little tiny dog was happy, and his dog just went and bit him so bad, and he just really didn't care." Barreras says the family would also like to see conversations about an off-leash area for small dogs, or small-dog hours at existing areas, in Saskatoon. He worries it may be a child who will be attacked next. "This individual has to be stopped," he said. "Because the combination of aggressive dogs and a careless owner always ends in a tragedy." Story continues Don Somer/CBC Dog owner Brenda Squair, who was at the park with her pup on Friday, was horrified when she heard about the attack, saying it's like a "hit and run." "It just makes me sick to my stomach," she said. "It's awful." Owner should come forward: kennel club president Barreras said the family is planning to file a report with Saskatoon Animal Control Agency and the Saskatoon Police Service about the incident. While police do not investigate incidents involving one animal attacking another, Barreras says the family feels the other owner tried to intimidate Alejandra with his three animals. The Saskatoon Animal Control Agency will launch an investigation into the attack once an official report has been received, said a statement from Saskatoon's director of recreation and community development, Andrew Roberts. However, Roberts noted dogs at off-leash areas "must remain under the control of their owner." The city's website notes animals should know and obey basic commands before visiting. Under the City's Dangerous Animals Bylaw, a person who owns an animal that attacks, assaults, wounds, bites or kills, is subject to fines starting between $250 and $750, to a maximum of $10,000. Roberts says the city has 11 dog parks, which range in size and terrain, and the smaller parks may be better for owners of small or shy dogs. The city's Pet Wellness Guide recommends Caswell Dog Park for smaller dogs. Small-dog-only parks already exist elsewhere in the province, including Moose Jaw. Dana Haukaas, the Moose Jaw Humane Society's executive director, said having the small-dog space is important, since some large dogs may be comfortable with other large dogs, but may struggle when it comes to smaller canines. Haukaas said it may be time to have a conversation about that type of park in Saskatoon. "It certainly wouldn't hurt," she said. "There would be less incidents, and even if small-breed dogs don't get along with each other, there's less likelihood of severe damage happening to another dog." However, she said the most important thing is for owners of all dogs big or small to know their pet's limits and behaviours to determine if the animal is safe to take to the off-leash area. Don Somers/CBC Susan Mogenson, the president of the Saskatoon Kennel and Obedience Club, encourages the owner of the dog that attacked Chasta to come forward. She says while it's likely the man is embarrassed or even fearful about what might happen, taking responsibility may go a long way. "They didn't go to the park expecting their dog to kill another dog," she said. "But to own up to the mistake that happened, that's showing you're a better person than the incident." Update: OnePlus today confirmed that it will launch its OnePlus 8T 5G in India on October 14th at 7:30PM. As usual, it will offer live stream of the event, and the phone will be sold on Amazon.in. Pete Lau, Founder and CEO of OnePlus, said: OnePlus is always looking for opportunities to bring the latest technology to our tech-savvy users as soon as we feel it meets our high standards. With the upcoming OnePlus 8T, we are once again raising the bar for ourselves in terms of the overall user experience, thanks to some new features that we are excited to introduce for the first time in a OnePlus device. I am confident that the OnePlus 8T will once again exceed expectations and deliver an unparalleled flagship experience. Earlier: After specs and renders that surfaced earlier this month, OnePlus has started teasing the launch of the OnePlus 8T 5G, successor of the OnePlus 8 that was launched earlier this year. It has also posted a teaser video with the title Gear up and Get Ahead with the OnePlus 8T featuring the companys brand ambassador Robert Downey Jr. OnePlus 8T image with a flat punch-hole display surfaced in OnePlus 8 Android 11 Developer Preview 4 recently. We also saw some renders of the phone based on internal schematics. The phone rumoured to launch in India in early October, and we should know the exact launch date soon. It will be sold on Amazon.in as usual, in addition to oneplus.in and OnePlus stores offline. OnePlus 8T 5G rumoured specifications 6.55-inch (1080 x 2400 pixels) Full HD+ Fluid AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, HDR 10+ 2.84GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 865 7nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 650 GPU 8GB RAM with 128GB storage / 12GB RAM with 256GB storage Android 11 with OxygenOS 11 Dual SIM (nano + nano) 48MP rear camera, OIS + EIS Hybrid stabilization, 16MP 116 ultra-wide camera with f/2.2 aperture, 5MP macro camera, 2MP depth sensor 32MP front-facing camera In-display fingerprint sensor USB Type-C audio, Dual Stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos 5G SA/NSA, Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 6 802.11 ax 2X2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS (L1+L5 Dual Band) + GLONASS, USB Type-C 4500mAh battery with Warp Charge 65W fast charging Intelligence officials believe a Canadian woman is responsible for letters containing the poison ricin that were addressed to Donald Trump. In a statement, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they were assisting the FBI with its investigation after they suspected a Canadian had sent the letters. Investigators, meanwhile, have identified a woman as a suspect, reported The New York Times, who spoke to an official briefed on the matter. Two law enforcement officials told CNN that tests confirmed the presence of the poison in the letters that were intercepted. All mail addressed to the White House is sorted and screened offsite, where the letters containing the lethal poison were caught before being delivered to the White House mail room. The FBI and Secret Service are investigating and are trying to determine if other packages were sent through the postal system. A statement from the FBI said: "The FBI and our US Secret Service and US Postal Inspection Service partners are investigating a suspicious letter received at a US government mail facility. At this time, there is no known threat to public safety." The Independent has reached out to the White House for comment. Ricin is found naturally in castor beans and can be made from the waste material left over when they are processed. Ingesting or inhaling the poison can cause a range of painful symptoms from nausea through to organ failure and death through a collapse in the circulatory system. In October 2018, envelopes containing suspicious substances were received by the Pentagon, White House, and campaign offices for Texas Senator Tex Cruz. The packages mailed to the Pentagon were addressed to then-secretary of defence James Mattis and to the chief of naval operations John Richardson. William Clyde Allen III, a navy veteran from Utah, was charged with five counts including threatening to use a biological toxin. The castor powder he sent was not in its dangerous form. In May 2013, letters laced with ricin were sent to president Barack Obama and New York mayor Michael Bloomberg. Actress Shannon Guess Richardson was jailed for 18 years for sending the letters. PEPPER PIKE, Ohio -- As city leaders contemplate possible changes coming to the Beech Brook and Ursuline Sisters property, contiguous to the Ursuline College site, in the form of large-scale development, they are working on updating Pepper Pikes building code, particularly as it pertains to U2-public/institutional zoning. Both Beech Brook, 3737 Lander Road, and the Ursuline Sisters property are zoned U2. On Nov. 3, voters will be asked whether a new zoning classification, U2 overlay, should replace U2 at Beech Brook to allow for construction of a mixed-use development Axiom Development Group would build to include housing, retail and offices. The city does not now have zoning that allows for mixed-use development. When asked by a resident during Wednesdays (Sept. 16) Zoom City Council meeting if plans are underway at the college to sell off for development property the Ursuline Sisters no longer need, Mayor Richard Bain said that, while the college has submitted nothing to the city, it appears as though a developer will step in to build there. There is now a one-year moratorium in effect on building on U2 properties while the code is amended, but that moratorium does not include the Beech Brook proposal. With these issues pending, and the possibility that in years to come other such properties may become ripe for development and alter the citys makeup, City Planner George Smerigan spoke during a special Planning Commission meeting held Thursday (Sept. 17), via Zoom. Smerigan has been working with the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University in developing recommendations for changes to the regulations that make up U2 zoning. The current regulations were developed back in 1975 and have not been amended since then," Smergian told commission members, including Mayor Richard Bain, and City Council members. Obviously, a great deal has changed since 1975. As a result of the age of the regulations and the way that they were drafted there are a number of deficiencies and we want to try to address those deficiencies as part of these amendments. Smerigan said that, because U2 properties are scattered about the city and often abut residences, there is the potential for great impact to residents when developments are proposed. In examining U2 regulation amendments, Smerigan said he looked at a variety of potential impacts on neighborhoods, including environmental, traffic, noise and lights, and various physical impacts. He said that he devised a number of possible development scenarios and gave them to the people at Levin College, who examined them and quantified the possible physical impacts of these scenarios. In doing so, Smerigan said he did not relate any specific actual developments and did not seek to come to precise conclusions as to what impacts would be. It was an attempt to indicate to the commission and to council that there, in fact, are physical impacts from varying land uses on the U2 properties and to try to quantify the order of magnitude that those impacts might have, he said. Among the deficiencies Smerigan said he found was outdated language. The code now talks of schools and churches. Smerigan noted that, today, a school could be a karate school or a truck driving school, and not just traditional schools, such as elementary and high schools and colleges. He recommends it be made specific as to what types of schools are allowed. He also recommended changing churches to worship centers, in order to encompass various denominations. The word clubhouse would be amended to community center. Understand that the nature of the fixes that Ive proposed are intended to provide control and protection to clarify things, Smerigan said. We did these fixes in a way that we concentrated on fixes that could be accomplished through councilmatic actions so that they could be done within the framework of the moratorium. He said he was not looking to recommend large-scale changes that would need to go on the ballot to bring about, or to add uses to the U2 classification. Among the recommended changes are limiting the height of Pepper Pike buildings to three stories, from the former four in not only U2 districts, but others, as well. Also, Smerigan suggests making it mandatory in U2 that all developers leave 30 percent of the total area as natural space. The code now states that building coverage can only make up as much as 20 percent of a developments area, a percentage that would remain in the code. There is not now a requirement for natural space. Another recommended change would be, for U2, U3 and U4 developments, to hold a mandatory site development plan review when changes are being planned for a site. There is no such requirement now. During this process, the Planning Commission can determine a proper lot width and side yard requirements on a case-by-case basis. Smerigan said there is no magic number in trying to determine what a lot width or yard requirements should be. During the Planning Commission review, a developer would need to show impacts on things such as traffic, the local economy, and stormwater management (an important factor as Pepper Pike has experienced numerous cases of flooding after heavy rainfalls). The developer would have to show where buildings will be built on a property and their distance from property lines and how much parking is planned, in addition to plans for landscaping, lighting, tree planting and preservation, among other things. Questions about such topics often come up when council is working with a developer, but Smerigan said it would be more helpful to require standard documentation of such things at the Planning Commission level. This (review) is a reasonable and appropriate control that typical cities in northeast Ohio have, he said . Right now, other than the townhouse district, you (council and the commission) dont have it. Thats a major deficiency in the code and something that needs to be fixed. Smerigan said that the review would allow for standards to be followed, and make city review of a project easier. The review process would be required for any development other than a single-family home. In summation, Smerigan said, The idea here is to take this 1975 regulation that we have, bring it up to 2020 standards, give you (council and Planning Commission) the tools you need to be able to review and approve development proposals, or at least evaluate them, and to clarify what is and isnt permitted within the U2 district. And to clarify what is meant by the terminology, so that when we say school, what exactly do we mean. Were being very, very specific. Were narrowing down the focus, were being very specific as to what is permitted in that district. Bain said another special Planning Commission meeting will be held in October to further discuss proposed changes to U2 district regulations. See more Chagrin Solon Sun news here. Kim Cattrall Opens Up About Boyfriend Russell Thomas: He Was Worth Waiting For Kim Cattrall talks about being "very comfortable" with boyfriend Russell Thomas For Kim Cattrall, there is at least one silver lining to months of quarantine plenty of uninterrupted time with Russell Thomas, her boyfriend of four years. "From the beginning, [Russ] and I felt like we needed to get out of town, so we came up to my house in Canada," former Sex and the City star Cattrall, who was born in England, then raised in Vancouver, tells PEOPLE. "I'm coming home again. The mountains, the orcas, when I was a teenager I didn't appreciate it. But now, they're bringing me back." For more from Kim Cattrall, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now Fox Kim Cattrall RELATED: Kim Cattrall Is Proud to Have Been a Part of Sex and the City: It Was Such a Special Time Cattrall, 64, who stars on Fox's new drama Filthy Rich, premiering Sept. 21, met Thomas in 2016 when he was working at the BBC. "We kind of liked each other, we kept in touch and then he came out to Vancouver," says Cattrall. "It was very brave of him because we didn't really know each other other than having a few meals together. But he came and we got along great, and we've been together ever since!" And Cattrall, who was born in Liverpool, says she feels connected to Thomas, born in Kent, England, through their shared roots. "It's just so easy," says Cattrall, who was previously married three times. "I'm very comfortable around him. He's a firecracker and he's got a wicked sense of humor. And he's easy on the eyes!" RELATED VIDEO: Kim Cattrall Says She Was Once Discouraged by the Lack of Roles for Women in their 50s: The Scripts Were Cut in Half Kim Cattrall Says She Was Once Discouraged by the Lack of Roles for Women in their 50s: The Scripts Were Cut in Half "I felt things slipping away," says Kim Cattrall of her acting struggle post Sex and the City And Cattrall and Thomas share a special daily routine she's come to cherish. "The day starts with a cup of tea," says the actress. "It's hot water over a tea bag, with milk, no sugar and exactly the right temperature. It's very British! We have tea together every morning, and after lunch usually another cup to get through the day." Ultimately, Cattrall says she's met her match. "I love him," she says. "And he was worth waiting for." Filthy Rich premieres Sept. 21 at 9 p.m. ET on Fox. Less than a day after Congress overrode President Obamas veto of a bill that would let 9/11 victims families sue Saudi Arabia, top GOP leaders said they might need to fix the new law to protect U.S. national security interests. Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) both acknowledged Thursday that the bill, which narrows a foreign nations immunity from legal challenge, could backfire by exposing the United States to retaliatory lawsuits by foreign victims of terrorism. There may be some work to be done, Ryan told reporters. The White House had warned as much in an unsuccessful last-minute barrage by the defense secretary, CIA director and other top national security officials to try to stop the override. All wrote weighty letters to Congress voicing their concerns about the potential harm, leading some lawmakers to publicly express reservations ahead of this weeks vote. But most went ahead and supported the override anyway. Advertisement Republicans in Congress were eager to deliver a rebuke to the White House with their first-ever win in a veto showdown against President Obama. The 9/11 bill also offered a popular piece of bipartisan legislation, despite heavy lobbying from the Saudi Arabian government, a key U.S. ally. Ryan said lawmakers were focused on giving 9/11 families their day in court. However, now the speaker is worried that other countries will retaliate as the White House had warned by adjusting their own laws to target the United States and its military personnel with lawsuits. I would like to think there may be some work to be done to protect our service members overseas from any kind of any kind of legal ensnarements that could occur, Ryan said. Id like to think that theres a way we could fix so that our service members do not have legal problems overseas, while still protecting the rights of the 9/11 victims. McConnell also suggested changes to the law are worth further discussing. In a first, Congress rebukes Obama with veto override of 9/11 bill I told the president the other day this was an issue we should have talked about much earlier, McConnell said. By the time everybody seemed to focus on some of the potential consequences of it, members had already taken a position, McConnell said. Everybody was aware of who the potential beneficiaries were, but nobody really had focused on the potential downside in terms of our international relationships. I think it was just a ball dropped. The White House spared no criticism of Congress for failing to heed the warnings and do its homework before voting. Whats true in elementary school is true in the United States Congress: Ignorance is not an excuse, particularly when it comes to our national security, said White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest. Earnest noted that Obama spoke about the legislation as far back as April, and he disputed claims from some Republicans, including Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, that the White House refused to engage in negotiations over the legislation in the last week. He noted that the legislation was modified this spring in response to White House concerns, but said the changes did not go far enough. What it mostly is, is an abject embarrassment, Earnest said. Because I think the American people, and certainly our men and women in uniform expect better service and leadership from the men and women that they elected to represent them. The victims families had celebrated the long-fought outcome of Wednesdays vote, having pressed for a decade for the ability to bring their case to court. While 15 of the 19 Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, the kingdom has not been expressly implicated in the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon and the downing of Flight 93 over Pennsylvania. Few expected the legislation to pass. It was hastily approved by only voice votes one just before the 15th anniversary of the 2001 attacks. Obama swiftly vetoed it, setting up the showdown. Saudi Arabia also unleashed top-flight lobbyists to warn lawmakers off the bill, but the kingdoms influence appeared to be waning and few lawmakers wanted to go against the 9/11 families in an election year. Scope of Donald Trumps falsehoods unprecedented for presidential candidate What happens next remains uncertain. The bills main author, Democratic Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York, said Thursday he was willing to consider changes, but nothing that would impede the families from proceeding with the legal action. A bipartisan group of 28 senators had written to him ahead of the vote with their concerns. I will look at anything, Schumer said. But it has to be something that doesnt weaken the bill and limit the right of these families to get their day in court and justice. One suggestion has been to limit the scope of the law more narrowly, to just those victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. But Schumer dismissed that idea because he said it would offer no recourse against future state sponsors of terrorism. Congress has recessed now for an extensive period of campaigning ahead of the November election. When lawmakers return Nov. 15, they will have a few weeks, excluding the Thanksgiving holiday, to legislate a long to-do list during the lame-duck session before the end of the year. lisa.mascaro@latimes.com Twitter: @LisaMascaro ALSO: In a first, Congress rebukes Obama with veto override of 9/11 bill Trump wanted to fire women who werent pretty enough, say golf club employees Californias U.S. Senate candidates are on their own as the national Democratic Party sits it out Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 20:53:06|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAMASCUS, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Five pro-government fighters were killed in a blast in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour in Syria, a war monitor reported on Sunday. The five fighters were killed by a landmine explosion that targeted their vehicle a day earlier in a desert region in the western countryside of Deir al-Zour, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The observatory said it is highly believed that the blast was the work of the Islamic State (IS) group, which has been active in the desert region and has intensified attacks on Syrian soldiers and pro-government fighters since March. Enditem Philadelphia: Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden urged Senate Republicans not to vote on any candidate nominated to the Supreme Court as the November election approaches, calling his rival Donald Trump's plan an "exercise in raw political power." Biden was speaking on Sunday (Monday AEST), the day that a second Senate Republican voiced objections to Trump's plan to vote quickly on a replacement to liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on Friday. Such an appointment by the President, if approved by the Senate, would cement a 6-3 conservative majority that could influence American law and life for decades. Democratic presidential candidate and former vice-president Joe Biden speaks at the Constitution Centre in Philadelphia. Credit:AP "Voters of this country should be heard ... they're the ones who this Constitution envisions should decide who has the power to make this appointment," Biden said in Philadelphia. "To jam this nomination through the Senate is just an exercise of raw political power." In this image released by the U.S. Navy, the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, left, transits the Strait of Hormuz, Friday. The U.S. Navy announced that he Nimitz group passed the Strait of Hormuz to enter the Gulf amid Washington threats to enforce "U.N." sanctions without the backing of European allies. AFP-Yonhap The foreign ministers of France, Britain and Germany as well as the top European Union (EU) foreign affairs official denied that Washington has the right to reimpose U.N. sanctions on Iran on Sunday, after the U.S. said it initiated what is known as the snapback process In a joint statement from three of the parties to the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran, the ministers stressed the U.S. had pulled out of the deal in 2018 and therefore did not have the power to trigger the clause to reapply punitive measures. "Any decisions and actions which would be taken based on this procedure or on its possible outcome would also be incapable of having any legal effect," the statement read. The U.S. said on Saturday it had triggered the snapback mechanism, labelling Iran "the world's leading state sponsor of terror and anti-Semitism." The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed by Iran, the U.S., France, Germany and Britain along with?Russia and China to curb Iran's nuclear activities, in exchange for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions. World powers worried Iran was seeking a bomb, something Tehran denied. The deal was also enshrined in United Nations Resolution 2231. Berlin, Paris and London said they stood by this resolution and the deal in its entirety. "We have worked tirelessly to preserve the nuclear agreement and remain committed to do so," the statement added. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell the coordinator of the JPCOA Joint Commission also hit out at the U.S. move on Saturday and said he would do everything in his power ensure the deal's preservation. (dpa) The countrys Electoral Commission (EC) has been urged to conduct the forthcoming December 7 general election on a free and fair basis. Alhaji Osman Abdel-Rahman, Executive Director of Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA), who reiterated the call, said it was the ECs mandate to ensure an electoral process that was free, fair and transparent for all political parties and candidates in order to prevent some individuals from resorting to violence. He said this at an event, organised by the Civil Society Organizations Platform for Good Governance (CSOPGG), a consortium of CSOs in the Northern region, with support from the Empowerment for Life Programme of the GDCA, in Tamale. It was to mark the 2020 International Day of Democracy, which was on the theme; COVID-19: A spotlight on Democracy and was attended by representatives of political parties and CSOs. Alhaji Abdel-Rahman said the purpose of every election was to democratize the system of governance to achieve equitable allocation of power and resources. The EC must ensure this is done in a manner that will not threaten the peace and stability of the country. For more than a quarter of a century, Ghana has become an island of peace and stability in the sub-region threatened by terrorism, insurgence and armed conflicts as well as socio-political instabilities. We must do everything in our capacity as a people to maintain this status, he added. He further appealed to government to ensure citizens lived in conditions of adequate peace and security, and a level playing field for all contesting political parties and candidates in the December 7 elections. Alhaji Abdel-Rahman encouraged journalists to uphold high standards of ethics and values in their reportage on issues of political interest, adding that, they should desist from circulating news stories that would fuel tension among citizens in the electioneering period. Some representatives of CSOs present at the event advised the youth not to allow themselves to be used by political actors for violent conducts in their quest to gain power in the period of electoral activities. 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 Its been quite a week for the BBC, even by its own shambolic standards. Published accounts showed staff pay has soared to 1.5 billion, with Radio 2s Zoe Ball awarded a mystifying 990,000 hike to 1,364,999 although Gary Lineker did take a cut, brave little soldier that he is, down 400,000 to a mere 1,350,000. New director-general Tim Davie was quick to defend Ball as a broadcaster at the top of her game. Maybe she is (although the million or so listeners who have turned off since she took over from Chris Evans might not agree), but that still doesnt explain why she needs to be paid ten times more than the Prime Minister. Yet none of that was the worst thing to happen last week on the BBC that honour goes to Frankie Boyles New World Order. During a discussion about race, Duker (pictured) said: When we say we want to kill whitey, we dont really mean we want to kill whitey, before quipping, we do In case you havent had the pleasure, this is a satirical comedy show broadcast at 10pm on Thursday. Its everything you would expect: unoriginal, tribal rants full of tasteless jokes aimed at the approved targets of the self-congratulatory Left (eg Boris Johnson caught Covid. He later said that contingency plans had been made for his death. Thats true. I bought fireworks.). The only reason Boyle gets away with it is, I suspect, the fact that almost no one watches it. But all that changed when one guest comic Sophie Duker cracked a joke about killing white people. During a discussion about race, Duker said: When we say we want to kill whitey, we dont really mean we want to kill whitey, before quipping, we do. Cue laughter from the other panellists, who were either too stupid or too scared to pull her up on it. Those who subsequently did (the clip went viral) have, naturally, been dismissed as racist. But the truth is, this is a watershed moment, not just for the BBC, which has defended Dukers comments, but for us all. Its no coincidence that although Oxford-educated Duker is British, whitey is an American term. With the arrival of Davie (pictured), not to mention the imminent appointment of a new chairman, the Corporation stands at a crossroads I first came across it by listening to the late Gil Scott-Heron, who wrote a song in 1970 called Whitey On The Moon. Scott-Heron was inspired by the Black Panther leader Eldridge Cleaver, who argued that the Moon landings were nothing more than a distraction from the crippling poverty among Americas black communities. Scott-Heron speaks of struggling to meet his rent even though Whiteys on the moon. Its a powerful lament, a true work of art that urges the listener to see the world from a different point of view. Dukers rant did nothing of the sort. It took a serious subject and debased it for cheap laughs a one-dimensional diatribe which can only serve to deepen division. There is no question that, historically, people of colour have a lot to be angry about. But the way forward is not to pile injustice upon injustice. As Martin Luther King said, hate cannot drive out hate. Kill whitey is so much more than a bad joke. It reveals how far the bitter culture wars that have infected America and in particular Black Lives Matter, a sinister organisation hiding behind a noble sentiment have infiltrated our own, far more tolerant society. That the BBC should openly support such hateful dogma calls into question the very notion of what it means to be a public service broadcaster. No wonder the pressure group Defund The BBC last week announced it had raised more than 60,000 from the public. I love the BBC, and would be bereft without it. But with the arrival of Davie, not to mention the imminent appointment of a new chairman, the Corporation stands at a crossroads. Either honour its core values of quality and impartiality and stop funding this kind of putrid nonsense or relinquish its privileged taxpayer-funded status and take its chances in the real world. Talking of BBC dross, a BBC Sounds podcast features Love Island stars talking about who wants to have sex with them and what theyd pay for the privilege. Who says the licence fee isnt value for money? And they call Trump a vulgarian! The crepuscular Joe Biden, 77, has given a cringing interview to the 27-year-old rapper Cardi B. It was like a surreal Zoom version of that Werthers Original advert from the 1980s. Biden was certainly handing out plenty of sweeties free healthcare, free college education but Cardi B is no wide-eyed innocent. Her latest oeuvre, No 1 in the UK and America, goes by the title of WAP, which stands for Wet-Ass Pussy. And no, its not about how her cat got caught in a rainstorm. Trump may have lowered the standards of US political debate, but this naked attempt by Biden to get down with the kids by hitching a ride on Cardis smut-train is hardly Plato either. Amals no airhead Nothing will cheer Brexiteers more than the resignation of Amal Clooney as the Governments special envoy on media freedom. To many, shes the living embodiment of the liberal metropolitan elite. Ill miss her, though. No one wears a power suit or works a 1980s red lip like Mrs C. But more importantly, she has worked tirelessly to highlight the genocide of the Yazidi people by ISIS. Anyone who thinks shes just a Hollywood airhead is sorely mistaken. Nothing will cheer Brexiteers more than the resignation of Amal Clooney (pictured) as the Governments special envoy on media freedom In a rare moment of her Diary Of An MPs Wife, when Sasha Swire is not talking about the size of penises or how much the PM fancied her, she shares a memory of me. Poor old Sarah Gove, who bends over backwards to please the Camerons, was lumbered with cooking all the food while Samantha was upstairs learning to cut patterns (she wants to set up a fashion business). She then had her hair done! Turning up at her own party feeling perfectly relaxed while Sarah is laden down with dishes of fish pie. My daughter, 17, snorted with laughter when she read this. Fish pie? Mum, youve never made a fish pie in your life. Fish fingers, maybe. With kids like these, who needs enemies? Diversitys Ashley Banjo is defiant about his George Floyd dance routine on BGT, which has attracted more than 24,000 complaints (which Ofcom refuses to investigate). Personally, I thought the worst thing about it was the hamminess of the choreography, which gave the performance the air of bad sixth-form am-dram. Nevertheless, if Banjo really is intent on using his platform to highlight injustice, how about a routine around the killing of 28-year-old PC Harper, who was dragged a mile in the dirt to his death behind a car driven by three young men. Or is the brutal death of a law-abiding family man just not woke enough for fashionable interpretive dance circles? Diversitys Ashley Banjo (pictured) is defiant about his George Floyd dance routine on BGT, which has attracted more than 24,000 complaints (which Ofcom refuses to investigate) Covid comes at us in a confusion of graphs that fail to capture the human aspect of this pandemic. A friend in Spain began experiencing alarming symptoms at the start of the summer. We all told her to seek help, but she refused, too scared of going to hospital. Last week she was diagnosed with a fast-moving uterine cancer, and it has spread to her lymph. Heartbreaking. Who knows how many others will suffer like her because of an illness that, while lethal to a tiny minority, is slowly sucking the life out of the rest of us? Much talk of Christmas being cancelled but, weirdly, its the one time of year where lockdown AKA being trapped at home with your ghastly family with nothing to do but bicker over the remote control and cook endless meals that no one really wants to eat actually feels normal. If women ruled the world... New Delhi: Twenty-two states have decided to borrow to tide over the current shortfall in Goods and Services Tax (GST) receipts, giving the federal tax body, the GST Council, enough voting strength, along with the central government, to decide on the thorny issue of states GST compensation. Out of the 22, barring one, all states have opted for borrowing only to the extent of their revenue shortfall arising from GST implementation. Mizoram, however, opted for borrowing the entire GST shortfall this year, including for revenue lost due to covid-19, said a government official, seeking anonymity. Last month, the Council had considered the two options at a meeting. Some more states were expected to share their borrowing options in a day or two, but Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and West Bengal have not responded to the GST Councils borrowing proposals yet, said the official. Kerala, Punjab and Delhi have been very vocal about their disapproval to raising debt by themselves, and demanded that the Centre ought to borrow and compensate them for GST revenue losses. However, the demand was turned down by the central government. The official said even with full quorum, the Council needs 20 states to pass a resolution if voting is required. Voting is a rare feature in the Council, which was resorted to only once so far to decide on the taxation of lotteries when north eastern and southern states had expressed different views. The precedence has been to take decisions by consensus, but the strained finances of the central and state governments have threatened this tradition. The Centre holds one-third weighted votes in the Council, while the rest remain with states. The Council can take decisions with 75% of weighted votes. The dissenting states could face financial stress if they do not accept the proposal to let them borrow as it is the only option on the table at present. It is clear from the present situation, that if the other states do not submit their options before the GST Council meet on 5 October, then they will have to wait till June 2022 to get their compensation dues subject to the condition that the GST Council extends the cess collection period beyond 2022," said the official. The vertical split in GST Council comes at a time when several states led by opposition parties have raised the demand for a robust financial package to aid them in dealing with the fallout of the covid-19 pandemic. The issue is also significant as it comes in the middle of a Parliament session where several parties have demanded a discussion on the GST compensation issue. The GST Council is considered symbolic of federal polity where states cutting across political parties come together to brainstorm over various contours of the taxation regime. With a section of political parties taking a different approach on the issue, the fault lines could deepen further amidst their concerns that the issue puts them in a tighter fiscal position in states. Senior opposition leaders feel that the move runs the risk of those with majority stakes overtaking concerns of states which disagree with a larger view. Speaking to reporters last week, Punjab chief minister Manpreet Singh Badal had said that despite including a provision in the Indian Constitution regarding compensating states in case of GST revenue shortfall, the NDA government had deliberately ignored the federal fabric of the Constitution." The GST compensation issue had brought opposition parties together, with Congress president Sonia Gandhi rallying chief ministers of seven opposition-ruled states on the issue last month. This included West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, and Jharkhand chief minister and chief of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Hemant Soren, apart from four chief ministers of Congress-ruled states. With many states opting for the first borrowing option, it seems that businesses must brace themselves now for an extension of the period of the compensation cess and plan their cost and pricing strategies accordingly, said M.S. Mani, tax partner at Deloitte India. Most states opting for the first borrowing option, which is limited to the GST revenue losses attributable to the 2017 indirect tax reform, underscores its merits over the second option which covers the revenue impact of the pandemic too. Under the first option, both the interest as well as the principal borrowed will be covered by receipts from GST cess, which will be extended beyond June 2022. In the second option, the interest will be payable by the states. Also, opting for the first option will allow states to borrow the final 0.5% tranche of the extra 2 percentage point borrowing that was allowed to states earlier, without any rider. Experts said that with as many as 22 state members of the Council agreeing for the borrowing option, the immediate pressure on increasing the GST cess rate or widening its coverage to raise funds amid a consumption slump has eased. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics The converted barge has been a Bristolian favourite for decades Tom travels west to visit a waterside eaterie serving the freshest local catch It feels apt, surrounded by water and sitting in a restaurant called Fish. Beneath our feet, the Avon flows, all quiet, muddy magnificence, while above, the British summer hammers down, not so much damp as downright sodden. Yet inside this converted barge, on the edge of Bristol docks, all is cool, calm and dry. This was once called The Glassboat, and very smart, says my old friend and food writer Mark Taylor as we sit down at our blonde wood table, in the shade of a hanging plant. Hugely respected, too. The owner remains the same, although things seem a little more laid back. Takeaway fish and chips at one end, and a longer menu, featuring lots of sustainably caught West Country fish, in the main cabin. Mark reckons it will be OK. Mark is invariably right. Devilled whitebait have a crisp, paprika-heavy crunch. Boiled white prawns are so fresh they still wear the scent of the sea. Scallops, big bruisers cooked to a tender translucence, arrive in the shell, drenched in a buttery, tarragon-scented chlorophyll green sauce. So far, so simple. And gloriously so. Then a fish soup of startling beauty, featuring dill, curry powder and cumin. Three swaggering flavours that can easily overwhelm, but here tamed into rapt submission. Theres a gentle but bracing depth, with subtle Pernod sweetness, that is at once Provencal and deeply Bristolian, too. Stephen Markwick, says Mark after one spoonful. Its his recipe, no doubt about that. Jake Platt, head chef here, trained under him. Markwick was chef proprietor of the eponymous Markwicks for 35 years, and trained under George Perry-Smith and Joyce Molyneux two food heroes of not just the Southwest, but the whole country too. This soup makes a fine legacy, and Platt does them all proud. Lemon sole is every bit as fresh as youd hope, and cooked just right, while salmon fishcakes are gloriously old school, with great chunks of pink nestled in among the mashed potato. A sharp, lemony sorrel sauce makes sure things dont get over heavy. For pudding, an immaculate creme brulee, and poached pears in bracing raspberry sauce. Service is lovely, prices sensible and Bristol, once again, finds itself with another cracking place to eat. Around 30 a head, Welsh Back, Harbourside, Bristol BS1, fishbristol.co.uk Drinks: Ollys glorious Grenaches Every grape has its day literally. Last Friday was International Grenache Day; every year this widely planted yet largely uncredited grape is celebrated for its velvet texture, spicy purity and versatility. It is found in famous French red blends such as Cotes du Rhone, but also forms part of the elfish, mercurial pale roses from Cotes de Provence and red Spanish blends of Rioja. It generally feels mellow and soft lovely for autumn. Cotes du Rhone Villages Plan de Dieu 2018 (14%), 9, M&S. Thrillingly spicy with the perfect bold body for a pie or a stew thanks to 60% Grenache in the blend. Gerard Bertrand Les Aspres Reserve 2016 (14%), 10, Morrisons. Punches way above its price point; stock up on this deep blend from a top producer. La Garnatxa Fosca 2018 Proyecto Garnachas (14.5%), from 12.99, Majestic. Purity, richness and power from Spanish vines over 60 years old. Wonderful! Cune Imperial Rioja Reserva 2016 (14%), 19.75, Co-Op. A dash of Grenache in the midst of savoury splendour and sumptuous delight. Treat yourself to the best. When the grizzled leaders of the Afghan government sat across a table for the first time from the equally hard-bitten commanders of the Taliban last week, there was air of collegiality no one was expecting. Those observing the moment recognized that the two sides saw perhaps to their own surprise how much they share. "I think there was a collective sense or recognition of, 'We actually are all Afghans and we have so much in common at the end of the day,'" said Andrew Watkins, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group. The ease with which the two sides referred to "the same idioms" and to one another, he said, demonstrated that these old enemies are close to being on the "same cultural wavelength." But Watkins also warned that no one should read too much into this early atmosphere of cooperation especially since it played out against a backdrop of violence that saw dozens killed Thursday in clashes in three of the war-torn country's eastern districts. Women's rights and Canada's war What unfolded in the talks between the two sides in Doha, Qatar this week is about as far removed from Canadians' political consciousness as you can get in this age of coronavirus, eye-popping deficits, charity scandals and election threats. That's not surprising, given how the political and social establishment of Ottawa checked out of Afghanistan long ago. But it's still curious. Hanging in the balance at these talks is something that was supposed to be one of Canada's principal war aims during its time in the Afghan conflict, and one of the cherished foreign policy goals of the current Liberal government: gender equality. Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters It was the former Conservative government that made the war about, among other things, getting little girls to school and improving the lives of women in the wake of the Taliban's brutal, oppressive and misogynistic rule. The Liberals, meanwhile, have made gender a focus of their political and policy identity, stitching it into the fabric of the federal government and building it into their approach to everything from cabinet composition to trade deals. Story continues Tying aid to human rights Other western nations that have shed blood for the same aim have lined up to lay down some serious markers for the Afghans. While the United States remains fixated on keeping Afghanistan al-Qaida and ISIS-free, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that the breadth of U.S. financial assistance in the future would depend upon the "choices and conduct" of Afghans, including their respect for the rights of women and minorities. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne's approach to the same question has been, perhaps surprisingly, more discreet. He issued a statement last Sunday saying only that Canada stands willing to assist and that an "effective peace process will require the meaningful inclusion of all parts of Afghan society, including women, ethnic minorities and other marginalized groups." It's not what you would expect from a government whose prime minister has declared himself a feminist. A very dangerous place to be a woman The European Union, in contrast, issued a clear statement of "principles and conditionality of future aid" that Watkins said was predicated on the expectation that women's rights in Afghanistan would "be upheld, at the very least, to the standard they are today." That may not be saying very much. Much of Afghanistan has been transfixed over the last several weeks by an online video showing a woman being viciously beaten not by a Taliban mullah but (allegedly) by the bodyguard of a former head of the country's intelligence agency. Mohammad Ismail/Reuters It's fair to say women still face an uphill struggle in Afghanistan, regardless of the outcome of the peace talks, said Watkins. Even the head of Afghanistan's peace council, Abdullah Abdullah, has been timid. While nodding to diversity in his opening remarks, he said a week ago that even if the two sides could not agree on all points, they should compromise. 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." Is Afghanistan changing? What may have gone unnoticed prior to the conference is how the Taliban have compromised already on women's rights, said Nipa Banerjee, a senior fellow and adjunct professor of international development at the University of Ottawa. "Some of the things, like women's right to work, the Taliban have accepted already," said Banerjee, who ran Canada's aid and development programs in Afghanistan in the early part of the war. "They said that the right to work will be acceptable, and the right to education. They don't have any objections. [Women] can even be in politics but they cannot be the president." Mohammad Ismail/Reuters Banerjee said she remains guardedly optimistic and warned that western nations need to show flexibility, because Afghanistan's future government will have some form of Taliban involvement. The West also needs to demonstrate patience, she said especially when it comes to the issue of gender equality. In Bangladesh, the introduction of women's rights into rural regions (not dissimilar to Afghanistan's hinterlands) has been handled subtly and with finesse, she said. When western development groups arrive in Bangladeshi villages, she said, "they don't talk about feminist principles and the fundamentals of women's rights." They introduce the concept into the conversation slowly, she said, rather than hitting local patriarchs over the head with values that they'll see as being imposed by foreigners. Perhaps that is what's behind the "air of collegiality" and the sense of common misfortune at the start of the conference. Being a geopolitical pawn for the better part of the last half century is not what Afghans wanted for themselves. Finding a way out of the blood feuds and the entrenched political and economic interests associated with Afghanistan's wars is an enormous challenge. Still, it's evident to anyone who knows the country that there are those with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo of hostility. Some of those people were at the table in Doha. It's one of the reasons Banerjee counsels patience. Ending the bloodshed is the "absolute highest priority" right now, she said, and the Afghans "have to think of this as almost the last chance to make peace." More than a dozen migrants landing at a beach in Essex after crossing the English Channel in small boats have been returned to Germany and France, said the Home Office. Much of the focus in managing migrant crossings has been on Kent, but UK Border Force officials were waiting for the migrants as they landed at the beach in Harwich on Tuesday morning after the vessel was spotted off the coast. Immigration officials put 10 of the asylum seekers found in Harwich on a removal flight to Germany, while another four individuals were put on a flight to France. The returnees included nationals from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait and Yemen. Campaigners have said the decision to pursue the immediate removal of asylum seekers jeopardises their safety, and called on the home secretary to review deportation plans. However, the Home Office said it was planning on organising more charter flights in the coming days and insisted that the Dublin regulation required asylum seekers to claim asylum in the first safe country they arrive in. We have removed a number of migrants who arrived illegally from France in small boats and had no right to remain in the UK, said a Home Office spokesperson. They were returned to both France and Germany those who seek asylum can and should claim it in the first safe country they enter. We are working to increase the number of returnees countries are willing to accept on each flight and there are more flights planned for the coming weeks and months. Bella Sankey, director of charity Detention Action, said the removals put public safety at risk during the coronavirus pandemic. Border Force officials bring in migrants who made the crossing from France to Dover in August (EPA) The governments giddy attempts to restart mass deportation flights, as both France and the UK introduce quarantine measures, is an affront to public health, she said. It also trashes the UKs record for refugee protection. The government also hailed joint efforts with France to tackle the criminal gangs responsible for organised many of the crossings. The French authorities prevented three crossings involving 36 people on Tuesday, according to the Home Office. Recommended Judge forces Home Office to cancel deportation flight because asylum seekers faced destitution on arrival Dan OMahoney, Clandestine Channel Threat Commander, said: These migrants are leaving France which is a safe country, where those seeking refuge can and should claim asylum, rather than attempting these perilous crossings to the UK. We continue to return those who do not have a legitimate asylum claim despite barriers to removals under the Dublin Regulation and legal challenge, and more flights are planned in the upcoming weeks. The latest figures show September has been the busiest month of 2020 for migrant crossings in the English Channel with Border Force officers picking up 1,487 people so far. Its slightly more than the 1,468 people who made the journey in August. How this ISIS operative from Mangaluru lured her victims and converted them to Islam UN report on presence of ISIS terrorists in Kerala, Karnataka incorrect: Govt tells LS India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Sep 20: The government on Sunday dismissed as "factually not correct" a United Nations report which suggested presence of "significant numbers" of ISIS terrorists in Kerala and Karnataka. Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy's reply came in Lok Sabha on whether the government is aware of the United Nations report, titled ''The 26th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning ISIS, Al-Qaeda and associated individuals and entities'', stating that there are "significant numbers" of ISIS terrorists in Kerala and Karnataka. The minister said the government was aware of the report. Alarming rise of ISIS in South linked to seeds of radicalisation sown in Kerala 30 years ago "However, the said report claiming presence of ''significant numbers'' of ISIS terrorists in Kerala and Karnataka, is factually not correct. The Government continuously takes necessary measures to put forth India's correct position through established mechanism in unequivocal and categorical terms at various international, multilateral and bilateral fora and also through diplomatic channels," he said. Reddy also said 34 cases related to the presence of Islamic State (IS) and 20 cases related to the presence of Lashkar-e-Toiba across the country were registered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and 240 people were arrested. "The government is aware of the presence of the terrorist outfits in the country including ISIS, Daesh, IS Khorasan, Lashkar-e-Toiba etc. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has so far registered and investigated 34 cases related to presence of Islamic State (IS) and 20 cases related to presence of Lashkar-e-Toiba across the country and arrested 160 and 80 accused persons respectively," he said. President Donald Trump said Saturday he wants $5 billion from companies creating a new U.S.-based TikTok venture directed toward teaching American children the real history of our country." Trump said Saturday that he had approved a transaction between Oracle Corp., Walmart Inc. and ByteDance Ltd. to create a new company called TikTok Global to run the U.S. video-sharing app. As part of the arrangement, Trump told reporters at the White House the companies agreed to contribute $5 billion to an education foundation. Later, during a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Trump said were going to be setting up a very large fund for the education of American youth." He told his rally audience that in conversation with leaders of the companies, he said do me a favor, could you put up $5 billion into a fund for education, so we can educate people as to real history of our country -- the real history, not the fake history." On Thursday, Trump delivered a speech at the National Archives in Washington, in which he attacked the 1619 Project, a school curriculum created by the New York Times that orients American history from the date the first slaves arrived in the country. Trump said that in response, he would create a national commission to promote patriotic education" that he calls the 1776 commission." The next day, Trump spoke by phone with Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison and WalMart Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon. He told them he still wanted the government to receive a payment as part of a deal, according to two people familiar with the matter. The president wants to use the $5 billion from the TikTok deal for the patriotic education" program, according to one of the people. However, the new U.S. TikTok company will control the money and choose how its invested. Trumps proposed 1776 Commission" has alarmed many Democrats, who fear the president is seeking to diminish or obscure the role of slavery in U.S. history. We will stop the radical indoctrination of our students and restore patriotic education to our schools," he said at the rally. Patriotic education," he repeated, describing it as teaching children to love our country, honor our history and always" respect the American flag. Trailing Joe Biden in polls ahead of his re-election, Trump has made explicit appeals to White voters, including repeated promises to keep low-income housing out of suburban areas. 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 Justice Minister Naomi Long has asked Executive colleagues for their views on raising the age of criminal responsibility in Northern Ireland. At present the threshold at which a person can be arrested and charged is 10 - one of the lowest in Europe. Experts believe it should be raised, saying it is wrong to brand someone aged 10 a criminal. Green Party MLA Rachel Woods raised the matter in a written question to the Justice Minister . Mrs Long confirmed she was seeking the views of Executive colleagues. Ms Woods said there was a lack of political will to tackle the issue, despite Northern Ireland being well below the recommended age of 14 set by the UN. Last year Scotland raised the age of responsibility to 12, although it remains at 10 in England and Wales. Dr Siobhan McAlister, senior lecturer in criminology at Queen's University, said serious offending rates at this age were rare and entering children into the criminal justice system often led to future offending. In July, the justice minister revealed that children as young as 11 were among 422 young people convicted in Northern Ireland courts last year. This has dropped significantly in the last decade, from 931 under-16s being convicted of a crime in 2010 to 422 in 2019. The use of out of court disposals like warnings, cautions and community based restorative justice has also dropped significantly. Despite the reductions, Ms Woods said it was still unacceptable to criminalise 10-year-old children. "These are children, and regardless of their behaviour they need to be treated as children," she said. "If you're going to start looking at children's behaviour I would rather see it from a caring instead of a criminal perspective. "What we're really talking about is mental health, families, deprivation and social problems." Dr McAlister said a culture of "political silence" existed on the issue despite several campaigns to challenge it in recent years. "An excuse has been used by some politicians here to say there isn't the public support to raise the age of criminal responsibility," she added. "But there's been no big survey of public attitudes here, but there was a public consultation (as part of a Youth Justice Review) which got a majority support for raising the age." A survey of 5,000 school children in 2017 from Queen's University, aged between 10 and 11, also found 80% considered the age of responsibility too low. Dr McAlister added: "Serious offending by children is also quite rare, and there's a lack of understanding that while we don't want to criminalise children that doesn't mean we don't respond to serious behaviour. "It's better to work with the child to help them recognise the consequences of their actions and to support changing behaviours, but we shouldn't route them through a system that the evidence consistently shows is detrimental." Mrs Long said: "I can confirm that I wrote to my Executive colleagues on August 10, seeking their views on the current minimum age of criminal responsibility within Northern Ireland, which is 10 years of age. The accompanying discussion paper provided relevant background and statistical information in order to inform their consideration. "To date, responses have been received from the Ministers for Communities, Finance and Infrastructure." Separately, Mrs Long revealed a 13-year-old is the youngest prisoner in Northern Ireland. The inmate in the Woodlands Juvenile Justice Centre is among eight people under the age of 18 currently in custody. Woodlands, near Bangor, is the main facility for holding people under 18 convicted by a magistrate at a youth court or, for the most serious offences, a Crown Court judge. ActBlue received $6.2 million in donations just one hour after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgs death In just the hour after the news broke of the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, $6.2 million in donations poured into ActBlue, a democratic fund-raising platform. This was the highest amount raised in an hour in the sites 16 year existence. via ActBlue social media Donors reached even deeper into their pockets during the next hour. Donations during the 10 p.m. hour garnered $6.3 million more that $100,000 per minute. Read More: DNC receives thousands of $19.08 donations in honor of AKA As of noon on Saturday, donations on ActBlue for Democratic Causes and Campaigns surpassed $50 million. According to the New York Times, before that, the largest fundraising hour was on Aug. 20, when presidential candidate Joe Biden spoke on the final night of the Democratic National Convention. ActBlue says $4.3 million in donations were processed then. Congratulations to the IT team at @actblue! Your system handled a HUGE spike in donations beautifully! Janet Lunde (@janetlunde) September 19, 2020 Just as Democrats are working to support efforts on the left, the right wing is also doing the same, including a push to fill Ginsburg seat as soon as possible. In 2016, after Justice Antonin Scalias death Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pushed not to fill the vacancy so close to the presidential election. This time he says the scenario although similar require different responses. In the last midterm election before Justice Scalias death in 2016, Americans elected a Republican Senate majority because we pledged to check and balance the last days of a lame-duck presidents second term. We kept our promise, McConnell said. Story continues Read More: Ruth Bader Ginsburgs dying wish: I will not be replaced until a new president is installed By contrast, Americans reelected our majority in 2016 and expanded it in 2018 because we pledged to work with President Trump and support his agenda, particularly his outstanding appointments to the federal judiciary. Once again, we will keep our promise. ActBlue says the company does not currently have information on where the majority of donations since Friday night were directed. Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now! The post Democratic donations reach unprecedented levels following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg appeared first on TheGrio. Dermot O'Leary and wife Dee recently welcomed a baby son. (Getty Images) Earlier this year, Dermot OLearys wife Dee wrote in an honest Instagram post about it being a rocky road to her falling pregnant. Now, the 47-year-old TV presenter who welcomed son Kasper in June has urged other men not to give up hope of becoming fathers. Speaking to The Suns Fabulous, the star wants other couples to just keep going if theyre struggling to conceive. He said: Dont lose hope. Just keep going and youll find resolution one way or another, whether its through adoption or IVF or whatever. "Because if you really want to be a parent and you want to bring a kid up in a loving, nurturing and supportive household, then you should do your utmost to do so. And I know its very easy to say these things, because none of that is science. But there are always ways. OLeary married his 41-year-old wife, who is a producer and director, in 2012. Elsewhere in the interview, he discussed the special time hes experienced getting to grips with being a dad thanks to being at home more due to the coronavirus pandemic. Watch: How to sterilise your baby bottles Read more: Fertility services reopen after coronavirus suspension It comes after Jessie J hinted at her fertility struggles, and revealed she hopes to become a mother one day. Uploading a sweet snap of herself as a baby to social media to celebrate International Mothers Day in May, the singer, 32, went on to applaud all mothers while also vowing to try to realise her own dreams of becoming a mother. The star wrote: Women are INCREDIBLE! I love you ALL. This is me when I was a baby. One day. I will be a mother. She continued: Mothers who have 1 child, Mothers who have 10+ children, Mothers who have adopted, Mothers who have fostered, Mothers who havent yet but want to one day, Mothers who know they can but are struggling. Mothers freezing eggs for when the time is right, Mothers doing endless rounds of IVF, Mothers who are younger, Mothers who are older, Mothers who are still trying, Mothers who are expecting, Mothers who have just become a mother. WASHINGTON Its legacy time for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Fulfilling the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before the fall election is as much about McConnells goal of securing a conservative majority on the court for decades to come as it is about confirming President Donald Trumps upcoming nominee. Theres no guarantee the Kentucky Republican will succeed. He is about to move ahead with a jarring and politically risky strategy to try to bend his majority in the Senate to accomplish the remarkable. If it works, he will have ushered three justices to the court in four years, a historic feat. For better or worse, this will be how McConnells tenure as a Senate leader will be measured. Sen. McConnell already has played a huge role in shaping the Supreme Court for decades to come, said Edwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California, Berkley School of Law. A third confirmation, especially under these circumstances, would truly make this the McConnell Court for a long time to come. The path for how, exactly, McConnell will make this happen is being set swiftly in Washington. Many expect Trump to name his nominee in a matter of days and the Senate to start the confirmation process condensing a typically monthslong endeavor into a matter of weeks. Voting in the Senate could happen before the election or it could spill into the lame-duck period after the Nov. 3 vote. Either strategy is a political calculation for McConnell more than a substantive one. For the longest serving Republican Senate leader in history, the course ahead depends on what is best for the handful of GOP senators who face difficult reelections in November and could make or break McConnells slim majority. Sen. Susan Collins in Maine wants no vote before the election. Others want swift confirmation. Conservative voters are expected to be energized by the prospect of a right-leaning court, and McConnell must weigh whether the endangered senators risk alienating them if they shy from a confirmation vote. Or, in their swing states, would the senators like Cory Gardner up for reelection in Colorado fare worse if they rushed into a vote, upsetting centrist and independent voters who prefer to stick to Senate norms? For now, McConnell is eager to push ahead, willing to leave behind those senators whose votes he can afford to lose. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, signaled hours before Ginsburgs death that its too close to the election to vote on a confirmation. She and Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, have been critical of Trump and could be votes against the nominee. With a narrow 53-seat majority in the 100-member Senate, McConnell can lose three senators and still rely on Vice President Mike Pence to break a tie vote. Republicans think the risks of pushing ahead are worth it. McConnells got to thread the needle here, and I have no doubt he will, said Mike Davis, a former chief counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee. He now runs an outside advocacy group for conservative judges and advises Republican senators. McConnell never set out to remake the Supreme Court as he has done during the Trump era. But the death of Justice Antonin Scalia hours before one of the early-state presidential debates in February 2016 put McConnell on a course that will define his decades-long career. McConnell stunned Washington by announcing the Senate would wait for the next president, after the November 2016 election, to choose Scalias replacement, blocking then-President Barack Obamas choice of Judge Merrick Garland. McConnell had no rule or precedent to fall back on, but he had a majority so he barreled ahead. Once Trump became president, McConnell shocked Washington again by changing Senate rules to allow for simple confirmation, by 51 votes, rather than the 60 traditionally needed to advance a nominee. First the Senate confirmed Judge Neil Gorsuch in 2017. Then, with the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, senators confirmed Judge Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 after dramatic hearings and allegations that the nominee had sexually assaulted women. Now McConnell, again through an exercise in majority power, is saying that the standard he set in 2016 no longer applies because his party also controls the White House. Hypocrisy, say Democrats. But McConnell is not likely be wounded as he rushes toward another confirmation. Former Democratic Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, the onetime majority leader who tangled fiercely with McConnell, was the first to change the Senates voting threshold on lower-level nominees out of Obama-era frustration with GOP blockades. Reid warned Republican senators not to follow their leader down this path. If Republicans attempt to force yet another nominee onto the Supreme Court against the will of the American people, then they risk delegitimizing themselves and their party even more, Reid said. He warned it would further tear our country apart. But McConnell left no doubt where this was headed. Absent a robust legislative agenda aligned with Trump, McConnell set out on the Senates other main role confirmations. Along with the two Supreme Court justices, he has installed more than 200 federal appellate and trial court judges in the Trump era. Well, you dont get to write your own legacy, he said during an AP Newsmakers interview in 2018. But I will say that what were doing in the area of the court, I think, is the most important thing were doing. Asked in February by Fox News how he would approach a high court vacancy, now that it was again an election year, he showed no hesitancy. Yeah, we would fill it, McConnell said. The U.S. has no authority to reimpose sanctions lifted in accordance with the Iran nuclear agreement after President Trump pulled out of the deal in 2018, France, Germany and the United Kingdom wrote in a joint statement Sunday. Why it matters: The U.S. announced it will reimpose sanctions and an arms embargo against Iran as part of the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" campaign against the Islamic Republic, which it has accused of financing terrorism and other destabilizing activities across the Middle East. The UN has warned that the move is meritless, and the ordeal could lead the U.S. to impose sanctions on its European allies, according to The Guardian. "We have worked tirelessly to preserve the nuclear agreement and remain committed to do so," the nations wrote. The other side: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday said he expects UN member countries to "fully comply with their obligations to implement these measures." Joe Biden reacts to the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Getty Images) Just before news broke that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died, new polls were released that showed a majority of Americans in battleground states trusted Joe Biden over Donald Trump to choose the next nominee to the nation's highest court. National polls have consistently shown Americans trusting the former vice president over the Republican incumbent to choose the next Supreme Court justice, an issue that stands to greatly reshape the entire 2020 presidential election in its final six weeks following the death of the 87-year-old judge. The New York Times / Siena polls released on Friday surveyed key states including Arizona, Maine and North Carolina about which candidate voters trusted more to nominate the next Supreme Court justice. Mr Biden led Mr Trump on the issue in Maine by 22 per cent. In Arizona, 47 per cent of voters said they trusted the former vice president over Mr Trump to choose the next nominee. Mr Biden also led the president by three per cent in Arizona. Meanwhile, as the nation fell into a state of mourning over the loss of one of the most consequential Supreme Court justices in history, Republican leaders were calling on the president to select a nominee so they could fill the seat ahead of the November election defying Ms Ginsburgs reported dying wish. In a statement dictated to her granddaughter just days before her death, NPR reported, Ms Ginsburg said: My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed. Mr Biden mourned the death of Ms Ginsburg, saying we should focus on the loss of the justice, and her enduring legacy while noting: But there is no doubt, let me be clear, that the voters should pick the president, and the president should pick the justice for the Senate to consider." NYT/Siena polls of Arizona, Maine and North Carolina released on Friday showed that Biden led on which candidate voters trusted more to nominate the next Supreme Court Justice: Arizona: Biden 53, Trump 43 NC: Biden 47, Trump 44 Maine: Biden 59, Trump 37https://t.co/0hao3XSojQ Nate Cohn (@Nate_Cohn) September 19, 2020 The president also released a statement mourning the loss of Mr Ginsburg, who he said was renewed for her brilliant mind and was a fighter to the end. Story continues The issue of an open seat on the Supreme Court caused a surge in voter turnout within the Republican Party in 2016, according to polls from the time. With Ms Ginsburgs passing, it remains unclear whether the same will happen in 2020, or if Democrats and independents who trust Mr Biden over Mr Trump to select the nominee will be more inclined to cast a ballot. The New York Times / Siena poll found that Mr Biden led Mr Trump by 18 per cent on the issue of selecting the next Supreme Court nominee among voters who had not yet decided on which candidate to support and others who said they were not supporting a major-party candidate. Read more Mitch McConnell doesnt care what replacing Ruth Bader Ginsburg with a conservative provokes remaking America in his image is too enticing MINSK -- Hackers leaked the personal data of 1,000 members of the Belarusian police force in retaliation for a crackdown on street demonstrations against strongman President Alyaksandr Lukashenka ahead of another mass rally scheduled on September 20. "As the arrests continue, we will continue to publish data on a massive scale," said a statement that was distributed by the opposition news channel Nexta Live on the messaging app Telegram. "No one will remain anonymous even under a balaclava." The Ministry of Internal Affairs said the government will identify and punish those responsible for leaking the data, which was widely distributed on Telegram channels late on September 19. "The forces, means, and technologies at the disposal of the internal affairs bodies make it possible to identify and prosecute the overwhelming majority of those guilty of leaking personal data on the Internet," said Volha Chamadanava, a ministry spokeswoman. The published list contains information on 1,003 police officers, including their surnames, names, patronymics, dates of birth, the units in which they serve, their ranks, and positions. The development came after several thousand women marched in central Minsk on September 19 to demand Lukashenka's resignation, briefly scuffling with riot police who then blocked their path. Black uniformed riot police swiftly forced hundreds of women, who had stood with linked hands, into police vans. Women shouted, "Shame!" as police forced protesters into vans. "We won't forget! We won't forgive!" shouted the women, who were carrying red-and-white flags and banners, a symbol of the opposition that has been banned by the authorities. Vyasna, a human rights organization in Belarus, said more than 300 people were arrested during the September 19 march. Thousands have been detained and many of them have been beaten by Lukashenka's security forces, their faces often obscured by masks, balaclavas, or riot helmets. Protesters have physically torn off the masks of some officers. Lukashenka's crackdown on the protests has prompted the European Union to mull fresh sanctions against his regime. The loyalty of the security forces is crucial to Lukashenka's ability to stay in power following the August 9 presidential poll which the veteran leader claimed he won by a landslide. The opposition says the election was rigged to hand the former Soviet collective farm boss, who has been in power since 1994, a sixth term. With reporting by Reuters and Interfax Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 23:37:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HELSINKI, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Finnish passenger liner Viking Amorella with 280 travelers and crew on board ran aground on Sunday around 12:30 p.m. local time, near the Aland Island area between Finland and Sweden, according to local media reports. Following the ground contact, the ship was driven to the shore of a nearby island named Jarso, as an emergency location, to keep the ship stable. The Finnish Coast Guard told national broadcaster Yle that the ship is now firmly on the ground on the shore of the island and no people are in immediate danger. According to a soundtrack of the maritime communications, obtained by local media Aftonbladet, the Amorella sent "mayday" signal, and an officer speaking from the ship said that several watertight compartments had been ruptured and entry of water took place. The ship had then decided to continue to the shallow waters of the nearby island to keep it stable. Four small coast guard cutters began evacuating people via small outside doors near the water level. Passengers were taken to a Red Cross assistance center in the Aland islands. No injuries have been reported. The ship was on its regular route from Turku, southwestern Finland to Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, and the incident took place before scheduled arrival in the port of Mariehamn, in the Aland islands. According to Yle, most passengers are either Finnish or Swedish nationals. The accident occurred just one day after the Turku-Stockholm shipping route was opened for unrestricted travel following the new COVID-19 safety criteria. Amorella can take 2,400 passengers, the shipping line has said, but due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, there were only some 200 guests abroad. Enditem Supreme Court Justice Ruther Bader Ginsburg died Friday, following a decades-long battle with pancreatic cancer. And the gender trailblazer's death has been met with deep mourning and vast appreciation for her lifetime of service. Kate McKinnon and Felicity Jones are some of the latest celebs and notable names to express their sadness over such an important loss, both having portrayed Ginsburg onscreen. Leading ladies: Kate McKinnon and Felicity Jones are some of the latest celebs and notable names to express their sadness over the loss of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, both having portrayed Ginsburg onscreen RIP: The gender trailblazer's death has been met with deep mourning and vast appreciation for her lifetime of service, after she died Friday, following a decades-long battle with pancreatic cancer (pictured in December, 2018) McKinnon, 36, who's known for her hilarious RBG impersonation on Saturday night Live, released a touching statement Friday. She wrote in a statement to TVLine: 'For so many of us, Justice Ginsburg was a real-life superhero: a beacon of hope, a warrior for justice, a robed crusader who saved the day time and again. 'Playing her on SNL was a profound joy because I could always feel the overwhelming love and gratitude that the audience had for her. It was one of the great honors of my life to meet Justice Ginsburg, to shake her hand, and to thank her for her lifetime of service to this country.' The comedian recently received her eighth Emmy nomination for her role on SNL, where she frequently plays Notorious RBG on Weekend Update. Funny woman: McKinnon, 36, who's known for her hilarious RBG impersonation on Saturday night Live, released a touching statement Friday (pictured in July, 2018) Real superhero: She wrote in a statement to TVLine: 'For so many of us, Justice Ginsburg was a real-life superhero: a beacon of hope, a warrior for justice, a robed crusader who saved the day time and again' Great honor: 'Playing her on SNL was a profound joy because I could always feel the overwhelming love and gratitude that the audience had for her. It was one of the great honors of my life to meet Justice Ginsburg, to shake her hand, and to thank her for her lifetime of service to this country' Going for gold: The comedian recently received her eighth Emmy nomination for her role on SNL, where she frequently plays Notorious RBG on Weekend Update Jones, 36, who portrayed Ginsburg's life story in the 2018 biopic On the Basis of Sex, also expressed her condolences. She told People: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg gave us hope, a public figure who stood for integrity and justice - a responsibility she did not wear lightly. 'She will be missed not only as a beacon of light in these difficult times but for her razor-sharp wit and extraordinary humanity. She taught us all so much. I will miss her deeply.' The Academy Award-nominated actress played Ginsburg as a young lawyer, joining the fight for equal rights. She told Yahoo at the time: 'I feel that shes a pioneer. Shes someone who has pushed back against injustice. 'And someone who definitely understood injustice because shed gone through it herself and then harnessed the anger that she felt in an incredibly productive way and gives us hope that change can happen.' True story: Jones, 36, who portrayed Ginsburg's life story in the 2018 biopic On the Basis of Sex, also expressed her condolences (pictured in November, 2018) Integrity and justice: She told People: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg gave us hope, a public figure who stood for integrity and justice - a responsibility she did not wear lightly' Beacon of light: 'She will be missed not only as a beacon of light in these difficult times but for her razor-sharp wit and extraordinary humanity. She taught us all so much. I will miss her deeply' Origin story: The Academy Award-nominated actress played Ginsburg as a young lawyer, joining the fight for equal rights Justin Theroux, who also starred in the film as ACLU legal director Mel Wulf, also took to Instagram with a tribute, sharing photos of himself meeting Ginsburg. He wrote: 'I am heartbroken. I have no words for the hole that has just been blown through us. Thank you for your service Justice Ginsburg. Well miss you RBG. I love you Ruth.' Kathy Bates, who played the late judge and activist Dorothy Kenyon, wrote on Twitter: 'RBG 'Now she belongs to the Ages.' Stunned. Heart broken and very afraid. We must take up her mantle.' Ginsburg died Friday, September 18 at 87 years old, surrounded by family at her home in Washington DC. She was the second female and the first Jewish female justice of the Supreme Court, nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1993. Fanboy moment: Justin Theroux, who also starred in the film as ACLU legal director Mel Wulf, also took to Instagram with a tribute, sharing photos of himself meeting Ginsburg Heartbroken: He wrote: 'I am heartbroken. I have no words for the hole that has just been blown through us. Thank you for your service Justice Ginsburg. Well miss you RBG. I love you Ruth' The Brooklyn-born activist, who dedicated her career to gender equality, previously brought six cases before the Supreme Court, winning five. According to NPR, she dictated her final wish to her granddaughter Clara Spera, days before her death: 'My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.' Within 24 hours of her passing, Republican Senators Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham have expressed their support for President Donald Trump's nomination for her seat, just 47 days away from his own reelection. They've been met with stark disapproval, as they both blocked President Barack Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland in February of 2016, when Justice Antonin Scalia died 270 days before that year's presidential election. Trump later said Saturday at a North Carolina rally: 'I will be putting forth a nominee next week. It will be a woman. I think it should be a woman because I actually like women much more than men.' It came just days after model Amy Dorris accused the president of sexual assault during the 1997 US Open, recounting her story Thursday to The Guardian, making her at least the 26th woman to accuse him of sexual misconduct since the '70s. Workers compensation is run by criminals, self-interested opportunists and bosses In this article, we look at the sham of workers compensation and how big business executives have used injured workers for their own personal gain. Huge bonuses have gone to executives who mismanage a critical social infrastructure that should be in public ownership and control: Icare. They have used Icare as a pool of wealth that they have all bathed in at the expense of the working class and injured workers. A recent CPA Guardian article highlighted the sham and criminality within Icare, the workers compensation scheme in NSW. Revealed in the 2020 review of this body were incredible breaches of trust with over eight board members taking home almost $4 million with bonuses over $100,000. While the benchmarks around return-to-work had deteriorated performance, payments were made to these parasites. Even the Treasury office was skimming the funds off injured workers with two employees paid out of workers compensation funds, effectively taken away from workers. Meanwhile many workers, through no fault of their own, have had life changing injuries and accidents at work while they were making profits for the employer. That employers breach safety and turn a blind eye to speed-up jobs or meet deadlines is evident for all who go to work. Workers when injured are forced through incredibly traumatic experiences, often with uncaring representatives of insurance companies who have never been known for compassion or for any capacity to actually heal a broken body. Doctors are challenged by insurers which should never be the case. They are in fact arguing about the amount of money they need to repair their labour power commodity (that means you). Sometimes they just write off the worker as being too expensive to fix. Thats what happens when you are considered nothing but an economic transaction. Denial of claims by injured workers is also rife. Why? Cost sits at the heart of this matter. That cost is even considered is really obscene as a worker should be guaranteed the absolute best medical attention and treatment and return to work program possible. This should occur without the pressure of parasitic insurers seeking to make everyones life harder, in the most difficult times a worker and their family may be experiencing. A worker on compensation should never be sacked. The last Icare CEO, John Nagle, really went for a swim in the misery of workers by awarding his wife an $800,000 three-year deal so she could train Icare staff. What they were being trained in is unclear but clearly she wasnt running an ethics course. The $800,000 payment wasnt enough to secure the Las Vegas trip so they just dug into the workers coffers to pay for a blackjack-filled roulette spinning trip of exploitation at the expense of every worker lying on the scrapheap of capitalism because they were used and abused by bosses and thrown out the gate into a life of unemployment. Senior executives of Icare are constantly whining about ballooning costs. Why would costs go up so badly? Are more workers being injured? Is the real crisis about workplace safety? Would not safer workplaces bring down costs? Yes they would but to even base ones thinking around workers being injured and cost is incredibly offensive. Why dont these people talk of the cost to the workers life. What about the cost to a family when a father or mother can no longer lift their child because the boss has crippled them. The NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet has now announced former Unions NSW Secretary and Labor opposition leader John Robertson as the successor to Michael Carapiet who was a well-known Liberal Party donor, probably out of his ill-gotten workers compensation rorts. The Icare Deputy Chair Gavin Bell will also be replaced. Bell is from Herbert Smith Freehills, the law firm that bought us the Patrick dispute and consistently supports every grotesque twisted legal attack on unions and the working-class. Replacing these parasites will not be enough. The fundamental problems arising from private ownership and having insurers involved in workers compensation and a process of cost-cutting will not serve workers well. The CPA believes there is a better way to deal with workers compensation. Here are some ideas from the CPA that we believe are the only way for injured workers to be treated and compensated for injuries occurred in the pursuit of someone elses profits. These policy points are for discussion and consideration: Romania has reached a tally of nearly 100,000 cases of COVID-19 as the country struggles to contain a resurgence of infection rates. The country has recorded 99,684 confirmed cases of the virus as of Thursday, according to the Romanian health officials. In the capital Bucharest, some residents expressed concern over the spiraling numbers of virus cases in the country. "The rate of compliance (with the rules) is rather low, people don't really wear the mask indoors, it's just a formality when police are around," said Nicoleta, a 32-year-old resident of Bucharest. Others however, believed the official numbers were not reliable. "As we all know the statistics are rather fake. There was this study which said out of 163,000 cases only 9,000 were confirmed. So I don't know. It's more of a media (campaign) for the awareness of the people," said Robert, a student. Romania has reported more than 4,000 deaths among its more than 19 million population, according to data compiled by John Hopkins university. Coronavirus cases in Romania have seen a steady rise after the easing of lockdown measures in early September. Since September 1, indoor restaurants, theatres and other cultural institutions have been reopened to the public. Wearing a face mask is however mandatory inside restaurants and on public transport. And as frustrating as its lack of progress often is, especially when it comes to preventing and ending crises, there is also strong support for its power to bring not only nations but people of all ages from all walks of life, ethnicities and religions together to discuss critical issues like climate change. Over 30 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers sustained minor injuries after helium balloons exploded during Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s birthday celebrations in Chennai on September 17. The incident took place at Padi near Chennai`s Ambattur. The injured were immediately rushed to the hospital. In the video, it was revealed that a spark from fireworks resulted in an explosion of helium-filled balloons after which the people standing near the balloons suffered injuries. The Bay Area has an immense amount of wilderness, and much of it is open to hikers of all skill levels. Beginners might want to check out the San Francisco Bay Trail, which spans 350 miles, with a plan for another 150 miles to connect 47 cities and nine counties in the Bay Area. The walking and biking route crosses the Golden Gate Bridge, Carquinez Bridge, Benicia-Martinez Bridge, the eastern span of the Bay Bridge and the Dumbarton Bridge. Many hikes are filled with majestic scenery and views, but might pose a challenge for novice hikers, like the Rodeo Valley Trail in the Marin Headlands, the Skyline Gate Staging Area in Oakland and the Strawberry Canyon Fire Trail. But there are plenty of treks that offer great views that are suitable for novice hikers. In San Francisco alone, there are at least 10 beginner-level hikes - including the Lands End, Batteries to Bluffs and Stow Lake trails - that will give you a taste of the Bay Area's awe-inspiring wilderness and vistas. (Note: Please check each park's website for the latest information on closures or COVID restrictions. Some areas are locals-only due to the pandemic.) WESTPORT When William S. Gillies arrived in town over 50 years ago, he brought his passion for art with him, and now his granddaughter is looking to connect two of his original works with their subjects. My dad was going through his stuff and he found these two paintings, that were absolutely beautiful, of these two young girls who have to be in their 60s Id say now, said Kim Cataldo, a granddaughter of Gillies. I just thought it would be cool if we could find them, and send it to them. Gillies was known for his cover art for Ken Holt mysteries, Nancy Drew mysteries, and several magazines during the 40s, she said. Cataldo said he even designed his own font Gillies Gothic. One of the original members of the famed Westport artists colony, he also established the Portrait Group of Westport, according to the website AskArt.com. Her grandfather would often practice before attempting the final portrait and the paintings in question, each of which shows a young girl, might fall into that category. Cataldo, who now lives in Mississippi, said the two girls pictured may already own the commissioned paintings. Still, she would love to connect them or their families with the original pieces, which she said were made while Gillies lived in Westport. He would do what he called oil sketches, she said. Then once he got the oil sketches he liked, he would make the commissioned painting. Gillies would also occasionally take multiple photographs of a person and piece it together to get a perfect image, she said. Then, hed create an oil sketch and then the commissioned painting. That could have been the method he pursued when making the portraits of the two young girls. The oil sketches Cataldo found are just two of the many works left by Gillies, who died in April 2000. Bill Gillies, Cataldos father, said he started collecting his fathers work when he died. Back when his father lived in Westport, much of his work was done right in his home studio, he said. He did a lot of portraits in Westport, said Bill Gillies, who attended Staples High School in the 50s. When he moved to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, he started doing scenes. After inheriting some of his fathers paintings, Bill Gillies said he went online to purchase many of the magazines he did covers for as well. Since collecting much of his fathers work, hes begun to share them with his family. Bill Gillies said he did this because he wanted to ensure the legacy of his fathers art in its various forms was passed on. Its important that my kids, their kids and so forth have a record of this and realize it, he said. Cataldo said she wants to remember her grandfather's legacy but would be thrilled to reconnect the two oil sketches with their corresponding families. I have artwork that was grandpas that I cherish, she said. But I think the families would cherish these pictures of them a lot more. dj.simmons@hearstmediact.com The Edwardsville School District 7 is devoting additional efforts to enhancing the accessibility and efficiency of technology within the district, according to discussion at a board of education meeting on Sept. 14. Weve done all the other infrastructure upgrades we needed to do at anything thats grade six through 12, said Assistant Superintendent David Courtney about wiring for internet and WiFi. The issue we have now is to get that same infrastructure in place at the intermediate and elementary levels, youre talking about an initial cost of probably $1.2 million, give or take, and it would probably be three months before it happens. Courtney said the upgrades completed by the district in the last 18 months are usually completed in three to four years. The longer timeframe ideally keeps the district out of debt; the district overcame its negative balance this year. Additionally, considering remote learning, Courtney said to get devices into the hands of middle school students would be another $600,000. However, the district has received some funding, but not as much as other schools. Because of the Title I makeup in District 7, the CARES funding that District 7 received was about $517,000 which was used to purchase devices for teachers and partially for students, Courtney said. Because of the Title I makeup of other schools in our area, those districts got anywhere from $1.7 to $2.3 or $2.4 million. Title I helps supply federal funds to schools dependent on their percentage of low-income students. The district is also expecting additional TIF monies. We are promised a TIF payment from Edwardsville in the amount of $740,000, which we have not seen yet and hopefully that payment will absorb some of the deficit in our 2020/21 fiscal year, board member and finance committee chairperson Terri Dalla Riva said. Dalla Riva told an Intelligencer reporter that the district expected the TIF monies from Edwardsville in April of 2020. She added that the pandemic could have caused a delay in the transfer. The Intelligencer was unable to reach a city official for further information before publication. Dalla Riva said the finance committee predicts a loss revenue of $2.1 million for the 2020/21 fiscal year. The CARES act funding is not commensurate with the financial costs of a pandemic, Dalla Riva said in an email Friday. The public needs to know that the costs far outweigh additional funding provided by the CARES act and by the state of Illinois, so the burden falls upon us as stakeholders. During the board meeting, Superintendent Jason Henderson also talked about the spring semester. Tentatively, the district plans on sending out surveys in mid-October to gauge interest in remote-learning for the second semester. Parents will be asked to submit responses by November. He said remote-learning will be offered, even if a vaccine becomes available. The district is planning to create a better online experience for remote learning later in the school year. The school district is moving quickly to provide technology infrastructure; the current plan is to pace ourselves in completing these tasks so that we can work within the projected budget, Dalla Riva said. That being said, we anticipate committing to WiFi networks at the primary and intermediate schools, which is very good news. She said she does not believe it is wise for the district to overextend, financially at this time, and the business operations of the school district reflect that. New Delhi: Bollywood diva Malaika Arora, who tested positive for coronavirus two weeks ago, has finally recovered with "minimum pain and discomfort". She took to Instagram to share a note about her reports and thanked her doctors for the guidance. Sharing a picture of herself sporting a mask, Malaika wrote, "'Out and about'... M finally out of my room after so many days, it feels like an outing in itself.... I feel so blessed to have overcome this virus with minimum pain and discomfort. A big thanks to my doctors for their medical guidance, to BMC for making this process hassle-free, to my family for their immeasurable support and to all my friends, neighbours and fans for all their good wishes and the strength that I got from your messages and support. I can't thank you all enough in words for what everyone has done for me in these difficult times. All of you please stay safe and take care." Read Malaika's post here: Malaika was quarantined at her Mumbai home after she was diagnosed of COVID-19 on September 7. A week ago, she shared a heartbreaking post on not being able to meet her son Arhaan all this while due to coronavirus. Malaika opened up about her COVID-19 diagnosis a day after her actor boyfriend Arjun Kapoor revealed he has tested positive for coronavirus. Malaika had resumed work some days ago. She returned to the sets of 'India's Best Dancer' as a judge. If the second day of London Fashion Week was all about pushing the pandemic to one side, the third was about bringing it back to centre and ruffling feathers in its face. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, London Fashion Week has been forced to radically overhaul its usual proceedings. In previous seasons, the schedule would be packed with presentations, runway shows, and exhibitions taking place all over the capital. Now, the industry is adapting to a new normal, one that has seen real-life runways replaced with digital ones, while presentations are either conducted in small groups or in one-on-one appointments. While the second day saw two designers - Bora Aksu and Mark Fast - stage socially-distanced catwalk shows, day three was an entirely digital affair. Things got off to an unexpected start at Richard Malone, who served up an abstract feast of tonal ensembles and materials hed experimented with in his bathroom during lockdown. Then The Independent visited the fledgeling American talent that is Michael Halpern for an individual appointment following the release of the brands heartwarming film starring frontline workers. And finally, it was off to 16Arlington for a retro water-inspired collection. There was a unifying theme of defiance across the collections on Saturday, the message being that yes, we are in the midst of a global crisis, but that doesnt mean we should cower in the corner. Now is the time to dig into the fancy dress box, to take sartorial risks, and to be unafraid of diving deep into fashions creative rabbit hole. Here are a few of our highlights from day three of London Fashion Week. Richard Malone (Richard Malone) While some fashion designers have chosen to turn a blind eye to the pandemic this season, Richard Malone confronts it head on with his abstract spring/summer 2021 collection. Inspired by his backlash to the unrelenting monotony of the UK lockdown, the British design talent has created one of his most opulent collections yet while relying on a limited palette of mustard yellows, sky blues and khaki greens. Almost every look contains just one colour, offering up a masterclass in tonal dressing. As for the garments themselves, there are the stiff high-neck fitted dresses, crushed velvet blazers, ruched gathered gowns, and corseted lace-up tops, all of which lend themselves to this image of clothing as armour, something that Malone was eager to tap into as a way of expressing the resilience so many of us have developed during the pandemic. The materials carry a DIY feel, which is perhaps because Malone spent the lockdown rifling through deadstock materials, dying them in his bathtub, and running them through the washing machine to achieve the perfect crinkle. In the brands accompanying film, models move together in robotic formation. Yes, they look incredibly glamorous in Malones plush designs, but there is a stiffness to them, too, as if they cannot be broken. Overall, the collection carries a real sense of audacity and strength, qualities we could certainly do with ourselves right now. Halpern (Halpern) At the start of lockdown, Michael Halperns mother sent him a book about Victorian women that examined their roles in society alongside the clothes that they wore. That book was the beginning of what would soon become Halperns spring/summer 2021 collection, which was partly inspired by Alice in Wonderland and Clueless but is at its core a celebration of frontline workers. The clothes are uplifting, joyous, and quite frankly, a bit bonkers. Take the spherical orb dresses one made from feathery pink and black degrade, the other emerald green and covered in polka dots that were inspired by Halperns love of lollipops. I just think its such a funny shape, like, how silly is that? Halpern says. We just need some silliness. And whats sillier than covering an orb with polka dots that are also circular? Its ridiculous, its just fun. There is more to these orb dresses than meets the eye, though. When youre going to create something like that, it needs to be rooted in really classical construction. So everything is really beautifully made inside, theres layers of boning going every way. Elsewhere, there are the Cher Horowitz-esque red and black tweed skirts with plume trims and pointed-shoulder blazers. And of course there are plenty more feathers, too, like on the off-the-shoulder pink and black jacquard dress, or on the trims of the decadent fuchsia dressing gown, that Halpern teases is a remote working piece. Orb dresses aside, Halpern has taken sculptural silhouettes to new frontiers, with dresses constructed from hand-moulded crystal plisse and fitted with boned bustiers for added shape. But the collection is of course about much more than clothes, as we can see in its accompanying film that stars eight frontline workers. Most were women Halpern met through friends. Theres Odiri, a train manager for TFL who swans around in one of Halperns a black and emerald polka-dot lounge suits. Theres Arianna, a senior nurse at Homerton Hospital who radiates on-screen in a tea-length pink and gold leopard jacquard dress. Theres Ghalia (one of Halperns closest friends), an OBGYN who helped pregnant women whod tested positive for Covid-19 deliver their babies she wears one of the orb dresses. And theres Caroline, who Halpern met while volunteering to make PPE for staff at Homerton Hospital. I would go there for two days a week to sew and then the other five days, Id go to the studio to create the collection, he tells me. Having people who have never been involved in fashion or tailoring is a very strange thing, so we were keen to get to know everyone really well before shooting the video. Halpern has stayed in touch with all of the women. It was an honour to be friends with these people. One of thems cooking me dinner next week. It might come as no surprise that the key to Halperns vision for this season was much more rooted in fantasy than reality. Obviously no ones going to wear a lime green plisse dress or a polka dot bubble for a Zoom call, he says. But I would like to bring a little joy at this time, to just create. Thats really important to me. 16Arlington (16Arlington) What happens when a young fashion house, typified by out-and-out maximalism is forced to consider easy? Its a good question, one that 16Arlington serves to answer with its spring/summer 2021 collection, which the brand claims to be anchored in the fluidity of ease. But there is absolutely nothing easy about a tight-fitting long-sleeved leather dress, or a bodycon gown with a lace-up back that exposes ones entire backside. It is, however, unexpected. As is the sheer chocolate brown corseted slip dress that conjures up memories of the famous silver slip Kate Moss wore to an Elite Model Management party in London in the 1990s. Elsewhere, theres more nostalgic references in bias-cut crushed velvet gowns and oversized pointed collars. But the key pieces are, in true 16Arlington style, those that come covered in feathers. Consider the lemon yellow halter-neck mini dress that boasts a marabou feather trim, or the optic-white floor-length skirt that features rows of feathers all around it. The standout, though, is surely the candy-coloured pink strappy dress that boasts a mermaid-like sheen on the bodice alongside a feathered skirt. Designers Marco Capaldo and Federica Cavenati were heavily inspired by movement this season, particularly the movement of water, as we can see in the brands accompanying video. In the short clip, models are seen clad in 16Arlingtons bombastic designs while pouring water all over themselves in slow-motion. Its not just a metaphor, either. The water represents the lightness of the delicate materials that feature prominently in the collection, something that allows them to move just as freely. But it is also apparent in the brands seashell accessories and the fact that the feathers were hand-treated in the designers bathroom. The collection notes describe Capaldo and Cavenati (who are a real-life couple) as eternal optimists. The drama and the disco will return, they add, but the label is forever changed. - Kenya Scout Council Chief Scout and Chair Jacob Kaimenyi said Mike Sonko did not meet the criteria of serving as patron - Kaimenyo also stated that Sonko could also not serve as the national patron since the position was a preserve of the head of state - A disciplinary process has been initiated to punish members who officiated the ceremony despite being forwarned against it PAY ATTENTION: Click 'See First' under 'Follow' Tab to see Tuko.co.ke news on your FB Feed The Kenya Scouts Association has distanced itself from a recent ceremony that saw embattled Nairobi governor Mike Sonko installed as the Nairobi County Scouts Patron. Kenya Scout Council Chief Scout and Chair Jacob Kaimenyi said the ordinance did not follow the due process when it was convened terming as "illegal". Section of the media also reported that the governor had been ordained as the National Scouts Patron. READ ALSO: Kipchumba Murkomen laughs off after being edited out of Raila, Uhuru and Ruto's photo Governor Mike Sonko when he was installed National Scouts Patron on Friday, September 11. Photo: Mike Sonko. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Young lady divides netizens after begging hawker for a kiss in traffic Kaimenyi stated that president Uhuru Kenyatta was currently the National Scouts Patron since the position has always been the preserve of the head of state. "Governor Mike Sonko was illegally installed as the Nairobi County Scout patron. It was also reported in some media that he had been installed as the National Scout Patron. First, we wish to clarify that the position of national patron of the scouts association is a preserve of president of the republic of Kenya. Currently, President Uhuru Kenyatta is the bonafide national patron of the Kenya scouts association following his installation on December 1, 2013," Kaimenyi said in a statement dated September 16. READ ALSO: Ruth Matete says she's done with religion, laments religious people abandoned her An installation ceremony, Kaimenyi said, was is a solemn scout function that must be officiated by either the sitting chief commissioner or in his absence, the national commissioner of the Kenya Scouts Association whom he or she must have delegated the task to. READ ALSO: Ndege ya Silverstone yaanguka Somalia The coronation, according to the council's chair, was conducted and officiated by the commissioners of the Kenya Scouts Association who were not appointed by the chief commissioner to carry out the task and who may have taken advantage of the governor's ignorance of these procedures to carry on. "The Kenya Scouts Association distances itself from the event and the illegal installation. An internal disciplinary mechanism in accordance with the Kenya Scouts Association guidelines has been initiated against the members of the association who planned and officiated the event. At the same time, the association remains open to engage the office of the Nairobi governor to rectify the illegality and conduct of his installation as patron according to set guidelines at the earliest most opportune time," Kaimenyi stated. Governor Sonko salutes to young scouts marching past him. Photo: Mike Sonko. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Arsenal 2-1 Westham: Gunners dig deep for second successive league win in tough London derby On the day of his installation, the governor hosted the Executive Director-General of the World Scouts Parliamentary Union WSPU Poppin Misoi who celebrated his birthday at Sonko's office. The county chief pledged to support the scouting association noting that it was in need for financing. "As Patron, I will do my best to support the scouting movement in the city and beyond. I am aware that there is a need for sponsorship of Patrol Leaders courses, competition camps and mentorship programmes. There is also a need to support those scouts who need uniforms but struggle to afford. I have also been told about the need for space to set up scouts offices in all the 18 sub-counties in Nairobi, among other projects," Sonko wrote in a statement. 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. I have infected multiple men with HIV, my entire family hates me -Kiki wa Nge'ndo | Tuko TV. Source: TUKO.co.ke Four people have been rushed to hospital with serious injuries after a 'multiple stabbing' attack outside a Plymouth pub. Officers rushed to the Stoke area of the city just after 10pm last night with reports of numerous casualties. They received a possible tip-off on the identity of knifeman, but when they arrived at his address in Breacon Park it was empty. It was only later at Ide on the outskirts of Exeter was the suspect stopped in a car and arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Four people have been rushed to hospital with serious injuries after a 'multiple stabbing' attack in Plymouth (scene pictured) Officers rushed to the Stoke area of the city just after 10pm last night with reports of numerous casualties One resident told ITV: 'I live on Albert Road and drove home to find it closed but explained I lived here. 'I was told to go in and lock doors. Multiple police cars and emergency services including a helicopter and armed police.' Another resident, Winston Churchslope, posted a video from the scene in the aftermath. Speaking to camera, he said: 'Here on Albert Road looks like there has been quite a few stabbings. 'This is Albert Road in Plymouth and a few people have been stabbed and apparently one might be dead... 'Apparently the [suspect] is still on the run. He's stabbed people and run. 'This just doesn't happen in Plymouth.' The suspect initially fled the scene but Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed they have since arrested a 50-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder. The residential road remains sealed off and witnesses have said that a police helicopter has been circling the scene The suspect initially fled the scene (pictured) but Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed they have since arrested a 50-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder A spokesperson for the force said: 'Police were called just after 10pm on Saturday night following a serious incident having occurred near the Railway Inn on Albert Road in the Stoke area of Plymouth. 'Police units attended and found four people having sustained serious but not life threatening injuries; all have since been taken to Derriford Hospital for treatment. 'The suspect had fled the scene by the time police attended. 'Follow up enquiries meant that armed offices attended an address in the Beacon Park area of Plymouth in an attempt to locate the suspect; he was not at the address. Officers remain at the scene after four people have been rushed to hospital with serious injuries following a 'multiple stabbing' attack outside a Plymouth pub Police scrambled to the Railway Inn where they found four people nearby with stab wounds just after 10pm last night 'Further enquiries and proactive police work led to officers stopping a vehicle near Ide on the outskirts of Exeter in which a man in his 50s was apprehended. 'The suspect had been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder but has initially been taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. 'Police enquiries continue in this matter. 'Anyone with information and who has yet to speak to officers is asked to contact 110 quoting log number 1112 19th September.' The residential road remains sealed off and witnesses have said that a police helicopter has been circling the scene. Kravchuk said the decision to relocate the negotiating platform could be made by the OSCE as a moderator. Head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group on Donbas settlement Leonid Kravchuk says negotiations on Donbas may be relocated from Minsk, Belarus. The political situation in Belarus is not conducive to work on the Minsk platform, the official told the Strana news outlet in an interview. "The people rose up against Lukashenko, and everything suggests the protest will continue. It is very difficult to work in such conditions... Obviously, if nothing changes, we will have to look for another platform," he said. Read alsoKuleba warns Russia against steps undermining Belarus sovereignty, destabilizing regionKravchuk said the decision to relocate the negotiating platform could be made by the OSCE as a moderator. "It is about an international platform. Accordingly, the decision will be made at the international level," he added. Recent developments in Belarus in brief New York : The United States provided "strong and unambiguous support" to India during its current border crisis with China, which is engaged in increasingly aggressive behaviour throughout the Indo-Pacific even during the coronavirus pandemic, a senior White House official said on Thursday. From a bilateral perspective China's recent actions on the Line of Actual Control with India has further reinforced the importance of the US-India strategic partnership, Lisa Curtis, the deputy assistant to President Donald Trump, said in a virtual panel discussion organised by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think-tank. "Whether it was cutting off Vietnam's access to its fishing waters, undermining Hong Kong self-rule, deploying military submarines to threaten Japan or contesting Indian territorial sovereignty along the LAC, Beijing has engaged in increasingly aggressive behaviour throughout the Indo-Pacific, even as the global community has grappled with coronavirus pandemic," Curtis said. The crisis has strengthened America's resolve to work towards building its relationship with India as a bulwark against Chinese aggression, she said during the discussion on research scholar Darshana Baruah's recently released paper, India in the Indo-Pacific: New Delhi's Theater of Opportunity. "Throughout the crisis, the US has provided strong and unambiguous support for India, and our cooperation has certainly grown closer. We are encouraged by India's strong yet responsible approach to the Chinese aggression," said Curtis, who is the Senior Director for South and Central Asia on the National Security Council at the White House. "While always seeking to de-escalate through diplomatic means India also demonstrated military and economic resolve," Curtis said as she asserted that the Indo-Pacific strategy, which was introduced in 2017 is designed to foster a stable free open and rules-based order. "This order is not only for the benefit of the US. It is for the benefit of all countries that pride their sovereignty and independence. The Indo-Pacific strategy, of course prioritises building relations between the US and India, because we view India as an emerging global power that shares our goals of ensuring this region remains peaceful, stable, and with the prospect of growing prosperity, she said. America's strategic partnership with India is really founded on shared commitments to freedom, democratic principles and the rule of law. It is based on a convergence of strategic interests, centred on promoting global security instability, she said. Noting that the Trump administration elevated the US relationship with India in ways not seen by any other administration, she said that the joint statement that was signed by President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the former's visit to India in February is testament to this administration's commitment to building the vital partnership. Curtis said that the US has strengthened the QUAD mechanism among the leadership of the US, Japan, India and Australia. At the outset of the Trump administration the Quad was really not even officially meeting. "But starting in November 2017, we started regular dialogue of the QUAD at the Assistant Secretary Director General level. And by September 19, we had the quad meeting at the ministerial level for the first time ever. Additionally, President Trump has met twice in the trilateral format with Indian and Japan; first at the G-20 Buenos Aires in December, 2018, and then again in Osaka, at the G-20 in June 2019, she said. Both the QUAD and trilateral formats are really important for strengthening the institutional support and fostering that multinational cooperation that will contribute to a free and open Indo-Pacific, Curtis said. Such mechanisms help check Chinese aggression, and which has increased since the onset of the global pandemic," she added. Tension in eastern Ladakh increased manifold following the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army soldiers were killed. The Chinese side too suffered casualties, but it is yet to give out the details. The situation deteriorated again after China unsuccessfully attempted to occupy Indian territory in the southern bank of Pangong lake on the intervening night of August 29 and 30. China is also engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Beijing has built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region. Both areas are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources and are vital to global trade. China claims almost all of the South China Sea. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims over the area. New Delhi: Hong Kong's civil aviation watchdog, Civil Aviation Department, has temporarily suspended national carrier Air India Limited's operations to the city state after passengers on-board the carrier traveling to the region tested positive for covid-19, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said. Air India's operations to Hong Kong will now remain suspended for a fortnight upto 3 October. The Hong Kong government had in September strengthened regulations for airlines carrying covid-19 positive passengers on board its flights to the metropolitan area, South China Morning Post said in a recent report. "Under emergency health regulations tightened on September 15, any airline that carries five Covid-19 passengers or more, or two consecutive Hwith three or more diagnosed passengers, faces being banned from Hong Kong," the newspaper had said. When contacted, Air India spokespersons didn't offer comments on the issue. A senior Air India official said that the airline will write to Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Department to reconsider its decision. This is the second time that the national carrier's operations to Hong Kong have been suspended. The country had earlier in August suspended flights of the national carrier after it was found to have carried covid-19 positive passengers on board its flights to the special administrative region of the People's Republic of China. Last week, Dubai's civil aviation authorities suspended the operations of Air India's no-frill subsidiary Air India Express for a fortnight from 18 September to 2 October, after the Indian carrier was found to have flown covid-19 infected passengers to Dubai. However, hours later, aviation authorities in the Gulf emirate revoked the suspension, allowing the Indian government-owned airline to resume flights. India currently has the second largest number of covid-19 infected patients in the world, after the United States of America. The country's total tally of covid-19 affected people currently stands at over 54 lakh people, with 10.1 lakh active cases, according to data from the Health Ministry. 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 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda said on Sunday the government has, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, given a better future to the farmers of the country after the Rajya Sabha passed two crucial farm bills. The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, were passed by voice vote in the upper house amid opposition protest. I congratulate Prime Minister @narendramodi on the passing of the bills brought by the central government for the empowerment of agriculture and farmers in Parliament and wish all the farmer brothers of the country. I also thank all MPs and political parties for their support, Nadda said in a series of tweets in Hindi. The bills The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, passed by Parliament will truly give farmers the freedom to store, harvest and sell their crops and middlemen. Lets free them from middlemen, he said. Also read: Will not sign on farmers death warrant: Heated debate in Parliament as farm bills tabled in Rajya Sabha MSP -- minimum support price--was, is and will remain. The system of APMC will also be maintained. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, while showing foresight, has taken these steps for the better future of farmers, which will play an important role in doubling the income of farmers, he added. Nadda also criticised the Congress, saying the party, in its manifesto for the Lok Sabha election last year, had talked about abolishing the APMC system, while the MSP and APMC will continue to operate according to these bills. The Modi government is providing better options to the farmers. After all, why does Rahul Gandhi and Congress not want to see farmers becoming stronger, he said. Congress never brought about any reforms for the empowerment of farmers. It had neither the thought nor the will to do it. Congress has an old habit of doing politics by misleading farmers and the poor. The farmers are aware of the double character of the Congress, they are not going to fall into its mischief, he added. Union minister of agriculture and farmer welfare Narendra Singh Tomar moved the crucial farm bills in the Rajya Sabha on Sunday, amid the ongoing protests by farmers in Punjab and Haryana. The two bills are historic and will bring a change in the lives of the farmers. The farmers will be able to freely trade their produce anywhere in the country. I want to assure the farmers that these bills are not related to Minimum Support Price (MSP), Tomar said in the Rajya Sabha. Two bills were passed; however, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020, could not be taken up due to time limitations. During the heated debate over the contentious farm bills, members of opposition including Trinamool Congress Derek OBrien climbed the chairpersons podium in protest after their demand for voting on motion to send the farm bills to select panel was not considered. They also showed the rule book to chairperson Harivansh. Advertisement Professor Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance will today warn the UK is at a 'critical point' in the fight against coronavirus after a surge in cases as Boris Johnson faces a Cabinet war over reimposing lockdown measures. The Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Scientific Adviser will deliver a stark televised address to the nation this morning, with Prof Whitty expected to say that the UK is facing a 'very challenging winter'. He will say Britain is currently heading in 'the wrong direction' with Government sources warning the UK is now in the 'last chance saloon'. Mr Johnson held talks with Prof Whitty and Sir Patrick yesterday as he draws up a virus battle plan that could see the country face more draconian restrictions for as long as six months. The fact Mr Johnson's two top scientists are addressing the nation today will likely be seen as an attempt by the Government to 'roll the pitch' for the PM to announce new restrictions. It is thought Mr Johnson will set out new measures in a press conference as early as tomorrow and Health Secretary Matt Hancock today refused to guarantee that pubs will still be allowed to open at the weekend as he said it is socialising which is driving the spike in cases. Mr Hancock said any new lockdown measures 'will be different to last time' as he also said he hoped Christmas will be 'as normal as possible'. Mr Johnson is facing major divisions within his own Cabinet about what to do next to combat the spread of the disease amid a tug of war over protecting the economy. Mr Hancock and Minister for the Cabinet Office Michael Gove are said to want the PM to take decisive action now while Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Priti Patel are reportedly advocating a more cautious approach, according to The Times. Any move to reimpose more stringent restrictions is likely to spark a Tory rebellion after Sir Graham Brady this morning accused Mr Johnson of 'ruling by decree' as he demanded MPs get a vote in the House of Commons on any new measures. A senior Government figure said the 'next six months are very difficult and there is an awful lot to consider'. Another source insisted the Cabinet row 'isn't combative' and it is not 'anti-lockdown versus pro-lockdown'. 'It's a question of whether we can be more subtle than we were in March about which bits we shut that are clearly linked to transmission,' they said. A Government source told The Telegraph that the message to the public is 'this is it' and that a failure to adhere to the new 'rule of six' will require ministers to reimpose tougher restrictions. The source said the PM is likely to warn this week that 'we have heavy measures down the road unless we can get things back on track rather than saying any new restrictions are going ahead'. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps warned this morning that if people do not follow the rules on social gatherings then 'we're going to end up back in situations we don't want to be in'. The prospect of the PM announcing new restrictions comes after the Mail revealed that pubs that break the rules will be shut down on the spot in a planned new crackdown. Boris Johnson, pictured running this morning, is widely expected to announce new coronavirus rules this week Crowds of revellers enjoy a night out in Newcastle on Saturday despite fears of a second wave of coronavirus Sage expert warns 10,000 coronavirus fines could prove counterproductive Imposing fines of up to 10,000 on people who fail to self-isolate could be counterproductive and increase 'resentment', one of the Government's scientific advisers has said. Professor Susan Michie, who is a member of the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), said the new fining regime risks 'alienating people'. She said the fines could also undermine trust in NHS Test and Trace because they could deter people from getting tested or prompt them to try to conceal symptoms. The new fining regime will come into force in England from September 28 with penalties starting at 1,000 and rising to up to 10,000. There are growing fears that the fines will hit people on lower incomes the hardest because one of the main reasons for failing to comply with quarantine rules is a need to go to work. The Government is bringing forward a system of payments worth 500 for people on low incomes who have to self-isolate but critics believe that will not be enough to persuade some to stay at home. Prof Michie argued that better support for people in self-isolation is the way to increase compliance rather than the threat of massive fines. She told The Telegraph: 'It will set up resentment and divisions. If things are perceived not to be fair, then this undermines trust, in turn undermines adherence. 'The fines could actually be counterproductive by alienating people.' She said experts have long been urging ministers to boost support for people who have been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace. 'None of these things have been done by the Government in the way we have advised over literally months,' she added. Advertisement Is London 'next for lockdown'? Ministers holding crunch meeting to decide whether to impose new rules on the capital London is on the brink of lockdown, with millions of commuters set to be ordered to work from home. Ministers will decide today whether to impose a lockdown on the capital, with Mayor Sadiq Khan pressing for 'fast action'. Mr Khan believes the city is just days behind the disease hotspots in the North West and North East of England and said a new lockdown is 'increasingly likely'. But London's infection rate of 25 cases per 100,000 people is significantly lower than the national average of 34 and no areas of the capital are on Public Health England's 'watchlist'. Advertisement The crunch address by Prof Whitty and Sir Patrick came as: Sage expert Professor Susan Michie warned the Government's plans to fine people up to 10,000 for failing to self-isolate could prove counter-productive and lead to 'resentment'. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps defended the way ministers have imposed measures without votes in the Commons as he said the 'need for speed' was required to tackle the threat posed by the virus. Scotland's Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said six months is a 'more realistic' time frame for any new Covid-19 restrictions to be in place. Professor Paul Hunter, an expert in health protection at the University of East Anglia, suggested a 'circuit break' new lockdown would only halt the Covid-19 surge temporarily. Speaking to ITV's This Morning programme, Mr Hancock said the UK is facing a 'difficult moment'. He said: 'If we do have to take action it will be different to last time. We have learnt a huge amount about how to tackle the virus. But the number one thing for everybody is if everybody follows the existing rules, the vast majority of people are, but if everybody does then that will help us to control it. Asked how lockdown measures will be different for the second wave, Mr Hancock said: 'The main thing in terms of what we have learnt is where people catch the disease tends to be in social settings: People coming round to your house or you going socialising essentially. We have seen relatively few cases caught through schools and relatively few through people at work. Mr Hancock refused to be drawn when he was asked whether pubs will still be open at the weekend. He said: We will be absolutely clear about the changes we need to make in the very, very near future. Pushed on the issue, he said: 'Its not a no and it is not a yes. We have been working on this all weekend, we haven't taken the final decisions about what we need to do in response to the surge that we have seen in the last few weeks. Meanwhile, on whether the rule fo six could be eased at Christmas, Mr Hancock said: I want Christmas to be as normal as possible and the more that we can control the virus now and stop the spread now the easier it is going to be to have a christmas that is as close to normal as possible. During today's address, Professor Whitty will explain how the virus is spreading in the UK and the potential scenarios that could unfold as winter approaches. They will draw on data from other countries such as Spain and France, which are experiencing a second surge, to underline how their experience could be replicated in the UK, with rising infections eventually leading to more deaths. Professor Whitty is expected to say: 'The trend in the UK is heading in the wrong direction and we are at a critical point in the pandemic. 'We are looking at the data to see how to manage the spread of the virus ahead of a very challenging winter period.' The warning comes as it was revealed that bars and restaurants that allow big groups to gather or fail to collect customers' details will be served with orders forcing them to close immediately. Local authorities and the police will be encouraged to perform spot checks to ensure venues are meeting the requirements. Downing Street last night warned the country is 'in the last chance saloon' with the prospect of more restrictive national measures, such as curfews, being imposed within days if people do not start following the rules. Possible measures include forcing bars and restaurants to shut at 10pm each night, as has already happened in places such as Bolton and Newcastle. There may also be a ban on socialising with people from other households. The Government is preparing to launch a major offensive to enforce the rules that are currently in place in a bid to minimise the need for further restrictions. Mr Hancock yesterday warned: 'We will come down hard on people who do the wrong thing.' Senior Government officials have become concerned at scenes of drinkers crammed into bars or standing on the street outside in large groups. They also fear that many places are not collecting the details of customers needed by the NHS Test and Trace service to contact the necessary people if outbreaks are identified in a venue. On Sunday, another 3,899 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK were announced, while a further 18 people died within 28 days of testing positive, bringing the UK total to 41,777. The latest figures came after the Government announced that anyone in England refusing to obey an order to self-isolate could face a fine of up to 10,000. Following the rising figures, Mr Hancock refused to rule out a second national lockdown in England if people failed to follow the social distancing rules. Mr Hancock said that with hospital admissions for the disease doubling 'every eight days or so', further action was needed to prevent more deaths. 'This country faces a tipping point,' he told BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show. 'If everybody follows the rules - and we will be increasingly stringent on the people who are not following the rules - then we can avoid further national lockdowns. 'But we of course have to be prepared to take action if that's what's necessary.' Mr Johnson has been desperate to avoid another nationwide lockdown amid concerns about the economic damage it will inflict just as activity was beginning to pick up again. However, as of Tuesday, about 13.5 million people across the UK will be facing some form of local restrictions as the authorities grapple with the disease. Local authorities and the police will be encouraged to perform spot checks to ensure venues are meeting the requirements. Pictured: a group of girls walk through Birmingham City Centre last night Sir Graham Brady accuses PM of 'ruling by decree' during coronavirus crisis Sir Graham Brady today accused Boris Johnson of 'ruling by decree' during the coronavirus crisis as Tory MPs demanded any move to reimpose lockdown is put to a vote in the House of Commons. The chairman of the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbench MPs suggested the Government has been treating people 'as children' during the pandemic. He is tabling an amendment which would require the Government to put any new lockdown measures to a vote of MPs. There is growing anger among Tory figures about the way in which the Government has imposed measures over the last six months without first consulting Parliament amid fears new rules will be rolled out in the coming weeks to tackle a surge in cases. Sir Graham's intervention came after the Supreme Court's first female president said Parliament had 'surrendered' powers to the Government during the pandemic. Baroness Brenda Hale, who served as president at the UK's highest court from 2017- 2020, criticised the draconian measures and 'sweeping' powers being imposed on the British public without the say of MPs. Sir Graham told the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme: 'I think what we have also seen over the last six months is the Government has got into the habit of, in respect to the coronavirus issue, ruling by decree without usual debate and discussion and votes in Parliament that we would expect on any other matter.' He added: 'The British people aren't used to being treated as children.' Advertisement A senior Government figure told The Times that while no final decision had been made by the Prime Minister, the Government was looking over the next six months. They said: 'It's not as simple as saying Covid is up and it's a simple binary choice [over lockdown]. It is a very, very complicated picture that we need to look at over the next six months and that is going to be the tough part.' Mr Hancock said he was 'very worried' about the latest data which suggested Britain could be on the same path as Spain and France - where deaths and hospitalisations are increasing - without effective action. 'I am very worried about this second wave. We have seen in other countries around Europe how it can absolutely shoot through the roof,' he said. 'When the case rate shoots up, the next thing that happens is the numbers going into hospital shoot up. 'Sadly, we have seen that rise, it is doubling every eight days or so - people going into hospital, then, with a lag, you see the number of people dying sadly rise.' Among the measures being considered by ministers is a temporary two-week 'circuit break', with tighter restrictions across England in an attempt to break the chain of transmission. Meanwhile, London Mayor Sadiq Khan is pressing ministers to extend controls to the capital, which he believes may be just 'two or three days' behind the hotspots of the North West and North East of England. In an interview on LBC he said: 'Unfortunately, and it gives me no pleasure to say this, we've all been catastrophically let down by the Government. 'If ministers had risen to this moment, as the British public have, then the loss of many lives and much of the economic hardship could have been avoided. 'These times called for a government that could put ideology, dogma and ego aside, and calmly and competently do whatever it takes to save lives and jobs. 'Unfortunately, we got the exact opposite. Just when we required a steady, capable hand on the tiller, we've had a hapless government that keeps on steering us onto the rocks.' Meanwhile Conservative MP Theresa Villiers said the most likely option for a national lockdown would be similar to the current restrictions in the north-east of England. The former Cabinet Minister told Carolyn Quinn on BBC Radio 4 Westminster Hour: 'If cases do continue to rise, I would have thought the most likely option that the Government would go for on a national level is the kind of restrictions that they're undertaking in the north east, so unfortunately that means possibly a period when people are not allowed to socialise with others, inside or outdoors and further restrictions on the way hospitality works. 'I really hope that we don't have to come to that because obviously the hospitality sector has been hit so hard by this, but I think of all the measures we could take to stem the outbreak or the possible second wave, it seems that restrictions on social gatherings may be the most effective and also have less economic damage than a bigger lockdown affecting more businesses.' The number of new daily coronavirus infections in the capital, as recorded by King's College London However, the Government is facing resistance from some senior Conservative MPs concerned that ministers are taking increasingly stringent powers with little or no parliamentary scrutiny. Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the powerful Tory backbench 1922 Committee, said he will table an amendment which would require the Government to put any new measures to a vote of MPs. He indicated that he would take the opportunity to seek to amend the legislation when the Government comes to renew the emergency powers in the Coronavirus Act 2020. Under the latest rules, from September 28 people in England will have a duty to self isolate for 14 days if they test positive for coronavirus, or they are instructed to do by NHS Test and Trace because they have been in contact with someone with the disease. Fines for non-compliance will start at 1,000, rising to 10,000 for repeat offenders in the most 'egregious' cases. People on benefits will be eligible for a one-off support payment of 500 if they face a loss of earnings as a result of being required to quarantine. Sir Keir Starmer said Labour would support the measures but warned that a second national lockdown was becoming more likely because the Test and Trace programme was in a state of 'near collapse'. 'Because the Government's now effectively lost control of testing, it doesn't necessarily know where the virus is. 'So if I was the prime minister, I would apologise for the fact that testing is all over the place,' he told Sky News's Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme. Since Friday, local authorities in England have had the power to issue fines of up to 4,000 on businesses that allow in groups of more than six people or fail to keep a record of those served. But the Mail understands the Government is considering going further by giving councils the ability to take swift action by ordering immediate closure of premises. Ministers are also looking at tightening the law so people are banned from ordering at the bar or counter. Retailers will be asked to encourage customers to comply with the requirement to wear a face covering in shops. Mr Hancock (pictured) said that there was a danger the numbers could 'shoot through the roof' unless effective action was taken to halt the spread of the virus A Cabinet minister said: 'People have been registering in pubs as Donald Duck and providing made-up phone numbers, or not giving any contact details at all. So a crackdown is needed.' From next week people will face fines of up to 10,000 if they refuse an order to self-isolate. Professor Whitty and Sir Patrick will present data on countries experiencing a second wave, such as France and Spain, and how this could be replicated here. A Downing Street source said: 'Infection rates are going up, we are in the grip of a second Covid wave and we're now in the last chance saloon.' They said Professor Whitty and Sir Patrick 'will today set out the latest data and the stark reality we're now facing'. Mr Hancock said that there was a danger the numbers could 'shoot through the roof' unless effective action was taken to halt the spread of the virus. Appearing on Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme, he said 'people have got more relaxed over the summer' but 'now is the moment when everybody needs to get back' to following the rules. Another 18 deaths were reported among people who had tested positive for coronavirus in the past 28 days. Last night there were 1,141 patients in England's hospitals, up from 1,048 the day before and 661 a week ago. Nearly a third of these patients are in the North West, while just 157 are in London. Back in April, there were almost 5,000 coronavirus patients in London hospitals alone, and 20,000 across the UK. Matt Hancock: I'd shop neighbour Matt Hancock has told Britons to alert the police about neighbours who refuse to self-isolate and said he would too. The Health Secretary's call came only days after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he disliked 'sneak culture'. Mr Hancock declared he would report rule-breakers to the authorities himself in a move which could see them fined up to 10,000 under stringent new rules in England. Matt Hancock (pictured) has told Britons to alert the police about neighbours who refuse to self-isolate and said he would too His comments came when he was asked on Times Radio if the public should tell on people refusing to self-isolate. 'Yes, because the number asked to self-isolate as a proportion of the population as a whole is relatively small and it's so important,' said Mr Hancock. 'These are people who have been in close contact with somebody who had a positive result or themselves have had a positive test.' Mr Hancock was also asked by Andrew Marr on his BBC show if he would snitch on a neighbour to police himself. The Health Secretary replied: 'Yes. And for the self-isolation part, that is absolutely necessary because that is how we break the chains of transmission.' Mr Marr suggested it was 'confused messaging' from the Government after Mr Johnson's comments. Mr Hancock replied: 'We're extremely clear that people must follow the rules and if they don't then we are bringing in this more stringent enforcement.' Advertisement A 'circuit breaker' lockdown would be madness Commentary By Dr Renee Hoenderkamp Of all the muddled, panicky, flip-flop responses by the Government to the Covid-19 pandemic, the introduction of a so-called 'circuit breaker' lockdown this week would be the worst yet. Shutting down the country for two weeks will turn a dangerous situation into a disaster. It's precisely the wrong thing to do, at exactly the wrong time. Six months ago, when the coronavirus took hold in Britain, the Prime Minister imposed a draconian lockdown that forced people to stay indoors. I warned at the time that this policy would have a devastating long-term effect on general healthcare especially mental health and it saddens me deeply that I was proved right. Six months ago, when the coronavirus took hold in Britain, the Prime Minister (pictured) imposed a draconian lockdown that forced people to stay indoors What I did not foresee, back in March, was how Covid-19 would be channelled by the lockdown into the very places that sheltered Britain's most vulnerable people: our care homes. Segments of the population that were at minimal risk the young and generally healthy were the ones most protected against infection. The ones most at risk were left to bear the brunt and the results were unutterably horrific. A lockdown that we were promised would not last more than a few weeks limped on for the whole summer. We didn't really emerge until this month, when the schools reopened. And what happened? Exactly what anyone could predict the disease re-emerged too. Of course it did, because it had never gone away. It had been circulating at a low level, waiting to surge back among a population with no degree of immunity. Now we are experiencing levels of rising infection similar to what we saw in February, at the start of the crisis. But here's the awful difference: it's now late September and winter is on its way. With winter come flu and pneumonia, and as every GP knows, they are killers. Britain does not shut down for flu every year. In fact, we barely talk about it. Some people have vaccines, others don't bother in seven of the past ten years, the jab has proved less than 50 per cent effective. Pictured: A sign for a coronavirus testing station in Manchester Already, they are taking hold. Two weeks ago, according to the Office for National Statistics, 991 deaths were attributed to flu and pneumonia, Covid-19 or both over a seven-day period. Yet in the same period, the ONS data showed only 78 official deaths of patients who tested positive for Covid-19 within the past month (though this doesn't mean the virus caused all the deaths). These figures show that flu and pneumonia are currently roughly ten times as deadly... and according to the ONS, flu season hasn't even started yet. The peak months are regarded as October to May, hitting the worst patch after Christmas. Britain does not shut down for flu every year. In fact, we barely talk about it. Some people have vaccines, others don't bother in seven of the past ten years, the jab has proved less than 50 per cent effective. Developing a reliable flu vaccine relies on predicting which particular strains of flu are most likely to appear the following winter so can be very off-target, yet this failure is almost never discussed in the media. It certainly is not the cause of national panic. To be considering a country-wide lockdown to control Covid-19, when flu and pneumonia are currently so much more virulent, is sheer insanity. The dire effects on general and mental health which we suffered over the summer will simply be compounded. Since there is little feasible chance of a safe and effective vaccine any time soon, we should have been striving for mass immunity among the healthy population. Pictured: A Coronavirus testing centre in Leicester And in two weeks' time, or whenever we disconnect the 'circuit breaker', the coronavirus will surge back. This time, we will be facing its effects during the flu season, when many more people will be compromised by flu and even less able to fight Covid-19. The optimum time for dealing with this novel coronavirus has already passed. Since there is little feasible chance of a safe and effective vaccine any time soon, we should have been striving for mass immunity among the healthy population. If the majority of people who are unlikely to suffer much ill effect could catch the infection, and get over it safely, they would be much less likely to transmit it to the vulnerable during the winter. This strategy goes by the ugly name of herd immunity, an unfeeling name for the most compassionate policy. I am certainly not belittling the severity of Covid-19. It is more contagious than common flu and it attacks the body in more varied ways. This is a scary disease. But we cannot fight it with fear. We can't wait for a vaccine, and we can't hide from the virus. Trying to eradicate an endemic disease with a short 'circuit breaker' lockdown is unscientific nonsense (stock image) We also cannot fight it at the moment with a vaccine. There isn't one, and I must admit that I would be wary of any inoculation that hasn't been thoroughly tested. I am ardently pro-vaccine, and I've made certain that my toddler got every jab going. But before they can be deemed safe, all drugs need to be properly evaluated, and that takes time. We must not rush the job just because it's politically expedient. And yet the Government appears to be doing just that. The only safe, humane response is to shield the vulnerable and encourage the rest of the population to build up collective immunity. We can't wait for a vaccine, and we can't hide from the virus. Trying to eradicate an endemic disease with a short 'circuit breaker' lockdown is unscientific nonsense. Instead, we need to look after the people at most risk, by ringfencing their jobs and paying their bills while they self-isolate. Nobody should have to fear losing their employment or defaulting on their mortgage. The cost of this, while significant, would be minimal compared with the expense of the furlough scheme. And while they stay safe, the rest of us need to get back into the real world and learn to live with the virus. It's here, and it's not going away. Our best defence is collective immunity. Accept it, and let's get on with our lives. Dr Hoenderkamp is an NHS GP The thing is, buying a new laptop with the latest specifications or owning a laptop with powerful specifications is in no way a guarantee that Microsoft Windows 10 will work properly at all. More often than not, you would notice that a Windows PC, specifically, slows down after a few months of use. That is not good news for those of us who are spending our days (and in some cases nights), working from homethe need for a well-functioning PC is more urgent right now and will perhaps continue to be this way for at least a few more months. We do not know till when well be working from home because of the Coronavirus pandemic, and your laptop needs to be working well. It is worse if you have just bought a new laptop or a powerful PC. With a new computing device come a lot of hopes, also because youve spent quite a bit of money on it. Of a faster computing experience. Of being able to do tasks quickly. Slick performance. Good battery life, the case of laptops. And hours and hours of looking at your new prized possession with a loving gaze. The thing is, this entire thing gets soured rather quickly when you set it up, start using it and soon enough realise that the performance is not what it should have been or has degraded rapidly. So, what is wrong? There are multiple reasons for why your Windows 10 laptop or PC may be acting all strange and slow. And before you are inevitably held responsible for buying the wrong specs and something that isnt as powerful as it should have been, let us iron out the other possibilities one by one. Step 1: Get Rid Of The Pre-installed Bloat For starters, your PC or laptop is most likely struggling with a whole lot of unnecessary preloaded apps. This, in more loving terms, is known as bloatware. Basically, what you dont need but the laptop maker has still gone ahead and cluttered your new laptop with those anyway. These would include unnecessary apps, app bundles, so-called utilities, games demos and free game bundles, shortcuts to websites, an anti-virus and so on. Go to Start Menu -> Settings -> Apps -> Apps & Features and pick out the apps from the list, the ones that you absolutely do not need. It could include everything from links to shopping websites to photo editing software to file transfer utilities to system management software to even Microsoft Office alternatives. Some may even entice you with a premium subscriptionjust do not let your heart melt. The thing is, almost all laptop makers are guilty of preloading apps and software on the laptops they sellbe it Dell, Acer, Asus, Lenovo, HP, you name it and they all follow this trend, in varying degrees. And it is not restricted to any particular price band eitherall laptops have different quantities of preloaded apps. Android phones, particularly those made by the Chinese tech companies, suffer from the same problem. That has also led to a rather varying experience with Android for many users. Step 2: You Do Not Need Another Antivirus Secondly, Windows 10 has something called the Windows Defender, which does everything from keeping your PC safe from malware, virus, spyware and keeps the firewall up and running. It is then a bit perplexing for laptop makers to further drain the resources by preloading an antivirus solution, such as McAfee or Norton security suite (with due respect to both, just referencing them as examples). If all you intend to do on your new laptop is safe web browsing and promise to go nowhere near dodgy apps or websites, you can uninstall the additional antivirus suites that your laptop maker might have bundled along with Windows 10 on your laptop. This will free up significant system resources, allowing it to work faster and betterthis is most visible in the lower powered machines running the Intel Core i3 processors or machines with less RAM. Step 3: Update Windows 10, You May Be Running A Much Older Version Third, a lot of new laptops still run an older Windows 10 version out of the box. You may not realize it but there isnt someone who is constantly updating Windows 10 on new and as yet unsold laptops. For instance, just in the past few few weeks, we have received multiple laptops running Windows 10 1903 out of the boxthis version of Windows 10 rolled out in October 2019. Since then, we have had significant updates with the larger Windows 10 1909 and Windows 10 2004 updates, as well as the regular monthly patches. Yes, even though Windows 10 is a live and always updating OS, you may not get all the updates on Day 1. Take time out to manually update Windows 10 to get all the performance improvements and bug fixes that come with the newer Windows 10 versions. Head to Start Menu -> Settings -> Update & Security and check for new updates. This should also bring in the necessary driver updates for the hardware, which could also optimize performance. While at it, also check the support section on the website of your laptop manufacturer for any specific system firmware that may fix bugs or bring in performance improvements. Step 4: Check The Startup, Youd Be Surprised Finally, there are the startup items. These are apps that are configured to run with Windows 10, every time you boot up the laptop. This not only slows down the time taken by Windows 10 to be ready for work, but these apps continue to run in the background eating into RAM and processor resources. Some suspects include Google auto-update utility once you install Chrome and Drive, Microsofts OneDrive cloud storage app and any driver utilities. You can do Alt + Ctrl + Del -> Task Manager -> More Details -> Startup tab -> Disable everything except the most critical utilities. Next time you press the power button to turn on the laptop, Windows 10 will load much faster and will be quicker when it comes to responsiveness as well. In the end, your laptop or PC will run as fast as it can and should. An Intel Core i3 processor powered machine will not be as fast as an Intel Core i5 powered machine, for instance. But if we do this cleanup of new Windows 10 laptops, it simply eliminates any artificial ceilings that may be put in place by unnecessary hogging of precious system resources. Step 5: Clear The Storage Chances are, there may be a lot of storage space that is being used with files and folders you may not have even realised were there. You might want to check the storage status on your machine and remove some unnecessary files such as software installers sitting in the downloads folder. Usually, clearing up a cluttered storage does help Windows 10 work better. And breathe a bit better. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell rejected the unilateral decision of the United States to return all sanctions on Iran through snapback mechanism. Borrell said in a statement that the US unilaterally ceased participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) in May 2018 and has not participated in any JCPoA-related activities since then. It cannot, therefore, be considered to be a JCPOA participant State and cannot initiate the process of reinstating UN sanctions under the UN Security Council resolution 2231, the statement read. Borrell, the coordinator of the JCPoA Joint Commission, said that the commitment of lifting arms embargo continues to apply and he will do everything possible to ensure the preservation and full implementation of the Iran nuclear deal. He stressed that the JCPoA remains a key pillar of the global non-proliferation architecture as it addresses Irans nuclear programme in a comprehensive manner. I call on all to do their utmost to preserve the agreement and to refrain from any action that could be perceived as an escalation in the current situation, he urged. Read: UN Chief Says Unable To Take Action On Iran Arms Embargo Due To 'uncertainty': Report Read: Moscow Denounces US Claims On Iran Arms Embargo As 'illegitimate' The Iran nuclear deal was enshrined in a UNSC resolution which still names the US as a participant and the Trump administration has been arguing on the technicality that Washington could still trigger a snapback. US State Secretary Mike Pompeo announced on September 19 that the 30-day process for the return of all sanctions has ended and all provisions of the UN Security Council resolution are back. UN chief's stand Meanwhile, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has reportedly expressed his inability to take any action on the return of all sanctions on Iran declared by the United States. The United Nations officials provide support to the Security Council to ensure the proper implementation of sanctions as UN chief appoints independent experts to monitor it. Read: US Warns UN Member States Of 'consequences' After Re-imposing Sanctions On Iran Read: Iran's Foreign Minister Urges World To Oppose US Sanctions Or Expect The Same A warning has been sounded that the Internal Market Bill jeopardises the Good Friday Agreement. Last week MPs backed the Bill, which gives the Government power to override parts of the UKs Brexit agreement. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis told the House of Commons last week that the plan would break international law in a very specific and limited way. Representatives of civil society groups have said that the actions of the Government are jeopardising the Good Friday Agreement and the functioning of the devolved administration at Stormont. The groups, which include the Human Rights Consortium, Equality Coalition and Unison, have described the actions of the Government as contravening international law and undermining the provisions of the Protocol in terms relating to the non-diminution of rights and equality protections. The eyes of the international community are on the UK and civil society will not stand idly by as our peace agreement is undermined by those who are meant to guarantee it This Bill fetters the ability of our devolved government to continue to take the progressive actions required to protect rights and standards in Northern Ireland, if the UK Government disagrees, the groups said in a joint statement. We condemned these actions in the strongest possible terms and demanded that the UK Government withdraw the Internal Market Bill and unequivocally commit itself to the European Convention on Human Rights. The groups met with Government officials last week to share their concerns, and expressed disappointment that ministers did not attend the meeting. We have insisted that the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland engage with civil society fully. We will be writing to the Secretary of State to demand that he do so as a matter of urgency, they said. The Protocol does not just deal with tariffs and trade, though avoidance of a hard land border is vital. Its full implementation is also fundamental to the protection of equality and human rights which form the bedrock of the Good Friday Agreement. This is well understood by the Irish Government, European Union and the allies of the peace process in the US Congress who have all expressed their concern at the threat to the Agreement. The eyes of the international community are on the UK and civil society will not stand idly by as our peace agreement is undermined by those who are meant to guarantee it. A UK Government spokesperson said: The UK Governments top priority is to protect the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and gains of the peace process. Our approach is at all times guided by these priorities. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-19 23:24:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SHIJIAZHUANG, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- North China's Hebei Province saw its foreign trade grow by 5 percent year on year to 269.2 billion yuan (about 39.8 billion U.S. dollars) in the first eight months of 2020, customs statistics showed. In breakdown, Hebei's exports totaled 154.3 billion yuan, up 1.3 percent year on year, while its imports were 114.9 billion yuan, an increase of 10.2 percent, according to the Shijiazhuang customs. From January to August, Hebei's general foreign trade reached 234.2 billion yuan, up by 4.8 percent year on year, accounting for 87 percent of the province's total import and export value. Exports of mechanical and electronic products, labor-intensive products, and farm produce maintained growth during the first eight months, while steel exports saw a decline. The province also registered robust growth in imports of iron ore, crude oil, natural gas, and soybeans in the Jan.-Aug. period. Hebei's trade with the ASEAN countries reached 32.9 billion yuan during the period, up by 30.6 percent year on year, which was the fastest growth among the province's major foreign trade partners. Trade between Hebei and countries along the Belt and Road increased by 1.1 percent to 80.7 billion yuan from January to August. Enditem The proposal touted Tuesday by Fairfax County schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand would eliminate a high-stakes admissions test used to judge applicants for the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. Instead, students who meet qualifications, including a 3.5 grade-point average and an algebra background, would be admitted on a lottery basis from multiple geographic regions within the county. The school is regularly ranked among the nations top high schools, and many families plan their childrens educational careers around gaining acceptance to TJ. But Black and Hispanic students have been woefully underrepresented in the schools student body. The proposed changes are similar to changes being those considered statewide for 19 selective Governors Schools across Virginia, including TJ. Opponents of the change say it would dilute the quality of education that TJ could offer. Some also have criticized the changes as anti-Asian because Asian American students now represent about 70% of the TJ student body and would likely see diminished representation under the new plan. Norfolk Circuit Court will resume jury trials after halt MONTREALThe presentation next week of the second speech from the throne in less than a year will formally reset the clock on Justin Trudeaus second term government. But for how long? Minority government typically survive the confidence vote associated with a throne speech and there are many reasons to believe it will again be the case this time. None of the opposition parties has a compelling interest in bringing the government down. Trudeau has said he would not at this point initiate a federal campaign. Instead on Friday he called a set of byelections for October 26 to fill two Toronto vacancies. The logistical challenges of running a national campaign in the context of an ongoing pandemic are becoming more obvious by the day. Conservative Leader Erin OToole and Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet have both tested positive for the virus. Blanchet and his caucus will be isolating until the end of next week. Saskatchewan will be holding general elections of its own this fall. In B.C. the smart money is also on an imminent election call. Federally, the Pacific province is a crucial battleground for the Liberals, the Conservatives, the New Democrats and the Greens. They will need all hands on deck for their federal campaign. If B.C. does head to the polls over the next few days or weeks, what lingering appetite there may be for a fall election on Parliament Hill will vanish. But securing enough opposition support for a budget or a fiscal update could be a different matter and that confidence test also looms large on the fall calendar. The last federal budget dates back to the first half of 2019. The government will be hard-pressed to finish the current year without giving a more detailed accounting of the state of the countrys public finances. That means that even if the Liberals earn a reprieve from the opposition on the throne speech, the House of Commons will remain on pre-election alert. It also means that Chrystia Freeland who is starting out as finance minister at a time of unprecedented fiscal challenges stands to share the spotlight over the next few months with both the prime minister and the new leader of the official opposition. Between now and the end of the year, the survival of Trudeaus minority government beyond this fall or, if that fails, the Liberals success in winning a third term in the early part of next year could ride on her performance as finance minister. It wont only be a numbers game. Freelands first challenge and it is a defining one will be to translate the gravitas she has earned on the NAFTA front into confidence in the governments fiscal competence. On that score, the circumstances of Freelands appointment to her post, amidst talk of a schism between her predecessor Bill Morneau and the prime minister over the need to maintain fiscal rigour despite the pandemic, set her up for an uphill battle. From the perspective of the opposition parties and possibly that of some of her more ambitious Liberal colleagues, Freelands status as Trudeaus heir apparent amounts to a large target painted on her back. Ideally, Liberal strategists would probably have preferred not to give OToole too much time to settle in his new role. With the option of calling a snap fall election off the table, the government will instead have to adjust to a new opposition reality. In the few weeks since his leadership victory, OToole has signalled that he is not as predisposed as his predecessor to abandon the middle of the road to the Liberals. Indeed, OTooles initial moves may already have forced Trudeaus team to reconsider the strategic wisdom of tilting the governments agenda further to the left. Over the past two weeks, Trudeau and his team seem to have realized that the biggest risk involved in the crafting of a pandemic throne speech is not that their government be found to be lacking in ambition but that it comes across as fiddling while Rome or in this case Canada burns. It may be harder, going forward, to keep the NDP and the more progressive wing of the electorate on side without losing essential ground on the centre-right to the Conservatives. At the same time, the NDP sympathizers who supported Trudeau last year mostly to block Andrew Scheers path to power may be more inclined to return home if they feel the Conservative party is led by a more centrist leader. The potentially short shelf life of the minority government; the high stakes involved in Freelands and OTooles debuts in their new roles combined with the unprecedented uncertainty associated with the pandemic will make for strikingly different parliamentary dynamics this fall and a tougher balancing act for the ruling Liberals. Find the Star's federal election coverage here. Mumbai: Former Congress MLA Krishna Hegde and Bollywood actor Dalip Tahil joined BJP ahead of BMC elections slated for February 21. The duo joined BJP in presence of Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and State BJP unit chief Raosaheb Danve at the CM's official residence Varsha in South Mumbai late on Sunday night. Asked about the reason for his leaving Congress, Hegde said the 'autocratic behaviour' of Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam was responsible for his decision. "I tried to point out to party leadership about how Nirupam was damaging the party. However, no cognisance was taken of my plea," Hegde, who represented Vile Parle Assembly constituency said. "I am a second generation Congressman. Nirupam has ruined the party," he said. Congress won't get more than 25 of the total 227 seats in the BMC polls, he said. 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. RS chairman Venkaiah Naidu breaks down over oppn ruckus, equates it to 'sacrilege' Om Birla says it pained him that Lok Sabha did not run smoothly during Monsoon session After ruckus over farm bills, 12 opposition parties move no-confidence motion against RS Dy Chairman India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Sep 20: After ruckus over farm bills, 12 Opposition parties have now submitted a no-confidence motion against Deputy Chair Harivansh Narayan Singh. They have accused Harivansh of not allowing a division of votes during the passage of two contentious farm sector-related Bills. The motion, signed by around 100 members has been submitted in the notice office of the Parliament as the secretary-general was not present. The parties that have submitted the notice include the Congress, All India Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, CPI, CPM, Nationalist Congress Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, National Conference, DMK and the Aam Aadmi Party. The Rajya Sabha saw a massive ruckus on Sunday as the government sought to clear the farm Bills amid an unrelenting opposition determined to block them as TMC MP Derek O'Brien tore up the documents. Congress leader Ahmed Patel said 12 parties have given a notice of no-confidence against the deputy chairman, as the manner in which the Bills were passed is a "murder" of democracy. 'Our demand for adjourning the House and division of votes was disallowed," he said. 'We gave a no-confidence against the attitude of Deputy Chairman and the manner in which the Bills were passed.' JD(U) leader Harivansh was re-elected as the Deputy Chairman of the Upper House on September 14, the first day of the ongoing Monsoon Session. After ruckus over farm bills, 12 opposition parties move no-confidence motion against RS Dy Chairman Patel said the Deputy Chairman should have "safeguarded democratic traditions but harmed them instead". The protesting members sat in Rajya Sabha after the House was adjourned following the passage of the Bills. TMC MP Derek O'Brien also accused the government of 'murdering' the Parliamentary system and democracy. 'The government did not allow the Opposition a vote on the farmers' bills. It is a sad day for the Parliamentary democracy,' he said. The TMC MP alleged that the government knew that it did not have the numbers and that is why they did not allow a division of votes. 'Today, the BJP tried to break the back of yet another great institution of our democracy: Parliament. 'The basic rights of MPs guaranteed by the Constitution are snatched. No vote allowed in RS on farmers bills. Today's day will be written in black letters,' he said. Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha chairperson M Venkaiah Naidu will take a call on the action that could be taken against the opposition MPs who trooped into the well of the House while protesting against the farm bills. 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What is Optimist Business Solutions and why would it be involved in a town hall about school partnerships for equity? The answer is Joy E. Mason, moderator for the town hall. She has always had a desire and passion to pull together stakeholders to make things better, she emphasizes. This desire comes from her family. She explains that her mother, Carole Craig, was one of the pioneers in establishing community schools in Indianapolis Public Schools, and her father, Jay M. Smith, was the NAACP president during the turbulent 1960s Civil Rights Movement in Indianapolis. From both parents, she says she gained the attributes of intentionality and persistence in the pursuit of making things better. As president and senior strategist of Optimist Business Solutions, Mason provides training and consulting on problem solving, process improvement and partnership building for nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Every problem can be solved and every process can be improved, she said. Continuous improvement using reliable methodologies is her business and her lifestyle, she added. When Mason discovered the community school model six years ago while still working as a global quality consultant and project manager at Eli Lilly and Co., she believed this model and the nationwide evidence-based Communities In Schools (CIS) were perfectly aligned with her values and desire to make things better at a systems level. Community schools use intentional strategies and integrated supports to ensure equitable resources for student success. She subsequently co-founded, with the Office of Community Engagement at IUPUI, the Indianapolis Coalition for Community School Partnerships which advocates for a systematic approach to integrated support services for school-aged youth and their families, the topic of the town hall. The community has a story to tell, processes have a story to tell and data have a story tell, she added. The community school model pulls these stories together to improve equity for educational success for all students. Mason has a track record of helping clients develop the infrastructure for success. She has worked with some of the largest nonprofit entities in the state, including Ivy Tech Community College and the Central Indiana Community Foundation. Advocating for the community school model, however, is more passion than work, she said. Since retiring from a 30-year career at Lilly, Mason literally wrote the book on problem solving and sustainable solutions, 5 Steps to Sustainable Solutions for Women in Business, published in 2019. In 2018, she published another book, Purpose, A Shift from Driving It to Embracing It, that describes her deeply personal journey of re-finding lifes purpose and getting joy back while also managing the reality of a recently discovered brain tumor (at the time), she said. Mason says she spends her extra time mentoring women who are navigating life and career. Based on her books, Mason recently launched two leadership programs, Purposeful Woman and Empowered Leader, that apply an inspiring and evidence-based approach to boosting the confidence and happiness of female leaders, she said. Mason has been recognized with the Center for Leadership Development Distinguished Alumni Award and the United Way of Central Indiana Diversity Volunteer of the Year Award. Shes a member of the Butler University Alumni Board, Miami University College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Board and American Society of Quality Indianapolis Chapter Executive Committee. She and her husband, Tony, are members of Eastern Star Church, and she said they enjoy time with their two sons and traveling. For more information about Optimist Business Solutions, go to: www.optimistindy.com. Social media users stumbled upon discrepancies on Sunday in how Twitter displays people with different skin tones, reopening a debate over whether computer programmes particularly algorithms that learn manifest or amplify real-world biases such as racism and sexism. The problem was first discovered when education tech researcher Colin Madland posted about how video-calling software Zoom cropped the head out of a black person on the other side of a call, seemingly unable to detect it as a human face. When Madland posted a second photo combination showing the acquaintance visible, Twitters image display algorithm appeared to show his face in the preview. Madland appeared to be a Caucasian with white skin. Soon, several users replicated Twitters seemingly discriminatory manner of prioritising faces. In one of the most shared tweets, posted by cryptography engineer Tony Arcieri, Twitter only showed the face of Republican senator Mitch McConnell a Caucasian -- as the preview of a combo photo that also involved former US President Barack Obama, who is of partly African descent. A Twitter spokesperson acknowledged the problem and said the company was looking into it. Our team did test for bias before shipping the model and did not find evidence of racial or gender bias in our testing. But its clear from these examples that weve got more analysis to do. Were looking into this and will continue to share what we learn and what actions we take, this person told HT. Twitters chief design officer Dantley Davis responded to some of the tweets, detecting variations in how the system responded based on further manipulations of the image. Davis also linked to an older blog by Twitter engineers that detailed how the auto-cropping feature worked. The feature uses neural network algorithms, a type of a machine learning approach that attempts to mimic how the human brain processes data. Multiple groups of researchers have found that such technologies, which usually rely on artificial intelligence are prone to reflecting sociological biases, in addition to flaws in design. Automated systems are not inherently neutral. They reflect the priorities, preferences, and prejudices - the coded gaze - of those who have the power to mould artificial intelligence, said the authors of the Gender Shades project, which analysed 1,270 images to create a benchmark for how accurately three popular AI programmes classified gender. The researchers used images of lawmakers from three African and three European countries, and found that all three popular software most accurately classified white and male faces, followed by white women. Black women were most prone to be incorrectly classified, found the research led by authors from MIT in their 2018 paper. Whatever biases exist in humans enter our systems and even worse, they are amplified due to the complex sociotechnical systems, such as the Web. As a result, algorithms may reproduce (or even increase) existing inequalities or discriminations, said a research review note by Leibniz University Hannovers Eirini Ntoutsi and colleagues from multiple other European universities. This, they added, could have implications for applications such as where AI-based tech such as facial recognition is used for law enforcement and health care. An American crime risk-profiling software, Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions (COMPAS), was found to have a bias against African-Americans, the authors noted as an example. COMPAS is more likely to assign a higher risk score to African-American offenders than to Caucasians with the same profile. Similar findings have been made in other areas, such as an AI system that judges beauty pageant winners but was biased against darker-skinned contestants, or facial recognition software in digital cameras that overpredicts Asians as blinking. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In another step to slow the eviction tsunami that housing advocates warn will come, a $2.35 million grant will go to two prominent groups to provide legal help to thousands of New Jersey tenants facing eviction. The Housing Stability Grant, which will come from the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund, a non-profit organization created to help residents feeling the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic, will be allocated for the Housing & Community Development Network of New Jersey (HCDNNJ) and the Volunteer Lawyers for Justice. The coronavirus pandemic has hit the most vulnerable the hardest, leaving many families worried about keeping a roof over their heads, said First Lady Tammy Murphy, founding chair of NJRPF. We hope this grant will help stave off a pending eviction crisis by helping at-risk tenants and landlords understand their rights and navigate a complex system during these incredibly trying times. The grant is meant to help thousands of struggling renters who havent been able to make their monthly rent payments after the coronavirus pandemic left more than 1.5 million New Jerseyans seeking unemployment benefits, and even more jobless. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage Gov. Phil Murphy enacted some steps to help tenants and homeowners, including deferring some mortgage payments, allowing security deposits to be used to pay rent, creating relief funds for landlords and tenants, and a moratorium on lockouts and utility shutoffs for nonpayment of rent (known as the eviction moratorium) that runs 60 days after the expiration of the governors declared health emergency. We know New Jersey will be facing an eviction and foreclosure crisis as a result of the pandemic. This is one important piece of the puzzle to keeping people safely housed now and after the pandemic, Staci Berger, president of HCDNNJ, told NJ Advance Media. Nearly $1.9 million of the grant will go to the HCDNNJ to increase outreach and counseling services for tenants facing evictions, while Volunteer Lawyers for Justice will receive $465,000 to widen its reach to find private lawyers to give pro-bono legal help to at-risk renters. HCDNNJ will be targeting low- and moderate-income areas that are seeing high rates of illegal evictions or landlord intimidation, like Essex County, which accounts for nearly a quarter of all evictions filed since the pandemic began. The organization will also translate educational resources so tenants know their rights. Berger expects the funds to help reach 250,000 New Jersey residents and provide counseling to 10,000 renters. The Volunteer Lawyers for Justice will be able to hire four additional full-time attorneys dedicated to landlord-tenant cases, and train more than 200 pro-bono lawyers to step in during a time when tenants are seeking legal help, said executive director Cathy Keenan. With a crisis thats this large and of this scope thats coming toward us, we need all the help we can get. Pro-bono can make a dent in this so tenants do not become homeless during a global pandemic, she said. Lawyers will tackle virtual settlement conferences, a remediation hearing between the landlord and tenant ahead of an eviction trial, which have come under fire for confusing renters by requiring them to appear, Keenan said. Tenants are getting strong-armed by a landlords lawyer, and we want the playing field to be a little more level. We arent going to cure it, but we dont want tenants making bad deals, she told NJ Advance Media. Berger said the grant is similar to a fund created to help residents in need in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, when homeowners were taken advantage of by shady contractors and confusing insurance negotiations, and sometimes told to return government aid for rebuilding their homes. But this one is better and will have a greater impact, Berger maintained, because it was enacted much quicker. Still, the help is just a drop in the bucket, according to housing advocates who continue to call for more protection and aid for vulnerable tenants during a global pandemic that pushed more than 1.5 million New Jerseyans to seek unemployment benefits. Pointing to the dire need of help in this state, out of the 60,000 residents who applied to the $100 million COVID-19 Emergency Rental Fund, only 8,000 renters received money. Studies estimate New Jersey would need about $3 billion to help all struggling renters. The state, currently trying to figure out a revised budget to account for billions in lost revenue, cant afford that. Theyre still pushing for the passage of the Peoples Bill, A4226, which Murphy said he will sign. The bill, which passed the Assembly last month but has stalled in the Senate, would offer repayment plans for renters and bans additional late fees. This is an unprecedented disaster movie in the making that we could have only imagined. Nobody thought we would be in this situation six months after the first case, so its time to make sure the folks who have suffered the most should get help immediately," Berger said. 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 WASHINGTON: Grief-stricken Americans gathered at makeshift memorials around the country on Saturday to mourn the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal, feminist icon, as President Donald Trump signaled his intention to fill the vacancy weeks before a heated election. Mourners heralded Ginsburgs groundbreaking legal career and expressed dark worries about the future of the country. Democratic Party vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her husband, Douglas Emhoff, joined crowds outside the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Saturday morning. Ginsburg was a titan - a relentless defender of justice and a legal mind for the ages," Harris wrote in a tweet https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1307328451343515648 with a photo of the visit. The stakes of this election couldnt be higher," she added. Some on the Supreme Court steps clutched candles, flowers and signs or held young children. Others appeared in running and biking clothes, on a detour from their morning exercise. Ginsburg, 87, died on Friday night from pancreatic cancer. Trump now has a chance to expand the U.S. top courts conservative majority as a presidential election looms at a time of deep divisions in America. Candlelight tributes to Ginsburg started Friday evening and were expected to continue through the weekend, and a fierce political fight kicked off as hundreds protested outside Republican U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells home in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday. On Friday, McConnell said the Senate would vote on any replacement nominated by Trump. The Republican president now has a chance to appoint his third justice and give the court a 6-3 conservative majority. Protesters noted that in 2016, McConnell refused to act on Democratic President Barack Obamas Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, after conservative Justice Antonin Scalia died 10 months before a presidential election, saying it was too close to voting day. Dont be a hypocrite," said protestor Steve Tonnemacher. Republicans narrowly control the Senate with a 53 of 100 members, and Democrats need a simple majority vote to stop any Supreme Court nominee. Demonstrators chanted Ruth sent us," and Ditch Mitch." Protester Carol Edelen blasted McConell saying He will not advocate for any of our issues and to use this occasion to push his agenda, his power forward, is just unacceptable, just totally unacceptable." GINSBURGS DEATH AS WAKE UP CALL Sheila Katz, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women in Washington, said she was moved to hear the blowing of many shofars - the traditional rams horn used to herald the start of the new year - at a vigil for Ginsburg at the Supreme Court on Friday evening. Its a literal wake-up call to the Jewish people that we need to work together, and better ourselves," said Katz. We cannot simply mourn Ruth Bader Ginsburg. We must take action to honor her legacy, to fight for a fair court and to continue to protect womens rights." Feminist activists fear that a third justice picked by Trump would give the courts conservative majority a better chance of overturning Roe vs. Wade, the landmark decision holding that a woman has a constitutional right to abortion. Hollywood celebrities paid tribute online. I am heartbroken," actor Jennifer Lopez wrote on Instagram. She was a true champion of gender equality and was a strong woman for me and all the little girls of the world to look up to." In Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cynthia Enloe channeled her grief by making a poster encouraging motorists to honk in honor of the pioneer of womens rights, and stood at a busy intersection on Saturday morning. When I heard the terrible news of Ruth Bader Ginsburgs death last night, my first thoughts and all my friends on email and text was, This is horrible, it cannot get worse," Enloe told Reuters. But then I thought, they want us to get depressed, and I thought I will do the opposite of being depressed. I will go out and make a poster and stand at the intersection and let people honk their support." A trailblazing womens rights lawyer before she joined the court in 1993, Ginsburg - popularly known by her initials RBG - emerged as an unlikely pop icon in recent years, her image emblazoned on coffee mugs, T-shirts and childrens books. In New York, an image of Ginsburg and the alternating messages thank you" and rest in power" were projected on the front of the New York State Civil Supreme Court building in Manhattan. Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled plans Saturday to erect a statue of Ginsburg in New York Citys Brooklyn borough where she was born. More than 200 mourners held a candlelight vigil in San Francisco on Friday night and marched through the citys Castro district. They carried a large sign that said We wont let you down RBG." 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 Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu will participate on Monday, in Brussels, in the meeting of EU Heads of Diplomacy, the main topics on the agenda being the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, in Lebanon, the relations between the EU and China and the EU and Russia, developments in Belarus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) informed on Sunday. Prior to the meeting, Minister Aurescu will join other EU ministers in a working breakfast with Svetlana Tihanovskaya, exiled Belarusian opposition leader. According to a MAE press release sent to AGERPRES on Sunday, during the meeting, the Foreign Ministers and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell will review, in the light of the latest developments, a series of current topics, such as the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, the situation in Lebanon, the relations between the EU and China and the situation in Hong Kong, the relations between the EU and Russia and the situation in Venezuela. The agenda also features such topics as the situation in Libya, the EU-African relations and developments in Belarus, as well as a strategic debate, during a working lunch, on the future of EU partnerships with its southern neighbors, the source said. According to the quoted source, as regards the situation in Libya, Minister Aurescu will focus on the window of opportunity created by the recent signing of the armistice between the conflicting parties, as well as by the latest political developments. Romania supports the need for substantial political discussions, leading to a peaceful and lasting solution, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted. Minister Aurescu will present Romania's perspective on how to streamline EU cooperation with the African Union and the need to identify priorities that the EU wishes to continue to support, taking into account the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Regarding the situation in Belarus, recent developments will be discussed and the need for financial support from the EU and the Member States will be assessed. Emphasis will be placed on the need to adopt, as soon as possible, EU sanctions against those guilty of the presidential elections rigging and the violent repression of protests in this country, as agreed at the informal Gymnich meeting in Berlin (August 27-28). Minister Bogdan Aurescu will reiterate Romania's support for the democratization of Belarus and for the civil society, pointing to the need that the support from the EU and of the Member States should be better adapted to the current needs of Belarusian society, in order to contribute to a more concrete impact on this level," the release further reads. The volume of pigmeat leaving UK abattoirs this year has been lower than 2019 levels, a contributory factor in the firmness of farmgate prices, according to Quality Meat Scotland. However, June and July broke this trend with year-on-year increases in production which, in turn, led to farmgate prices softening, QMS said in its latest commentary update. Latest estimates for UK production show volumes have once again dipped below year earlier levels," said Stuart Ashworth, Director of Economics Services at QMS. Despite this slight tightening in supplies, UK prices have continued to drift downwards through August and into September. Nevertheless, pig producers find farmgate prices remain 5% higher than last year and 9% higher than in 2018, with heavier carcase weights resulting in larger increases in the value of each pig sold, he added. In contrast to the UK average farmgate prices, across Europe they are much lower than last year, and also much lower than the five-year average. With the UK price significantly higher than elsewhere in Europe, some of the fall in UK prices, despite lower production, may be accounted for by competitiveness of European prices," he said. In this regard, UK pigmeat producers are keeping a wary eye on the implications of the conformation of African swine fever (ASF) in Germany. Although not unexpected because of the presence of ASF in Poland, close to the German border, the conformation of ASF in Germany could be very destabilising for the European and UK market. One consequence of ASF is that most importers of pig meat immediately suspend all imports from countries with ASF. This has proven to be the case with significant importers of German pigmeat like China, Japan, South Korea all suspending imports from Germany. Germany is hoping that China, in particular, may be persuaded to adopt a regionalization policy where regions within a country can be considered to be ASF-free and trade can continue and mitigate the impact of the restrictions on exporting to China and elsewhere. This is the policy adopted internally within the EU and which would allow pigmeat from some parts of Germany to be exported to EU countries, said Mr Ashworth. As the UK is still transitioning out of the EU, current EU rules still apply and, consequently, German pigmeat could continue to be available in the UK, he added. Germany is the largest pigmeat producer in Europe, and the second largest European exporter of pig meat to markets outside the EU. Estimates of German pork exports outside of the EU are put at 9% of all German production and 2% of European production. Such significant disruption to trade has, not surprisingly, hit German farmgate prices. Just a week on from ASF being confirmed in the country, abattoirs are quoting prices 14% lower than last week. Increasing the volume of German pigmeat on the European market by 2% is likely to have some impact on producer prices more widely than just in Germany. For the UK, the impact is likely to be felt first in the cull sow sector because Germany is an important market for UK sow meat, said Mr Ashworth. However, for the UK and other major pig producing states of Europe who do not have ASF, like Denmark, Holland, France and Spain, domestic prices may be supported by replacing German exports in China, Japan and South Korea." A further mitigating factor may prove to come from the recent, rapid growth in EU pigmeat exports. EU exports, excluding those from the UK, increased by 750,000 tonnes in 2019 and continued to grow in the first half of 2020 while, at the same time, production declined slightly and European consumption of pigmeat fell. Consequently, with other EU countries well-placed to take some of the room in international markets left by Germany, an increased volume of German pigmeat on the European market may not significantly increase the overall volume of pigmeat on the European market, said Mr Ashworth. He added that this could limit any price fall needed to balance supply and demand across Europe. However, in turn, this may depend on whether previously large importers from Germany look to secure their requirements from elsewhere in Europe or to competitors such as Brazil, Canada or the USA. Nevertheless, in the short-term, farmgate prices across Europe are like to come under pressure until the inevitable consequences of Germany being prevented from exporting pig meat outside of the EU, become clearer, concluded Mr Ashworth. Joel Kinnaman said James Gunn's Suicide Squad script made him laugh on every page. (Warner Bros) Joel Kinnaman has promised that The Suicide Squad will be heavily R-rated and insane. The Swedish actor also teased that every page of James Gunns script made him laugh. The script is so funny, Kinnaman told The Hollywood Reporter. James just has this command of that genre, but also over every aspect of comedy and even the marketing... Watch: Behind The Scenes of The Suicide Squad film below... Read More: DC FanDome: Who's playing who in James Gunn's 'The Suicide Squad'? For me, it was like I did my first comedy, but its like heavily R-rated. It was a real learning experience for me too because Id never done a comedy in that way before. So I asked James to work with me and teach me this s***. And yeah, we had so much fun doing it. That movie is going to be a f***ing monster. Director James Gunn attends the premiere of Guardians Of The Galaxy, Vol. 2 in London, 24 April, 2017. (Reuters/Hannah McKay) Alongside Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, and Jai Courtney, Kinnaman is one of a handful of actors from David Ayers 2016 film Suicide Squad who will be involved in Gunns take on the DC characters. But the Swede has promised that they were able to replicate the bond of the original film with the new actors, who include Idris Elba, John Cena, Peter Capaldi, Alice Braga and Pete Davidson. Read More: DC FanDome: Zack Snyder's 'Justice League' will be released in the UK as a mini-series and a movie There was more energy put into making the movie the second time around. The first time around, there was a lot of energy put into everything around us. There was never a bad ego on either of these films; not the first or the second one. I think we brought that spirit of the first film into the second one as well. The Suicide Squad is currently due for release on 6 August, 2021. Theres plenty of space for physical distancing at El Rancho de las Golondrinas. The Santa Fe-area living history museum that sits on more than 200 acres, which had been closed due to the pandemic, reopened with limited capacity for self-guided tours and picnics earlier this month. While the interiors of the historical buildings remain closed, the trails and other grounds are not. But new protocols are in place, such as: advance tickets must be bought online. There are morning and afternoon sessions with cleanings in between. Each session will have 50 tickets available. Also, groups of more than 10 arent permitted, restrooms will be checked hourly, and there are sanitizing stations. For tickets, admission prices and more details, go to golondrinas.org. The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal lashed out at the centre after the National Testing Agency (NTA) released the UGC-NET exam schedule and in which some of the dates were found to be coinciding with the Durga Puja, the biggest festival in West Bengal. The UGC- NET exam will be held between September 24 and November 5, in multiple shifts. NTA on Saturday released a subject-wise schedule of the examination. @narendramodi Jis blatant disrespect for the students and culture of Bengal is out in the open! What a ridiculous decision by @DG_NTA to schedule UGC NET exams on the auspicious days of Panchami, Shashti & Saptami, this Durga Puja, tweeted Abhishek Banerjee, chief minister Mamata Banerjees nephew and TMC MP. .@narendramodi Jis blatant disrespect for the students and culture of Bengal is out in the open! What a ridiculous decision by @DG_NTA to schedule UGC NET exams on the auspicious days of Panchami, Shashti & Saptami, this Durga Puja. pic.twitter.com/cHgzELitwb Abhishek Banerjee (@abhishekaitc) September 19, 2020 While the festive season has already started in West Bengal with the Viswakarma Puja and Mahalaya on September 17, the Durga Puja the biggest festival in Bengal will be held between October 22 and October 25. Navaratri will be held between October 17 and 25. The TMC always tries politicise everything. There is no need to raise political slogans. We are also aware of this (NET dates coinciding with Durga Puja dates) and intend to take up the matter with the centre as students might face some hardships, said Rahil Sinha, BJPs national secretary. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier attacked the centre and the NTA over the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) dates as the exams were held during the pandemic. Banerjee and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had jointly convened a meeting of chief ministers of non-BJP ruled states to demand postponement of these exams. The West Bengal chief minister had later said that 75% of the candidates failed to appear for the JEE exam on the first day. By PTI DAMOH: An 18-month old girl was raped in her home in Damoh in Madhya Pradesh allegedly by a teen relative who was later held from Jabalpur, some 110 kilometers away, a senior police official said on Sunday. Additional Superintendent of Police Shiv Kumar Singh said the incident happened on Saturday night when the infant's mother had gone out to buy vegetables and the father had not returned home from work. "When the infant's mother came home, she found the infant in a distressed condition and rushed her to hospital. The child is out of danger. The woman then approached police after which the 19-year-old accused was held under IPC and POCSO Act provisions," he added. Police said the accused was held from a village in Jabalpur's Katangi area. B Anbuselvan and M Saravanan By Express News Service Sign here, kezhavi... And stop asking for reasons... That is how the office bearers of Athupakkam village in Tiruvallur address their panchayat president Amurtham. As a Dalit woman, I am used to being insulted, and ignored, says the sexagenarian, as a matter-of-fact. But, when I contested and got elected as the panchayat president I thought, rather hoped, that things would begin to change. Her villagers proved her wrong. On the one side, a few panchayat officials and members were allegedly committing financial frauds right under her nose, without even bothering to cover-up. On the other, the public humiliation and insults continued, or rather intensified once she assumed office. I am called into the office only for my signature, Amurtham tells Express. They would not even explain anything. Later, I realised they were getting my signatures on blank cheques. It was not just about panchayat officials. The attitude of the public was no better. I used to visit workers in farmlands or construction sites to understand if they needed any official assistance. They would just shrug and walk away, she says. She took it all in her stride. Being ignored and humiliated was not new for me, being a Dalit woman, she says. The matter, however, reached a tipping point in August. Panchayat president of Athupakkam village in Tiruvallur Amurtham in front of her house; On the 73rd Independence Day, Amurtham was invited to the panchayat school to hoist the Tricolour. It was a matter of pride and recognition after a lifetime of ordeals. However, at the last minute, the invite was rescinded. The dominant castes in the village were allegedly upset with Amurtham being honoured with the opportunity to hoist the National Flag. Two journalists, who got a whiff of this incident and visited the village to report the matter, were beaten up. With this, the issue gained widespread attention. On August 21, the District Collector and Police Superintendent visited the village and gave Amurtham an opportunity to hoist the flag. Today is my real Independence Day, she was quoted as saying after the incident. It took the intervention of the two senior-most officials in the district for Amurtham to enjoy her Independence. There are many others like Amurtham, whose stories are hardly reported and go unnoticed. The ugly truth Take for instance the story of the woman who presides over J Krishnapuram a quaint little village near Pollachi that exudes rustic charm. But, behind the scenic beauty of the village is a sordid tale of caste discrimination. The Dalits of Krishnapuram have to travel a good six kilometres if they want a haircut, because they are denied that privilege in their own village. There are five salons in my village, but in all these years I have not been inside any of them, says 29-year-old A Santosh. They dont want business from us Dalits. Its not just about haircuts tea shops here continue to practice the infamous two-tumbler system, a ban on temple-entry is alive and kicking, and even the dead have different places of resting. It was in this scenario that the village recently got reserved for SC candidates. When 34-year-old Dalit woman V Saridha decided to contest the panchayat elections, little did she know that things were about to get worse for her and the 1,200-odd Dalits in her village. During campaigning, my supporters were told not to enter the streets where dominant castes reside, she says. Later, when she was elected as the president, she was even denied that chair, and not just metaphorically. They stopped me from writing my name outside my office. They stopped me from sitting on the official chair, she says. In February, a painter brought in by her to write her name on the office board was shooed away. They did not want a Dalit womans name there. Finally, last week, Saridha mustered the courage to report the abuse to police. As per her complaint, the caste-based abuse primarily came from one Balasubramaniam, who holds no position or office in the panchayat. If I dont get up from my chair when Balasubramaniam visits my office, he would hurl casteist slurs at me in front of everyone, Saridha told Express. Till he leaves office, I was told not just to sit on the panchayat presidents chair but also on any other piece of furniture. The tussle with Balasubramaniam began after I fired a few watermen belonging to his caste, claims Saridha. They were responsible for the water supply to Dalit inhabitations. But, they hardly supplied us any water. I was among those who suffered without access to water. As they were found neglecting their duty, and them being temporary staff, I fired them and hired a few Dalits to do that job. Express tried to reach out to Balasubramaniam for a comment, but his house was locked. His neighbours last saw him on September 13. While Balasubramaniam has been booked under the SC/ST Atrocities Act, the police suspect the complaint could be the result of a political rivalry. Saridha denies that theory outright. A visit to any teashop in the village is enough to understand that Saridhas allegations are not unfounded. Though subtle, its hard to miss the signs of casteism practiced here they have two types of tumblers, stainless steel for dominant castes and glass for Dalits; the benches are also separate, one for Dalits and one for the rest. Ambedkar's prophecy Seven decades back, a national leader foresaw the problems that those like Amurtham and Saridha would face in Independent India. While the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, considered Panchayati Raj to be the foundation of Indias political system, the idea was fiercely opposed by BR Ambedkar, Father of the Indian Constitution. Ambedkar was not in favour of decentralising power all the way down to villages. He considered villages to be caste-driven and lacking in institutions of self-governance. Through his personal experiences, he felt that empowering village-level administration systems would result in the continued exploitation of the downtrodden. Villages are nothing but a sink of localism, a den of ignorance, narrow-mindedness, and communalism, he had said on November 5, 1948, while presenting the Draft Constitution. there are others who do not want any Central or Provincial Governments. They just want India to contain so many village governments. The love of intellectual Indians for the village community is, of course, infinite if not pathetic (laughter), he had said. I hold that these village republics have been the ruination of India. I am therefore surprised that those who condemn Provincialism and Communalism should come forward as champions of the village. Ambedkars statement led to a huge debate among the constituent Assembly members. Finally, on November 28, 1948, Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar and K Santhanam proposed a new article (31-A) to allow States take steps to form Panchayats. Years later, a large part of what Ambedkar said still holds true. The road to nowhere The ordeals of elected representatives are an indicator, say experts. If leaders are subjected to such treatment, the situation of people at the grassroots is likely to be much worse. This is ironic as Tamil Nadu is a frontrunner in abolishing untouchability, with a landmark legislation as early as in 1939, a decade before the Indian Constitution did the same. Amurthams story itself seems to have come out because she showed the courage to speak up, says N Janakiraman, Chief Operating Officer of Dhan Foundation. There could be many more. Elected representatives from reserved wards, especially women, are made to compromise a lot for acceptance. In many panchayats presided over by Dalit women, the vice-presidents, hailing from dominant caste groups, wield excessive powers. "They become the decision-making authorities. Its because the problem is two-pronged one is the caste dynamics and the other is gender. Active and periodic intervention by the government, social support groups, and the judiciary, is the only way to slowly break these barriers, says writer Stalin Rajangam. Illustration: TAPAS RANJAN Despite social reform movements and progressive politics, Tamil Nadu has not yet managed to resolve this issue at the grassroots. He blames it to a large extent on caste-based vote-bank politics of the last few decades. Another reason why the oppression continues is because it begins from home, say experts. Scholar S Anandi, who authored the book Dalit Women: Vanguard of an Alternative Politics in India, recalls the story of Ranganayaki, who was elected in 1996, after the 33 per cent reservation was implemented in the State. Ranganayaki was discriminated against not only by the dominant caste groups, but also by the men of her own community, says Anandi. She, however, did not give in. She stood her ground and fought a legal battle. And, that made a difference. Its important for women to report the discrimination they face, says Anandi. It is important because the abusive and discriminatory attitudes stem from a patriarchal point of view that refuses to acknowledge legal and constitutional powers, says Ramu Manivannan, Professor and Head of the Political Science department at the University of Madras. Unless the larger society comes together, this issue cannot be solved. Political parties and governments, Manivannan says, must not just focus on addressing this issue through legal and constitutional channels. An attitude-shift is needed in the society to ensure that basic Constitutional rights of any group are not hindered. C Lakshmanan of the Madras Institute of Development Studies explains how it should work. There are two different types of identities for any group or individual ascribed and achieved. Ascribed identity is a social and cultural identity assigned at birth or by social status. An achieved identity is what we achieve in our life through our education or hard work. Our society is still conditioned to follow our ascribed identities. As a result, change requires a major shift in public attitudes, by beginning to acknowledge and accept the reality of caste discrimination that still exists in our country without normalising it, adds Lakshmanan. Unfortunately, even the progressive voices in this country fail to consider caste as a threat to secularism in the same way as religion. The results of this identity crisis are visible across all strata of the society, not just in the rural and underprivileged groups. For instance, a few months back, the US media made shocking revelations about the prevalence of caste-based discrimination in Silicon Valley, the technological headquarters for the worlds biggest companies. Meanwhile, Indias rank in the Gender Gap Index of 2020 slipped to 112th from 108th in 2018. The report says India will take a good 100 years to bridge the pay-gap in areas such as politics, economy, health, and education. Considering these factors, the road to equality for those like Amurtham and Saridha is likely to be long and tedious. A wind of change in the state Women leaders in Tamil Nadu have been influencing policy decisions at the state level over several decades. In 1997, they organised themselves into the Tamil Nadu Women Panchayat Presidents Federation, the first-ever in the country, to lobby for important policy-level changes In 2001, they lobbied with J Jayalalithaa, who was then in the opposition, to fix the panchayat presidents term for 10 years. Tamil Nadu was the first state in the country to do so Women leaders invest 48% more Reservation for women leaders in panchayat, introduced in 1996, has changed the face of rural governance in Tamil Nadu. As per a report on Indiaspend.com, women leaders invest 48% more money than their male counterparts in building roads and improving access, and tend to concentrate on not just improving the supply of water in dry districts but also its quality. Elusive chairs KARUR: K Niladevi, president of Anjur village panchayat, was shocked when she found out her office had been occupied by the vice-president. Even before the office was handed over to me, the vice-president occupied it and refused to vacate, she tells Express. Left with no other choice, I met the BDO with a written complaint. Only after that did I get access to my own office. That, however, did not make things any better for Niladevi. To get anything done in the panchayat, she needed the help of her subordinates. They would rather not see any development in the village than take orders from a Dalit woman. Secretary gives me Rs 200 for thumbprint VILLUPURAM: 70-year-old M Renganathan, an Irula, was elected as the president of Rettipalayam village panchayat, Gingee, in 2011. However, illiteracy and his caste status were used by members to bully him to get their work done, he says. The panchayat secretary would pay me Rs 200 to Rs 300 daily to put my thumbprint on documents. She never cared to explain details in the documents. (Reporting by Sahaya Novinston Lobo, and Nirupama Viswanathan from Chennai, Krithika Srinivasan from Villupuram, Shobana Radhakrishnan from Madurai, Aravind Raj from Karur, and MP Saravanan from Tirupur. Written by Gokul Chandrasekar) This week will reveal choices by our leaders that will set us on a safe path out of this dreadful year or not. Let us hope that the pain we have been through together, the power of ritual and ceremony, which is always part of the opening of Parliament, will tilt the political scales a little more toward statesmanship than showmanship. (We will now have to invent a gender neutral description of that leadership quality. Most of the statesmen in this pandemic are women.) It has become a cliche for pundits to endlessly repeat that now is not the time for finger pointing, now is the time for commitment to political burden-sharing. Cliches retain their power when they underline truths, as this one surely does. Lets drop the most corrupt prime minister in Canadian history or Conservatives condemn Canada to climate extinction, and all that childish rhetorical excess. Sure, it was dumb to prorogue Parliament and the Liberals have paid a price. Yes, it was necessary to bend principle somewhat precariously to win socon votes to become a Conservative party leader. But on Wednesday we all have a chance to push the reset button. Lets debate the detail and direction of massive new spending. But lets drop the scare mongering please: We are creating debt-crushed lives for our grandchildren. And the government might try, a little more graciously, to accept demands for constructive change instead of branding their opponents as simply irresponsible. Jagmeet Singh, Chrystia Freeland, John Horgan, and Doug Ford (mostly), have avoided silly partisan showboating. Hyperpartisan leaders of every hue would do well to emulate their approach. The highest approval ratings from Canadian voters have so far gone to those leaders they judge to have placed Canadians safety and security above partisan advantage. We should debate how, how fast and how much, when we talk about child care, pharmacare and strengthening public health infrastructure. Those and other social justice issues must form part of our agenda to build a new normal. On the left the temptation will be to say, Too little, too late! to anything promised in the Speech from the Throne. Pundits and politicians to the right will default to, Too much, too green, too reckless! I think most Canadians would prefer, A good start, perhaps, but here are three ways we could make it better.. And then there is the election sabre-rattling, causing many voters including this one to grind their teeth in frustration at such foolishness. Now that we have our second and third party leader knocked back by COVID-19, maybe common sense will prevail. But if those still tempted by visions of a postwar victory mandate, they might want to reflect on what happened on July 24, 1945. On my home office wall I have an original front page from the London Daily Mail from the following morning. The war in Europe was just over and the war in the Pacific was only days away from being ended by the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Wars over, why not have a snap election, thought triumphant Tory gamesters? The Mails end of the world headline is, CHURCHILL RESIGNS, ATLEE FORMING HIS CABINET. The entire front page is devoted to this stunning overthrow of Britains triumphant wartime leader, mixed with ongoing war news: Atlee back to Potsdam, Warning Sent to Japanese. Of the more than 25 million votes cast, Labour won 12 million of them thats nearly 48 per cent of the votes cast to win 393 seats in the Commons. Is there any comparison between then and now? Well, not so much. Their peace was really at hand, and Labour campaigned on a massively popular peacetime rebuilding program. Our war is far from over; we have months, maybe many months, to go. Given the unequal hardships voters had endured in winning that victory, gratitude to Churchill for victory was scarce. They wanted a vision for the peace. Perhaps the most relevant learning of that campaign fiasco is this: Canadian voters 75 years later may be moved by the same aspiration Sure, lets have a campaign that debates competing visions of the future but only after we have won this war. Crush COVID first, please. Dependent on their choices, the next few crucial weeks will launch, and perhaps end, some political careers. Correction Sept. 22, 2020: This column was edited to correct the results of the 1945 general election in the United Kingdom. Angus Robertson, the SNP's former Westminster leader - PA One of Nicola Sturgeon's closest allies has faced a barrage of criticism over a "disgraceful" article stating the deaths of elderly Scots was delivering a gain for independence. Angus Robertson, the SNP's former Westminster leader and deputy leader, said 55,000 predominantly No supporting voters [were] passing away every year. Combined with more pro-separation young people reaching voting age, he said that had produced a gain of over 100,000 for independence since the referendum of 2014. Holyrood's opposition parties condemned the intervention, highlighting the deaths of thousands of old people in recent months from coronavirus and the threat of a potential second wave. But Mr Robertson, who is planning a political comeback in next May's Holyrood election, called the criticism "politically motivated" and "manufactured outrage". He argued the same point about the demography of the Scottish electorate changing had been made the same day by a former head of communications for the Scottish Tories. Disgraceful and deeply disappointing comments from @AngusRobertson - suggesting that the most vulnerable age group, who have been hardest hit through the tragic loss of so many lives throughout the pandemic, are a boost to his independence obsession. A new low for the SNP. pic.twitter.com/AK1qtj6Xzg Douglas Ross MP (@Douglas4Moray) September 19, 2020 The row broke out as Sir Keir Starmer said a second independence referendum would have to be looked at if the SNP wins a majority in May's election. The Labour leader also said another separation vote is a "question for Scotland", with Boris Johnson stating he will refuse to hand Ms Sturgeon the necessary powers during his premiership. Story continues A series of recent opinion polls have put support for independence at around 55 per cent and the SNP on course for a landslide victory in May. In an article for the separation-supporting National newspaper with the headline "the momentum is with us, Mr Robertson said polls have shown a "gradual rise in support for independence" since the 2014 vote. He wrote: This could be in significant part because of the underlying change in the electorate, with roughly 55,000 predominantly Yes supporting 16-year-olds joining the electorate and 55,000 predominantly No supporting older voters passing away every year. Since 2014, this has added around 330,000 voters to the electorate, with a likely net gain of over 100,000 for independence. This tweet has now been deleted by @ScotNational. Thousands of people have been banned from family funerals, older people pressured into signing DNACPRs and COVID-19 cases rising, but the man tipped as a successor to Nicola Sturgeon thought this was ok. Not ok @AngusRobertson. https://t.co/P2o6zc7pYj pic.twitter.com/pj8MZ0H4fD Monica Lennon (@MonicaLennon7) September 19, 2020 Douglas Ross, the Scottish Tory leader, said the intervention was disgraceful and deeply disappointing. He said: Suggesting that the most vulnerable age group, who have been hardest hit through the tragic loss of so many lives throughout the pandemic, are a boost to his independence obsession. Monica Lennon, Scottish Labour's health spokesman, said: "Thousands of people have been banned from family funerals... Covid-19 cases rising, but the man tipped as a successor to Nicola Sturgeon thought this was OK. Jamie Halcro-Johnston, another Tory MSP, highlighted the failure of SNP MPs or MSPs to condemn the remarks. Thanks, Angus. I see thats theres Tory flak for Anguss (similar) comments today. All part of the rough and tumble, and SNP types would do same, but worth noting that its simply a reflection of polling. Faux outrage would be better directed towards finding a strategy. https://t.co/XFNvzlqsyo Andy Maciver (@akmaciver) September 20, 2020 But Mr Robertson, who is standing to be the SNP candidate in Edinburgh Central, the seat being vacated by Ruth Davidson, dismissed the controversy. He said: I have two elderly parents and like everyone else want the best for them and all older people. "I was presenting simple statistical facts about the support for independence amongst different generations in changing society. This manufactured outrage and attack on me is demonstrably politically motivated." Asked if there should be another referendum if the SNP wins in May, Sir Keir told Sky News's Sophy Ridge: "This is a question for Scotland, people of Scotland. "If theres a majority its got to be looked at in Westminster, but the Labour party will be campaigning into May on the basis that what we dont want is another divisive referendum. Nearly three years since an import suspension order for Vietnamese seafood products, SFDA agreed to resume trade with the efforts of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam and the countrys representative agencies in Saudi Arabia to promote and call for relevant Saudi Arabian agencies to support trading reconnection between the both sides.The import suspension order was due to Vietnamese shrimp and pangasius production and processing establishments which failed to meet the requirements of food hygiene and disease safety. By Dung Le- Translated by Huyen Huong North Korea carried out an elaborate money laundering scheme for years using a string of shell companies and help from Chinese companies, moving money through prominent banks in New York, according to confidential bank documents reviewed by NBC News. Wire transfers from North Korean-linked companies with opaque ownership sometimes came in bursts, only days or hours apart, and the amounts that were transferred were in round figures with no clear commercial reasons for the transactions, according to the documents. Graham Barrow, a London-based anti-money laundering expert, said those kinds of transactions are "red flags" and are all hallmarks of efforts to conceal the origins of illicit cash. A trove of confidential bank documents reviewed by NBC News offers a rare glimpse into how North Korea and other rogue actors move illicit cash across borders despite international sanctions to block Pyongyang's access to the global financial system. The suspected laundering by North Korea-linked organizations amounted to more than $174.8 million over several years, with transactions cleared through U.S. banks, including JPMorgan Chase and the Bank of New York Mellon, according to the documents. "Taken as a whole, you have what really, frankly, looks like a concerted attack by the North Koreans to access the U.S. financial system over an extended period of time through multiple different avenues in ways that were fairly sophisticated," said Eric Lorber, a former Treasury Department official who worked on North Korean sanctions during the Trump administration. The leaked documents are part of the FinCEN Files, a collaborative project with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, BuzzFeed News, NBC News and more than 400 other journalists around the world. The project examined a cache of secret suspicious activity reports filed by banks with the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, known as FinCEN, as well as other investigative documents. The leaked documents were obtained by BuzzFeed. Story continues As NBC News and other media organizations prepared to publish stories based on the leaked documents, FinCEN announced plans Wednesday for a major overhaul of the nation's anti-money laundering rules. IMAGE: Eric Lorber (Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg via Getty Images) Suspicious activity reports, or SARs, are filed by banks and other financial institutions to alert law enforcement to potentially illegal transactions, but they do not necessarily represent evidence of legal wrongdoing. The reports are highly confidential and closely guarded by both banks and U.S. authorities. FinCEN condemned the leak of the documents, declined to comment on the content of the suspicious activity reports and said it had referred the matter to the Justice Department and the Treasury's inspector general. "As FinCEN has stated previously, the unauthorized disclosure of SARs is a crime that can impact the national security of the United States, compromise law enforcement investigations, and threaten the safety and security of the institutions and individuals who file such reports," the department said. The documents cover a period mainly from 2008 to 2017, during which both the Obama and Trump administrations steadily tightened sanctions against North Korea to try to prevent the regime from building up its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile arsenal. The sanctions in part are meant to block the regime's attempts to buy or sell material for its weapons programs and to secure hard currency. But the records convey a cat-and-mouse game in which North Korea often with the help of Chinese companies found ways to slip under the radar, experts said. Related: North Korea relies on front-companies registered in China to export coal and sand and import oil in violation of U.N. sanctions. "The documents you have in front of you, I think, help explain why the North Koreans have been so successful at sanction evasion," said Hugh Griffiths, who served as head of a U.N. Panel of Experts until last year tracking sanctions-busting by Pyongyang. "What you have is gold dust, because so few journalists, or investigators generally, get access to banking internal compliance documentation." The leaked records underscore the enormous difficulties the U.S. and other countries face trying to block North Korea and other money launderers from penetrating the world's financial markets, Griffiths said. In one case, the bank documents convey in unprecedented detail how the chief of a company in Dandong, a Chinese city on the North Korea border, apparently laundered money even as she made no secret of her business dealings with the North. Image: Dandong (Dake Kang / AP) U.S. authorities in 2016 and 2019 indicted the woman, Ma Xiaohong, her company, Dandong Hongxiang Industrial Development Corp., and other executives in the company on charges of money laundering and helping North Korea evade international sanctions. No one has been extradited, and charges remain pending. Federal prosecutors declined to comment. One of the internal bank documents appears to have been written because of the federal investigation. Before the indictments, Ma and Dandong Hongxiang routed money to North Korea through China, Singapore, Cambodia, the U.S. and elsewhere, using an array of shell companies to move tens of millions of dollars through U.S. banks in New York, according to the suspicious activity report filed by the Bank of New York Mellon. According to the document, the bank reported in 2015 that it handled suspicious transfers of $85.6 million, and the document details $20.1 million of those transactions. The bank wrote that it was prompted to comb through its records because of a "government inquiry." The bank cited red flags in those transactions, including money that went to companies with obscured ownership that appeared to be shell companies. Some were registered in high-risk jurisdictions like Cambodia, the bank wrote. Some transfers were sent in batches, only days apart and some on the same day. The bank also noted that there were no clear commercial reasons for the transactions and that they were in round amounts. One transaction in 2009 featured a Singapore shipping concern called United Green Pte. Ltd., whose directors included Leonard Lai. The Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Lai and his Singaporean company, Senat Shipping Ltd., in 2015 for their links to a North Korean shipping company that was alleged to have tried to move weapons from Cuba to North Korea. The sanctions are still in place. Senat and Lai could not be reached for comment. The bank allowed dozens of transfers to go ahead despite media reports that showed that Ma had talked openly about conducting business with North Korea. The Associated Press interviewed Ma in 2014 as part of a report on North Korean trade. North Korea Economy Watch, a newsletter affiliated with The Stimson Center, a Washington think tank, quoted Ma in 2010 as looking forward to a new bridge that would increase trade with North Korea. Tracking news coverage is a standard tool for banks trying to prevent money laundering, and the media accounts should have provided additional warning signs for the Bank of New York Mellon, according to Barrow and other experts. BNY Mellon said that under federal law it could not comment on any suspicious activity report that may have leaked. The bank said it "takes its role in protecting the integrity of the global financial system seriously," assists U.S. authorities and fully complies with applicable laws and regulations. Another major U.S. bank, JPMorgan Chase, informed the Treasury Department in January 2015 about suspicious financial transactions possibly linked to North Korea. In its report, JPMorgan Chase said that it oversaw $89.2 million in transactions from 2011 to 2013 that benefited 11 companies and individuals with ties to North Korea. The bank said it had previously flagged those companies in its own suspicious activity reports for sending funds to North Korea. The companies included Faith Surplus Trading Development Ltd. of China, most of whose counterparties, the bank had noted in previous reports, were suspected of sanctions evasion on behalf of North Korea and Iran. The deals also featured SUTL Corp. Pte. Ltd. of Singapore and Dandong Sanjiang Trading Co. Ltd. of Dandong, China. The bank wrote that its own "internal intelligence" was "linking them to considerable illicit activity involving the proliferation of weapons involving North Korea and transactions with entities in Iran." International shipping records maintained by Panjiva, a global trade data company, show that Dandong Sanjiang has made at least 80 shipments to North Korea, and a 2014 U.N. report said the company was involved in North Korean shipping. The bank reported that Faith Surplus Trading sent 14 wires worth $3.76 million to China Oil Singapore, a subsidiary of China National United Oil. That company had been cited in a previous suspicious activity report for allegedly violating U.S. sanctions on Iran, the bank wrote. Faith Surplus went out of business in 2015. SUTL and Dandong Sanjiang did not respond to requests for comment. Image: Dandong (Kevin Frayer / Getty Images file) It's unclear why JPMorgan Chase approved the transactions, given the suspicions raised previously about some of the entities involved. JPMorgan Chase said it was prohibited by law from commenting on specific suspicious activity reports. But the bank said it admitted to shortcomings in a report in 2014 and had invested in efforts to bolster anti-money laundering, or AML, measures. "We acknowledged in that 2014 report that our existing AML controls needed improvement, and have since devoted considerable resources to comply with the laws and regulations governing anti-money laundering, terrorist financing and economic sanctions. Today, thousands of employees and hundreds of millions of dollars are devoted to helping support law enforcement and national security efforts," a bank spokesperson said. A key to much of the money laundering described in the documents involves correspondent banking, when a financial company like Bank of New York Mellon or JPMorgan Chase provides services to a foreign bank for currency exchange or other transactions. The world's financial industry relies largely on doing business in U.S. dollars, and correspondent banking is a routine and crucial part of the international financial system that enables global trade, allowing money to flow across borders instantaneously. But it is also a financial highway that money launderers like North Korea try to exploit, hoping their transactions will be overlooked in the vast volume of financial traffic, experts said. Related: U.S.-led naval patrols have prompted North Korea to shift tactics, but smuggled oil keeps flowing to the regime despite U.N. sanctions. The Treasury Department said in a recent report that money launderers often use correspondent banking services to move illicit money across borders. In a report in March, the Treasury Department said "the most significant vulnerabilities in the United States exploited by illicit actors" include "the significant volume of foreign funds and number of transactions that are intermediated through U.S. correspondent banks." According to the Treasury report, "U.S. financial institutions often unwittingly process these transactions." Lorber, the former Treasury official, said both private banks and U.S. authorities lack the manpower and the resources to keep up with all the money laundering and sanctions-busting that take place. But in recent years, partly because of aggressive U.S. sanctions, Western banks have become more vigilant about scrutinizing transfers and requiring more information from foreign banks, according to Lorber and other former Treasury Department officials. The day-to-day effort to counter North Korea and other money launderers is grueling, Lorber said. Shell companies can be set up quickly, in a matter of days, but it can take months or years to dismantle a laundering network, he said. "It's a constant game of cat and mouse, and the illicit actors really do have sort of the advantage in terms of how they move money," Lorber said. Bank compliance departments are focused on ensuring that their companies abide by the law, but they are not designed to operate like law enforcement agencies, Griffiths said. "The compliance departments are there to do as much as possible to avoid consequences on the way they conduct business." Griffiths said. "Looking forward if North Korean sanctions implementation is going to be a science again, at some point, then the only way for the U.S. and the wider international community to succeed is to really harvest information" from banks in the United States and Europe. People wear face masks as they leave a Meijer store in Detroit, Michigan on April 7, 2020. JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images A 29-year-old man, Alarick John Guajardo, stabbed 85-year old, Glen Harold Meyers multiple times in the head and neck at a local grocery store in Michigan, according to police and local reports. Following the stabbing, an unidentified woman, who witnessed the crime, held Guajardo at gunpoint until police arrived at the scene. Guajardo is facing several charges including murder. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. A 29-year-old man was charged for stabbing an 85-year old man at a grocery store in Michigan on Wednesday, the Daily Telegram reported. Officers arrived at Meijer, a local supermarket, in Adrian, Michigan at 12:30 p.m to respond to a stabbing of Glen Harold Meyers, according to the outlet. Before authorities arrived at the scene, they were told that the suspect, Alarick John Guajardo, was being held at gunpoint by a woman, who was a concealed pistol license holder. The unidentified woman pointed her firearm at Guajardo until officers detained him, the outlet reported. The victim, Meyers, was stabbed numerous times in the head and neck. He died at the scene of the incident from his injuries, according to the Adrian Police Department. Guajardo is facing several charges including "open murder, carrying a concealed weapon and carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent," The Daily Telegram reported. According to the outlet, the details of the incident are being investigated. Adrian police department's Chief Vincent Emrick said authorities are evaluating security footage and gathering information from eyewitnesses, according to Daily Telegram's report. Read the original article on Insider President Trump has given his 'blessing' to a deal which will allow Chinese social media app TikTok to continue operating in the US. In a major U-turn, Trump said he was willing to approve a partnership between TikTok and US tech giant Oracle. Change of heart: In a major U-turn, President Trump said he was willing to approve a partnership between TikTok and US tech giant Oracle It followed Friday's announcement by the US Department of Commerce that the video-sharing platform would be banned in the US from Saturday. But before the midnight deadline, Trump said he had 'approved the deal in concept', adding, 'I have given [it] my blessing.' India, the US, Japan and Australia are set to hold a ministerial meeting in Tokyo next month under the framework of the "Quadrilateral" coalition to further boost cooperation in the Indo-Pacific in view of China's growing assertiveness in the region, people familiar with the development said. The meeting is expected to be represented by foreign ministers of the four countries. In November 2017, the four countries gave shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the "Quadrilateral" coalition or "Quad" to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence. "The second ministerial meeting of Quad is expected to take place next month in Japan," said one of the people cited above. The meeting of foreign ministers of the four countries under the 'Quad' framework had taken place in New York in September 2019. India is also expanding bilateral cooperation with Japan, the US and Australia in the Indo-Pacific region. On its part, the US has been pushing for a greater role for India in the Indo-Pacific which is seen by many countries as an effort to contain China's growing clout in the region. Earlier this month, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat said India thinks the grouping "is a good system" to ensure freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region. "We want the Quad to become a system to ensure this, he said at a conference. (Natural News) Sen. John Thune (R-SD), an establishment Republican who once urged Donald Trump to drop out of the 2016 presidential race, is slow-walking a Trump nominee to the FCC whose confirmation is critical to tackling Big Tech censorship. (Article by Allum Bokhari republished from Breitbart.com) A petition currently before the Federal Communications Committee (FCC) asks the committee to narrow the bounds of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a bill that allows tech companies to censor their users with little risk of legal blowback. The petition is a crucial element of President Trumps executive order on social media censorship, which aims to combat Big Techs well-documented viewpoint discrimination. But the FCC, which has five members including Chairman Ajit Pai, is currently down one commissioner. Obama-appointed commissioner Michael ORielly was up for renomination, but President Trump wisely declined to renominate him after ORielly nominally a Republican suggested that he would oppose the presidents executive order, saying tech monopolies are still First Amendment protected entities. ORielly may or may not be right about that, but the First Amendment does not entitle corporations to the protections of Section 230, a law that grants tech platforms specific legal protections that no other type of company enjoys. After ORiellys comments, President Trump withdrew his nomination, instead choosing to nominate Nathan Simington, currently an adviser in the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. But Sen. Thune, the Senate Majority Whip and chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, is demanding Trump renominate ORielly, who has said he will protect Big Techs First Amendment right to censor the internet. Bringing ORielly back would be the simplest thing to do, Thune recently told a reporter. Hopefully theyll come to that realization. Thune said he will move forward with Simington as the FCC nominee if that remains Trumps wish, but I think [the White House will] have to deal with the reality that its unlikely that we can get through this process before the election. There is, in fact, enough time for Simington to be approved by the Senate before the election. But Thunes comments imply that he intends to slow-walk the process of confirming a commissioner who might actually use his power to rein in Big Tech bias. If Biden wins, ORielly can be renominated and the tech companies will not have to deal with the risk of a hostile FCC. Much will depend on the actions of Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee. Should Sen. Wicker fail to use next week to schedule a hearing, he will effectively delay the confirmation until after the election. n a comment to Breitbart News, Chairman Wicker said, the President has underscored the importance of this nomination, and I hope the Committee will move expeditiously. Sen. Thunes office did not provide a comment for this article but did indicate that Sen. Thune recognizes the FCC commissioner is a critical role. Sen. Thune was one of the most anti-Trump establishment Republicans in 2015 and 2016. Alongside Justin Amash and other establishment Republicans, he urged the president to drop out of the race in October 2016, after the release of the Access Hollywood tape. Despite chairing the Senates influential subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet, Sen. Thune let Democrats lead the way in 2018, when he agreed to a joint congressional hearing with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the scandal of Trump campaign contractors accessing Facebook data in 2016, even though the Obama campaign had been given access to far more data in 2012 with very little outcry. At that hearing, instead of asking Zuckerberg why Facebook hasnt turned over decisions on filtering constitutionally protected content to their users (like Googles safe search button), Sen. Thune publicly conceded to Zuckerberg that there was a line between legitimate political discourse and hate speech, that could be hard to identify. Despite growing reports of censorship against Republicans on social media, Sen. Thune even went so far as to praise the Facebook CEO, calling his story an example of the American Dream, adding that many are incredibly inspired by what youve done. It fell to Sen. Cruz (R-TX) to raise the issue of Section 230, needling Zuckerberg on what he described as a pervasive pattern of bias and political censorship. The widely-shared exchange resulted in Zuckerberg sheepishly acknowledging that Silicon Valley is an extremely left-leaning place. The only Section 230 reform supported by Sen. Thune is a bill that would allow tech companies to continue censoring constitutionally protected speech without offering any legal recourse to censored users. The only change is that tech companies would be subject to transparency requirements around censorship. President Trumps executive order goes considerably further than that, asking the FCC to reinterpret the bounds of Section 230 altogether. It is that order that will require the attention of the new FCC commissioner. And it is that proposed new FCC commissioner that Sen. Thune has suggested will be slow-walked until after the election unless the Republican base makes its voice heard right now. Read more at: Breitbart.com Ghanas Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Dr. Barfuor Adjei-Barwuah, on Friday, September 18, 2020, placed a call to the family of Barbara Tommey, the 27-year-old Ghanaian who was brutally murdered on Tuesday, September 8, in front of the Navy Federal Credit Union in Orlando, Florida. Speaking to the parents and siblings of Barbara, the Ambassador extended distinct condolences on behalf of the President of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Embassy and the entire Ghanaian Community. Reiterating his heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved family, the Ambassador said, "We cannot attempt to understand your pain and will not even pretend to comprehend your grieve but it is our fervent prayer that God grants the family peace and comfort during these trying moments." Barbara Tommey was an assistant manager at the Orlando, Florida branch of Navy Federal Credit Union and was in front of her workplace last Tuesday when she was fatally shot several times by her estranged husband according to authorities in Florida. The deceased will be laid to rest on Saturday, September 26, 2020 in Orlando, Florida. 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 Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday hailed the passage of two farm bills in Rajya Sabha, calling it the beginning of an unprecedented era towards the development of agriculture sector. In a series of tweets, Shah also applauded PM Modi and said that passage of the bills show his unwavering determination to strengthen Indias agriculture sector. The passage of two important bills related to agriculture in Parliament today shows PM Narendra Modis unwavering determination towards the development of our farmers and strengthening the agriculture sector. This is the beginning of an unprecedented era of development in Indias agricultural sector, the BJP leader wrote on Twitter in Hindi. On Sunday, the Rajya Sabha passed two bills -- Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. The government says that these bills will help boost the farming sector through private investments. During the farm bills debate in the Upper House of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) today, a lot of ruckus and uproar took place as several Opposition parties raised strong objection against the bills. Slamming the lawmakers, Shah further said, For decades, people who took farmers votes and kept them in darkness and poverty, are again trying to provoke and mislead them by opposing the biggest decision in the interest of farmers.I assure the farmer brothers that if anyone thinks for your interests, it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi. These agrarian reforms by the Modi government will free our farmer brothers from the clutches of middlemen who kill their profits, and will also play a positive role in increasing their income by selling their produce anywhere and getting the right price for it. Even after this decision, the system of MSP (Minimum Support Price) will remain and government procurement will also continue, he further tweeted. Imperial Valley News Center District Court Orders Illinois Sprouts And Soybean Products Company To Comply With Food Safety Rules Chicago, Illinois - A federal court permanently enjoined a Chicago firm from preparing and distributing adulterated sprouts and soybean products in violation of federal law, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday. In a civil complaint filed September 15, 2020 at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the United States alleged that Fortune Food Product, Inc., company president Steven Seeto, and supervisor Tiffany Jiang violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act by growing sprouts and preparing soy products that FDA inspections showed did not comply with food safety regulations. According to the complaint, FDA issued a warning letter to the company in 2018, and tests in 2018 and 2019 revealed Listeria species inside the facility and E. coli in water used to irrigate sprouts. The food consumers buy must be safe to eat, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Bossert Clark of the Justice Departments Civil Division. The Department of Justice will continue to partner with the FDA to ensure that companies follow food safety rules and prepare food in sanitary conditions. The defendants agreed to be bound by a consent decree filed with the complaint in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The order entered by the court permanently enjoins the defendants from violating the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Produce Safety Rule, and it requires Fortune Food to stop growing and packing sprouts or preparing other foods unless it complies with specific remedial measures set forth in the injunction. We are committed to protecting the food supply and when a company fails to follow the law, we will take action, said FDA Chief Counsel Stacy Cline Amin, J.D. The FDA worked closely with DOJ to obtain this injunction and protect consumers. Trial Attorney Douglas Ross of the Civil Divisions Consumer Protection Branch represented the United States with the assistance of Associate Chief Counsel for Enforcement William Thanhauser of FDAs Office of the Chief Counsel, and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Illinois. This year has been a bizarre and challenging one. Life as we know it has come to a grinding halt as a result of COVID-19. Events at the start of the year now seem, to some, like long-lost memories. But for one Australian family, January 2020 will never be forgotten. The Youssef family were spending the school holidays in Egypt when Waled Youssef was questioned and imprisoned for taking a photograph on a sightseeing trip. The months since then have been a horrendous blur for his wife, Fadia, and his two children, who had to return to Sydney without him and cannot return to Egypt because of the COVID-19 travel ban. Waled Youssef and his family. Youssef remained in prison while the Egyptian authorities went through his social media accounts and it now seems that prosecutors are holding him for pressing the "like" button on an innocuous Facebook post almost a decade ago (although, as his international lawyers, we are yet to see evidence of this). For Youssef and his family, this is a grotesque and surreal experience. He is an ordinary family man, who runs a cement rendering business in Sydney. The Egyptian authorities have a long history of misusing the law to target those perceived to be critics of the regime: activists, human rights defenders, journalists. But Youssef's case is even more extreme: there is no basis whatsoever for considering him to be a critic who should be silenced. He has no political affiliations and is not an activist. She never puts a foot wrong with fashion. And Georgia Steel wore another chic outfit on Saturday evening as she was seen departing Goat restaurant and bar in Chelsea with her friend, Maria Wild. The Love Island, 22, beauty displayed her incredible physique in patterned shorts and a white vest as she exited the swanky eatery in style. Catch the eye: Georgia Steel wore another chic outfit on Saturday evening as she was seen departing Goat restaurant and bar in Chelsea with her friend, Maria Wild She displayed her slender pins in cream Gucci shorts which complemented her tan sandal heels. Georgia finished off the outfit with delicate jewellery and a gold Rolex watch as she clutched an ivory pouch handbag. The reality starlet styled her luscious locks in a classic straight style and opted for a natural makeup look that highlighted her golden complexion. Friend outing: The Love Island, 22, beauty displayed her incredible physique in patterned shorts and a white vest as she exited the swanky eatery in style She draped a white oversized blazer over her shoulders as she strutted through London and posed up a storm with her pal. Maria wore a faux leather taupe shirt dress with a black belt that cinched in at the waist to highlight her slender frame. Georgia has been making the most of the single life by going out with friends, ever since breaking up from her fiance, Ibiza Weekender star Callum Izzard, 25, in April. Designer threads: She displayed her slender pins in cream Gucci shorts which complemented her tan sandal heels Dazzling: Georgia finished off the outfit with delicate jewellery and a gold Rolex watch as she clutched an ivory pouch handbag Svelte figure: Maria wore a faux leather taupe shirt dress with a black belt that cinched in at the waist to highlight her slender frame Speaking on FUBAR Radio, she revealed she's in no rush to jump into a new relationship. She explained: 'I'm a good believer in everything happens for a reason and I'm just rolling with it.' The former couple's whirlwind romance began in August 2019 when they met during the filming of Ex on the Beach: Peak Of Love, with the pair becoming engaged just a month later. When asked if she's had many guys sliding into her DMs, Georgia said: 'I just want some time now to just focus on myself and I'm not really wanting to rush into anything. I'm just wanting to take every day as it comes!' Where were you career-wise? I was an air hostess with Singapore Airlines and was modelling part time in Singapore. The money situation...: ...was decent. Flying and modelling pays well for a 22-year-old. And on the romantic front...? I was in a long-distance relationship. Sonalikas first shoot with fashion designer, Suneet Varma The focus areas: Work, career and travel. What about your mindset? Free and limitless. I felt I could reach for the stars and grab them too! The family situation: My family was in India and would visit me regularly in Singapore. And I had a very strong bond with my siblings. What was your style sensibility like? Oh, it was warped! I was an easy dresser trying too hard to dress girly. (Inset) Sonalika Sahay at 22, and now, at 39 And your fitness quotient: I was fit but never too driven. Im fitter now. Your most prized possessions: My books and my dogs. And your biggest dream? Was to meet the Dalai Lama one day. I still havent managed that. And I wanted to be a great fashion model. Sonalika appeared on the HT Brunch cover along with Lakshmi Rana in 2018 (Rohit Chawla exclusively for HT Brunch) The craziest thing you remember doing: On my first trip to Maldives, I tried diving for the first time. It was as if a new world opened before me. I remember a reef shark came out of the deep and startled me. I drank so much sea water that day! One thing youd rewind and change: I want to tell my younger self to pay more heed to parents advice. Everything that I didnt follow has ended me in a quagmire. Sonalika with her friend Nehmat while in New York, for her first show for Ritu Kumar The biggest life lesson you learnt: That one can move forward in life and new roads open up. Leave your fears behind and take the plunge. Dont hold yourself back. From HT Brunch, September 21, 2020 Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The US Senate has been left in political uproar following the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg which marks the first time a vacancy on the high court has become available so close to a presidential election. After Ginsburgs death was announced on Friday by the Supreme Court, many began to voice their fears that Donald Trump would use the opportunity to swing the 2020 election in his favour. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell vowed in a statement on Friday night that President Trumps nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate". But Mr McConnell failed to divulge when or how that would happen, and there's significant uncertainty about what comes next. Here is an overview of the confirmation process, and everything we currently know and dont know about whats to come in the race to replace Ginsburg: Can Ginsburg be replaced before the US 2020 election? In short, yes, but it would require an extremely quick turnaround from both Mr Trump and the high court. Supreme Court nominations have taken around 70 days to move through the Senate in the past the last, for Brett Kavanaugh, took even longer. The election, taking place on 3 November, is 46 days away. Currently, there are no set rules for how long the process should take once Mr Trump announces his pick and some past nominations have moved more quickly than others. Ultimately, it will come down to politics and votes. How many votes are needed to confirm an appointment? A majority. Republicans control the Senate by a 53-47 margin, meaning they could lose up to three votes and still confirm a justice if Mike Pence were to break a 50-50 tie. Supreme Court nominations used to need 60 votes for confirmation if any senator objected, but Mr McConnell changed Senate rules in 2017 to allow the confirmation of justices with 51 votes. He did so as Democrats threatened to filibuster Mr Trumps first nominee, Justice Neil Gorsuch. How does it affect the US 2020 election campaign? Republicans are defending 25 of the 38 seats that are on the ballot this year and many of their vulnerable members have been eager to end the fall session and return home to the campaign trail. The Senate is scheduled to recess in mid-October, though that schedule could change. Still, many of the most vulnerable senators may be hesitant to vote on a nominee before facing voters in November, and their views could ultimately determine the timeline for action. Others may want to campaign on their eventual vote. Mr McConnell himself is among those up for reelection this year. Can Ginsburg be replaced after the US 2020 election? Yes. Republicans could well vote on Mr Trump's nominee in the lame duck session that takes place after the November election and before the next Congress takes office on 3 January. No matter what happens in this year's election, Republicans are expected to be in charge of the Senate during that period. The Senate would have until 20 January, the date of the presidential inauguration, to act on Mr Trumps nominee. If Mr Trump were reelected and his pick had not been confirmed by the inauguration, he could renominate his pick as soon as his second term began. How is a new Supreme Chief Justice appointed? When a vacancy occurs on the Supreme Court, the president is given authority under the Constitution to nominate someone to fill it. It is up to the Senate Judiciary Committee to vet the nominee and hold confirmation hearings. Once the committee approves the nomination it goes to the Senate floor for a final confirmation vote. This process passes through several time-consuming steps. Traditionally senators want to meet and assess the nominee themselves, which requires weeks of meetings around the Capitol. And thats assuming the process runs smoothly. In 2018, Mr Kavanaughs confirmation fight took weeks longer than expected after Christine Blasey Ford accused him of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers. Mr Kavanaugh denied the accusation and was confirmed by the Senate in a 51-49 vote. Who are the senators to watch? With the slim 53-seat majority in the Senate, the Republicans have few votes to spare. Republicans Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah and others will be among those senators to watch. Ms Collins on Saturday said that the nominee should be chosen by whomever is elected president on 3 November. Its not just the qualifications of Mr Trumps nominee but the political calculation of a vote linked so closely to an election that could shape their position. Ms Collins is in a tight race for her own reelection in Maine she and Ms Murkowski have long been watched for their support of a womans right to an abortion under Roe vs Wade. Ms Murkowski and Mr Romney have been critical of Mr Trump and protective of the institution of the Senate. Others facing close reelection contests in their states, including senator Cory Gardner of Colorado, could face pressure not to vote ahead of the election or in its immediate aftermath, especially if they were to lose their seats. Additional reporting by agencies Film industry professionals have called for the release of five Sudanese artists, including a prize-winning filmmaker, after they were sentenced to two months in prison for causing a "public nuisance". Filmmaker Hajooj Kuka was sentenced on Thursday, along with four fellow artists belonging to the "Civic Lab" collective after being convicted on the charge, according to their lawyer. The collective was formed in the wake of -- and inspired by -- mass protests that last year brought down autocrat Omar al-Bashir. Steven Markowitz, who produced Kuka's recent film "aKasha" -- shown at the Venice film festival -- took to Twitter to condemn what he called "fake charges". "Write 2 SudanEmbassy in yr country for their release," Markowitz urged. Cameron Bailey, the artistic director and co-head of the Toronto International Film Festival, said "Hajooj Kuka is an exceptional filmmaker... now he's been jailed in Sudan. We need to make some noise about it." Another Kuka film, "Beats of the Antonov", won the People's Choice Documentary Award at the 2014 Toronto film festival, and the Sudanese filmmaker was recently invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the body responsible for the Oscars. "Beats of the Antonov" features the music and dancing of people in Sudan's Nuba mountains, a long marginalised area that was repeatedly bombed by Bashir's regime with Antonov planes during the 1983-2005 civil war and again for much of the last decade. Lawyer Othman al-Basri said that Kuka and the four other artists were sentenced to two months in jail and a fine of 5,000 Sudanese pounds ($90) by a court in the central district of Khartoum. Kuka had in August said on Twitter that he and others were "attacked during a theater workshop in #khartoum by islamists instigators. The police stood by the attackers and arrested us". Sudan is undergoing a precarious political transition under a joint civilian-military government that was formed on the back of months of protests following Bashir's ouster in April last year. Bashir had come to power in an Islamist backed coup in 1989. Exploiting artificial intelligence (AI) to develop tools for improving the monitoring of treatment of rare, progressive, and highly debilitating diseases such as Friedreich's (FRDA) and spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA). This is the goal of the new research project led by Professor Stefano Diciotti from the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering at the University of Bologna and of the Alma Mater Research Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. This and other six projects won the Spring Seed Grant issued by Telethon Foundation to help patients' associations invest their funds into research projects focusing on rare and often underresearched diseases. The University of Bologna will lead this research project supported by the Italian Association for Ataxia (AISA - Associazione Italiana Sindromi Atassiche). Ataxias are neurodegenerative diseases encompassing the gradual loss of voluntary muscle movement. Some forms of this disease are hereditary. Friedreich's and spinocerebellar ataxias are both hereditary and caused by the deterioration of the spinal cord and the cerebellum (i.e. the movement coordination center). To date, there are no effective treatments for hereditary ataxia. However, by employing advanced techniques for analyzing patients' brain MRIs, researchers are able to identify indexes that allow to monitor the disease more accurately. This, in turn, could help the development of new treatment approaches. Our methodology employs a very promising quantitative index of the brain structural complexity: the fractal dimension. We draw this index from the analysis of MRIs and believe it could provide important insights into the alterations causing the development and early ageing of the brain that is typical of this type of ataxia". Professor Stefano Diciotti, Department of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering, University of Bologna According to their brain MRIs, patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases present a greater reduction of the structural complexity of the grey and white matters if compared to healthy subjects. By exploiting AI techniques, this model of analysis could eventually provide each patient with a forecast of the clinical development of their disease. Researchers will develop this analysis tool gathering from the meta-dataset of the international working group ENIGMA-Ataxia. This working group collected the brain MRIs, and the genetic and clinical data of approximately 800 healthy subjects and more than 800 patients suffering from hereditary ataxia from 21 specialized centres. "We will use the ENIGMA-Ataxia platform to quantify the alterations in the fractal dimension that are typically associated with the abnormal development or the neurodegenerative issues in ataxia patients", explains Diciotti. "This international partnership will enable us to develop innovative techniques and work on a cutting-edge computational approach that will improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of hereditary ataxias, eventually leading to new strategies for a better design of clinical studies". New Delhi: As agriculture-related bills were tabled in the Rajya Sabha, the Congress on Sunday stepped up its attack on the Centre over the issue and accused it of running away" from giving legal responsibility for the Minimum Support Price (MSP). Terming the bills anti-agriculture black laws", Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also asked how will MSP be ensured with the ending of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) or farmers market. Why is there no guarantee on MSP, he asked. Modi ji is making farmers slaves of capitalists, the country will not allow this to succeed," the former Congress chief tweeted in Hindi with the hashtag Kisan Virodhi (anti-farmer) Narendra Modi. Days after their passage in the Lok Sabha, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar introduced the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 in the Rajya Sabha. Tomar said minimum price or MSP based procurement of agriculture crops from farmers will continue and is not related to the farm bills that seek to give cultivators freedom to market their produce. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the Modi government will get the three black bills" passed in the Rajya Sabha through whip. But no answer how will the 15.5 crore farmers land get MSP, who will give?" Surjewala said. Why is the government running away from giving legal responsibility for MSP? Who will take the responsibility for MSP outside the Mandi?" he said. The bills are also facing staunch opposition from farmer bodies as well as from within the ruling coalition. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the food processing minister from the Shiromani Akali Dal party, resigned from the government last week. Under the MSP, the government guarantees the procurement of crops such as wheat and paddy at minimum prices from farmers. A third bill, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020, that seeks to remove commodities like cereals, pulses, oilseeds, onion, and potatoes from the list of essential commodities and will do away with the imposition of stock holding limits, is to be moved in the Rajya Sabha separately. The parties also criticised the farm bills tabled in Rajya Sabha, saying they will not sign on the death warrant" of farmers. The opposition charged that the two bills are aimed at benefitting big corporates and ending the minimum price based procurement by the government. K K Ragesh (CPI-M), Derek OBrien (TMC), Trichi Siva (DMK) and K C Venugopal (Congress) moved resolutions for sending the two bills to a select committee of the House for consideration before they are taken up for passage. Initiating the discussion on these two bills, Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa, who hails from Punjab, described the proposed laws as ill-conceived and ill-timed" and said his party completely rejects" them. He said the bills are against land owners across the country, especially those of Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. We will not sign on death warrants of farmers", he said. With agriculture being a state subject, he said the bills are against the federal cooperative spirit. We do not want any tinkering in APMC and the minimum support price ( MSP)," he said, and wondered what was the need to bring these bills during COVID-19. Bajwa said farmers are on streets to protest against these two bills. Those whom you want to benefit are on the streets". The Congress leader said that the BJPs alliance partner Akali Dal has already opposed the Bills and Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the Union Cabinet. Bajwa said the bills have been brought with an intention of ending the MSP (minimum support price) operations". Slowly, the government will come out of this and then Ambani, Adani and big corporate houses will enter (market)," he alleged. The Congress leader said the two bills are against the economic interest of Punjab, which has contributed a lot in making India self-sufficient in foodgrain production. Defending the two Bills, Bhupender Yadav of the BJP charged that the Congress was doing politics over this issue and misleading farmers. He asked the Congress why the farmers income did not increase in the last 60-70 years even as the country become self-sufficient in farm production. These two important bills are the biggest agriculture reform in the country and will give justice to farmers by increasing their income, Yadav said. He rued that food processing level is still very low in India and said the new age agriculture bills will boost processing, marketing, and exports of farm produces. Yadav said a report of working group of agriculture production in 2010 suggested similar reforms. Today, you (Congress) is doing politics. You are doing injustice with farmers because of politics," he said. However, he said the country and farmers are understanding the politics" of the Congress. Farmers are a vote bank for the Congress, he said. He highlighted various schemes and programmes launched by the prime minister in the last six years for the growth of the agriculture and allied sectors while noting that the budget for the agriculture sector has been enhanced. Yadav said the government will continue to purchase crops at the minimum support price (MSP), which will prove the falsehood" spread by the Congress. Opposition should stop doing politics and also misleading farmers," he said. Yadav also said the contract farming already exist in many states including Punjab and Haryana. We are not taking away land of farmers," he said, and added that the two bills are only meant to harness the huge potential of the agriculture sector. TMC leader Derek OBrien demanded that the Bills should be send to a select committee. These bills need to be debated in Parliament. You have the numbers to have your way and we have the right to have our say and to keep you on track of Parliamentary democracy. This is very very dangerous trend we are following. Select committee is not a hand breakit is there to contribute. I am going to move selectcommittee," he said. The TMC leader said the States have not been consulted on these Bills and questioned the governments tall promises and its credibility. The PM said the opposition is trying to mislead the farmers. Let us see what credibility you have to make these speeches. You promised to double farmers income by 2022. At current rate, the farmer incomes would not double till 2028. I can also give big talk," he said. You gave big lecture on notebandi. What has happened? After 50 minutes of announcing notebandi, Mamata Banerjee said withdraw this draconian decision. We told you but you did not listen," he added. Noting that the government promised two crore jobs every year, he said: Now you have the highest unemployment. You credibility is low to make promises." SPs Ram Gopal Yadav said there seems to be some compulsion that the ruling party does not want to discuss the bills and is in a hurry to pass them. He asked how farmers would find corporations to sell their produce. It appears that this bill has not been drafted by you. A son of a farmer cannot draft such a bill. When you go back to your native place, the youth would ask you what were you doing when our death warrants were being issued in Parliament," he asked. President Donald Trump and his GOP allies made some misstatements over the past week on subjects like auto manufacturing, voting fraud and more. Here are the facts. The budget airline secured a state aid package worth $330m (256m), earlier this year. Photo: Getty Norways industry ministry has announced it has extended loan guarantees for Norwegian Air (NAS.OL) by two months, until the end of 2020. Earlier this year, the countrys airline secured a state aid package worth $330m (256m), after a debt restructuring, but it said it would need to raise more funds to get through the impact of the coronavirus crisis. While Norways government didnt disclose any details of the deal, it did say that the terms of the state guarantee scheme had changed. The changes we now propose are designed for the scheme to help more airlines than those who have already used it, industry minister Iselin Nyboe said in the statement. READ MORE: Norwegian Air shares fall as Sweden rejects a key state guarantee scheme In August, Sweden rejected a state credit guarantee for the struggling airline. Swedens debt office, which runs the government support programme, said that the credit can only be granted to airlines that were financially viable on the last day of 2019. Norwegian Airs July passenger volume fell by 90.4% on the year, after the COVID-19 crisis and global lockdowns saw most of its fleet grounded. It flew only 356,093 passengers during July 2020, compared to 3.7 million in the previous year. In June, following the grounding of Boeings (BA) 737 MAX and for engine issues on its 787 Dreamliner jets, the group said it would claim compensation from the US plane maker after it cancelled orders for 97 aircrafts. Norwegian Air also filed a legal claim seeking compensation for the companys losses following the grounding of the 737 MAX and the return of pre-delivery payments related to the aircraft. It became Europes third-largest budget airline after rapid growth and expansion and the biggest non-US carrier serving New York and other major US cities, which caused it to accrue debts and liabilities totalling about $8bn by the end of 2019. The European budget airline revolutionised transatlantic travel after placing a multi-year order in 2012 for up to 372 planes, of which 222 were from Boeing and 150 from Airbus (AIR.PA). Scranton, PA (18503) Today Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. High 26F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A few clouds from time to time. Low around 15F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. A high profile barrister was ordered to give up customised number plates on his bright yellow Lamborghini because they were deemed too offensive. But Peter Lavac, from Palm Beach in Sydney's northern beaches, successfully challenged the Transport NSW order in the local court on September 1. Mr Lavac said 99 out of 100 people wouldn't know that the letters 'LGOPNR' meant 'leg opener' - and that he was just 'taking the p***' out of himself. 'How can anyone be offended by something if they don't know what the f*** it means?' he asked The Sunday Telegraph. High profile barrister Peter Lavac was ordered by Transport NSW to hand in his customised number plates (pictured), which read LGOPNR, after they were deemed too offensive because the letters stood for 'leg opener' The former Hong Kong crown prosecutor, who has brought down gangsters and murderers during his career, said he resented anyone who tried to 'violate' his freedom of speech. He said the yellow and gold number plates were 'tongue-in-cheek' before slamming the 'ridiculous woke movement fanatics'. Mr Lavac successfully argued Transport NSW used outdated legislation and the letters weren't offensive. 'How could you possibly construe recreational sex between two consenting adults as ever being offensive or demeaning in any way, shape or form?' he said. Despite the ruling in Mr Lavac's favour, Transport NSW still want the number plates banned - and the barrister said he was ready to continue the fight. Mr Lavac (pictured) successfully argued Transport NSW used outdated legislation in their order and that the letters weren't offensive but the department is determined to get the plates back 'How many other little Aussie battlers who have similar bullying letters, have caved in and laid down and let (Transport NSW) walk all over them because they didn't have my resources or legal expertise to stand up to this and challenge them?' he said. The high profile barrister said the idea came during a chat with some mates who suggested the number plates should refer to his playboy reputation. He said there was no problem with his design when he submitted the application in 2019 and accused the department of being 'bureaucratic bullies'. Transport NSW Safety, Environment and Regulation deputy secretary Tara McCarthy said it often took time for the department to pick up on offensive content. Mr Lavac said it was 'tough s***' for anyone who found his number plates offensive. Scott Morrison repeatedly refused to say whether Australia's unemployment has peaked amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Prime Minister was asked if the unexpected drop in the jobless rate from 7.5 per cent in July to 6.8 per cent in August meant the worst was over. More than 110,000 Australians returned to work over that month, according to ABS figures, as all states but Victoria stayed open and the economy improved. Mr Morrison was asked the question point-blank three times by ABC Insiders host David Speers on Sunday morning and wouldn't give a straight answer. 'Well it's a bit hard to say, on the measured rate, I must say and there are conflicting views,' he said. 'The figures that came out this week were a pleasant encouragement in terms of their improvement but for those who still don't have a job, that is no comfort to them.' Speers tried again: 'But has it peaked now? What's your view? What's your sense of it?' Mr Morrison instead said he was pleased the economy was adding more jobs and expected there would be more over the next three months. Speers interrupted in a third attempt to get a firm answer: 'So it might have peaked? It might have peaked Prime Minister?' Women are leading Australia out of the coronavirus recession with unemployment falling in August for the first time since the health crisis - creating 111,000 new jobs. Pictured is Sydney Mitre 10 hardware manager Ching Ching Mr Morrison said he was trying to answer the question, but failed to give Speers a straight answer for a third time. 'David, Im trying to answer the question, if youd let me answer the question,' he said. 'I'm saying there are going to be more jobs come back in. 'The measured rate of unemployment will depend on how many people, what the participation rate is, and all of those things. The PM said once Victoria finally got out of lockdown there would be many more back at work, and he expected hundreds of thousands more by Christmas. However, what that would do for the actual unemployment rate, he refused to make a prediction. 'I've got to say, I hope it's lower, but at the moment it's hard to say where the course of the pandemic is,' he said. Scott Morrison repeatedly refused to say whether Australia's unemployment has peaked amid the coronavirus pandemic Mr Morrison said unemployment rates could also be affected by the course of the pandemic overseas, regardless of what happened in Australia. 'We're in the middle of a global pandemic recession and so Australia's growth is also going to be affected by that and they're issues that are well beyond our control,' he said. Mr Morrison was also likely taking into account the effects of JobKeeper ending and unemployment payments being cut. JobKeeper will be dropped from $750 a week to $600 a week from September 28, which could cause businesses to retain fewer staff. Jobs recovery at a glance Unemployment rate fell from a 22-year high of 7.5 per cent in July to 6.8 per cent in August Participation rate rose from 64.7 per cent to 64.8 per cent Number employed rose by 111,000 to 12,583,400 Jobless ranks fell by 86,500 with women making up 55,000 or 64 per cent of those Advertisement The program has been extended to the end of March while unemployment welfare will stay doubled at $550 a week, with tighter criteria, until the new year. 'You don't have to hold onto every measure forever. There are other measures that come in and pick up from where other measures left off,' the PM said. Almost two-thirds, or 55,000 of those leaving the unemployment queues, were women. Australia's youth unemployment also fell from 16.3 per cent to 14.3 per cent. Victoria's unemployment rate of 7.1 per cent was above the national average, as the number of people employed fell by 42,400 as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions. Of the big states, New South Wales had the lowest unemployment rate of 6.7 per cent. Tasmania, however, had the lowest unemployment rate among all the states of 6.3 per cent with only the Northern Territory (4.2 per cent) and the Australian Capital Territory (4.2 per cent) having lower jobless figures. Postcard from Beaufort in coastal North Carolina Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Summer is ending, but you wouldnt know it in the North Carolina town of Beaufort. Beaufort, located at the southern range of the famed Outer Banks, is a perfect place to visit during the shoulder season. Here the water at Fort Macon State Park and other beaches is warm enough for swimming in October. Of course, there is much more to do and see than the beaches. North Carolinas third-oldest town (population 4,186) has several blocks of old homes some dating to the mid-1700s. Talk about curb appeal. Among the oldest houses are those on Front Street facing Beauforts harbor, the waters of which were known to Edward Teach (better known as Blackbeard) and other pirates more than a half-century before American independence in 1776. One of the houses belonged to Jacob Henry, a Jew twice-elected to the state legislature at a time when Protestantism was the official state religion. Across the waterfront is Carrot Island, a barrier island-turned-nature reserve with a herd of wild horses. More wild horses can be found at Shackleford Banks, part of the Cape Lookout National Seashore. To discover all of the history, visit the North Carolina Maritime Museum. The collection includes around 300 artifacts from Blackbeards flagship, Queen Annes Revenge. Continue exploring the past at the Beaufort Historic Site. The grounds feature several old buildings, including the now-former early 1800s county jail. Vintage English double-decker bus tours of town also depart from here. A couple of blocks away are two antebellum Carpenter Gothic churches, St. Pauls Episcopal and Anne Street United Methodist. Next to the Methodist church is the Old Burying Ground, which was established by colonial-era Anglicans in the early 1720s and is purportedly the oldest cemetery in North Carolina. Where to eat and stay I stayed at the aptly named Beaufort Hotel NC, which is flagged under Choices upscale Ascend Collection brand. Normally, I wouldnt consider a Choice-affiliated property their assorted brands are plagued by hotels and roadside motels that have seen better days but this hotel stands apart. From the exterior architecture to the comfortable and well-appointed rooms, including nifty automatic window curtains and blackout shades, you can tell the owner put a lot of thought into the hotel. It more than exceeded my expectations. Best of all, downtown is within walking distance. Beaufort may be a small town, but the food scene is competitive. Hands down the best restaurant is Aqua, though reservations can be difficult at the weekend. Solid alternatives are Moonrakers and 34 North, the hotel restaurant. Turner Street Market is recommended for breakfast. For brunch or lunch, try Beaufort Grocery Co. How to get there The closest airports are in Jacksonville and New Bern with the former having the most extensive service. By car, Beaufort is six hours from Washington, five hours from Charlotte and eight hours from Atlanta. Spires and Crosses, a travel column exclusive to The Christian Post, is published every week. Follow @dennislennox on Twitter and Instagram. Victoria has been unlucky. But incompetent management has let that bad luck spew out of control for too long. The cost to Victorians in terms of their health and welfare has been horrific. Add on to that the economic cost and the consequent personal costs from loss of your business or job and it is a very ugly scene. In the earlier days of COVID-19, Victoria just didn't have the track and trace at the level of efficiency it needed to be. It's not rocket science. If someone tests positive, every hour you waste before getting in touch with the people they've been in contact with is a serious risk. Contact tracers run through a series of questions with cases to stop the spread of the virus. Credit:Jason South If just one of their contacts has been in contact with a large number of people, your job is harder. Every hour that goes by, that pyramid of infection just keeps expanding. Other states had much more effective track and trace. NSW had some bad luck as well but they knuckled down and got on top of it. When all of the above results in the electorate regrettably thinking that their leader of government either doesn't know what's happening at the hub of a crisis or has covered it up, it's a desperate situation. Nonetheless, at last Victoria's second wave finally appears to be under control. Stupidity and incompetent management might have caused it but at last we can acknowledge that some decent catch-up work has been done. Daniel Andrews has borne enormous responsibility. He's done so with largely good grace. South Australians didn't think much of him publicly querying why anyone would want to come to Adelaide, a remark that has neither been forgotten nor aged well. Loading It's not clear if he has held the fort because of ego or because of a lack of confidence in his team. Neither explanation augurs well for the future. In any event, if he has been ruling the roost, making the decisions, being a control freak, then realistically he should go. On the other hand, if Andrews has been burdened with too many hopeless people in his team, the Labor organisation should have one big clean-out. Dead wood should be pruned. You get better roses. It also seems an appropriate time for the head of the public service to call a few people to account. Little attention has been paid to how generous or gentle Scott Morrison has been to Andrews. Morrison would have had available the emails, file notes and so on confirming the Commonwealth's offer of the defence force to help with quarantine. He hasn't rushed out to make a fool of Andrews. He has simply spoken quietly about what he knows. It's been a great lesson in simply taking the high ground. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said on Saturday that the National Liberal Party (PNL) will negotiate, in Parliament's plenary sitting, the modification of the Joint Budget and Finance Committee report, through which amendments to the budget revision were adopted. He told a press conference held in Botosani, that the vote given, on Wednesday, in Parliament's specialized committees "triggers Romania's bankruptcy". "First we will fight in Parliament. PSD [the Social Democratic Party] took advantage of the fact that it has a simple majority in the budget-finance committee. I remember that no other political party participated in the meeting of the Joint Budget and Finance Committee where the monstrosity triggered by the PSD occurred. We will negotiate, in plenary sitting, with all political parties so that we can amend the report, send back to the committees this report of the Joint Budget and Finance Committee that triggers Romania's bankruptcy. I am convinced that as they were alongside us, not with us, the Party National Liberal, but alongside rationality, fairness, we will also be able to rely in plenary on a rational attitude. In this case, PSD will be in the minority and we will be able to send it [ed.n. - the report] back to the Budget and Finance Committee," said Orban. The budget committees of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate gave, on Wednesday, an adoption report with amendments to the budget revision, with 20 votes "in favour" and one vote "against". The most important amendment approved by the committees was the one that repeals the article according to which the pension point is increased by 14%, thus leaving in force the law of the public pension system which provides for its increase by 40%. The committees also adopted an amendment increasing the amounts allocated to ATUs by 1 billion lei, and for the county seat municipalities an additional 500 million lei is allocated, which are to be distributed equally, regardless of the political color of the local government. Through another amendment adopted, the committees allocated an additional 5.635 million lei, in the budget of the Chamber of Deputies, in order to purchase equipment necessary for the endowment of the parliamentary offices in the territory, after the legislature change. Also in Wednesday's meeting, the committees decided to increase the basic salaries for the teaching staff, as provided by law, namely starting with this year. Another adopted amendment states that "the public debt ceiling, according to the EU methodology, for the end of 2020 is 40% of GDP". The budget committees also approved the supplementation of the budget of the Ministry of Economy with 400 million lei, for the Start-Up Nation program. All the adopted amendments were proposed by PSD parliamentarians. The PNL parliamentarians did not participate in the committees debates. Just a day earlier, the U.S. Commerce Department said it would bar TikTok from U.S. app stores as of late Sunday. Further restrictions that would prevent TikTok from accessing essential internet services in the country would go into effect on Nov. 12. The deal Trump signed off on would allow TikToks U.S. operations to keep functioning. 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. T hese 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: Wangdora92 WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Saturday said he would most likely put forth a female nominee in the coming week to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, pushing the Senate to consider the pick without delay. Taking the stage at a North Carolina rally to chants of Fill that seat, the president said he would nominate his selection despite Democrats objections. And, after conducting what he joked was a very scientific poll of the Fayetteville crowd as to whether supporters wanted a man or a woman, he declared the choice would be a very talented, very brilliant woman. He added that he did not yet know whom he would choose. We win an election, and those are the consequences, said the president, who then seemed to signal that hed be willing to accept a vote on his nominee during the lame duck period after the election. We have a lot of time. We have plenty of time. Were talking about January 20th. But one Republican senator has already broken ranks. Maines Susan Collins, who is in a tough reelection battle, said Saturday that she believed replacing Ginsburg should be the decision of the president who is elected Nov. 3. Three more defections from the GOP ranks would be needed to stop Trumps nominee from joining the court. After Collins decision, more attention was focused on Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah, who have been critical of Trump and protective of the institution of the Senate. And because the Arizona Senate race is a special election, that seat could be filled as early as Nov. 30 which would narrow the window for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell if the Democratic candidate, Mark Kelly, wins. At stake is a seat held by a justice who was a champion of womens rights and spent her final years on the bench as the unquestioned leader of the courts liberal wing. The impending clash over the vacant seat when to fill it and with whom scrambles the stretch run of a presidential race for a nation already reeling from the pandemic that has killed nearly 200,000 people, left millions unemployed and heightened partisan tensions and anger. Some Republicans viewed the Supreme Court vacancy as another way for Trump to attract supporters beyond his most loyal core of backers, particularly suburban women who have abandoned the GOP in recent years. Its hard to see how this doesnt help Trump politically, said veteran Republican strategist Alex Conant. Biden wants this election to be a referendum on Trump. Now its going to be a referendum on whoever he nominates to the Supreme Court. Some Democrats privately concede that the Supreme Court vacancy could shift attention away from the virus, which has been a central element of Bidens campaign Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York convened a conference call with Democratic senators at midday Saturday, according to a person on the private call. He told senators the No. 1 goal must be to communicate the stakes of the confirmation vote. Schumer also warned that if Republicans push through the nominee, nothing is off the table for Senate rules changes to come, the person said. Ginsburgs death led to a wave of mourning, including an informal memorial at the Supreme Court and a protest outside McConnells house. It also seemed certain to stoke enthusiasm in both political parties. Democrats raised more than $71 million in the hours after Ginsburgs death, indicating the partys base is already galvanized. John Fischetti, who waited in line more than two hours to enter Trumps Fayetteville rally, said replacing Ginsburg would inflame tensions but was within the presidents rights. I would assume it would make everyone more energized, Fischetti said of the political repercussions. Trumps people want him to always press forward. McConnell pledged to Trump in a phone call Friday night to bring the choice to a vote. McConnell, who sets the calendar in the Senate and has made judicial appointments his priority, declared unequivocally in a statement that Trumps nominee would receive a confirmation vote. In 2016, McConnell refused to consider President Barack Obamas nominee months before the election, eventually preventing a vote on Judge Merrick Garland. A confirmation vote in the Senate is not guaranteed, even with a Republican majority. McConnell has launched a risky, unprecedented strategy. It could motivate conservative voters to rally behind Trump and GOP senators, or it could push away moderates who prefer to see the Senate stick to norms or are fearful of a right-leaning court stripping away guarantees of womens right to choose an abortion. Typically, it takes several months to vet and hold hearings on a Supreme Court nominee, and time is short before November. Key senators may be reluctant to cast votes so close to the election. With a slim GOP majority, 53 seats in the 100-member chamber, Trumps choice could afford to lose only a few. McConnell did not specify the timing. But trying for confirmation in a lame-duck session after the Nov. 3 election, if Trump had lost to Biden or Republicans had lost the Senate, would carry further political complications. Democrats immediately denounced McConnells move as hypocritical, pointing out that he refused to call hearings for Garland 237 days before the 2016 election. The 2020 election is 46 days away. The average number of days to confirm a justice, according to the Congressional Research Service, is 69, which would be after the election. But some Republicans quickly noted that Ginsburg was confirmed in just 42 days. Obama waited more than a month to nominate Garland after Justice Antonin Scalia died in February 2016. The president this month added 20 more names to his roster of potential court nominees, and aides in recent days have focused on a short list heavy on female candidates, according to four White House aides and officials close to the process. Biden has promised to nominate a Black woman to the high court if given the chance. His campaign reiterated Saturday that it would release names before the election. BC-US-Supreme-Court-Vacancy Eds: UPDATES: More minor edits. Vote without delay on high court pick, Trump demands of Senate In what has now been dubbed as a Fordian slip, Ontarios Minister of Education Stephen Lecce found himself correcting his language in Question Period last Tuesday as he declared his intent to maximize savings, instead of safety, in schools. I believe Lecces words spread quickly across social media, because since taking office, this administration has been less than forthcoming about the agenda it is internally working to carry out. In lieu of a costed platform, Ford ran in 2018 on one simple message: For the people. But if that were true, why is the premier currently extending a two-year legal fight to keep his mandate letters, the very documents that detail his expectations of his Ministers, hidden from the people of Ontario? Following a denied freedom of information (FOI) request for the letters filed by the CBC in 2018, Ontarios information and privacy commissioner (IPC) ordered that the documents be disclosed in the summer of 2019. Ford is now desperately using every legal tool available to further appeal the decision through the courts. He is also wasting a pile of taxpayers money in the process. Ford is not running a private company. As premier he is at the helm of our public institutions, on which many peoples lives and livelihoods depend. His unwillingness to be open about his intentions creates an unnecessary challenge for leaders across the province trying to anticipate and guess what this government believes its mandate to be. Like a budget, a fiscal update, or a throne speech public mandate letters have become a part of the suite of opportunities for Canadians to view the internal workings of their elected governments. By choosing to keep Ontarians in the dark as to the tasks he has assigned to the members of his cabinet, Ford is prioritizing secrecy over transparency. Fords defenders may argue that in the midst of COVID-19, issues of transparency are of reduced importance as elected officials must keep pace with the rapidly changing conditions presented by the pandemic. What they dont understand is that transparency and clearly presented information are important tools in collectively fighting and recovering from the coronavirus. Even so, Ford didnt know a pandemic was on the horizon when he began bucking his responsibility to share these documents with the public. Grace would have been afforded to any government during an international health crisis. It is far better to go through a process of recalibration with public forgiveness for missed targets, rather than intentionally hiding the governments agenda. Since 2014, Premier Kathleen Wynne normalized the process of making these letters accessible to the public on government websites, just as her predecessor Premier Dalton McGuinty readily shared their content with members of the media and impacted stakeholders. Public mandate letters shouldnt be a partisan choice. Now that weve seen the benefits of sharing and aligning priorities, going back to secrecy is absurd. Once a heightened level of transparency has been established, it only makes sense to continue down that path. Understanding what ministers are prioritizing or are responsible for in their portfolio helps departments, stakeholders, and community advocates gain an equal footing in their efforts to follow, and provide feedback to support the government in any necessary course correction. This is especially important at a time when there are fewer opportunities for government leaders to hear directly from the people they represent. This level of transparency is the bare minimum for good governance. Let this be a reminder that politicians cant skate through their responsibilities. From election campaigns through governing mandates, Canadians expect our elected officials to be communicative about what they intend to accomplish. Knowing and being able to hold a government accountable to its stated agenda is a part of an open democracy. Leading, publicly, is the job. A campaign slogan can only get you so far. At some point Ford needs to get serious and provide evidence that his leadership approach involves more than flying by the seat of his pants. The people of this province deserve better than that. For a government this obsessed with math education, one would hope they could appreciate a basic principle expected of modern political leaders. Simply put, show your work. Tiffany Gooch is a Toronto-based Liberal strategist and a freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: is a Toronto-based Liberal strategist and a freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @goocht Read more about: The ancient Romans studied the livers of sacrificial animals to read omens and make prophesies. Now researchers at Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) and Takeda-CiRA program along with a world-wide team of collaborators, have devised a polygenic risk score (PRS) based on liver genomics that can predict the likelihood of medications causing liver damage. Introducing new drugs is a demanding process. Pharmaceutical research continually proffers potential drugs that need to be clinically trialed. These candidates are often more efficacious, but may have unacceptable or unsuspected side-effects. Unfortunately, adverse outcomes often require termination of new drug trials, and even drugs in common use may show a cumulated trend of undesired effects hitherto unpredicted; identifying patients at risk can greatly reduce this. The liver is the primary site where most drugs, indeed any foreign potentially toxic chemical, is metabolized into an inactive form for excretion by the body. As a "frontliner", it bears the brunt of most adverse effects that manifest as hepatocyte injury. Indeed, drug-induced-liver-injury (DILI) is the main reason why drugs are withdrawn at different stages of development, trial and usage, often after significant, and avoidable, morbidity and expense. We formulated our risk score by mathematically analyzing previous genome-wide association studies that had flagged variants likely to predict susceptibility to DILI. We validated it across a spectrum of potentially hepatotoxic drugs, on genomic data, primary hepatocyte cultures and organoids from multiple donors. Noteworthy was our use of organoids--mini-organs bioengineered from three-dimensional tissue cultures derived from stem cells that replicate their microanatomy and functional complexity." Masaru Koido, Lead Author The researchers also analyzed the derived scores to delineate pathways underlying susceptibility to DILI. From the data they inferred that genetic variation at the hepatocyte level contributed to DILI susceptibility; moreover, DILI predictivity was shared across a variety of discrete drugs suggesting that the PRS related to intracellular mechanisms of hepatotoxicity. "Our "polygenicity-in-a-dish" strategy allows safe, specific and multidimensional investigation into the pathogenesis of DILI," explains senior author Takanori Takebe. "A genetic test score will enable clinicians to tailor medication choice, dosage, and monitoring based on the patient's estimated risk. Furthermore, drug trials could be made safer and better focused by excluding vulnerable subjects. However, further research is needed to upscale our PRS into a valid and reliable instrument for widespread screening of novel pharmaceuticals in clinical practice." Australias over-reliance on the goodwill generated by its free trade agreement with China to shield it from the ramifications of its political alliance with the United States could result in problems with Beijing for years to come, trade and foreign affairs experts said. The rapid deterioration in China-Australian relations is generally perceived to have been fuelled by miscalculations on both sides. While China has been accused of punishing Australia with trade blocks such as anti-dumping tariffs on barley, suspensions on beef imports and two investigations into cheap Australian wine Canberra used the spirit of partnership set out in the China-Australia free trade agreement (ChAFTA) it signed in 2015 as a free pass to take sides with the US, Monash University trade law expert Giovanni Di Lieto said. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China. It turned out that China called Australias bluff, and now Canberra has painted itself into a geopolitical corner Giovanni Di Lieto When the ChAFTA was signed, both countries used it as a solidification of their growing economic interdependency in view of harmonisation within future multilateral regional agreements such as the RCEP, he said, referring to the 15-nation Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) that is expected to be signed this year. After the US changed its trade policy, it was chiefly Australia that relied on the ChAFTA to challenge the status quo [of its then sound relationship with China] on the assumption that Canberra could toe Washingtons line without Beijings reprisals due to the obligations set in the ChAFTA. It turned out that China called Australias bluff, and now Canberra has painted itself into a geopolitical corner. China, too, relied on the good relations formed from the five-year old free trade deal, in that it both overestimated the strategic influence of ChAFTA on Australia and underestimated the strength of the relationship between Australia and the US, Di Lieto added. Story continues But the use of the ChAFTA solely as a weapon would be unlikely as it was vital to agreements like RCEP between the 10-member Asean bloc and Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea that Beijing want to see through, according to University of Sydney Law School ChAFTA expert Jeanne Huang said. China will not use FTA as a weapon for two reasons. First, the dispute settlement mechanism other than negotiation and consultation is rarely invoked by China under any of Chinas FTAs. This means China will not initiate an arbitration or mediation against Australia under the ChAFTA, she said. Second, China has been promoting RCEP for several years. It is impossible to exclude Australia from RCEP at this very late stage. This is also not in Chinas interest. Therefore, I cannot see how China may use the FTA as a trade weapon of some kind. While it is not the first time two trading nations have been at loggerheads over political differences, Di Lieto said that in the case of China and Australia, the free trade agreement has egregiously failed to deliver the geostrategic outcomes envisioned by both countries. Two-way trade between China and Australia is worth around A$240 billion (US$175 billion), in the latest figures between July 2019 to June 2020, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The size of this two-way trade has grown nearly 60 per cent in the past five years. While tensions between China and Australia had been gradually escalating over the past five years, particularly over accusations of foreign interference by China in Australias domestic affairs, the conflict boiled over in April. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, following a call with US President Donald Trump, announced Australia would coordinate the investigation into the origins of the coronavirus. Morrisons announcement came before he consulted other countries, including China, where the virus was first detected. China saw the announcement as provocation, and from that point it was game on, according to regional foreign relations experts. Why has the China-Australia relationship deteriorated into what some are calling trade war 2.0? In a speech in Australia last month, Wang Xining, the deputy head of mission of Chinas embassy in Australia, said Canberra had offended Beijing over the inquiry as it was seen as an act of allegiance to the US, although Chinas response by suggesting it may target Australian exports only added more fuel to tensions, trade experts and observers like former Huawei executive Simon Lacey said. Chen Hong, the long-standing Australian Studies Centre director at the East China Normal University in Shanghai, who was recently banned from Australia after he was accused of being a security risk, said China would continue to take more justified defensive measures against Australia if attacked. As China attaches great importance to its membership of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), as well as its free trade relationship with Australia, it will use legitimate trading disputes that are in line with established global rules against Australia, for example Chinas latest joint anti-dumping and countervailing investigations into cheap Australian wine imports into China, Chen said. Australia relies heavily on China for its wine exports, selling 40 per cent of its production, the equivalent of A$1 billion (US$731 million) a year. China does not oppose Australias alliance with the US as long as it does not put Chinas national interests at risk Chen Hong But that trade is now under threat after Chinas Ministry of Commerce announced last month that it would initiate an investigation into government subsidies for Australian winegrowers, having already started an anti-dumping investigation looking at wines being sold in China at prices lower than those in Australia. Trade has indeed been playing a stabilising role in bilateral relations, but in such a zero-sum feud started by Washington, interests and benefits have been reduced to the secondary [considerations], Chen said. China does not oppose Australias alliance with the US as long as it does not put Chinas national interests at risk. If Australia acts to threaten Chinas core interests by abetting Washingtons agenda to contain China, it will not hesitate to rise to defend itself. Singapore-based Benjamin Ho, assistant professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies China programme, said the US-China trade war had set the example for trade to be used as a tool to wage conflict rather than stabilise relationships. China wants Australia to take a position that is less confrontational and refrain from supporting American policies it will attack Australia where it hurts, in its pockets, he said. Drawing a parallel to Chinese idiom to describe a situation where the true motive of an attack is disguised, all the trade actions amount to deterring Australia from following the US too closely, added Huang from the University of Sydney. China may continue to be assertive in foreign policy using trade measures such as tariffs to influence the views of powerful constituents in foreign nations, said Weihuan Zhou, an international economics lawyer at the University of New South Wales. There are many underlying concerns behind Chinas reactions, which may include interference in national affairs, discrimination and abuse of national security, and double standards in matters such as human rights. Iron ore will be a nuclear weapon for China. China will look for alternatives Kishore Mahbubani Attacking Beijings sensitivities will only see China, which has time on its side, continue to impose more trade blocks on Australia for as long as it takes, warned former Singaporean diplomat Kishore Mahbubani, the author of Has China Won? The Chinese Challenge to American Primacy, which examined the strategic and trade mistakes of the two countries and whether US distractions had allowed China to supersede it as the premier world power. So far China has only retaliated in trade sectors that are critical to Australia but less so to China, but Mahbubani said he is not convinced China will spare iron ore imports, the golden goose of trade between the two countries. Iron ore will be a nuclear weapon for China. China will look for alternatives, he said. China always plays the long game and is not interested in a short-term game. It isnt advantageous for Australia to be adversarial with the largest power in its neighbourhood. It must understand the Asian way of doing things and in Asia giving face is very important. The investigation call was a big mistake. Like Chen, Mahbubani said Australias strong relationship with the US was never a roadblock for China, with many in the region seeing it as a bridge between Asia and the US, but that Australia should not focus solely on the US. In some ways it is good for the region to have a country that is close to Washington and be able to influence it. But Australia must also be sensitive to the interests of its neighbours, especially China, Mahbubani added. China wants fairness, according to Bucknell Universitys Chinese foreign policy expert, Zhiqun Zhu, while Australias closeness with the US should not be seen as taking sides against China as Beijing wants a trading partner that is both neutral and independent of Washington. Australia says it is standing up to China the question is, when the US did something wrong, did Australia stand up against it? For example, when the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from the Paris Agreement, damaging global efforts to combat climate change, did Australia publicly criticise it? Zhu said. In Chinas view, the current Australian government has joined the Trump administration to favour a confrontational approach toward China, abandoning decades of engagement policy. I would say all the actions the US and Australia are taking are not only ineffective, but also pointless and ultimately needless Li Shangbin Zhu agreed the continuation of this approach would poke the dragon and invite more trade sanctions from China because of its strong sensitivity to having been dominated by western powers for a century after the First Opium War in 1839-42. While Chinas rise has shaken the ideologies of the US and Australia, an acceptance of Chinas rise as an economic power could be a path to a truce, said Li Shangbin, a Chengdu-based Chinese political scientist and a founding member of the World Civilisation Forum think tank who has worked with governments in Beijing. It is impossible for anyone to contain China at this stage. Her success is built by its people through decades of collective effects and it is moving forward of its own free will. Even Chinas leaders would not be able to halt it, he said. I would say all the actions the US and Australia are taking are not only ineffective, but also pointless and ultimately needless. It is time to accept the reality of what China is and isnt, face what is inevitable and what is avoidable, and rationally re-examine foreign policy accordingly. China is more likely to listen to outside criticisms if they are conveyed privately Zhiqun Zhu However, this could be futile given their ideological differences, said Zhou from the University of New South Wales. The best thing for Australia is to put a stop to ideological attacks, such as media or security-led raids of Australian and Chinese citizens for foreign interference, Mahubani added. The less it says, the better. These are unwise steps, he said. The conflict between the two countries can be resolved eventually, but only if diplomacy is used, Bucknell Universitys Zhu concluded. China is more likely to listen to outside criticisms if they are conveyed privately, he said. More from South China Morning Post: This article Australia has painted itself into a geopolitical corner with China, but what is Beijings trade endgame? first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. A Kam and his wife Y Thoa have been running free classes for about 30-40 poor children for more than five years in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum. A Kam at his free class for poor children in ak Ro Wa Communes Kon Ktu Village, the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum. Photo thanhnien.vn The two-hour classes run from Monday to Friday every week, teaching local children aged from 6 to 14 maths, literature and English. Y Thoan, 27, said she and her husband had to work on the field in the daytime, so, the class could only begin at 5pm and finish at 7pm. The couple graduated from the Kon Tum Pedagogy College in 2014, but they failed to find a job at local schools. They had to earn a living from farming, A Kam said. However, they still had the desire to teach children, he said. Back in 2014, A Kam saw children from his village playing near his house with no interest in studying, so he came up with the ides of opening a free class for them. He knocked on the doors of every house in the village to persuade parents to send their children to his class. His request was initially met with indifference. The villagers had no money to support his idea, so it was extremely difficult, he said. But he did not feel discouraged, and instead tried to talk with the children about the class, Thanh Nien (Young People) online newspaper reported. Nevertheless, the children told him the class was not as interesting as the birds nests in the mountains or catching fish in the stream, he said. They rejected my offer, he said. But he did not give up, and started thinking of ways to encourage the children to go to his class. His wife, Y Thoan, suggested buying sweets to tempt the children to go the class. It was really effective, he said. Difficulties and simple joy On the first day, 30 children turned up for class. A Kam and his wife divided them into small age groups to teach. However, the small house could not accommodate 30 children. The children had to sit in the small yard in front of his house without a roof. Whenever it rained, the class was suspended, he said. Later, a kind-hearted person donated tables, chairs, boards and a roof for the class. A Kam said he wanted save money to expand the classroom so the children could study in comfort. Y Thoan said she and her husband had to work in the fields in the daytime, then return home at 5pm to teach the children. The couple often eat instant noodles for dinner after the class has ended. Its hard but we feel very happy, she said. They enjoyed every moments of being teachers, she said. Y Thoan said some children gave her bouquets of wild flowers, while others brought fish they had caught in a local stream to celebrate Vietnamese Teachers' Day last year. It really touches me, she added. A Kam said he would never forget the moment all the children in his class sang happy birthday to him on February 20 last year. They also brought a small cake to celebrate, he said. It was one of the most wonderful surprises in my life, he said. It is estimated that about 300 children have taken free classes for over the past five years. VNS Charity class gives poor kids an education On an area of 20 square metres in a narrow alley in HCM Citys District 12, there is a special classroom which gathers dozens of students who try to write letters and repeat the multiplication tables they learned the day before. The South Korean president points out that There has since been not a single armed clash between South and North. However, denuclearisation and demilitarisation are stalled because talks between the US and North Korea have failed. Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) Two years after the historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang, President Moon Jae-in said that the resulting agreement must be implemented, despite "internal and external restraints. In a message posted on Facebook today, President Moon cited his speech in front of 150,000 people at Pyongyangs May Day stadium and the resulting decisions on denuclearisation and peace on the Korean peninsula. In the statement issued in Pyongyang, the two leaders decided on some steps such as the demolition of the Yongbyon nuclear power plant in North Korea and the demilitarisation of some areas, including Panmunjom. Since then "There has since been not a single armed clash between South and North," Moon noted. However, the clock of peace has stopped and none of the agreements provisions have been implemented. "Our commitment to peace is firm, said the South Korean president. Greater inter-Korean cooperation is stalled by the lack of progress in US-North Korean talks since 2019. For their part, North Korean media did not mention the summit anniversary, but focused instead on anti-COVID-19 measures and on the work to repair the damages caused by a recent typhoon. Charleston's 350th Commemoration In 2020, the City of Charleston and its citizens will commemorate its 350th anniversary of the arrival of English settlers from Barbados to Charles Towne Landing in 1670 and share Charlestons full and accurate story up to the present day. Throughout the year, we will honor the customs, diverse cultures, and rich heritage through a deep reflection and true representation of the citys history. New research presented at this year's annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), held online this year (21-25 September), shows that having type 1 diabetes (T1D) is associated with a 33% increase in the risk of falls compared with the general population, while having type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with a 19% increased risk of falls. The study is by Nicklas Rasmussen, Steno Diabetes Center and North Jutland Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark, and colleagues. People with diabetes can be at increased risk of falls as they tend to have more complications (for example high and low blood sugar), and use of medication compared with the general population without diabetes. This study aimed to estimate the risk of falls and to identify risk factors associated with increased falls in people with diabetes compared with the general population. The second aim was to estimate fall-related injuries including fractures and where in the body these fractures are occurring compared with the general population. From the Nationwide Danish National Patient Register the authors identified 12,975 people with T1D and 407,099 people with T2D and a sex- and age-matched control group (1:1) from the general population. All episodes of people hospitalised with a first fall from 1996 to 2017 were analysed using computer modelling. Risk factors such as age, sex, diabetic complications, a history of alcohol abuse and a history of medication were included in an adjusted analysis. The incidence rates, incidence rate differences and incidence rate ratios of falls and the location in the body of fall-related injuries and fractures were calculated. In the adjusted analysis T1D was associated with 33% increased risk of a first fall, and T2D a 19% increased risk. The cumulative incidence, of falls requiring hospital treatment was 13% in T1D, and 12% in T2D. For patients with T2D, other risk factors for falls were: being female (60% increased risk), being aged over 65 years (32%), use of selective serotonin receptor inhibitors (SSRIs) (used to treat depression) (32%), use of opioids (9%), SSRIs and opioids combined (60%), and a history of alcohol abuse (a near doubling of risk). For patients with T1D, other risk factors identified for falls were: being female (20 % increased risk) aged over 65 years (30%), use of SSRIs (35%), use of opioids (15%) and a history of alcohol abuse (77%). Increased incidence of fractures was also identified in people with T2D. Compared with the general population, there was increased risk of fractures of the hip and femur (2%), humerus (the long arm bone) (24%), radius (forearm bone) (39%) and skull/face (15%). People with T1D also had an increased risk of fractures, but only at the hip and femoral region (11%). The authors say: "While of course we cannot do anything about getting older or our gender, diabetes - especially type 2 diabetes - use of medications and alcohol abuse could be potentially modifiable risk factors for falls. Gaining further information on risk factors for falls could guide the management of diabetes treatment such as the choice of medication, which enables us to improve treatment particularly in people with a high risk of falls and fractures associated with high mortality." ### With the coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc on the economy and thousands of people out of work and unable to feed their families, some thoughtful San Antonians are opening free minipantries. Since April, nearly a dozen of the little pantries have been set up in different parts of the city. All are free; registration is not required. These are not traditional pantries in brick-and-mortar buildings, with a board of directors and formal requests for donations. Nor do they have nonprofit status. Its a grassroots movement modeled after one founded by Jessica McClard four years ago. A resident of Fayetteville, Ark., the married mother of two installed the first little pantry outside her church, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, in May 2016. The box was similar to those used by the Little Free Library concept. What McClard started spread all over the United States and around the world. Today, the food boxes or pantries are found in all shapes and sizes. Indeed, the contemporary pantries in San Antonio consist of all manner of containers filled with food, hygiene products and other necessities. The Jovita Idar Library and Pantry is named after the Laredo-born journalist and Mexican American rights activist who later moved to San Antonio. Its housed in a donated armoire placed outside the front yard of a private residence near Hildebrand and Interstate 10. The Little Free Pantry at Sterling Oaks keeps food, vegetables and sometimes even milk inside cardboard boxes and coolers perched atop a portable table on the sidewalk in front of a home on the Northwest Side. Marvin Pfeiffer /Staff Photographer What was once a filing cabinet holds items at the Little Free Pantry at 126 E. Norwood Court in Monte Vista. And while there is a conventional food pantry at the Mt. Olive Lutheran Church, 3200 W. Loop 1604 S., there also is a giving bench outside the church with canned and boxed food. The food bench and an adjacent learning bench where free books are available sit under a canopy every day of the week, pastor David Brockhouse said. We made that outside area, which is lit at night, available for people who may not want to visit the larger pantry, said Brockhouse. People who establish the little pantries are driven to feed people, especially in this unsettled time, said Krys Sustaita, a co-founder with Ale Tierra of the Jovita Idar Library and Pantry, 1527 San Francisco. As members of the Food Not Bombs chapter in San Antonio, the two came in contact with homeless folx, members of the LGBTQ community. We got to know their life stories, the adversities that led them to a life on the streets, and what they needed in a community mutual aid project, said Sustaita, 34, who expects to graduate from UTSA in December with a degree in history. Once COVID hit, we felt it was the right time to help the community with free, healthy vegan and vegetarian food, she added. The pantry, which bills itself as just a little library and vegan pantry in front of a house in San Antonio trying to help the community one can at a time, also offers books, which people can keep. Conschetta Moore, 38, had always wanted to start a pantry but held off because she didnt know how to go about it. Marvin Pfeiffer /Staff Photographer One day, I saw a story abut people who put boxes of food on a table and I thought, I could do that, said Moore, who began this spring. Now, the Little Free Pantry at Sterling Oaks is set up on the sidewalk in front of her house every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. A banner on the table reads: Give what you can. Take what you need. The pantry is closed during inclement weather. It also was closed after someone stole the table and a cooler. But people are wonderful. In less than 12 hours, someone dropped off a new table and two coolers, said Moore, who with her husband serves as a foster parent. Moore makes it a point to publicize food distribution events on the Little Free Pantry at Sterling Oaks Facebook page. Recent posts had news from the San Antonio Food Bank as well as churches and other organizations. In May, when someone dropped off what Moore called a lot of split peas, she noted it was too warm to make split pea soup. So she included recipes for salad, a curry and hummus all made with split peas. Marvin Pfeiffer /Staff Photographer For people who cant visit the pantry to drop off a donation, there are wish lists on Amazon and Walmart for the Sterling Oaks pantry. Currently, the Jovita Idar pantry and the Local Community Fridge/Pantry SATX, 1316 Austin St., are the only ones dedicated solely to vegan or vegetarian food. But Sustaita and Tierra are planning for a third one at Viva Vegeria restaurant, which offers vegan and gluten-free Tex-Mex food at 1422 Nogalitos St. A food drive is set for Thursday 5-8 p.m. to stock the new pantry. A federal judge has approved a request from a group of WeChat users to delay looming U.S. government restrictions that could effectively make the popular app nearly impossible to use. In a ruling dated Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020, Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler in California said the governments actions would affect users First Amendment rights as an effective ban on the app removes their platform for communication. Read more NEW YORK A judge has approved a request from a group of U.S. WeChat users to delay looming federal government restrictions that could effectively make the popular app nearly impossible to use. In a ruling dated Saturday, Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler in California said the governments actions would affect users' First Amendment rights as an effective ban on the app removes their platform for communication. WeChat is a messaging-focused app popular with many Chinese-speaking Americans that serves as a lifeline to friends, family, customers and business contacts in China. Its owned by Chinese tech giant Tencent. The group of WeChat users had requested an injunction after the U.S. Commerce Department said Friday it would bar WeChat from U.S. app stores and keep it from accessing essential internet services in the country, beginning Sunday night at 11:59 p.m. The Trump administration has targeted WeChat and another Chinese-owned app, TikTok, for national security and data privacy concerns in the latest flashpoint in the rising tensions between Washington and Beijing. The administration contends that the data of U.S. users collected by the two apps could be shared with the Chinese government. On Saturday, President Donald Trump said he supported a proposed deal that would have TikTok partner with Oracle and WalMart to form a U.S. company. There is still a chance that TikTok could be banned in the U.S. as of Nov. 12 if the deal isnt completed, under the restrictions put in place by the Commerce Department. However, a restriction to bar TikTok from app stores in the U.S., similar to what WeChat faced, was pushed back a week to Sept. 27 after Trump backed the latest TikTok deal. On Sunday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News that the government will ensure that under the TikTok-Oracle-WalMart deal no Americans data ends up in the possession of the Chinese government. In the WeChat case, the users had argued the moves targeting the all-in-one app with instant-messaging, social media and other communication tools would restrict free speech. In the ruling, the court said that a WeChat ban eliminates all meaningful access to communication in the plaintiffs' community, and that an injunction would be in public interest. The U.S. government had earlier argued that it is not restricting free speech because WeChat users still are free to speak on alternative platforms that do not pose a national security threat. Specific evidence about WeChat posing a national security threat was also modest, according to Judge Beeler. The White House did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the injunction. The dispute over WeChat and TikTok is the latest attempt by the Trump administration to counter the influence of China. Since taking office in 2017, Trump has waged a trade war with China, blocked mergers involving Chinese companies and stifled the business of Chinese firms like Huawei, a maker of phones and telecom equipment. AP technology writer Zen Soo in Hong Kong contributed to this report. They have both forged successful careers in the modelling industry. And on Friday, Natasha Oakley and Simone Holtznagel looked simply sensational on a beach photo shoot in Byron Bay, New South Wales. The blonde beauties revealed their toned figures in skimpy pink bikinis, presumably from Natasha's label, MONDAY Swimwear. Sizzling hot! Models Natasha Oakley (left), 30, and Simone Holtznagel (right), 27, revealed their sensational figures in skimpy pink bikinis on a photo shoot in Byron Bay, NSW on Friday Natasha wore an underwire bikini top that enhanced her cleavage and washboard stomach, teamed with matching tie briefs that elongated her lean legs. The 30-year-old's signature blonde locks were styled out and in waves, and she appeared to sport minimal makeup, drawing attention to her natural beauty. Natasha later changed into a pink triangle bikini top and matching high-cut briefs. Simone donned a bandeau bikini top in a matching pink hue, and high-cut briefs that showed off her cleavage, toned tummy and trim pins. Trim and terrific: Natasha wore a pale pink underwire bikini top that enhanced her cleavage and toned tummy, teamed with matching tie briefs that elongated her lean legs Wardrobe change: The entrepreneur styled her blonde locks out and in waves. On the shoot, she changed into a triangle bikini top and high-cut briefs, also in pale pink Golden: At one stage during the shoot, Natasha looked to have topped up her tan Simone, who rose to fame after competing in the 2011 season of Australia's Next Top Model, wore her blonde locks out and in waves, framing her striking facial features. She also changed into a pink triangle bikini top, wrapped a pink sarong around her trim waist, and accessorised with a stylish round-rimmed hat. Natasha and Simone were assisted by camera crew and a glam squad while shooting in the coastal town. Sensational curves: Meanwhile, Simone (pictured) donned a pale pink bandeau bikini top and matching high-cut briefs that drew the eye to her long and lean legs Tresses: The blonde beauty, who rose to fame in the 2011 season of Australia's Next Top Model, styled her locks out and in waves, underneath a stylish round-rimmed straw hat Works hard for her figure: There was not an inch to pinch on Natasha's frame. She is pictured checking a few takes with the camera crew Details: Simone also changed into a pale pink triangle bikini top, and wrapped a pink sarong around her trim waist Natasha became a popular influencer when she launched the A Bikini A Day blog in 2012 with best pal Devin Brugman. They capitalised on their success two years later with the launch of their own label, MONDAY Swimwear. Like Simone, Natasha has also collaborated on campaigns with major fashion and beauty brands. Ready for their close-up: Natasha and Simone were joined on the shoot by a glam squad Success story: Natasha became a popular influencer when she launched the A Bikini A Day blog in 2012 with best pal Devin Brugman President Donald Trump trails in the polls in Wisconsin and Minnesota, but he is banking on the support of one group whose fortunes have improved somewhat in the past year: dairy farmers. Thanks to reinforcements to the federal dairy safety net and a generous coronavirus-relief package, fewer dairy farmers are going out of business and their outlook has brightened despite the pandemic. Peoples morale has definitely lifted, said Shelly DePestel, one of the owners of the Lewiston Dairy in southeast Minnesota, one of the states largest. I do think a lot of dairy farmers support Trump, from my limited communication. An irony of this new optimism in dairy is that the politician most responsible for the legislation that caused it is U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, a Minnesota Democrat, the chairman of the House Agricultural Committee. Collin Peterson is a champion to dairy, DePestel said. Its not about a party thing. Its about whos helping us, whos looking out for us, whos got our interests at heart. She is is one of the fashion industry's most promising up and coming models. And Hana Cross, 23, cut a casual figure in black double denim as she stepped out for an evening at celebrity hot spot Chiltern Firehouse in London on Saturday night. The ex-girlfriend of Brooklyn Beckham, 21, offered a glimpse of her washboard abs in the low-rise black jeans as she left the luxury Marylebone hotel. Wow: Hana Cross, 23, cut a casual figure in double denim as she stepped out for an evening at celebrity hot spot Chiltern Firehouse in London on Saturday night She paired her laid-back look with a lacy white bralette featuring ribbon detailing for the night out and draped a jacket adorned with badges over her shoulders. Styling her brunette locks in sleek waves, Hana added detailing to her tresses with neat plaited braids around her face. The model accentuated her flawless complexion with a dash of highlighter over her cheekbones and a rose lip for the outing with her friend. Star: Hana layered pearl and silver necklaces over her decolletage and opted for patent black square-toe boots to add height Finishing her look, Hana layered pearl and silver necklaces over her decolletage and opted for patent black square-toe boots to add height. Brooklyn, 21, and Hana called it quits last year after eight months of dating in the wake of a string of explosive public rows. Back in September, reports surfaced Victoria and David were relieved when the couple split. A source told The Sun at the time: 'Brooklyn and Hana have called off their romance for good. David and Victoria very glad and relieved and are backing him 100 per cent.' Beauty: Styling her brunette locks in sleek waves, Hana added detailing to her tresses with neat plaited braids around her face Hana has since moved on from her turbulent romance with Brooklyn and is dating Nasser Alfallah, who is a Loyola Marymount University student in Los Angeles and is originally from Kuwait. And according to The Sun, the influencer is said to have started recording her debut album with savage lyrics believed to be about her ex - who got engaged to American actress Nicole Peltz, 25, last month - and their failed romance. The website reports that in the track, Hana sings: 'I wish that someone told me you had a habit for dishonesty . . . though you break my heart, I want to stay.' A source added to the publication: 'She is still raw from her split with Brooklyn and it pains her to see him so happy. 'Her record has a few heartbreak songs and she isn't afraid of expressing how she feels.' They added that it is best that Brooklyn 'steers clear' of the record when it comes out. MailOnline contacted both Brooklyn's and Hana's representatives for comment at the time. Tens of thousands of opposition supporters marched in the Belarusian capital of Minsk Sunday, defying a heavy security presence that included water cannon and armoured vehicles. More than 100 people were arrested on the sidelines of that demonstration and similar protests in other major cities, the rights group Viasna said. The protests came a day after police officers detained hundreds of demonstrators at a women's march in the capital. The opposition movement has kept up a wave of big demonstrations every Sunday since President Alexander Lukashenko won a disputed victory in August 9 polls. In Minsk, people holding red-and-white protest flags gathered for the "March of Justice" walked through central streets holding placards with slogans such as "Cowards beat up women" and "Get out!". Natalya Chizhevich, a 60-year-old retired teacher said she came every week. "Europe won't help us get rid of Lukashenko, the people themselves have to remove him," she said. Several independent media outlets estimated numbers at tens of thousands, while the opposition newspaper Nasha Niva put the figure much higher at 150,000. Previous marches have drawn estimated turnouts of at least 100,000. "I hope this won't die down. We come out every time, it's such a breath of fresh air," said Maxim Karpov, 33. "This all gives us strength to fight on." Police and internal troops drove military trucks, water cannon and armoured personnel carriers into the city centre and set up barbed wire. In the evening, large numbers of riot police with shields faced off against flag-waving protesters after detaining small numbers at the start. Viasna said at least 80 had been detained in Minsk and 47 in other cities. In the southwestern city of Brest, police said they fired tear gas at protesters during tense street clashes and added that one officer fired a stun grenade into the air. The government ordered a reduction in mobile internet coverage during the protests, and central Minsk metro stations were closed. Story continues Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who has claimed victory over Lukashenko in the polls and taken shelter in Lithuania, praised demonstrators for coming out "to bravely stand up for what they want". The mass protest followed a police crackdown Saturday on peaceful women demonstrators who wore shiny accessories for a "Sparkly March". Protesters were dragged into vans, and some were lifted off their feet and carried. Belarusian interior ministry spokeswoman Olga Chemodanova said Sunday that police had detained 415 people in Minsk and 15 in other cities Saturday for breaking rules on mass demonstrations. She said 385 had been released. 'Worth fighting for' The scale of Saturday's detentions prompted the opposition's Coordination Council to warn of a "new phase in the escalation of violence against peaceful protesters". Among those detained was prominent protest figure Nina Baginskaya, 73, who was later released. The aggressive police tactics prompted an opposition Telegram channel, Nexta, which has more than two million subscribers, to publish what it said were the names and ranks of more than 1,000 police officers. Protesters have tried to pull masks and balaclavas off police who appear at demonstrations in plain clothes or in uniforms without insignia or name badges. Opposition leader Tikhanovskaya on Saturday said Belarusians were ready to strip police obeying "criminal orders" of anonymity. Lukashenko has dismissed opposition calls for his resignation and sought help from Russia's President Vladimir Putin, who has promised law enforcement backup if needed and a $1.5 billion loan. Tikhanovskaya is to meet European Union foreign ministers Monday in Brussels as the EU prepares sanctions against those it blames for rigging the election and the regime's violent crackdown. Authorities have jailed many of Tikhanovskaya's allies who formed the leadership of the Coordination Council, or driven them out of the country. Campaign partner Maria Kolesnikova has been imprisoned and charged with undermining national security. She released a message to protesters Sunday saying: "Freedom is worth fighting for. Don't be afraid to be free!" (AFP) The freshman Democrat from Connecticut called for a national testing strategy in a string of tweets WATERBURY, Conn. Rep. Jahana Hayes of Connecticut has tested positive for the new coronavirus and will quarantine for 14 days, she announced Sunday on Twitter. After going to 2 urgent care centers yesterday, I finally got an appointment at a 3rd site and was tested this morning, the first-term Democrat said. Hayes said she has no COVID-19 symptoms except for breathing issues which are being monitored. Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT) participates in a House Education and Labor Committee Markup on the H.R. 582 Raise The Wage Act, in the Rayburn House Office Building on March 6, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) Hayes sought testing after one of her staff members tested positive for the virus on Saturday. She reported experiencing no symptoms, except for respiratory concerns. READ MORE: Officials change COVID testing advice, bewildering experts Hayes, 47, said she contracted the virus despite taking every possible precaution. She said her experience underscores the need for a national testing strategy with a coherent way to receive speedy, accurate results, adding, This level of anxiety and uncertainty is untenable. This morning I received a positive COVID-19 test result and will be quarantined for the 14 days. After going to 2 urgent care centers yesterday, I finally got an appointment at a 3rd site and was tested this morning. pic.twitter.com/Yiw9yNLglU Jahana Hayes (@RepJahanaHayes) September 20, 2020 Hayes went on to explain in the thread that members of Congress are not regularly tested for the virus, which nearly 6.8 million people have contracted in America, and that mass testing does not exist in Washington, D.C. The virus, which causes the disease COVID-19, has been connected to more than 199,000 deaths in the country and more than deaths 958,300 globally, according to data compiled by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. READ MORE: People who test positive for coronavirus twice as likely to have eaten at restaurant: study Story continues Masks, social distancing & frequent floor cleanings are the precautions that are taken in the House. I have taken every possible precaution and still contracted coronavirus, she wrote in one tweet. Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now! The post Rep. Jahana Hayes tests positive for COVID-19 appeared first on TheGrio. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal On certain days, usually around the beginning of the month, Cathy Garcias phone will ring. Usually, it is someone living in Santa Fe with a question about rental law, what it is and how it could affect them. But Garcia, who takes calls for the Chainbreaker Collectives Rental Assistance Hotline, has noticed more people calling about imminent eviction threats. In the past month, we have definitely seen an increase in calls and also an increase in the urgency that the calls are taking, Garcia told the Journal. Since the hotline launched in May, around 100 individuals have called seeking assistance of some kind as many struggle to pay rent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the service industries jobs in Santa Fe are no longer available as businesses close or shrink staff numbers. Unemployment in New Mexico and Santa Fe County stands at 13%, leaving some residents reliant on assistance to make ends meet. And the number of people facing the threat of eviction has only increased as the pandemic wears on. Eviction claims filed by landlords in Santa Fe Magistrate Court rose from 16 in April to 40 in July. August also had a large number, with 32 claims filed. Garcia said August was the first month many callers could no longer afford to pay rent, just as the federal government ceased paying unemployment benefits and let a freeze on evictions from federally subsidized housing expire. As a result, more eviction claims have been filed. Garcia said clients who call her say they have trouble paying rent, but landlords will sometimes attempt to evict them for failing to comply with other aspects of the lease, such as hanging personal items on a balcony. One of the things were starting to see is landlords starting to find other or additional reasons to pressure the tenants to leave, she said. After the CARES Act moratorium on evictions ended, multiple apartment complexes began issuing warnings to residents, threatening to evict them if they failed to pay all the rent they owed. In some cases, the tenant owed rent totaling thousands of dollars. The warnings also stated residents would be liable for legal bills incurred by the landlord during the eviction process, something Garcia said needs to be decided by a judge. Garcia said the main problem is that many tenants do not understand the rights they have, especially regarding the various moratoriums on evictions currently in place. The state Supreme Court and city of Santa Fe have both issued freezes on evictions if the persons income has been negatively affected by COVID-19, with the courts order to expire at the end of the year. The Centers for Disease Control also recently issued its own eviction freeze, but it is unclear if the agency possesses that authority. Tenants still owe all rent they do not pay during the eviction freeze. Many fear that Santa Fe, along with other communities in the nation, will endure a wave of evictions once any moratorium is lifted. Lisa Bybee, a property manager and board member at the Santa Fe Association of Realtors, said that wave could damage an already burdened rental market in the city. Santa Fe is known for having one of the tightest rental markets in the country, with only around of 2% of its rental units available. A January 2020 survey of the average price of a rental in Santa Fe was $1,102, compared to $896 in Albuquerque. Bybee said the slim availability of units in Santa Fe puts those evicted at greater risk. These people would have nowhere to go, she said. Garcia agreed, adding evictions would probably displace many residents, who will then be forced to live in communities such as Rio Rancho or Pojoaque. Theyre just going to get pushed further and further away, she said. That I think is my biggest fear. And someone evicted for inability to pay may have difficulty finding another place to rent. Bybee said that since COVID-19 hit, property managers are more cautious about who they allow to rent their units. We have to be more careful you may have tenants that run into financial trouble, she said. Bybee said she is worried about tenants being unable to pay rent since many landlords in Santa Fe rely on those rent payments to supplement their income and pay their mortgage. In Santa Fe, a unit rented for the right price can produce around $30,000 annually, she said. However, Garcia said most of her callers live in corporate-owned apartment complexes, rather than properties owned by private landlords. Most of the eviction claims filed in magistrate court end up being dismissed, especially when inability to pay is cited as the reason. However, Garcia said going through the eviction process especially for those who dont know their rights can be taxing on its own, even if they get to stay. These experiences are traumatic, she said. There just isnt enough easy, simple information out there. Around a third of Garcias callers speak primarily Spanish and she said documents that explain a tenants rights are rarely available in languages other than English. Chainbreaker Collective Executive Director Tomas Rivera said plenty of people are at risk for eviction in Santa Fe, but noted its hardly a new issue for the area. Theres always been an eviction crisis in Santa Fe, he said. The Phillies will begin the final week of a playoff race by turning to a prospect Sunday as Adonis Medina is expected to start the series finale against Toronto at Citizens Bank Park. Medina, a 23-year-old righthander, had a 4.94 ERA last season at double-A Reading with 82 strikeouts in 105 innings. His best season was in 2017 at single-A Lakewood when he had a 3.01 ERA in 22 starts and struck out 10 batters per nine innings. Phillies manager Joe Girardi said Medina is really lined up to pitch Sunday, but the team is waiting to make it official as they must finalize their postseason 40-man roster by noon on Sunday. Medina, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the farm systems No. 6 prospect, pairs a mid-90s fastball with a change-up and slider. If he pitches Sunday, hell face righthander Taijuan Walker with the Phillies clinging to one of the National Leagues two wild cards. Hes been up to, I think, 75 pitches and has been throwing the ball well, Girardi said. Hes been throwing his off-speed well, too. Its a young man coming up to make his first start, and I think anything is possible. I think hes talented. Bohms status The Phillies are unsure if Alec Bohm will be able to play Sunday after he was sent home from the ballpark on Saturday afternoon with an upset stomach. Girardi said the Phillies think Bohms illness is caused by something he ate. He was sent home as a precaution and the Phillies will learn Sunday if Bohm can play in the series finale. Latino leaders and organizations recognized the efforts of late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the defender of Latinos, excluded, oppressed, and immigrants. Latino civic and advocacy organizations have joined the outpouring sympathy over the passing of ideal court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The pioneering jurist died at her domestic in Washington on September 18 at the age of 87. She began as a jurist since 1993, Ginsburg was long a defender of the legal, civil, and constitutional rights of Latinos and immigrants in the country Domingo Garcia, national president of the League of United Latin American residents, said, "One of Justice Ginsburg's greatest legacies was that she understood and greatly respected the spirit of the law as much as the letter of the law. She was well aware of her place in history as one of the voices for the excluded, the oppressed, and those trying to find real justice in our courts." Rep. Veronica Escobar posted on her Twitter account, "Our nation has lost a giant. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a pioneer and trailblazer who fiercely advocated gender equality and women's rights. The life and legacy of the Great Dissenter will forever be celebrated and honored in American history." The Hispanic Countrywide Bar Association, in its announcement, known as Ginsburg "a legal giant" and "a fervent defender of civil liberties and civil rights... and a bridge-builder on our nation's highest court." Other advocacy groups, consisting of Latino Victory Fund, and Voto Latino, additionally expressed disappointment and sadness over Ginsburg's passing. L. A. Times columnist Gustavo Arellano wrote that the first-rate way to honor the late justice's legacy might be to vote on November 3. Ginsburg penned a fiery dissent in Shelby County V. Holder (2013), which dismantled a key provision of the balloting Rights Act mandating that southern states get federal approval earlier than converting balloting laws. "Throwing out preclearance while it has labored and is persevering with to work to forestall discriminatory changes is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm due to the fact you aren't getting moist," she wrote. The Shelby County case has had sizable implications for Latinos and other communities of coloration. It resulted in new regulations and regulations on voting, which may be regarded as attempts at voter suppression. On immigration, Ginsburg's critiques mirror a regular subject for migrants' rights, along with immigrant detainees. In June 2020, she sided with the court docket's majority in DHS. V. Regents of the college of California, locating that the Trump management had improperly terminated the DACA software (which presents deportation alleviation to certain younger immigrants). In Arizona v. U.S. (2012), Ginsburg again sided with most people, hanging down three provisions in Arizona's SB1070, the state's arguable "papers, please" law. In Demore v. Kim (2003), Ginsburg became in the minority, arguing against prolonged mandatory immigrant detention. In Zadvydas v. Davis (2001), she joined with most people in finding that the government couldn't keep immigrant detainees indefinitely if their home countries refused to accept their repatriation. Late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will always be remembered by Latinos, Hispanics, and immigrants who continue to fight for their rights and the racism issue. Check these out! A new eLearning module for students aims to "close gaps in students' understanding of sexual violence and harassment". The Active* Consent Toolkit includes information on rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment, and how to access support services. It will be rolled out in 22 colleges, having been produced by NUI Galway's Active* Consent Programme. Higher Education Minister Simon Harris is launching the module in the context of new research, which reveals worrying attitudes from students in relation to consent. In a Sexual Experiences Survey conducted last June, only 37% of male students said they were very likely to say something to intervene if a friend was taking a drunk person back to their room at a party. In comparison, 63% of female students said they were very likely to intervene in the same situation. Just over half of male students agreed with the idea that if a woman initiates kissing or hooking up, she should not be surprised if a man assumes she wants to have sex. Meanwhile, only 26% of female college students gave neutral responses or agreed on the same question. Some 53% of male students and 37% of female students gave a 'neutral' or 'agree' response when asked if they believe asking for consent is awkward. Read More Paul Mescal among nominees ahead of first post-Covid-19 Emmys Mr Harris said: "We have to do more to raise awareness and support students, and the Active* Consent Toolkit will greatly assist institutions in a really practical way. I want to see all of our higher education institutions further embed the consent framework into their policies and procedures so as to ensure a deep and lasting impact." The three-stage higher education consent learning programme can also be delivered fully online, so Covid-19 restrictions will not get in the way of its delivery. Students will be active participants, taking part in quizzes, polls, and activities to support learning about consent, sexual violence, and harassment. They will also respond to case studies to find out how to support peers using empathetic communication and by taking action to intervene when they see something that is harmful. "Our latest research shows that teenagers in schools and young adults in colleges strongly support the idea that consent means having the right to say yes or no, and having their partners hear and respect these preferences," said Dr Padraig MacNeela, Active* Consent Programme co-lead. But the research also shows that the confidence to act on this understanding can be undermined by embarrassment and shame, including misperceptions of what your peers actually think. "There is also now evidence to show that a number of young people either agree with or do not actively reject misinformed and potentially harmful rape myths," he said. Emirate Airlines has been banned from operating in Nigeria's space. Nigeria's Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, announced the ban in a tweet. According to the Minister, the ban will be effective from Monday, September 21, 2020. He tweeted: The PTF sub-committee met today with EU Ambassadors to discuss Lufthansa, Air France/KLM ban. The meeting progressed well. Emirates Airlines' situation was reviewed and they are consequently included in the list of those not approved, with effect from Monday, September 21, 2020. Before the resumption of international flights in Nigeria, the Federal Government had announced that Air France, KLM, Etihad, RwandAir, Air Namibia, Royal Air Maroc, Lufthansa, TAAG Angola Airlines were not granted approval to commence flight operations. Daily Guide AstraZeneca divulged details of its large COVID-19 vaccine trials on Saturday, the third in a series of rare disclosures by drug companies pressurized to be more transparent regarding the process of their testing products. Such products are regarded by the world's hope for ending the novel coronavirus pandemic. AstraZeneca's vaccine was deemed unsafe due to an illness as a side effect. 'Potentially Unexplained' Illness The last stages of the studies of AstraZeneca's vaccine candidate are temporary halted while the company probes into whether a user's "potentially unexplained" illness is a side effect of a vaccine shot. The company released a statement on Tuesday evening that its "standard review process triggered a pause to vaccination to allow review of safety data," reported The Bio Connection. The Biggest Challenge That Lies Ahead According to a physician who has been tracking pandemic information for months amid political discussions on the probability of a COVID-19 vaccine, the biggest challenge is prompting people to take the vaccine when it is ready, reported Reid Health. "There is a lot of vaccine shyness in the United States," stated Thomas Huth, M.D., Vice President of Medical Affairs for Reid Health. He added that it is comprehensible that the public will have concerns regarding a new vaccine that was created very quickly. Halt Deemed a Good Decision Albuquerque Journal asserted that the pause should ensure a dubious public safety is not being manipulated even with a global push. The United States Trump government has dubbed it Operation Warp Speed -- to create a vaccine in record time. The website noted that AstraZeneca's move to halt the late-stage trials of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate when a person developed a severe side effect to deem it unsafe might not sound like good progress. Also Read: Dr. Fauci Says Possible Second Wave of COVID-19 in the Fall Should Not Be Underestimated AstraZeneca did not reveal any information about the probable side effect of its vaccine candidate. The halt in testing is due to the probable side effect that occurred in the UK. Americans Dubious of Accepting Vaccine According to polls, the United States citizens are increasingly dubious of accepting a COVID-19 vaccine. Scientists within and outside the government are concerned that supervisors, pressurized by the president for results prior to the Election Day on November 3, may issue an unproven vaccine that is unsafe. According to Natalie Dean, a biostatistician and expert in clinical trial design for vaccines at the University of Florida, the issuing of such measures is reflective of public pressure to do so. "This is an unprecedented situation, and public confidence is such a huge part of the success of this endeavor," according to Natalie Dean, a biostatistician and expert in clinical trial design for vaccines at the University of Florida, reported New York Times. Vaccinations Cover Studies Halt According to an AstraZeneca spokesperson confirming the pause in vaccinations covers studies in the United States and other nations, "As part of the ongoing randomized, controlled global trials of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine, our standard review process was triggered and we voluntarily paused vaccination to allow review of safety data by an independent committee. She added regarding the AstraZeneca vaccine being deemed unsafe, "This is 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." Related Article: Wuhan Families Accuse China of Barring COVID-19 Lawsuits @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. In a major success, anti narcotics task force foiled a smuggling bid and recovered a huge consignment of high grade Hashish or hash worth crores headed for Mumbai and arrested two interstate smugglers in Jammu on Saturday. The accused have been identified as Ali Mohammad and Aamin Khan of Somalpur, Ajmer in Rajasthan. Senior superintendent of police (SSP) ANTF J&K, Vinay Sharma stated that an information from reliable sources was received about a truck (number RJ10GB-3411) parked near Tawi bridge on Nagrota- Narwal bypass road in Jammu, in which, a large quantity of Hashish was concealed in apple boxes and was being smuggled from Kashmir to Mumbai. Also Read: Anurag Kashyap claims Ravi Kishan used to smoke weed, opens up on his own struggle. During a search of the truck, 35 kg of Hashish like substance was recovered. Both the drug smugglers Ali Mohammad and Aamin Khan have been arrested and are in police custody, he said. Sharma said the department will probe if there was a cross-border link to this haul. We are working to unearth all the links of these drug dealers, said the SSP and added that all possible aspects including cross border smuggling were being probed in this case and more arrests were likely. Editorial Koala-gate With the Coronavirus and the politics surrounding it taking up most of the air-time, other issues havent gotten as much exposure. Two weeks ago, however, that changed slightly as Koala-gate almost threatened the existence of the NSW Coalition government. The NSW Coalition government seemed to be on the ropes as the National Party was reneging on its approval of the states koala protection policy from last year. The State Environmental Planning Policy (Koala Habitat Protection) 2019 (SEPP) was designed to help communities rebuild after the 2019/2020 bushfires. This included a new provision in the Koala SEPP to facilitate the safe and speedy rebuilding and repair of homes impacted by bushfires. However, issues arose over the increased bureaucracy and regulation of the policy. Landowners would now have a mandatory 28-day consultation period with local councils for developments and the number of tree species being protected would grow from ten to 123. Reflecting the division in the Coalition, one of the more vocal critics of the policy, Nationals MPs Chris Gulaptis, stated: I was elected to Parliament to represent my community and I get really annoyed when city-centric people preach to us, especially when people in Sydney have done nothing for their koalas. These sentiments were echoed by NSW Nationals chairman Andrew Fraser who said, The people of regional NSW are sick and tired of being used as the biodiversity offset for western Sydney development. As a result, the Nationals threatened to move to the crossbench a development that shocked its Coalition partner, the Liberal Party, who heard the news as it broke. The following day, NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro went into a meeting with NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian hell-bent on ensuring the demands of the Nationals were met. The meeting, which went on for almost two hours, resulted in the Nationals getting bupkis. In fact, they got worse than nothing as the whole ordeal resulted in the Nationals looking like spoilt brats not getting their way when the whole country has been attempting to give off the image that it is working together to get through the pandemic. Barilaro, who has already offered his resignation as NSW Nationals leader (which was rejected), is now a vulnerable figure, while on the other hand, Berejiklian, has come across as a strong leader. This is nothing but rhetoric from a Party that long abandoned any support of Australian farmers (if it can ever claim to have done so). Nothing about their opposition to this policy is about the communities they represent but all about the interests of property developers. John Watts from Gloucester, in a letter to the Sydney Morning Herald, wrote: the Nationals have supported big mining and developer interests over those of others living in the regions, particularly farmers. In Gloucester, where I live, opinion polls showed there was overwhelming opposition to AGLs coal seam gas plans and the Rocky Hill coal mine, and yet the Nationals chose to support both projects. In Narrabri, where farmers and others oppose the Santos plan to sink thousands of gas wells, not one word has been spoken by the Nationals against the plan. Additionally, farmers like Cathy Eggert supports the policy stating that its a responsibility that needs to be shared with the entire community. If the Nationals cared about farmers and their constituents they would listen to them. A Houston doctor died early Saturday after fighting for her life in an intensive care unit since becoming infected with COVID-19 in July, according to a statement from her family. Adeline Fagan, a 28-year-old New York native who was completing her second year of residency as an OB-GYN in Houston, tested positive for the infection in early July before her condition worsened and she became hospitalized. By mid-August, she had been on a ventilator and ECMO machine for about two weeks and she was expected to remain on a ventilator for about six more weeks. Fagans father, Brant, confirmed her death in a statement posted Saturday atop of a fundraiser page initially organized to help her pay her medical and travel expenses as well as other bills. The statement had a time stamp of 4:24 a.m. The time the world stopped for a moment and will never be the same, Brant wrote. Our beautiful daughter, sister, friend, physician, Adeline Marie Fagan, MD passed away. Fagan was doing well in recent weeks, according to the statement. But about half an hour after receiving a good report on her condition at 10 p.m. Friday, her family received a call. They had to decide whether to perform a procedure that would relieve pressure of a massive brain bleed. A nurse who entered Fagans room for a routine task noticed she was not responsive. Hospital staff rushed to perform a CT scan to see the extent of the damage. A neurosurgeon told the family there was a 1 in a million chance Fagan would survive the procedure. And if she did, she would have several severe cognitive and sensory limitations. We spent the remaining minutes hugging, comforting, and talking to Adeline, the statement read. And then the world stopped. Brant thanked everyone who supported Fagan and her family over the last couple of weeks. Even in this darkest of times, there are good people willing to share a piece of themselves for the sake of another, Brant wrote. If you can do one thing, be an Adeline in the world. Be passionate about helping others less fortunate, have a smile on your face, a laugh in your heart, and a Disney tune on your lips. Fagan became one of the latest casualties in the coronavirus pandemic that has already killed about 200,000 people in the United Sates. In the Houston region, 3,317 people have died as of Saturday. Fagans primary task at a Houston hospital was delivering babies, but she had also treated COVID-19 patients. On July 8, she started a 12-hour shift with excitement before her body and head started aching. Her younger sisters, Maureen and Natalie, previously said her story presented a cautionary tale. We would like people to understand the gravity of the situation, Natalie told The Chronicle last month. There are many people out there who do not think theyll get sick. But the fact of the matter is Adelines story is a universal one right now. We could be Adeline. So taking every precaution can protect yourself and your neighbor. Wear a mask, social distance, stay home if possible. You dont have go through what Adeline is going through. Fagan wanted to be a doctor since she was a little girl with a toy stethoscope. She was a graduate of University at Buffalo medical school. On Saturday night, Houston police Chief Art Acevedo called Fagans death heart wrenching. Prayers to her, her family, her friends and her colleagues. May God comfort them all and protect us all, Acevedo said in a tweet. alejandro.serrano@chron.com An American flag flies outside the U.S. Capitol dome in Washington, D.C. Reuters By Emanuel Pastreich The United States of America is a term that contains in it all the hope and all the contradictions of our country, and of the Americas. That hope dates far back in the past, to the inspiring words of the Declaration of Independence that articulated a form of governance that was, at least in terms of its potential, unprecedented. The enslavement of Africans and the attacks on the native nations belied those powerful words "all men are created equal." But the power of those words transcended the limitations of the men who wrote them and echoed around the world. America's contradictions, which we have buried out of shame, continue to hold us back from realizing our potential to be great in word and deed. If we were at last "united" as "states" we could achieve our destiny and find strength in unity. That would require us to recognize not only the shadows that have accompanied the bright light of hope, but also the tremendous wisdom left to us by the original peoples of the Americas. They were men and women who wove intricate tapestries of life and spirit that were completely invisible to the dull men who drafted maps far away; men who sold off mountains, rivers and forests as a dry and exchangeable thing called "real estate." The sad legacy of those past sins is that politics and economics in the United States have been reduced to a game of division. People are divided using symbols and motifs that appeal to unconscious associations; nations are divided using misperceptions and false generalizations; land is divided using alien concepts like real estate, national borders and property rights. Security for one's family and for one's home has been distorted into a right to destroy nature and community in the pursuit of profit. The "United States of America" ends today in a militarized wall, a DMZ of the south that defines in a precise manner, to the inch, where one nation state ends and where another nation-state begins. Yet for all the precision of this division, it has no basis in human experience in the natural world and it certainly means nothing to the sun and the moon that have offered their light to the diverse nations of the Americas for tens of thousands of years. When the sun and the moon look down from above they see a long stretch of land between the two poles that narrows to a delicate isthmus in the middle, forming an exquisite whole, balancing the mountains that rise up above the ground with those that lie beneath the ocean. Unbroken bands of culture and natural chains of plants and animals link together the Americas from south to north. From the concentric stone circles that form Moray, the agricultural laboratory developed by the Incas to assure a sustainable future for all, and the soaring temples of Tenochtitlan, erected by the Aztecs to reflect the unity of Heaven and Earth, to the delicate communities of the Karitiana people deep in the pristine jungles, and the Mesa Verde city carved into the face of a cliff by the elders of the Pueblo Nation, the human achievements of the Americas are diverse and exquisite. From the soaring peaks of the Aconcagua Mountains, and the surface of Lake Titicaca that reflects the skies so perfectly, to the waves of sand constantly reshaped in fantastic patterns by the winds of the Mohave Desert, the surface of the Americas forms an inspiring mosaic. Those climates and habitats are inhabited by the golden lion tamarin that swings gracefully through the lush Amazon trees, by the magnificent Magellanic penguin standing watch confidently on the shores of Patagonia, by the indefatigable armadillo that has roamed over the grasses between Big Bend Ranch and Canon de Santa Elena -- long before humans gave those formations names. Moreover, the working people in the cities of the Americas, whether they speak Spanish or English, or other tongues, have so much more in common with each other than they could possibly know. There is a great unity of experience, whether it is the pleasures of being with our children in the mornings, or the frustrations of work, or the sorrows of communities torn apart by hidden forces. Yet, there are hidden powers and subterranean currents that are not blocked by borders. No, those powers make the borders, enforce the borders, so as to keep the little people, the honest people, north and south, penned up like cattle, so as to deny them the freedom of the eagle or of the taruca. There is the flow of money and currency, a flow of agricultural goods, finished products and components, a flow of information and data controlled by the powerful, and used for their own selfish ends. That flow is unimpeded by borders. The powerful drink deeply from that flow of money. They want us to be separated from each other, and they will do anything to encourage us to think that it is the hard-working families from the south, struggling to feed themselves, and not the multinational corporations that are responsible for the pain we feel. Powerful politicians, Democrat and Republican, promote borders, enforce borders, and militarize borders. They have built a horrific DMZ between the United States and Mexico. They make fortunes for their friends pouring concrete where there were once cactuses and wildflowers. Who are those borders for? Those borders pin us up inside and make us prisoners. They are also building walls in our neighborhoods, walls around their mansions and their exclusive communities, and walls around private prisons and camps where they detain us and abuse us. Sadly, many in the United States think that what is being done to Hispanics has nothing to do with them. They could not be more wrong. What has been done to immigrants in the camps over the past few years is but a trial run for what will be done to all working Americans. The time has come for all Americans to realize that they have much more in common with the immigrant family locked up in a camp than they do with the billionaires. The peoples of the south do not travel to the north because they like the cold weather, or because they like the wretched taste of processed foods like hamburgers. They would rather live in their villages, farm their fields -- the fields where their ancestors farmed for decades before they too lay beneath them. They are forced to move, compelled to leave behind family, friends and familiar landscapes because of the hidden flow of money over borders that powers the takeover of farms by corporations for wasteful and destructive production. Corporations force farmers to use one-use seeds and pesticides and herbicides that poison our sacred land. They drive the butchery of the majestic jungles and encourage the drilling for natural resources underground at any human cost. That oil and metal should stay underground where it is. Those soaring trees must be left alone. We are subject to a psychotic pursuit of profit powered by forces far from the jungles and rivers of the Americas. Investment banks in London, in Hong Kong or in Dallas that seek quick profits for their wealthy clients are driving this suicide march. They care nothing about nature or about people Americans do not know about the horrors unfolding in the south because such truths are kept secret from them by a corrupt and decadent media; a media that is a tool for control, a weapon of deception. Americans see those forced to immigrate, forced to work for almost nothing to survive and they feel threatened. They would feel solidarity with those people if they could see how much they have in common. Instead, they are told by the dark powers that these people are the enemy. The newspapers, the public opinion leaders and church ministers repeat those lies. Those newspapers and those churches have been bought off by the billionaires. It was those billionaires who manufactured this disaster. We can certainly understand why some Americans respond emotionally to what seems like an invasion of foreigners. Their emotions are not unlike the emotions felt by those in the Amazon when they see tractors destroy their jungles in search of oil, minerals and timber. The shooting at the Walmart in El Paso, Texas, on August 3, 2019, represented a terrible evil that is invisible even as it stalks the streets in daylight. August 3 is not just any day. It was on August 3 of 1492 that Christopher Columbus set off from Spain to "discover" this land and set up, unknowingly, a process that would unleash tremendous evil. It was on August 3 of 1914 that Germany invaded Belgium and started the First World War. It was on August 3 of 1934 when Adolf Hitler declared himself "Fuhrer" (leader) and ended the rule of law in Germany. The El Paso attack left 23 dead and 23 injured. It was an obvious bid to turn fear and loathing into outright war. Who knows what happened in El Paso? We know that people died there and that a terrible evil was unleashed that slouches now toward a murky horizon. The Bible teaches us that evil is colorless, that evil is invisible, and that evil is seductive. This evil is not the obvious evil encountered by superheroes. No. It is a more pernicious, a more subtle and more enticing evil -- an evil that demands that we be prepared for an epic battle over the soul of humanity. We do not need a "United States" of finance, of manufacturing and of distribution. We need a "United States" of teachers, of doctors, of social workers, of students, and of farmers. We need a "United States" of mothers and fathers. When we have that, then we will discover how much we have in common. Our universal concerns cross over borders, languages and habits of the mind. We must go back to the original sin, to the manner in which the Conquistadors took over the Americas, doing such terrible damage, and bringing with them a new culture that remains with us today, a culture that offers us great depths, but also savage cruelty camouflaged as piety. The sins of this day are but the latest variation on that original sin. Remember that it was Jesus on the cross that gave authority to the Conquistadors. It makes no sense, but it is the truth. Jesus, who lived among the poor, among the homeless, the beggars, and the prostitutes, Jesus who refused to possess anything, Jesus who died on the cross for his spiritual resistance to the decadent power of the Roman Empire. That Jesus was invoked as a cause for the destruction of the cultures of the Mayans, of the Incas, of the Aztecs and of many, many other peoples. And now, we witness a similar erasure of cultures and of peoples across the Americas. At the heart of this transformation we find the concept of ownership, specially the ownership of land. Consider the famous case of the island of Manhattan. The story we learned as children in school is that Peter Minuit of the Dutch West India Company met Lenape nation representatives in May 1626 and that he purchased for his company the island of Manhattan for 60 guilders. We assumed that the Lenape people were simply naive, that they did not understand the value of Manhattan. They were too ignorant, or too foolish, to see how these rocks and forests would become a great center for global finance that would rise up in the form of skyscrapers where once there were trees. Now we know that the truth was the complete opposite. The Lenape people were wise and the Dutch West India Company was foolish. The Lenape nation did not see the exchange of currency (coins, beads or trinkets) as anything more than an agreement for cooperation. The very idea that the soil, the rivers, the forests and the wildlife that filled that sacred island of Manhattan could belong to any one person, let alone to a soulless corporation, made no sense to them. The concept of real estate and of assets embraced by the Dutch West India Company was an irrational, and in a sense a psychotic, misperception of the relationship between people and nature. Perhaps a five-year-old child may have such a self-centered concept of the world, but for adults to be so indulgent suggests it was a spiritual sickness. The conflict that followed was, at its core, not a conflict between peoples, between interests, or between nations, but rather a conflict between means of perception, between basic values. A terrible blindness seized the souls of those who trampled on the cultures of the Incas, the Mayans, the Aztecs, and those of their brothers and sisters. Many of those involved in this original sin were not aware of what they were doing. And now, the environmental and cultural crisis is so great that we are forced to recognize that a sustainable society must be integrated with nature and that there will be no future otherwise. That is what the Lenape people and the Mayan people knew all along. The myth of development and growth that we believed in for so long was a falsehood. The scars created in the violence of the past are like the bluffs along a river. They are aged, but the fractures are still clear. The harm resulting from the violence of today in the detention camps, and in the prisons, in places where children are locked up alone and families are torn apart, that harm remains a gaping wound. The scars and the wounds are a part of who we are. In some cases, the scars make us stronger; in other cases, they hold us back. We can be sure, however, that any progress forward must also involve a return to that painful past. In some cases, money can help. In some cases compensation can ease the pain of the past. But if compensation to the native peoples of the Americas and of Africa is only seen in terms of money, the results will be limited. If we assume that everything can be solved by money, that assumption will reinforce the horrid centrality of money in our society, in how we perceive land and water, plants and animals, people and cultures. Memory and history are critical. They are more critical than money because if people remember what existed before, then they will value the past. If there is no memory, there will be no political will. No political will means no money. First, before we talk about anything else, we must tell the painful tale of how native cultures were destroyed, recognizing that we are talking about that potential for evil that rests within all of us. There is no border between North and South America when it comes to those past sins, or to current sins. One possible first step is to establish two new Holocaust museums in Washington, D.C. A Holocaust museum stands on the Mall in Washington, D.C., that faithfully records the horrific killing of Jews in Europe in the 1940s. It is a source of information of tremendous value to us as we strive to understand the nature of evil. I recommend that you take your children to the Holocaust museum. Yet, we must remember that the Holocaust documented at that museum happened in Europe, not in the Americas. There were, however, two terrible holocausts that took place in North and South America, two holocausts that cry out from the grave for a fit and proper memorial on the Mall. My administration will fight tooth and nail to build both Holocaust museums. The first Holocaust museum will be dedicated to the memory of the hundreds of millions of native peoples in the Americas who were slaughtered, or left to die of starvation, or of disease, in the brutal process of colonization and development that took place over four long and cruel centuries. We need a Holocaust museum that documents the history of the peoples of the Americas, and records their cultures and their arts. We need this museum so that all of our children learn about that tragedy, about what humans are capable of doing in their blindness. We need another Holocaust museum on the Mall. We need a Holocaust museum that documents the sufferings and the losses of the tens of millions captured in Africa and shipped to the Americas for slave labor over 400 years. Many millions of men, women and children died on the slave ships; millions more were worked to death, or grew old and died miserably in slavery. Their cultures, their families and their very souls were trampled into the mud. All schoolchildren should visit this Holocaust museum as well and learn what was lost, what was affirmed, and what hope remains for the United States if we look back on our past with honesty. Because these two memorials will make no distinction between North and South America, they will draw the attention of Americans to the common sufferings and the common tragedies of the Americas. The term "American" itself will expand to include both North and South and the artificial divisions created will start to fade away. Part of that healing process must involve the introduction of the best of the cultures, the medicines, the spiritual practices, the clothing and designs, the architecture and the history of indigenous nations into all aspects of contemporary American society. Our fashions should draw on the patterns of the Navahos and the Incas, our hospitals should use the herbs employed by the Hopi and the Cari, and the legends of all the original nations should be integrated into our contemporary dramas, movies and songs. Only then will their true value be made manifest. Only then will their living spirit, after being buried for centuries, be brought back to life, be rekindled for a new age. When I imagine the relationship of the United States with our southern neighbors, with our southern partners, with our southern brothers, I keep coming back to the inspiring work of Henry Wallace, the remarkable politician who implemented President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Good Neighbor Policy" toward Latin America. Vice President Wallace fought for an equal relationship with all nations in the Americas, a balanced dialogue on education, on agriculture, on science and on society that created an inspiring consensus on what was possible. His tour of Latin America in 1943 created excitement about true unity, and ardent opposition to fascism, that has not been matched since. It did not stop there for Wallace. He was passionate about the spiritualism of the Native Americans and he believed wholeheartedly in the depth to be found in the original cultures. He grasped a potential for growth, not merely in terms of money and products, but in terms of civilization itself. The policy of my administration toward the Americas will assume the same potential for harmony and unity in the pursuit of a true "new deal." It will be a harmony with all peoples that is respectful, and a harmony with nature that is sustainable. We will assert that small is beautiful and that the greatest wisdom can be found in the subtle thinking of ancient people, in the cultures of those who left only the slightest traces on the natural environment. We will shy away from the gaudy rituals of politicians. We will step back and promote a dialogue between people that dissolves away borders just as a swift current cuts a beautiful canyon through the hardest of stone. SHENYANG, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A memorial hall commemorating the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) reopened on Saturday in northeast China's Liaoning Province, as the country marks the 70th anniversary of the war. The renovated and expanded Memorial Hall of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea in the border city of Dandong is the only museum in China featuring an exhibition of the complete history of the participation of the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) in the war. Covering a total area of 182,000 square meters, it consists of an exhibition hall, a memorial tower, a national defense education park, and a panorama hall featuring a panoramic painting of 132.15 meters long and 16 meters tall, which depicts the famous battle of the Chongchon River in the war. The floor area of the exhibition hall has been expanded from the original 5,400 square meters to 23,845 square meters. During the refurbishment, the staff of the memorial hall solicited exhibition items from around the world, enriching the displayed items from just over 700 to more than 1,600 now, said Gong Shaoshan, deputy curator of the memorial hall. First established in 1958 and moved to the current site in 1993, the memorial hall closed in late 2014 and has undergone massive refurbishment and expansion since then. Before it was closed, the new site had received 12 million visits. David Cook, one of the founding members of the Alliance Party Tributes have been paid to David Cook, one of the founding members of the Alliance Party and the first non-unionist mayor of Belfast, following his death from Covid-19. Mr Cook, who was 76, battled the virus in recent weeks and passed away peacefully on Saturday just after 6pm at Craigavon Area Hospital, his family said. In a statement, his family expressed their gratitude for the kindness he received in hospitals after he suffered a stroke two years ago and recently as he faced coronavirus. Alliance leader Naomi Long said it was due to the vision of those like David Cook who formed that party that "todays society is able to opt for political representation genuinely focused on working for everyone". Born in Leicester in 1944, he moved as a child to Northern Ireland with his parents and sisters after his father was appointed headmaster of Campbell College, Belfast in 1954. Trained as a solicitor, he helped found Alliance in 1970 and was first elected to Belfast City Council in 1973 - a post he held until 1985. In 1978 he became the first non-unionist Lord Mayor of Belfast. He also served in the Northern Ireland Assembly from 1982 until 1986. Mr Cook was the deputy leader of the Alliance Party from 1980 to 1984. "He devoted his life to finding understanding between its two communities," his family said. "He believed very strongly that the middle ground in Northern Ireland must have a political voice during the worst period of the Troubles in 1970s and 80s. "He was ahead of his time on the issue of policing reform in Northern Ireland. He was chairman of the Police Authority from 1994 to 1996 when he and his friend and colleague Chris Ryder were sacked by the then Secretary of State, 'with regret', after debate about the pace and manner of change had led to a split in the Authority." Aside from politics and policing, Mr Cook was the founder and long-time chariman of the Northern Ireland Voluntary Trust, which is now known as the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland. As part of his work he travelled extensively to fundraise for community groups across Northern Ireland. In latter years he served two terms as chairman of the Craigavon and Banbridge community health and social care trust. Alliance leader Naomi Long said she was saddened by Mr Cook's passing. It is because of the vision of people like David Cook and all those who came together to form the Alliance Party that todays society is able to opt for political representation genuinely focused on working for everyone," she said. We are proud of their hard work, their desire to see a better way forward for Northern Ireland and their determination to make it happen. She said Mr Cook continued his interest in the party in recent years, attending party conferences and dinners. "His loss in this our 50th year is all the more poignant as we never got to celebrate that anniversary together as a result of Covid-19, to which he ultimately and tragically succumbed," she said. My thoughts and those of the Alliance family are with Fionnuala and the wider family circle as they mourn his passing at this sad time. David Cook is survived by his wife Fionnuala; children Barbary, John, Patrick, Julius and Dominic; grand daughters Romy and Imogen; sisters Alison and Nora. If nominating the next Supreme Court Justice were up to me, a nobody, and that nominee had to be an arch-conservative, I'd pick Republican Ted Cruz, the junior Senator from Texas. I guess you could say I'm a fan of unnecessary hypothetical political questions. Here's another one: who would I put on the Supreme Court if I could select anyone? The answer: Beyonce. But, sadly, we don't live in the best timeline. No, we live in the timeline where the GOP has the historic opportunity to tilt the Supreme Court towards a six to three conservative majority. And Cruz is qualified for the position, that's for sure. Once upon a time, he was a graduate of both Princeton and Harvard Law School and clerked for Chief Justice William Renquist. From 2003 to 2008 he was Solicitor General of Texas. Nowadays, however, he's more about the retweets. And that's exactly why I support him. He'll spend his time trolling progressives, not doing the work. For instance: last week, on Sept. 11 of all days, Cruz had time in his day to jokingly tweet that "many liberal males never grow balls," according to The Hill. Cruz was responding to a The Daily Caller story reporting on The Daily Show's Trevor Noah making fun of gender reveal parties. A few days before his genital organ tweet, Cruz was on a list of potential Supreme Court nominees cobbled together by President Donald Trump, his former political rival who once insulted Cruz's wife, according to USA Today. The list also included Sen. Tom Cotton and Judge Amy Coney Barrett. At the time the list seemed like a political stunt, the White House's attempt to deflect from a rising pandemic death toll and dropping polls. Maybe it was. But then the unthinkable happened. This past Friday, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg succumbed to pancreatic cancer at the age of 87. Justice Ginsburg was a great American. A cultural icon, a feminist pioneer and a serious jurist who will be remembered for her commitment to equality and justice. Her death is a tragedy, but that's just my opinion. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has promised to rush a vote on the next Supreme Court Justice, after the President nominates one. In 2016, both he and his colleagues, including Cruz, stalled a Supreme Court vote because it was an election year. But that was then, and this is now. When you're in power, you get to make and break promises. If her vacant seat is destined to be filled by a conservative, then it should be Ted Cruz, because he is an unserious man. Or, rather, Ted Cruz is serious about Ted Cruz. I fear fanatics. I prefer cynics and opportunists. My hope is Cruz would do for the Court what he has done for Texas. Which is mostly use the job as a springboard to more lucrative media projects. Cruz isn't just a powerful U.S. Senator, which you think would be enough. He's also the host of the podcast Verdict with Ted Cruz and the author of the forthcoming book One Vote Away: How A Single Supreme Court Seat Can Change History. I don't know if he's said anything particularly memorable on the Senate floor recently but he does love starting Twitter beef with people like Mark Cuban. I want him nominated because that's what we'd have to look forward to from Justice Cruz. Sick burns and hot takes on social media. Like many of his conservative colleagues, including the President of the United States, he seems to want to be Tucker Carlson. Cruz is on the record saying he doesn't want to sit on the Supreme Court. But a little nudge and I think he might reconsider. Especially when he learns that I, a small potato, would nominate him for the Supreme Court over Arkansas Sen. Cotton, who is a little bit too much Judge Dredd for my tastes. Federal appeals court judge Amy Coney Barrett is the most likely real-world Trump nominee for the Supreme Court. She is a protege of legendary conservative justice Antonin Scalia and has questioned Roe v. Wade and Obamacare's birth control mandate. I would not choose her because she seems like she'd be a competent conservative justice. I don't want a conservative who is good at their job on the Supreme Court. I want Ted Cruz. He'd do the least harm because he'd be too busy writing articles for Fox News to assemble boring legal opinions. Site Blocked In order to access website you need to accept our cookie policy. View cookie policy. Accept Bhopal: Setting the tone for the upcoming by-elections in 28 assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, veteran leader Kamal Nath on Saturday launched a no-holds-barred attack against his nemesis Jyotiraditya Scindia in the latters stronghold of Gwalior, saying that the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) had rejected him (Scindia) as leader, nipping in bud his ambition to become chief minister after Congress returned to power in the state in the 2018 polls. Breaking his silence on his rift with Scindia which culminated in the latter quitting Congress in March this year leading to fall of his 15-month-old government, Nath said, The particular leader who is claiming that he was denied the post of chief minister knows very well that the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) had rejected him as leader (after Congress returned to power in the state in 2018 assembly polls) as he commanded support of only 18 MLAs (in the 114-member-CLP). Nath was talking to reporters in Gwalior. The former chief minister also squarely blamed Mr Scindia for backwardness of Gwalior-Chambal, saying that the latter was taking all decisions relating to the region during the previous Congress regime in the state. I had left it to Mr Scindia to take decisions regarding development of the Gwalior-Chambal region when I was chief minister. But, I feel disheartened to see that the region lacked even basic amenities. Now the situation has changed and I am taking the responsibility of development of the region, he said. Nath also accused Scindia of bargaining with BJP to topple his government. People know who bargained (with BJP) for power and who is merchant of power, Mr Nath quipped in an indirect dig at Mr Scindia. Scindia had snapped his 2-decade-old ties with Congress in March following his differences with Nath, leading to resignation of 22 Congress legislators from assembly as well as the party. This led to fall of Kamal Nath government. State BJP president V D Sharma however countered Nath saying that that the latter had neglected Gwalior-Chambal region when he was chief minister of the state. Nath sat on the Chambal Expressway project and also on the project to supply drinking water to Gwalior from the Chambal river, when he was chief minister. Besides, Nath had committed a fraud on the farmers by issuing them crop loan waiver certificates without writing off their loans which denied them fresh crop loans, Sharma said. Nath should explain why he had gone back on his promise to waive crop loans up to Rs two lakh each to the farmers and give allowance to the unemployed youths when he was chief minister, he added. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 19:00:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Indian parliament passed the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill 2020 here on Sunday. The opposition lawmakers at the Upper House, which lacked the numbers to block the bills, had demanded the bills be sent to a select committee for further discussion, and the request was negated by the house. The debate in the house ended in chaos as the opposition members rushed to the well of the house, tore up the rule book and tried to snatch off the deputy chairman's microphone, following which the house was adjourned. Opposition member Derek O'Brien alleged that the rules were not followed while passing the bill. The Lower House passed the bills on Thursday. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the passing of the two bills and described them as "historic". Enditem The IPO of CAMS opened today and by 2:45 pm, the issue was nearly 50% subscribed. The share price band has been fixed at 1,229-1,230. The issue closes on September 23. Ahead of the 2,250 crore IPO, CAMS raised over 660 crore from 35 anchor investors, including SmallCap World Fund, HSBC, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Caisse de Depot et Placement First State Investments, Eastspring Investments, Fidelity Investment Trust, Goldman Sachs, Government of Singapore, Nomura Funds Ireland Public Ltd. Chennai-headquartered CAMS acts as a registrar and transfer agent (RTA) for mutual funds, providing technology-driven financial infrastructure and services provider to mutual funds and other financial institutions. Lot size and probable listing date The lot size of CAMS IPO is 12 when means that investors have to apply for a minimum of 12 shares and in multiples thereof. The shares of CAMS are proposed to be listed on both BSE and NSE. According to brokerages, the share allocation is likely to be finalised on 28 September while listing is likely to happen on October 1. Minimum application for retail at upper price band for one lot is 14,760. A retail investor can apply for maximum 13 lots. Link Intime India Pvt Ltd is the registrar of the IPO. CAMS is co-owned by NSE Investments, Warburg Pincus, Faering Capital ACSYS Investments and HDFC Group. The entire quantum of shares being sold to investors in CAMS IPO is NSE's 37.4% holding or 1.82 crore shares. On the direction of SEBI, NSE is fully divesting its stake in the company through this IPO. Computer Age Management Services Limited (CAMS) is Indias largest registrar and transfer agent (RTA) of mutual funds with an aggregate market share of around 70% based on mutual fund AUM managed. In FY20, CAMS generated 87% of the revenue from the mutual fund services business and in Q1 of FY21, CAMS reported a profit of 40.8 crore on revenue of 148.6 crore, says Geojit Financial Services. What analysts say LKP Securities has recommended subscribe to CAMS IPO, citing its leadership position, zero debt, healthy cash position and high return ratios. "During FY17-20, CAMSs overall revenue grew at a CAGR of 14% driven by strong growth in AAUM (15% CAGR). Over the same period, the EBITDA and net profit grew at a CAGR of 13% and 12% respectively. The company carries no debt obligation, thus translating in healthy return ratios with ROCE/ROE of 37%/35%. Furthermore, it is consistently paying dividend with FY20 payout at 40%. At higher price band ( 1,230), CAMS is valued at 35 times FY20 earnings, has leadership position, zero debt, healthy cash position and high return ratios. We recommend to subscribe," the brokerage said. Another brokerage Geojit Financial Services also has a subscribe rating. "At the upper price band of Rs.1,230, CAMS is available at a P/E of 34.6x and when we annualize Q1FY21 numbers we arrive at a P/E of 36.7x for FY21E on a post issue basis. Given that there is no listed peer to compare, and based on stable financial, we assign a subscribe rating on this IPO," the brokerage said. Nirali Shah, Senior Research Analyst,Samco Securities, said: "We recommend investors to subscribe to the IPO for listing gains. The company has a robust business with strong market leadership indicated by a 70% market share in the mutual fund RTA industry. Given the high entry barriers and the near duopoly nature of the market, the moat of the company remains intact. CAMS has also delivered strong operating margins and shareholder returns consistently and maintains a clean balance sheet with negative working capital." "With growth being linked to the rise in AUMs for Mutual Funds, the company is poised to generate consistent returns going forward. Investors just need to be cautious regarding the slower pace of growth as paper-based transactions which contribute a large part of revenues see a decline over time," she said. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Twelve Opposition parties Sunday gave a notice for a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh over the manner in which two farm bills were passed in the Upper House after he overruled their pleas for an adjournment of the proceedings. The Rajya Sabha passed The Farmers' and Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, through voice votes, amid the din caused by opposition protests. The parties that have submitted the notice include the Congress, All India Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India-Marxist, Nationalist Congress Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, National Conference, Dravida Munnetra Kazagham and the Aam Aadmi Party. Congress leader Ahmed Patel said 12 parties have given a notice of no-confidence against the deputy chairman, as the manner in which the Bills were passed is a 'murder' of democracy. "Our demand for adjourning the House and division of votes was disallowed," he said. "We gave a no-confidence against the attitude of Deputy Chairman and the manner in which the Bills were passed." Janata Dal-United leader Harivansh was reelected as the Deputy Chairman of the Upper House on September 14, the first day of the ongoing Monsoon Session. Patel said the Deputy Chairman should have "safeguarded democratic traditions but harmed them instead". The protesting members sat in Rajya Sabha after the House was adjourned following the passage of the bills. TMC MP Derek O'Brien also accused the government of "murdering" the Parliamentary system and democracy. "The government did not allow the Opposition a vote on the farmers' bills. It is a sad day for the Parliamentary democracy," he said. The TMC MP alleged that the government knew that it did not have the numbers and that is why they did not allow a division of votes. "Today, the BJP tried to break the back of yet another great institution of our democracy: Parliament. "The basic rights of MPs guaranteed by the Constitution are snatched. No vote allowed in RS on farmers bills. Today's day will be written in black letters," he said. TDT | Manama GDNs Editor-in-Chief George Williams has retired from his position after spending more than four decades in Bahrains Press industry. In the last 42 years, Williams has played an important role in the growth of the newspaper. He has made major contributions in highlighting Bahrains landmark achievements while also reporting widely on regional developments. Williams, who has worked alongside journalists from different countries, stressed that his time in the Kingdom has gifted him many unforgettable memories. Not many can boast of living 42 years in a job not a bad shift and they have been wonderful ones. Williams was recently honoured by Bahrain Journalists Association (BJA) for his dedication, loyalty, and countless contributions to journalism in Bahrain. I feel privileged to be honoured by my peers at the BJA and appreciate the good work you are doing in promoting Press freedoms and reforms in Bahrain, Williams said on the occasion. Leaked documents show the banks continued to transfer money for clients despite known suspicious activity, reports say. Several global banks moved large sums of allegedly illicit funds over a period of nearly two decades, despite red flags about the origins of the money, BuzzFeed and other media have reported, citing confidential documents submitted by banks to the United States government. The series of news reports on Sunday was partly based on documents, called suspicious activity reports (SARs), filed by banks and other financial firms with the US Department of the Treasurys Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). The SARs, which the reports said numbered more than 2,100, were obtained by BuzzFeed News and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and other media organisations. In all, the ICIJ reported that the files contained information about more than $2 trillion worth of transactions between 1999 and 2017, which were flagged by internal compliance departments of financial institutions as suspicious. The SARs are in themselves not necessarily proof of wrongdoing. The unchecked movement of dirty money may not register as an immediate threat especially given the coronavirus pandemic and all that 2020 has delivered. But @willfitzgibbon explains how it doesn't just harm real people it can kill them. https://t.co/GxOWP4ZkjR #FinCENFiles ICIJ (@ICIJorg) September 20, 2020 Five global banks appeared most often in the documents HSBC, JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, Standard Chartered and Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon), the ICIJ reported. A bank has a maximum of 60 days to file SARs after the date of the initial detection of a reportable transaction, according to the Treasury Departments Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Delay in reporting The ICIJ report said that in some cases, the banks failed to report suspect transactions until years after they had processed them. The SARs also showed that banks often moved funds for companies that were registered in offshore havens, such as the British Virgin Islands, and did not know the ultimate owner of the account, the report said. Among the types of transactions highlighted by the report: funds processed by JPMorgan for potentially corrupt individuals and companies in Venezuela, Ukraine and Malaysia; money from a Ponzi scheme moving through HSBC; and money linked to a Ukrainian billionaire processed by Deutsche Bank. In a statement to Reuters news agency, HSBC said all of the information provided by the ICIJ is historical. The bank said that as of 2012, HSBC embarked on a multi-year journey to overhaul its ability to combat financial crime across more than 60 jurisdictions. Standard Chartered said in a statement to Reuters, We take our responsibility to fight financial crime extremely seriously and have invested substantially in our compliance programmes. BNY Mellon told Reuters it could not comment on specific SARs. We fully comply with all applicable laws and regulations, and assist authorities in the important work they do, the bank said. JPMorgan did not immediately respond to a request for comment but said in a statement to BuzzFeed that thousands of employees and hundreds of millions of dollars are devoted to helping support law enforcement and national security efforts. Deutsche Bank said in a statement on Sunday that to the extent that information referenced by the ICIJ is derived from SARs, it should be noted that this is information that is pro-actively identified and submitted by banks to governments pursuant to the law. FinCEN said in a statement on its website on September 1 that it was aware that various media outlets intended to publish a series of articles based on unlawfully disclosed SARs, as well as other documents, and said that the unauthorized disclosure of SARs is a crime that can impact the national security of the United States. Representatives for the US Treasury did not immediately respond to an email for comment on Sunday. This summer, President Donald Trump threatened to ban TikTok, the astronomically popular app mostly known for teenage nonsense videos, over national security concerns related to its Chinese ownership. It appeared that the only way TikTok could continue to delight its more than 100 million users in the United States would be to sell its operations here to an American company. On Saturday, Trump blessed a deal that will allow TikTok to remain in business in the U.S. The database corporation Oracle and Walmart will be trusted technology partners in a new TikTok Global, of which theyll own 20 percent, and other American investors will supposedly make TikToks Chinese parent company, ByteDance, a minority owner going forward. This new entity will be based in the U.S., reportedly hire 25,000 more U.S. workers, and put Oracle in charge of securely hosting U.S. users data to address concerns over cybersecurity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres a lot we dont know. We dont know how TikToks practices will be audited. We dont know how much actual power Oracle and Walmart will have over TikToks operations. Even if TikTok goes on a U.S. hiring spree, we dont know whether the stuff that really mattersTikToks highly effective video-feed algorithm and underlying softwarewill also make the move to our shores, or if it will continue to be coded in a country where social media platforms double as tools of surveillance and censorship. We probably will know more of this soon, as the deal vies for final approval by U.S. and Chinese officials. TikTok has always been more of a theoretical security and privacy concern than a proven oneand therefore a useful foil for a president who has been ratcheting up his frequently xenophobic criticisms of China. At the same time, plenty of experts have raised valid concerns about the apps potential to expose users data to the Chinese government, and perhaps the agreements terms will stop up some of the security holes. Advertisement Advertisement Regardless: The deal still stinks. Heres why. 1. Its misleading. Although the Chinese government objected to an outright sale of TikTok and its valuable algorithm, the deal supposedly gives American companies and investors 53 percent of the equity in the new companywhat the administration can pitch as American control. The New York Times reports, however, that ByteDance will hold an 80 percent stake in the new company. Its only when you count the investors like Sequoia Capital and Coatue Management that already had ByteDance stakes that it looks like majority U.S. ownership. At a rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Saturday, Trump said, Itll be a brand-new company. It will have nothing to do with any outside land, any outside country. It will have nothing to do with China. Instead, it appears TikTok Global will very much still be a Chinese company. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, plot twist! It appears that ByteDance retains majority stake in the new company, despite the president's claims. Some claim the new company has 53% American ownership, but that's only when you count ByteDance's underlying American investors, who will not have a direct stake https://t.co/ELdNQdLEHa Ana Swanson (@AnaSwanson) September 20, 2020 2. Its grafty. Oracle beat out Microsoft for ByteDances favor as it scrambled to put together the least disruptive deal that would persuade Trump to sign off. Microsoft, which already runs one social network and has plenty of experience with consumer-facing products, seemed like the obvious buyer, assuming TikTok would sell. Since it wouldnt, enterprise-focused Oracle offered ByteDance something else tantalizing: a Trump connection. Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison is a major Trump supporter, has hosted high-dollar campaign fundraisers, and reportedly helped put the whole hydroxychloroquine idea in the presidents head. Oracle CEO Safra Catz and executive vice president Ken Glueck have also donated to Trump and served on the administrations transition team after 2016.* Since then, the administration has repeatedly gone to bat for Oracles interests, as my colleague Aaron Mak recently recounted. Although Oracle is a major player in cloud computing, its a rung below giants like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. But it now has a piece of the hottest new social network in the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 3. Its ridiculous. After he threatened to ban TikTok, Trump said that a deal should include a very substantial finders fee for the U.S. Treasury. That would be unusual for any negotiation between two private companies, but now it might be worse. On Saturday, Trump said TikTok would be making about a $5 billion contribution towards education, which would go into a fund to teach the real history, not the fake history of the United States. The president has lately been attacking the 1619 Project, the New York Times Magazine package and education curriculum about the role of slavery in Americas foundinga baffling, nakedly political concern of Trumps that has nothing to do with tech policy or trade. Advertisement Advertisement TRUMP wants the $5 billion from the Tiktok Global deal to pay for "patriotic education" via his envisioned "1776 Commission." Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) September 19, 2020 Advertisement Even if the deal does seem to include $5 billion in taxes, the propaganda fund might just be some Trump-rally wish projection. But thats basically what this whole deal has been: another crisis involving a foreign specter invented so that Trump can solve it. That solution involves the minimum number of deck chairs moved around to do so and few of the core real-life issues actually resolved, with the bonus of rewarding one of Trumps political allies with whats essentially a sole-source cloud-computing contract. Did Trump really want to take away the TikTok kids nacho tables just for this? Correction, Sept. 20, 2020: This post originally misspelled Safra Catzs last name. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Labour activists are mounting a new push for their party to back electoral reform under Keir Starmers leadership. An alliance of groups and factions including Open Labour, Compass, and the Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform have formed a new coalition to push the policy which has strong support within the party. The new campaign, named Labour for a New Democracy, will launch at the partys virtual conference on Monday. The members backing the push, who include MPs, are set to argue that the current electoral system stands in the way to redistributing power around the country. Local Labour branches covering 85 parliamentary constituencies have backed motions calling for proportional representation in the last few years, while a YouGov poll conducted end of 2019 found that three quarters of the party's members back moving elections to PR. But the party has shied away from adopting it as a policy despite a brief flirtation from senior figures like former shadow chancellor John McDonnell. The partys manifestos have previously pledged a constitutional convention that could include change to the electoral system, but the party has not been specific about what it would involve. Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark is expected to speak to activists at a virtual meeting on Monday to launch the coalition, and explain New Zealand's experience adopting proportional representation. Her country moved away from first past the past in 1996 following a referendum. Clive Lewis, the Labour MP for Norwich South, who will also speak at the event, said reforming the countrys democratic institutions was crucial to responding to other problems the UK cases. The UK is facing a public health crisis, a climate crisis, and a crisis of inequality. At their hearts, each of these is really a crisis of democracy, he said. Electoral reform is not a panacea, but our current system has proved incapable of responding to the challenges of our time or the needs of the British people. If Labour is to lead the way to a better politics, we must embrace PR. Sandy Martin, chair of Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform, said: More Labour members than ever understand that the system we use to vote determines the governments we get. With PR and a succession of progressive governments, we can tackle the climate emergency, austerity, and global insecurity. Labour for a New Democracy puts that understanding into action. We call on Labour members everywhere to table a simple motion putting their support for PR on the record. Caroline Osborne, from Make Votes Matter which is coordinating the project, argued that Labour's support was crucial for electoral reform to happen. We all lose out from First Past the Post, but without Labours support there's little prospect of it changing. That's why members everywhere need to stand up for equal votes, she said. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 20 January 2022 A jet skier jumps the waves off the coast at Blyth in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 19 January 2022 Britains Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, participate in a therapy session with individuals who have experienced the care system, during a visit to the Foundling Museum in London REUTERS UK news in pictures 18 January 2022 Surfers enter the sea as the sun rises over Tynemouth on the North East coast PA UK news in pictures 17 January 2022 Bonhams Danny McIlwraith holds a Nigerian polycrome carved wood mask during a photocall for the sale of the Jim Lennon Collection at Bonhams in Edinburgh PA UK news in pictures 16 January 2022 The moon rises above the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, Hampshire PA UK news in pictures 15 January 2022 Demonstrators outside Downing Street during a Kill The Bill protest against The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in London PA UK news in pictures 14 January 2022 Ecologist Emma Smart (left) and retired GP Dr Diana Warner outside HMP Bronzefield, in Surrey, following their release from the prison where Emma undertook a 26-day hunger strike during her incarceration. Ms Smart was sentenced in November, along with other members of Insulate Britain, to serve four months for breaking a High Court injunction by taking part in a blockade at junction 25 of the M25 motorway during the morning rush hour on 8 October last year PA UK news in pictures 13 January 2022 A TV presenter holds a copy of a newspaper outside 10 Downing Streetafter the Prime Minister apologised for attending a gathering of colleagues in the Number Ten garden in May 2020, while the UK was in strict lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic Getty UK news in pictures 12 January 2022 Fitness guru Derrick Evans after receiving an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 11 January 2022 A couple walk underneath an umbrella during wet weather on Westminster Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 10 January 2022 A jogger passes the Covid Memorial Wall in London AP UK news in pictures 9 January 2021 The sun rises over horses at Seaton Sluice in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 8 January 2022 Riders compete during the Veterans Men's race at the UK Cyclo-Cross National Championships 2022 in Ardingly, south of London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 7 January 2022 A dog looks out of a car window at the wintry conditions in Killeshin, Co. Laois PA UK news in pictures 6 January 2022 People walk through frost and mist alongside a frozen lake during sunrise in Bushy Park, London REUTERS UK news in pictures 5 January 2022 A skier jumps on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 4 January 2022 Freshly-fallen snow covers houses in Corbridge, near Hexham in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 3 January 2022 Dean Morrison, 13, receives his Covid-19 vaccine from student nurse Anthony McLaughlin during a vaccination clinic at the Glasgow Central Mosque PA UK news in pictures 2 January 2022 Konastantinos Tsimikas of Liverpool with Chelseas Mason Mount during the Premier League match at Stamfrod Bridge Liverpool FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 January 2022 New Years Eve Lasers, drones and fireworks illuminate the sky in front of the Royal Naval College in Greenwich shortly after midnight in London EPA UK news in pictures 31 December 2021 Competitors in fancy dress run across the Pennine tops near Haworth, West Yorkshire, in the annual Auld Lang Syne Fell race which attracts hundreds of runners every year PA UK news in pictures 30 December 2021 Sunrise at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 29 December 2021 The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, looks at Becket, a six month old red-billed chough as he visits Wildwood Wildlife Park in Kent on the anniversary of the murder of Thomas Becket PA UK news in pictures 28 December 2021 Troops of the Household Cavalry are seen reflected in a puddle during the changing of the Queens Life Guard, on Horse Guards Parade, in central London PA UK news in pictures 27 December 2021 A pedestrian walks past a winter sale sign outside a John Lewis store on Oxford street in London Getty UK news in pictures 26 December 2021 Riders take their bikes through the snow near Castleside, County Durham PA UK news in pictures 25 December 2021 Patrick Corkery wears a santa hat and beard as waves crash over him at Forty Foot near Dublin during a Christmas Day dip PA UK news in pictures 24 December 2021 People stand inside Kings Cross Station on Christmas Eve in London Reuters UK news in pictures 23 December 2021 Christmas shoppers fill the car park at Fosse Shopping Park in Leicester PA UK news in pictures 22 December 2021 The sun rises behind the stones as people gather for the winter solstice at Stonehenge. Getty UK news in pictures 21 December 2021 People take part in a winter solstice swim at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh to mark the solstice and to witness the dawn after the longest night of the year PA UK news in pictures 20 December 2021 An auction employee displays poultry to buyers and sellers attending the Christmas Poultry Sale at York Auction Centre in Murton PA UK news in pictures 19 December 2021 Joao Moutinho of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 December 2021 Freight lorries queuing at the port of Dover in Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 December 2021 Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, bursts 'Boris' bubble' held by colleague Tim Farron, as she celebrates following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election PA UK news in pictures 16 December 2021 Brussels sprouts are harvested by workers as they prepare for the busy Christmas period near Boston in Lincolnshire PA UK news in pictures 15 December 2021 Lewis Hamilton is made a Knight Bachelor by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 14 December 2021 The Royal Liver Buildings surrounded by early morning fog in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 13 December 2021 People queue outside a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster Getty Images UK news in pictures 12 December 2021 People take part in the Big Leeds Santa Dash in Roundhay Park, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 11 December 2021 People arrive at a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Elland Road in Leeds, PA UK news in pictures 10 December 2021 Stella Moris speaks to the media after the US Government won its High Court bid to overturn a judges decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange PA UK news in pictures 9 December 2021 Camels are lead around Salisbury Cathedral during a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve Service PA UK news in pictures 8 December 2021 Margaret Keenan and Nurse May Parsons, a year after Margaret was the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer vaccine PA UK news in pictures 7 December 2021 Snowfall in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire as Storm Barra hits the UK with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow PA UK news in pictures 6 December 2021 A person tries to avoid sea spray on New Brighton promenade in Wallasey as the UK readies for the arrival of Storm Barra Getty UK news in pictures 5 December 2021 People release balloons during a tribute to six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes outside Emma Tustin's former address in Solihull, West Midlands, where he was murdered by his stepmother PA UK news in pictures 4 December 2021 People walk through a Christmas market in Trafalgar Square Reuters UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 2 December 2021 Duchess of Cambridge inspects a Faberge egg at the Victoria and Albert Museum Getty Willie Sullivan, senior director at the Electoral Reform Society argued that only serious structural reform can begin to repair this lack of faith in our democracy. He added: A proportional voting system for the Commons and a fairly elected second chamber representing all nations and regions of the UK will give people a voice. The Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) agreed to share real-time information with each other through formal or informal channels including smuggling of drugs and narcotics, and human trafficking. Dhaka [Bangladesh], September 19: Border Guarding Forces of India and Bangladesh, BSF and BGB respectively, held Directors General Level talks from September 16-19 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) agreed to share real-time information with each other through formal or informal channels including smuggling of drugs and narcotics, and human trafficking. Meanwhile, BSF DG Rakesh Asthana stated that death or apprehension of criminals on the border is irrespective of nationalities and that BSF personnel fire with non-lethal weapon only in self-defence when they are surrounded by a large number of miscreants armed with dah, sticks, and their lives are endangered. Relations between India and Bangladesh have been strengthened in various sectors including trade, maritime and economy. India has allowed the export of onions lying on ports in transit to all countries including Bangladesh, government sources said on Friday. Also read: Defence, security aspect of India-Japan relationship has progressed fast: S Jaishankar Also read: With Akalis set to oppose the farm bills, Govt reaches out to friendly parties as RS numbers look uncertain In the Kolkata zone, there are 20,089 metric tonnes of onion lying on the port while in the Mumbai-II zone, 4,576 metric tonnes of the commodity are kept, sources said. In other places like Trichy and Nagpur, 933 and around 258 metric tonnes of onion are lying on these ports respectively, they added. The development comes after Bangladesh had expressed deep concern over Indias decision to ban onion exports, according to media reports. The central government on Monday banned the export of all varieties of onions except those cut, sliced or broken in powder form, with immediate effect, in an apparent move aimed at increasing domestic supply and reducing the prices. Last October, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had jokingly said she asked her cook to not add onion while preparing food and lamented that her country has been inconvenienced by Indias decision to ban exports of onion in September. The ban was subsequently lifted in March this year. Indias move to ban exports of onions earlier this week has shot up prices of the kitchen staple in Bangladesh. Apart from this, hundreds of Bangladesh-bound onion trucks were stranded at various ports and land borders in West Bengal. Also read: NIA arrests 9 terrorists with links to Al-Qaeda in multiple raids from Kerala, West Bengal Until recently, few people considered the sources of their meat. Then, a coronavirus walked into one after another of Meat Inc.s humongous rural factories, where more than 90% of U.S. bacon, hamburger, chops, wings and other animal parts are processed. Within weeks, the industrys business model immense plants, side-by-side congestion, worker powerlessness and profit-driven executive suite carelessness had created hotbeds of contagion. Although the toll is undoubtedly higher, 494 meat factories have acknowledged coronavirus outbreaks that have infected at least 42,534 workers and killed 203. In counties with few doctors and often no hospitals, bodies piled up; workers were refusing to show up; plants were forced to shut down; supermarkets and restaurants across the country rationed meat sales; and worst of all in the corporate view profits plummeted. What to do? Do the old corporate shuffle, of course: Deny theres any crisis; hide the numbers of ill and dead; blame immigrants; get Trump to order workers back on the job and grant blanket legal immunity to the corporations for any resulting harm to working families; and speed up the high-speed disassembly lines, known as The Chain, that snake through the factories. Sure enough, when workers began testing positive and dying, major meatpackers responded by not reporting data, halting worker testing and scoffing at workers concerns. As the virus ran rampant in April and May, callous corporate bosses resorted to gimmicks. For example, JBS, the Brazilian conglomerate, tried to lure its low-wage, vulnerable workers back on The Chain with a cheap bribe: a 5-pound package of ground beef. Worse are public officials who abet that greed. In Iowa, when county health officials demanded that Tyson test workers, the elected county attorney balked at overstepping our bounds and weakened the demand to an easily ignored request. Two weeks later, the state health office finally intervened to run tests: 730 people 58% of plant workers had tested positive for the virus. Similarly, a slew of North Carolina county health directors asked state officials not to embarrass Smithfield Foods by releasing plant-specific numbers of infected workers. Why? Because disclosure may negatively impact the relationship with corporate executives. This conspiracy of silence is killing workers, families and communities. Are you telling me that it doesnt matter that two workers are infected because the plant is worth more than the workers health? a pork plant worker emailed city officials in Missouri. Yes, thats precisely what theyre saying. One city official suggested using hand sanitizer. Ignoring science and the Common Good, and siding with meat executives, our cheeseburger-gobbling president invoked the 1950 Defense Production Act to decree that chicken nuggets, pork rinds and Slim Jims are scarce and critical material essential to the national defense. Thus, public health officials are now prohibited from closing any plants, and slaughterhouse workers must obey private corporate orders to return to The Chain or lose their jobs and become ineligible for unemployment benefits. To mask their crime, the Trumpistas issued minimal worker-protection guidelines but even they are voluntary, letting bosses ignore them. Unsurprisingly, just over a month after Trumps executive order, COVID-19 cases tied to slaughterhouses jumped by more than 100%. Earlier this month, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration stepped up and issued fines to two of the largest meatpacking plants in the U.S., citing them for creating recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees and finding that the mega-rich giants did not develop or implement timely and effective measures to mitigate exposures to the coronavirus. Finally, something will be done about the unsafe conditions in meatpacking plants, right? Well ... no. Both JBS and Smithfield have said the fines are without merit and will be contested. OSHA must have issued massive fines if multibillion-dollar companies are opting to fight them. Well ... again, no. Smithfield, a $14 billion conglomerate, and JBS, a $51.7 billion global powerhouse, have been fined a combined total of get this $29,000. These tiny fines are nothing to (meat plant owners), said Kim Cordova, president of the UFCW Local 7. They give an incentive to make these workers work faster and harder in the most unsafe working conditions imaginable. What we face here is not just standard corporate minginess but an evil mentality that reduces workers to inferior, disposable beings: It dehumanizes not only the workplace but workers themselves. Its bad enough that some elites have always held such beliefs but far worse that, in the case of the meat industry, this lethal dehumanization is now accepted as the guiding ethic of both corporate and governmental policy. Populist author, public speaker and radio commentator Jim Hightower writes The Hightower Lowdown, a monthly newsletter chronicling the ongoing fights by Americas ordinary people against rule by plutocratic elites. Sign up at HightowerLowdown.org. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Republican challenger Charles Juers will be facing incumbent Jim Barcia, a Democrat, during the November 3 election for the seat of Bay County Executive. Courtesy of Vote411 - The League of Women Voters. BAY CITY, MI - A local businessman faces an experienced politician this November in the race for the Bay County executive position. Republican challenger Charles Juers will square off against incumbent Democrat Jim Barcia in the Nov. 3 election. Barcia has served as the Bay County executive for the past three years, prior to which he served as a U.S. Congressman, State Representative and State Senator for Bay County. Juers has operated a painting and electronic repair business, currently serves as the treasurer of a nonprofit and is a customer service tech with a copier repair business. MLive Media Group has partnered with the League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide candidate information and other voting resources to readers ahead of 2020 elections. According to the League of Women Voters, the county executive has influence over all departments, except those headed by other elected officials. It is the duty of the executive to coordinate all county activities and unify the management of county affairs, enforce all orders, rules and ordinances passed by the Board of Commissioners and all laws enacted by the state. In addition, the County Executive must submit to the Board of Commissioners a recommended budget each year. Each candidate was given a list of questions relevant to the office for which they are campaigning. The voter guide can be accessed at vote411.org. All responses in the voter guide were submitted directly by the candidate and have not been edited by the League of Women Voters, except for a necessary cut if a reply exceeded character limitations. Spelling and grammar were not corrected. Publication of candidate statements and opinions is solely in the interest of public service and should NOT be considered as an endorsement. The League never supports or opposes any candidates or political parties. Here are the answers that were given by both Barcia and Juers: Describe your background, experience and qualifications for this office and the reasons you are running for it. Barcia: I have served as Bay County Executive for the past 3 years. Before that I served as a U.S. Congressman, State Representative and State Senator. I have supervised hundreds of employees, managed the Countys 130+ million dollar budget, made County Government more accessible and expanded services. I am uniquely qualified through prior experience in state and federal government and as County Executive to get things done. I am running for reelection because, as a lifelong resident of Bay County, I am committed to moving Bay County forward on a variety of fronts. Juers: I graduated from Northwood University with a Bachelors in Business. I have operated my own painting business and electronic repair business. I am currently employed with a copier repair business as a customer service technician. I currently hold the position of Treasure of a local non-profit company. I am running to give Bay County more opportunities for families and businesses. What are the top 2 priority issues that this office should address, and what actions would you take regarding each of them? Barcia: My first priority is economic development, job creation and growth of the local economy. I support public/private partnerships that promote economic development and work to retain and assist the small businesses already in our County that have been impacted by the COVID-19 shutdown. My second priority is improvement and expansion of Animal Services. Our Animal Services Center won an award for most improved shelter in the State and obtained no-kill status during my first term, and I want to expand the existing facilities. Juers: I would like to see Bay County support and attract more family owned small businesses in our community by offering tax deferments. Open another county campground park that generates revenue. Thus, offering more opportunities that can bring the whole family together for fun. I would also make sure our local law enforcement receives the support from the County and is adequately funded to meet the safety needs of our county. More local news: SVSU to help make voting process easier to understand with virtual session Trump Michigan rally crowd nearly twice what was expected -- up to 10,000, airport manager says Bay City Central hoping to make some noise ahead of its time Saginaw Childrens Zoo mourns loss of its youngest kangaroo Bay City Public Schools approves layoffs due to declining enrollment and overstaffing Bay City Public Schools Board of Education to consider possible early return to the classroom But the U.S. move faces stiff opposition from the other members of the Security Council who have vowed to ignore it. They say the U.S. lost legal standing to invoke snapback when President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed American sanctions on Iran. The U.S. argues it retains the right to do it as an original participant in the deal and a member of the council. Lindsay Graham has said he now supports Donald Trump in confirming a Supreme Court pick - contradicting comments he made in 2016 and 2018 that a nominee should not be considered in an election year. Graham, who will oversee the vetting of the nomination as Judiciary chairman, tweeted Saturday that he will support Trump 'in any effort to move forward regarding the recent vacancy created by the passing of Justice Ginsburg.' The president on Saturday urged the GOP-run Senate to consider 'without delay' his upcoming nomination to fill the seat vacated by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Friday. The move comes just six weeks before the election. Graham's comment contradicts his statements in 2018 and 2016 that a Supreme Court nominee should not be considered in an election year. Lindsay Graham has said he now supports Donald Trump on confirming Supreme Court pick - contradicting comments he made in 2016 and 2018 that a nominee should not be considered in an election year Graham, who will oversee the vetting of the nomination as Judiciary chairman, tweeted Saturday that he will support Trump 'in any effort to move forward regarding the recent vacancy created by the passing of Justice Ginsburg' 'If an opening comes in the last year of President Trumps term, and the primary process has started, well wait to the next election', Graham said in 2018 at an event hosted by The Atlantic magazine. Reminded that he was speaking on the record, Graham said: 'Yeah. Hold the tape.' Two years earlier, in the midst of the Merrick Garland battle, the South Carolina senator was even more emphatic, urging listeners at a Judiciary Committee meeting to 'use my words against me'. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to consider then-President Barack Obamas nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, months before the 2016 election. Graham said then: 'If theres a Republican president (elected) in 2016 and a vacancy occurs in the last year of the first term, you can say Lindsey Graham said, "Lets let the next president, whoever it might be, make that nomination".' Despite those comments, Graham said Saturday that he supports moving forward on a new nomination because Democrats had changed the Senate rules to confirm more circuit court judges during Obamas tenure, and because Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer 'and his friends in the liberal media conspired to destroy the life of Brett Kavanaugh and hold that Supreme Court seat open.' Kavananugh was narrowly confirmed to the Supreme Court in 2018 after a bitter, partisan fight in which Graham played a key role to advance Kavanaugh. Graham said Sunday: 'Well, Merrick Garland was a different situation. You had the president of one party nominating, and you had the Senate in the hands of the other party. A situation where you've got them both would be different. I don't want to speculate, but I think appointing judges is a high priority for me in 2020.' Graham tweeted: 'I stand by what I said in Jan. 2019: Harry Reid & Chuck Schumer changed Senate rules to try and stack the courts for Obama. Now it's coming back to haunt them as I predicted. I'm dead set on confirming @realDonaldTrumps nominee.' He earlier retweeted the president who had said: 'We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices. We have this obligation, without delay!' Graham added: 'I fully understand where President @realDonaldTrump is coming from.' The president on Saturday urged the GOP-run Senate to consider 'without delay' his upcoming nomination to fill the seat vacated by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Friday. The move comes just six weeks before the election Graham's comment contradicts his statements in 2018 and 2016 that a Supreme Court nominee should not be considered in an election year In the turbulent Trump era, nothing has motivated the Republican Party's disparate factions to come home quite like the prospect of a lifetime appointment to the nation's highest court. 'This can be an important galvanizing force for President Trump,' said Leonard Leo, co-chairman of the conservative Federalist Society who has advised the Trump administration on its first two confirmations - for Neil Gorsuch and Kavanaugh. The emerging nomination debate that follows the death Friday of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg threatens to reshuffle voter priorities in the closing weeks of an election that had been squarely focused on another set of generational issues: the pandemic, economic devastation and deep civil unrest. Trump, backed by Senate Majority Leader McConnell, is pledging to replace the liberal Ginsburg with a conservative jurist, promising on Saturday evening that he will announce his nominee 'very soon.' Plans are in motion for a swift nomination and confirmation. Lest there be any questions about the political implications, Trump is expected to make his choice in a matter of days. Those close to the president are encouraging him to announce his pick before the first presidential debate against Democratic challenger Joe Biden on September 29. Biden said the winner of the November 3 election should choose the next justice. His team is skeptical that the Supreme Court clash will fundamentally change the contours of a race Trump was trailing so close to Election Day. Indeed, five states are already voting. In fact, Democrats say it could motivate voters to fight harder against Trump and Republicans as the Senate breaks the norms with an unprecedented confirmation at a time when Americans are deciding crucial elections. 'Everything Americans value is at stake,' Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer told fellow Democratic senators on a conference call Saturday, according to a person who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private call and spoke on condition of anonymity. In the turbulent Trump era, nothing has motivated the Republican Party's disparate factions to come home quite like the prospect of a lifetime appointment to the nation's highest court Biden is not planning to release a full list of potential court nominees, according to a top aide, because it would further politicize the process. The aide was not authorized to publicly discuss private deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity. His team suggests that the court fight will heighten the focus on issues that were already at stake in the election: health care, environmental protections, gender equity and abortion. One key Republican, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, became the first after Ginsburgs death to object to the speedy pace, saying 'in fairness to the American people,' the Senate should not vote before the election so the candidate elected on Nov. 3 can decide. As he left the White House for Saturday evening's rally in North Carolina, Trump signaled his displeasure with Collins - and a potential warning to other wayward Republicans: 'I totally disagree with her,' he said. Democratic challengers and outside allies seized on what they called 'hypocrisy' of Republicans refusing to consider Obama's nominee before the 2016 election, unearthing past statements from many of the same senators now pushing ahead for Trump. Many Republicans are hopeful the Supreme Court fight will supersede many conservative voters' concerns about Trump's inconsistent leadership and divisive rhetoric. US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar hit back at Donald Trump for a rant in which he attacked refugees and her personally at a rally in her home state of Minnesota. One of the most vital issues in this election is the subject of refugees, you know it, you know it, perhaps better than anybody than almost anybody, Mr Trump told a crowd of supporters on Friday night. He then pivoted to attack Ms Omar, who was forced to flee war in Somalia as a child and spent four years in a refugee camp before emigrating to America with her family. [Are] you having a good time with your refugees?" he went on. "Thats good. Omar...thats a beauty. How the hell did she win? How did she win? He then made an unsubstantiated claim that the Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, would "turn Minnesota into a refugee camp". In a Twitter post on Saturday night, the 37-year-old responded to presidents taunts, writing: This refugee is going to have a good time voting you out of office. Many have tried and failed miserably to divide Minnesotans, we are greater than fear, added the squad member who is widely known as belonging to a group of four progressive Democratic women elected to Congress in 2018. While bragging about deporting Somali nationals, the president claimed to be a wall between the American dream and chaos," in comments that were widely seen as stoking racial tension. Mr Trump last year called for Ms Omar and other high-profile Democratic women to "go back" to "the totally broken and crime-infested infested places from which they came." In a recent interview with The Independent, Ms Omar said the president had weaponised minority identities to fire up his base. I happen to embody multiple marginal identities. Im a woman, Im black, Im a refugee, an immigrant, a Muslim and I wear a hijab. And all of those are identities that have been vilified by the right... and weaponised by Donald Trump, she said. Alternative real estate sectors, like self-storage and data centers, over the last decade moved onto the radars of major real estate investors hunting for returns in a booming market. One major hurdle they found when looking into these relatively niche alternative real estate sectors: a lack of reliable data. But a subsequent push for better transparency is transforming these alternative real estate sectors. A dozen countries globally currently have significant levels of institutional investment, with real estate investment trusts often leading the way, according to a recent biannual transparency study by JLL and LaSalle . Another 54 countries reported at least some institutional investment in niche property types. alternative real estate Image credit: JLL There is a strong correlation between the increased investment in alternative real estate sectors and increased transparency, says Matthew McAuley, Director, Global Research at JLL. Investor activity in these niche sectors and improved transparency tend to be self-reinforcing, he says. Investor interest drives a greater need for market information, while enhanced transparency allows investors to understand and thus allocate capital to these property types. Among the 12 niche sectors included in The Global Real Estate Transparency Index 2020 report, cold storage, self-storage, life sciences, medical office, and data centres have seen the most growth in interest. Cold storage in the Asia-Pacific region is growing especially fast, while global investment in self-storage rose to US$6.4 billion in 2019, from less than US$500 million a decade earlier. The report shows that many of the improvements have been in the already Highly Transparent countries, which tend to have higher institutional and public-market ownership of these property types. The worlds most transparent markets of the U.K. and U.S. have shown most activity in these sectors, where data providers have also been active. Investment research giant MSCI has started incorporating medical offices in its quarterly index reporting. The National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts is now publishing rent collection rates for U.S. healthcare properties. Story continues While some alternative real estate sectors have taken a hit from COVID-19, experts expect interest to continue, bolstered by global megatrends like housing affordability, ageing populations and increasing reliance on technology. Getting defensive Niche real estate sectors tend to have more defensive cashflows, which have proven more resilient in past recessions, says McAuley. Going forward, this characteristic is likely to be especially top-of-mind for investors as we recover from COVID-19, he says. Cold storage, self-storage, data centres and life sciences have proven particularly resilient through the current recession, with REIT indices for all four of these niches outperforming all-property indices in the U.S. during the first half of 2020. REITs and other listed entities are important drivers of transparency, because they are compelled to report more information and because many are involved in niche sectors. In the U.S., over 65 percent of REIT market capitalisation is in trusts which invest outside the four main real estate types. Room for improvement The report shows that even nations in the Highly Transparent category can achieve growth in transparency, as did France, Sweden, Germany and Ireland this year. Even in the most information-rich markets, investors face enormous uncertainty and are hungry for data that helps them make better decisions, McAuley says. I think the continued increase in transparency in markets where information is already high is a testament to the fact that theres always room for improvement. Medical office and life sciences are two growing niches where there is high demand for clean data. The challenge often being how to disentangle information for these niches from the conventional office sector, with which their data is sometimes lumped together. Data on senior and student housing is currently in high demand given that both have been impacted by the pandemic, says McAuley. Meanwhile cold storage and parking attract requests because there is relatively little consistent market data at present, he says. The survey measures the availability of niche sector data in three areas in addition to investor activity: inventory and construction, rents, and market transaction pricing. Of these, rent and transaction pricing data is the hardest to come by. And with the use of big data and advanced analysis techniques still at an early stage across the industry, its likely that much data collection will continue to be dependant on traditional methods, says McAuley. However, as operators increasingly turn to digital tools to manage properties and integrate sensors and other technology into buildings this will generate more data to drive additional transparency improvements, he says. The pandemic is pushing the real estate industry to gather and measure real-time data as landlords, investors and governments look for tangible ways to track market performance. The amount of data available to property professionals has risen steadily in recent years amid an increased adoption of technology, known in the industry as proptech. But despite the hype around the transformative potential of big data, widespread use of the insights has remained a work in progress. Now the pandemic has renewed the focus on technology and real-time data. From analyzing rent-collection rates, to monitoring crowds in malls and understanding space utilisation in offices, the pandemic has prompted more property industry players to use proptech to deliver real-time data outputs. What weve seen around COVID-19 is more adoption on the hardware side where landlords have had to quickly re-specify buildings, says Matthew McAuley, director in global research at JLL. High-frequency data in particular is in demand to help make decisions especially relating to health, mobility and space usage. In offices, data has helped companies to enable contactless movement, track whos there at any time, and monitor cleaning frequency. The benefit of such insights in a time of crisis is wide-reaching. For landlords, data helps them see how they sit among their peers, McAuley says. For governments, its about seeing where the distress is, and for investors its about pricing and strategic implications. The post Alternative real estate being pushed into mainstream by better data appeared first on iCompareLoan Resources. Bachelor couple Matthew 'Matty J' Johnson and Laura Byrne announced they are set to welcome their second child. And now, Laura has shared how she surprised her fiance and their one-year-old daughter Marlie-Mae with the news. Laura shared a video of herself handing Matty J a card as he sat on the couch. Surprise! Bachelor winner Laura Byrne, 33, has shared the loving moment she revealed to Matty J that she was pregnant with their second child on Instagram on Saturday. Here: Matty J and Marlie-Mae, one 'You're pregnant,' he asked in anticipation, before even opening the card. A surprised look came over his face, as he opened the 'Thanks For That Thing You Did' card. Laura then confirmed the news, as Matty J repeated: 'I knew it, I knew it. I knew she was pregnant. I knew it.' Happy moment: 'I knew it, I knew it,' Matty J said, excitedly. 'I knew she was pregnant. I knew it.' Marlie-Mae looked equally impressed with the news of becoming a big sister Matty J andn daughter Marlie-Mae were thrilled with the news. Laura was equally as chuffed, with her overheard saying: 'You guys.' On Thursday, the couple made the announcement they were having a baby. 'Marlie-Mae learning shocked face couldn't have been timed any better.. WE'RE HAVING A BABY!' Matty wrote alongside a family photo on Instagram. Incoming! Matty and Laura announced they're expecting their second child together on Thursday. Pictured with daughter Marlie-Mae Rose 'Please brace yourself for twice the amount of dad jokes,' he added. 'I reckon we've kept this little beach ball under wraps for long enough..... Halfway to number 2,' Laura wrote in a separate post shared to her own account. 'A big shout out to @matthewdavidjohnson for his contribution,' she cheekily added. 'You're hands down my favourite Bachelor, I love you forever and our little family.' Exciting: 'I reckon we've kept this little beach ball under wraps for long enough..... Halfway to number 2,' Laura wrote in a separate post shared to her own account Matty and Laura met and fell in love on The Bachelor three-years-ago. In April last year, the loved-up couple got engaged while on holiday in Fiji. On Monday, the couple celebrated their third anniversary by going for a walk with their daughter in Byron Bay, NSW. Follows allegations that evangelical leader and wife engaged in years-long sexual relationship amid real estate scandal Jerry Falwell Jr, the former head of Liberty University who resigned earlier this summer after a series of scandals, appears to have suffered an injury while intoxicated shortly after news reports of an alleged sexual relationship between himself, his wife and a pool boy was published. HuffPost obtained 911 audio and records suggesting Mr Falwell Jr suffered an injury on the night of 30 August, five days after he resigned. His wife, Becki Falwell, called 911 because her husband was hurt and claimed there was "a lot of blood right now." She said Mr Falwell Jr called her around 11pm and said he'd fallen down the stairs of their church and he was bleeding. Because the doors to the church were locked, Ms Falwell had to break in using a chair. She called 911 around 2:30am. The 911 dispatcher asked Ms Falwell if he husband had been drinking, to which she replied "yes." When the dispatcher asked if he had been drinking heavily, she said "I'm not going to answer that question." The dispatcher tried to push Ms Falwell, explaining that excessive alcohol use can thin blood and account for excess bleeding, but she continued to resist giving further information. The more I tell you the name, the more youre going to understand why were not talking to you right now, Ms Falwell said. Dispatch logs, obtained by HuffPost, said that He wont let her take him to the hospital as he is stubborn. Caller was not forthcoming. Medics arrived at the couple's home later in the night. A first responder noted that Mr Falwell Jr had cuts on his face, including under his left eye, across the bridge of his nose, and above both of his eyes. According to first responder reports, Mr Falwell Jr said he hit his head on a trash can. The report indicated that there was "blood in the area he indicated" as well as "empty alcohol containers." The report also said that Mr Falwell Jr's "had slurred and slowed speech and would repeat things already asked." Story continues Mr Falwell Jr resigned after a Reuters report detailed a sexual relationship he, his wife and Giancarlo Granda, a Miami man who knows the couple, had over the course of several years. In the report, Mr Granda claimed that the Falwells lived a "lavish lifestyle," that "consisted of heavy drinking and going to nightclubs, which is strictly prohibited by the honor code that they expect everyone else to follow." Liberty University, where Mr Falwell Jr served as president, has strict rules against sexual relationships between students and strict guidelines against alcohol use. A Wall Street Journal report spoke with former Liberty administrators, staff and donors that he "showed up to campus appearing drunk or smelling of alcohol." Mr Falwell Jr denied the allegations but said alcohol was not banned for faculty. Shortly before his resignation, Mr Falwell Jr posted a photo that showed him standing with his arm around a woman who was not his wife with his pants unzipped while he held a glass with a dark liquid. On 31 Aug, Liberty University's board of trustees announced it would launch a comprehensive investigation by an outside firm of Mr Falwell Jr's time as president. Mr Falwell Jr claimed the glass contained "black water" and was a "prop" as part of a Trailer Park Boys costume. The Independent has reached out to Mr Falwell Jrs attorney for comment. Read more Jerry Falwell Jr to receive $10m payoff after Liberty University resignation Jerry Falwell Jr to receive $10m payoff after Liberty University resignation Health Ministry mulls gathering data on suspected COVID-19 reinfection cases: Report India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Sep 20: Taking note of instances of suspected COVID-19 reinfection reported from Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Delhi and Maharashtra, the Union Health Ministry is considering gathering data of such cases to ascertain their veracity, sources said. They said it needs to be confirmed whether these cases are indeed distinct second infection and not just lingering effects of the first one. This can be done only by genetic sequence analysis to see if it is the same strain of the virus which had caused the first infection or a different one. For gathering data on suspected cases of COVID-19 reinfection, the health ministry may also issue guidelines and a format based on which database of all such cases is to be maintained by the State Surveillance Units (SSUs) and District Surveillance Units (DSUs), sources said. Worldwide, there isn't sufficient evidence on reinfection. Most scientists describe the recurrence as shedding of the residual virus which may happen for up to three months since the first infection is diagnosed, Dr Neeraj Nischal, an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at AIIMS said. No significant mutation of coronavirus in India: Harsh Vardhan During such a time their RT-PCR test may come positive, he said. "The second possibility is that it could be a different strain which is causing the infection. To know whether it is reinfection or active infection, one can do viral culture, sub-genomic RNA analysis or compare the genome of the two samples -- that of the first infection and the supposed recurrence. "But these methods are technically demanding and not easily available," Dr Nischal explained. ICMR Director-General Dr Balram Bhargava had last week said reinfection of COVID-19 is possible, even though it is a "very rare" occurrence. He, however, stressed that it is not a matter of serious concern. "We have seen someone gets measles and is supposed to be protected all his life because he generates certain antibodies. But then, we have seen reinfection occurring in measles as well. "Similarly, we can have COVID-19 reinfection as has been described by the case in Hong Kong. But, it is not a matter of serious concern. It has been noted that whenever reinfection occurs, both the infections have been mild," Bhargava said. He had earlier said there is a need to find out how long immunity lasts. Suspected cases of COVID-19 reinfection has also triggered concerns regarding the effectiveness of vaccines being developed. According to some researches, immunity to coronavirus probably lasts at least three months or even longer, but it has not been scientifically established yet how long immunity lasts. "Understanding how our immune system responds to the virus is an important step towards vaccine development," Dr Sanjay Rai, a professor in the department of community medicine at AIIMS said. "What should be of concern is whether the virus is mutating very fast and to find out if the magnitude of mutation is very large. Then the vaccine developed against the virus may not act on this mutant variety. We don't have evidence to suggest drastic mutations in strains of SARS-CoV-2 in India till now," he said. The concept of immunity after an infection is important because if immunity wears off it could pose a challenge for vaccines, another researcher said, adding that booster shots may be needed. It is also unclear whether reinfected people would be able to spread the virus. That's another reason why scientists say people should continue to wear masks, practise social distancing and good hygiene, experts said. Instances of coronavirus reinfection have been reported from Hong Kong, Belgium and the Netherlands raising concerns that herd immunity may not be enough to curb the pandemic. However, scientists in India and elsewhere said more studies are needed for reliable inference. Australia's surprise unemployment drop doesn't necessarily mean the worst coronavirus recession is over - with experts fearing the economic crisis will escalate. The federal government has already spent $164billion on emergency stimulus programs to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, from doubling unemployment benefits to funding $1,500 a fortnight JobKeeper wage subsidies. Gross government debt is forecast by Treasury to reach $852billion by the end of this financial year - making up 45 per cent of Australia's economy for the first time since World War II. Amid this gloom, the official jobless rate last month fell from a 22-year high of 7.5 per cent to 6.8 per cent. The gradual withdraw of JobKeeper from the end of September, however, is set to spark a raft of business closures. Scroll down for video Australia's surprise unemployment drop doesn't necessarily mean the worst of the coronavirus recession is over - with the true jobless rate likely to be much higher. Pictured is a near empty Southbank Promendade in Melbourne's city centre Even Prime Minister Scott Morrison admits the official unemployment number is artificially low, as Australia grapples with its first recession in almost three decades Even Prime Minister Scott Morrison admits the official unemployment number is artificially low, as Australia grapples with its first recession in almost three decades. Despite the creation of 111,000 new jobs in August, good news during an economic crisis can be very deceptive, with the true unemployment rate likely to be at the highest levels since the 1930s Great Depression. National Australia Bank chief economist Alan Oster feared the winding down of JobKeeper will see unemployment climb National Australia Bank chief economist Alan Oster said a better measure of the labour market downturn would be to add the 11.2 per cent under-employment rate to the official jobless figure of 6.8 per cent. This means 18 per cent of the workforce doesn't have a job or wants more hours. Mr Oster feared the unemployment crisis would worsen as JobKeeper wage subsidies were pared back from September 28 and again in January before being phased out in March. The ending of Stage Four lockdowns and a curfew in Melbourne, Australia's second biggest city, won't necessarily see a revival in business activity either. 'It probably will be getting worse. They'll be people that are basically on JobKeeper and when they reopen, they just won't reopen,' Mr Oster told Daily Mail Australia. Independent economist Saul Eslake said the pandemic could accelerate a casualisation of the Australian labour market as employers survived the crisis by retrenching staff. 'There are going to be a lot of permanent changes and this could be one of them,' he said. 'The larger impact will be employers who continue but decide to continue with fewer staff.' How official unemployment is artificially low The Australian Bureau of Statistics labour force figures classify someone as employed if they work at least one hour a week. While the jobless rate fell from 7.5 per cent to 6.8 per cent in August, the official figures don't take into account those who have given up looking for work. Pictured is a Melbourne Centrelink queue in April The data is also based on telephone surveys during the first fortnight of the month. Poll Do you think Australia's recession will get worse? Yes No Don't know Too scared to predict Do you think Australia's recession will get worse? Yes 934 votes No 151 votes Don't know 82 votes Too scared to predict 45 votes Now share your opinion The official numbers also fail to account for those who have given up looking for work, known as the hidden unemployed. The grounding of flights and the shutdown of service businesses in March also meant the likes of pilots and hospitality workers couldn't actively search for work to be counted as unemployed. In July, Australia's official unemployed ranks rose above the one million mark for the first time ever but in August, the jobless queue numbers fell by 86,500 to 921,800. Mr Eslake said the 111,000 new jobs in the monthly statistics were the product of an unexplained spike in people declaring themselves to be self employed - even if they weren't putting in many hours. 'A not insignificant number of people who had lost their jobs previously have decided to set themselves up as independent contractors,' he said. 'Hours worked didn't increase much at all.' The real number of jobless Australians is better reflected in the tally of people receiving JobSeeker - the welfare program that in March replaced Newstart. As of August, 1,453,734 people were on JobSeeker, Services Australia data showed. With 13,505,200 people in the labour market, that meant 10.8 per cent of Australians were effectively unemployed, even if the official jobless figure last month was 6.8 per cent. Elections during an economic crisis March 1993: Paul Keating's Labor Party wins a fifth consecutive term despite Australia having an unemployment rate of 10.9 per cent during the long aftermath of the 1991 recession March 1983: Malcolm Fraser's Coalition government loses in a landslide to Labor's Bob Hawke amid a year-long recession and drought, with the jobless rate at ten per cent December 1975: Liberal caretaker PM Fraser wins a landslide victory over dismissed Labor prime minister Gough Whitlam during a recession December 1972: Liberal PM Billy McMahon loses to Whitlam, ending 23 years of Coalition rule nine months after a recession December 1961: Australia's longest-serving prime minister Robert Menzies, the founder of the Liberal Party, is re-elected with a one-seat majority three months after a recession and during a credit squeeze Advertisement When workers relying on $1,500 a fortnight JobKeeper wage subsidies were factored in, Treasury calculated Australia had an effective unemployment rate of 14 per cent. Mr Morrison on Thursday downplayed the surprise drop in the official unemployment rate and admitted the effective or true jobless rate was likely to be in the double figures. 'I've always said that the unemployment figure we should be watching is not the measured rate of unemployment,' he said. 'The measured rate of unemployment is one thing, but we know it is much higher than that. 'We know the effective rate of unemployment is well over ten per cent and can peak a lot higher than that.' Since the first coronavirus shutdowns in March, the JobSeeker ranks have surged from 792,814 in March, during the start of coronavirus shutdowns. The Reserve Bank is also worried and is predicting unemployment, of the official variety, will hit ten per cent by the end of 2020 as summer heats up. From September 28, JobKeeper is being scaled back from $1,500 to $1,200 a fortnight for those working 20 hours or more as part of a broader plan to phase it out by March 2021. 'You can't keep the Australian economy on JobKeeper forever,' Mr Morrison said. 'That is not a way to do things. Currently, it's costing about 11 billion dollars a month. 'There are a lot of other things we also need to invest in for Australia's growth.' How double-digit unemployment won't hurt Scott Morrison Double-digit unemployment during the long aftermath of a recession is not necessarily a barrier to a government getting re-elected - if voters think the alternative is worse. The Labor Party under Paul Keating won a fifth consecutive term in March 1993 even though the official unemployment rate was still a stubbornly high 10.9 per cent. Before becoming prime minister Mr Keating had, in June 1991, quit as treasurer during a recession of all things, following his first failed leadership challenge to four-time election winner Bob Hawke. Paul Keating (pictured with his then wife Annita Keating) won a fifth consecutive term for Labor in March 1993 even though unemployment under his watch had surpassed 11 per cent He seized the Labor Party leadership six months later just before Christmas - three months after unemployment hit double digit figures for the first time in eight years. Under Mr Keating's watch as PM, unemployment soon hit levels unseen since the 1930s Great Depression, reaching 11.2 per cent in December 1992. 'People did blame Keating for the recession but in '93 they forgave him for it because they thought the alternative was worse,' Mr Eslake said. Mr Keating's Labor government won the 1993 election as voters rejected Liberal leader John Hewson's radical proposal for a 15 per cent Goods and Services Tax. If history is any guide, the recession will officially be over when voters next head to the polls in 2022 but unemployment is likely to remain stubbornly high. 'The effective unemployment rate - when you count people who really are unemployed but the stats don't count them that way - it has been in double digits and it could still be in double digits by then,' Mr Eslake said. Like Mr Keating in 1993, Mr Morrison could win the Coalition a fourth consecutive term if he manages to convince the electorate Labor will raise taxes and ramp up spending to dangerous levels as government debt levels race towards $1trillion. 'Whether that costs Morrison his job really depends on whether people blame him for it and also what else is on offer,' Mr Eslake said. That's at least one way of guaranteeing a job during a time of uncertainty. Eritrean evangelical, Pentecostal Christians jailed for their faith temporarily freed on bail Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Eritrean government has released on bail more than 20 prisoners whod been in detention for years because of their faith, the BBC reports. It says sources have said that the prisoners are from Christian evangelical and Pentecostal denominations, some held in a prison outside the capital Asmara. In 2002 Eritrea introduced a new law that forbids all Churches except for the Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical Lutheran ones. Sunni Islam is also officially recognized. According to a religious freedom campaigner from Asmara, but now based in North America, Hannibal Daniel, people whod been in prison for about 16 years have been freed on bail. A regional spokesperson for charity Open Doors International said that, for some time, it had heard discussion that prisoners might be freed on bail due to the coronavirus pandemic (as has happened in several other countries) but could not independently confirm the reports: If true, this could be quite significant. The Eritrean government has not responded to BBC requests for confirmation or denial. Previously, its dismissed accusations of intolerance to religious freedom. In May 2019, a monitoring group for the UN said thousands of Christians are facing detention as religious freedom continue[s] to be denied in Eritrea and questioned why the UN was not monitoring the situation more closely. In June 2019, Thomson Reuters reported that more than 500,000 refugees worldwide have left Eritrea, up from 486,200 a year earlier. Many flee compulsory military service, but others flee political or religious persecution. That same month, the government seized all Catholic-run health clinics in the country, and arrested five Orthodox priests. These moves prompted the UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in Eritrea, Daniela Kravetz, to call on the government to uphold religious freedom for its citizens and release those who have been imprisoned for their religious beliefs. In August 2019, Eritreas Orthodox patriarch, Abune Antonios, was expelled by pro-government bishops of his Church, accused of heresy; he remained in detention throughout 2019. Abune Antonios, Patriarch, Eritrean Orthodox Church, detained since 2007. Antonios had been under house arrest since 2007, when he refused to comply with the regimes attempts to interfere with church affairs. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom says Eritrea is a Country of Particular Concern, saying In 2019, religious freedom conditions in Eritrea worsened, with increasing interference in and restrictions on religious groups. In spite of the significant regional political changes and the 2018 peace agreement between Eritrea and Ethiopia, Eritrea continues to have one of the worst religious freedom records in the world, and has shown little interest in concretely improving the situation. The State Department estimates there are between 1200 and 3000 prisoners held for their faith. USCIRF included some of those cases in its new Victims List. Some prisoners, such as the leader of the Full Gospel Church, have been in prison for more than 15 years. 70 Christians detained included 35 women and 10 children At least 150 Eritrean Christians were arrested by government officials during summer 2019, with some held in an underground prison made up of tunnels. For instance on 18 August, 2019, Eritrean security officials detained 80 Christians from Godayef, an area near Asmara airport. Four days later, on 22 August, the United Nations observed its first annual commemoration of victims of religiously motivated violence. On this day, we reaffirm our unwavering support for the victims of violence based on religion and belief. And we demonstrate that support by doing all in our power to prevent such attacks and demanding that those responsible are held accountable, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The governments 2019 clampdown on evangelical Christians had begun in June 2019 when security officials arrested 70 members (among them 35 women and 10 children) of the Faith Mission Church of Christ, in Eritreas second city, Keren. These were taken to Ashufera prison, 25kms from the city. The prison is a vast underground tunnel system and conditions in which detainees are held are very harsh, a local source said. Its far from a main road, the source said, which means that anyone who wants to visit has to walk a minimum of 30 minutes to reach the entrance. Inmates are forced to dig additional tunnels when officers need extra space for more prisoners. After the 2019 arrests, government officials also closed the church-run school, said the local source, whose identity World Watch Monitor withheld for security reasons. The Faith Mission Church of Christ was the last church still open in the majority-Muslim city, 90kms northwest of Asmara. Started over 60 years ago, the Church once had schools and orphanages all over the country, according to religious freedom advocacy group CSW. It had been waiting for registration since it submitted an application in 2002 when the government introduced the new law. This clampdown sent other Christians in Keren into hiding, the source said. Eritrea is 6th on the Open Doors 2020 World Watch List of the 50 countries in which it is most difficult to live as a Christian. Originally published at World Watch Monitor A motorcyclist died Saturday afternoon after crashing into a van and then hitting a pole in Linden, police said. The accident happened at 2:46 p.m. near the intersection of Route 1 and Willow Grade Road when a 2018 Kawasaki motorcycle was traveling south on the highway, according to a statement from the Linden Police. The motorcycle collided with a 2004 Chevrolet van that was making a right turn onto Willow Grade Road before it continued south over the curb and hit a utility police, police said. The driver of the motorcycle, who was not identified, was pronounced dead at the scene and the driver of the van was not injured, authorities said. The crash remained under investigation and anyone with information was asked to contact Linden Police Officer John Halkias at (908) 474-8505. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Mumbai, Sep 20 : Bank of India has received its shareholders approval to raise up to Rs 8,000 crore through several modes including equity shares. The shareholders gave the approval in its Extraordinary General Meeting on Saturday, the bank said in a regulatory filing. It said that they gave the "approval to raise fresh capital up to an amount of Rs 8,000 crore by way of equity shares/tier-I/tier-II bonds by way of public issue or right issue or preferential issue or QIP or private placement or any other permitted mode at an appropriate time whether at a discount or premium to the market price". Several public and private sector banks are raising capital to strengthen their buffer amid the pandemic. Rapists will face surgical castration under a new law passed in a state in Nigeria, while those convicted of raping a child under 14 will face the death penalty. Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, the governor of Kaduna state, where the legislation has been introduced, said the "drastic penalties are required to help further protect children from a serious crime". While some Nigerians are pleased that drastic action is being taken, critics say the new law is too harsh and may even lead to fewer rapes being reported. The new law follows a spike in reports of rape in Nigeria over the course of the coronavirus pandemic, leading womens groups to call for harsher penalties against sex offenders. The countrys minister for womens affairs said in June that the number of rapes had tripled due to women and girls being in lockdown with their abusers. In the same month, all 36 state governors declared a state of emergency of violence against women and girls. The country has a long-standing problem of sexual violence. One in four girls is sexually abused before they turn 18, according to Unicef. The change to the penal code may backfire, one Nigerian lawyer and activist, Chidi Odinkalu, told the New York Times. As many rapes happen within marriage in Nigeria and elsewhere women and girls may be less likely to report a crime that their husband could be castrated for, in fear of being ostracised by their families and communities. Youre going to get fewer cases of rape and sexual violence reported, he said. Whats wrong with life imprisonment? The human rights activist described the new law as legislative sadism. The states new law is the strictest against rape in Nigeria. A Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha has criticised his party's government in Andhra Pradesh, accusing it of being 'anti-Hindu' and being involved in a "constructive destruction of Hindu temples." Raghu Rama Krishna Raju, who represents the Narsapuram constituency, now faces disqualification for anti-party activities, The Indian Express reported. The party has sent a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking Raju's disqualification, the report stated. In a dramatic development during Zero Hour, Raju stood up and said that in Andhra Pradesh, "as of now a constructive destruction is happening with regard to Hindu temples." This prompted his party colleagues to stand up in protest. "Let there be a commission, a dharmic commission or a Hindu commission, in line with that of Christian minorities or Muslim minorities to address the issue. Though we are a majority (religious community), we are being treated like a minority. Even in the case of Tirupati temple, for the sake of one individual they are changing rules that have been there for ages," Raju said, although he did not specify the person he was referring to. Raju went on to add that only a 'karmayogi' like Prime Minister Narendra Modi can address the issue. "Otherwise atrocities are going on in our state," Raju said. While Raju's colleagues, according to the report, were left stunned, MPs from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were seen thumping the desk. Pregnant Teen Who Wanted a Baby so Bad Killed by Boyfriend: Police A pregnant Texas teen is dead, and authorities said that her boyfriend killed her. The incident happened earlier this month at Executive Inn on Highway 16 in Graham, Texas, said officials. The victim was identified as pregnant 19-year-old Klowie Moore. Its a lot, its devastating, this is our child, Moores mother Debbie Moore told KFDX. And shes just gone, senselessly. Graham police said Klowie, who was 16 weeks pregnant according to family, was found with a gunshot wound. Officials said that they received reports she was staying with her boyfriend, Gage Gillentine. How do you tell your seven, nine, ten and thirteen-year-old children that their sisters gone, that they loved dearly, Debbie Moore said. On Thursday, Gillentine was arrested and charged with her murder. His bond was not set, and he is being held at the Young County Jail, officials told the station. According to the Graham Leader, the police department and Texas Rangers are investigating. A GoFundMe page was set up for Klowie Moore. Klowie Kaylynn Moore, 19, was tragically taken from us too soon. She graduated from the Jacksboro class of 2019. Before that she attended school in Bryson since Kindergarten. She was kind-hearted and loving to her family and friends. She will be greatly missed by those who knew her. If you can help, anything will be appreciated, according to the page. I loved her so much. She was my best friend and like a sister to me. She was beautiful, wild, and just so incredible, the page added. She would have been an amazing mother to that baby, it added. She wanted a baby and a family so bad. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden reacts while giving a speech during a campaign event at Tougaloo College on March 08, 2020 in Tougaloo, Mississippi. Jonathan Bachman | Getty Images The 2020 presidential election could be a make it or break it moment for Social Security. The reason: Social Security's funding, already on the verge of running out, could reach that threshold sooner, thanks to the economic damage brought on by Covid-19. While some benefits will still be payable when that happens, talks on Capitol Hill have increasingly turned to how to restore the program's solvency. That means the next president could have the opportunity to help shape the program's future in the next four years. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has emerged with a plan of his own. Broadly, it would boost benefits for low-income households while raising taxes on high earners. How Biden wants to change Social Security zimmytws | iStock | Getty Images Biden would increase the special minimum benefit, which was created to provide low-earners with adequate benefits. Biden calls for setting that figure at 125% of the federal poverty line. That would bring it to $1,301 from $886 a month as of 2019, according to an analysis by the Penn Wharton Budget Model at the University of Pennsylvania. Biden's plan also calls for making survivor benefits more generous by increasing them about 20% more per month. Today, surviving spouses can see up to a 50% cut to their monthly checks when their partner passes away. We definitely need to have higher taxes. It seems fair to ask the rich to pay more, but it is a good size hit Larry Kotlikoff founder, Economic Security Planning It also includes more generous checks for beneficiaries who live a long time. Increases totaling 5% of an individual's primary insurance amount, or the benefit they receive at full retirement age, would be phased in at 1% per year from years 16 to 20 of claiming. To pay for it, Biden's plan also calls for applying payroll taxes on wages of $400,000 and above. Currently, workers and employers each pay 6.2% toward Social Security, but that is capped at wages of $137,700 as of 2020. (Employers and employees also each pay 1.45% toward Medicare.) How the changes could affect lifetime spending Thomas Barwick The benefit increases and higher taxes will have consequences when it comes to how much people are able to spend in their lifetimes, according to Larry Kotlikoff, a professor of economics at Boston University and founder of Economic Security Planning, a provider of financial planning tools. Benefit increases for those who live long lives would benefit low income earners the most, based on scenarios run on his company's MaxiFi Planner tool, which calculates how much more one can "spend" based on a variety of inputs such as retirement date, earnings history and more. The reason for that is the 5% benefit increase is based on the average wage, and those at the bottom earned less than that rate. How lifetime discretionary income could change under Biden's Social Security plan Income Current discretionary spending New discretionary spending - taxed Increase ($) Increase (%) New discretionary spending Untaxed Increase ($) Increase (%) 50% Average Wage Index* ($26,073) $521,727 $549,570 $27,843 5.34% $549,570 $27,843 5.34% 100% AWI ($52,146) $951,964 $979,828 $27,864 2.93% $979,828 $27,864 2.93% 200% AWI ($104,292) $1,365,497 $1,388,609 $23,112 1.69% 1,394,079 $28,582 2.09% 300% AWI ($156,438) $1,517,388 $1,540,235 $22,847 1.51% $1,546,208 $28,820 1.90% "For somebody who is a low earner, like earning half the average, it's like a 10% benefit increase," Kotlikoff said. Someone earning half of a benchmark known as the Average Wage Index would get the biggest boost in their ability to spend, according to Kotlikoff's calculations. Those people would be earning about $26,073 per year, based on the latest numbers from the Social Security Administration. With the benefit increase, their ability to spend would go up by 5.34%. "Their living standard gets to go up every year by 5.34%. They could spend 5.34% more every year," Kotlikoff said. "Economics doesn't say wait until you're 78 to start spending the money You can spend more now." Those who earn exactly the full average wage in the index, or $52,146 per year, would get a 2.93% increase in their ability to spend. That would be further reduced for those with incomes above that level, who unlike lower earners, would have their Social Security benefits taxed. How payroll taxes on wages over $400,000 could impact lifetime discretionary spending Income (per year) Current discretionary spending (lifetime) New discretionary spending (lifetime) Decrease (lifetime) $500,000.00 $7,400,192.00 $7,181,199.00 $218,993.00 $1,000,000.00 $12,463,677.00 $11,150,404.00 $1,313,273.00 $2,000,000.00 $22,676,433.00 $19,161,805.00 $3,514,628.00 $5,000,000.00 $53,285,816.00 $43,211,152.00 $10,074,664.00 Due to the payroll tax increases for those earning $400,000 and above, the highest earners would see a larger loss of spending power. In another example based on the MaxiFi Planner's calculations, someone who earns $5 million per year could see a loss of about $10.1 million in their spending from ages 45 to 65. That's based on the full 12.4% payroll tax. While 6.2% of that would come directly from workers' paychecks, employees would also bear the cost of the levies paid by the employer through reduced pay. "We definitely need to have higher taxes. It seems fair to ask the rich to pay more, but it is a good size hit," Kotlikoff said. "It's going to cut the super high earner's spending by about 20%. It's a bigger deal than people might think." Biden versus Trump on reform Campaign t-shirts for Joe Biden and Donald Trump are for sale at a gift shop at Washington National Airport on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020. Bill Clark | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images In contrast to Biden's proposal, President Donald Trump has implemented a temporary payroll tax deferral, which will allow employers and employees to delay paying Social Security payroll taxes through the end of the year. They will, however, have to make up for those lost payments under the current terms of the executive order signed by the president. Trump has said that he plans to forgive those catch-up tax payments from the deferral period if he is re-elected. The country is already facing a $53 trillion gap in Social Security, according to the latest trustees' report released earlier this year. That estimate does not measure the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. "Cutting taxes when you're so broke doesn't make sense," Kotlikoff said. Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has said Ghana adopted innovative approaches to manage the COVID-19 pandemic, which has enhanced her reputation globally. According to him, the World Health Organization (WHO) rated Ghana among the best top six countries in the world for effective tackling of the pandemic. Dr Bawumia lauded the inter-ministerial and inter-agency partnerships in managing the COVID-19 pandemic and supported the call for a national blue print to serve as a benchmark for managing future public health emergencies. Vice President Bawumia made the remarks at an appraisal ceremony of the National Security Operation COVID-19 Taskforce in Accra, to assess the strategies put in place to contain the pandemic and chart the way forward. The Vice President observed that the COVID-19 pandemic was a threat to national security and lack of blue print, led to the setting up of a general framework for survival and technical taskforce that applied three Ts-Testing, Tracing and Treatment-in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Vice President Bawumia commended faith-based and civil society organisations for their enormous support in the successful management of the pandemic and commended the National Security COVID-19 Technical Committee for the yeoman's job. He also called on all well-meaning Ghanaians to avoid complacency and adhere strictly to the preventive directives, especially the wearing of nose masks, to avert any potential spikes. He said President Akufo-Addos leadership in tackling the pandemic was crucial and phenomenal, especially by relying on science and data from health experts in taking decisions. Over the past six months, Ghana had recorded 45,655 confirmed COVID-19 cases after conducting more than 450,000 tests. Currently, Ghana has the lowest infectious rate in the Sub-Saharan Africa, with less than 600 active cases and over 44,000 recoveries, representing 97.5 per cent, with 294 deaths, representing 0.64 per cent fatality rate. Mr Henry Quartey, the Deputy Minister of National Security, who chaired the National Technical COVID-19 Committee, read their report and recommendations. The Committee recommended the increase in testing capacity of infectious diseases in the country, establishment of a National Strategic Stockpile to manage future public health emergencies, and ensuring uniformity and compliance in all protocols. Other recommendations included; the urgent need to provide impetus to the National Relief Fund which could provide immediate support for deployment of personnel and coordination of appropriate responses to national emergencies. Mr Albert Ken Dapaah, the Minister of National Security, in his welcome remarks, said the inter-ministerial and inter-agency collaboration had paid off and saluted all those who sacrificed their time and energies towards the implementation of government's strategies to contain the pandemic. He commended the faith-based and civil society organizations including; the Catholic Bishops Conference, the Pentecost Church, Ghana National Association of Teachers for releasing their facilities to be used as isolation and treatment centres. 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 Donald Trump has described the moment police shot an MSNBC reporter with rubber bullets amid protests in May as a beautiful sight. At a campaign rally in Minnesota on Saturday, the US president said police actions towards Ali Velishi were also an example of law and order, as he praised the deployment of the National Guard to stop demonstrations this summer. The presidents apparent praise for police violence came four months on from demonstrations sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesotas largest city, Minneapolis. Mr Velishi had been struck with a rubber bullet by Minneapolis law enforcement on 30 May, whilst trying to report on protests sparked by Floyds death just five days earlier. Describing the moment MSNBCs reporter was hit, whilst incorrectly saying Mr Velishi was struck with a tear-gas canister, Mr Trump told the crowd: "He went down. He was down. [And] Nobody cared. These guys [law enforcement] didn't care. They moved him aside, he continued. It was the most beautiful thing, added the president, whose supporters cheered. Wasn't it really a beautiful sight? It's called law and order." In response, the MSNBC reporter tweeted at the president, asking What law did I break while covering an entirely peaceful (yes, entirely peaceful) march? Issuing a statement shortly after Saturdays rally, MSNBC said freedom of the press is a pillar of our democracy. A spokesperson added: When the president mocks a journalist for the injury he sustained while putting himself in harms way to inform the public, he endangers thousands of other journalists and undermines our freedoms. Mr Velishis injury was among multiple media personnel and reporters who were attacked by law enforcement whilst covering this summers anti-racism protests. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday apprised about the upcoming inauguration of 9 highway projects and Ghar Tak Fibre project in the poll-bound Bihar, stating that Bihar is going to take important steps towards a digital revolution. PM Modi will inaugurate the Ghar Tak Fibre project where all the 45,945 villages of Bihar will be connected through Optical Fibre Internet Service. The project will enable a digital revolution to reach the farthest corner of the state. This project will be executed by combined efforts of the Department of Telecom, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, and Common Service Centres (CSC). Taking to Twitter, PM Modi stated that in the coming time, all the villages of Bihar will be connected with internet service, adding that the project will further enrich the state with a resolve to make internet accessible to households. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 20, 2020 READ: PM Modi inaugurates 12 rail projects in Bihar, dedicates Kosi Bridge to nation The nine highway projects involve a road length of about 350 kilometers at a cost of Rs 14,258 crore. These projects will enhance better connectivity, convenience, and economic growth in and around the state and will further improve the movement of people and goods, especially with the neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. READ: Post passage of bills, PM Modi reassures farmers on MSP system & government procurement Earlier, PM Narendra Modi also inaugurated several railway projects which include two new rail lines, five electrification projects, one electric locomotive shed as well as a third line project between Barh and Bakhatiarpur. He went on to inaugurate a train from the Supaul Railway Station on Saharsa-Adampur-Kupaha railway section by waving a flag. Railway electrification projects were undertaken in the Muzaffarpur- Sitamarhi, Katihar-New Jalpaiguri, Samastipur-Khagaria, Bhagalpur- Shivnarayanpur and Samastipur-Jaynagar rail lines. READ: PM Modi to lay foundation stone of 9 highway projects on Sept 21 in poll bound Bihar PM Modi dedicates historic rail bridge to the nation During the Prime Ministers address to the nation about the inauguration of 12 rail line and electrification projects, the leader had a specific mention about the Kosi Bridge, as he dedicated it to the nation. The construction of the historic Kosi bridge of 1.9 kilometre was completed at the cost of Rs 516 crore. The bridge brings down the distance between Nirmali and Saraigarh regions from 298 kilometres to 22 kilometres and links the Kosi and Mithila regions. The bridge also brings down its distance to cities like Kolkata, Delhi, and Mumbai, apart from playing a strategic role on the Indo-Nepal border. Some of the other highlights of PMs announcement included two new rail lines, five electrification projects, one electric locomotive shed as well as a third line project between Barh and Bakhatiarpur. READ: As PM Modi inaugurates Kosi Bridge, Sanjay Mishra shares emotional story of its history New Delhi, Sep 20 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah is to lay papers on the table in the Lok Sabha and introduce Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2020 along with two other Bills for passage, revised list of Business of the lower House reveals. It will be his first presence during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament after he defeated coronavirus or Covid-19 pandemic which infected him last month. The Minister is expected to join proceedings of the House when it will assemble for the day at 3 pm. He will be present along with his two junior Ministers Nityanand Rai and G. Kishan Reddy, the legislative Business of the lower House mentions. As per the legislative Business of the House, the Minister will lay Home Ministry papers on the Table and then introduce the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2020 which seeks amendment into the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010. Shah will also move the National Forensic Sciences University Bill, 2020 for its passage. The Minister's name is mentioned in the legislative business list to press for the Bill which provides establishment and declare an institution to be known as the National Forensic Sciences University as an institution of national importance to facilitate and promote studies and research and to achieve excellence in the field of forensic science in conjunction with applied behavioural science studies, law, criminology and other allied areas and technology and other related fields. The Minister's name is also listed for the move of Rashtriya Raksha University Bill, 2020 for its consideration and passage. The Bill seeks to establish and declare an institution to be known as the Rashtriya Raksha University as an institution of national importance and to provide for its incorporation and matters connected. Shah was expected to join the Lok Sabha on Saturday as National Forensic Sciences University Bill, 2020 and Rashtriya Raksha University Bill, 2020 was listed on his name for the day. However, the Minister did not join the House because of some reasons. Shah was discharged from AIIMS on Thursday evening, four days after being admitted there for a complete medical check-up. On September 13, Shah was admitted to AIIMS for a complete check-up ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. This was the third time he was admitted to hospital after contracting coronavirus. Shah had been suffering from post-Covid ailments for a month. On August 2, he had tested positive for Covid-19 and received treatment at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram. The Home Minister was discharged on August 14 after testing negative. On August 18, Shah was admitted to AIIMS for post-Covid treatment after he complained of fatigue and bodyache. He recovered on August 29 and was discharged. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Senior Tories are planning a parliamentary lock to prevent Boris Johnson having the final say on new lockdown measures, it has emerged. Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee, is planning to table an amendment that would force ministers to put any new measures to a vote first. The move comes as Boris Johnson announced that anyone in England who refuses to obey an order to self-isolate could face a fine of up to 10,000. The Altrincham and Sale West MP told The Sunday Telegraph that he would take the opportunity to seek to amend the legislation when the Government comes to renew the emergency powers in the Coronavirus Act 2020. Sir Graham Brady (centre) is looking to force a vote by MPs on emergency coronavirus measures amid concerns that restrictions on the public's freedom are being imposed without parliamentary scrutiny. Senior Tory MPs are said to be angry that they are not able to debate new measures, such as the Rule of Six and 1000 fines for flouting self-isolation, which takes effect next week. Brady said there was 'no justification for ministers ruling by emergency powers without reference to normal democratic processes' now parliament is in session (file photo). The move is likely to attract significant support from Conservative MPs unhappy at the extensive powers taken by ministers with little or no parliamentary scrutiny. Sir Graham told the Telegraph: 'In March, Parliament gave the Government sweeping emergency powers at a time when Parliament was about to go into recess and there was realistic concern that NHS care capacity might be overwhelmed by Covid-19. 'We now know that the NHS coped well with the challenge of the virus and Parliament has been sitting largely since April. There is now no justification for ministers ruling by emergency powers without reference to normal democratic processes.' A Downing Street spokesman told The Telegraph: 'It's absolutely vital that MPs are engaged in this process as these decisions will have a huge impact on them and their constituents and we will continue to discuss these plans with all MPs.' Drinkers are seen out on the town in Nottingham on Saturday. Fears of a second wave of coronavirus have prompted Boris Johnson to institute harsh new rules to limit the virus' spread. But some in his party are displeased with changes that they feel unfairly restrict the freedom of their constituents. But some senior Tory MPs are angry about new restrictions on the public's freedom, such as the Rule of Six, being introduced without a debate in the Commons. Fines of up to 1000 for breaching self-isolation were also approved without parliamentary scrutiny. Sir Brady, who is chairman of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, said that parliament has been sitting since April. 'There is now no justification for ministers ruling by emergency powers without reference to normal democratic processes.' There is no restriction on accessing any website, including social media sites, in Jammu and Kashmir, the Lok Sabha was informed on Sunday. Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said the mobile data services are presently restricted to 2G speed in all but two districts of the Union territory. There is no restriction on accessing any sites, including the social media sites, he said in a written reply. Reddy said the internet services are already available in Kashmir on fixed line (without any speed-related restrictions) as well as mobile data services (at 2G speed) since January 24, 2020. He said restrictions on accessing social media sites were also lifted on March 4, 2020. Further, high speed mobile data services too have been commenced in the districts of Ganderbal (Kashmir Division) and Udhampur (Jammu Division) with effect from August 16, 2020. The minister said fixed line internet connectivity is available without any speed-related restrictions, with Mac-binding. He said the businesses have had access to internet through fixed line connectivity and internet kiosks opened in large numbers across the Valley without any speed restrictions. Reddy also informed the Lower House that 2G mobile internet speed is not an impediment in Covid control measures, including dissemination of information to the general public as well as health workers. Also, he said, e-learning apps and education/e-learning websites of the Government of India, Government of J&K are accessible over 2G internet for downloading e-books and other study material. Further, the restriction on high speed mobile internet services has not been an impediment in the administration of justice and the courts have taken special measures to conduct their proceedings during the pandemic by providing video links/URLs to lawyers and the litigants, the minister said. Considering the overall security scenario and in the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir issues orders from time to time regulating telecom and internet services in terms of the applicable rules and the principles laid down and directions contained in the judgment of the Honble Supreme Court of India.., he added. Photo: (Photo : How Do Homeschool and Virtual School Compare?) The school year around the country looks different than it ever has before, and some parents are making education choices for their children that they never anticipated. Some districts are doing a hybrid schedule to reduce density in schools, and others are virtual only at least for the time being. Some districts are allowing parents a choice between in-person and virtual. There's a lot to consider because even as schools take steps to keep students and parents safe, there's only so much they can do. For example, the buses are proving to be a specific area of concern. Some areas are tackling this with limited capacity. Atlanta is reducing bus capacity by 60% and in Philadelphia, only 15 students will be allowed on board. Then, parents have to decide whether they're going to do homeschool or go the virtual route if their kids are learning from home. The following are things to know as far as the comparison between homeschool and virtual school. What is Virtual School? In general, virtual school is a program completed online, not requiring your child to be in a physical location. Virtual school programs can be associated with public school, or you can choose your own virtual school program. There can be many differences in a virtual school program, but the common thread is that your student doesn't attend a brick-and-mortar location. Whether virtual school is offered through the public school system where your child attends, or it's a private program, usually your student works with a teacher online. The student will log into their account to access their work, and this can include their textbooks, homework, and other worksheets. A teacher may guide some or all of the learning day, and the teacher manages the courses or classes for all the students. The student completes their assignments and then submits them. In virtual learning, the work is usually graded as it would be in a brick-and-mortar school program. Virtual public schools are free because your child is simply going to school via the computer. With private virtual schools, there are tuition and fees, and some can be as expensive as in-person private education. For the most part, virtual schools are public schools. The pros of a virtual school in this sense include that it's usually free, can be flexible in the time commitments required, and there is guidance from a teacher. When your child is participating in a virtual school, they will usually follow the state-mandated curriculum but just do so from home. What is Homeschooling? Homeschooling is an alternative to a child going to a public or private traditional school. There are many reasons a parent might opt for homeschooling, including having a different educational philosophy than what's offered at traditional schools. There are legal requirements in place to homeschool your child, and the specifics of those vary depending on what state you're in. Some states have very few requirements, and other states require that homeschool children do some standardized testing. If your child is in the public school system already, and you want to homeschool, you may have to write an official letter of withdrawal to the principal or superintendent that will let them know your intent. You have many different types of curriculum available to you if you decide to homeschool. You can choose based on how much time you want to spend instructing your child, what your learning approach is going to be, the unique needs of your child, and your educational philosophy. You can build your child's education around their interests and talents, which isn't possible with a virtual school. One of the many differences between virtual school and homeschool is the fact that as the parent, you are the teacher, and you are the person leading and guiding instruction when it comes to homeschool. How Do the Two Compare? Overall, homeschool gives you a lot more control over your child's education as you are the one in the driver's seat. You're not subjected to that many regulations in most places, and you can decide to shape your child's education how you see fit. That's something that appeals to a lot of parents. You can choose one curriculum that you follow, or perhaps you pull bits and pieces from different types of curriculum. You have a lot of flexibility in terms of your schedule and how your day goes, but with that comes the need to be well-organized and able to follow a schedule. If you have specific goals for your child's education or your child has unique needs, homeschool may work well for your family. You may not be able to work from home while homeschooling, though. Homeschooling can require a major time commitment each day. Virtual school on the other hand could allow you to either work from home or perhaps return to work in-person but have someone come to your home each day and supervise your child's learning. You aren't responsible for teaching in virtual school, which could be preferable for you. You don't have to plan curriculum, grade work, or any of the things you would do in homeschool. Virtual school can be challenging for some kids though, because much as is the case with traditional public schools, it may not take into account their individual learning style and strengths and weaknesses. Your child may struggle even more in a virtual learning environment than in a classroom environment because everyone is expected to keep pace even without the structure of a traditional classroom. There are a lot of decisions facing parents right now, and every family is going to have to weigh what's best for them. It is helpful to understand the options however because terms like virtual school and homeschool are often used interchangeably, but the reality is they're very different concepts, each with their own pros and cons. Virtual school is essentially at-home traditional school, and homeschool can be tailored to your family's unique needs and schedule. Kolkata, Sep 20 (UNI) The NIA's nightlong raid and successful arrest of six Pakistan-aided al Qaeda operatives from West Bengal's Murshidabad district on Saturday was an act of supersonic speed as one of the operatives was almost on the run. The National Investigation Agency came to know during interrogation. The NIA began a series of interrogation of the six al Qaeda operatives immediately after a local city court remanded them to six-day NIA custody up to September 24. MORE UNI PC-SJC AKM The People Movement's Party (PMP) candidate for the Capital City Hall, Traian Basescu, proposes a debate with the main opponents, Gabriela Firea and Nicusor Dan, to be hosted by the Council Room of the Bucharest City Hall (PMB). "I publicly propose a one-to-one debate, and if Nicusor Dan wants to come, it is all the better for the electorate. I propose that the debate be organized in the PMB council room. The two or three of us can sit at the presidium table, and the press in the room. I suggest that each of us receive at the beginning a 15-minute period to present his or her platform, after which we leave to the press three hours for questions addressed alternately to each candidate. I also suggest that during the debate we ask each other three or four questions about the platform. The moderator should be a representative of civil society concerned with the Capital's problems. In order to give maximum chances for this debate to be accepted by you, I am willing to accept any reasonable suggestion you make," Basescu wrote on Facebook. He added that after (Gabriela) Firea announced publicly that she was ready to meet in a public debate about Bucharest with any candidate who has taken the PCR test and the drug test, he did his tests as a matter of urgency and he can inform her that he has done both checks and they are negative. Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has congratulated his counterpart, Godwin Obaseki on his re-election at the just concluded governorship election in Edo State. Mr Umahi observed that though it was a keenly contested election, Mr Obasekis re-election has yet again rekindled hope in the nations democracy and the electoral process which has allowed, unhindered, the wishes and aspirations of the people to prevail. He pointed out that Mr Obasekis electoral value and his capacity to deliver democratic dividends explains why the Edo people closed ranks and returned him for a second term. The governor, in a statement by his media aide, Francis Nwaze, urged the re-elected governor to remember not the former things but propound approaches for greater Edo state, which is the major reason for his re-election. I congratulate you on your well-deserved victory. Your re-election has confirmed your electoral appeal in Edo state. Remember not the former things, get to work and take Edo State to another greater heights. I am happy because your re-election has rekindled faith in the electoral process and our democracy, Umahi said. Mr Obaseki was on Sunday afternoon declared winner of Edo state governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission. The result of the election, held in all Edos 18 local governments, was declared by INEC in Benin, the state capital. Godwin Obaseki of the PDP, having satisfied the requirement of the law and scored the highest number of votes, is hereby declared the winner, Johnson Alalibo, the chief returning officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state, announced on Sunday afternoon. Mr Obaseki polled 307,955 votes to defeat his main rival, Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who had 223,619 votes. He also won in 13 of the 18 local government areas and thus scored more than 25 per cent of votes cast in two-thirds of the local governments in the state to satisfy the second constitutional requirement to be declared governor. Mr Obaseki won his first election in 2016 as a candidate of the APC, principally supported by Adams Oshiomhole, the immediate past governor and former chairman of the APC. Mr Ize-Iyamu was then the candidate of the PDP. Bir Lehlou, 21 September 2020 (SPS) - President of Republic, Secretary-General of the Frente POLISARIO, H. E. Mr. Brahim Ghali, has sent a congratulatory message to Prime Minister of Belize, H.E. Mr. Dean Barrow, on the occasion of the 39th anniversary of his countrys Independence Day. On behalf of the Government and people of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, I would like to extend to your Excellency our most sincere congratulations and best wishes as you celebrate the 39th anniversary of your Independence Day, said the President of the Republic. Belizehas been a staunch supporter and defender of the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination and independence. We remain grateful for the principled position of support and solidarity that your brotherly country has consistently extended to our national liberation struggle in regional and international forums. I would like to take this august occasion to renew to your Excellency our strong resolve to further consolidate and diversify the bonds of friendship and solidarity existing between our two nations, and to boost them to the highest possible level in the interests of our brotherly peoples, he added. (SPS) 062/SPS The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option. Egyptian Minister of Culture Ines Abdel-Dayem has inaugurated a series of seminars dubbed 'Cultural Relations', which aim to strengthen creative cooperation between Egypt and countries around the world, with the first seminar celebrating Mexico's National Day Before the inauguration, Minister of Culture Ines Abdel-Dayem, welcomed Mexican Ambassador to Cairo Jose Octavio Tripp, Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for Latin American Affairs Ashraf Mounir, head of the Supreme Council for Culture Hisham Azmy, novelist Mohamed Al-Mansi Qandil and emerging novelist Tarek Imam. The activities of the The Cultural Relations seminars, held in cooperation with the Foreign Cultural Relations Sector and the Supreme Council for Culture, started with an evening marking Mexico National Day. The Cultural Relations seminars have been launched within the framework of Culture Between Your Hands initiative to continue the enlightening message of the Egyptian culture ministry, said Abdel-Dayem, adding that it is a distinct model for partnership and cooperation between the state institutions and the Ministries of Culture and Foreign Affairs. Abdel-Dayem explained that this series aims to consolidate the bonds of friendship between Egypt and the various countries of the world. In addition to shedding light on the activities of creative communication with the nations of the world. Afterwards, she congratulated Ambassador Tripp on the occasion of his countrys national day, handing him a selection of the Ministry of Culture publications translated to English and Spanish, including The Treasures of Our Museums and The Persian Manuscripts books. On this occasion, ambassador Tripp said, First of all, many thanks for your kind invitation to take part in this important event, its a great privilege to open with Mexico the series of The Cultural Relations seminars, and not only to celebrate the independence of my country but its relationship with Egypt too. Egypt and Mexico are world powers in cultural terms due to their millennial and prestigious backgrounds, and our status as ancient civilisations is a factor of identity and pride in the international arena. We are proud of being Mexicans and Egyptians. As a result, cultural activities have been the main pillars of our bilateral agenda over time. Every year, we see a dynamic interaction between Mexico and Egypt in several and diverse areas of the cultural spectrum. For instance, last year Mexico was the guest of honour of the prestigious Cairo Film Festival, while Egypt was the winner, for the second time in a row, of the Festival of Cultures in Mexico City. During the last three years, the Embassy of Mexico has organised, with the permanent support of the Ministry of Culture, around 30 cultural events in Cairo and Alexandra in areas such as music, dance, photography and cinema. We almost have had one cultural event per month in Egypt and it is amazing, frankly speaking, Tripp expatiated a little further. He added that this activity clearly shows that Egyptians love culture in all its expressions, and that Cairo is the cultural capital of the Arab World. And we see a similar phenomenon in Mexico. Until now for instance, the Egyptian Pharaonic Exhibition hosted almost 15 years ago in Mexico City still holds the record for most visitors at the Archaeological Museum of Mexico. Considering this natural attraction, now on we must be more ambitious in order to make possible a formal and systematic interaction between the cultural communities of both countries offering economic opportunities for artists and creators from Mexico and Egypt. Cinematographic, musical and dance expressions have the quality, appeal and potential to succeed in both countries, Tripp said. I am sure that Egypt and Mexico have the cultural power to innovate in this aspect in order to make culture the main engine of the bilateral agenda, not only in cultural terms but economically as well. Search Keywords: Short link: Donald Trump with National Guard troops in Lake Charles, Louisiana, on August 29, 2020 after Hurricane Laura tore through the area (AFP) Republican President Donald Trump takes his re-election campaign to the political swing state of North Carolina on Saturday in an effort to boost his poll numbers against Democratic rival Joe Biden and shore up support among military members there. Trump has boasted about revitalising the US armed forces with increased defense budgets but has seen his political support slip among troops. A poll in the Military Times last month found a "slight but significant" preference among active duty military members for Biden, the former vice president, and a decline in favourability for Trump. North Carolina has a number of military bases, and the president's rally in Fayetteville is near Fort Bragg, a large base with tens of thousands of personnel. An average of polls by RealClearPolitics shows a tight race between Trump and Biden in North Carolina, with Biden holding a slight lead. The president has had a mixed relationship with military leaders. He described John McCain, a senator and Vietnam War veteran who is now deceased, in derogatory terms and has had to deny reporting in the Atlantic magazine that he referred to US war dead as "losers" and "suckers." Biden has sought to capitalise on that vulnerability. His campaign said on Friday it was releasing an ad directed at military families to be aired in swing states including Arizona, Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. "President Trump has been a consistent champion of America's service members and veterans and has succeeded at rebuilding our military, reforming the Department of Veterans Affairs, and launching initiatives to help veterans adjust to civilian life," the campaign said in a statement on Friday after Vice President Mike Pence touted Trump's record with the military in Arizona. Trump has traveled repeatedly to North Carolina in recent weeks, making a stop there during the Republican National Convention and a later trip to declare the city of Wilmington a World War Two Heritage City. Story continues Read more Trump news: President says he is bothered by FBI chief, and claims vaccine is essentially ready Ruth Bader Ginsburgs death is a terrible opportunity for Trump Trump finds out about Ruth Bader Ginsburg death after finishing two-hour rally: She just died? Wow On This Day The Day Myanmars Daw Aung San Suu Kyi First Met Her Jailer Myanmars Nobel Peace Prize laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi stands with Senior General Than Shwe (center) and Major General Khin Nyunt (right) in Yangon in this September 1994 file photograph. YANGONOn this day in 1994, military dictator Senior General Than Shwe and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who had by that time been under house arrest for five years, met for the first time at the No. 1 Tatmadaw Guesthouse in Yangon. A week prior to the meeting, Colonel Than Tun of the Directorate of Military Intelligence informed Daw Aung San Suu Kyi that the countrys military leaders wanted to meet her. She agreed, on condition that the topic of the discussion would be other than asking her to leave the country. Nothing about the discussion was made public on state media except a photo of junta leader Snr-Than Shwe, Secretary-1 Major General Khin Nyunt and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi wearing a pink dress. Many political observers have suggested that no political issues at all were discussed at the meeting, speculating that the regime, known as the State Law and Order Development Council which refused to hand over power to Daw Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD) after it won the 1990 general election, and brutally oppressed democracy activistsorganized it just for show in response to international pressure. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, too, has never revealed details of the discussion. The two met again in 2002. At that meeting, the senior general said nothing about politics, limiting his comments to health and other trivial matters, NLD records show. In an interview with U Ye Htut, who served as minister of information in the U Thein Sein government, Maj-Gen Khin Nyunt, who was present at both meetings, said Snr-Gen Than Shwe never discussed political issues with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, only raising matters related to regional development with her. Whenever she started discussing political issues, he would shrewdly change the topic; the meetings were intended simply to reduce international pressure on Myanmar, and the generals never intended to have a genuine political discussion, he said. After the NLDs landslide victory in the 2015 general election, retired Snr-Gen Than Shwe and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi met for a third time in Naypyitaw. Neither side, as usual, revealed the topics that were discussed. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko You may also like these stories: The Day Suu Kyi Made Her First Public Address in Myanmar Suu Kyi Urges COVID-19 Suspects from Myanmars Rakhine to Come Forward as Cases Soar The Polytechnic, Ibadan, in the Oyo State capital, has dismissed one of its lecturers for alleged sexual misconduct. The affected lecturer, Ajadi Omotosho, was relieved of his appointment as a lecturer in the institution for his involvement in the sexual harassment of a student. The management of the school in a statement signed by the registrar to the council, Modupe Fawale, said Mr Omotosho was sacked in order not to further damage the image of the polytechnic. The institutions spokesperson, Soladoye Adewole, also confirmed the development to PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday. The governing council of the institution approved the immediate termination of Mr Omotoshos appointment with effect from Friday, September 11, 2020. Before he was sacked, Mr Omotosho was a lecturer at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning in the institution. The letter of termination sent to the former lecturer on September 15 reads: You will recall that you were engaged in an inappropriate behaviour and a poorly managed relationship with your former student. These resulted in embarrassing and tarnishing the image of your employer, The Polytechnic, Ibadan. You will also recall your responses and appearances before the investigation panel and senior staff disciplinary committee that looked into the above matters. After a careful consideration of the issues above, the governing council found you guilty as your actions and activities amount to misconduct. The governing council, therefore, approved the immediate termination of your appointment with effect from Friday, 11th September, 2020. You are to hand over all properties of the institution in your possession to your Head of Department, it read. Mr Omotosho did not respond to PREMIUM TIMES calls and text messages seeking his reaction to his dismissal. According to a survey done in 2018 by the World Bank Groups Women, Business and Law, 70 per cent of female graduates from Nigerian tertiary institutions have been sexually harassed in school, with the main perpetrators being classmates and lecturers. The Delaware County District Attorneys Office and Chester police are looking for a gray Dodge Durango with temporary Delaware tags in connection with the murder of Timothy David Hamler on Monday. Hamler, 26, was killed Monday evening after being shot in the area of Ninth and Edwards streets while driving his vehicle. Investigators said that immediately before his murder, there was a shooting at West Carlas Lane and John Street. Video from the location showed a gray Dodge Durango with temporary Delaware tags. Police said the occupants of this vehicle are suspects in Hamlers death. Around 6 p.m. Monday, police were dispatched to the 1400 block of Congress Street for reports of shots fired. While there, they heard shots in the area of Ninth and Tilghman streets. Shortly after arrival, they saw a head-on collision in the 1800 block of West Ninth Street. There, police said, two vehicles were in the eastbound lanes and had appeared to hit head-on. One of them was a 2008 dark blue Chevorlet Impala, which was being driven by Hamler, who was found with multiple gunshot wounds, according to police. Crozer-Chester Medical Center paramedics treated him on the scene, then transported him to the medical center, where he later died from his injuries. Investigators determined that Hamler was driving west on Ninth Street around Edwards Street where he was fired upon, which caused him to jump over the concrete median into the oncoming traffic, hitting the other vehicle with a female and two young occupants head on. Police also found numerous crime scenes in the areas of John Street and Carlas Lane; and Ninth Street and Carlas Lane, extending to Ninth and Yarnall streets. If anyone has any information regarding this case, they are urged to contact Detective Jamison Rogers of the City of Chester Police Department at 610-723-7991 or jrogers289@chesterpolice.org or Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division Detective Vincent Ficchi at 610-891-4681 or ficchiv@co.delaware.pa.us. The District Attorney and the Criminal Investigations Division remind anyone in Delaware County who observes suspicious activity call to 911 immediately and provide the most specific and accurate details possible to assist law enforcement agencies investigating the call for service. The 63rd Jamboree on the air takes place on the weekend of 16th-18th October 2020. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the LARU will not support scout groups from Luxembourg this year. In October 2011, Vietnam and Germany officially upgraded their relationship to a strategic partnership, creating a new impulse to promote substantive cooperation between the two sides. German Ambassador to Vietnam Guido Hildner affirmed that Vietnam is an important strategic partner of Germany. Mutual trust and understanding have been enhanced through the maintenance of high-level delegation exchanges and cooperation mechanisms, which is a solid foundation for the two countries to successfully implement many important areas of cooperation. Vietnam-Germany economic relations have achieved many impressive results in recent years. Germany is Vietnams largest trading partner in Europe, representing nearly 20% of Vietnams exports to the European Union (EU), and is also an important transit gateway for Vietnamese goods to the market. Two-way trade turnover reached more than US$10.24 billion in 2019, with Vietnam enjoying a trade surplus. Germany is a big market, consuming many Vietnamese products, including telephones, computer parts, footwear, coffee and farm produce. For Germany, Vietnam is a potentially fast growing market in Asia. As of May 2020, Germany has 361 valid projects in the country with a total registered capital of US$2.06 billion, ranking fourth among EU countries and 18th out of the 132 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. Germany is one of Vietnams most important partners in vocational training. The country has assisted the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs in developing a national vocational training strategy, drafting the Law on Vocational Training, as well as opening vocational training schools according to Germanys parallel vocational training model. In terms of development cooperation, Germany has provided more than US$2 billion for ODA projects in Vietnam since 1990 through technical and financial cooperation, with technical cooperation projects implemented in the form of nonrefundable aid. In addition, bilateral collaboration in culture and education-training has been growing consistently. Over recent years, cultural and artistic exchanges between the two countries have taken place in a vibrant fashion. Germany has supported Vietnam in implementing a number of projects on conservation and restoration of cultural heritages in the ancient capital of Hue, as well as in archaeological research. With regards to education-training, there are about 300 Vietnamese postgraduates receiving research scholarships in Germany, and more than 7,000 Vietnamese students are studying at German universities. Moreover, since 1993, through the German World University Service (WUS), the Hessian State Ministry for Science and the Arts has granted 150 scholarships annually to students with excellent academic results at some colleges and universities in Vietnam. 2020 marks a crucial milestone for both Vietnam and Germany as they hold important positions at multilateral forums. Ambassador Guido Hildner emphasised that the two countries serving as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-2021 term, Vietnam holding the ASEAN Chairmanship 2020 and Germany assuming the rotating EU presidency in the latter half of the year have created favorable conditions for the two countries to expand and deepen bilateral cooperation. The diplomat affirmed that Germany and Vietnam have become cohesive on the basis of their long-standing friendship and close partnership. The 45-year journey is a clear testament to that sound relationship. Based on the established foundations and with the determination and relentless efforts of the two countries leaders and peoples, Vietnam-Germany friendly relations and cooperation promise to grow further and attain greater achievements in the near future. The coronavirus pandemic and the economic downturn it has caused has been especially painful for the network of nonprofit groups that serve Wyoming communities. The demand for their work has never been greater as the social safety net is tested by job losses, an energy downturn and other maladies. But the funds to provide the services are becoming scarcer as people tighten their belts while waiting for the economy to improve. Government support, meanwhile, may diminish as the state grapples with its own budget crisis. Nonprofits are also faced with the same challenge that our other institutions are grappling with: how to operate safely amid a time of rising cases. That reality is making it more challenging to host fundraising events that organizations lean on to support their operations. It can also add obstacles to providing service in the field. That one-two punch should be concerning to all Wyomingites. We take pride in a culture that looks to the community, rather than the government, for support. But what happens when the providers have difficulty providing? The frustrating reality is we need our nonprofits now more than ever. And theyre taking on an extraordinary challenge. This pandemic has affected us all, either directly through sickness or through the economic slowdown brought on by measures intended to slow the virus spread. That means there are more people who are hungry, more people who need help finding work, more people struggling with emotional challenges in the midst of this grim new reality. And that demand is not likely to ebb anytime soon. Yes, our unemployment numbers have thankfully dropped. But they are still depressingly high when compared to a more typical year. And we are only just beginning to feel the impact of the states budget crunch. The governor finalized one round, but more are on the way. Soon, our schools and local governments will also feel the pinch. In the face of all that, we commend the nonprofits that continue to help. We applaud the workers and volunteers who are still striving to make their communities better. And we recognize the lengths to which some organizations have gone to creatively find ways either virtually or safely in person to host fundraisers and to change their operations so they can continue providing services. Until the pandemic finally ends, many Wyomingites will be struggling to stay afloat. But if youve been blessed with better fortune, consider supporting the nonprofits that are struggling right now. By doing so, youll not only be supporting deserving organizations, youll be caring for your community, too. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Pakistan on Sunday said the diplomat proposed by India as the next acting head of the Indian mission in Islamabad is too senior for the post even as it sought to link bilateral relations to the resolution of the Kashmir issue. The name of Jayant Khobragade was proposed to the Pakistani side in June, days before New Delhi asked Islamabad to reduce the strength of its high commission by 50%. The move had triggered a reciprocal decision by the Pakistani side. People familiar with developments had said on condition of anonymity that the Pakistani side felt the diplomat was too senior to function as the charge daffaires. One of the people said Khobragades current assignment he has been serving on deputation with the Department of Atomic Energy since 2017 could have been a factor in Pakistans decision. The Indian and Pakistani high commissions in the two national capitals have been headed by the deputy chiefs of mission since August 2019, when Pakistan asked India to withdraw then high commissioner Ajay Bisaria as part of a slew of retaliatory actions in response to Indias decision to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special status. Pakistan also opted at that time not to go ahead with the posting of the diplomat who had been chosen as its next envoy to India. A statement from Pakistans Foreign Office spokesperson said: Pakistan believes that by proposing a senior diplomat, who has already served as ambassador in another post, India is trying to circumvent the effect of downgrading of diplomatic relations, which is obviously not in line with Pakistans decision. Khobragade, who served as a counsellor in the Indian mission in Islamabad some years ago, has also held assignments in Russia, Kazakhstan and Spain, and was ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic during 2013-17. However, keeping in view the diplomatic norms, Pakistan has counselled India to nominate an officer with seniority commensurate with Pakistans decision of downgrading the diplomatic relations, the statement added. The Pakistani spokesperson referred to veiled threats in sections of the Indian media that the visa issue would further destabilise bilateral ties and said that it must be clear that the relations between India and Pakistan are inextricably linked to the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. A lasting solution of the Kashmir issue is also critical for peace and stability in South Asia, the spokesperson said, adding India is once again reminded of its international obligations with regard to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. There was no immediate reaction from Indian officials to the Pakistani spokespersons comments. There are virtually no diplomatic engagements between the two sides as of now and they have also not held any formal and structured talks since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that were carried out by the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Pakistan has repeatedly sought to raise the Kashmir issue at the UN, with the backing of its close ally China, and at other international bodies but these moves have not had much impact on the world community. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Lycopodium Limited (ASX:LYL) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. You will need to purchase shares before the 24th of September to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 9th of October. Lycopodium's next dividend payment will be AU$0.05 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of AU$0.10 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Lycopodium stock has a trailing yield of around 2.3% on the current share price of A$4.27. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! So we need to investigate whether Lycopodium can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow. Check out our latest analysis for Lycopodium Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. Lycopodium paid out 67% of its earnings to investors last year, a normal payout level for most businesses. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. Luckily it paid out just 19% of its free cash flow last year. It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously. Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. It's encouraging to see Lycopodium has grown its earnings rapidly, up 36% a year for the past five years. Management appears to be striking a nice balance between reinvesting for growth and paying dividends to shareholders. With a reasonable payout ratio, profits being reinvested, and some earnings growth, Lycopodium could have strong prospects for future increases to the dividend. Story continues The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Lycopodium has seen its dividend decline 8.8% per annum on average over the past 10 years, which is not great to see. It's unusual to see earnings per share increasing at the same time as dividends per share have been in decline. We'd hope it's because the company is reinvesting heavily in its business, but it could also suggest business is lumpy. Final Takeaway Should investors buy Lycopodium for the upcoming dividend? Lycopodium's growing earnings per share and conservative payout ratios make for a decent combination. We also like that it paid out a lower percentage of its cash flow. Lycopodium looks solid on this analysis overall, and we'd definitely consider investigating it more closely. So while Lycopodium looks good from a dividend perspective, it's always worthwhile being up to date with the risks involved in this stock. For example - Lycopodium has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of. We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. Calif. pastor moves worship outdoors after county fines church $112K for indoor services County says it has no plans to forgive fines Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The pastor of a 3,000-seat California church said he will stop fighting Santa Clara County and hold services in the church parking lot as per local COVID-19 guidelines after fines rose to over $112,000. The county said it will not forgive the fines. Jack Trieber, the pastor of North Valley Baptist Church in Santa Clara, has chosen to obey the countys directives banning indoor services, according to ABC7News. The church was being fined $5,000 for every service it held as well as fines for other violations such as singing. ABC7News reports that Trieber told his congregation in an outdoor meeting this week that senators told him they had given President Donald Trump the pastor's personal phone number and if he would be willing to receive a call from the White House. But the pastor said he didnt want to take that course of action. Trieber also reportedly said he has put on hold a campaign that was aimed at flooding local government offices with one million emails from supporters. I dont wish anything evil to happen with authorities. Tonight was the right decision to move out here, he was quoted as saying. County counsel James Williams told The Mercury News that banning indoor services was "essential" to the community's safety. The reality that churches and other religious institutions across our county were successfully holding outdoor services, drive-in services, remote services and have been just completely undermines the notion that they needed to have an indoor gathering and create that huge risk of danger, he said. The county had filed a lawsuit against the church for its ongoing violations of COVID-19 orders, according to Trieber. After prayer, fasting and counsel, the pastor said, "I have felt led of God not to resist the lawsuit." "The county has dropped their lawsuit based upon us moving our service outdoors," he told the congregation last weekend. "To me, thats a victory." While he has faced reactions that he is a coward for backing down and doesn't know how long he will have to hold services outdoors, he said he will continue to preach outside and "do what God commanded me to do just like I did inside that building." Despite the restrictions on services and fines, he encouraged the congregation not to send any "vicious" email or be unkind to county health officials, arguing, "Thats not your purpose as a Christian." In an earlier video message shared on Facebook, the pastor resisted the bans, warning, If we dont stop it here ... its going to sweep all over the United States of America. Government cannot take away our freedom. You cannot take our right to assemble. He had also asked the county to remove all fines and refrain from imposing future fines on the church. To do this to a church ... California preachers, we have rendered unto Caesar the things that are Caesar, and we have rendered unto God through our tithes and offerings, which is His. The pastor revealed that when Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a total prohibition on religious worship services in some counties in March, his church ceased its in-person worship services, K4 through 12 Christian school, college, bus ministry, jail ministry, public school ministry, nursing home ministry, door-to-door visitation, hospital visitation, childrens ministries and Sunday School. But Im in charge of the spiritual health of the people in this city and in this area, he said. Ive been trying to do it for 45 years. Though health is [of the] utmost importance, spiritual health is supreme. Because weve been locked out in this county of churches, suicide is up, domestic violence, addiction is up, homelessness is up, alcoholism is up. We need to get back to worshiping God. I am commanded to worship God. The death toll is 3,557 with 41 fatalities recorded in the past day. Ukraine said 2,966 new active COVID-19 cases had been confirmed across the country in the past 24 hours as of September 20, 2020. The total number of confirmed cases grew to 175,678, as seen on the interactive map compiled by the National Security and Defense Council. Read alsoFour Ukrainian regions ready for quarantine easing health ministryAs many as 77,512 patients, including 758 in the past day, have recovered. The death toll is 3,557 with 41 fatalities recorded in the past day. There were 94,609 active cases as of September 20. In total, there have been 239,938 reports on suspected COVID-19 since the beginning of 2020. Quarantine in Ukraine: background WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said Saturday that he will nominate a woman in the next week to fill Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's seat on the Supreme Court, opening a ferocious political battle that could transform the nation's highest court and alter the presidential election. At a rally Saturday night in Fayetteville, N.C., Trump told supporters that he had not yet chosen a nominee, but "it will be a woman, a very talented, very brilliant woman." The crowd chanted "Fill that seat!" Even as flags were lowered to half-staff and mourners filled the plaza of the Supreme Court where Ginsburg served for 27 years as a liberal icon, the president and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., contemplated her successor. As he was leaving the White House on Saturday evening, Trump said that an announcement could come within a week and that he prefers a Senate vote before the election. "We want to respect the process," he said. "I think it's going to go very quickly, actually." At the rally, he said: "There's a lot of time. You're talking about January 20, right?" In a call with McConnell, Trump mentioned two female appellate court judges - Amy Coney Barrett, 48, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit and Barbara Lagoa, 52, of the 11th Circuit - as favorites, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. Two other judges - McConnell's favorite, Amul Thapar, 51, of Kentucky and the 6th Circuit and 38-year-old Allison Jones Rushing of the 4th Circuit - are in a small group that is being given a close look. All were nominated by Trump to their present positions and have wide support in the conservative legal establishment that has advised the president on his judicial picks. Lagoa, who served briefly on the Florida Supreme Court, had the easiest confirmation, where a majority of Democratic senators supported her in an 80-to-15 vote. As he was leaving the White House, Trump called Barrett "very highly respected." Asked about Lagoa, the president said: "She's an extraordinary person. I've heard incredible things about her. I don't know her. She's Hispanic and highly respected. Miami. Highly respected." The choice, along with whether McConnell can persuade GOP senators to confirm a nominee after voting has begun in the presidential election, will be central in the national debate. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has said the seat should remain open for the next president, and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, adopted that position in a statement Saturday. The death of the liberal icon Ginsburg, 87, might be felt immediately. The court is considering a Trump administration request to reimpose restrictions on medication abortions that a judge relaxed during the pandemic. Ginsburg's death surely will be a factor in the court's docket in the term that begins Oct. 5 - another challenge to the Affordable Care Act is scheduled for after the election, and Ginsburg was a member of the majorities that twice turned back such challenges. Her absence will affect everything from the cases the court accepts to Chief Justice John Roberts Jr.'s power as the court's pivotal member. Liberals and Democrats accused Trump and the GOP of rank hypocrisy in even considering replacing Ginsburg so close to a presidential election. McConnell kept the Senate from even holding a hearing on Judge Merrick Garland in 2016 after President Barack Obama nominated him to replace Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in February of that year. McConnell said the next president should make the choice. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden was quick with a reminder. "This was the position that the Republican Senate took in 2016, when there were nearly nine months before the election," Biden said. "That is the position the United States Senate must take now, when the election is less than two months away." But McConnell said things are different when the same political party controls the White House and the Senate, and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., whose committee would consider the nomination, said he was ready to press ahead. Graham backtracked on his 2018 pledge to allow any vacancy that occurs in a presidential election year to go unfilled. He said he will support Trump "in any effort to move forward regarding the recent vacancy created by the passing of Justice Ginsburg." Democrats on the committee urged him in a letter Saturday not to renege on his original pledge, which he said at the time should be used against him. "There cannot be one set of rules for a Republican President and one set for a Democratic President, and considering a nominee before the next inauguration would be wholly inappropriate," the Democratic senators said. Should Republicans move forward, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a meeting with Democratic senators, the tables will turn if Biden wins and Democrats take over the Senate. Liberal groups and progressive Democrats have been urging that additional seats be added to the court, something Biden has resisted - and Ginsburg said she opposed. The next step is most likely to be determined by a complex mix of presidential and senatorial political concerns. Still a Trump replacement for Ginsburg can hardly be overstated in its implications for the court's docket, the influence of Roberts and perhaps even the outcome of the election, if what is shaping up to be one of the most contentious presidential elections in history ends up before the justices. The assumption would be that Trump's choice would be as conservative as his previous two - Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. One would have to go back to 1991, when conservative Clarence Thomas took the place of civil rights icon Thurgood Marshall, to find a succession with more dramatic consequences. A successful nomination could give conservatives a 6-to-3 majority. Recent liberal victories at the court on issues such as gay rights, abortion and affirmative action have come because the four liberals were able to attract one conservative justice to join them. Last term, that justice most often was Roberts. A conservative chosen by President George W. Bush, Roberts has shown he is willing to put aside personal inclinations to enhance the court's reputation as a more incrementalist and nonpartisan body. Most famously, he found a way to uphold the Affordable Care Act in 2012 against constitutional challenge, earning the lasting hostility of the right. In the last term, he used his position in the middle - with four justices more conservative and four more liberal - to guide the court to a mix of outcomes. He joined the liberals to strike down a restrictive Louisiana abortion law and to stop the Trump administration from pulling protections for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who had been brought to the United States illegally as children. He wrote both of the opinions rejecting Trump's claims of immunity from a New York prosecutor and congressional committees for his personal financial records. But the addition of a more conservative justice will shift that middle position elsewhere, perhaps to Kavanaugh. Just after the election, the court will hear a case involving foster-care services in Philadelphia that involves the scope of religious exemptions to discrimination laws that protect gay couples. In the Obamacare case, the administration is asking the court to strike down the entire law after a lower court's ruling. The pitched political battle over Ginsburg's replacement raged even as tributes to the pathbreaking justice - just the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court - continued. Crowds have gathered in front of the Supreme Court since her death was announced by the court Friday night. Some mourners brought signs, including one that portrayed Ginsburg as a saint. Elizabeth LaBerge wrapped her arms around her fiance, Will Sullivan, laid her head on his shoulder and quietly sobbed. "I was telling my fiance, the question that keeps popping up in my head is, 'Who is going to take care of us?' " said LaBerge, a 36-year-old lawyer who lives on Capitol Hill. "It just feels like such a deep loss at this particular time. It's a lot to put on a woman of her age to keep us safe and functioning as a constitutional democracy." Details on funeral and memorial services for Ginsburg have not been announced by the court. The Supreme Court said only that "a private interment service will be held at Arlington National Cemetery." But current and former members of the court released their own tributes. Justice Stephen Breyer, 82, now the senior liberal justice, described her as a "rock of righteousness." Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan described her importance to women. Justice Clarence Thomas served with Ginsburg on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and had a warm relationship with her, despite their polar-opposite views. As she became more frail, he often gently guided her from the bench after oral arguments. "She was a superb judge who gave her best and exacted the best from each of us, whether in agreement or disagreement," Thomas wrote. Retired Justice David Souter, who Ginsburg sometimes cajoled into joining her at Washington social events, summed up their relationship in two sentences. "Ruth Ginsburg was one of the members of the court who achieved greatness before she became a great justice," he wrote. "I loved her to pieces." - - - The Washington Post's Michael Miller and Clarence Williams contributed to this report. The story of gas well No. 095-20708 begins on Nov. 10, 1984, when a drill bit broke the Earth's surface 4 miles north of Rio Vista, Calif. Wells don't have birthdays, so this was its "spud date." The drill chewed through the dirt at a rate of 80 feet per hour, reaching 846 feet below ground that first day. By Thanksgiving it had gotten a mile down, finally stopping 49 days later, having laid 2.2 miles of steel pipe and cement on its way to the "pay zone," an underground field containing millions of dollars' worth of natural gas. The drilling rig arrived two months later, in early January. While 1985 started out as a good year for gas, by its close, more than half the nation's oil and gas wells had shut down. How much money the Amerada Hess Corp., which bankrolled the dig, managed to pump out of gas well No. 095-20708 before that bust isn't known. By 1990 the company, now called simply Hess Corp., gave up and sold it. Over the next decade or so, four more companies would seek the riches promised at the bottom of the well, seemingly with little success. In 2001 a state inspector visited the site. "Looks like it's dying," he wrote. Gas wells never really die, though. Over the years, the miles of steel piping and cement corrode, creating pathways for noxious gases to reach the surface. The most worrisome of these is methane, the main component of natural gas. If carbon dioxide is a bullet, methane is a bomb. Odorless and invisible, it captures 86 times more heat than CO over two decades and at least 25 times more over a century. Drilling has released this potent greenhouse gas, once sequestered in the deep pockets and grooves of the Earth, into the atmosphere, where it's wreaking more havoc than humans can keep up with. Well No. 095-20708 is also known as A.H.C. Church No. 11, referring both to Hess and to Bernard Church, who like so many in California's Sacramento River Delta sold his farmland but retained the mineral rights in the hope that they'd make his family rich. The Church well is a relic, but it's not rare. It's one of more than 3.2 million deserted oil and gas wells in the U.S. and one of an estimated 29 million globally, according to Reuters. There's no regulatory requirement to monitor methane emissions from inactive wells, and until recently, scientists didn't even consider wells in their estimates of greenhouse gas emissions. With the pandemic depressing demand for fossil fuels and renewable energy development booming, why should owners idle or plug their wells when they can simply walk away? In the past five years, 207 oil and gas businesses have failed. As natural gas prices crater, the fiscal burden on states forced to plug wells could skyrocket; according to Rystad Energy AS, an industry analytics company, 190 more companies could file for bankruptcy by the end of 2022. Many oil and gas companies are idling their wells by capping them in the hope prices will rise again. But capping lasts only about two decades, and it does nothing to prevent tens of thousands of low-producing wells from becoming orphaned, meaning "there is no associated person or company with any financial connection to and responsibility for the well," according to California's Geologic Energy Management Division. "It's cheaper to idle them than to clean them up," says Joshua Macey, an assistant professor of law at the University of Chicago, who's spent years studying fossil fuel bankruptcies. "Once prices increase, they could be profitable to operate again. It gives them a strong reason to not do cleanup now. It's not orphaned yet, although for all intents and purposes it is." The life cycle of the Church well exemplifies this systemic indifference. Hess's liability ended when it sold more than 30 years ago; the last company to acquire the lease, Pacific Petroleum Technology, which took over in 2003, managed to evade financial responsibility entirely as the well's cement and steel piping began to corrode. Letters from state regulators demanding that the company declare its plans for the well went unanswered. In November 2007 the state issued a civil penalty of $500 over Pacific's failures to file monthly production reports on the well. Instead of paying, Pacific requested a hearing, at which a representative testified that there was still $10 million worth of natural gas waiting to be pumped and promised the company would secure funds, make necessary repairs, and start producing again. The state was unconvinced and demanded Pacific plug the well. Another decade passed. The company never pumped a single cubic foot of gas and made no effort to plug the well. (Representatives of Pacific couldn't be reached for comment.) If Church were the only neglected well, it would be inconsequential. But these artifacts of the fossil fuel age are ubiquitous, obscured in backyards and beneath office buildings, under parking lots and shopping malls, even near day-care centers and schools in populous cities such as Los Angeles, where at least 1,000 deserted wells lie unplugged. In Colorado an entire neighborhood was built on top of a former oil and gas field that had been left off of construction maps. In 2017 two people died in a fiery explosion while replacing a basement water heater. These kinds of headline-grabbing episodes are anomalies, but all this leaking methane also has dire environmental consequences, and the situation is likely only to get worse as more companies fail. "The oil and gas industry will not go out with a bang," Macey adds, "but with a whimper." As it does, the wells it orphans will become wards of the state. - - - Days before the 33rd anniversary of Church's spud date, in November 2017, Eric Lebel, a researcher with the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences at Stanford, arrived at the wellhead. The rusted 10-foot structure-a "Christmas tree," as it's called in the industry-loomed over him. While Lebel knew the well's depth, it was still hard for him to envision its scale. "If you don't see it, you don't think about it," he says later. "What's underground is impossible to imagine." The Earth's interior has been unfathomably scarred by hydrocarbon infrastructure, he says. For almost two centuries, since the drilling of the first gas well in 1821, the fossil fuel industry has treated the planet like a giant pincushion. The first U.S. gas well in Fredonia, N.Y., extended only 27 feet underground, but drilling since has gone ever deeper. Ten-thousand-foot wells like Church are common today. Now imagine each of those pins in the global pincushion is a straw inside a straw. In Church's case, the outer straw is 7.625 inches in diameter and made of steel, encased in cement; inside is a 2.375-inch-wide steel tube. The deeper the well, the more the heat and pressure rise. At Church's deepest point, 10,968 feet, the temperature likely exceeds 200F. The weight of the Earth exerts more and more pressure as the well goes deeper-reaching about 5 tons per square inch at the bottom. That's the equivalent of four 2,500-pound cars on your thumb. All of this puts a huge amount of stress on that underground infrastructure. As it breaks down, eventually it begins to leak. Astonishingly, no one had even bothered to ask how much until the past decade. In 2011, Mary Kang was a Ph.D. student at Princeton modeling how CO might escape from underground storage vessels after being captured and buried. She looked for similar models on methane and came up with nothing; some of the industry sources she spoke with were confident that it wasn't much-and that even if it was, technology existed that could fix it. "It's one thing to assume," Kang remembers thinking to herself. "It's another thing to go get empirical data." Kang went to Pennsylvania, where boom and bust cycles over the years have left a half-million gas wells deserted. Of the 19 she measured, three turned out to be high emitters, meaning they released three times more methane into the atmosphere than other wells in the sample. "There were no measurements of emissions coming out of these wells," she says. "People knew these wells existed, they just thought what was coming out was negligible or zero." By scaling up her findings, Kang was able to estimate that in 2011, deserted wells were responsible for somewhere from 4% to 7% of all man-made methane emissions from Pennsylvania. Those findings inspired Lebel and other researchers in the U.S. and worldwide to start taking direct methane measurements. The industry responded by ignoring them and fought fiercely against the Obama administration's efforts to start regulating methane emissions. (A 2016 rule requiring operators to measure methane releases at active wells and invest in technology to prevent leaks was summarily overturned by the Trump administration at the beginning of August.) Meanwhile, scientists trudged on. So far researchers have measured emissions at almost 1,000 of the 3.2 million deserted wells in the U.S. In 2016, Kang published another study of 88 abandoned well sites in Pennsylvania, 90% of which leaked methane. Internationally, researchers tracked increasingly bad news. German scientists discovered methane bubbles in the seabed around orphaned wells in the North Sea. Taking direct measurements of 43 wells, they found significant leaks in 28. In Alberta, researchers estimated methane leaks in almost 5% of the province's 315,000 oil and gas wells. In the U.K., researchers found "fugitive emissions of methane" in 30% of 102 wells studied. Such findings are both a threat and an opportunity, says Lebel, who considers abandoned wells the easiest first step to cutting methane emissions globally. That's what brought him to Church in the first place. According to his field logs, Lebel spent his first hour on site building a secure air chamber using a Coleman canopy tent draped in tarps, which he held in place with sandbags. Inside the tent, fans effectively created a convection oven of rapidly circulating air. As he worked, a farmer who leases the land wandered over. Be careful, he warned Lebel. Sometimes fire comes out of that well. Just yesterday he'd seen a plume of flames erupt from it, he said. At 3:41 p.m., using an instrument that resembles a desktop computer with an abundance of ports, Lebel took his first methane measurement. "We knew right away it was a major leaker," he recalls. It exceeded the instrument's threshold of 50 parts per million almost immediately. Lebel collected air samples in tiny glass vials to take back to his lab. The analysis was damning: Two hundred and fifty grams of methane were flowing out of the well each hour. A rough calculation shows that over a decade and a half the Church well had likely emitted somewhere around 32.7 metric tons of methane, enough to melt a sizable iceberg. Despite the flurry of recent research, the full scale of the emissions problem remains unknown. "We really don't have a handle on it yet," says Anthony Ingraffea, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Cornell who's studied methane leaks from active oil and gas wells for decades. "We've poked millions of holes thousands of feet into Mother Earth to get her goods, and now we are expecting her to forgive us?" - - - There's no easy way to bring up the thousands of feet of steel and cement required to carry gas out of a well as deep as A.H.C. Church 11. That means the only way to keep the well from leaking is to fill it up. Plugging a well costs $20,000 to $145,000, according to estimates by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. For modern shale wells, the cost can run as high as $300,000. On a Wednesday morning near the end of June 2018, a crew of workers from the Paul Graham Drilling & Service Co., hired by the state of California after Pacific Petroleum failed to respond to years of notices, arrived at the well site. As they would on any job, they first dropped a "string," a lengthy metal cable, into the well; in ideal circumstances, it'd be a straight shot to the bottom. But not that day. Well records indicate that a "packer," a ring-shaped device used to create a seal between the outer and inner straws of gas wells, had been installed about 7,000 feet down. It would have to come out first, or they wouldn't be able to get the cement all the way to the bottom. When they tried to pull out the packer, the string broke. The tiny packer, just 2.5 inches wide, stayed stuck for weeks. As the crew tried to get it out, tubing inside the well broke-"structurally compromised due to corrosion," they told California's Department of Conservation in the work log they submitted. They were forced to go "fishing," using specialized tools to retrieve the tubing, piece by broken piece. But the packer was still in there. Eventually they used even more specialized tools to grind it away. It wasn't until July 26, almost a month after workers arrived at the Church site, that they were able to start "running mud," the industry term for pumping cement into the outer straw. This straw had been purposely perforated to allow oil and gas to flow from the pay zone into the well. The plugging cement is supposed to accumulate upwards as more gets pumped in. But if it leaks off into that porous pay zone, no matter how much mud the team runs, it simply disappears. Unless the cement and other sealants reached every nook and cranny, the site might continue to leak. Thankfully, Church filled easily, requiring 36,500 pounds of cement. The unforeseen difficulties added $171,388 to Paul Graham's original estimate, raising the total bill to $294,943, more than double the crew's $123,555 bid. (Neither the cleanup company nor the state representatives who oversaw the work responded to interview requests.) Ingraffea examined the myriad work orders from the job and called it a "well from hell." By late August, almost two months after they arrived at the Church site, the crew had cut off the Christmas tree and welded a half-inch-thick steel plate to the top of the wellhead. It had taken nine days longer to fill the well than it had to drill it in the first place. Looking across the landscape today, it's as though Church never existed. The atmospheric evidence, of course, shows otherwise. The cost to plug just California's deserted wells-an estimated 5,500-could reach $550 million, according to a report released earlier this year. While not an insignificant price tag, the real shock would come if the industry collapses and walks away for good. In that doomsday scenario, the costs to plug and decommission 107,000 active and idled wells could run to $9 billion. And yet so far in 2020, California has approved 1,679 new drilling permits. "We make the same mistake over and over again," says Rob Jackson, a professor of Earth system science at Stanford who oversees Lebel's work. "Companies go bankrupt, and taxpayers pay the bills." Congressional efforts to create a well-plugging program for cleanup are stalled. Meanwhile, oil and gas companies have made trillions of dollars in profits over the past century and a half while enjoying relative impunity. On federal lands, where oil and gas companies actively drill, bond levels haven't been adjusted for inflation since 1951, when they were set at $10,000 for a single well and $150,000 for however many wells a single operator controls nationwide. In California a company drilling 10,000 feet or more needs only $40,000. Even spending all the billions of dollars required to plug the world's millions of deserted wells won't stave off environmental catastrophe. The vast heat and pressure of the Earth's subsurface-the same forces that crushed dinosaur bones into hydrocarbons in the first place-mean that no plugging job lasts forever. Scientists and engineers debate how long cement can survive in the harsh environment of the Earth's interior. Estimates typically fall from 50 to 100 years, a long enough time horizon that even some of today's biggest oil and gas companies may no longer exist, but short enough to be uncomfortably within the realm of human comprehension. No regulations require states or federal agencies to measure emissions after wells are plugged. - - - While little is being done to prevent methane from creating catastrophic warming, less is being done to prevent water contamination. Researcher Kang, now an assistant professor of civil engineering at McGill University, worked as a groundwater monitoring consultant before getting her Ph.D. In 2016 she published a paper with Jackson showing that California's Central Valley, where a quarter of the nation's food is produced, has close to three times the volume of fresh groundwater as previously thought. Such good news came with an urgent caveat: Nineteen percent of the state's wells came close to these aquifers. "It's definitely a threat and something that needs protection," Kang says. "There's so much we don't know." What we do know is scary enough. "The cement will deteriorate," says Dominic DiGiulio, a senior research scientist for PSE Healthy Energy, an Oakland, Calif.-based public policy institute, who worked for the Environmental Protection Agency for more than three decades in subsurface hydrology. "It's not going to last forever, or even for very long." A.H.C. Church lies in the Solano Subbasin, part of the Sacramento Valley Groundwater Basin. Almost 30% of the region's water comes from subsurface sources, according to a 2017 report from the Northern California Water Association. "Given sustained droughts, groundwater resources are going to be very important in the coming decades," DiGiulio says. "California is going to need these resources." Among the hundreds of pages of records chronicling the well's spud, activity, and plugging, the one consistent name was Bernard Church. One afternoon this summer, I called the phone number listed on the most recent document, from a 2004 inspection, and reached his wife, Beverly Church. She now lives in Walnut Creek, Calif., about 40 miles southwest of the well site, and she told me her husband had died nine years earlier. He and their family never became rich. Holders of mineral rights can lease them back to oil and gas companies and receive royalties on what their wells produce. But because so little had been pumped from Church, none of the 20 or so family members who eventually held a stake wound up with much. "We didn't make any money off of it," Beverly says. That's not an uncommon outcome, explains Kassie Siegel, director of the Climate Law Institute at the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity. "Every once in a while someone might" get rich, she says. "But it's not a thing. Big Oil is getting rich. For individual, ordinary people, it's all risk and no reward." The coming week will see global deaths from Covid-19 reach one million. This is a tragedy. Along with death, the pandemic has brought illness, fear and uncertainty. It has also caused the misery of mass unemployment and the loss of businesses in which people have invested their lives. Many reasonable people, including some economists, argue that there is no trade- off between eliminating the virus and saving livelihoods. They may be proved right. The evidence remains mixed. But news from the other side of the world last week did not bolster the case of those who call for an elimination strategy. On Thursday, it emerged that the economy of almost Covid-free New Zealand shrank by as much as those of disease-ravaged Italy and Belgium in the second quarter of the year. We need to de-dramatise Covid, even if it is extremely serious. That is true in Ireland more than in other countries. Irish friends abroad all observe that Covid is discussed more here, and discussed in a more dramatic way. Foreigners who live here and remain familiar with their home countries say the same thing. Breathless broadcasters talking as if bubonic plague were descending on the country do nothing to bring proportionality to the discussion. For that we need facts to be at the forefront. That includes facts about death. Just over 30,000 lives in the Republic came to an end last year. On the basis of what has happened this year, with 1,500 confirmed deaths from Covid and another 300 described as probable or possible, there will almost certainly be more deaths recorded this year. It is worth emphasising that there is uncertainty even on the number of fatalities Covid has caused. Because of Ireland's unusually long period in which deaths can be registered, official statistics come out with a very long lag. The best real-time indicator of more deaths than usual, or "excess deaths" in the jargon of demographers, is compiled by UCC academic Seamus Coffey. He assembles daily data from the death notification website RIP.ie. There have been 1,400 additional deaths this year relative to the average at this point in the four previous years, according to his analysis. What happens over the remainder of the year will determine how much more prevalent death has been in 2020 compared with 2019. There is little doubt that some increase in fatalities will occur in the weeks and months ahead as we continue to live with the virus. Given experiences around the world, particularly in pockets such as northern Italy, the Madrid region and New York city during the first wave, when fatalities relative to population were multiples of what has been recorded in Ireland, we need to be alive to the risk of the worst-case scenario. But worst-case scenarios have been the exception, not the rule globally. Moreover, during second ripples and waves which have taken place since the summer, nowhere in the world that I can find - despite many hours spent trawling through the data -has had a worst-case scenario situation. In Europe, countries that have had the biggest second waves are seeing nothing like the nightmare they experienced last spring. Spain has had the biggest upsurge in Europe. Deaths have been rising. But they were 10 times higher in the spring. Nobody is sure why there has been such a difference in outcomes, but the pattern seems to be universal, for now at least. The most important question going into the winter is how well prepared our hospitals are to deal with more cases. Last week's government road map on living with the virus had surprisingly little to say about this matter and a lot to say on restrictive measures that might be imposed, as happened in Dublin within three days of the report's publication. The constant focus in government communication on what people and businesses will or might be prevented from doing increasingly looks misplaced. The Government needs to focus a lot more on what it can do to be ready for the inevitable increase in hospital cases that will come as we co-exist with the virus. Last week's government roadmap for the next six months or so stated "across all services, there is a need to develop plans for surge capacity through service review, enhancement of capacity where possible and development of contingency plans". It is more than a little surprising that comprehensive plans for surge capacity were not drawn up during the lull in the summer. There will be recriminations aplenty if additional capacity cannot be quickly added if it is needed. Those involved in making decisions point out that the hospital system in Ireland did not come close to being overrun in the spring even when cases were rising exponentially - a term that is as overused as it is misused (hospital admissions have been rising at a concerning rate recently, but it has been nowhere near the runaway rate of March and April). Those making decisions also argue that, in extremis, cancelling elective procedures could free up capacity, as it did during the first wave, even if that will come at a cost in health terms down the line. The takeover of the private hospital system also came with health costs, and financial cost to the taxpayer. But it added capacity for Covid patients, which, in the event, was never used. Purchasing private capacity remains a fall-back position the Government hopes it won't have to resort to. A position it should have resorted to some time ago is the need to be plainer in highlighting one of the few things we do have certainty about: the risk profile of those who are most vulnerable. Covid-19 is a highly discriminatory disease. It discriminates against those who are older and who have underlying health conditions. For those not on these two groupings - a large majority of the population - Covid-19 is no more a risk than many other diseases and activities we face on a daily basis (as of the latest figures, nine people under 65 with no underlying conditions have died in the Republic of the disease). Those who are vulnerable have rights and responsibilities, just like everyone else. Those at higher risk of getting seriously ill are more likely to need hospital treatment. It may not be popular to say it, but because they are more likely to exercise their right to medical care, they have a greater responsibility, and not just to themselves but to everyone else. Cross Frontier worker dies from COVID-19 Government has today informed the public that a female cross frontier worker in her 40s has died from COVID-19. The Govt statement explains that the person in question was diagnosed and died in Spain where she was a resident. The Government says it has become aware of this death through persons who know the deceased, and has been confirmed through contact between the relevant medical authorities. The Government would like to express its most sincere condolences to her family, friends and work colleagues. The Government repeats the advice given to the public to take extra precautions if travelling to Spain. This includes the use of face masks, maintaining social distancing and high levels of hygiene. Virus Migrating to Over 70s It is also important to point out that the average age of those infected with COVID-19 in Gibraltar continues to rise. This follows the trend in many parts of Europe where the younger generation contracted the virus and then passed it on to their parents and grandparents. The number of active cases in Gibraltar now includes five persons who are over 70. This was anticipated by the earlier statements from the Government calling on those over 70 to avoid contact with younger family members and for those over 70 to stay at home insofar as possible. It is essential that those who are over 70 or who are vulnerable should continue to follow the advice given by the Government and Public Health Gibraltar. This includes avoiding unnecessary contact with other people and making use of the Golden Hour facilities provided. The Government says it intends to further extend the facilities available to assist the elderly. Houston's famous restaurant scene could find itself in an even more dire position without a significant influx of government cash, according to a recent survey. The Texas Restaurant Association released results of a survey this week predicting half percent of Texas restaurants will close within the next six months if they don't receive federal funding. Latest survey results available and they are not good. The biggest takeaways: - 71% of Texas operators say they dont... Posted by Texas Restaurant Association on Wednesday, September 16, 2020 In Texas, the pandemic took a particularly heavy financial toll on the restaurant industry, leaving many of the restaurants to shutter their doors. The industry lost an estimated $4.2 billion in sales and nearly 700,000 jobs from March to April, according to the TRA. Some San Antonio restaurants have already closed their doors for good as you can see in the gallery above. According to the survey, 71 percent of restaurant operators dont believe sales will return to normal (pre-coronavirus numbers) within the next six months. The cost of doing business has also risen, with 73 percent of those surveyed saying operational costs have increased. Many restaurants have moved their sales online and are offering delivery, curbside pick-up or purchases through third-party delivery apps. The survey noted that 77 percent of businesses reported that off-site sales currently outweigh in-store sales. San Antonio foodies, there's a way to support some of your favorite restaurants. The TRA has created a Texas Relief Restaurant Fund, a nonprofit which has provided $2.5 million in grants to more than 500 restaurants. Donations can also be made by texting TRRF to 31996. The United States of America (USA) has sent additional troops including armoured vehicles to Eastern Syrian after clashing numerously with Russian forces. The latest clash to happened involved a collision of vehicle that injured about four American service members. The development was confirmed by the Spokesman for US Central Command, Navy Captain. Bill Urban. He stated that to ensure maximum protection of Americans and coalition forces in Syria, that the US government sent also increased fighter jet patrols and radar systems. Urban said even as the US is trying everything to avoid troubles with other countries, will not hesitate in defending coalition forces in Syria. Meanwhile, an official from the United States who pleaded anonymity confirmed that six combat vehicles, including 100 additional troops were sent to Syria. According to him, the decision is like a warning to Russia to maintain boundary and not provoke Russian forces already in Eastern Syria. So far, there has been clashes between Russian and American forces in Syria as the latest happened last month when Russian vehicles collided with US armoured military vehicles. Russia on their part, chided and blamed US for the vehicle collision that injured four Americans. Warm weather saw visitors flock to Blackpool over the weekend despite authorities warning against having a last blast in the resort town ahead of the introduction of tighter coronavirus restrictions in Lancashire. Footage showed crowds of people on the promenade on Saturday and people reported queues for attractions, gridlocked traffic, little social distancing and few people wearing masks indoors. Police had said they were preparing for large crowds over the weekend. One visitor, Gem Concannon, 36, from Northwich, Cheshire, said she had never seen it as busy as it was on Saturday. It was heaving, hardly anyone was wearing masks or social distancing. It was shocking, she said. Terry Woods, Lancashire Constabularys deputy chief constable, told potential visitors on Friday to resist the urge to go to Blackpool. What we need to do is focus on protecting yourself and your family, he said. Make sensible decisions to protect yourselves, going to Blackpool in mass numbers is quite the opposite of protecting yourselves. Dr Arif Rajpura, Blackpools director of public health, also issued a warning on Friday about the dangers of gathering in the area over the weekend and urged people to adhere to the rule-of-six restrictions, practise social distancing and wear masks. He said: The special measures that have been announced by the government across large swathes of the north of England over the past 48 hours illustrate that nowhere is immune to this sort of intervention. Extra measures, ordering pubs and restaurants to shut by 10pm and preventing households from mixing in homes, will come into force to tackle rising coronavirus rates in Lancashire on Tuesday. Blackpool, however, is run by a separate unitary authority and will not be subject to the restrictions. People walk along the beach front at Boscombe Beach in Dorset (PA) Infection rates in the seaside town are lower than in some parts of the county, but the area has seen an increase in positive cases. Elsewhere, crowds were seen gathering in Dorset to catch the last of the summer sun as temperatures peaked at 25C in the UK. Police in Dorset had urged residents to play their part to prevent the spread of coronavirus and warned that anyone flouting the rule-of-six measures over the weekend may be subject to fines. Martyn Underhill, Dorset police and crime commissioner, said: I can appreciate that many people feel weary about what feels like yet another set of regulations coming into force, but sadly Covid-19 is still with us and we all have a duty to stop its spread. Additional reporting by Press Association Companies with not less than 300 workers will soon be allowed to hire and fire workers without seeking prior nod from the government. These changes have been proposed in The Industrial Relations Code Bill, 2020, introduced in Lok Sabha Saturday. As of now, only those industrial establishments with less than 100 employees are permitted to hire and fire their staff without permission of the government. The Industrial Relation Code Bill 2019 was introduced in Lok Sabha last year and subsequently sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour. This bill was withdrawn on Saturday. An earlier draft bill circulated by the labour ministry for discussion had also proposed the criteria that companies having not less than 300 employees can hire and fire without the government's permission. However, this provision faced stiff opposition from trade unions and was not included in the 2019 bill. Earlier this year, the Parliamentary committee also made a case of allowing companies having less than 300 workers to go for retrenchment of staff or closure without government permission. States like Rajasthan have already increased the threshold to 300 workers, which according to the labour ministry has resulted in an increase in employment and a decrease in retrenchment, the committee had pointed out in its report. With regard to the threshold, the government has proposed Section 77(1) in the The Industrial Relation Code 2020. According to the Section, the provisions of "this Chapter (lay-off, retrenchment and closure in certain establishment) shall apply to an industrial establishment (not being an establishment of a seasonal character or in which work is performed only intermittently) in which not less than three hundred workers, or such higher number of workers as may be notified by the appropriate Government, were employed on an average per working day in the preceding twelve months". Apart from this code, two others -- Occupational Safety, Health And Working Conditions Code, 2020 and the Code On Social Security, 2020 -- were also introduced by the minister in Lok Sabha. Among others, Congress leaders - Manish Tewari and Shashi Tharoor - opposed the introduction of the three bills. Tewari noted these three bills are fundamentally changed versions of their earlier forms and urged the minister to withdraw them and hold wider consultations before introducing them. These bills are also a blow to the rights of workers, he added. With respect to the industrial relations code, Tharoor said it severely restricts the right of workers to strike and also allows state or central governments to amend the threshold for applicability relating to layoffs and retrenchment. In Lok Sabha, Gangwar said that over 29 labour laws have been merged into four codes and that one of them has already been passed. Also read: Farm bills undermine 3 pillars of food security system -- MSP, public procurement, PDS: Chidambaram Art knows no religion, no borders. Getting recognition for their art is the only thing an artist wants, and for this 14-year-old schoolgirl from Hyderabad, appreciation has come big. Syeda Ashna Turabi impressed a British businessman with her art, to the point that he bought six of her paintings to put up in his restaurant in South London. Facebook The British man came across Ashna's paintings on Facebook where her father had uploaded them. Ashna's father, Urooj Turabi, told news agency ANI that he was proud of his daughter's talent. He added that he will continue to support her and encourage her so that her work can be recognised further on an international level. Facebook The restaurant which will display her paintings is in South London and is named Adeena's Kitchen. It will serve Hyderabadi food and Ashna's Five to six feet tall paintings will decorate the place. Ashna is a student of Class 10. Now, she wants to make a whole series of paintings on Indian culture and heritage. She said, I am planning to do a series of paintings on various subjects. Through these series, I will try to explore Indian culture and will conduct an exhibition of my artworks in the future. Facebook She has painted over 25 canvas paintings till now and wants to hold her own exhibition when she is done with school. Facebook image credits: Telangana Today Former vice president Joe Biden paid tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg before calling out Senate Republican leaders on their hypocrisy regarding her replacement on the bench (AP) Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden warned Republicans that rushing a vote to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court before the election would cause irreversible damage, and vowed to nominate a black woman to take her seat. The last thing we need is to add is a constitutional crisis that plunges us deeper into the abyss, deeper into the darkness. If we go down this path, I predict it will cause irreversible damage, he said in a speech in Philadelphia. "The infection this president has unleashed on our democracy can be fatal. Enough. Enough. Enough," he added. In an address at the National Constitution Centre, he paid tribute to late liberal justice, who died aged 87 on Friday. "The nation lost a heroine, an icon. It also lost a mother, a grandmother, and a matriarch, the former vice president said. On her achievements Biden said: "She did as much to advance the constitutional rights, opportunities, and justice for women as Justice Marshall did for African Americans." As a nation we should heed her final call to us not as a personal service to her, but as a service to the country, our country, at a crossroads, Biden said, noting her final wish that she not be replaced until a new president is installed. Calling out Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham for their flip flop over Supreme Court confirmations, Biden said: Having made this their standard when it served their interest, they cannot, just four years later, change course when it doesnt serve their ends. The former vice president noted that it is not that the election is close, but that it is already underway as early voting has begun. [This appointment] is not about the past. Its about the future and the people of this nation. And the people of this nation are choosing their future right now as they vote, said Biden. To jam this nomination through the senate is just an exercise in raw political power and I don't believe the people of this nation will stand for it." Story continues He continued: President Trump has already made clear this is about power. Pure and simple power. The voters should make clear on this issue that the power in this nation resides with them, the American people. The voters. Biden added that if he wins the election, president Trump's nominee should be withdrawn and, as the new president, he should be the one to nominate Justice Ginsburg's successor. But he also said that if the president is reelected, Mr Trump's nomination should receive a fair hearing on the Senate floor. He said that for voters not to have a say in who replaces Justice Ginsburg is constitutional abuse. Addressing Senate Republicans, Biden implored: Dont vote to confirm anyone nominated under the circumstances president Trump and Senator McConnell have created. Dont go there. Uphold your constitutional duty and your conscience. Let the people speak. We can't keep rewriting history, scrambling norms, and ignoring our cherished system of checks and balances." On his own potential pick for the court vacancy, Mr Biden said: I have made it clear that my first choice for the [court] will make history as the first African American woman Justice, adding that his pick will be the product of a process that restores the countrys finest traditions, and not the extension of one that has torn this country apart. He noted that one reason he will not release a list of names of potential nominees is that she would endure months on end without being able to defend herself. Read more Trump promises to replace Ginsburg with a woman - and soon Trump seizes chance to reshape America following death of Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg Mitch McConnell doesnt care what replacing Ruth Bader Ginsburg with a conservative provokes remaking America in his image is too enticing Democrats smash donation records following death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg Obama says democracy at risk if Republicans try to fill Ginsburg Supreme Court vacancy before election

The Welsh international, 31, signed for Madrid for 85m in 2013 from Spurs at the end of a season in which he finished as the club's top goalscorer.

Despite having made more than 170 appearances for Madrid, scoring 80 goals and winning La Liga twice - and the Champions League four times - his relationship seemed to sour with the fans and manager Zinedine Zidane.

Sky Sports News has reported that the agreement between Spurs and Madrid is worth around 20m - covering a loan fee and part of Bale's wages.

Bale landed in London on Friday after travelling on a flight with Real Madrid teammate Sergio Reguilon, who is also joining Tottenham for a fee that could rise to 32m.

Confirming his return in a tweet on Saturday evening, Bale said: "To all the Spurs fans, after 7 years, I'm back!"

He also posted a video showing some of his most memorable goals in a Tottenham shirt, including a memorable solo effort against Inter Milan in the Champions League.

Bale moved to Spain from the north London side back in 2013 for a then-world record fee of 85m and has won the Champions League four times since then - scoring in two finals.

Real Madrid are said to have agreed to let him leave on loan to get his 500,000-a-week wages off their books.

Despite playing for Wales twice this month, Bale is unlikely to be have sufficient match fitness to walk straight into the Spurs side - although unlike most arrivals in the UK from Spain he will likely not have to quarantine.

This is as Bale has arrived from an elite sporting environment where coronavirus protocols will have been adhered to, and he will have also had to return a negative test result within five days prior to entering the UK.

Londons New Years Eve fireworks display has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the mayor has said. Sadiq Khan announced that it would not be possible to put on the annual event as usual due to safety concerns. Mr Khan told LBC radio on Friday: "There will not be fireworks on New Year's Eve this year like in previous years. We simply can't afford to have the numbers of people who congregate on New Year's Eve, congregating. The annual event typically sees some 100,000 people gather in the streets around Victoria Embankment. However, he hinted there may be something else in the works to replace the traditional end-of- year display. "What we are working on - we're not in a position yet to say what it is, because we've not done the details is to do something that people can enjoy in the comfort and safety of their living rooms on TV. And so as soon as we've managed to bottom that out, I'll be letting Londoners know, and people across the country, in fact. The mayor also stressed the economic significance of the citys celebrations in light of the economic downturn caused by the pandemic. "But we can't afford to lose that slot ... because New Year's Eve is a really great opportunity for the rest of the world to see how wonderful our city is. "Particularly during a recession, we need to continue investment in our city and people coming to London." Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB), a leading financial institution, has collaborated with DIFC FinTech Hive for the fourth consecutive year to host a virtual speed meeting session for some of the worlds most promising and innovative FinTech companies. The session presented an opportunity for eight FinTech startups, from countries including the US, Canada, Singapore, Bahrain and the UK, to pitch their propositions and engage in productive one-to-one discussions with ADIBs management and digital banking experts. With concepts including Islamic FinTech, RegTech, Payments, Fraud Risk and Gamification, the startups may continue to collaborate with ADIB to create impactful solutions that can complement the banks evolving digital offering to enhance the customer experience. Talha Khan, Head of Innovation at ADIB, said:As we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, ADIB recognises that FinTechs need our support more than ever before. It was therefore very important to ADIB that we continue conducting these sessions in collaboration with DIFC FinTech Hive. Though constructive dialogue with the eight FinTech startups, we are keeping updated with the latest trends as well as finding new opportunities for potential collaborations and partnerships. Hosting this event is greatly valuable in helping us explore emerging and innovative financial technologies to keep ADIB at pace with evolving client needs, especially during this time, he added. ADIB is an active supporter of the DIFC FinTech Hive, a first-of-its-kind accelerator, launched by the Dubai International Financial Centre to drive the development and growth of the FinTech ecosystem in the UAE. ADIB has embarked on a progressive digital transformation journey that includes the ADIB Simple Lab, a modern and collaborative workspace for our innovation team, as well as a network of FinTechs, digital start-ups, and innovators with the aim of creating transformative banking and finance solutions. In addition, ADIB has made sure to accommodate to its customers needs during Covid-19 by launching several innovative solutions to allow customers remote access to their banking services. TradeArabia News Service The late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, where her husband was buried a decade ago. A private ceremony will be held for Ginsburg at the cemetery, which is also the final resting spot for many of her fellow Supreme Court judges, the top court said in a statement. Details were still scant Saturday about funeral plans. Jewish tradition normally calls for the deceased to be buried within 24 hours of death. But the Rosh Hashanah holiday started Friday night, which could delay a ceremony until Monday. Ginsburg passed away Friday night at age 87 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Her husband, Martin Ginsburg, died in 2010 after losing his own fight with cancer. Trinamool Congress MP Derek OBrien on Sunday charged towards Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singhs podium tried to tear the rule book during a debate in Rajya Sabha on the farm bills. Later, however, he denied having torn the book and said, If anybody can show me footage of me tearing the book, I will resign from Rajya Sabha tomorrow morning. My father was a publisher and I will never tear a page. Today, democracy was murdered." OBrien also rushed to the Well of the house to protest against the Centre over the contentious agriculture bills. Opposition members charged towards the podium of the presiding officer, flung the rule book at him, tore official papers and heckled him over their demand for a division of vote. The Upper House, which witnessed a brief adjournment due to the pandemonium, passed by voice vote the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. The bills have already been passed by Lok Sabha and will now go to the President for his assent before they are notified as laws. The government is now considering moving a motion against lawmakers who treated the Deputy Chairman badly in Rajya Sabha. The Prime Minister will be apprised of the same after a meeting with the Vice President. Trouble started when the sitting of the House was extended beyond the scheduled time to allow passage of the bills. Opposition members, who felt such a move should be resorted to only by consensus, rushed into the Well, shouting slogans against the government and accusing it of being anti-farmer. This forced Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar to cut short his reply and Deputy Chairman Harivansh took up the approval of the bills. Four opposition sponsored motions to send the two bills to a House panel for greater scrutiny were negated by voice vote, but the Congress, TMC, CPM and DMK members sought a division of vote on the issue. As Harivansh over-ruled them saying division of votes can take place only when members are on their seat, OBrien charged towards the podium, thrusting the rule book into the face of the Deputy Chairman. House marshals thwarted the move as also blocking a book that was flung towards Harivansh. An attempt was also made to pulls microphones away from the chair but the marshals physically stopped that from happening. DMK leader Tiruchi Siva, who along with OBrien, K C Venugopal of Congress and K K Ragesh of CPM had moved resolutions for sending the bills to the select committee, tore papers and flung them into the air. Harivansh, who asked members to go back to their places and not come into the Well due to the Covid-19 protocol requiring physical separation, first muted the audio of the live proceedings but with the ruckus continuing, he adjourned the proceedings for 15 minutes. When the House reassembled, opposition parties chanted slogans but this did not prevent Harivansh from putting the bill to voice vote. As the first bill got voice approval of the House and motions for sending it to a select committee were rejected, at least two members tried to climb on the table of Rajya Sabha officers but were pulled down. The TMC MP later tweeted a video saying, Opposition parties had resolutions to send this to a select committee. This government knew that they were not in a position to pass this bill. There were 13 or 14 oppositon parties, but we saw the brutal murder of our Parliamentary system, murder of our democracy. Even Rajya Sabha TV had been cut away so we cannot show out protests. I was handled by four or five marshals. Media was not here, now we know why." Rajya Sabha TV was cut off and censored. We have footage of what happened in Rajya Sabha. Members asked for a vote, we were denied it. It is unprecedented. Do not spread this kind of propaganda that I tore up a rule book. MPs had to shoot the footage, we will release it at the right time. Bottomline- Opposition wanted a vote on the farmers bill and BJP did not want a vote because they did not have the numbers. This story does nto end here. BJP told to its ahistoric day, but its a sad day for Parliamentary democracy," he said in another video. He had also posted a video of his speech in the Rajya Sabha, where he can be heard saying, How qualified am I to speak on these bills. I belong to a party called the Trinamool Congress. Let me take you back to the year 2006. The chairperson of this party (Mamata Banerjee), for the sake of farmers, had put her life at risk during a 26-day hunger strike. She was fighting for the rights of farmers." Seven years ago, 4th of September, 2013, Land Acquisition Bills, we got only 13 votes but we opposed the bill to uphold the rights of farmers. In 2016, the Supreme Court said the land had to be given back. But then they would say its history. Last six years, Krishi Karman award went to Bengal. You compare the central government scheme to state scheme, Bengal scheme is better," he is heard saying. Yesterday, PM Modi said that the Opposition is trying to mislead the farmers. What credibility do you have to make the statement? You promised to double farmer incomes by 2022. At current rates, farmer incomes will not be doubled before 2028." In Bengal, from Rs 90,000 in 2011, farmer income has got doubled, actually trebled to Rs 2,90,000. If the food security system was a body, the Minimum Support Price is one of the four concerns about farm bills. We are opposing all four- states rights, PDS, procurement. Dont bring down the debate to MSP only," he said. Who are they (BJP) trying to fool for the consumers - what is the protection against hoarding, price rise, profiteering. This is now beyond the farmers. These bills have to be discussed and debated. You (BJP) have the rights to have your way. We have the right to keep you on track," the Trinamool MP had said earlier in the day. (With PTI inputs) There is an imperative to tabulate votes in this years presidential election as quickly as possible. Why? Because President Trump has shown that he will go to extraordinary lengths to undermine the election, especially with respect to mail-in ballots. Thats why more than 20 activist groups, representing thousands of Connecticut voters, are calling on the Connecticut General Assembly to pass legislation to allow for early processing of absentee ballots beginning one week ahead of Election Day. We are pleased with the positive response weve received from Democratic leadership and hope this will attract bipartisan support. In addition to safeguarding the publics trust in the election outcome, early processing could help protect an estimated 19,000 voters from being unintentionally disenfranchised. Opening absentee ballot outer envelopes starting one week ahead of Election Day makes it possible for Town Clerks to contact voters whose absentee ballots have been rejected for reasons such as not signing or sealing the inner envelope, allowing them to submit a new absentee ballot (or vote in person). Opening the inner envelope for additional processing closer to Election Day would expedite vote counting once the polls close, without compromising ballot security. Donald Trump has waged a relentless campaign against the integrity of voting by mail, tweeting Mail-In Voting, unless changed by the courts, will lead to the most CORRUPT ELECTION in our Nations History! He has made the issue blatantly partisan, claiming that mail-in voting doesnt work out well for Republicans. His campaign sued New Jersey, Nevada, Montana all led by Democratic governors to curtail use of mail-in voting. Dozens of studies have concluded that voter fraud, including mail-in voting, is extremely rare. Even Trumps own Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity disbanded without finding evidence of widespread voter fraud. Republican officials are pushing back on the presidents baseless claims about voting fraud, including Senate Majority Whip John Thune, who was explicit that mail-in voting is secure. Our call to expedite the tabulation of election results after polls close by allowing early processing of absentee ballots is made to address the likelihood that Trump will attempt to halt vote counting after Nov. 3. This is not idle speculation. Following the 2018 midterm election, Trump called on Florida to halt vote counting after Election Day, claiming , without evidence, that large numbers of new ballots showed up out of nowhere. Now, Trump is demanding that results be known on the night of the election. Trevor Potter, president of the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center and former Republican-appointed chair of the Federal Election Commission, noted the possibility that Trump will say, We should stop counting ballots. Some experts warn of the possibility of Trump deploying federal officials to states to interfere with vote counting. Early processing of absentee ballots would frustrate Trumps efforts to sow doubt about the integrity of the election by making it easier to conclude vote counting sooner rather than later after Election Day. Voting experts say that avoiding lengthy delays in reporting election results is critical to maintaining the publics trust. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 32 states already allow some degree of early absentee ballot processing. Lawmakers in several states have introduced legislation to expedite absentee vote counting, including in battleground states of Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Experts say concerns that a premature release of election results that could influence election outcomes are unfounded; procedures and penalties protect this from happening. In Connecticut, absentee ballots are secured before and after they are opened. Allowing Town Clerks to process absentee ballots ahead of Election Day achieves a second vitally important objective: ensuring that every vote is counted. In Connecticuts August presidential primary, some 3,600 absentee ballots were rejected, mostly for inadvertent voter errors of not sealing or signing the inner envelope. At approximately 2 percent of absentee ballots cast, the rate is double the proportion of rejected mail-in ballots nationwide in 2016. Giving Town Clerks the authority to open absentee ballot outer envelopes a week in advance of Election Day is a simple solution to protect voters who could be disenfranchised. They could attempt to contact these voters, allowing them to submit a new ballot (or to vote in person). Indeed, 19 states already mandate that voters be notified and given an opportunity to correct common mistakes including missing signatures. Connecticut should afford its voters equal protection. Ideally, early absentee ballot vote processing and allowing voters to cure ballot mistakes would be mandated by legislative action our democracy is that valuable. However, we would be satisfied with legislative action to entrust local election officials with the authority to take these actions. Jonathan Perloe is with Voter Choice Connecticut, which is joined by these organizations: Action Together Connecticut; Bridgeport Generation Now VOTES!; CT River Huddle, Indivisible Group; CT Shoreline Indivisible; Democratic Women in Action; Every Vote Counts; Indivisible Greenwich; Indivisible Stamford; Make Voting Easy; Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America; Orange Indivisible; PerSisters; Prevail Blue; Quiet Corner Shouts!; Take Action CT; Universal Health Care Foundation of CT; Women on Watch; Women United; Womens March Connecticut. New Delhi, Sep 20 : Actress Payal Ghosh has claimed that filmmaker Anurag Kashyap tried to molest her once, recalling an incident when he got naked in front of her and tried to get intimate with her. In an interview to IANS, the upcoming Bollywood actress opened up about the incident that she says happened in 2014, adding that it continues to haunt her. "I was molested by a very famous director. The director told me that girls he works with 'have a gala time' with him. The circumstances created at that moment were very embarrassing," Payal told IANS. Asked to name of the director, the actress said: "It was Anurag Kashyap who tried to molest me in 2014." On why she stayed silent for so many years and was opening up only now, Payal said: "I tried to open up about it several times, but my family and close friends asked me to be silent to avoid any problem in the future. I wanted to talk about it, but I was silenced. We should talk about it so that people like him don't abuse their position of power." Recalling the incident, Payal said: "First, I went to meet him in his office at Yari Road. He was talking to somebody else, and asked me to sit in front of him. He was busy talking to somebody else and that's why I left. "Next day, he called me asking me not to wear anything glamourous that would suggest that I am an actress. He said 'wear something simple'. So, I went to meet him in salwar kameez. He cooked for me, and picked my plates as well. I left after sometime but he messaged again, asking me to come. I refused, since it was late. He even enquired about who lives with me," Payal added. After two or three days, she says she met Kashyap again, when the alleged incident took place. "He called me over to his home, and I went. I sat while he smoked. After sometime, he took me to another room, where there were many shoes of his then wife Kalki Koechlin. He showed me her shoes, and said 'my wife has gone to the US. She is angry with me. I used to cook for her too, but don't cook anymore. She is angry with me'." Payal continued: "Anurag also said that girls were ready to sleep with him 'just to do one film with Ranbir Kapoor'. At that time, he was working on 'Bombay Velvet'." Payal recalled Anurag started playing an adult film at that point. "I got scared at that moment. That room had many cassettes, books and a sofa. It seemed like a library. After that, he suddenly got naked in front me, and asked me to remove my clothes, to which I said 'Sir, I am not comfortable'," Payal claimed. The actress continued: "He said, 'all the actresses I have worked with are ready to come to me at just one call'. Again, I said that I am not comfortable. After some time, I said 'Sir, I am really feeling uncomfortable and unwell', and just escaped from the place. I didn't meet him ever after that incident." "He asked me to meet him after that incident also, but I didn't meet him. That incident haunts me till date," she added, sharing that Anurag was not even divorced at that point of time. Anurag and Kalki were married from 2011 to 2015. They officially got divorced in 2015, after announcing their separation in 2013. "Imagine, someone removing one's clothes in front of you all of a sudden. I was very young at that moment. I didn't know what to do. When I shared it with my friends, they asked me to file a police complaint, but I avoided," Payal stated. Why didn't she speak up when the #MeToo movement gathered momentum in India a while back? "My family, my brother, manager and other people from the industry - all of them asked me to stay quiet if I wanted a career in this industry. 'Your career will get ruined', 'no one will work with you' were some of the things they said to me," the actress replied. On why she had chosen this point of time to come out, Payal claimed: "Because it is very important to speak up about these issues, and truth should come forward." Payal Ghosh made her feature debut in the 2009 Telugu film "Prayanam", and has been seen in the 2010 Kannada film "Varshadhaare", besides the 2011 Telugu releases "Oosaravelli" and "Mr Rascal". She also had a role in the 2008 British TV film "Sharpe's Peril" starring Sean Bean. Her only Bollywood release till date is Sanjay Chhel's 2017 rom-com "Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi", featuring the late Rishi Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Vir Das, Prem Chopra and Shilpa Shinde. (Sugandha Rawal can be contacted at sugandha.r@ians.in) PROfound trial investigators show significantly longer overall survival of mCRPC patients with at least one alteration in BRCA1, BRCA2, or ATM genes, who received treatment with PARP inhibitor olaparib versus enzalutamide or abiraterone plus prednison Results from the PROfound phase III study, funded by AstraZeneca and Merck Sharp & Dohme, open up a much-needed new treatment avenue for the more precise and effective treatment of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) whose disease has progressed with hormonal therapy. The PROfound trial investigators show significantly longer overall survival of mCRPC patients with at least one alteration in BRCA1, BRCA2, or ATM genes, who received treatment with PARP inhibitor olaparib versus enzalutamide or abiraterone plus prednisone. Ringing in a new era of precision medicine to more effectively combat this lethal disease, it is the first time that a PARPi has shown an increased survival rate in a prospective clinical trial. PROfound also demonstrates the importance of incorporating genomic sequencing for the optimal stratification of mCRPC patients. Barcelona, 20 September 2020- In the quest to establish more potent treatment strategies that target vulnerabilities in BRCA1/2-associated cancers+, PARP inhibitor (PARPi) olaparib continues to drive more precise and personalized therapeutic approaches. By extending survival and reducing risk of disease progression, this anti-cancer therapy has been approved for the treatment of both BRCA1/2 mutated advanced breast and ovarian cancers, and is also licensed as maintenance therapy after response to platinum-based chemotherapy for the latter. Revealed today during the second Presidential Session of the European Society for Medical Oncology's (ESMO) Virtual Congress 2020 (19-21 September), findings from the PROfound open-label, randomised phase III study evidence the efficacy of olaparib for the targeted treatment of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) with at least one alteration in BRCA1, BRCA2, or ATM genes. Presented by second author Joaquin Mateo, Principal Investigator of the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology's (VHIO) Prostate Cancer Translational Research Group, this practice-changing data has published simultaneously as an Original Article in the New England Journal of Medicine. Building on previous findings first-authored by Joaquin Mateo*, showing that olaparib leads to tumor responses in mCRPC patients with DNA-damage repair (DDR) alterations who had previously received chemotherapy and were no longer responding to standard treatments, the PROfound investigators now show significantly longer overall survival in this patient population who were treated with olaparib versus standard therapy with enzlutamide or abiraterone plus prednisone. This present research, spearhead by Maha Hussain, the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center (Chicago, USA), and Johann de Bono, the Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden (London, UK), has led to the approval of olapirib by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of this disease. In addition, clinical guidelines have been elaborated by ESMO, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), and American Urological Association (AUA), among others, that now recommend genomic sequencing of patients with advanced prostate cancer to identify which patients would most likely benefit from this novel and personalized treatment approach. Commenting for VHIO's Global Communications second author of the study, Joaquin Mateo, who is also a Medical Oncologist at the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital (Vall d'Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus) said, "The relevance of our results is reflected by the fact that the FDA has already authorized olaparib for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Based on these data, this week the European Medicines Agency recommended the approval of olaparib for prostate cancer patients with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations, irrespective of somatic or germline. We expect to have the treatment available for patients in the clinic soon. The PROfound Trial consisted of two cohorts: A included 245 patients with at least one alteration in BRCA1, BRCA2 or ATM, the most common and well-known mutations in this subtype of prostate tumors, and B with 142 patients who had a least one alteration in any of the other 12 prespecified genes. Alterations in these genes, whose function is related to BRCA1 or BRCA2, are found in between 10-15% of these cancers. "Cohort B was more exploratory given that there is little data on these genes individually. We sought to establish whether any of the twelve might be as relevant as those in cohort A in identifying patients who may benefit from olaparib. More information on these less frequent subgroups is required because some may well be important," noted Joaquin. The ratio of patients treated with olaparib to patients treated with standard drugs was 2 to 1, with 256 patients treated with olaparib and 131 with hormonal therapy (enzalutamide or abiraterone plus prednisone). All patients had previously received hormonal therapy. The results showed that the median survival increased, particularly in cohort A, in which the survival rate increased from 14.7 months with standard treatment to 19.1 months in the olaparib arm of the study, which indicates a reduced risk of death of 31%. In cohort B, the survival rate increased from 11.5 months to 14.1 months. "While our results show that olaparib is effective in patients with DNA repair gene mutations, even within this group we identified differences depending on the specific gene of each patient. Mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 are those clearly associated with the greatest benefit. For genes whose mutations are not very prevalent, more studies are warranted," added Joaquin. By showing that certain genomic profiles benefit from treatment with olaparib, this study represents a paradigm shift in the treatment of this subpopulation of patients. Specifically, it supports the implementation of genomic stratification of patients with mCRPC, who do not respond to treatment with hormonal therapy in clinical practice based on tumor sequencing. He concluded, "This gene-targeted approach could help more precisely guide treatment decisions as well as match more effective therapies to the molecular make up of individual patients' tumors. The challenge that lies ahead will be implementing genomic testing in clinical practice, especially because, unlike breast or ovarian cancer, these BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations are not necessarily hereditary. It is therefore imperative to sequence tumor biopsies, beyond just normal tissues or blood from patients." ### For more information please contact Amanda Wren, Head of the Director's Office and Global Communications, the Vall dHebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), Email:awren@vhio.net, Tel. +34 695207886. ESMO Virtual Congress 2020 Session Details Presidential Symposium II Date: 20.09.2020 Time:18:30 - 20:25 Channel 1 Chairs: Solange Peters (Lausanne, Switzerland) Ravindran Kanesvaran (Singapore, Singapore) Proffered Paper Session 610O - Final overall survival (OS) analysis of PROfound: Olaparib vs physician's choice of enzalutamide or abiraterone in patients (pts) with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and homologous recombination repair (HRR) gene alterations Lecture Time: 19:14 - 19:26 Speaker: Joaquin Mateo (Barcelona, Spain Reference: * Mateo J, Porta N, Bianchini D, et al. Olaparib in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer with DNA repair gene aberrations (TOPARP-B): a multicentre, open-label, randomised, phase 2 trial. Lancet Oncol. 2020;21(1):162-174. doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(19)30684-9. Established in 2006, the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) is a leading comprehensive cancer center of excellence where its scientists and research physicians adopt a purely translational research model, working together as multidisciplinary teams to both accelerate and advance personalized and targeted therapies against cancer. Undertaking one of Spains most dynamic cancer research programs, VHIO is dedicated to delivering on the promise of precision medicine in oncology - turning cancer discovery into more effective treatments and better practice for the care of our patients. http://www.vhio.net The AP is answering your questions about the coronavirus in this series. Submit them at: FactCheck@AP.org. What should I look for in a hand sanitizer? Pick one that contains mostly alcohol, and has few other ingredients. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says hand sanitizers should be at least 60% ethyl alcohol or 70% isopropyl alcohol. Other approved ingredients may include sterile distilled water, hydrogen peroxide and glycerin, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. You should avoid anything with methanol or 1-propanol, both of which can be highly toxic. The FDA also warns people to watch out for hand sanitizers packaged in food and drink containers, since accidentally ingesting them could be dangerous. Health officials also say to avoid hand sanitizers that replace alcohol with benzalkonium chloride, which is less effective at killing certain bacteria and viruses. Making your own sanitizers isnt encouraged either; the wrong mix of chemicals can be ineffective or cause skin burns. And you should only use hand sanitizer when you cant wash your hands with soap and water, says Barun Mathema, an infectious disease researcher at Columbia University. Hand washing is better at removing more germs. Does my employer have to say if a coworker has the virus? Employers are generally not required to tell workers when someone in the workplace has tested positive for the coronavirus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that companies monitor employees for symptoms and alert those who may have been in contact with an infected person. Some states may order businesses to follow such guidance. Employers have the right to take employees temperature and ask about symptoms or if they have been exposed to or diagnosed with the virus. If an employee doesnt respond to those questions, they can be barred from the workplace. Businesses are required to provide a safe working environment. They also have to keep track of infections contracted on the job and report any hospitalizations or deaths related to the disease to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Some workers are unsettled by the lack of information. Amazon, for example, alerted warehouse workers when someone tested positive for the virus, but didnt disclose a tally of how many workers tested positive. So workers began trying to keep track on their own. There are also pending lawsuits against employers filed by workers who were exposed to or diagnosed with the coronavirus. In general, theres a high legal bar for finding an employer at fault for endangering employees and most claims are resolved via workers compensation settlements. There has also been some debate over whether Congress should grant businesses liability protections during the pandemic. LONDON (AP) - Demonstrators took the streets of London, Tel Aviv and other cities on Saturday to protest coronavirus restrictions, decrying how the measures have affected daily life even with infection rates rising in many places and the global death toll approaching 1 million. In the U.K., the latest official estimates released Friday showed that new infections and coronavirus hospital admissions have been doubling every seven to eight days. Britain has Europes highest death toll since the start of the pandemic, with 41,821 confirmed virus-related deaths. The government recently banned social gatherings of more than six people in the hopes that it would help reverse a steep rise in COVID-19 cases and suggested that tougher restrictions could be coming. Saturday's protest in Trafalgar Square, which was themed "Resist and Act for Freedom," ended in clashes between demonstrators and London police, as officers tried to disperse hundreds of people holding banners and placards scrawled with anti-restriction messages such as "This is now Tyranny." London Mayor Sadiq Khan has warned that the city may add curfews, force pubs to close earlier and ban household visits to try to limit the city's sharp rise in new cases. "I am extremely concerned by the latest evidence Ive seen today from public health experts about the accelerating speed at which COVID-19 is now spreading here in London," Khan said Friday. "It is increasingly likely that, in London, additional measures will soon be required to slow the spread of the virus." A protester holds up a placard in front of police officers during a "Resist and Act for Freedom" protest against a mandatory coronavirus vaccine, wearing masks, social distancing and a second lockdown, in Trafalgar Square, London, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) In Israel, meanwhile, authorities ordered a full lockdown that began Friday and coincided with the Jewish High Holidays, which are typically celebrated with family gatherings and large prayer services. Demonstrators in swimsuits gathered on a beach in Tel Aviv and waved black and pink flags connoting various protest movements. In Australia, about 100 protesters gathered in the Melbourne beachside suburb of Elwood on Saturday before being scattered by police. Police in the region have tried to dissuade lockdown opponents from protesting, but the rallies have become routine. The Victoria police said in a news release that "the behaviour of these selfish few who choose to blatantly ignore the directions will not be tolerated." In Romania's capital city, Bucharest, several hundred people protested against virus restrictions, including the mandatory use of masks in schools. About 2.8 million children in Romania began the school year Monday and schools took various precautions to try and prevent outbreaks. Romania is among the countries that has had a new spike in confirmed cases, including a national daily record of 1,713 cases earlier in the week and 1,333 more on Saturday. In all, Romania has had 111,550 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 4,402 deaths from the disease since the start of the pandemic. Protesters in Bucharests University Square drew parallels between the protective measures against the pandemic and Nazi regimes. One of the speakers compared the measures to the torture of dissidents during communism. The virulent language and comparisons echoed that of conservative protesters at rallies in dozens of U.S. cities earlier in the pandemic, including some who successfully pressured governors and local officials into lifting restrictions on businesses and social activities. Experts have said some state authorities gave up on the restrictions too quickly, allowing the virus to continue spreading this summer in parts of the country that didn't experience the full force of the pandemic early in the year. As of Saturday, Johns Hopkins University reported nearly 200,000 deaths in the U.S. since the start of the pandemic and 6.7 million confirmed cases of the virus in the U.S. ___ Ghirda reported from Bucharest, Romania. ___ Follow APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak A man wears a muzzle during a protest in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. Several hundred Romanians, including many families with young children, held a protest in the country's capital against measures meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus, especially social distancing and the mandatory use of masks in schools. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) Protesters take part in a "Resist and Act for Freedom" protest against a mandatory coronavirus vaccine, wearing masks, social distancing and a second lockdown, in Trafalgar Square, London, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. (Yui Mok/PA via AP) People hold banners that read "Let us breathe" and "Your fear won't take my freedom" during a protest in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. Several hundred Romanians, including many families with young children, held a protest in the country's capital against measures meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus, especially social distancing and the mandatory use of masks in schools. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) A man waves handcuffs attached to muzzles during a protest in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. Several hundred Romanians, including many families with young children, held a protest in the country's capital against measures meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus, especially social distancing and the mandatory use of masks in schools. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) Police officers wearing face masks stand next to a "Resist and Act for Freedom" protest against a mandatory coronavirus vaccine, wearing masks, social distancing and a second lockdown, in Trafalgar Square, London, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) People hold placards including one portraying Bill Gates as they take part in a "Resist and Act for Freedom" protest against a mandatory coronavirus vaccine, wearing masks, social distancing and a second lockdown, in Trafalgar Square, London, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Hideouts in higher reaches and seeking refuge in local houses are a thing of the past as terrorists in Kashmir valley now dig underground bunkers in dense orchards and even in seasonal streams to escape the dragnet of army and security forces. "This trend has been witnessed off late in twin districts of Pulwama and with the latter having a majority of them in view of dense apple orchards and jungles," says Colonel A K Singh, heading the 44 Rashtriya Rifles, the army's counter-insurgent unit which earned a distinction of having maximum kills of terrorists as well as surrenders or apprehensions. Talking to PTI from the well-fortified 44-RR headquarters, Col Singh and his team is always seen engaging with locals to sort out their problems which may even include career counselling or guidance in education but when it comes to countering terrorists, they are much ahead by neutralising 47 militants and ensuring detentions and surrender of seven of them. For Col Singh and his team, who man two areas of and three of Pulwama districts, both considered to be hotbeds of militancy, the task has not been easy after recovery of underground bunkers where terrorists could hide for several days without being noticed by the security forces. The shocker was a hideout in the middle of Rambi Ara, known for fluctuating water levels and often affected by flash floods, that led Col Singh and his team members back to the drawing board. "The terrorists were hiding inside an iron bunker made in the middle of Rambi Ara. The alert troops saw an opening of an empty oil barrel which was subsequently used by terrorists to enter into the bunker. "This was something worth suspicion and discreet surveillance was mounted on the opening. Much to our surprise, we saw terrorists emerging out from underground in the middle of the stream, which generally has water gushing only in the rainy season," he said. Five terrorists belonging to banned Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen were killed after the troops launched an attack earlier this year. However, for the army, it was not the statistics of the number of kills but a worrisome trend indicating that terrorists were now well-entrenched inside the underground bunkers. With the help of technical intelligence coupled with human resources, a survey was ordered of surrounding areas especially in and the results were encouraging as reports of more cavities in traditional Kashmiri households and underground bunkers started surfacing. Covered by dense apple trees and situated at a height, the army found another underground bunker in Bandpoh in June this year where terrorists had managed to create a 12 feet by 10 feet room. The militants were enjoying their stay while army soldiers were looking for them in other civilian areas. The underground bunker finally lay exposed after troops noticed a polythene sheet covering nothing and the earth nearby was filled recently. "The difficult moment for us during this operation was the presence of nearly 50 ladies in the orchards which included one who was pregnant. We initiated an evacuation process and rushed the pregnant lady to a nearby health centre before launching an operation. Five terrorists were gunned down around the underground bunker, says Col Singh, who after taking over the command of 44-Rashtriya Rifles had visited some civilian houses whose kins had joined terror groups. The officer advised the family members to ensure their return and assured them of all possible assistance. Another interesting hide and seek strategy was witnessed in Labipora in Shopian where terrorists had covered an iron box on the banks of a river and kept a small pipe for breathing while hiding underground. "This list is long and I am sure we will be able to dig more underground bunkers," Col Singh said. Artificial cavities in normal households were also noticed in these areas and at many places, underground bunkers found their way through the basement of the houses. "In Amarbug area of Shopian, we found a small underground room with dimensions of 10 feet in length, 8 feet in height and 6 feet in depth being built adjacent to a boundary wall of a house. The bunker was well equipped where even mobile phones were charged using the inverter batteries," he said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Within nine days of arriving in pretrial detention at the Bi-State Jail facility in Texarkana, Texas, in April 2019, Holly Barlow-Austin's health started to deteriorate. Ten weeks later, the 46-year-old woman, who lived with HIV, was dead. A federal civil rights lawsuit filed this week against the for-profit jail alleges Barlow-Austin died following 10 weeks of abuse and neglect during which she suffered inhumane conditions and "deliberate indifference" by jail staff that left her emaciated, blind and unable to walk. According to the 56-page complaint filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, jail staffers ignored obvious signs of Barlow-Austin's worsening health, left her in a dirty cell littered with trash and denied her pleas for water during her final hours in detention. "Her last 48 hours [in custody] were tantamount to torture," said Erik J. Heipt, the attorney representing Barlow-Austin's estate and family members. When Barlow-Austin was finally taken to the emergency room on the night of June 10, 2019, she was immediately given an IV and a feeding tube. "She was beyond saving by the time they took her to the hospital," Heipt told The Post Friday. "It wasn't a situation where you could not think of it as essentially an in-custody death." The lawsuit names LaSalle Corrections, the for-profit company that runs the Bi-State Jail, as a defendant, along with Bowie County and individual jail staffers. Neither LaSalle Corrections nor Bowie County officials responded to requests for comment Friday. When Barlow-Austin was taken into custody on April 5, 2019, on a probation violation, she had been managing HIV and mental health issues with regular medication and had otherwise healthy vitals, according to the complaint. She was not given her full therapy of medication in the jail and staff failed to follow up on an outstanding request for her health records for more than a month. Her conditioned worsened over the next several weeks into early June, when she was placed in a medical observation cell. Heipt obtained video footage of Barlow-Austin's final 48-hours in custody - which he said was unexpectedly delivered in 2,000 clips less than a minute long. "The only way I was able to know, for example, that [Holly] only had three small cups of water during 48 hours because I watched all 48 hours," Heipt told The Post. "If you look at just the medical records provided by the company, LaSalle, you would have no idea of her blindness, inability to walk, difficulty even crawling or malnourished state." Nearly 50 clips viewed by The Post show an emaciated Barlow-Austin laying on a mat in her cell in distress, struggling to crawl around, blindly feeling around her cell for food and water and knocking on the glass window in attempt to summon help. According to the lawsuit, Barlow-Austin had lost her vision by the time she was placed in the observation cell; multiple video clips show unable to locate boxes of food or cups of water placed in her cell. "Holly is unrecognizable. It's haunting," her husband, Michael Glenn Austin, said through Heipt. "Losing her has left me heartbroken." Photos of Barlow-Austin shared with The Post from before her detention show her smiling and posing for the camera, while images of her after she's been moved to the hospital show her intubated and looking wan. Mary Margaret Mathis, Barlow-Austin's mother still can't bring herself to watch the videos. She says that reading about her suffering had been difficult enough. "I can't stop thinking about how badly she was treated," Mathis said through Heipt. She described her daughter as a generous spirit, willing to share whatever she had with those who needed help. "She made the world a better place. And she loved her family. She treated her nieces and nephews like they were her own babies," Mathis said. Heipt said he was troubled not only by the jail's treatment of Barlow-Austin, but how it handled her case once she was taken to the hospital: Her family only discovered she had been hospitalized after going to the jail to visit and being told she was no longer in custody. Heipt said her husband was able to track down the sheriff to personally ask for her whereabouts. "One of the biggest problems in this case is that there has not been an investigation," Heipt said, noting that it's typical for an outside agency to investigate any death that results from being in custody of law enforcement." The fact that they got around the in-custody death reporting requirements by simply releasing her from custody when her death is imminent and then not reporting it to the state is a problem." LaSalle Corrections and its specific facilities, including Bi-State Jail, have faced several previous lawsuits over alleged inadequate staff training and abusive or neglectful care, particularly related to health and medical issues. The Louisiana-based LaSalle Corrections runs the Irwin County Detention Center, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Georgia that on Monday was the subject of a whistleblower complaint by a nurse at the facility who alleged immigrant detainees have been denied basic medical care and possibly subjected to hysterectomies without their informed consent. Since 2015, at least four detainees at Bi-State have died in custody, including some whose cases bear similarities to Barlow-Austin's. In 2016, Morgan Angerbauer died after staff failed to follow health protocols and check on the 20-year-old diabetic. A nurse at the jail later pleaded guilty to negligent homicide. The year prior, 35-year-old Michael Sabbie told jail guards he couldn't breathe after he was pepper-sprayed and handcuffed. He was left in his cell unmonitored and found dead the next day. Barlow-Austin's suit alleges LaSalle has a history of hiring detention staffers with "little or no corrections experience, and it was foreseeable that the lack of such training would cause harm to inmates and detainees." Heipt, who also represented Michael Sabbie's estate in a suit against LaSalle that was later settled, said the problems at LaSalle's facilities could have been avoided. "I think it's a company that sees inmates as dollar signs and puts profits over people's lives. They could easily fix the problems in their jails, but it would cost money to do so," he said. "Unless they're held accountable in some fashion, there's going to be another Michael Sabbie, another Holly, another Morgan." The management of the Sembawang God of Wealth Temple said it has seven stray dogs under its care, three of which died in Friday night's blaze. (PHOTO: Facebook / Sembawang God of Wealth Temple) SINGAPORE The dogs kept on the grounds of the Sembawang God of Wealth Temple are not chained up and are free to roam the temple the night, said the temples management in a Facebook post on Saturday (19 September). The post came after the carcasses of three dogs were found after Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers put out a large blaze at the temple on Friday night. We would like to make clarifications on some misinformation that has been going around with regards to the dogs at our temple, said the temple management, adding that it has seven stray dogs under its care. Unfortunately, we have lost three of them as they were trapped on the second level when the fire broke out. The remaining four managed to escape and are safe. The temple management noted that this information was not originally released as it was still waiting for confirmation from the SCDF. It also shared photos of four dogs, although it did not specify if these were the surviving animals. In the wake of the blaze, the Chained Dogs Awareness in Singapore advocacy group posted on Facebook that it was aware of three dogs at the temple having been confined to decent-sized enclosures. The group expressed its devastation at the dogs death, and called for authorities to stop temples, workshops and factories from confining the dogs to cages and tethered to stationary objects. About 60 firefighters and 11 emergency vehicles were deployed to combat Fridays fire, which also saw a nearby nursing home evacuated. No one was injured in the incident although one resident from the home was taken to a hospital after experiencing breathlessness. Related stories: Ong Ye Kung: No one hurt at God of Wealth Temple fire, deities 'miraculously' unharmed Sembawang temple fire: S'pore-designed responders' performance vehicle deployed for the first time Huge fire breaks out at Sembawang God of Wealth Temple, residents at elderly home evacuated Air travel during these covid times is deeply worrying for Indians. All airline websites have a must-read page about rules announced by the state you are travelling tofrom downloading that states app (many states have their own apps) to quarantine regulations. Plus, there are Union government rulesyou need to have Aarogya Setu showing a green signal, you have to have baggage tags printed out and stuck on your luggage, and elderly citizensabove 65are advised not to travel unless its an emergency. I have taken three domestic flights in the last one month. I have grave doubts whether these state apps actually exist, because no official at any airport has asked me about them. Apps" could just be the latest sarkari buzzword. Of the three airports I went to, only Delhi asked me for a green Aarogya Setu. When I had to fly back with my mother from Kolkata to Delhi, I bought her a smartphone just to load Aarogya Setu on it. No one in Kolkata airport checked. Well, I suppose she can, if she wants to, now learn the joys of selfies and WhatsApp. My mother is 80, and it was emergency travel, so I got a doctors certificate to that effect. No one asked for anything. We downloaded self-declaration forms of good health from the airline website, printed them out, along with negative covid test results, and carried them with as much care as we would our passports, but no one bothered. All the paper went into the dustbin in our Delhi home. Ah, compulsorily sticking printed out baggage tags on our luggage! Just try sticking a sheet of paper on a nylon or polyester suitcase and making it stay. Use any tape you want. The result is that no one bothers. On my three flights, I did not see a single piece of baggage with a self-administered tag on it. It also does not make logistical sense. Baggage check-in is as it always was. As usual, babus make the rules, sitting in their bhavans, and leave office at 5pm, feeling satisfied that they have done a good days work of how the citizens of India need to be managed. That is why the revolutionary steps announced by the government over the past weeks to rehaul the entire Indian bureaucratic system are so important. Now to the permanent laws about airport security. Cellphones are to be switched off or put on aeroplane mode when the plane takes off. Till date, there is absolutely no scientific proof that cellphones interfere in any way with the planes take-off electronics. In 1992, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) studied the issue of electronic devices on aeroplanes. No proof of any risk was found. Boeing independently researched this and again could not come up with any evidence. But the FAA bureaucrats anyway decided to ban the use of all devices during the take-off and landing phases, and all airlines obeyed. They want you to think that they want you safe. Its about them, not us. The permission to carry cigarette lighters and matchboxes is a very Indian case, as far as I know (I may be wrong). India does not permit cigarette lighters or matchboxes either in booked-in luggage or carry-on. This is another case of babu overreach. In Europe or the US, I have never been stopped for carrying a lighter or a matchbox. The US Transportation Security Administration allows you to carry lighters in carry-on luggage. And if you are carrying a lighter in your pocket, it must stay there. You can hardly burn down or hijack a plane with a lighter or matchbox. But even if we accept the Indian law as having some logic (however inscrutable), most airports in India do not have scanning equipment that can detect a matchbox in your carry-on baggage. I will not name these airports, but I have been carrying matchboxes in my rucksack for years without a problem. The babu is happy he issued a regulation; and the citizen has found a way out. Different airports have different security apparatus. In Indias most modernand privatizedairports (Delhi has been regularly voted as among the worlds best" among airports of its size), the check-in baggage screening systems are state-of-the-art. And the lighter goes through. But in airports like Goas, which attracts so much internationaland high-spendingtraffic, we still have to go through what is essentially a manual scanning process where one has to lug ones bags up each airlines specific uphill conveyor belt. So, expensive Zippo lighters that cost up to $100 stay back in Dabolim airport. A secondary market flourishes. Finally, the personal security check. At Guwahati airport, I found that everyone goes in with their arms raised to the sky like they are being menaced with AK-47s. At Kolkata airport, the security man makes everyone turn right and then scans him. The logic escapes me. Our airports have improved incredibly in the last 20 years. But why cant we still get our act together on simple things? From covid regulations which turn out to be either pieces of useless paper or possibly fictitious apps, to rules that much of the developed world sees as unnecessary, and which we dont even have the equipment to implement? Its not rocket science; just simple rational thinking. But that may be too much to ask of our babudom. Sandipan Deb is a former editor of Financial Express, and founder-editor of Open and Swarajya magazines Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Almost apocalyptic: Convoy of Hope, churches helping those affected by West Coast fires Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Convoy of Hope, a faith-based disaster relief charity, has been working with churches on the West Coast where it has sent over a dozen loads of supplies to aid families affected by the fires that have burned millions of acres of land in California, Oregon and Washington state and taken more than 30 lives. Weve got at least a dozen loads of resources either already on the ground or en route to some of our partners both in California and Oregon, Stacy Lamb, senior director of disaster relief for the nonprofit, said in an interview with The Christian Post on Wednesday. In California and Oregon at the moment, were working with multiple churches out there to provide them the resources so that they can do distribution even through to local evacuation centers or whatever the case may be. Lamb noted that it's more useful to work with local partners rather than set up a specific site since the fires are extremely widespread. He contrasted the fires with the work that Convoy of Hope is doing in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where it's responding to the devastation caused by Hurricane Laura. When you take something like fires in California, Oregon, and Washington, where theyre literally stretched over thousands of miles, setting up a single site out there doesnt really make a lot of sense, Lamb said. So its easier to find those partner churches or those hub churches and provide them with the resources and let them distribute locally. Lamb told CP about the need for people living elsewhere in the country to pray for those folks out there as they deal with a situation that is almost apocalyptic and to understand the scope of the situation. Even the folks that arent necessarily in harms way from the fire, the smoke and all the ash and all those things out there are just impacting so many more people, he continued. From the standpoint of fresh air and people that have any type of breathing ailments or anything like that, [they] are greatly impacted by these fires as well. Recently, several fires have started on the West Coast, burning millions of acres. They have come from a mixture of causes, including lightning strikes and the downing of powerlines, and arson attacks. Northeast Assembly of God, a Fresno, California-based congregation that has a campus near the wildfires, is one of the church partners working with Convoy of Hope. Pastor Jim Mattix told CP in an interview on Thursday that supplies from Convoy of Hope arrived Wednesday and around 47 families were assisted by volunteers tied to his church. There's been a lot of properties destroyed; there's been a lot of families displaced. They are basically scattered all across the Fresno area after coming down out of the mountains where the creek fires are burning, Mattix said. "There's families out here that lost everything. Whenever you're in a fire, there's nothing to get back from that fire. You've lost everything." Mattix said the church campus is being treated like a mini-warehouse, and he's grateful for the help Convoy of Hope gave them to assist people. By his count, around eight of the families that came to his church for supplies had lost nearly everything they owned when one of the fires went through the nearby mountain communities. Many in the path of the fires quickly filled up their campers and drove away and their campers have become their new home. I look at people's faces when they come in and I listen to their stories, said Mattix, who noted that those whose homes survived still have yet to get electricity back. One of them said, 'I hadn't been in my camper in two-and-a-half years. I moved to the mountain so I didn't have to camp anymore.' He said, 'I threw everything in the camper and took off.'" That person, Mattix recalled, end up losing his house. According to the pastor, the man later explained that it looks like I'll be living out in my camper until I can rebuild." Another family that came to the church had lost all of their family photos, with one family member who talked to the pastor crying and stating, I can't believe I lost all our memories. "We just gave them whatever we had. We have clothes, blankets, food, all the necessities that they would need to restart. So its been a blessing to them, its been a blessing to us to be a part of that, Mattix added. Its hard to grasp a hold of it and say, 'How can we help?' I feel like any help we do is minimal and doesn't really make an impact, whereas, to the people, it's huge. But to us, like, man I wish I could build you a house, I wish I could buy you a car to replace the one that burned down." "But we can't. We can only do what we can." The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has thrown in a bunch of strict safety measures in place to check the spread of Covid-19 as it gears up to start conducting its compartment exams for students of Class 10 and 12 from Tuesday onwards. From doubling the number of examination centres to seeking Delhi Polices help to prevent crowding outside centres, the board is trying to do it all in order to ensure safety and security of the students during the exams. This year around 2,37,000 students from India and 16 other countries will be appearing in the compartment exams. Students of Class 10 will be appearing in a maximum of two subjects and those in Class 12 will write their exam in one subject. The board has increased the number of examination centres from 500 (last year) to 1,268 this time around to maintain social distancing. In Delhi, the exams will be conducted in 247 centres. The CBSE on September 4 despite vociferous protests by students and parents against conducting retests amid the raging pandemic had announced that compartment exams will be held between September 22 and 30. The board had to earlier suspend exams of classes 10 and 12 after the Covid-19 pandemic hit the nation. The exams were later cancelled and students were evaluated on the basis of the average of exams in which they had appeared. The Directorate of Education (DoE) on Friday issued a notification asking all principals of schools that have been turned into a CBSE exam centre, to ensure smooth movement of students and teachers on exam days. Further, the heads of these schools are also directed to ensure continued water and electricity supply during exams, and health support (in case required) . Delhi Police is also directed to support in preventing overcrowding outside exam centres, the notification stated. All the candidates have been asked to wear a face mask and to carry their own hand sanitisers in a transparent bottle, along with a water bottle. The exam will be conducted between 10:30am to 1:30 pm. The answer book will be distributed to candidates between 10am and 10:15 am. Among the centres in Delhi, is Sarvodaya co-ed vidyalaya in Rohini sector-8. School principal Awadhesh Kumar Jha said that they are ready with sanitisers, masks, thermal scanners. The rooms will be sanitised before the arrival of students. We have also drawn circles at a distance of 5-6 metres outside the school for students to ensure social distancing during entry. The school has also written to the Delhi police requesting their personnel be posted outside the building to avoid crowding, he said. Many students and their parents have been protesting against the CBSEs decision of conducting an exam amid the pandemic. Students had also launched an online campaign with the hashtag #cancelcompartmentexam2020. A plea seeking cancellation of exams has also been filed in the Supreme Court. The matter will be next heard on Tuesday. Sidhi Sawant, a student, took to Twitter to vent her opposition against the move, If our exams are not cancelled then we want all the exams which were cancelled previously (because of COVID-19 pandemic) to happen compulsorily for all students. Why we are being treated differently amid a Pandemic (sic), her tweet read. KRUGLIKOVO, Russia -- Mikhail Utrobin waded through ankle-deep mud, corralling his cows with help from a farmhand. The animals, lethargic under the late summer sun, refused to budge. Utrobin slapped and heaved at their massive bodies until they did. The first months were the worst, he said on a recent afternoon, surveying the land on which he had built his business and was now building a new home. My employees were drinking, my cows were dying, and my neighbors were stealing. But everything works smoothly now. Four years ago, Utrobin was a traveling executive for a Russian sportswear chain, living out of a suitcase. Today, hes a celebrated entrepreneur profiled on state TV and paraded before top government officials, the proud owner of a budding dairy business established on land he acquired free from the Russian state. The 33-year-old has become a poster child for a project launched by President Vladimir Putin in 2016, under which the state has been giving away land in Russias Far East to any citizen willing to take it -- a bid to reverse demographic decline in a resource-rich but sparsely populated region occupying one-third of Russias landmass. "The development of the Far East is Russia's national priority for the 21st century," Putin wrote in an article published after the programs launch. But the Far East Hectare program, now in its fourth year, has fallen short of expectations. If the hope was to inspire an eastward migration on par with the westward push ushered in by the U.S. Homestead Act of 1862, it instead spurred people like Utrobin, a native of the region, to leave the urban bustle and build a second home. Since the 16th-century reign of Ivan the Terrible, Russian rulers have sought to settle the Far East, a relentless expansion that accelerated with the eastward spread of the gulag labor-camp system under Josef Stalin. But since the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, the region's population has steadily fallen amid an exodus to more hospitable parts of European Russia. The Far East is not an easy place to live. Its wet, theres little oxygen in the air, and the climate changes dramatically between seasons, said Sergei Surovtsev, 47, another local homesteader. But when I come here, I enter a meditative state. While few Russians migrate east, Chinese head north. Russias Far Eastern Federal District is two-thirds the size of China but has a population of just 6 million; the Chinese provinces across the border, on the other hand, are home to more than 100 million. Chinese workers lease land from Russian landowners, turning tracts that once lay fallow into soybean fields. According to some estimates, 300,000 Chinese citizens have settled in Russias Far East. The Russian state has made 220 million hectares of land available under its program, double the total amount allotted under the Homestead Act. But only around 80,000 Russians have taken advantage. In the Khabarovsk region, seven time zones from Moscow, homesteaders like Utrobin and Surovtsev represent a hardy class known locally as gektarshchiki or hectarites -- men who see themselves as modern-day pioneers following in the footsteps of those who came before. Khabarov himself was basically the first ever gektarshchik, said Surovtsev, referring to Yerofei Khabarov, an explorer who in 1651 built a winter camp in the area where Khabarovsk, the regional capital of 600,000 residents, now stands. He wanted to get rich and get away from the government. Khabarov journeyed across the breadth of todays Russia from his home in the northwest; Surovtsev reaches his homestead via a 50-kilometer stretch of highway from Khabarovsk. And if the plan was to get away from the government, the perks on offer proved too good. With a grant of 1.5 million rubles ($20,000) from the state, aimed at homesteaders with an actionable plan for developing their land, the barrel-chested ex-serviceman bought 100 beehives and set about making honey. I wondered if its worth it, since I knew the government will now be observing me, asking questions, he said. Legally, the state can take back the land if he breaks the rules or strays too far from his original development strategy. As he spoke, a bee slammed into his temple with a loud buzz, and he grabbed it with his thumb and forefinger and tossed it aside, adding: If they want to take the land away, they will. While the program has failed to lure Russians from the western part of the country, its been a godsend for some enterprising locals. When he learned of its launch in 2016, the 33-year-old Utrobin jumped on his bicycle and set off from Khabarovsk to scour the region for the perfect spot. He wanted something picturesque, he said, with access to a road. And he found it on the foothills of the Khekhtsir Mountains just across the Trans-Siberian Railway, which ferries passengers from Moscow to Vladivostok, south of Khabarovsk on the Pacific Coast. He applied for ownership of five hectares --- one in his own name and one each for his wife, his mother, and his two daughters, then aged 1 and 3. Six months later, with deeds for the land in hand and 1 million rubles ($13,250) in starting capital, he began reinventing himself. It was a baptism by fire. A company he contracted to build the farmhouse absconded with his money. A barn went up in flames, incinerating 850,000 rubles ($11,200) worth of equipment. And a married couple he hired to help out rushed him with a chainsaw after he rebuffed their drunken demand for higher pay. Alcohol is Russias scourge, he said. He learned from his mistakes, and while he has yet to turn a profit, his farm -- through a small processing plant in Khabarovsk --- produces 200 liters of milk per day and its own line of organic ice cream. And on his sprawling plot of land, which is partly covered with trees and shrubbery, Utrobin is building a house for his family -- and counting down the days until he can leave the city apartment he rents from his mother-in-law. Utrobins transformation from office clerk to farmer has been chronicled in umpteen laudatory reports on state TV, which uses his story to promote the homestead program. Last year, at an event with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Utrobin proposed expanding the program. "God willing, the land will be taken by entrepreneurs like you," Mishustin told him, endorsing the idea. Utrobin laps up the attention and uses it to popularize his business, along with social-media pages where he chronicles its ups and downs. This program is publicity for the state, he said of the Far East Hectare project. But I use the government for publicity, too. Digital payments platform Google Pay is in the process of fully migrating to a new user interface, the company said in a blog post shared on Friday. It is using Googles own user interface toolkit Flutter which will allow it to deploy the updates simultaneously on iOS and Android from a single codebase. Confirming the development on microblogging site Twitter, Caesar Sengupta, vice president, product management, Google wrote: This will now unlock a bunch (of) more new features for our users. This is starting with the beta channel. Elaborating on the need for the update, Google said in the blog post that it wanted to develop a modern and engaging (development environment) with the flexibility needed to keep the UI clean. It also wanted to write the code once and deploy it across both the iOS and Android platforms. Now as the company rewrites the entire code for Google Pay, users will be treated with a new interface very soon. Singapore and Indian users can also beta test the product, Google wrote on Twitter. Google Pay has emerged as the most downloaded fintech app in the world, mainly driven by its massive adoption in India. Sengupta tweeted earlier this week that within three years of launch, Google Pay has achieved this feat. It was downloaded 10 million times, wrote Entrackr in its story with more than 7.8 million installs coming from India. In India, Google Pay offers digital payments leveraging the Unified Payments Interface railroads. It works with four large banks to offer these payments. Besides payments, Google Pay allows the purchase of gold, offers loans from banks and other allied financial services too. It competes with the likes of Amazon Pay, Paytm and PhonePe here. Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden gestures while speaking at the Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020, about the Supreme Court. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Sunday appealed to Senate Republicans to honor the dying wish of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and not vote on a nominee to fill the vacancy before the November presidential election. "As a nation, we should heed her final call to us, not as a personal service to her, but as a service to the country, our country, at a crossroads," Biden said during a speech in Philadelphia. "There is so much at stake." The former vice president said the choice of the nominee to replace Ginsburg, who died on Friday evening, should be the left to whoever wins the November election. "If Trump wants to put forward a name now, the Senate should not act until after the American people select their next president, their next Congress, their next Senate," Biden said. "To jam this nomination through the Senate is just an exercise in raw political power. And I don't believe the people of this nation will stand for it," he said. Ginsburg's death immediately sparked a contentious political battle over the balance of power on the nation's highest judicial body and has dramatically shifted the focus of a bitter presidential race between Trump and Biden. The day after Ginsburg's death, Trump said he would choose his nominee in the coming week and said his administration would seek to move ahead with the nomination before the November election. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the nominee would receive a vote on the Senate floor. However, two Republican Senators have announced their opposition to filling Ginsburg's seat before Nov. 3: Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Senate Republicans hold a 53-seat majority, so the party can only have three defections assuming every Democrat votes against Trump's nominee. "I appeal to those few senate Republicans, the handful who really will decide what happens. Please, follow your conscience," Biden said. "Don't vote to confirm anyone nominated under the circumstances President Trump and Senator McConnell have created. Don't go there." During the 1992 election year, Biden, then the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, urged President George H.W. Bush to delay filling any potential vacancy on the Supreme Court until after Election Day. The speech was touted by Republicans during the 2016 standoff over President Barack Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland to fill the seat vacated by the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Biden on Sunday pointed out McConnell's blocking of Garland's nomination to the court and urged Senate Republicans that they "can't unring the bell." "Having made this their standard when it served their interest, they cannot, just four years later, change course when it doesn't serve their ends," Biden said. He also warned voters in the upcoming election that their healthcare is at stake. "I'm speaking for the millions of Americans out there who are already voting in this election. Millions of Americans who are voting because they know their health care hangs in the balance," Biden added. "In the middle of the worst global health crisis in living memory, Donald Trump is at the Supreme Court trying to strip health coverage away from tens of millions of families." The Supreme Court will decide the future of the Affordable Care Act a week after the presidential election in a case backed by a group of Republican-led states. With Ginsburg now gone, the high court has shifted toward the body's conservatives who now have a 5-3 majority. Even if Chief Justice John Roberts sides with the court's liberals, a 4-4 ruling would leave a lower court decision in place, which effectively invalidated Obamacare. Biden also doubled down on his commitment to naming a Black woman to the bench, saying the person will be his first pick. But the former vice president said he will not release a list of potential nominees, as Trump has. Biden first pledged to name a Black woman to the court during a Democratic debate in February. "The voters of this country should be heard. Voting has already begun in some states," Biden said. "And in just a few weeks, all the voters of this nation will be heard. They are the ones who should decide who has the power to make this appointment." CNBC's Tucker Higgins contributed to this report A Tory London mayoral candidate wants to offer firms sponsorship deals to raise money for TfL meaning tube stations could be renamed. Shaun Bailey plans to give companies the chance to bid to rename stations as part of a new advertising campaign inspired by the Dubai Metro. The Conservative London mayoral candidate put forward the plans for a 100 million a year sponsorship deal according to The Telegraph. Shaun Bailey plans to give companies the chance to bid to rename stations as part of a new advertising campaign Under these plans Knightsbridge Station could be renamed after Harrods, and Oxford Circus would be sponsored by brands with flagship stores nearby. Mr Bailey believes the initiative will raise up to half a billion pounds over five years for Transport for London (TfL). He says it has been left with 'record levels of debt' by London Mayor Sadiq Khan. Mr Bailey said that 'Dubai's entire Metro is barely the size of the District Line' (pictured, a commuter passing the Burj Khalifa, Dubai) This has worked in major cities across the globe including Dubai, Madrid and New York. Mr Bailey believes the size of the London Underground could generate higher revenues than in Dubai which has raised more than 300 million. There have only been branding of 21 stations across the network with 10-year sponsorship deals with firms including Emirates and First Gulf Bank. Mr Bailey believes the size of the London Underground could generate higher revenues than in Dubai which has raised more than 300 million Mr Bailey said: 'We need to fix the service that Londoners love. That's why I'll invite businesses to sponsor station names and Tube lines. 'Dubai makes 419 million through sponsorship. And Dubai's entire Metro is barely the size of the District Line.' A student waves bye to his parents before class in an elementary school in Gwangju, Sept. 14. The school reopened previously providing online classes amid fears over the continuing spread of COVID-19. Yonhap By Bahk Eun-ji More than 7,000 kindergartens, and elementary, middle and high schools in the Seoul metropolitan area will resume in-person classes, Monday, in line with a recent slowdown in COVID-19 infections, according to the Ministry of Education, Sunday. It has been almost a month since the schools began online-only education following the Aug. 26 resurgence of the contagious virus. Quarantine measures on schools were originally scheduled to end Sept. 11, but were extended until Sept. 20 as the spread of the coronavirus showed no sign of abating. The decision made by the education ministry last week follows the slow relaxing of social distancing measures in Seoul amid a recent drop in new COVID-19 cases and deepening concerns over economic damage. According to ministry data, the 7,000 schools, including 2,000 in Seoul, 800 in Incheon, west of Seoul, and 4,200 in Gyeonggi Province, account for about 40 percent of the nation's total of 27,740 schools. by Pierre Balanian A ship with some 50 Lebanese migrants drifted in the Mediterranean waters for seven days without food, water or baggage. Since July, human traffickers have been exploiting a new sea route to reach Europe (Cyprus), charging a thousand dollars per person per trip. Due to the tragic state of Lebanons economy, almost everyone wants to emigrate, starting the countrys fourth mass exodus. Beirut (AsiaNews) Beginning in mid-July, Lebanese migrants have been taking an escape route, by sea, towards a better life. However, the odyssey of illegal migration has been marked by a new tragedy not far from the Lebanese coast. Tripoli is Lebanons second largest city and one of its poorest and most forgotten places. Here smuggling and human trafficking was an open secret, and until recently small-scale. On 7 September, about 50 people boarded a boat that left Al Miniyeh, a town about 10 km north of Tripoli. They happily dreamt of a better future in Europe, about 189 km away, in Cyprus. Each passenger paid a thousand US dollars, a small fortune for such a short trip for citizens of a country in crisis where the average wage, for those who have a job, is 100 dollars a month. During the crossing, the smuggler lost his bearings and the boat found itself in the high seas somewhere between the Cypriot and Turkish coasts. They run out of fuel and the passengers who had planned a short journey begin to suffer from hunger, thirst and dehydration due to the scorching sun and the stifling heat of the eastern Mediterranean. Out of the 50 who left, 14 died, including a child on 10 September. The mother, Zeinab Al Qak (pictured, left) held his body in her arms for two days. She then decided to do the impossible. In front of her 10-year-old daughter (pictured right), who survived, she gave her sons body to the sea. Her final words were "Let your last rest be here" before breaking down in fits of tears and hysteria. After seven days of slow agony at sea, surrounded by the sky, sun, water and stars, thirsty and hungry, the escapees were rescued by a UNIFIL[*] naval vessel. Twelve children were on board, including the little sister - still in shock - of the child thrown into the sea. Taken to the devastated port of Beirut, they were rushed to hospital. Survivors included residents from Bebnine, Akkar governorate, on Lebanons northern border with Syria. On land, they began talking about the illegal human trafficking network in which they were involved, mentioning the names of two smugglers, both from Bebnine, Burhan Qatarib and his son-in-law Ahmad Safwan who had struck a deal with the migrants wanted to escape from hunger in Lebanon, only to find death from hunger and thirst at sea. Leaving without luggage, the organisers had promised the migrants that they would join them in the high seas with their things as well as food, plus milk for the children. But with the boat lost in the waters of the Mediterranean, the migrants got nothing. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of the two traffickers, who are now fugitives. A source, who wished to remain anonymous, told AsiaNews, that Turkey is behind this new illegal migration from Lebanon to Europe. Yesterday morning the Lebanese coast guard recovered the body of one of the migrants, found near the coast of Saadiyat, south of Beirut, in Chouf district. One of the survivors of this tragedy, Mohammad Sefian Mohammad, also lost a son who died of thirst and hunger despite his fathers attempt to save him by getting him to drink sea water. Outgoing Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab instructed his outgoing Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe to liaise with Cypriot authorities to coordinate joint action to counter this nascent trend. The outgoing government has decided to help the families of the victims. The concern is great because almost every Lebanese wants to emigrate, to flee Lebanon, where life has become impossible. For all intents and purposes, Lebanons fourth mass migration is underway. The first one, that of the Maronites, began in the wake of the massacres of 1880 (Druze-Maronite war). The second wave took place in the early 20th century until 1920, when the country emptied itself, especially during the years of the famine caused by the Ottoman Turks, with many emigrating to Brazil and the United States. The third wave occurred during the civil war (1975-1990). Now the fourth has just begun. Lebanon is one of the few countries in the world, together with Armenia, Israel, Italy and Spain, to have a diaspora that exceeds the number of people at home. In Lebanon, carrying out a census is a taboo, to avoid jeopardising the subtle balance between the various ethno-religious communities. Lebanons population is estimated to be around four million, but more than seven million Lebanese or people of Lebanese descent live scattered around the world. In order to help the people of Beirut and Lebanon, as well as Caritas Lebanon, AsiaNews has launched a campaign to Help devastated Beirut. Those who want to contribute can make a donation to: PIME Foundation: - International Bank Account Number (IBAN): IT78C0306909606100000169898 - Bank Identifier Code (BIC): BCITITMM - Reason for transfer: AN04 HELP DEVASTATED BEIRUT [*] United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. Advertisement Protesters gathered outside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's home on Saturday to demand he stop pushing forward with a new SCOTUS pick following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. McConnell vowed on Friday night, hours after the death of Ginsburg, also known as RBG, to call a vote for whomever President Donald Trump nominated as her replacement. RBG died at the age of 87 Friday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. The next day, a few dozen protesters arrived at his home to demonstrate against a SCOTUS pick before the November 3 presidential election. Some demonstrators were seen holding placards that read, 'Ruth sent us' and 'Ditch Mitch!' Images from the protest showed officers arriving to the scene to disperse the protesters who were seen crowding around a patrol car. Following the incident, a fundraiser to defeat McConnell called 'Get Mitch or Die Trying' was set up. As of Sunday morning, it has raised more than $17million. The campaign was set up by Vote Save America, which is Crooked Medias one-stop-shop for resources that people need to vote. The money will be split among candidates in races in key swing states, including Colorado, Maine, Iowa, Alabama, Michigan, Texas and Kansas. Scroll down for video Protesters gathered outside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (left) home on Saturday to demand he stop pushing forward with a new SCOTUS pick ahead of the November election just a day after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (right) died McConnell vowed on Friday night, hours after the death Ginsburg, also known as RBG, to call a vote for whomever President Donald Trump nominated as her replacement. The next day, a few dozen protesters arrived at his home to demonstrate against a SCOTUS pick before the November 3 presidential election Images from the protest showed officers arriving to the scene to disperse the protesters who were seen crowding around a patrol car Some demonstrators were seen holding placards that read, 'Ruth sent us' and 'Ditch Mitch!' The group of protesters were seen rallying in front of McConnell's home on Saturday in Louisville, Kentucky On Sunday, former president Bill Clinton slammed McConnell for his 'power play' to push forward with a new SCOTUS pick. 'This is what they do. Both for senator McConnell and President Trump, their first value is power and they're trying to fill the court with as many ideological judges as they can,' Clinton told CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday. 'It's a power play, and they think they can do it,' Clinton added. Clinton, who nominated Ginsburg to the Supreme Court, also called McConnell's actions 'hypocritical'. Also on Sunday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to rule out pushing forward a privileged impeachment resolution that would have the effect of eating up Senate floor time and potentially stalling a Supreme Court nomination. 'We have our options. We have arrows in our quiver that I'm not about to discuss right now but the fact is we have a big challenge in our country,' she told ABC's 'This Week' when asked about the prospect. 'This president has threatened to not even accept the results of the election,' Pelosi continued. 'Our main goal would be to protect the integrity of the election as we protect the people from the coronavirus.' Host George Stephanopoulos had asked the speaker about impeaching either Trump or Attorney General Bill Barr as part of a strategy to slow the nomination. Pelosi said the vacancy would galvanize supporters, and told Americans: 'You can vote, you can get out the vote.' She repeated her veiled threat when Stephanopoulos asked her: 'But to be clear, youre not taking any arrows out of your quiver, youre not ruling anything out?' Former president Bill Clinton (right) slammed McConnell for his 'power play' to push forward with a new SCOTUS pick after the death of RBG Also on Sunday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (pictured) refused to rule out pushing forward a privileged impeachment resolution that would have the effect of eating up Senate floor time and potentially stalling a Supreme Court nomination 'Good morning. Sunday morning,' she responded, smiling. 'We have a responsibility, we take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.' 'We have a responsibility to meet the needs of the American people. When we weigh the equities, protecting our democracy requires us to use every arrow in our quiver,' Pelosi said. Fulfilling the Supreme Court seat left vacant by Ginsburg's death before the fall election is as much about McConnell's goal of securing a conservative majority on the court for decades to come as it is about confirming Trump's upcoming nominee. There's no guarantee the Kentucky Republican will succeed, but he is about to move ahead with a jarring and politically risky strategy to try to bend his majority in the Senate. If it works, he will have ushered three justices to the court in four years, a historic feat. 'Sen McConnell already has played a huge role in shaping the Supreme Court for decades to come,' said Edwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California, Berkley School of Law. 'A third confirmation, especially under these circumstances, would truly make this the McConnell Court for a long time to come.' The path for how, exactly, McConnell will make this happen is being set swiftly in Washington. Many expect Trump to name his nominee in a matter of days and the Senate to start the confirmation process - condensing a typically monthslong endeavor into a matter of weeks. During a campaign rally in North Carolina Saturday night, Trump declared: 'I will be putting forth a nominee this week, it will be a woman.' Trump claimed that his pick would be a 'very talented, very brilliant woman' because 'I like women more than I like men'. As he left the White House for the rally, the president identified two women as front runners: Amy Coney Barrett, 48, of the Chicago-based 7th Circuit and Barbara Lagoa, 52, of the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit as possible nominees. Barrett is a devout Catholic and mother of seven from Indiana, who has adopted two kids from Haiti and has a biological child with special needs. She is a member of a Christian group named People of Praise, where members are assigned a 'handmaiden', a personal adviser with whom they are encouraged to confess personal sins, financial information and other sensitive disclosures. The other named front runner is Lagoa, a Cuban American from Florida whose parents fled Castro five decades ago. She has spoken about how her father longed to be a lawyer but was forced to abandon his dream because of the communist leader. Her nomination has the potential to greatly aid Trump politically in the crucial swing state. Fulfilling the Supreme Court seat left vacant by Ginsburg's death before the fall election is as much about McConnell's goal of securing a conservative majority on the court for decades to come as it is about confirming Trump's upcoming nominee There's no guarantee the Kentucky Republican will succeed, but he is about to move ahead with a jarring and politically risky strategy to try to bend his majority in the Senate. If it works, he will have ushered three justices to the court in four years, a historic feat. A protester is seen outside McConnell's home on Saturday The path for how, exactly, McConnell will make this happen is being set swiftly in Washington. Many expect Trump to name his nominee in a matter of days and the Senate to start the confirmation process - condensing a typically monthslong endeavor into a matter of weeks. A protester holds two signs outside McConnell's home in Louisville, Kentucky A police officer overlooks a protest in front of McConnell's home on Saturday in Louisville, Kentucky A woman holds up a sign during a protest in the wake of Ginsburg's death in front of McConnell's home on Saturday Dozens of people were seen protesting outside McConnell's home on Saturday Voting in the Senate could happen before the election or it could spill into the lame-duck period after the November 3 vote. Either strategy is a political calculation for McConnell more than a substantive one. For the longest serving Republican Senate leader in history, the course ahead depends on what is best for the handful of GOP senators who face difficult reelections in November and could make or break McConnell's slim majority. Sen. Susan Collins in Maine wants no vote before the election. Others want swift confirmation. Conservative voters are expected to be energized by the prospect of a right-leaning court, and McConnell must weigh whether the endangered senators risk alienating them if they shy from a confirmation vote. In their swing states, it's possible that senators like Cory Gardner up for reelection in Colorado could fare worse if they rushed into a vote, upsetting centrist and independent voters who prefer to stick to Senate norms. For now, McConnell is eager to push ahead, willing to leave behind those senators whose votes he can afford to lose. Sen Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, signaled hours before Ginsburg's death that it's too close to the election to vote on a confirmation. She and Sen Mitt Romney, R-Utah, have been critical of Trump and could be votes against the nominee. With a narrow 53-seat majority in the 100-member Senate, McConnell can lose three senators and still rely on Vice President Mike Pence to break a tie vote. Republicans think the risks of pushing ahead are worth it. During a campaign rally in North Carolina Saturday night, Trump declared: 'I will be putting forth a nominee this week, it will be a woman.' Trump claimed that his pick would be a 'very talented, very brilliant woman' because 'I like women more than I like men' As he left the White House for the rally, the president identified two women as front runners: Amy Coney Barrett (right), 48, of the Chicago-based 7th Circuit and Barbara Lagoa (left), 52, of the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit as possible nominees 'McConnell's got to thread the needle here, and I have no doubt he will,' said Mike Davis, a former chief counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee. He now runs an outside advocacy group for conservative judges and advises Republican senators. But the death of Justice Antonin Scalia hours before one of the early-state presidential debates in February 2016 put McConnell on a course that will define his decades-long career. McConnell stunned Washington by announcing the Senate would wait for the next president, after the November 2016 election, to choose Scalia's replacement, blocking then-President Barack Obama's choice of Judge Merrick Garland. McConnell had no rule or precedent to fall back on, but he had a majority so he barreled ahead. Once Trump became president, McConnell shocked Washington again by changing Senate rules to allow for simple confirmation, by 51 votes, rather than the 60 traditionally needed to advance a nominee. First the Senate confirmed Judge Neil Gorsuch in 2017. Then, with the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, senators confirmed Judge Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 after dramatic hearings and allegations that the nominee had sexually assaulted women. Now McConnell, again through an exercise in majority power, is saying that the standard he set in 2016 no longer applies because his party also controls the White House. Former Democratic Sen Harry Reid of Nevada, the onetime majority leader who tangled fiercely with McConnell, was the first to change the Senate's voting threshold on lower-level nominees out of Obama-era frustration with GOP blockades. Reid warned Republican senators not to follow their leader down this path. 'If Republicans attempt to force yet another nominee onto the Supreme Court against the will of the American people, then they risk delegitimizing themselves and their party even more,' Reid said. He warned it would 'further tear our country apart'. But McConnell left no doubt where this was headed. Absent a robust legislative agenda aligned with Trump, McConnell set out on the Senate's other main role - confirmations. Along with the two Supreme Court justices, he has installed more than 200 federal appellate and trial court judges in the Trump era. 'Well, you don't get to write your own legacy,' he said during an AP Newsmakers interview in 2018. 'But I will say that what we're doing in the area of the court, I think, is the most important thing we're doing. Asked in February by Fox News how he would approach a high court vacancy, now that it was again an election year, he showed no hesitancy. 'Yeah, we would fill it,' McConnell said. The government on Sunday said it strongly condemned the aggressive and violent behaviour by opposition members towards the Rajya Sabha vice-chairman during the debate to pass the two farm bills in the House. Addressing a press conference along with several of his colleagues, defence minister Rajnath Singh said: Whatever happened was against parliamentary dignity. It has delivered a big blow. Rule books were torn, other important papers were torn. Mikes were snatched. Opposition members were in the well and attempts were made to climb onto the vice-chairmans chair. He was joined by his colleagues Prakash Javadekar, Prahlad Joshi, Piyush Goyal, Thawar Chand Gehlot and Mukhtar Abbas Naqwi. Parliament witnessed chaos during the voice vote to pass The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. ALSO READ | After ruckus in Rajya Sabha, Venkaiah Naidu to take a call on unruly behaviour of MPs Opposition members, claiming that their demand for a division vote was being ignored, attempted to stall the proceedings and raised slogans in the well of the house, leading to an adjournment for 10 minutes. Such an incident has never happened in the history of Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. It is all the more unfortunate that this happened in Rajya Sabha, which is known as the house of elders, Singh said. At a press conference in the evening, Singh said the opposition was trying to mislead farmers. Neither minimum support prices (MSPs) nor agriculture produce market committee are going to be ended. Our government has increased MSPs and they will never be ended under any circumstances, Singh said. On the issue of no confidence motion against deputy chairman Harvansh, Singh said: Notice has gone. Chairman will decide. It is his prerogative. On the resignation of Shiromani Akali Dal minister in the Modi Cabinet, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Singh said there were political reasons behind it and he would not like to comment on it. There was full discussion from 9.30 am to 1.30 pm. Even if one were to assume that the opposition was being ignored, are they right to get violent and attack the deputy chairman? Singh asked. On the question of opposition MPs seeking a division vote and being ignored, minister of minority affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the deputy chairman kept urging opposition MPs to go to their seats and demand a division vote. Director Christopher Wray testifies before the House Homeland Security Committee (EPA) Donald Trump dropped his strongest hint yet that he could replace his own FBI director in their continued Antifa disagreement. The president publicly criticised Christopher Wray this week for comments he made to Congress about Antifa and Russian interference in the upcoming elections. Mr Wray angered Mr Trump when he told US lawmakers that he viewed Antifa as an ideology not a terrorist organisation, which put him at odds with the White House. In the hearing before the House Homeland Security Committee, Mr Wray said that he regarded Antifa as a real thing but denied it was a terror group. We look at Antifa as more of an ideology or a movement than an organisation, said Mr Wray. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, Mr Trump took the opportunity to go after Mr Wray, who he appointed in 2017, and refused to rule out firing him. Antifas a bad group. And theyre criminals and theyre anarchists and theyre agitators and theyre looters and rioters, said Mr Trump. And when a man doesnt say that, that bothers me. I wonder why hes not saying that. The president was then asked directly if he planned on firing him as FBI director. Were looking at a lot of different things. I did not like his answers yesterday, said Mr Trump. Im not sure he liked them either,Im sure he would probably agree with me, Antifa is bad, really bad." Mr Trump also jabbed at Mr Wray for testifying about Russias very active efforts to meddle in the upcoming election, but not Chinas. The big problem is China, we can have others also and Im not excluding anybody, but the big problem is China and why he doesnt want to say that, that certainly bothers me. The president has repeatedly sought to downplay Russian efforts to interfere in US elections in his favour, at one point even publicly backing Vladimir Putins denials over his own intelligence agencies conclusions. Read more FBI director Christopher Wray says antifa is not an organization, clashing with Trump Story continues Republican congressman Devin Nunes 'has plan to impeach FBI boss Christopher Wray' Donald Trump nominates Christopher Wray as FBI director to replace James Comey FBI director says antifa is an ideology, not an organization New Delhi, Sep 20 : A Delhi court has granted bail to various employees of Bhushan Power and Steel Limited (BPSL) in a money laundering case against them. Special CBI Judge Arun Bhardwaj noted that "ends of justice require that all the accused be granted bail subject to their furnishing personal bonds and surety bonds for a sum of Rs 1 lakh each." As far as flight risk was concerned, the bench noted that all the passports are with the court and directions have been given to the accused not to leave the country without permission of the court. "Regarding the apprehension of influencing the witnesses, it is only an apprehension without there being any concrete material for giving serious consideration to this apprehension. Moreover, law enforcing agencies are always at liberty to take steps in the event of any such development coming to their notice, in accordance with law," the court said. The court has granted bail to all accused including BPSL director Ravi Prakash Goyal, the firm's company secretary R.K. Gupta, BPSL Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Arun Kumar Aggarwal and Alkesh Sharma, President (Accounts & Finance) of BPSL, stationed at Kolkata. All the said accused persons were represented by advocate Vijay Aggarwal. While passing the orders, the court noted that investigations qua the accused are complete and complaint has been filed and main accused Sanjay Singhal is already out on bail. "No useful purpose would be achieved by sending the accused to judicial custody as no recovery has to be got effected from them...There is no reason shown on record that they are likely to influence the witnesses or tamper with the evidence," the court noted. The ED, in its first chargesheet in the matter, stated that Sanjay Singhal is the "mastermind" behind the diversion of loan funds. The court had taken cognisance on a chargesheet, which named 24 persons and the company as accused. According to the economic offences watchdog, the company and its directors had deliberately defaulted in repayment of the loan amount to lender banks as per the time scheduled and their accounts remained continuously irregular. ED said that these proceeds of crime were laundered by the way of infusion in the form of equity in BPSL, creation of assets in the name of self or his family members directly or indirectly. Singhal was arrested by the ED on November 22 last year in connection with a money laundering case pertaining to an alleged bank loan fraud. Six new major hill features have been occupied by the Indian Army along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) over the past three weeks, news agency ANI reported. "The Indian Army has occupied six new heights between August 29 and the second week of September. The new hill features being occupied by our troops include the Magar hill, Gurung Hill, Recehen La, Rezang La, Mokhpari and the dominating height over Chinese positions near Finger 4," sources in the government told the news agency. This, according to the report, has allowed our troops to have an edge over the Chinese troops in those areas. These hill features, the sources said, were lying dormant. Also read: LAC Stand-off | Lets not talk to China for the sake of talking Sources told the news agency that the Black Top and the Helmet Top features are on the Chinese side of the LAC while the new heights occupied by the Indian Army are on our side of the border. The Chinese side's attempts to occupy the heights had led to firing of bullets in the air on at least three occasions, the report added. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has also activated its Moldo garrison, with additional troops in the past few weeks, and has deployed around 3,000 additional troops of its combined arms brigade, it stated. The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMA) has warned of heavy rains in some parts of the country today, Saturday, September 19, 2020, and tomorrow, Sunday, September 20, 2020. It said the Southern and Northern sectors will be the most affected. The Head of Forecast and Analysis Department of the Agency, Felicity Ahafianyo therefore advised residents in low laying areas to relocate to avoid deaths and destructions. She gave the caution on GBC radio in Accra. She urged Ghanaians not to panic but rather to prepare and remain cautious so as to avoid casualties. People should take precautions, we are not calling for them to panic. This is just the normal rain that we normally experience, she said. She gave the assurance that the agency is monitoring the system to enable them to identify specific areas to be affected and issue a warning accordingly. She added that the heavy rains in the northern parts of the country will continue for some time before it subsides. 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 Though Priya Nair, Executive Director (Personal Care), Hindustan Unilever, started her career with the organisation decades ago, the last few months have been by far the most exciting and challenging. As head of the Personal Care Division, which has iconic hygiene and health care brands such as Lifebuoy, Nair has led the company's Rs 100 crore efforts to fight the pandemic. From stepping up production of much-needed soaps and sanitisers to accelerating the innovation pipeline for hygiene-relevant launches such as Lifebuoy Disinfectant Spray, the pandemic has kept Nair on her toes. "Having the country's biggest hygiene brand, Lifebuoy, was not just an opportunity, it was also our responsibility to make our products available across the country," says Nair. Apart from helping municipal corporations across the country in their fight against the virus and setting up isolation centres, HUL has also donated over two crore Lifebuoy soaps to the underprivileged sections of the society. Nair, through the pandemic, has been telling her team to keep learning and enjoy what they are doing. "Navigating choppy waters is what all managers need to learn. I tell my team to do all of that but have fun too. When times are tough, one should stay calm and light." Nair's team has the perfect 50:50 gender balance and she wants to use it to understand consumers better and give them what they need. South Korea's police said Sunday that they have taken into custody a North Korean defector for attempting to cross into his homeland through a military unit in an eastern border town. The man in his 30s was caught entering a military unit in Chorwon, Gangwon Province, at around 9 a.m. on Thursday in an attempt to cross into the North. He was found to have four mobile phones and a cutting machine when he was caught. Police said that the man defected to the South in 2018 and has stayed in Seoul, though they did not provide more details on his identity. Investigation is under way to determine why and how he was trying to return to the North. It is against the national security law to enter the North without state approval. Defectors returning to North Korea have drawn media attention after Pyongyang recently claimed that a defector suspected of having coronavirus symptoms crossed the inter-Korean border and returned to his hometown. The unification ministry handling inter-Korean affairs earlier said that a total of 11 North Korean defectors have returned to their communist homeland over the past five years. (Yonhap) A busy September of stakes action at Woodbine Mohawk Park continues tonight and COSA TV has it covered with live broadcasts scheduled for each Saturday during the month. The Canadian Trotting Classic and Elegantimage will highlight this weekends show while later in the month viewers can tune in to watch the Metro Pace, She's A Great Lady, Milton Stakes and the first ever Mohawk Million. COSA TV wants horseplayers to help do their part with a goal of reaching a combined $12 million in wagering over the four Saturday programs during the month. It has launched a hashtag challenge across their Twitter, Instagram and Facebook platforms where fans can use the hashtag "#SeptemberToRemember_cosatv" to be automatically entered for one of three $100 COSA gift cards following the Mohawk Million broadcast on September 26. COSA TV will also feature a four-week guest handicappers challenge. Each week the guest capper will receive a $100 voucher to wager on the designated feature race of the night. The combined winnings after the four weeks of the challenge will be donated to the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society (OSAS) and COSA TV will guarantee a $500 donation to the organization. Each of the broadcasts will be available on the COSA TV social media platforms as well as the Standardbred Canada website. Upcoming shows on COSA TV appear below: Canadian Trotting Classic Mohawk (Sept. 19) Mohawk Million/Metro Pace Mohawk (Sept. 26) OSS 3YC Pace Western Fair (Oct. 9) OSS Grassroots Finals Mohawk (Oct. 10) OSS Super Finals Mohawk (Oct. 17) SBOA Finals Mohawk (Nov. 14) (COSA TV) As many as 100 members from 12 opposition parties moved a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh on Sunday, shortly after the House passed two key bills aimed at ushering in agricultural reforms. Harivansh was re-elected as the deputy chairperson on September 14, when the House convened after a six-month break following the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak. While the two farm bills were passed through a voice vote, the opposition claimed that the due process of allowing a detailed discussion on the bills was not followed. A ruckus erupted in the Upper House soon after the deputy chairman, who was presiding over the proceedings, took the decision to put the bills to vote even as opposition members demanded more time to discuss the legislation, which they wanted to be scrutinised by a select committee. The signatories to the no-confidence motion included MPs from the Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) , Trinamool Congress (TMC), Janata Dal (Secular), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Samajwadi Party (SP), Communist Party of India,Communist Part of India (Marxist), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). This day will go down in history as a black day. The way these bills have been passed goes against democratic processes and amounts to killing democracy, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel told reporters outside Parliament. The deputy chairman should safeguard the democratic traditions but instead he harmed the democratic traditions and processes. So, we have decided to move a no-confidence motion against him, he added. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi claimed that no bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha. The government is claiming that the bills were passed by the Rajya Sabha. Its black day for democracy. Whoever was present in the House knows that no such bill was passed. This is death and murder of democracy, he added. Singhvi said the minister started replying to the debate at 12.45 pm, 15 minutes before the House was scheduled to be adjourned for the day. It is not possible to end the debate within 15 minutes without division and pass the bill by 1.15 pm. Not one but at least 10 members demanded division. Why was no division allowed? Many members had also moved amendments. Not one was allowed to speak. So, how did this bill get passed? Was there any magic wand, he said. The opposition is also planning to move the court against the legislation. These are unconstitutional bills. These are against the Constitutional provisions. I am sure that these unconstitutional legislation will not only be challenged but will be quashed by the Supreme Court, Singhvi said. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), for its part, said the opposition was trying to stall business and created the ruckus because it was not confident about the numbers. They could have pressed for division, but they lacked confidence. It was shameful conduct and they should apologise for their behaviour in the House, BJP MP Bhupender Yadav said. Addressing the media, defence minister Rajnath Singh said it is the prerogative of the chairman of the RajyaSabha to look into the no-confidence motion against the deputy chairperson. The farmers grow gold from land, but the arrogance of the Modi government is making farmers shed tears of blood. Democracy has been shamed by the manner in which the government passed death warrants against farmers in the form of two farm bills in Rajya Sabha, tweeted former Congress president Rahul Gandhi. PDT Acharya, a former Lok Sabha secretary general, said there is no precedent of a motion of no-confidence against the deputy chair. As far as I know, there has been no such motion against the deputy chair in the Rajya Sabha. As per the constitutional provision, the notice period for such a motion is 14 days; which means if it is submitted today, it can be taken up after 14 days. Now if the house adjourns before that, we dont know if the notice can be kept alive till the House reconvenes, he said, US President Donald Trump says he backs a deal in principle that would allow video app to continue operating in the US. US President Donald Trump has said he supports a deal in principle that would allow TikTok to continue to operate in the United States, even as it appeared to conflict with his earlier order for Chinas ByteDance to divest the video app. TikTok will be owned by a new company called TikTok Global that will be headquartered in the US, possibly in Texas, Trump said on Saturday a deal structured as a partnership rather than a divestment. On August 14, Trump had signed an executive order giving ByteDance 90 days to sell TikTok. The US Commerce Department on Friday said it would block new downloads and updates to the app beginning Sunday. US officials had expressed concern that personal data of as many as 100 million Americans that use the app were being passed on to the Chinese government. It was not immediately clear what spurred the White House to compromise on its push for an outright sale of TikTok. However, the deal comes with pledges that cater to Trumps America First policy agenda. It also averts alienating TikToks young users ahead of the November 3 US election. ByteDance seeks $60bn valuation: Report ByteDance, which is racing to avoid a US crackdown on TikTok, is seeking a $60bn valuation as Oracle Corp and Walmart Inc take stakes in the short-video apps business to address US security concerns, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday, citing an unnamed person familiar with the matter. Oracle will take a 12.5-percent stake in TikTok Global and store all its US user data in its cloud to comply with US national security requirements, the companies said on Saturday. Retail giant Walmart said it would take a 7.5-percent stake. The two companies would pay a combined $12bn for their stakes if they agree to a $60bn asking price, Bloomberg reported. ByteDance, TikTok, Oracle and Walmart did not immediately respond to Reuters news agencys requests for comment on the report. The final valuation had not been set as the companies worked out the equity structure and measures for data security, the Bloomberg report added. ByteDance agreed to create 25,000 new US jobs at TikTok, up from a little more than 1,000 now. Trump, who had previously called on companies such as Oracle and Walmart to pay the US a fee to participate in the TikTok deal, said there would also be a $5bn US education fund as part of the deal. I said, you know, do me a favour, could you put up $5bn into a fund for education so we can educate people as to the real history of our country, not the fake history, Trump told a rally of supporters in North Carolina on Saturday. Oracle and Walmart said together with ByteDance top investors General Atlantic, Sequoia and Coatue, they would create an educational initiative to deliver an artificial-intelligence driven online video curriculum for children, from basic reading and math to science, history and computer engineering. The companies did not say how much they would spend on the education initiative. However, they said TikTok Global would pay more than $5bn in new taxes to the US Treasury. While ByteDance will get to keep TikToks source code under the deal, Oracle will get to inspect it. Oracle CEO Safra Catz said her company was 100 percent confident in our ability to deliver a highly secure environment to TikTok and ensure data privacy to TikToks American users. Catz served on Trumps transition team in 2016, while Oracles co-founder and chairman Larry Ellison is one of the few top technology executives to openly support the US president. Reuters on Thursday said TikTok Global would have a majority of American directors, a US chief executive and a security expert on the board. Walmart said on Saturday its CEO Doug McMillon would serve as one of the five board members of TikTok Global. ByteDances ownership of TikTok could be reduced further next year, with reports saying ByteDance was planning an initial public offering (IPO) of TikTok Global. The Trump administration has stepped up its efforts to purge what it deems untrusted Chinese apps from US digital networks. An order to require app stores to stop downloads of Tencent Holding Ltds WeChat is still set to take effect Sunday night. In the first assembly election in dry Bihar, preventing the use of liquor to lure voters and influence polling would be a big challenge for the election commission in view of the frequent seizures of smuggled liquor and arrests of people involved in its smuggling in the last few months from various parts of the state. Adding to the challenge is the spurt in recovery of narcotics. Narcotics control bureau (NCB), Bihar zone, has so far recovered over 4,000 kg of ganja, 50 kg of charas, opium and few other drugs in the current year and has arrested 68 persons, while recoveries made by the state police have been even higher. Due to increased surveillance, the smugglers have now changed their modus operandi to moving small consignments to avoid detection, said an NCB official, who was earlier posted in Patna. Having promised complete prohibition to women during the 2015 assembly election campaigning, chief minister Nitish Kumar had ordered total prohibition in the state on April 5, 2016, bringing down curtains on all the liquor shops in one go. This followed a unanimous decision of the Bihar legislative assembly and the Bihar legislative council, where members also took a pledge not to use liquor and discourage others from using it. During the 2015 assembly polls, Bihar had close to 5,500 licensed liquor shops and the EC had ordered video surveillance on all stocking points. Still, there were complaints about use of liquor as inducement. Though police have increased vigilance in the run up to election in all the bordering areas, there have been recent instances of liquor mafia even attacking the police. Two policemen were run over by a vehicle allegedly in use by the liquor mafia, when it was asked to stop at Kutumba in Aurangabad on Saturday. Policemen were also beaten up in Patna earlier this month when they went to raid a place on suspicion of liquor smuggling. Also Read: JAP eyes Congress backing to enter Grand Alliance in Bihar The arrests and recoveries have been going on every day from different parts of the state, but the inflow continues due to the ready market and habitual offenders. During the first Lok Sabha election in dry Bihar last year, strict vigilance had led to significant fall in liquor recoveries, though there were regular catches during the seven phases. According to EC figures, over one-lakh litres of liquor were seized in the state during the Lok Sabha elections, much lower than the seizure done during 2014 LS polls--5.78 lakh litres--when prohibition was not imposed in the state. Even during the 2015 assembly polls, huge recovery of liquor was made in the state. Also Read: Bihar assembly election 2020: Lefts tie-up talks with RJD hit, CPI-ML fumes over a raw deal It has been an old practice by candidates and political parties to offer liquor to lure voters at the time of election, but in view of the prohibition, it also became a poll issue in the past and the same could happen again during the coming assembly election. The Opposition has been consistently attacking the government, citing the continued smuggling and recoveries as the failure of prohibition, while the ruling dispensation has kept firm, highlighting the benefits of prohibition for the poor, to counter attack. Deputy chief electoral officer Baiju Nath Kumar Singh said that with Bihar being a dry state officially, all liquor reaching Bihar was illegal. Earlier, the EC dealt with illicit liquor, but the imposition of Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016 removed the distinction. Anyone caught with liquor or consuming it will have to face the music under the law, he added. Singh said that election expenditure observers also keep an eye on such activities. There are also enforcement squads and surveillance teams comprising officials from the excise, income tax and other agencies to crack down on smuggling of liquor or illicit currency or anything illicit. Katie Price furiously defended her terminally ill mother Amy, after a cruel troll left a vile comment under her latest post. Amy was diagnosed with lung condition Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in 2017, a condition which impacts breathing and causes scarring on the lungs. The former glamour model, 42, took to her Instagram stories on Sunday to respond to the abusive message after she had posted a photograph of Amy, 65, sitting on a hay bale watching the sunset. 'How dare you say this!': Katie Price furiously defended her terminally ill mother Amy, after a cruel troll left a vile comment under her latest post on Sunday Katie had captioned the shot: 'I love this picture of my mum', alongside a red love heart emoji. However, the television personality was stunned when one troll commented: 'How did she get up there???? She was dying 3 years ago and struggling breathing... Or was that more b**l to sell.' Hitting back, Katie replied: 'How dare you say this about my terminally ill mum. You disgusting human being'. Calling the troll out: Katie replied: 'How dare you say this about my terminally ill mum. You disgusting human being', after a troll questioned how her mum could get on the hay bale Hurt: The former glamour model, 42, took to her Instagram stories on Sunday to respond to the abusive message after she had posted a photograph of Amy, 65, sitting on a hay bale It comes after Katie penned a touching tribute to Amy as she marked Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Week on Thursday. The mother-of-five shared a post urging fans to donate to a charity appeal to fund research into the condition, which currently has no cure. Amy was unable to visit Katie after being asked to shield during the COVID-19 pandemic, though the pair were able to reunite in June. Close: It comes after Katie penned a touching tribute to Amy as she marked Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Week on Thursday Katie first shared a pair of snaps alongside her mum from a recent holiday together, with the pair embracing in front of stunning beach views. She wrote: 'There are no words to express the love that my brother, sister @sophie_pricey and I have for our mum. As you know, this is something that's very close to my heart because my mum suffers from this condition. 'This week is IPF week. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a lung condition that scars your lungs and reduces the efficiency of your breathing. 'Approximately 6500 people are diagnosed with IPF every year. The @britishlungfoundation is asking for your support to help fund vital research and offer those with IPF hope for the future. See my latest story post for the link.' We need your help! The former glamour model shared a post urging fans to donate to a charity appeal to fund research into the condition, which currently has no cure Health: Amy was diagnosed with lung condition idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in 2017, a condition which impacts her breathing and causes scarring on the lungs Last month, Katie called her mum 'my rock' after a string of devastating events including the death of her puppy, Rolo, and breaking both feet in a freak accident while on holiday in Turkey. Amy has been helping Katie to keep a positive mindset after she was left unable to walk for up to two years after jumping off a wall. A source told The Sun: 'Katie's mum has been amazing since the accident - a total superstar. 'As well as supporting her with many of the jobs she has had to do at home, Amy has been an emotional rock. She has insisted to Katie that this is just a blip and she will get over it. 'It has helped keep Katie in a really positive mindset at what is naturally a really, really tough time for her and given her a massive boost.' What is idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis? Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a condition that causes the build-up of scar tissue in the lungs It can lead to shortness of breath and eventual respiratory failure, and has been branded the 'silent killer.' The condition's early symptoms are often missed or confused with a common cold or flu IPF currently has no cure Advertisement A spokesperson for Katie told MailOnline: 'Katie's family, friends and supporters are keeping Katie focused and in good spirits - her own fun sense of humour is certainly keeping her spirits up.' Katie also shared a lovely photo of her mother on Instagram and wrote: 'How gorgeous does my mum look here in a picture taken today! 'Love my mum so much, she is my actual total rock!' When Amy was first diagnosed, she was given a three to five year life expectancy by doctors. 'I couldn't cope and when you hear 'terminal' you think she's not gone long left,' Katie said last year on Loose Women. Speaking about how IPF, a rare condition that causes progressive and irreversible scarring of the lungs, has progressed, Amy said during the same interview: 'I'm not too bad. 'I went for tests this week with the transplant team, they keep an eye on me, my lung function tests have dropped a little bit but that's to be expected with what I have got because it is a progressive illness. 'But they do all the tests on the other organs in your body to prepare you for when they think you need a transplant - I'm not yet [on the transplant list] - and what they do is that they look at everything to make sure you can cope with it - your heart, liver and your kidneys and all that - and they are still 100 percent, they are fine. 'So at the moment they go, 'You are to healthy, go and enjoy yourself. And come back in six months.'' Georgia's Doug Collins at a House Judiciary Committee hearing (Getty Images) A Republican congressman and Senate candidate has foregone any gesture of sympathy upon the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, instead using the occassion to suggest pro-abortion laws she defended were responsible for the deaths of innocent babies. Georgia representative Doug Collins, who is running to unseat fellow Republican Kelly Loeffler, tweeted his unvarnished message in the hours after Justice Ginsburgs death. RIP to the more than 30 million innocent babies that have been murdered during the decades that Ruth Bader Ginsburg defended pro-abortion laws, he wrote. With @realDonaldTrump nominating a replacement that values human life, generations of unborn children have a chance to live. His message contrasted with that posted by his states Republican governor, Brian Kemp, who has instructed all state buildings and grounds to fly their flags at half-mast through Justice Ginsburgs internment. Justice Ginsburg was a trailblazer, poured her heart and soul into public service, and made a lasting, positive impact on our Great Nation, wrote Mr Kemp. Our prayers go out to her loved ones and colleagues as they mourn her passing. Mr Collinss opponent Ms Loeffler, meanwhile, drew flack online for a tweet combining her perfunctory condolences with a political message demanding the Senate be allowed to vote on a nominee before the next presidential inauguration. The reaction to Mr Collinss tweet on the pro-choice side was predictably furious, with many pointing out the implicit hypocrisy in Mr Collinss pro-life position. To honor the life of Justice Ginsburg, I will order flags to fly at half-staff on all state buildings and grounds starting today through the day of her interment. Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) September 19, 2020 My prayers are with the Ginsburg family. Our countrys future is at stake &@realDonaldTrump has every right to pick a new justice before the election. I look forward to supporting a strict constructionist who will protect the right to life & safeguard our conservative values. Kelly Loeffler (@KLoeffler) September 19, 2020 RIP to the more than 30 million innocent babies that have been murdered during the decades that Ruth Bader Ginsburg defended pro-abortion laws. With @realDonaldTrump nominating a replacement that values human life, generations of unborn children have a chance to live. Doug Collins (@CollinsforGA) September 19, 2020 As Russell Foster, a Democratic congressional candidate in Texas, put it: The party that has killed over 200,000 Americans in less than 6 months is going to tell us they care about life? I am sorry I call BS! In 40 years have they built up the adoption system or anything to protect kids & give them a good life? NO! They just want power over women. Story continues Democratic Virginia congressman Don Beyer, meanwhile, shamed Mr Collins for his treatment of the deceased judge herself. Justice Ginsburg is an American hero, a barrier breaker who devoted her life to serving the American people and fighting for equality. She will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery. You disgrace yourself by celebrating her death. Let's see what Doug Collins, U.S. Senate candidate and current U.S. Rep from my great home-state of GA has to say tonight. I'm sure it's something civil & respectful. I mean even Trump managed to clear that low bar so only the worst of us would say... oh... https://t.co/XvEOSXpko2 Chris Giddens (@chrisgiddens) September 19, 2020 This is not Georgia. This is wrong and despicable. Our country and our state will reject you and your politics this year. https://t.co/7TX1nE24Pi Carolyn Bourdeaux (@Carolyn4GA7) September 19, 2020 Doug Collins is celebrating the death of a Supreme Court Justice. Unforgivable. RBG deserves better than this garbage. https://t.co/PtEJJQ4w4s Scott Dworkin (@funder) September 19, 2020 Mr Collins, a determined and vocal supporter of the president, has tried to mobilise the issue of abortion rights against Ms Loeffler, tweeting in June that @SenatorLoeffler has spent over $16 million influencing politicians and elections. Including to radical abortion on demand leftists and anti-Trump Democrats. She was a lobbyist! However, Ms Loeffler has been endorsed by one of the states largest anti-abortion groups, the Georgia Life Alliance, which has sunk millions of dollars into TV ads for her. Donald Trump, who featured a controversial anti-abortion activist at his presidential convention last month has not yet nominated a candidate to fill Justice Ginsburgs seat. However, he just last week released a longlist of sorts for the next open seat. Among the names he gave were pro-life Texas senator Ted Cruz, formerly a bitter rival, and Arkansas senator Tom Cotton, who recently caused a furore with a New York Times op-ed in which he called for army divisions to be sent in to violently crush Black Lives Matter protests. After Mr Trump floated his name, Mr Cotton tweeted: It's time for Roe v Wade to go. Read more Only a ghoul would tweet something like this: Republican senators under fire for online responses to Ruth Bader Ginsburgs death A promising young doctor from Central New York who had been battling the coronavirus for more than two months has died, according to an online note posted by her father and shared widely. Adeline Fagan, 28, died Saturday in Houston. Fagan, who was working in OB/GYN in a Houston hospital, grew up in the town of LaFayette, which also confirmed her death. She graduated from Bishop Ludden High School outside of Syracuse, St. Josephs University in Philadelphia and medical school at State University of New York at Buffalo. We want to sincerely thank all who supported Adeline and us through this difficult time, her father Brant Fagan wrote in a Caring Bridge journal entry. You were all there cheering and praying and crying. The numbers of well wishes and caring people humbles us. Even in this darkest of times, there are good people willing to share a piece of themselves for the sake of another. Fagan initially became sick around July 8. That night, her sister, Maureen, took her to the emergency room at a local hospital. She tested positive for Covid-19 and quarantined for about a week. But her conditioned worsened. She began falling over in her bedroom and her lips turned blue, a sign her blood lacked oxygen. On Aug. 4, doctors put Fagan on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine, used in the worst Covid-19 cases. Fagan had just started the second year of her residency when she became sick. The family had set up a GoFundMe fundraiser to pay Adelines medical bills, travel expenses and living expenses for her parents, who were staying in Texas. Fagan was one of four sisters. If you can do one thing, be an Adeline in the world," Brant Fagan wrote Saturday. Be passionate about helping others less fortunate, have a smile on your face, a laugh in your heart, and a Disney tune on your lips. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Chris Libonati via the Signal app for encrypted messaging at 585-290-0718, by phone at the same number, by email or on Twitter. The Grand Prix of Belgium, now already a few weeks old, was a memorable moment for the Grand Prix paddock. Exactly one year earlier, tragedy struck the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. One of the the main victims returned for the first time a few weeks ago. Juan Manuel Correa was unable to avoid Anthoine Hubert's car, resulting in a fatal accident. Correa was severely injured. Due to the rehabilitation and the COVID-19 pandemic, Correa could not leave his home in the United States for a long time, but at Spa, he was there again. The official Formula 2 website followed him and asked him about his emotions. Like it or not, this place brings a lot of memories. I saw Anthoine's mother, Nathalie, which was tough. On the other hand, it was really positive to face all of these things - to face my demons. I had not been able to do it properly from long distance. Mostly importantly, I wanted to pay a proper tribute to Anthoine. Read more Ricciardo realises how important his first season at Red Bull Racing was It's something Correa 'has to deal with' I think about it every day. So for me, it is not such a big shock to have these memories come up anymore, not as much as it may be to people who don't necessarily think about it every day. For me, it is something that I have to deal with," said Correa. The young American says he has changed because of the event, but he is keen to return one day. The construction that held his leg together for a year is about to come off and he can now walk again. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks at the Back the Thrive Agenda press conference at the Longworth Office Building in Washington on Sept. 10, 2020. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Green New Deal Network) Schumer: Nothing Is Off the Table If GOP Moves to Confirm Supreme Court Nominee Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told his colleagues during a Democratic caucus call on Saturday afternoon that retaliation is possible if Republicans fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg before the inauguration in January. Let me be clear: if Leader McConnell and Senate Republicans move forward with this, then nothing is off the table for next year, Schumer said, according to Politico. Nothing is off the table. The New York senator added that everything Americans value is at stake and that Democrats should highlight the impact filling the vacancy would have on health care and civil rights, among other issues. Ginsburg passed away on Friday evening at her home in Washington surrounded by her family members. A private service for the former justice will be held at Arlington National Ceremony in Virginia. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at a discussion at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington on Feb. 10, 2020. (Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images) Trump said on Saturday that he intends to nominate a woman to fill the seat and urged Republicans to vote on the confirmation without delay. Democrats have proposed a number of potential retaliatory steps should they win control of the White House and Senate in the election in November. One option would be to eliminate the Senates filibuster rule, which would make the chamber more like the House, where the majority always prevails. Another possibility would be to expand the number of judges on the Supreme Court bench, a practice referred to as packing the court. Mitch McConnell set the precedent. No Supreme Court vacancies filled in an election year. If he violates it, when Democrats control the Senate in the next Congress, we must abolish the filibuster and expand the Supreme Court, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) wrote on Twitter on Friday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced shortly after Ginsburgs passing that he intends to move the presidents nomination for a vote on the Senate floor. Senate Democrats vehemently oppose moving forward with the confirmation, but dont have the power to block the vote from coming to the floor. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate. A number of GOP senators have already signaled support for the idea, including Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said in a statement on Saturday that she opposed moving forward with the confirmation. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) has previously said she opposes the idea. Janita Khan contributed to this report. New Delhi, Sep 20 : Bollywood celebrities are asked for their opinions on just about everything these days, National Award-winning actor Manoj Bajpayee notes. How is it possible to give a satisfactory answer on something he is not related to or well-versed about, he wonders. "If you say we are only actors, on Twitter you troll us by saying that (since) we are actors you want our opinions on things that we are not so good about. Yes, we are only actors and to talk about economy, to talk about something I don't have an idea or about the Indo-China border tension... How am I supposed to answer and satisfy your questions?" Manoj told IANS, deliberating on the subject of film celebrities having to tackle all sorts of questions these days, on media and social media. Manoj is back in the limelight rapping a number titled "Bambai main ka ba", which highlights the plight of migrant workers, and he would rather focus on answering questions about his song right now. "So, calling for a byte and harassing actors is something you should not do. Let them (actors) be and let them do their job. Pull them up if they are doing anything illegal, pull them up if they are taking the citizens or the country for granted, or society for granted. Ask for an answers but don't ask them something that is not related to them," he said. But then, being an actor comes with baggage, isn't it? How does Manoj deal with it? "I am not so much concerned or care about glamour and fan following. I concentrate on my job and I just go home. I do things with loads of freedom -- going to the grocery store or stopping at a vegetable vendor. I can do it because I really don't care," he said. "I am very much concerned with my growth as an actor and as a human being. Rest of the things don't affect me. I don't care about (other things). At times people tell me that, 'Manoj, you have a million followers on Twitter, you should say thank you'. Friends let me know if I have reached one million or two million on Instagram, and (tell me) I should thank people. I do it," the actor added. He said that it does not even occur to him that "these things are so much important." "If I am posting something I post it clearly because of professional reasons mostly, and some for very personal reasons. Otherwise, there is no mental or emotional compulsion to be on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook at all," Manoj summed up. (Durga Chakravarty can be contacted at durga.c@ians.in) Maharashtra on Sunday surpassed another grim mark of 1.2 million confirmed Covid-19 cases with 20,598 new cases, taking the states tally to 12,08,642. The latest 100,000 cases came in four days, the states fastest leap so far. It took the state five days to go from 1 million to 1.1 million. The state continued to report over 400 fatalities for the third day straight with 455 deaths, pushing the toll to 32,671. Active cases in the state improved to 291,238. Mumbai, meanwhile, reported 2,209 new infections and 44 fatalities, taking the citys total cases to 184,439 and deaths to 8,469. The state health department said 29 cases have been added to the total due to the reconciliation of 27 in Mumbai and one each in Vasai-Virar and Sindhudurg district. In terms of testing, Mumbai crossed the 10 lakh mark. On Saturday, 13,077 tests were conducted and with that, the total tests reached 10.04 lakh at an overall positivity rate of 18.13%. For the third straight day, the number of recoveries in the state was more than the fresh infections reported. On Sunday, 26,408 patients were discharged, which took the tally of recovered patients to 884,341. The recovery rate in the state improved to 73.17%. The absolute number of deaths has been on the higher side for a few weeks now, though the case fatality rate (CFR) is witnessing a decline. However, health experts argued that the higher number of Covid-19 cases makes the CFR drop. In the last eight days alone, the state has reported 3,486 fatalities, which is an average of 435 deaths during the period. State surveillance officer Dr Pradeep Awate said, We must not view it in terms of absolute numbers. The CFR is an important parameter. Each death is a matter of concern and important for us, but the CFR has reduced from 4.5% in June to 2.70%. It is declining in different regions as well. The count of infections itself is huge, the absolute number of deaths will seem higher. Maharashtra, as per the data of the state medical education department, went to the second spot in the country for highest CFR after Punjab. Maharashtra surpassed Gujarat, which for a long period had occupied the top spot, but was later dislodged by Punjab. Punjabs CFR is 2.88%. The state has so far tested 58,72,241 samples, which has a led to an overall positivity rate of 20.58%. In the previous 24 hours, the state tested 86,094 samples, of which 20,598 tested positive. The positivity rate in the last 24 hours was higher than the states overall rate at 23.92%. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) continued to contribute 25% of the daily caseload with 5,209 new infections in the region and 99 fatalities (including Mumbais death count). Pune district saw 3,726 new cases on Sunday. Pune city clocked 1,774 new infections and 37 deaths, while Pimpri-Chinchwad added 732 new cases and 10 deaths. Pune rural areas reported 1,220 cases and 29 deaths on Sunday. Nagpur city is inching closer to 50,000 Covid-19 cases with 1,612 new cases taking its tally to 49,520. It also reported 35 deaths, taking its toll to 1,457. Nagpur rural areas reported 535 new cases and 19 deaths. A senior health department official said the situation in Nashik city and its rural areas is becoming a concern. On Sunday, Nashik reported 620 new cases and four deaths, while its rural areas saw 258 new cases and nine deaths. The official said that fresh cases are in the range of 500-600 for the past three-four weeks. However, it has not gone out of control so far. We are taking measures to control the spread, he said, requesting anonymity. In September so far, Nashik city has reported 16,702 new infections and 151 deaths, while its rural areas have reported 5,911 new cases and 107 deaths. Currently, 18,49,217 people are in home quarantine and 35,644 people are in institutional quarantine. For Mumbai, the one lakh tests mark was crossed on May 6, two lakh on June 1, three lakh on June 24, four lakh on July 14, five lakh on July 29, six lakh on August 9, seven lakh on August 22 and eight lakh on September 3. Starting July 7, BMC had relaxed the testing norms, removing the clause that made prescription from a registered medical practitioner mandatory. BMC officials, however, claimed the number of people getting tested in private laboratories on their own is not substantial. Further, on Sunday, 1,47,807 patients have recovered and were discharged post Covid-19 treatment in Mumbai. The citys recovery rate is 80.13%. There are 27,787 active cases in Mumbai and fatality rate is 4.59%. Meanwhile, on Sunday, BMC announced that it will install hoardings to educate citizens on how to live with Covid-19 as part of its ongoing campaign My family, My responsibility in the city. Municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal on Sunday said, We will have 700 hoardings in the city followed by hoardings on 3,000 bus stops and 3,500 BEST buses. Every citizen must join to win this war against Covid-19. Meanwhile, state health minister Rajesh Tope on Sunday appealed to medical practitioners across the state to use oxygen judiciously. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Eurovision Song Contest will take place in 2021 regardless of the coronavirus pandemic. Organisers have plotted 4 possible scenarios, from a fully staged event, to a fully virtual alternative should Europe be in lockdown. A definitive choice between scenarios will be made based on the situation in the early months of 2021. Scenario A: A normal Eurovision Song Contest In this situation, the Eurovision Song Contest will be organised as normal from Rotterdams Ahoy Arena with 9 shows (including the dress rehearsals) in a packed venue, with delegations and artists from all the participating broadcasters and numerous activities in and around Rotterdam. The feasibility of this scenario largely depends on the roll-out of a possible vaccine for COVID-19 or the availability of reliable testing. Scenario B: Socially distant Eurovision Song Contest at 1.5 metres Everyone present at the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam would need to practice social distancing and remain 1.5 metres from each other at all times. Again, there would be 9 shows, with an audience in the arena, but with limited capacity to allow for social distancing. Teams from each participating broadcaster would travel to Rotterdam, but with limits on the number of people in each delegation and on the number of press who could attend. Activities in and around Rotterdam would be adapted accordingly. Because there would be less space for the audience in this scenario, a new seating layout would have to be made. If that happens, a fair draw will be held to decide who can still attend each show. There will be more information about this in the first months of 2021. Anyone who is unsuccessful in the draw will be refunded the full purchase amount for their tickets. Scenario C: A Eurovision Song Contest with travel restrictions A Eurovision Song Contest, probably also socially distanced, from Rotterdams Ahoy Arena as in scenario B, with 9 shows and a limited number of audience members in the arena. If there are any delegations who cannot travel to Rotterdam, their artists will perform from their own country. All performances in the shows will be brought together in Rotterdam. The entries of the countries that are allowed to travel and the opening and interval acts will still be performed live. Scenario D: Eurovision Song Contest in lockdown Should the Netherlands end up in a lockdown-like situation again, there will be a Eurovision Song Contest without an audience and probably without activities in and around Rotterdam. The performances of the participants will all come from their own country and be brought together from Rotterdams Ahoy arena, much like we will see at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in November. Chantal Janzen, Jan Smit, Edsilia Rombley and Nikkie de Jager will present in 2021. They were set to host Eurovision 2020, and presented Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light in May. It was also announced that the stage design for Eurovision 2020 will come back in 2021: The stage will be carried over to next year because that was already prepared. Apart from that, a lot depends on what is possible at that time, on the availability of all those involved and on what fits the spirit of 2021. President Donald Trump said last week that it was a 'beautiful thing' when MSNBC journalist Ali Velshi was struck by a rubber bullet during a protest in Minnesota following the death of George Floyd. Floyd died under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer on May 25. In the days following his death, protests erupted across the US and eventually the world. On May 30, Velshi was covering a peaceful protest when he was injured by police. During Trump's Friday night rally, he brought up Velshi's injury while speaking to a crowd in Minnesota. 'I remember this guy Velshi. He got hit on the knee with a canister of tear gas and he went down. He was down. "My knee, my knee,' Trump mistakenly recalled. President Donald Trump (left) aid last week that it was a 'beautiful thing' when MSNBC journalist Ali Velshi was struck by a rubber bullet during a protest in Minnesota following the death of George Floyd Velshi was actually struck by a rubber bullet and not a canister as Trump claimed. Trump continued: 'These guys didn't care. They moved him aside and they just walked right through. It was like the most beautiful thing.' 'It's called law and order,' Trump said to the cheering crowd. The next day, Velshi tweeted about Trump's remarks and questioned the president about what his injury had to do with law and order. 'So, @realDonaldTrump, you call my getting hit by authorities in Minneapolis on 5/30/20 (by a rubber bullet, btw, not a tear gas cannister) a beautiful thing called law and order. What law did I break while covering an entirely peaceful (yes, entirely peaceful) march?' In a statement, MSNBC slammed Trump for his comments about Velshi. The next day, Velshi tweeted about Trump's remarks and questioned the president about what his injury had to do with law and order Velshi was covering a protest in Minneapolis (pictured on May 29) when he was struck by the rubber bullet 'Freedom of the press is a pillar of our democracy,' the statement reads. 'When the president mocks a journalist for the injury he sustained while putting himself in harms way to inform the public, he endangers thousands of other journalists and undermines our freedoms,' the statement continued. During the rally, Trump then took aim at Rep Ilhan Omar, who is Muslim American. He asked the crowd if they were 'having a good time with your refugees'. 'How the hell did she win?' Trump asked. He then claimed that Minneapolis would've been destroyed had he not called in the National Guard. 'You wouldnt have Minneapolis,' Trump said. Trump also predicted victory in Minnesota in November despite the states long history of backing Democratic candidates. 'Forty-six days from now were going to win Minnesota and were going to win four more years in the White House,' Trump told thousands of supporters at the regional airport in Bemidji. Since narrowly losing Minnesota in 2016, Trump has emphasized the state in hopes that a victory this year could offset losses in other states. He has visited regularly and kept a close eye on issues of particular importance to rural corners of the state. Hes reversed an Obama administration policy prohibiting the development of copper-nickel mining and has bailed out soybean, corn and other farmers who have been hurt by trade clashes with China. In my narrative for Audible, Malcolm and Me, about my interviewing Malcolm X in 1962, and our subsequent meetings in New York, I tried to highlight the careers of heroes who didnt have cameras following them around. One was A.J. Smitherman, publisher of the Tulsa Star, who was the target of the mob that murdered 300 black people in Tulsa, Okla., in 1921. They burned down his house and charged him with inciting a riot. He and his family fled to Boston. His crime? Crusading against the lynching of Black Americans. He was accused of riling up Negroes. Predictably, his sacrifice wasnt mentioned in the HBO series Watchmens account of the riot. It took until the 1990s, years after his death, for him to be vindicated. Another hero was Walter Caldwell Robinson, a publisher of the Chattanooga Observer. As chairman of the Colored Voters League of Greater Chattanooga until he died in 1968, he was the most powerful Black man in Chattanooga, Tenn., where I was born. No one could become mayor of the city without Robinsons support. He told his daughters, Have sense in your head, God in your heart, money in your pocket, and a ballot in your hand. When the Klan, which controlled Chattanoogas City Hall at the time, placed a coffin on his front porch, he went to the Klan, unaccompanied, and told them to cut it out. He was a Republican. So were most Blacks in the 1930s. For many progressives, President Franklin D. Roosevelt is a hero, yet, he made a compact with Dixiecrats that Blacks be denied the benefits of programs that brought white ethnics into the middle class. Into whiteness. President Harry Truman advanced the cause of Blacks. Sixty-five thousand Blacks heard Truman deliver a speech in Harlem in which he accused Dwight Eisenhower of implementing a Southern strategy. He told them that Eisenhower was visiting Southern governors. What do you think that hes telling them? he asked. Eisenhower was opposed to school integration and the desegregation of the Army, which was accomplished under Truman. Blacks began receiving Social Security during his administration. Thousands of Blacks continued to support the Democrats when the Kennedys secured the release of a jailed Martin Luther King Jr. Black men have played a key role in organizing Black support for the Democratic coalition. Black men and women, the leaders of freedom movements, have brought other groups forward, figuratively, on their coattails, only to have some turn on them. Nikki Haley is an example. She hopes to achieve the Republican nomination for president in 2024 by denigrating Blacks, the cliche, slothful way to achieve power. And while Sen. Kamala Harris is a progressive, both women reflect a split in the Indian America community, thousands of whom cheered President Trump when he appeared with Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Indeed writer Arundhati Roy says that Indian racism towards Black people is almost worse than white peoples racism. Nevertheless, Kamala Harris doesnt need a guide to the Black experience. Shes paid her dues. A child of the civil rights movement, Harris would agree with the late novelist Bharati Mukherjee, and novelist Elizabeth Nunez, both immigrants, that the civil rights movement brought all people of color forward. A Chinese American judge told me that the civil rights movement brought him out of the ghetto. My only problem with the Biden-Harris ticket is that Harris should be at the top. Because many lack financial literacy, including myself, before I was schooled by economist Cathy Jackson, Harris campaign against criminal banks goes unappreciated. Blacks lost hundreds of millions because they were sold subprime loans when most were eligible for conventional loans. This banking scam emptied my neighborhood of Blacks. But Im sure that both Biden and Harris would agree that if it were not for the endorsement by Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., a Black man, thered be no Biden-Harris ticket. Clyburn had also criticized the 2008 attacks against then-presidential candidate Barack Obama when the Clintons campaigned in South Carolina. The Clintons campaign against President Obama carried racist overtones which I pointed out in a CounterPunch essay, January 14, 2008, titled Ma and Pa Clinton Flog Uppity Black Man. Yet, I, like other Black men, voted for Clinton because she would have been better for Blacks than Trump. Blacks dont have the luxury of staying home or throwing their votes away and if young Blacks do so, its because there is little in the school curriculum about the massacres and lynchings that happened when their ancestors attempted to vote. They know about John Lewis encounter with state troopers at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, but theyre ignorant of the massacre of Black men by a pro-Confederate city administration in New Orleans, in 1866. Theyd met for a Constitutional Convention, convened to protest the Black Codes, instituted to deny Black men the vote. The ex-Confederates killed 50 Black men and wounded 150. They know about the beatings of students at lunch counters in the 1960s, but they are ignorant of the removal and murder of Black elected officials in Wilmington, N.C, in 1898, said to be the countrys only coup detat. The mob of 2000 white men killed up to 300 people and Black businesses were destroyed. Its because of these sacrifices that we have Kamala Harris. She is good for Black men and women, white women, Jamaican and Indian Americans, yet a very vocal feminist group is preaching separatism. Speaking of the Harris veep selection, She The People wrote, triumphantly, Black women, Latinas, Indigenous women, and Asian American women have fought and bled for generations to arrive at this moment. This is our time. This is a divisive, narrow viewpoint that distorts history because it omits some vital components of the Democratic coalition including Black Men. Weekly, on AM Joy, the contribution of Black male voters is diminished by a clique of Northeastern Black pundits and academics to whom Comcast has given a show. On Aug. 23, one of the regulars, Jonathan Capehart, described the support of Clinton from the LGBTQ community as whopping. Their votes were 78% for Clinton. The Black male vote for Clinton was 80%. Why isnt that considered whopping? Ishmael Reed is an author, poet, playwright and distinguished professor at the California College of the Arts. His latest book is Why No Confederate Statues in Mexico. With two weeks to go and billions of dollars in federal aid at stake, Hudson County is making a final push for residents to fill out the census, throwing public events after the coronavirus forced it to put such efforts on hold for months. Hudson Countys census self-response rate remains below 60%, but its only about 2.5% away from the rate it achieved a decade ago. It tends to have among the lowest self-response rates in the state, which is typical of dense, urban areas. The current census deadline is Sept. 30, and only 58.7% of Hudson County residents have responded, which is 10% behind New Jersey as a whole. Its been quite a few months of being worried, but I think the closer we get to that 2010 response rate number, the better I feel, said Francesca Giarratana, Hudson Countys planning division chief who is leading the countys census efforts. I feel like our efforts have done some kind of impact in that the response rate in 2010 is similar to now when there wasnt a pandemic going on (in 2010). A census event in North Bergen Friday afternoon had a DJ and offered attendees meal vouchers. The townships response rate is 59.3%, though certain areas are much lower. One section of the town, for example, has a 49.4% response rate. Mayor Nicholas Sacco said that although census workers will go to door, many of his residents will only open theirs if someone they know is knocking. Undocumented immigrants also tend to be wary of the census because they think the government will target them if they report that they live here, said Aimee Focaraccio, the census liaison for North Bergen. The best way to reach those skeptical of the census would be to have neighbors they know personally knock on their doors if they havent filled it out, Sacco said. The Census Bureau is legally required to keep responses confidential including from law enforcement. Weve sent people into the housing authority, Sacco said. Were sending people to areas we feel are low, but the biggest problem were having isweve been asking for the census people to gives us the addresses where they havent gotten responses and they will not give them to us. The census will have a sweeping impact over the next decade determining how many congressional representatives the region will have and how much federal funding it receives. For every person who responds to the census, about $2,500 in annual funding is at stake for New Jersey, Giarratana said. An undercount would be detrimental to our entire community, slashing critical resources for our public services, said Jersey City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione. Jersey Citys self-response rate is about 55%, with some neighborhoods that havent even hit the 40% mark. It launched a census art contest for youth Friday, challenging them to imagine what our city would look like fully funded, with full political representation and accurate data. Our main challenge is reaching our hard-to-count groups and getting everyone interested enough to participate, Wallace-Scalcione said. Through the end of the month, the county will be holding public events, offering meals at food trucks in exchange for a census response. In person conversations with residents give people the opportunity to clear up any questions, Giarratana said, and everyone likes a free meal. Being able to answer that one simple question that was stopping people (from filling out the census), thats been successful, she said. Your browser does not support the audio element. Wading through the muddy coast during low tides was not working for a group of fishermen in southern Vietnam so, for generations, they have relied on specially designed wooden skimboards to make a livelihood while sliding up and down the slippery coast. Mo O Beach spans several kilometers in Soc Trang Province in the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam. For generations, the fishermen here have defied the slippery, muddy beach by making use of homemade wooden skimboards to navigate the sands and store their catch. Riding the mud skimboards Tran Co is a fisherman in Mo O Commune, Trung Binh Ward, Tran De District, Soc Trang Province. His days revolve around navigating the knee-deep mud of Mo O Beach to track down fish. Using a homemade skimboard, Co slides across the sand by keeping one knee on the board while pushing with the other. Each push takes him about three meters further down the coast. To catch fish, he places a few fingers in the tiny holes that litter the beach. Theyre the main hiding place of the goby. They even dig separate escape routes. They are super smart, he said. Using his other hand, he blocks the other exits, pushes his hands in the mud and yanks out two handfuls of goby fish. Vac, another local fisherman, also catches fish using the same technique, though both men say making a mistake on the job can lead to falling off the board and landing deep in the mud. Tran Co, an experienced mud fisherman along Mo O Beach in Soc Trang Province in Vietnam's Mekong Delta, searches the mud for a catch. Photo: Minh Tam / Tuoi Tre The skimboards are not only used for catching fish. Tang Thai Quan uses his for catching oysters first by sliding around the mud until he spots mud bubbles, then digging while perched atop his board. Each kind of marine animal has its own distinct way of manifesting themselves, Quan said. Bubbles mean oysters, for they open their mouths to breathe. According to Quan, it used to be possible to catch dozens of kilograms of marine crabs, goby, and oysters each day, but now local fishermen are lucky if they bring home a meager four kilograms. It is putting a real strain on the local economy, he explained. Binh, a 66-year-old oyster catcher who works on Mo O Beach, has her own method of catching oysters. Instead of waiting for bubbles to rise to the top, she just digs everywhere until she finds some. My eyes dont see clearly, so I cant tell where the bubbles are. I just have to dive in, she explained. Though she is already at an age when most people would like to retire, Binh feels pressured to keep earning a living. My son works at a factory in Binh Duong Province. Life is hard for him and his wife, so I just take care of myself, she said. Binh Duong, neighboring Ho Chi Minh City, is considered a land of factory workers, as many local and foreign companies build industrial parks there. Her days consist of few breaks and bad weather does not stop her from hitting the beach in search of oysters. We have to brave the weather with this kind of job. Well only stay home on very stormy days, she said, adding that a days catch usually brings in enough money to keep her fed. I can sell each kilogram for VND70,000 [US$3]. Thats good enough for me. Binh, a 66-year-old woman with poor eyesight, works each day on the mud to make ends meet along Mo O Beach in Soc Trang Province in Vietnam's Mekong Delta. Photo: Minh Tam / Tuoi Tre A tough but fun job Ive done this job since I was 13 years old, said Lam Ha, a 77-year-old skimboarding fisherman. My grandfather said that the 'mong' [the mud skimboard] has been around since the time of my great-grandparents. They came up with the idea because they had no other means to travel many kilometers across the mud, he said. According to Dang Van Khai, head of Mo O Commune, the mud skimboarding fisherman households around this neighborhood are extremely underprivileged. They have no farmland for agricultural work and no funding to buy a fishing boat, so they stick to their boards, he said. A decade ago, there were around 200 families of skimboarding fishermen, but the number of marine creatures close to shore shrank due to overfishing and environmental pollution so many has left for Ho Chi Minh City to find jobs in factories, the man continued. Mud skimming fishermen along Mo O Beach in Soc Trang Province in Vietnam's Mekong Delta gather happily after a long day at work. Photo: Tran Ha / Tuoi Tre Khai also noted that many of these fishermen are only able to work 10 to 12 days every month, depending on the tides, and their earnings vary greatly from day to day. When they are not fishing, they pick grass or man shrimp farms. But despite the hardships, many hold the job near and dear to their hearts. Our forefathers left us with the 'mong,' so we keep it for our living, Tran Co said. We may have to tighten our spending and work harder, but we enjoy every minute on the mud. "It beats working far from our hometown. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! HONG KONG: Relatives of some of the 12 Hong Kong people arrested by China at sea last month demanded the citys government check on their condition and ensure lawyers appointed by the families and not the Chinese government, can meet with them. The 12 were arrested on Aug. 23 for illegal entry into mainland Chinese waters after setting off from Hong Kong in a boat bound for self-ruled Taiwan. All were suspected of committing crimes in Hong Kong related to the anti-government protests that erupted last year. Ten had been charged, released on bail and not allowed to leave the former British colony, and all are now being detained in neighbouring Shenzhen. Relatives of some of the detainees held a news conference outside the Hong Kong police headquarters on Sunday to express their frustration with local authorities. We want our son backeven though we cant visit him, at least give us a letter from him to confirm that hes there," the father of one detainee, Li Tsz Yin, said. The Hong Kong government and the police did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. The relatives also asked police to give an account of the date, time, place and process of the arrest" and whether there were any injuries or casualties, and the Marine Department to release radar records of the day of the arrest. They said the government only shirked responsibility and confused the public with mere excuses." However, up to now, the lawyers appointed by the families have been refused to meet with the detainees. In other words, the conditions of the so-called arrested persons are still known only to the Chinese authorities," a statement said. On Tuesday, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam voiced discontent with the group being characterised by some as democratic activists being oppressed", saying they were running away from the law. Lam said they would have to be dealt with" by mainland authorities, but pledged to provide feasible" assistance. Police in Shenzhen said last Sunday they were suspected of illegal entry, their first public comment on the matter. The same day, Chinas foreign ministry labelled the group as separatists". 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 Peace is breaking out all over the Mideast, with so much more to come. Thats the essence of the message delivered by President Donald J. Trump at Tuesdays White House ceremony, where Israels prime minister and representatives from two Arab neighbors signed an accord to normalize relations. Though one might rationally wonder if the president was perhaps playing things up a bit, especially in promising so much more ahead, and while its entirely possible that the accord is at least in part the product of electoral considerations, neither in any way diminishes the achievement. What happened this week was real, and it was a big deal. This administration, and presidential adviser, son-in-law and deal facilitator Jared Kushner in particular, deserve praise for the accomplishment. Though the new accord isnt itself a peace pact, as neither of the signatory nations, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, is at war with Israel, the accord is nonetheless historic. And perhaps a portent of more good news ahead. Progress in the Middle East has been so long in coming that what took place at the White House, even if perhaps not all it was cracked up to be, is nonetheless thrilling to see. After all, until now, neither the United Arab Emirates nor Bahrain had thought of Israel as a legitimate nation. Now they have established diplomatic relations. Consider: Egypt signed its historic peace accord with Israel, the first between the Jewish state and an Arab nation, in 1979. The next peace treaty came fully 15 years later, when Jordan and Israel inked their pact in 1994. Since then, nothing. Until Tuesday, that is. If a number of other Arab nations do, in fact, follow the lead of UAE and Bahrain, what will be notable is how isolated the Palestinian Authority has become. For so long, everyone who spoke of peace in the region always talked of Israel and the Palestinians, as though there were no other players. Now, the Palestinian Authority, which repeatedly balked each time it was offered a genuine shot at peace, may well find itself on the outside looking in. Before the signing ceremony, Trump, seated beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, predicted that five or six more Arab nations will soon follow suit. Heres hoping. A family-owned pub is looking for tasters to make sure their beverages are up to pre-Covid standards, ahead of reopening in the coming weeks. The Royal Meath in Navan has been inundated with hundreds of offers from connoisseurs willing to try its Guinness and sample its new gin menu for free since it popped the post across its social media platforms on Friday. The post read: "Prior to reopening, we are looking for people to make sure our Guinness is up to its usual excellent standard and that our new gin menu is perfect! "We are looking for ten people to bring a friend for a free evening on us." It's not just the drink that the lucky tasters will get to sample but also a range of pizzas that will be on offer from the new kitchen installed at the pub, which has been owned by the Geraghty family for over 50 years. "We are really excited about reopening but we are not going to open until October 1st because we want to make sure that things are just right," said Michelle Geraghty "That's why we are looking for connoisseurs of Guinness and gin to help us out so we can be sure our products are of the same high standard that we offered six months ago before we had to close. "We want to make sure not only is the building compliant with all Covid practices but that the beverages are to a similar high standard. "The tasters will also get to sample our new pizza range ahead of opening so we can tweak the menu, according to the feedback we get on the night. "We have had hundreds of applicants so far so there are obviously a lot of experts in gin and Guinness out there," she laughed. With President Trump planning to nominate his third Supreme Court justice nominee this week, key Republican senators are indicating their stance on replacing the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with less than 50 days until Election Day. Driving the news: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), one of the few Republican senators thought to be a potential swing vote, said Tuesday that he would support moving forward with the confirmation process before the election. The state of play: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) has vowed that "Trump's nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate." Two GOP senators Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) have said they oppose holding a vote before the election. But with the support of Romney and Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), who is facing a difficult re-election race, it's extremely unlikely that two more Republican defections will materialize and force McConnell to delay until the lame-duck session of Congress. What they're saying: Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (S.C.) tweeted Saturday that he would support Trump "in any effort to move forward regarding the recent vacancy created by the passing of Justice Ginsburg." That was despite him opposing confirming then-President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, because it was an election year. In a letter to his Democratic colleagues on Monday, Graham added that he now has a "different view" of the judicial confirmation process "after the treatment of Justice Kavanaugh" during his 2018 confirmation fight. (S.C.) tweeted Saturday that he would support Trump "in any effort to move forward regarding the recent vacancy created by the passing of Justice Ginsburg." That was despite him opposing confirming then-President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, because it was an election year. In a letter to his Democratic colleagues on Monday, Graham added that he now has a "different view" of the judicial confirmation process "after the treatment of Justice Kavanaugh" during his 2018 confirmation fight. Sen. Chuck Grassley (Iowa) told reporters in July he would not have a hearing on a nominee if an election-year vacancy occurred while he was Judiciary Committee chair, a position he gave up in 2018. But he said in a statement Monday that he will not oppose Graham and McConnell's decision to move forward: "The circumstances are different in 2020, where the American people elected a Republican President and Senate in 2016 and expanded the Republican Senate majority in 2018." (Iowa) told reporters in July he would not have a hearing on a nominee if an election-year vacancy occurred while he was Judiciary Committee chair, a position he gave up in 2018. But he said in a statement Monday that he will not oppose Graham and McConnell's decision to move forward: "The circumstances are different in 2020, where the American people elected a Republican President and Senate in 2016 and expanded the Republican Senate majority in 2018." Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), responding to a question by CNN on whether the Senate would confirm a Trump nominee in a lame-duck session if Biden wins the presidency, said on Monday: "You mean while we're still in our term office, and President Trump is? Of course." (Texas), responding to a question by CNN on whether the Senate would confirm a Trump nominee in a lame-duck session if Biden wins the presidency, said on Monday: "You mean while we're still in our term office, and President Trump is? Of course." Sen. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.), who is retiring this year, said in a statement on Sunday, "No one should be surprised that a Republican Senate majority would vote on a Republican Presidents Supreme Court nomination, even during a presidential election year. The Constitution gives senators the power to do it. The voters who elected them expect it." (Tenn.), who is retiring this year, said in a statement on Sunday, "No one should be surprised that a Republican Senate majority would vote on a Republican Presidents Supreme Court nomination, even during a presidential election year. The Constitution gives senators the power to do it. The voters who elected them expect it." Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) said in a statement Sunday, "For weeks, I have stated that I would not support taking up a potential Supreme Court vacancy this close to the election. Sadly, what was then a hypothetical is now our reality, but my position has not changed." (Alaska) said in a statement Sunday, "For weeks, I have stated that I would not support taking up a potential Supreme Court vacancy this close to the election. Sadly, what was then a hypothetical is now our reality, but my position has not changed." Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.), who also opposed Garland's 2016 nomination and is in a tough re-election race, said in a statement Saturday, "There is a clear choice on the future of the Supreme Court between the well-qualified and conservative jurist President Trump will nominate and I will support, and the liberal activist Joe Biden will nominate and Cal Cunningham will support, who will legislate radical, left-wing policies from the bench." (N.C.), who also opposed Garland's 2016 nomination and is in a tough re-election race, said in a statement Saturday, "There is a clear choice on the future of the Supreme Court between the well-qualified and conservative jurist President Trump will nominate and I will support, and the liberal activist Joe Biden will nominate and Cal Cunningham will support, who will legislate radical, left-wing policies from the bench." Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) said in a statement Saturday, "In fairness to the American people, who will either be re-electing the president or selecting a new one, the decision on a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court should be made by the president who is elected on November 3." (Maine) said in a statement Saturday, "In fairness to the American people, who will either be re-electing the president or selecting a new one, the decision on a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court should be made by the president who is elected on November 3." Sen. Kelly Loeffler (Ga.) told Fox News Saturday, "The Constitution allows this process to keep moving forward and the president has every right to nominate someone, and leader McConnell has said that we will have a vote on the Senate floor on this, and I completely support that. We need to bring forward a conservative justice. ... regardless of it being an election year." (Ga.) told Fox News Saturday, "The Constitution allows this process to keep moving forward and the president has every right to nominate someone, and leader McConnell has said that we will have a vote on the Senate floor on this, and I completely support that. We need to bring forward a conservative justice. ... regardless of it being an election year." Sen. Martha McSally (Ariz.) tweeted Friday, "This U.S. Senate should vote on President Trump's next nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court." (Ariz.) tweeted Friday, "This U.S. Senate should vote on President Trump's next nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court." Sen. Joni Ernst (Iowa) told reporters in July, "[If] it is a lame-duck session, I would support going ahead with any hearings that we might have. And if it comes to an appointment prior to the end of the year, I would be supportive of that." (Iowa) told reporters in July, "[If] it is a lame-duck session, I would support going ahead with any hearings that we might have. And if it comes to an appointment prior to the end of the year, I would be supportive of that." Sen. Mitt Romney said Tuesday, "The historical precedent of election year nominations is that the Senate generally does not confirm an opposing partys nominee but does confirm a nominee of its own." said Tuesday, "The historical precedent of election year nominations is that the Senate generally does not confirm an opposing partys nominee but does confirm a nominee of its own." Sen. Shelly Moore Capito (R-W.V.) tweeted Tuesday, "President Trump and the Republican Senate, both elected by the American people should act to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by Justice Ginsburg's passing." Go deeper: A court fight for the ages Trenton Water Works should be lead free in 10 years, argues Congressman Chris Smith of Hamilton Township. The Republican lawmaker has introduced bipartisan legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives that would require large public water systems like TWW to replace all lead service lines within a decade. Congress must act on this critical legislation thats long overdue and can make drinking water safer for generations of Americans, Smith said in a press statement last month. People need to know the water from the kitchen tap they drink or cook with is clean and safe for themselves and their families. Lead service line replacement is needed to give them that peace of mind. Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas has co-sponsored the legislation, formally known as the Get the Lead Out Act or H.R. 7918, which has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. No community should have to worry that their drinking water is tainted with lead, Cuellar said in a press statement. Any amount of lead in drinking water can have serious developmental and health impacts for children. Trenton Water Works serves 225,000 people in the capital city and Ewing, Hamilton, Lawrence and Hopewell townships. The utility has a long history of documented shortcomings, including a record 13 violations in 2018. Trenton is under two administrative consent orders with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection requiring the city to make necessary improvements to the public water system, including the replacement of so-called LSL or lead service lines. DEP sued TWW earlier this year due to the citys failure to comply with the ACO mandates. A Superior Court judge, however, denied DEPs request for preliminary injunctive relief that would have required TWW to replace 7% of lead service lines annually. Jeffrey Wagenbach, an attorney representing TWW, argued the city is working hard to improve the water utilitys operations and maintenance. New Jersey Deputy Attorney General Robert J. Kinney in court papers argued that Trentons shortcomings in LSL replacements exposes residents drinking water to potential lead contamination and therefore places residents of the affected communities at continued risk of irreparable harm. Judge Robert Lougy said he didnt endorse the citys failure to meet mandates of the consent orders but was confident city officials are not continuing to have reporting above the permissible levels of lead in the water. Smith, who is seeking re-election to a 21st term representing Central Jersey, introduced his Get the Lead Out Act in the U.S. House of Representatives on July 31. Smith wants to amend the federal Safe Drinking Water Act by increasing federal contributions to state revolving loan funds from $1.95 billion in fiscal year 2021 to $6.6 billion and authorizing another $6.6 billion to be appropriated in fiscal year 2022. These funds may be used to finance water infrastructure projects that either address the most serious risk to human health or are necessary to ensure compliance with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Public water systems like TWW are eligible for federal EPA grants to help finance investments necessary for the public water system to comply with the requirements of the federal SDWA. The current law authorized $60 million in such appropriations to occur in each of the fiscal years 2017 through 2021. Smith, however, wants to bolster the federal grants to authorize $80 million in federal appropriations to public water systems and other eligible entities during fiscal years 2021 and 2022. Smiths bill, if enacted into law, would also authorize $10 million in appropriations for fiscal years 2021 and 2022 to help the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to enforce the mandates. H.R. 7918 would require community water systems serving a population of 3,300 or more to submit a plan to the EPA on how it would inventory and replace all the lead service lines of the community water system, including the portions of such lead service lines that are owned by the community water system and any remaining portions of such lead service lines. The plan would have to be developed and submitted within one year of Smiths bill becoming law, and then the public water system would have to replace its leaded pipes and fixtures within 10 years if not granted an extension to the statutory deadline. Lead service lines are water pipes and metal fittings containing a significant quantity of lead, a toxic element harmful to the well-being of humans and animals. The consumption of lead-contaminated drinking water may lead to adverse health effects, including reproductive problems in adults and lower IQ and hyperactivity for children, according to the EPA. A lead-free product is one that contains almost no traces of lead, if any at all. Replacing lead service lines with lead-free alternatives means the new fittings shall not contain more than 0.2% lead when used with respect to solder and flux and any presence of such lead shall have a weighted average not exceeding 0.25% of the toxic element when used with respect to the wetted surfaces of pipes, pipe fittings, plumbing fittings and fixtures, according to federal law. If Smiths bill never becomes law, the City of Trenton appears to be taking steps on its own to improve TWW. On Thursday, Trenton City Council voted 5-2 to approve $50 million in bonds that will help the city replace the Pennington Reservoir with a network of up to five storage tanks, along with thousands of antiquated meters throughout the distribution system. Trentons governing body previously voted 5-2 to approve $25 million in bonds for lead service line replacements. City Council, however, still refuses to support a $33.5 million bond package that would finance improvements to the TWW water filtration plant. Staff writer Isaac Avilucea contributed to this report. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.20 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Turkey perceives any aggression against Azerbaijan as aggression against Turkey, the Turkish Presidential Administration told Trend. "As before, we once again declare that, regardless of which way does Azerbaijan choose to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, Ankara will support Azerbaijan with all its resources in this direction," the presidential administration noted. "We declare once again that the statements of the Armenian authorities and the latest military provocations are aimed at escalating the conflict in the region," the administration said. Relying on the tacit consent of its patrons, Armenia is trying in every possible way to destabilize the situation in the region, while forgetting that Turkey is also an ally of Azerbaijan, said the administration. "It is Armenia that is responsible for the instability in the region," the presidential administration said. The administration noted that the inactivity of the OSCE Minsk Group members prior to the military provocation of Armenia encourages the Armenian authorities. "The Minsk Group must urgently become active to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, or boldly declare that it is not able to resolve this conflict," the Turkish presidential administration said. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Donald Trump last night vowed to defy Ruth Bader Ginsburg's dying wish and will nominate her replacement immediately, igniting a tumultuous political battle that could determine the result of the US election in November. In doing so the US president will redraw the electoral battle lines, making the vote less a referendum on his handling of the coronavirus, and instead an ideological fight over the future of the US Supreme Court. His campaign suggested it was a game-changing development. "We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices. We have this obligation, without delay!" Trump said. Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and the Democrat leadership in the Senate immediately called for the nomination to be delayed until after the election. However, Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate leader, vowed to press ahead with confirming Trump's nominee. He said: "President Trump's nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the US Senate." The Senate only has to confirm by a simple majority, and Republicans hold power with 53 seats to 47. But some of the party's more moderate senators - including Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska - may be reluctant to ram through the new nominee in an election year. The confirmation process usually takes about two months, so it could take place after the November 3 election, during the 'lame duck' period before the inauguration of Trump or Biden on January 20. If Trump were to lose, and Republicans drop seats in the Senate, the fate of his nominee would become uncertain. McConnell wrote to his Republican colleagues urgently telling them to "keep their powder dry". He said: "This is not the time to prematurely lock yourselves into a position you may later regret." A recent Pew Research Centre survey showed that, even before Justice Ginsburg's death, the Supreme Court was a more important issue to US voters than the coronavirus. Alex Conant, a Republican strategist, said: "Joe Biden wants this election to be a referendum on Trump. Now it's going to be a referendum on whoever he nominates to the Supreme Court. It's hard to see how this doesn't help Trump politically." Trump would become the first president since Ronald Reagan to nominate three justices to the nine-member bench. That would give the court a 6-3 conservative majority, securing its ideological leaning for a generation and cementing Trump's legacy. The court decides issues that are fundamental to US society, including on abortion, the environment, gay rights, the power of the presidency, and gun control. Female voters in the suburbs are expected to be key to the election result, and it is probable Trump will nominate a woman. The favourite is Amy Coney Barrett, a devoutly Catholic Chicago appeal court judge who was considered for Trump's two previous nominations, and has already been vetted by the White House. In her deathbed statement Justice Ginsburg, who had publicly criticised Trump, said: "My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed." Her death may galvanise liberals to turn out in large numbers for Biden in an attempt to secure her legacy. Telegraph Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] Good afternoon. I attended mass earlier today and prayed for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her family. The nation lost an icon, but they lost a mother, a grandmother, and a matriarch. We know how hard that is to watch a piece of your soul absorb the cruelty and pain of that dreadful disease of cancer. But as I spoke with her daughter and granddaughter last night, they made clear that until the very end she displayed the character and courage we would expect of her. She held their hand and gave them strength and purpose to carry on. Its been noted that she passed away on Rosh Hashanah. By tradition, a person who dies during the Jewish New Year is considered a soul of great righteousness. That was Ruth Bader Ginsgburg. A righteous soul. It was my honor to preside over her confirmation hearings, and to strongly support her accession to the Supreme Court. Justice Ginsburg achieved a standing few justices do. She became a presence in the lives of so many Americans, a part of the culture. Yes there was humor in the mentions of the and her impressive exercise routines. But it was so much more. She was a trailblazer, a role model, a source of hope, and a powerful voice for justice. She was proof that courage and conviction and moral clarity can change not just the law, but also the world. And I believe in the days and months and years to follow, she will continue to inspire millions of Americans all across this country. And together, we can and we will continue to be voices for justice in her name. Her granddaughter said her dying words were . As a nation, we should heed her final call to us not as a personal service to her, but as a service to the country at a crossroads. There is so much at stake the right to health care, clean air and water, and equal pay for equal work. The rights of voters, immigrants, women, and workers. And right now, our country faces a choice. A choice about whether we can come back from the brink. Thats what Id like to talk about today. Within an hour of news of her passing, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said President Trumps nominee to replace Justice Ginsburg will receive a vote in the Senate. The exact opposite of what he said when President Obama nominated Merrick Garland to replace Justice Scalia in 2016. At that time, Majority Leader McConnell made up a rule based on the fiction that I somehow believed that there should be no nomination to the Court in an election year. Its ridiculous. The only rule I ever followed related to Supreme Court nominations was the Constitutions obligation for Senators to provide advice and consent to the president on judicial nominees. But he created a new one the McConnell Rule: absolutely no hearing and no vote for a nominee in an election year. Period. No caveats. And many Republican Senators agreed. Including then-Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chuck Grassley of Iowa. Including the current Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Lindsay Graham of South Carolina. Who at the time said, and I quote verbatim: " ." That is what Republicans said when Justice Scalia passed away about nine months before Election Day that year. Now, having lost Justice Ginsburg less than seven weeks before Election Day this year after Americans have already begun to cast their votes they cannot unring the bell. Having made this their standard when it served their interest, they cannot, just four years later, change course when it doesnt serve their ends. And Im not being naive. Im not speaking to President Trump, who will do whatever he wants. Im not speaking to Mitch McConnell, who will do what he does. Im speaking to those Senate Republicans out there who know deep down what is right for the country not just for their party. Im speaking for the millions of Americans out there, who are already voting in this election. Millions of Americans who are voting because they know their health care hangs in the balance. In the middle of the worst global health crisis in living memory, Donald Trump is at the Supreme Court trying to strip health coverage away from tens of millions of families and to strip away the peace of mind from more than 100 million people with pre-existing conditions. If he succeeds, insurers could once again discriminate or drop coverage completely for people living with preexisting conditions like asthma, diabetes, and cancer. And perhaps, most cruelly of all, if Donald Trump has his way, complications from COVID-19, like lung scarring and heart damage, could become the next deniable pre-existing condition. Millions of Americans who are also voting because they dont want nearly a half century of legal precedent to be overturned and lose their right to choose. Millions of Americans who are at risk of losing their right to vote. Millions of Dreamers who are at risk of being expelled from the only country they have ever known. Millions of workers who are at risk of losing their collective bargaining rights. Millions of Americans who are demanding that their voices be heard and that equal justice be guaranteed for all. They know we all know what should happen now. The voters of this country should be heard. Voting has already begun in some states. And in just a few weeks, all the voters of this nation will be heard. They are the ones who should decide who has the power to make this appointment. This appointment isnt about the past. Its about the future. And the people of this nation are choosing the future right now. To jam this nomination through the Senate is just an exercise in raw political power. I dont believe the people of this nation will stand for it. President Trump has already made it clear this is about power. Pure and simple. Well, the voters should make it clear on this issue and so many others: the power in this nation resides with them the people. And even if President Trump wants to put forward a name now, the Senate should not act on it until after the American people select their next president and the next Congress. If Donald Trump wins the election then the Senate should move on his selection and weigh that nominee fairly. But if I win the election, President Trumps nomination should be withdrawn. As the new President, I should be the one who nominates Justice Ginsburgs successor, a nominee who should get a fair hearing in the Senate before a confirmation vote. Were in the middle of a pandemic. Were passing 200,000 American deaths lost to this virus. Tens of millions of Americans are on unemployment. Health care in this country hangs in the balance before the Court. And now, in a raw political move this president and the Republican leader have decided to jam a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court through the United States Senate. Its the last thing we need in this moment. Voters have already begun casting ballots in this country. In just a few weeks, we are going to know who the voters of this nation have chosen to be their next president. The United States Constitution was designed to give the voters one chance to have their voice heard on who serves on the Court. That moment is now and their voice should be heard. And I believe voters are going to make it clear they will not stand for this abuse of power. Theres also discussion about what happens if the Senate confirms on election eve or in a lame duck after Donald Trump loses a successor to Justice Ginsburg. But that discussion assumes that we lose this effort to prevent the grave wrong that Trump and McConnell are pursuing here. And Im not going to assume failure at this point. I believe the voices of the American people should be heard. This fight wont be over until the Senate votes, if it does vote. Winning that vote if it happens is everything. Action and reaction. Anger and more anger. Sorrow and frustration at the way things are. Thats the cycle that Republican Senators will continue to perpetuate if they go down this dangerous path they have put us on. We need to de-escalate not escalate. So I appeal to those few Senate Republicans the handful who will really decide what happens. Dont vote to confirm anyone nominated under the circumstances President Trump and Senator McConnell have created. Dont go there. Uphold your Constitutional duty your conscience. Cool the flames that have been engulfing our country. We cant keep rewriting history, scrambling norms, and ignoring our cherished system of checks and balances. That includes this whole business of releasing a list of potential nominees that I would put forward. Its no wonder the Trump campaign asked that I release a list only hours after Justice Ginsburg passed away. Its a game to them, a play to gin up emotions and anger. Theres a reason why no Presidential candidate other than Donald Trump has ever done such a thing. First, putting a judge's name on a list like that -could influence that persons decision-making as a judge and that's wrong. Second, anyone put on a list like that under these circumstances will be the subject of unrelenting political attacks. And because any nominee I would select would not get a hearing until 2021 at the earliest she would endure those attacks for months on end without being able to defend herself. Third, and finally, and perhaps most importantly, if I win, I will make my choice for the Supreme Court not as part of a partisan election campaign but as prior Presidents did. Only after consulting Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Senate and seeking their advice before I ask for their consent. As everyone knows I have made it clear that my first choice for the Supreme Court will make history as the first African American woman Justice. I will consult with Senators in both parties about that pick, as well as with legal and civic leaders. In the end, the choice will be mine and mine alone. But it will be the product of a process that restores our finest traditions not the extension of one that has torn this country apart. Ill conclude with this. As Ive said in this campaign, we are in the battle for the soul of this country. We face four historic crises. A once-in-a-generation pandemic. A devastating economic recession. The rise of white supremacy unseen since the 1960s, and a reckoning on race long overdue. And a changing climate that is ravaging our nation as we speak. Supreme Court decisions touch every part of these crises every part of our lives and our future. The last thing we need is to add a constitutional crisis that plunges us deeper into the abyss deeper into the darkness. If we go down this path, it would cause irreversible damage. The infection this president has unleashed on our democracy can be fatal. Enough. We must come together as a nation. Democrat, Republican, Independent, liberal, conservative. Everybody. Im not saying that we have to agree on everything. But we have to reason our way through to what ails us as citizens, voters, and public servants. We have to act in good faith and mutual good will. In a spirit of conciliation, not confrontation. This nation will continue to be inspired by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but we should be guided by her as well. By her willingness to listen, to hear those she disagreed with, to respect other points of view. Famously, Justice Ginsburg got along well with some of the most conservative justices on the Court. And she did it without compromising her principles or clouding her moral clarity or losing her core principles. If she could do this, so can we. How we talk to one another matters. How we treat one another matters. Respecting others matters. Justice Ginsburg proved its important to have a spine of steel, but its also important to offer an open hand and not a closed fist to those you disagree with. This nation needs to come together. I have said it many times in this election. We are the United States of America. Theres nothing we cannot do if we do it together. Maybe Donald Trump wants to divide this nation between Red States and Blue States. Between representing those states that vote for him and ignoring those that dont. I do not. I cannot and I will not be that president. I will be a president for the whole country. For those who vote for me and those who dont. We need to rise to this moment, for the sake of our country we love. Indeed, for its very soul. May God bless the United States of America. May God protect our troops. May God bless Ruth Bader Ginsburg. US President Donald Trump on Sunday spoke to Japan's new prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, to congratulate him on taking office and to discuss a "free and open Indo-Pacific" region, which is increasingly dominated by China. "The two leaders discussed the importance of pursuing our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, continuing to strengthen the United States-Japan Alliance, and working together to strengthen the global economy," the White House said in a statement. China is locked in disputes with neighbors including Japan and Vietnam over islands in the South China Sea. Search Keywords: Short link: A dental technician who was found with 1 million worth of high-purity cocaine will have to repay less than 6,000 of money he made from drugs. Andrew Mackie, 53, was found with with 1 million worth of cocaine stashed in two Bags for Life and made almost 200,000 from his criminal enterprise, a court heard. During a proceeds of crime hearing, a judge was told the 53-year-old's assets are now calculated at 6,000. Mackie was arrested at the offices of Precision Chrome Castings in Kiln Bridge Works in East Farleigh, Kent, on August 29 last year. Maidstone Crown Court was later told how police found 5,000 in a filing cabinet, more money in his car and the drugs. Prosecutor Tom Dunn revealed that following an investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act, Mackie benefited by 194,105. Police found 1 million worth of high-purity cocaine stashed in two Bags for Life He said the 5,980 in cash - which the police seized during the raid - was his total assets and the judge ruled that money should be confiscated. In January this year, Mackie, of Loose, Kent, was jailed for eight years and four months after admitting being involved in the supply of cocaine. He now has 14 days to sign over the cash or face a further three months inside, the court heard. During his earlier sentencing, Maidstone Crown Court heard how police also found gloves and scales with the sealed haul. They had gone to the premises and asked him if there were any drugs there and he had directed them to a cupboard where they found three sealed parcels and six grip-seal plastic bags containing 5.34 kilos of cocaine. His barrister David Burgess told Judge Philip Statman: 'In August last year [2019] events resulted in the shattering of a number of lives...the lives of his children, his ex-wife and his fiancee, with whom he was going to get married a week after his arrest.' Andrew Mackie was arrested at the offices of Precision Chrome Castings in Kiln Bridge Works in East Farleigh, Kent, on August 29 last year He added that Mackie's friends were in 'complete bewilderment' to discover he was involved in drugs. Craig Evans, prosecuting, said the phone found in the premises during the raid - which had Mackie's DNA on the sim card - can only be bought online and shipped to the UK. He said it did not work on phone networks used in the UK and could only be accessed using a password which was almost impossible to crack. Judge Statman commended the drugs team for their work and told them he had 'considerable concern' over the use of the phones in 'the furtherance of grave crimes which afford crime gangs total anonymity'. The cocaine had originally been given an estimated value of 500,000 but with a purity of up to 99 per cent police revised its worth to 1m. It had been stored in the bags at the premises - but the prosecution said they did not believe Mackie was using his dental business as a cover for drug dealing. But the judge said the fact the cocaine was between 86 and 99 per cent showed that Mackie was 'near the top' in the crime gang - while accepting there were others 'above you in the chain'. In jailing Mackie, who admitted supplying the class A drug, told him that cocaine was 'pernicious' offering users 'a short-term high' and giving dealers 'vast profits' when they distributed the narcotic. He added: 'You made a very bad decision when you became involved in a highly sophisticated operation and you played a significant role...although I accept you were not the prime mover.' Attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union two weeks ago penned a letter to Webb County Elections Administrator Jose Salvador Tellez regarding the lack of information in Spanish available for voters on their website. This letter was sent to 15 other counties in Texas for the same reason, or for poorly translated election information, both violations of the Voting Rights Act, the ACLU argued. In counties where more than 10,000 people of voting age speak Spanish or have limited English proficiency, information about elections is required to be provided in Spanish, the organization noted. Published voting materials, such as the list of voting sites and sample ballots, is published in both English in Spanish by the Webb County Elections Administration. However their website itself is almost completely in English. In light of the upcoming elections, and Webb Countys significant Spanish-speaking voter population, we are greatly concerned by these deficiencies, reads the letter. Tellez acknowledged that the ACLU was correct. I cant explain why it hadnt been done by the prior administration, although at this point I am the administration, he said. So were taking corrective action. Starting Friday, Tellez said his office will begin the work to translate information about registering to vote, documentation needed to vote in person and basically any other information that is offered in English on their website, he said. Tellez hopes to finish in two to three weeks, which he acknowledged may be past the deadline to register to vote on Oct. 5. The ACLU found 69 counties in Texas that offered inadequate, inaccessible or poorly-translated information in Spanish about voting. Webb was among their 16 worst offenders that received this letter, along with La Salle County, Webbs northern neighbor. If no action has been taken by Oct. 2, attorneys with the ACLU wrote that they would look to all available remedies under the law to protect Webb County voters. BLOOMINGTON McLean County residents in a mental health crisis have another place to get help. The first six months of operations for the McLean County Triage Center saw 21 clients served, a number officials attribute to shelter-in-place guidelines that came with COVID-19. Now that many of those restrictions have been lifted and with the pandemic creating extra economic and emotional stress for many people the county's behavioral health coordinating council supervisor is confident numbers will increase. "I think people really did adhere to shelter-in-place," Trisha Malott said on Wednesday after a tour of the Triage Center, located at the southwest corner of the first floor of the McLean County Health Department building, 200 W. Front St., Bloomington. "But we know people need help," she said. "Our numbers are picking up now. I don't think the number is reflective of the need for triage in this county." TRIAGE CENTER WHAT: McLean County Triage Center WHERE: 200 W. Front St., Bloomington WHEN: 7:30 a.m. to 3 a.m., 365 days a year Agreeing was a representative of another agency that also serves residents in mental health crisis. "I'm hoping it (the triage center) will be used more now that more people know about it," said Meghan Moser, crisis program manager for the McLean County Center for Human Services. The Triage Center opened March 16, about when state shelter-in-place guidelines took effect. The center, which last month expanded its hours to 7:30 a.m. to 3 a.m. 365 days a year, is for people 18 and older experiencing a mental health crisis. Advocates say the center gives people a place to go other than the hospital or jail when they need it most. "All clients will be seen regardless of insurance or income status," Malott said, adding that it offers "a safe, supportive space where someone can listen to them and provide resources." While the largest percentage of people bring themselves to the Triage Center, others are brought by law enforcement, by the CHS mobile crisis team, by family or friends or are referred by Chestnut Health Systems. People experiencing suicidal feelings are still directed to hospital emergency departments, but the center serves people who are dealing with extreme anxiety, depression or a panic attack. How it works When a person arrives, a visitor's aide screens the person for COVID symptoms. While no one yet has presented with symptoms, if that happens, the aide would discuss with the person whether they should return home and call PATH at 211 or go to the emergency department, Malott said. A peer support person, with experience with mental illness, welcomes the client to the center's living room, where there are couches, coloring materials, card games, magazines, fidget items and beverages. A triage center specialist does an assessment, works with the client on interventions that can help and links them to resources that can assist after they leave the center. In the living room, clients can gather their thoughts and de-escalate. While they are welcome to stay there as long as 23 hours, 96% leave within four hours, Malott said. About half return home, she said. Others are admitted to a hospital or Chestnut's crisis residential unit (where they can stay as long as 14 days) or are taken to a homeless shelter, Malott said. Client survey results indicate that the service has been a success. Moser said the Triage Center complements the CHS mobile crisis team, which works with people in the field, providing behavioral health assessments, de-escalation and referrals for ongoing services for people who are having suicidal or homicidal thoughts, are having a panic attack or having manic or psychotic symptoms. "We can talk with people over the phone or can go to peoples' homes, doctors' offices, schools, hospitals or the jail," Moser said. The team had about 2,200 calls or visits during the first six months of this year. "We are mobile," Moser said. "The Triage Center is a place people can go. We can refer people to the Triage Center." "They complement each other," Moser said of triage and the crisis team. "Our goal for both is to provide services in a less restrictive environment and keep people out of the emergency department and jail unless they need to be there." "It (Triage Center) makes the community's crisis response system PATH, mobile crisis team, the Triage Center, Chestnut's crisis residential unit more robust," Moser said. Additional support Another young county behavioral health program is Frequent User System Engagement, or FUSE. Launched last fall, it aims to support people with severe and chronic mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder, who have frequent encounters with law enforcement, emergency departments and homeless services. The program is on the fourth floor of the health department building, but its staff also are available to talk with participants in the field or over the phone, Malott said. "Some are willing and eager to engage," Malott said of potential participants contacted by the program staff. "Some are reluctant." People who agree to participate and consent to treatment work with FUSE staff on a case management plan that includes prescription medication, recovery support and substance abuse treatment and housing if needed. For example, three people applied for and received vouchers through the Bloomington Housing Authority with assistance from FUSE staff. The vouchers allow people with a disability and who are at risk of homelessness or institutionalization to live in Section 8 housing, according to Malott and Jeremy Hayes, executive director of the housing authority. The tenants are responsible for 30% of their monthly income for rent. People with severe and persistent mental illness struggle to maintain safe, affordable housing, Hayes said. Landlords are more comfortable renting to them when an organization or caseworker supports the tenant, he said. "Having intensive and onsite support is often times the difference between someone staying housed or being on the street or in another undesirable situation," Hayes said. "That in-depth and consistent support that FUSE can offer is very beneficial to the individual and the county as a whole." While Malott hoped FUSE would serve ten people during its first year, the program has only four participants so far because the program put a hold on new clients during the first several months of the COVID pandemic. "I'm hoping that we have two to four more by the end of the year," she said. "Most of our participants are likely to be with us long-term." Funding Money for the McLean County Triage Center, FUSE and the county's other mental health services come from the shared sales tax revenue from the intergovernmental agreement between McLean County, the City of Bloomington and the Town of Normal. About $1.73 million was budgeted for county mental health services this year. "I think it's encouraging that our county, in the last few years, has made progress in resources for mental health," Hayes said. Among services is the annual fall McLean County Behavioral Health Community Forum. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the forum this fall will be done virtually rather than in person, Malott said. Information will be released soon, she said. PHOTOS: McLean County Triage Center and FUSE Program Contact Paul Swiech at 309-820-3275. Follow him on Twitter: @pg_swiech. Love 0 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. Rev. Dr Nicholas Apreh Siaw, has been inducted into office as the 25th Principal of the Presbyterian College of Education at Akropong. The principal, an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) until his appointment, was the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the Koforidua Technical University. Rt.Rev.Professor JOY Mante, Moderator of the General Assembly of the PCG who performed the induction reminded him of the huge task ahead of him in maintaining the ethos of Presbyterianism even as the institution becomes a degree-awarding in line with government policy. He reminded him that the PCE was the foundation of the history of Education in Ghana and the central focus of the impact of Presbyterian Education in society and therefore must live up to expectation. The PCE was established in 1848 at Akropong by the Basel missionary to train Teacher/Catechists for missionary work and was the first higher educational institution in Ghana and second to Fourah Bay University in West Africa. Dr Esther Ofei-Aboagye, Council Chairperson of the School said the weight of heritage and obligation to the Church coupled with the transition of the college called for a very well resourced principal. That, she indicated " the council is satisfied that the new principal is well qualified for the position and excited by his vision for the future of the College". Rev. Dr Siaw in his speech outlined his vision for the school and assured the Moderator that he was aware of the task ahead and that the ethos of Presbyterianism would be maintained in all circumstances. 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 Public health officials on Sunday announced another 340 COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts and 15 more deaths linked to illness from the virus as the national death toll nears 200,000. Sundays new totals follow a notable jump in cases, 569 reported on Saturday, after two consecutive days of at least 400 new cases. Newly reported positive tests remained below 300 for several days prior. Massachusetts has reported at least 125,479 cases throughout the pandemic and the statewide death toll stands at 9,100. When probable cases are included, the Department of Public Health says 9,310 people have died in the state. Across the nation, at least 199,411 Americans have died with COVID-19; the U.S. reports more than 6.7 million cases, the most cases worldwide and more than 1.3 million more than India and 2 million more than Brazil, according to the database compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Sundays new cases are based on 17,399 molecular tests. Throughout the crisis, 3,399,512 tests have been administered in the commonwealth. The seven-day, weighted average rate of positive tests stands at 0.8%, where it has remained for several days. The rate has remained just below 1% since the beginning of September. Three hundred and sixty-four people are hospitalized with coronavirus as of Sunday, 61 of whom are in the intensive care unit. Saturday marked the implementation of updated travel restrictions for anyone coming to Massachusetts from Wyoming. Travelers or residents returning to the Bay State from Wyoming must quarantine for two weeks or show negative coronavirus test within 72 hours of their arrival. On Wednesday, the state added half a dozen communities, including Nantucket and Worcester, to its list of high risk of COVID-19 transmission areas. In Nantucket, case totals rose after a pre-Labor Day spike in island visitations. In Worcester, City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. said family gatherings and a fatigue for wearing masks and social distancing led to spikes. While President Donald Trump has asserted that a vaccine will be available by next April, Adm. Brett Giroir, head of the administrations testing program, and Alex Azar, the secretary of Health and Human Services, said mid-2021 was a more accurate timetable for a COVID-19 vaccine. The pair on Sunday also advocated wearing masks, calling masks and social distancing an essential tool to blunt the spread of the virus. Trump has come under fire for not only mocking mask-wearing and rarely wearing one in public, but also holding re-election campaign rallies that violate local guidelines on social distancing and numbers of people gathering. As of Sunday, here are the number of coronavirus cases in each Massachusetts county: Barnstable County: 1,706 Berkshire County: 701 Bristol County: 9,788 Dukes County: 62 Essex County: 19,074 Franklin County: 403 Hampden County: 7,986 Hampshire County: 1,206 Middlesex County: 26,732 Nantucket County: 88 Norfolk County: 10,044 Plymouth County: 9,533 Suffolk County: 23,741 Worcester County: 14,079 Unknown location: 336 Editors note: This story has been updated to accurately reflect the number of COVID-19-related deaths nationwide. Related Content: KEY FACTS 10:44 a.m. Ontario is reporting 407 new cases of COVID-19 today, but no new deaths associated with the coronavirus. 8 a.m. India has maintained its surge in coronavirus cases, adding 93,337 new confirmed infections in the past 24 hours. 4:01 a.m. Health care workers in Canada made up about 20 per cent of COVID-19 infections as of late July, a figure that was higher than the global average. The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Saturday. This file is no longer updating. Click here to read the latest. Web links to longer stories if available. 8:30 p.m.: Nunavut is reporting its first confirmed cases of COVID-19. The territory's chief public health officer, Dr. Michael Patterson, says in a news release there are two cases at the Hope Bay gold mine 125 km southwest of Cambridge Bay. Patterson says both miners are asymptomatic and were exposed to COVID-19 in their home jurisdictions. He says the samples tested positive on the GeneXpert device in Rankin Inlet late on September 16 and were confirmed by the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg on Sunday. A fly-in worker at the Mary River iron mine on the northern tip of Baffin Island was originally diagnosed positive on June 30, but the initial result was on the low end of the spectrum and a further test in early July came back negative. The territory says at this time, there is no evidence of transmission within the Hope Bay Mine site. 7:25 p.m.: Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott announced Saturday that capacity at COVID-19 testing centres will be increased and several pop-up testing sites in Toronto, Peel and Ottawa will be launched to cut down wait times. A new drive-thru COVID-19 testing centre was opened at an Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata Saturday morning to alleviate the Ottawa regions already overwhelmed testing sites. The drive-thru centre, opened from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m is expected to take about 1,200 tests a day. The announcement comes shortly after the province set new restrictions on indoor and outdoor gatherings down to 10 and 25 and after long waiting times were reported at testing centres across the province. Nearly 39,000 tests were completed yesterday, a new provincial record, according to Elliott. 4:25 p.m.: Toronto Public Health is reporting 141 new infections, as of 2 p.m. Friday. There are two new patients in hospital for a total of 26. The number of deaths remain unchanged at 1,178 overall, and 73 more people have recovered for a total of 15,275 recoveries. There have been a total of 17,400 cases since the pandemic began. 4:20 p.m.: Quebec Premier Francois Legault says he has tested negative for COVID-19. Legault and his wife were tested after meeting with Conservative Leader Erin OToole on Monday. In a message posted to his Facebook page, Legault said he would remain in isolation until Sept. 28 in accordance with public health guidelines. OToole tested positive late Friday, hours after Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves- Francois Blanchet issued a statement saying he had tested positive. Legault says he will continue to fulfil his duties from home, and will be replaced by deputy premier Genevieve Guilbault at question period and in news conferences. In his message, Legault encouraged Quebecers to keep following public health guidelines. We all have our part of the responsibility in fighting the virus, he wrote. Im counting on all Quebecers to respect the rules and the health measures. 4:20 p.m.: Quebec on Saturday reported its highest total of new cases since late May, as well as five additional deaths. The 427 new cases bring the provincial total to 67,080. Officials said two of the deaths occurred in the past 24 hours, while the other three occurred earlier, bringing the provincial death toll to 5,797. Hospitalizations declined by five to 131, while the number of people in intensive case rose by one to 31. Health officials carried out 29,079 tests on Sept. 17, the last day for which data is available. 4:20 p.m.: A major COVID-19 testing operation was underway in Quebecs Bas-Saint-Laurent region after several positive cases were detected at a pork factory. Regional health authorities were testing the 450 employees at Aliments Asta, a slaughterhouse in Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska, 170 kilometres northeast of Quebec City. They said in a news release that the testing operation is expected to finish later Saturday. 1:15 p.m. Police in London, England, have clashed with protesters at a rally organized by opponents of restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus. Scuffles broke out Saturday as police moved in to disperse hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Trafalgar Square. Some of the protesters formed blockades to stop officers from making arrests and traffic was brought to a halt in the busy area. The rally included dozens of people holding banners and placards and chanting freedom. Britain recently imposed a ban on all social gatherings of more than six people in a bid to tackle a steep rise in coronavirus cases. Britain has 338,420 confirmed cases and 41,821 deaths, the fifth-highest death toll in the world, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. (Updated) 11:06 a.m. Premier Doug Ford has announced that social gatherings will be limited to 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors, everywhere across the province. Those limits were previously imposed in just three hot-spot regions, Toronto, Peel and Ottawa. Over the past several days, we have seen an alarming growth in the number of COVID-19 cases in the province, Ford said at a rare weekend news conference. Clearly, the numbers are heading in the wrong direction. Thats why we are taking decisive action to lower the size of unmonitored private social gatherings in every region of Ontario. The expanded limits, effective immediately for the next four weeks, include all parties, dinners, barbecues, weddings and other functions head in homes, backyards, parks and other recreational areas. Indoor and outdoor gatherings cannot be merged together. The new limits do not apply to gatherings in staffed businesses and other facilities, such as bars, restaurants, cinemas, convention centres, banquet hall, gyms, places of worship, sporting or performing arts events, the government says. Ontario is reporting 407 new cases of COVID-19 today and one new death. The figures mark the second time in as many days that the province has recorded more than 400 cases in a 24-hour period. (Updated) 10:44 a.m. Ontario is reporting 407 new cases of COVID-19 today, and one new death associated with the coronavirus. The figures mark the second time in as many days that the province has recorded more than 400 cases in a 24-hour period. Numbers have been surging over the past few weeks, particularly in Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa. Premier Doug Ford rolled back social gathering limits in those areas earlier this week and has indicated hes willing to do the same in other regions. Hes set to make an announcement later this morning alongside Health Minister Christine Elliott and the provinces associate chief medical officer of health, Dr. Barbara Yaffe. Correction Sept. 19, 2020: This entry has been updated from a previous version said there had been no new deaths related to the coronavirus. 10:04 a.m. Pope Francis is urging political leaders make sure coronavirus vaccines are available to the poorest nations. He says in many parts of the world, there is a pharmacological marginalization of those without access to health care. Francis met Saturday with members of an Italian aid group that collects donated medicines from pharmaceutical companies and distributes them to clinics and centres helping the neediest. Francis says far too many people die in parts of the world for lack of drugs widely available elsewhere, and political leaders must take their plight into account. I repeat, it would be sad if in distributing the vaccine, priority was given to the wealthiest, or if a vaccine becomes the property of this or that nation and not for everyone, the pope said. Francis has previously called for universal access to the vaccine. 9:30 a .m. Ontario Premier Doug Ford is set to make a rare weekend announcement this morning related to COVID-19. No details have been made immediately available, but Health Minister Christine Elliott and the provinces associate chief medical officer of health, Dr. Barbara Yaffe, will also be on-hand. Ford suspended weekend pandemic briefings over the summer as case numbers across the province declined. But theyve spiked again in recent weeks, with Ontario reporting 401 new COVID-19 cases on Friday. Most of the new cases are concentrated in Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa, prompting Ford to roll back social gathering limits in those areas earlier this week. The premier has said he plans to tighten restrictions in other areas as well, often at the request of local officials. 9 a.m. Ontarians are flooding to COVID-19 testing centres as the province sees a sharp spike in positive cases, a trend one Toronto psychologist calls reminiscent of the toilet paper days during the pandemics onset. Outside Lakeridge Health Centre in Oshawa this week, Stephanie Hammond said she decided to get tested after developing a fever and cold-like symptoms. Her kids, Grades 6 and 4 students, were planning a return to in-class schooling but were staying home for the time being. I hope its nothing about the coronavirus, said Hammond, 46. These days, even a small glitch in your body terrifies the hell out of you. The tests completed has skyrocketed over the last two weeks. A record 35,826 tests were completed across the province on Thursday, with some assessment centres reporting waits as long as four hours. Meanwhile, Ontario saw more than 300 new cases almost every day this week topping out at 400 new cases on Friday, according to the Stars tally of reports from public health units. Read the full story from the Stars Gilbert Ngabo: Testing is the new toilet paper. How rising COVID-19 cases are stoking a second round of pandemic anxiety 8 a.m. Nursing home doctors contracted to care for residents in Scarboroughs Extendicare Guildwood did not enter the home during the devastating COVID-19 outbreak that killed 48 residents, even though managers repeatedly asked for their help. At Camilla Care Community in Mississauga, where 68 residents infected with COVID died, physicians under contract with the home offered phone calls but were not coming on site to support residents and staff. It was a similar story in Scarboroughs Altamont Care Community, where 53 people died. And at Woodbridge Vista Care Community, in Vaughan, where the virus killed 31 residents, the two doctors who remained on-site suffered from overwork and burnout. There are many reasons why some doctors stayed away, including personal health issues, recommendations for virtual visits from professional organizations or the decision to work safely in one location. But their absence, at least in the most troubled homes, did not go unnoticed. Read the full story from the Stars Moira Welsh: Nursing home doctors were repeatedly asked to visit residents during the COVID-19 outbreak. They didnt come. As virus resurges, Ontario considers new rules 8 a.m. India has maintained its surge in coronavirus cases, adding 93,337 new confirmed infections in the past 24 hours. The Health Ministry on Saturday raised the nations caseload to more than 5.3 million out of the nearly 1.4 billion people. It said 1,247 more people died in the past 24 hours for a total of 85,619. The country has over a million active cases with about 80% recovery rate. India has been reporting the highest single-day rise in the world every day for more than five weeks. Its expected to become the pandemics worst-hit country within weeks, surpassing the United States. Prime Minister Narendra Modis government has faced scathing criticism from opposition lawmakers in Indias Parliament for its handling of the pandemic amid a contracting economy leaving millions jobless. More than 10 million 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 migration was one key reason that the virus spread to the far reaches of the country while the lockdown caused severe economic pain. The economy contracted nearly 24% in the second quarter, the worst among the worlds top economies. 7 a.m. Members of the federal governments COVID-19 vaccine task force are casting worried eyes at the Trump administrations political push to get a vaccine approved before the U.S. presidential election in November. Dr. Joanne Langley, the task force co-chair, and member Alan Bernstein say they are concerned about vaccine hesitancy in Canada, the phenomenon where people have doubts about taking a readily available vaccine because of concerns about its safety. Langley says that when a vaccine against COVID-19 is eventually found, governments and health-care professionals will have to mount a vigorous information campaign to counter opposition. And it wont help that President Donald Trump has said a pandemic-ending vaccine could be rolled out as soon as October, stoking concern that he is rushing the timeline to further his re-election chances on Nov. 3. 6 a.m. Halfway through their 14-day quarantine period, Diala Charab and Yehya Al-Ayoubi are excited to start working as health-care aides after arriving Sunday from Lebanon. Despite COVID-19 travel restrictions that prevent most people from coming to Canada, the two nurses were exempted, resettled under a pilot project to bring skilled refugees to the country. Diala got her visa during the (COVID-19) lockdown I got the visa after the Beirut explosion. Al-Ayoubi said. Things were hectic, but we just wanted to come here and be beneficial, productive people in this society. Charab, 25, and Al-Ayoubi, 29, will join the staff of VHA Home HealthCare in Toronto as personal support workers. Ernesto Sequera, VHAs human-resources manager, said in a statement that the company is happy to bring health care workers to Canada to address the urgent need for more trained home-care professionals during the pandemic. 4:01 a.m. Health care workers in Canada made up about 20 per cent of COVID-19 infections as of late July, a figure that was higher than the global average. In a report released earlier this month, the Canadian Institute for Health Information said 19.4 per cent of those who tested positive for the virus as of July 23 were health-care workers. Twelve health care workers, nine from Ontario and three from Quebec, died from COVID-19, it said. The World Health Organization said in July that health-care workers made up 10 per cent of global COVID-19 infections. A national federation of nurses unions blames the infection rate on a slow response to the pandemic, a shortage of labour and a lack of personal protective equipment. 4:01 a.m. A union representing Ontarios hospital workers says it has concerns about the safety of the provinces plan to expand COVID-19 testing to pharmacies, as Premier Doug Ford pushed Friday to start the program later next week. Ontario is expected in the coming days to unveil a plan to grant community pharmacies the ability to test for COVID-19 as it grapples with hours-long waits at some of the provinces 148 assessment centres. Ford said last week he has been in discussions with groups that represents pharmacists and the major retailers that own Shoppers Drug Mart and Rexall. But the president of the Council of Hospital Unions, a branch of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, said the plan could bring people with the virus in contact with vulnerable seniors or other medically compromised people. Sending the public to a pharmacy and mingling with people who fear that they have COVID-19, and may be symptomatic ... seems to me to be unwise and potentially not very safe, Michael Hurley said. 12:34 a.m. Public health authorities in Italy are warning that the average age of coronavirus patients is creeping up as young people infect their more fragile parents and grandparents, risking new strain on the hospital system. The Superior Institute of Health issued its weekly monitoring report Friday as the country where COVID-19 hit first in the West recorded the highest number of new infections 1,907 since May 1. Another 10 people died over the past day, bringing Italys official death toll to 35,668. While Italy hasnt seen the thousands of daily new infections other European countries have seen recently, its caseload has crept up steadily over the past seven weeks. Initially, most new infections were in young people who returned from vacation hot spots. The health institute said Friday that they are now infecting their older and more fragile loved ones in home settings, with the average age of positive cases last week at 41 versus the low 30s in August. The institute warned that while the health system isnt overwhelmed, it risks further strain if Italians dont rigorously adhere to mask mandates and social distancing norms. 12:34 a.m. The World Health Organizations emergencies chief says new global cases of the coronavirus appear to have plateaued at about 2 million and 50,000 deaths every week. Dr. Michael Ryan says while the global COVID-19 caseload was not rising exponentially, the weekly number of deaths was still very unsettling. Its not where developing countries want to be with their health systems under nine months of pressure, Ryan said. He says there have been recent surges in Europe, Ecuador and Argentina. He adds a lack of large increases in African countries and other nations might reflect a lack of testing. 10:49 p.m. Friday Sept. 18: Conservative leader Erin OToole has tested positive for COVID-19. His positive result Friday evening came hours after Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet issued a statement that he too had tested positive. Both men will now be unable to attend next weeks throne speech, with Blanchet required to isolate until at least Sept. 26 and OToole until at least Oct.1. Late Friday, Quebec Premier Francois Legault said he will get tested for COVID-19 because he met with OToole earlier this week. 10 p.m. Friday Sept. 18: Four patrons of Noir, inside Rebel Nightclub, on 11 Polson St., have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Toronto Public Health. The four confirmed cases visited the club on Sept. 11, from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Anyone who was at the night club during this time may have been exposed to COVID-19, said Dr. Vinita Dubey, associate medical officer of health with TPH, in an email to the Star. She asked anyone who visited the club during the above times to monitor themselves for symptoms until Sept. 25. Read the full story: Toronto waterfront nightclub linked with four COVID-19 cases remains open Read more about: A driver and his mate met their untimely death when a tipper truck crushed them at Big Apple, a suburb of Gomoa Budumburam in the Central Region. According to eyewitnesses, the commercial Ford Transit vehicle with registration number GW 8274-20, while making a U-turn at Big Apple crashed with the tipper truck which was heading towards Winneba from Kasoa. The drivers mate died on the spot while the driver was pronounced dead upon reaching the hospital. According to Moses Ankrah, an eyewitness, the drivers mate after the crash went through the window unto the street and died. Two people, a mate and his driver died after the tipper truck crashed into them at Big Apple around 4 am. The Ford Transit commercial vehicle was trying to do a U-turn at Big Apple but unfortunately for them the tipper truck had reached Big Apple and crushed them to death, Moses Ankrah said. He indicated that the driver died at the hospital while his mate died on the spot. The driver upon reaching the hospital died while his mate died on the spot after the incident, the eyewitness told Citi News. The incident comes barely a week after another crash which involved another Ford Transit commercial car and a saloon car at Gomoa Adam close to Apam. Five people died on the spot while nine sustained injuries. Medical Superintendent at the St.Luke Catholic Hospital in Apam where the victims were taken to called for the dualisation of the Accra Cape Coast stretch to reduce such incidents. In the quest to promote the welfare of the aged, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, Vice Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has given the assurance that the welfare of the elderly will be prioritized by the next NDC administration. The welfare of our senior citizens is critical to us, she said. Prof. Opoku-Agyemang, who gave the assurance during an interaction with aged citizens at the AYA Community Centre in Ampain in the Ellembelle District of the Western region, said the NDC had designed a number of social welfare interventions to effectively care for the aged. According to the Running Mate who regretted the challenges that confronted the aged, the NDC would replicate the concept of the AYA Community Centre across the country. The AYA Community Centre, with the objective of enriching the lives of aged citizens by providing quality health care and feeding, and recreational and vocational engagements in a safe environment, is currently taking care of over 3,000 aged people in Ellembelle District. The Centre also had a food bank that served daily meals and weekly food items to the elderly and needy people in the communities. Prof Opoku-Agyemang commended the Centre for the immense contribution towards enhancing the welfare of the elderly, and assured aged people across the country, especially in communities, where the aged were labelled as witches, of similar support. She commended the beneficiaries for engaging in recreational and vocational activities in the facility and announced her intention to create a platform for them to share their experiences with the youth. The Vice Presidential candidate explained that having their life experiences compiled in a book would enable young people to learn to become productive citizens. Prof. Opoku-Agyemang, who met the beneficiaries during her campaign tour of the region, was accompanied by, Mrs Matilda Amissah-Arthur, and Mr. Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, Member of Parliament for Ellembelle and Chief Executive Officer of the Centre, and Mr Sam Pee Yalley, former Ghana High Commissioner to India, among others. Mr Yalley in his remarks said the NDC believed that replicating the concept across the country would ensure that the elderly were comfortable in their old age, and also helped to protect them against challenges, such as neglect and labeling as witches and wizards. 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 Catholic Bishops of the Kaduna Ecclesiastical Province in Nigeria have sounded the alarm against financial inducement for perpetrators of criminal activities in the region. Catholic News Service of Nigeria Kaduna The Bishops contend that most of the states in the northern part of the country are in the grip of purveyors of violence and death. Bishops condemn the constant loss of innocent lives The message of the Bishops is contained in a communique made available to the English Africa Service of Vatican News. It came at the end of the Bishops' regional plenary meeting held at the Pastoral Centre of Kafanchan Diocese, Kaduna State. The Bishops said they unequivocally condemn the incessant killings of innocent people in the province, especially in southern Kaduna and other states of the country. The Bishops communique titled, 'Dark Clouds of Violence over our Land,' is signed by President and Secretary of the ecclesiastical province who are the Archbishop of Kaduna, Matthew Ndagoso and Bishop John Niyiring OSA, of the Diocese of Kano respectively. The northern ecclesiastical province comprises the Ordinaries of Kaduna, Kafanchan, Zaria, Kano, Sokoto, Minna and Kontagora Dioceses. Northern states are in the grip of purveyors of deaths Hitherto, the nations main challenge was how to contain the dreaded terrorist group, Boko Haram, but today, almost the entire northern states are in the grip of these purveyors of violence and deaths. In the last three years, we have witnessed the relentless attacks and ransacking of entire communities by bandits in states like Benue, Kebbi, Plateau, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Niger, Sokoto and Zamfara, said the northern prelates. The country needs to tackle insecurity vigorously According to the Bishops, bandits are operating in the region with reckless abandon. Thousands of lives have been lost to these bandits who have operated with reckless abandon. Taken together, with the devastation of Boko Haram, Nigeria today ranks as not only the poverty capital of the world but the most violent and unsafe place to be. With Covid-19, our situation has become even more precarious and perilous," said the Bishops. Monetary inducement for perpetrators is an abuse While appreciating the efforts of the governors of the region to contain the situation, the Bishops stressed the need for authorities to do more, because their present best is still not good enough. They noted that monetary inducement for perpetrators of violence is an abuse of justice and condemned the lax attitude of the Federal Government on the issue. We are shocked by the seeming lack of empathy that continues to be displayed by the President, regarding the senseless loss of lives across the country," the prelates affirm. Bishops say no to use of violence for revenge The Bishops called on leaders of all stakeholder groups in the country, especially those in the troubled areas, to rise against the violence and collaborate with government to put an end to the criminal atrocities of the heinous killers in the region. While commiserating with victims and affected people of the region, the Bishops however objected to the use of violence for revenge; stressing that: No amount of revenge, bitterness, calumny, hatred or name-calling can bring back those who have lost their lives in these senseless and unnecessary bloodlettings. If you're expecting to settle in for a winter without the commute, you're not alone. Despite Boris Johnson's appeal for the nation to get back to the office, figures show that only six in ten workers travelled to work at some point last week spending the rest of the time slogging away at the kitchen table. What's more, rising cases of coronavirus, problems with testing and fears of a second wave of infections look set to keep many of us off the trains and out of the office for the near future at least. While many high-rise offices, such as the towers at London's Canary Wharf, make it almost impossible to get everyone to their desks in a socially distant way. So after a staycation summer, how can you profit from a work-from-home winter? Staying put: If you're expecting to settle in for a winter without the commute, you're not alone SELL PRET...BUT BUY GREGGS We're not going to the office and buying lunch there, but we are still heading out to the local high street and manufacturing businesses are still working out of industrial estates. Keith Bowman, equity analyst at Interactive Investor, says that means fewer morning coffees and lunchtime sushis and more sausage rolls and cheaper bites: bad news for Pret a Manger but good news for Greggs. 'A diverse location of stores, some near to industrial estates and less impacted than offices, work to its advantage,' he says of the baker. Greggs shares are still languishing at 12.63, having started the year at 23.76. Jean Roche, manager of the Schroder UK Mid Cap Fund, agrees and adds that she favours shares in companies such as Next, whose stores you'll find in retail park shopping centres. Once winter comes, we won't want to queue on high streets, she explains. Last Thursday, Next said trading had held up better than expected and its share price rose 4 per cent to 64.26. Roche's other retail tips include homeware business Dunelm 'because we've all sat in our homes for long enough to notice they are in dire need of a makeover' and Pets At Home, which may benefit as we spend more time, energy and money on our animals. Dunelm's share price more than halved in March from a February high, but has since regained almost all the lost ground to stand at 13.40. GET GAMING AND GO BOWLING Once you've binged on Netflix, you might well crave something more interactive, and Roche, at Schroders, recommends Games Workshop, whose orc-slaying tabletop games were 'previously associated with pre-teen boys'. With little to do at home, and plenty of disposable income, there's evidence that adults are turning back to the hobby, as well as buying more video games. Shares in Games Workshop have risen faster than the rest of the market over the past three months, up 27 per cent at 100.40. Darius McDermott, managing director at Chelsea Financial, says it's wise to splurge on stocks that will make a stay-at-home winter more appealing, or the technology to get those products to us. 'We have more free time at home, as we're not commuting. This has been great for gaming, reading and TV streaming,' he says. He recommends both AXA Framlington Global Technology and Smith & Williamson Artificial Intelligence as funds for those who want to benefit from this. On the gaming side, Amanda Yeaman, investment manager on the Standard Life UK Smaller Companies Investment Trust, likes the company Team 17, which older gamers might remember for the popular Worms game, but which also makes Overcooked and The Survivalist. Sumo Digital, the Sheffield-based developer of Team Sonic Racing, is also a hit. The shares are trading at 7.28, up from 4.70 when lockdown began in March. Curiously, Yeaman also recommends Hollywood Bowl despite the impact of lockdown. 'After a long period of entertaining children at home through lockdown, Hollywood Bowl is well positioned as a family leisure activity now people are mobile. It's a good value offering, and an indoor activity which is popular during chilly winter days and nights.' The Hollywood Bowl share price is down at 1.45, having briefly gone above 3 in January. LOOK TO OFFICES CLOSER TO HOME While Canary Wharf might not be an appealing prospect right now, there are companies set to benefit from new ways of working. Roche recommends Computacenter. It provides support online to technologically clueless office workers. Its shares are up 78.3 per cent this year. Richard Williams, property analyst at Quoted Data, says that Standard Life Investments Property Income is well-placed to capture an uptick in demand in the commuter belt for 'hub and spoke offices'. This is where a company retains a presence in the city but has smaller working space perhaps shared with other employers closer to where staff live. Many of us will crave some kind of office life as winter drags on, while businesses will want to meet faceto-face in a flexible manner. Both Williams, at QuotedData, and equity analyst Keith Bowman, at Interactive Investor, mention IWG as a potential beneficiary of this trend. IWG operates a global portfolio of more than 3,300 workplace centres across a series of countries and a diverse selection of towns and cities, and is the owner of the Regus brand. The stock is 2.80, down from almost 5 at the start of the year. In the last three weeks, the Indian Army has occupied six new major hill features on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) during the ongoing conflict with the Chinese Army in the Eastern Ladakh sector.The Indian Army has occupied six new heights between August 29 and the second week of September. The new hill features being occupied by our troops include the Magar hill, Gurung Hill, Recehen La, Rezang La, Mokhpari and the dominating height over Chinese positions near Finger 4, top government sources told ANI. These hill features were lying dormant and the Indian Army had occupied them before the Chinese Army which was eyeing to sit on the dominating heights and now our troops have an edge over the adversary in those areas, they said. Sources said the foiling of Chinese Armys attempts in occupying the heights led to the firing of bullets in the air on at least three occasions from the northern bank of Pangong to the southern bank of the lake.The sources clarified that the Black Top and the Helmet Top hill features are on the Chinese side of the LAC while the heights occupied by the Indian side are on the LAC in Indian territory.After the occupation of heights by the Indian Army, the Chinese Army has deployed around 3,000 additional troops of its combined arms brigade including its infantry and armoured troops near the Rezang la and Rechen La heights. The Moldo garrison of the Chinese Army also has been fully activated with additional troops in the last few weeks by the Peoples Liberation Army.After the Chinese aggression, the Indian security forces are working in close coordination and operations are being conducted under close monitoring of the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army chief General Manoj Mukund Narwane.India and China have been engaged in major conflict near the Panging Tso lake and several other friction points from Sub Sector North to the Chushul area of Ladakh.India also changed the rules of engagement of not using weapons during clashes with the Chinese after the PLA betrayed Indian soldiers in the Galwan valley and 20 Indian soldiers were killed there in June, this year. ALSO READ: Rajya Sabha passes 2 Farm Bills amid protest by Opposition MPs ALSO READ: Agriculture Bill: Rajya Sabha adjourned after ruckus by Opposition Activist Sabuni Francoise Chikunda has touched many lives in the three years since she arrived at Ugandas Nakivale refugee settlement. To the children at the reception centre, the 49-year-old with a ready smile is a dedicated English teacher. To the women who meet every day to make handicrafts and discuss matters of concern at the Kabazana womens centre, she is their founder and chairperson. And to the hundreds of women in the settlement who have survived sexual and gender-based violence, she is their counsellor and confidante. I want to help them forget the things they have gone through so they can start a new life, says Francoise, as she stands in a field at Nakivale, looking around the vast settlement that hosts some 133,000 refugees. Turning extreme adversity into a fresh start is deeply personal for Francoise, who reached the settlement in Nakivale in June 2017 at the end of an ordeal of violence and displacement that reached back decades. I want to help them forget the things they have gone through so they can start a new life. During the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, she survived a brutal attack. She subsequently endured violence, torture and rape at the hands of armed militiamen in her native Democratic Republic of the Congo, who kidnapped her and held her as a slave for years. I went through a lot ... I lost my home, my family, my job everything, she says softly. I was raped several times. My husband and my four children were killed. She managed to flee to Uganda where in just six months and despite the trauma she had undergone she became a community leader, a volunteer teacher and a counsellor, thanks to her upbeat personality and positive outlook on life. Her face lights up as she walks around the now empty classroom at Nakivale where she used to teach English before all lessons were stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I love teaching, it is my hobby. It also keeps me busy, she says. The more I teach, the more comfortable I feel. Congolese refugee, Furaha Ceru Olive (right), speaks with the Nansen Refugee Award regional winner for Africa, Francoise Sabuni Chikunda in Nakivale settlement, Uganda. UNHCR/Esther Ruth Mbabazi Congolese refugee Neema Claire, one of hundreds of women supported by Francoise Sabuni Chikunda, displays one of the wedding dresses she's made in Nakivale settlement, Uganda. UNHCR/Esther Ruth Mbabazi The Nansen Refugee Award regional winner for Africa, Sabuni Francoise Chikunda (right), meets with her fellow refugee women in Nakivale settlement, Uganda. UNHCR/Esther Ruth Mbabazi Ntahobari Nikuze (left), a Congolese refugee and survivor of violence speaks with the Nansen Refugee Award regional winner for Africa, Sabuni Francoise Chikunda in Nakivale settlement, Uganda. UNHCR/Esther Ruth Mbabazi One of the refugee women mentored by Sabuni Francoise Chikunda goes over the records of the women's group founded in Nakivale settlement, Uganda. UNHCR/Esther Ruth Mbabazi Standing in this classroom appears to give her some form of release from the past. I treat the children like my own, she adds. I dont have children, so when Im with them, Im so happy. Her own agonizing ordeal led her to seek out other survivors of violence at the settlement, beginning with a group of just 10 women who would meet at her home. They would share their experiences and of vital importance focus on the next steps they needed to take to remake their lives. Her work is supported by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, through its partner agency, the American Refugee Council, which in 2018 provided Francoise with space to set up the Kabazana Womens Centre. Since its founding, more than 1,000 women have received training there in various income generating activities, ranging from tailoring to cooking, handicrafts, hairdressing and agriculture. For her tireless activism, Francoise has been chosen as the regional winner for Africa for UNHCR's Nansen Refugee Award, a prestigious annual prize that honours those who have gone to extraordinary lengths to support forcibly displaced or stateless people. The as-yet-undisclosed laureate of the award will be announced on 1 October. The prize itself will be presented by UNHCR, in a virtual ceremony on 5 October. Day by day, when others see the change and the improvement in these women, they keep coming to the centre, says Francoise proudly. As she walks around the settlement, she is joined by a group of women who greet her excitedly. They have not seen her in nearly three months, since she left for the capital, Kampala, for treatment. I'dont think about what happened to me and in those moments, I dont cry. Most of them are survivors of violence and beneficiaries of Francoises centre. Dressed in vibrant African print outfits, they hug Francoise, laughing loudly as they walk into a friends compound. One of the women, Ntahobari, survived a horrific gang rape while fleeing the Congo in 2016. Separated from her husband and four children, she managed to make it to Uganda and has been in anguish since then. She does not know where her family are or even if they are still alive. She met Francoise through the womens centre where she has been helped to stay occupied. I dont think about what happened to me and in those moments, I dont cry, she says of the time she spends with the other women. Francoise understands the need to stay occupied, as she often does herself, to keep the bad memories at bay. You know when you are idle, the stress becomes a lot and you keep remembering the things you passed through, she explains. But when Im busy, teaching the women and children, exchanging our experiences, it helps a lot. The women have opened various businesses and recently started making wine. But due to the COVID-19 restrictions on movement and subsequent lockdown, they had to adapt quickly and turned the winery into a pharmacy. They now plan to open a clinic. Among those trained at the womens centre is Neema Claire, who learned tailoring and hairdressing. Together with Francoise, they saved enough money to start a business, making and renting out wedding dresses and event decorations in the settlement. Every weekend we would rent out dresses to two, sometimes even four couples, she says. With COVID-19, business has slowed but the women diversified their shop and started a grocery. I have taught them to be independent and I am so proud. Looking ahead, Francoise would like to receive additional funding, materials for tailoring and space to continue working with a growing number of women and girls at the settlement. I want to see a change in their lives, socially and economically, while also introducing them to wider opportunities, she says. I feel so good for healing my fellow refugees in these tough times, she adds with a smile. I have taught them to be independent and I am so proud. The Nansen Refugee Award is named in honour of Norwegian explorer and humanitarian Fridtjof Nansen, the first High Commissioner for Refugees and Nobel Prize winner, who was appointed by the League of Nations in 1921. It aims to showcase his values of perseverance and commitment in the face of adversity. You can read about the other regional winners of the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award here. New Parliament building cost likely to go up by Rs 200 cr, CPWD expected to get approval Parliament set to wrap up early amidst rising cases of COVID-19 India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 20: The Lok Sabha session is likely to end on Wednesday in the wake of the rising number of COVID-19 cases. The decision was taken by the government after consulting with the opposition at the Business Advisory Committee meeting. The Centre is concerned about the safety of the MPs after three who had attended the session tested positive for coronavirus earlier this week. The session is likely to wrap up on Wednesday and the Rajya Sabha will follow suit. Seventeen members of the Lok Sabha and 8 from the Rajya Sabha had tested positive. Earlier this week, Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Prahlad Patel had tested positive. 97 people died onboard Shramik special trains: Govt admits in Parliament On Friday, BJP's Rajya Sabha member Vinay Sahasrabuddhe tested positive. "Last Friday, I had got examined and was tested negative hence attended parliament. But last night, I had a headache and mild fever, got examined and have tested positive for COVID-19," Sahasrabuddhe had tweeted. It was earlier decided that the session of Parliament will be held on a daily basis with no break on the weekends. Proceedings of both houses will be held on a daily basis. On September 14 Lok Sabha be held from 9 am to 1 pm, while in the Rajya Sabha, it would be from 3 pm to 7 pm. After September 14, Rajya Sabha will sit in the first half from 9 am to 1 pm and Lok Sabha proceedings would be between 3 pm and 7 pm, it had been decided. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 20, 2020, 9:25 [IST] Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 10:22:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TRIPOLI, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Libyan Coast Guard on Saturday rescued 128 illegal immigrants off the country's western coast, authorities said. "The Coast and Ports Guard handed over to the Tripoli reception center 128 illegal immigrants, who were on rubber boats (at sea)," the Anti-Illegal Immigration Department said. The rescued immigrants are African, Asian and Arab nationals, the department said, adding that humanitarian assistance has been provided to them. Following the 2011 fall of former leader Gaddafi's government, Libya has been plagued by a state of insecurity and chaos that prompts thousands of illegal migrants to attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea towards Europe. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 8,400 illegal migrants have been rescued and returned to Libya in 2020. Thousands of illegal immigrants, who were either rescued at sea or arrested by authorities, remain detained in overcrowded reception centers in Libya, despite repeated international calls to close those centers. Enditem Experiencing multiple stressors triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic such as unemployment and COVID-19-related media consumption are directly linked to rising acute stress and depressive symptoms across the U.S., according to a groundbreaking University of California, Irvine study. The report appears in Science Advances, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. "The pandemic is not hitting all communities equally," said lead author E. Alison Holman, UCI professor of nursing. "People have lost wages, jobs and loved ones with record speed. Individuals living with chronic mental and physical illness are struggling; young people are struggling; poor communities are struggling. Mental health services need to be tailored to those most in need right now." In addition, the research highlights the connection between mental health and exposure to media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting the need to step away from the television, computer or smartphone to protect psychological well-being. The media is a critical source of information for people when they're faced with ambiguous, ongoing disasters. But too much exposure can be overwhelming and lead to more stress, worry and perceived risks." Roxane Cohen Silver, professor of psychological science and one of the study's principal investigators With funding from a National Science Foundation RAPID grant, Holman, Silver, and co-investigators Dana Rose Garfin and Rebecca R. Thompson conducted a national survey of more than 6,500 U.S. residents in March and April 2020, as illness and deaths were rising around the country. Using the NORC AmeriSpeak panel, the study was the first of its kind to examine early predictors of rising mental health problems across the nation. The design let researchers evaluate the effects of the pandemic as it was unfolding in real time. "Over the course of the study, the size of the pandemic shifted dramatically," Holman said. Accordingly, people surveyed later in the study period reported the highest rate of acute stress and depressive symptoms. The UCI team's findings offer insights into priorities for building community resilience in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic: Those with pre-existing mental and physical conditions are more likely to show both acute stress and depressive symptoms. Secondary stressors job and wage loss, a shortage of necessities are also strong predictors in the development of these symptoms. Extensive exposure to pandemic-related news and conflicting information in the news are among the strongest predictors of pandemic-specific acute stress. "It's critical that we prioritize providing resources to communities most in need of support right now the unemployed, poor or chronically ill people, and young people," Holman said. "We also encourage the public to limit exposure to media as an important public health intervention. It can prevent mental and physical health symptoms and promote resilience." Rare discoveries at the Saqqara Necropolis including mummified lion cubs and statuettes of crocodiles, cobras, mongooses, and dozens of cats shed light on the ancient Egyptian use of animals in worship, reports Nevine El-Aref The Saqqara Necropolis continues to reveal its secrets, as two mummified lion cubs and a large collection of mummified animals along with the statuettes of dozens of cats, falcons, mongooses and scarabs have been recently unearthed there by archaeologists. The discoveries were made in the sacred animals necropolis at Saqqara by an Egyptian archaeological mission led by Mustafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), who described the finds as rare. They were found in the same location where last year the mission unearthed dozens of mummified cats, scarab beetles, cobras and crocodiles, along with the exceptionally well-preserved tomb of the Fifth-Dynasty priest Wahtye. The newly discovered objects include a large collection of 75 wooden and bronze cat statues of different shapes and sizes, most of them painted and decorated and some inlaid with gold. A group of mummified cats found inside 25 wooden boxes with lids decorated with hieroglyphic texts and wooden statues of animals and birds including the Apis bull, the mongoose, the Ibis, the falcon and the ancient Egyptian god Anubis in animal form, were also unearthed. A large scarab 30cm in diameter carved in stone, two small scarabs made of wood and sandstone, and three statues of crocodiles inside which were found the remains of the mummies of smaller crocodile were also found. A collection belonging to ancient Egyptian deities was unearthed, including 73 bronze statuettes depicting the god Osiris, six wooden statues of the god Ptah-Soker, 11 wooden and faience statues of the lioness god Sekhmet, and a beautifully carved statue of the goddess Neith wearing the crown of Lower Egypt. A relief bearing the name of king Psamtik I was discovered, along with a collection of statues of cobras, amulets, faience amulets of different shapes and sizes, and wooden and clay masks of mummies, together with a collection of papyri decorated with drawings showing the goddess Tawert. We have found hundreds of objects, Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Enany told reporters at a press conference held at the site on Saturday, where the uncovered artefacts were showcased at an event attended by many foreign and Arab ambassadors and Egyptian MPs. El-Enany described the discovery as a museum in and of itself. The objects are very interesting from an Egyptological point of view, and they enable us to know more about this ancient Egyptian necropolis. The small bronze statue of the goddess Neith is one masterpiece of the discoveries, and it has helped Egyptologists to determine the exact dating of the objects, El-Enany said, explaining that Neith was the goddess of the city of Sais, the capital of Egypt during the 26th Dynasty in the seventh century BCE, regarded as a renaissance era in ancient Egypt. Among the objects unearthed are five mummies of big cats, two of which seem to be lion cubs. Studies and X-rays carried out on these two mummies show that they belong to eight-month-old lion cubs, according to the length and shape of their bones, but more studies will be carried out to be 100 per cent sure of the results, El-Enany said. He added that the other three mummies of big cats would also be subjected to X-rays to determine their species. Around 10 years ago, he said, French archaeologist Alain Zivie had found a lion skeleton at Saqqara but not a mummy. ANIMAL MUMMIES: Salima Ikram, professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo and an expert on the mummies of animals, carried out the X-ray analysis along with archaeologist Richard Gel. She described the discoveries as among the most exciting in the world of animal mummies. Unlike mummified cats, which are frequently found by archaeologists, the discovery of intact lions was rare, she said. People in ancient Egypt would make devotional offerings in the form of animals as mummies. This would have more potency as a blood sacrifice, compared to stone or wooden images, Ikram commented in an interview with the UK Guardian newspaper. It is quite possible that as the Saqqara excavation continues more lion mummies will come to light, she said. Classical writers spoke of lions [being] mummified in Egypt, and some scholars, including myself, have been looking for a cemetery of lions, Ikram told the US magazine National Geographic. The only difference in mummifying a lion, compared to other animals, is that organ removal would be smellier since lions are carnivores, she said. She added that the significance of the finds was extremely important as they would give researchers new insights into how lions were captured in ancient Egypt and whether they were bred or traded. Waziri said that the large scarab was one of the most significant discoveries. It is one of a kind in the whole world, he asserted, adding that the lions were fairly small, about 95cm tall, a fact suggesting that they were not fully grown when they died. The three other mummies that belong to large cats, whose exact species is unclear, were found neighbouring the two lions, and they may be leopards, cheetahs or wild big cats. About 20 mummies of smaller cats were also found, and the excavation work will continue with a view to revealing more secrets of the sacred animals at the Saqqara Necropolis which has recently witnessed major discoveries. An Egyptian archaeological mission uncovered the exceptionally well-preserved tomb belonging to a Fifth-Dynasty priest at Saqqara named Wahtye, for example. The tomb has painted walls decorated with colourful scenes depicting the owner of the tomb with his mother, wife, and family members, as well as a number of niches with large coloured statues of the deceased and his family. Scenes depicting the fabrication of pottery and wine, making religious offerings, musical performances, boats sailing, the manufacturing of funerary furniture, and hunting, are also shown. Inside the tomb there are 18 niches displaying 24 large coloured statues carved in rock and depicting the owner of the tomb and his family. The lower part of the tomb contains 26 small niches with 31 statues of an unidentified person standing or in the seated scribal position. The same Egyptian mission previously unearthed the first-ever scarab mummies found in the Necropolis, with two large mummies of scarabs found inside a rectangular limestone sarcophagus with a vaulted lid decorated with three scarabs painted in black. Dozens of cat mummies were also unearthed, along with 100 wooden statues of cats and a bronze statue dedicated to the cat goddess Bastet. A collection of wooden gilded statues depicting the physical features of a lion, a cow, and a falcon was also unearthed. *A version of this article appears in print in the 28 November, 2019 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: After months of harassment and racist remarks, the doctor at the centre of a COVID-19 controversy that rocked New Brunswick says his life has been changed entirely. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 20/9/2020 (488 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Dr. Jean Robert Ngola is shown in a handout photo. After months of harassment and racist remarks, the doctor at the centre of a COVID-19 controversy that rocked New Brunswick says his life has been changed entirely. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-, *MANDATORY CREDIT* After months of harassment and racist remarks, the doctor at the centre of a COVID-19 controversy that rocked New Brunswick says his life has been changed entirely. Dr. Jean Robert Ngola, a physician of Congolese descent, said in a recent interview the fallout from allegations he was "patient zero" responsible for an outbreak put him under an uncomfortable spotlight. "Since May ... everything has changed in my life," Ngola said by phone. And now he wants the province to investigate his case to ensure nobody else endures a similar fate. On May 27, in the face of a growing outbreak in Campbellton, N.B., Premier Blaine Higgs referred to an "irresponsible" health-care worker and said the matter was being handled by the RCMP. The outbreak eventually affected 40 people and resulted in two deaths. News got out that Ngola, a family doctor working in the northern New Brunswick town at the time, was the suspect in the RCMP's investigation after his positive COVID-19 status was leaked on social media. Ngola says a deluge of harassment and racist taunts followed, both online and in person, as the investigation unfolded into an overnight trip he took to Quebec. Before he tested positive, Ngola had driven to Montreal to pick up his daughter, because her mother was travelling to Africa to attend a funeral. On his way back to New Brunswick, he met with two colleagues in the Trois-Rivieres, Que., area before completing his trip, according to his lawyer, Joel Etienne. He did not self-isolate for two weeks when he returned, as provincial health guidelines direct, but Ngola has said that was consistent with the practice of other physicians at his hospital. After it was revealed that Ngola was the health worker being investigated, he was suspended from his job at the hospital in Campbellton. Ngola said he had to disconnect his phone because people were harassing him, telling him to "go back to Africa" and calling him a "refugee." Although he had already been planning to move to Quebec, Ngola hastened his departure because he didn't feel safe in Campbellton, he said. "I was one of the good physicians, I think, in this small city. Everybody knew me in Campbellton," he said. "But in my own city, I cannot work. Even now I cannot go to my house." Recently, however, he has been heartened after receiving a letter of support from fellow doctors in Canada. It was a sign, he said, that he "wasn't alone" as he continued to deal with the allegations against him. Though the RCMP investigation was dropped, Ngola still faces a charge of violating the province's Emergency Measures Act and has a court date Oct. 26. "It was so emotional," Ngola said of the letter. "My tears flowed." The letter was the work of Danusha Foster, an Ontario family doctor who followed Ngola's case and felt he was "unfairly targeted." She said in an interview from Guelph, Ont., that she used an online social network to enlist hundreds of other signatories from across the country. She said the effort was intended as a private show of support, and the other physicians have not agreed to have their names made public. Now, Etienne and his associates are calling for a probe into the handling of Ngola's case. After his initial positive test, Ngola had three tests come back negative, possibly indicating a false positive, his team argues, which would make it impossible for him to have triggered the outbreak. His lawyers say the province failed in its responsibilities to protect Ngola's privacy and perform proper contact tracing for the Campbellton outbreak. Ngola said he thinks an inquiry is necessary to protect others who may find themselves in similar circumstances as the pandemic continues. "We have to know what happened to prevent (this) for the future, because discrimination is not tolerable, not acceptable, in Canada," he said. He is now practising in Louiseville in central Quebec, and the hostility he faced in Campbellton has been replaced by a warm embrace. Yvon Deshaies, the town's mayor, says people in the community who've come across Ngola at the local emergency clinic are happy to have him in the area. 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. Deshaies says it's not always easy attracting doctors to smaller towns like his, so New Brunswick's loss is his region's gain. "He came here, and I'm happy about it," Deshaies said. "People who've had a chance to meet with him are happy with Dr. Ngola." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2020. With files from Sidhartha Banerjee This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship. NEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Educational Publishers Enforcement Group (EPEG) publishers, consisting of Cengage, Elsevier, Macmillan Learning, McGraw Hill and Pearson, have obtained a Preliminary Injunction from the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against 63 eBook websites that sell illegal, unlicensed eBooks using the functionalities of Google and Microsoft. EPEG publishers filed suit for copyright and trademark infringement against these websites on August 12, 2020, and on the same date obtained a Temporary Restraining Order that required the immediate shutdown of the infringing activity on these websites, as well as the cessation of the services that support the illegal websites. Through the Preliminary Injunction, that injunctive relief has now been extended through the pendency of the litigation. This is the third suit since November 2019 that EPEG publishers have brought against pirate eBook websites, and the third time they have successfully obtained a Preliminary Injunction. Like the two prior lawsuits, the current lawsuit states that the operators of the pirate eBook websites pay Google to place prominent ads in response to searches for the publishers' legitimate content. The current case also involves the use of similar ads by some of the pirate websites on Microsoft's Bing search engine. The use of ads to sell infringing content runs counter to Google's and Microsoft's own policies and has led to an infestation of pirated eBooks for sale online. In addition to the veneer of legitimacy provided to these pirate websites by their seemingly legitimate Google and Bing ads, the websites rely on legitimate payment processors, domain hosts and other internet service providers, all of whom are required by the Court's injunction to stop facilitating the pirate websites' illegal activity. "Once again, the Court has shown that illegal behavior doesn't pay for the operators of these pirate websites. Selling illegal eBooks harms authors, publishers and everyone else involved in the legitimate textbook industry. Publishers are committed to protecting their investment in scholarship, academic instruction and learning," said Matt Oppenheim, who serves as lead counsel to EPEG publishers. The sale of pirated textbooks injures students, who do not receive legitimate copies of the products they seek to purchase. Piracy also causes publishers financial injury, creating a ripple effect impacting the ability to invest in the creation of new works and scholarly contributions that benefit education as a whole. EPEG publishers' enforcement efforts seek to stop online piracy and create a level playing field for those distributors and businesses that purchase and sell legitimate and licensed products. About Cengage Cengage is the education and technology company built for learners. As the largest US-based provider of teaching and learning materials for higher education, we offer valuable options at affordable price points. Our industry-leading initiatives include Cengage Unlimited, the first-of-its-kind all-access digital subscription service. We embrace innovation to create learning experiences that build confidence and momentum toward the future students want. Headquartered in Boston, Cengage also serves K-12, library and workforce training markets around the world. Visit us at Cengage.com or find us on Facebook or Twitter . About Elsevier Elsevier is a global information analytics business that helps scientists and clinicians to find new answers, reshape human knowledge, and tackle the most urgent human crises. For 140 years, we have partnered with the research world to curate and verify scientific knowledge. Today, we're committed to bringing that rigor to a new generation of platforms. Elsevier provides digital solutions and tools in the areas of strategic research management, R&D performance, clinical decision support, and professional education; including ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, ClinicalKey and Sherpath. Elsevier publishes over 2,500 digitized journals, including The Lancet and Cell, 39,000 e-book titles and many iconic reference works, including Gray's Anatomy. Elsevier is part of RELX Group, a global provider of information and analytics for professionals and business customers across industries. www.elsevier.com. About Macmillan Learning Macmillan Learning is a privately held, family owned company that improves lives through learning. By linking research to learning practice, we develop pioneering products and learning materials for students that are highly effective and drive improved outcomes. Our engaging content is developed in partnership with the world's best researchers, educators, administrators and developers. To learn more, please visit www.macmillanlearning.com or see us on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn, or join our Macmillan Community. About McGraw Hill McGraw Hill is a learning science company that delivers personalized learning experiences that drive results for students, parents, educators and professionals. We focus on educational equity, affordability and learning success to help learners build better lives. Headquartered in New York City, McGraw Hill has offices across North America, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and South America, and makes its learning solutions for PreK-12, higher education, professionals and others available in more than 75 languages. Visit us at mheducation.com or find us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter. About Pearson We are the world's learning company with more than 24,000 employees operating in 70 countries and a mission to help people make progress in their lives through learning. We combine world-class educational content and assessment, powered by services and technology, to enable more effective teaching and personalized learning at scale. We believe that wherever learning flourishes so do people. For more information, visit Pearson.com . Media Contacts: Cengage: Emily Featherston [email protected] 617-757-8035 Elsevier: David Tucker [email protected] +44 7920 536160 Macmillan Learning: Marisa Bluestone [email protected] 202-699-1495 McGraw Hill: Tyler Reed [email protected] 646-766-2951 Pearson: Scott Overland [email protected] 202-909-4520 SOURCE Cengage on behalf of EPEG publishers Related Links http://cengage.com Imperial Valley News Center United States Citizen Who Joined ISIS Charged With Material Support Violations Washington, DC - An indictment and arrest warrant were unsealed Wednesday in the federal court of the District of Columbia charging Lirim Sylejmani, a Kosovo-born naturalized U.S. citizen, with conspiring to provide, providing, and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, and receiving training from ISIS, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2339B and 2339D. Sylejmani was detained overseas by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and recently transferred into FBI custody. Sylejmani made his initial appearance before U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. The United States is committed to holding accountable those who have left this country in order to join ISIS, said Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers. I want to thank the agents, analysts and prosecutors involved for their effort to hold the defendant responsible for his actions. The defendant is a U.S. citizen who abandoned the country that welcomed him to join ISIS in Syria stated Acting U.S. Attorney Sherwin. He will now be held accountable for his actions in an American courtroom. Our national security prosecutors and law enforcement partners will continue to ensure that those who threaten our country are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Combating terrorism remains the FBIs top priority, and we will continue working with both our U.S. and foreign partners around the world in furtherance of that mission, said Jill Sanborn, Assistant Director of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division. Todays announcement should serve as a warning to those who have traveled, or attempted to travel, to join ISIS that the FBI remains steadfast in ensuring they face justice. Todays announcement underscores the FBIs commitment to combatting terrorism worldwide. Sylejmani allegedly traveled to Syria with the intent to join, train with, and fight on behalf of ISIS, said Matthew R. Alcoke, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Counterterrorism Division. The FBI Washington Field Office Joint Terrorism Task Force will continue to relentlessly pursue all individuals who choose to support terrorist organizations, no matter where they are located. According to the allegations in the indictment, from November 2015 through February 2019, Sylejmani conspired to provide and provided material support and resources, including personnel and services, to ISIS in Syria and received military training from the terrorist organization. The defendant was captured by the SDF in 2019 and has spoken to a number of media outlets about his time with ISIS. The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force. Assistant U.S Attorneys Jessi Camille Brooks and Brenda J. Johnson of the National Security Section, and Trial Attorney David Smith of the National Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section are litigating the case, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Jorge Casillas. She's been seen cutting her teeth on California real estate, after becoming The Oppenheim Group's newest recruit on hit Netflix reality show Selling Sunset. And Amanza Smith was forced to defend her choice of attire over the weekend, when she was accused of wearing a 'stripper dress' to the office. The TV star, 43, was seen in a video shared on Instagram by co-star Mary Fitzgerald as she rang a giant office bell in celebration of having closed on another property. Scroll down for video Gown: Amanza Smith, left, was forced to defend her choice of attire over the weekend, when she was accused of wearing a 'stripper dress' to the office in a video with Mary Fitzgerald, right However, Amanza's sleeveless gown a deeply plunging purple and bikini number with spaghetti straps, a thigh-scraping hemline and back cut-outs drew criticism. While some fans questioned whether the dress was appropriate, one went for the jugular, commenting to Mary: 'Your friend really went into her closet and was like "this stripper dress will be perfect for the office today!"' Immediately clapping back, mother-of-two Amanza responded: '[W]ell well we'll aren't you a feisty and judgmental one? Big hug and God bless!' [sic] Criticised: Amanza's sleeveless gown a deeply plunging purple and bikini number with spaghetti straps, a thigh-scraping hemline and back cut-outs drew criticism from some fans Clapping back: While some fans questioned whether the dress was appropriate, one went for the jugular, prompting mother-of-two Amanza to immediately clap back However, it appears that the dress in question may have been worn on the way to or from an event as she was seen in the same gown while attending Debbie Durkin's ECOLUXE Drive-Thru Endless Summer Festival at The Beverly Hilton that day. Amanza's social media showdown comes after she revealed that she is back in touch with The Script's Danny O'Donoghue following their past whirlwind romance. Earlier this month, the real estate agent revealed she had enjoyed a short-lived 'rebound' relationship with the Irish musician, 39, following her divorce from NFL star Ralph Brown, 41. Discussing their past romance on ITV's This Morning, Amanza admitted she was back in touch with Danny after contacting him on Instagram where they 'had a laugh'. Stepping out: However, it appears that the dress in question may have been worn on the way to or from an event as she was seen in the same gown in Beverly Hills that day The reality star, who has two children Braker, eight, and Noah, 10, also admitted she was 'naive' to 'leak' news of their past relationship in the first place. Amanza was joined by co-stars and best friends, Jason Oppenheim and Mary Fitzgerald, for the interview with Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby. The former model said: 'I was a bit naive... I did my first Irish press and I thought that would be a cute story. Months later now, it's followed me. 'I actually spoke to Danny a couple of days ago on Instagram, I let him know, "I don't know if you've seen this, but I just thought you should know I sort of leaked this to the press in your neck of the woods." Whirlwind! Last week, the Selling Sunset star revealed she is back in touch with The Script's Danny O'Donoghue following their past whirlwind romance 'We had a laugh, he was like, "It's all good, you gave me a 10/10, so..."' Earlier this month, Amanza shared news of her past romance with Danny on Irish programme, Six O'Clock Show, with Muireann O'Connell and Martin King. She said: 'I had a whirlwind romance with one of your people right after my divorce I think. I was going through it, it was a rebound but no we had a lot of fun together actually. 'It was short lived because we live across the pond from one another and it was the first person I actually dated right after my divorce. Rebound! Earlier this month, the real estate agent, 43, revealed she had enjoyed a short-lived 'rebound' relationship with the Irish musician, 39 (pictured in September 2019) 'So this was a long time ago, this was like eight years ago but he's an awesome guy and we had a lot of fun.' She added: 'Look we had an amazing time, I thought I was in love and it ended about as quickly as it started. But I mean we would still be friends. 'Once in a blue moon he'll pop his head in and say, "What's up?" and you know ask how we're doing, ask how the kiddos are and stuff. 'Yeah he's good, I'd give him a ten. You're welcome Danny.' Back in touch: Discussing their past romance on Tuesday's This Morning, Amanza, admitted she was back in touch with Danny after contacting him on Instagram On series two and three of Selling Sunset, Amanza shared glimpses into her life as a single mother. During the show, her ex Ralph went 'off the grid' and she applied for full custody of their children Braker, eight, and Noah, 10. Revealing why she chose to document that on the hit Netflix series, Amanza said: 'When I signed on to do Selling Sunset season two, my life was very different. 'The children's father was still very present in our lives, that wasn't the situation until less than a month into filming season two that all switched, so through filming season two you kind of see my fumbling a little bit through a hard time. Co-stars: The former model was joined by co-stars and best friends, Jason Oppenheim and Mary Fitzgerald, for the interview with Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby 'After filming for several months and the situation hadn't changed it. I didn't know that was going to be the situation and I had to share that with the audience, otherwise I look like a bit flighty, late. 'It made sense to me to open up to the show and everybody to what I was dealing with behind-the-scenes. It was a natural thing, it wasn't like I made the decision, "Oh, let me share this with the world."' Amanza also discussed being the 'new girl' in the office despite calling twins Jason and Brett, who run The Oppenheim Group, which sells multimillion dollar properties to the rich and famous of Los Angeles, and Mary her best friends. She said: 'I'm not really the new girl I'm the oldest in the office, and I've known Mary, Jason and Brett for about 19 years so I'm definitely the newest agent, but not at all the newest member of the family.' At 22, Fianna Fail's James O'Connor became the youngest member of the 33rd Dail when elected as a TD for Cork East seven months ago. Does he feel different to other people his own age and to his peers in the Dail? "The title is the 'Baby of the House'. I'm 23 now," he tells the Sunday Independent, from a surprisingly busy Buswells hotel last week. "Yes, there's no point in denying it ... I do probably find that to a certain degree in Leinster House, it's lonely because there's such an age bracket difference between me and the next youngest member. You have to be careful in terms of what issues you want to work on. You're viewed in a different way." Is that ageism? "Yes it is," he replies. Despite his youth, he does not feel older than his years. "No. I still loving going to my rugby matches, GAA matches. I play the violin, it's my pastime." But O'Connor doesn't feel as though he has missed out on anything, such as travelling, by becoming an elected representative at such a young age. "I haven't been on a plane for three or four years. My last holiday was in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2015. I love travelling. I'd love to visit Washington when it's safe to do so. That's always been on my bucket list." But for the moment, Leinster House, and his Cork constituency, are his main focus. O'Connor agrees it has been a "strange time" to become a member of the Oireachtas, as Covid-19 broke out just one month after he was elected. Despite being a TD for just seven months, he is willing to openly criticise his own party, commenting extensively on the recent political storm over media leaks criticising party leader and Taoiseach Micheal Martin. "The younger TDs and the new TDs that came in this time are disgusted with some of the carry-on by individuals in the party that seem intent on damaging the brand and the party. It doesn't help anyone. It doesn't look good. "There are people within the parliamentary party who have been nipping at Micheal Martin's heels since 2011. They are starting to re-emerge. But I think quite honestly, I think they need to go away. Because we're in the middle of fighting a war against Covid," he said of the leaks. O'Connor is adamant on one thing - he will not be a "career politician" serving as a TD for decades. "No. I think it's wrong. I don't think it serves the political system well," he says. Looking to the future, he says he is eyeing up a career in media and communications in the long term. Because of his age, he believes he is more cognisant than many TDs that social media is a major news source for the younger generation - something he sees as problematic. He points to an anti-mask demonstration last weekend that turned violent as a cause for concern. "I have concerns about how we are going to create a sustainable media environment in Ireland. We need to do more in Ireland about how we are monitoring the far-left and far-right elements of our political system, which I think are highly dangerous. We saw the protests last weekend. The far-right and the anti-mask and anti-vaxxers... the damage and the impact they are having, "I really do think we're asleep at the wheel in Ireland at understanding how people are getting information like that and policing it as well. "I strongly feel the political system here has not fully grasped that social media is how younger generations are consuming their information. "That must be addressed. The consequences of not doing that could be devastating." O'Connor first met the current Taoiseach when he was just 10 years old, when the then Fianna Fail minister visited his primary school. He went on to do his transition year work experience in Martin's office. While studying at Trinity in latter years, he worked as a junior intern in Leinster House for deputies Jim O'Callaghan and Mary Mitchell O'Connor. He fully backs the Taoiseach but burns no bridges when he adds that O'Callaghan could be a future leader of Fianna Fail. "I think it's very important to say I fully support Micheal Martin. To be honest with you, Jim is one of those gifted intellectuals in Leinster House. "He's had a stunning career as a barrister. My own personal view is, I think, that Micheal Martin should be allowed to lead the party for the foreseeable future and definitely complete his term as Taoiseach. There's no point in denying it, there's been a rocky start. I'm very confident the man can steady the ship. "But I certainly do think that Jim would be leadership material." New Delhi: Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu is reportedly very upset at the ruckus created in the Raya Sabha as the agriculture bills were being moved in the House on Sunday (September 20, 2020), ANI reported. In this matter, Naidu held a high-level meeting at his residence with Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, Union Minister Piyush Goyal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi in attendance. Opposition parties protested the two bills; The Farmers` Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill which were moved in the House. Trinamool Congress MP Derek O`Brien, Congress MP Ripun Bora, AAP MP Sanjay Singh and DMK MP Tiruchi Siva were seen making attempts to snatch the podium mike of Deputy Chairman Harivansh. Several MPs raised slogans against the chair, and tore papers. Live TV Amid the ruckus, the proceeding of the Rajya Sabha were stopped for 10 minutes, the agriculture bills were evetually passed when the House resumed. Several BJP MPs, who took part in the proceeding today, too expressed their displeasure. BJP Rajya Sabha MP Bhupender Yadav called it a 'shameful act' and demanded that the legislators apologise for their misconduct in the House. Meanwhile, hours after the bills were passed by the upper house of the Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter and said that it's a watershed moment in the history of Indian agriculture. "Congratulations to our hardworking farmers on the passage of key bills in Parliament, which will ensure a complete transformation of the agriculture sector as well as empower crores of farmers," he wrote. 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Put another way, in just a few weeks these fires have burned as much land as was destroyed by a decade of using napalm and Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. With temperatures over 100F, toxic air now blankets tens of millions of people, power outages have afflicted vast regions, and dozens have already died from the blazes. Air quality in West Coast cities has ranked among the worlds worst, with Portlands air at points being almost three times more unhealthy than in notoriously polluted cities like New Delhi. The scenes of red skies out of Americas West have an unreal quality to them, as if they come from a different planet. In a sense they dothey are portents of the future. There are many proximate reasons for these forest firesfireworks, campfires, a stray sparkbut there is one large cause that is blindingly clear: human actions that have led to climate change. To put it simply, the world is getting hotter, and that means that forests get drier. A yearslong drought, which ended in 2017, killed 163 million trees in Californiaand that deadwood proved to be the kindling for this years devastation. A scientific study led by Stanford, released in April, found that Californias five worst wildfireswhether measured by deaths, destruction or sizeall occurred during 2017 and 2018. And we can be sure of one thing: its going to get worse. Temperatures continue to rise, drought conditions are worsening, and the combined effect of all these forces will multiply to create cascading crises in the years to come. Story continues Cascades, in which small sparks cause great conflagrations, are happening all around us. Think of COVID-19, which began with a viral speck that was likely lodged in a bat somewhere in Chinaand is now a raging global pandemic. While viruses have been around forever, they mostly originate in animals and, when they jumped to humans, remained largely local. But over the past few decades, many viruses have gone global, causing widespread epidemicsSARS, MERS, Ebola, Zika and now the novel coronavirus. In a recent essay in the scientific journal Cell, the countrys top infectiousdisease expert, Anthony Fauci, and one of his colleagues, David Morens, warn that we have reached a tipping point that forecasts the inevitability of an acceleration of disease emergencies. In other words, get ready for more pandemics. The fundamental reason behind this acceleration, they argue, is human actionthe ever increasing scope and pace of development. A housing development on the edge of undeveloped desert in Cathedral City, Calif., on April 3, 2015, during the state's punishing drought. Damon WinterThe New York Times/Redux. We have created a world in overdrive. People are living longer, producing and consuming more, inhabiting larger spaces, consuming more energy, and generating more waste and greenhouse gas emissions. The pace has accelerated dramatically in the past few decades. Just one example: a 2019 U.N. report, compiled by 145 experts from 50 countries, concluded that nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history. It noted that 75% of all land has been severely altered by human actions, as has 66% of the worlds marine environments. Ecosystems are collapsing, and biodiversity is disappearing. As many as 1 million plant and animal species (of 8 million total) are threatened with extinction, some within a few decades. All these strains and imbalances produce dangerssome that can be foreseen, and others that cannot. The pandemic, for its part, can be thought of as natures revenge. The way we live now is practically an invitation for animal viruses to infect humans. Why do diseases seem to be jumping from animals to humans at a faster pace in recent decades? As cities expand, they bring humans closer and closer to the habitat of wild animals, making it more likely that virus in a bat could be transmitted to a pig or a pangolin and then to humans. Developing countries are modernizing so quickly that they effectively inhabit several different centuries at the same time. In Wuhan and other such cities, China has built an advanced, technologically sophisticated-economybut in the shadows of the skyscrapers are wildlife markets full of exotic animals, a perfect cauldron for animal-to-human viral transfer. And the people who live in these places are more mobile than ever before, quickly spreading information, goods, servicesand disease. Our destruction of natural habitats may also be to blame. Some scientists believe that as humans extend civilization into naturebuilding roads, clearing land, constructing factories, excavating mineswe are increasing the odds that animals will pass diseases to us. COVID-19 appears to have originated in bats, which are hosts to many other viruses, including rabies and Ebola. Bats used to live farther from humans. But as we encroached on their habitats, their diseases increasingly became our diseases. We are doing things every day that make pandemics more likely, said Peter Daszak, an eminent disease ecologist. We need to understand, this is not just nature. It is what we are doing to nature. As economic development moves faster and reaches more people, we are taking ever greater risks, often without even realizing it. Think about meat consumption. As people get richer, they eat more meat. When this happens globally, the effect is staggering: about 80 billion animals are slaughtered for meat every year around the world. (And that doesnt even count fish.) But supplying this enormous demand comes at great cost to the environment and our health. Animal products provide only 18% of calories worldwide yet take up 80% of the earths farmland. Meanwhile, meat is now produced on a vast scale with animals packed together in gruesome conditions. Most livestockan estimated 99% in America, 74% around the worldcomes from factory farms. (Organically farmed, grass-fed meat is a luxury product.) These massive operations serve as petri dishes for powerful viruses. Selection for specific genes in farmed animals (for desirable traits like large chicken breasts) has made these animals almost genetically identical, Vox journalist Sigal Samuel explains. That means that a virus can easily spread from animal to animal without encountering any genetic variants that might stop it in its tracks. As it rips through a flock or herd, the virus can grow even more virulent. The lack of genetic diversity removes the immunological firebreaks. A slaughterhouse in the Brazilian state of Rondonia in February 2019. The company boasted an expansion would allow a cow to be killed every eight seconds at the facility. Sebastian ListeNOOR for TIME. Americans should know better. The country has experienced several ecological disasters, most notably the 1930s Dust Bowl. The event is seared in the American imagination. The bitter tale of desperate Dust Bowl migrants inspired John Steinbecks Grapes of Wrathdescribing the plight of people who could be called Americas first climate refugees. And it is a story of human actions causing a natural reaction. The Great Plains are the semiarid places east of the Rocky Mountains and west of the Mississippi River. The wind blows fast over these lands, sometimes scarily so. Over centuries, probably millennia, natures solution was to grow grass that held the loose topsoil in place. But by the late 19th century, as the pioneers headed west, lured by promises of fertile farmland, they tilled the prairies, turning the grassy plains into wheat fields. The farmers felled trees that served as windbreaks, and turned the soil over and over, until there was no grass and the topsoil had been reduced to a thin, loose layer just covering the hard land beneath. Then came bad weather. Starting in 1930, the region was hit by four waves of drought. With the drought came windsferocious gales that blew off the entire layer of topsoil with a force that few humans had seen before and kicked up dust storms that blackened the sky. By 1934, the topsoil covering 100 million acres of land had blown away. The heat intensified the suffering1934 was the nations hottest year on record until 1998. Thousands died and millions fled. The farmers left behind were plunged into a decade of poverty. We are tempting fate similarly every day. We are now watching the effects of climate change on almost every part of the natural environment. It is bringing a warmer climate to more of the world, thus creating more hospitable conditions for disease. It is also turning more land into desert23 hectares every minute, by the U.N.s estimate. In 2010, Luc Gnacadja, who headed the organizations effort to combat desertification, called it the greatest environmental challenge of our time, warning that the top 20 centimeters of soil is all that stands between us and extinction. Thirty-eight percent of the earths surface is at risk of desertification. Some of it is caused less by global climate change than by something more easily preventable: the overextraction of water from the ground. One of the worlds most crucial water sources is the Ogallala Aquifer, which sprawls through the Great Plains and supplies about a third of the groundwater used to irrigate American farms. This seemingly bottomless well is in fact being emptied by agribusiness so fast that it is on track to shrivel by 70% in less than 50 years. If the aquifer ran dry, it would take 6,000 years for rainfall to refill it. An irrigation pivot sprays water onto a young corn crop in Grant County, Kans., in 2015. Travis HeyingWichita Eagle/Tribune News Service/Getty Images. You may say that this is not new. Human beings have been altering natural processes ever since they learned how to make fire. The changes picked up speed with the invention of the wheel, the plow and, most dramatically, the steam engine. But they intensified, particularly in the 20th century and in the past few decades. The number of people on the planet has risen fivefold since 1900, while the average life span has doubled. The increase in life span goes beyond the scope of what had ever been shaped by natural selection, explained Joshua Lederberg, the biologist who won the Nobel Prize at age 33 for his work on bacterial genetics. In a brilliant, haunting speech in 1989 at a virology conference in Washington, D.C., Lederberg argued that we have changed our biological trajectory so much that contemporary man is a man-made species. Lederberg called human beings continued economic and scientific advancement the greatest threat to every other plant and animal species, as we crowd them out in our own quest for lebensraum. A few vermin aside, he added, Homo sapiens has undisputed dominion. But he pointed out that we do have one real competitorthe virusand in the end, it could win. Many people find it difficult to accommodate to the reality that nature is far from benign; at least it has no special sentiment for the welfare of the human vs. other species. Lederberg reminded the audience of the fate that befell rabbits in Australia in the 1950s, when the myxoma virus was unleashed upon them as a populationcontrol measure. Eventually, rabbits achieved herd immunity, but only after the virus had killed over 99% of those infected in the first outbreaks. He concluded his speech with a grim image: I would question whether human society could survive left on the beach with only a few percent of survivors. Could they function at any level of culture higher than that of the rabbits? And if reduced to that, would we compete very well with kangaroos? This is a gloomy compendium of threats. And given the unstable nature of our international system, it may seem that our world is terribly fragile. It is not. Another way to read human history is to recognize just how tough we are. We have gone through extraordinary change at breathtaking pace. We have seen ice ages and plagues, world wars and revolutions, and yet we have survived and flourished. In his writings, Joshua Lederberg acknowledged that nature usually seeks an equilibrium that favors mutual survival of the virus and the hostafter all, if the human dies, so does the parasite. Human beings and our societies are amazingly innovative and resourceful. This planet is awe-inspiringly resilient. But we have to recognize the ever greater risks we are taking and act to mitigate them. Modern human development has occurred on a scale and at a speed with no precedent. The global system that we are living in is open and dynamic, which means it has few buffers. That produces great benefits but also vulnerabilities. We have to adjust to the reality of ever increasing instabilitynow. The aftermath of Hurricane Michael, which made a catastrophic landfall as a Category 5 hurricane near Mexico Beach, Fla., in October 2018. Joe RaedleGetty Images We are not doomed. The point of sounding the alarm is to call people to action. The question is, what kind of action? There are those, on the right and the left, who want to stop other countries from growing economically and shut down our open world. But should we tell the poorest billion in the world that they cannot escape poverty? Should we close ourselves off from the outside world and seek stability in national fortresses? Should we try to slow down technology, or the global movement of goods and services? Even if we wanted to do any of this, we would not be able to arrest these powerful forces. We could not persuade billions of people to stop trying to raise their standards of living. We could not prevent human beings from connecting with one another. We could not stop technological innovation. What we can do is be far more conscious of the risks we face, prepare for the dangers and equip our societies to be resilient. They should be able not only to withstand shocks and backlashes, but also learn from them. Nassim Nicholas Taleb suggests that we create systems that are anti-fragile, which are even better than resilient ones. They actually gain strength through chaos and crises. We know what to do. After the Dust Bowl, scientists quickly understood what had happened. Franklin D. Roosevelts Administration produced a short movie to explain it to the country, The Plow That Broke the Plains. Government agencies taught farmers how to prevent soil erosion. The Administration provided massive aid to farmers, established the Soil Conservation Service and placed 140 million acres of federal grasslands under protection. In the past three-quarters of a century, there has been no second Dust Bowl, despite extreme weather. Outbreaks are inevitable, but pandemics are optional, says Larry Brilliant, the American physician who helped eradicate smallpox 45 years ago. What he means is that we may not be able to change the natural occurrences that produce disease in the first place, but through preparation, early action and intelligent responses, we can quickly flatten its trajectory. In fact, the eradication of smallpox is a story that is only partly about science and mostly about extraordinary cooperation between rival superpowers and impressive execution across the globe. Similarly, climate change is happening, and we cannot stop it completely. But we can mitigate the scale of change and avert its most harmful effects through aggressive and intelligent policies. It will not be cheap. To address it seriously we would need to start by enacting a carbon tax, which would send the market the right price signal and raise the revenue needed to fund new technologies and simultaneously adapt to the already altered planet. As for economic development, there are hundreds of ways we could approach the process differently, retaining traditional ingredients like growth, openness and innovation while putting new emphasis on others like security, resilience and anti-fragility. We can make different trade-offs, forgo some efficiencies and dynamism in some areas, and spend more money to make our societies prepared. The costs of prevention and preparation are minuscule compared with the economic losses caused by an ineffective response to a crisis. More fundamentally, building in resilience creates stability of the most important kind, emotional stability. Human beings will not embrace openness and change for long if they constantly fear that they will be wiped out in the next calamity. And what about preventing the next pandemic? Again, we need to balance dynamism with safety. Much attention has focused on wet markets where live animals are slaughtered and sold, but these cannot simply be shut down. In many countries, especially in Africa and Asia, they provide fresh food for people who dont own refrigerators. (In China, they account for 73% of all fresh vegetables and meat sold.) These markets should be better regulated, but they pose limited risks when they do not sell wild animals like bats, civets and pangolins. It is that exotic trade that must be outlawed. Similarly, getting the world to stop eating meat may be impossible, but promoting healthier dietswith less meatwould be good for humans and the planet. And factory farming can be re-engineered to be much safer, and far less cruel to animals. Most urgently, countries need strong public-health systems, and those systems need to communicate, learn from and cooperate with one another. You cannot defeat a global disease with local responses. Firefighter Ricardo Gomez, part of a San Benito Monterey Cal Fire crew, sets a controlled burn with a drip torch while fighting the Creek Fire in Shaver Lake, Calif., on Sept. 6, 2020. Marcio Jose SanchezAP. So too California cant stop climate change or wildfires alone. But, like America after the Dust Bowl, it can learn from its policy mistakes, using controlled burns to clear out underbrush and practicing sustainable construction. Unfortunately, earlier this month it took a step in the wrong direction when lawmakers killed a reform bill that would have allowed denser housing development. Without new action, single-family homes will keep sprawling outward into the forest, expanding the human footprint and making future destructive fires inevitable. Rather than subsidizing settlements on the coastline and in forests and deserts, governments should encourage housing in safe and more sustainable areas. We have to recognize that the way we are living, eating and consuming energy are all having an impact on the planetand increasingly it is reacting. Human beings have been developing their societies at an extraordinary pace, expanding in every realm at unprecedented speed. It is as if we have built the fastest race car ever imagined and are driving it through unknown, unmarked terrain. But we never bothered to equip the car with airbags. We didnt get insurance. We have not even put on our seat belts. The engine runs hot. Parts overheat and sometimes even catch fire. There have been some crashes, each one a bit worse than the last. So we douse the vehicle, tune up the suspension, repair the bodywork and resolve to do better. But we race on, and soon we are going faster and faster, into newer and rougher terrain. Its getting very risky out there. Its time to install those airbags and buy some insurance. And above all, its time to buckle up. This essay is adapted from TEN LESSONS FOR A POST-PANDEMIC WORLD. Copyright (c) 2020 by Fareed Zakaria. Published by W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Eight years ago an engineering graduate met with an accident that rendered her a quadriplegic. That graduate is me. If you ask, I have no memory of the events that transpired after the accident until I got up one day in a hospital room with a host of doctors attending me. I spent my days in the Intensive Care Unit for two months, contracted a major lung infection. But the biggest and life changing revelation came from my mother The accident turned you neck down paralysed, she told me. My unconscious/semi-conscious state was flooded with thoughts about my life ahead if it will be dependent on help and in this case, how much could I help myself now. Mom said, It will last only till you allow it to stop you. She was right. I did not stop myself despite the government apathy towards the 90% disabled or the divyang. I am fortunate to have such a strong family and ability to not give up. But to engineer a society that understands diversity and inclusion of people who share my fate of being 90% disabled, we need more, for instance, there must be subsidies, opportunities and visibility in policies. We must exist in the mind of the legislatures, governments and service to us be not limited to fancy words alone. As September 5 marked the World Spinal cord injury day, observed by International spinal cord society (ISCoS) for spreading awareness about those suffering from Spinal cord Injury (SCI), I want to share my story to sensitise the people and the government on the need for inclusion of the disabled population into the society. Below I categorise the challenges of divyang through my own experiences. Getting the WFH approved: Doctors had predicted that I might have to be on a ventilator and my tracheostomy, a medical procedure that involves creating an opening in the neck to place a tube into a persons windpipe, would stay forever. But I came back to my house in Bangalore, getting rid of all that. I was back unaware of the challenges waiting for me. I came home to find the present situation to be a new challenge. The physiotherapy sessions had started. I was still in TCS with leave without pay for two years. With exercises, medical care and an extremely supportive family the two years went by. Now it was time to join my work, but I had my challenges in going to the office and working on the desktop. So, I explained it to them and that Id be able to Work from home. I told them how it was a very popular culture in foreign countries. However, they were not able to provide me with such an offer considering the client sensitivity principle. This was the time when I had to take an important step. My father drafted a letter to higher officials, stating my exact condition and explaining all the hurdles. It worked and I got a positive response with mails to the resource management group to include me with my condition. I got the promise that TCS is with me, yet again. I got a project and am successfully working for it. Today amid the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone is worried and complaining how difficult it is to Work from Home though, Ive mastered the art and have been doing the same for over two years. Chasing Dreams with Cooperation: Another important decision was when I decided to go abroad for higher education. One of the criteria for my application was to appear for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Even after providing various documents from my doctor, my examination centre was allotted in Hyderabad. I visited the Bangalore airport with an army of my siblings only to realise that they were not equipped for such special cases. Then, I somehow boarded my flight and took off. Meanwhile, my brother-in-law tweeted about the poor condition at the Bangalore airport and guess what, the Hyderabad airport was so ready to receive me. So if you dont open your mouth, things will happen the way they are. Theyd definitely change how you should address a physically challenged person, though. Anyway, I got selected for a course in Stockholm University. It is right now on hold due to Covid-19. Finance and judiciary: No help is provided by the government to a 90% disabled person who is trying to include herself to the society. They just have fancy words like differently-abled and divyang, nothing beyond that. I work with my knuckles, pay all the taxes, pay my attender, but theres nothing subsidised by the government. To add to this, the Indian judicial system cant go uncommented. Ive a case registered for my accident and it is going on for 8 years, Im still waiting for the result. Pressure Sores: I have grown with these difficulties as my partners in battle. The most severe one is pressure sores. We need to be extra careful about these. Since we are a quadriplegic/tetraplegic, paralysis of all four limbs, we dont feel the pain, discomfort or irritation. Hence, the chances of having these increases. Autonomic Dysreflexia: There is no medicine for this phenomenon, which can be seen as unexplained sweating, dangerous shaking of legs, bladder wall irritation due to blocked catheter, constipation, haemorrhoids etc. Bladder and bowel management takes a long time to get used to and get comfortable with any of these. Emotional health: Even with the most supportive family, people tend to have insecurities and inferiority complexes. This usually happens because we form an image of ourselves and we definitely want to fall into it. Medical Discrepancies: I would like to open up about the major issues that we faced, like medical discrepancies. The major challenge was the need of a nurse to help my parents in tackling my complex case. The nurses that we received were totally untrained to handle spinal cord injured people and even that poor quality cost sky-high. My requirements included changing my position every two hours to avoid pressure sores, arranging my workstation as per my ease but the inefficient help failed to help. Accessibility: This is an issue that has hindered my inclusion in society. I remember when we bought this house and the registration was to be completed in the Bangalore government office, I visited the office to find around 20 stairs and no other way to enter. We had to call people to lift me with my wheelchair to complete my basic task. In another event, when my office team was throwing a party to celebrate the success of our project, I was invited but could not go as the venue didnt have ramps or lifts. Also, the roads are so narrow and broken that it is difficult to go outside. To conclude, today when I look back, I realise that doing all of it would have been difficult if there was no financial stability. I wonder how difficult it would be for people who dont have such a supportive family or have financial hurdles. The government must provide help in the form of finance, employment and medical subsidies. It is not only about giving fancy names. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Lindsey Graham may be the most misunderstood figure in Donald Trumps Washington. For the #Resistance, the Republican senator from South Carolina is the lickspittle who abandoned his principles for access to a dangerous populist. For the populists, Graham is an interloper, worming his way into the presidents inner circle and persuading him to keep fighting the endless wars Trump campaigned against. Neither version, however, quite captures the role that Graham plays in Trumps chaotic presidency. He is neither a Svengali nor a suck-up. Rather, he is an honest friend, willing to do something few others in Trumps inner circle will do: Tell him when he is wrong. That is the Graham that emerges from Bob Woodwards new book, Rage. In scene after scene, Graham is depicted as the Trump confidante urging him to step back from the ledge. Take Trumps response to former FBI director Robert Muellers investigation into Russias interference in the 2016 election. As Muellers final report makes clear, Trump tried many times to have him fired, but his staff never complied. Graham also pleaded with the president to back off. Woodward reports that also Graham confronted Trump at the beginning of the Russia investigation, telling the president that there was only one thing that would turn me against you, and that is if you actually worked with the Russians. Trump insisted that he didnt. I believe you, Graham said. Graham then told Trump the truth: Mueller is the only person who can clear you. It appears that Grahams counsel was effective. Trump didnt fire Mueller. And although his final report found examples of attempted obstruction of his investigation and contacts between his campaign and Russia, Mueller also stated that he found no evidence of a conspiracy between the presidents campaign and the Russian interference operation. Grahams approach with Trump stands in sharp relief with the presidents first director of national intelligence, former Indiana Senator Dan Coats. Coats pushed back against Trump on specific policy issues such as his effort to withdraw all U.S. forces from Syria. But Woodward does not report that Coats ever confronted Trump directly about whether he colluded with Moscow. Story continues Woodward does report that Coats and his staff perused the most classified intelligence on Trumps possible ties to Russia and found no proof of collusion. Nonetheless, Woodward says, Coatss doubts continued, never fully dissipating. Coats has not gone on the record to either dispute or affirm this account. When Trump asked him in 2019, before Mueller released his report, to state publicly that he found no proof of collusion, Coats demurred, stressing that the FBI still had an ongoing criminal investigation. Graham today leads the Senates investigation into the FBIs probe of Trump and Russia. The presidents opponents dismiss Grahams efforts as an attempt to curry favor with Trump. They shouldnt. When Mueller was named special prosecutor in 2017, Graham introduced legislation to prevent the president from firing him. He counseled the president to allow Mueller to finish his work. When Trump pressed him in 2019 to issue a subpoena of former president, Barack Obama, Graham publicly said it was a bad idea, leading Trump to temporarily break contact. Just as Graham is not the sycophant the left paints him to be, he also defies the warmonger caricature forwarded by populists such as Tucker Carlson of Fox News. Woodward reveals that Graham repeatedly counseled Trump against the drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. Graham warned him that Iran would retaliate and that Trump could find himself launching an attack inside Iranian territory, risking a major war. Trump responded, He deserves it, noting intelligence reporting that Soleimani was planning major attacks. Graham also emerged as an honest friend this summer following the police killing in Minneapolis of George Floyd. Privately, Graham worried that Trumps response to the protests and riots that followed Floyds killing was in the style of the infamous segregationist Governor George Wallace of Alabama. In a series of phone calls in June, Woodward reports, Graham bluntly told the president that if the election were held today, he would lose. He urged the president instead to take a three-pronged approach to his campaign: Issue an executive order on police reform; propose a massive infrastructure bill, and support legislation to protect some 700,000 undocumented young adults who had been brought to the country as children. Trump didnt take Grahams advice. That is often the way it goes with Trump. As the tell-all books published in 2020 document, the president believes that he is his own best counsel. Nonetheless, its worth asking: Would the republic be in better shape if Graham had chosen to appease Trumps resistance, and said publicly the kinds of things he told him in private? I am not sure it would. Trump won the 2016 election. If he were removed from office through a flawed and abusive FBI investigation, millions of Americans would have viewed their votes as nullified. Graham, who campaigned bitterly against Trump during the primaries, understood this too. Had Graham followed the lead of his late friend, John McCain, maybe there would have been one more Republican vote for Trumps impeachment. But it would not have been enough to remove him from office. Instead, Graham made a choice: He is trying to work with the president we have to persuade him to be the president we need. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Eli Lake is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering national security and foreign policy. He was the senior national security correspondent for the Daily Beast and covered national security and intelligence for the Washington Times, the New York Sun and UPI. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Farmers in Haryana began their protest against the agriculture-related farm bills on Sunday. The farmers started to gather at various places in the state amid elaborate security arrangements which have been made to ensure that the event passes off smoothly. The Bharatiya Kisan Union's Haryana unit, supported by some other farmer outfits, is holding a statewide protest against the Centre's farm bills during which they will block roads for three hours from 12 pm to 3 pm. The farmers are also joined by the 'arhitiyas' or commission agents during their protest. The Punjab Youth Congress, meanwhile, is also taking out a 'tractor rally' from Punjab to Delhi against the Centre's farm-related measures. The rally started from Mohali district in the morning and was moving on the national highway towards Ambala. However, the Haryana Police in Ambala had heavily barricaded the national highway and there was heavy police deployment on the Haryana-Punjab border, police department sources said. On his way to join the tractor rally, Indian Youth Congress president Srinivas B V said his party stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the farmers and dubbed the farm reforms as anti-farmers". Meanwhile, the Haryana government issued directions to ensure law and order, and minimise inconvenience to the people of the state during the protest from 12 noon to 3 pm on Sunday. Executive magistrates have been directed to remain stationed along with their police counterparts at all such places where congregation of protestors is anticipated. The Haryana Police was conducting patrolling of the national and state highways and important roads in various parts of the state, including Ambala, Kurukshetra, Sonipat, Jind, Sirsa, Fatehabad, Hisar and Bhiwani. Authorities said traffic will be diverted to alternative routes if the protest intensifies. Days after their passage in the Lok Sabha, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar introduced the Farmer's Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 in the Rajya Sabha. The bills are facing staunch opposition from farmer bodies as well as from within the ruling coalition. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the food processing minister from the Shiromani Akali Dal party, resigned from the government last week. PTI SUN VSD SNE SNE 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 New Delhi, Sep 20 : Loans totalling Rs 70,590 crore have been sanctioned so far to power distribution companies (discom) out of the Rs 90,000-crore liquidity package announced by the Centre, Union Power Minister RK Singh told the Rajya Sabha on Sunday. Of the sanctioned amount, Rs 24,742 crore has been disbursed till September 16, Singh said in his written reply to a question. "As against Rs 90,000 crore of liquidity infusion package announced by the government, Rs 70,590 crore in loans has been sanctioned, out of which Rs 24,742 crore has already been disbursed/released till September 16," he said. The package was announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in May as part of the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' economic package, through Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) to enable the sector to maintain power supplies, since cash flows had plummeted during the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19. Under this intervention, REC and PFC are extending special long-term transition loans up to 10 years to discoms for liquidating their outstanding dues of Central Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) Generation (Genco) and Transmission Companies (Transcos), Independent Power Producers (IPPs), and Renewable Energy (RE) generators as existing on June 30, 2020. TORONTO - The COVID-19 pandemic has pummelled Canada's automobile industry but it's the lack of supply that's helping to short-circuit electric vehicle adoption across the country. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 20/9/2020 (488 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Tesla cars are loaded onto carriers at the Tesla electric car plant in Fremont, Calif. on May 13, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has pummelled Canada's automobile industry but it's the lack of supply that's short-circuiting electric vehicle adoption across the country. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Ben Margot TORONTO - The COVID-19 pandemic has pummelled Canada's automobile industry but it's the lack of supply that's helping to short-circuit electric vehicle adoption across the country. Electric vehicle sales plunged along with gasoline-fuelled models in the second quarter of the year, when dealerships joined widespread lockdowns to prevent the virus's spread. As the economy reopens, consumers are starting to return to auto showrooms but finding an electric vehicle continues to be a problem, especially outside Quebec, British Columbia and Ontario. A series of roadblocks are contributing to the shortfall, including battery shortages and manufacturers prioritizing shipments to China and Europe rather than North America. It's exacerbating difficulties that already existed. "It's pretty challenging," says Jeff Turner, senior research lead at Dunsky and author of a recent report for Transport Canada that found two-thirds of Canadian dealerships didn't have any electric vehicles in stock before the virus struck. Supply shortages are a global challenge and the distribution of vehicles isn't even across Canada. Few EVs are available outside three provinces, making it difficult to attract new converts. There were 3,453 electric vehicles available at Canadian dealerships in February, down 21 per cent from December 2018. Quebec led with 1,944, followed by B.C. at 692, Ontario with 536, Alberta with 164, Manitoba 36, Saskatchewan 26, Nova Scotia 22, New Brunswick 21. There were eight electric vehicles available for sale in Newfoundland and Labrador and just four in Prince Edward Island. The disparity in part is due to a wide difference in provincial financial incentives, which are intended to help increase consumer interest. As well, some dealerships have been reluctant to add EVs because of the added costs for consumer education, battery-charging infrastructure and the loss of potential service and repair revenues. British Columbia and Quebec's shortage problems eased for a few months 2018 after the Ontario government cancelled its rebate program. That prompted manufacturers to move inventory to these leading EV provinces to meet the mandates of laws requiring minimum sales. (B.C. and Quebec both offer rebate programs for electric vehicles.) "They're focusing that inventory in those provinces where they have targets to meet and so that's what's certainly contributed to some of the challenges in those other provinces that have slim pickings right now for EV shoppers," Turner said in an interview. Even so, demand has outstripped supply in Quebec, resulting in waits that range from several months to a year. Long wait lists can be an impediment to sales, especially for drivers coming off leases, says Daniel Breton, CEO of Electric Mobility Canada. On top of that, salespeople are showing some reluctance to push EV sales. After losing income for a few months because dealerships were closed for months early during the coronavirus, they're not eager to make a sale that would see them wait months for payment-on-delivery commissions, Breton said. Among manufacturers feeling pressure is Toyota, which launched its new RAV4 Prime SUV last month only in Quebec. It's a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) in the popular SUV category that has an electric range of about 68 kilometres and uses gas for longer trips. "We're starting in Quebec because we know that's where the highest level of demand is, but it's rolling out across the country," said Toyota Canada vice-president Stephen Beatty. Some vehicles will be available in B.C. by the end of the year or early 2021 with other provinces getting the plug-in hybrid by the end of 2021. Toyota knew supply would be tight because there are waiting lists for other versions of the popular RAV4. Predicting market dynamics is especially difficult this year because of COVID-related dealership closures and disrupted industry supply chains, said Beatty. "You will see much improved inventories as we move into next year," he said, adding that the company expects electrified vehicles hybrids, plug-ins and fuel cells will account for 40 per cent of sales in Canada by 2025, up from 20 per cent last month and 10 per cent in the last decade. Beatty noted the global shortage of batteries, but said the industry is on the verge of a significant shift in battery chemistry. "Manufacturers are generally throughout the supply chain being cautious about over-investing in current technology when they see new types of batteries with much higher energy density and better pricing two, three years out." Electric Mobility Canada is urging the federal government to boost its $5,000 financial incentive to $6,999 for SUVs and pickup trucks. It also wants to see federal incentives for people to purchase used EVs, which is offered in Quebec. Although Ontario shed its incentive for new cars, residents are eligible for a private incentive of $1,000 from Plug'n Drive for those who buy a used EV and another $1,000 to those who also dispose of their gas vehicle, said Cara Clairman, CEO of the group. The incentive was provided for more than 500 used cars purchased since April 2019. Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The political environment has also changed from a year ago when there were large marches around the world regarding climate change, making the topic front-of-mind for many consumers. "It was a big deal. This year there is so much focus on COVID and kids going back to school; how is it going to happen, is a second wave going to hit us, so I can understand if some (people's) heads are not into this as much as they could have been," Electric Mobility's Breton said. Clairman said she expects supply issues and the current bottleneck will be corrected over the next year or so. She'd also like to see a federal mandate that would require minimum sales of electric vehicles across the country, even though automakers aren't big fans of such a move. Clairman added that she's optimistic that EV sales will bounce back after falling by 50 per cent in the second quarter. "There has been a lull but I'm optimistic it's going to really pick up for the rest of the year." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2020. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of nine highway projects in Bihar via video-conferencing on Monday. These projects involve a road length of about 350 kilometres and will be completed at a cost of 14,258 crore. Also read: PM dedicates Kosi rail mega bridge to nation, inaugurates several rail projects in Bihar The proposed highways will help in the states development as better connectivity, especially with the neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, will encourage economic growth in the area, a government release said. PM Modi will also inaugurate optical fibre internet services in state. Under these, all the 45,945 villages of Bihar will be connected through optical fibre internet service, according to a PMO release issued on Saturday. The PMO described the fibre internet services programme as a prestigious project covering all 45,945 villages of Bihar which will enable a digital revolution to reach the states remotest corner. The Department of Telecom, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology and Common Service Centres (CSC) will execute the project. Also read: At launch, PM Modi hails optical fibre project The project would also entail implementation of one wi-fi and five free-of-cost connections to government Institutions like primary schools, anganwadi centres, Aasha workers and Jeevika Didi, the release said. This project will lead to digital services like e-education, e-agriculture, tele-medicine, tele-law and other social security schemes to be easily available to all citizens of Bihar at the click of the button, it added. (with agency inputs) Dawn Realty Limited (the Company) is pleased to announce that it has signed a Share Subscription Facility agreement ("SSF") with GEM Global Yield LLC SCS ("GEM"), part of the Global Emerging Markets Group. GEM has agreed to provide 40 million to the Company in exchange for the Companys common stock. Funds are available for 60 months, at the Company's discretion, for working capital. The Company has agreed to issue GEM warrants amounting to 10% of the Companys undiluted share capital. The Company will use the funds to strengthen its business of identifying land assets for re-development and re-positioning, accounting for local market conditions, improving return on investment and adding value to communities. The Companys core project, held through its wholly- owned subsidiary Dawn Asset Global Limited, is located 45 minutes outside of Venice, Italy. There, a 250,000 sq.m. commercially-zoned development project has a modern concrete 17,000 sq.m. outdoor pedestrian mall, that the Company is re-positioning into a fully serviced retirement village in three phases. Italys high rate of survival, combined with a decline in fertility, makes Italy one of the oldest countries in the world: International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IASA), Aging Demographic Data Sheet 2018 (Luxenburg, Austria: IIASA, 2018). There is increased demand in Italy for retirement care, filling the gap left by smaller extended families, traditionally providers for eldercare in Italy, that are less able to care for the increasingly aging population. About GEM Global Emerging Markets (GEM) is a $3.4 billion alternative investment group that manages a diverse set of investment vehicles focused on emerging markets across the world and has completed 370+ transactions in 70 countries. GEMs investment vehicles provide the group and its investors with a diversified portfolio of asset classes that span the global private investing spectrum. Its family of funds and investment vehicles provide GEM and its partners with exposure to Small-Mid Cap Management Buyouts, Private Investments in Public Equities (PIPEs) and select venture investments. GEMs private equity funds include the CITIC-GEM Fund (matured in December 2015), Kinderhook Industries (GP and LP non-voting stakes), GEM Global Yield LLC SCS, GEM India and VC Bank/GEM Mena Fund (GEM exited both its GP and LP stakes in these funds in 2015 and 2010, respectively). About Dawn Realty Limited Dawn Realty Limited is a real estate holding company investing in and re-developing land through understanding and applying geopolitical and macro economic trends, in local real estate markets. Land use needs evolve over time and the Company seeks under-performing land assets and applies different perspectives for re-development and then re-positions those assets for maximum growth. Contacts Stephan Jedynak s.jedynak@occhiobello-outlet.com Gianluca Galli g.galli@occhiobello-outlet.com Hearst Connecticut Media file photo WOODBRIDGE There has been a positive test for COVID-19 at Amity Regional High School, according to the superintendent of Amity Regional School District No. 5. The person who tested positive was last at Amity Regional High School on Monday. Those who have been in close contact with the person have been contacted by health officials and provided with steps to take, Superintendent of Schools Jennifer P. Byars wrote in a letter to the school community Friday. She said the district which includes students from Bethany, Orange and Woodbridge was notified that day. India added more than 460,000 cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and over 6,000 people died in the last week, taking its tally past 5.3 million, data from the Union health ministry data shows. There are 428,324 patients of the viral disease who have recovered between Monday and Saturday morning, according to the health ministry. India has been reporting 90,000 fresh Covid-19 infections every day on average and more than 1,000 deaths since Monday, according to the health ministrys coronavirus dashboard. On Monday, there were 986,598 active cases of Covid-19, 3,780,107 recoveries and 79,222 deaths across the country. The infection tally at the beginning of the week stood at 4,846,427, health ministry data showed. On Saturday, the countrys active cases rose to 1,013,964, 4,208,431 coronavirus disease patients recovered and the death toll shot up to 85,619. Also read | Herd immunity unviable, Covid-19 vaccine the only solution The government has said India has overtaken the United States and become the top country in terms of global Covid-19 recoveries. India now accounts for close to 19% of the total global recoveries, which has strongly pushed the national recovery rate to 79.28%, it said Centre-led focussed, calibrated, responsive and effective measures of early identification through high and aggressive testing, prompt surveillance and tracking coupled with standardised high-quality clinical care have together resulted in this global achievement, it said. Also read | Covid-19 cloud may end monsoon session by Wednesday The health ministrys data also shows India registered the highest ever single-day recoveries between Friday and Saturday morning with 95,880 patients discharged on Saturday. It said 90% of the new recovered cases are being reported from 15 states and Union territories. Of the new recovered cases, about 60% are being reported from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. These five states are also the ones with the maximum caseload. Maharashtra has alone contributed more than 22,000 (23%) and Andhra Pradesh has contributed more than 11,000 (12.3%) to the single-day recoveries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet the chief ministers of seven states next week to review the coronavirus situation. News agency PTI cited sources saying the meeting is likely to be held on September 23. Chief ministers of Maharashtra, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh among others are expected to attend the meeting, PTI reported. The Prime Minister has been regularly holding meetings to review the pandemic situation across the country with a focus on states and Union territories where the situation is more serious. His last such meeting was on August 11 with chief ministers and representatives of 10 most-affected states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Punjab, Bihar, Gujarat, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. Globally, there are 30,673,633 cases of the coronavirus disease and 955,404 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins Universitys tracker. The US has the most number of cases, followed by India and Brazil. NOTE: The Press Council has not upheld a complaint about this article. Read the full adjudication here. Icare executives received about $75,000 worth of gifts such as international flights and accommodation, concert tickets and online shopping vouchers between 2015 and this year, including from companies to which the agency has awarded major contracts. Senior staff at the besieged state insurer, including former heads John Nagle and Vivek Bhatia, accepted gifts worth about $65,000 since 2015 from major contractors, including Capgemini, PwC and KPMG, new documents show. Former icare chief executive John Nagle. Credit:James Brickwood Gifts included two tickets to the musical Muriel's Wedding in December 2017 worth $270 were given to an icare executive and his wife by the head of insurance broker JLT Re. The company won a $7.3 million three-year contract with icare in July 2018. As a student, every penny counts and even the smallest contribution to my medical school education can help me concentrate on fighting disparities in healthcare and becoming an empathetic scholar and physician. Sereena Jivraj, a freshman medical student at Texas Christian University (TCU) and University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC), has been awarded SignatureCare Emergency Centers 2020 fall semester Medical and Health Scholarship. The bi-annual $1,000 scholarship award, given to U.S. students who demonstrate commitment and passion for the healthcare and medical fields, is aimed at helping them pay tuition and other school-related expenses. An elated Jivraj thanked SignatureCare Emergency Center for the award. She said it will help take care of her financial burden while she pursues her studies. As a student, every penny counts and even the smallest contribution to my medical school education can help me concentrate on fighting disparities in healthcare and becoming an empathetic scholar and physician, she said. She added that being awarded the scholarship has reinforced the idea in her mind that she can succeed in her pursuit of making a positive impact in her community as a physician. It means a lot to me to gain support from other professionals in the healthcare field to pursue a dream Ive had since I was a child, Sereena said. Recalling a recent opportunity where she volunteered at a local hospital and how that left an indelible mark on her, Sereena said that was the moment she realized she needed to do everything possible to become a physician. So, I took this excitement to the hospital, where I first gained exposure to the medical field, specifically the Labor and Delivery (L&D) wards and the newborn nursery. One specific opportunity arose while volunteering in L&D. I was assigned such a mundane task: position a floor lamp onto the birthing field and hold it there, steady, so that the field could be properly visualized. Ordinarily, in any run of the mill situation, holding a lamp has no significance. This was different. I physically lit the path for life. As mundane and unimportant as my job may have seemed, I played a role in welcoming a brand-new life into this world. And as I held that lamp steady, I watched as a real, focused human bore down and brought that new screaming life into the world while her physician cheered her on and kept her safe, regardless of her skin color. This wasn't Grey's Anatomy or House. This was a genuine life event unfolding right before my eyes. I was hooked. The blood and goriness of it all failed to phase me. Throughout the surprisingly quick process this was the mothers 5th baby I was simply shocked that someone who was once just like me, with aspirations of taking on the field of medicine as a female physician, now had the power to literally change the world we live in and provide care to patients without bias. At that moment, I knew for certain this was the job for me, she said. Rhonda Abbe, Director of Operations for SignatureCare Emergency Center, congratulated Sereena for the achievement while praising her passion and commitment to the medical field. She deserves this award. Her passion and commitment to the medical and healthcare field is apparent and I believe she will do great things for her community and the nation, Abbe said. About SignatureCare Emergency Center SignatureCare Emergency Center owns and manages the fastest growing group of 24-hour emergency rooms throughout Texas. We currently have ERs in Houston (Houston Heights, Montrose, Copperfield, Memorial City, Westchase, Bellaire, Mission Bend/Sugar Land, and Cypress/FM 1960), Stafford, Killeen, Pflugerville, Lewisville, Austin, College Station, Midland, Paris, Odessa and Texarkana. Our newest emergency room location in Atascocita, Humble, TX is due to open in the next few weeks. Go to our website, https://ercare24.com for more information. A firefighter battling the El Dorado Fire east of Los Angeles has died, the U.S. Forest Service said Friday. The cause of the death, which occurred on Thursday, is under investigation, according to the agency. Crews had been trying to locate the firefighter, who went missing in the San Bernardino National Forest while fighting the El Dorado Fire, officials said Thursday night, CBS Los Angeles reported. The firefighter was found dead, according to San Bernardino National Forest Public Information Officer Kate Kramer. The person's name is being withheld until family members are notified. "Our deepest sympathies are with the family, friends and fellow firefighters during this time," the Forest Service said in a news release. The El Dorado Fire has scorched more than 19,000 acres and was 66% contained as of Thursday, according to Cal Fire. It is one of many major wildfires continuing to burn across the state. To date, more than 3.4 million acres have by torched by the record-breaking blazes. Attorney General William Barr brings up slavery when referring to quarantining during the pandemic H.R. McMaster says Trumps Afghanistan policy makes U.S. less safe 60 Minutes reports on mail-in voting in Pennsylvania Charge d'Affaires of the US Mission to ASEAN Melissa A. Brown has affirmed that Washington commends Vietnam for its efforts as ASEAN Chair during this challenging time caused by COVID-19. Charge d'Affaires of the US Mission to ASEAN Melissa A. Brown. Photo: Internet In an interview recently granted to the Vietnam News Agency, Brown said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo praises Vietnam for its work convening ASEAN Foreign Ministers and dialogue partners during these unprecedented times. "Vietnams 2020 ASEAN Chairmanship is an opportunity to strengthen regional cooperation and collaboration. ASEAN demonstrates its effectiveness when the member states are unified and speak with one voice on regional security and economic challenges, she said. She expressed her hope that under Vietnams Chairmanship, ASEAN will stand together to address pressing regional challenges, such as maritime security, trans-national crime, terrorism, humanitarian crises, and the protection of human rights of the regions most vulnerable populations. Brown stressed that ASEAN is at the centre of the USs vision for the Indo-Pacific region. At the ASEAN-US Ministerial Meeting, Secretary Pompeo reiterated the USs support for the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and declared yet again that the US is an enduring, strategic partner to ASEAN. At the meeting, Secretary Pompeo, along with the ASEAN foreign ministers, highlighted the breadth and depth of the US engagement and commitment to ASEAN on regional political, security, economic, and cultural issues. He announced new initiatives to develop human capital and health through the US-ASEAN Health Futures initiative, including a new programme to support an ASEAN Public Health Emergency Coordination System and the launch of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Academy at Fulbright University Vietnam. At the 10th East Asia Summit Ministerial Meeting, Secretary Pompeo highlighted US support for principles of openness, inclusiveness, transparency, and respect for international law, which are shared with the ASEANs Outlook on the Indo Pacific. At the 27th ASEAN Regional Forum Ministerial Meeting, Deputy Secretary Stephen Biegun also reiterated the importance of ensuring peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and highlighted USs efforts and investments to advance the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda in the Indo-Pacific region, she said. According to her, Biegun, on behalf of Secretary Pompeo, also co-chaired the inaugural Mekong-US Partnership Meeting and launched the Mekong-US Partnership with Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, in the presence of the ASEAN Secretary General. The Partnership will expand on cooperation begun in 2009 under the Lower Mekong Initiative by strengthening the autonomy, economic independence, and sustainable development of the Mekong partner countries. During the above meetings, Pompeo conveyed a clear message on marine security and the need to halt aggressive and destabilising policies, including in the East Sea and the Mekong region. He said the US and the ASEAN member states share the common position that all disputes in the East Sea should be resolved peacefully and in line with international law, namely the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. COVID-19 is an unprecedented global challenge and at the ASEAN ministerial meetings, Secretary Pompeo outlined the USs efforts to leverage all available resources to develop safe, effective, affordable, and widely available vaccines and therapeutics to fight against the virus. The US Government has allocated 20.5 billion USD for the development of vaccines and therapeutics, preparedness efforts, and other foreign assistance. The US also provided over 87 million USD in emergency health and humanitarian assistance for ASEAN countries. The Secretary praised ASEANs unity and transparency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in his discussions. At last, Pompeo underscored the USs commitment to using all the tools at its disposal, including the support of the American private sector, to partner with the region in economic recovery efforts. Trade in goods and services between the US and ASEAN was over 354 billion USD in 2019 and ASEAN is the USs fourth largest trading partner. Programmes like the ASEAN Single Window, the US-ASEAN Internship Programme, and the US-ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership are facilitating greater trade, creating new opportunities, and improving the lives of people across the region, Brown said. VNA Vietnams efforts to host AMM 53, related meetings praised Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to ASEAN Igor Driesmans has appreciated Vietnams efforts in hosting the 53rd ASEAN Minister Meeting and related meetings amid unprecedented challenges. The final fight of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgs remarkable 87-year life to beat cancer long enough for a president who shared her commitment to equality and decency to pick her replacement came to an end Friday just as the sun was setting on Washington, D.C., signaling the end to the Jewish calendar year 5780 and the start of Rosh Hashanah. Her longtime friend, the NPR Supreme Court journalist Nina Totenberg, wrote on Twitter that [a] Jewish teaching says those who die just before the Jewish new year are the ones God has held back until the last moment [because] they were needed most & were the most righteous. The term righteous barely begins to describe the long journey of Ginsburg and her fight for equality not just for women, the issue that defined her rise, but ultimately for all Americans. An icon of the so-called Silent Generation that grew up amid a Great Depression and world war, Ginsburg waged her fight across an ever-expanding battlefield. Her personal battles in the 1960s a brilliant young lawyer shut out of many career opportunities because of her gender shaped her role as a field general in the 1970s campaign for equal rights for women, the trajectory that finally propelled her onto the Supreme Court in 1993. READ MORE: Ruth Bader Ginsburg made the impossible look easy | Opinion But by the time Ginsburg reached the nations highest court at age 60, she was a boat beating against the seemingly ceaseless current of Americas conservative backlash. Although she played a key role in many advances in civil rights for LGBTQ people, women and others, her 27 years on the Supreme Court are best remembered for her fiery and, yes, righteous dissents against the pretzel logic that handed the 2000 presidential race to George W. Bush, the obliteration of the Voting Rights Act, and in the Lilly Ledbetter equal-pay case. Ginsburg became associated with the phrase, I dissent, because, as she noted, that lays the foundation for social change. So thats the dissenters hope, she said, that they are writing not for today, but for tomorrow. Tomorrow is now here. Even though Ginsburgs death was hardly a surprise shed been fighting several forms of cancer in the final years of her life it could not have come at a worse time for an American democracy that already seemed to be ripping apart at its well-worn seams. Even beyond the no-holds-barred political brawl it triggers in Washington, the justices passing seemed to cement the notion of this year I mean 2020, not 5781 as the worst in anyones memory, not just because of the obvious, such as 200,000 coronavirus deaths, recession and police brutality, but because weve lost so much wisdom and courage that could have guided us. Its beyond cruel that 2020 has taken away a generation of civil rights heroes not only Ginsburg but many veterans of the 1960s protests for Black civil rights. That includes John Lewis, 80, who spoke of civil disobedience as good trouble even as he was pummeled by racists at a Montgomery bus terminal and the Edmund Pettus Bridge and spent time in a hellhole Mississippi prison, and the Rev. C.T. Vivian, 95, who fought alongside Lewis at Selma and famously told a nightstick-wielding sheriff, Were willing to be beaten for democracy! READ MORE: Ruth Bader Ginsburg lauded in Philly as a legal and feminist icon whose voice soared above the rest These were complicated people with complex motivations, but I do think its fair to say that those who grew up in a time of life-and-death moral challenges from World War II to racial apartheid here in America were willing to take the kinds of great risks that those of us who were pampered by their victories have shied away from. In a sense, the deaths of Vivian, Lewis and now Ginsburg demand that we, the living, pick up their torches and stumble in the dark toward the courage that so often eludes us to be willing to be beaten for democracy, to stand up when it seems that all hope is lost, and to loudly declare that I dissent! The moral monstrosity of President Trump and Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, and the threat these two men and their feckless allies pose to 244 years of imperfect American democracy demand a Vivian-Lewis-Ginsburg level of courage, both from opposition political leaders but also from everyday folks like you and me. The news flashes about Ginsburgs death were still bouncing off the stratosphere when McConnell and then Trump announced to no ones surprise they will push with record speed to name a conservative replacement for the liberal Ginsburg and hold a Senate confirmation vote quite possibly before the Nov. 3 presidential election, perhaps to have more pro-Trump justices in place for a contested outcome. In a simpler time, theres an argument that despite the lack of time to give this lifetime justice a proper vetting, and other problems its Trumps right to do this as the 2016 Electoral College winner. That simpler time ended in the late winter of 2016 when McConnell denied even a hearing, let alone a vote, for the highly qualified appointee by the 2012 Electoral College winner, Barack Obama. The transparently ridiculous logic that the Senate leader and his lapdogs like Sen. Lindsey Graham are using to justify stealing Supreme Court seats on both the front and (hopefully) back end of Trumps presidency is nothing more than an authoritarian exercise of power that would have made Machiavelli himself proud. READ MORE: Even if Joe Biden wins, Trump and Mitch McConnells judges could block U.S. progress for decades | Will Bunch In their essential 2018 book, How Democracy Dies, the political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt argue that dictatorships frequently arise when amoral, power-hungry leaders use methods that dont necessarily violate the letter of constitutional law but that previous generations avoided because such measures destroy the spirit and meaning of democracy. They describe the obliteration of a nations unwritten governing norms as plowing through the guardrails of democracy and now Trump, McConnell and Graham are willing to drive that bus right off the cliff, daring the rest of us to stand in the highway and stop them. There are several escape routes out of Americas worst constitutional crisis since the Civil War one of them easy and the others much more uncomfortable than what were used to. The best outcome, of course, is to hope that four Republican senators side with the 47 Democrats to choose a road of democracy and fairness over Trumps autocratic autobahn. That could realistically happen, especially as an election looms with a number of GOP incumbents in danger. In the two days since Ginsburgs death three Republicans, Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Cory Gardner of Colorado have signaled they might wait for the presidential inauguration in January. Indeed, if McConnell were smart, hed be playing a kind of four-dimensional chess in which the likes of Collins or Gardner save their reelection by standing up to him, which would then help the Kentuckian retain his Senate leadership and thus the votes to deny a President Biden a liberal justice in 2021. READ MORE: Pat Toomey took a stance on Obamas last Supreme Court nominee. Hell face pressure to stick to it now. But McConnell isnt particularly smart; he exercises power through a psychopathic devotion to winning for winnings sake. Hes kept enough of his 52 other senators in line to install the judicially intemperate Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 and to thwart the last, best hope for democracy Trumps removal from office earlier this year. I wouldnt bet against his ability to twist arms to win what he surely sees as the fight of his lifetime. Then what? Then the fight occurs on two levels. The first battle is top-down, and its whether Democrats have the courage to plan for using their hoped-for control of the levers of power in 2021 to take measures that once, understandably, have seemed extreme in past times but which now are the only ways to repair the remarkable destruction to democracy wrought by Trump and McConnell. The most obvious of these would be expanding the size of the Supreme Court which is constitutionally permissible and was done several times in the 19th century by at least two and arguably four seats, to blunt the bad faith actions by Republicans since 2016. In tandem with these moves, Democrats can and should plan to vote statehood for D.C. and (if citizens there truly want it) Puerto Rico, and end the filibuster. All of these moves would expand Democratic power but are also morally long overdue. One problem is that the man who would be 46th president, Joe Biden, would need to be dragged kicking and screaming into this brave new world. The Delawareans 1973-forged faith in a long-dissipated ideal of bipartisanship may have blinded him to 2021s reality. So this is where we, the people, have to get involved. The thousands of people who spontaneously packed the plaza outside the Supreme Court Friday night and again on Saturday for impromptu vigils show how deeply many Americans cared for Ginsburgs ideals, and about her replacement. If McConnell appears able to forge ahead with a vote on Trumps nominee, either in October or during a lame duck session after the election, that energy must be channeled into massive civil disobedience on an unprecedented level. READ MORE: Pennsylvania braces for a presidential election reshaped by a Supreme Court fight If McConnell sets a date for a confirmation vote, the American people need to respond with a general strike to shut down the entire country, maybe for a day or two, maybe a week, maybe longer. This is a tactic that although its succeeded on a municipal level, in a different century hasnt ever worked on a national scale. American capitalism can brutally punish displays of courage around work. But theres a first time for everything, and if an authoritarian power grab wont do it, then our democracy is beyond saving. I also see a general strike as a galvanizing tool both to drag too often cowardly Democratic leaders toward facing the realities of the Trump/McConnell threat, but also to rally strike participants behind longer-term protest measures. These could and should include massive economic boycotts of the companies that are funding GOP authoritarianism, as well as future acts of civil disobedience. We must demand that the November election winner pick Ginsburgs replacement. And if we dont get it? Shut it down. READ MORE: Political Cartoon: Ruth Bader Ginsburgs followers As someone who voted for the first time into the teeth of the Reagan landslide in 1980, I know how a lot of folks on the battered left side of the dial will react to these ideas: Youll only be energizing the Other Side. Fight back, they say, and youll be motivating Trumps voters (Really? They werent motivated before this?) or inspiring the president to send out the troops and go Full Dictator that its best to take a principled stand but lay low. But frankly, laying low and toothless principled-but-losing stands are whats brought America to the brink. Now its time to fight. In doing so, youll be honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburgs dying wish, that the current president not name her replacement. By fighting cancer with every ounce of her blood until little more than six weeks before the election, she almost got us there with her own, enormous force of will. But she left it to us to finish the task. To get there will require good trouble, necessary trouble, to be willing to be beaten for democracy. To stand up and declare: I dissent. READ MORE: SIGN UP: The Will Bunch Newsletter News correspondent, TV host and film actress Olivia Munn was seen looking sexy and well put-together in Studio City, California on Saturday. The X-Men actress, 40, displayed her enviable figure in a sporty ensemble, consisting of a flirty white crop top and retro dark blue Adidas sweatpants. Olivia let her long straight raven dark hair hang long, and she covered up with black cat-eye sunshades and a high-tech looking black face mask with vents. Beauty in profile: Actress Olivia Munn was seen looking sexy and well put-together in Studio City, California on Saturday Her toned tummy was on full display as she ambled along, carrying a small black leather pouch and wallet. Her vintage sweatpants sported the Adidas logo along with white piping down the sides. On her feet, the Newsroom star wore stylish wedge black sneakers with white soles. The sighting comes two days after Olivia posted a positively galvanizing clip from a training session at the gym. Trim and fit: The X-Men actress displayed her enviable figure in a sporty ensemble, consisting of a flirty white crop top and retro dark blue Adidas sweatpants On her way: Her toned tummy was on full display as she ambled along, carrying her smartphone, a small black leather pouch and wallet In the snippet posted to her Instagram, Munn can be seen matched up with her trainer Jeremy Marinas in a bout of wrestling. The brief video shows a cat-like Olivia grabbing the man and deftly slamming him to the ground in an impressive roundhouse move. Later, she took to her IG Stories to show the bloody aftermath, as it seems she injured Jeremy on the wrist. Look at her go: The sighting comes two days after Olivia posted a positively galvanizing clip from a training session at the gym Psylocke in action: The brief video shows a cat-like Olivia grabbing her trainer and deftly slamming him to the ground in an impressive roundhouse move 'That bled a lot,' she wrote over one photo. 'I'm sorry' Another recent post from the Daily Show star showed her with friends in a sauna, one of whom was comedy star Whitney Cummings. Olivia has wrapped production on two upcoming projects, including a film directed by Family Ties star Justine Bateman called Violet. Woah: Later, Munn took to her IG Stories to show the bloody aftermath, as it seems she injured trainer Jeremy on the wrist In that film, Olivia will play the title role of Violet, a film development executive looking for guidance. The film costars Justin Theroux, Colleen Camp and Laura San Giacomo. Munn will also soon be seen in the mystery drama The Gateway, opposite Keith David, Taryn Manning and Frank Grillo. Lucknow, Sep 20 : The world famous Chhota Imambara that is must on the itinerary of every visitor to Lucknow, has now been 'scarred' by the Lucknow Police. The police outpost built at the gate of Chhota Imambara has not only disturbed the facade of the monument but also is a major violation of the rules of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and the Hussainabad Allied Trust (HAT). The officials of the ASI and the HAT, which owns the structure, call it a case of 'extreme illegality and brazen violation of the Ancient Monument and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment and Validation) (AMASR) Act, 2010'. The Act strictly prohibits construction or renovation within a 100-metre area of a protected monument. Manoj Saxena, deputy superintending archaeologist, Lucknow Circle, ASI said, "It is a purely illegal act. We have served notice on the police station to stop the work immediately." I. P. Singh, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Chowk area, under which the police outpost comes, said, "The matter is in our knowledge. We have ordered a probe into it." Interestingly, the restoration of the police outpost, locally known as Satkhanda police chowki, is also in violation of the high court's order, directing the HAT to fund and the ASI to ensure restoration of the same gate. Officials with the HAT said the illegality first came to light four days ago when a group of masons was found busy demolishing the shade of the gate to pave the way for a new one to suit their own requirement and design. "By the time, we got the information and rushed to the spot, the entire shade, all made up of red lakhauri bricks, was demolished by masons. On inquiring, they simply responded that "Chowki prabhari sahib ka adesh hai (It is the police outpost in-charge's order)", an official of the HAT said. The team discovered that there was no illegal act done to the monument. "We also found that the interior of the chowki had all been changed. In place of the old lakhauri walls, there were new cement walls," the official added. When the officials objected to the illegality, police personnel assured them that they would stop the work immediately and apply for permission for the same. "But overnight, they re-started construction work and completed the structure. They got it painted so that it gels with the remaining structure," the official further said. A letter has also been sent by the HAT in this regard, to the City Magistrate, who is the secretary of the trust that was formed by King Mohammed Ali Shah in 1839 to meet the religious and charitable needs of the community and to maintain the Nawabi-era structures owned by the trust. Sushil Pratap Singh, City Magistrate and secretary of HAT, said, "I am unaware of this illegality. If this is so, we would serve notice and will initiate maximum action against the erring person." The police outpost was established in the 1990s to maintain law and order in the area, which was very sensitive due to sectarian disputes. Since then, the police outpost had become a permanent feature at the gate. Officials also called it a contempt of the high court order as the matter of restoration of the same gate was pending with the court. The restoration work of the gate was started in 2014 following an order of the Allahabad high court. In compliance with the high court order passed on May 12, 2014, a meeting of officials of the district administration, ASI and directorate of archaeology, Uttar Pradesh, was held under the chairmanship of the then principal secretary, department of culture, on May 17, 2014 and it was directed that the restoration work of the eastern gate of Chhota Imambara would be done by the ASI and would be funded by HAT. The HC order was an outcome of a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by S. Mohammed Haider, a corporate lawyer and heritage activist, who had approached the court in 2013. In the PIL, Haider had sought the court's intervention for ensuring repair, maintenance and removal of encroachment within the premises of the monuments. Ramu Patil By Express News Service BENGALURU: The 10-day state legislative session, being held under the shadow of Covid-19, will start from Monday. While it is expected to be stormy with the opposition all set to take the government to task over many issues, including the ordinances, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister JC Madhu Swamy told The New Indian Express that the government is fully prepared to defend its decision in the Assembly. Here are the excerpts from an interview. The session is being conducted when Covid cases are surging. What precautions are being taken? We have taken a number of measures. All ministers and MLAs have to get the Covid test done 72 hours prior to the session and come with the test report. Appropriate changes have been made in seating arrangements to ensure safe distancing between members inside the House, and also, transparent sheets have been placed between seats. Face masks and shields are being distributed and all the members have to wear them while entering the House. We are also conducting RT-PCR tests for members, officials and media at Vidhana Soudha. To ensure that there is no crowding inside, only one officer can come with the minister and only secretary-level officers will be present in the House. We have also decided on the ministers who will be present in the Assembly and Council. Given the concerns over a number of elected representatives testing positive, will the session go on for 10 days? We have to conduct the session because a lot of bills are pending. Most of them are Ordinance Replacement Bills that have to be passed on the floor of the House within six months or they will expire. The decision on the duration and other aspects of the session depends on the outcome of the Business Advisory Committee meeting on Monday. However, there will be some issues as many MLAs are testing positive. It may not be a full-fledged session, but we are bound constitutionally to conduct it. Some opposition leaders are also demanding the extension of session to discuss important issues and bills. It all depends on the Business Advisory Committee meeting. Leaders from all parties will sit together and decide on all these aspects on Monday. The government has come under fire from opposition parties and farmer organisations for amending the Land Reforms Act. How is the government planning to defend its position? We are clear that we have not done anything wrong by amending the Act. We have a wonderful case to defend and we will do it on the floor of the House. In the Assembly, we will explain all the aspects and give reasons for taking the decision. We are not biased and it is a conscious decision taken in the interest of agriculture community and the state. From day one, I have been asking them (opposition) one question: When you have not prohibited the sale, why are you restricting the purchaser? As an agriculturalist living in a rural area, I am exposed to all these experiences. People have not stopped selling lands. But by ensuring that there is no competition, vested interests are purchasing the land (at lower prices). We have not prevented any sale of agriculture properties. It was the Congress that had given exemption to buy land. We will certainly defend our decision. What about the APMC Act amendment and other issues that the opposition is planning to take up in the House? We have discussed at length before enacting all the legislation. We will defend our decisions How to you respond to speculation over leadership change in the state? It is all just speculation and there is no truth in it. (Reuters) - The European Union's lack of action over Belarus is undermining the credibility of its foreign policy, Lithuanian foreign affairs minister Linas Linkevicius told the Financial Times newspaper in an interview published on Sunday. The EU needs to encourage democracy and counter Russia's influence in Belarus, Linkevicius said in the interview, adding that the bloc should provide "concrete help" to Belarus' opposition. "Sometimes we react too late and our measures are fragmented and aren't making any impression on society or the people in power," Linkevicius said. "When we will not stand true on our national commitments, it will shatter our own foundation", he said. "Belarusian people should not feel deserted." Linkevicius said that he would have preferred the EU to wield sanctions, as Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia had done against President Alexander Lukashenko and 29 other Belarusian officials. Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called on the United Nations on Friday to condemn the crackdown by Lukashenko on protesters who charge he rigged his re-election victory last month. Tsikhanouskaya also called on the international community to impose sanctions on the individuals responsible for electoral violations. The opposition leader spoke from the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, where she fled after Lukashenko launched his crackdown. Lukashenko, in power for 26 years, has faced a wave of opposition protests since his Aug. 9 election victory. He has denied accusations by the opposition and Western countries that the vote was rigged and has resisted demands to step down. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) Photograph: Michael Reynolds/EPA US airlines are facing what one leading analyst calls a Thelma and Louise moment as the industry approaches a government-funding deadline that could decide its future. On 30 September a government aid packages used to protect workers expires, the airlines have already announced huge layoffs but what comes next could be even worse. I dont think people get the Thelma and Louise analogy here. The car is up to speed, its headed toward the cliff and we know what happens next because youve seen the movie, said industry analyst Robert Mann. Along with leisure and retail, the airline industry has been one of the most direly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Passenger numbers are down 70% and the loss of business and frequent flyer travelers has pushed revenue down by as as much as 85%. In March, airlines were offered two sources of money as part of the US governments coronavirus stimulus package, the Cares Act. The act gave the industry $25bn in loans to cover general costs and $25bn to keep workers on payroll. The payroll cash is made up of grants that dont need to be paid back but the loans come with strings attached. Airlines will have to give the US government some equity stake in return for the loans. Some airlines, including American, Hawaiian Airlines and Spirit Airlines have agreed to take the cash. Others including Delta, United and Southwest, have yet to decide whether they will tap the loans. Delta has warned that it may furlough more than 1,900 pilots. Photograph: Charlie Riedel/AP The situation is dire. Over the summer, American and Southwest both posted quarterly losses, with American dropping more than 86% to $1.6bn from nearly $12bn a year earlier. Southwests sales fell to $1bn, a drop of 83% from $5.9bn last year. With passengers avoiding airline travel over the peak summer months, conditions have barely improved. Delta has warned that it may furlough more than 1,900 pilots, American said in July it could cut up to 19,000 workers and United could furlough 36,000 workers or nearly 40% of its staff, if enough employees do not accept buyout packages. Story continues Travel since March has been subsidized and the activity that is out there is 70% down and at fares 30% lower than they used to be, said Mann. There are no business travelers out there because companies have told them theyre under a travel ban, and if you do then dont come back in the office. International travel is down even more dramatically, with carriers operating a reported 2% to 4% of their normal number of flights. As the deadline for accepting the loans approaches, and additional Congress still arguing over whether or not to extend payroll grants, airlines are facing a difficult proposition. There are two theories, says Mann. One is that the industry goes over a cliff in October and it tries to tread water until there is a widely-administered vaccine and business travel comes back. American reported quarterly losses, dropping more than 86% to $1.6bn from nearly $12bn a year earlier. Photograph: Wilfredo Lee/AP The second theory, Mann says, is that there will be some kind of last-minute reprieve and governments decide to subsidize the industry until a vaccine is a reality. While that would be expensive, it would preserve a lot of employment and service, which will otherwise be immediately withdrawn starting in October. Under a deal agreed with the department of transport, airlines were obligated to maintain their routes but permitted to cut back services. The obligation to maintain routes will also be withdrawn at the end of the month when support is lifted. The service mandates that will expire will mean cuts in services to smaller communities and services by smaller regional airlines, which are often subsidiaries of the major airlines, Mann said. If youre in a city that loses service that will have a major impact on your local economy. The only thing that will change that is the availability of a vaccine. Until now, the major carriers have been trying to avoid taking out government loans. Cash-cushioned Delta Air Lines and Southwest, with around $19bn in cash-on-hand, have both declined. On Monday, Delta announced plans to raise $6.5bn in bonds and loans backed by its SkyMiles frequent flier program. That follows United, which used its MileagePlus program as collateral for a $5bn financing deal in June. Others may be forced to accept the governments offer. American Airlines, which has raised $2bn privately, has said it will use its program to back a $4.75bn treasury loan. Last week, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly told the Dallas Business Journal his guess is the industry will receive more financial support from the government. My guess is that there is a Cares Act II, and I think as long as it has enough room, my guess is that there will be support for the airlines again, Kelly said. The logic for it was simple, he continued: The whole idea was to preserve the infrastructure and the jobs to get through this trough. And I think that that was a good idea. I think the only mistake was everyone underestimated how long that trough is going to take. But without the support of a Cares Act II, Mann says airlines will have to try to summon confidence they can continue to burn cash for as long as it takes for demand in revenue terms to return. If youre Southwest with $19bn in cash, you can continue to burn $20m a day for three years. But what happens to competitors without that ability? What if were still talking about this in a year? Were going to see some kind of industry restructuring, and given how concentrated the industry already is, its going to be problematic how that evolves. As the cliff-edge approaches, there remains the crucial question of when passengers will feel confident to travel by air again. New rules from mask requirements to temperature screenings have been broadly enacted. But while some airlines have been keeping middle seats open, others have been packing existing flights. In March, entrepreneur Mark Cuban noted that how companies treat employees and customers during the pandemic will define their business. Not only is it a safety issue, its a business issue, Cuban said. How companies respond to that very question is going to define their brand for decades. If you rushed in and somebody got sick, you were that company. If you didnt take care of your employees or stakeholders and put them first, you were that company, he added. Mann believes for the airlines facing an October crunch, that idea may be more critical now than it was even then. Delta and Southwest have generally treated their customers well. Theyve kept the middle seats open, and tried to make it as comfortable and safe as they can. On the flipside, youve got airlines packing planes and who have no intention of providing any kind of distancing measures. For those carriers, Mann says, it comes down to a fundamental question of aviation safety. The industry would be a fraction of its current size if people didnt think flying was safe. That has seldom been more true than in the time of Covid-19. Perception, Mann points out, is reality. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 20, 2020 13:31 488 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45f7144 1 National KPU,COVID-19,general-elections,covid-19-Indonesia,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,coronavirus,Pilkada-2020,2020-regional-elections,regional-elections Free General Elections Commission (KPU) commissioner Pramono Ubaid Tanthowi announced on Saturday that he had contracted COVID-19, making him the third KPU commissioner to test positive for the disease. According to a swab test I took on Friday, the results of which I have received this afternoon, I have been declared positive COVID-19, he told the press on Saturday as quoted by tempo.co. He added that he was in good condition and had experienced no symptoms. On Friday, KPU chairman Arief Budiman also tested positive for COVID-19 after undergoing a swab test on Thursday evening. Previously, KPU commissioner Evi Novida Ginting Manik had tested positive on Sept. 9. Pramono said he had been working closely with Arief and attended an election e-counting system trial in Depok, West Java, with him on Wednesday. We [also] attended a memorandum of understanding signing event between the KPU and Hasanuddin University in Makassar [South Sulawesi] and a seminar on the campus on Sept. 14 and 15, he said. He added that he had been self-isolating at his official residence, apart from his family who are staying at a private home in Tangerang, Banten. I continue to perform my duties to prepare for the 2020 regional elections while working from home, he said. The 2020 simultaneous regional elections were initially slated for Sept. 23 but were postponed to Dec. 9 due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), election watchdogs and experts have called on the government to further postpone the elections because of public health risks and possible low voter turnout. Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) executive director Khoirunnisa Agustyati also said that she regretted the governments decision to hold the election during the pandemic. The option to postpone the regional election in 270 regions does exist. The government can also partially postpone the election, for example, in regions with high cases of COVID-19, she said as quoted by kompas.com. However, deputy chairman of the House of Representatives Commission II overseeing home affairs, Saan Mustopa, said there has been no discussion about postponing the elections. While Pak Arief Budiman is recovering and self-isolating, his duties will be covered by other KPU commissioners. So, in my opinion, the regional elections preparations will not be affected, Saan said. (trn) Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presides over a meeting with grassroots representatives in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, Sept. 17, 2020. Xi has called for efforts to integrate enhancing top-level design and soliciting public opinion in formulating the 14th Five-Year plan. (Xinhua/Li Xueren) CHANGSHA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for efforts to integrate enhancing top-level design and soliciting public opinion in formulating the 14th Five-Year plan. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during a meeting with grassroots representatives in central China's Hunan Province on Thursday. Stressing the goal of realizing people's aspirations to live a better life, Xi encouraged the public to offer advice and suggestions for compiling the plan through various channels to ensure that the plan will respond to the wishes and meet the expectations of the people. During the meeting, 10 primary-level representatives offered their suggestions on rural education, poverty alleviation through industrial support, and the development of micro and small businesses, among other aspects. Noting that their ideas better reflect primary-level realities, Xi urged relevant departments to carefully study and fully absorb the suggestions. China is still in an important period of strategic opportunity for development, but is facing new opportunities and challenges, Xi said, noting that the people have been united as one in the face of hardships and difficulties and worked hard to make major contributions. When making plans for the 14th five-year period (2021-2025), more efforts should be made to improve weak links concerning people's livelihood, while striving for high-quality development so that the people will always have a stronger sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security, according to Xi. He also called for more targeted measures to perform relevant tasks. Xi emphasized consolidating governance at the primary level and uniting and guiding the people to give full play to their enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity. Xi urged Party members and officials to play an exemplary role, lawmakers to strengthen their ties with the people, political advisors to better communicate with and serve the people, and rural people who have become well-off to more actively help those who lag. Brock Ervin demonstrates outside the Indiana House chamber before the state's eleven electors cast ballots for president and vice president. (Darron Cummings / Associated Press) To the editor: One of Jonah Goldbergs objections to electing presidents by popular vote (which would have spared us both George W. Bush and Donald Trump, by the way) is that candidates could rack up majorities by appealing to a handful of large highly urbanized states. As opposed to what, the way they currently pingpong between a handful of battleground states? You dont see many candidates making appearances in Arkansas or Wyoming these days. And speaking of the Cowboy State, my real objection to the electoral college is the way it allocates absurdly disproportionate weight to voters in small states. An elector in Wyoming represents around 150,000 voters, whereas a California elector represents the votes of some 500,000 residents. That makes their votes over 3 times more powerful than ours. Please explain how that makes any sense. Timothy Paine, Burbank .. To the editor: Jonah Goldbergs arguments are unconvincing. As someone who lives in California, I want my vote to count as much as anyone else in our country. The electoral college has allowed the Republicans to win the presidency three times this century even though they have won the popular vote for president only one time since 1988! This directly led to the war in Iraq, one of Americas worst foreign policy blunders, and Trumps disastrous presidency. I do agree that the best way to remove the electoral colleges negative impact is to have a compact between the states. Many states, including California, have signed on to this agreement already. David Bendall, Aliso Viejo .. To the editor: While Goldberg may be correct that direct voting without the electoral college would pressure candidates to cater to the largest population centers at the expense of less densely populated regions, the opposite happens now. Battleground states get the lions share of political advertising and campaign events while large populated states like California and New York get ignored. The electoral college also tends to over-value rural voters. Story continues If democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others, as Churchill is reported to have said, then it must be because it is the only system that allows for the widest participation of its citizens through the process of voting. The logical extension of that is one person, one vote. Chris Fite, Spring Valley .. To the editor: Jonah Goldbergs op-ed reminded me of a conversation I had with a Canadian farmer in 2018. He wondered how Americans could have elected Trump. When I asked, he said he didnt know about the electoral college. So I explained the process. I then mentioned something else he didnt know: Although Trump won the electoral vote, Hillary Clinton actually received about 3 million more individual votes than Trump did. And thats supposed to be the shining example of democracy to the world, he said. John Tabor, Torrance ISLAMABAD : Pakistans deposed premier Nawaz Sharif on Sunday staged a political comeback by criticising the powerful Army and said the Opposition was not against Prime Minister Imran Khan but against those who brought an "inefficient" man to power. Addressing the All-Parties Conference (APC) hosted by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) via a video link aimed at launching a protest movement against the Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, the three-time premier launched a scathing attack on the ruling party for its failure to address the basic problems of the people". Sharif, 70, the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) supremo, has been living in London since November last year after the Lahore High Court granted him permission to go abroad for four weeks for treatment. On Friday, PPP chairman Zardari talked to him over phone and invited him to virtually attend the Opposition-led All Parties Conference (APC) scheduled to be held on Sunday. Addressing the conference, Sharif criticised the countrys powerful establishment for allegedly supporting Khan. "Our struggle is not against Imran Khan. Today, our struggle is against those who installed Imran Khan and who manipulated elections (of 2018) to bring an inefficient man like him into power and thus destroyed the country," he said. Sharif said that the foremost priority should be to remove this selected government and this system", adding that "if the change is not brought, it will bring irreversible loss to this country." He asked the powerful Army to stay away from politics and follow the Constitution and vision of the countrys father Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. It is very important that our armed forces stay away from our governmental system according to our Constitution and the Quaid's speech, and not interfere with the people's choice. We have made this country a joke in our own eyes and internationally as well," he said. Sharif pointed out that former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani once said that there was "a state within a state" in Pakistan. It is saddening that the situation has escalated to a state above the state. This parallel government illness is the root-cause of our problems," he said. He asked the leaders attending the conference to make important decisions to change the system of the country, alleging that the current government has enforced martial law" in the country. This conference should bring forth a concrete plan of action for saving democracy, a concrete policy should be made for solving the problem of a parallel state I again urge this all-party conference to go beyond its traditional ways and form a plan of action," he said. Sharif reiterated that the vote of people should be honoured which was the only way to save democracy and the country. "Pakistan has been constantly deprived from a democratic system. When the vote is dishonored, the entire democratic system becomes meaningless. When it is decided before the election process as to who will win and who will lose, then it can be guessed how the public is betrayed and how the public's mandate is stolen," he said. He said that military dictators ruled for multiple years but none of the elected prime ministers had been allowed to complete the allotted five years. Without naming former military dictator Pervez Musharraf, he said that the court did not act against him for suspending the Constitution. Courts gave dictators the right to play with the Constitution and acquitted someone (Musharraf) who suspended the Constitution twice. Whereas the ones who follow the Constitution are still in jail," he said. The powerful Army, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 70 plus years of existence, has hitherto wielded considerable power in the matters of security and foreign policy. Before Sharif, former president Asif Ali Zardari also addressed the conference through a video-link and criticised the government which he said was using the tactics to suppress the Opposition. It is important that all parties join hands to get rid of this government," he said. PPP chairman Bilawal is hosting and presiding over the conference with several opposition parties attending it to chalk out a course of action to launch protests against the government. Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar were convicted in the Avenfield properties case on July 6, 2018. Sharif, who was deposed in 2017, was also sentenced to seven years in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case in December 2018. But, he was bailed out in both cases and also allowed to go to London for medical treatment. He was given eight weeks to return but failed to come back due to health complications, according to his lawyer. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Research Fellow at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) has expressed concerns about the failure of politicians and political parties to provide clear strategies and direction for financing their manifesto promises. Dr Ama Pokuaa Fenny has asked Ghanaians not to vote for political parties or politicians based on juicy electoral promises but should demand how those promises would be financed when given the mandate to govern the country. Dr Fenny told the media on Saturday when analysing the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) manifestoes. Dr Fenny lauded the NDC's promise of providing free primary healthcare when voted back to power in the December 7 Election. She, however, expressed disappointment that the Party failed to provide clear direction on sources of funding for implementing the policy. She expressed the fear that, if care is not taken the implementation of the policy could rather collapse the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and return the nation to the era of the obnoxious 'Cash and Carry' system. Economists and health experts have envisaged that Ghana would require about seven billion Ghana cedis to implement free primary healthcare per year for a population of 31 million. They also projected that the COVID-19 pandemic would result in shortfalls or deficit in government's revenue, therefore citizens must ask critical questions when politicians and political parties are making juicy promises. Dr Fenny also lauded the NPP's promise of ensuing health promotion and prevention, but suggested that the private health facilities should be well integrated in the delivery of health services in the country. She lauded the efforts by the government to digitise health administration and believed it would go a long way to enhance healthcare in the country. Dr Fenny said the NPP promise of constructing district hospitals in 88 districts was good and timely, but there should be plans to train sufficient health personnel, coupled with the provision of medical equipment and supplies to make the health facilities efficient. On NDC's promise of increasing the maternity leave of female workers from three to four months, Dr Fenny lauded the move but cautioned that such a policy could affect female employment, especially in the private sector. She, therefore, called for proper supervision so that the policy does not adversely impact on female employment. 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 2-Year-Old Boy Dies After Apparent Self-Inflicted Gunshot: Police A 2-year-old North Carolina boy died after an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, said authorities. The boy injured himself on Sept. 16 but was pronounced dead on Saturday, officials told ABC11. The shooting is still under investigation. The childs name hasnt been released. Its not clear how the boy shot himself or how he was able to obtain the firearm. Fayetteville police Lt. Gary Womble said that two adults and possibly a teenager were in the home at the time of the shooting, reported CBS17. I dont have any information as to how the child was shot at this point, said Womble. The detectives are working that angle to find out because we want to know certainly what happened to the child so thats what theyre learning right now. Authorities said the boy was airlifted to UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill at around 10 a.m. after the incident occurred, CBS17 reported. In my opinion, any gunshot wound is serious, especially when it happens to a juvenile, said Womble last week, reported ABC News. Its even more serious and more serious for us in our investigative methods to find out exactly what occurred that a child would suffer a gunshot wound. Thats important to us and thats what (sic) the detectives are working hard to determine what happened. A neighbor said she woke up to hear a woman crying for help after first responders arrived on the scene, according to the ABC affiliate. Police said that the boys father was identified as Alonzo Hurtado, who was found dead on May 7, 2019, inside a vehicle parked at Abbots Landing Apartments in Fayetteville. Hurtado was shot several times, they said. Other details about the incident are not clear. - A 15-year-old Nigerian boy has joined other geniuses in the country in showcasing their creative work - The Anambra state indigene used cartons to design building prototypes whose photos ignited the internet - Netizens showered him with love as pictures of his masterpiece art work were shared on social media PAY ATTENTION: Click 'See First' under 'Follow' Tab to see Tuko.co.ke news on your FB Feed Read A 15-year-old Nigerian boy has become a social media sensation after crafting impressive prototypes of complex buildings using cartoons. The young boy assembled cartons and used them in designing building prototypes and pictures of the masterpiece work have gone viral on social media. READ ALSO: Video of young lady begging hawker for kiss while in traffic causes a stir online Nigerians showered him with love as pictures of his masterpiece were shared on social media. Photo credit: @NugeriaStories Source: UGC READ ALSO: Seneta Murkomen ataka kocha wa Man United afutwe kazi kwa kuleta aibu The images of the boy's prototypes were shared on social media under @NigeriaStories on Saturday, September 19, disclosing the little genius was from Ezinifite in Aguata local government, Anambra state. Netizens who saw the magnificent images of the teenager did not hide their admiration for the artwork. READ ALSO: Yvonne Okwara surprises musician who named his song after her A Twitter user with the handle @omotoyo_si wrote: "He clearly wants to be an architect or some profession connected with building. But this country will be making him shout "give it up for DJ Ezy" few years from now." Another Twitter user with the handle @eruke_clem21 wrote: "Such a talented child should be picked up now by the state and federal government and encouraged to do more." Below are other reactions: In related news, a Nigeria wonderkid from a humble background built a motorbike, single-seater aircraft, a two-seater sea boat and some remote-controlled cars before he turned 18. Born to the family of Rechiel in Umuebo Umuezeala Owerre of Ehime Mbano LGA in Imo state, the sixth child in the family of 10 explored his creative abilities and talents at the age of 7. And at the turn of 16, he Rechiel built an RC scale airplane which he called "Donko King". Elsewhere, a young baker making Nigeria proud with his amazing skills in making cakes with unfathomable shapes, some resembling bungalows and maisonettes. Prince Obua has become a social media sensation thanks to his gifted hands. Among the recent artworks he crafted that captured the attention of netizens was a cake resembling the image of Nollywood actor Zubby Michael's house. He shared the pictures on Facebook and netizens flooded the comment section to commend him for the beautiful cake. Obua's work has earned him both local and international recognition. PAY ATTENTION: Help us change more lives, join TUKO.co.kes Patreon programme - TUKO.co.ke Patreon Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. My children are not a curse - Judy Kemuma | Tuko Talks | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Multiple posts on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms claim that having a dry throat will cause germs to enter ones body. The claim is false; the Thai Public Health Ministry denies it has ever issued such advice; medical experts say dry throat does not increase the risk of infection. A screenshot of the post can be found here. Translated to English, the posts lengthy Thai text partly reads: Ministry of Health warned that this influenza is very serious. Prevention method: - Must maintain the throats membrane moisture - Do not let your throat be dried, do not tolerate thirstiness, because if your throat membrane gets dry, germs will enter the body. - When you feel thirsty, just drink water. The claim is false. Dr. Suthat Chotanapan, director of the Bureau of Risk Communication and Health Behavior Development for the Ministry of Public Health, told AFP on September 15, 2020, that the ministry has never announced this. Having a dry throat is irrelevant to how humans are infected with germs, Dr. Thira Woratanarat, associate professor of the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine at Chulalongkorn University, also told AFP via telephone on September 15, 2020. A dry throat doesnt increase virus infections. Germs enter our body through cells, respiratory tract, passing through bronchia, and eventually lungs. Having a dry throat doesnt increase all virus infections, including the COVID-19, and its not irrelevant, Dr. Thira said. Although drinking water is recommended for patients who cough in order to ease the irritation, he said, it is not the way to prevent virus infections. As bizarre theories do the rounds of social media about the outbreak of the disease, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a warning against misinformation and the harm it can cause. Click here to view what the WHO says. In India too, the government, epidemiologists, health experts, celebrities and influencers have gone to great lengths to spread awareness about the coronavirus pandemic which has already claimed thousands lives in India. But many in the country are still failing to take the pandemic or the related precautions being prescribed to avoid it seriously due to lack of proper information or messaging. WATERLOO REGION Refugees arriving in Waterloo Region will get a different sort of welcome this fall. Upon arrival, refugees will need to quarantine at a Waterloo hotel for 14 days before they can start their new lives. Self-isolating in a hotel room is a lot different from isolating at home, said Emma Jennings, manager of housing and resettlement at Reception House, an agency that supports government-assisted refugees. Thats why Reception House hopes to raise money to help put together welcome kits with activities, hygiene products and snacks for families to use while in quarantine. The High 5 for Newcomers campaign asks for $5 donations each Friday to purchase games and activities for children, hygiene products and snacks. These welcome kits will help fill that gap. It just lets them know they feel welcomed and valued, Jennings said. On Aug. 31, Reception House welcomed the first family to arrive to the region since the pandemic limited international travel. They were expected to arrive in April. It was difficult for them to have to wait, especially because they have family here in the region, Jennings said. COVID has really thrown a big wrench into things. Many government-assisted refugees spend years living in refugee camps before coming to Canada. They come here seeking safety from persecution, violence and conflict zones. Reception House is working with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to determine how many refugees can be resettled in the region during the pandemic. She said 64 government-assisted refugees are expected to arrive in Waterloo Region by the end of December. The resettlement process looks a bit different during a pandemic, and the process moves more slowly. Reception House staff set up the hotel rooms with welcome kits, a loaned laptop, resources about COVID-19 public health protocols in the familys first language, as well as face masks, hand sanitizer and a thermometer. Staff will then greet families when they arrive and help them check in to the hotel. During the 14-day quarantine, staff check in with families daily and help them with anything they may need. The families receive catered meals three times a day. Orientation to help families familiarize themselves with Canada will happen virtually instead of in-person. Once the quarantine period is over, families can reunite with relatives, set up bank accounts, enrol in language classes and school, and start their new lives. Reception House helps resettle around 300 government-assisted refugees each year. This is not, at first glance, a very Trump-like place. A tidy village in Germanys wine country, Kallstadt is home to modest people, modest houses and an open, welcoming attitude toward outsiders immigrants, tourists and oenophiles alike. It is also home to people who claim an ancestral relationship to Donald Trump, who can trace his roots to a Kallstadt family once known as the Drumpfs. And that connection is making the people of Kallstadt a little uneasy. At first we used to just laugh about Trump running for president, but its not funny anymore, said Bernd Weisenborn, a 54-year-old winegrower whose immaculately clean vineyard lies just across the street from the house where Trumps grandfather Friedrich grew up. Its actually becoming embarrassing; the things that Trump has been saying are just out of line. Advertisement Weisenborn, a friendly man with a hearty laugh, said he is a distant cousin of the Republican presidential front-runner his great-grandfather was the brother of Trumps grandmother. He described Kallstadt residents as generally open-minded, tolerant and welcoming, and said many find Trumps policy statements and outbursts of vulgarity difficult to digest. At first we used to just laugh about Trump running for president, but its not funny anymore. Bernd Weisenborn, 54 Were of two minds about Trump, he said. On the one hand, its great to see someone with Kallstadt roots become such a business tycoon in America. Its the American dream. But on the other hand, its hard to be proud of anyone who makes such statements against Muslims, immigrants and women. Weisenborn said many people in Kallstadt, dozens of whom claim family relationships to Trump, are baffled and appalled that the grandson of immigrants to the United States could be so virulently anti-immigrant. Everyone America ever elected as president descended from immigrants, he said. German Americans were once the largest and, by some measures, most influential minority group in the United States. There are about 50 million Americans today with German roots. According to one Donald Trump biography and other published accounts, the Trump family was originally known as Drumpf but changed the name at some point accounts vary about when. Trumps paternal grandfather, Friedrich, left Kallstadt for America in 1885 at age 16, joining millions of Germans who sailed across the Atlantic to seek their fortune in the New World. Friedrich returned to Kallstadt in 1901 and a year later married a local girl, Elizabeth Christ, who lived across the street from his familys home a modest but sturdy-looking house still standing today. According to Donald Trump: The Candidate, a biography by Gwenda Blair, Friedrich and Elizabeth moved to the United States and then back to Kallstadt. But their return to Germany was short-lived: Friedrich was expelled for evading Germanys compulsory military service, and the couple sailed to New York to stay. Donalds father, Fred, was born a short time later. Donald Trump, who has never been to Kallstadt, was born in 1946. In his autobiography, The Art of the Deal, he wrote that his fathers family came from Sweden apparently the story told by Fred Trump. It was not uncommon for German Americans to hide their roots in response to anti-German sentiment during World War I. But in a 2014 documentary called Kings of Kallstadt about Trump and John Henry Heinz, whose son started a ketchup empire in the United States, Trump said he was proud of his German roots. Theyre strong people and theyre smart people, Trump tells Simone Wendel, a native of Kallstadt, in her film. They grow them well in Kallstadt. They get things done. Thats the German culture. Im proud to have that German blood. Great stuff. Wendel said she found Trump to be friendly and surprisingly interested in his German roots but acknowledged that his image in her hometown had taken a beating. The people in Kallstadt see Trump as someone who is just too loud and aggressive, she said. It might not help, in this wine-drenched town, that Trump is a well-known teetotaler. Stephan Sollboehmer, who runs a wine bar up the street from Donald Trumps ancestral home in Kallstadt, Germany, doesnt want the billionaire to become U.S. president. Hes an embarrassment, Sollboehmer says. (Erik Kirschbaum / For The Times) There are no Trumps left in Kallstadt, although there are at least six Trump gravestones in the small cemetery on the northern edge of town. The town is a low-key tourist center about 25 miles east of the U.S. air base at Ramstein. There are bed-and-breakfasts on nearly every street, along with wine bars serving the local dry Riesling. In a country with a deep aversion to building walls (which recall the walls dividing the country during the Cold War) or making aggressive statements toward other countries (which recall the Nazi past), many townspeople expressed anxiety in interviews about Trumps campaign. Trump is just horrible, said Tanja Bayer, a 46-year-old office worker. Its hard to believe that so many Americans are really voting for him. We thought at first it was just a good joke. But its unbelievable how far hes got with this. Other residents said they feared a Trump presidency would make the United States a less reliable partner at a time when many Germans say they want the U.S. to remain a bastion of stability in a peril-filled world. A recent poll found that 83% of Germans had a negative opinion of Trump and that 79% said it would be bad for Germany if he became president. In part because of their history, Germans prefer cautious, even dull, leaders who weigh their words carefully. The same poll found that a large majority of Germans would prefer to see Democrat Hillary Clinton widely viewed here as a steady hand as the next president. Trump is just too radical to become president, said Gabi Riede, 54, as she worked in the towns main bakery, where the radio and TV airwaves were filled with news of Trumps latest primary wins. It doesnt matter if his grandparents came from Kallstadt or not. Hes just too extreme. Stephan Sollboehmer, who runs a wine bar just up the street from Trumps ancestral home, said the tycoon is an impressive businessman who has made the most of his opportunities in America. But it would be a terrible thing if he ends up as president, said Sollboehmer, 45. Hes an embarrassment. Kallstadt is a wonderful little wine town as it is, and we definitely dont need Trump as president to get in the way of that. Kirschbaum is a special correspondent. ------------ FOR THE RECORD March 21, 3:48 p.m.: An earlier version of this article misidentified Simone Wendel as Simone Wendler. ------------ ALSO Greeks share what little they have with refugees and migrants Salah Abdeslam backed out of being Paris suicide bomber, prosecutor says New generation of more radical youth emerges in the Kurdish region of Turkey HARTLAND, Wis. The news that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died spread quickly Friday night as hundreds of supporters of President Donald Trump gathered at a "MAGA Meet-Up" in a neighborhood park in a critical suburban county outside of Milwaukee. Supporters pulled out their phones, nudging friends to look at their news push alerts. Some clinked beers. Others let out sheepish grins. A few, feeling unrestrained in a sea of devoted Trump fans, cheered. "This changes everything," a woman said as she loaded a stack of "We Back The Badge" yard signs into her car. Image: MAGA meet-up Milwaukee (Lauren Egan / NBC News) In conversations with more than a dozen voters in Waukesha and Ozaukee County, two suburbs of Milwaukee critical to the presidential race, Wisconsinites say Ginsburg's death has undoubtedly shifted the election. But no one can agree on whom it benefits. Trump supporters say the vacancy on the Supreme Court will draw out their base, while Democrats say it will intensify the importance of electing Joe Biden. Undecided voters say they had already anticipated that Ginsburg would retire under a potential Democratic administration and that her death hasn't drastically affected their assessment of the candidates. "I am devastated," said Deb Postl, 64, a retiree from Port Washington, a Milwaukee suburb that sits on Lake Michigan. Postl said she and her husband were at home watching Netflix when she started to get messages from her friends, most of whom are liberals, that Ginsburg had died. "I think my friends have been very motivated to begin with. I really don't know how we could be more motivated, but maybe this does it. I am terrified that we're going to continue this spiral to hell if Trump wins again," Postl said. Carol Lisowski, a Trump supporter in her early 50s, said she was confident a Supreme Court vacancy would only help keep Ozaukee County red. "I was voting for Trump no matter what," she said as she left the local farmers market the morning after Ginsburg's death. "I think this might help people go out and vote people who maybe weren't sure about Trump and how he talks sometimes, which I do understand." Story continues But her husband, Rob Lisokwski, who didn't vote for either major-party candidate in 2016 and is still undecided, said the open seat wasn't helping him get any closer to a decision. "It's going to be a s---show. It's already a mess," he said of the fight in Washington to replace Ginsburg. "It's not a deal breaker. It doesn't really push me either way. It was always kind of obvious that she was holding out to retire if Biden won." Conventional wisdom says the Republican Party stands to gain when the Supreme Court is a salient voting issue, with many base voters motivated by the prospect of overruling Roe v. Wade. Some political strategist view Brett Kavanuagh's nomination fight just weeks before the 2018 midterms as the Republicans' saving grace, allowing them to expand their control on the Senate in what was otherwise a favorable year for Democrats. But that might not be the case this year. Polling shows that Biden is seen more favorably when it comes to picking the next Supreme Court justice. In Arizona, Maine and North Carolina, homes to competitive Senate races, more voters said they trusted Biden over Trump to do a better job appointing a justice, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll released last week before Ginsburg died. Arizona and North Carolina are also key battleground states, and Biden leads overall in both states. In the same survey, voters who either were not backing a major-party candidate or who said they could still change their minds said Biden would be better at filling the next vacancy by an 18-point margin, 49 percent to 31 percent. A Pew Research poll from early September also showed that 66 percent of Democratic voters viewed the Supreme Court as "very important" in the election, compared to 61 percent of Republicans. Voters in important swing states outside of Wisconsin, too, said Ginsburg's death was a motivational factor for the November election. "Her death emboldens me, because I'm afraid of having an additional conservative Justice," said Allan Goldberg, 74, a business owner from south of Miami. Goldberg said he votes primarily for Democrats and plans to support Biden. Pedro Gonzalez, 50, a flight attendant from Orlando, Florida, said that "as a Hispanic and gay person my biggest fear is that Trump will appoint someone that can shift the future of the country." "Whatever is in my power, I'm going to do it," Gonzalez said. Tami Cash, 53, a resident of Punta Gorda in Southwest Florida, is a lifelong Republican who plans to vote for Trump. The open Supreme Court seat has little to do with her support. "Someone will be nominated very quickly. I don't think anyone's mind will be swayed," she said. While the Trump campaign might be hoping that the open seat creates an opportunity to shift voter attention away from the president's response to the coronavirus pandemic, Maryann Ebel, an anti-abortion rights Catholic who retired in the Milwaukee suburb of Port Washington, said that wasn't something she could overlook in her choice for president. She plans to support Biden. "Yes, I am pro-life. But sanctity of life has a lot of facets to it besides abortion. It's not OK to be shooting Black people and saving babies. You have to save them all. And what about the 200,000 people that have died from coronavirus? That just goes against everything I feel about standing for life." Lauren Egan reported from Hartland, Wisconsin, and Carmen Sesin from Miami. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) walks through Statuary Hall to the House Chamber for President Donald Trump's State of the Union address in the Capitol in Washington on Feb. 4, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Pelosi: House Will Use Every Arrow in Our Quiver to Prevent Supreme Court Nominee When asked about impeachment, she doesn't rule it out House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) suggested Sunday that Democrats will use every possible option to stop President Donald Trump from nominating a Supreme Court justice during a lame-duck session after Election Day. We have our options, we have arrows in our quiver that Im not about to discuss right now, she said on ABCs This Week. But the fact is, we have a big challenge in our country. Asked if Democrats wont rule anything out, Pelosi said that lawmakers have responsibilities. She was also asked by the ABC interviewer about whether she would support another impeachment. We have a responsibility, we take an oath to protect and defend the constitution of the United States. We have a responsibility to meet the needs of the American people. When we weigh the equities of protecting our democracy, requires us to use every arrow in our quiver, Pelosi responded, without elaborating or providing a plan. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on Sept. 18 after suffering from several bouts of cancer, adding a major new battle ahead of Election Day. President Donald Trump said that he will act without delay to nominate a Supreme Court justice. We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices. We have this obligation, without delay! he wrote. President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally at Bemidji Regional Airport in Bemidji, Minn., on Sept. 18, 2020. (Tom Brenner/Reuters) Pelosi was asked in the ABC interview about whether Democrats would try to expand the Supreme Court in retaliation. She mostly demurred. Lets just win the election. Lets hope the president will see the light, Pelosi said. This is about the people. Its about their health, their economic well being, the health of our democracy. We have a great deal at stake here. Trump on Saturday said he will make his nomination this week and named Amy Coney Barrett of the Chicago-based 7th Circuit and Barbara Lagoa of the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit as possible candidates to fill the vacancy created by Fridays death of Ginsburg, a left-wing and feminist icon. I will be putting forth a nominee next week. It will be a woman, Trump said at a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where supporters chanted fill that seat. I think it should be a woman because I actually like women much more than men. Trump requires Senate approval for any pick, and his fellow Republicans hold a 53-47 majority, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has made confirming judges one of his top priorities. Republican senators have appointed hundreds of judges over the past several years. Reuters contributed to this report. He is not a man who can stay still for very long. And exercise enthusiast Justine Theroux once again hit the streets of Manhattan for a bike ride on Friday, wearing a protective mask and gloves. His latest exercise excursion comes one day after he paid tribute to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg following the announcement of her death at the age of 87. Working it: Justin Theroux, 49, hit the streets of Manhattan for a bike ride on Saturday Always one to have an edgy style to his fashion, The Leftovers star looked casual-cool in a military-green bomber jacket with a quilted design. He also donned faded skinny blue jeans and a pair of matching high-top sneakers. And with the COVID-19 pandemic still very much a health crisis, Theroux kept a black-patterned mask over his mouth and nose and protective gloves on his hands at all times. Casual-cool: The Leftovers star looked cool in a military-green bomber jacket with a quilted design, faded skinny jeans and matching high-top sneakers Theroux was among the many people to share their heartbreak and gratitude over the passing of Justice Ginsburg on Friday. 'I am heartbroken. I have no words for the hole that has just been blown through us,' he wrote in the caption of two photos of himself with Justice Ginsburg. 'Thank you for your service Justice Ginsburg. We'll miss you RBG. I love you Ruth.' The actor had a special connection with the high court's second female Justice as he played Melvin 'Mel' Wulf in On The Basis Of Sex, the 2018 biopic film about her life and early cases while she sat on the Supreme Court. RIP: Theroux was among the many people to pay tribute to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg following the announcement of her death of Friday British actress Felicity Jones played the trailblazing Justice in the film which also starred Armie Hammer, Kathy Bates, Jack Reynor, Sam Waterston and Cailee Spaeny. 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg gave us hope, a public figure who stood for integrity and justice a responsibility she did not wear lightly,' Jones said in a statement as reported by Deadline. 'She will be missed not only as a beacon of light in these difficult times but for her razor sharp wit and extraordinary humanity. She taught us all so much. I will miss her deeply.' Personal connection: Theroux had a special connection with the high court's second female Justice as he played Melvin 'Mel' Wulf in On The Basis Of Sex, the 2018 biopic film about her life and early cases while she sat on the Supreme Court Fake news story? I am writing this opinion letter in response to the letter published on 9/9/20 submitted by Mark and Carole Mackin. The Mackins were responding to a report originally published by Jeffrey Goldberg, the Editor and Chief of the Atlantic. According to Goldberg, President Trump was overheard saying he wanted to cancel a trip to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France because its filled with losers (American WWI soldiers). Supposedly, this alleged remark by President Trump was told to Goldberg by anonymous White House staffers! And yet, least fifteen Trump administration officials who were with Trump on that trip have disputed the Atlantic report, including former national security adviser John Bolton. The same John Bolton who is no friend of Trump and severely criticized Trump in a recent book that he authored. Freedom Of Information Act documents have also proven that Trumps visit to the cemetery was canceled due to bad rainy weather. The Marine Ones helicopter crews also stated that visibility was too bad to attempt to fly the President to the cemetery. Finally, a few days ago when Mr. Goldberg was asked about evidence that the cancellation was due to inclement weather, he admitted that it was likely true. Im sure all of those things are true, he told CNN. The bottom line is that the trip to the cemetery was not canceled by President Trump as the so-called anonymous sources stated. Trumps entourage canceled the trip because of dangerous inclement weather and not because, as Goldbergs anonymous sources alleged, Trump did not want to go to a cemetery filled with losers. Starting with the Russian collusion debacle, every few weeks another fake news story comes out blaming Trump for some outlandish action! I do respect and thank Mark Mackin for his service in Viet Nam. I also served during this war but was lucky enough to have served in Germany and was not sent to Viet Nam. With all respect, I believe that Mr. Mackin was deceived by a fake news story. Gary Kump, Butte Love 3 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 4 Senator Lisa Murkowski on Sunday said she opposes voting on Donald Trumps pick to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court, becoming the second Republican senator to do so meaning Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells margin for error is shrinking. The Alaska Republican has long said she would prefer waiting until after the 3 November election to decide how to fill any Supreme Court vacancy, and on Sunday she announced just that, saying she wants to let voters have a say about who will be president come January and which party will control the in-play Senate. For weeks, I have stated that I would not support taking up a potential Supreme Court vacancy this close to the election. Sadly, what was then a hypothetical is now our reality, but my position has not changed," Ms Murkowski said. I did not support taking up a nomination eight months before the 2016 election to fill the vacancy created by the passing of Justice Scalia, she said in a statement, "We are now even closer to the 2020 election less than two months out and I believe the same standard must apply." She joins Maine Republican Susan Collins in announcing they prefer having the election then a confirmation fight. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has 53 votes, and needs a simple majority to confirm Mr Trumps pick, which he said will be a woman and should be announced this week. Democrats have 47 votes. If one more Senate Republican breaks ranks, the issue would be split 50-50, meaning Vice President Mike Pence could vote to break the tie and confirm a ninth Supreme Court Justice. But a potential fourth defection would be enough to block the nomination and kick the matter until after Election Day. Mr McConnell is being criticized by Democrats for planning a vote on the nomination this year because he blocked former President Barack Obamas final high court pick, Merrick Garland, for nearly a year. At the time, he said voters should first select a president and decide which party would hold more power in the upper chamber. Now Mr McConnell intends to move Mr Trumps nomination, with his surrogates arguing on Sunday morning that whenever in US history a White House and Senate of the same party faced an election-year Supreme Court vacancy, they filled that vacancy. Senate GOP Conference Chairman John Barrasso appeared on Meet the Press to contend former Judiciary Committee Chairman Joe Biden, now Democrats presidential nominee, told then-President George HW Bush in the 1990s he would not consider any high court pick in the 41st presidents final year. He dubbed it the Biden rule. That led an incredulous NBC host Chuck Todd to shout: There is no Joe Biden rule! Upon falling in love with the land and people of Nha Trang, the central city of Vietnam, at first sight, several Russian travelers to the locality have decided to stay longer and look for a job. This is a typical story of Russian tourists such as Aleksei, who has decided to return home after being forced to sell his motorbike to make ends meet due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The impact of the novel coronavirus epidemic can be blamed for ruining his plan to stay longer in Nha Trang, a city he had fallen in love with. Trying to make ends meet Unlike those who came to Nha Trang just for the purpose of relaxing, Aleksei came looking for a job in the hope of staying longer in the coastal city, spending all of his savings renting a house in Tan Lap ward. I love travelling. When I first arrived in Nha Trang, I asked one of my Vietnamese friends who lived in Russia to buy an old motorbike. I then refurbished it and rented it out to customers, he told Zingnews.vn. Initially when there were no local COVID-19 outbreaks, many tourists came to Nha Trang on holiday, so starting up a motorcycle rental service helped Aleksei to earn a stable income. The business enabled him to reward himself with trips to neighbouring localities such as Da Lat, Ninh Thuan, and Binh Thuan. However, when the epidemic eventually did hit Vietnam, Aleksei and many other people working in the service sector were severely affected, with many businesses beginning to struggle for money. In July, he was excited when the Government made moves to welcome the return of tourists, although these plans were shelved when the virus witnessed a resurgence in central Vietnam. With money running low, the Russian traveler-turned-businessman was forced to gradually sell off his motorbikes in order to survive. Today is the last motorbike I can sell, I don't know how to live over the coming days, Alecksei confided. I love Nha Trang very much, I have tried to hold on because of that love. Also from Russia, Borisovna tried to make a living by selling ice creams in Muong Thanh Vien Trieu, a luxury residential complex located in Nha Trang. Every evening, he would bring a trolley featuring a cooling system to the area. I can make any ice cream on demand for customers, he said. Having lived in Nha Trang for four years, this is the first time that Borisovna has sold ice creams for money. He used to be an interpreter for a travel agency specialising in Russian tourists. When I worked for the travel agency, I found both foreign tourists and local people loved eating ice-creams like these. It took me more than a week to learn how to do it online, said Borisovna. However, a lack of customers saw the business struggle. It was difficult to earn a living here, so I sometimes asked for help from my relatives in Russia. Nha Trang is very beautiful and peaceful, so I will try to stay on. I expect the epidemic will soon be stamped out so that I can get a steady job again and stay in Nha Trang longer. Two special travelers At the Social Care and Support Center in Khanh Hoa province, there are two special tourists present who are both from Russia. For many locals in Hon Chong, 53-year-old Dnestrian Igor is a familiar face as he can often be seen walking and swimming in the afternoon, in addition to greeting local people. In January, Dnestrian unfortunately suffered a traffic accident. Following this he was seen returning to Hon Chong and began wandering and begging along Pham Van Dong street. When he was transferred to the centre, Dnestrian showed signs of psychosis in the aftermath of the accident," according to an official of Khanh Hoa Social Care and Support Center. He was then taken to Khanh Hoa Psychiatric Hospital to undergo psychosis treatment. Due to his mental health, he returned to the centre before gradually recovering. It was during this time that Dnestrian remembered his address in his native Russia, along with the names of his relatives. I have received great care from doctors here, but I want to go home with my family," Dnestrian told Zingnews.vn. The second special tourist, Andrei Ganev, has been staying at Khanh Hoa Social Care and Support Center for three months. Andrei was brought here by the authorities for help because he had no personal papers and money, said the director of the centre. Over the past few days, Andrei has undergone a body temperature check by doctors because he has been showing signs of a fever. Andrei first entered the country in January, although he lost all of his papers and money, forcing him to wander the streets. The epidemic made it impossible for me to find a job to support me. I feel very lucky to be here, I feel very great. Thank you, said Andrei. Andrei said he first came to Nha Trang for the purpose of traveling five years ago. Whenever his visa expired, he was able to renew his previous one so was allowed to continue staying in Nha Trang. "Now it is the time for me to go home. When I completely recover and the epidemic is over, I will return to Nha Trang to travel. Local people here are so wonderful. Thank you," said Andrei. Great support for Russian tourists After 15 years living in Russia, Vinh, the name of a Hanoi-born woman, decided to move to Nha Trang. Renting a 3-storey house on Tran Phu street, she opened a restaurant in order to serve tourists. The house has since become a favourite destination among many Russian tourists, especially those like Aleksei. I cook Russian dishes so they love them very much, Vinh states. They said my restaurant is one of the only four that can cook Russian dishes. When the COVID-19 epidemic hit the city, it took a major toll on all businesses and services, with Vinhs restaurant transforming into a place to help Russian guests stuck in Nha Trang. Each day, tourists come to the restaurant, although not everyone has the money to pay. If they have money they will pay it, otherwise they will give back another day, Vinh confides. The female restaurateur recalled that when she first moved to Russia, she also received support from many local people. Now when Russian people face difficulty, she is willing to support them. According to Vinh, the majority of the Russian tourists stranded in Nha Trang come from remote areas in their home country. Falling in love with the beautiful scenery here at first sight, they decided to stay and seek a job to make ends meet. VOV Some 5, 890 centres in the Ashanti Region have opened for the ongoing voter register exhibition exercise, Mr Benjamin Bano-Bio, Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), has announced. Of the number, 884 centres, representing about 15 per cent would use the biometric verification devices for identification such as facial recognition, amongst others. Mr Bano-Bio, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Kumasi, on the sidelines of the ongoing exercise, said the biometric devices were being tested on a pilot basis to enable the EC to fine-tune them for December elections. The exhibition comes in the wake of the recent voter registration exercise and is to enable registered voters to check their details and ensure that the necessary corrections and omissions were effected before the register is certified. It aims to clear the provisional register of double registration and other unlawful entries that could dent the credibility of the certified register. The voters register as it stands is provisional, Mr Bano-Bio noted. Therefore, the exhibition scheduled for September 18-25, according to the EC Regional Director, was instrumental in the electoral processes to foster credible, fair and transparent elections. He asked voters to strive to check and verify their data, particularly those relating to ones name and other details for the necessary corrections to be made where necessary ahead of the December 7 elections. No qualified voter should be left out of this important exercise, Mr Bano-Bio advised. The majority of exhibition centres in Kumasi visited by the GNA on Friday, September 18, the first day of the exhibition, witnessed low patronage as few people had queued for the exercise. Places like the Oforikrom, Subin, Nhyiaeso and Manhyia South Constituencies had not recorded encouraging turn-out as some of the centres were virtually deserted as of 1600 hours. Mr Bano-Bio said the Commission had made it easy for individuals to check their names both at their registered polling centres and on their cell phones. Consequently, the EC had deployed a Mobile Telephoning System to allow prospective voters to access their detail by simply texting his or her Voters ID Number to 1422. With this simple process, a voter could obtain some vital details in respect of ones name, Voter ID Number, age, gender, polling station code, polling station name, district and region, according to the EC Regional Director. 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 UN sanctions are being reimposed on Iran and the US is planning additional measures, including to punish the countries that do not agree with the sanctions, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said. "... today, the United States welcomes the return of virtually all previously terminated UN sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran," Pompeo said in a Saturday statement, adding that the "sanctions are being re-imposed on Iran pursuant to the snapback process under UN Security Council resolution (UNSCR) 2231." According to the statement, the US expects all UN member states to comply with their obligations to implement the sanctions, failure to do so will lead to consequences. "In addition to the arms embargo, this includes restrictions such as the ban on Iran engaging in enrichment and reprocessing-related activities, the prohibition on ballistic missile testing and development by Iran, and sanctions on the transfer of nuclear- and missile-related technologies to Iran, among others. If UN Member States fail to fulfill their obligations to implement these sanctions, the United States is prepared to use our domestic authorities to impose consequences for those failures and ensure that Iran does not reap the benefits of UN-prohibited activity," Pompeo said. He added that the US will continue its "maximum pressure campaign" against Iran until a comprehensive agreement is reached. "In the coming days, the United States will announce a range of additional measures to strengthen implementation of UN sanctions and hold violators accountable," Pompeo said. Iran's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Majid Takht Ravanchi, expressed hope that members of the UN Security Council would ignore US attempts to take advantage of the UNSC mechanisms. In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, obtained by Sputnik on Sunday, Iran's permanent representative reiterated Tehran's stance regarding the sanctions, saying that Iran considers the US attempt to restore UN sanctions legally untenable, since Washington is no longer a party to the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), having withdrawn from the Iranian nuclear deal in 2018. The majority of the UN Security Council members, including Russia, China, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, have said they would not support the US decision to re-impose sanctions against Iran since the United States unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear agreement in 2018. The JCPOA, signed in 2015 by Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union, stipulates the removal of international sanctions from Tehran in exchange for scaling down its nuclear program. The deal was then enshrined in UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which includes the provision on the five-year arms embargo. Guterres said on Wednesday that it was up to the UN Security Council to interpret its resolution on the JCPOA nuclear deal, following the US threats to snapback all sanctions on Iran. -ANI Also Read: G20 Trade and Investment Working Group virtual meeting begins today NEW DELHI: Saurabh Saxena, co-founder of online tutoring platform Vedantu and Lakshya, is on to his third entrepreneurial venture with Uable, a life skill development online platform for kids. Uable focuses on the 6-12 year-old category and aims to nurture creative intelligence and develop future-ready skills among them through playful learning methods. It will be formally launched next week and has been in beta mode since February, and saw rapid adoption due to the pandemic-led lockdown. Most edtech startups primarily focus on school curriculum for students and online entrance exam preparation for college students. Uable, however, looks to complement the school curriculum. Indias edtech sector has outperformed most other startups this year, after educational institutions and classroom learning were hit following the pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns. These companies have been benefiting from the readiness of Indian middle-class families to spend a chunk of their income on education and tutoring to give their children an edge. Uable also is cashing in on the same opportunity. Saxena made an exit from Vedantu in 2018 after a successful stint with the live tutoring startup for about eight years. "I wanted to build a playful learning system that was beyond the classroom where children can play and nurture their intelligence, creativity and build skills like empathy, which are complementary to school education," Saxena said in an interview. Uable's interdisciplinary programs combine experiential, play and peer-based learning and span across domains such as science and engineering, technology, arts, humanities and entrepreneurship. Saxena said his aim is to make Uable a one-stop platform for beyond-curriculum learning for children and bridge the skill gap even before a child finishes from school. In June, 2019, Uable raised seed funding from venture capital firm 3one4 capital and a clutch of angel investors including Pine Labs CEO Amrish Rau. We are growing 50% month on month," said Saxena, adding that Uable makes sense in a post-covid world. Saxena is targeting parents and children in Indian metros and also looking to expand globally. "We have run a pilot in Singapore and plan to do one in the US and will then launch in these markets in the near future." Currently, Uable has 25,000 sign ups and Saxena plans to grow this user base to about a lakh by the end of the year. He said the challenge in the 6-12 year-old segment is to establish with parents the importance of skills like creativity and empathy which are not part of the school curriculum. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Sixty years ago, the Tamarind Institute single-handedly revived the art of lithography. In 1960 the medium of printmaking was languishing under the brush strokes of Abstract Expressionism. There was no market for prints and nowhere to learn the technique. Tamarind founder and artist June Wayne was determined to save the medium from extinction. This month the University of New Mexico-housed Tamarind Institute is celebrating 60 years of that legacy. The institute will release a decade of lithographs online each month, beginning with the 1960s, at tamarind.unm.edu. Wayne opened Tamarind (named for its Hollywood, California, street location) in her own home studio, supported by the painter and printmaker Clinton Adams as associate director and Garo Antreasian as master printer. Both would eventually move on to teach at the University of New Mexico. The trio invited artists to do short residencies at what was then called the Tamarind Lithography Workshop, where they would work with master printers and learn their techniques. Wayne launched Tamarind with a national focus. I think printmaking in general had somewhat fallen out of favor, Tamarind director Diana Gaston said. I think it was just a lack of availability, a lack of workshops, a lack of printers. Lithography had morphed over the 20th century into a more commercial process. After 10 years in Los Angeles, and the demise of its initial Ford Foundation grant, Tamarind moved to Albuquerque under the direction of UNM professor Adams with nonprofit status. First housed in a building on Cornell Drive, it moved to its more expansive current space at 2500 Central SE in 2010. Today Tamarind stands as the only printer training program of its kind in the world. Over the years, renowned artists ranging from Louise Nevelson to Ed Ruscha, Fritz Scholder, Jim Dine, Ruth Asawa, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith and Kerry James Marshall have put press to page at Tamarind. Today it houses thousands of archival prints and welcomes an average of eight working artists to its studio annually. The controversial and prolific Luiseno artist Fritz Scholder was a Tamarind regular. He was one of the first artists Tamarind worked with when we moved to Albuquerque, Gaston said. He had been teaching at IAIA (Santa Fes Institute of American Indian Arts) and gaining some national prominence. He took to lithography and made some unbelievable prints, she continued. I think it was partly his love of color; lithography has such potential for color exploration. Part of it is the transparency of the ink. Pop artist Jim Dine created a series of Pinocchio figures in 2010s Fragile Boy. Dine is known for series on paintbrushes, hearts and robes. Pinocchio is a favorite subject of his, Gaston said. Hes done it in painting and sculpture. Hes taking these subjects that are so familiar, she continued. Hes handling it in a very dark way. Theres an almost menacing quality. Its not just the beautiful childhood story that we know. Contemporary artist Kerry James Marshall uses his art to comment on the history of Black identity. His Memento, 1996, includes winged images of the four girls who died in the 1963 Alabama church bombing soaring over portraits of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. Theres this reference to all the significant figures of the Civil Rights Movement and rendering them in an almost worshipful tone, Gaston said. Renowned for his use of text, former sign painter and fellow Pop artist Ed Ruscha created a series of silhouettes, including a dancer, coyotes and rabbits. Ruscha rendered his 1986 Dancer in flounced darkness. Hes looking at how pop culture influences our world, Gaston said. It almost looks like a spray-painted silhouette. Nigerian American Toyin Ojih Odutola featured her brother in her 2014 Birmingham triptych. In 2012, Odutola participated in the project AFRO: Black Identity in America and Brazil at Tamarind. The Birmingham series was created when she returned to the workshop a few years later. Shes a monumental painter now, Gaston said. She had a big exhibition at the Whitney recently. She draws the highlights, almost the texture of skin, Gaston continued. She renders the skin as much as the face. That reference to Black skin and the Black body is integral to her work. The late sculptor Ruth Asawa lived in a California Japanese internment camp with her parents during World War II. While she was a student at North Carolinas Black Mountain College, she created a series of crocheted wire sculptures. At Tamarind, her Chair, 1965, features similarly woven patterns resembling wicker. Asawas work was most recently chosen for a U.S. postage stamp. The Tamarind Institute will continue presenting a series of virtual programs with Quick-to-See Smith, Ellen Lesperance, Paula Wilson, and Dave Takach, founder of Takach Press throughout the fall, along with a new video series titled Behind Closed Drawers with gallery director Nancy Zastudil. Online Visit tamarind.unm.edu to visit, The View From Here: Tamarind at Sixty and Beyond. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, has described the conduct of the Edo governorship election as satisfactory. Mr Mustapha said against popular predictions, the election was quite peaceful except for a few and isolated skirmishes. Nigeria has disappointed those who predicted massive disruption. The elections went well but for a few hiccups, the SGF said in a statement Saturday. He said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did fairly well and could improve on its performance. Meanwhile, in its preliminary report on Saturday, an election observation group, the Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement (YIAGA), said the exercise was mired in violence in some parts of the state. The organisation, which deployed 500 observers to monitor Saturdays polls, said its analysis showed several verified incident reports to include ballot box snatching, sporadic shootings and interference, and disruption of the election process, intimidation, and harassment of observers/journalists and vote-buying. Also, PREMIUM TIMES reported how two journalists covering the polls were attacked by thugs. The incident took place at the polling unit of the immediate past national chairperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, at Ward 10 (Uzairue North East), Polling Unit 1 of Etsako West local government in Iyamho area of Uzairue. A PREMIUM TIMES journalist, Samson Adenekan, was attacked and then briefly detained by the thugs for taking pictures and videos. In Orhionmwon local government of the state, an INEC official was shot, with the election umpire vowing to bring all electoral offenders to justice. Rajnath, at a press conference called in Delhi along with Union ministers Prakash Javadekar, Pralhad Joshi, Piyush Goyal, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Thawarchand Gehlot, said while it is the responsibility of the ruling side to enable discussions in the House, it is also Opposition's duty to maintaining decorum. Hours after the Opposition created a massive ruckus in the Rajya Sabha on Sunday over the passage of two farmer bills, defence minister Rajnath Singh called the events that unfolded in the country's Upper House 'sad, unfortunate and shameful'. Rajnath, at a press conference called in Delhi along with Union ministers Prakash Javadekar, Pralhad Joshi, Piyush Goyal, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Thawarchand Gehlot, said while it is the responsibility of the ruling side to enable discussions in the House, it is also Opposition's duty to maintaining decorum. "As far as I know, this has never happened in the history of Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. This happening in Rajya Sabha is an even bigger matter," Rajnath said. "What happened is against the decorum of the House." The Upper House witnessed tumultuous scenes earlier Sunday after Opposition members, including those from the TMC, Congress and the Left, climbed the chairman's podium, tore official papers and raised slogans after Deputy Chairman Harivansh did not consider their demand for a division of votes on a resolution to send the two bills to a select committee. The Rajya Sabha, after a brief adjournment, then passed the two bills Farmer's Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 by voice vote. The first bill seeks to provide freedom to farmers to sell their produce anywhere in the country. The second bill is aimed at setting up of a framework under which farmers will be able to engage with agri-business firms, wholesalers, exporters or large retailers for farm services. The bills will now go to President Ram Nath Kovind for his assent before they are notified as laws. 'I am also a farmer' Rajnath also sought to reassure farmers over the Minimum Support Price and Agricultural Produce Market Committee. Rajnath said, "I am also a farmer. I want to assure farmers that Minimum Support Price and Agricultural Produce Market Committee will continue. These will never be removed at any cost." Earlier in the day, cultivators in in Haryana blocked roads and neighbouring Punjab saw farmers burn effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In Haryana, farmers occupied portions of roads and highways at several places in the state between 12 and 3 pm, following a call given by the state unit of the Bhartiya Kisan Union against the agri-marketing bills. After 3 pm, reports said the road blockades were lifted, ending the days protests in which BKU was also supported by several other farmer organisations. In Ambala, Haryana Police used a water cannon at the states border to stop Punjab Youth Congress workers from entering the district and travelling ahead to Delhi as part of their tractor rally. The Punjab protesters set fire to one of their own tractors when they were forced to end their rally at the Haryana border, police said. Farmers were joined by ''arhitiyas'', or the commission agents at mandi's, during their protests at many places in Haryana. Rajnath took to Twitter on Sunday morning to to hail the passage of the bills as a "landmark day". 'Don't want to say anything' After twelve Opposition parties on Sunday gave Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu a no-confidence motion against Harivansh over the manner in which the two farm bills were passed, the defence minister hailed the JD(U) leader as a man of values. Rajnath said the "misconduct" of Opposition members towards Harivansh was unprecedented. "Even if Opposition leaders were not convinced with the chair's decision, does it allow them to attack him and be violent?" Rajnath asked. The parties that have submitted the notice include the Congress, All India Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, CPI, CPM, Nationalist Congress Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, National Conference, DMK and the Aam Aadmi Party. Rajnath, pressed further by the media, said, "Notice has been given to the chairman. A decision will be taken by him. I don't want to say anything politically. This is the prerogative of the chairman." Congress leader Ahmed Patel called the manner in which the bills were passed a murder of democracy. Patel said the deputy chairman should have safeguarded democratic traditions but harmed them instead. 'Political reasons behind decisions' Asked about the decision of BJP ally Shiromani Akali Dal to quit the Modi government in protest against the farm bills, Rajnath said there are some "political reasons" behind certain decisions. Rajnath's comments come hours after SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal urged the president not to sign the farm bills and also requested him that they be returned to Parliament for reconsideration. The Shiromani Akali Dal chief said the passage of the bills marks a sad day for the country's millions and for democracy. Democracy is not majority oppression but about consultation, conciliation and consensus, Badal said in a statement. All three democratic virtues were ignored in today's proceedings. This distortion can only be corrected with a presidential intervention, said Badal. SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Thursday resigned from the Union Cabinet in protest against the bills. With inputs from PTI New High-grade Results Demonstrate Growth Potential at Gorno Perth, Sep 21, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Alta Zinc Limited ( ASX:AZI ) is pleased to announce the results of sampling from new mineralised areas that significantly expand the exploration footprint at the greater Gorno project (Gorno or the Project). This includes recent sampling that was undertaken at Arera and extensions at Fontanone and the Zorzone resource areas. These results confirm the presence of high-grade sulphide mineralisation throughout the greater Gorno project area and expand the range of new targets for the Company.The analysis of historical drilling data from Fontanone and Zorzone confirms the same stratabound mineralisation style to that identified at Pian Bracca. These zones were previously considered to be discrete pods however, our recent structural analysis indicates they occur in a common stratabound horizon which has had only limited historical drilling and therefore retains the potential for more extensive high-grade areas. These extensional zones will form part of the exploration focus in the drill program for 2020/2021.At Arera, geological reconnaissance has confirmed that whilst widespread historical mining focused on the extraction of oxide mineralisation the surrounding sulphide mineralisation remains in-situ. This work has demonstrated historical oxide-mining areas can host untapped sulphide mineralisation and provides a further useful targeting technique to guide ongoing exploration for additional areas of potential mineral resources.Geraint Harris, MD of Alta Zinc commented:"In addition to current drilling at Pian Bracca our geology team has been working to enhance the understanding of the wider-scale potential for additional mineralisation within the greater Gorno Project.These results clearly demonstrate that high-grade mineralisation can be found in many areas of the Project and on several horizons of mineralisation that gives rise to multiple new targets. As we move forward, we are gaining geological insights that will guide our exploration campaign, with the goal of significantly growing the mineral resource base at Gorno".Fontanone and Gorno Structural AnalysisFontanone was identified by SAMIM, the previous operators of the Gorno mine, as a potential horizon for mining sulphide mineralisation and additional exploration was planned from new underground development. But this new development was started and then prematurely stopped just prior to mine closure, as such Fontanone was subjected to very limited exploration and remains open in all directions. However, the Company's recent 3-D structural modelling, and also advances in exploration technology, have now highlighted positions where Fontanone can be drilled from existing underground development.The underground plan view shown in Figure 1 highlights significant historical drill intersections outside of the target areas of the current drilling programme. These intersections demonstrates the presence of high-grade sulphide mineralisation over a distance of more than 2.5km in potential strike length and with demonstrated down-dip extension of 750m from Pian Bracca, and which remains open both down dip and on strike.Table 1* shows the highlighted historical drill intersections into the stratabound horizon at both the southern end of Zorzone and the Fontanone areas. These results will be followed up on with new drilling and indicate that at both locations the stratabound mineralisation can yield similarly high-grade results to those holes recently drilled in the same stratabound mineralisAlta staff and consultants have been preparing a detailed 3-D structural geological model of the greater Gorno project area, based on historical and recent data, in order to better understand the distribution of the mineralisation and specifically the higher-grade areas. This process has clearly illustrated the structural relationship and continuity between what was previously seen as discrete geological bodies.This recent analysis of the Pian Bracca, Fontanone and Zorzone areas confirms that the limestone rocks of the Metallifero Bergamasco Formation (Metallifero) host the stratabound mineralisation. The Metallifero is part of a conformable stratigraphic sequence which is present throughout the greater Gorno project area. As such it presents a widespread and well-defined target horizon which is now being structurally analysed to identify the most prospective areas for occurrences of high-grade and thick mineralisation.Figure 2* is an approximate NW-SE cross section through the interpreted extension of the Pian Bracca Thrust and the stratabound mineralisation. It illustrates how the same stratabound mineralisation style drilled at Pian Bracca, is also present in historical drill holes with similarly high-grades 750m down dip in the Fontanone area. This view also shows the sulphide samples taken adjacent to the historical Arera stopes.Figure 3* is a NE-SW long section showing the 2.5km lateral extension of the stratabound mineralisation from Zorzone in the west to Fontanone in the east and the position of the highlighted historical drill holes which demonstrate that the stratabound mineralisation can host distinct zones of high grade mineralisation, similar to the stratabound mineralisation at Pian Bracca. As discussed above, detailed structural interpretation and analysis is currently being carried out by Alta's geology team and external consultants to try to better understand and predict potential locations and extensions of these and other high-grade mineralised zones.At Arera, Alta geologists conducted grab and chip sampling on the available outcrops, sidewalls of the underground openings and from the surface sulphide 'waste' dumps, the results are shown in Table 2 and demonstrate the generally high-grade nature of the sulphide mineralisation sampled.Arera is an historical mining area and a part of the Gorno mining operations that started exploitation prior to WWII and with production lasting into the 1950s. Based on the Company's field investigations it is clear that the Arera mining operations ceased with the primary sulphide mineralisation remaining in-situ. Importantly, Arera is only one of several historical oxide mining areas within the Gorno exploration licence, all of which now provide opportunities for the Company to explore for their primary sulphide mineralisation.Originally oxide material was extracted and processed at small oxide roasting plants near the towns of Oltre il Colle and Zorzone and then from 1952 at the Pontenossa hydrometallurgical plant located near the town of Gorno; which continues to operate in its present form treating residual dust collected from steel works in the north of Italy. A specific focus on the commercial mining of sulphide mineralisation only came about with the construction of the Italian zinc and lead sulphide smelters by SAMIM in the 1970s, one of which is now Glencore's Portovesme Smelter, on the island of Sardinia, prior to that there was no efficient method of extraction of zinc and lead from primary sulphide minerals available to the Gorno Mine.Arera was chosen for sampling as the upper levels of the workings are close to surface and easily accessible from numerous underground openings. It is the intention to study the potential of the primary sulphide mineralisation at depth thereby ensuring that the Company's investigations leave no surface footprint. Figure 4* illustrates a plan view showing the sampling locations adjacent to the historical mining at Arera.Drilling has so far focussed on testing the potential mineral extensions of Pian Bracca to the west, with the next drilling now planned to test for extensions to the north-east and south-east. To maximise efficient logistics drill pad locations have so far been focussed solely on the 990m RL underground level, which has limited the extent of drill access to the west. Further western extension drilling will next take place from the 940m RL level after moving the drill-rig down to that level. Also, small tunnel dimensions relative to the drill rig size, have meant that a second (low profile drill rig) has been sourced by our contractor and will be mobilised to drill Pian Bracca south-east and thereafter the Ponente area.Sample intersections from recent drilling have been dispatched to the laboratory and the Company will provide updates as the assay results become available.In addition to drilling our geological field reconnaissance continues to search for new potential areas of mineralisation and to gain a better understanding of the geology to feed into the detailed structural modelling and analysis taking place.During Q4, pole-dipole Induced-Polarity (IP) geophysics will be trialled from surface over the shallow lying Metallifero geology of the Pian Bracca north area. In 2018 this technique was used underground at Pian Bracca and clearly delineated the chargeable anomalies associated with massive sulphide mineralisation that have been successfully drilled. If also successful from surface, IP will have widespread application on the Gorno Exploration licence to explore for new massive sulphide mineralisation where mapping of outcrops has confirmed widespread occurrences of the Metallifero limestone which hosts that mineralisation.To view tables and figures, please visit:About Alta Zinc Limited Alta Zinc Limited (ASX:AZI) (FRA:8EE) is an emerging ASX-listed exploration and development company focused on unlocking dormant value at the Gorno Project. Gorno is an historic high-grade zinc mine in industrialised Northern Italy, proximal to smelters and key infrastructure and with a track record of producing high quality clean concentrates to European Smelters. Drilling of known brownfields high-grade targets is underway and aims to strengthen the current Resource inventory. Subsequent project development will leverage off the existing underground infrastructure, simple metallurgy and advanced technical studies to de-risk a future feasibility study. The Company also has a portfolio of other mineral exploration projects in northern Italy and Australia. The three-hour long protest by farmers in Haryana ended peacefully after they lifted the blockade from all national and state highways at 3pm on Sunday. No incident of violence was reported from the state amid a heavy deployment of police force by the district administrations. The protests were witnessed in almost all the districts as most of the highways in the state, except NH44 connecting Delhi with Chandigarh, remained blocked for traffic for three hours from 12pm to 3pm. Addressing a farmers gathering at Yamunanagar, Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) president Gurnam Singh Charuni, who was leading the protest, thanked the farmers for their support, making the protest successful. He urges the farmers to also support the Bharat Bandh call given by several national level farmer organisations on September 25. Talking to HT, Charuni said the protest was peaceful and 17 farmer organisations had extended their support to the Chakka Jam (traffic blockade). He said the next decision will be taken after a discussion with the leaders of other farmer organisations. Watch: Rajya Sabha passes two farm bills; cops deployed at Haryana border as farmers protest Farmers, mostly in Punjab and Haryana, have been protesting against agriculture reform bills, with their leaders alleging that the legislations will dismantle the existing system of MSP (minimum support price) for their crops guaranteed by the government and leave them to the mercy of corporate interests. Rajya Sabha passed two such farm reform bills with voice vote earlier on Sunday afternoon amid slogan shouting by the Opposition benches. They had earlier been passed in Lok Sabha. Also Read: Farm bills passed in Parliament: Which party stands where Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured that the existing government support system of MSP will continue while describing the passage of the two farm sector bills as a watershed moment in the history of Indian agriculture and asserted that the new laws will ensure a complete transformation of the farm sector and empower crores of farmers. The BJP ruled Centre has been alleging that Opposition parties have been misleading the farmers into distrusting the reformative laws. The Centre maintains that the new farm reforms will liberate farmers from numerous adversities including the tentacles of middlemen, allowing them to discover the best price for their produce. You are here: Business China's Ministry of Commerce on Saturday issued a regulation on the unreliable entities list, which takes immediate effect upon the release. The Border Security Force (BSF) on Saturday foiled a devious attempt to smuggle arms, ammunition and drugs from Pakistan as it fired upon an intruder at the border outpost of Budhwar in Jammu and Kashmir. In the wee hours of Sunday, the BSF observed suspicious movement of three to four persons in Arnia area of Jammu sector, on the zero lines of Pakistan. Shortly after, one person was seen approaching the fence, who was immediately given a warning by firing upon by the sentry. On being fired, the intruder ran back towards Pakistan side. The BSF troops carried out a search early in the morning and recovered up to 58 packets of suspected narcotics, strung together, two pistols, four magazines and ammunition. The search is in progress. The finding lays bare how Pakistan infiltrates not only terrorists, arms and ammunition, but also deals in narcotics that may be used for a wide range of nefarious purposes against India at the borders. READ | BSF Apprehends 4 Bangladeshi Nationals For Illegally Entering The Country READ | Huge Quantity Of Banned Cough Syrup Seized, 4 Persons Apprehended By BSF Another smuggling attempt foiled Last week, BSF troops foiled a mischievous attempt by anti-national elements and recovered rifles, pistols & ammunition from along the Indo-Pak border of Abohar, Ferozepur district in Punjab. Three AK-47 rifles with six magazines & 91 rds, two M-16 Rifles with four magazines & 57 Rds, and two Pistols with four magazines & 20 rds were recovered by the BSF on September 12. The sack bags were found 10 meters from the International Border and 140 meters from the BSF fence. The ZLP party observed a suspicious yellow colour plastic sack adjacent to the zero line track on the Indian side of the border and on searching the bag found the rifles, guns and the ammunition. Further, another sack bag(two meters from the first sack bag) comprising of three AK-47 rifles with three magazines filled with Rds were also found. Search operations are still in progress. READ | 'Erratic Power Supply Hampering Border Domination': IG BSF To J&K Lt. Governor READ | Bengal: BSF Seizes 14.6 Kg Silver Ornaments Being Smuggled Into Bangladesh TikTok isnt alone in avoiding a US ban, at least for now. Reuters reports that Judge Laurel Beeler has issued a preliminary injunction blocking a Commerce Department order that would remove WeChat from US app stores by the end of September 20th. Users who sued the Trump administration over the ban have raised serious questions about First Amendment free speech issues, Judge Beeler said, and that tipped the balance of hardships in their favor. The injunction similarly thwarted an order that would have forbidden other US transactions with WeChat. Beeler added that the governments general national security concerns about China were considerable, but that evidence of specific issues with WeChat was modest. Like with TikTok, politicians have been worried that China might push Tencent-owned WeChat to spy on Americans. The move stymies the Trump administrations attempt to crack down on China-owned internet services, at least until the lawsuit comes to its conclusion. Its also a relief to both users and some US companies. WeChat is a mainstay app in China, and a ban would have made it harder for Chinese Americans to message overseas relatives. Also, firms like Apple and Disney have warned that they stand to lose if they cant interact with WeChat. Apples iPhone sales in China depend heavily on access to WeChat, for example. If its not allowed to offer the app, its future in the country is in doubt. The injunction puts those fears on hold, however temporarily. (Natural News) Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) told Breitbart News during an exclusive interview on Wednesday that the American people are the victims of House Speaker Nancy Pelosis (D-CA) extortion of coronavirus aid. (Article by Sean Moran republished from Breitbart.com) Buck spoke to Breitbart News as Pelosi continues to hold up coronavirus aid to the American people and small businesses suffering from the effects of the pandemic. The speakers hardline tactics and unwillingness to negotiate with President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans has led to many coronavirus aid programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to languish. Pelosis refusal to find a middle ground with the president has led to many rank-and-file Democrats revolting against the House leader. Buck told Breitbart News that he applauds the president for refusing to give in to Pelosis brinksmanship-style negotiations, which he said would lead to leftist carveouts, such as a bailout of Californias pension system. I think the strategy is to try to portray the president as unable to lead during this difficult time and get things through Congress, and that is unfortunate because the people who are suffering because the workers and the small business people and the folks are going to have a very difficult time coming back from this, the Colorado conservative told Breitbart News. But I applaud the White House on not caving that Nancy Pelosi is making. I think Speaker Pelosi would love to have the California pension system paid off and all kinds of other things. It is just extortion, and, unfortunately, the victims are the American people. Pelosi has tried to get another round of coronavirus aid along the lines of her $3 trillion, 1,815-page HEROES Act that contains numerous leftist carveouts, including bailouts of state and local governments, mandatory early voting and mail-in ballots, and elimination of the limitations on the deductions for state and local taxes (SALT). The SALT deduction primarily benefits wealthy, mainly Democrat states. Buck said that America cannot continue spending itself further into debt and that the country must reopen if it wants to revitalize the countrys economy. I think the key is to recognize that we are $30 trillion in debt right now, and we cant keep going in this direction, and we have to be responsible with how we spend federal dollars. Speaker Pelosi has no desire to be responsible, and Im not just talking about her freezer of ice cream or her haircuts; she is just unable to stop the spending, and she will bleed this country dry if we dont draw the line somewhere, he said. I think the American public recognizes that, Buck added. Buck mentioned that other countries had success by reopening their countries with limited spikes in coronavirus cases. Sweden chose to impose lockdowns and focus on personal responsibility as well as protecting its most vulnerable citizens. The Scandanavian country kept its schools, businesses, and restaurants open. When you look at foreign countries and the success theyve had with their economies being opened and people acting responsibly, you can talk about masks, and you can talk about social distancing. You can talk about a lot of things, but what we cant afford is to keep our economy locked down, and one reason we cant afford is the social pathologies rise as we keep people isolated, Buck said. Were seeing a lot more crime. Were seeing a lot more deviant behavior, drug use, domestic violence, and child abuse, Buck said. Its really important that we get back to normal, and this is a disease that we can protect vulnerable populations because of age or medical issues, but weve got to make sure that our economy is running, or were not going to have the resources to deal with it in the future, Buck added. Read more at: Breitbart.com The impassioned battle over moving the massive but crumbling Alamo Cenotaph is reaching a climax this week that could give new life to the $450 million Alamo overhaul project or kill it. The Texas Historical Commission is expected to vote Tuesday on a permit to move the 80-year-old monument a few hundred feet south of its present location. Its a debate that has raged for years now. Billy Calzada, Staff / Billy Calzada Leaders of the public-private overhaul plan, which would close Alamo Plaza to traffic, expand pedestrian space and build a new museum, warn that the project is destined to fail if the commission doesnt approve the permit. But fierce opponents of the plan, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, believe the Alamo project still could continue if the Cenotaph is repaired in its current location at the north end of the plaza. They have carried signs at demonstrations in the plaza and gathered at meetings shouting, Not One Inch! On ExpressNews.com: As Cenotaph ages, its location becomes subject of debate The monument features the figures of Alamo defenders and symbolic imagery in a work titled The Spirit of Sacrifice by sculptor Pompeo Coppini. The commission will meet via Zoom videoconference; its open to the public. For details, go to thc.texas.gov, click on news & events and click on calendar. Agency staff has reviewed the permit application filed by the city and its consultants and has found it to be sufficiently complete, including the process of dismantling and restoring the Cenotaph within a reasonable construction time frame. Billy Calzada, Staff / Billy Calzada A staff memo offers three options: issue the relocation permit, deny the permit or issue a permit to restore the Cenotaph at its current site. Officials of the Alamo project, having survived several bills seeking to stop the relocation that stalled last year in the Legislature, won approval for the move in December from the citys Historic and Design Review Commission as part of a $15 million, city-funded overhaul of the south area of the plaza. Engineers say the monument is at risk of cracking and breaking apart because of damage caused by rainwater penetration that has corroded aluminum binders in its frame. Project officials have engaged top-of-the-line consultants to delicately deconstruct, clean and repair the Cenotaphs marble exterior and rebuild it on a new frame, turning it 180 degrees to face the fort, with new interpretive signs to add some of the Alamo defenders names that are omitted or misspelled. Photos by Billy Calzada /Staff photographer The monument, now in a traffic island, would be illuminated at night in a pedestrian plaza, surrounded by outdoor seating, in front of the Menger Hotel and in direct line of sight of the iconic Alamo church facade. Texas Historical Commission virtual meeting What: Joint meeting of the commission and Antiquities Advisory Board When: 9 a.m. Tuesday Zoom meeting registration link:zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_TRZIHMTMRMGzRQoK_2pAmQ Audio access via telephone: 346-248-7799; Webinar ID: 931 8548 5524 Public comment registration (deadline 8 p.m. Monday):bit.ly/3ifeEjU See More Collapse But the issue has languished with the historical commission, which considered the matter in January, requesting more information about alternative sites for the Cenotaph. Clark/Guido Construction, a joint venture, prepared the area for construction, erecting barriers and removing two 1970s structures: the plaza bandstand and Lady Bird Johnson Fountain. Little work has occurred since then. Officials of the project, which began with formation of a citizen advisory committee six years ago, have grown restless. Councilman Roberto Trevino, who leads a six-member management panel guiding the project, has said hes disappointed with the place which the Alamo project is currently stalled. Failure to relocate the Cenotaph spells the end of the project, he said. On ExpressNews.com: Alamo Cenotaph marked with graffiti Amid the coronavirus pandemic and civil unrest over statues and monuments, the debate over the Cenotaph has shifted to a larger battlefield that puts the entire project at stake. To shore up momentum, the nonprofit Alamo Endowment, with subsidiaries to run the site and raise funds for a museum through agreements with the Texas General Land Office, is calling on Texans, through email blasts and social media, to register their approval at supportthealamoplan.com. Billy Calzada /Billy Calzada This project is our moment in history to remember the Alamo, Alamo CEO Douglass W. McDonald said in an online letter last week. The Alamo plan will take desperately needed action to repair the Alamo Church and Long Barrack, reclaim the historic battlefield, repair and relocate the Cenotaph, and build a world-class visitor center and museum to help visitors understand the significance of the Alamo as a mission, a fortress and beyond. Theres a timeline at stake, too. British rock star Phil Collins, former Genesis drummer known for hits such as Easy Lover and In the Air Tonight, donated 400-plus artifacts to the Alamo, with a legal caveat that a permanent museum and visitor center be in a schematic phase of build out by October 2021. All items in the $15.5 million collection would be publicly exhibited as the Phil Collins Texana Collection. The endowment announced last week that former Texas Land Commissioners Garry Mauro, a Democrat, and David Dewhurst, a Republican, are lending bipartisan support for the plan, backing the current land commissioner, Republican George P. Bush. But former Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, Bushs predecessor, who attempted to win his seat back in 2018 and lost in the Republican primary, opposes moving the Cenotaph. Patterson says it should, by principle, remain within the geographic footprint of the Alamo mission-fort, especially because the Alamo plan envisions guardrails around that portion of the plaza that would help protect the memorial from vandalism. Cindy Gaskill, a descendant of Alamo defender Andrew Kent, created a website, spiritofsacrifice.com, on the Cenotaph. She believes it has its own significance and belongs in the center of the battlefield, as artist Coppini and officials overseeing its placement had desired. This is an integral part of the Cenotaph history which should not be ignored, Gaskill said. On ExpressNews.com: Alamo church reopens to visitors with timed-ticket process Douglass McDonald did say on several occasions if the Cenotaph is not moved, the entire plan would fail. Why? Why cant Texans have a compromise? The museum could absolutely go ahead as planned. I do think a museum is very much needed to display the vast collection of relics that belong to the DRT and the GLO, Gaskill said, referring to the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and the Texas General Land Office. Filmmaker Gary Foreman, an advocate for changes at the Alamo, appears in a new eight-minute YouTube video posted on social media: Supporting the Alamo Plan: Its Time to Move the Cenotaph. He argues that the short-distance relocation keeps the monument on the Alamo battlefield while freeing up space in the historic plaza to function as an outdoor museum. He said the issue has been clouded by folk legend that many Texian and Tejano defenders died on the spot where the monument stands. Historians have said many were killed fighting in the Long Barrack or were dispatched by Mexican cavalry troops as they fled south in the early morning battle of March 6, 1836. Because the Alamo church was declared the states battle shrine in 1905, the Cenotaph, built for the 1936 Texas centennial, is a redundant monument to a monument, Foreman said. In the video, he and military historian Alan Huffines traced the idea of moving the 56-foot-tall monument back to the 1970s. But they said the current proposal is the most respectful treatment ever envisioned for the Cenotaph. Itll finally be a complete and well-interpreted memorial and will be just as sanctified as it is in any other place, Huffines said. On ExpressNews.com: Global advocate supports preserving Woolworth Building The Alamo Endowment unleashed a new weapon last month in its arsenal to win support for the plan: new renderings that show what the plaza someday could look like, with temporary replications or full reconstructions of 1836 features that no longer exist. Illustrations posted on the Alamo Facebook page have shown representations of a second story on the Long Barrack; wooden palisades by the church where David Crockett and his Tennessee volunteers kept watch; the Low Barracks and main gate on the south wall; the Losoya House and southwest corner cannon battery, where the forts largest gun was fired; and the Trevino House, headquarters of Alamo commander William Barret Travis now the location of Ripleys Haunted Adventure. Yet the plan has not won the support of two major, long-running heritage groups: the Conservation Society of San Antonio and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. The conservation society, which led a nine-year effort to secure the 2015 designation of the five San Antonio missions as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been fighting for preservation of the facade of the 1921 Woolworth Building. The building is one of three state-owned historic structures that would be at least partially demolished or incorporated into the new museum. The Woolworth Building and 1912 Hotel Gibbs directly across from it on Houston Street housed two of seven downtown lunch counters that voluntarily desegregated in 1960, putting San Antonio briefly in a national spotlight when a refusal to serve Black customers was at the forefront of the civil rights movement. The museum design, not yet released, is one of several parts of the plan that critics say are missing before full support can be accorded to the project. On ExpressNews.com: Alamo looks for new leader as CEO opts not to renew contract Patti Zaiontz, conservation society president, said the new renderings reveal nothing about the new museum but generate other concerns about reconstruction of 1836 features. Under UNESCO standards, reconstruction efforts are justifiable only in exceptional circumstances and must be based on complete and detailed documentation and to no extent on conjecture. We seek reassurance that any decision to undertake reconstruction will meet this high standard in order to maintain the sites World Heritage status, Zaiontz said. She suggested the Alamo use digital tools such as augmented reality to reconstruct historic elements without physically altering an existing site. The 21st-century tourist expects to be able to participate in the re-creation of historic events through such tools, which are more cost-effective than construction and can be updated with new information at any time, Zaiontz said. The complexities of interpreting Alamo Plaza mission, burial ground, battlefield and civil rights site require the inclusion of best practices in heritage conservation, local community input and interpretive innovation to achieve a truly transformational project, she added. The society also shares the concerns of the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation and other lineage groups about the location and designation of cemeteries within the plaza, Zaiontz said. The Alamo has formed an advisory panel composed of Native Americans from federally recognized tribes to give guidance on the handling of human bones, including at least four partially intact sets of remains recently found in the church, which in June was declared a verified cemetery by the historical commission. McDonald, the Alamo CEO whose contract expires Sept. 30, has said its unlikely human remains will be found in the plaza makeover. On ExpressNews.com: New rendering shows vision for Alamo Plaza makeover But THC Commissioner Jim Bruseth, an Austin archaeologist, has said the state agency soon could be revisiting the issue of a cemetery at the Alamo, outside the church, as work for the Alamo overall project continues. Tap Pilam has a federal lawsuit pending against McDonald and Bush, seeking to be included in decisions regarding the treatment of human remains. Meanwhile, the DRT, the Alamos custodian from 1905 to 2011, is staying neutral on the Alamo plan and Cenotaph relocation. Starting with the actions in 1903 of Clara Driscoll and Adina De Zavala to save the Long Barrack from a hotel development, the Daughters are recognized for rescuing what remains today of the Alamo, transforming its ruins into the states most visited historic site, seen by 1.6 million people annually. In a letter last week, DRT President General Carolyn Raney invited members to form their own opinions. While many of us now support the Alamo plan, believing in totality it is a step forward for telling the history of the Alamo, there are also some members of the DRT who strongly oppose the Alamo plan and in particular the relocation of the Alamo Cenotaph, Raney said. Scott Huddleston covers Bexar County government and the Alamo for the San Antonio Express-News. To read more from Scott, become a subscriber. shuddleston@express-news.net | Twitter: @shuddlestonSA TAIPEI, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Taiwan said on Saturday it scrambled jets in response to the approach of Chinese jets for the second day in a row, escalating tensions further as a senior U.S. official was on the island for talks. "Twelve J-16 fighters, two J-10 fighters, two J-11 fighters, two H-6 bombers and one Y-8 ASW crossed the midline of the #TaiwanStrait and entered #Taiwans southwest ADIZ," Taiwan's defence ministry said in a statement, referring to its air defence identification zone. It said Taiwan's air force "scrambled fighters, and deployed air defense missile system to monitor the activities." (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Writing by William Mallard. Editing by Gerry Doyle) Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President, has congratulated Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, on his victory in the governorshipl election held in the state on Saturday. Mr Obaseki , candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), having polled the highest number of valid votes cast. Mr Obaseki polled 307, 955 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress(APC), who came second with 223, 619 votes. In a statement he personally signed, Mr Abubakar also commended the people of Edo State for their resilience in the face of the forces arrayed against them, saying the victory of Mr Obaseki is not just a victory, but a declaration of Independence from the anti democratic forces of godfatherism and militarism. Mr Abubakar declared that Edo has a rich history as the centre of Black civilisation, and to this, she is adding a new history as the bastion of Nigerian democracy. This double whammy of ancient and modern glories is a testament to a people who have for centuries set the pace as a beacon of light on the African continent. The presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2019 presidential election also congratulated the party whom he described as standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of Edo and their Government, in good times and bad. We, in the PDP, have shown that we are not fair weather friends to the good people of Edo. In good times, we will walk beside you. In bad times, we will be your true comrade. We will never be a turncoat. We will never abandon the principles we once espoused, so we can dine with our nemesis. Democracy has no nemesis. And this, the PDP has again proved, he said. Mr Abubakar said that he looks forward to the continuation of four more years of tangible development, and people centred leadership from Governor Obaseki. He also prayed the Oba of Benin, Omo Noba NEdo Uku Akpolopkolo, Ewuare II, for what he described as the fatherly role he played as a neutral catalyst for peace., saying that the election was, by and large, free from violence, is a testament of the long and effective shadow he casts over his domain. From personal experience, I know Governor Obaseki to be a magnanimous man, and I urge Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu to accept the right hand of fellowship that is likely to be extended to him. The leprous hand he is now holding, can only lead to a destination of barrenness. He is amongst strange bedfellows, and I remind him that no matter how far one has gone on a wrong road, it is never too late to turn back and head in the right direction. The PDP is the right direction, Mr Abubakar said. He equally advised the people of Ondo state to free themselves from the oppressive grasp of godfathers and external forces that seek to dominate your will, and eviscerate your treasury, is possible. Edo has done it. You can do it too! The people of Ondo State will be heading to the polls on October 10 to elect their governor. There is a new wind of democratic change now blowing all over Nigeria. The forces of despotism, nepotism, and interlopers cannot successfully withstand this force. Nigeria shall soon be totally free from these forces, from Kaura Namoda, to Lagos. The only power that will stand in Nigeria is people power, not the power of godfathers, or despots. May God bless the good people of Edo State and may God bless Nigeria, Mr Abubakar said. With all the ongoing uproar over farm bills that were passed in the Upper House of Parliament on Sunday, defence minister Rajnath Singh at a press conference assured farmers that the minimum support price (MSP) will continue. I want to assure farmers that minimum support price and APMC will continue. These will never be removed at any cost, the defence minister said at the press conference. Apart from Rajnath Singh, Prakash Javadekar, Pralhad Joshi, Piyush Goyal, Thawarchand Gehlot and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi were also present at the press conference. At the media briefing, Rajnath Singh strongly asserted that such conduct by Opposition parties was not expected in a healthy democracy. The government has been on the receiving end ever since the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 were approved in Rajya Sabha on Sunday. Condemning Oppositions ruckus in Parliament, Rajnath Singh said, What happened in Rajya Sabha today was saddening, unfortunate and shameful. It is the responsibility of the ruling side to enable discussions in the House but it is also the duty of the Opposition to maintain decorum. The government says the farm bills will help boost the farming sector through private investments. More than 100,000 people marched through Minsk on Sunday on the sixth straight weekend of protests against President Alexander Lukashenko, keeping up the pressure on the veteran Belarusian leader to quit. Many walked in a vast column that stretched back several kilometres, decked out in red-and-white opposition colours and chanting go away" as helmeted riot police patrolled the streets with water canons on hand, a witness said. Several protesters were dragged away from the crowd by security forces. In the city centre, riot police rhythmically beat their shields as a warning while several people threw glass bottles at them. Videos shared by local media outlets showed security forces in helmets or masks hauling protesters off the streets in simultaneous protests in other cities. The eastern European country was plunged into turmoil following a presidential election last month that Lukashenko says he won by a landslide, but the opposition says was rigged. In power for 26 years, the former Soviet collective farm manager has shown scant inclination to resign, buoyed by support from Russia. The European Union vowed weeks ago to impose sanctions on Minsk for alleged election fraud and human rights abuses, but is likely to miss its own Monday deadline for action. POLICE DATA LEAKED In tandem with the protests, anonymous hackers leaked the personal data of more than 2,000 police officers in retaliation for a crackdown in which thousands of people have been detained, many complaining of beatings and torture in jail. The government has denied abusing detainees. The loyalty of the security forces is crucial to Lukashenkos ability to cling on to power. Their faces are often obscured by masks, balaclavas or riot helmets. Some protesters have torn the masks off some officers. As the arrests continue, we will continue to publish data on a massive scale," said a statement distributed by the opposition news channel Nexta Live on the messaging app Telegram. No one will remain anonymous even under a balaclava." The first batch of 1,000 names was released on Saturday and widely distributed on Telegram channels. The second batch of more than 1,000 names was released on Sunday evening, targeting officers in the western city of Brest where the hackers said the police had been particularly heavy-handed. The government said it would find and punish those responsible for leaking the data. The forces, means and technologies at the disposal of the internal affairs bodies make it possible to identify and prosecute the overwhelming majority of those guilty of leaking personal data on the Internet," said Olga Chemodanova, the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Internal Affairs. STRATEGIC BUFFER At least 196 people were detained across the country on Sunday, the human rights group Spring-96 said. The Russian news agency TASS said at least ten people had been held, citing police. The government typically releases the final figures the following day. Footage shared by Belarusian media outlets showed police dragging people from the front of a column of protesters who had linked arms in Brest, and firing spray from a bottle into the face of one of them. One security officer fired a warning shot into the air in a separate incident. They sprayed gas in the face of peaceful people, fired into the air, showed particular cruelty," a second statement by the hackers said. We warned that you will definitely have to answer for crimes against Belarusians. We add to the existing database a list of more than 1,000 ghouls from Brest and the Brest region." Metro stations were closed in central Minsk and the mobile internet disrupted for several hours. The government said 390 women were detained for taking part in a protest on Saturday. Most have been released. Russia sees Belarus as a strategic buffer state against the EU and NATO, and has accused the United States of fomenting revolution in its neighbour. Moscow agreed to give a $1.5 billion loan to prop up Lukashenkos government following a meeting between him and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Belarus will channel about $330 million of its new loan to cover its outstanding debt to Russian gas giant Gazprom , Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov was quoted by TASS as saying. 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 San Antonio lawyer Katy Stout wants her 4-year-old daughter, Ava, to grow up knowing the impact Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had on American womens lives. Stout planned to take just Ava to a local vigil for the jurist and icon Saturday evening in front of the Bexar County Courthouse. But her husband, also a lawyer, suggested the whole family go, including their three sons: Kano, 9, Roman, 6, and Elliott, 1. As the sun set and Mariachi Guerrero Quitzali performed, Ava, Roman and Kano set up candles on the courthouse steps and laid bouquets. Ava wore a shirt bearing Ginsburgs face. I want her to know who came before her, Stout said. On ExpressNews.com: Editorial: A sad day for a nation Ginsburg made more equal The family was among well over a hundred San Antonians who gathered to celebrate Ginsburgs life a day after her death from complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer. Ginsburg was just the second woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court and was known as a pioneer for womens rights and gender equality. As the national dialogue around Ginsburg quickly turned to a political battle over her replacement on the U.S. Supreme Court, local lawyers wanted to reserve time for mourning the 87-year-old legal icon and trailblazer. Our fear was so many were rushing to discuss who would replace her that not enough time would be spent to remember her and what she did for this country, said lawyer Marisa Bono, a co-organizer of the vigil. But the upcoming fight was impossible to ignore. While vigils were held across the country, President Donald Trump pledged to name a nominee next week. The nominee will be a woman, he said during a campaign rally in Fayetteville, N.C. On ExpressNews.com: Ted Cruz says Senate should confirm Justice Ginsburgs replacement before election May we work so her death births the largest vote ever seen in our nation, said lawyer Sharyll Teneyuca, niece to the late labor leader Emma Teneyuca. Let us work to assure that (Ginsburgs) replacement occurs after the presidential term. Latina Vote, an organization aimed at increasing the number of Latinas at the polls, registered voters at a table nearby. Speakers celebrated Ginsburgs votes on cases that enhanced womens rights and protected affirmative action, among others. No matter how they might try to distract us, let us take the time to mourn, said Rebel Mariposa, owner of La Botanica restaurant and bar on St. Marys Strip. There will be a time to fight. There will be a time to vote. Krista Torralva covers several school districts and public universities in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Krista, become a subscriber. Krista.Torralva@express-news.net | Twitter: @KMTorralva Lacey Turner cut a casual figure during an outing on Sunday shortly after it was reported that she is set to take a lengthy break from EastEnders. The soap star, 32, stepped out to run errands in the afternoon as she was seen carrying a shopping bag towards her car. The actress opted for a laid back look, donning a black jumper along with a pair of blue jeans. Out and about: Lacey Turner, 32, cut a casual figure during an outing on Sunday shortly after it was reported that she is set to take a lengthy break from EastEnders Lacey, who recently returned to EastEnders after going on maternity leave, also sported a pair of flip flops and styled her brunette tresses into an updo. The actress completed her look for the day by sporting a pair of large sunglasses. Lacey is reportedly set to take a lengthy break from EastEnders just as her character Stacey Fowler has returned to Albert Square. The TV star will be back on screens this week after she went on maternity leave for a year with her daughter Dusty, fourteen months. Casual: The soap star stepped out to run errands in the afternoon as she was seen carrying a shopping bag towards her car Comfort: The actress opted for a laid back look, donning a black jumper along with a pair of blue jeans Running errands: Lacey, who recently returned to EastEnders after going on maternity leave, also sported a pair of flip flops and styled her brunette tresses into an updo According to the Daily Star, Lacey's return will be a brief one as she will be off the soap again by the end of the year, with bosses currently plotting her temporary departure. An insider said: 'Lacey will be taking a break. The top bosses agreed to give her some time off from the show. 'This is a great opportunity for the writers to come up with something big for Lacey to get her teeth into.' Outfit: The actress completed her look for the day by sporting a pair of large sunglasses Break: Lacey is reportedly set to take a lengthy break from EastEnders just as her character Stacey Fowler has returned to Albert Square The source added that Lacey will return to the soap within the year and there are no plans for her to permanently leave EastEnders. MailOnline has contacted representatives for Lacey and EastEnders for comment. Last year, Stacey bashed Phil Mitchell over the head and left him for dead, before she fled Walford. Return: The TV star will be back on screens this week after she went on maternity leave for a year with her daughter Dusty, fourteen months She also split up from husband Martin Fowler (James Bye) and has since been dating a man named Jerome. Meanwhile, tensions are undoubtedly set to rise as Martin has moved on with her best friend Ruby Allen (Louisa Lytton). Speaking about Martin and Ruby's romance, Lacey told Digital Spy: 'I think for Stacey, she just felt angry towards Ruby that's supposed to be her best friend. Departure: According to the Daily Star, Lacey's return will be a brief one as she will be off the soap again by the end of the year, with bosses currently plotting her temporary departure 'She's really sad about her and Martin. In her heart of hearts she does still love him and I think it's quite hard her to watch them together. 'But in true Stacey style, she will just put on a front and pretend she doesn't care. She thinks that it's not that serious and that he's there for the money. She definitely doesn't think it's going to last forever.' Lacey added she thinks Stacey is still 'very much in love' with her ex and would take him back tomorrow if she could. Stacey's return to EastEnders airs on Monday September 20 at 8:05pm on BBC One. By PTI NEW DELHI: In a humanitarian gesture, the customs authorities helped a woman get personal belongings of her brother, who died in the US recently, by waiving duty on the parcel. The move came after the deceased's sister Shubhra Goyal took to Twitter to seek help in getting her brother's belongings, sent to India by the US authorities through a private courier. "Our family is not in a position to pay customs duty now. Hence you are requested to kindly get the customs duty waived on his (her brother) last memories and help the family in this difficult times. Our family will be lifelong indebted to you," she had tweeted on Saturday in Hindi, tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Her tweets, carrying other relevant details, were shared on the internet. A senior Delhi customs official on Sunday said that the goods were lying with the courier company at the New Courier Terminal here and they were not presented to the customs for clearance. We extend our sincere condolences to the family & may the almighty give them strength to bear the loss of a loved one. In this case @FedExIndia had not filed the BoE, which was filed at the behest of Indian Customs & shipment has been cleared with NIL customs duty & demurrage. https://t.co/1sNNr4sF19 Delhi Customs (@Delhicustoms) September 20, 2020 "Any import consignment coming through courier comes to Indian customs for clearance when the courier company files a courier bill of entry (BoE). ndian customs do not even have a knowledge of a shipment till the BoE is filed," he said. In a tweet on Sunday, the Delhi Customs said the shipment has been cleared with "NIL customs duty". "We extend our sincere condolences to the family & may the almighty give them strength to bear the loss of a loved one. In this case @FedExIndia had not filed the BoE, which was filed at the behest of Indian Customs & shipment has been cleared with NIL customs duty & demurrage," it tweeted. Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur also tweeted that immediate action to expedite her request was undertaken by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) and Delhi Customs. "Dear @ShubhrangiG My sincere condolences on your loss, taking note of the urgency of your request, immediate action to expedite this was undertaken by @cbic_india @Delhicustoms," Thakur tweeted on Sunday. When contacted, Shubhra's mother Nisha Goyal expressed appreciation and gratitude towards the customs authorities. "I am really thankful to the customs authorities. We could not have afford customs duty being demanded from us for getting the shipment. They have done a big humanitarian help to the family in this hour of grief," she said from Uttarakhand's Kotdwar. Nisha, who works in Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), said she has got a call from the Assistant Commissioner of Customs informing her that the shipment has been released and it should reach her soon. "I feel really relaxed. Those items in the shipment are all I have as my son's last memory," she said. Arpit Goyal died in Buffalo city in the United States of America on August 26. He had gone to the US early this year to study Master in Computer Science, according to Shubhra's tweet. Arpit's mortal remains were received by the family in India on September 5. Even his belongings including laptop and certain important documents were also sent by the US authorities, which reached Delhi on September 18, 2020, her tweets said. However, the shipment sent via private courier company was pending for clearance as the firm had not filed the BoE, the customs official added. - Maureen Larrazabal shared good news on her social media page about her current health condition - The Kapuso actress and comedienne revealed that she is finally free from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID) - The Pepito Manaloto star likewise shared that she recovered from the viral disease after two months of battle - She publicized just this month that she became one of the showbiz personalities who tested positive for COVID-19 PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Maureen Larrazabal recently announced good news on her social media page. KAMI learned that in an Instagram post, the Pepito Manaloto star revealed that she is finally free from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID). Photo courtesy of Maureen Larrazabal/Instagram Source: Instagram The actress and comedienne also said she recovered from the viral disease after two months of battle. After being tested positive...I'm finally covid free split na kami ni covid #blessedbeyondmeasure #2monthsbattle #Grateful #GODISGREAT Earlier this month, Maureen publicized that she became one of the showbiz personalities who tested positive for COVID-19. She shared that she has no idea how she contracted the virus. PAY ATTENTION: Shop with KAMI! The best offers and discounts on the market, product reviews and feedbacks. A lot of her followers then expressed happiness over Maureens update. Yehey...i always believe in you that you can get rid of covid. God is good, all the time! Congrats idol maureen. God bless. Thanks god your covid free po, ingat palagi. Am so happy for you Ms. @maureenelarrazabalofficial. To God be the Glory.. Keep safe po. "Happy for you! Isang selfienaman jan." PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! Maureen Larrazabal, born September 23, 1979, is a gorgeous Kapuso actress and comedienne. She has graced the covers of some of the Philippines' most popular men's magazines like FHM Philippines. She is among the celebrities like Christopher de Leon, Iza Calzado and Michael V. who recovered from COVID-19 Earlier, Maureen shared how Michael V. backs her in her battle with the viral diseases. The rest of her "Pepito Manaloto" family also helped her strengthen her emotion to recover from the disease. 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 Islamabad, Sep 20 : Two Pakistani soldiers were killed during a security operation against militants in North Waziristan, an army statement said. Without mentioning the time of the operation, the statement by the military's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Saturday night said that the armed offensive was carried out on an intelligence tip-off regarding the presence of militants in the district, reports Xinhua news agency. Loss on the side of militants was not revealed by the statement which only added that the area of the operation was cordoned off for clearance. Earlier on Saturday, the ISPR issued a statement about an operation against militants in southwest Balochistan province in which four terrorists were killed. On Sunday, Republic TV accessed the dossier of the National Investigation Agency detailing the raising of funds and radicalization of the arrested terrorists via social media. While Murshid Hasan, Iyakub Biswas and Mosaraf Hossen were arrested from Ernakulum, Najmus Sakib, Abu Sufiyan, Mainul Mondal, Leu Yean Ahmed, Al Mamun Kamal and Atitur Rehman were apprehended from Murshidabad. They have been accused of being terrorists associated with the Pakistan-sponsored module of Al-Qaeda. While Abu Sufiyan was allegedly planning to establish shed for explosives, Al Mamun Kamal reportedly provided secure venues for fundraising meetings. As per the NIA, the latter also allowed the meeting of the terrorists on September 18. Moreover, the agency claimed that Atitur Rehman was involved in furthering Jihadi activities. Najmus Sakib, Abu Sufiyan, Mainul Mondal, Leu Yean Ahmed, Al Mamun Kamal and Atitur Rehman were brought to the special NIA court in Kolkata following which the agency secured their transit remand. They are scheduled to be produced before the Patiala House Court. Read: Terrorists Build Underground Bunkers In Shopian To Escape Army's Pursuit NIA's charge The NIA effected these arrests on Saturday, September 19, in simultaneous raids in Kerala and West Bengal. As per the NIA, this Al-Qaeda module was planning terror attacks in India to kill innocent people. The agency added that these individuals were radicalised by Pakistan-based Al-Qaeda terrorists on social media and motivated to attack multiple places including Delhi. It alleged that the module was indulging in fundraising and that a few members of the gang were planning to travel to the national capital. Moreover, the NIA seized incriminating material including digital devices, documents, jihadi literature, sharp weapons, country-made firearms, a locally fabricated body armour, articles and literature used for making home-made explosive devices from the accused. Read: NSA Ajit Doval Attends BRICS Meet On Security, Exchange Views On Combating Terrorism After the NIA's action, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who represents the Behrampore constituency in Murshidabad of West Bengal expressed concern over the terror links. He urged the agency to conduct a thorough probe into the links with Pakistan-based terror outfit Al-Qaeda. Taking a dig at the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, BJP IT in-charge Amit Malviya alleged that Murshidabad is a "hot bed of radicalization". Murshidabad, hot bed of radicalisation, in Bengal, from where 6 Al-Qaeda operatives have been arrested is a strong hold of the Congress, represented by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Berhampore LS), partys leader in LS and now chief of its state unit. Is it too much of a coincidence? Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) September 19, 2020 Read: Three Suspected Terrorists Held In J-K's Rajouri Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 20) The Sandiganbayan has reversed the graft conviction against former Isabela governor Grace Padaca over the granting of a P25 million fund to a foundation for the province's rice program. In a decision dated June 23 but which surfaced over the weekend, the anti-graft courts third division granted Padacas motion for reconsideration, reversing the graft charge due to the prosecutions failure to prove her guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The anti-graft court in 2019 sentenced Padaca to 12 to 14 years for malversation and six to 10 years for graft. She was also ordered to pay the Isabela government a fine of P18 million. Padacas motion for her malversation case was meanwhile denied due to lack of merit. Despite this, the former official said she was thankful for the positive development. Noong June 23,2020, nag-desisyon ang Sandiganbayan na ipawalang sala ako sa isa sa dalawang cases against me Sa totoo lang, hindi na ako umasa noon na babaligtarin pa ng mga judge ang desisyon nila laban sa akin, but I am thankful for this new and positive development, Padaca wrote on her social media account. [Translation: Last June 23, 2020, the Sandiganbayan decided to acquit me in one of the two cases against me. The truth is, I was not expecting that the judge will reverse their decisions against me, but I am thankful for this new and positive development.] The Sandiganbayan also ordered the lifting of the hold departure order against Padaca. Padaca earlier denied receiving an amount from the million-peso fund. She maintained that Isabelas provincial council authorized the memorandum of agreement she entered with the foundation for the program. - Ministry of Health announced on Sunday, September 20, that out of the 152 new cases, 84 were males while 68 were females - Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the youngest patient is a three-year-old child while the eldest is 89 - Kenya has for one month now been recording low numbers of COVID-19 cases; a trend that has been perceived by many to be flattening of the infections curve PAY ATTENTION: Click 'See First' under 'Follow' Tab to see Tuko.co.ke news on your FB Feed Kenya has recorded 152 more cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours pushing the number of people who have contracted the new disease since March 13 to 36,981. The new cases were identified after medics examined 2,224 samples which included 84 males and 68 females. READ ALSO: Magnificent photos of lawyer Nelson Havi's village bungalow Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe. Photo: MoH. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Moses Kuria akosa kuzingatia sheria za kukabili Covid-19 baada ya kupona ugonjwa huo The Ministry of Health also announced recoveries of 110 patients out of which 39 patients were under the home-based care system while 71 had been admitted to various hospitals across the country. The cumulative number of recoveries since April 1 now stands at 23,887 from 23,777 reported on Saturday, September 19. READ ALSO: Cate Waruguru sneers at Ruto's hustler narrative: "Come seduce us first" Two other patients, MoH said, had died raising the death toll to 648. Distribution of cases Nairobi had the highest number of cases at 34, Mombasa (24), Kisii (20), Kisumu (19) while Kiambu had 19. READ ALSO: Politician Alinur Mohamed arrested while donating food in Kamkunji constituency Nakuru registered 10 cases, Turkana (eight), Kajiado (three), Kakamega (two), Meru (two) and Embu (two). Kericho, Marsabit, Nyamira, Samburu, Siaya, Uasin Gishu, Taita Taveta, Machakos and Muranga had a single case each. Globally, as of Sunday, September 20, some 31,035,726 people had contracted the disease, out of which 962,188 had died while 22,631,475 had recovered. 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. I have infected multiple men with HIV, my entire family hates me -Kiki wa Nge'ndo | Tuko TV. Source: TUKO.co.ke Princess Diana's childhood nanny has claimed the royal had a 'sheltered' childhood, and said she had no idea of the 'trauma' of her parent's divorce. Diana's mother Frances Shand Kydd, who passed away in 2004, aged 68, left her father John Spencer, for wallpaper tycoon Peter Shand Kydd in 1969, and, after losing a bitter custody battle for her children, moving out of the family home when the princess was seven. Last week, Diana's younger brother Charles Spencer, 56, who lives in Althorp House, his family seat in the Northamptonshire countryside, described their childhood as 'ruptured' and 'agonising'. But now Diana's former nanny, Mary Clarke, now 70, has disputed his claims, telling The Sunday Times: 'Those children didn't even know about that court case ... they didn't know any of that trauma was going on ... they were very sheltered. Those parents gave them a wonderful life.' Diana's mother Frances Shand Kydd, who passed away in 2004, aged 68, left her father John Spencer, for wallpaper tycoon Peter Shand Kydd in 1969. Diana and her mother are pictured at the wedding of Viscount Spencer in 1989 Diana's former nanny, Mary Clarke, now 70, who splits her time between the UK and Canada, has called their late mother a 'lovely person', who would often visit her children Mary was 21 when she started working for the Spencer's Norfolk home on the Queen's Sandringham estate, and beat more than 60 applicants for the opportunity to look after 10-year-old Diana who she described as a 'lovely child'. In an interview earlier this month, father-of-seven Earl Spencer, who is married to third wife Karen, 47, said that Diana 'used to wait on the doorstep for her mother to return' home following her parents' divorce. However Mary, who splits her time between the UK and Canada, has called their late mother a 'lovely person', who would often visit her children. She explained: 'The children spent quite a lot of time with her ... they had wonderful times when they were with her.' Princess Diana's brother Earl Spencer, 55, last week described their childhood as 'ruptured' and 'agonising' She recalled days out with Diana and her siblings at Brancaster beach in Norfolk, village fairs, playing outside to build dens in the woods and swimming at the Park House pool. Mary added that Diana 'loved being outside' and was a happy child who 'loved having her friends around.' Frances, then 18, and the 8th Earl Spencer Johnnie, 30, married in 1954 before divorcing in 1969. Princess Diana died at the age of 36 when the car she was travelling in crashed in a Paris tunnel on August 31, 1997, with this year marking the 23rd anniversary of her death In 1968, Frances lost a custody battle for Diana, Charles and their sisters Jane and Sarah and tried again in 1971 to regain custody of Johnnie Spencer, but lost once again. The mother of Diana went to live with her new husband in Scotland after losing her first custody battle for her children, in which she was dubbed 'the bolter'. Mary said that the court cases were handled 'extremely well' and that the second bid for custody showed how much Frances loved her children. Candidly reflecting on her marriage in a magazine interview in 1997, Frances said: 'While I believe remorse and regret are vibrantly necessary when we have failed others and failed ourselves, I do think repetitive apologies are a form of self-pity.' Charles Spencer discussed his grief on Radio 4, saying he 'braced' each year ahead of the anniversary of the late royal's death (pictured alongside Prince William, Prince Harry and Prince Charles at Princess Diana's funeral) Earlier this month, Charles spoke out about Princess Diana's death last week during an appearance on Radio 4. Princess Diana died at the age of 36 when the car she was travelling in crashed in a Paris tunnel on August 31, 1997, with this year marking the 23rd anniversary of her death. Diana and her mother had a rocky relationship and weren't on speaking terms before her death in 1997. Discussing his loss, he said: 'Everyone's personal loss is so intensely personal. And 23 years ago, it was very much a public outpouring.' Charles said he is 'always surprised by how difficult' the anniversary of her death remains as he revealed it continues to 'take him out at knees.' He explained: 'I'm always surprised by how difficult August 31 is each year actually. I always slightly brace myself for it and it does take me out at the knees. It is a very poignant time.' Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Saturday slammed former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah for suggesting talks with Pakistan due to increase in skirmishes in border areas of the Union Territory. Speaking in Parliament for the first time since his release from detention, the National Conference president and MP Farooq Abdullah on Saturday advocated talks with Pakistan, saying if India can talk to China to defuse their border row, it can also speak to its other neighbour to deal with the situation at Jammu and Kashmir borders. 'What India got in return?' Slamming Abdullah, Athawale said, "India has always been a supporter of dialogue and peace. But Pakistan has always cheated. He (Abdullah) should remember that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had begun the talks. (Former Pakistan President) Pervez Musharraf also came to India and what India got in return?" "Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited the Pakistan counterpart at the swearing-in ceremony in 2014. His message was clear that India wanted peace and progress through dialogue but what was received in return?" he asked. Athawale said that the government is ready to negotiate and asked Pakistan to hand over Pakistan-occupied Kashmir back to India as Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country. 'A way has to be found to deal with this' Pitching for talks with Pakistan, he said, "Border skirmishes have been rising and people are dying... A way has to be found to deal with this. Except for talks... As you are talking to China to attempt that it withdraws (from Ladakh border), we should also talk to our (other) neighbour to find a way to get out of this situation." His advocacy for talks with Pakistan during the Zero Hour drew protests from treasury benches. READ | 'Threats by Shiv Sena inappropriate': Ramdas Athawale vows to provide security to Kangana He also conveyed his gratitude to parliamentarians for speaking for him when he was under detention. The Srinagar MP also expressed his happiness at the findings of an Army inquiry into the killings of three men in Shopian in an encounter. "I am happy that the Army has admitted that three Shopian men were killed mistakenly. I hope the government gives a hefty compensation," he said. READ | Ramdas Athawale follows up on pledge to Kangana Ranaut; meets Governor & warns CM Uddhav Officials had said on Friday the Army has found "prima facie" evidence that its troops "exceeded" powers under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act during the encounter in July and has initiated disciplinary proceedings. READ | Ramdas Athawale backs Kangana, questions BMC's 'rush to demolish' actor's office Abdullah and many other leaders were put under detention by authorities last year after the Union government abrogated Article 370, which had given special powers to the erstwhile state, and split Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories. He was released in March this year. READ | RPI(A) workers will protect Kangana Ranaut in Mumbai, says Ramdas Athawale (With agency inputs) 5337 view Add Comment Socialist JCL Daga sworn in as President of Mahavir International Bikaner 49 new persons recorded membership in the oath ceremony Bikaner, Senior social worker Jaichand Lal Daga was sworn in at the function held at Hansa Guest House in Bikaner, Mahavir International's President, a leading organization of social service with the aim of serving with love. Santhosh Jain, Secretary of Mahavir International Bikaner, told that during the function former Municipal Corporation Chairman Narayan Chapada, Journalist Anand Acharya, Surendra Jain, Rajesh Baweja, Jatanlal Duggad, Manoj Gupta, Amit Daga, Dr. Ambuj Gupta, Hemendra Singhvi, Shiv Charan Sharma, Sumit Kochhar, Mohit 49 social workers including Dhariwal, Basant Daga, Pankaj Pareek took oath of membership to further the objectives of the organization. It has become a record of swearing together at any center so far. After the oath, the new chairman Veer Jaichand Lal Daga laid out the outline of the service projects for the coming year, while expressing happiness over the joining of large number of youths and said that special work will be done to complete the services. Veer Dr. JS Mehta Director Clinic, Rajuvas said that in the last years, Mahavir International and Rajuvas have done remarkable work in veterinarian and further service related to animal husbandry will be done. Lunkaran Chhajed, the special guest of the ceremony, described the service projects being done for the whole society by Mahavir International keeping the distinction of caste, religion and region. Former President of Mahavir International Veer Sumatilal Banthia laid the outline of the organization in front of the guests who attended the function, while Hemant Singi conducted the program. During the function, a large number of Veeras including the National Executive officer Veer Santosh Banthia, former president Veer Champa Lal Daga, Vijay Vallabh Kochhar also attended the family. Rishi Sunak is facing a backlash from retail giants including Selfridges, Harrods and Marks & Spencer over catastrophic plans to axe tax-free shopping for tourists. Bosses warned the Chancellor it would deliver a 5.6 billion hammer blow to the economy, decimate high streets and wipe out 70,000 jobs. Selfridges managing director Anne Pitcher said it was another nail in the coffin for city centre firms reeling from lockdown and working hard to lure shoppers. Rishi Sunak (pictured) is facing a backlash from retail giants including Selfridges, Harrods and Marks & Spencer over catastrophic plans to axe tax-free shopping for tourists She said the tax grab would drive international travellers to Paris and other European cities at a time when British firms needed them most. Millions of wealthy tourists from China and the Middle East come to Britain to shop each year, spending 22 billion on hotels, restaurants and cultural attractions during their stay. Business chiefs are threatening legal action after the Treasury quietly announced that at the end of the year it would pull out of the VAT Retail Export Scheme, which lets overseas visitors reclaim the 20 per cent in VAT on items such as clothes, handbags and jewellery. Most countries outside the EU extend the same perk to British travellers and businesses. Harrods (pictured) are among the retail giants warning the Chancellor his plans would deliver a 5.6 billion hammer blow to the economy, decimate high streets and wipe out 70,000 jobs Ms Pitcher blasted the appalling move which has left bosses in shock and would hit tourism, retailers and other city centre firms and demanded an immediate review. She said organisations had recommended extending the scheme to European visitors after Britain leaves the EU on January 1 to help kick-start tourism after Covid-19. Any additional tax revenue from the latest decision would be wiped out by a drop in visitors, she said. This should have been a golden opportunity to make Britain one of the most desirable countries to visit. Instead, with a single swipe, the Government has taken more than 20 billion of opportunity from the economy. Selfridges managing director Anne Pitcher said it was another nail in the coffin for city centre firms reeling from lockdown and working hard to lure shoppers, Pictured: File image of Selfridges This isnt just a problem, its a catastrophe, said Ms Pitcher. People dont just shop when they come. They stay in hotels, eat, travel throughout the UK. Those businesses will be severely impacted. Ewan Venters, chief executive of Fortnum & Mason, said he was flabbergasted, warning: This is a significant blow to our recovery. In a letter to Mr Sunak, 20 firms in the Association of International Retail point out the huge volume of purchases by non-EU tourists at flagship shops props up more marginal stores, warning: They will be the first to close and lose jobs. A Treasury spokesman said: Were making use of the end of the transition period to bring personal duty and tax systems in line with international norms. This was subject to consultation. VAT-free shopping is still available. Retailers are able to offer it to overseas visitors who purchase items in store and have them sent to their home addresses. Celebrity milliner Nerida Winter has shut the doors of her iconic Sydney boutique after 23 years of business, Australia's latest fashion fatality at the hands of the coronavirus crisis. The hat and accessories giant, who is synonymous with horse racing, has created pieces for Australian models including Jennifer Hawkins, American stars like Nicole Richie and even Crown Princess Mary of Denmark. Cancellation of the 2020 Spring Racing Carnival amid the ongoing pandemic caused a significant drop in demand for Winter's couture designs and the subsequent closure of her Double Bay shop, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. But despite shutters being pulled, the designer's mainstay has always been her elite private client book which isn't reliant on a brick-and-mortar storefront. Celebrity milliner Nerida Winter has closed the doors of her Sydney boutique after 23 years of welcoming clients like Phoebe Burgess (pictured) Cancellation of the Spring Racing Carnival amid the coronavirus crisis forced Ms Winter (left) to shut her Double Bay store (right), but her mainstay has always been her private clientele 'I was a bit sad at first but really, for me, it's all about my private clients and I don't really need the overheads of a shop for that,' Ms Winter told Private Sydney. Other standouts from her star-studded clientele include Dannii Minogue, Jesinta Campbell and Miranda Kerr. Ms Winter said she is toying with hosting pop-ups and occasional evening events where clients can sip champagne while browsing her latest designs. Famous for fusing haute couture and racewear, Nerida Winter has been bringing her unique blend of fashionable elegance to racetracks around the world for more than two decades. Famous for her fusion of haute couture and racewear, Nerida Winter has created pieces for top models including Melbourne-born Shanina Shaik (pictured) Ms Winter's bespoke creations (pictured on model Jennifer Hawkins) can take anywhere from five hours to five weeks to create Her bespoke creations often grace the pages of esteemed fashion bibles, with features in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Elle magazine. In an interview with Australian racing royalty Kate Waterhouse, daughter of top thoroughbred trainer Gai Waterhouse, the milliner revealed her hats can take from five hours to five weeks to complete. 'It depends on the complexity of design and construction. It all starts with a thought and endless possibilities, then the hard labour comes in,' she said. Nerida Winter has been the official milliner to the Australian turf club since 2003 and a regular at the Melbourne Cup Carnival although this spring's calendar will be considerably quieter than years gone by. KAMPALA The Education Minister Janet Museveni has said the Makerere University main building fire is not just a tragic for the university but the country at large. She made the remarks while visiting the fire scene on Sunday, September 20, 2020. According to Ms Museveni, investigations into the cause of the fire have begun and then they shall start the process of rebuilding the Ivory Tower. For us who believe in God, we know that everything works out for our good. This is a chance for Makerere to be rebuilt, not just buildings but the culture, the morals of the people and everything that pertains to our prestigious university, she said. The fire, according to the Deputy Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson Luke Owoyesigire is believed to have started from the roof spreading to floors that house both records and finance departments at around midnight. The entire right hand side of the building that houses offices for the Finance Department, University secretarys office, deputy vice chancellor administration and finance, central registry where , audit offices, pension offices, salary offices and human resource office were also burnt. Addressing journalits at the site, the University Vice Chancellor Professor Barnabas Nawangwe said the fire had been seen a few minutes after it started however it could not be stopped. The first fire trucks failed to put out the fire because they had short horses that could not spray long distances. By the time fire trucks with cranes and long horses arrived, the fire had already spread to nearly the entire right side of the building, he said. Nawangwe further revealed that the main building shall be restored to its historic state in the shortest time possible. It is a very dark morning for Makerere University. Our iconic Main Administration Building caught fire and the destruction is unbelievable. But we are determined to restore the building to its historic state in the shortest time possible, Related A $23.99 bottle of Shiraz has been crowned the best red wine in Australia after beating more than 400 rivals at a prestigious awards show. The Cat Amongst the Pigeons Fat Cat Barossa Shiraz 2018 took home three awards, including the most coveted prize of 'Most Outstanding Barossa Wine'. The red wine was also named 'Best Shiraz' and the 'Most Outstanding Barossa Red Table Wine' during the Barossa Wine Show in South Australia on Thursday night. The Cat Amongst the Pigeons Fat Cat Barossa Shiraz 2018 took home three awards, including the most coveted prize of 'Most Outstanding Barossa Wine' 'The Barossa is the home of Shiraz in Australia, so to win any award for a Shiraz from the regional Barossa Wine Show is an incredible honour,' winemaker Richard Quodling said. 'A wine is not only an expression of grapes and terroir by a winemaker. It takes an entire team to make a great wine, from viticulturists, growers and lab technicians to cellar hands and packaging teams - so we are all excited and will be celebrating this weekend.' Judge Nick Ryan described the quality drop as 'utterly delicious'. '[This wine is] plush, fragrant, deeply flavoured, utterly delicious, incredible drinkable. A fantastic result for the people's wine,' he said. Wine aficionados have shared glowing reviews on the red wine, describing it as 'smooth', 'excellent', 'delicious' and great value for money The Cat Among the Pigeons Fat Cat Grenache 2019 also took out a gold medal in the awards show. The annual Barossa Wine Show, first held in 1977, is seen as a 'showpiece' of the region's very best wines. The judging panel tasted their way through more than 400 Barossa wines over three days to award the stand-outs in quality and regional expression. The Cat Amongst the Pigeons Fat Cat Barossa Shiraz 2018 is sold exclusively through selected BWS and Dan Murphy's stores from $23.99. Wine aficionados have shared glowing reviews on the red wine, describing it as 'smooth', 'excellent', 'delicious' and great value for money. 'True to it's regionalism and great value. If you're considering paying $35-$40 for a Barossa shiraz, put that bottle down and pick up a Fat Cat,' one said. Another added: 'I am a beginner for red wine. Fat Cat was suggested by a colleague saying this is a good start for a beginner to fall in love with red wines, which is true. Looking forward to my next bottle of wine.' A third said: 'Awesome red with a very high level of berries and it has very beautiful Barossa smell.' The RBI has not asked and non-banking financial institutions to raise capital to brace for a possible pile up in bad debt in the coming months, Minister of State for Anurag Thakur informed the Rajya Sabha. However, he said, " and non-banking financial institutions are required to maintain capital as per prudential capital adequacy norms on an ongoing basis." RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das at an event in July had advised that need to raise capital on anticipatory basis to build up adequate capital buffers to mitigate risks arising out of coronavirus outbreak. "In such a situation, it has become a lot more important that the banks have to improve their governance, sharpen their risk management skills and banks have to raise capital on an anticipatory basis instead of waiting for a situation to arise. Proactively, it is necessary for both public and private sector banks to build up adequate capital buffers," Das had said. 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, he had said. A recapitalisation plan for public sector and private banks has, therefore, become necessary, Das added. The government in the first batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants has sought Parliament nod for Rs 20,000 crore towards recapitalisation of public sector banks during the current fiscal. With the intent to ease financial stress caused by COVID-19 disruptions and meet the challenges of bad loans, the RBI in August permitted lending institutions to grant concession to eligible borrowers for COVID-19 related stress in personal, Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and corporate loans by implementing individual resolution plans in respect of eligible loans. Resolution plan would include alteration in the rate of interest, sacrifice by lending institution on the amount payable to interest, waiver of penal interest and conversion of accumulated interest into a fresh loan with a deferred payment schedule, Thakur said. Replying to another question, the minister said the government has implemented a judicious mix of fiscal and monetary policies to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19 on the economy. On May 12, 2020, the government announced the Aatmanirbhar Package, a special economic and comprehensive package of more than Rs 20 lakh crore equivalent to 10 per cent of India's GDP with an aim to encourage business, attract investments and strengthen the resolve for 'Make in India'. On the monetary front, Thakur said, the (RBI) responded with a mix of conventional and unconventional monetary and liquidity measures to mitigate the negative economic fallout of COVID-19. The policy rates have been significantly reduced and around Rs 9.57 lakh crore or 4.7 per cent of GDP have been injected since February 2020 to enhance the credit flow in the economy, he said. The RBI has taken several developmental and regulatory policy measures to enhance liquidity support for financial markets and other stakeholders, ease financial stress caused by COVID-19 disruptions while strengthening credit discipline, improve the flow of credit, deepen digital payment systems and facilitate innovations across the financial sector by leveraging on technology, he said. "It has announced certain regulatory measures wherein, in respect of all term loans (including agricultural term loans, retail and crop loans) outstanding as on March 1, 2020, all regulated lending institutions were permitted to grant a moratorium of six months on payment of all instalments falling due between March 1, 2020 and August 31, 2020." he said. Subsequently, he said, it has provided a framework to enable the lenders to implement a resolution plan in respect of eligible corporate exposures without change in ownership and personal loans. (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 federal judge in California issued a temporary injunction preventing the Commerce Department from banning downloads of WeChat. Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images A federal judge on Saturday blocked the Trump administration's attempt to institute a download ban on Chinese-owned social media app WeChat. The US Department of Commerce on Monday said it planned to challenge the judge's order, Reuters reported. US Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler in California granted "the motion on the ground that the plaintiffs have shown serious questions going to the merits of the First Amendment claim, the balance of hardships tips in the plaintiffs favor, and the plaintiffs establish sufficiently the other elements for preliminary-injunctive relief." The plaintiffs in the case argued that the Trump administration's WeChat download ban violated the First and Fifth Amendments, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and that the ban "was not a lawful exercise of the Presidents and the Secretarys authority under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act. The Commerce Department had announced the download ban, which had also included TikTok, on Friday. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. A federal judge in California on Saturday issued a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration's download ban on WeChat, the Chinese-owned social media messaging app, that was slated to begin Sunday. "The court grants the motion on the ground that the plaintiffs have shown serious questions going to the merits of the First Amendment claim, the balance of hardships tips in the plaintiffs' favor, and the plaintiffs establish sufficiently the other elements for preliminary-injunctive relief," read the Saturday ruling by Laurel Beeler, the US Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The Department of Commerce on Monday said it planned to challenge the judge's order, Reuters reported. "Prohibiting the identified transactions is necessary to protect the national security of the United States, and the department expects to soon seek relief from this order," the Commerce Department said in a statement, according to the report. Story continues Bloomberg first reported the news on Sunday. The plaintiffs in the case, known as the US WeChat Users Alliance, argued that the Trump administration's WeChat download ban violated the First and Fifth Amendments, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and that the ban "was not a lawful exercise of the President's and the Secretary's authority under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act." As Bloomberg noted, the plaintiffs in the case had argued a ban on downloads of the app would lead to violations of the free-speech rights of Chinese-speaking Americans who rely on the app to communicate domestically and with their friends and family in China. The US Department of Commerce on Friday issued an order that would have required Apple and Google to remove WeChat from their respective app marketplaces, claiming that the bans were in an effort "to safeguard the national security of the United States." The Friday order also included popular video-based social-media app TikTok, although the administration on Saturday postponed that ban by one week after President Trump said he gave his "blessing" to a deal for Walmart and Oracle to acquire a portion of TikTok from its Chinese owner ByteDance. Read the original article on Business Insider Officials of the Ghaziabad district administration on Sunday said the state government has deferred the partial reopening of schools planned for Monday, that would have allowed students from class 9 to 12 to voluntarily come to school for seeking academic guidance, till further notice. Keeping in line with the guidelines issued by the Central government for unlock 4, the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary RK Tiwari on August 30 had issued directions allowing students from class 9 and above to come to school from September 21. However, the officials on Sunday said, they have received directions from the state administration schools will not be allowed to open on Monday and will permitted to open partially on a later date (which is yet to be notified). Officials from the district administration, who did not wish to identified, that reopening of the schools was probably deferred in view of the rising cases of Covid-19. As per the state health control room data, the total Covid-19 case tally in the state had reached 354,275 on Sunday. As per the earlier guidelines, schools would open partially from September 21. But we have received directions from the state government that another date will be issued, said Ajay Shankar Pandey, district magistrate(DM) , Ghaziabad. In the meantime, the DM said, the administration will focus on preparing for opening schools in the district. We have asked the education department officials to utilise this time to spread awareness among parents; take written consent from parents if they wish to send children to schools, and engage with schools on setting up virus-free premises, the DM said. The DM nominated the district inspector of schools (DIOS) and also the basic education officer to start the preparatory works. The DIOS has been asked issue a helpline number on Monday where parents can seek information about opening of schools. The respective sub-divisional magistrates have also been asked to ensure compliance of the new directions. The local bodies such as municipal corporation and others will help schools with guidelines related to cleanliness and sanitization, Pandey added. Similar arrangements are also being taken up in the neighbouring Gautam Budh Nagar district. So far, we have not received information from any school that they will be holding academic counselling sessions for students between classes 9 and 12. Also, parents are also reluctant to send children to schools due to the pandemic, said Suhas LY, district magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar. The parents bodies also said they are not inclined to send children to schools for such sessions. Parents are not eager to send their children to schools. We are not aware if any schools want the students to come for classes and at this point, we will oppose such requests. Parents know that it will be difficult to prevent the children from getting exposed to the virus outside, and no one wants to take any kind of risks, said Yatendra Kasana, president, All Noida schools parents association. Parents are not willing to send children to schools in view of the pandemic. We held various meetings with many parents and they were not willing to send children to schools. It is our request to the state government not to allow opening of schools till the number of cases reduce considerably or a vaccine becomes available, said Vivek Tyagi, spokesperson , Ghaziabad Parents association. Office bearers of Independent Schools Federation of India said they will wait for further instruction from the state government on opening schools. We will not open schools for counselling sessions till we get another date and we get directions from the UP government, said Subhash Jain, president of the federation. A Co Down mum has said she is overwhelmed after more than 140,000 was raised in just four days to help her daughter take part in a drugs trial for cancer treatment. Rachel Osborne (18) from Bangor saw her world turned upside down in mid-July when she was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of spinal cancer. She has since undergone intensive surgery and treatment. Back in February she began suffering from a sore back which she initially put down to a pulled muscle from spending a lot of time at the gym. After suffering reduced power in her right leg and subsequent foot drop during the Covid-19 lockdown, Rachel contacted her GP who then referred her to an orthopaedic surgeon. Rachel was sent for an MRI scan when a tumour inside her spinal cord was discovered. Within days she underwent emergency spinal surgery after which she was given the most devastating news. The teenager was diagnosed with a diffuse midline glioma, a malignant and fast-growing tumour, for which there is currently no cure. At the time Rachel had just finished her final year at school and was excited at the prospect of leaving home to study Anatomy at the University of Glasgow. Two months on from the shock diagnosis, her mum Susanne and other family members began a fundraising bid for other treatment options. Rachel now hopes to travel to the United States as soon as possible to participate in a life-prolonging drugs trial. "Victims of this tumour have a very short life expectancy from diagnosis and therefore we are looking at every option available to potentially prolong Rachel's life as much as possible," Susanne explained. "While Rachel is currently undertaking six weeks of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, this route of treatment can only be taken once, so therefore we are looking at further emerging treatment options. "We need to raise funds to allow Rachel to take part in a clinical trial in America using a new drug which is unfortunately not available on the NHS. "This drug has shown promising signs from previous data and therefore has given us a glimmer of hope that Rachel could potentially fulfil her dream of going to university." Paying tribute to her "vivacious and fun-loving" youngest daughter, Susanne added: "She always thinks of everyone else but now is the time where we are asking family and friends to help Rachel. "We want to do everything in our power to help her, so any donations to support her treatment in America would be hugely appreciated and we can't thank you all enough for the support." The family launched a GoFundMe page just last week which had already reached over 140,000 in donations within four days through hundreds of generous donations. Susanne said she and Rachel have been overwhelmed by the kindness, generosity and support from people - both friends and strangers - at this most difficult time for the family. Donations can be made to Rachel's campaign here by visiting her fundraising page https://www.gofundme.com/f/treatmentforrachel Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tri Indah Oktavianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 20, 2020 17:52 488 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4603478 1 National West-Kalimantan,flood,natural-disaster,floods,natural-disaster-Indonesia,flooding,BNPB,BMKG,banjir,weather-prediction,weather,rain,rainfall,emergency,Kapuas-Hulu Free The Kapuas Hulu administration in West Kalimantan has declared a 14-day state of emergency in response to massive flooding that damaged at least 980 residential homes in the region last Sunday. The state of emergency was declared last Monday and is expected to end on Sept. 27. National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesperson Raditya Jati said the clean water supply from the local tap water company had not yet been restored for Kapuas Hulu residents. However, the BNPBs rapid-response team was monitoring the distribution of government-provided staple food and clean water to affected residents. The rapid-response team reported that the food aid both from the West Kalimantan administration and private businesses will be soon delivered to the affected residents, Raditya said in a written statement on Sunday. He also reported that the region was gradually recovering from last weeks flood disaster with some residents having returned to the town. The BNPB noted 11 districts that were severely impacted by the flood, namely North and South Putussibau, Bika, Kalis, Embaloh Hilir, Bunut Hilir, Jongkong, Selimabu, Suhaid, Semitau and Silat Hilir. Flooding caused by seasonal heavy rainfall in West Kalimantan resulted in water levels rising 100 centimeters last week, inundating hundreds of houses. No casualties were reported but the disaster has forced residents to flee their homes and find shelter on higher ground. The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has predicted that heavy rainfall coupled with lightning and strong winds will occur in the region on Sunday and Monday and therefore urged residents to stay alert for possible floods, landslides and wind storms. The BMKG also warned several other provinces including South Sumatra, West Java, South Sulawesi and Papua about the possibility of heavy rainfall and lightning storms on Monday. Isolation facility not mandatory for flyers testing positive on arrival from at-risk countries: Check guidelin Development trajectory: PM to interact with DMs of various districts today India's covid deaths per million population among lowest in world: Centre India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Sep 20: The overall number of cases and deaths per million population due to COVID-19 in the country is low compared to similarly affected countries, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey told Rajya Sabha on Sunday. Noting that there are no established pharmaceutical interventions that can break the chain of transmission, Choubey said non-pharmaceutical interventions such as hand and respiratory hygiene, wearing of mask/face cover, physical distancing measures, preventing large gatherings, etc are the only tools to suppress and break the chain of transmission. This has to be in turn supported by heightened community awareness and behavioral change communication. He was responding to a question on the reasons for spread of COVID-19 at an increased rate despite lower numbers at the initial stage in India as compared to other countries. "COVID-19 is a highly infectious disease. Many of the epidemiological parameters such as agent-host interaction, socio-cultural and environmental factors, modes of transmission, susceptibility of individuals, immune response are still under research," Choubey said in a written reply. The Government of India since January, has followed a pre-emptive, graded and proactive approach for managing COVID-19, the minister said. States have been supported in terms of logistics, funding and technical guidance right from the beginning. PM Modi likely to discuss coronavirus situation with CMs of 7 states on Sep 23 To blunt the progression of cases in the country, the government had taken series of steps under Disaster Management Act, 2005 including lockdown, Choubey highlighted. "This in effect reduced the growth rate of cases, increased community awareness, and the period was utilized to upgrade health infrastructure and health staff capacities which has supported the country in terms of managing the disease. "In effect, the overall number of cases and deaths per million population due to COVID-19 in the country is low compared to similarly affected countries," Choubey said. SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - With the nation racing to come to grips with centuries of racial sins, officials plan to remove the Capitol lawn statue of Stephen A. Douglas, whose forceful 19th century politics helped forge modern-day Illinois but who also profited from slavery. Just inside the Statehouse hangs another revered depiction of an Illinois legend and longtime Douglas rival who expressed white supremacist views: Abraham Lincoln. The immense painting in the governors second-floor office depicts a Sept. 18, 1858, debate between the two men that opened with these words from Lincoln, who was vying for Douglas Senate seat and was still two years away from running for president: I am not, nor ever have been, in favour of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and Black races. ... There is a physical difference between the white and Black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. When the Douglas statue is put in storage this fall, it will become the latest in a line of monuments, from Confederate generals to Christopher Columbus, to come down during the global reckoning on race sparked by the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. There has been no discussion, though, about removing likenesses of Lincoln, the president whose Civil War victory freed the slaves, despite his earlier views on race. At a certain point, where do you cut it off? Jefferson, he wrote the Declaration of Independence. You separate that from him being a slave owner, St. Louis tourist Eric Zuelke said during a recent visit to the Douglas statue, referring to Thomas Jefferson. Lincoln believed that slavery was morally wrong and, like Douglas, he opposed it, although the two differed on how to end it. While his thinking evolved in the White House, Lincolns advocacy for Black people in 1858 stopped at recognizing their natural rights under the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal, though his was still a radical position for the time. Douglas contributions to the modern-day Illinois economy and transportation network cannot be overstated. But he retained a 20% share of a family-owned 200-slave Mississippi plantation, a little-known fact that led Illinois House speaker in July to recommend removing Douglas likenesses from the Statehouse. On the day in the eastern Illinois city of Charleston depicted in Robert Roots 1918 painting the fourth of seven celebrated debates around the state that helped make Lincoln a national figure Lincoln felt pressured to respond to Douglas repeated taunts of Lincoln as a Black Republican who stood for Negro equality. Teresa Haley, who heads the Springfield branch of the nations oldest civil rights group, the NAACP, said she thinks the Douglas statue should be removed to show intolerance for racism and white supremacy. Although Lincoln also had racist views, he was a president and the one who freed the slaves, she said. Theres something about erasing things from history that we still need to be aware of, Haley said. But theres also something about glorifying that negative part of history as well. And this is the part that hurts all people. Lincoln isnt blameless on race off the debate stage. Allen Guelzo, a Princeton University scholar and three-time Lincoln Prize winner, noted that in 1847, Lincoln unsuccessfully represented slave owner Robert Matson in court to retrieve fugitive slaves in a free state from among those Matson rotated between his land in Kentucky and eastern Illinois to skirt Illinois anti-slavery law. Guelzo, who co-created a five-step decision-making analysis for the removal of newly scrutinized memorials, believes that if Illinois uproots Douglas, Lincoln should follow, disqualified by the Matson case and his stance during the Charleston debate. If an offensive racial opinion is the only yardstick that we use to measure people today, they will have to pull down monuments to everybody from before 1950, Guelzo said. Complicating matters is the idea that without Douglas, there might never have been a Great Emancipator. Douglas position that territorial voters in an expanding country should decide whether to allow slavery incensed Lincoln, luring the former congressman out of political retirement to challenge Douglas. Each of the 1858 debate sites, from Freeport to Jonesboro, memorializes the men most with full-size statues. Dismantling those or taking down just Douglas would sort of erase one of the most important political discussions ever held in the country, said Harold Holzer, another Lincoln Prize winner and Civil War expert at Hunter College in New York. Holzer said Mary Lincoln, who prodded her husband to greatness, and Douglas are the two best things that happened to Lincoln. Jim Edgar, who requisitioned Roots painting for his office when he was Illinois secretary of state and had it moved to its current location for his 1991-1999 tenure as governor, said that like most politicians seeking to remain viable, Lincoln felt the need to play to the crowd in Charleston. When I was campaigning, you never wanted to say something you didnt believe, or say something that later youre going to deny, but at the same time, you understand that youve got to get elected to get something done, said Edgar, a Republican from Charleston. He pointed out that despite the ugly stance Lincoln took that day, he clung to the notion that Black people were among those who were created equal according to the Declaration of Independence. It was a radical view for the time that continued to evolve until, by wars end, Lincoln embraced citizenship for Black people. As for Douglas, after he lost the presidency to Lincoln in 1860, he emerged a staunch Unionist and Lincoln ally, said Guelzo, adding that his dying words to his sons in 1861 were, Tell them to obey the laws and the Constitution. Those words are inscribed on the base of the Statehouse statue. ___ The story has been corrected to show that Douglas political contributions cannot be overstated, not understated. ___ Follow Political Writer John OConnor: https://twitter.com/apoconnor Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 11:27:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Ahead of the high-level meetings of the United Nations scheduled for Monday, the international community expects world leaders to make collective efforts to address global challenges. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the UN which finds itself standing at another juncture in human history given rising unilateralism and protectionism. "As we mark the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations, it is clear that the world has high expectations of us, as the main platform for multilateralism and cooperation on a rules-based international system," Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the opening of the first plenary meeting of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). On Monday, UN member states are expected to adopt a declaration, reaffirming their commitments to a reinvigorated multilateralism. In his opening remarks at the UNGA meeting, Volkan Bozkir, president of the 75th session of the UNGA, said "the context in which we are working serves to remind us of the necessity of the multilateral system and inspires us all to make use of the UN Charter to address our collective challenges," in reference to the COVID-19 pandemic. The disease that has been ravaging across the world has infected more than 30 million people and killed almost 1 million. At this critical time, "this is the unprecedented opportunity to build back better and fairer. For Africa, the path we must take is clear. The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a template for global cooperation and partnership," South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said via a UN videoconference on Thursday. "Our experience with COVID-19 has really demonstrated what can be achieved if we act and work together to address global challenges," said Ramaphosa, also the chairperson of the African Union. In its position paper on the 75th anniversary of the UN, China reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the UN-centered global governance system, the basic norms of international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, the authority and stature of the UN, and the central role of the UN in international affairs. Bertrand Badie, a veteran specialist on international relations at France's Sciences Po university, said in face of unilateralism and hegemonism, all countries should be committed to multilateralism by upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the international system with the UN at the core. He called for abandoning the Cold War mentality and hegemonism and building a international relationship that is more fair and equal. "Although the UN needs to be strengthened and reformed, it plays an irreplaceable role in such fields as promoting security, economic cooperation, and public health cooperation," said Liu Di, professor with the Faculty of Social Sciences of Kyorin University in Tokyo. Cavince Adhere, an international relations researcher based in Nairobi, said the world is facing challenges across borders, from the COVID-19 pandemic to climate change, underlining that all countries should strengthen solidarity to coordinate their efforts instead of pursuing unilateral moves. Ignacio Martinez Cortes, professor of political science at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said the world needs China's experience to help other countries emerge from the current public health crisis and needs China to promote multilateralism within UN frameworks, which illustrates the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind. "In this 75th anniversary year, we face our own 1945 moment," Guterres said, stressing that "we must show unity like never before to overcome today's emergency, get the world moving and working and prospering again, and uphold the vision of the Charter." Enditem we have a generation of people who are fairly convinced that their kids are not going to have a better quality of life or a better future than they will. Justin Trudeau, Canadas Prime Minister Hello Downriver, One of the great battles waged in America over the past 100 years has been between economic development particularly, heavy industry development and quality of life. And nowhere has this battle been waged more aggressively than along our shores of the Detroit River from River Rouge to Gibraltar. Most of us know Downrivers history, and its not always been a pretty one: Smokestacks still dot our collective shoreline as mute reminders of the industrial underbelly of southeastern Michigan. Some still function, but others are quiet tombstones to a time gone by. Of course, many including me consider Downriver to be the industrial backbone of Michigan, but for too many outsiders (especially within our own state) weve been maligned as dirty, dusty, noisy, smelly and otherwise the last place anyone would want to live. Sadly, those descriptors are mostly true: Dirt and dust settled on our windowsills in Rouge when I was a kid; pollution fell on neighborhood cars, eroding paint jobs. The noise was often intolerable, forcing conversations to stop: trains running all night long, industrial hammers banging away 24/7, providing a humming background to our sleep. And one site after another belched fumes into the atmosphere, polluting our skies and our lungs. Today, the 48217 ZIP code of neighboring southwest Detroit is the most polluted in the state, according to environmental scientists from the University of Michigan. But we already know these things because our location provided an optimal convergence of industrial perfection: a navigable waterway, a convenient water resource and sewage receptacle, and doorstep access to railroads and highways. Its little wonder that Northville and its ilk never got heavy industry. Yet even after more than 100 years of obvious history, youd think wed learn. Youd think wed think twice about going down that same dirty, dank, disgusting rabbit hole again. But here we are: economic possibilities vs. quality of life in Trenton and Riverview. If you havent been down West Jefferson through these towns, starting at the free bridge to Grosse Ile, youve missed one of the most remarkable transformations in generations: the total demolition of the old McLouth Steel complex. That accomplishment has brought hope to many that weve turned a corner and may be able to reclaim the shoreline as has happened south of there with the International Wildlife Refuge. But not so fast: There are no plans to reclaim and renovate the land along the river into something better; to turn it into a recreational oasis, for example. In fact, there arent any plans at all: Ever since the property changed hands more than 20 years ago, the new owners have never filed a redevelopment plan for the site. And while the owners Crown Enterprises (the real estate wing of the vast Moroun family empire) would usually be the story here, its not. The story is what Trenton officials are considering: revising the citys entire zoning ordinance, and creating a new category of land use: Industrial Waterfront. This designation would take in the McLouth site and the closed DTE Energy powerplant site south of Elizabeth Park. Now, if you read the FAQs posted on the citys website, the explanation for the categorys creation makes sense: No one wants old-time heavy industry to pop up again on these sites. But the Industrial Waterfront sure leaves a lot of equally undesirable uses open, even though its couched in nice language: The I-W district is structured mainly to preserve and protect the waterfront and natural resources while allowing appropriate and suitable development. Its that second part of the sentence that gives many residents and two lawmakers pause: appropriate and suitable development. So who determines whats appropriate, whats suitable? Yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but whose eye are we to trust? And where do these words fall on the battle lines between economic development and quality of life? For state Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit) and state Rep. Darrin Camilleri (D-Brownstown), such language and on-going public concerns prompted a joint letter to city officials expressing, if not their absolute opposition to the new ordinance, at least their caution in approving it. We have heard from numerous residents, they wrote on Aug. 26, who have expressed genuine concerns about the ordinance and its impact on quality of life, public health, and the environment. We urge you to think creatively and imagine what can be possible, they wrote to the mayor and City Council. If city fathers and mothers go through with approving the ordinance changes, the two lawmakers expressed hope that the city would take three related actions to affirm Trentons commitment to protecting public health, quality of life, and the environment. Truck routing: They believe the ordinance should be amended prior to passage or approve a separate resolution requiring a regional, intergovernmental truck routing study to be performed that would include state, county and multiple Downriver city governments working together. This study, they wrote, should include recommendations for changes to truck routes in order to best protect residents living nearest to these roadways, among other things. Next, public health: Chang and Camilleri ask that city officials consider working with residents and environmental and public health experts to develop recommendations for vegetative buffers, noise walls, and possibly, voluntary buyouts or home insulation and air filtration upgrades for residents whose primary residences are located within 500 feet of the heaviest industrial truck traffic. Most importantly, they recommend that such requirements become part of a community benefits agreement with the current owners of the McLouth Steel site before any site plans or other related permits are approved by the city. Finally, they suggest the City Council adopt a resolution establishing a Green Port Policy, patterned in large part on the Port of Long Beach (California), which is the first zero emissions port in the world and became a global model for other ports to follow. Such a port, the lawmakers wrote, has reduced air pollution, restored water quality, protected wildlife habitats and utilized clean technologies, among other things. We are committed to working with all levels of government and the owner of the McLouth Steel site, they wrote, to make this model a reality here in Michigan if a port is the ultimate outcome. The problem, of course, is that we dont know what the ultimate outcome is for the now-former McLouth Steel site. Like I said, there arent any plans, so the city is setting the stage for concepts that could be just about anything. Remember, the key words in the revised ordinance are appropriate and suitable. Who gets to decide that? My guess would be the citys Planning Commission, which would review such plans in the future and then pass its recommendations along to the City Council for a final decision. (Full disclosure: I served on Rockwoods Planning Commission for several years, including as chairman, until we moved to neighboring Brownstown so I understand the process.) Which brings me back to my original war: economic development vs. quality of life. Over most of the last 100 years in our region, economic development has always trumped quality of life; heavy industry held sway along our two major waterways: the Detroit and Rouge rivers. And weve been paying for that largesse ever since. Sure there have been good-paying jobs created by that development, but now that many of those jobs are long gone, what do we have to show for giving away our generational quality of life for relatively short-term dollars? We have a polluted, corrupted landscape (McLouth is a Superfund site) and waterways in many communities up and down the river rivers and creeks, actually. We have higher levels of all kinds of disease: According to a 2017 report by the National Institutes of Health, exposures to ozone, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide have long been elevated in southwest Detroit and the neighboring cities of River Rouge, Ecorse, Lincoln Park, Melvindale and parts of Allen Park and Wyandotte. How elevated? These exposures resulted in more than 10,000 DALYs per year. (A DALY is a disability-adjusted life year, which means a shortened lifespan.) This, the report continues, represents over $6.5 billion annually in monetized impacts. We estimate that 5.5 percent of annual deaths are attributable to (particulate matter). For morbidities, attributable (incidents) range from 1.6 percent of cardiovascular disease hospitalizations to 37 percent of (emergency department) visits for asthma. Most of the health burden is due to premature mortality caused by (ozone) and (particulate matter) exposures specifically, 140 (ozone) and 520 (PM) deaths per year among adults over 29 years of age. Looked at from another angle, our children miss about 570,000 school days a year because of pollution sickness of one kind or another; adults miss 59,000 work days. Thats what the legacy of heavy industry has wrought on ourselves, our children and our environment. Which means that any attempt to soothe the savage beast of industrial expansion in our midst needs to be watched. Very carefully. So what do we do; what does the Trenton City Council do? Chang and Camilleri make it clear that guardrails need to be put in place to ensure that the former McLouth site doesnt become a future McLouth site; a polluter of epic proportions that was enabled by governments who made the devils bargain of jobs over health. Now Im sure theres not a single person in Trenton City Hall wants that; who would? But I think we all know how powerful corporate America is in our nation; how the strings get pulled and lawyers argue about the rights of property owners. We just need to make sure that residential property owners and renters and their children are the priority. So to the Trenton City Council: just make sure steps are in place to make this riverfront landscape something more than just another industrial site. We made those kinds of choices 100 years ago. * OK, start watching for your absentee ballot in the mail: They are to start going out this Thursday. And once you get it, vote as soon as you can and mail it in. Or better yet, drop it off at your city or township clerks office; dont wait: An absentee ballot must be received by 8 p.m. Election Day, Nov. 3 not just postmarked by Election Day, but in the hands of your clerks office. Of course, if you havent applied for a mail-in ballot (same thing), do it now; thanks to Michigan voters, you dont need a reason to get one. Once youve dropped it off or mailed in your ballot, you can track it at mvic.sos.state.mi.us. Craig Farrand is a former managing editor of The News-Herald Newspapers. He can be reached at cfarrandudm@yahoo.com. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden enters the hall at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Penn., on Sept, 20, 2020. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images) Biden Urges Senate Republicans Not to Vote for Supreme Court Nominee Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden gave a speech on Sunday honoring the legacy of late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, while also urging Senate Republicans not to replace her seat until after the election. Biden, who called Ginsburg an icon and a matriarch in his remarks, said that as a nation, the United States should heed her final call to us. Ginsburg reportedly dictated a statement to her granddaughter, Clara Spera, while on her deathbed: My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed. Its not clear if that meant until after the November election is over or if President Donald Trump is reelected and leaves office in 2025. There is so much at stakethe right to health care, clean air and water, and equal pay for equal work. The rights of voters, immigrants, women, and workers, Biden said inside the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Biden said the decision by Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to jam a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court is the last thing we need in this moment. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks about the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg after he arrives at at New Castle Airport in New Castle, Del., on Sept. 18, 2020. (Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo) Democrats are threatening to expand the Supreme Court and pack it with their own judges if the GOP moves forward with filling the vacancy. While acknowledging that Trump and McConnell would act out their plans, Biden noted that his plea was directed to Senate Republicans and Americans. So I appeal to those few Senate Republicansthe handful who will really decide what happens, Biden said. Dont vote to confirm anyone nominated under the circumstances President Trump and senator McConnell have created. Dont go there. Notably, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Saturday that the Senate should not vote on a nominee to replace Ginsburg before the November election. Collins said Trump can nominate a replacement with his constitutional authority and has no objection to the Senate Judiciary Committee starting the reviewing process. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Washington on Feb. 19, 2020. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for DVF) Biden also said that his first choice for the Supreme Court will make history as the first African American woman Justice. The former vice president said that if Trump wins reelection, the Senate should move on his selection and weigh his nominee fairly. But if I win the election, President Trumps nomination should be withdrawn, Biden added. A day earlier, Trump said he would likely nominate a female next week to fill the vacancy left by Ginsburg, a member of the courts liberal wing who died at 87 years old on Sept. 18. I will be putting forth a nominee next week. It will be a woman, Trump said during a rally on Saturday night in North Carolina. Trump also said the process will be started extremely soon and that it would move very quickly. Ginsburg died due to complications from pancreatic cancer, the court said. She was surrounded by her family at her home in Washington. Ginsburg had dealt with a number of health issues in recent months, having been hospitalized for various issues several times. She is survived by two children, Jane Carol Ginsburg and James Steven Ginsburg, and four grandchildren. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal A Texas-based oil company is suing Albuquerque for breach of contract, saying it was left holding the bag when the city aborted a fuel agreement in an effort to find a better deal. Davidson Oil claims the city terminated its fuel contract earlier this year in search of more favorable prices, causing the company to lose money on the hedge contracts it had already bought to serve the city. But the city says the move was in the publics best interest and suggested the company where former Albuquerque city councilor and one-time mayoral candidate Dan Lewis is the director of operations is looking for an easy payday with the lawsuit it filed last month in federal court. The suit hinges on a contract the parties entered into in January for unleaded gasoline and diesel fuel. Davidson was to begin providing the city with fuel on July 1 at a previously established fixed rate, according to the agreement the city provided in response to a Journal request. After signing the deal, the company in January bought 12 one-month hedge contracts to support the agreement, the suit says. But when oil prices subsequently tanked in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the city in March gave Davidson notice that it was exiting the arrangement under the termination for convenience clause, according to the suit, thus leaving Davidson with no place to sell the fuel oil hedge it purchased to meet its obligations to (the) City without incurring substantial losses. The city basically said they had financial reasons for terminating the contract, but they threw us under the bus in order to save money, said Ross Crown, an attorney representing Davidson, adding that the company had already spent money to support the contract. Already in July and August, the company has lost $400,000 on the hedge contracts, Crown said. City officials cited the contracts termination as a likely money-saver for the city during Mayor Tim Kellers budget news conference earlier this month. Sanjay Bhakta, the citys chief financial officer, did not name Davidson specifically but said that the city revisited its fuel arrangement after prices crashed. Now we are buying at the market price. That will save us some money, Bhakta said at the news conference on Sept. 3. Though the exact amount is unknown, Bhakta said the change could save the citys general fund about $900,000 in fiscal year 2021. When counting other departments such as transit and solid waste there could be another $1 million saved, he said. But Crown said the city was wrong to leave the company holding the bag. The way the city is interpreting (the contract) is kind of a heads, I win; tails you lose situation, Crown said. They want to interpret the contract to mean if the price of oil goes up, they can insist on Davidson Oil providing oil at the fixed price, but if the price goes down, they claim they have the right to cancel the contract and go purchase the oil for a cheaper price elsewhere. The city said in a statement that it was obligated to find the best price for the public. It also raised questions about the companys motives. It is our duty to get the best possible deal for taxpayers. Its common practice to review and evaluate contracts to fulfill that duty, and of course we would hope that an out-of-state company affiliated with a former city councilor and candidate for mayor isnt looking for an easy payday on the backs of Albuquerque residents, city Economic Development Department spokeswoman Kinsey Cooper said in an emailed statement. The economic side effects of COVID-19 made this evaluation process more important than ever. Crown said Lewis past public service is irrelevant to the lawsuit and noted that Davidson has eight Albuquerque employees despite being based in Texas. Its simply a distraction the city is trying to raise (apart) from the true issue involving their breach of the contract, Crown said. The suit seeks unspecified damages and the cost incurred pursuing the suit. 48 Omicorn A vendor (C) wearing a mask looks for customers to ride his toy bike along the Rajpath street near India Gate in New Delhi on Sept. 16, 2020. (Jewel Samad/AFP via Getty Images) Indian Journalist Arrested for Allegedly Spying for China India has arrested three people in an alleged Chinese spy ring, including a local journalist who authorities said was paid more than $40,000 to provide sensitive information to Chinese intelligence agents. Rajeev Sharma, a 61-year-old freelance journalist, was arrested on Sept. 14 and charged with passing sensitive information to Chinese intelligence agencies about the Indian Armys movements, defense acquisitions, foreign policy, and the Dalai Lama, Delhi police said in a statement on Sept. 19. The Indian journalists alleged handler, a Chinese woman named Qing Shi, and her Nepali associate Sher Singhi, who also went by the alias Raj Bohra, also were arrested. Police also seized confidential documents after a search of his home in New Delhi. The arrest occurred at a time when tensions between China and India remain high following recent deadly border clashes. In mid-June, a clash at the Galwan Valley left 20 Indian soldiers dead and an unknown number of Chinese casualties. In early September, shots were fired along the disputed border in Ladakh, with both China and India saying that it was the other side who had fired. According to police, Sharma was contacted by a Chinese intelligence agent named Michael from Kunming, a city in Chinas Yunnan Province, through the journalists LinkedIn account. The Chinese agent paid for Sharma to travel to China to be interviewed at an unnamed Chinese company. Michael decided to reach out to Sharma after seeing his articles on Chinas state-run media Global Times, according to the police. Sharma wrote a weekly column for the Global Times from 2010 and 2014. Sharma continued to write for Global Times after 2014. On July 9, Sharma penned an article on the outlet about bilateral ties between China and India. Sharma met with Michael and the agents subordinate, named Xou, during the trip to China, and the two Chinese agents asked Sharma to provide inputs on various aspects of India and China relations, the police said. From 2016 to 2018, Sharma was tasked by the agents to provide information on issues such as the Doklam standoff, military cooperation between India and Burma, and the border dispute between India and China. In June 2017, Chinese troops began building a road in the disputed Doklam area, an uninhabited territory in the eastern Himalayas claimed by both China and Bhutan. In response, Indian troops crossed its border into Doklam, saying that the Chinese military activity threatened Indias national security. A standoff between Chinese and Indian troops ensued before the two countries came to a disengagement agreement in late August 2017. Michael and Xou also held other meetings with Sharma in Laos and Maldives, Indian police said. In January 2019, Sharma traveled to Kunming via Kathmandu to meet with another Chinese agent named George, the latter claimed to be a general manager of an unnamed Chinese media company, according to police. George offered to pay Sharma $500 for each article or piece of information on the Dalai Lama, the police said. The money would be wired to him from MC Pharmacy, a shell company based in the Indian urban village of Mahipalpur. Qing and Singh were directors of the company. According to the press release, Sharma allegedly received more than 3 million Indian rupees (about $40,755) from George between January 2019 and September 2020. Its unclear how much Sharma is accused of receiving before 2019. The Delhi police stated that Sharma was paid through shell companies, Western Union money transfer, and a system called hawala. They added that Chinese intelligence operated Indian shell companies to pay Sharma. On Sept. 19, Delhi Police said in a press conference that Sharma had a press accreditation card issued by Indias Press Information Bureau, meaning that he had easy access to Indian government ministry buildings, according to local daily The Times of India. Another local daily The Hindu, citing an unnamed senior government official, stated that Qing first arrived in India in 2013 on a student visa and was enrolled at one of the central universities in Delhi to pursue a masters degree in nursing. Until 2017, she worked for a Nigeria-based health care product company located in Delhi. She then obtained a business visa in July 2019. According to The Hindu, Sharma is also associated with the New Delhi-based think tank Vivekananda International Foundation, which is founded by Ajit Doval, who is Indias national security adviser. The sudden U.S. Supreme Court vacancy means that what once were conservative legal fantasies are may soon be realistic goals. Overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion rights ruling could be just the beginning should President Donald Trump succeed in appointing a successor to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The vacancy could produce the biggest ideological shift of a Supreme Court seat in decades. Here are some of the top items on conservative wish lists: TOPPLE ROE V. WADE Abortion rights were already in doubt before Ginsburgs death. Although the court in June struck down a law that might have left Louisiana with only one clinic, the 5-4 result hinged on Chief Justice John Roberts, who suggested he would support other restrictions. Ginsburgs death means the pivotal vote now belongs to Trump-appointed Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who dissented in the Louisiana case. During his confirmation hearings in 2018, Kavanaugh declined to say whether Roe, which legalized abortion nationwide, was correctly decided or whether he would vote to uphold it as a justice. Challenges to Roe are already on their way. Conservative states have moved to sharply restrict abortion rights in recent years. States enacted 58 new abortion restrictions in 2019 alone, including a total ban by Alabama, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that backs reproductive rights. KILL OBAMACARE The court is scheduled to hear arguments on the Affordable Care Act a week after the election. The Trump administration is urging the court to declare the law invalid, including its protections for people with pre-existing conditions. The law had looked to be in solid position. The Supreme Court upheld the core of the law in 2012 and until Ginsburgs death all five justices in the majority of that ruling were still on the court. Prospects for the law are now far less certain. BROADEN GUN RIGHTS The Supreme Court has frustrated conservatives over the last decade by refusing to take up a major Second Amendment case. Four conservative justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Kavanaugh have indicated they want the court to be more aggressive in taking up gun-rights cases. A more conservative majority could enshrine a constitutional right to carry a handgun outside the home and strike down bans on semiautomatic assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. END AFFIRMATIVE ACTION A federal appeals court heard arguments this week in a Harvard University case that could end race-conscious admissions at colleges. That case could reach the Supreme Court next year. Ginsburg was part of a 5-4 majority that upheld university affirmative action in 2003. Affirmative action was already in jeopardy with Ginsburg on the court. Its probably doomed if a Trump appointee takes her seat. SLASH REGULATION Trumps first two Supreme Court appointees, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, favor cutting the power of administrative agencies to interpret ambiguous statutes. Another conservative could tip the balance. That could give future Democratic administrations considerably less power to issue environmental and consumer-protection regulations without turning to Congress. A more conservative court could even question the 1935 ruling that laid the legal groundwork for the modern administrative state by upholding the independent structure of the Federal Trade Commission. The court in that case ruled the president couldnt remove a commissioner for reasons other than those specified by Congress. Overturning that ruling would endanger the independence of other agencies, most notably the Federal Reserve Board. EASE CHURCH-STATE DIVIDE Conservatives have been pushing on multiple fronts. They would give people broad rights to claim religious exemptions from anti-discrimination laws, afford public schools more leeway to encourage prayer and let governments direct more tax dollars toward churches. GUT THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT In 2013 the Supreme Court undercut a key part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which protects racial minorities at the polls. The 5-4 ruling centered on Section 5, which required jurisdictions with a history of discrimination to get federal clearance before changing their voting rules. The decision left Section 5 inoperable by striking down the formula for determining which states are covered. Conservatives are eyeing another prize: Section 2, which lets voters and the federal government sue over discriminatory election practices. Conservative advocates have argued that Section 2 cant constitutionally be applied in the absence of intentional discrimination. And Justices Thomas and Gorsuch have said the provision cant be used to challenge redistricting maps. EMPOWER TRUMP Roberts has served as an occasional restraining force on Trump, blocking him from adding a citizenship question to the Census and from ending the DACA deferred-deportation program. Should Trump appoint Ginsburgs successor and win re-election the court would probably become even more deferential to his claims of presidential power. During Trumps first term, he pressed the court for sweeping power to restrict entry into the country and to reallocate appropriated funds to build his Mexican border wall. He also sought to shield his financial documents from congressional and state investigators. 2020 Bloomberg News Visit Bloomberg News at www.bloomberg.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. National Al-Qaeda terrorists nabbed by NIA used dark web: Probe NEW DELHI, SEP 20 (AGENCIES) | Publish Date: 9/20/2020 12:28:45 PM IST NIA swooped down on eleven different locations in West Bengal and Kerala to arrest nine terrorists, on Saturday morning. Officials have revealed that two other suspected terrorists managed to evade arrest while the rest are now in custody. A probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has revealed that Pakistan-based Al-Qaeda recruited the said terrorists through the dark web. Following their radicalizations, members of the module were instructed to launch a terror attack on government and security installations in Delhi-NCR, Bihar and Bengaluru. Both Kerala and Kolkata Police apart from the Border Security Force (BSF) aided the NIA given the magnitude of the conspiracy. A highly-placed source told India Today that Murshid Hasan alias Sofiq was the leader of this terror module while his close confidante Mosaraf Hoseen was in touch with handlers in Pakistan. The NIA found that Mosaraf used encrypted communication platforms to contact his Pakistan-based handler Hamza. Murshid Hasan had communicated to his handler about his scheduled visit to Thanda Ilqa, a reference of Kashmir valley. The leader of this terror outfit had planned to receive an arms and ammunition consignment from handler Hamzas contact. As per inputs, these weapons were to be dropped from across the International Border (IB) using drones which is in line with the modus-operandi of Pakistani intelligence agencies. The terror module had been under surveillance for about one month. Arrests came when the NIA was able to confirm that they were on their way to Kashmir using different modes of travel, a source added. The terrorists had planned to travel to Delhi via taxi and later board an inter-state bus for J&K. Investigators have also revealed that the terrorists were asked to leave their phones behind before making the trip. There is no clarity though as to how the men would reach their destination or communicate with their Pakistan-based Al-Qaeda handlers without the use of a smartphone. One source in the Jammu and Kashmir Police indicated that the force had no knowledge of this conspiracy. Sources in the NIA, however, said information regarding the module and its activities will be shared with the J&K Police in due course of time. Meanwhile, all of the nine terrorists are being brought to Delhi for interrogation. We're a family of seven living in Georgia where Andrew's working as a professor at GSU. You can read more about us here All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday claimed that wrong policies led to the failure of the Congress and RJD governments in Bihar. Owaisi was in Patna as the AIMIM entered into an alliance with the Samajwadi Janata Dal Democratic (SJDD) ahead of the Bihar polls. "We will fight the election under the leadership of Devendra Prasad Yadav, the president of SJDD. We welcome all those parties who want to fight against communalism and communal parties," the AIMIM chief said. "We are not scared of any political party. Our party had contested the election in 2015 from Kishanganj, but the Congress won. Today the BJP is riding high in Bihar due to the failure of the RJD. I have defeated the BJP and the Shiv Sena in Hyderabad," Owaisi said. "In Maharashtra, the Congress party is sitting on the Shiv Sena`s lap. The former is presented as a secular party in the country but I would believe that its thinking promotes feudalism. People of the country are facing the consequences due to the wrong moves of the Congress party," the AIMIM chief said. The AIMIM has already declared it will contest on 50 seats in the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar. Udupi, Sep 20 : Heavy rains and gusty winds lashed Karnataka's temple town Udupi, flooding low-laying areas and disrupting normal life, an official said on Sunday. "With the southwest monsoon remaining active in the coastal and southern regions of the state, heavy rains have been lashing Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Kodagu districts since Saturday," a state disaster management authority official told IANS. Udupi, about 400km west of Bengaluru in the southern state, is popular for the 13th century Krishna temple The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert in coastal and Malnad districts till Tuesday, warning heavy to very heavy rainfall and strong winds in the regions due to depression in the Arabian Sea and active monsoon clouds. "Torrential rains since morning wreaked havoc in the three coastal districts, causing flash floods in many towns and villages, disrupting vehicular traffic as roads and bridges were submerged and damaging power lines," said the official. Hundreds of people in Udupi district were marooned as rain water flooded several low-laying areas and tanks breached in many villages. State Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa directed Udupi Deputy Commissioner G. Jagadeesha to launch rescue and relief operations to save the stranded people from flood-hit areas. Udupi-Chikkamagalur Lok Sabha member Shobha Karandlaje urged the district administration to arrange 2 helicopters from the Naval base at Karwar for rescue operations in the island areas and marooned villages. "Two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been rushed to Udupi for rescue and relief operations," the official said. Heavy rainfall in the Western Ghats has turned several rivers into spate overflowing roads and bridges in the three coastal districts. Heavy rainfall and huge inflows into Kabini reservoir at HD Kote in Mysyru district forced the authorities to release 35,000 cusecs of water from the dam into the Kabini and Cauvery river earlier in the day. "A flood alert has been sounded to the people living in the downstream villages and advised them to shift to safer places from the river banks and low-laying areas. (CNN) When Kalina Newman heard that Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died on Friday night, she and her boyfriend immediately left the restaurant where they were having dinner, bought some flowers and went to the US Supreme Court to join the crowd of people honoring the 87-year-old associate justice. "As soon as I saw the candles and felt how peaceful it was, I began to cry," Newman told CNN. Ginsburg, who embraced the nickname "The Notorious RGB" late in life, became a role model to generations because of her sharp wit, her legal knowledge and her fierce dissents. CNN is asking people to share what Ginsburg meant to them and tributes have come in from all over the world. Many saw her as a real-life super hero -- complete with her own action figures -- who stood up for the rights of women, minorities and the LGBTQ+ community. Some said they didn't agree with the liberal justice's positions, but admired her for maintaining a long friendship with late Justice Antonin Scalia, despite their ideological difference. You can share your thoughts on Ruth Bader Ginsburg below and read what others had to say about her trailblazing legacy. Some of the responses have been edited for length and clarity. Victoria Pompei, 24, law student, Washington, D.C. "She's the reason I'm in law school. Every time I open my textbooks I release my inner RBG and know I belong. We owe her so much." Franklin G. Baker, retired Florida State Circuit Judge, Naples, Florida "I'm a Republican who believes the best litmus test for any US Supreme Court nominee is honor, integrity, legal abilities, not wed to a political party and a clear understanding of what their appointment means to the people of our country. I believe, though I might not agree with every opinion, Justice Ginsburg met and exceeded the requirements for this position. To many, Justice Ginsburg set a high standard and one we have the right to expect from future appointees." Betsy Crow, 61, attorney, Murfreesboro, Tennessee "As a female attorney, there are not enough words to express what this loss feels like. I don't remember the loss of a public figure ever bringing me to tears. I'm a cancer survivor so I understand what it takes to fight while still meeting your obligations. She showed me what we are capable of even under the worst circumstances. I listened to her fight the good fight with every dissenting opinion. She stood up for what was just and did it in a way that was clear and direct and so incredibly well thought out. She didn't brow beat - just clear arguments based on the law. She is every female attorney's model of what being a lawyer should and can be." Kelli du Pont, 29, insurance adjuster, Spokane, Washington "As a transgender woman, Ruth means the world to me. She was my rock. She highlighted the good in the country I grew up loving. She was strong and taught me that adversity gives you strength. I would not be here and have the protections I do if it wasn't for the lion that she was. I didn't know her personally, but she knew me. She [saw] me when others could not and she heard me when I felt like I was underwater. She will forever bless my soul." Laura Orlie, 27, attorney, New York "My life as I know it would not be possible without the contributions RBG made to our country. I am a female attorney. I am also a gay woman. I've grown up with the understanding that I am equal to my male counterparts, both professionally and personally. In law school and in my legal career, it has never crossed my mind that I could not succeed as my male counterparts could. I live my life openly gay, and take pride and comfort in the protections our country affords the LGBTQ+ community. This is all largely due to the path RBG paved, for my gender, my profession and my LGBTQ+ community. RBG has given my generation the framework to continue the pursuit of an equal society, no matter gender, national origin, sexual orientation, or religious beliefs. I mourn her loss deeply, and am thankful for her legacy." Joanne Bakos Antrim, 71, education professor, Austin, Texas "RBG was a remarkable woman and a wonderful role model to women of all ages. As someone working at 70, she has helped me to realize that age is irrelevant when we love our work and are capable of making a difference. " Jack Bartholet, 26, law student, Stonington, Connecticut "Justice Ginsburg, my childhood hero, is the reason I'm currently in my third week at Harvard Law School. She is a legal giant whose intimate understandings of the Constitution and the fragility of our liberties rivals the likes of Madison and Marshall. She's among such an elite group of people who have cradled our nation and its future in her hands, and I am devastated by her loss." Diane Thurman, 63, retired from hospitality industry, Fort Lauderdale, Florida "I love(d) and will always love the beautiful, wise, inspirational, adorable, spunky, brave and living, walking breathing embodiment of human decency that Justice Ginsburg was as a person and as a Supreme Court Justice. She was a classy, ladylike woman yet could hold her own just fine against any man. If I could name a person that in my adult years was a role model for my own behavior and beliefs, it would be the amazing RBG. I hope and pray that ALL Americans and yes the world, can stop a moment and leave behind the bias of politics just briefly, if possible, and instead focus on and just give honor and respect to a soul as beautiful as the one we now have the sorrow of saying goodbye to. I love you RBG and I thank you for your service and kindness, wit and courage. Rest in Peace." Linda A. Dominguez, 66, attorney, Baltimore, Maryland "As an older law student who is legally blind, Justice Ginsburg was the example that I chose to guide me through law school and my own legal career. I tried to model my own legal arguments and view of the law after her own fight for justice and I will miss reading her opinions in cases that reached down to the foundations of law to find the humanity also embodied by the US Constitution." This story was first published on CNN.com ''I didn't know her personally, but she knew me:' Your memories of Ruth Bader Ginsburg' The criminalisation of coercive control cannot come soon enough ("Make visible to justice women's hidden hell", September 19-20). In my grandmother's day the 1920's a woman passed from the ownership of her father to the ownership of her husband upon marriage. Men were pretty much free to do whatever they would with their wife and children. Most men were fairly decent, but those who weren't made the lives of their families a living hell. Despite many changes to society and the lives of women and children in the intervening century, the concept of ownership (now coined coercive control) has not changed for some men. If it takes criminalisation and fear of jail or indeed even a stint in jail for the perpetrator to make women and children safe, do it now and do it quickly. - Sharon Everson, Wyoming In my view, the "lying, cheating emotional abuser", in the song Working My Way Back To You Babe is acknowledging the error of his former ways. He is making the claim that he has been morally reformed, by love, and now looks forward to a true relationship. The song is a corrective for young men; it is not an anthem for coercive men. A similar literary approach can be taken to the other songs Julia Baird quotes as classic examples of the pervasive nature of male violence against women. Thousands of better examples could be found in the Bible. - Keith Russell, Mayfield West Written in the pars Recent articles and correspondence about the deterioration of students knowledge of grammar and writing overlook one important element: learning other languages ("Writing wrongs", September 19-20). Learning a second or third language gives a better understanding of how your first language is structured. By having to deal with different grammatical rules and syntax, you come to appreciate how sentences are put together, and how to create alternative ways of saying things. - Adrian Vickers, Annandale When I was a teacher, I found I could quickly improve the writing skills of a bright bunch of 13-year- old boys. Instead of giving them a single mark, I gave them two: one for creativity and one for expression (grammar and spelling). Within a very short time, almost all of them were receiving maximum marks for expression. - Barbara Kendall, Newport Rae Masman claims (Letters, September 19-20) that "none of us" can now understand English as written in the 1600s. This explains why Shakespeares works are now never read or performed. - Richard Mason, Newtown We are privileged to be the owners of the language of Shakespeare and Milton. As George Bernard Shaw notes in Pygmalion, the English language is our proudest possession. - Terry Charleston, Cootamundra Legally confounding Former premier Mike Baird thought it was reasonable to allow Crown to build a phallic monument to gambling on prime public waterfront land, without a tender. He also found it reasonable that the casino operators should be compensated by NSW taxpayers, 10 times over, should its licence be altered, say, due to criminal findings (Public will pay if Crown has to clean up its act, September 18). What is reasonable to such conservative politicians is viewed through the prism of small, secretive government, aspirational self-interest and the quagmire of political donations and lobbyists. The people of NSW should expect better. - Marie Healy, Hurlstone Park Given the number of lawyers in government, how do they manage so often to be contractually skewered by commercial interests? Entering into contracts that give "10 and a half times the estimated negative financial impact from any action by the government which has a material negative impact on its assets, liabilities, properties ... operating results, operations, reputation or prospects"? Really? Thanks for nothing. Signed, your taxpayers and electors. - Fran Kirby, Castle Hill Zero intolerance Every premier wants open borders with states that have fewer COVID-19 cases, and closed borders with states that have more cases ("Ministers escalate attacks over borders", September 19-20). The only way that's going to happen is if we can all get to zero a target that seems increasingly possible, but only if we can manage returning travellers better. As has been shown in Victoria, but also in NSW, hotel quarantine is inherently fallible. We need the federal government to invest in purpose-built quarantine stations that are near enough to international airports. It's crazy that this hasn't already happened. It's not like this virus is going away anytime soon. - Ben Aveling, Alexandria I must have been asleep during the lectures for both my science degrees to have missed the explanation of why people would be less likely to catch COVID-19 at the football with hundreds of spectators, than at a small, socially distanced group of 50 people. - Dorothy Gliksman, Cedar Brush Creek Breathing time Politics can be a very bruising business and while this could be another opportunity for cliches and cheap shots, I would like to think that John Barilaro will return a gentler, more empathetic and more reflective individual ("Barilaro to take mental health leave after Coalitions koala wars," September 19-20). That would be a healthier state for all of us. - Philip Cooney, Wentworth Falls While Barilaro needs to take a four-week break from the political arena, surely the rest of us also need some respite from all the media hype he has caused. - Carolyn Wills, Cremorne Gas guzzlers Joel Fitzgibbon says the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union is "now advancing a position that will cost manufacturing jobs" ("Union boss says jobs and environment go together", September 19-20). On the contrary, its Mr Fitzgibbons position that will ultimately cost jobs and a lot more. Besides being a superb enabler of the Coalition's endeavour to wedge Labor and a policy that will contribute to a catastrophic two degrees increase in temperature, he is propagating that there is no alternative other than to further develop gas. Any further expansion of fossil fuel production is absurd. A massive expansion of the renewable energy sector and related industries will create thousands of jobs and perhaps contribute to saving the world from ruinous global warming. - Alan Morris, Eastlakes Where are these new gas fields? ("Taylor's gas plan deepens policy uncertainty", September 19-20). Angus Taylor's dubious gas-led recovery with its need to feed a gas power electricity plant forces open the gate to further fracking within precious farmland, with its despoiling of our diminishing water tables. That is one big and very unhelpful elephant in the room. - Wayne Pearson, Wingham I know why its got to be gas. Morrison and Taylor cant buy sunshine or wind from party donors. - Andrew McPherson, Kalaru Not only do Morrison and Taylor not get it: they dont get that they dont get it. - Ian Harrison, Centennial Park Sean Kelly's insightful piece summed up the current stalemate on climate policy ("Cowardice: a united climate ticket," September 19-20). No surprises on what lights our PM's fire. He will fan the "transition" smokescreen, as climate scientist Will Steffen warns, for all it is worth. But Anthony Albanese and Labor? Being content to sit on the sidelines prompts Kelly to ask "what will it ever fight on?". Unfortunately, we have an opposition in name only. - Mark Paskal, Clovelly Cauldron fizzes with fissures J.K. Rowling is apparently a whiz at writing wildly imaginative stories, and having them voraciously read ("Author keeps culture cauldron bubbling", September 19-20). Who gives a tuppenny stuff about her views on trans issues? Other than supplying riveting plots of unstoppable good guys and vanquished villains, Rowling's thoughts on other matters should be mere dross, assuming they don't come with murderous intent. If trans people expect blanket approval of every niche of their lives, then they're doomed to disappointment. Unless, of course, freedom of opinion was vetoed when we weren't looking. - Rosemary O'Brien, Ashfield On the up and up Professor Brendan Murphy says there is no evidence that safety and quality of aged care have declined ("'No evidence' quality has dropped but aged care needs help: Murphy", September 19-20). Being mindful that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, I wonder what questions he asked to reach that conclusion. - Sally James, Russell Lea I agree with Murphy that the quality of aged care has not dropped. After all, when it is already at rock bottom, things can only improve. - Peter Miniutti, Ashbury In memory of a powerhouse Ruth Bader Ginsburg US Supreme Court Justice, gutsy champion of democracy, rights for women, and equality for all epitomised the sort of American who really did make her country a better place, and I mourn her loss ("Ginsburg's death shakes up an already dramatic election", smh.com.au, September 19). In that tiny body dwelt a generous heart and a giant intellect that history will rank in the pantheon of great world figures, despite her detractors. - Dick Honor, Bowral To boldly go.... People and split infinitives can be grouped as follows: those who dont know what they are, those who do know what they are and dont avoid splitting them, and those who do know what they are and do avoid splitting them (Letters, September 19-20). Unfortunately, split infinitives cause pedants to froth at the mouth. And mouth-frothing pedants could frighten the horses. So, its best to avoid splitting them where its not difficult to avoid doing so. Unfortunately, many will happen to ignorantly risk or choose to carelessly or deliberately risk frightening the poor old horses. - John Lewis, Port Macquarie If a person who thought that split infinitives were grammatically sinful were falsely accused and went to court to defend themselves, they might say "I wish to deny strenuously the allegation?" - Lindsay Fitzsimmons, Engadine Forget split infinitives. What about the precarious position of the dangling preposition? - Sally Spurr, Lane Cove Jasmine blues O glorious jasmine, thy white blooms doth please, while thy heavenly scent wafts across on the breeze ... but you make my nose run and Im going to sneeze ("A spring of optimism", Spectrum, September 19-20). - Doug Walker, Baulkham Hills GHAZIABAD: A 74-year-old woman was shot dead by her younger son over a family dispute on her insistence to partition her agricultural land equally among her two sons and two married daughters, police said on Saturday. Savitri Devi, who had lost her husband a month ago, was shot at by her younger son Harendra from point-blank range at their residence in Govindpuri area of Modi Nagar on Friday night, with the bullet hitting the victim's temple and killing her at the spot, said Superintendent of Police (Rural) Neeraj Kumar Jadaun. On being informed about the incident, the police rushed to the spot and sent the body for the postmortem, he said, adding police also recovered a country-made pistol from the scene of the According to the complaint, lodged by women's elder son Dharmendra, his younger brother was opposed to the mother's plan to divide the farming land also among the two married sisters, one of whom had been living at their house for the last few days, said Jadaun. On Dharmendra's complaint, police arrested Harendra and launched a probe into the roles of his wife and some other unknown persons in the murder conspiracy. How Pakistan uses drones to drop off weapons for its terrorists India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Jammu, Sep 20: Pakistan dropped weapons and some cash in Indian currency using a drone in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, Director General of Police Dilbag Singh on Saturday said, announcing the arrest of three LeT terrorists who had picked up the consignment near the Line of Control. Singh said the major success was achieved on Friday evening, following a well-coordinated joint operation by police and 38 Rashtriya Rifles in Rajouri sector of Jammu region, frustrating Pakistan's design to step up violence and disturb the prevailing peace in the Union Territory. Pakistan drops weapons, cash in J&K via drone; 3 terrorists arrested: Police "All the three Lashker-e-Taiba terrorists were residents of Kashmir and had come to pick up the consignment, which was dropped by Pakistan on this side using a drone," the DGP, who was flanked by Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu Division, Mukesh Singh, told reporters in Rajouri district. The IGP informed this was the third successful operation in the twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch since September 11. Earlier, a huge consignment of arms and ammunition was recovered from two people in Balakote sector of Poonch three days later 11 kg of heroin worth Rs 11 crore, meant to fund terrorism activities, was seized in Rajouri district. "Pakistan and its agencies always remain active and are making every effort to disturb peace and law and order in J-K. It is using drones to drop weapons and narcotics and also push terrorists from both Rajouri and Poonch districts, which had witnessed a spurt in ceasefire violations - almost on a daily basis," the DGP said. However, he said the police, Army and other forces are working together to scuttle Pakistan's design and to maintain peace and law and order in the Union Territory. "We are enjoying good operational synergy and the latest arrest of three LeT terrorists and seizure of a huge cache of arms and ammunition was its result. We received information about movement of some suspicious people and accordingly launched the cordon and search operation," he said. He said three people were seen moving with a bag and were challenged but they hurled a grenade, which luckily did not explode and the trio was overpowered. The search of the bag led to the recovery of two AK-56 rifles, two pistols, four grenades and Rs 1 lakh in Indian currency, which had smuggled from Pakistan to escalate violence, Dilbag Singh said it came to light that the consignment was dropped on this side of the LoC by Pakistan using the drone and the trio, who hail from Kashmir, had come to pick up the consignment. "Their interrogation is underway and further details will be shared later," he said. In response to questions, he said Pakistan is doing its best to revive terrorism in the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri, which falls in Jammu division and were cleared of militancy over a decade back. "The people of Rajouri and Poonch are peace loving and they will not allow Pakistan to succeed in its design. There are some elements with whom we will deal sternly," he said. He termed the dropping of weapons through drones as a "big challenge" and said this is the first such aerial drop in the district though a similar attempt was foiled by the Border Security Force (BSF) along the International Border in Kathua district sometime back. "This is a hilly terrain and drones just bypass the deployment on the LoC," he said, adding that "we are vigilant to the threat and have taken necessary measures". On the recovery of a large number of US-made rifles in the recent past, the DGP said that "we have recovered such types of rifles like M-4 and M-16 in large numbers in the past as well. These rifles are duplicate weapons manufactured in Pakistan and are being smuggled by LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists". The IGP said on September 11, police and Army arrested two people and recovered a cache of arms and ammunition, including three pistols, 11 grenades, improvised explosive device (IED) material and a pen drive, frustrating terrorists plan to carry out target killings and blasts in Poonch district. "The arrest and recovery was made from Balakote sector of Poonch. The pen drive contains details of assembling and planting the IED," he said. In another operation on September 14, one person was arrested with 7 kg heroin in Rajouri and later at his disclosure one more arrest was made from Kulgam district of south Kashmir. Three residents of Poonch were also arrested and their questioning led to the recovery of 4 kg of heroin from the same spot from where the earlier consignment of 7 kg was dumped after smuggling from across the border, he said. The IGP said the money from the heroin was meant to support terrorism. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 20, 2020, 10:36 [IST] New Delhi, Sep 20 : Responding to the ministers' press briefing led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the agri Bills, the Congress called the behaviour of the government as a "black day" in Indias democratic history. Addressing the press conference, Congress leaders K.C. Venugopal ,Randeep Surjewala ,Shaktisinh Gohil, Rajeev Satav, and Partap Singh Bajwa said that the fight for the farmers will go on till its logical end. Venugopal said "The manner in which the government pushed through the grossly anti-farmer Bills was totally against any and every procedure and tradition laid out in the rulebook." While Gohil alleged that the government is misusing the chair and this is the true "Modi model". The Congress leaders alleged that "high-handedness" and utter disregard for democratic tradition and norms seems to have become the new normal even in Parliament. "The government bulldozed the anti-farmer Bills at the cost of well established parliamentary procedures, rules and traditions. They were hellbent on helping their crony capitalist friends by going to any extent, including denying discussion and division for passing the Bills in the house," said Surjewala. Many members had moved notices to refer these bills to the select committee for wider consultation and assessment. However, in an unprecedented and tyrannical way the government turned a deaf ear to our democratic rights, the party alleged. "The very right to speak on the Bills and seek for a division was completely negated through sheer and unjustifiable arrogance and authoritarianism. Such an unprecedented instance of undemocratic passage of anti-people legislation was never heard of in the history of Indian Parliament. This is naked murder of democracy and parliamentary traditions," it said. The opposition parties have unanimously decided to move a no-confidence motion against the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman for his "anti-democratic and anti-parliamentary conduct" in the passage of these Bills and the 12 parties will meet on Monday to decide the strategy. "His actions amount to serious breach of the privileges of the members and killing of the very ideals he is supposed to protect under oath," said Venugopal. The death of US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg little more than six weeks before the election cast an immediate spotlight on the high court vacancy, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell quickly vowing to bring a vote on whoever President Donald Trump nominates. Democratic nominee Joe Biden vigorously disagreed, declaring voters should pick the president and the president should pick the justice to consider. Mr McConnell, in a statement some 90 minutes after Ms Ginsburgs death was announced, declared unequivocally that Mr Trumps nominee would go to a vote, even though he had stalled President Barack Obamas choice for months ahead of the 2016 election, eventually preventing a ballot. Mr Trump, in brief remarks to reporters after learning of her death, called Ms Ginsburg an amazing woman who led an amazing life. Ruth Bader Ginsburg takes the court oath from chief justice William Rehnquist, right, as then-president Bill Clinton (left) looks on, after her 1993 appointment (Marcy Nighswander/AP) He had continued with a campaign speech for more than an hour after her death was announced, saying later he had been unaware of her passing. Mr Trump had said in the speech that the next presidential term could offer him as many as four appointments to the nine-member court, whose members are confirmed for life, and added: This is going to be the most important election in the history of our country and we have to get it right. Mr Biden, returning to Delaware from his own campaign stop in Minnesota, praised Ms Ginsburg on his arrival. Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on Friday aged 87 (Craig Fritz/AP) She was not only a giant of the legal profession but a beloved figure, he said, adding she stood for all of us. The process of replacing her should not begin until after the election, he made clear. Ms Ginsburgs death could significantly affect the presidential race, further stirring passions in the deeply divided nation as the campaign pushes into its stretch run ahead of the November poll. Voters should pick the president and the president should pick the justice to consider Joe Biden Mr Trump took the stage for a Minnesota rally soon before Ms Ginsburgs death was announced. He spoke for more than 90 minutes and did not mention it, apparently having not been alerted to the development. He spoke to reporters about her passing as he boarded Air Force One to return to Washington. A confirmation vote in the Senate is not guaranteed, even with a Republican majority. Typically it takes several months to vet and hold hearings on a Supreme Court nominee, and time is short ahead of the election. Key senators may be reluctant to cast votes so close to the election. With a slim majority of Republicans 53 seats in the 100-member chamber Mr Trumps choice could afford to lose only a few. Mr McConnell did not specify the timing, but pushing a confirmation off to the post-election lame-duck session would carry other complications, including the political tangle of trying to push it through in the final weeks of the year after voters have decided who controls the White House and the Senate. Joe Biden says the vote on Ms Ginsburgs replacement should be held after the election (Carolyn Kaster/AP) Mr Trump has made the appointing of federal judiciary figures including two Supreme Court justices part of his legacy. He said last month he would absolutely try to fill a vacancy on the high court if one came up before the end of his first term. Absolutely, Id do it, Mr Trump said in an August 11 interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. I would move quickly. Why not? I mean, they would. The Democrats would if they were in this position. Mr Trump last week added 20 names to the list of candidates he has pledged to choose from if he had future vacancies to fill. The president tried to cast the list in contrast with judges who could be nominated if Mr Biden wins in November, warning Mr Biden would select radical justices who would fundamentally transform America without a single vote of Congress. This came even though Mr Biden has never outlined his list of potential picks, and the fact the Senate must confirm any nominee. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell believes a quick vote should be held on the new Supreme Court justice, despite his actions in 2016 (Jacquelyn Martin/AP) Naming his possible choices, less than two months before the election, is aimed at repeating the strategy Mr Trump employed during his 2016 campaign, when he released a similar list of potential judges in a bid to win over conservative and evangelical voters who had doubts about his conservative credentials. The average number of days to confirm a justice, according to the Congressional Research Service, is 69 days, which would be after the election. Mr Biden has promised to nominate a black woman to the high court if given the chance. He has said he is also working on a list of potential nominees, but the campaign has given no indication it will release names before the election. Democrats believe doing so would unnecessarily distract from Mr Bidens focus on Mr Trumps handling of the pandemic and the economy, while also giving the president and his allies fresh targets to attack. Mr Trump, however, insisted presidential candidates owe the American people a list of figures they would consider because, aside from matters of war and peace, the nomination of a Supreme Court justice is the most important decision an American president can make. IDAHO FALLS One of the highlights of a new exhibit the Museum of Idaho hopes to open at the end of the year will be a more than 200-year-old American flag that was carried into battle during the Civil War and eventually came to Idaho. The Lawyer family story is that the banner was in the family since at least the War of 1812, although Carrie Anderson Athay, curator at the museum and a textile expert, believes the flag itself to be older, probably dating to the late 18th century. During that time there were a lot of different (American flag) designs, Athay said. The homespun, hand-dyed flag features 13 stars, although not in the circular pattern most Americans will be familiar with from the famous Betsy Ross flag. Instead, there are five large stars, spaced fairly evenly on the blue background, with eight smaller ones crammed between them. The museum has a letter from the Department of the Army saying it isnt aware of any other flags with the same star pattern, said museum spokesman Jeff Carr. Carr said 13-star flags were in use from 1777 to 1795, and that while some flag makers started to add new stars stating in 1795 to reflect the admission of Vermont and Kentucky into the union, this practice didnt become official until 1818. As far as we know we have never seen another one like this one, Carr said. Its completely unique as far as we know. Athay thinks the flag might have been made originally for the U.S. Navy and meant to fly off a ships flagpole, given its length its 2 feet, 8 inches wide and 8 feet, 2 inches long. She said one possibility she has heard is that the five larger stars might have represented five major trading companies of the era, although other, more mundane possibilities are that the person sewing the flag ran out of white fabric for the stars or realized they would need to save on space after making the first five too big. Joseph C. Lawyer joined the 66th Ohio Infantry, Company K, at age 18 as a substitute on Aug. 16, 1864, meaning he was paid to take the place of someone else who had been conscripted. According to the family story, this person gave Lawyer $100 to join in his stead. Lawyer would have joined the 66th Ohio as it took part in the battle for control of Atlanta. The regiments records of when he served line up with the family story that Lawyer took part in Shermans March, when Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman led his soldiers on a march from Atlanta to Savannah in which they confiscated and destroyed food, destroyed factories, farms and railroads and freed tens of thousands of enslaved people along the way, dealing a crippling blow to the Souths ability to fight the war. At some point, one of Lawyers descendants moved to eastern Idaho and brought the flag, which still has a bit of blood on it from when he carried it into battle, with them. This was something of a treasure that the family kept with them as they continued to migrate, Athay said. Frank Lawyer, one of Josephs descendants who passed away in 2013, loaned the flag to an exhibit at the museum in 1993. The museum kept renewing the loan until he officially donated it to the museum in 2009. Athay has been working to restore it for months, and on Wednesday morning, it was finally ready to be moved into the case it will occupy as part of the Way Out West exhibit the museum has been working on for years. I think that putting it in the case, its going to show really well, but I think weve also stabilized and given some more years to it, Athay said. The exhibits will tell the stories of the Native American people who lived in eastern Idaho first, their first contacts with Europeans, and eastern Idahos first European settlers and the changes to the landscape they wrought as they established homesteads and mines and built railroads. Lawyers flag, Athay said, will be in a section of the exhibit about the things you take with you, which will showcase objects both Native Americans and early Europeans found important enough to bring here with them. Athay hopes this section of the exhibit will make people think about what these things meant to people. Why did Joseph Lawyer bring this old family flag to the front and into battle with him, and why did his descendants bring it to Idaho? What did it mean to him and his fellow soldiers? Is this a symbol of the country hes fighting for? she asked. Is this a symbol of his family? Is this a combination? Athay and Carr hope Way Out West will be ready to open around the end of the year, although coronavirus has caused problems for them like everyone else. Some volunteers havent felt comfortable returning, and progress on getting the exhibit ready has been slower than hoped. The Darwin and Dinosaurs exhibit that is there now has been there several months longer than was originally scheduled, and meanwhile the Body Worlds exhibit that was supposed to replace it is in limbo due to border restrictions, stuck in Calgary, Alberta, and with a team in Germany that is supposed to disassemble it in Canada and bring it to Idaho. When Way Out West is ready, though, they said, it will help tell the story of eastern Idaho to both tourists and locals for years to come. Were excited that this museum is going to have a lot of these exhibits for people, with direct objects from the past that really meant something, Carr said. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 She welcomed her baby boy in October 2019. And Brooke Vincent looked effortlessly chic as she stepped out in Manchester on Sunday wearing an oversized shirt dress and metallic platform trainers. The Coronation Street actress, 28, looked radiant in the ensemble which she paired with round purple-tinted shades and gold hoop earrings. Wow: Brooke Vincent, 28, looked effortlessly chic as she stepped out in Manchester on Sunday wearing an oversized shirt dress and metallic platform trainers Styling her look, Brooke buttoned the shirt to the top and added a metallic ribbon tie adorned with star detailing. Brooke looked sensational as she showcased her bronzed pins for the outing with friends at Menagerie Restaurant & Bar in Salford. Keeping all eyes on her look, Brooke opted for barely a scrap of makeup and styled her caramel tresses in loose waves over her shoulders. Chic: Brooke buttoned the shirt to the top and added a metallic ribbon tie adorned with star detailing Sun-kissed: Brooke looked sensational as she showcased her bronzed pins and opted for barely a scrap of makeup The actress added a statement gold watch and carried her phone in her hand as made her way for the dinner reservation. Earlier this month the Corrie star revealed the inspiration behind the unusual name of her son, Mexx, to the Loose Women panel. Brooke said that she had been playing around with different name ideas before settling on the majestic Dutch name. Pals: Brooke looked sensational for the outing with friends at Menagerie Restaurant & Bar in Salford The star has been dating Sheffield United ace Kean Bryan, 23, since 2016, and the couple welcomed their first child together last year. During her brief appearance on Loose Women, she also revealed that she was shocked how long it took her to return to her original shape. She added: ''A lot of my friends had children in the past and it's just one of those things that wasn't spoken about, you didn't know you have a baby then however long to get back into your jeans... 'Katy Perry put something on Instagram this morning five days after giving birth. You just presume your stomach is going to go down because the baby is out and not inside you'. Taapsee Pannu came out in support of Anurag Kashyap after an actor claimed that he forced himself on (her). The filmmaker has denied all the allegations of sexual assault levelled against him and called it an attempt to silence him. Sharing a picture with Anurag, Taapsee wrote on Instagram, For you, my friend, are the biggest feminist I know. See you on the sets soon of yet another piece of art that shows how powerful and significant women are in the world you create. :) Anurag directed Taapsee in Manmarziyaan and also produced her film, Saand Ki Aankh. On Saturday, an actor accused Anurag of indecent behaviour when she went to meet him for work. She tweeted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take action and said that her security is at risk. National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma took cognisance of the actors tweet and asked her to send a detailed complaint to the commission, assuring her that they will launch an investigation. Also read | Shekhar Suman on claims of drug use at Karan Johars 2019 party: Why wasnt any action taken then? Meanwhile, Anurag, in a series of tweets, denied the allegations. Kya baat hai, itna samay le liya mujhe chup karwane ki koshish mein. Chalo koi nahin. Mujhe chup karaate karaate itna jhooth bol gaye ki aurat hote hue doosri auraton ko bhi sang ghaseet liya. Thodi toh maryada rakhiye, madam. Bas yahi kahunga ki jo bhi aarop hain aap ke sab bebuniyaad hain (Wow, it took you so long to try to silence me. Never mind. In the process of silencing me, you dragged other women in this, despite being a woman. Please have some dignity, madam. All I want to say is that every allegation is baseless), he wrote on Twitter. Anurag also said that whether it is with his ex-wives, any of his lovers or the women he works with, he neither indulges in nor tolerates such kind of behaviour in public or otherwise. Follow @htshowbiz for more Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 16:54:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Dana Halawi BEIRUT, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Tony Katra, a Lebanese citizen in his 50s, lived all his life in Mar Mikhael, an area in Lebanon's capital of Beirut that was vastly destroyed by Beirut port's deadly blasts on Aug. 4. With many trendy boutiques, art galleries, antique furniture stores, bars, restaurants and cafes, Mar Mikhael was a hub for art and creativity in the city. The area, which was mostly visited by tourists who are fond of historic buildings, saw the worst repercussions of the huge explosions last month. Over 640 heritage buildings were destroyed by the explosions in Mar Mikhael, Gemmayze and other nearby areas, according to Lebanese Culture Ministry. The ministry has started working on a small scale, awaiting for more donations. "I am very sad for this area. All buildings should be rehabilitated to have the same shape and soul they used to have prior to the explosions. We should at least preserve half of the buildings, which constitute the history of this area that goes back to hundreds of years back," Katra told Xinhua. Katra aims to see specialists working on these buildings to preserve their heritage. Meanwhile, Khalil Bou Khaled in his 20s who studies in Gemmayze said that he didn't think the government is capable of restoring these buildings due to lack of funding. When the explosions hit Beirut, thousands of Lebanese occupied TV screens across the country by showing the damage caused to their properties in Gemmayze and Mar Mikhael while pleading the government and international community for support on reconstructing their houses and restoring their beauty. On the other hand, caretaker Culture Minister Abbas Mourtada warned real estate developers against buying destroyed heritage buildings in Beirut to remove old buildings and construct new projects for to make high profits. Mourtada said he will work on securing money to rehabilitate these buildings. Also, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis urged, on several occasions, the international community to assist the rehabilitation of heritage buildings. Sarkis Khoury, director-general of antiquities at Lebanon's Culture Ministry, told Xinhua that the ministry is keen to preserve the living heritage of these buildings and it is working hard on attracting funds from foreign donors and the international community to rehabilitate the destroyed units at the cost of 300 million U.S. dollars approximately. "Lebanon's economic situation is very bad and we do not have this money for the time being, but we are in contact with the international community to support us in this regard," Khoury said. Khoury explained that 45 heritage buildings are threatened to collapse at any moments that need complete reinforcement, 50 other buildings need to be partly reinforced, while 100 buildings need to be covered ahead of winter otherwise rain water will go into these houses and construction material will be further affected. According to Khoury, the ministry conducted meetings with the UNESCO, the World Bank and Aliph, an international initiative aimed at protecting cultural heritage in conflict areas. He said that Aliph has decided to support by donating 5 million U.S. dollars while the UNESCO allocated 10 million U.S. dollars for schools in the area and they are working to attract additional funds for heritage buildings. Khoury emphasized the importance of local initiatives among individuals and organizations which also helped in securing doors and windows for damaged houses ahead of the winter season. "I urge all the Lebanese to provide help according to their financial capabilities until we are capable of securing the proper funding for renovating these buildings," Khoury said. The Culture Ministry is ready to help citizens by providing technical support for the time being or by trying to secure funding for rehabilitating their heritage houses. One of the initiatives started by the Lebanese youths is Ground Zero which was created following the explosions to work with engineers and help people whose houses were destroyed to work with specialists in rehabilitating their houses. "First we make sure that the houses are habitable and then the engineers work with people to rehabilitate their houses according to old designs by preserving their historic heritage and identity," Sandy Elias, a young architect responsible for engineers' work at Ground Zero, told Xinhua. The UNESCO will be holding a meeting for donors by the end of September to attract funds to be used in rehabilitating Beirut's heritage buildings. Enditem ENFIELD A Springfield man and a Chicopee resident were arrested on gun charges in Connecticut Saturday. Raekwon T. Roman Davis, 22, of Palmer Avenue, Springfield, and Dametrius M. Sturdiavnt, 21, of Crestwood Street, Chicopee, were charged with illegal possession of a weapon in a vehicle. Sturdivant was also cited for a motor vehicle violation, according to the police logs. The two men were arrested at about 2:10 a.m. during a routine traffic stop after officers found a gun and ammunition in their vehicle, police said. The men are scheduled to be arraigned on the charges on Monday, police said. Related Content: By David Shepardson, Alexandra Alper and Echo Wang WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he supported a deal in principle that would allow TikTok to continue to operate in the United States, even as it appeared to conflict with his earlier order for China's ByteDance to divest the video app. ByteDance was racing to avoid a crackdown on TikTok after the U.S. Commerce Department said on Friday it would block new downloads and updates to the app come Sunday. U.S. officials had expressed concern that the personal data of as many as 100 million Americans that use the app was being passed on to China's Communist Party government. Trump signed an executive order on Aug. 14 giving ByteDance 90 days to sell TikTok. The deal announced on Saturday, however, is structured as a partnership rather than a divestment. TikTok will be owned by a new company called TikTok Global and headquartered in the United States, possibly in Texas, Trump said. Oracle Corp will take a 12.5% stake in TikTok Global and store all its U.S. user data on its cloud to comply with U.S. national security requirements, the companies said. Retail giant Walmart Inc said it would take a 7.5% stake in TikTok Global. The implied valuation for TikTok Global as a result of these investments could not be learned. While Oracle and Walmart said that TikTok Global will be majority-owned by U.S. investors, this is the case only if ByteDance's investor base is taken into account, according to a source familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss the deal's structure. This is because ByteDance will own 80% of TikTok Global, the source said. Given that U.S. investors currently own about 40% of ByteDance, the White House will count that towards how much of TikTok Global is owned by U.S. parties, the source added. As a result, Oracle, Walmart, and ByteDance's U.S. investors will own, directly or indirectly, about 53% of TikTok Global, a second source said. Story continues Beijing-based ByteDance did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Walmart and Oracle also did not offer more information on TikTok Global's ownership structure. It was not immediately clear what spurred the White House to compromise on its push for an outright sale of TikTok. However, the deal comes with pledges that cater to Trump's "America First" policy agenda. It also avoids alienating TikTok's young users ahead of the Nov. 3 U.S. election. ByteDance agreed to create 25,000 new U.S. jobs at TikTok, up from a little over 1,000 now. Trump, who had previously called on companies such as Oracle and Walmart to pay the United States a "fee" to participate in the TikTok deal, said there would also be a $5 billion U.S. education fund as part of the deal. "I said, you know, do me a favor, could you put up $5 billion into a fund for education so we can educate people as to the real history of our country, not the fake history," Trump told a rally of supporters in Fayetteville, North Carolina on Saturday. ByteDance said in a social media post on Sunday that it was not aware it was setting up a $5 billion education fund in the United States. Oracle and Walmart described the agreement differently. They said that together with ByteDance top investors General Atlantic, Sequoia and Coatue they would create an educational initiative to deliver an artificial-intelligence driven online video curriculum for children, from basic reading and math to science, history and computer engineering. The companies did not say how much they would spend on the education initiative. However, they said TikTok Global would pay more than $5 billion in new taxes to the U.S. Treasury. While ByteDance will get to keep TikTok's source code under the deal, Oracle will get to inspect it. Oracle Chief Executive Safra Catz said her company was "100% confident in our ability to deliver a highly secure environment to TikTok and ensure data privacy to TikTok's American users, and users throughout the world." Catz served on Trump's transition team in 2016, while Oracle's co-founder and chairman, Larry Ellison, is one of the few top technology executives to openly support the U.S. president. ByteDance also had to give up some of its control of TikTok. Reuters reported on Thursday that TikTok Global would have a majority of American directors, a U.S. chief executive and a security expert on the board. Walmart said on Saturday its CEO, Doug McMillon, would serve as one of the five board members of TikTok Global. It is possible that ByteDance's ownership of TikTok will be reduced further next year. Reuters was first to report on Thursday that ByteDance is planning an initial public offering of TikTok Global. The filing of the IPO would be on a U.S. stock exchange and could come in about a year. CFIUS APPROVAL The Commerce Department said on Saturday it would delay by one week an order that had been set to take effect late Sunday that would have forced Alphabet Inc's Google and Apple Inc to stop offering TikTok for download, so the TikTok deal can be completed. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), the U.S. government panel overseeing the deal talks, has to approve the transaction. Oracle beat out Microsoft Corp, which said last week that its offer to acquire TikTok's U.S. business was rebuffed by ByteDance. The Trump administration has stepped up its efforts to purge what it deems "untrusted" Chinese apps from U.S. digital networks. A U.S. judge early Sunday blocked the Trump administration from requiring Apple and Google to remove Tencent Holdings Ltd's messaging app WeChat for downloads by late Sunday. TikTok interim CEO Vanessa Pappa said in a video posted on Saturday that "TikTok is here to stay." China also has to approve the deal. "We'll see whether or not it all happens," Trump said. The first Chinese reaction to the deal came from Global Times, which is published by the People's Daily, the official newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party. Global Times editor Hu Xijin said "this scheme is still unfair, but it avoids the worst result that TikTok is shut down or sold to a U.S. company completely." (Reporting by Alexandra Alper, David Shepardson and Echo Wang; Editing by Daniel Wallis, Jacqueline Wong, Lisa Shumaker and Steve Orlofsky) An incredible natural amenity that has been used more this year than ever before can be quite confusing for people who dont know the area, says one local representative in south Kilkenny. Local Cllr Peter Chap Cleere raised the issue of improved and additional signage for Brandon Hill, Graignamanagh at the latest Callan Thomastown municipal meeting. Brandon Hill is the highest mountain in Co Kilkenny and has experienced unprecedented visitors this summer, he told fellow councillors. Cllr Cleere commentated With a significant increase in staycation holiday makers this summer there has been a huge increase in the numbers of both locals and tourists who wanted to climb Brandon Hill. He said he had received numerous representations about the lack of signage and poor signage, both leading up to the route and actually along the route itself. Cllr Cleere said he had spoken to one man who got lost in the area, while walking with his two children. Hidden Gem Brandon Hill is a hidden gem in Irelands Ancient East and we really need to make is as accessible and as easy to navigate as possible for all users, the district chairman said. Cllr Cleere said he was delighted to see that following on from his representations Kilkenny County Council will be making an application for funding under the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) for Brandon Hill. I look forward to this funding being secured , and for these works to be complete as soon as possible. Director of Services Mary Mulholland said she, too, had gotten a lot of comments about signage in the area and would raise it with Trail Kilkenny. A teenager has tested positive to coronavirus while in hotel quarantine just days before Western Australia is set to increase the number of overseas arrivals. The 13-year-old boy is in quarantine in Perth after recently arriving from overseas and is a close contact of previously confirmed case. The new case comes just a week before WA is due to increase its arrivals by 200 per week on September 27 before adding an extra 300 per week on October 12. A teenager has tested positive to coronavirus while in hotel quarantine just days before Western Australia is set to increase the number of overseas arrivals. Pictured: Woman being tested in Perth Premier Mark McGowan said on Friday at least one and possibly two extra quarantine hotels would need to be set up to accommodate the extra 500 returnees Premier Mark McGowan said on Friday at least one and possibly two extra quarantine hotels would need to be set up to accommodate the extra 500 returnees. However a revival of the quarantine program on Rottnest Island isn't expected to be required. WA has enlisted eight hotels to house people returning from overseas and Victoria, as well as airline staff. Elective surgery may be impacted by the change to ensure medical support isn't compromised for the increased hotel quarantine efforts. 'I don't want to reduce elective surgery capacity but it may be necessary,' Mr McGowan said. There are currently three active infections in WA and the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic is now 662. The new case comes just a week before WA is due to increase its arrivals by 200 per week on September 27 before adding an extra 300 per week on October 12 Meanwhile, the state has announced it will start testing wastewater for COVID-19 within the next month. The analysis aims to identify the existence of the virus to enable more targeted campaigns encouraging people to be tested. It has been used in other jurisdictions including the ACT and Queensland. Haiti - Social : 262nd anniversary of the birth of Emperor Jean-Jacques Dessalines Sunday September 20, as part of the 262nd anniversary of the birth of Emperor Jean-Jacques Dessalines (September 20, 1758 - September 20, 2020), Founding Father of the Haitian Nation, the former Consul General of Haiti in Chicago Lesly Conde delivered a thoughtful message that we invite you to share : Message from Lesly Conde "Dear fellow citizens everywhere, Dear friends of Haiti, Now is the time to celebrate the two hundred and sixty-second birthday of a Haitian hero of universal dimensions who still does not receive a good fraction of the honor that his clairvoyance, his endurance and his extraordinary bravery deserve. It is an anniversary that all Haitians must mark with the greatest pride because this Father of the Haitian Nation is the very definition of the kind of man that the whole world should welcome as a model of heroism. Jean-Jacques Dessalines was indeed born into slavery on September 20, 1758. For perfectly understandable reasons, we do not know anything about his childhood and young age. It must be said that our historians of a certain period have never presented Dessalines in a clearly laudatory manner. It is therefore not surprising that generations of Haitians have seen the Father of our Nation as an ordinary soldier rather than a hero of planetary dimensions. For having been born in the dehumanizing conditions of slavery, and breaking all barriers to become General-in-Chief of an indigenous army which routed the slave forces of France, Jean-Jacques Dessalines showed extraordinary qualities which place him in a league far above that of the much admired conquerors. He is a true liberator whose vision has served as an inspiration to other liberators. Today we celebrate the birth of the Father of our Nation; a hero like no other. In these difficult times, hold on to our identity. Let's remain proud of Dessalines who made us what we are." Lesly Conde Former Consul General of Haiti in Chicago (August 26, 2004 - May 25, 2018) HL/ HaitiLibre Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal The global pandemic knocked the wind out of New Mexicos oil and gas industry last spring, but as the economy gradually reopens, stability is slowly returning. Most local producers closed the spigots on existing wells and largely ceased drilling on new ones during the height of the crisis in May, when many people stopped driving or flying and the crash in fuel demand pushed oil prices to their lowest levels in two decades. But over the summer, prices rebounded significantly as oil producers worldwide slashed production to reduce global oversupply and as coronavirus lockdowns faded, allowing people to start traveling again. Higher prices have, in turn, encouraged most producers in the Permian Basin in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas to reopen existing wells for crude to start flowing again. And, while the states active rig count fell from a record high of 117 last March to just 47 now, those remaining rigs are at least doing some work on new wells. But recovery is still a long way off. Oil prices remain well below pre-pandemic levels, because consumer demand has not yet returned to normal, and the world remains awash in excess oil. Until those supply and demand issues are resolved, the bust in New Mexicos oil patch will continue, even if the rapid decline in activity has abated, said state Rep. Larry Scott, R-Hobbs. The best way to put it were holding steady at a significantly reduced level of activity, said Scott, a longtime oilman and owner of Lynx Petroleum in Hobbs. Were not at 117 rigs like we were in March, but at least people are out there working. Theres been an uptick in production since the spring, but we still have a long way to go. Slow rebound Oil prices will remain depressed until ground and air travel fully rebound from the pandemic, something few industry veterans expect to happen until a coronavirus vaccine is widely available and people feel comfortable returning to life as usual, said New Mexico Oil and Gas Association executive director Ryan Flynn. Like other industries, we remain challenged because of demand destruction from the pandemic, Flynn said. People are still working at home and not commuting. And theres almost no leisure travel, especially by plane. Although estimates vary, global consumer and industry demand for oil plunged by between 20% and 30% during the March-May peak of the lockdowns from about 100 million barrels per day to between 70 million and 80 million. Over the summer, consumption rebounded as economies began to reopen. But demand isnt expected to return to pre-pandemic levels until at least 2022. The International Energy Agency projects global demand for petroleum and liquid fuels to remain about 8% below 2019 levels through December, and then narrow to about 2% by year-end 2021. U.S. gasoline consumption in August remained, on average, 18.2% below last years levels, according to global consultant IHS Markits Oil Price Information Service. And jet fuel consumption is still down by more than 70%, said Raoul LeBlanc, IHS Markits vice president for nonconventional oil and gas. Jet fuel demand in particular is terrible, but all fuel consumption remains depressed, LeBlanc told the Journal. Discretionary travel for things like running errands or shopping is back close to normal, but daily commuting is still way down. A lot of people are still not going to work. Background The virtual overnight plunge in demand at the start of the pandemic, combined with increasing oil production in the U.S. and elsewhere, led to record market gluts in early spring, causing an unprecedented crash in prices, which briefly dove into negative territory in mid-April for the first time in industry history. By early May, prices hovered in the mid-teens, down from about $60 per barrel at the beginning of 2020. Prices began to rise in mid-May, thanks to an agreement by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other major producers like Russia to collectively cut output by about 9.7 million barrels per day to drive prices back up. U.S. production as well plummeted as operators shut in active wells and virtually halted all drilling on new wells to await better prices. Domestic output fell to about 10.7 million barrels per day by midsummer, down from a record 13.1 million last March, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In addition, as coronavirus lockdowns in the U.S. and other countries receded in June, demand began to recover across the globe, driving prices back up. For most of the summer, the price for U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate has hovered between about $40 and $43 per barrel, more than twice the levels recorded in May, but still well below the $60-per-barrel range last January. Prices bounced back pretty well over the summer, LeBlanc told the Journal. The industry is in a better place now compared to the spring, with most wells that were shut in back online. But things are still not good, and the industry is definitely not yet back on a growth path. Operators cautious To grow production, operators need to start drilling new wells again. But thats unlikely to happen on any large scale until prices climb back to pre-pandemic levels, said Raye Miller, president of oil company Regeneration Energy Corp. in Artesia. The outlook is better, but producers are still very cautious in southeast New Mexico, Miller said. The rig count has flattened out at less than half of what it was in March. To add rigs back with active development on new wells, we need better prices and a clearer picture of what the industry faces, because everyone is concerned about demand going forward. Most New Mexico producers shut in their active wells for at least two months, although some of the large, deep-pocketed operators like Exxon or Chevron kept wells open and even continued work on new ones, albeit at a much slower pace, Miller said. Local oil production declined in May for the first time in years, falling almost 11% from a monthly tally of 27.6 million barrels in May 2019 to 24.7 million last May, according to the state Oil Conservation Division. Output remained flat in June at 26.6 million barrels, compared with 26.5 million in June 2019. OCD statistics for July and beyond are not yet available. With shut-in wells reopening, production going forward could decline at a slower pace or remain flat, but its unlikely to grow significantly until higher prices drive more rig activity. Regeneration Energy, for example, has fully reopened the 60-plus active wells it shut in May. But it wont drill any new ones until the price climbs back to the $55 to $60 per barrel range, Miller said. Thats because local producers lose about $13 per barrel after royalties and taxes, pushing net income down to about $42 per barrel when the price is at $55, Miller said. And it costs up to $7 million to drill and complete a new well, meaning the operator needs to produce at least 167,000 barrels to earn back investment before generating a profit. At $40 per barrel, the net income declines to about $27, meaning the new well must produce at least 250,000 or more barrels to recover investment. And output from new shale oil wells rapidly declines over the first 18 months, making it harder to achieve a return at todays prices. In addition, if operators must increase the length of horizontal drilling to reach more pockets of crude, the well price increases substantially. Its simple math, Miller said. At $30 per barrel or less, it doesnt make sense to drill and complete a well. Higher prices are what makes it economic. And downward pressure on prices continues. In August, OPEC reduced its production cuts by 2 million barrels a day, from 9.7 million from May-July to 7.7 million. U.S. output is also edging back up as shut-in wells are reopened. As a result, U.S. crude inventories rose by 2 million barrels the first week of September, following six weeks of consecutive declines, pushing total domestic inventories to 500.4 million barrels, or about 14% above the five-year average for this time of year. That combined with ongoing coronavirus outbreaks that have stoked fear of renewed lockdowns in the fall pushed oil prices down again in early September to about $37 per barrel. Hit to NM industry Meanwhile, fallout from the industry bust is severe. About two dozen oil companies have gone bankrupt in the U.S. since March, and the industry has laid off more than 100,000 employees nationwide. The loss of 70 rigs in New Mexico means up to 2,800 workers directly lost their jobs here, since about 40 employees are connected to each rig. But thousands more in related industries and at businesses in southeastern New Mexico that depend on a healthy oil-and-gas sector are also impacted. People are hurting, Flynn said. Everyone in southeastern New Mexico is feeling the brunt of the downturn. The state as a whole is reeling from lost oil and gas revenue, estimated at about $1 billion less for the fiscal year that began July 1, compared with FY 2020. Given all the industry uncertainty, forecasting is extremely difficult, said Sen. John Arthur Smith, chairman of the Legislative Finance Committee. Im not certain it will actually be a $1 billion shortfall at this point, Smith told the Journal. But we also dont know how long the downturn will continue. The future wont become clearer until the global pandemic is under control, economic recovery gains force, and oil demand grows again. We have to get past the pandemic, Flynn said. Theres no silver bullet. We need a vaccine, and then people need to become confident again to travel, fly and lead a normal lifestyle. michael barbaro From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. [music] Today: President Trump has now secured the support he needs from Senate Republicans to swiftly confirm a replacement for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court, all but assuring that he will cement its conservative majority. A conversation with the anti-abortion activist whose unlikely partnership with the president helped bring the court to this moment. Its Wednesday, September 23. michael barbaro Hey. How are you? Its Michael Barbaro. marjorie dannenfelser Hello, Michael. Its great to meet you. michael barbaro Very nice to meet you. And thank you for making time for us. marjorie dannenfelser Well, Im very grateful. Ive been looking forward to it. michael barbaro Really? marjorie dannenfelser I have. You think I havent? michael barbaro Not everybody looks forward to conversations with journalists. marjorie dannenfelser I do its actually one of the things I like the best. Im Im not kidding. I really do. michael barbaro Well, were grateful for your time. And I want to start with the difficult but necessary question of asking you how to pronounce your last name. marjorie dannenfelser Its Dannenfelser. michael barbaro Dannenfelser. Is it OK if I call you Marjorie? marjorie dannenfelser Of course. Yes. michael barbaro OK. So Marjorie, the reason we wanted to talk to you, and talk to you right now, is because you lead an organization the Susan B. Anthony list that seeks to end abortion in the United States, in part by electing lawmakers who oppose abortion, and in part by confirming conservative justices to the federal bench and ultimately to the Supreme Court in order to eventually overturn Roe v. Wade. Does that summarize the groups mission accurately? marjorie dannenfelser Yeah. I think you got it. Yeah. michael barbaro So I have to imagine this is quite a day to be talking to you. Because it is now about 1:03 in the afternoon on Tuesday. And we have just watched as several Republican senators who seem to be on the fence about filling Justice Ginsburgs vacant seat said that they would seek to confirm a replacement for her in the coming weeks, the latest of those being Senator Mitt Romney. marjorie dannenfelser Yeah. michael barbaro And so it very much seems like you are on the cusp of a historic victory for social and religious conservatives and for the mission of your group. marjorie dannenfelser I think thats right. And I think, you know, no matter who you are, you feel the ground shaking underneath, wondering where the nation is going. For me. It is a surreal moment. It is actually very hard to put into words. Im feeling very optimistic for the mission that our organization launched on 25 years ago. michael barbaro I wonder if in 2015, when you were first facing the prospect of a Donald Trump presidency, if you could have ever imagined that just over four years later it would get you here to this point. marjorie dannenfelser Michael, I was deeply opposed to the candidacy of this president. He was the last on a very long list, and a distant last, of people that I thought should be among I mean, I think there were 17 at the high point candidates. And I put out letters in South Carolina and in Iowa saying not this guy. So I did get dragged kicking and screaming to the candidacy. And so the answer to your question is yeah, I would have been shocked to hear that this president would operate as the most pro-life president in history, and that he would be the one to be naming a self-described pro-life Supreme Court justice three that could turn the tide of events on abortion law after four decades since Roe v. Wade. michael barbaro Well, lets talk a little bit more about that journey that you and your organization went on the kicking and screaming. I realize this is asking a lot of someone who now has a close relationship with the president. But if you could go back to your worst views and fears of him at the time, and describe for me what you were thinking about him and what he represented to you in that early period of 2015-2016. marjorie dannenfelser I dont mind talking about it. Because I actually, as a convert on this cause, I can say that its very much reflective of what people probably used to think of me, when I was very strongly pro-choice. You know my view changed pretty diametrically to the position I had. But whatever people felt about me at that point is exactly how I felt about this president. We cant possibly have somebody who just converted overnight be the candidate. And I didnt like the caustic comments to Carly Fiorina, who I adored at the time. So what I saw, I wasnt pleased with. And its the point, I would say, that in my entire life Ive never been so happy to be so incredibly wrong about the commitments that he would make and how he would actually govern. michael barbaro And when you say conversion, you mean his conversion from someone who supported abortion rights, supported candidates who supported abortion rights, to someone who was opposed to abortion, who was pro-life. marjorie dannenfelser Thats right. michael barbaro But before we get to those commitments, I want to slow down just a little bit and talk about the journey that you went on. And not linger too much on it. But I do think its important to understand. During the period when you had objections to him, you did not mince words. And I just want to put a pin in how strongly you doubted him during that period. Because you mentioned letters that you had issued against his candidacy. And there is a very pointed letter that I recall you addressed to Republican voters as the Iowa caucuses were about to get underway. And I was in Iowa during that time. So I remember this. marjorie dannenfelser Mhm. Mhm. michael barbaro And this is what you said, quote: As pro-life women leaders from Iowa and across the nation, we urge Republican caucus goers and voters to support anyone but Donald Trump. On the issue of defending unborn children and protecting women from the violence of abortion, Mr. Trump cannot be trusted. And there is thankfully an abundance of alternative candidates with proven records of pro-life leadership whom pro-life voters can support. And you went on to say, As women, we are disgusted by Mr. Trumps treatment of individuals, women in particular. So how were you able to get from there to the decision that you needed to build a relationship with the president and start talking about commitments and partnerships? marjorie dannenfelser Well, thats a double-edged question. One is: How could you form a relationship after saying that? From his perspective, right, thats one thing. And the other: How, from my end, right? So to me, there was no choice. It was a choice between someone who wanted to preserve abortion and expand it and have people pay for it that was Hillary Clinton and he, who made commitments to only pro-life judges and other things. So what do you do when youre given that choice? As imperfect as the choices looked, there was a better choice. michael barbaro So just to be clear, youre saying the journey was essentially Donald Trumps victory in the primaries. That once he started to win, you didnt feel you had a choice between his views on abortion and Hillary Clintons views on abortion. You had to make a compromise. marjorie dannenfelser Thats right. Thats what the world of politics is. But I would not have done it if he had not made those commitments. I mean, we had to have something to take door to door to over a million homes in battleground states to say, this is who this is. So yes, it was the primary. And it was those commitments. And then as we were moving into the general, he got stronger on the issue, not weaker. And the general direction of candidates is the opposite. That first they are all about you. They love you and youre the best person on the planet. And then they get into the general and they start to moderate. Well, that is not how he treated the issue. And he instead embraced it and communicated it and made sure that there was a contrast between his policies and his opponents and Hillary Clintons. And thats what you hope and dream for, that there is that perfect clarity and the voters know the choice that theyre making. And hes the first person that did it like that. michael barbaro Well, lets talk about the commitments that youre referring to. What exactly were the commitments and how did they come to be? marjorie dannenfelser Well, we knew what our priorities were. So we wrote them down and said, these are the commitments we would like for you to make. And they were pro-life Supreme Court justices. Now Im very aware about how that term pro-life Supreme Court justices goes across to quite a number of people. One, they dont even know what that means, its not accurate. Does that mean Roe v. Wade? We wanted to be very clear that it means they take a position on abortion that is in alignment with our own. So that was the first commitment. And it was that it be very clear what type of Supreme Court justices youre going to have. michael barbaro And what else did he commit to. Because my sense is it wasnt just justices on the court? marjorie dannenfelser Thats right. The Supreme Court piece is the most important piece. But there was also a commitment to protect the Hyde Amendment, meaning no taxpayer funding of abortion, to sign a 20-week week Pain-Capable bill into law. That means no abortions on the national level after five months and also defunding and reallocating Planned Parenthoods funding to other qualified health centers. michael barbaro So pretty sweeping commitments so were you surprised when he agreed to do all of this, when you got everything you wanted from him? marjorie dannenfelser I was a little bit surprised. Because we didnt have any leverage. He was already the candidate. Generally, candidates in that position arent going to put their name to anything because they dont have to anymore. But hes a different kind of candidate. And he had taken this position. And he wants the benefit of it. And all we needed was that letter. And we gave it to him. And then the rest is history. Our battleground state activity was incredibly helpful, and he knows it, in the win. Then it made everything worthwhile. Because every single thing he promised and beyond, he did. michael barbaro Well, lets talk a little bit about what you mean when you said, It made everything worthwhile. Because I have to say that the journey that you went on was a very long journey in a relatively short period of time. So marjorie dannenfelser [LAUGHS] Yeah. michael barbaro do you think that Donald Trump actually believed in what he was signing up for? Or in your mind, did it not really matter whether he, like, fundamentally in his heart believed it, because he was effectively signing up to be the vehicle through which you could try to achieve what you had always been working towards? In other words, did it not really matter if he maybe didnt believe what he was signing onto? It just mattered that he would do the things he signed up to do. And did it really matter if some of his actions were at odds with your faith in his personal life, especially. marjorie dannenfelser I think what really mattered is that hed take these positions. And yes, the constant question was: Does he really think this? Voters care if he really believes it. And I think its the unanswerable question whats deep in the chambers of your heart. You know, what are your intentions? You know, its very difficult to know. I know what michael barbaro Do you care? Do you care? marjorie dannenfelser If youll notice, on this issue, people will say, well, hes always scripted on it. Well, hes scripted because he doesnt want to get it wrong. Its too important. This is one thing that I know. He knows how important it is. And it is important to him because hes done everything and beyond that he ever promised to do. michael barbaro I mean, what youre describing is and tell me if you think this is uncharitable or too practical but youre describing a very transactional understanding with a presidential candidate in this stage. marjorie dannenfelser Well, if it were only that, that would be fine. But I dont think it is only that. So thats how I look at it. You know, it does matter whats in the human heart. It also matters what the human does. So his actions, and our gambling with the idea that he was going to follow through on them, were far better than the gamble that we had with Hillary Clinton. There was no transaction possible with her. There was only one possible with him. And he grew into the commitment. michael barbaro But to the listener of faith who is hearing this conversation and is thinking, but how can you watch something like the Access Hollywood video, which came out at the end of the campaign so after he had made this commitment to you how could you watch that and support him, regardless of what you end up getting out of it? Im sure youve been asked this question before. But how do you answer it? Because here youre talking about someone boasting about sexually assaulting women. And soon after, women came forward and said, thats what he did to me. So Im just how did you think about that? marjorie dannenfelser Well, I thought about it a couple of ways. One, it was painful. And were still left with the same choice: pain and two choices. There is a prudential choice that you have to make. And we knew what Hillary Clinton was going to do. And we knew the commitment that the president had. And so we had to make that choice and we did. And once were in, were all in. You know, I will never apologize for those actions or those comments. But I will, till the day I die, advance the policies that he committed to. And just around the corner, were seeing the fruits of having done that. michael barbaro You used the word prudential. And that caught me a little bit. Because youre not using a word that conveys morality or faith. Youre saying prudent, if Im hearing that word correctly. marjorie dannenfelser Yeah. I think actually religious people use that term quite a lot. Because it acknowledges a hierarchy of goods and evils involved in any decision. That decisions of great consequence often involved a blend of goods and bads. michael barbaro Mhm. marjorie dannenfelser And your job is to figure out where the highest good is found. Which choice leads to the highest good. And thats the choice we had to make in that moment. michael barbaro And in your mind, the highest good was a candidate who would fulfill your mission on the future of abortion in the United States. marjorie dannenfelser Thats right. michael barbaro When the president does go on to win the office, I wonder how much it felt like support from groups like yours mattered. I mean, my sense is that it was pretty meaningful. Ive spoken to a couple of my colleagues here at The Times who we really trust on this subject, and they said that the president likely would not have won several key states like Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania without support from Christian conservatives and groups like yours. marjorie dannenfelser Yeah. I think that he knows that. In fact, he called me right after the election to say that. And I, you know, take a little bit of exception sometimes. The pro-life people that are part of his election are sometimes Catholic, sometimes evangelical, and sometimes neither. Sometimes Democrats, sometimes Republicans, sometimes independents. Its one of those issues, especially in the Rust Belt states that you just mentioned, that transcends a lot of boundaries. And so I think he gets that. I know he gets that. michael barbaro And once in office, in part with your support, right away President Trump gets a chance to put a justice on the court, to kind of do what it is you care so much about. And he puts forward and gets confirmed a conservative jurist, Neil Gorsuch, who your group supported. He gets a second vacancy, he fills that with another conservative jurist, Brett Kavanaugh, who you again supported. So were you surprised by how quickly this promise was kept by President Trump? And did it start to feel that, in very short order, your work was more or less done? marjorie dannenfelser Thats a really good question. I think weve had so many disappointments over time, where you seem like were so close. You know, it looks just within reach. And then all of a sudden, something happens and its not. So the only way I know how to handle this is within the grace of daily obligation doing the thing that has to be done today that is the best possible strategic and smart choice that you can make. And so therefore, even right now, I dont take anything for granted. So yes, Im very hopeful, very optimistic, but not wild-eyed. michael barbaro Well. I want to talk about where we are right now and what you have been fighting for over these past few days since Justice Ginsburgs passing. Another seat the third seat opening on the court during this presidency. And the question for most people was: Would a nomination to replace her happen before the election? Would it happen after the election, given the tactics and actions of the Republican leadership in the Senate in 2016? Or not until there was a new president or the re-election of President Trump? But I sense that for you, there was only one option, right? marjorie dannenfelser All right, you dont play roulette with that when the stakes are this high, in my opinion. And thats how were acting. So I think to be honest, to get wrapped up in what other presidents and Senates have done in other times historically, its not nearly as important as the result. They were elected to do a job. And they should be doing it now. michael barbaro So youre saying thats all beside the point to you, like, when people talk about the precedent of Merrick Garland or the promises that Lindsey Graham made very explicitly to the public. Im not trying to be cavalier about this. But it sounds like your approach is sort of, like, who cares? Thats process. marjorie dannenfelser Yeah. I mean, I think that nobody cares about process. But I also think that if you have a shot, you do it now. You dont wait. michael barbaro And so just to be clear, what did you made clear that you wanted to have happen when Justice Ginsburg died? That the president put forward a nominee, and that the Senate hold a hearing before November 3? I just want to understand what was conveyed to you. marjorie dannenfelser Yeah. That is what we are asking and hoping, what I talked to the president about, what I talked to the vice president about, what were talking to different senators that, yes that it be from the list, which is not in question. And that it be quickly done. And thats what all of our conversations have been. michael barbaro And why exactly do you want it to be done so quickly and even before the election? Why not wait until post-November, even if Donald Trump loses, why cant he nominate the candidate or why cant the Senate hold hearings on the candidate between November and January? Why does it have to happen so quickly? marjorie dannenfelser Well, a couple of things. One is that you wait and you lose all the discipline, all the cats move in different directions. They behave differently in a lame duck. They just do. People arent under the gun of an election. You lose the pressure. You lose the leverage. Also, I think it will benefit the president to go in as a winner, and that being a compelling case at the ballot boxes. And also, if the Arizona election goes against Martha McSally, theyll seat immediately a Democrat there. And that changes the numbers. So its a very concrete and practical reason to go ahead and do it now. michael barbaro Right. You referred to roulette earlier. You just dont want to take any risk that might involve a changing dynamic or a changing electoral math in the Senate, which you believe right now favors getting this done before the election. marjorie dannenfelser Thats right. You dont play roulette when the consequences are that high. michael barbaro What do you think was the most important thing that happened over the last few days in convincing some of these senators to get on board with your desired path? Because there were, on paper, significant obstacles including these public statements that had been made, these commitments that had been made by several of these senators, whether it was Chuck Grassley, whether it was Lindsey Graham. marjorie dannenfelser I think the weight of that decision and the consequence of delay is an argument in itself. It has to be made by several people. Its made by the president and the vice president. Its made from me and people like me directly. And also, look, I think about it this way too. Lamar Alexander, I think, said it better than anybody. And Lamar Alexander was somebody that was very much on the, oh, no, what is he going to do list. And he just made the most compelling statement that I think he really believes, and I think Romney believes the same, which is this is the constitutional duty that should be done now. And the consequences of not doing that will be felt for decades. michael barbaro I know I keep asking you if you were surprised. But were you surprised when Mitt Romney signed on? I think many people expected him to, as a frequent dissenter from the president, perhaps join with Senator Susan Collins, Senator Lisa Murkowski in being skeptical of this timeline? marjorie dannenfelser Yes. Im completely surprised when especially senators all line up and make the same decision. Im totally shocked when there is unity. Because Romney is a very independent person. Grassley is a very independent person. So yes, I am blown away with unity at a moment where it needs to happen. Im also very cognizant that it can be scattered. So thats why we remain very vigilant. [music] michael barbaro Do you believe, Marjorie, that you are responsible in any way for what happened, whether thats a matter of having gotten President Trump where he is with your support in the first place, putting him in a position for this to happen, or the work youve done in the past few days? I mean, am I right in thinking that somewhere over the past 72, 96 hours, you and folks in your organization are on the phone with these senators, with their staff? marjorie dannenfelser I think I think I and my team and our grassroots have a lot of influence. I think we can look at it and say were very much a part of it. I would never presume to say that were the reason. Because that just wouldnt be true and wouldnt acknowledge the efforts of other people. But yes, I think very much we are helping drive the center of this movement to a reclamation and a restoration of the court when it comes to Roe v. Wade. michael barbaro Well be right back. So Marjorie, the remaining questions now seem to only be some logistics, it feels like, around the vote and who the nominee for this vacancy will be from a pretty short list. Is there only one path forward in your mind on this issue? I mean, does it have to be like when to hold the vote when it comes to who should get this nod, does it have to be Amy Coney Barrett in your mind? marjorie dannenfelser No. It doesnt. Shes my favorite. Shes our favorite. Shes the movements favorite because the movement knows her. And shes been completely vetted. We know who she is, what shes about. And that is a real leg up when youre trying to move this fast. But the list I was very much a part of. So I feel like I own it in some ways. So Im very confident that no matter who he chooses, well continue in exactly the direction we are. michael barbaro So youre open to several possible judges on that list? marjorie dannenfelser Yes. Yeah. michael barbaro So I want to turn to public opinion on the question of abortion and the path that you seem to be setting for the president and for the Senate in this moment, which is a decision that may ultimately be at odds with where the majority of Americans are. And Im mindful of something that Justice Ginsburg said about Roe v. Wade. She had a critique of it, which is that she felt that in being so decisive and striking down so many state laws on abortion, that Roe had kind of raced ahead of where the country was. And she believes that the country was moving in the direction of Roe on its own, and that the ruling risked a backlash from Americans by doing this work from the bench. And it was a controversial critique. But Im curious if you worry about the same thing happening, but now in the other direction. Because your goal is to get Roe overturned. And I ask that because the statistics on how Americans view abortion are very consistent at this moment in the countrys history. And they show that a majority of Americans support legalized abortion and do not support overturning Roe v. Wade. And I could recite a bunch of polls. I dont think you need me to do that. So is this something you worry about doing and creating a backlash towards? marjorie dannenfelser I will acknowledge that the country is worried. But the country is worried largely because the contradictions in opinion. In other words, yes, I know that poll to be true, that the majority supports Roe v. Wade. But then, also, they support bans after the first trimester, which is completely inconsistent. And what will happen when Roe is overturned or eroded, to the extent that its not as applicable, will be that states will start to pass laws that reflect the laws of those states. Thats the immediate effect of Roe. And the only laws that will pass will be the laws that can be sustained by the majorities in those states. And I think that people will then see, OK, it wasnt this tsunami that we thought. Its actually just the bearing out of democracy on an issue of deep moral conviction, where peoples opinions get to make their way into the law rather than the Supreme Court telling them. michael barbaro I just want to summarize what you have been saying. Youre not worried, it sounds like, about a backlash or going against the will of the people. Because in your mind, if this issue returns to the state level, which is what would happen if Roe is overturned, and the people support abortion, then abortion will still be legal. marjorie dannenfelser Right. michael barbaro And that will be the will of the people. Is that what youre saying? marjorie dannenfelser That is. The only laws that will go into effect are laws that can be sustained by majorities of the people in the states in which they live. michael barbaro Some people will say that that may be a hard thing to measure. There are many states where legislatures may be solidly Republican and out of sync with the views of the majority of their residents. And so restrictions might emerge that would then be reducing the availability of abortion, that might be out of sync. I suppose you would argue that maybe an election would determine that then a few years later. But is there not a real risk that very suddenly state legislatures that have been gerrymandered, that have been made Republican in ways that dont reflect the views of the majority of voters in that state, would suddenly restrict abortion in ways that would not be in sync with the democratic principles youre talking about? marjorie dannenfelser Well. Look, I think democracy is the only institution that we have. There isnt a better one to gauge the will of the people and have that reflected in the law. I dont know a better one. So to get to some consensus in our nation, that stranglehold on our ability to pass laws that reflect our deeply held convictions about the life and death of human beings, has to let up. And if it doesnt let up, it will be exactly the way it is now, the never-ending battle that people are sick of. But its only occurring because its a matter of life and death. And were on the verge of getting to a place where we can say were victorious. michael barbaro To go back to the polling for just a minute, I think you agreed that those surveys show that the majority of Americans support Roe v. Wade, support access to legalized abortion. So I want to understand from your viewpoint how this process may play out and what the political repercussions may be, in some cases even for allies of yours, people who you have supported and who have supported you. And I assume thats something that youve been thinking a lot about. marjorie dannenfelser Yeah. I think what matters is what people really think. Were looking at the polls and were seeing contradictions. So what do we make of that. Theres only backlash if it really is going further than the consensus will allow. And if it goes further than consensus will allow, the democratic process picks up again and adjusts. So I think for people who are naturally afraid and risk averse, yeah, they wont like it that states are starting to enact laws that reflect the will of their states. Because theyll be afraid, perhaps. But that doesnt hold me up. michael barbaro So I wonder if you would just indulge me for a moment. And I want to ask you to imagine a future. Its November 4. A handful of Republican senators, perhaps, have lost their seats in part because of this process. And perhaps Republicans lose control of the Senate. Would it have been worth it? marjorie dannenfelser Im not going there. Because Im in those places. I mean, we are literally in those Senate battles right now. We have people going door to door in all of those Senate battles. Ive talked to Senator Daines, for instance, today, who says this confirmation, if its done before the election, he does not believe itll hurt his chances. I believe that they all think that. They dont think that thats going to be the case. And I think theyre absolutely right. So yes, there is a hierarchy of goals. But because of the way this is rolling out, thats a false choice that Im not willing to make. Were not just leaving things to fall where they will. I do not think that this hurts the presidents chances of winning. And I dont think it hurts senators chances of winning, the ones on the pro-life side. michael barbaro So it sounds like youre having these conversations. And I know you dont want to imagine that future. But if that were to happen, if you were to wake up and find that the Senate had been lost and maybe a bunch of senators even candidly say, we got that third Trump conservative justice on the Supreme Court, but it cost us the Senate I want to ask you to grapple with that for just a minute. Will it have been worth it? marjorie dannenfelser I dont think Im making that decision. And so Im not willing to make that call. I think that, look, changing the court for decades and saving millions and millions of lives is the most important thing that I do. And politics is the route to that. So in this particular case, I do not feel that its a choice that has to be made. I think were doing both at the same time. But you see the hierarchy of goods. The first most important thing is who sits on the Supreme Court. michael barbaro When you didnt want to engage the question of whether this confirmation battle might cost Republicans control of the Senate, it occurred to me that you would not want to imagine that future for the president either. But I have to ask what if, in the end, the president loses reelection, the autopsies and the retrospectives look back and say that it was, in part, because of an energized opposition? Because he rushed to get a third justice appointed to the Supreme Court, one who openly opposed abortion, and that was at odds with where the electorate was. If you end up losing this historic ally of yours in this battle, will that be OK? And will it have been worth it? marjorie dannenfelser Its not going to be OK to lose the presidency, and its not going to be OK to lose the Senate. The first priority is the Supreme Court, without question. And Im going to work for all three. Im not willing to cede any of it. Im not. But I am saying the most important thing is the Supreme Court. And I think all those people I just mentioned agree. michael barbaro Youre saying you think President Trump would agree that it would have been worth losing re-election marjorie dannenfelser No. to change the composition of the Supreme Court.? No. Im just saying the order of goods. In the order of goods, the lasting value of the Supreme Court is a legacy for the Senate and for the president. And I cant presume to speak for him or the senators. But Im just saying Im fighting for them all. Im not going to cede any of it. michael barbaro Right. This phrase that you used, when thinking about your partnership with President Trump, there was a practicality to it. marjorie dannenfelser Thats right. It will all have been worth it. Yeah. So I think this entire battle, all in sum, every single thing weve done for the last decade, everything weve done since 2016, everything we will do for this election, if we have one more Supreme Court justice that looks like Amy Barrett or one of the others, it will all have been worth it. [music] Were at a point of a major shift in this nation. And Im very happy to be in the place that I am. michael barbaro Well, I really appreciate your time. marjorie dannenfelser I appreciate yours too, Michael. michael barbaro Thank you, Marjorie. marjorie dannenfelser Thank you so much. michael barbaro New Delhi, Sep 20 : Hitting out at the central government for its "mismanagement" in handling the Covid-19 pandemic, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor urged the Centre to become more transparent in its functioning and recognise the "follies" of the current approach. While speaking in the Lok Sabha on a discussion under Rule 193 on pandemic during ongoing monsoon session, the Thiruvananthapuram MP also assured the young people of the country that the Parliament will stand with them and their future as well as will continue to argue for the best practices and policies to overcome this crisis. Taking on the government, Tharoor said the government has got an opportunity in the crisis to "hide its face"."I urge this government to become more transparent in its functioning, to gather and release data to experts where required, to consult with all stakeholders before acting and ultimately to take this nation into confidence -- because it is losing confidence in you," Tharoor said. Citing World Health Organisation (WHO) data collected on Saturday, Tharoor said India recorded a fresh set of 93,337 cases (compared to 42,628 in the US) and tragically, additional deaths of 2,247 (compared to 827 in the US), effectively making India the country with the highest number of daily cases and deaths globally. "It is a painful reflection of the grim times we live in and equally, a reminder of how important it is for us to take time and discuss this vital issue in this House," he said while speaking during discussion. Explaining what happened in the last six months across the country, the MP said there were compelling indications as early as January. "...By January 30, the World Health Organisation had declared the Covid-19 virus as a public health emergency, a declaration that incidentally came on that same day that India too had its first documented case in the form of a student who had returned to Kerala from Wuhan," Tharoor said. "When this government failed to produce any tangible reaction or response to these developments, on February 12, my colleague and member of this House Shri Rahul Gandhi tweeted and publicly warned the ruling dispensation. The coronavirus is an extremely serious threat to our people and our economy. My sense is the government is not taking this threat seriously. Timely action is critical," Tharoor quoted Gandhi. "When the government ignored this to host a crowded welcome to US President Donald Trump in Ahmedabad, the Congress followed up with exhortations on March 3 and on March 5, which I am sorry to say were ignored by a government that has routinely prioritised partisan politics over constructive dialogue, he said. "To those in government, let me say that there is still time left for you to recognise the follies of your current approach," Tharoor said. Harpreet Bajwa By CHANDIGARH: A 17-year old Sikh girl was reportedly kidnapped and is being converted to Islam in Pakistan, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) said on Saturday. Pritam Singh, head granthi of historic Panja Sahib Gurdwara in Hassan Abdal city, has feared conversion of his daughter, Bulbaul Kaur, to Islam. The DSGMC, which has taken up the matter with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said the girl has gone missing about 15 days ago. According to the committee, as many as 55 Sikh girls have been kidnapped and forcefully married in the last nine months in Pakistan. The incident took almost a year after the alleged abduction and conversion of Nankana Sahib Sikh girl Jagjit Kaur alias Ayesha Bibi in the neighboring country. DSGMC president Manjinder Singh Sirsa said in the latest incident, the girl was kidnapped by two men, and her whereabouts are yet to be known. Her father contacted us for help. We have tried our best trace the girl, but there has been no success so far. The father told us that his daughters religion is in danger, the DSGMC president said.On Saturday, Sirsa met an official of the MEA and sought permission that a delegation of the DSGMC is allowed to visit Pakistan to find out the girl, and also to take stock of the situation of Sikh girls the country. We were assured that the MEA will take up the matter with the Pakistani High Commission on Monday and request them to help trace the girl, he said.Sirsa also threatened that if the Pakistani government does not trace the girl and reunite her with her parents by week, then members of the committee will stage a protest outside the Pakistani high commission in New Delhi. Since January, 55 Sikh girls have been kidnapped and converted to Islam in Pakistan. But till now, none of them has been traced by the Pakistan government, he said. Kanye West took to Twitter on Sunday to share his vision about what record deals should look like going forward amid his own ongoing legal battle to obtain rights to his music. In a series of tweets titled 'NEW RECORDING AND PUBLISHING DEAL GUIDELINES,' the rapper listed seven guidelines that labels should follow. The first guideline, according to West, is that the 'artist owns the copyright in the recordings and songs and leases them to the record label / publisher for a limited term'. West then shared that the 'record label / publisher is a service provider that receives a share of the income for a limited term. The split can be 80/20 in the artists favor'. He wrote that artists 'must be dependent on no one but themselves to manage their catalog'. West encouraged the need for lawyers to 'IMPROVE deals' by creating 'Plain English' contracts. He said that the music industry should do away with 'blanket licenses'. Scroll down for video Kanye West took to Twitter on Sunday to share his vision about what record deals should look like going forward amid his own ongoing legal battle to obtain rights to his music In a series of tweets titled 'NEW RECORDING AND PUBLISHING DEAL GUIDELINES,' the rapper listed seven guidelines that labels should follow 'NO MORE blanket licenses. It should be clear from day one what shares you get NOW and when you leave. If your song helps a deal over the line you invested in that store / app same as they did,' he tweeted. West said artists should stop signing advances and stop paying to 'see your money'. After listing out his guidelines, West said: 'This is a call for all artist to unify ... I will get my masters, I got the most powerful lawyer in music and I can afford them but every artist must be freed and treated fairly.' That tweet was followed by another that reads: 'There are 5 main pillars in a professional musicians business Recording Publishing Touring Merchandise & Name and likeness.' Sunday's tweets come just days after the 43-year-old promised to bring change to the structure of the music industry and record labels, which he has criticized for taking ownership of artists' work, including his own. West told followers he would 'personally' ensure former nemesis and now friend Taylor Swift 'gets her masters back' from record label executive Scooter Braun, suggesting he would take the issue up with Braun himself. 'I'M GOING TO PERSONALLY SEE TO IT THAT TAYLOR SWIFT GETS HER MASTERS BACK. SCOOTER IS A CLOSE FAMILY FRIEND,' he tweeted. 'WE'RE GOING TO MOVE THE ENTIRE MUSIC INDUSTRY INTO THE 21ST CENTURY.' West said artists should stop signing advances and stop paying to 'see your money' Swift, 30, became embroiled in a feud with former record label boss Scott Borchetta last year after he sold Big Machine records to Braun, giving him ownership of all music recorded under the label. Neither Swift nor Braun have commented publicly on Kanye's offer. The rapper also went on to take a jab at Drake, saying he will help bring change to every album, publishing, merchandise, and touring deal for all artists but him. 'JUST KIDDING ... I LOVE DRAKE TOO ... ALL ARTIST MUST BE FREE,' West tweeted. West first launched his attack on the music industry and his fight for his masters earlier this week. That Twitter storm on Wednesday, during which he shared a video of himself urinating on one of his Grammy Awards, resulted in his account being suspended for 24 hours. He had also posted a string of messages with record labels Universal and Sony - including screenshots of his contracts with the former. On Friday, West said he would 'personally' ensure former nemesis and now friend Taylor Swift 'gets masters back' after record label executive Scooter Braun (right) gained ownership to all her music last year The rapper suggested he would take the issue up with Braun, who he said was a 'close family friend' West posted and deleted this message on Twitter early on Friday morning On Wednesday, Twitter removed one post featuring the phone number of Forbes' Chief Content Officer, Randall Lane. Once the suspension was lifted, the rapper was tweeting again on Thursday, taking aim at the music industry and calling on artists to unite to change the system. Earlier on Friday, West sparked concern for his health and safety after he shared a disturbing tweet about being murdered and having his eldest daughter taken away from him. He posted and then deleted the worrying message which was addressed to seven-year-old daughter North. 'NORTHY I AM GOING TO WAR AND PUTTING MY LIFE ON THE LINE AND IF I AM MURDERED DON'T EVER LET WHITE MEDIA TELL YOU I WASNT A GOOD MAN... WHEN PEOPLE THREATEN TO TAKE YOU OUT OF MY LIFE JUST KNOW I LOVE YOU,' West wrote. Along with the message West shared a photo of North looking playful and throwing up two peace signs. Although the Faded hitmaker quickly deleted the post, concerned fans rallied round to express their fears for the star. West has shared shocking footage of himself urinating on a Grammy Award as he 'goes into battle' against labels Universal and Sony to retrieve the rights to his own music West's wife, Kim Kardashian, has not commented publicly about his bid to free himself of his music contracts. They are pictured together last November 'We saw your deleted tweet. You need help from doctors, family and friends. this is not going to end well without that. first doctors,' One user wrote. 'He needs help ya'll. Real Help. Stop feeding into this.:(' came another concerned message. Another fan re-posted West's tweet and wrote: '@kanywest just posted & deleted this, I'm worrrieddd'. West's tweet was one of many on Friday morning, when he took to Twitter to talk about God, Adidas and the music industry. In one tweet he wrote: 'A CREED FOR ALL WARRIORS WHO FIGHT IN THE NAME OF JESUS TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN AT ALL COST WE ARE NOT AFRAID OF DEATH WE ARE NOT AFRAID OF HUMILIATION WE ARE NOT AFRAID BANKRUPTCIES WE ONLY FEAR GOD.' He also declared: 'I am the head of adidas... I will bring adidas and puma back together and bring me and jay back together... all pumas designs are embarrassingly trash but I will personally design puma and adidas and make everything ok.' A source told PEOPLE that West is 'off his meds' and wife Kim is 'at the end of her rope - again'. 'The last time, part of his negotiation with Kim was that he'd get back on his medication and he would work very hard to control his impulses,' the source told the outlet. 'He made a lot of promises. And now those promises are broken, less than a month later. 'It's the same thing over and over and over again. He's on very thin ice with her right now, and she's truly trying to decide what to do to protect the kids, but also her own sanity.' The source added that Kim 'wants to be a supportive partner, she's doing everything she can do to support him'. However, they add that West has to support himself and take care of his own health. 'For such a powerful woman, she feels very powerless, and she hates it,' the source said. 'She loves Kanye very much, and he just doesn't realize how much pain he's causing her.' West first acknowledged his bipolar disorder in 2018, a condition that is associated with episodes of mood swings ranging from depressive lows to manic highs and can be controlled with medication. Kim hinted last month that his struggle with bipolar disorder was to blame for his recent erratic behavior, that has seen him embark on the unlikely bid for presidency and get emotional at his first campaign rally in South Carolina while discussing abortion. Two months ago, the Runaway hitmaker ruthlessly lambasted Kim and her famous family on Twitter. The rise in tensions between the armies of India and China along the eastern Ladakh border in recent months has led to calls for a complete boycott of Chinese goods in India.There has also been an increase in calls for using India-made products to reduce the dependence on Chinese imports. In order to increase pressure on China to resolve the border impasse peacefully, the Indian government has banned 224 Chinese mobile apps in the last three months, including popular ones like Tik-Tok, UC Browser and WeChat. An analysis of imports of Chinese items shows that a complete boycott of Chinese everyday goods is easier said than done. Data from commerce ministry shows imports from China have only fallen by 14.5 % in the past two years to $65.26 billion in 2019-20 after reaching a high of $76.8 billion in 2017-18. Even after such a reduction in imports, a majority of daily household items are still largely brought in from China. Over 50% of items like footwear, knitted fabrics and furniture products, among others, are imported from China. A further breakup of yearly import data shows that electrical machinery and equipment is the largest category of products imported from China, comprising around 30% of Chinese imports in 2019-20. While calls for a reduction in Chinese imports in last few years has caused their imports to fall in the last two years, certain items like lithium ion that is used in batteries in mobile phones and other portable electronic devices has seen an increase of over 100% in imports in the last two years. The import data also shows that India purchases over 80 % of its lithium ion requirements from China. Given the increasing use of mobile devices and portable equipment in Indian households in the aftermath of the Covid-19 crisis, the imports of such products from China are going to increase unless Indian manufacturers find an alternative source. The data indicates that the call for a complete ban on Chinese imports would cause a disruption of supplies and increase in their cost in the local market . The Archdiocese of Boston announced the closure of 10% of its schools earlier this year with fears that even more would have to close this fall. But increased enrollment due to parents wanting in person learning during the pandemic is turning that around. This almost sounds like [Charles] Dickens, said Thomas Carroll, superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of Boston. It was the best of times and the worst of times. Earlier this year Boston saw the largest single-year drop in our number of school closures in almost 50 years," Carroll said. The archdiocese had a couple dozen more schools that were on the fence of being closed this fall, even though its extremely uncommon to close schools during that time, Carroll said. But Cardinal Sean P. OMalley and Carroll decided to hold off closing any more to see what the summer and September brings. We were bracing ourselves for that possibility and that it could be a large number of schools, Carroll said. And when you get an extra 4,000 kids, that changes everything. In the Boston Archdiocese, our Spring of Despair caused by an historic enrollment drop due to the pandemic has turned into an Autumn of Hope as our schools have added enrollment every week since mid-July 2020. Nearly 4,000 new students added so far an all-time record. pic.twitter.com/IJyJX3zYKY Thomas W. Carroll (@BostonCathSupt) September 18, 2020 The increased enrollment has been seen across the state. While the phones are still ringing, Springfields Catholic schools have already seen an increase of 700 new students, many of which are in the Berkshires. The Diocese of Worcester also reports getting an influx of inquires but doesnt expect to have official numbers until later this semester. They do, however, have a waiting list for many schools. Nearly all of our schools are dealing with an increased demand for space, said David Perda, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Worcester. And thats led to a waiting list. But the waiting list is a welcome problem, one he hopes he can continue working on even after the pandemic. If things get back to normal, and that interest remained, thatd be the answer to our prayers, he said. That would be great to have to deal with that problem of how to find space for all that want to get into Catholic education. Itd be my pleasure to deal with that problem. In Springfield, some of the new enrollment is helping equal out those who decided not to stay with a Catholic education, said Daniel Baillargeon, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Springfield. In some of our larger schools, our overall numbers actually are down a little bit, he said, adding that its also normal to lose a number of students after eighth grade each year. Its also giving the diocese a bit of cushion, Baillargeon said. While they didnt have any plans to close schools this year, they were having to think about restructuring how some of them were running. They might continue those talks but with a little more breathing room, he said. Earlier this summer Carroll also stated that in order to keep private and parochial schools afloat during the pandemic, any stimulus package out of Washington must include money for them, not just public schools, State House News Service reported. He got his wish when the CARES Act included allocating money to private schools using a formula based on how many students from low-income families attended. Although he noted the money has been slow to come in. Extra expenses during this time include extra janitorial and sanitation services and being able to equip each classroom with the technology needed for remote learning, if needed. Of course the additional money and increased enrollment doesnt mean schools wont close in the future. Carroll said theres a range of reasons a school might close. Shifting demographics being the most obvious one, he said. A school in a particular neighborhood may have made sense 75 years ago. But there may not be enough kids there to have a school today. The next challenge, however, is getting students and families to stay once the pandemic is over. One of the things that is really effective in selling our schools to families is to have them on our campuses for tours, said Baillargeon. In this case, theyre with us full-time." From there they just do what our schools have done successfully for a long time." This is something Catholic schools have been thinking about for a long time, not just during the pandemic, said Kathleen Porter-Magee, superintendent of Partnership Schools in New York and the author of Catholic on the Inside: Putting Values Back at the Center of Education Reform. But its not time to let up on those efforts. We cannot get distracted, she said. At this moment when enrollments are increasing, thats when you need to double down on those efforts to make sure that this isnt just a flash in the pan. And its important to not let this opportunity pass by Catholic school leaders say. The Lord works in mysterious ways, said Perda. Porter-Magee echoed Baillargeons plan that its about getting families to experience strong faith build school communities. And with the pandemic and increased interest, they have a unique experience to do that in a way they havent before. We are always focused on how we can really help them be who God meant them to be, she said. Once you get the students in the door, youll be much more likely to keep them. Itll also help combat any myths about the schools, Baillargeon said. I think that some people have have misconceptions about Catholic schools, and then when theyre in our schools they realize that our schools really are good fits for their families, he said. Although many are simply looking for an education that provides in person learning, Perda hopes they also realize the benefit of having an education where God is at the center of it. I think that theres something that we have here that is just simply not available in public schools, because they cant do it, he said. And if they havent an experience of Catholic education before, I think theyre gonna realize that theres something unique here. This has also highlighted another movement school choice. I think that what were seeing is a really strong national call to action for school choice, which I think is desperately needed, Porter-Magee said. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has long championed for school choice and has also recently talked about the pandemic has highlighting this need. Parents are increasingly demanding it, DeVos said, according to the Associated Press. Its becoming ever more evident that parents and students need to have more choices. I would argue that it is the ideal time to be talking about this more widely. And in fact, we are. But critics of school choice say it diverts badly needed money from already cash-strapped public schools. Right now many of those opting out of public school and moving to private school are likely doing so because they have the resources to do so, possibly leaving a gap in their former school. Those families who can pay for private schools oftentimes help advocate for their public school or help fundraise in ways other families cant, said Kevin Murray, executive director of Massachusetts Advocates for Children (MAC). Given the chaos around school reopening and the experience of the spring, it is no surprise that families with some resources are opting for private school options, Murray said. I understand that choice, but think that the departure of any family from the system of public education hurts the entire system. And while parents are often attracted to the in person learning options, its not a guarantee. Some schools with in person learning have already had to go back to remote learning after a student tested positive for COVID-19. Pope Francis Preparatory School announced earlier this week that they were moving to remote learning for at least two weeks after a student there tested positive for COVID-19. And its likely well see others. This is an example that likely will be repeated statewide, Carroll tweeted. The important thing is Catholic educators are prioritizing the health of our students and families." This school is outside of the Boston Archdiocese but this is an example that likely will be repeated statewide. The important thing is Catholic educators are prioritizing the health of our students and families. A commitment to live-streaming allows education to continue. https://t.co/1JxmxzeiUv Thomas W. Carroll (@BostonCathSupt) September 14, 2020 But it shouldnt come as a surprise, Perda said. I think the Department of Education guidance made clear that, yeah, there are risks, but the benefits for your children is worth the risk, he said. And we agree with that. But its important to make a clear plan about what to do if it does happen, he said. And the states Catholic schools' ability to quickly switch to remote learning is another benefit that parents might not see in the public school, Carroll said. Our educational approach is going to be uninterrupted, no matter what event happens, he said, adding this also could mean the end of snow days. In March, Catholic schools across the state were reopened within days of closing down. The quick turnaround time was important to families. Now, theyre even more prepared. If we had to close the school down for whatever reason, our teachers are already trained, we already have the technology, we already have the tools that we need in order to do that very quickly, Baillargeon said. And when all of this is settled, the work theyve done for families wont be forgotten, he said. I dont think people are going to forget that in this time of need for children, that a large number of public schools just walked away," Carroll said. "And its not lost on people that we stepped up. Related Content: Former President John Dramani Mahama has called on Automobile Dealers Union of Ghana to put pressure on government to amend the Customs Amendment Act. He says suspension of the Act which bans the importation of salvaged cars and those older than ten years is a gimmick. He insisted that the Akufo-Addo administration will implement the law should it be retained in the upcoming 2020 polls. Mr Mahama thus urged the automobile dealers not to relent on their quest to insist for the amendment of the law. Im telling the car dealers and the other people who will be affected that it is not a matter of suspension. Parliament is returning in October. The government should go back to Parliament and amend the Customs Amendment Act and take that clause out. That is what the government must do. It is not enough to suspend it. It means that in future they can implement the law again and so what they should insist on is that the law should be amended and that clause should be taken out to show that it is not going to be implemented in the future. The suspension is a gimmick. It was supposed to start on 1st November so theyve suspended it so that they (Automobile dealer) can vote for them and then implement it after the elections, Mahama said. The NDC flagbearer made these comments in an interview on Woezor TV on Sunday, September 20, 2020. ---citinewsroom AMMAN, Jordan Above Central Cafe, one of the oldest coffee shops in the center of the Jordanian capital, Amman, on King Hussein Street, lies a museum exhibiting old signs installed in Amman between the 1950s and the 1990s. A journey through time, is how the curator of the Old Signs of Amman Museum and calligrapher Ghazi Khattab describe the experience of visiting the museum that exhibits signs that belong to shops, doctors, clothes shops, hotels, libraries, coffee shops and government institutions. Khattab, who masters Arabic calligraphy, started collecting vintage signs in 1986 to preserve the memory of Amman and the work of the calligraphers. Khattab started pursuing his passion for Arabic calligraphy while in school, and he worked for many classical calligraphers. He then developed his skills further in Germany and majored in signs art in the 1980s. He told Al-Monitor, My story with signs began 50 years ago when I used to take a bus from the Palestinian refugee camp of Al-Wihdat where I live to my fathers grocery store in the Abdali district. I would notice the handwritten signs of commercial stores downtown. I found many ways to preserve this art of Arabic calligraphy by buying some of the signs, while others were either donated by their owners or I offered new signs in exchange." In early August I inaugurated the museum after I collected hundreds of old signs that take us back to the 1950s and 1960s and document a specific social era in Ammans history an era of signs filled with the names of doctors, lawyers, tailors, shops and taxi companies. My goal is to create an artistic memory of Amman, he noted. Khattab added, I also seek to revive and preserve this legacy and perpetuate the names of calligraphers instead of their signs being turned into scrap. I managed to salvage signs that were kept in warehouses and restored them. These are not mere signs, but they tell the stories of individuals and exemplify the memories of an era." He said, These signs fill visitors with a sense of nostalgia. An elderly woman who visited the museum was surprised to see a sign with the name of a hairdresser she used to go to in the 1970s. The museum documents 50 years of life in Amman. One of the rare signs found in the museum is the Royal Hashemite Store sign from 1949. It belongs to Robin Kechejian, an Armenian-Jordanian who used it as a facade for a camera equipment store he owned. The sign was created by an Armenian calligrapher named Albert. Another sign displayed in the museum is one dating back to the 1980s. Khattab took a picture of himself underneath it back then while he was in high school. He also collected shop signs found in the city of Nablus in Palestine, which date back to 1967 when Israel took control of the West Bank. One of those signs, which was created by Palestinian calligrapher Shawky Yaish, belongs to Ghazi al-Taher clothes shop. Many tears have been shed already in this place [museum] by elderly people remembering the names of doctors who treated them or hotels they spent beautiful days at. Some of the signs are testimony to unfortunate events [Black September] that Jordan went through in the 1970s. Some signs still show the bullets from that era, he added. Entrance to the museum is free of charge. The reward for me [is seeing] the visitors love for the beautiful capital of Amman and their eagerness to learn about Arabic calligraphy and our Arabic language. As for people who are deprived of traveling [abroad] due to the coronavirus, I tell them, Come and visit Amman in the 1950s, Khattab said. The museum was established with financial support from the Engineering Company for Signs, founded by Khattab and his brothers. Former Minister of Culture Mohammad Abu Rumman visited the museum and told Al-Monitor, [It is] an important historical cultural site, not only because of the signs themselves but because each of them has a story that narrates an important part of history not found in books. They are part of the social, cultural and economic history of Amman. The most beautiful thing is that the curator [Khattab] has vivid memories of these sacred signs, their [background] stories and the places they represent hotels, restaurants, cafes, commercial offices and libraries." Visitors can leave messages in a guest book at the museum, and many have expressed how they relate to some of the signs. Hoda left a message saying, Without prior planning and by pure chance I visited the museum downtown and found my soul as I traveled back 50 years. It was an unexpected journey back in time a journey I will never forget. Another woman left a message saying, This place tells stories I will cherish forever. The museum includes a corner dedicated to the most famous classical calligraphers in Amman, and exhibits their traditional tools and photos to honor them. Shaughna Phillips has revealed that she had lipsuction performed on her lower legs last week, in a bid to combat a medical condition she only recently learned of. The Love Island star, 26, shared a snap of herself going into surgery last week, as well as her legs in bandages but didn't disclose the nature of her treatment. However, during a Q&A with fans on Instagram on Sunday, the TV personality shared the nature of her surgery, after being diagnosed with lipoedema a chronic condition where there's a build up of abnormal fat cells in the legs, thighs and buttocks. Confession: Shaughna Phillips has revealed that she had lipsuction performed on her lower legs last week, in a bid to combat a medical condition she only recently learned of Amid conducting the Q&A session to promote her InTheStyle range, Shaughna addressed the multitude of questions she'd received about her surgery. She said: 'So just because I've seen so many questions on my InTheStyle Q&A about what surgery I've had, I just thought I'd let you all know because I'm not going to hide anything and I was going to tell you all anyway. 'I have had liposuction on my lower legs, so my calves, because I was recently diagnosed with lipoedema, once I'd come out of the [love Island] villa. Mystery solved: The Love Island star, 26, shared a snap of herself going into surgery last week, as well as her legs in bandages but didn't disclose the nature of her treatment 'I've kind of always had an insecurity about my legs, but there were so many questions about if I'd ever been diagnosed with lipoedema, and I didn't even know what it was.' She continued: 'So after some research and going to the doctors, I was finally diagnosed and then had my surgery on Wednesday. 'I'm recovering, I'm doing really well. I've got make-up on today, I've brushed my hair today and, yeah, I'm just really looking forward to kind of the process of it. 'It's not an overnight thing, I have to keep up with my compression garments and things like that, but so far so good.' Telling all: During a Q&A with fans on Instagram on Sunday, the TV personality shared the nature of her surgery, after being diagnosed with lipoedema Lipoedema, the condition causing thick, long and painful thighs Lipoedema is a chronic condition typically affecting the legs and thighs. The build up of fat is not caused through obesity, and diet and exercise have little impact on the condition. Research suggests it is caused by hormonal changes such as those coming at pregnancy or puberty. It is typically treated through liposuction. Source: NHS lipoedema fact file Advertisement In the snaps in question, Shaughna posed for a selfie in a hospital bed, as she admitted she was in 'hospital swag' and was 'so high' after the procedure. A second picture showed her legs covered in bandages from her thigh to her ankles, with her feet poking out at the bottom. Referring to her feet, Shaughna, who appeared on Love Island at the start of the year when the series filmed in South Africa, joked: 'Hello swollen tootsies.' As she unveiled her latest range on Sunday afternoon, she wrote: 'Cannot believe this is now my 4th official @inthestyle range!! Your support has been amazing and I hope you love this one! 'None of this would be possible without your support, these are as much OUR collections as they are mine.' Shaughna soared to fame earlier this year on the winter series of Love Island where she was left heartbroken after beau Callum Jones dumped her for Molly Smith in Casa Amor. The feisty Londoner became an internet sensation after she calmly said: 'Congrats, hun' after discovering the news. Surgery: The Love Island star had previously posed for a selfie in a hospital bed, as she admitted she was in 'hospital swag' and was 'so high' after her procedure Staying comfortable: She was seen stepping out in flip flops while still covered in bandages In June, Shaughna hit back at a troll who accused her of undergoing secret surgery during lockdown in the comments section of her Instagram page. The reality star, who was told she looked 'better before fillers' while on the show, questioned when she would have had injections during the coronavirus pandemic. Shaughna had posted a stunning snap of herself on her social media feed, posing with a new Protein World product she was advertising. Passion for fashion: Shaughna conduction Q&A session to promote her InTheStyle range, which was officially unveiled on Sunday Range: As she unveiled her latest range on Sunday, she wrote: 'Cannot believe this is now my 4th official @inthestyle range!! Your support has been amazing and I hope you love this one' However underneath the image one critic penned: 'You looked better on love island ... u look twice your age now with all these fillers omgosh.' Shaughna snapped back: 'please please PLEASEEEEEEE tell me when you think I've had the time to get fillers during a WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC 'If you want to insult me, then it's strange anyway, but at least make it realistic! D**n son, do better! [sic]'. Setting the record straight, Shaughna responded saying: 'no angel I'm not denying anything, and never have. I openly speak about fillers I've had all the time, and I love them. 'What I'm denying is having anything done since leaving Love Island because of a WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC.' Not having it! In June, Shaughna hit back at a troll who accused her of undergoing secret surgery in the comments section of her latest Instagram page London: People who break coronavirus rules will be fined up to 10,000 ($17,700) from next week after Boris Johnson's most senior scientific advisers warned him that the public's failure to follow lockdown rules was allowing the pandemic to spiral out of control again. As deaths and infections continued to mount this weekend, Professor Chris Whitty, England's Chief Medical Officer, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the Chief Scientific Adviser, told the Prime Minister that compliance with the rules was among the worst in Europe. Britain's Prime Minister, Boris Johnson pictured during a visit to a vaccine lab in Oxford, has announced heavy new fines for COVID rule-breakers. Credit:Getty Images The new fines starting at 1000 for a breach and rising sharply to 10,000 for repeat offenders apply to anyone who fails to self-isolate after being contacted by the NHS's Test and Trace teams from Monday next week. Police will be ordered out on patrol in areas with the highest infections to check people who have been ordered to isolate are complying with the new laws, with neighbours also asked to report their suspicions. No benefit for post-operative radiotherapy in non-small-cell lung cancer Lugano, Switzerland, 20 September 2020 - Post-operative radiotherapy (PORT) used in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following complete resection and after (neo) adjuvant chemotherapy shows no statistically significant difference in 3-year disease-free survival (DFS), according to data presented at ESMO 2020. These results give the oncology community a long-awaited answer. (1) PORT in completely resected NSCLC patients has been a subject of debate for many years in patients with mediastinal nodal involvement (pN2), since a meta-analysis in 1998 threw doubt on the benefits associated with it. (2) However, more recent times have seen better selection, (neo)-adjuvant chemotherapy in stage III resected patients, as well as improved radiotherapy and more recent non prospective studies suggested modern PORT could improve outcome. (3,4,5,6,7) As such, there was a clear need for a large, randomised trial to assess the role of modern mediastinal PORT in adequately staged and surgically treated patients. This study provides more robust data to help clinicians to decide the best course of action for these patients. The large randomised controlled trial presented at ESMO 2020, explored the role of modern mediastinal PORT in patients with completely resected NSCLC with histo/cytologically proven nodal involvement. A total of 501 patients were entered into the intention-to-treat analysis, of which 252 received PORT over five weeks, and 249 entered the control arm (no PORT). Safety analysis was carried out in 487 patients. Disease-free survival was of 47.1% in the PORT arm and 43.8% in the control arm, thus not statistically significant, with a hazard ratio of = 0.85 (95% CI = [0.67;1.07]; p value = 0.16) for patient receiving PORT compared to control. Overall survival at three years was 66.5% (95% CI = [59;73]) of patients in the PORT arm compared to 68.5% (95% CI = [61;75]) in the control arm. Study author Dr Cecile Le Pechoux, radiation oncologist from Institut Gustave Roussy, Paris, France, said: "PORT cannot be recommended for all patients with stage II and III NSCLC with mediastinal nodal involvement. Possibly, however, for some patients it might be useful because it does decrease the rate of mediastinal relapse by 50%. This must be put into balance with the risk of over-added cardio-pulmonary toxicity. We need to do further analysis to determine if certain patients, in particular, could benefit from it" she added. Prof Rafal Dziadziuszko, radiation oncologist from the Medical University of Gdansk, Poland, commented on the findings. "Radiotherapy to the mediastinum after surgery, after adjuvant chemotherapy shouldn't be recommended as standard of care. This will change the practice of many institutions that adopted standard use of radiotherapy in these patients. We can safely say there is no net benefit from such treatment but there is also potential harm, which we see from this study, so any potential benefits in some patients are offset by the predominantly higher risk of cardiopulmonary toxicities." ### Notes to Editors Please make sure to use the official name of the meeting in your reports: ESMO Virtual Congress 2020 Official Congress Hashtag: #ESMO20 Disclaimer This press release contains information provided by the author of the highlighted abstract and reflects the content of this abstract. It does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of ESMO who cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the data. Commentators quoted in the press release are required to comply with the ESMO Declaration of Interests policy and the ESMO Code of Conduct. References (1) Abstract LBA3_PR 'An international randomized trial, comparing post-operative conformal radiotherapy (PORT) to no PORT, in patients with completely resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and mediastinal N2 involvement. Primary end-point analysis of Lung ART (IFCT-0503, UK NCRI, SAKK) NCT00410683.' will be presented by Cecile Le Pechoux during the Presidential Symposium II, on Sunday, 20 September 2020, 18:30 - 20:25 CEST. Annals of Oncology, Volume 31 Supplement 4, September 2020 (2) PORT Meta-analysis Trialists Group. Postoperative radiotherapy in non small-cell lung cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual patient data from nine randomised controlled trials. Lancet 1998;352: 257-263 (3) Douillard JY, Rosell R, De Lena M, et al: Impact of postoperative radiation therapy on survival in patients with complete resection and stage I, II, or IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer treated with adjuvant chemotherapy: The adjuvant Navelbine International Trialist Association (ANITA) randomized trial. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 72:695-701, 2008 (4) Lally BE, Zelterman D, Colasanto JM, et al: Postoperative radiotherapy for stage II or III non-small-cell lung cancer using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. J Clin Oncol 2006; 24:2998-3006. (5) John L Mikell, Theresa W Gillespie, William A Hall, et al. Postoperative radiotherapy is associated with better survival in non-small cell lung cancer with involved N2 lymph nodes: results of an analysis of the National Cancer Data Base. J Thorac Oncol. 2015;10(3):462-71. doi: 10.1097/JTO.0000000000000411. (6) Robinson CG, Patel AP, Bradley JD, et al: Postoperative radiotherapy for pathologic N2 non-small-cell lung cancer treated with adjuvant chemotherapy: A review of the National Cancer Data Base. J Clin Oncol 2015; 33:870-876. (7) Corso CD, Rutter CE, Wilson LD, Kim AW, Decker RH, Husain ZA. Re-evaluation of the role of postoperative radiotherapy and the impact of radiation dose for non-small-cell lung cancer using the National Cancer Database. J Thorac Oncol. 2015; 10(1):148-55. doi: 10.1097/JTO.0000000000000406. 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 LBA3_PR - An international randomized trial, comparing post-operative conformal radiotherapy (PORT) to no PORT, in patients with completely resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and mediastinal N2 involvement. Primary end-point analysis of Lung ART (IFCT-0503, UK NCRI, SAKK) NCT00410683. C. Le Pechoux1, N. Pourel2, F. Barlesi3, C. Faivre-Finn4, D. Lerouge5, G. Zalcman6, D. Antoni7, B. Lamezec8, U. Nestle9, P. Boisselier10, F. Thillays11, A. Paumier12, E. Dansin13, K. Peignaux14, J. Madelaine15, E. Pichon16, A. Larrouy17, O. Riesterer18, A. Lavole19, A. Bardet20 1Radiation Oncology, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France, 2Radiation Oncology, Institut Sainte Catherine, Avignon, France, 3France and Institut Gustave Roussy, Aix Marseille Universite, Aix-Marseille University, CRCM, APHM, Marseille, Villejuif, CEDEX 20, France, 4Clinical Oncology, The University of Manchester and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK, 5Radiation Oncology, Centre Baclesse, Caen, France, 6Department of Thoracic Oncology and CIC1425, Hopital Bichat-Claude Bernard, Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris, Universite; Paris-Diderot, Paris, France, 7Radiation Oncology, Institut de Cancerologie Strasbourg Europe, Strasbourg, France, 8Radiation Oncology, Clinique Armoricaine de Radiologie, St. Brieuc, France, 9Radiation Oncology, Universitatsklinikum Freiburg Klinik fur Innere Medizin Hamatologie, Onkologie und Stammzelltransplantation, Freiburg Im Breisgau, Germany, 10Radiation Oncology, ICM Regional Cancer Institute of Montpellier, Montpellier, CEDEX 5, France, 11Radiation Oncology, Institut de Cancerologie de l'ouest, Saint Herblain, France, 12Radiation Oncology, ICO Site Paul Papin, Angers, France, 13Medical Oncology, Centre Oscar Lambret, Lille, CEDEX, France, 14Radiation Oncology, Centre Georges Francois Leclerc, Dijon, France, 15Medical Oncology, Centre Hospitalier Caen, Caen, France, 16Pneumology, CHRU Bretonneau, Tours, CEDEX 9, France, 17Radiation Oncology, Centre de Cancerologie Paris Nord, Sarcelles, France, 18Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Zurich and Center for Radiation Oncology KSA-KSB, Cantonal Hospital Aurau, Zurich, Switzerland, 19Pneumology, Hopital Tenon, Paris, France, 20Biostatistics, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France Background: Adjuvant PORT has been controversial since publication of a meta-analysis showing PORT could be deleterious especially in pN0 pN1 pts. However, changes have taken place in the management of stage IIIAN2 NSCLC pts including use of adjuvant chemotherapy (CT), patients' workup, quality of surgery and radiotherapy. Therefore the role of PORT warranted further investigations in high risk pts. Methods: LungART is a multi-institutional randomized phase III trial comparing mediastinal PORT (54 Gy/27-30 fractions) to no PORT. Pts were eligible if they were PS 0-2, had a complete resection with nodal exploration, proven N2 disease; prior (neo)-adjuvant CT was allowed. The main end-point was disease-free survival (DFS). 500 pts and 292 events were required to show an improvement in DFS from 30% to 42% with PORT (bilateral test). Secondary endpoints included toxicity, local control, patterns of recurrence, overall survival (OS), second cancers, prognostic and predictive factors of treatment effect. Results: Between August 2007 and July 2018, 501 patients were randomized after surgery or after CT: 252 pts allocated to PORT, and 249 to CA. Median age was 61 (range=36-85), 66% male, histology: mostly adenocarcinoma (73%) and work-up included PET scan in 91% pts. Most patients received CT (post op 77%, pre-op 18%). Analysis for DFS was performed with a median FU of 4.8 yrs; toxicity evaluated on 487 pts (246 in CA). Early and late Gr 3-5 cardio-pulmonary toxicity was respectively 7 and 20% in PORT vs 3,2 and 7,7 % in CA. DFS hazard ratio was 0.85 (95% CI 0.67; 1.07); p=0.16; median DFS was 30.5 months in PORT arm [24;48] and 22.8 in CA [17;37]; 3-year DFS was 47.1% with PORT vs 43.8% with no PORT. 3-year OS was 66.5% with PORT vs 68.5% with no PORT. Conclusions: LungART is the first European randomized study evaluating modern PORT after complete resection, in pts selected predominantly with PET scan and having received (neo)adjuvant CT. 3-year DFS was higher than expected in both arms and PORT was associated with a non-statistically significant 15% increase in DFS among stage IIIAN2 pts. Clinical trial identification: NCT00410683 Legal entity responsible for the study: Gustave Roussy Funding: French National Cancer Institute (INCa), French Health Ministry (PHRC), Gustave Roussy and CRUK grant (A13969). Disclosure: C. Le Pechoux: Honoraria (institution): Amgen; Honoraria (institution), Advisory/Consultancy: Astra Zeneca; Honoraria (institution): Lilly; Honoraria (self): PrimeOncology; Honoraria (institution): Medscape; Honoraria (institution), Advisory/Consultancy: Roche; Honoraria (institution), Advisory/Consultancy: Nanobiotix. F. Barlesi: Honoraria (self), Personal Fees: Astra Zeneca; Honoraria (self): Bayer; Honoraria (self): Bristol-Myers Squibb; Honoraria (self): Boehringer-Ingelheim; Honoraria (self): Eli Lilly Oncology; Honoraria (self): F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd; Honoraria (self): Novartis; Honoraria (self): Merck; Honoraria (self): MSD; Honoraria (self): Pierre Fabre; Honoraria (self): Pfizer ; Honoraria (self): Takeda. C. Faivre-Finn: Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution): Astra Zeneca; Research grant/Funding (institution): Elekta. G. Zalcman: Research grant/Funding (institution): Fondation Roche; Honoraria (self), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Astra Zeneca; Honoraria (self), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: BMS; Honoraria (self): MSD; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Inventiva; Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Roche; Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Abbvie; Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Pfizer; Advisory/Consultancy: Da Volterra. J. Madelaine: Honoraria (self), Dr JM received support: Astra Zeneca; Honoraria (self): Chugai Pharma; Honoraria (self): Pfizer; Honoraria (self): Boehringer Ingelheim; Honoraria (self): MSD France; Honoraria (self): Roche SAS; Honoraria (self): Actelion; Honoraria (self): GSK; Honoraria (self): Bristol-Myers Squibb. A. Bardet: Advisory/Consultancy: Roche. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest. This story has been published on: 2020-09-20. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. What new insights does Bob Woodward's latest book, Rage, offer? We learn that President Donald Trump is not the sharpest tool in the shed; members of his cabinet consider him a narcissistic fool, devoid of empathy and incapable of distinguishing between truth and falsehood. Trump blithely minimises the lethality of the coronavirus because he doesnt want to look bad. He takes no responsibility for anything, boasts repeatedly about his wealth and genius, and shows nothing but contempt for those who happen to get in his way. But we knew all this already, didnt we? We already knew that Rex Tillerson, Trumps former secretary of state, told colleagues that the president was a moron and that John Kelly, Trumps former chief of staff, often referred to him as an idiot. We knew that other senior officials have decried Trumps amorality and erratic behaviour, and that Jim Mattis, his former secretary of defence, was angry and appalled by what he saw as Trumpian behaviour that made a mockery of our Constitution. We knew about Trumps repeated assurances that the coronavirus would soon disappear like a miracle and about his perfect phone call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, which led to his impeachment. We even knew that Trump considers Americas war dead losers and suckers. The Age of Trump has been characterised by shocking revelation after shocking revelation, with the occasional stunning revelation thrown in for variety. Each new revelation is claimed to be the one that will end Trumps presidency; each time, Trump blithely skips away from accountability, and his base remains loyal as ever. Viewed in this context, Rage offers some fresh details and confirmation of old assumptions, but little that is likely to surprise anyone or change any minds. These incidents have lost their power to shock. What makes the book noteworthy is Woodwards sad and subtle documentation of the ego, cowardice and self-delusion that, over and over, lead intelligent people to remain silent in the face of Trumpian outrages. Woodward offers a detailed portrait of the president and some of his top aides. He tells us, for instance, that Mattis viewed Trump as dangerous and unfit for office, and ultimately resigned when he thought that Trumps directives had shifted from merely stupid to felony stupid. For his part, Trump told White House trade adviser Peter Navarro that he considered his f***ing generals to be a bunch of pussies. Meanwhile, Woodward reveals, former director of national intelligence Dan Coats took seriously the possibility that Trump was in Putins pocket and suspected the worst of the president. Trump, Coats reportedly told Mattis, doesnt know the difference between the truth and a lie. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was no more complimentary, commenting privately that Trumps attention span is like a minus number. Woodward similarly offers new particulars about Trumps love-at-first-sight relationship with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, gained through access to 25 previously unpublished letters between the two. Trump explains his instant connection to Kim by offering Woodward a creepy analogy: You meet a woman. In one second, you know whether or not its going to happen. Sure enough, the Trump-Kim relationship proceeded to unfold like a Harlequin romance. I cannot forget that moment of history when I firmly held Your Excellencys hand, Kim wrote to Trump at Christmas in 2018. Later, in a letter dated 10 June 2019, Kim added, Like the brief time we had together in Singapore a year ago, every minute we shared in Hanoi was also a moment of glory that remains a precious memory. Excerpts from Bob Woodwards Rage have shocked and infuriated Trump allies (AFP/Getty) Trump, delighted by these effusions, agreed to meet with Kim in the Joint Security Area between North and South Korea on 30 June 2019. Standing on the South Korean side of the border, he asked Kim coyly, Would you like me to come in? Yes, I would like you to come in, Kim responded, so Trump stepped onto North Korean soil. That night, he wrote his own gushy letter to Kim: Being with you today was truly amazing. (That this queasiness-inducing exchange occurred in the context of a deadly serious standoff over North Korean nuclear capabilities adds another surreal element.) But its not all candlelight and romance in Trump Land. Trump, we learn, told Woodward that the coronavirus was far more deadly than even your strenuous flus as early as 7 February 2020, even as he acknowledged his intent to minimise the threat to the American public. And Woodward, for his part, decided to keep this disturbing news to himself; saving it for the book apparently took priority over letting the public know that their president was actively misleading them about a virus that has now killed nearly 200,000 Americans. Rage was written in a hurry, and at times it shows. Trump called me unexpectedly on Friday, June 19, Woodward relates on page 356. Eighteen pages later, he writes, Trump called me unexpectedly on Wednesday, July 8. Six pages after that, he tells us, Trump called me unexpectedly on the morning of Tuesday, July 21. (Youd think that by then, Woodward might have found Trumps phone calls a bit less unexpected.) The books narrative structure is disjointed; chapters shift focus seemingly at random. Still, Woodwards prose offers readers that delicious, vicarious sense of being an insider, right there in the room with Bob, a witness to presidential sulks and boasts. Stung by Woodwards observation that many people considered Barack Obama to be intelligent, Trump declares Obama highly overrated and launches into a soliloquy on his own superior genetics and possessions: I had an uncle who was a professor at MIT ... and my father was smarter than he was. Its good stock. You know they talk about the elite Ah, they have nice houses. No. I have much better than them. I have better everything than them. His scoops derive from his ability to convince people who should know better that hes really on their side; its a journalistic technique that requires the reporter to flatter Rage also shows how Trumps massive ego and bullying routinely turned top government officials into cowering enablers. Woodward reports that the vice president never challenges Trump; to Mike Pences old friend Dan Coats, he seemed to have become passive, subservient and obedient. Describing White House discussions about whether Trump should fire FBI director James Comey, Woodward relates that deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein thought Comey should instead be allowed to resign voluntarily, but, not wanting to displease Trump, he stayed quiet. After Comeys unceremonious dismissal, Trump summoned FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe and bragged that he had received hundreds of messages from FBI people saying how delighted they are about Comeys ouster. McCabe, writes Woodward, believed that most people in the FBI were upset, not delighted, but he did not want to say any of this to the president and contradict him, so, like Rosenstein, he kept quiet. Similarly, Mattis and Coats, appalled by the presidents behavior, found themselves often looking across the table at each other in the Situation Room with concern, Woodward tells us but they too remained silent. And so, for the most part, does Woodward himself. His scoops derive from his ability to convince people who should know better that hes really on their side; its a journalistic technique that requires the reporter to flatter rather than challenge. At times, he even seems to slip from obsequiousness into the role of mentor: listening to Trumps justifications for his request that the Ukrainian president launch an investigation of Joe Biden, for instance, Woodward pauses his questions to offer Trump some unsolicited advice. Im going to tell you something from my experience, he says. Im telling you, from too many decades of experience in cases like this, if you apologised it would go away. Trump naturally ignores this guidance, but the reader can't help but wonder: why is a journalist giving political counsel to the subject of his reporting? Later, in another bizarre exchange, Woodward urges Trump to display a tad more empathy toward racial justice protesters. (The president, true to form, has been exulting in his ability to send in the military to deal with the protesters, whom he describes, variously, as these poor radical lefts and as arsonists thugs ... anarchists and very bad people.) Woodward, in response, attempts to explain white privilege to an incredulous Trump. Do you have any sense that that privilege has isolated [you]? the reporter asks. And that we [white, privileged people] have to work our way out of it to understand the anger and the pain, particularly, black people feel? But not even Bob Woodward can coax Trump into empathy. No, Trump informs him. You really drank the Kool-Aid, didnt you? He goes on to boast about all he's done for the black people. Still, Woodwards trademark mix of flattery and avuncular guidance does what its designed to do: it gets Trump talking. And talking, and talking. (Against the advice of his staff, Trump allowed Woodward to tape 18 on-the-record interviews.) If Rage breaks little ground, Woodward nonetheless eventually becomes the favoured recipient of the ultimate nugget of Trumpian philosophy. Asked if someone else had helped him write his speeches, Trump tells Woodward: Yeah, I get people. They come up with ideas. But the ideas are mine, Bob. The ideas are mine. Then, Trump adds a fitting coda: Want to know something? Everythings mine. You know, everything is mine. Rage by Bob Woodward, is published by Simon & Schuster UK at 25 Rosa Brooks is a law professor at Georgetown University and the author of Tangled Up in Blue: Policing the American City, to be published in February The Washington Post KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Family members of 19-year-old woman who was recently killed, held a fundraiser on Saturday to help pay for the funeral expenses. Daisy Martinez was shot and killed Wednesday night near 26th street and Southwest Boulevard during a Mexican Independence Day celebration. Her family said she was an innocent bystander. On March 15, 2019, I walked up the majestic steps of the Supreme Court of the United States to visit with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her chambers on her 86th birthday. The Justice wanted to talk about something very importanther legacy. Robert Newlen accompanied me. We were greeted by her welcoming staff in an office suite filled with flowers, pictures and mementos collected from a courageously lived life. Having just gone through surgery and grueling chemo, I was surprised at how well she looked and how unusually erect she stood as she came around her desk to greet us. "I'm going to hug you," I said, and she willingly leaned in with a sly smile on her face. Then she looked up with the eyes of a battle-weary warrior and uttered, "It was hard. It was really really hard..." her frail voice trailing off as she added, nodding her head, "But you know...you know," referring to the cancer battle that took the life of my husband and her decades long friend, Dwight Opperman. We took our seats and Justice Ginsburg got down to business. She was very keen to establish the Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Woman of Leadership Award, her legacy award that would honor brave, strong and resilient women who have dedicated their lives to create positive change in society. She entrusted me, through my late husband's foundation, to do it. I wasn't sure I heard her right, so I asked her to please repeat herself, which caused the biggest laugh I heard out of her in the 14 years I've known her. I looked over at Robert, but his poker face was of no help. I had an understanding that something of this nature was going to be discussed and thus had developed several scenarios for this potential undertaking, but she had ideas of her own. Justice Ginsburg proceeded to tell us that we needed a chairman and nominating committee and a selection process...she discussed the type of trailblazing women that would be honored. I accepted my commission. The Dwight D. Opperman Foundation Executive Director Robert Newlen and my lawyers Matthew Umhofer and Brendan V. Sullivan, Jr. went to work to make it all official. Justice Ginsburg selected Valentine's Day, February 14, 2020 as the launch date of the inaugural Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Woman of Leadership Award. The ceremony and gala took place in the majestic Great Hall of the Library of Congress with 200 invited guests in attendance. The great philanthropist and champion of justice reform, Agnes Gund, was the first RBG Award recipient. Justice Ginsburg arrived wearing black lace gloves, a gold lame shawl and gold sparkly shoes that garnered some 1.6 billion views. She called me into the green room. I brought along the RBG Award Chairman John Studzinski, and we chatted for some half an hour, causing a delay in the start of the ceremony. She was so pleased at what was about to happen and grateful to know that her legacy would be honored in this manner. The Justice talked about how fortunate she was to have known Dwight and to have chaired the Devitt Award twiceit being the highest honor bestowed upon an Article III federal judge in the countrycreated by Dwight D. Opperman 38 years agoand to have participated in its bestowment almost every year during her nearly three decades on the bench. Earlier, we had recorded her speech, but Justice Ginsburg insisted that she would walk and stand and deliver her speech live before the audience. In fact, she persevered through the hour-long ceremony, the reception, and stayed for the entire dinner. She talked with as many guests as she couldRBG Award 2021 Chairman David Rubenstein, UNICEF champion Ghada Irani, philanthropist Adrienne Arsht, Leonard and Ronald Lauder, Douglas Elliman Chairman Howard Lorber, PepsiCo's Indra Nooyi, Ford Foundation's Darren Walker, Martha Stewart, PBS chief Patricia Harrison, RBG Award coordinator JoAnn Mason, film producer Sue Kroll, and she even discussed her condition with internist Dr. Ed Share, among many others. She was particularly entertained and delighted by the very clever closing speech delivered by Brendan V. Sullivan, Jr. Then, she went downstairs and thanked every staffer, right down to the people handing out the gift bags. She was pleased indeed. Almost immediately thereafter, the pandemic hit but we managed phone communications. She was fiercely excited about the next RBG Award ceremony and said she would like to see the nomination process open up to women from all over the world and not just the United States. We talked about the committee members and she was simply over the moon that great men and women from all walks of life were eager to be on board. She was particularly excited about having Sylvester Stallone walk her onto the stage to the theme of Rockyin an iconic American "champ to champ" moment. Today, it is with a heavy heart and the weight of the responsibility of doing justice to her legacy, that all of us at the Dwight D. Opperman Foundation and the RBG Award Voting Council and Nominating Committee mourn the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The American people lost an iconic figure known around the world. Many gain fame but few achieve RBG's legendary stature for doing good. Her life's work could be characterized by two wordsEQUAL RIGHTS. The RBG Award 2021 Chairman David Rubenstein said, "While diminutive in size, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a giant as a jurist and giant as a person. This countryand all countries which value equality and human rightswill miss her intellect, judgement, compassion and resolve." Few in history have had a greater impact on so many. Her long career as a lawyer, a judge and a Supreme Court Justice was known for its laser-like focus on achieving equal justice. Her diminutive appearance and her soft-spoken intensity underscored her achievements and elevated her to heroine stature, especially among young women around the world who found themselves fighting to be recognized in repressive regimes. In her inaugural RBG Award speech, the Justice said, "By honoring brave, strong and resilient women, we will prompt women and men in ever-increasing numbers to help repair tears in their local communities, the nation and the world, so that the long arc of the moral universe will continue to bend toward justice." It was my privilege to work with Justice Ginsburg during her lifetime to create an award that captures her indomitable spirit. The Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Woman of Leadership Award will ensure that RBG's life will remain an inspiration to women and girls throughout the nation and the world. Julie Opperman Chairman Dwight D. Opperman Foundation September 19, 2020 SOURCE The Dwight D. Opperman Foundation Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) revenue collectors at Tema Station in Accra, says the lorry station is in a total mess as it is overwhelmed with piles of rubbish. The heaps of garbage have been left for weeks, exposing the market women, passengers and buyers to perpetual health hazards. Several commuters have decided not to patronise the lorry station due to the fear of contracting the COVID-19 and other illnesses such as malaria and cholera, they said. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview about how dire the situation had become, Mr Asante Okala, a GPRTU Revenue Collector, at the new Tema station near National Lotteries, said people often honour their tax obligations yet the station is unkempt. He explained that for the past two weeks, the station has remained untidy, even though people pay levies for the place to be cleaned. The recent rainfall swept large quantities of debris into the open covets, choking them with stagnant water and refuse. Food vendors in the vicinity complained about the stagnant water as it breeds mosquitoes and causes diseases and harm to public safety. Madam Esther Kyerewa, a vegetable seller, attributed the unhygienic nature of the lorry park to commuters who dropped rubbish when on board vehicles. A food vendor, who preferred to be identified as Memuna, said that most commuters refused to buy from them due to the poor state of the environment. 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 A couple in face masks walk down Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan/Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) Coronavirus deaths in California topped 15,000 on Sunday, according to The Times tracker, a reminder of the staggering toll even as new cases are falling. As of Sunday, California recorded 15,014 deaths, adding 27 Sunday and 77 on Saturday. The state has more than 785,000 confirmed cases, the most of any state in the nation. California's death toll, however, remains far below New York, which has recorded more than 33,000 fatalities. New Jersey has recorded 16,000, and Texas also just crossed the 15,000 mark. The new milestone comes as California has been seeing a sharp decline in new coronavirus cases after a summer spike that sparked widespread alarm. The declines have allowed some communities to reopen more businesses and, in a few cases, schools. But officials urged people to remain cautious. Health officials said the number of new daily cases has climbed over the past four days. Although that could be the result of the reopening of testing centers and an increase in testing, it also may be linked to socializing during the recent holiday weekend, they said. The recent increases in the number of new cases is of concern because it may reflect increased exposures associated with Labor Day activities, L.A. County public health director Barbara Ferrer said. County health officials said they will be monitoring the numbers closely. The report comes as the state is riding a new wave of success in combating the coronavirus, with hospitals treating the fewest patients with COVID-19 since April. The percentage of tests coming back positive for the virus statewide is also lower , with Gov. Gavin Newsom saying the state is turning the corner. On Thursday, Ferrer said the daily average of new cases was still preventing the county from moving to a less restrictive tier for reopening . The county has a daily average of 8.1 cases for each 100,000 residents. That number needs to be under 7.0 for L.A. County to move up from the most restricted tier, Ferrer said. Story continues If we dont see a surge in cases and hospitalizations associated with activities over Labor Day , and we continue to reduce our rate of community transmission over the weeks ahead, we could enter Tier 2, which is less restrictive, some time in October, she said. Previous holiday weekends during the pandemic have sparked surges of infections, which generally show up two weeks later. Ferrer has said the county should not reopen further until the numbers from Labor Day start coming into focus this week. San Francisco will allow inside dining at restaurants when the city moves into the next tier of re-openings, possibly by the end of the month, city officials said Friday. Indoor dining will be limited to 25% capacity, up to 100 people. The Department of Public Health is working with the restaurant industry to develop health and safety guidelines for the reopening. Restaurants have been hit hard by COVID-19, Mayor London Breed said in a news release. Many have adapted with takeout and outdoor dining, but theyve still been barely hanging on and, sadly, some have closed for good. He is back at work filming his upcoming Disney+ series after production was shut down in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And Sebastian Stan looked in good spirits as he prepared for a stunt in between takes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier while filming in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday. The actor, 38, donned a black jacket and matching trousers for the evening shoot where he was seen filming on a motorbike. Production: Sebastian Stan, 38, filmed an action scene on a motorbike on the set of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday Sebastian looked cool and in control as he appeared to film an action scene while members of the crew could be seen nearby. The former Gossip Girl star was also seen smiling and laughing with his co-workers in between takes. Sebastian stars as the Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes in the series while Anthony Mackie portrays the Falcon Sam Wilson. The series was originally slated to premiere in August but its release date has been indefinitely postponed following the delay in production. Action: Sebastian is back at work filming his upcoming Disney+ series after production was shut down in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic The Falcon: Anthony Mackie as The Falcon in Marvels' 2014 film Captain America: The Winter Soldier The Falcon and the Winter Soldier are just two of the super human forces that stem from the extensive Marvel universe. Anthony premiered his The Falcon portrayal in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which hit theaters in the Summer of 2014. He would reemerge as his aeronautic armor in Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, and the franchise's most explosive chapter Avengers: End Game in 2019. Sebastian made his Winter Soldier debut in Marvel's 2011 film Captain America: The First Avenger, which starred actor Chris Evans as the title character. The actor also appeared as the serum-injected fighting machine in 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier and 2016's Captain America: Civil War. Night and weekend curfew in Jammu and Kashmir 2022: Know guidelines, rules: What is allowed, what is not In Shopian case, DNA samples expected soon India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Jammu, Sep 20: Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Dilbag Singh on Saturday said the DNA sample report of three youths killed in an alleged fake encounter in Shopian district is expected soon and subsequent action will be taken accordingly. On July 18, the Army had claimed that three militants were killed in Amshipura village in the higher reaches of south Kashmir's Shopian district. However, the families of the three men from Rajouri identified them as their kin and had filed a police complaint. Shopian encounter: Army finds 'prima facie evidence against troops for misusing powers under AFSPA Police had taken the DNA samples of three families from Rajouri district on August 14 for matching it with the DNA of the three youths who were killed in Shopian. "The police probe and Army inquiry is moving in a parallel manner. We are working in our own way and have taken and dispatched DNA samples. The report is expected soon," Singh told reporters in Rajouri district. On Friday, the Army said it has found "prima facie" evidence that its troops "exceeded" powers under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and has initiated disciplinary proceedings. Responding to a question about the progress of the police probe into the Shopian incident, the DGP said further action would be taken after receiving the DNA report. He said the Army has asserted in clear terms that appropriate action will be taken against its personnel in accordance with their culpability. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 20, 2020, 10:10 [IST] The future of British tech giant Arm is hanging in the balance as MPs prepare to debate its controversial sale to a US rival. Arm, which makes chips used in almost all of the world's smartphones, is set to be snapped up by US firm Nvidia in a 30billion deal. But employees fear the sale could put thousands of British jobs at risk, destroy Arm's business model and take a key technology asset out of Britain's control. Debate: MPs will discuss the deal after Daniel Zeichner, the Labour MP for Cambridge where Arm is headquartered, secured an adjournment debate Today MPs will discuss the deal after Daniel Zeichner, the Labour MP for Cambridge where Arm is headquartered, secured an adjournment debate. Zeichner said: 'The Government have been painfully quiet about the acquisition so I am pleased a minister must to come to the dispatch box to explain themselves.' Zeichner wants the Government to secure commitments that Arm will not fall under US rules which control where products are exported to. President Trump has used these rules to block exports to China, and experts fear Arm could become another pawn in the US-China trade war. Zeichner added: 'I find it bizarre that the Government would want to give away such powers.' Daniel Andrews has been slammed for preparing to give police even more powers while refusing to lift lockdown, and defending a super-spreader family. The embattled premier was accused of 'toxic double standards' after defending his decision not to penalise five families behind a COVID-19 cluster in Melbourne while punishing protesters as Victoria's case numbers continue to fall. Victoria recorded 14 new cases and five deaths on Sunday, the lowest daily increase since June and the tenth day in a row the state has recorded a daily infection increase below 50. Sky News host Rowan Dean accused Mr Andrews' of trying to create his own 'private militia of Leftist public servants' which will turn Victoria into '1984 on steroids'. The barb was in reference to George Orwell's dystopian novel about the ominous ruler 'Big Brother,' who controls every aspect of people's lives. Daniel Andrews has been slammed for double standards after fining anti-lock-down protesters but refusing to punish those behind a COVID-19 cluster in Melbourne's southeast. He is pictured at a press conference on Sunday Sky News host Rowan Dean (pictured) accused Mr Andrews' of trying to create his own 'private militia of Leftist public servants' which will turn Victoria into '1984 on steroids' - in reference to George Orwell's dystopian novel The Andrews Government is set to bring in a bill which will last until April 2021 which gives police the power to detain people whom they perceive to be a high-risk person. 'Welcome to Labor's Orwellian nightmare,' Dean said. Liberal MP Tim Smith called on Mr Andrews to reconsider his 'stupid so-called roadmap' which is a 'death warrant for businesses, mental health and jobs'. 'But MELBOURNE still has to get to FIVE cases over a rolling 14 day period before we move to stage THREE,' the Member for Kew tweeted. Commercial litigator Caroline Di Russo blasted the premier for defending his decision not to penalise families at the centre of the outbreak while anti-lockdown protesters were fined and arrested during rallies in Melbourne on Saturday. Five households in Clyde, Cranbourne North, Hallam and Narre Warren South are linked to 34 active cases, with the families believed to have sparked the cluster by breaching coronavirus restrictions. 'These Daniel Andrews press conferences would be comical if it wasnt so serious,' Ms Di Russo tweeted. Victoria recorded just 14 new infections on Sunday, but has 34 active cases linked to five Melbourne families believed to have breached coronavirus restrictions 'Today, Daniel Andrews is threatening lockdowns in 2021 if people dont follow the rules. Is that all people or just those not in recalcitrant ethnic communities?' 'Message to all Victorians. Daniel Andrews has made it clear you actually can now go and see you families you will not be fined as the Casey residents werent. Go nuts,' another Victorian resident tweeted. Opposition leader Michael O'Brien has slammed the move as 'hypocrisy'. 'Andrews shouldn't be protecting those who spread the virus while fining others Labor's double standards are as toxic as this virus,' he told the Herald Sun. 'It's a disgrace that Labor has locked up innocent Victorians under a curfew while those who break the law and spread the virus get off Scot-free. 'This is the same Andrews hypocrisy that saw teenagers fined for learning to drive while 10,000 Black Lives Matter protesters were ignored.' Victoria Police issued 21 fines and arrested 16 demonstrators as up to 150 people clashed with officers during rallies in Elsternwick and Elwood, 11km from Melbourne's CBD, on Saturday. Meanwhile, Mr Andrews told reporters at a press conference fining the families linked to the cluster in the city's southeast may prevent them from being co-operative during contact-tracing interviews. 'I'm happy to concede that might seem a counter-intuitive point. Perhaps we would all feel a bit better if they got slapped with a fine, but the value of the information that allows you to take one test result and then find the 33 other people who've got it, is much more than $1652,' he said. A woman is arrested by police at a anti-lockdown protest at Elwood Beach on Saturday Up to 100 people gathering at Elsternwick Park in Brighton dispersed to Elwood when faced with a long line of officers at the site, 11km from Melbourne's CBD. Pictured: Protesters and officers at the Saturday demonstrations A woman could be seen yelling out as two officers pulled her hands behind her back at the rally Despite the new cluster, Victoria's overall case numbers are continuing to decline. Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday said the state's latest coronavirus numbers are cause for great optimism as the state heads towards new a COVID-19 normal. 'That is proof positive beyond any question that this strategy is working. These numbers are coming down thanks to the hard work of every single Victorian,' Mr Andrews said on Sunday. 'We will continue to see them come down in accordance with our roadmap to COVID normal.' 'Ultimately these numbers are a cause for great optimism and positivity right across metropolitan Melbourne.' Metropolitan Melbourne's 14-day average down to 36.2, well below the state's target of 50 to lift some virus restrictions later this month. On Saturday, Victoria recorded 21 new cases of COVID-19 and a further seven deaths. Daniel Andrews urged covidiots not to gather at planned protests on Saturday across the city or 'do anything to undermine' its progress with tackling COVID-19. Protests were announced by rally organisers about 10.30am - half an hour before kicking off at the State Library, and a second closely following at 12pm. Law enforcement teams circled Elsternwick Park included officers from Public Order Response, the Mounted Unit, Air Unit and Highway Patrol. Shouting about Premier Daniel Andrews and coronavirus restrictions was heard throughout the disjointed protests, which were described as 'chaotic'. Victoria recorded 14 new cases and five deaths on Sunday, the lowest daily increase since June and the tenth day in a row the state has recorded a daily infections increase below 50 The cluster which has impacted the five households in Hallam, Clyde, Narre Warren South and Cranbourne North, first emerged on September 4 One photographer said there was 'a lot of running and not much protesting. It comes as Mr O'Brien last week introduced a motion of no confidence into parliament in a bid to oust the Premier, arguing the Andrews government had lost support of Victorians over its handling of the pandemic. Lower house MPs will vote on the proposal next month. Metropolitan Melbourne is under strict Stage Four lockdown - limiting Melburnians travelling more than 5km from their homes and enforcing a 9pm to 5am curfew. Multiple rallies have taken place in Melbourne the past few weekends. Victoria Police have responded with a heavy presence - handing out dozens of fines and making arrests. 'Let's not lose sight of the fact that this week we have seen, day after day, not the 725 cases we had five and a half weeks ago - we have made very significant progress,' Mr Andrews told reporters on Saturday. 'We've got regional Victoria opening up. People should be positive and optimistic this strategy is working, and therefore, let's not any of us do anything to undermine that.' A surge of cases in the Casey and Dandenong area, on Melbourne's southeast rim, has been linked back to five households in the Afghan community. As residents in the city are still under strict Stage Four lockdown, it is thought the infected group may have breached the stay-at-home orders. Public health authorities are racing to stop infections growing in the two council areas, which now have 90 active cases. 'Members of those households visiting other households,' Department of Health and Human Services COVID-19 testing commander Jeroen Weimar said. 'It is that limited amount of contact, relatively infrequent contact between these five households that has now meant that we have 34 people in five houses experiencing or living with a very real threat of the coronavirus.' The cluster in the city's southeast first emerged on September 4, with cases now having spread to Dandenong Police Station and a number of industrial work sites. The Casey and Dandenong cluster is testing the capacity of COVID-detectives. Pictured: Heath workers are seen at a coronavirus testing centre in Cranbourne on September 17 The success of Melbourne's ongoing lockdown could be at risk with a new cluster in the southeast of the city. Pictured: A coronavirus testing centre in Cranbourne on September 17 A man with a dog is seen being questioned by two police officers in the Dandenong area Premier Daniel Andrews on Friday said the actions of the family's involved in the cluster was 'disappointing'. 'Five kilometres is one thing and visiting others is the real issue here,' he said. 'The rules are in place for a reason and anyone who undermines this, undermines the entire strategy and it means the rules will be on for longer.' 'I know many Victorians, when you see examples of people not following the rules, that's disappointing, it makes you angry,' Mr Andrews said. 'You need to look at the bigger picture here. 'We don't want a situation where people don't have a sense of confidence and indeed, you know, the sense they're obliged to tell us the full story as quickly as possible. That's what we need.' Victoria Sunday figures bring the state's toll to 762 and the national count to 849. There are only 26 active infections across regional areas while the number of active cases in Melbourne has fallen to 743. Health authorities are urging anyone in the southeast of Melbourne to diligently monitor their health and immediately get tested if feeling unwell Mr Andrews urged people to stay the course and cautioned against any push to lift restrictions ahead of schedule. 'There's no good opening up too early. There's no good letting our frustrations get the better of us. 'All that will mean is that every metropolitan has given, everything that everyone has done to produce these low, but still not low enough, numbers will count for nothing. 'Because we'll be open, yes, but not open for very long. 'This is a good day though. A day Victorians can be proud.' The next step on Melbourne's roadmap out of lockdown is from September 28 when some on-site work will return, child care will reopen and some school students will be allowed back into the classroom. People will be able to meet outdoors for up to two hours with members of one other household, though the five-kilometre travel limit will remain. State health chief Brett Sutton said on Saturday the five-household cluster of 34 cases in the city's southeast was 'under control', with no new cases linked to the cluster on Saturday. Contact tracers have acted quickly to contain the outbreak, with government officials speaking with community leaders and members. What else can 2020 take from us? This is such a double whammy. I am in shock and pain and furious at the same time. Can we even mourn R.B.G. before McConnell tries to ram a conservative through? No Supreme Court vote in an election year, he said in March of 2016. And here we are in September of another election year. And Trump may be a one-term president with three Supreme Court nominees. Its maddening. Will Rothfuss, Stroudsburg, Pa. I have a message for the modern democracies of the world: Sorry, we wont be joining you. That train left the station when Ms. Ginsburg passed. Our Supreme Court will be packed with corporatist ideologues for the foreseeable future. Even if we elect a Democratic administration, the Republicans will be able to stop them at every turn. Forget universal health care, labor representation on corporate boards or environmental restrictions on dirty industries. The next justice will be seated before the election. Mlbex, California We have lost a towering Justice in an era of woefully little men with black hearts and greedy souls. We have lost the finest. What else can 2020 take from us? This is the worst year in my very long lifetime. Justice Ginsburg you are sorely missed and were deeply loved and respected. Godspeed. Mark Schlemmer, Portland, Ore. We have to act as if the house is on fire. If the G.O.P. seats a sixth conservative justice, the Democrats will have no option but to expand the court should they take power. The West is burning, the South is drowning, NATO is failing and our constitutional democracy hangs by a thread. We dont have time to play by the old rules or to worry about what the G.O.P. will do next time. Dems have been playing it careful and polite for far too long. We have to act as if the house is on fire. Because it is. Ash, Oakland, Calif. Packing the court would just begin a vicious cycle of one upmanship. Term limits are the obvious solution to dampen the political overtones that McConnell has installed. A politicized justice system will mark the end of whatever remaining faith people have that justice can be served objectively using a system of written laws. Ben, Seattle Though I may be an optimist, I think McConnells raw political power game will hurt the Republicans. It demonstrates as clearly as possible that the entire Republican Party (not just Trump) is willing to ignore law, tradition and precedent (all of which conservatives used to stand for) for political gain. It may energize his base, but they were pretty energized already. It will absolutely energize the Democrats. But its the people in the middle (few as they may be) that may hurt the Republicans. Kent James, Washington, Pa. I was devastated. Now I am emboldened. Tonight has been jarring: The headline I have feared for two years, the inevitable McConnell announcement. I was devastated. Now I am emboldened. Sad, but emboldened. The arc is long but it bends toward justice. The alternative is unthinkable. Mike, New York BRANCH COUNTY, MI Michigan State Police are investigating an alleged drug smuggling attempt at the Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater. The Michigan Department of Corrections uncovered a plot to smuggle drugs into the prison on Saturday, Sept. 19, according to Michigan State Police. MDOC officials contacted state police to conduct an investigation, and police said they were able to locate three suspects with the help of K-9 officers and an MSP drone. State troopers took two adults and one juvenile into police custody. A 33-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man, both from Adrian, were arrested and lodged in the Branch County Jail on multiple felony charges, police said. A 15-year-old, who is the daughter of the woman, was also taken into custody, police said. Officers will request charges for the teenagers role through family court, police said. The juvenile has since been turned over the a family member, and Child Protective Services were contacted, police said. Investigation revealed that several prisoners currently serving time at Lakeland Correctional Facility were involved in the attempt, police said, adding they will seek charges for the prisoners involved. Police are withholding names at this time pending upcoming court hearings. The case will be turned over to the Branch County Prosecutors Office, police said. State police were assisted in the investigation by MDOC, MSP Aviation Unit, MSP K-9, Michigan Department of National Resources and the Branch County Sheriffs Department K-9 officers. More on MLive: Police identify teen, young man killed in Wyoming double homicide shooting 7-year-old boy dies in multi-vehicle crash after driver runs stop sign, police say Police seek information on suspects from vehicle break-ins in Calhoun County Donald Trump gave his blessing to Oracle Corp.s bid for the American operations of TikTok, putting the popular video-sharing app on course to escape a US ban imposed as part of his pressure campaign against China. I approved the deal in concept, Trump told reporters Saturday as he left the White House for a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina. If they get it done, thats great. If they dont, thats OK too. The new company, which will be called TikTok Global, has agreed to funnel $5 billion in new tax dollars to the US and set up a new education fund, which Trump said would satisfy his demand that the government receive a payment from the deal. Theyre going to be setting up a very large fund, he said. Thats their contribution that Ive been asking for. Oracle plans to take a 12.5% stake in the new TikTok Global, while Walmart Inc. said it has tentatively agreed to buy 7.5% of the entity. Walmarts Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon will serve on TikTok Globals board of directors, the retailer said in a statement. Four of the five board seats will be filled by Americans, according to the statement. TikToks Chinese owner ByteDance Ltd. is seeking a valuation of $60 billion for the app, according to a person familiar with the matter. Oracle and Walmart would pay a combined $12 billion for their stakes if they agree to that asking price. The final valuation had not been set as the parties worked out the equity structure and measures for data security, the person said. Terms are still in flux and the proposed valuation could still change. US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo characterized Bytedances proposed role as similar to a passive shareholder. The Chinese company would have no decision-making authority, no ability to peer into what the US company is doing, he said on Fox News Sunday Morning Futures. The TikTok deal was forced by a pair of bans Trump issued in August over concerns that ByteDance posed a national security risk, thrusting the video-sharing app into the center of the presidents confrontation with Beijing. Shortly after Trump signaled his approval, the Commerce Department on Saturday delayed by a week a ban that would have forced Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.s Google to pull the TikTok video app from their US app stores on Sunday. Trump is ramping up pressure on Chinese-owned apps in the weeks before the Nov. 3 presidential elections, citing national security concerns about the data US citizens provide to them and the potential for Beijing to use them for spying. The president is trailing his opponent Joe Biden in polls and has sought to portray himself as tougher on Beijing than the Democrat. TikTok said in a statement that it was pleased that the proposal by TikTok, Oracle, and Walmart will resolve the security concerns of the US administration and settle questions around TikToks future in the US The company confirmed Oracle will host all its US data and secure its computer systems. Oracles Generation 2 Cloud fully isolates running applications and responds to security threats autonomously, according to the statement, which eliminates the risk of foreign governments spying on American users or trying to influence them with disinformation. Oracle will quickly deploy, rapidly scale, and operate TikTok systems in the Oracle Cloud, said Oracle CEO Safra Catz in a statement. We are a 100% confident in our ability to deliver a highly secure environment to TikTok and ensure data privacy to TikToks American users. Oracle will get full access to review TikToks source code and updates to make sure there are no back doors used by the companys Chinese parent to gather data or to spy on the video-sharing apps 100 million American users, according to people familiar with the matter. Real Firewall The deal, if approved, ensures that no Americans data has any access to anyone in China that has any capacity to move this to a place we dont want it, Pompeo said. We will ensure that that firewall is real, that the protection is serious, that the data resides in places that arent connected to the Chinese information system, he said. TikTok Global, together with Oracle, SIG, General Atlantic, Sequoia, Walmart and Coatue will create an educational initiative to develop and deliver an online video curriculum driven by artificial intelligence, according to the statement. TikTok said its working with Walmart on a commercial partnership and said that it will take part in a TikTok Global financing round along with Oracle before an initial public offering in which the investors can take as much as a 20% cumulative stake in the company. TikTok Global will likely be headquartered in Texas and will hire at least 25,000 people, Trump said. TikTok will need to hire thousands of content moderators, engineers, and marketing staff that were previously located in China and around the world. The company will also pay more than $5 billion in new tax dollars to the Treasury, according to the statement. To sweeten the deal for Trump, TikTok promised to hire an additional 15,000 jobs, more than the 10,000 positions the company already pledged to fill earlier this year. Its unclear if theres a timeline to achieve that target, or guarantees that it will follow through. Facebook Inc., the largest US social media company, employed about 45,000 people in 2019, while Twitter Inc. employed only 4,900, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Proponents of the deal told the Trump administration that the new company would be controlled by American investors by counting the passive stakes of existing shareholders in TikToks Chinese parent, people familiar with the matter said. Although ByteDance will have an 80% stake in the new company, existing US investors hold a 40% stake in ByteDance. That tallies up to 53% ownership by US companies and investors -- although that doesnt entail majority control or voter rights, the people said. TikTok Global, which will be an independent company, will hold an initial public offering in less than 12 months and the stock will be listed on a US exchange, according to the statement. After going public, US ownership of TikTok Global will increase and continue to grow over time, it added. While the Chinese government must now sign off on the transaction for it to go forward, as of earlier this week, ByteDance was growing increasingly confident that the proposal would pass muster with Chinese regulators, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. Early reaction from Chinese state media appeared positive. This scheme is still unfair, but it avoids the worst result, that TikTok is shut down or sold to a US company completely, wrote Hu Xijin, the influential editor in chief of Chinas state-owned Global Times. Under the terms of the agreement reached early in the week, ByteDance would retain a majority of TikToks assets and control over the algorithm, with Oracle and other US investors taking minority stakes. Trump seemed to contradict that on Saturday. It will have nothing to do with China, itll be totally secure, thatll be part of the deal, he said. All of the control is Walmart and Oracle, two great American companies. Trump spoke with Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison and Walmarts McMillon on Friday, telling them he still expected the US government to receive a cash payment as part of the transaction, according to people familiar with the matter. They agreed to the educational donation as a way to satisfy Trumps demand, one of the people said. ByteDance first heard about the $5 billion education fund from news reports, a company spokeswoman said. The deal came together last weekend, the result of high-level negotiations between ByteDance, Oracle and top Trump administration officials after ByteDance rejected a bid from Microsoft Corp. and Walmart to buy the US TikTok service outright. Beijing has signaled it would greenlight a deal as long as ByteDance doesnt have to transfer the artificial intelligence algorithms that drive TikToks service, Bloomberg has reported. The Treasury Department said the deal is subject to a security agreement that requires approval by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, or Cfius. The term sheet thats been negotiated between Cfius and the companies will now have to be formalized in a document that details the mechanics for implementing the terms of the deal. That document would likely include requirements related to the establishment of the new company, arrangements governing its relationship with ByteDance, whether an IPO is part of the deal, whether ByteDance will have to divest its entire stake in the IPO and what would happen if for some reason the IPO doesnt occur, said Aimen Mir, a lawyer at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP and a former deputy assistant secretary for investment security at Treasury. In a video posted on TikTok with the caption #WeAreTikTok and we are here to stay, interim head of TikTok Vanessa Pappas thanked users for sticking by us, she said. Were here for the long run. In the comments below, users said they were happy that the ongoing drama around the ban would subside. This on and off situation is working on my nerves, said @iamdavante, who has 4.1 million followers on the video app. After eight years of fighting wildfires, Solize Ortiz has learned to work with the challenges and dangers of her profession. The Oregon firefighter has been in smoke so thick its nearly impossible to breathe, and at times shes unable to make out the faces of others. Sometimes you can only see silhouettes, Ortiz said. You start to recognize how people walk and their mannerisms. Thats usually the best way to identify people on your crew. Shes learned to gauge danger -- like when a flaming tree is about to crash to the ground, and in which direction. A tree makes a lot of noise when its about to fall, Ortiz said. You have to be aware of those sounds. Ortizs colleague Fernando Hernandez knows what its like to be covered in dirt and soot for days on end with no shower in sight. The longest hes had to go without is 15 days. Its a badge of honor, unfortunately, sometimes, said Hernandez, whos been battling season blazes for 20 years. Ortiz and Hernandez are among more than 7,500 firefighters called on to battle Oregon wildfires in a season like theyve never seen before. Fueled by a fierce and widespread windstorm that started on Labor Day, the fires have spread to scorch close to 1 million acres so far this year -- about double the average annual number for each of the past 10 years. Nine people have died. Five are missing. More than 2,200 homes and 1,500 businesses, barns or other structures have been destroyed, but many thousands more have been saved thanks to the efforts of firefighters. Those summoned to put out the blazes include year-round professionals who work for local fire departments or fire districts; federal agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management or Bureau of Indian Affairs; the Oregon National Guard, which was summoned this year at a moments notice; and even a few inmate crews. A look at the line. Posted by Cedric Hayden on Monday, September 14, 2020 But most are wildland firefighters who work for private companies that contract with state and federal government agencies -- with some traveling from states as far off as Arkansas and North Dakota to help. The Oregonian/OregonLive spoke to the owner of one of those companies, Salem-based Grizzly Firefighters, and two of the companys firefighters, Ortiz and Hernandez, during short breaks they received from their assignments last week. Owner Teresa Ortiz, who is the mother of firefighter Solize Ortiz, said shes never seen a fire season like this in the 18 years since she founded her company. Some of her firefighters have had to evacuate their own homes or have their families do so while theyre fighting blazes on the front lines. Theres always a mental part of the job when youre trying to save peoples homes, Ortiz said. But this year is different knowing their own homes are at risk. Theyre worried about their families. Its like Ive never seen it before. Despite all that, the firefighters out on the field are still laser-focused on the task at hand, Ortiz said. Exhausted but still excellent. Busted their butts today. And still make me laugh. My crew. My guys. Posted by Theodore W Hiner on Monday, September 14, 2020 *** Among all public servants, firefighters perhaps more than any other are lauded as heroes -- garnering enormous and heartfelt praise for saving homes, businesses, human lives, pets and even wildlife. Wildland firefighting, in particular, is considered a high-risk job -- with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting 400 total on-duty deaths in the profession in the past 20 years. Against conventional wisdom, the leading causes of death are cardiac arrest, vehicle accidents and aircraft crashes -- with entrapment in fast-growing wildfires listed as the fourth most prevalent cause of fatalities. Experts say the dangers have increased in recent decades as wildfires have grown in size, intensity and frequency due to climate change, forest management policies that have left the backcountry overloaded with fuels, and homes and businesses that have been built into the fire-prone wilderness. Capt. Sam McCullough gave a big surprise to his 9-yr-old son last night (Sept. 13) after being away for a week fighting the #ClackamasWildfires. Back for one night & today (Sept. 14) he's in the field. @ClackCoSheriff @clackamascounty pic.twitter.com/dJQT9Nsr6z Clackamas Fire (@clackamasfire) September 14, 2020 Can we give our firefighters a round of applause? #OregonFires2020 pic.twitter.com/8zXAIEh2IA OregonOEM (@OregonOEM) September 14, 2020 Add onto that the COVID-19 pandemic this year, and firefighters' risks of leaving home to do their jobs have only grown. Teresa Ortiz said the industry has faced personnel shortages because of the threat of COVID-19. I have had people whove said, My family wont let me go, period, Teresa Ortiz said. The concern, she said, is real given the tendency in past years for other viruses to spread through crews that work in such close proximity to each other for days on end. Its called camp crud and it spreads like wildfire, no pun intended, Ortiz said. The fear is COVID-19 is going to spread like wildfire. Ortiz has enacted a list of precautions, including the use of hand sanitizer and temperature screenings, and shes stuck by her longstanding rule of only one firefighter per tent. She said none of the 120 firefighters she manages have tested positive. But even with strict measures out in the field, she said, the virus can spread and she knows of firefighters from other Oregon companies whove fallen ill. The Oregon Health Authority doesnt make public the number of firefighters whove contracted COVID-19, and representatives from the Oregon Department of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service didnt respond to requests for this information. But according to an NBC News report, eight members of a Bureau of Land Management crew based in Oregon tested positive for the virus days after arriving on duty in June. The report also found more than 220 federal firefighters across the country had contracted the virus as of late August. Due to the shortage of firefighters, Teresa Ortiz said she and other wildland firefighting companies banded together last week to send a new class of recruits through a 40-hour training class. They could be working the front lines starting this week. All recruits must be at least 18 years old and physically fit. One test requires prospective firefighters to walk three miles in fewer than 45 minutes while wearing a 45-pound vest. Ortiz said this weeks 60-person class quickly filled to capacity, and Ortiz thinks that might be because recruits have seen the raging fires in the news and experienced the hazardous levels of smoke that had blanketed the state recently for days. They just look out their windows and see the smoke, Ortiz said. People just want to help. Its an extremely rewarding business. Grizzly Firefighters pays new firefighters $16.54 an hour. Meaning after 90- to 100-hour weeks and with overtime pay, a two-week paycheck can top $3,500 before taxes for newcomers. *** Fernando Hernandez, wearing a gray helmet, is seen here with his crew at a recent assignment in California. Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020, they were fighting the Lionshead fire in Oregon. (Courtesy of Fernando Hernandez) Hernandez and Solize Ortiz are both crew bosses, meaning they each lead a team of 20 firefighters who spend a large portion of their shifts dousing flames with water or clearing brush and trees away so the debris wont further fuel the fire. The first time I did it, I didnt like it at all, Hernandez said of his initial three-day assignment 20 years ago. It was smoky and hard to breathe. Its hard work. Others convinced him to give it another try and he grew to love it. He learned how fires behave and how to develop a good path of egress in case he needs to pull out at a moments notice. He also learned what gear to take to be comfortable -- and how to efficiently pack everything he needed, including his tent and sleeping bag, in the one duffel bag each crew member is allowed. I like the adrenaline, said Hernandez, 53. I like it, too, because you can do good things. You can save forests. You can help people. Firefighters on his crew this year are typically working 14 days straight, but their assignments can sometimes stretch to 21 days before they net a minimum two-day break. A work day can easily stretch 14 hours long. Fernando Hernandez and his crew are fighting the Lionshead fire near Warm Springs, as seen in this photo dated Sat. Sept. 19, 2020. (Submitted photo) Hernandezs family back in Salem -- his wife and four children ages 10 and under -- have gotten used to his long absences. But the job allows him to earn a lot of pay in a relatively short time because hes packing in the hours. I think its hard for them, Hernandez said. When I have a good signal I call them every day. When hes out in the backcountry, however, cell phone reception is non-existent and his wife knows not to depend on a call. There are few creature comforts. Hernandez knows the monotony of downing so-called meals ready to eat, or MREs, sometimes for days on end before catered food arrives. Breakfast MREs, lunch MREs, dinner MREs, Hernandez said. At least you have some food in your system. In their quest for a freshly cooked hot meal, some firefighters have resorted to placing aluminum-wrapped food on hot engines or their trucks, or using their shovels as frying pans while holding them over smoldering tree trunks. Hernandez is currently fighting the Lionshead fire near the Warm Springs reservation. Solize Ortiz has just started a new 14-day assignment fighting the Riverside fire near Estacada. I went out on my first fire when I was 18 years old. It was probably the scariest experience Ive ever had, said Ortiz, 26. But it was totally fulfilling. Solize Ortiz, wearing a white helmet, is seen here with her crew on assignment. She said the enjoyment she gets from working with her crew is one of the reasons she continues to fight fires. Like Hernandez, she has learned how fire behaves and has become more confident about managing its dangers. She is accustomed to seeing flames shooting 20 feet high in the air and the heat baking her face and entire body. Up close, the smoke is far worse than the haze that has smothered much of the state for the past week. A couple of days into a fire we have that gnarly smokers cough, Solize Ortiz said. Its like coughing up lungs. Shes seen it all go up in flames -- trees, brush, structures, garbage and cars. Tires stink, Ortiz said. But Ortiz said the overall mission is worth putting up with the downsides of the job. Theres nothing more rewarding than to walk off a fire line, and to see signs in a town that say, Thank you, firefighters! or to have a local come up to you and shake your hand or give you a hug in tears. Wildfire tracker: See all fires in Oregon and across the nation -- Aimee Green: agreen@oregonian.com; @o_aimee A look at the shareholders of Alpha Pro Tech, Ltd. (NYSEMKT:APT) can tell us which group is most powerful. Insiders often own a large chunk of younger, smaller, companies while huge companies tend to have institutions as shareholders. I quite like to see at least a little bit of insider ownership. As Charlie Munger said 'Show me the incentive and I will show you the outcome. Alpha Pro Tech is a smaller company with a market capitalization of US$193m, so it may still be flying under the radar of many institutional investors. Taking a look at our data on the ownership groups (below), it seems that institutions are noticeable on the share registry. We can zoom in on the different ownership groups, to learn more about Alpha Pro Tech. View our latest analysis for Alpha Pro Tech What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Alpha Pro Tech? Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing. Alpha Pro Tech already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Alpha Pro Tech's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters. Our data indicates that hedge funds own 7.1% of Alpha Pro Tech. That catches my attention because hedge funds sometimes try to influence management, or bring about changes that will create near term value for shareholders. Because actions speak louder than words, we consider it a good sign when insiders own a significant stake in a company. In Alpha Pro Tech's case, its Head of Investor Relations, Donna Millar, is the largest shareholder, holding 9.2% of shares outstanding. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 7.1% and 5.5% of the stock. Story continues On studying our ownership data, we found that 25 of the top shareholders collectively own less than 50% of the share register, implying that no single individual has a majority interest. While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. While there is some analyst coverage, the company is probably not widely covered. So it could gain more attention, down the track. Insider Ownership Of Alpha Pro Tech While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it. I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions. Our most recent data indicates that insiders own some shares in Alpha Pro Tech, Ltd.. In their own names, insiders own US$19m worth of stock in the US$193m company. This shows at least some alignment, but I usually like to see larger insider holdings. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling. General Public Ownership The general public, mostly retail investors, hold a substantial 55% stake in Alpha Pro Tech, suggesting it is a fairly popular stock. This size of ownership gives retail investors collective power. They can and probably do influence decisions on executive compensation, dividend policies and proposed business acquisitions. Next Steps: While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. To that end, you should be aware of the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Alpha Pro Tech . Ultimately the future is most important. You can access this free report on analyst forecasts for the company. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. 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. M att Hancock has said the Government will impose fresh national coronavirus restrictions if the public fails to follow the existing rules. The Health Secretary warned Britain "faces a tipping point" and ministers will have to take more measures if the public does not follow Covid-19 regulations. Mr Hancock told Sky News Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme he was very worried about the second wave of the virus now emerging in the UK. We have a choice," he said. "Either everybody follows the rules the rule of six and the need to self-isolate if you have a positive test or if you are contacted by NHS Test and Trace or we will have to take more measures. I dont want to see more measures, more restrictive measures, but if people dont follow the rules that is how the virus spreads. His comments came as the Government announced people in England will face fines of up to 10,000 if they refuse an order to self-isolate. Mr Hancock said: We will support people who do the right thing and we will come down hard on people who do the wrong thing. Matt Hancock urged Brits to follow coronavirus regulations / Sky News He added that there was a danger the infection rate could shoot through the roof if people did not follow the Governments rules. We have seen in the data that some people who need to self-isolate are not doing so, said the Health Secretary. If you have been asked to self-isolate then you either definitely have the coronavirus or you are highly likely to have coronavirus, and so it is mission critical that you isolate. I am very worried about this second wave. We have seen in other countries around Europe how it can absolutely shoot through the roof. Loading.... With new cases of the infection doubling every week, the Prime Minister has said new measures were necessary to control the spread of the virus and to protect the most vulnerable from becoming infected. Announcing the new rules regarding fines for those who fail to self-isolate, the Boris Johnson said: The best way we can fight this virus is by everyone following the rules and self-isolating if theyre at risk of passing on coronavirus. And so nobody underestimates just how important this is, new regulations will mean you are legally obliged to do so if you have the virus or have been asked to do so by NHS Test and Trace. "We need to do all we can to control the spread of this virus, to prevent the most vulnerable people from becoming infected, and to protect the NHS and save lives. Coronavirus in numbers: UK records 4,422 new confirmed cases It comes as coronavirus cases surged by 4,422 overnight, marking the highest daily rise in infections since May 8. Mr Hancock said the number of hospital admissions for coronavirus was rising and would be followed by an increase in the number of deaths. We have seen in other countries when the case rate shoots up, the next thing that happens is the numbers going into hospital shoot up, he told BBC1s The Andrew Marr Show. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge opens the new NHS Nightingale Hospital in Birmingham via video link / Getty Images Sadly, we have seen that rise, it is doubling every eight days or so people going into hospital then, with a lag, you see the number of people dying sadly rise. Professor Carl Heneghan, director for the centre of evidence-based medicine at Oxford University, told Sky News the country cannot afford to introduce harsh measures immediately to curb the spread of Covid-19, adding: What we have to do now is slow down, this is a long winter. He said: What were seeing is that the virus is operating in a seasonal way. Schools return in England during Coronavirus pandemic 1 /16 Schools return in England during Coronavirus pandemic Year 7 pupils arrive for their first day at Eden Park high school. Lucy Young Pupils wash their hands on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Pupils on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Year 7 pupils arrive for their first day at Eden Park high school. Lucy Young A sign shows the different drop off times for pupils on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Pupils on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Year 7 pupils arrive for their first day at Eden Park high school. Lucy Young Pupils on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Pupils on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Pupils wash their hands as they arrive on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Pupils and parents queue at drop off on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Pupils and parents queue at drop off on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London, as schools in England reopen to pupils following the coronavirus lockdown PA As weve gone back to schools, actually whats happened now is weve seen about a 60 per cent increase in consultations for all the acute respiratory infections and thats whats driving the problems in the Test and Trace programme. All the young children who have coughs and colds and these infections, one is called rhinovirus. As we look at the data, Covid is operating in a similar seasonal way, and mirroring those respiratory infections, so what we have to do now is slow down, this is a long winter. We cant afford to go now with harsh measures the impact on the economy here is going to be significant. What happens is as soon as you pause and then open up again, it tends to come back. We still have to be vigilant about ensuring the infections stay manageable across the board. ANN ARBOR, MI With six children, including five young children living at home, Antwanette Marshall had to make the difficult decision to temporarily leave her job at St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor when the coronavirus pandemic caused schools to close in March. With no one willing to provide daycare for that many children during a pandemic, Marshall became her childrens daycare provider and learning facilitator as Ann Arbor Public Schools began the year with remote learning last week. The one glimmer of hope for Marshall during this time has been the support services shes received from Peace Neighborhood Center, which is providing critical in-person support for children whose parents might have other obligations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The two days a week they are able to take the students out of the home and bring them to the center for in-person learning support, she said, has been a godsend. I didnt grow up with my Dad and I never had a good relationship with my Mom, so people that I feel God has sent me along the way like there are at Peace Center give me a support system, Marshall said. I know I wouldnt be able to do this without them. The neighborhood center on Ann Arbors northwest side and its two satellite locations have acted as a community partner with Ann Arbor Public Schools to provide everything from IT support to daycare to in-person interactions for children who have not had consistent interactions with other students for months. Like nearly other sector of society, Peace Neighborhood Center has needed to completely shift its focus over the past six months, going from picking up children after school and providing homework support to picking them up at the beginning of the day and helping get their online learning started. Thats in addition to critical supports for food insecurity and emergency assistance for those who have lost wages that the community center continues to provide. Peace Alternatives for Youth Program Coordinator Taylor Gamble referred to what the neighborhood center is offering as a hodgepodge of assistance as she helps middle school students who are having technical difficulties on a Monday morning when the district is getting into the thick of remote learning. The first couple of days it was What is my login? Gamble said. Theyve never had to use this platform, they dont know what their email or their password is yet theyve all changed. Its a matter of getting them logged in and showing them what (the learning platform) looks like and then navigating it with them. While Peace Neighborhood Center has been a mainstay in after-school programming for decades, its role during this academic year has become even more important as the AAPS' largest participant in its Connections+ learning support groups. The Connections+ program pairs the district with community centers and local nonprofits to support students with their virtual learning, with about 150 of the 175 students participating thus far at Peace Neighborhood Center and its two satellite locations. At Peace, an Ann Arbor Public Schools employee is stationed to help facilitate any troubleshooting students need with their devices, cutting down on the nonprofit and parents' involvement in resolving technological issues. Were not doing this to intrude on the process that they have. Were doing this to support it, AAPS Executive Director of Student and School Safety Liz Margolis said. These places are reaching out on a daily basis and making connections with families. While not all the supports can be in-person, the virtual supports are still happening and thats why were partnering with these groups to make sure theres a quick, same-day solution to whatever issues come up. Starting the day off right When he was approached by Ann Arbor Public Schools with the idea of making Peace Neighborhood Center one of the districts Connections+ program sites, Executive Director Bonnie Billups Jr. knew the nonprofit needed to continue meeting children and their families where they were at in the community. An initial suggestion to provide virtual support was nixed by Billups, who advocated for a more in the trenches approach of bringing children on-site to help with their remote learning. Students participate in remote learning at Peace Neighborhood Center, 1111 N. Maple Rd. in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020. That idea resulted in children spending their mornings at Peace Neighborhood Center, with elementary students coming in Tuesday and Thursday, while middle and high school students are at Peace for learning on Monday and Friday. I have a parent who has four kids, and school was part of their regular plan for childcare, said Billups, who has been involved in Peaces operations for the better part of four decades. "Now that the school is taken away, weve had parents who have had to quit their jobs, reduce hours or manipulate their hours to try to be there. We became this program of being substitute educators and additional teaching resources to assist kids not replacing teachers at all but being that extra support. It hasnt been easy, Billups said, noting that Peace needed to change its hours of operation to better reflect student needs. Instead of driving the nonprofits bus to pick up kids in surrounding neighborhoods after school, Billups is up bright and early picking up children to bring to the center for remote learning. Ultimately, Peace Neighborhood Center staff are there to make sure the learning process goes on without too much interruption. They were an after-school program now theyre a school, said AAPS International Partnerships Coordinator Jennifer Nemecek, who is the districts liaison at Peace. They need more help and quick answers because kids are online. Theyre missing class, so we need to solve these issues right now. The COVID-19 pandemic has largely eliminated Peaces ability to use its army of more than 250 volunteer learning tutors, with social distancing and capacity issues limiting its ability to have them on-site. Peace Neighborhood Center Youth Programs Director MaryAnn Johnson said the nonprofits focus has shifted to more on-site door knocking in neighborhoods where children and families might need support. Additionally, the transition from largely helping children with social and emotional growth to being sources of academic support has not come without its share of growing pains. Its tricky, wherein the past weve been able to provide one-on-one academic support to all of the kids, were not able to do that now, just to kind of limit the number of people in the building, Johnson said. Tutors filled such a big part of our mission. We need to think about how we can provide that support without that support necessarily being in the building. Margolis said the district will continue to work toward expanding learning networks on-site through Connections+ at nonprofits like Community Action Network and Avalon Housing as it moves toward hybrid and in-person learning. The concept is different from some of the learning pods that have been sprouting up around Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County, Margolis said, in the sense that they are helping students who are in need of assistance, rather than hiring a tutor to facilitate their remote learning. We know there are a lot of pods families have formed, but that wasnt really the intent to go into peoples homes and set those up, Margolis said. Were really looking at the community centers that are serving the most at-need students. With children spending their morning and afternoon at the center before finishing their final block of classes at home, the time they spend at Peace Neighborhood Center will ideally help jumpstart their online learning, Billups said. We knew if we didnt support kids being up early in the morning that we would have kids who would oversleep he said. If we get you up in the morning and get you home with lunch, theres a better chance youll log in and finish the afternoon. Im more productive here Coming to Peace Neighborhood Center since she was in kindergarten, Jakya Hugan admits things are different inside the building as she kicks off her junior year at Pioneer High School. With everyone wearing masks, its hard to read their emotions, Hugan said, but the experience of being around classmates and longtime friends helps settle some of that awkwardness. Haisley Elementary student Samir Beal, 7, shows off a book she read for a remote learning class at Peace Neighborhood Center, 1111 N. Maple Rd. in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020. Hugan said having the staff at Peace help her with technology issues and guide her through online learning provides an extra bit of motivation to make it through her remote learning. Its not really difficult for me to do it at home, but I just have to give myself that energy, Hugan said. Sometimes, its like I dont have anyone pushing me like a teacher would. (Peace staff) hold you to a high standard and theyll push you to do more and get into the work, rather than just watch. After students arrive at Peace in the morning, they have breakfast before splitting up into different rooms, with about 10 students in each room situated at their own spread out tables. When a student experiences an issue with an online learning platform at around 9 a.m., Gamble tells them to choose one of the break options Peace has posted that include reading a book, writing in their journal, computer games or work on the milestones in my life packet the neighborhood center has provided. The student chooses a book and a morning snack as Gamble takes her laptop out of the room to troubleshoot with the district. The entire time, Peace staff survey the room to make sure students are staying on task. The quiet and solitude Peace offers can be a bit awkward at times, Pioneer High School sophomore Sebastian Connor said, but it beats the alternative of learning at home. Im more productive here, Connor said. At my house its kind of loud, because I have a lot of siblings. READ MORE: Learning pods have arrived in Michigan. Heres why theyre causing controversy. The daunting struggle of single working parents whose children are learning online at home Bhagirath Palace, Indias biggest wholesale lights market, is a long row of shopfronts festooned with strings of LED lights for sale green, blue, red, yellow, white; all flickering brightly to evoke the Diwali spirit on a sultry afternoon two months ahead of the festival of lights. Ashok Malhotras first-floor shop is a fascinating jewel in this crown. Almost all of the lights on display in his flickering shop, Malhotra informs us, are imported from the Guzhen, famous as Chinas (and slowly the worlds) lighting capital. Malhotras shop showcases the Chinese citys mastery in light-making from a variety of fancy fittings on the wall, to designer lamps on the floor, to chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. They are all Chinese, says the affable Malhotra, sitting behind his desk. We have about 400 designs of chandeliers, but only about 10 of them are Indian. In fact, not just his shop, 90% of the lights in this market (from small LED bulbs to expansive and expensive chandeliers) are Chinese. Malhotra casts his eyes to the ceiling to find some Indian chandeliers, and finally spots two in a nondescript corner. Most people want to but only Chinese lights they are fancier and cheaper. We are all patriotic, but the idea of dealing in only Indian goods is not practical at the moment. For two decades, we have allowed China to make inroads into all aspects of life; the march towards self-reliance is going to be a long and painful process. Most traders in Bhagirath Palace, and in Sadar Bazar, which is Indias biggest wholesale market for household goods, and in Teliwara, the largest toy hub, are wondering what the future holds for them as the Union government pushes the Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self- Reliant India ) initiative. The steps include raising import duties and making Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification mandatory for several items, including LED lights imported from China and other countries, in the wake of the pandemic and rising border tensions in eastern Ladakh. These traders talk about the implausibility of the sudden curbs on Chinese imports, and how they be thrown out of business Price and quality In one corner of Bhagirath Palace, Harsh Jain, a dealer of electrical switches and LED lights, has started selling Diwali decorations mostly rope lights imported from Guzhen. But this year, for the first time, he has created a special portion inside his shop for Indian lights to try and respond to the governments call. So far, the Indian lights a dozen sample strings flickering on a shelf -- have few takers. My customers, mostly retailers from north India, face no nationalistic dilemmas. Most of them are buy only Chinese lights because they are more attractive in terms of price and quality. Guzhen boasts of thousands of light-making factories, and Indias small-scale manufacturers do not have the wherewithal to match them in quality, variety, and cost, Jain said. According to Bharat Ahuja, president of the Bhagirath Palace Electrical Market Association, traders are so heavily dependent on Chinese imports that stopping them will paralyse the market. Before curbing imports, the government has to promote manufacturing in a big way through the right policy initiatives. The fact is that setting up and running a factory in India continues to be a difficult proposition, said Ahuja, who manufactures electrical switch gears and MCBs (miniature circuit breakers). Barely three kilometres away, Sadar Bazar illustrates the true scale of the problem. Here, Chinas dominance in the Indian household goods market, and the difficulty in adhering to a boycott call, is even more apparent. Rakesh Kumar Yadav, president of the Sadar Bazar Traders Association, says 70% of all goods sold in the market are from China. Thousands of shops in the markets narrow, labyrinthine gallis sell wall clocks, cosmetics, toys, plastic goods, artificial jewellery, food choppers, coffee makers, blenders and hairdryers You name it, we sell it, says Yadav, and most of it, lets face it, comes from China. Traders dont have a choice. Indian manufacturers cant meet the demand. While curbing Chinese imports, the government should also stop Indian and multinational companies from getting their products manufactured in China, said Yadav, who is a cello tape dealer. People should conduct a simple experiment, says Pawan Kumar, national organising general secretary of Bhartiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal, just walk around their houses, look at different objects, and check where they come from. Almost everything is likely to have been made in China. From wood cutters to woollen scarves Kumar, an importer, says that before the Covid-19 pandemic, roughly 500 to 600 containers carrying a variety of goods came to Sadar Bazaar every month, mostly from Yiwu, an international trading hub in Chinas Zhejiang province. Forget small household items, not many people know that a lot of furniture in the market such as Kirti Nagar is also imported from China, he added. Kumar used to manufacture home appliances until 2010, when he became an importer. I had eight BIS {Bureau of Indian Standards} licenses. While I sold a simple dry iron for 300, a Chinese steam iron would cost just 250. How could I match that? He reads out the list of items in his container, weighing 20 tons, which is due to arrive in Mumbai from Yiwu -- mobile phone screen guards, flip covers, charging cables, woodcutters, woollen scarves, mixer-grinders, colour spray guns the list goes on. Kumar, however, is supportive of the governments recent moves to reduce the import dependence on China. Eventually, we should limit our imports only to essentials, he said. One of the biggest toy dealers in Sadar Bazars Teliwara, Sumit Matta, is a worried man. He says the call to make India a toy hub in Prime Minister Narendra Modis Mann Ki Baat address last month did not go down well with toy traders. All of us listened to it with great interest, and it was widely shared on our WhatsApp groups. But it did not seem to take into account many concerns of domestic toy manufacturers and traders, said Matta, who like most others in Teliwara, exited his familys hardware business to get into the toy business 15 years ago. Teliwara used to be hardware hub before it turned into a wholesale market for toys over the last two decades. Today, it has about 300 shops, most of them selling toys imported from the coastal city of Shantou in Chinas Guangdong province. Until July, 95% of the toys in my shop were imported from China; now I have brought down their share to 80% said Matta. The few Indian toys on his shelves include dolls and doctor sets, which he says were recently manufactured in Rajkot. We closely worked with the manufacturer to ensure the quality is as good as that of Chinese ones. These days, we are getting a lot of calls from toy manufacturers wanting to know what they can manufacture for us. But there are very few who make battery-operated toys. Rajendra Sharma, president of the Teliwada Toy Market Association and a soft-toy dealer, says it is difficult to convince his customers to buy Indian toys as they do not match the quality of Chinese goods. The government seems to be making imports of toys difficult without ramping up manufacturing, said Sharma. At this rate, Teliwara will revert to being a hardware market. In fact, many of us are already thinking of reviving our old business of agricultural tools. At least they are mostly made-in-India, he added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal In the summer of 2002, High Country News intern Laura Paskus sat at her desk in Paonia, Colorado. Every day, from 400 miles north of the river, she watched the Rio Grande on her computer specifically, a stretch of it south of Albuquerque. Using the U.S. Geological Surveys real-time stream gauge, she tracked water levels. She saw the river drop below its Endangered Species Act-mandated level and called federal water managers, who told her the data must be wrong. Then, the stream gauge dropped below zero: The riverbed was dry. Paskus calls the resulting HCN story on drought and over-irrigation her first piece of serious journalism. Nearly two decades of writing and reporting later, Paskus still holds on to the image of a dry Rio Grande. I know that lots of reporters can move on from stories, she told HCN recently, but I just cant stop obsessing over the fact that the Rio Grande dries in the summer. Now a freelance journalist and reporter for New Mexico PBS, Paskus, 46, still writes about the river. She has become one of the Southwests foremost chroniclers of climate change and ecological collapse. Her years of dedicated reporting have culminated in a new book, At the Precipice: New Mexicos Changing Climate, out this month from University of New Mexico Press. The book gives an on-the-ground account of climate impacts on both human and non-human communities, as well as the states dependence on the energy industry. She spoke to HCN from her home in Albuquerque, discussing water shortages, the consequences of drilling on the Navajo Nation and her own feelings of climate grief. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. High Country News: Why is New Mexico at the precipice, as you put it, of climate change? Laura Paskus: For New Mexico, our water situation is the most concerning. Surface water supplies are heavily impacted by warming and weve spent 80, 100 years relentlessly pumping groundwater. Cities such as Albuquerque and Santa Fe have tried to diversify their water portfolios. They have a mix of Rio Grande water, imported Colorado River Basin water and groundwater. The Rio Grande is so low this year that Albuquerque has already had to switch to groundwater pumping and Santa Fe had to consider ceasing its diversions from the Rio Grande (groundwater pumping depletes aquifers). Because weve never treated our groundwater like a savings bank, were not going to have those supplies to rely on in the future. People in New Mexico want to be optimistic about the water situation. I think thats unrealistic. HCN: The book discusses energy development on the Navajo Nation. Can you describe the situation on the ground? LP: When you drive through the eastern Navajo Nation, you see the impacts of our choices for cheap gas and oil, and how peoples daily lives and their futures are affected. In the 2000s, after natural gas prices dropped, there was a push by the oil and gas industry to get the Bureau of Land Management to issue more (drilling) leases. And especially around 2013-14 (on the Navajo Nation), there was a ton of development, lots of wells drilled, a lot of flaring, a lot of big industrial facilities being built. You started seeing a ton of traffic, and the dirt roads that connect these communities and Chapter Houses were getting dug up by big trucks. There are definitely Navajo people who support the industry and who had leases, but I met a group of Navajo women who were pushing back against the industry especially against the Bureau of Land Management. The concerns they had were very on-the-ground: The roads would get so muddy in the spring that they were having a hard time getting out of or back to their homes. They were also worried about flaring. Then, at about the same time, NASA released a study showing a methane cloud over the Four Corners region. So, northwestern New Mexico became a really, really interesting place to pay attention to climate change, as well as the on-the-ground impacts of development and the choices that we make. We might not have known what we were doing at first, but we definitely do now. HCN: Whats the relationship between tribal consultation when it comes to oil and gas drilling, and subsequent climate impacts? LP: I think many people in federal agencies do their best, but tribal consultation, agency-wide and nationwide, is abysmal. And I think, in northwestern New Mexico, you have the Navajo Nation, Navajo chapters, Navajo families, the All Pueblo Council of Governors, individual Pueblo families, and they are all saying: This area around Chaco Canyon (a UNESCO World Heritage site near where the Interior Department wants to expand oil and gas extraction) is sacred to us. It has meaning. Please, not only protect it, but also allow us a say in what happens. And if you look at BLM decisions, they are not listening to the tribes. Tribal consultation in the United States has never honored the spirit of the law, and the laws themselves are too flimsy. HCN: How do your observations about New Mexicos climate crisis apply to the Southwest at large? LP: New Mexico is unique, of course politically, historically. But what we see here is true across the arid U.S. Southwest and northern Mexico. The Rio Grande and the Colorado River share similar problems; even when theres good, or normal, snowpack, runoff has dipped because of temperature increases. Across the region, we see conifer forests dying, farmlands puckered, cities with more extreme temperatures. And no matter where you look Las Cruces, New Mexico; Phoenix, Arizona; or Chihuahua City, Mexico people already facing challenges will be hit the hardest. Thats true whether youre a small farmer, someone in a Sunbelt city with an inadequate cooling system, or someone living where air quality is already poor and respiratory disease rates already high. HCN: In your book, you discuss climate grief. What irreversible changes to New Mexico ecosystems provoke this feeling for you? LP: Definitely the Rio Grande, and this big chunk of the Jemez Mountains that, after the Las Conchas Fire (a 2011 blaze, the largest in state history at the time), just could not recover. Before the fire, it was a dense conifer forest. But post-Las Conchas, about 30,000 acres are just open, weedy mountainscapes and, where there were conifers, you see locust, aspen and Gambel oak filling in. These are entirely different forests from 10 or 20 years ago. HCN: You write about the despair you feel for the planet and how that relates to personal forms of grief. The example you give is your fathers funeral. Can you talk about this connection? LP: For people like me, who are not religious, the outdoors is often the place to go when were sad or confused. When youre an environmental reporter and you learn not only whats happening to the climate, but also what weve let happen, there are times in my life when Ive been unable to feel that solace. I certainly dont know what to do with my grief and I think a lot of people dont. Theres this tendency to think about whats happening to the climate, or even your favorite places, in an abstract way. I was at a point in my career where I couldnt see it was abstract any more. Ive struggled my whole life with my relationship with my dad, and his funeral, as sad and overwhelming as it was, was a useful ceremony to travel through and allow me to think about our physical relationship with the world in a way that gave me some tools to think about my reporting on the environment. If its OK to mourn one person, its definitely OK to grieve for an entire ecosystem or mountain range or planet. Nick Bowlin is a contributing editor at High Country News. Email him at nickbowlin@hcn.org or submit a letter to the editor. This story was originally published by High county News on Sept. 16, 2020. Facebook has launched a new service designed to make it easier for college students to connect with others at their school. The service comes as colleges across the United States seek to find new ways to operate during the coronavirus health crisis. The move takes Facebook back to its very beginning. The social network launched in 2004 as a college-only network called TheFacebook. At the time, founder Mark Zuckerberg was a student at Harvard University. He built the website as a way for Harvard students to personally connect with each other. In a statement, the company says the new service has a similar purpose: to help students connect with fellow classmates over shared interests. The service, called Facebook Campus, is designed to make it easy to find and start conversations within college communities. Many social media users reacted to the new service by noting Facebooks early history. So basically @Facebook launched the original Facebook? Jolie Lindley wrote on Twitter. They didn't have to put too much worker power into that concept. Another Twitter user wrote, I thought the same thing. Facebook launched...Facebook? The launch comes as colleges and students across the U.S. are facing new educational realities created by the coronavirus crisis. With many schools deciding to hold most or all classes online, its more important than ever to find a way to stay connected to college life, Facebook said. The company said the service can help students form new relationships even if theyre away from their college. Where to find it Facebook Campus is a separate area of the main Facebook app that is designed for students only. Users can create a profile in Campus that is different from their main Facebook profile. To sign up, students are required to provide their college email and the year they will graduate. They can add additional details if desired, such as their area of study, classes and hometown. Campus permits students to discover groups and events happening only at their school. Profile information can also help users connect with other students with similar interests. Currently, Facebook Campus is available to students at 30 U.S. colleges and universities. The schools include California Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, Florida International University, Vassar College and many others. Facebook plans to add more in the future. How it works Like the main Facebook service, Campus has a News Feed that shows content published by other users and groups. The Campus news only includes material related to that users school. Facebook Campus also has a messaging system, called Campus Chats. It permits users to create chat rooms, based on personal interests or college groups they belong to. Privacy Facebook says when content is shared on Campus, only registered users of the same college community can see it. Unlike the main Facebook app, the company says Campus does not permit content published by groups to be seen by people off Facebook. And, information relating to groups and events on Campus is limited to only the users school. Users can choose to make a Campus group open for all others to find, or it can be made private, meaning the content can only be seen by members of the group. Like its main app, Facebook said in a statement about privacy that Campus can use a users activity to show more relevant content, including advertisements. Im Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from Facebook and content on Twitter. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. Quiz - Facebook Launches College-only Service as Way for Students to Connect Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story conversation n. a talk between two or more people, usually an informal one original adj. existing since the beginning concept n. an idea or principle app n. a program for a smartphone or other device that performs a special function profile n. a short description about a person content n. the information presented in different forms or media or on the internet chat n. a talk with someone in an informal way relevant adj. related or useful to what is happening or being talked about ...So said the famous playwright and political activist George Bernard Shaw. Alas, instead of being celebrated, older age is feared and looked down upon by many and ageism fuels this fear. Ageing is a natural process and begins the moment one is born. But ageism is not. The World Health Organisation defines ageism as "the stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination against people on the basis of their age." Subtle nuances of ageism abound in every nook and corner and lurk in our home, community, workplace, healthcare facilities, media... the list is endless. The culture of defining relationships on the basis of age is all pervasive in many societies, especially in South Asia. It is often wrongly assumed that older people do not need companionship. Intimacy, companionship and love are as important for the elderly as for the young. Yet in many countries, including India, these human needs are expected to dry up with advancing years, and any manifestation of them is looked down upon. Sexual health needs of the elderly are often on the blindspot. Even though sexuality is integral to human life, irrespective of age, in many societies there is a cultural taboo around the sexuality of older people. There seems to be a misconception that individuals become 'asexual' as they get older. The elderly are also absent from the discourses around sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). However, the reality is starkly different where the elderly not only face extreme acts of sexual and other forms of gender-based violence but also some get diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections like HIV as a result of barely any sexual healthcare services existing in a friendly manner for them. These and many other aspects of population ageing in the Asia Pacific region were in the spotlight at the seventh session of the ongoing 10th Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights (APCRSHR10 Virtual). This region faces a rapidly ageing population. As per 2019 estimates, 548 million (60%) of the worlds older population reside in the Asia-Pacific region, and 53% of them are women. Women in this region also outlive men by an average of at least 4 years. Currently, there are 90.8 men for every 100 women above 60 years, and 69.5 men for every 100 women over the age of 80. These demographic shifts have huge implications related to health, especially in the provision of SRHR related information and services without stigma and discrimination. Women's longer life expectancies result in a large proportion of older women living alone and throw many challenges as older women have lesser income security, and limited access to resources and opportunities, including healthcare, social protection and legal justice, says Sai Jyothirmai Racherla, Programme Director at the Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW). Despite their demographic significance, women considered older than reproductive age are excluded from most investments in global public health. Health providers seldom ask older women about their sexual activity and relationships, leading to older women being excluded from necessary HIV testing and care as well as support services for abuse, says Sai. Caitlin Littleton, Regional Programme Adviser at HelpAge International (Asia Pacific), echoes similar sentiments: "Throughout society, people make assumptions about older people which do not reflect reality. There are many false beliefs about sexuality among older adults, like older people do not want to have sex, or that older people should not have sex, or that older people do not have sex. These are largely external viewpoints - strongly reinforced by media and societal norms. All this results in prejudice and discrimination, and ignores individual experiences of ageing. Dismantling ageist views and discriminatory practices regarding sexual health are essential in achieving the right to health, women's rights, LGBTQI rights and older people's rights. In reality all adults, irrespective of their age, should be able to safely and fully express their sexuality". There are very few studies from Asia Pacific countries on the sexual practices of older people. Two studies were presented during the session - one by Dr Tey Nai Peng, Associate Professor at the University of Malaya on "Understanding the Sexual Behaviour of Older Men and Women in Malaysia", and another by Professor Xiaoming Sun from School of Sociology and Population Sciences, Nanjing University, China, on "Unmet needs of sexual and reproductive health among women aged 50-64 in rural China". The Malaysian study was done on currently married persons aged 60 years and above. Findings of the study, as shared by Dr Peng, clearly indicate that sexuality is a lifelong need and sexual activity remains an important aspect of life among older men and women. Education, healthcare, cultural practices, social media and the family have important roles in sustaining a happy and healthy sexual life in old age. Hence sexual and reproductive health services for older people should be an integral component of the National Healthcare Policy. The Chinese study was a population-based survey of rural women aged 50-64 years in 7 provinces of China to assess their sexual and reproductive health status, access to health services and unmet sexual and reproductive health needs. Professor Xiaoming Sun informed that as the Chinese family planning programme was initiated to decrease the fertility rate, it focussed on preventing unwanted pregnancies rather than on womens overall sexual and reproductive health issues. The programme only provides free contraceptive services to married women aged 15 to 49 years. After reaching the age of 50 years, Chinese women are no longer eligible for free sexual and reproductive health services. Little is known about their sexual and reproductive health demands, unmet contraceptive needs and menopause-related problems. The survey results showed that a large number of women of this age group in rural China lack quality sexual and reproductive health services, especially the long acting IUD (intrauterine device) removal for post menopausal women. The main reason for this as cited by Prof Sun is that family planning programmes focus only on young women. "After one child's delivery they encourage them to have an IUD insertion. So IUD insertion becomes their major task rather than its removal later on for the middle aged women. Lack of awareness in women about correct IUD removal time, coupled with a lack of sexual and reproductive health services, results in prolonged retention of IUD. It should be the responsibility of the healthcare providers to tell the women when they should have the IUD removed, otherwise they may face a lot of side effects", he said. However the good news is, that based on the above research results, the National Family Planning Association of China and the government have started implementing a comprehensive reproductive health service programme for middle-age women since 2019, that covers sexual and reproductive health services, particularly safe IUD removal, for women aged 50-64, which is now included in the existing primary health care services free of charge in rural areas. Some other sparks of hope were also shared at the session. Rongo File, Executive Director, and Polly Cabia, programme coordinator of Cook Islands Family Welfare Association, shared that "We provide sexual and reproductive health as well as other services (like for care and control of non-communicable diseases) to men and women who are 65 years or older. These include services like pap smear tests, breast cancer check ups for women aged 65 years and above, and testing for STIs in older men and women. Our oldest client taking STIs and HIV test was 67 years and for pap smear test 72 years old. A menopause clinic for our female clients is also being planned." Dr Susan Fan from Family Planning Association of Hong Kong shared that Hong Kong's first designated Menopause Clinic for healthy women going through perimenopause and menopause was launched in 1997. They are offered oestrogen cream and jelly for lubrication to relieve painful sex. They are also offered short term hormone replacement therapy to tide over severe menopausal symptoms like hot flushes. They are also screened for osteoporosis. Another feather in the cap of older people is that Ageing Nepal, an NGO working for the rights and welfare of the elderly was recently awarded UNESCO's prestigious King Sejong Literacy Prize for 2020, for its national programme "Basic Literacy for Older Adults". The programme has been running basic literacy classes for senior citizens of Nepal since 2016, said Krishna Murari Gautam, founding Chairman of Ageing Nepal. Gautam calls for "Not Leaving Older Adults Behind in the process of achieving SDGs". He firmly believes that, The elderly do not need charity but an enabling environment. The focus should be on their health, education and training for digital literacy. Older people need to speak out. They should have their own radio programmes, literature, and daily newspapers. They must use the media to highlight their problems and issues and reach out to as many people as possible." The longevity revolution needs to be optimized through a life cycle approach to deal with ageing. It begins with adolescence, moves on to reproductive age and then continues into old age throughout the lifecycle of a person. It is not just about healthcare and wellbeing of people but also about the continuum of care - be it preventive care, palliative care or chronic disease treatment. Health systems have to be equipped to deal with this age-inclusive approach in an integrated manner. On their part, the elderly need to challenge, overcome and denormalise ageism and help find solutions rather than succumb to stereotypes. Remember that age is just a number. We only have one-shot at life! Age gracefully! Boycott ageism! Shobha Shukla CNS (Citizen News Service) (Shobha Shukla is the founding Managing Editor of CNS (Citizen News Service) and is a feminist, health and development justice advocate. She is a former senior Physics faculty of Loreto Convent College and current Coordinator of Asia Pacific Media Network to end TB & tobacco and prevent NCDs (APCAT Media). Follow her on Twitter @shobha1shukla or read her writings here www.bit.ly/ShobhaShukla) VANCOUVER Migrant workers and advocates called for a just recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic during a digital rally on Saturday. The pandemic has shown how heavily Canada relies on migrant and undocumented workers to perform essential jobs, said Chit Arma, who chairs the Migrant Workers Centres board of directors in Vancouver. The pandemic has also exposed the extent to which these essential workers do not enjoy essential rights, and the long-standing systemic problems with the temporary foreign work program that puts workers in an extremely precarious position, she said during the video conference. The rally is part of the Amnesty for Undocumented Workers Campaign led by the Migrant Workers Centre. The campaign calls the federal government to create a new permanent residency program for all essential migrant and undocumented workers, and to allow the workers to apply for an openwork permit while waiting for their applications to process. No one at the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada could immediately be reached for comment. On July 31, the federal government announced $58.6 million in funding that it said would boost protections for temporary foreign workers and address COVID-19 outbreaks on farms. Of that, $35 million was earmarked to improve health and safety on farms and in employee living quarters to prevent the spread of COVID-19. About $7.4 million would support the workers, including $6 million for direct outreach delivered through migrant support organizations, the government said. The government also said it was working to develop mandatory requirements to improve living conditions in employer-provided accommodations. In August, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino announced a temporary measure to provide a pathway to permanent residency for asylum claimants working in health-care during the pandemic. Under the measure, the front-line workers would be able to apply for permanent residency if they met certain criteria, including having made a an asylum claim before March 13 and having been issued a work permit after their claim. This approach recognizes those with precarious immigration status who are filling an urgent need and putting their own lives at risk to care for others in Canada, the government said in a news release. Natalie Drolet, executive director of the Migrant Workers Centre, said the measure excludes other front-line workers like grocery store clerks, truckers and care workers. While this is a positive step, it leaves too many migrant workers and undocumented workers behind who have also been on the front lines in the pandemic, Drolet said. Migrants and undocumented workers play key roles as health-care workers, grocery store clerks, cleaners, care workers, truckers and agricultural workers, Arma said. More than 1,300 migrant workers in Ontario alone have been infected with COVID-19 she said. Three have died, including one undocumented worker, she said. Arma came to Canada in 2005 to work as a caregiver. Her temporary status in Canada gave her stress and anxiety, she said. I had papers, I had documents, and yet I had that fear of being removed, a fear of speaking up because I might be deported, she said. I can imagine how undocumented workers are experiencing even worse because of the lack of documents they have. Maria Cano arrived to work as a caregiver in 2017 through the temporary foreign worker program. She said the experience showed how disempowering the experience could be, even before the pandemic struck. Cano worked for four different families and moved to three different cities in her first few years. They expected to work long hours without compensation, she said. When I spoke up, I lost my job, she said. That entire process was very stressful and financially draining. She finally found a nice Canadian family who treated her with respect and sponsored her but said others shouldnt hope for the same luck, they should be protected with recognized rights instead. The COVID-19 pandemic makes it more difficult and stressful for all the undocumented and migrant workers in Canada, she said. Beginning Dec. 15, the B.C. government will require employers wishing to high foreign workers through federal programs to register with the province. The government said in a news release Saturday that the measures would ensure the workers are paid for the hours they work, have accurate job descriptions and ensure their rights and safety are protected on the job. Read more about: Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 17:46:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Xinhua writer Liu Yanan NEW YORK, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai is expected to play an increasingly important role as a financial center thanks to China's commitment to and efforts in the continuous reform and opening up, experts have said. According to the yearly Global Financial Centers Index reports by Z/Yen, a commercial think-tank in London, Shanghai has become the fourth most competitive financial center in the world following New York, London and Tokyo in early 2020. It ranked the 24th in 2013. Aiming to become both an international financial center and an international shipping center by 2020, Shanghai's ranking as a financial center moved up significantly. FINANCIAL CENTER IN ASIA Shanghai has a lot of potential to be a major international financial center for similar reasons why New York is, said Richard Sylla, chairman of the Museum of American Finance in a recent interview with Xinhua. The economic foundation there for a financial center is very large, said Sylla, who is also professor emeritus of economics at the Leonard N. Stern School of Business of New York University. "China's economy is very big. So Shanghai will become a major financial center. It just seems like Shanghai is bound to become a financial center," said Sylla, who specializes in the history of financial institutions and markets. Kevin Chen, chief economist of Horizon Financial, has made an even bolder assertion that Shanghai could be the most important financial center in Asia in addition to its status as a financial center in China. Shanghai should have a parallel role with New York and London in terms of global trading of financial products, asset allocation, investment banking, insurance and other business, Chen told Xinhua recently. "I think this is beyond doubt," he said. Shanghai will continue to be a very important fund-raising center to support the growth of Chinese companies and it is also pivotal to the institutionalization and globalization of China's capital market, said Eugene Qian, chairman of UBS Securities Co., Ltd. on Friday. "We continue to see international financial institutions, such as asset managers, banks and insurance companies, invest in China, and a large number of those are headquartered in Shanghai. Undoubtedly, Shanghai is an important gateway to China for global investors," Qian told Xinhua. "I assume that it would play a larger and larger role because of the Chinese economy's importance to the Pacific region and the world economy," said Sylla. Shanghai has made very fast progress in building itself into a financial center and the successful launch of crude oil futures by Shanghai International Energy Exchange serves as a landmark, said Chen. With balanced price levels and big trading volumes, Shanghai crude oil futures have become the third most important benchmark in the world following New York crude oil futures and Brent crude oil futures, according to Chen. The last ten years can be seen as the golden decade of reform and opening up for China's financial market, in which Shanghai has played a key role, said Qian. EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES China's further liberalization of the financial market is attracting big-name international financial firms from both Europe and the United States, with Shanghai as a magnet. J.P. Morgan Securities (China) Co. Ltd. was formally opened for business in March and J.P. Morgan now is working to acquire more shares in the joint venture. The world's largest hedge fund Bridgewater Associates also set up an investment management unit in Shanghai with U.S. asset management firm Vanguard recently announcing the relocation of regional headquarters to Shanghai. Now, the Wall Street firms are looking for long term opportunities and that is why they are very heavily invested in China, said Chen. Qian sees the launch of Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) STAR Market (Science and Technology Innovation Board), which adopts the IPO registration system, as a good example of institutionalization and globalization of China's capital market. The expansion of Wall Street firms in China results from China's early recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, growth potential of bond and stocks market, and its opening up policies, according to Qian. "Coupled with the opening up policies in recent years, the trend for foreign financial companies coming to China is expected to continue," said Qian. UBS AG, which is bullish about Chinese market potential on asset management and securities in the coming years, acquired two minority stakes of joint venture UBS Securities Co., Ltd. at the end of 2018 and raised its shareholding to 51 percent in the company. Chen said China represents one of the best investment opportunities in the world and investors are still "very, very excited about opportunities in China." The American and Chinese businessmen get along pretty well and bilateral cooperation is mutually beneficial, according to Sylla. As further reforms progress, Shanghai's A-share market including the SSE STAR Market will become a popular listing venue for the secondary listing of China's American depositary receipts (ADRs), according to Qian. Enditem Press Release September 19, 2020 FEEDING PROGRAM FOR SCHOOL KIDS GETS BOOST WITH P6B FUND IN 2021 -- POE Sen. Grace Poe said the school-based feeding program should reach every student beneficiary with guaranteed funding under the 2021 national budget. "In the midst of the pandemic, no child should worry about when his next meal will be," said Poe, who in 2018 championed the passage of the Republic Act 11037 or the "Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act," which aims to combat hunger and undernutrition among Filipino children. The program was appropriated with P5.97-billion budget for next year lodged under the Department Education (DepEd). The proposed funding is currently being deliberated in Congress. Poe also welcomed the modification in the implementation of the school feeding law in the light of COVID-19 that prohibited face-to-face learning in schools. The distribution of hot meals to students will instead be replaced by ration of nutritious food products which the DepEd said would be delivered to households or picked up by parents in schools. The target beneficiaries will also now cover all incoming kindergarten learners and the Grade 1 to 6 students who were wasted and severely wasted based on the 2019-2020 School-Based Feeding Program report, except those who have moved to Grade 7. "Good nutrition is unquestionably linked to a child's growth and development. Nutritional intervention at a very early stage will give our children greater fighting chance to survive life-threatening diseases and enhance their physical, intellectual, social, emotional and moral development," Poe said. "The way we feed our children today will dictate the nation we have tomorrow," she added. The World Bank's Human Capital Index (HCI) 2020 report showed the Philippines' record falling to 0.52 in 2020 from 0.55 in 2018. The country's HCI score means that "children born in the country today will fail to achieve almost half their potential," the report said. The index, which measures the human capital potential of children today, ranges from 0 to 1, with scores closer to 1 indicating better human capital status. Despite the slight decline in its HCI, the World Bank noted the Philippines is among the countries with marked improvements over the last decade, along with Singapore, Morocco and Ghana. Poe said the budget deliberation on the school feeding program is a timely intervention to improve the country's HCI. "We cannot change our ranking overnight but consistent implementation of our feeding program makes great strides toward eliminating threats to our children's health," she said. The national feeding program is being complemented by a public health nutrition and values transformation campaign to promote a holistic and integrated approach to health and nutrition education. The Joint Health Sector Unions and Assembly of Healthcare Professionals (JOHESU) has suspended its seven-day-old warning strike. JOHESU made the decision following a meeting of the unions National Executive Council (NEC)) which was held on Sunday, it said in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES. The statement was signed by JOHESUs national chairman, Biobelemoye Josiah. The union said it decided to suspend the strike, not because its demands have been resolved by the government but to sustain the running of Nigerias public health systems. JOHESU, the group of other health workers except for doctors, had embarked on a seven-day warning strike last Monday following the inability of the government to meet its demands which included nonpayment of hazard allowances. The union had in July threatened to down tools over what it described as gross discrimination against its members in the implementation of the newly-approved inducement and hazard allowances for medical workers. The association is also protesting the alleged withheld salaries of its members. After a meeting with the government last Thursday to resolve the issues yielded no positive result, the union said it was left with no other option but to go on strike especially since the 15-day ultimatum it gave had elapsed. The one-week industrial action partially affected tertiary institutions across the country that were struggling to keep up with the containment of the COVID-19 virus as well as cater to other patients in critical conditions. This is to bring to your notice the seven-day warning strike would come to an end by midnight of Sunday, 20th September 2020, the statement read. By this notice, all health workers under the five unions that make up JOHESU shall return to work on Monday, 21st of September 2020. However, since the federal government has continued to exhibit high level of bias/discrimination by refusing to address the demands of our members as presented by JOHESU within the seven days of the warning strike as was done to other bodies in the health sector, the next line of action would be decided in due course by the expanded NEC. ALSO READ: It is pertinent to also inform the general public that rather than call JOHESU for dialogue to resolve the trade dispute, the federal government has resorted to intimidation and blackmail of JOHESU leaders using all forms of instruments and faceless groups. Nigerians should bear us witness that JOHESU has shown high patriotism by demanding that public health systems in the country is sustained and adequately financed for effective and efficient service delivery. It was her episode of Who Do You Think You Are? that led Noni Hazlehurst to hosting Every Family Has a Secret for SBS. Revelations about her own family tree, and home truths her own mother had not shared, still resonate for the industry doyen. But the other genealogy series has one very big difference, in not casting celebrities. Because theyre not well known, I think its easier for an audience to relate, to empathise and to really go on the journey with the subjects, she explains. These are high stakes outcomes for these people. To me, its what reality television should be, because its actual reality for these people. Its not exploitative, or manipulative of the subject or of the audience. I think thats one of the reasons it stands apart and it encourages connection and empathy between human beings. We think, How would I feel in this situation?' Every Family Has a Secret, now in its second season, is produced by WA-based Artemis Media, which previously made Who Do You Think You Are? Each episode profiles two Australians who trace their family tree to answer long-held questions, or even missing jigsaw pieces, of their family. Hazlehurst meets each subject at the beginning of their journey. My involvement is not huge. Im there for the initial interview, and to help them settle in and feel at ease, so they can just talk to me and not worry about the crew, albeit a small crew, she continues. I have a pretty good idea of what they may discover I have a pretty good idea of what they may discover when I initially meet them and talk to them. I have a list of questions that are given to me that they want to hit points with. But I also just let the conversation take its own form. They bring their photographs and relevant documents that theyve already got. In the first episode this week Ellis Treleavens real identity has been kept from her for more than half a century. She travels through Europe, tracing her Dutch Jewish mothers path through the Holocaust, to uncover the shocking secrets surrounding her own birth in a Nazi concentration camp and the true identity of her father. Then nurse Marie OConnor travels to Italy, searching for the truth about her Italian father and the heartbreaking circumstances of her baby brothers death. In some cases the results are literally life-changing, but Hazlehurst assures the duty of care is uppermost in everybodys mind. Its often a disturbing outcome Absolutely. Thats part of the follow through too -to make sure that people are okay, because its not always a happy ending. Its often a disturbing outcome so its incredibly important that peoples welfare is looked after, she insists. Thats one of the reasons why we stay in touch, because they do become friends. When you open up to people and allow yourself to be vulnerable, you discover that you have far more in common than what may appear. We all have a story to tell We all have a story to tell, and we all have secrets, and we all have things that were vulnerable about. But if you share them, it can really bond you together. US-based genealogy company Ancestry is also a sponsor of the show, and is embedded in the episode with spokesperson Brad Argent making appearances to pass on DNA information. Theyve been an amazing tool to help us and I think the more people who do DNA tests, the more chance people have of linking up with family members, which can often be a source of great joy and fulfilment. Im really enthusiastic about the technology because 20 years ago, you couldnt have done it. Other episodes centre around a teacher who investigates clues around his mothers disappearance and suspected murder in Melbourne; a businesswoman who digs into her mothers glamorous past as an actress & wife to a Hollywood movie mogul; a search for the truth about a mother who was a sex worker; and a man who delves into the murky world of espionage to discover whether his father was a Soviet spy. As Hazlehurst learned from filming her own story in Who Do You Think You Are? secrets uncovered can bring context to family choices, sometimes in the most difficult of circumstances. I just hope it encourages people to open up and not worry about the potential judgment, she reflects. People make the best decisions they feel they can Who are we to judge anybody? People make the best decisions they feel they can in the circumstances that theyre in. Forgiveness is easy, when you understand where theyre coming from, in most cases. It doesnt necessarily bring closure to a subject, but a sense of belonging and understanding, which heals a hole in your heart. Every Family Has a Secret airs 7:30pm Tuesday on SBS. Police have issued 47 Covid-19 notices and nine prohibition notices over the last two nights in the Holyland area of Belfast. A 16-year-old male was also arrested for possession of Class B drugs with intent to supply during the same period. The PSNI have said the ongoing operation is aimed at anti-social and criminal activity in the South Belfast neighbourhood. An additional 24 Covid-19 notices and four prohibition notices were issued over Friday and Saturday night in the Stranmillis area. It comes as scores of university students arrive in Belfast ahead of the new academic year. There was widespread condemnation last week of large crowds in the Holyland area amid tighter coronavirus restrictions in Belfast which discourage the mixing of households and gatherings of more than six people in a bid to slow the spread of Covid-19. There are fixed-penalty notices of 60, which are reduced to 30 if paid within 14 days, for breaking coronavirus regulations. The penalty can be doubled each time a subsequent offence is detected, and if court proceedings are taken the fine available on summary conviction is up to 5,000. Chief Inspector Gavin Kirkpatrick said the policing operation will continue over the coming days. It is disappointing and frustrating that once again we need to remind people of the importance of following the clear and specific advice, guidance and warnings issued by ourselves, the health minister, universities and others, he said. Our robust policing operation will continue over the coming days with our partner agencies, including representatives from Belfast City Council and both universities. If you have moved to the Holyland area or are visiting the area, you must adhere to the health protection regulations to protect yourselves and others from Covid-19. An alligator inhaling helium is the kind of stunt one might expect to hear about at some niche Las Vegas attraction, quickly followed by a raid from animal welfare authorities. In fact, such an experiment was created by scientists who have just won an international prize honouring research that makes academics both think and laugh. Cognitive zoologist Stephan Reber led a team which gave the animal the gas harmless, it should be said in a bid to understand how crocodilians communicate. Specifically, the group were attempting to prove a theory that reptiles signal their size to others through different vocal noises, just as mammals and birds do. By giving the alligator the helium mixed with oxygen, they could analyse the different sound frequency of its bellows. Now, the research has been awarded an Ig Nobel Prize, a series of annual awards handed out to serious but somehow comedic scientific investigations. Ten of the gongs were given out on Thursday by the science humour magazine Annals of Improbable Research, which created the accolades 30 years ago to draw attention to research which, while tackling genuine real-world problems, has a quirky aspect. Other 2020 winners included a team that devised a method to identify narcissists by examining their eyebrow and a group who created knives from frozen faeces. Dr Reber himself a Swiss who is based at Lund University in Sweden said he was honoured to receive the Ig. "The resonances in your vocal tract sound lower overall if you're larger because it's a larger space in which the air can vibrate, he told the BBC. We didn't know if reptiles actually had resonances. Frogs, amphibians, don't for example. So we needed a proof of concept that crocodilians actually have resonances. The Ig Nobels are normally celebrated in a ceremony at Harvard University in the US, with winners handed their gongs by real Nobel Prize winners but this years event was held online due to the coronavirus crisis. Joe Biden is accused of hypocrisy after a 2016 op-ed emerged in which he slammed Republicans for holding up a Supreme Court appointment, stating that it is the 'constitutional duty' of a president to nominate if a vacancy becomes available. He made the comments in a March 2016 op-ed with the New York Times, in which he added that he was 'surprised and saddened' to hear Republican senators say they would not longer accept a nomination because it was an election year. His words resurfaced this week after he blasted President Donald Trump for moving to nominate a candidate to fill the vacancy left by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday. Biden claimed that the nomination should wait until after the election in 44 days. Trump hit back at Biden Saturday night, calling on the former Vice President to release his own list of potential Supreme Court picks and accusing him of being afraid to alienate voters by releasing the names ahead of November 3. Scroll down for video Joe Biden slammed Republicans in 2016 for holding up a Supreme Court appointment stating that it is the 'constitutional duty' of a president to nominate if a vacancy becomes available Biden said Friday the nomination should wait until after the election Joe Biden in 2016: "I would go forward with a confirmation process as chairman, *even a few months before a presidential election,* if the nominee were chosen with the advice, and not merely the consent, of the Senate, just as the Constitution requires.pic.twitter.com/eAdrDigc8S Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) September 19, 2020 On Friday, shortly after Ginsburg's death as the political battle about her replacement began, Biden tweeted his opposition to Trump attempting to push through a nominee in the next 40-plus days. 'Let me be clear: The voters should pick a President, and that President should select a successor to Justice Ginsburg,' he wrote. Yet on numerous occasions in 2016, he hit out at Republicans for saying the same. 'The president has the constitutional duty to nominate; the Senate has the constitutional obligation to provide advice and consent,' he wrote in the Time op-ed on the subject. 'It is written plainly in the Constitution that both presidents and senators swear an oath to uphold and defend.' 'Thats why I was so surprised and saddened to see Republican leaders tell President Obama and me that they would not even consider a Supreme Court nominee this year,' he added. 'No meetings. No hearings. No votes. Nothing. It is an unprecedented act of obstruction. And it risks a stain on the legacy of all those complicit in carrying out this plan.' At the time, Republican senators had refused to move forward with the vetting process for Obama's nomination to replace Justice Antonin Scalia. His death on February 13, 2016, opened up a vacancy to which Obama nominated Merrick Garland. President Trump has called on Biden to release his own list of potential nominees Merrick Garland was nominated by Obama but Republicans delayed his confirmation Trump's pick Neil Gorsuch was appointed to the court after Republicans held up the confirmation of Obama's choice ahead of the election in 2016 Garland was never confirmed and Trump's pick Neil Gorsuch was appointed to the court. Biden has previously said that if a vacancy opens before summer in an election year, he believes the president has the green light to pick nominees. In the last few weeks before voters head to the polls, however, he thinks they should be held off. This has often been called the 'Biden Rule' after the then-Senator made a 1992 speech encouraging a Supreme Court vacancy to be pushed post-election. After rumors surfaced in mid-June that a Justice was soon to retire, Biden claimed it 'would create immense political acrimony' to nominate too close to the election. 'So I called on the president to wait until after the election to submit a nomination if a sitting justice were to create a vacancy by retiring before November,' he wrote. 'And if the president declined to do that, I recommended that the Judiciary Committee not hold hearings until after the political campaign season is over. 'I know there is an argument that no nominee should be voted on in the last year of a presidency. But there is nothing in the Constitution or our history to support this view,' Biden continued. Biden has said he does not want to release his list of potential Supreme Court nominees yet until they are properly vetted but that he will nominate an African American woman 'Justice Anthony M. Kennedy was confirmed in the last year of Ronald Reagans second term. I know. I was chairman of the Judiciary Committee at the time. 'And we promptly gave him a hearing, a vote in committee and a full vote on the floor.' In another 2016 speech broadcast by PBS, Biden made his position on moving forward with a nomination in an election year clear. 'I would go forward with a confirmation process as chairman, even a few months before a presidential election, if the nominee were chosen with the advice, and not merely the consent, of the Senate, just as the Constitution requires,' he said. 'My consistent advice to president's of both parties, including this president [Obama] has been that we should engage fully in the constitutional process of advice and consent. 'And my consistent understanding of the constitution has been, the Senate must do so as well. Period. They have an obligation to do so.' Despite Biden and Democrats arguments, Trump claimed at a rally in North Carolina on Saturday night that there was still enough time to effectively vet a nominee in the 44 days left before the election. He also slammed Biden for refusing to release his own list of potential nominees, claiming that the former Vice President did not want to run the risk of losing far-left voters if his list was too moderate and vice versa. Trump claimed that if Biden released a list of names too moderate, he would lose 'the entire East Coast' and lose the election. Earlier on Saturday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told Fox News that Biden needed to release his list to help voters to make up their minds. 'The former vice president, in all due respect, instead of telling the current president what to do, he needs to tell voters where he stands,' McEnany said. 'We don't know who is on his Supreme Court list. We don't know what kind of justices he would nominate. 'We know very squarely this president's been very transparent putting forward two lists as to exactly not just what his justices would look like but what their names would be,' McEnany said of Trump's picks. 'This is paramount importance to the American voters,' she added. The death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday has sparked another Trump v Biden battle pre-election 'This is now a lynchpin issue of this election and Joe Biden, you know, where do you stand? What do your justices look like? Do they believe in the Constitution and abide by the Constitution. Do they believe in the plain words a statute? He needs to answer those questions before telling President Trump exactly how to move forward.' Biden has said he does not want to release any names until they've been properly vetted but he will chose an African American woman. Ginsburg's death seemed certain to stoke enthusiasm in both political parties as the election could now be viewed as referendum on the high court's decisions, including the future of abortion rights. Democrats raised more than $71 million in the hours after Ginsburg's death, indicating her passing has already galvanized the party's base. Typically, it takes several months to vet and hold hearings on a Supreme Court nominee, and time is short before November. Key senators may be reluctant to cast votes so close to the election, even if Trump nominates. With a slim GOP majority, 53 seats in the 100-member chamber, Trump's choice could afford to lose only a few. Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, who sets the calendar in the Senate and has made judicial appointments his priority, declared unequivocally in a statement that Trump's nominee would receive a confirmation vote. In 2016, McConnell refused to consider President Barack Obamas nominee months before the election, eventually preventing a vote on Judge Merrick Garland. McConnell did not specify the timing if a Trump nomination is made next week. But trying for confirmation in a lame-duck session after the November 3 election, if Trump had lost to Biden or Republicans had lost the Senate, would carry further political complications. Democrats immediately denounced McConnell's move as hypocritical, pointing out that he refused to call hearings for Garland 237 days before the 2016 election. The 2020 election is 44 days away. The average number of days to confirm a justice, according to the Congressional Research Service, is 69, which would be after the election. But some Republicans quickly noted that Ginsburg was confirmed in just 42 days. Obama waited more than a month to nominate Garland after Justice Antonin Scalia died in February 2016. Four GOP defections could defeat a nomination, while a tie vote could be broken by Vice President Mike Pence. The next pick could shape important decisions beyond abortion rights, including any legal challenges that may stem from the 2020 election. In the interim, if the court were to take cases with eight justices, 4-4 ties would revert the decision to a lower court; for instance, the Affordable Care Act could then be struck down by a lower Texas court. Dr Yaw Baah, Secretary General, Trades Union Congress (TUC) Ghana, has reiterated the unions calls on government to rectify the unfairness and discrimination in the implementation of the three-tier pension scheme and adjust upwards, the low lump-sum benefits of pensioners. The TUC said pensioners were being shortchanged in terms of the lump-sum benefits they received, adding that the situation, including the miscomputation of Past Credit by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), was worrying and would not be allowed to continue. He indicated that workers who retired from January 2020 were worse-off as they were receiving lump sums benefits way lower than what they would have received from SSNIT had they retired under PNDC Law 247 which required SSNIT to pay 25 per cent lump sum to contributors. Dr Yaw Baah who was speaking at a regional forum on pensions in Tema, called on government to engage stakeholders to address the anomaly and make the pensions scheme more sustainable. The forum, organised by the TUC in partnership with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, sought to, among other objectives, sensitize members on pension reforms in Ghana, overview and implementation of Act 766, which introduced the three-tier pension scheme. He said there had been a series of attempts, albeit unsuccessful, to get government to convene a stakeholders meeting to address the concerns and related issues of pensioners. Dr Baah added that there was some apparent discrimination in the payment of pensions which ought to be adequately addressed, explaining that the reforms that led to the current pension scheme was not being implemented appropriately to address the concerns of workers and pensioners. He, therefore, called on government to as a matter of urgency convene a stakeholders dialogue to further discuss ways of addressing the unfair, unjust and discriminatory treatment being meted out to pensioners and ultimately strengthen the pension scheme. Mr Reynolds Ofosu Tenkorange, General Secretary, Health Services Workers Union of the TUC, advised Ghanaian workers to prepare adequately towards pension and reap the benefits thereof. He reiterated the need for government to organize a stakeholder forum to address the challenges workers were confronted with, particularly to ensure that pensioners got what was suitably due them. 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 Beta could bring up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain to some areas of Texas and Louisiana over the next several days Tropical Storm Beta trudged toward the coasts of Texas and Louisiana on Sunday, threatening to bring more rain, wind and stress to a part of the country that has already been drenched and battered during this years unusually busy hurricane season. While Beta could bring up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain to some areas of Texas and Louisiana over the next several days, it was no longer expected to reach hurricane intensity, the National Weather Service said Sunday. Beta was set to make landfall along Texas central or upper Gulf Coast late Monday or early Tuesday, with rainfall as its biggest threat. It was then expected to move northeastward along the coast and head into Louisiana sometime mid-week. Flood waters fill the parking lot near Virginias On the Bay in Port Aransas, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020. Forecasters say Tropical Storm Beta is slowly churning through the Gulf of Mexico toward Texas and Louisiana, stirring worries that it could bring heavy rain, flooding and storm surge to a storm-weary stretch of the Gulf Coast. (Courtney Sacco/Corpus Christi Caller-Times via AP) Forecasters said Beta was not expected to bring the same amount of rainfall that Texas experienced during either Hurricane Harvey in 2017 or Tropical Storm Imelda last year. Harvey dumped more than 50 inches (127 centimeters) of rain on Houston and caused $125 billion in damage in Texas. Imelda, which hit Southeast Texas, was one of the wettest cyclones on record. The first rain bands from Beta reached the Texas coast on Sunday, but the heaviest rain wasnt expected to arrive until Monday into Tuesday. In low-lying Galveston, which has seen more than its share of tropical weather over the years, officials didnt expect to issue a mandatory evacuation order but they advised people to have supplies ready in case they have to stay home for several days if roads are flooded. The coastal city about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Houston could get up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain. Read More: Hurricane Laura destroys Confederate monument after officials vote to keep it Were not incredibly worried, Galveston resident Nancy Kitcheo said Sunday. Kitcheo, 49, and her family had evacuated last month when forecasts suggested Hurricane Laura could make landfall near Galveston, but theyre planning to buy supplies and wait out Beta. Laura ended up making landfall in neighboring Louisiana. Story continues Kitcheo, whose home is 18 feet above the ground on stilts, said she expected her street to be impassable as water from rising tides was already flooding neighboring roadways on Sunday. This has definitely been more stressful, this hurricane season, she said. Galveston, which has about 50,000 residents, was the site of the deadliest hurricane in U.S. history, a 1900 storm that killed an estimated 6,000 people. The city was also hit hard in 2008 by Hurricane Ike, which caused about $30 billion in damage. Kitcheos previous home was heavily damaged during Ike and had to be torn down. Beta was churning slowly through the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday morning about 140 miles (225 kilometers) southeast of Galveston, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph) and was moving west-northwest at 5 mph (8 kph). In Victoria County, about 120 miles southwest of Houston, officials asked residents to prepare for up to 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 centimeters) of rain. Cool view of Tropical Storm Beta this morning. Swirly and sparky. pic.twitter.com/mh4ezq3AUs Dakota Smith (@weatherdak) September 19, 2020 As with any event, panic is never helpful or necessary, but preparation is, and now is the time to finalize those plans, said County Judge Ben Zeller, the top elected official in Victoria County. Beta is forecast to dump heavy rain on the southwestern corner of Louisiana three weeks after the same area got pounded by Hurricane Laura. More than 41,000 homes and businesses remain without electricity, and Beta could add to that figure by toppling trees that were left leaning by the previous storm, said meteorologist Donald Jones of the National Weather Service office in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Storm debris from Laura clogging draining ditches in hard-hit areas such as Lake Charles could increase the threat of flooding. Beta was one of three named storms whirling in the Atlantic basin during an exceptionally busy hurricane season. If the system makes landfall in Texas, it would be the ninth named storm to make landfall in the continental U.S. in 2020. That would tie a record set in 1916, according to Colorado State hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. Forecasters ran out of traditional storm names on Friday, forcing the use of the Greek alphabet for only the second time since the 1950s. Read More: Trump postpones New Hampshire rally over tropical storm A stretch of the Gulf Coast from Port Aransas, Texas, about 165 miles (265 kilometers) southwest of Galveston, to Morgan City, Louisiana, 80 miles (128 kilometers) west of New Orleans, was under a tropical storm warning Sunday. Meanwhile, Teddy remained a powerful hurricane on Sunday, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph) and moving northwest at 9 mph (14 kph). Teddy was centered 270 miles (435 kilometers) south-southeast of Bermuda less than a week after Hurricane Paulette made landfall in the wealthy British territory. A tropical storm warning was in effect for Bermuda. Tropical Storm Wilfred was still at sea but was expected to dissipate by Tuesday. Parts of the Alabama coast and Florida Panhandle were still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Sally, which roared ashore on Wednesday. At least two deaths were blamed on the system. Associated Press reporters Kelli Kennedy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, contributed to this report. Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now! The post Tropical Storm Beta churns slowly toward Texas and Louisiana appeared first on TheGrio. For the sixth week in a row, large-scale, peaceful protests against the rule of Alyaksandr Lukashenka are taking place in Minsk. Security forces cordoned off many strategic facilities in advance, blocked the central parts of the capital, and began preventive detentions. By late afternoon, police had detained more than 30 protesters around the country, Belarusian rights organization Vyasna reported. Belarus has been rocked by mass protests ever since August 9, when Lukashenka was declared the winner of a presidential vote that was deemed to be rigged in his favor. Police have arrested almost 12,000 since the protests began, according to Vyasna, and tortured hundreds, sparking outrage in the West. Chinese and Australian journalists at centre of another diplomatic hotspot Australian mainstream media continues its plunge into ever-deeper ideological distortion in service of imperialist interests. The new accusations against China, of supposed harassment of Australian journalists, are a complete fabrication and complete inversion of the truth. But it is only complete inversion of truth which could justify the present course of Australian foreign policy. Mainstream media accounts have presented a colourful picture of Australian journalists fleeing China in fear, some outlets even stooping to such ridiculous hyperbole as comparing them to refugees. This takes the right-wing medias cynical reappropriation of the language of left-wing concerns to new heights of nonsense. But the environment of public discourse has fast soured to an extent that such nonsense is taken seriously by well-meaning people. We must recognise that the imperialist propagandists are extremely adept at their job, and our analysis must become ever more carefully considered. Those on the right, so long as they remain there, will always be on board with attacks on the enemies of imperialism. The imperialist propagandists know this, and so they are focussing their energies towards crafting rhetoric targeted at the left and left-leaning. Anyone can see that China has every reason to distrust representatives of the Australian ruling class, and they know very well that our mainstream journalists are now, more extremely so than in any recent time, such representatives. Media independence has been crushed in our country, but we dont hear about it the only voices heard are precisely those who wont complain about it. The most dogged pro-imperialist shills only! A matter of serious but cognisable difficulties in bilateral relations caused by nothing other than the present Australian governments insistence upon tailing the wilfully paranoid US line, which has nothing in common with the legitimate interests of the Australian people has been transformed into a question of imagined values. Free speech versus totalitarianism. But this transformation occurs not in reality, only in the minds of the faithful of the US line. The spectacle of the journalist evacuation has been crafted by the Australian government at the same time as attacks by our federal police on Chinese journalists in Australia. Their residences were raided and their possessions were seized by Australian police. The Chinese police did no such thing to the Australian journalists in China, yet we are supposed to believe it is they who harassed and intimidated? A misinterpretation has arisen that the alleged intimidation of Australian journalists in China did happen, but it was a tit-for-tat response to the growing Australian government hostility towards Chinese journalists, and Chinese nationals generally, in Australia. This interpretation has been made both favourably and unfavourably to China, but both those interpretations are lacking. It is the artificial transformation of a concrete diplomatic issue into an abstract question of values that is both the key to understanding these developments, and the only reason they have made ABC headlines. It is only on the Australian government side that this idealist transformation has occurred; the Chinese government has approached the issue from no perspective other than that of material facts. To understand the world we must understand the perspectives of others, and this leads to the pursuit of cooperation and friendship. But the Australian government and ruling class persist in the colonialist and imperialist mindset of dominate-or-be-dominated, and so long as they fail to overcome this, China and any other country taking an independent path will remain a mystery to them, and they will continue to seek comfort in the blood-soaked bosom of the United States. They cannot overcome it, because their position within the capitalist system demands it. But while they cannot overcome it, the people will overcome them! Patrick Farrell has two Australian warrants out for his arrest. Credit: NSW Police Two Australian arrest warrants have been issued for an Irish man who was convicted of manslaughter of a student (20) in Westmeath in 2011. New South Wales police in Australia have issued two arrest warrants for Patrick Farrell (29), who was convicted of killing Andrew Dolan (20) in Mullingar nine years ago. He spent three years in jail for the one-punch attack. Expand Close Andrew Dolan (20) died after he was assaulted assaulted in Mullingar in December 2011 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Andrew Dolan (20) died after he was assaulted assaulted in Mullingar in December 2011 However, officers have now appealed for assistance to help locate Mr Farrell as they want to question him in relation to a malicious wounding which took place earlier this month and an assault which occurred last year. Patrick Farrell, aged 29, is wanted on two warrants relating to a malicious wounding that occurred in Randwick earlier this month, and an assault in Matraville in November last year, reads a statement from the force. It is believed that Mr Farrell frequents certain areas of New South Wales. Expand Close Patrick Farrell Credit: NSW Police / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Patrick Farrell Credit: NSW Police He is known to frequent Randwick, Maroubra, Mascot and Alexandria. Anyone who may know the whereabouts of Patrick Farrell should contact Maroubra Detectives or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, the statement adds. Andrew Dolan, from Carrick on Shannon in Leitrim, was a biomedical student who was out with friends in Mullingar on December 23, 2011. He was subjected to an unprovoked attack in a one-punch incident and died ten days later. Speaking to the Australian Daily Telegraph, Mr Dolans father Joe said that the allegations are very serious and wondered how Mr Farrell was allowed into Australia. We are shocked and appalled, these allegations are very serious, he said. We wonder how he got to Australia in the first place and hope that justice will be delivered appropriately. Years ago, when I had just transited from active journalism to a corporate role, I was invited to dinner with a Karnataka minister at a prominent club in Bengaluru, ostensibly to discuss a project. But as the evening progressed, it started to become obvious that dinner, or my companys project, was the last thing on his mind. As we were digging into our food, the minister said rather matter-of-factly, I need a small favour from you. Can you give me two rupees? Two rupees? Being new to the corporate world, I was a little bewildered, only to be educated by the minister that in politico-business parlance, two rupees meant Rs 2 crore! I almost fell off my chair. I have suffered losses in business and am in huge debt. Please convince your management to give me the money, he said, promising to clear all hurdles in the way of the project my company was undertaking in the state. My gentle admonition that the media company which I represented also owned a prominent news channel and that making such outlandish demands could land him in trouble had no impact. Though steeped in debt, he was quite reckless in his spending and often doled out 500-rupee notes as tips to police constables, doormen, drivers, security guards and hangers-on. By now, lenders had grown restive and were hounding the minister. So much so that there were times when he had to be locked up in his chambers in Vidhana Soudha to save him from their wrath. Given this situation, the minister became even more persistent and made at least 50 calls to me daily from different numbers demanding his two rupees. Though I would rebuke him each time, it would neither deter nor embarrass him. Ultimately, we did not pay the bribe and I took the easy way out to avoid his calls I changed my phone number. On another occasion, enthused by the right noises that Karnataka was making about creating an investor-friendly climate, one of our group CEOs landed in Bengaluru, armed with several proposals. The minister concerned patiently sat through the presentations as the CEO explained how the projects would help the state augment revenue and employment. He expected the government to roll out the red carpet, but what the minister said left him speechless, What is there in it for me? That was the first and the last meeting. However, not all experiences are unpleasant. Bengaluru was a late entrant to the mall culture due to a provision in the Karnataka Cinematography Act that movie theatres cannot be set up on higher floors. A major policy change was required and that usually requires that the minster be taken care of. One of our companies was in the multiplex cinema business and I had approached the then Home Minister Mallikarjun Kharge with the problem and had sought a meeting for our CEO. On the appointed day, I excused myself from the meeting after the usual introductions, as I do not involve myself in deals. To my surprise, the CEO walked out in less than a minute, and I wondered what had gone wrong. My apprehension was unfounded. You have saved us crores of rupees, he beamed. Apparently, in the interim, Kharge had visited other cities to study the mall concept and was convinced that our demand was genuine. He called for the file and approved the amendment to the rules right there, with absolutely no demands. The entire process took no more than five minutes. That is how multiplexes came to Bengaluru. During my career, I have met politicians of all hues, but none like the two rupees minister. Politics is a mixed bag of the good, the bad and the ugly, but some are in a class of their own. Advertisement Parallels were drawn between the heroism of The Few and modern-day key workers who face a 'fight against an invisible army' at a service in Westminster Abbey marking the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. The annual Sunday service usually attracts around 2,200 people to the London landmark as the UK commemorates the first battle in history fought entirely in the air during the Second World War. This year's service, which is the venue's first since lockdown, saw attendance significantly reduced and social distancing measures in place for 79 invited guests. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer were among the guests at the service, as well the Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Stirrup, representing the Prince of Wales and US ambassador to Britain, Woody Johnson. Sir Keir's wife Lady Victoria joined the Labour leader, while Mr Johnson's fiancee Carrie Symonds was absent. Chairs for the guests, who were all wearing a face covering, were placed at the transepts of the church close to the altar. Parallels were drawn between the heroism of The Few and modern-day key workers who face a 'fight against an invisible army' at a service in Westminster Abbey marking the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain Prime Minister Boris Johnson (pictured, wearing a face mask) and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer were among the guests at the service for 79 guests Around 50 people gathered outside in the sunshine at Westminster Abbey to watch a ceremonial flypast of RAF Spitfires and Hurricanes, which flew over the venue following the service A flypast to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain flies over Westminster Abbey Each chair was spaced out two metres apart to allow social distancing, with protective plastic screens separating the north and south transepts. Mr Johnson, along with the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston, gave a reading, while an address was given by the Chaplain in Chief, the Venerable Air Vice Marshal John Ellis, who honoured NHS staff and key workers in the "fight against an invisible army". He drew comparisons between the Battle of Britain and the coronavirus pandemic, stating: 'Once again there have been sacrifices made, often quiet, often humble, unnoticed by many. 'Although starkly different events, each of them has two things that are so important for our humanity - service and value. 'We have seen the selfless giving to a greater cause.' The annual Sunday service usually attracts around 2,200 people to the London landmark as the UK commemorates the first battle in history fought entirely in the air during the Second World War Prime Minister Boris Johnson, left, and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, right, were among the 79 people invited to Westminster Abbey in London for the annual Sunday service marking the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain Woody Johnson, the United States' ambassador to Britain, was also among those present for Westminster Abbey's first service since the start of national lockdown in March Flying Officer James Buckingham salutes The Battle of Britain memorial window inside Westminster Abbey, the stained glass window by Hugh Easton that contains the badges of the fighter squadrons that took part in the Battle Led by Dr David Hoyle, the Dean of Westminster Abbey, the service included an act of remembrance, during which the Battle of Britain Roll of Honour bearing the names of 1,497 pilots and aircrew killed or mortally wounded in the battle was borne through the church. This was followed by a procession of flags, readings, prayers and music by the Band of the Royal Air Force Regiment and singing by the church choir. Around 50 members of the public gathered outside in the sunshine at Westminster Abbey to watch a ceremonial flypast by RAF Spitfires and Hurricanes, which flew over the venue at the end of the service. Earlier in the week, former Red Arrows pilots flew Spitfires and Hurricanes over south east England, visiting the main RAF control centres at Tangmere, Kenley, Biggin Hill, Hornchurch, North Weald, Bentley Priory, Debden and Duxford that were used during the campaign. The Battle of Britain was a major air campaign fought in the skies over the UK in 1940, and although the battle took place between July and October, September 15 saw the British Royal Air Force (RAF) gain a decisive victory over the Luftwaffe in what was Nazi Germany's largest daylight attack. Some 1,120 Luftwaffe aircraft were sent to attack London, but were repelled by just 630 RAF fighters - and two days later Hitler postponed his plans to invade Britain. Mr Johnson delivers a speech a service to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain at Westminster Abbey It is the first major service to take place at Westminster Abbey since the Commonwealth Day service held earlier this year on March 9 Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston speaks during the service. Westminster Abbey has played a central role in remembering the sacrifice of those who fought in the battle, holding a Service of Thanksgiving and Rededication on Battle of Britain Sunday every year since 1944 The congregation sit on socially distanced chairs during a service to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain at Westminster Abbey on September 20 Westminster Abbey has held a service of thanksgiving and rededication on Battle of Britain Sunday every year since 1944. Sunday's event was the first major service to take place at Westminster Abbey since the Commonwealth Day service held earlier this year on March 9, two weeks before the UK went into lockdown in response to the pandemic. A spokesperson said: 'The Abbey is a very large church, it usually holds 2,200, so the guests will be easily spaced out to conform with social distancing.' It is the first major service to take place at Westminster Abbey since the Commonwealth Day service held earlier this year on March 9, two weeks before the UK went into lockdown in response to the pandemic. The 11am service led by Dr David Hoyle - the Dean of Westminster Abbey, included an act of remembrance, during which the Battle of Britain Roll of Honour bearing the names of 1,497 pilots and aircrew killed or mortally wounded in the battle was borne through the church. Cricketers spot the Battle of Britain fly past during the T20 Vitality Blast match between Surrey and Kent Spitfires at The Kia Oval in south London A member of the armed forces at a service to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain at Westminster Abbey on Sunday A service to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain at Westminster Abbey, London It was followed by a procession of flags, readings, prayers and music - with a flypast over Westminster Abbey planned at the end of the service. In his address, Chaplain in Chief, the Venerable Air Vice Marshal John Ellis, honoured NHS staff and key workers in the 'fight against an invisible army' as he drew comparisons between the Battle of Britain and the coronavirus pandemic. He said: 'Once again there have been sacrifices made, often quiet, often humble, unnoticed by many. 'Although starkly different events, each of them has two things that are so important for our humanity - service and value. We have seen the selfless giving to a greater cause.' Around 50 people gathered outside in the sunshine at Westminster Abbey to watch the flypast, which flew over the venue following the service. The Battle of Britain was a major air campaign fought in the skies over the UK in 1940, and although the battle took place between July and October, September 15 saw the British Royal Air Force (RAF) gain a decisive victory over the Luftwaffe in what was Nazi Germany's largest daylight attack. A Texan T1 (right) from 72 Squadron, flies alongside a Spitfire Mk XVI (left) from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain Earlier in the week, former Red Arrows pilots flew Spitfires and Hurricanes over south east England, visiting the main RAF control centres at Tangmere, Kenley, Biggin Hill, Hornchurch, North Weald, Bentley Priory, Debden and Duxford that were used during the campaign Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President Donald Trump and United Arab Emirates (UAE) Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed display their copies of signed agreements as they participate in the signing ceremony of the Abraham Accords, normalizing relations between Israel and some of its Middle East neighbors, in a strategic realignment of Middle Eastern countries against Iran, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, U.S., September 15, 2020. Forty years ago this month, when I was the junior correspondent in Newsweek's bureau in Bonn, Germany, my boss marched into my office and boasted that he was off to the Middle East to interview Egypt's Anwar Sadat and Israel's Menachem Begin on peace prospects after the Camp David Accords. The magazine's editors had reserved the cover! My consolation prize, or so it seemed at the time, would be to cover the unfolding Solidarity strikes in Poland. Yet that story over time would trigger revolutionary changes in Europe favoring freedom, while the Mideast remained mired in extremism, despotism and divisive animosity. It was worth reflecting on those comparative European and Middle Eastern fates while watching this week's signing at President Trump's White House among the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Israel of normalization agreements. Because of the nature and the timing of these deals, they present the region its best opportunity perhaps ever to bury its bloody, self-defeating past and embrace moderation and modernity. Yet that will only be true if the parties can work with international partners to protect the so-called Abraham Accords Peace Agreement named for the common patriarch of Muslims, Jews and Christians from extremist assault and from Israeli hardliners bent on territorial expansion. Beyond that, the parties should work to expand the agreements to embrace more Arab countries and eventually spawn rules-based institutions that could become the regional equivalents of the European Union, NATO and an CSCE-like reconciliation process through which they settle economic, political and human rights differences. A World Economic Forum report this year demonstrated how greater economic integration, reduced regulatory barriers and freer movement of people and capital could result in a doubling of Mideast GDP within a decade and that was before the notion of including Israel. It's been a safe bet over the last four decades roughly the time I've been following Middle Eastern affairs to "short" the region, as other parts of the world have moved ahead economically, technologically and politically. Not even historic peace deals between Israel and Egypt in 1979 and fifteen years later between Israel and Jordan did much to change that trajectory. Even now, it would be naive to ignore the impediments: historic distrust, religious intolerance and intractable conflicts of the sort unfolding in Libya. Yet I've also sensed something more promising in the air in recent trips to the Middle East, particularly among the young: a frustration with the status quo, a hunger for a better future and an impatience for change. That and a more pragmatic generation of national leaders makes possible what Anwar Gargash, the United Arab Emirates' minister of state for foreign affairs, referred to as the possibility of a "warm peace." What Gargash meant by "warm peace," in part, was that the UAE's relationship with Israel can be less complicated because "unlike Jordan and unlike Egypt, we have not fought a war with Israel." Thus a "warm peace" could be less about ending hostility and more about sharing technology, generating investment, closing business deals and exchanging intelligence to more effectively counter threats from Iran and other potential spoilers. There's a long road from here to there. However, one could see possibilities for a more lasting breakthrough in the 20-nation Arab League's rejection of Palestinian efforts to condemn this week's agreements. Despite the opposition of their leaders, Palestinians in the end could be the biggest benefactor in a two-state solution embedded in a more vibrant and integrated Middle Eastern economy. Even President Trump's harshest critics are giving him and his son-in-law Jared Kushner credit for this Mideast achievement, casting aside traditional thinking that no regional breakthrough was possible until the Israel-Palestine conundrum had been solved. This deal turns that logic on its head. "When the most technologically advanced and globalized Arab state, the UAE," writes Thomas Friedman in The New York Times, "decides to collaborate with the most technologically advanced and globalized non-Arab state in the region, Israel, I suspect new energies will get unlocked and new partnerships forged that should be good for both Arab-Israeli and Jewish-Muslim human-to-human relations." What's been less recognized is the geopolitical importance of these agreements. The UAE timed its efforts to head off Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank, but it was also in response to growing uncertainties about U.S. engagement in the region following three presidents who, each in his own way, have cast doubt on America's traditional role as security guarantor. Arab states, already countering Iran efforts to destabilize the region, have been increasingly concerned by Turkish encroachments from Libya to Syria and from Somalia to Qatar. Both Iran and Turkey have condemned the agreements, and neither is going away anytime soon. Major powers are also expanding their presence. Russian intelligence, military and diplomats are increasingly present and active across the region. China has become the top trading partner for Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and its recent historic agreement with Iran looks out 25 years. In this shifting landscape, how better for the UAE and Bahrain to lock in close security relations with the United States than by normalizing with Israel? If Sudan becomes the next country to normalize, as is expected, it could shift its reputation in Washington overnight from state-sponsor of terror to friend. Morocco and Oman could follow and a modern, moderate coalition could become reality alongside Egypt and Jordan. The most dramatic shift in the region would be if Saudi Arabia normalizes with Israel, something Saudi diplomats insist won't happen until the Palestinians get their two-state solution. That said, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman signaled his support for the UAE-Bahrain agreements through opening Saudi air space for commercial flights to and from Israel. There's also significance to what some Saudis on Twitter refer to as the "normalization sermon" on September 5 by Abdulrahman al-Sudais, imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, and broadcast on Saudi state television. He spoke of how the Prophet Mohammed was kind to his Jewish neighbor and argued the best way to convert Jews was to "treat them well." It took courage, amid considerable risk, among the parties to reach last week's agreements. It's time for international partners to weigh in and support this historic opportunity to convert the region's heartache to hope. Frederick Kempe is a best-selling author, prize-winning journalist and president & CEO of the Atlantic Council, one of the United States' most influential think tanks on global affairs. He worked at The Wall Street Journal for more than 25 years as a foreign correspondent, assistant managing editor and as the longest-serving editor of the paper's European edition. His latest book "Berlin 1961: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth" was a New York Times best-seller and has been published in more than a dozen languages. Follow him on Twitter @FredKempe and subscribe here to Inflection Points, his look each Saturday at the past week's top stories and trends. For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter. Chrysta Castaneda debuted her campaign for the Democratic nomination for railroad commissioner in Midland last October. I went directly to the Petroleum Club, to a Wildcat Committee reception, she said last week during her virtual tour of Texas focus on the Permian Basin. There were 250, mostly men, talking about oil and how it impacted Midland. They were at the Petroleum Club to honor the chief executive officer of Exxon for some of its environmental initiatives. I went into the Petroleum Club wearing my campaign badge as a Democrat for the Railroad Commission. Did I get a reception? Yes, I did. Those executives wanted to talk to me about my campaign and wanted to talk about What do you plan to do about flaring? Its killing our industry, its killing our air. We cant do this anymore. We have to stop flaring. There are no easy solutions, she said, but she has made combating flaring and venting a centerpiece of her campaign after she won the nomination this summer in a runoff. She said operators who flare defend their actions as necessary because they have no takeaway capacity. Instead, she said, they could install micro grids to use that flared gas to generate electricity to power their own operations. And when theres excess gas, and there will be, they can put it into the electric grid, and it can go to Houston. Theyre wasting enough gas to power Houston, she said. Operators could also reinject that gas back into the reservoirs to enhance oil and gas production. Or finding alternative uses for wellbores, like for geothermal energy. Castaneda called for incentives to install computer farms around Midland that could be powered by electricity generated by that flared gas. That would create good-paying jobs and bring some stability to the Midland economy, she said. State Rep. Mary Gonzalez, from El Paso, joined the campaign to speak in support of Castaneda and said the race is the most important statewide, particularly for rural Texas. There needs to be a balance between oil and gas, which is extremely important to the economy, but also protecting the space for agriculture, for farmers and ranchers, she said. We need to find that balance for future Texans. She said she is worried about what Texas agriculture will look like 20 years from now. I worry because if we dont have statewide leaders who can find a way to balance oil and gas and agriculture, it will erode the beautiful parts of Texas. Without full transparency from the Railroad Commission and people acting with foresight, we cant preserve the beautiful parts of Texas. State Rep. Terry Canales, also speaking in support of Castaneda, agreed, saying there needs to be a balance between the needs of the industry and the future of the state. As a father of five, I ask if were leaving a better state, if were going to leave the beauty of Texas or be a scourge and leave scars on the land. Thats something we need to consider sometimes damage is irreparable, but it doesnt have to be that way. There are ways to enforce rules and regulations around the industry without stomping out the industry, making sure we get the benefit of both worlds -- preserving nature but also harvesting minerals in a fashion thats not harmful. He said he has seen both sides, growing up on a cattle ranch in South Texas that has been in his family for nearly eight generations, while also being a beneficiary of the natural resources of the land. Ive seen the irreparable damage the industry can do. When you talk balance at the Railroad Commission, its someone whos not anti-industry but pro-people. Theres a perception Democrats are anti-industry, Democrats are anti-fracking. Thats simply not true. Democrats are making sure we take care of what we have and do it responsibly, that the manner in which we do produce the minerals we are blessed with doesnt cause further damage, he said. Joe Herrera, who is running for state representative of House District 53, said environmental issues cross party lines. Ive found when Im in meetings in these small communities, when Im able to meet people and talk environmental issues, I saw as many Democrats as Republicans, as many Trump hats when were talking water rights, Herrera said. These issues resonate and thats why Chrystas talk of enforcing laws in place is very important its about finding a balance and I feel we paint Democrats as anti-business (but) we want the industry to thrive and be successful, but were also willing to take a stand on the negligence of the industry. The oil and gas industry, said Castaneda, is not monolithic. Many in the industry know flaring is an existential threat. Just last week major investment houses and institutional investors said they would no longer invest in or buy energy company stocks unless the industry does something serious about flaring and venting and address environmental greenhouse gas concerns. Theres a seismic shift in the industry and some who know the shift is coming and they can and have to do better about flaring and venting and some are resisting. We need a level playing field where those who have long followed the law are rewarded for following the law and those who refuse to follow the law must get better. She said it has been illegal in the state of Texas for over a century to flare and vent and otherwise waste natural resources and criticized the Railroad Commission for rubber stamping exception permits allowing operators to flare and vent gas. Castaneda said there were 7,000 in 2019 alone. We need a comprehensive, fact-filled study of how to stop flaring, she said. If youre an operator, what percentage of produced gas are you flaring? There are many metrics floating around. If Permian operators are flaring 60 percent of their produce gas from a single location or set of wells from a single location, why? Do they not have any pipeline capacity there? What are they doing to get takeaway capacity? Have they thought about micro grids so they could use that flared gas to generate electricity: They could reinject the gas back into the formation for enhanced recovery. They could do compressed natural gas or liquefied natural gas on site. There are a lot of questions to ask. Theres no straightforward, easy answer, but there is a metric by which we could figure out the answers to these questions. 2. Work the polls. In surveys of battleground states by our organization, healthyelections.org, well over half of respondents indicate they will vote in person this year. We should remove any pandemic-related obstacles from their path. Local election officials need poll workers, because their usual corps of senior citizens are less likely to serve, given their heightened Covid-19 risk. The job requires long hours, but this year, to sweeten the deal, many local jurisdictions are offering hazard pay. Poll workers need training, so the time to sign up is now. Anyone interested should contact their state election office for information or go to the websites of the National Association of Secretaries of State, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, and Power the Polls. Ohio has developed a helpful dashboard describing the poll worker shortages in each county something every state should provide so outside groups can focus their recruitment efforts. 3. Keep watch over the post office, but rebuild confidence in the mail. Voters confidence in the postal system must be restored. The long-term financial woes of the U.S. Postal Service, coupled with decisions this year to cut overtime for postal workers, remove certain equipment and eliminate extra trips to deliver the mail have magnified concerns that the Postal Service was not up to the task in the election. The Postal Service has warned that it cannot meet certain state mail ballot deadlines, meaning last-minute voters risk not having their votes counted. A federal court in Washington State has now ordered the Postal Service to undo some of its moves and enjoined them from making more. The postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, also backtracked from these changes in his congressional testimony. However, the damage to public confidence may already have occurred; 43 percent of likely voters in a recent Citizen Data poll are not confident that the post office will properly deliver mail ballots. Even after supposedly recovering, thousands of Americans are suffering persistent and even disabling symptoms. Here's everything you need to know: What is "long-haul" COVID? It's a persistent and wide-ranging set of symptoms that follow a coronavirus infection. Nearly 100 kinds of lingering symptoms and physical damage have been catalogued, including scarred lungs, chronic heart damage, severe headaches, kidney failure, bulging veins, hand tremors, debilitating fatigue, fever, nausea, stomach problems, hair loss, sensitivity to light and sound, blurry vision, loss of taste and smell, short-term memory loss, and a brain fog so dense it can be difficult to write even a simple email. New York City resident Deborah Copaken, 54, was diagnosed with COVID-19 in March and still suffers from shortness of breath and the repeated and sudden onset of a rapid heartbeat so severe that she must lie down in order to avoid passing out. "A few weeks ago," she said, "I stood up to make a smoothie and my heart rate zoomed from lying-in-a-hammock to booming-bass-drum." David Putrino, a neuroscientist at Mount Sinai Hospital who has treated many long-haulers, says his patients struggle with a bewildering array of maladies. "It's like every day, you reach your hand into a bucket of symptoms, throw some on the table, and say, 'This is you for today.'" What is causing these symptoms? Research indicates that the coronavirus is far more than a classic respiratory illness and can attack organs throughout the body. The virus binds itself to cells using a protein on the surface of the cells called ACE2. These ACE2 receptors are found inside blood vessels; on olfactory bulbs that provide a sense of smell; on kidneys; in the gastrointestinal tract; and, according to new research, in the brain. The immune system's overreaction to the viral invasion can compound the damage, with severe inflammation and blood clots impairing the heart, lungs, and other organs. "It's amazing how many different ways it affects the body," said Thomas McGinn, deputy physician in chief at Northwell Health. If the virus penetrates the brain, a new study found, it replicates and starves nearby cells of oxygen, diminishing the number of synapses connections between neurons. "We don't know yet if that is reversible or not," said Dr. Alysson Muotri, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Diego. These findings may explain why 40 to 60 percent of hospitalized COVID-19 patients experience psychiatric and neurological symptoms, including brain fog, delirium, crippling headaches, anxiety, and depression. Story continues Are long-haulers generally old? Unlike the majority of people whom COVID kills, many long-haulers are relatively young: Putrino's survey of 1,400 patients found they are mostly female and have an average age of 44. Some were previously quite healthy and fit. Isabela Pauer, for example, is 22 and used to work out four to five times a week. She developed COVID symptoms six months ago in Barcelona and today labors to brush her teeth. "My whole body feels, like, very weighted down," said the Cleveland-area resident. "I'm almost dragging myself around places." Like many long-haulers, she faced strong skepticism from doctors, who doubted that she was really sick. "I ended up like just kind of losing faith in getting any help at all," she said. How many long-haulers are there? Probably millions worldwide. A study in Italy found that 87 percent of COVID patients who were hospitalized still had symptoms two months after their release. A British study followed up with COVID patients eight to 12 weeks after hospitalization and found 74 percent still had "persistent symptoms," particularly fatigue and shortness of breath. In Germany, researchers found 78 percent of patients, including some who had recovered at home, suffered from heart abnormalities two to three months after their recovery. Meanwhile, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracked 270 COVID patients who were not hospitalized and found that 95 more than a third hadn't fully gotten better within three weeks. The U.S. has had about 6.5 million confirmed cases, so the math points to hundreds of thousands and perhaps millions of long-haulers. Are all cases equal? No, there is a wide variation in severity. In milder cases, a handful of symptoms inexplicably come and go for months. In more severe cases, like Chimere Smith's, it becomes impossible to work. Smith, 38, a middle-school English teacher in Baltimore, has had COVID symptoms since March, including severe stomach problems and headaches, and has been to the emergency room a dozen times. Once highly verbal, she struggles with a chronic mental fog that makes it difficult for her to remember words or speak in complex sentences. "Who in the world would want to live like this?" Smith said. "I wanted to jump out of my own body." Hannah Wei, 30, an Ottawa-based product designer, gradually overcame her neurological symptoms but not the scarred lungs that have diminished her ability to exercise or even walk up a flight of stairs. "Will I be living with this lasting damage?" she asked. "Or will it eventually go away? I don't have the answers, and no one can tell me." Sick, but never diagnosed Many COVID long-haulers complain that they were denied tests early on in the pandemic because of shortages in diagnostic swabs and restrictions placed on who was eligible for scarce tests. Boston resident Lauren Nichols, 32, got sick in March but was denied a test by her doctor, who said at her age she was in no danger. She finally tested positive, and has suffered a debilitating array of symptoms consistent with those experienced by other long-haulers, including nausea, brain fog, insomnia, and shortness of breath. Complicating matters, said neuroscientist David Putrino, two-thirds of the 1,400 patients he studied did not test positive for COVID antibodies. Some, like Nichols, tested negative for antibodies even after testing positive for the virus itself. That can make it difficult for the afflicted to prove they have COVID and get paid time off from work or qualify for disability benefits. "Just because you're negative for antibodies," Putrino said, "doesn't mean you didn't have COVID-19." This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here. More stories from theweek.com How a productivity phenomenon explains the unraveling of America How the Trump-Russia story was buried The conservatives who want to undo the Enlightenment Hyderabad, Sep 20 : Two Maoists were killed in an exchange of fire with police in Telangana's Komaram Bheem Asifabad district, police said on Sunday. The encounter happened late on Saturday night. The incident occurred in the Kadamba forest area in Kagaznagar mandal of the district when police personnel were conducting search operations following information about the presence of Maoists. In-charge district superintendent of police, V. Satyanarayana said Maoists opened fire on policemen and two of them were killed when the police returned fire. There were no casualties on the police side. The slain Maoists were yet to be identified but a top Maoist of the region M. Adellu alias Bhaskar is suspected to have escaped. Police launched a combing operation in the area following a tip-off that Bhaskar, who is the division committee secretary of the CPI (Maoist) for Mancherial and Asifabad districts was moving in Chiletiguda near Asifabad town. About 400 policemen are taking part in the combing operations in the forests. This is the third exchange of fire incident in northern Telangana in less than a month. A Maoist was killed in an exchange of fire with the police in Gundala mandal of Bhadradri Kothagudem on September 3. Two Maoists were killed in an exchange of fire with the police near Charla mandal in the same district. An exchange of fire between two sides had taken place in July in the same district. According to police some top Maoists had escaped after the incident. In another incident, police defused three landmines laid by Maoists in Bhadradri Kothagudem district on Saturday. The extremists had laid the landmines on Bhadrachalam-Charla road between Kaliveru and Tegada villages. Maoists have stepped up their activities in recent weeks to regroup themselves in Telangana. Police have heightened the vigil in the districts bordering Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. Director General of Police M. Mahender Reddy visited these districts in July. He again visited Asifabad district early this month and reviewed the situation with top officials. $1,100 Buy-In, $100K GTD Midway Poker Tour Coming to Chicagoland October 2-4 September 20, 2020 From October 2-4, the newly-formed Midway Poker Tour will host its inaugural event in the Chicagoland area. The tournament, which will be live reported by PokerNews, will take place at the Sheraton Suites Chicago Elk Grove in conjunction with the 4 K.I.D.S. Sake charity. The $1,100 buy-in, $100K GTD Main Event will feature 30-minute levels on Day 1 and 40-minute levels on Day 2. Players will start with 30,000 in chips, and re-entries and best-stack forward will be in effect. Day 1A will take place at 2 p.m. local time on Friday, October 2, while Day 1B will be at Noon on Saturday, October 3. The surviving players from both flights will then return at 11 a.m. on Sunday, October 4 to play down to a winner. Players must be 18+ years of age to participate. Not only will the action be reported by PokerNews, there will also be a live stream from the event. On Wednesday and Thursday leading up to the tournament, cash games will be offered and streamed. On Day 1, a feature table will be broadcast, and of course, the Day 2 finale table will be streamed. Players can book a room at the Sheraton for as little as $89/night. Q&A w/ Dan Bekavac The Midway Poker Tour was conceived by Dan Bekavac, a Midwest poker player with more than $290K in lifetime tournament earnings. That includes two MSPT titles, one of which was the 2019 MSPT Potawatomi Main Event for a career-high $126,998. PokerNews had the chance to catch up with Bekavac leading up to the introductory event. PokerNews: When and how did the Midway Poker Tour come to be? "We will be the first and only mid-major poker tour to stream their event live from the beginning to the end of the event." Bekavac: Weve been developing an app that is basically Facebook for poker players since 2017, so the idea of the live tour has been being kicked around since then. We are getting closer to launching the app so now is the perfect time to get our live tour off the ground. What sort of COVID-19 precautions will be taken during the event? To help keep everyone safe, we are hosting the event in four separate banquet halls and we are limiting each room to five tables of nine players. All players will be required to wear a mask and hand sanitizing stations will be in each gaming room. What sort of things have you had to do to prepare for this event? Weve had custom tables and chips made for the charity, as well as a custom RFID table, as we will be the first and only mid-major poker tour to stream their event live from the beginning to the end of the event. Weve had to navigate through the Illinois charity gaming regulations to make sure we are 100% in compliance. As well as reach out to many marketing teams and companies to start getting the word out on our new tour. What do you envision for the future of the Midway Poker Tour? We created this tour with the concept of, For Players, By Players. Giving the players what they want, treating them well and offering them what doesnt exist now with other tours. We will be the biggest mid-major poker tour by the end of 2021 Click here for more information on the Midway Poker Tour! Sharelines The Midway Poker Tour will hold its inaugural event in the Chicagoland area Oct. 2-4. Details here. MARY Immaculate College is preparing to welcome almost 1,000 new students to its Limerick and Thurles campuses. Director of Student Life at MIC, Dr Geraldine Brosnan and President of MISU (MIC's Student's Union), Aisling Cusack outline what new students can expect from Orientation 2020, which starts on September 21. Orientation is all about helping students to prepare for college life and aims to make the transition to third-level as easy as possible for new students. It gives students a chance to learn about what to expect in their first year at college, as well as providing information on academic and personal supports. Most importantly, Orientation gives new students a chance to meet new friends and establish meaningful connections with the college and its processes, Geraldine said. The major difference between this year and previous years is that most aspects of Orientation will be delivered online through a Virtual Orientation. Orientation for MIC Thurles students will take place on campus due to the smaller numbers compared to the Limerick campus. If public health advice permits, students at MIC Limerick will also have the opportunity to have an on-campus orientation experience as Welcome to Campus short visits are scheduled for all first-year groups on our Limerick campus during the week of 21 September, Geraldine said. Aisling Cusack understands that students may feel anxious about the year ahead. I know this has been a difficult and stressful time for many of you over the last few months given the unusual situation we find ourselves in, Ms Cusack acknowledged. With these uncertain times we understand how stressful it can be for students, especially starting fresh in a new environment, but please know that MISU are here for you and we will make sure that your time at MIC is as stress free as possible, she concluded. Meeting lots of colleagues and treasured friends. Its great to be back @MICLimerick pic.twitter.com/FhV5zxjZUH Faculty of Education, Mary Immaculate College. (@MICEducationFac) September 18, 2020 For more information about Orientation 2020 and the schedule of talks for each programme, visit mic.ul.ie/orientation. She's the former Miss Universe Australia who has since become a brand ambassador and lifestyle influencer. And on Saturday, Renae Ayris was treated to a surprise dinner for her 30th birthday in Sydney, by her closest friends and husband Andrew Papadopoulos. In Instagram photos, the blonde beauty could not wipe the smile off her face as she celebrated the occasion with pals including Bachelor star Brittany Hockley. 'Can't wipe the smile off my face!' Former Miss Universe Australia Renae Ayris (far left) was treated to a catered dinner for her 30th birthday on Saturday, by pals including Bachelor star Brittany Hockley (front centre) Renae's nearest and dearest arranged a catered dinner including seafood and Italian delicacies. A dining table featured an earthy colour palette with gold and silver cutlery, while event decor included statement gold, black and silver balloons. One photo saw Renae cosying up to her personal trainer husband Andrew, and showing off her enviable figure in a plunging tan frock. Grateful: Renae shared photos of the event decor to Instagram on Sunday, and thanked husband Andrew Papadopoulos and her pals for arranging the 'beautiful' night Birthday girl: The model looked simply sensational in a plunging tan frock which she teamed with nude heels 'Can't wipe the smile off my face, want to cry at how lucky I am,' Renae began her Instagram post on Sunday. 'I was surprised with a BEAUTIFUL catered dinner with some of my favourite people last night. Food, company, drinks, setting was perfect. There were even lolly bags.' Renae went on to thank husband Andrew and pal Domino Ezekiel for all their hard work in getting the event off the ground. Sweet gesture: Renae's mother chipped in, helping to arrange lolly bags Genetically blessed couple: In November last year, Renae wed long-time beau Andrew (pictured) in a stunning ceremony in the New South Wales' Hunter Valley In November last year, Renae wed long-time beau Andrew in a stunning ceremony in the New South Wales' Hunter Valley. The following month, she revealed to The Daily Telegraph that she's 'super clucky'. 'I want two because I grew up with just a sister. I feel like everyone wants what they grew up with in a way,' Renae said. In the olden days, before the pandemic, the four men sitting behind a long table in an Ottawa hotel on Friday represented Justin Trudeaus biggest problem the real opposition. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, Quebec Premier Francois Legault and Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister were in Canadas capital to remind the prime minister that neither they nor their demands have gone away. But Trudeau was busy with opposition closer to home, talking to the Conservative and New Democratic Party leaders who have the power to blow up the Liberal minority government if they dont like what they see in next weeks speech from the throne. Time and a pandemic have changed the face of Trudeaus major opposition, at least for now. He has a new Conservative leader, Erin OToole, keen to take him on and an NDP caucus to appease for any hope of surviving a confidence vote in the weeks ahead. Six months ago, the conservative politicians who posed on that now-famous cover of Macleans as the resistance were the clear and present danger to Trudeau getting anything done in this country. Ford, Kenney and Pallister were among of that lineup of blue-suited resisters. On Friday, they presented themselves as fellow nation-builders and COVID-19 fighters, in Ottawa not to confront Trudeau but rather to haunt him. Ford, who has spent more time than any of the other premiers cultivating a very friendly relationship with Trudeaus government during the pandemic and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland in particular insisted he wasnt here in the capital to play politics or administer a knock against anyone. Kenney, who has taken many pokes at Trudeaus intelligence and political bent over the years, kept the gloves on, saying at one point that he realized he sounded more like an accounting teacher than an angry premier. (He was explaining how Alberta has been hurt by the equalization formula he wants Trudeau to fix.) The old resistance is a more mellow lot than it was in the heady days when we thought that 2020 would be the year of the national-unity crisis. Compared to COVID-19, a fragmented and polarized nation now looks like a walk in the park. Friday was the day that the coronavirus was officially declared to be on the rise again in Ottawa and the premiers arrived in the city with a second wave of their own. The same demand they intended to press at a planned first ministers meeting in March scrapped when the pandemic was declared that very week is back, with a vengeance. Canadas provinces and territories want a lot more money for health care: roughly $70 billion annually in this latest calculation of their needs. They are not going to get that money next week. Though their appearance in Ottawa was timed to showcase the demand in advance of Trudeaus big speech from the throne next Wednesday, the federal government has already said it will discuss the demand for more health-care money at some meeting farther down the road. Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said, amiably enough, that the demand wasnt a surprise but he had hoped the premiers had come to town to talk about something more urgent and COVID-19-related. LeBlancs entire reply to the premiers was the equivalent of those auto replies on the phone: Please hold, your call is very important. The premiers argued at their news conference that a pandemic is a perfect time to talk about health-care needs. Nothing is more important, Ford said, and its hard to argue with that. But the federal government, essentially, said that it is paying the lions share of pandemic-related health costs for the provinces at present and this is where everyones sights ought to be aimed. What this means is that the premiers are going to be disappointed when Trudeaus government unveils its blueprint next week for governing through and past the pandemic. On this, they will be united with the green advocates and environmentalists who have also been told in no uncertain terms this week that COVID-19s resurgence has put the brakes on any ambitious build back better dreams. The storied Chateau Laurier hotel was the scene for Fridays news conference of four of Canadas leading premiers. It has seen a lot of history over the years and many momentous political events. The quiet, polite news conference by Ford, Kenney, Legault and Pallister probably wont be remembered as one of them, but it was a reminder of a more recent history that has been transformed by the pandemic. The resistance isnt exactly futile, but it isnt Trudeaus biggest problem any more. Susan Delacourt is an Ottawa-based columnist covering national politics for the Star. Reach her via email: sdelacourt@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @susandelacourt Read more about: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said democracy has been shamed by the manner in which the government issued "death warrants" against farmers by passing two bills related to the agriculture sector. The Rajya Sabha passed 'The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020', and 'the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020' on Sunday amid a din created by opposition members. "The farmers grow gold from land, but the arrogance of the Modi government is making farmers shed tears of blood," Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi. "Democracy has been shamed by the manner in which the government passed death warrants against farmers in the form of two farm bills in Rajya Sabha," he tweeted. Gandhi earlier termed the bills "anti-agriculture black laws" and asked how will minimum support price be ensured with the ending of the Agricultural Produce Market Committees or farmers' market. Why is there no guarantee on MSP, he asked. "Modi ji is making farmers 'slaves' of capitalists, the country will not allow this to succeed," the former Congress chief tweeted in Hindi with the hashtag 'Kisan Virodhi (anti-farmer) Narendra Modi'. Farmers in Haryana have set in motion their planned protest against the three farm reform bills by mobilising to block national and state highways on Sunday even as Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar made an appeal asking farmers not to block highways and invited their leaders for a talk to clear alleged misgivings on the bills, as per reports. Farmers in Kurukshetra, Karnal, Yamunanagar and a few other districts of the state were using tractor-trailers, bikes and cars to reach protest spots with an aim to block the highways, reported agencies. NH 344 between Ambala and Roorkee had been blocked by farmers as per the latest reports. Several farmer leaders were also using social media platforms to mobilise more farmers to join the protest. As per the initial reports, focus of farmer unions will be in the northern districts of Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Ambaka, Karnal and Kaithal and the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU)s Haryana president Gurnam Singh Charuni will lead the agitation in Yamunanagar by blocking the NH 344, near Milk Majra toll plaza. Charuni uploaded several video messages on social media urging farmers not to get misled by the government and join the protests. News is being spread that the national highways will not be blocked, this news is fake and I appeal to the farmers to block all national and state highways except for the Chandigarh-Delhi highway (NH 44), Charuni told his supporters in a video message on Sunday morning. Following instructions by the state home department, the district administrations have made heavy police deployment to ensure people do not face any problem due to the planned blockade of the highways. Talking to Hindustan Times, Yamunanagar superintendent of police, Kamaldeep Goyal said, Our priority will be to convince the farmers and we will request them not to block the highway, but if they will continue with the blockade we have also made arrangements to divert the traffic if required, so that commuters do not face any problem. Since Kurukshetra remained the hotspot for protests, where a lathi charge on farmers on September 10 had led to criticism of the police, the district police have made elaborate arrangements to avoid a repeat of the clashes. Also Read: Khattar urges farmers to defer agitation, invites them for talks Kurukshetra SP Astha Modi told HT that seven points have been identified in the district where the farmers are likely to hold protests and block traffic before adding that the district police have made elaborate arrangements to divert the traffic and ensure that the protests remain peaceful. Even, we have made a plan to divert the traffic on the NH 44 from Pipli to avoid traffic jams as there were reports of protests by a political party in Ambala, she added. Also Read: Vij appeals to farmers to not block Highways, takes a dig at Badals In a statement issued late night Saturday, the chief minister said that in a democracy, everyone has a right to express views, but maintaining peace in the state is also the utmost duty of any government. He assured that the farm ordinances are entirely in the interest of farmers and it is unfortunate to see that the opposition parties are blatantly politicizing the issue so as to achieve their vested interests by misleading the farmers. The farmer leaders said that they did not get any invitation for talks. One week after an impressive win over a 'sloppy' surface at the Red Mile, Tall Dark Stranger returned to the heralded Kentucky oval on Sunday (Sept. 20) to headline the afternoon's Kentucky Sire Stakes finals, each of which carried a purse of $250,000. Tall Dark Stranger's KYSS final took to the track for Race 5, as a field of seven lined up for what was the main event of the program. Yannick Gingras was back in the sulky behind Tall Dark Stranger. The duo got away well from Post 3, but yielded early to Caliber (who was driven by David Miller), who was intent on making the lead as the field headed into the first turn. Caliber cut the opening quarter in :26.1, but was soon under pressure, as Gingras and Tall Dark Stranger powered out of the pocket, cleared to the point, and clicked off the opening half in :54.2. The 2020 North America Cup and Meadowlands Pace winner was quite comfortable on the lead, as the son of Bettors Delight cruised past the third station in 1:21.3. Things got interesting in the stretch, as Tall Dark Stranger's stablemate, Fortify, angled out from third and made a late bid for driver Dexter Dunn. Gingras and Tall Dark Stranger kept tabs on the threat and continued their mission to the wire. Tall Dark Stranger went on to hit the wire first off of a :26.2 final quarter. The win time was a sharp 1:48. Fortify settled for second, while Captain Kirk (Joe Bongiorno) finished third. Tall Dark Stranger has now won eight of his nine starts this season and 16 of 18 overall. Tall dark Stranger is owned by Crawford Farms Racing, Marvin Katz, Caviart Farms, and Howard Taylor. Tall Dark Stranger (3), pictured at the wire in the 2020 KYSS finals. Tall Dark Stranger (3), pictured at the wire in the 2020 KYSS finals. Perfect Sting showed that he is the real deal in the final for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings (Race 3), as the Joe Holloway-trained and David Miller-driven bay was a determined competitor while winning in 1:49.4. The son of Always B Miki was sent off as the 1-9 favourite and raced fourth past the :28.2 quarter pole. Miller had him out and attacking first-over in the second panel. It wasn't an easy jaunt to the front for Perfect Sting, though, as leader Natives Filou (Dan Noble) played a bit of hardball down to the half-mile pole, which was clicked off in 55 seconds. Perfect Sting hustled through three quarters, which he posted in 1:22.4, and had a target on his back as he raced for home. Natives Filou pressured Perfect Sting to the wire, but Miller had his charge on his game, and Perfect Sting had what it took to get the job done. The win time was 1:49.4. Natives Filou had to settle for second, while Captains Place (Tyler Smith) closed for third. Perfect Sting is now unbeaten through six starts for his breeder/owners Brittany Farms LLC and Val Dor Farms. Three-year-old trotting colts and geldings kicked off the action in Race 1, and it was the heavily-favoured Beads ($2.10) who dominated his four rivals from the get go, as the Per Engblom-trained and Brian Sears-driven colt sauntered to an impressive gate-to-wire win in 1:51.2. The son of Archangel left from Post 2, cut the fractions (:28.2, :56.2, 1:24), and fired home in :27.2 for a mark-equalling win. The victory was Beads' fifth consecutive win. Barley (David Miller) finished second and Ontopofthehill (Dexter Dunn) was third under the wire. Beads is owned by Renee Spahr and Christina Takter. Blue Diamond Eyes ($6.40) followed suit with the front-end tactics in Race 2, which was the final for two-year-old pacing fillies. The daughter of Captaintreacherous fired out from Post 4 and went on to tally a wire-to-wire win in a mark-equalling 1:51. David Miller was in the bike behind the Ron Burke trainee, and the duo fought for the early lead before clicking off the quarter pole in :28.3. From there, the bay sliced the middle panels (:56.4, 1:24.3) before firing home in :26.2. Making Waves (Scott Zeron) made a bid in the lane after a two-hole ride, but had to settle for second. High Minded (Dexter Dunn) closed while heading for home, but had to settle for third. Blue Diamond Eyes is owned by Thomas Dillon and Scott Dillon. Race 4 featured three-year-old trotting fillies, and it was Hypnotic AM's time to shine, as the Marcus Melander-trained and Brian Sears-driven bay was sharp for her connections and posted a mark-equalling win in 1:51.2. After a post 3 start, the Chapter Seven filly was second to the :27.2. quarter pole and looped to the lead just prior to the half-mile indicator, which she clicked off in 55 seconds. Hypnotic AM led her rivals past the 1:23.2 three-quarters pole and had foes within striking distance through the lane. The filly stayed on her game when the money was down, though, as Hypnotic AM held off Panem (Dexter Dunn) on her inside and Crucial (David Miller) through the stretch to record the win. Hypnotic AM, who returned $3.40 to win, is owned by Courant Inc. Two-year-old trotting fillies took to the track for Race 6, and it was the combination of trainer Linda Toscano and driver David Miller that clicked with Lady Chaos, as the daughter of Cantab Hall got up for a minor 6-1 upset and returned a $14.40 win mutuel to her backers. Miller was able to get Lady Chaos positioned fourth after a Post 8 start. The duo watched the action unfold in front of them through the :27.4 quarter and :56.1 half. Miller and Lady Chaos advanced second over past the 1:25 three-quarters pole and got up on the leaders late via a :27.4 closing quarter. The margin of victory was one length and the win time 1:53.1, which was a new life's mark. After having taken a pocket ride for much of the mile, Beautiful Game (Dexter Dunn) finished second. Eazy Pass (Mark MacDonald) closed late and got up to finish third. Lady Chaos has now won four of her seven starts and is owned by Richard Gutnick, Thomas Pontone, Joseph Lozito Jr., and Enviro Stables Ltd. Baby Your The Best proved to be just that in the three-year-old filly pace, as the daughter of Captaintreacherous disposed of the heavily-favoured Reflect With Me and went on to record a front-end win in 1:49.3, which was a new life's mark for the bay. The victory was the second consecutive win of the afternoon for the combination of David Miller and Linda Toscano, who had clicked one race earlier with Lady Chaos. Miller and Baby Your The Best started Race 7 from Post 7 and found themselves third at the :27.3 quarter pole. Miller called for pace in the second quarter and shot to the lead with Baby Your The Best prior to the :55.2 half-mile indicator. The duo rolled past the three-quarters pole in 1:23.1 and opened up daylight from there. Baby Your The Best finished things off with a :26.2 final frame and was three and a half lengths the best at the wire. After an unsuccessful first-up move, Reflect With Me (Andrew McCarthy) had to settle for second. After a pocket right through the middle half, Pettycoat Business (Scott Zeron) finished third. With the victory, Baby Your The Best has now won five of her 22 career races. Baby Your The Best is owned by Richard and Joanne Young. There was almost an addition to the world record books in the last of the afternoon's KYSS finals, as the Julie Miller-trained and Andy Miller-driven Venerate dominated Race 8, which was for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings. The public's two favourites (Cuarto De Julio and Dancinginthedark M) made early breaks, and that allowed Venerate to assume the lead and have things all his way. The French-sired colt by Love You out of Peaceful Kemp sliced the fractions in :28, :56.1 and 1:24.4 before kicking home with a 27-second final quarter. Cricket Fashion (Dexter Dunn) finished second in front of New Legacy (David Miller). Venerate's 1:51.4 win time was just one fifth of a second off of Walner's 1:51.3 world record, which he trotted over the Red Mile as a freshman in 2016. Venerate has now won three of his six starts for owners Pinske Stables and Andy Miller Stable Inc. WEST SPRINGFIELD Two local men face drug distribution charges after a lengthy investigation by several law enforcement agencies. Noel Bacon, 39, of Cold Spring Avenue, and Xavier Montanez, 23, of Armstrong Street, were arrested Tuesday after West Springfield Police narcotics officers and members of the FBI-Western Massachusetts Gang Task Force raided Bacons home, police said. Bacon was charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute and possession of heroin, subsequent offense. Montanez was charged with possession of Class B drugs with intent to distribute and possession of Class B drugs, subsequent offense. Class B drugs include cocaine, Oxycontin and other substances, police said. After a long investigation, law enforcement received a warrant and searched Bacons home at about 12:55 p.m. They found 250 bags of heroin and drug paraphernalia and arrested the two men, police said. Related Content: West Springfield Police warn departments phone number has been spoofed, used in new scams West Springfield police charge 2 women accused of stealing medications from 65-year-old resident West Springfield store clerk robbed at gunpoint, police asking for help to ID masked man Bay of Plenty If you love working out doors and in a small team then we have the role for you. We are needing someone who has either maintenance... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz Police believe he was 'deliberately harmed' by a car which fled the scene Two men and two women have been arrested for murder after a man was repeatedly run over and killed in a supermarket car park. Detectives launched a murder investigation when the 47-year-old victim was discovered in the car park of an Iceland supermarket in Dagenham, east London. John Avers was hit by a car which fled the scene, and police believe he was 'deliberately harmed' shortly before midnight on September 13. Officers from Met Police and Kent Police stopped a vehicle on the A2 near Gravesend, at around 11.30pm on 18 September. Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after John Avers, 47, was repeatedly run over and killed the car park of an Iceland shop in Dagenham, east London One man was arrested on suspicion of murder, and he remains in custody in a north London police station. Two women were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender and have since been released under investigation. A second man, aged 58, was also arrested in Southend-on-Sea on suspicion of murder a day later. He remains in custody at an Essex police station. The victim's next of kin have been told and are being supported by officers, police said. Paramedics had attended but the Mr Avers died at the scene after suffering multiple injuries, a post-mortem found. A statement from Metropolitan Police said: 'Police were called to a car park in Whalebone Lane South at 23:43hrs on Sunday, 13 September, to reports of a collision between a car and a pedestrian. John Avers (above) died at the scene, after emergency services were called shortly before midnight on September 13, after suffering multiple injuries, a post-mortem found 'Officers attended along with paramedics from London Ambulance Service. The 47-year-old was found seriously injured and died at the scene a short time later. 'A post-mortem examination found that John died from multiple injuries.' Detective Chief Inspector Mark Wrigley, from the Met's Specialist Crime North team, is leading the investigation. He previously said: 'My thoughts are with John's family at this very sad time. 'I and my officers believe John was deliberately harmed and we are treating this incident as a murder inquiry. 'We are using every available tactic to trace who was responsible for John's death. 'I know that there were people in the area and I am asking them to tell us what they saw or heard. 'If you know anything at all about this horrible crime, please don't keep it to yourself. Two women were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender and have been released under investigation 'If you don't want to talk to us, you can speak to Crimestoppers anonymously. The most important thing you can do is share what you know.' Witnesses at the time said they believed Mr Avers had been run over four or five times in the car park. A shop worker who was about to leave after a night shift said at the time, he saw paramedics working on Mr Avers after he had been struck. Shahid Khattack, store manager at the nearby Iceland that backs on to the scene, saw him 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.' The 47-year-old victim's next of kin have been informed and are being supported by officers, police said Mr Khattack added: 'People I've spoken to who saw it said he was run over about four or five times.' Other witnesses also claimed to have seen a car repeatedly run over the victim as he was lying on the ground. A 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.' Anyone with information should call police on 101 quoting CAD 8443/13Sep or contact Crimestoppers anonymously. The paintings in Euan Macleods exhibition Figure in a dissolving landscape are fundamentally of the elements: earth, ice, fire, smoke and sky. Their palette is of the white of the ice, the dark blue-grey of the rock, and the orange of the campfire and also the orange smoke that had travelled across from Australias catastrophic summer bushfires, before settling onto the ice of the Tasman Glacier in the Southern Alps of New Zealand where Macleod spent time earlier this year. Paint is a kind of connective tissue between this landscape and Macleods experience of it. His paintings open our senses to the terrain at any given moment one might feel dwarfed by it, frozen, nearly blown away, or thawed out by the fire. In Pull up, the lower half of the figure is anchored to the ice with rope and relative clarity of image, while its arms and shoulders are swept away into the ice and rock. This unidentified figure appears throughout his work, in this show traversing the ice, clinging to rope, pulling a boat, looming over the scene as a shadow, or hovering spectre-like between the layers of paint. "Figure in a dissolving landscape" is Euan Macleods first exhibition with King Street Gallery on William. Credit:Janie Barrett In some places, Macleods paint is rapidly brushed, or thinned and dribbling, and elsewhere he has worried it into craggy peaks. In the exhibitions title work, a large triptych, Macleod has employed a steep perspective across the three vertical canvases, with the paint converging in a frenzy on a central figure. A barely visible horizon line brushes the top of the canvases, tipping the composition so the mountains loom over the viewer. In Hooker Valley Painting, diagonals reach across each other in the landscape. A large trapezoidal peak appears to rise from a body of water. The rock is comprised of layers of blackened, deep teal paint, recalling the way stone contains colour rather than wearing it on its surface. Below, an oxidised-green reflection washes ethereally into an area of muddy purple-grey where a figure stands, anchoring the composition. Rajya Sabha passed the Farmers' and Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, amid protests by Opposition MPs.TMC MP Derek O'Brien attempts to tear the rule book as ruckus erupts in the Rajya Sabha over agriculture-related bills, during the ongoing Monsoon Session, at Parliament House in New Delhi. (Image: PTI) New Delhi: Twelve Opposition parties Sunday gave a notice for a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh over the manner in which two farm Bills were passed in the Upper House after he overruled their pleas for an adjournment of the proceedings. The BJP is also considering moving a motion for stringent action against several opposition MPs, who are accused of unruly behaviour in the House during the passage of two farm bills. Sources said the Rajya Sabha TV footage was also being viewed to ascertain what transpired during the passage of the bills and which MPs indulged in violence. The Rajya Sabha passed the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, through voice vote amid the din caused by opposition protests. Live TV The Opposition parties that have submitted the notice include the Congress, All India Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, CPI, CPM, Nationalist Congress Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, DMK, Aam Aadmi Party, IUML and Kerala Congress (Mani). Congress leader Ahmed Patel said 12 parties have given a notice of no-confidence against the deputy chairman, as the manner in which the Bills were passed is a murder of democracy. "Our demand for adjourning the House and division of votes was disallowed, he said. "We gave a no-confidence against the attitude of Deputy Chairman and the manner in which the Bills were passed." The government flayed the opposition for "unruly conduct" of their members in Rajya Sabha during the passage of the two farm bills, condemning their behaviour as "extremely shameful" and unprecedented in Parliament's history. Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Prakash Javadekar, Pralhad Joshi, Piyush Goyal, Thawarchand Gehlot and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi held a press conference to hit out at opposition members, with Singh asserting that such conduct was not expected in a healthy democracy. Asked about Opposition parties giving a notice for a no-confidence motion against Harivansh over the manner in which the two farm bills were passed, Singh said the Chairman will take a decision on it. JD(U) leader Harivansh was reelected as the Deputy Chairman of the Upper House on September 14, the first day of the ongoing Monsoon Session. Patel said the Deputy Chairman should have safeguarded democratic traditions but harmed them instead. The protesting members sat in Rajya Sabha after the House was adjourned following the passage of the Bills. TMC MP Derek O'Brien also accused the government of "murdering" the Parliamentary system and democracy. "The government did not allow the Opposition a vote on the farmers' bills. It is a sad day for the parliamentary democracy," he said. The TMC MP alleged that the government knew that it did not have the numbers and that is why they did not allow a division of votes. "Today, the BJP tried to break the back of yet another great institution of our democracy: Parliament. The basic rights of MPs guaranteed by the Constitution are snatched. No vote allowed in RS on farmers bills. Today's day will be written in black letters," he said. (@FahadShabbir) CHISINAU (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th September, 2020) Moldovan President Igor Dodon said on Friday that he admires embattled Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko's achievements in managing national economy and social sector and sees him as a role model in this sense. "I like many things that Lukashenko does, I believe that we should strive for an economy and social sphere like those they have in Belarus. I have been there many times, seen roads and visited agricultural and industrial enterprises. During the years of independence, we destroyed everything, while they - thanks to Lukashenko - had the good sense to secure and multiply [assets inherited from the Soviet Union]. From this point of view, Lukashenko is an example for me," Dodon said in a live broadcast on Facebook. The president at the same time abstained from commenting on protests in Belarus, noting that nobody had the right to interfere in another country's internal affairs. Belarus has been mired in protests since the August 9 election, in which Lukashenko secured his sixth term. The opposition refused to recognize the results and established a coordination council to carry out a peaceful transition of power. The Belarusian authorities say that the council pursues an unconstitutional grab of power. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said earlier in the week that the bloc considers the election to be fraudulent and no longer sees Lukashenko as legitimate president. The United States, the EU and Canada are expected to announce coordinated sanctions on Belarus next week, according to the State Department. Entrance to Main Quadrangles area of the University of Chicago. The English Department has recently announced its graduate school will accept applications only from students interested in working in and with Black Studies. (Michael Barera/CC BY-SA 4.0) University of Chicago English Department Accepts Grad Applicants Only for Black Studies Commentary The original ideal of literary study was that it was set apart from the immediacy of politics, exploring perennial questions of meaning, beauty, and goodness. That hasnt been the case for a long time, and the University of Chicago English Department recently codified the politicization of the humanities in what might be its starkest form yet. Pledging its support for Black Lives Matter, the UChicago English Department affirms that the study of literature must support the struggle of Black and Indigenous people, and all racialized and dispossessed people, against inequality and brutality. For the next year, accordingly, the department will accept graduate school applications only from students interested in working in and with Black Studies. Is this a (not so) subtle way of excluding white or other non-black students from applying? A white scholar who specializes in black literature will have bleak career prospects, to say the least, and will have to spend a lifetime reflecting on cultural appropriation. While the statement is obviously meant to appeal primarily to black graduate students, one wonders why its necessary to mandate that students adopt a Black Studies approach. Black Studies is a politicized perspective that is avowedly antagonistic to Western culture and focused on black grievances. Not all black intellectuals agree with it. Perhaps there are promising black students who wish to study black literature from non-ideological premises. Perhaps there are black students who wish to study John Milton, or Jane Austen, or Kazuo Ishiguro. The departments invitation, well-intentioned as it may be, has the effect of denying students academic freedom. The rationale for the narrowing of focus at the English Department is provided in an extended mea culpa about English studies, which we are told has a long history of providing aesthetic rationalizations for colonization, exploitation, extraction, and anti-Blackness. This is an inaccurate, not to mention totalitarian, assessment. Yes, some small portion of English literature might be said to have aestheticized injustice, but powerful literature has always done much more than that. Perhaps, the department members were thinking of Uncle Toms Cabin, by Harriett Beecher Stowe, a mid-19th-century sentimental novel born out of the anti-slavery movement. The novel presents idealized characters in melodramatic situations, and it might well be said to aestheticize suffering. Yet, the book is thought to have laid the groundwork for the U.S. Civil War by provoking millions of white readers to identify deeply with its black characters. Many other 19th-century American works, not least among them Mark Twains Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, vividly portrayed the evil of anti-black racism. These books didnt rationalize exploitation, they showed why it was obscene. But the authors of the Chicago statement arent finished with their elaborate self-flagellation. They claim that Our discipline is responsible for developing hierarchies of cultural production that have contributed directly to social and systemic determinations of whose lives matter and why. Its not clear what this means, except that in valuing some forms of literary art above others, English studies apparently devalued black lives. Its hard to see how this is true. In fact, the literary canon and the very idea of literary merit have been under challenge for decades, and scholars have for a long time been free to teach or research nearly any cultural text they choose. More importantly, there has been a vibrant tradition of black American literature that has been respectfully studied both in America and around the English-speaking world. Every serious student of literature knows the names of esteemed black writers such as W.E.B. Du Bois, Countee Cullen, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, Audre Lorde, Ralph Ellison, Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, and many more. The recognition of this tradition has deeply affirmed black lives. The subject now touted as urgent and necessarythe relationship between aesthetics, representation, inequality, and poweris the very subject that has dominated, for good and ill, English studies for the past half-century. Since its founding in the 1970s, Black Studies created a generation of academic luminaries such as Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Cornel West who placed black writing and literature of resistance at the center of a humanities education. How can the department square this 40-year history of robust black academic engagement with its present confession of systemic anti-blackness? Who are the anti-black racists, and why is the Department of English at UChicago only now discovering the necessity of fighting them? Is the department really sincere about its confessed failures, and if so, why hasnt anything been done about them before now? Whatever the results of its politicized claims, the English Department has just sent a clear message to students: Whether youre white or black or any other color, if you love literature more than politics, if youre spellbound by compelling stories and beautiful language and imaginary worlds and strange journeys and the miracle of human creativity, all of it bigger and deeper than the here and now of contemporary ideological preoccupations, then whatever you do, dont study English at UChicago. Janice Fiamengo is a retired professor of English from the University of Ottawa. Her most recent book is Sons of Feminism: Men Have Their Say. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Less than one out of every five (18.6%) active cases of the coronanvirus disease (Covid-19) in Delhi were located inside the citys 1,670-odd containment zones as on September 16, according to unreleased government data accessed by HT -- data that experts said could be grounds for overhauling the containment strategy in the Capital. According to the data, of the citys 11 revenue districts, Shahdara has the highest share of patients living inside containment zones (32.8%, or nearly one out of every three), followed by New Delhi district (23.5%) and West district (22.1%). The data was part of a report that was submitted by the revenue department to the office of the Delhi chief secretary Vijay Dev ahead of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) meeting on Friday, chaired by lieutenant governor Anil Baijal in which directions were issued to redraft Delhis containment strategy. The report said, as on September 16, of the citys 31,201 active cases, only 5,800 were located inside 1,670 containment zones, while the others were located outside hot spots. Experts said this shows that a majority of Delhis active infections are scattered outside containment zones, suggesting that the city needs to strengthen locality-based surveillance and contact tracing. By Sunday evening, of the total 246,711 cases in Delhi, 32,097 were active, and the containment zones had increased to 1,872, according to the governments health bulletin. The city added 3,812 new infections and 37 new deaths on Sunday. In absolute numbers, of the active cases inside containment zones till Wednesday, south-west Delhi had the most (815), followed by the northwest (769) and west districts (774). South-west and west districts also have the highest number of containment zones 325 and 223 respectively. These three districts have a mix of planned neighbourhoods such as Dwarka in south-west and Rohini in north-west and a large number of unauthorised colonies, with scattered slum clusters. The New Delhi district is largely constituted by blocks of central government quarters and few unauthorised colonies and slums. We are keeping a close eye on trends and doing our best to create containment zones wherever we spot clusters and the potential threat of the spread of Covid-19. Usually, three cases located within close proximity qualifies an area for assessment as a containment zone. The rule, however, is flexible. If there is adequate space, all individual cases can be allotted home isolation. But that is not possible in congested areas with high population density. Currently, as cases have witnessed a spike again, we have scaled up both testing and containment strategies, said Neha Bansal, district magistrate (west). District magistrate (southwest) Rahul Singh said, We have created containment zones under guidelines issued by the Union government. Each area has been assessed before surveillance was scaled up. The idea is to break the chain of transmission. Delhis revenue minister Kailash Gahlot said, At this juncture, the government is aggressively creating containment zones in order to break the chain of transmission at the earliest. However, it is important to mention that the focus of the government is on creating smaller containment zones so that fewer people are affected. The status of the containment zones is periodically reviewed. Based on the same dataset, HT reported on Saturday highlighting how Delhis active cases were spread unevenly through the Capital. Delhis north-west district accounted for 16.3% of the total number of active cases (31,201) the highest among the citys 11 districts. The same district, however, has 15.1% of its active cases in containment zones a lower proportion than eight revenue districts. Interestingly, Shahdara had only 1,813 active Covid-19 cases the lowest in terms of share out of the total 31,201. But one-third of the identified Covid-19 cases were in containment zones. This data shows that a larger proportion of Covid-19 cases in Delhi are scattered and isolated, or non-cluster, in nature. So, it is high time that the government comes up with a better plan to strengthen locality-based surveillance, depending on caseload from area to area, and improve contact tracing. In ideal circumstances, all Covid-19 cases should be isolated either in residences of patients or hospitals and quarantine centres but the government should think of doing away with containment zones at this juncture, said Dr Jugal Kishore, head of community medicines at Safdarjung Hospital and vice-president of the Indian Association of Epidemiologists. Dr Lalit Kant, head of the division of epidemiology & communicable diseases at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said, Once a containment zone is identified, its residents are screened and tested in a systematic way, which does not happen in general areas. So, containment zones will always have a certain chunk of the active cases. But further analysis would be difficult unless we learn about the complete testing strategy inside and outside containment zones and analyse the data over a period of time. KCR said that it was stated in the Bills that farmers could sell their produce anywhere in the country. But in reality, farmers seldom go to faraway places and it was traders and corporate companies who travel anywhere in the country to buy or sell their goods. DC photo TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has asked his party MPs to vote against the farm bills in the Rajya Sabha, saying they would cause great injustice to farmers. Talking with TRS Parliamentary Party leader Dr. K Keshava Rao over phone on Saturday, the chief minister pointed out that the Bill will cause severe harm to the farming community and was only meant to benefit the corporates. Emphasising the need to oppose the Bills, KCR explained for the public consumption, it was stated in the Bills that farmers could sell their produce anywhere in the country. But in reality, farmers seldom go to faraway places and it was traders and corporate companies who travel anywhere in the country to buy or sell their goods. The Bill will throw open flood gates for the Corporate companies and private traders to expand their operations across the country." He questioned how is it possible for farmers who produce in small quantities, hire lorries to transport their yield to faraway places at a high expense in their attempt to earn profits? Terming that these Bills are nothing but sugar-coated pills, the Chief Minister asked the MPs that these Bills should be opposed at all costs. Finding fault with the Centres decision to reduce the import tax from 50 per cent to 15 per cent allowing import of one crore tonnes of maize from abroad, KCR questioned the Union of India what will happen to our farmers and their produce if the Centre opens doors for imports. Stating that the Centre had already procured 70-75 lakh tonnes of maize, he pointed out Whom does the Centre want to benefit at a time when the nation is facing an economic slowdown? We have plenty of maize produced in the country. He instructed the MPs to oppose and vote against the Bills in Rajya Sabha since they will cause huge losses to the agriculture sector and are against the interests of farmers in the country. The funeral of nine-time champion jockey and Offaly man Pat Smullen heard about Pat's glittering career in the saddle as well as his quiet family life with his wife Frances and their children Hannah, Paddy and Sarah. Pat's coffin, draped in the silks from his 2016 Epsom Derby win and both his Irish Derby victories, was brought to the altar at St Peter's Church in Rhode, Co Offaly as a stunning rendition of Amazing Grace filled the small church. The funeral on Friday last was attended by the aide-de-camp of both President Michael D Higgins and Taoiseach Micheal Martin. Fr Greg Corcoran said: "We gather on this sad day to bid farewell to Pat. It is a very sad occasion for his family, friends, our parish and the wider racing community in Ireland." A racing helmet, a saddle, a model tractor and a coffee mug were presented as gifts in honour of the things Pat loved most, a representation of his life in sport and at home on his farm in Rhode. Fr Corcoran spoke glowingly about Pat: "In the tributes I've seen in recent days, you read about his career and many achievements, but you also get a sense of him being a very nice person as well. "He was always courteous and gracious; he always thanked people. I've seen words written from starting stall teams, carpark attendants and tea ladies and they all reflect just how gracious and humble he was to everyone. He always helped young jockeys as well. All of their lives were richer for having known him. He had time for everyone." In her eulogy for her late husband, Frances Crowley said: "My heart is broken; broken for myself as I've lost my best friend, my soulmate." "My heart is broken too for our children, Paddy, Hannah and Sarah." She said they should know just how proud their father was of the people they have become. She said her heart was also broken for Pat's mother Mary, who is going through the "unbearable pain of losing her son 15 years after losing her husband." "They are reunited now," she added, "they both loved the farm and I know they are both there now and will be always with us." Speaking about the many messages of support Pat has received in the last few weeks and months, Frances said people should know "he saw them all, even if he didn't reply." "I can tell you he saw them all. Sometimes he didn't have the energy to reply; sometimes he didn't have the words." Frances revealed her heartbreak for the entire community of Rhode, "a village that has lost its hero." "Strong. Brave. Tough. Fighter. Winner. These were all words used to describe Pat, and here are a few more," Frances said. "Insecure. Scared. Vulnerable. Sad - He was only human and a human body can only take so much. But his spirit never gave up; in the end, it was his body that gave in," his wife told those gathered. She also spoke to the many cancer sufferers around the world who had been following Pat's battle from the altar. For them, she had a message of resilience. "Keep going, don't lose heart," she said. Frances thanked the medical team in St. Vincent's Hospital for the great care they gave him in the final six weeks of his life. "As I left Pat in the hospital to go home every night, I knew he would be treated with dignity. I can't thank them enough for the care they gave." She spoke too of how she saw that medical team become visibly disheartened as Pat's condition deteriorated in his final weeks. "Pat noticed too," she said. "'I'm doing my best,' he would say to them." "You always did your best, Pat. Always," Frances concluded to applause in the church. ANN ARBOR, MI As U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell looks to keep her seat in Congress another two years, she faces two repeat opponents in the Nov. 3 election. Republican Jeff Jones and Working Class Party candidate Gary Walkowicz are both taking another shot at unseating the Dearborn Democrat in Michigans 12th Congressional District. The last time they faced off in 2018, Dingell won by a wide margin, netting over 80% of the vote in Washtenaw County precincts and nearly 60% in Wayne County precincts. They also faced off in 2016. This is Jones' third time running against Dingell, and Walkowiczs fourth time. The district includes the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti areas, Dearborn and Downriver communities. Dingell was first elected in 2014, taking over the seat previously held by her husband, the late John Dingell, who served nearly 60 years in Congress. Walkowicz, a United Auto Workers member, lists 45 years working in an auto plant among his credentials. Jones is a pastor from Taylor with a financial services background. MLive has partnered with the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide information to voters. Check out the leagues voter guide at Vote411.org/ballot to find all three candidates' positions on issues ranging from health care to the economy, elections, social injustice, immigration, the environment and energy. MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS: Early in-person voting at Ann Arbor city hall, UM campus starts Sept. 24 Whos running in the November 2020 election in Washtenaw County These 12 proposals are on the November 2020 ballot in Washtenaw County Ann Arbor affordable housing tax proposal heads to November ballot Tax proposal on November ballot would help fill Ann Arbors sidewalk gaps The local weather office said the lowest temperature measured on Saturday was 10 degrees, and it warmed up to around 10.8 degrees at 7 a.m. The town in Lao Cai Province stands 1,500-1,650 meters above sea level and is home to Fansipan, the highest mountain in Vietnam and Indochina peninsula. Lao Cai Hydrometeorology Station said it was the coolest September in Sa Pa since 1957. Tran Quang Nang, head of the weather forecasting department at the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, told VTCNews this was one of the early cold waves hitting northern Vietnam and more such waves are likely in the coming days. National meteorologists have said that the cold wave could trigger rains, floods and landslides in Lao Cai and other localities in the region. Sa Pa is one of a few places in Vietnam's northern highlands where it snows in winter, but this is a rare phenomenon. Press Release September 20, 2020 Agriculture is engine of growth during COVID pandemic: Pangilinan A NEW, better normal puts food and food producers front and center in the rebuilding of the economy that has collapsed over the COVID-19 pandemic and the failed Administration response to it, Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan said Sunday. "Pinakita sa atin ng pandemya at ng mga sumunod na lockdown na mahalaga ang food security, at hindi tayo makakasiguro na may makakain tayo kung hindi matatag sa kanilang kabuhayan ang mga nagpapakain sa atin, ang mga Pilipinong magsasaka at mangingisda (The pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns have shown us that food security is essential and we cannot have food security if our food producers, Filipino farmers and fisher folk, are not secure in their livelihood)," he said. While all the other sectors like manufacturing and service declined during the pandemic, agriculture was the only bright spot, as it grew from a contraction of 1.4% in the first quarter, to a 0.5% growth in the second quarter. The growth is attributed to higher production of crops and fisheries. "Ibig sabihin, agriculture is an engine for growth. And our Sagip Saka Law can be used as the framework and the approach to making this happen," said Pangilinan, principal sponsor of Republic Act 11321 or the Sagip Saka Law. A key Sagip Saka provision is the direct purchases by local governments and national government agencies from farmers and fisher folk without public bidding and by negotiated contracts. This is what happened during the lockdown, Pangilinan said. As of the latest announcement by the Department of Agriculture, P6 billion worth of produce and catch have been purchased by LGUs directly from farmers and fisher folk during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a Sagip Saka online consultation with the senator in Iloilo and Guimaras last Thursday, Regional Field Office-6 Director Remelyn Recoter enumerated the challenges faced by agriculture in Western Visayas due to the pandemic: production disruption, limited mobility of farm workers due to quarantine rules, bottleneck in transport and logistics of agriculture products, and more difficulty in accessing funds. Recoter said her office helped address these challenges by providing assistance through different financial aid and direct purchase from farmers and fisher folk -- key components of the Sagip Saka Law. Pangilinan told food growers, agriculture officers, and local government officials during the consultation that in Bayanihan 2, an additional P24 billion has been allotted to the Department of Agriculture to go to direct cash assistance, zero-interest collateral loans, and training programs for farmers and fisher folk. "We also worked hard sa Bayanihan 1 to make sure na ma-exempt under the law ang ating mga local governments and national government agencies sa Procurement Law when they purchase directly sa farmers and fisherfolk organizations," Pangilinan said. These interventions have borne fruit. Henry Michael Doliguez, farmer and president of San Rafael Irrigators Association in Antique, also shared the success story of his group. With the help of the DA and other agencies, the association has grown from no equipment and lack of manpower and knowledge. "We started with P124,000 in working capital. Ngayon umabot na kami ng P2.4 million and we plan na pag lumaki pa itong aming income ay ibabalik namin ito sa mga farmers sa pamamagitan ng pagpapautang ng aming mga poultry products at agri supply para maging maginhawa ang buhay ng mga magsasaka," Doliguez said. Mayor Macario Napulan of Miag-ao, Iloilo reported that during the pandemic, his municipality bought directly from farmer organizations and paid higher than normal rates. The agriculture products were sold in 11 satellite markets to limit people's movement due to COVID. These interventions provided food for the people and increased farmers' incomes. To further lower the price of goods and increase farmers' incomes, Pangilinan and Napulan both suggested the use of cold storage facilities to lengthen the consumable life of the crops and seafood. This way, the community will achieve food security, Pangilinan and Napulan said. The senator said these interventions should continue to ensure that agriculture would continue to grow so that our food growers would be encouraged to go on planting and fishing, and all Filipinos would have enough nutritious food to eat. "That will also be the incentive of the farmers to plant more because they know their produce will last more months with cold storage. Hindi mabubulukan, at makakatanim ng mas marami. 'Pag mas marami ang tanim, mas mababa ang presyo. Pero volume na yon. At kapag mas mababa ang presyo sa retail, may food for everybody. Food secure na 'yon," Pangilinan said. Officials from Hunterdon County and the state Department of Environmental Protection have voiced concerns regarding the environmental assessment of the amended PennEast Pipeline issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee earlier this month, which concluded that building the pipeline in two phases would not significantly affect the quality of the environment. In September 2019, a federal appeals court dealt a blow to the project in ruling that the PennEast Pipeline a proposed 116-mile, 36-inch diameter underground gas pipeline that would originate in Pennsylvania and traverse through western Hunterdon County and Mercer County cannot seize New Jersey-owned land in order to build the gas line. PennEast has asked the Supreme Court to review the appeals decision, and the Supreme Court has in turn asked the Department of Justice to file a brief on the case to be reviewed prior to making a decision on whether or not to hear it. PennEast has also requested an authoritative interpretation of the eminent domain authority issued to certificate holders under the Natural Gas Act from the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee, known as FERC. FERC approved the petition in January, and the following month dually approved PennEasts request for a two-year extension to complete the construction of the project facilities and make such facilities available for service. Earlier this month, FERC issued an environmental assessment of PennEasts amended proposal to split the project into two phases with new interconnection facilities at Church Road in Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania. In this assessment, FERC determined that, with appropriate mitigating measures," the PennEast Pipelines amended proposal would not constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. In comments he submitted to FERC on Sept. 2, Hunterdon County Freeholder Director Shaun C. Van Doren demanded a re-examination of the assessment in stating that PennEasts amendment falls well short of establishing the major environmental and economic impacts of the project" in considering only "a portion of the changes, not the project in its entirety. FERC needs to take the draft EA (environmental assessment) back to the drawing board, Van Doren said in a press release shared with NJ Advance Media. Using the draft assessment to declare a finding of no significant impact is inaccurate and a disservice to the public." "There is no mention in the EA of the effect on residential property rights, preserved farmland, and protected environmental assets and resources, the freeholder director added. Shaun Van Doren, director of the Hunterdon County Board of Freeholders.Courtesy - Hunterdon County Among his criticisms of the assessment, Van Doren reprimanded its exclusion of the effect on residential property rights, preserved farmland, and protected environmental assets and resources and assess more than the Church Road interconnection in Bethlehem Township. PennEast is using the so-called small bites strategy where, as each incremental segment is approved, the company will then rely upon that previous approval for its argument to proceed further because of economic investment, Van Doren wrote in his comments. Van Doren was not alone in his condemnation of the amended project. In a letter issued to FERC on Sept. 2, the state Department of Environmental Protection requested FERC analyze both phases of the project under an environmental impact statement rather than analyze the phases separately. DEP rejected PennEasts resubmitted application for a Freshwater Wetlands Permit and withdrew it from consideration in October 2019. Among its criticisms of PennEasts proposal, the state agency said the company has not performed field surveys for resources including threatened and endangered species, historical resources, freshwater wetlands, geology, and drinking wells. Additionally, the state agency outlined its concerns with PennEasts treatment of historical sources in its amended application. By considering Pennsylvanias phase 1 first without the full record of information available for the entire route and without all required federal and state permits in place, FERC impermissibly presupposes an outcome for Phase 2 ... in conflict with NEPA (the National Environmental Policy Act) and NHPA (the National Historic Preservation Act), the letter reads. In statements shared with NJ Advance Media, both Tom Gilbert, campaign director for the New Jersey Conservation Foundation and ReThink Energy NJ, and Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, expressed their concerns with the project and FERCs assessment of it. FERCs action is a clear violation of NEPA and the Natural Gas Act since they failed to fully examine the impacts of both phases and previously missing data for New Jersey," Gilbert said. "Most importantly, FERC does not have jurisdiction to amend the original certificate, as that jurisdiction lies exclusively with the DC Circuit. PennEast is playing a treacherous and dangerous trick by splitting the project into two phases," Tittel said. This pipeline would threaten the entire valley, including 91 acres of wetlands and over 44 miles of forest, 88 waterways over 1,600 acres' total. Patricia Kornick, a spokesperson for PennEast, said the company welcomes (the) feedback of interested parties that choose to comment on the environmental assessment. PennEast is committed to moving the project forward, including in the short term with Phase 1 construction and operation next year that will enable Pennsylvania families and businesses finally to realize the benefits of clean, low-cost natural gas," Kornick said. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Caroline Fassett may be reached at cfassett@njadvancemedia.com. JD(U) MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh wondered on Sunday if coronavirus was being pushed into Delhi every time cases of the infection came down in the national capital, as he claimed that the world is still debating if the virus is man-made or natural. Speaking in the Lok Sabha during a discussion on the COVID-19 pandemic, Singh said, We see that infections in Delhi are going down sometime, and then suddenly the numbers start rising. Isnt it the case that virus is being pushed from outside into places where the numbers are declining? There is no finality to the debate over whether the virus is natural or man-made, he claimed, adding that he was not sure if Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, who was sitting in the House, agrees with this contention or not. The leader of the JD(U) in Lok Sabha, who is better known as Lalan Singh, asked the opposition to give constructive suggestions to the Union government in dealing with the pandemic instead of wasting time by criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The more opposition leaders criticise Modi, the more popular he becomes while their popularity declines, Singh said, praising the governments decision to impose a nation-wide lockdown in March to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. India has fared much better than the rest of the world in terms of fatality rate and recovery rate, Singh said. He also hailed the Bihar governments handling of the pandemic, saying that the state has 91.7 per cent recovery rate and only 0.5 per cent fatality rate. It has as of now only 13,000 cases of existing positive cases, Singh said. During the discussion, N Nageswara Rao of the TRS expressed concern over nearly 90,000 daily cases of COVID-19 across the country and added that the curve continues to rise. ST Hassan of the Samajwadi Party criticised the lockdown as unplanned and alleged that the pandemic was communalised. NCPs Amol Ramsing Kolhe alleged that the government was busy welcoming US president Donald Trump and toppling opposition-run state governments when the disease was spreading in the country. Ramesh Bidhuri of the BJP hit out at the opposition, saying they wanted the Union government to fail in its efforts to curb COVID-19 cases, and asserted that the decision to impose the lockdown played a huge role in dealing with the pandemic. He praised Home Minister Amit Shah, saying he was instrumental in dealing with the pandemic in the national capital when the Delhi government could not tackle the crisis. Shah worked hard and visited hospitals despite being a diabetic, Bidhuri said. Nasrin Sotoudeh was on hunger strike for over 40 days, seeking freeing of political prisoners, better jail conditions. Imprisoned Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh has been hospitalised after being severely weakened after a weeks-long hunger strike, her husband said. Sotoudeh was transferred to the cardiac care unit shortly after being taken to the emergency ward of Taleghani hospital in the capital, Tehran, Reza Khandan told AFP news agency over the telephone on Saturday. We were allowed to see her for a few moments, he added. She was severely weakened, lost a lot of weight and had sunken eyes. Sotoudeh has been on a hunger strike for more than 40 days, according to Khandan. The strike aimed at calling for the freeing of political prisoners and directing attention towards their condition during the coronavirus pandemic, according to an August 11 statement by Sotoudeh published by Khandan on social media. COVID-19 has so far killed more than 24,000 people in Iran amid almost 420,000 infections, according to official figures. Khandan told AFP he worried for his wife as the hospital is not a safe place vis-a-vis the coronavirus and lacks proper isolation with many infected patients. He added, however, that her last scan has not shown a sign of infection. Her family said they were notified of her condition through one of her fellow inmates. The prison does not cooperate, they dont properly answer when you ask about (prisoners) condition. They had not even told us of her hospitalisation, said Khandan. Sotoudeh was arrested in 2018 on charges of collusion and propaganda against Irans rulers and eventually was sentenced to 38 years in prison and 148 lashes. Under the law, she must serve at least 12 years. The 57-year-old is a co-laureate of the European Parliaments Sakharov Prize. She won the prestigious award in 2012 for her work on high-profile cases including those of convicts on death row for offences committed as minors. This is not Sotoudehs first time in prison. She had also spent three years behind bars after representing dissidents arrested during mass protests in 2009 against the disputed re-election of the ultra-conservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. She was also banned from practising law for 20 years, before the Lawyers Court at the Tehran Bar Association overturned the ban on her legal practice in August 2014. During her first time in jail, Sotoudeh also staged two hunger strikes in protest against the conditions in Evin and a ban on seeing her son and daughter. She was released in September 2013, shortly before Irans then-newly elected President Hassan Rouhani, who had campaigned on a pledge to improve civil rights, attended the UN General Assembly. HAIKOU, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A foreign tour group kicked off their journey on Saturday in Haikou, capital of south China's island province of Hainan, in a bid to promote the international image of the Hainan free trade port. The tour group consists of more than 20 foreigners from 16 countries who live in China, including internet celebrities, consular officers, and representatives of foreign tourism bureaus. During the three-day tour, they will introduce Hainan's tourism resources through livestreaming or short videos on social media like TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. This has been the first international tourism promotion event since China released a master plan for the Hainan free trade port on June 1. Li Yu, an official with the provincial department of tourism, culture, television, radio, and sports, said the event was expected to show an open image of Hainan to the world and attract more foreign tourists to the free trade port. Li said the province will conduct more international tourism and cultural exchanges and invite global tourists to enjoy their travels in Hainan. Kareena Kapoor Khan seems to be in a reflective mood ahead of her 40th birthday on September 21. She took to Instagram to share her musings, along with a stunning photo of herself, and thanked her experiences and decisions for shaping her into the woman that she is. Sharing a gorgeous black-and-white photo of herself, Kareena wrote, As I enter my 40th year... I want to sit back, reflect, love, laugh, forgive, forget and most importantly pray and thank the strongest force up there for giving me the strength and thank my experiences and decisions for making me the woman I am... Some right, some wrong, some great, some not so... but still, hey BIG 40 make it BIG. Earlier in the day, Kareena took to Instagram stories to reveal that the prep for her birthday celebrations had already begun. She shared a picture of kebabs in the making and wrote, Birthday kebabs getting ready. By @reenz290. She tagged her childhood friend, Reenaa Pillai Gupta, in the photo. Also read: Kangana Ranaut says Anurag Kashyap is very much capable of sexual assault, claims many big heroes misbehaved with her Kareena is expecting her second child with husband, Saif Ali Khan. We are very pleased to announce that we are expecting an addition to our family!! Thank you to all our well-wishers for all their love and support. - Saif and Kareena, a joint statement issued by the couple last month read. On the work front, Kareenas next release is Advait Chandans Laal Singh Chaddha, starring Aamir Khan in the eponymous role. The film, a remake of the critically-acclaimed Hollywood blockbuster Forrest Gump, will bring the two actors on screen after nearly a decade since their last outing, Talash. It is scheduled to hit the theatres on Christmas next year. Kareena also has Karan Johars period epic Takht in the pipeline. The film, which also stars Janhvi Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal, Bhumi Pednekar and Anil Kapoor, was supposed to go on floors in March but has been indefinitely stalled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR HT Entertainment Desk Dedicated professionals who write about cinema and television in all their vibrancy. Expect views, reviews and news. ...view detail Hundreds of conspiracy theorists have gathered in central London to protest against coronavirus restrictions in the UK as infections worsen. Scuffles broke out as police moved in on demonstrators in Trafalgar Square, who formed human blockades in an attempt to prevent arrests and initially forced officers to move back. Demonstrators advanced on police while shouting choose your side and some were seen throwing objects at officers during a largely peaceful demonstration on Saturday afternoon. At around 3pm, the Metropolitan Police announced that it would be dispersing protesters and making arrests after trying to explain, engage and encourage them to leave throughout the day. Footage showed several lines of officers in riot gear near the National Gallery, with mounted police on standby, as police repeatedly told people to leave the rally. The Resist And Act For Freedom rally was the latest in a series of protests by a wide-ranging coalition of groups who oppose lockdown restrictions. Supporters of the QAnon theory, which centres on claims that Satan-worshiping paedophiles are running a global child sex-trafficking ring, could be seen in the crowd. Several people held up signs opposing vaccinations and 5G technology, while others waved St George flags. The crowd cheered as a speaker told them that coronavirus was a novel coronavirus, like a novel, like a story its all made up. Another woman claimed that 5G grows cancer. One protester held a banner calling for the governments Sage scientific advisers to be sacked, while anothers declared Covid-19 a hoax. Metropolitan Police Superintendent Emma Richards said: "We remain in the middle of a public health crisis, and by gathering in large numbers - such as today's protest - puts others at risk. We advised those in attendance to leave but many refused to do so. An anti-lockdown protest in London's Trafalgar Square on 19 September (Yui Mok/PA) "The amount of hostility shown towards officers, who were simply there to keep people safe, is unacceptable. More than 30 people were arrested and they remain in custody." The protest had been advertised by organisers as an medic-focused event with expert speakers, NHS and police whistleblowers. Protecting our families, our elderly and our children. The speakers included high-profile conspiracy theorists who have been speaking at a number of similar rallies in recent months. A lead organiser is a nurse whose registration was suspended by the Nursing and Midwifery Council in July for spreading false information about coronavirus and vaccines. Other speakers included the chair of the right-wing Irish Freedom Party, a Republican politician from Minnesota and prolific anti-5G campaigner Mark Steele, who was jailed for shooting a teenage girl in the head in the 1990s. It comes amid concern that the spread of disinformation on coronavirus and potential vaccines will worsen the pandemic. Police had appealed for the public to adhere to restrictions and social distancing over the weekend, as some forces mounted extra patrols to enforce the law. A further 16 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals to 29,735, NHS England said on Saturday. Professor Neil Ferguson, whose modelling led the government to order the lockdown in March, urged ministers to act sooner rather than later as cases rise. (AFP via Getty Images) Boris Johnson is to consider new restrictions across England after the latest figures showed new infections doubling every week, with the R rate between 1.1 and 1.4. We are now seeing a second wave coming in. We are seeing it in France, in Spain, across Europe it has been absolutely, Im afraid, inevitable we were going to see it in this country, he said on Friday. The rule of six came into force on Monday to restrict private social gatherings, but protests are exempt if they are organised in accordance with guidelines. Ministers are thought to be looking at a temporary two-week circuit break in an attempt to break the chain of virus transmission. The move could see pubs and restaurants ordered to close or face a 10pm curfew, while socialising between households could be banned. Tougher new restrictions have already been imposed in large parts of Englands north west, West Yorkshire and the Midlands. Rio de Janeiro: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is scheduled to undergo surgery to remove a bladder stone on Friday, a doctor for the Brazilian leader told Reuters. Bolsonaro will check in to a hospital in Sao Paulo on Thursday to prepare for the procedure and will be hospitalised until Saturday or Sunday at the latest, said Leandro Echenique, one of several doctors on Bolsonaro's medical team. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Credit:Getty "It is something much simpler and more common than other surgeries", Echenique said. The president's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Echenique's remarks. Plans for the surgery were reported earlier by newspapers Folha de S.Paulo and O Estado de S.Paulo, which cited unnamed sources. Inside Hook Every year, the Kogod School of Business at American University assembles the Made in America Auto Index. It documents which cars and trucks are the most American-made, taking that term literally. An AutoBlog article by Ronan Glon explains the process behind the Index and gives a sense of its history. As Glon phrases it, the Index takes into account a wide variety of factors including the percentage of American and Canadian parts found in a given vehicle, where its assembled, where the companys headquarters are located, and whose pocket the profits it generates end up in. Whats at the top of this years list, you may wonder. Its none other than the Ford Ranger, with a score of 85. 70% of the Rangers parts were made in the United States or Canada. Thats not quite the highest percentage in the Index the Dodge Grand Caravan measures up at 74%, but its overall score is lower, in part because of the Amsterdam headquarters of Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles. I wholeheartedly agree with New Jersey Republican leaders who are pushing back against proposed legislation that would fine New Jerseyans up to $500 for not wearing a mask inside stores. To be clear: This legislation as reported by NJ1015.com introduced by Assemblyman Joe Danielsen, D-Somerset, has a pretty good chance of passing. We all know Gov. Phil Murphy would be OK with it, so if it gets out of Assembly and the Senate President Steve Sweeney posts it, and yadda yadda, presto, its the law. But I dont think its right. I dont think hard-working New Jerseyans no matter how misguided and/or dangerous they may be by deciding to not wear a mask inside public places should be fined. Nope. Instead, I think New Jersey lawmakers should take a page out of the playbook of Indonesian President Joko Widodo. See, theres a national law over there mandating masks in public. People who are caught without? The punishments are a little more creative. For instance: One unmasked man was forced to lie in a coffin in public while others shamed him. In another case, a group of unmasked men were punished by being forced to dig graves for people who died of COVID-19. So yes: No to $500 fines, yes to making unmasked New Jerseyans dig a few graves. Can I get a legislator to sponsor this? No? OK then. The $500 fine is just going to have to do. Really: I cant even believe that were still arguing about masks at this point. I cant even believe I was at Wegmans last week and saw some jacked-up fool wearing his mask around his chin. I cant even believe I was in a doctors office with elderly people sitting in the same room and some dude was sitting there without his nose being covered. Listen: Masks work. Weve known masks work forever. At minimum min-i-mum they protect other people from whatever germs are flying out of your nose and mouth. Why do you think surgeons wear masks? Not for their protection; its so they dont accidentally shoot a snot rocket into someones pancreas. And now, all these months into the pandemic, scientists are coming to agreement as to how this thing spreads: Through the air. No need to bleach your groceries anymore, and you dont need to douse yourself in hand sanitizer if you accidentally brush up against someone in the supermarket. Its large droplets (think a sneeze, cough, or scream) or its aerosolized flotsam (think invisible, microscopic little bastards floating through the air) that do people in. It does not take a brain surgeon or an epidemiologist or a freaking idiot with a newspaper column to figure out masks help protect people around you. Not as many particles are going to escape from your nose and mouth. Its also not a far reach to imagine they also offer at least some protection to the wearer. After all, would you rather be sneezed on, or sneezed on with a mask surrounding your nose and mouth? And besides: Whats the downside risk? Being slightly uncomfortable while you pack your cart at Costco? Not a good reason. Ive done four-hour radio shows masked. Is it fun? No. But its eminently doable. And I do it to protect the other people in the room. Thats it. Listen: We screwed up testing, we screwed up contact tracing, we massively screwed up data collection. All we really have left is masks and common sense. At this point, it appears you need to be an idiot or unlucky to contract coronavirus here in New Jersey. Its still out there, still hundreds of new cases each day in the state, but if you wear a mask (and/or maintain social distance when youre not wearing one) it certainly seems like youd still stand a chance even if someone is bleeding corona out of their eyes while youre in line with them at Target. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Treatments are getting better, and new treatments are in the pipeline. Numerous vaccines are getting close. By next spring, this is probably going to be pretty much over. Even if the vaccines arent ready, well be back outside, where its tough to catch the virus. And by this time next year, no one thinks we wont have the vaccine. This madness will end. But for now? Weve got six months ahead of us where we need to stay vigilant. Six months of things still not being normal. Six months of not gathering for Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or New Years Eve. Six months of a little bit of a bunker mentality. And this is a best-case scenario. The not best-case scenario? People putzing around without masks, large gatherings, flaunting of the rules. That happens, you can expect Murphy to start shutting things right back down. You can also expect the ditch-digging business to be brisk. Mask up. Social distance. Be smart. Lets get through these next few months and then we could toss our masks in the trash. We cannot choose the moment to be born or indeed the year to graduate and try to find that first job. This year is the worst for a decade for obvious reasons, and the danger is that its crop of university and school leavers will be disadvantaged for life. Not only will so many young people struggle to get into a job; those who do may be taking one far below their qualifications, never getting back on the track they should have followed. Getting a boost: We must do everything we can to help the young find a job for all of our futures There have been a string of stories through the summer of companies cutting back on both internship and recruitment programmes. Tomorrow marks the start of National Graduate Week and a worrying week it will be. While many firms are committed to keep hiring, the harsh truth seems to be that placements are running a quarter to a third below the level of last year. Most schemes start in October and we will know more then. Meanwhile, we know that while there is solid demand for graduates in some areas high-tech, healthcare and so on in others there is zero. The airlines are not hiring new staff and won't be for what may be a long while yet. So what's to be done? Well, governments can do something. The UK has launched the Kickstart Scheme, where employers get public money to create job placements for 16 to 24-year-olds. That is open now and jobs should start from November onwards. But while not wanting in any way to downplay this sort of action, these are minimum wage posts and the scheme only works if it does indeed kick-start people's careers. Fingers crossed. Employers can do imaginative things too. KPMG is helping pay for trainees to take a master's degree if they defer their arrival for a year. Deloitte scrapped its summer internship programme but offered instead an online course and a 500 goodwill payment. And this week, the Institute of the Motor Industry is combining with Bentley on a webinar to help steer graduates into careers in the motor trade. So lots of things are happening. But and this is a huge but if employers are laying people off there will not be much space of mind, or much money, to help people starting into their careers. All decent companies acknowledge that recruiting the best of the young is the lifeblood of their futures. But if you are trying to survive through the winter it is simply not possible to worry too much about the longer term. There may be no longer term. There are two other things that may enable the country to scramble through in better shape than might otherwise be the case. One is the career equivalent of the Bank of Mum and Dad. Just as parents now have to help their offspring into their first homes, now they may have to help them into their first jobs. This is not so much a money issue as one of contacts, ideas and support. Many parents will not have contacts in the areas their children want to work, but they will have knowledge and experience of how the job market operates. They will have friends, a network of contacts that can help guide people towards areas that are growing, giving them a vision of how they might construct a career. This is inevitably unfair. Some people will have families and friends that can be of huge help. Others, I am afraid, will have to do it all themselves. It is in that sense rather like the housing market. It is tough to save enough for the deposit on that first home if you don't have someone who can help you. But somehow you have to get on to the ladder. The other thing that can help is the education system. None of us can know what the jobs of the future will be, but we do know that education is the key that opens career opportunities. So a year of a soft job market is an opportunity to build skills. For anyone with an entrepreneurial streak, a period of radical change such as this is probably a good time to launch a business. But for most of us we need skills that employers want. This could be the year to get them. None of this is easy. But it is really important for individuals, of course, but also for the country. If we can emerge from all this with a better educated, more resilient workforce, then this is good news for the future. Meanwhile, we have to get people into that first job. Washington isolated as global allies and adversaries say its unilateral move targeting Tehran has no legal standing. Tehran, Iran The United States has broken with all other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and unilaterally declared the re-imposition of all UN sanctions against Iran a claim rejected by Iran and the international community, including Washingtons close allies, as having no legal basis. In a statement on Sunday following the expiration of a deadline set by the US, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatened consequences for any UN member state that does not comply with the punitive measures, which were lifted under a landmark nuclear deal that was signed between six world powers and Iran in 2015 but was abandoned by the US more than two years ago. In addition to adhering to a conventional arms embargo that is due to expire next month, Pompeo said member states must comply with restrictions such as the ban on Iran engaging in nuclear enrichment and reprocessing-related activities; the prohibition on ballistic missile testing and development; and sanctions on transfer of nuclear and missile-related technologies. If UN Member States fail to fulfil their obligations to implement these sanctions, the United States is prepared to use our domestic authorities to impose consequences for those failures and ensure that Iran does not reap the benefits of UN-prohibited activity, Pompeo said. .@SecPompeo: In accordance with our rights under resolution 2231, the United States initiated the snapback process to restore virtually all previously lifted UN sanctions, including the embargo. The world will be safer as a result. https://t.co/Yg8SC0mp9j Department of State (@StateDept) September 20, 2020 His statement came a month after the US officially triggered the process aimed at restoring all UN sanctions on Iran, claiming significant Iranian violations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan for Action (JCPOA), the formal name for the 2015 deal that was endorsed by the Security Council. Despite the US in May 2018 pulling out of the deal and reimposing crippling sanctions on Iran, Washington argues it is still technically a participant and could trigger the so-called snapback. This was a mechanism devised by the US negotiating team before the signing of the JCPOA that stipulated that if Iran breached its commitments, all international sanctions could snap back into place. However, the international community, including the four other permanent Security Council members, insist the US no longer has the legal ability to force through any changes since it announced its exit from what Trump has branded the worst deal ever with a presidential memorandum titled Ceasing US Participation in the JCPOA. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addressed the nation directly in a live televised cabinet meeting on Sunday. He congratulated world powers since US pressure to reinstate UN sanctions has reached its definitive point of failure. Today, he said, will be a memorable day in the history of our countrys diplomacy. Rouhani added should the US try to bully others into adhering to its declaration of reinstating UN sanctions, Iran will have a decisive response to match. Pointing out how the US tried to garner the support of other nuclear deal signatories following its unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Rouhani said the United States expected Iran to act irrationally, giving it an excuse to form an international coalition against the Islamic Republic. Today we can say the maximum pressure of US against the Iranian nation, politically and legally, has turned to maximum isolation for the US. The president also addressed the five remaining signatories of the nuclear deal, reiterating the promise that if they fully adhere to their commitments under the accord, Iran will also fully implement its commitments. Exactly one year after the US abandoned the nuclear deal, Iran started gradually scaling down its commitments, including those concerning its stockpile of enriched uranium. Iran still continues to grant access to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In a letter to the Security Council, the European signatories to the deal Britain, France and Germany, or E3 stressed UN sanctions relief for Iran would continue, adding any decision or action to reimpose them would be incapable of legal effect. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also told the council he would not take any action on the US declaration because there would appear to be uncertainty whether or not any process was indeed initiated. On Sunday morning, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters the US is experiencing some of its most bitter times as it has chosen to stand on the wrong side of history. The message of Tehran for Washington is clear: Return to the international community. Return to your commitments. Stop this rogue and unruly behaviour. The international community will accept you, Khatibzadeh said. Transatlantic rift According to Hamidreza Azizi, a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), there are clear reasons why the European powers, as well as Russia and China, oppose the US demand. First, it would pave the way for further arbitrary interpretation of international treaties by Washington, that may one day come back to haunt the Europeans themselves, Azizi told Al Jazeera. Second, Irans reaction to sanctions return would be to leave the JCPOA or even NPT, he added, referring to the international nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that pursues nuclear disarmament. As to why the US would engage in such a move based on shaky legal arguments, Azizi says its goal is political. It wants to keep Iran under the international spotlight, continuing to introduce the Islamic Republic as a threat to international peace and security, he said, adding that the US also wants to make Europeans more cautious in dealing with Iran. According to Azizi, the snapback showdown is the latest and most evident sign of a rift in transatlantic relations. Especially if Trump gets re-elected as the US president, this will work as fuel for further disagreements between the EU and the US, he said, pointing out that Russia and China could use the opportunity to expand their influence in Iran and the wider region. Arms embargo The US attempt to trigger the snapback mechanism came on the heels of another demand it made at the Security Council that left it isolated. 200916150929552 In mid-August, the council resoundingly rejected a US bid to extend a global arms embargo on Iran that expires on October 18 under the JCPOA. Washington only managed to secure the support of the Dominican Republic for its proposed resolution to indefinitely extend the embargo, leaving it far short of the minimum nine Yes votes required for adoption. Eleven members abstained while China and Russia opposed the resolution. Last week, Pompeo reiterated during a briefing with UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab that the US will move to reinstate UN sanctions to make the arms embargo permanent. The US will do its share as part of its responsibilities to enable peace, this time in the Middle East, he said. Zarif fired off a tweet on Thursday, saying nothing new happens on 9/20. He also alluded to two recent opinion pieces by John Bolton, Trumps former national security adviser, who had pointed out that the nuclear deals dispute resolution clauses are complex and potentially lengthy to avoid UNSC confrontations. Citing unnamed sources, Reuters news agency reported on Friday that Trump is planning to issue an executive order in the coming days to impose secondary sanctions on anyone who would buy or sell arms to Iran, depriving them of access to the US market. Rising tensions The culmination of the snapback showdown comes shortly after a fresh round of threatening rhetoric being exchanged between longtime foes, the US and Iran. On September 13, US-based media outlet Politico published a report, citing unnamed officials, that the Iranian government is weighing an assassination attempt against Lana Marks, the US ambassador to South Africa. The plot, the report claimed, would be executed in retaliation for Washingtons assassination of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Iraq in early January. In a tweet, Trump, who is seeking re-election on November 3, said the US will retaliate with 1,000 times greater force against any Iranian attack on its interests. In response, Iran cautioned the US against making a new strategic mistake by believing false reports and warned of a decisive response. On Saturday, the head of Irans elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a stern warning directly addressing Trump, saying the killing of Soleimani will be avenged but Marks is not a proportionate target. We will target those who were directly or indirectly involved in the martyrdom of this great man, Major-General Hossein Salami said. On Friday, South Africas State Security Agency said in a statement there is insufficient evidence to sustain the allegation of a plot to assassinate Marks. (Newser) President Trump said Saturday he's given his blessing to a proposed deal that would see the popular video-sharing app TikTok partner with Oracle and Walmart and form a US company. Trump said if completed the deal would create a new company likely to be based in Texas. I have given the deal my blessing, he said, per the AP. If they get it done, thats great. If they dont, thats OK too. Trump has targeted Chinese-owned TikTok for national security and data privacy concerns in the latest flashpoint in the rising tensions between Washington and Beijing. The president's support for a deal comes just a day after the Commerce Department announced restrictions that if put in place could eventually make it nearly impossible for TikTok's legions of younger fans to use the app. story continues below Trump said the new company will be hiring at least 25,000 people and making a $5 billion contribution to a fund dedicated to education for Americans. Thats their contribution that Ive been asking for, he said. Reuters reports that TikTok owner Bytedance on Sunday said that was the first it had heard of the $5 billion fund. TikTok previously said Oracle and Walmart could acquire up to a cumulative 20% stake in the new company in a financing round to be held before an initial public offering of stock, which Walmart said could happen within the next year. Oracle's stake would be 12.5%, and Walmart's would be 7.5%, the companies said in separate statements. The deal will make Oracle responsible for hosting all TikTok's US user data. Walmart said it will provide its ecommerce, fulfillment, payments, and other services to the new company. (Read more TikTok stories.) As Jana Duggar approaches her 31st birthday in January, fans are eager to see her settle down. For years it seemed like Jana wasnt bothered by her single status. Something seems to have changed. It certainly seems to be getting to her now. In a recent sneak peek, Jana admits that as she gets older, she has become less strict about the qualities her perfect man must possess. Could a courtship be in the future or is Jana just getting desperate? Jana Duggar admits that she has lifted her location restrictions Jana once suggested that she hadnt gotten married because the perfect guy had not yet presented himself. As it turns out, Jana might have been accidentally avoiding her ideal match with a strict location requirement. The Duggar familys eldest daughter is changing things up now, though. RELATED: Counting On: All of the Fan Theories About Why Jana Duggar Is Still Single In an exclusive sneak peek obtained by People, Jana admitted she was willing to waive some of her relationship requirements if the right man comes along. Jana is now ready to consider moving if the right man comes along. She also previously stated she was only interested in the outdoorsy type and was most interested in a man who worked with his hands. There is no word on if she is going to waive those requirements, too. Only one of Janas siblings has left the state While Janas previous geographical requirements might seem a bit strict, they arent all that outrageous. In fact, only one of the Duggar girls has married a man who wasnt born in their home state. That same Duggar is the only one who has moved out of Arkansas. Jessa Duggar, Spurgeon Seewald, Jinger Duggar, Joy-Anna Duggar and Jana Duggar | Ida Mae Astute/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images The first Duggar girl to get married was Jill Duggar. Jill married Derick Dillard in 2014. They met while he was on a mission trip in Nepal, but he was born and raised in Arkansas. Jessa Duggar married Ben Seewald, who was also raised in Arkansas, the same year. They settled down in a home owned by Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. A couple of years later, Jinger Duggar broke tradition by hooking up with Jeremy Vuolo. Originally from Pennsylvania, Jeremy was living in Laredo, Texas, during their courtship. Jinger moved to join him after their wedding, and they later moved to Los Angeles together. Joy-Anna Duggar followed protocol by settling down with a man from Arkansas. She and her husband, Austin Forsyth, grew up in the same social circles. Is Jana getting desperate to settle down? Family followers have wanted to see Jana find a love interest for years, but her recent comments on the matter have caused even more concern. Based on what Jana recently said about dating, it seems as though shes gotten a bit desperate to find her mate. Some followers are concerned that the 30-year-old is being pressured by her family and friends to get married. RELATED: Counting On: All of the Fan Theories About Why Jana Duggar Is Still Single Jana is, by no means, old. In fact, in most parts of the United States, her singledom is perfectly normal. According to Insider, the average age for a first marriage varies from state to state, but most people seem to get married for the first time when they are between 25 and 30. While Arkansas tends to have younger brides, there are several states where women are around 30 the first time they walk down the aisle. That isnt the case in Janas social circle, though. The Duggars are members of the Institute of Basic Life Principles, a controversial Christian ministry that strongly encourages young marriages and large families. Because Janas friends mostly come from the same background, she may feel pressure to catch up to her peers. If thats the case, fans are concerned shell find herself in a relationship that isnt the perfect fit. Sandy Arnell outside her house in Downingtown, Pa. Arnell, 48, was a lifelong Republican but said she became "disgusted" and joined the Democratic Party after the election of President Donald Trump. Read more Sandy Arnell used to work for Republican lawmakers in Washington and Harrisburg. She considered herself to be liberal on issues like abortion but conservative when it came to fiscal issues. She didnt always vote Republican. But she identified as one, and voted in GOP primaries. Arnell, of Downingtown, had already been drifting from conservative politics before Donald Trump was elected president. But she reached a breaking point with what she called the hatred and negativity of his presidency and became a Democrat. I was holding on to my Republican card, literally and metaphorically, with a firm grasp," said Arnell, 48. "And I just sat down at the computer one day and I just went on the Chester County website and thats it. "Im done, she said. "Im disgusted. Arnell represents the political transformation of Philadelphias suburbs, now largely Democratic and mobilizing against Trump in the final six weeks before the election. While Trump narrowly won Americas suburbs in 2016, Hillary Clinton swept Philadelphias four collar counties. It wasnt enough to stop Trump from narrowly winning the state, and with it the White House. But people like Arnell who had been slowly walking away from the party in these onetime Republican strongholds broke into a sprint after 2016, and they havent looked back. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans in all four counties, and by wide margins in two. Democrats won all but one suburban congressional seat in 2018. And they won control of all four county governments last year in one case for the first time since the Civil War. Theres little doubt that Democratic nominee Joe Biden will defeat Trump in the Philadelphia suburbs. The question is whether hell do so with big enough margins. Voter registration trends and interviews with dozens of voters over the last two months suggest Trump retains strong political support in the longtime Democratic bastions in small Rust Belt towns throughout Northeastern and Southwestern Pennsylvania that he won in 2016. That means Bidens path to victory, in a state increasingly seen as one of the most critical 2020 battlegrounds, relies on racking up big wins in the populous southeast. About 21% of Pennsylvanias registered voters live in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties. To win the state he has to do better than" Clinton did in the suburbs, said J.J. Balaban, a Democratic consultant in Philadelphia. It is certainly possible, if not likely, that Biden will do worse than Hillary in certain rural parts of Pennsylvania. Doing better in the suburbs does not guarantee victory statewide." READ MORE: 5 questions that will help decide the presidential race in Pennsylvania Trump has tried to draw back suburban voters by arguing in often apocalyptic language that Biden will destroy the suburbs. He has warned the looting in American cities could come to suburban cul-de-sacs, made appeals to racist fears of expanded affordable housing, and tweeted that suburban housewives will vote for him. I saved the suburbs, Trump said at a rally Thursday in Wisconsin, referring to his calls for the National Guard and federal law enforcement to confront protesters. But interviews with nearly 20 voters outside Philadelphia over the last two weeks found that Trumps fear campaign isnt resonating for suburban voters who werent already inclined to vote for him. Only 11% of suburban whites nationally call being tough on crime and civil unrest the most important factor in their vote, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week. Ryan Costello, a former Republican congressman from Chester County, said suburban voters have been drawn to Democrats because of their support for tougher gun laws and fighting climate change policies Trump often rails against. Suburban America looks at the gun issue and doesnt think about using guns for their own protection as much as they worry about a school shooting, Costello said. Democrats surpassed Republicans in voter registration in Chester County only earlier this year. The wealthiest county in the state, which Clinton won in 2016, it has emerged as a new hotbed of the liberal activism often driven by women during Trumps presidency. Montgomery County is both the most populous and the most Democratic of the four counties. A powerful Republican machine long dominated local government and politics in Delaware County, the least wealthy and most diverse of the four but the county last voted for a Republican presidential candidate in 1988. If Trump has opportunity for gains anywhere in the Philadelphia suburbs, it would likely be in Bucks County. Clinton won the county in 2016 by fewer than 3,000 votes, and its the only place in the region still represented by a Republican congressman. Even when the Philadelphia suburbs were more traditionally Republican they were not Freedom Caucus Republicans, Philadelphia-based Democratic consultant Mark Nevins said, referring to the far-right congressional group. They were socially moderate, fiscally conservative. Even then, a candidate like Donald Trump would not have appealed to them. Many Biden supporters, several of whom said the former vice president wasnt their top choice in the Democratic primary, cited removing Trump from office as a singular priority. Ted Robb, of Middletown Township in Delaware County, said he switched from Republican to independent because he doesnt support Trump. He said he thinks Biden is well-equipped to do a reasonable job and would try to heal the country. The most important issue to me is not having the president reelected, said Robb, 76. That makes all others pale in significance. READ MORE: A Pennsylvania town once known as communism on the prairie is all about Trump now Luanne Spencer, of Delaware County, said shes a lifelong Republican who voted for Trump in 2016 and plans to do so again. She touted Trumps record on the economy before the coronavirus pandemic and said she worries Biden would make the suburbs less safe. Im a suburban housewife. I live in a rowhouse in Eddystone, so its not like I have a white picket fence, Spencer, 60, said of her town about six miles south of Philadelphia International Airport. But I have a nice little home, and my community is decent. I want it to stay that way. I want to feel safe to take a walk after dinner. Georgia Canty, a Bucks County Republican who supports Trump, echoed the sentiment. Its a disgrace, said Canty, 67, of Croydon. All these riots and protests. All I do is pray President Trump gets reelected. But Molly Aichele, 38, a lifelong Democrat in Berwyn, said she laughs when Trump refers to suburban housewives. Aichele who has two young children, works part time as a lawyer, and is enrolled in graduate classes is voting for Biden. If your definition of the suburbs is Leave It to Beaver, then yes, Joe Biden will destroy those suburbs, she said, referring to the 1950s sitcom. His policies will make it easier for more cultures and more people with different experiences to move in, and I dont think thats a bad thing. I think thats a very, very good thing for my kids. There are signs the Trump campaign and allied Republican groups may see his message on civil unrest gaining little traction with suburban voters here. Recent TV ads on the subject aired in Pennsylvania by Trump and GOP super PACs including one that calls Biden too weak to stop the radicals from tearing down America are barely playing in the Philadelphia market compared with other areas, according to the ad-tracking firm Advertising Analytics. Republican ads airing more heavily in Greater Philadelphia tout Trumps economic record and warn that Biden would raise taxes. Its a clear sign that the Trump campaign doesnt think that dog is going to hunt here, said Balaban, the Democratic ad-maker and media strategist. Not in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Anna Greenberg, a Democratic pollster who has worked on Pennsylvania campaigns, said the proliferation of protests against police brutality and racial inequality even in the suburbs underscores Trumps misunderstanding of such communities. Early in the George Floyd protests, the number of the marches, even in lily-white suburbs, was really remarkable, she said. If you ask people if you think Trump is keeping you safe, the majority of people say no," Greenberg added. You might be worried about protests or violence, but you dont necessarily think Trump is going to solve it. READ MORE: The Philly suburbs arent the only suburbs where Democrats are on the rise in Pennsylvania Gwen Bretz, of Ridley Park in Delaware County, said she hasnt decided how to vote. Bretz, 58, is a registered Republican but voted for Clinton in 2016. She said she hadnt heard Trumps warnings about Biden and the suburbs, but does worry about looting and violence. The Democratic cities are a mess, she said. Bretz is a nurse and said shes equally worried about the pandemic. She said she may vote for Trump if theres a successful COVID-19 vaccine before the election something that public health experts say is highly unlikely but that Trump has promised is coming soon. Trump has made a mess, too, with all his comments, she said. There is no good choice. Karthik Balasubramanian, of Malvern in Chester County, said he voted for Republican presidential candidates until 2008. As an Asian Indian, he said, he is 100% supportive of protests for racial equality. The violence, not so much, he said. A 41-year-old engineer and registered Democrat, he said hes happy his two children have more classmates who look like them than he did growing up in Montgomery County. Balasubramanian said Trumps response to the coronavirus has showed the presidents distrust of science. Ive always liked Joe Biden, he said. I like his policies. Theyre fairly moderate. I think the biggest thing was hes not Trump. Trump is winning back at least some disaffected Republicans. Brian Vance, of Havertown, who voted for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson in 2016, said he doesnt like Trump but will likely back him this year. Vance, 65 and a lawyer, said he likely would have voted for Biden if he ran in 2016, but thinks Democrats went too far in investigating Trump over the last four years. Hes wary of what he called the partys move toward socialism and is pleased by Trumps tax cuts and Supreme Court picks. He said that Trumps response to protests and civil unrest has been unnecessarily provocative but also that the suburbs arent immune from violence. A lot of people now with the Black Lives Matter and the Hate Has No Home Here signs on their yards if the violence came to the suburbs, those signs would be the first thing that went, Vance said. But most suburbanites who once identified with the GOP or still do but are wary of Trump dont seem as if theyre coming back, at least not for him. In recent conversations of The Inquirers Election 2020 Roundtable, a group of 24 voters from across Pennsylvania, Republicans from the suburbs who didnt vote for him in 2016 said Bidens convention speech last month made them more likely to back the Democrat. Hes never been a great orator and he delivered a statesmans speech, said Scott Young, 51, of Bucks County. Arnell, the former Republican in Downingtown, lost her job as a project manager for a commercial furniture company when the pandemic began and recently started working in retail. She worries about the coronavirus, the environment, and health care. She has a hard time keeping up with the news without getting upset. I put my faith in my friends and the people who I know who are scientists, she said. I dont need this fearmongering or turning a blind eye. -Staff writer Jonathan Tamari contributed to this article. The U.S. has no authority to demand a snap-back in sanctions against Iran after quitting the 2015 nuclear deal two years ago, the French Foreign Ministry said in a joint statement with Germany and the U.K. on Sunday. We have worked tirelessly to preserve the nuclear agreement and remain committed to do so, the three countries foreign ministers said in the statement. Since quitting the nuclear accord in May 2018, the Trump administration has intensified efforts to pressure the Islamic Republic, ratcheting up sanctions. But the U.S. moves have united partners like the U.K., France and Germany with Russia and China, who have sought to salvage the accord. That has left the U.S. isolated on the UN Security Council, with most nations saying America has no authority to demand the return of international sanctions since its no longer a party to the agreement. The U.S. says that the broader Security Council resolution that enshrined the accord doesnt require it to still be in the agreement, and that all of the United Nations resolutions on Iran that were in place before the accord -- from a ban on arm deals to restrictions on the Islamic Republics ballistic missile activity and its nuclear enrichment -- should have gone back into effect on Saturday. The U.S. expects all UN member states to comply with their obligations to implement sanctions, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in a statement late Saturday. Heavy rains wreaked havoc in several parts of Karnataka and Kerala, where eight districts were put on red alert on Sunday, while a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal is likely to bring showers in parts of Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal and Bihar. The national capital experienced sultry weather on Sunday with the meteorological department saying rains will continue to evade the city for the next two to three days. Delhi has not received any rain for 12 days which has led the mercury to rise. The city has recorded 78 per cent less rainfall in September so far, according to India Meteorological Department data. Heavy rains continued to lash Kerala with eight districts put on red alert on Sunday. The IMD has sounded an orange alert in 10 districts for Monday. A red alert is sounded for rainfall of over 20 cm while an orange alert is for six cm to 20 cm of rain. The weatherman said a low-pressure area had formed over the northeast Bay of Bengal and the neighbourhood on Sunday morning. "It is likely to move west-northwest during the next two to three days and become more marked over the northwest Bay of Bengal and the neighbourhood during the next 24 hours," it said in a 3 pm bulletin. Ernakulam district officials said since the Muvattupuzha river is reaching flood level, banks of the river in Ernakulam and Kottayam districts are expected to be submerged. Also, heavy winds were reported in Edathala near Aluva on Sunday morning, uprooting several trees, damaging four houses and disrupting power supply. No one was injured in the localised weather event which occurred in Edathala panchayat, police said. The State Disaster Management Authority has banned fishing for the next 48 hours starting from Sunday morning. Three units of the National Disaster Response Force have reached Kerala and have been deployed in Wayanad, Malappuram and Thrissur districts. The second wave of southwest monsoon fury has hit Karnataka which is yet to recover fully from the floods in northern parts of the state, the Malnad and the coastal regions last month. Officials of Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) said that an alert for heavy rains has been issued for Malnad, the coastal regions and a few interior and northern districts for the next couple of days. The situation in Udupi was grim as some villages have been submerged, houses have collapsed, roads washed away and standing crops destroyed, a senior official in the KSNDMC said on Sunday. In the district headquarter town of Udupi, several houses, four-wheelers and roads have come under sheets of water. Disaster response force personnel were rushed to the area on Sunday. State Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said, "I have directed the district authorities to rush a 250-member team of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) there. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will also reach there." According to a Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority officer, a helicopter has already been put on standby to carry out rescue operations. Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada, along with Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga and Hassan, are also bearing the brunt of torrential rains in the region. No human lives or livestock have been lost even though 105 villages were affected by the rains. The district authorities have set up 36 relief camps where 1,250 people have been put up. The NDRF and SDRF have moved 4,124 people to safety, the state disaster management authority said. State capital Bengaluru, Mysuru and Tumakuru have also been receiving heavy rains for the past few days. A KSNDMC bulletin said heavy rains are likely in Bidar, Kalaburagi, Raichur, Vijayapura, Yadgir, Koppal, Belagavi, Bagalkote, Gadag, Dharwad, Haveri and Ballari districts over the next few days. The state government had earlier this month declared 130 taluks in 23 districts as flood-affected. It had said that heavy rainfall since August 1 killed at least 20 people, displaced thousands, damaged more than 10,000 homes and crops in about 4.03 lakh hectares, and wrecked 14,182 km of roads. In neighbouring Telangana, heavy to very heavy rainfall may occur in isolated parts on Monday. Rainfall may occur in Adilabad, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Warangal, and Khammam, the release said. All superintendents of police and district collectors have been directed to be alert, according to an official release. In the east, a fresh low-pressure area formed over the Bay of Bengal on Sunday is likely to trigger heavy rainfall in parts of Odisha for the next three days. The low-pressure system is likely to move west-northwestwards and become more marked over the northwest Bay of Bengal by Monday, said H R Biswas, the director of the meteorological centre in Bhubaneswar. Under its influence, several parts of the state are likely to experience enhanced rainfall during the next three days, while heavy to very heavy downpour may lash some areas. Squally weather coupled with strong surface winds with speed reaching 45-55 kmph is likely to prevail over north Bay of Bengal and adjoining the central Bay of Bengal. Therefore, fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea along and off Odisha coast till September 22, the weatherman said. A man thrown to the ground and arrested on a packed Melbourne beach yelled for help as onlookers berated police and called coronavirus 'fake'. The long-haired man was filmed being held on the ground by police at Elwood Beach, between St Kilda and Brighton, on Saturday. He was one of several arrested at the beach that day, as protesters descended on the area after being kicked out of Brighton. Witnesses claimed the man was arrested after officers saw him 'sitting on a bench minding his own business' and was not involved in the protest. A man thrown to the ground and arrested on a packed Melbourne beach yelled for help as onlookers berated police and called coronavirus 'fake' Photos show two public order response officers grappling with the man before forcing him to the ground and slapping handcuffs on him. 'I'm within 5km of my house, I've been brutally arrested,' he bellowed to the dozens of onlookers, many of whom were filming the scene. 'I'm more than happy to give you my driver's licence, why the violence?' As more police began to arrive, he addressed a sergeant directly, claiming: 'I've been brutally attacked by this man here, who doesn't have his name on his badge. 'Everyone here is a witness, I've done nothing wrong, nothing wrong at all.' 'I'm within 5km of my house, I've been brutally arrested,' he bellowed the dozens of onlookers, many of whom were filming the scene Photos show two public order response officers grappling with the man He was forced him to the ground and police slapped handcuffs on him The man appeared to have been arrested for not giving police his details, but he insisted he had offered to give them his driver's licence. He said he had simply asked why he needed to give them that information, and was then thrown to the ground 'by a pile of guys with guns'. 'Is this Australia? You will answer to the lord Jesus for what you're doing,' he yelled. Onlookers taunted police as 'brainwashed' and 'hope you are proud of yourselves'. About a dozen officers formed a ring around the arrest, which appeared to be a standard heavy-handed tactic of police arrests that day. The man appeared to have been arrested for not giving police his details, but he insisted he had offered to give them his driver's licence He said he had simply asked why he needed to give them that information, and was then thrown to the ground 'by a pile of guys with guns' Angry bystanders criticised the huge number of cops for 'one guy who did nothing wrong'. 'Why don't you go get the real crimes? The virus is fake,' one woman shouted. The man was then marched off in handcuffs shouting 'liberty and freedom is gone'. As the man was being arrested, a woman could be seen in the background also being handcuffed on the sand by half a dozen cops. Other photos showed a young woman, who was wearing a mask, being arrested on the sand by two officers - while no less than 15 cops surrounded them. The photos have outraged Australians who saw the massive police presence as an overreaction aimed to instill compliance through fear. Other photos showed a young woman, who was wearing a mask, being arrested on the sand by two officers She was surrounded by no less than 15 other police officers and photos have outraged Australians who saw the massive police presence as an overreaction aimed to instill compliance through fear Melbourne's first step out of lockdown allows people to visit one friend or family member outside of their home for socialising or exercise. The slight relaxation of lockdown combined with the 26C temperature led stir-crazy Melburnians to flock to the cities few beaches. But police stalked the sand in large groups, accosting anyone who showed the faintest hint of breaking the rules or being too far from home. Not far away, there were dozens of arrests as hundreds of protesters took to the streets and parks to oppose the continued lockdown. In video captured of the event, protesters can be heard yelling 'disgraceful', 'I've done nothing wrong', 'no violence' and 'peaceful' as officers stand nearby. Melburnians took advantage of the easing of lockdown restrictions on Saturday with many heading to the beach to soak up the sun Notorious coronavirus conspiracy theorist Jacqui Dundee Muller is arrested in Elsternwick Park during the anti-lockdown protest on Saturday A man can be seen being arrested as he questions: 'Officers, why are you doing this. I've never done anything wrong in my life. 'Please, this is enough. It's only going to get worse. Who is going to fight for you.' Victoria diagnosed just 14 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, its fewest in months, but Melbourne is still stuck in one of the world's strictest lockdowns. Premier Daniel Andrews' much-maligned roadmap out of lockdown mandates some form of stay-at-home orders until the state has zero cases. Meanwhile, NSW has not added any significant restrictions in months since new local cases peaked at about 25 a day, and only recorded one on Sunday. There is a trick savvy shoppers have known for some time. To enjoy the best groceries without breaking the bank, do the bulk of your shop at a budget supermarket and top up with a few luxuries at a premium one. Pair Aldi basics with Waitrose treats, for example, or buy cupboard staples from Lidl and then treat yourself to meat from the local butcher. But investors could learn a thing or two from shoppers about the art of the 'Aldi-Waitrose' approach. It can pay to keep costs low when there is no need to spend more and then pay a little extra where expertise can add value. Savvy shopper: Investors could learn a thing or two from shoppers about the art of the 'Aldi-Waitrose' approach Investment funds fall broadly into two categories. So-called active funds are sometimes viewed as the premium products. You pay a bit more for them, but your money buys you the expertise of a fund manager who spends his or her days trawling through financial reports and meeting with chief executives to seek out the best companies to invest in. They can easily cost a chunky one per cent of your investment sometimes considerably more but the idea is that you're paying for quality. The second category is cheap and cheerful passive funds. Here, there is no one trying to find the companies that could shine. Instead, algorithms are used to buy a bit of everything. For example, a UK passive fund may buy shares in every company listed on the London stock market. A global fund may buy shares in thousands of companies listed around the world. There is no fund manager to pay for and as a result these funds can cost as little as 0.05 per cent. Some investors prefer to keep costs down with passive funds, others are happy to pay more for a fund manager's expertise in the hope of getting higher returns. But many investing experts think you can adopt the 'Aldi-Waitrose' approach to get the best of both worlds. 'It's quite a common-sense approach,' says Adrian Lowcock, a chartered wealth manager with investment fund analyst Willis Owen. 'You can have one core, passive fund that gives you exposure to all global markets. Then you can add a few active funds if you want to increase your exposure to certain markets.' Passive funds can be a good way to buy a little bit of everything as a starting point for a portfolio. Some global passive funds hold thousands of companies around the world at very low cost. However, because they are so large, they are a bit of a blunt tool. If you want something more refined to give you exposure to a particular region or sector, an active fund can sometimes help. Richard Pearson, director at EQi, believes it can make sense to pay a fund manager in markets where it is harder to spot the hidden treasures. For example, the US market is so trawled over by investors looking for winners that it's hard to find something that is undervalued. In this case, experts are going to struggle to spot the winners and a cheap, passive fund will do just as well. However, in emerging markets where there is less scrutiny, there may be greater opportunity to find companies that have been overlooked. Here, an expert could help add value. ASI Emerging Markets Equity is a popular active fund among EQi customers. It has returned 9.5 per cent over three years and has an ongoing charge of 1.19 per cent. iShares UK Equity Index is a hit among customers looking for a UK passive fund. It costs just 0.06 per cent, but due to recent stock market turbulence it has fallen 3.6 per cent over three years. Lowcock adds that technology and robotics are another case where you may want a skilled fund manager who knows the industry well to pick the winners for you. 'In tech there are a lot of companies with great ideas. But a good, experienced fund manager will be able to filter through these to find those with good management teams to execute them,' he says. T. Rowe Price Global Technology Equity has a team of 22 technology analysts who conduct detailed research into companies. It has returned 89.1 per cent over three years and costs 0.96 per cent. Meanwhile, Pictet Robotics invests in companies working in areas such as automation, 3D printing and autonomous systems. Investors pay 1.08 per cent, but have benefited from a return of 69.4 per cent over three years. Lisa Conway-Hughes, chartered adviser and founder of financial education platform She's On The Money, believes that in the same way you might pick a premium supermarket if you like to know the provenance of your food, you may want to pay a bit extra to a fund manager if you like to invest ethically. 'For ethical investing, you may want to pick an active fund so that you can see exactly what you are investing in. You want to be able to make sure your fund manager has the same interpretation of 'ethical' as you.' Ethical passive funds are available, but as they tend to have hundreds of holdings, they can be harder to scrutinise. DON'T BUY TOO MANY ACTIVE FUNDS Don't go overboard when adding exciting funds to spice up the basic core of your investment portfolio. Adrian Lowcock, a chartered wealth manager at Willis Owen, suggests you might start with a global tracker fund as a core holding, and then add active funds carefully as your knowledge grows over time. 'Anything over 20 funds could be considered too many,' he warns. 'You can build a portfolio with ten or 15. 'But if you buy too many active funds, you can find they are simply doing the job of a passive fund because you are over diversified.' Chartered adviser Lisa Conway-Hughes also warns about getting carried away. She says: 'Some of my clients like to have an element of fun in their portfolio and section off a certain amount to try out their investing ideas. 'However, in general they don't tend to outperform the market even if a hunch really pays off, it won't have an impact on their investments overall because it's such a small element of their portfolio. 'If you enjoy trading that much, there are fantasy fund platforms you could consider where you do not trade with real money.' Active funds can also add value if you want to invest in smaller companies as passive funds tend to exclude them. In general, the bigger the company the bigger the weighting it will have in a passive fund. Lowcock explains: 'In the UK, the biggest 250 companies make up 95 per cent of the market. If you invest in a passive UK fund, you will not have exposure to small UK companies. If you want to invest in smaller companies, you could look at active funds.' Lowcock likes Merian UK Smaller Companies, which costs 1.03 per cent and has returned 7.4 per cent over three years. A global passive fund can be a great starting point for new investors or those who want to make money but have little interest in following companies and stock markets. Picking one requires no hunches or expertise you simply find one low-cost fund that holds shares in companies listed all around the world. For example, the Vanguard Global All Cap Index gives you exposure to 6,826 holdings around the world for 0.23 per cent. At the moment, the US is the biggest global stock market. As a result, around 63 per cent of a passive global fund is likely to be made up of US companies. The UK is the third biggest market as a result around 4 per cent of a global passive fund will be UK companies. Then, if you think, for example, the UK market may grow faster than others, you may want to invest in a UK fund on top to increase the proportion of UK companies in your portfolio. Or, if you want to invest more cautiously, you may want to add a fund that invests more in bonds, which tend to be less volatile than shares. Active funds can help you do this, but it makes sense to use them only in cases where they stand a chance of outperforming a passive fund to justify the extra expense. With both groceries and investments, more expensive does not necessarily mean better quality. Aldi and Lidl both offer premium products and regularly win awards for the quality of their goods. Similarly, passive funds are not necessarily worse than active ones. James Norton, senior investment planner for Vanguard UK, which offers both active and passive funds, says: 'We believe the right starting point for investors is a globally diversified portfolio, made up of index [passive] funds. If it is globally weighted, you don't need to make any decisions yourself at all. 'For many investors that is all they need to do. However, if you are happy to take additional risk, adding an active element to your portfolio can be a sensible thing to do. 'However, most active managers underperform. To succeed with active funds, you need to be able to identify talented managers, be able to access them at low cost and to have the patience to hold on to them through different markets.' Finnish English SATO Corporation Press release 8 September 2020 9:00 am Every other person in Finland reports being ashamed of their home. Up to one in five feels this way all the time or much of the time. More than half of the people dream of having a more comfortable home. These are some of the findings of the 1,000+ respondent survey commissioned in August/September by SATO, one of Finlands largest rental housing providers. SATO, which owns around 26,000 rental homes across Finland, commissioned a survey of how people in Finland feel about the decor, tidiness and comfort of their homes. Conducted in August/September, the survey revealed that 49% of respondents felt home shame all the time, much of the time or some of the time. Home shame was more common among women than men. Among the respondents, 74% said that everyday life created clutter in the home in the form of piles of clothes or other things. Such clutter was a permanent factor of life for 22% of respondents. Around one quarter of those who reported clutter also felt ashamed of their clutter much of the time. A messy home can put pressure on anyone, and people prefer not to expose their messes to outsiders: according to the survey, up to 90% clean house before having people over. Professional organiser and non-fiction author Ilana Aalto considers the figures unfortunately high. As she sees it, clutter in the home is directly proportionate to the stresses and strains of everyday life. It is also indicative of how people own much more stuff than they have the energy to take care of. "In Finland, the home is considered an indicator of overall respectability. Shame comes into the picture especially when we look at our home through the eyes of an outsider. We imagine that everyone elses home is much nicer and tidier. In my experience, many people find entertaining and family events highly stressful. They may start cleaning house and hiding away the clutter even weeks in advance", Aalto says. "People put inordinate effort into making their homes spick and span when having people over, just to cover up the messiness of everyday life. No wonder that entertaining in the home has been in decline in Finland for the past 40 years", Aalto add Even when a work in progress, the home is a source of joy and happiness The respondents nonetheless had mainly positive feelings about their home. This came to light when respondents were asked to choose the emotion(s) they most associated with their home. Happiness was chosen by 45%, joy by 43% and gratitude by 38%. For many, incompleteness in the home was also a familiar feeling. A sense of inadequacy regarding their home was reported by 16% of respondents. Most of the respondents were happy with the decor, tidiness and comfort of their homes. As many as 80% reported being happy with the comfort of their homes, while 76% were happy with the decor in their homes. Tidiness of the home was a source of happiness for 70%. Still, more than half of the respondents dreamed of greater comfort, yet reported the barrier to this to be lack of money (39%), lack of time (12%) and lack of skills (7%). Only 7% of respondents reported that instead of seeing barriers, they were constantly working to make their home more comfortable. The homes shown on social media platforms and other media put pressures on 35% of respondents to decorate and organise their own homes. Such pressures were much more commonplace among women: 76% of the male respondents reported feeling such pressures seldom or never, while among women this figure was only 55%. Aalto advises to take such images as eye candy that can be enjoyed without any compulsion to strive for the same "The pressure comes off when enjoyment of the home is measured by wellbeing, smooth everyday living and the security that comes from having a home not by how others might look at our homes", Aalto says" "Especially now, that we are all spending much more time at home, it would be high time to shift from home shame to home-positivity." The survey was conducted as an online panel survey among the Dynata consumer panel and it had 1,005 respondents. The sample is representative of the Finnish-speaking population in mainland Finland aged 1874. The representativeness of the responses was confirmed according to age, gender and location. For more information on the survey, please contact: Miia Eloranta, Director of Marketing and Communications, SATO Corporation, phone +358 50 441 4221, miiia.eloranta@sato.fi Ilana Aalto, professional organiser, PhD, phone +358 40 558 0811, ilana@paikkakaikelle.fi SATO is one of Finland's leading rental housing providers. SATO aims to offer a comprehensive choice of rental housing and an excellent customer experience. At year-end 2019, SATO owned over 26 000 apartments in Finland's largest growth centres and in St Petersburg. We promote sustainable development and initiative through our operations and work in open interaction with our stakeholders to generate added value. We operate profitably and with a long-term view. We increase the value of our housing stock through investments, divestments and repairs. SATO Group's net sales in 2019 were EUR 296 million, operating profit EUR 726 million and profit before taxes EUR 671 million. The value of SATO's investment assets is roughly EUR 4,7 billion. Eight trucks loaded with onions entered Bangladesh through the Mahadipur land port in West Bengals Malda district on Saturday, after the Centre allowed relaxation for vehicles that reported for customs clearance on or before September 14, the day the ban on onion export was ordered in view of the steep price rise across India. Following the order, many exporters started diverting trucks headed for Bangladesh to wholesalers in West Bengal. As a result, prices came down by around five rupees in the states retail markets. On September 14, the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Union ministry of commerce and industry issued a notification, stopping export of onions to foreign countries. Hundreds of trucks headed for Bangladesh got stranded at the six land ports in Malda, North Dinajpur, Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri and North 24 Parganas districts. Uzzal Saha, general secretary, West Bengal Exporters Coordination Committee, said, The DGFT has said in a new notification that trucks that reported to the customs on or before September 14 for inspection and document verification may be allowed to enter Bangladesh. Eight trucks reached Bangladesh on Saturday through Mahadipur but hundreds more are still stranded at the other land ports. We are receiving reports that around 25 per cent of the onions have turned bad because of heat and humidity. Many exporters have started selling their consignments in local markets, said Biswas. We suffered huge losses during the nationwide lockdown. The ban on onion export will add to that loss, he added. On September 15, the West Bengal Exporters Coordination Committee wrote a letter to the DGFT, saying exporters are having difficulty because many consignments are sent against letters of credit issued by banks of the importing countries. It is difficult to divert these consignments to local markets as that would be breach of commitment, said the letter. In recent weeks, Bangladesh has exported around 200 tons of Hilsa to West Bengal. Considered a delicacy, Hilsa has been in short supply at local markets this year because of low yield. A political activist from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) Shabir Choudhry has expressed discontent over UKs Labour MP Debbie Abrahams silence on the recent attack on peaceful protesters by Pakistani consulate in Bradford officials and human rights abuses taking place in the PoK. Choudhry, earlier this month, wrote to Abrahams, Chairperson All Parties Parliamentary Group (APPG), urging her to take appropriate action to ensure the release of an innocent British man, Tanveer Ahmed, who is facing the wrath of the Pakistani secret agencies. He also pointed out that peaceful protestors were harassed and intimidated outside the Pakistani Consulate in Bradford. The activist said he expected Abrahams will show keen interest in safeguarding fundamental rights of the British citizen languishing in the jail in the Pok but she did not not even care to reply or acknowledge the letter. In a letter addressed to Abrahams, Choudhry said: Your attitude and astonishing silence indicates your lack of interest about the plight of Tanveer Ahmed, and human rights abuses taking place in Gilgit Baltistan. I wrote to you on the above topic on 9 September 2020 and expected you to take appropriate action to get the release of this innocent British man who is facing the wrath of the Pakistani secret agencies. You did not even care to reply, or acknowledge the letter, the letter read. Also Read: J&K Governor Manoj Sinha announces concession in water and electricity bills Also Read: India, Bangladesh hold Director General level talks in Dhaka, agree to share real-time border info Also, I expected you and the APPG to support the right of expression and the right to a peaceful protest of all citizens of Jammu and Kashmir in Britain. In my letter, I pointed out that peaceful protestors were harassed and intimidated outside the Pakistani Consulate in Bradford. The protesters believe that some officials of the Pakistani Consulate were behind this, it added. In the last letter, the activist mentioned that a peaceful demonstration, which was called in support of British citizen Tanveer Ahmed, outside Pakistani Consulate in Bradford was interrupted by some trouble makers and Pakistan supporters. Tanveer was tortured and arrested after he removed Pakistani flag from Dadyal in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) on August 14. Also read: Indian Americans organize free drive-thru food giveaway for more than 15,000 families Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for efforts to integrate enhancing top-level design and soliciting public opinion in formulating the 14th Five-Year plan. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during a meeting with grassroots representatives in central China's Hunan Province on Thursday. Stressing the goal of realizing people's aspirations to live a better life, Xi encouraged the public to offer advice and suggestions for compiling the plan through various channels to ensure that the plan will respond to the wishes and meet the expectations of the people. During the meeting, 10 primary-level representatives offered their suggestions on rural education, poverty alleviation through industrial support, and the development of micro and small businesses, among other aspects. Noting that their ideas better reflect primary-level realities, Xi urged relevant departments to carefully study and fully absorb the suggestions. China is still in an important period of strategic opportunity for development, but is facing new opportunities and challenges, Xi said, noting that the people have been united as one in the face of hardships and difficulties and worked hard to make major contributions. When making plans for the 14th five-year period (2021-2025), more efforts should be made to improve weak links concerning people's livelihood, while striving for high-quality development so that the people will always have a stronger sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security, according to Xi. He also called for more targeted measures to perform relevant tasks. Xi emphasized consolidating governance at the primary level and uniting and guiding the people to give full play to their enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity. Xi urged Party members and officials to play an exemplary role, lawmakers to strengthen their ties with the people, political advisors to better communicate with and serve the people, and rural people who have become well-off to more actively help those who lag. The government on Sunday dismissed as "factually not correct" a United Nations report which suggested presence of "significant numbers" of in and Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy's reply came in on whether the government is aware of the United Nations report, titled 'The 26th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning ISIS, Al-Qaeda and associated individuals and entities', stating that there are "significant numbers" of in and The minister said the government was aware of the report. "However, the said report claiming presence of 'significant numbers' of in and Karnataka, is factually not correct. The Government continuously takes necessary measures to put forth India's correct position through established mechanism in unequivocal and categorical terms at various international, multilateral and bilateral fora and also through diplomatic channels," he said. Reddy also said 34 cases related to the presence of Islamic State (IS) and 20 cases related to the presence of Lashkar-e-Toiba across the country were registered by the Investigation Agency (NIA) and 240 people were arrested. "The government is aware of the presence of the terrorist outfits in the country including ISIS, Daesh, IS Khorasan, Lashkar-e-Toiba etc. The Investigation Agency (NIA) has so far registered and investigated 34 cases related to presence of Islamic State (IS) and 20 cases related to presence of Lashkar-e-Toiba across the country and arrested 160 and 80 accused persons respectively," he said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thousands of protesters, mainly students, in Thailand were marching to the Royal Palace to present a letter with their demands for King Maha Vajiralongkorn. According to Bangkok Post, the protesters ended their rally on early Sunday morning after handing over the letter to the Metropolitan Police Bureau chief. The pro-democracy protesters have said that they would gather again on September 24 outside the parliament and will call for a general strike on October 14, the anniversary of the student uprising of 1973. Read: Thai Protesters Reinstall Plaque Symbolising Democracy Reason behind protests Protests in Thailand have been taking place since last year after in a disputed election former junta leader Prayuth Chan-Ocha was elected the Prime Minister of the country. Prayuth Chan-Ocha has been leading Thailand since 2014 after he took power in a military coup. After seizing power, Prayuth cracked down on dissent, amended the constitution among other things. Prayuth in 2015 declared that he had the power to shut down media organizations if they are found violating "government laws". Read: Thailand's Khao Yai National Park Will Ship Garbage Back To The Tourists; Read More Student protesters, led by student leader Parit 'Penguin' Chiwarak, in their letter to the King have demanded the constitution of the country be re-written, they want the Prime Minister Prayuth to be removed and fresh election be held, and lastly, the power of the monarch be constrained. Protests in Thailand intensified from February this year after a pro-democracy party was ordered by a court to be dissolved. The Future Forward Party had won the third-largest number of seats in the March 2019 general election. Read: Thailand Student Protest Rally Goes Into Night In June this year, a pro-democracy leader went missing from Cambodia, where he had been in exile since the 2014 military coup. This also caused major concern among the activists in Thailand, who took to the streets to protest. The protesters have said that they don't want to demolish the monarchy they only want reforms and put it in place. Criticizing the monarchy in Thailand is punishable and can result in prison sentences. Read: Thai Student Protesters Push Close To Grand Palace With the passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday, the United States lost a champion in the fight for equal rights between the sexes and a distinguished jurist. But for the current and former Supreme Court Justices who served beside her, Ginsburgs death also means the loss of a respected colleagueand for many, a dear friend. On Saturday, the Supreme Court released statements from the eight current Justices who served alongside Ginsburg until her death, as well as statements from two retired Justices who worked closely with her. In their statements, the Justices remembered the remarkable individual they knew, as well as the icon who left her mark on American history and law. Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. Our Nation has lost a jurist of historic stature. We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew hera tireless and resolute champion of justice. Justice Clarence Thomas My wife, Virginia, and I are heartbroken to learn of the passing of our friend, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Ruth and I first met when I began my tenure on the D.C. Circuit in 1990. With the exception of the brief period between our respective appointments to the Supreme Court, we have since been judicial colleagues. Through the many challenges both professionally and personally, she was the essence of grace, civility and dignity. She was a superb judge who gave her best and exacted the best from each of us, whether in agreement or disagreement. And, as outstanding as she was as a judge, she was an even better colleagueunfailingly gracious, thoughtful, and civil. Through her loss of her wonderful husband, Marty, and her countless health challenges, she was a picture of grace and courage. Not once did the pace and quality of her work suffer even as she was obviously suffering grievously. Nor did her demeanor toward her colleagues diminish. Story continues The most difficult part of a long tenure is watching colleagues decline and pass away. And, the passing of my dear colleague, Ruth, is profoundly difficult and so very sad. I will dearly miss my friend. Virginia and I will keep her family in our thoughts and prayers. Justice Stephen G. Breyer I heard of Ruths death while I was reciting the Mourners Kaddish at the Rosh Hashanah service. I thought: a great Justice; a woman of valour; a rock of righteousness; and my good, good friend. The world is a better place for her having lived in it. And so is her family; her friends; the legal community; and the nation. Justice Samuel A. Alito Martha-Ann and I were deeply saddened by the news that Justice Ginsburg has passed away. Ruth and Marty made us feel at home immediately when I joined the Court, and we will certainly miss her. Justice Ginsburg will go down as a leading figure in the history of the Court. She will be remembered for her intelligence, learning, and remarkable fortitude. She has been and will continue to be an inspiration for many. Photograph by Sebastian KimAUGUST for TIME Justice Sonia Sotomayor My dear friend and colleague Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an American hero. She spent her life fighting for the equality of all people, and she was a pathbreaking champion of womens rights. She served our Court and country with consummate dedication, tirelessness, and passion for justice. She has left a legacy few could rival. I will miss Ruth greatly. She welcomed me to the Court with a warmth I could not have expected, and I came to feel a special kinship with her. She was someone whose wisdom, kindness, and unwavering support I could always rely on. I will forever cherish the moments we shared. I send my deepest condolences to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchild. I know how much she treasured and loved you. She often said that leading a meaningful life means living for ones family and ones community, not for oneself. Ruth lived a profoundly meaningful life, and the numerous ways in which she changed ours will never be forgotten. Justice Elena Kagan To me, as to countless others, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a hero. As an attorney, she led the fight to grant women equal rights under the law. As a judge, she did justice every dayworking to ensure that this countrys legal system lives up to its ideals and extends its rights and protections to those once excluded. And in both roles, she held toindeed, exceededthe highest standards of legal craft. Her work was as careful as it was creative, as disciplined as it was visionary. It will endure for as long as Americans retain their commitment to law. Ruth reached out to encourage and assist me in my career, as she did for so many others, long before I came to the Supreme Court. And she guided and inspired me, on matters large and small, once I became her colleague. I will miss herher intellect, her generosity, her sly wit, her manifest integrity, and her endless capacity for workfor the rest of my life. I give my deepest condolences to her beloved children and grandchildren. May her memory be a blessing. Justice Neil M. Gorsuch Louise and I have lost a cherished colleague and friend. For forty years, Ruth served the American people as one of our most distinguished judges. Her sacrifices for the country were many, but always performed with honor. We are blessed by the happy memories that will remain, like traveling with Ruth to London where (to her delight) an uninformed guide kept calling her Ruthie, or all the opera she tried so valiantly to teach me, or her sweet tooth at lunch, or the touching stories of her remarkable life with Marty. We will miss Ruth and our hearts go out to her family. May she rest in peace. Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh Ashley, Margaret, Liza, and I are profoundly saddened by the loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and we extend our prayers and deepest condolences to her family and to her four decades of law clerks. No American has ever done more than Justice Ginsburg to ensure equal justice under law for women. She was a cherished colleague, and she inspired me, and all of us, with her unparalleled work ethic and devotion to the law. A meticulous and pathmarking judge, she held herself to the highest standards of precision and accuracy in her beautifully crafted opinions. And she inspired all of us to try to meet those same exacting standards. I learned from her principled voice and marveled at her wonderful wit at our weekly conferences and daily lunches. Justice Ginsburg paved the way for women to become lawyers and judges. She made it possible for women and girls like my daughters to compete on equal footing as student-athletes. When Justice Ginsburg was last in my office earlier this year, I pointed out a photo I keep of her standing with four women who served as law clerks in my chambers in my first term. As long as I am fortunate enough to serve on the Supreme Court, I will keep that photo prominently in my office as a continuing tribute to Justice Ginsburg and as a daily reminder to work hard and pursue equal justice. May God bless Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Justice David H. Souter (retired) Ruth Ginsburg was one of the members of the Court who achieved greatness before she became a great justice. I loved her to pieces. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy (retired) The members of the Court always will cherish all that Justice Ginsburg meant to us as a distinguished jurist and an inspiring, wonderful person. She will have an esteemed place in the history of our Court. Ruth was a close, dear friend. Mary joins me in sending our deepest sympathies to her family. In our court sessions and conferences Ruth was remarkably well prepared for every case, down to the smallest detail. If the two of us disagreed, it was always in a civil, principled, respectful way. By her learning she taught devotion to the law. By her dignity she taught respect for others and her love for America. By her reverence for the Constitution, she taught us to preserve it to secure our freedom. A Vietnam Airline aircraft at Noi Bai International Airport (Photo: VNA) Flight VN310 marked the beginning of the resumption of regular flights to a number of selected countries in Asia since planes were grounded back in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Onboard were Vietnamese trainees, workers, and experts heading back to Tokyo to continue their studies and work after months of disruption. It also carried a number of Japanese citizens heading home. All 60 passengers boarding the Vietnam Airlines flight had to present a mandatory proof of a negative coronavirus tests (PCR diagnostics) issued three days before the flight, declare their travel history in the 14 days prior and download contract tracing apps as per health protocols set by the host country. The flight crew will all undergo health examinations and be quarantined when they returned to Vietnam. Vietnam Airlines is set to organise two more flights from Hanoi to Tokyo on September 25 and 30, and one from HCM City to Tokyo on September 30. Budget carrier Vietjet has also announced resumption of flights to Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Taiwan (China) starting September 29. International flights to and from Vietnam were grounded late March after the Government imposed border closures against all foreign entries. Since then, Vietnamese airlines only carried out a number of irregular flights to repatriate Vietnamese citizens overseas or bring in a limited number of foreign investors, highly skilled workers, experts, business managers, diplomats. Recently, the Vietnamese Government decided to reopen international flights to six Asian destinations Japan, the RoK, mainland China, Taiwan (China), Cambodia, and Laos all important partners and deemed to be epidemiologically safe, as the country aims to balance COVID-19 prevention with economic development./. SINGAPORE, Sept. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- DeFiChain, a blockchain specifically dedicated to decentralized financial applications, has announced their listing on Bitrue. DeFiChain's native coin "DFI" will start trading live today, September 21st. It is DeFiChain's mission to give people seamless and unrestricted access to decentralized financial services. The listing on Bitrue's innovative exchange brings them one step further toward that goal. DeFiChain With the new listing, DeFiChain aims to leverage Bitrue's large user base and engaged community. The listing of DeFiChain's DFI coin on Bitrue's innovative platform is a great next step to fuel even further growth not just of DeFiChain, but of the whole DeFi industry as well. "We believe Ethereum is a wonderful ecosystem for creating all sorts of wonderful dapps. However, with recent gas prices, it is increasingly alienating smaller players from participating in the DeFi space. DeFiChain intends to be the platform for everyone to access all possible DeFi transactions in the near future, and we're excited to be listing on Bitrue!" said DeFiChain Foundation Chairman, Dr. Julian Hosp. DeFiChain's function set includes among others: Decentralized Lending Decentralized Wrapping of Tokens Yield Farming Decentralized Pricing Oracles Decentralized Exchanges Transferable Debts and Receivables Decentralized Non-Collateralized Debt Following the listing on Bitrue, DeFiChain is launching liquidity pool functionality in October 2020. This allows DeFiChain to be one of the first few non-Ethereum blockchains supporting yield farming. About DeFiChain The DeFiChain Foundation's mission is to bring DeFi to the Bitcoin ecosystem. DeFiChain is a blockchain platform dedicated to enable fast, intelligent, and transparent decentralized financial services. Unlike most of the other DeFi projects that are built on the Ethereum network, DeFiChain is built on Bitcoin (as a software fork), and leverages Bitcoin's security by anchoring to the bitcoin blockchain (via merkle root) every few minutes. By dedicating the functionality of a blockchain specifically to decentralized finance, DeFiChain is able to provide high transaction throughput, reduced risk of errors, and intelligent feature development. Visit https://defichain.com for full information including roadmap and upcoming features. About Bitrue Bitrue is a digital asset management service that is disrupting the industry by adapting traditional financial services to the newly emerging crypto markets. Bitrue has a close relationship with Ripple, with whom they share a vision regarding the potential of crypto assets, and has become one of the top exchanges within the XRP community. They have become a one-stop platform for crypto traders around the world with the latest addition of fiat purchases. https://www.bitrue.com Media Contact David Lin [email protected] Related Images image1.png SOURCE DeFiChain Related Links https://defichain.com FILE PHOTO: A Boeing 737 MAX airplane lands after a test flight at Boeing Field in Seattle Reuters The Boeing 737 Max is likely mere weeks from returning to passenger service. The plane moved another step closer to being recertified this week as a major international review was initiated. However, there are few remaining administrative tasks for Boeing and the FAA and logistical hurdles for airlines before the plane fully returns to the skies. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Boeing's troubled 737 Max is likely just weeks away from returning to the skies. Although a scathing report from House Democrats on the Transportation committee condemned the Boeing and FAA missteps that led to the crashes in the first place, the plane has undergone virtually unprecedented scrutiny since it was grounded. With one of the final stages in recertification beginning earlier this week, there are only a few steps left before the plane can reenter service. The big steps that are already behind Boeing Boeing completed the plane's recertification flights with the FAA in late June and early July, among the biggest hurdles for the planemaker to overcome before the plane could be cleared to fly again. During the flights, Boeing and FAA engineers tested the various changes made to the jet. On August 3, the FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking outlining the changes it will require before the 737 Max can reenter service. The proposal, one of the last big administrative hurdles, is subject to a 45-day public commentary. Among the changes, 737 Max operators would be required to install a revamped software system on the plane's flight control computer, following a major redesign to the computer, and upload new software for the plane's display system. 737 Max operators would be required to use a revised flight manual, install new wiring for the plane's horizontal stabilizers, complete tests of each plane's angle-of-attack sensor system, and perform operational test flights. In the preliminary summary, the FAA wrote that it found that Boeing's proposed changes to the Max design, along with flight crew and maintenance procedures, "effectively mitigate the airplane-related safety issues that contributed to the Flight 610 and Flight 302 accidents." Story continues Now, as the 45-day public comment period nears an end, there are just a few steps remaining in the process. Review by Regulators The multinational Joint Operational Evaluation Board (JOEB) made up of regulators and pilots from the US, Canada, Brazil, and the European Union will meet for about nine days to review the new training that Boeing plans to recommend for 737 Max flight crews. That meeting began at London's Gatwick Airport on Monday, September 14, and should wrap up next week, according to the FAA and reports from Reuters. After that, the results will be incorporated into a draft by the FAA's own Flight Standardization Board (FSB), which sets the minimum required training for pilots. The result of that is published and open to public comment for 15 days, Reuters has previously reported. The entire process from the start of the JOEB meeting to the end of the FSB review takes "roughly probably 30 days from beginning to end, FAA administrator Stephen Dickson has previously said. Dickson has also said he plans to undergo the recommended training and fly the jet himself before approving anything to move forward. Given the start date for the JOEB, that suggests the process should wrap up by early-to-mid October. The FAA did not return a request for comment for this article. Once the FAA approves Boeing's changes, the legwork begins After the FSB review is finalized and the FAA reviews the final documentation, the FAA will issue an advisory of a coming safety change, known as a Continued Airworthiness Notification to the International Community (CANIC). That would be followed shortly by an Airworthiness Directive (AD) formalizing the changes published in the earlier notice of proposed rulemaking. Within a few days, the FAA would lift the March 2019 order grounding the jet. However, planes would not be able to return to service immediately. The FAA plans to inspect each individual airplane itself before certifying it to fly again, making sure that all the required changes and updates have been made. In the past, that was a job delegated to Boeing. "A successful, complete, functional test flight of each aircraft will be required before it is individually re-certified as airworthy," airline consultant R.W. Mann told Business Insider. "It's literally a tail number by tail number approach, not a fleet-wide re-certification. More cumbersome and expensive than earlier imagined." Airlines will be responsible for training their pilots according to the FSB standard. Meanwhile, international regulators can choose to lift their own grounding orders in line with the FAA, or to finalize their own reviews. Both European and Canadian officials have said they would certify the plane independently both have carried out certification flights, so the decision would likely come quickly after the FAA lifts its grounding. Finally, as airlines install updates and train their pilots, they'll need to work to pull planes out of storage and get them flight-worthy, inspecting and cleaning aircraft that have been sitting on the ground for more than 18 months. Conceivably, the plane could reenter passenger service with US airlines by the start of the holiday travel season. Read the original article on Business Insider New Delhi, Sep 20 : The opposition may be mounting an all-out attack on the Centre over the passage of the two agri Bills, but the treasury benches are not sitting idle either. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday again sought to assure the opposition on minimum support price (MSP) and categorically stated, "We are here to serve our farmers", BJP President J.P. Nadda too came out strongly in support of the legislation and attacked the Congress for its stance. Nadda said that the Congress is misleading the farmers. An aggressive Nadda alleged, "Congress party never undertook any reforms for empowerment of farmers. It neither had the time nor the will to help farmers. Misleading the farmers and the poor is the age-old habit of the Congress. Farmers are aware of its duplicity and will not be swayed by its fake propaganda." Highlighting the doublespeak of the Congress, Nadda stated that in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress party had announced it would end APMC market system. He went on to state that even after these legislations, APMC market yards and MSP will continue. "Why do Rahul Gandhi and Congress have a grudge on farmers being empowered?" he asked. "Now, the farmer will be his own boss. He can make his own decisions. The new legislation empowers farmers and gives alternative marketing channels including e-marketing platform. Farmers can get better remunerative prices. Farm-related problems can now be resolved at his doorstep," he added. Earlier, the Prime Minister posted a series of tweets in Punjabi to reach out to the farmers of Punjab who seem to be unhappy with the legislation. In one of those tweets in Punjabi, Modi reasoned, "Our agriculture sector urgently needs the latest technology as it will help the hardworking farmers. With the passage of these Bills now, our farmers will have easier access to future technology." Amid the din and an animated opposition, the Upper House gave the nod to the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. Both the Bills were already passed by the Lok Sabha. Rules to apply to those testing positive or notified by health workers they were in contact with someone infectious. People in England who refuse to self-isolate to stop the spread of coronavirus could face fines of up to 10,000 British pounds ($13,000) under tough new regulations announced to tackle a surge in cases. The rules will apply from September 28 to anyone in England who tests positive for the virus or is notified by public health workers that they have been in contact with someone infectious. People who choose to ignore the rules will face significant fines, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement on Saturday. Fines will start at 1,000 pounds ($1,300) for a first offence, rising to 10,000 pounds for repeat offenders or cases where employers threaten to sack staff who self-isolate rather than go to work. Some low-income workers who suffer a loss of earnings will receive a 500-pound ($650) support payment on top of other benefits, such as sick pay, to which they may be entitled. While most people are doing their absolute level best to comply with the rules, I dont want to see a situation where people dont feel they are financially able to self-isolate, Johnson said. Currently, people who have symptoms or test positive are asked to self-isolate for 10 days. Those who live with someone who either has symptoms or tests positive must self-isolate for 14 days. Second wave inevitable Almost 42,000 people have died of coronavirus in Britain, the worst death toll from the pandemic in Europe. 200918170142794 After a summer lull, cases are rising rapidly again and Johnson warned on Friday of a second wave. We are seeing it in France, in Spain, across Europe it has been absolutely, Im afraid, inevitable we were going to see it in this country, he said. New rules limiting social gatherings to six people from different households came into effect this week, and local measures have been introduced across the country. However, Johnson has expressed his reluctance to introduce another nationwide lockdown and some of his Conservative MPs are increasingly vocal in condemning current restrictions. In London on Saturday, anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown protesters clashed with police in Trafalgar Square. Police said 32 people were arrested. 20.09.2020 LISTEN A revered follower of the Voiceless Media and Consult, Lawyer Kow Essuman, has donated an Apsonic 125 Aloba Motorbike to the Voiceless Media and Consult to aid its operations. The gesture, the first of its kind, was motivated by the admiration and confidence that lawyer Kow Essuman has for the Voiceless Media as well as the extreme commitment, dedication, and high professionalism that the management and staff of the Voiceless Media show in their reportage and work. The Voiceless Media is the first electronic-only newspaper in Ghana which is produced and circulated free of charge on new media platforms. It must be added that lawyer Kow Essuman was one of the few people who encouraged the birth of the Voiceless Media with the seed money when the idea was sold to him shortly after the 2012 Presidential and Parliamentary elections in Ghana. Its staff are generally volunteers who believe in the Voiceless Media project and the need to contribute to the socio-economic development of the country through fair, firm, objective, and balanced journalism. Chief Akilu Sayibu who personally received the support of Lawyer Kow Essuman said that they have been motivated and inspired by this kind gesture and will continue to promote good governance and good deeds without hesitation. The Voiceless Media has been in existence for some time now and has, in recent times, become renowned for its accurate predictions of election outcomes in some constituencies as well as its reliability and credibility in the news reportage. The Voiceless Media Awards is also a distinguished project which was introduced by the management of the Voiceless Media to recognise private and public personalities who were contributing their best in the areas of development and humanitarian services to society. The Voiceless Media wishes to thank Lawyer Kow Essuman for this gesture and urge him to continue to do good to society in service to Mother Ghana. NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to hold a meeting with Chief Ministers of seven states next week to review the coronavirus COVID-19 situation in country. According to reports, the meeting will be held on September 23. Chief ministers of Maharashtra, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh are among the seven states whose Chief Ministers will attend the review meet with the Prime Minister. This meeting comes in the backdrop of COVID-19 cases breaching the 54 lakh-mark in India as it added 92,605 new infections in the last 24 hours, data from the Health Ministry showed on Sunday (September 20). As per the available data, a total of 94,612 people recovered from coronavirus in a span of 24 hours, taking the national recovery rate to 79.68 per cent, while 92,605 people tested positive for the disease during the period, taking the total COVID-19 cases to 54,00,619. The total COVID-19 recoveries have surged to 43,03,043. The COVID-19 case fatality rate was recorded at 1.61 per cent. There are 10,10,824 active cases in the country which comprises 18.72 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated. As many as 86,752 people have died of the infection in the country. PM Modi has regularly been holding meetings with union ministers and state Chief Ministers to review the pandemic situation across the country. The last such meeting was held on August 11 and chief ministers and representatives of 10 most-affected states, including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Punjab, Bihar, took part in it. President Donald Trump has said he intends to name a woman as his nominee to replace late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and will make an announcement next week. It will be a woman a very talented, very brilliant woman, Trump said at an election rally in North Carolina on Saturday. We havent chosen yet, but we have numerous women on the list. The president first spoke of picking a woman for the seat left vacant by the passing of Ginsburg while talking to reporters before departing for the rally. Asked if he would pick a woman, he said he could. I could see, most likely, it would be a woman, yeah. I think I can say that it would be a woman. I would - if somebody were to ask me now, I would say that a woman would be in first place, yes. He also said in a response to another question he expects to announce his pick next week . Female judges reportedly in his shortlist include Amy Coney Barrett, a judge on the Seventh Court of Appeals (similar to Indian high courts). He had interviewed her in 2018 when considering a nominee to replace Stephen Kennedy. He went with Brett Kavanaugh instead. Trump had then also considered Amul Thapar, an Indian-American judge on the Sixth Court of Appeal. He had made it to the last four. His name shot to the group of front-runners earlier Saturday, to replace Ginsburg. But his chances now seem diminished with the president announcing he will pick a woman. Whoever Trump picks eventually will face a bruising confirmation process in the Senate, with fierce opposition expected from Democrats. They want the seat to be filled by the next president, whoever wins the November 3 elections, as Republicans had argued in 2016 to block President Barack Obamas pick for a vacancy in the court. Republicans face opposition from some of their own senators as well, which will make the confirmation tricky. With a 53-47 majority, they cannot afford to lose four senators. The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. Close During a Joint Action Day executed on the 9th of September 2020, judicial and law enforcement authorities in The UK and Romania have arrested 21 members of an organized criminal group specialized in trafficking young Romanian girls into the UK, Ireland and Germany for purpose of sexual exploitation. The criminal group was active since 2009 and had a well-established hierarchical structure. Using the so-called loverboy-method, the OCG members targeted young Romanian girls from vulnerable backgrounds. The victims (including minors) were seduced by the offenders with false promises of sentimental partnerships, and a future luxury lifestyle. In reality, the victims were instead lured into prostitution and sexually exploited in Romania (until the minor teenagers turned 18), after which they were transported (by use of counterfeit ID documents) and sexually exploited in The UK, Ireland and Germany. In order to conceal and launder the profits from their criminal activity, the members of the group purchased luxury assets, registering it under third parties name. Eurojust has facilitated an integrated approach to this cross-border investigation since February 2019, including judicial cooperation endeavors to create a Joint Investigation Team, which was awarded almost EUR 22.000 in Eurojust funding. The JIT made it possible to streamline the exchange of evidence, accelerate and intensify the investigation and carefully prepare and coordinate the Action Days execution, during which 32 house searches were conducted (23 in Romania and 9 in the UK). Numerous victims were recovered and provided with support and assistance, and the searches also resulted in seizures of a weapon and of multiple valuable assets including five luxury cars, real-estate properties and important amounts of money. Daniela Buruiana, National Member of Eurojust for Romania, said: Cross border THB investigations have never been an easy task for prosecutors and police officers. Close cooperation and coordination between the competent authorities in different jurisdictions and the use of the support tools available at EU level are essential in conducting successful THB investigations. This is another good example of excellent joint work across different authorities and agencies. I am glad that Eurojust has been involved and provided assistance and support since the very beginning. Congratulations to all the actors which contributed to the success of this operation. Background: Eurojust cases addressing Trafficking in Human Beings The number of cases at Eurojust related to investigations of Trafficking in Human Beings has increased steadily over the last years from around 100 cases in 2016 to 183 cases registered in 2019. This has also lead to an increase in the number of Joint Investigation Teams (JIT), which has proven an effective tool to fight this form of crime, from 31 JITs in 2016 to 63 JITs in 2019. Romania and the UK have been particularly active in this respect and cooperated closely in 76 THB investigations in the past four years: Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 18:26:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A police officer stands against the tape that stops the public from accessing the dilapidated administration building block of Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda, Sept. 20, 2020. An early morning major fire gutted Makerere University, Uganda's top university on Sunday, destroying the main administration building block, a police spokesperson said. (Xinhua/Nicholas Kajoba) KAMPALA, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- An early morning major fire gutted Makerere University, Uganda's top university on Sunday, destroying the main administration building block, a police spokesperson said. Luke Owoyesigire, Kampala Metropolitan deputy police spokesperson, said in a statement that the police are actively investigating a fire at the country's largest and oldest institution in the capital Kampala, which started at around midnight, burning property and documents. "The fire is believed to have started from the roof spreading to floors that house both records and finance departments; a lot of property has been destroyed," said Owoyesigire. "Fire and rescue services responded at the scene and managed to contain its spread. Investigations are ongoing to ascertain the exact cause of the fire," he said. Vice chancellor of the university Barnabas Nawangwe tweeted that the damage caused by the fire is "unbelievable." "It is a very dark morning for Makerere University," said Nawangwe. "But we are determined to restore the building to its historic state in the shortest time possible," he said. First established as a technical school in 1922, Makerere University is known as one of the most prestigious English universities in the country. It became an independent national university in 1970. The university, closed in March, has been preparing to reopen to enable final-year medical students to complete their studies to help address the human resource gaps amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the east African country. President Yoweri Museveni early this month directed the national taskforce charged with spearheading the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic to review the possibility of a phased reopening of schools, colleges and universities after they were closed in March, starting with candidate classes and clinical medical students. Enditem People from India, China and the United Kingdom make up the bulk of Australia's migrant intake, as the COVID-19 pandemic forces new arrivals to drop to the lowest number in 15 years. The Australian Government processed 140,366 permanent arrivals last year, with Indians topping the list at 26,000 citizens, followed by 18,587 from China. More than 10,600 UK citizens, 8,960 from the Philippines and 5,398 Vietnamese people were granted permanent visas. Next on the list was 5,048 Nepalese citizens and 4,997 New Zealanders. The Australian Government processed 140,366 permanent arrivals last year, with Indians topping the list at 26,000 citizens, followed by 18,587 from China New South Wales took in the most new migrants with 44,182 settlers, followed by 34,189 in Victoria, 18,743 in Queensland, 11,996 in South Australia and 11,377 in WA Most of the Nepalese migrants are believed to be former students who have been granted permanent skilled visas while still living in Australia. The migration program delivered 95,843 skilled places, including 29,261 sponsored by employer. Migration to Australia by country processed in the last year India - 26,000 China - 18,578 UK - 10,681 Philippines - 8,965 Vietnam - 5,398 New Zealand - 4,997 Advertisement Nearly 42,000 visas were given for family migration, 37,118 of which were taken by the partners of Australians. New South Wales took in the most new migrants with 44,182 settlers, followed by 34,189 in Victoria, 18,743 in Queensland, 11,996 in South Australia and 11,377 in WA. Australian Population Research Institute director Dr Bob Birrell said the federal government at the time of the 2019-20 budget set a maximum of 160,000. 'But since 2016-17 the program has been regarded as a ceiling, not a target,' he told The Daily Telegraph. 'The Coalition has clearly decided that high migration in Covid-19 circumstances was not a good idea, and accordingly have reduced the number of visas issued in both the skill and the family components below the program level. This is a sensible decision.' Immigration Minister Alan Tudge said two in three permanent visas were granted to people already in Australia who transitioned from a temporary to permanent visa. 'There were also 13,171 visas granted in the humanitarian program in 2019-20, including 4765 visas (45 per cent) for those who were referred for settlement in regional areas,' he said. A group of 100 to 200 demonstrators marched through downtown Portland as they continued their nightly protests against racial injustice. Portland police said an unspecified number of individuals broke the storefront windows of some businesses -- and that included U.S. Bank at Southwest Fourth Avenue and Harrison Street, Chipotle Mexican Grill at Southwest Broadway and College Street and a Starbucks coffee shop at Southwest Sixth Avenue and Salmon Street. Police also said some individuals sprayed graffiti. No arrests were made but police are investigating. Portland police say windows were smashed at this Starbucks coffee shop, at Southwest Sixth Avenue and Salmon Street, during a protest march on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2020. (PPB) Live from the Portland protests with Adam Costello Tonight brings us to the justice center for the first time in weeks. Be prepared for action tonight as yesterday both the Feds and protestors were well rested and eager to continue where they left off before the fires! To Support me share & donate Venmo: Adamncostello CashApp: Adamncostello https://www.paypal.me/Adamncostello Posted by AdamncostelloTv on Saturday, September 19, 2020 Demonstrators had gathered in Portland for more than 100 days as of early September, took a more than week-long break when the city was blanketed by heavy smoke from Northwest wildfires and then resumed protests Friday night. Police said that at about 1:30 a.m. Sunday, officers engaged the group to move away from the Multnomah County Justice Center and off of Southwest Second Avenue to clear a path for officers who were ending their shifts to drive their cars into Central Precinct. Police said the crowd complied without violence and officers didnt use any munitions or other force. -- Aimee Green; agreen@oregonian.com; o_aimee It is always inspiring when one of your wildest dreams becomes a reality. Never has the former Miss Teen/Miss KFC, Swazi Mngomezulu, imagined that one day she would land a prestigious international scholarship to pursue the best Master of Science Degree in a First World country. The Chevening Scholarship, awarded to Swazi, is an international scholarship scheme which enables students with leadership qualities from over 160 countries and territories to undertake postgraduate studies or courses in universities in the United Kingdom. It is an avenue crafted to promote intelligence and exchanging thoughts within its broad community filled with global leaders. The prestigious Chevening Scholarship is the United Kingdom Governments global scholarship programme administered by the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The former beauty queen takes STLYE into her world full of promises. style: Tell us a bit about yourself: where you are from, your educational background and work? swazi: My name is Swazi Mngomezulu, a former beauty queen (Miss Teen/Miss KFC). I was born and bred in Eswatini. I studied at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in South Africa where I attained the following qualifications: l National Higher Certificate in Accounting; l National Diploma: Cost and Management Accounting ; l National Diploma: Internal Auditing (overall 2nd best student); l Btech Internal Auditing (CumLaude Award Deans Award). Post university, I embarked on a journey towards acquiring professional certifications. Sitting for the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) professional exams was my first step, and before the covid-19 pandemic began, I had started applications for the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) qualification. At university I was a top student who always excelled, as a result students sought after me for assistance. This instigated the establishment of a mentoring and tutoring academy under the Economics and Finance Department to bring ease in understanding difficult subjects. I employed computer packages as teaching aids, fostered group discussions, designed individual teaching material and assessment methodologies and provided attention to struggling students. My mentees were motivated to attain their full academic potentials, their grades and self-esteem improved remarkably which saw me earning an accolade for my insight and expertise in teaching. Post university, I worked for an employer of choice, the esteemed Eswatini National Provident Fund (ENPF), an organisation with a sound culture, good corporate governance and mostly, an organisation that puts women and children first and inspires women to aim for the skies. ENPF supports Education as it has partnered with JA Eswatini and the University of Eswatini, donating funds towards affording disabled emaSwati with a brighter future academically. I utterly agree with the following sayings: (1) Education is important in transforming ones life-ENPF CEO (2) We should be given every opportunity, nothing is as important as taking up space in society and cementing yourself. Zozibini Tunzi. With that said, I just want to shout out to the world: I cant keep calm, Ive been chosen for Chevening-Swazi Mngomezulu style: How did you find out about the Chevening scholarship, and what made you interested in applying? swazi: I found out about the Chevening scholarship from the TUT postgraduate hub in 2017, took interest and conducted a thorough research on the scholarship. First I checked whether Eswatini Citizens were eligible to apply as there was no British Embassy in our country at that time. Propitious, last year the UK Embassy opened its offices in The Kingdom of Eswatini overseen by the British High Commissioner, His Excellency John Lindfield. Chevening is highly competitive with an acceptance rate of 2 per cent globally. Quite cutthroat right! So many of our dreams at first seem impossible and improbable until we summon the will. I believed in myself, believed that I was a leader with a strong background of academic excellence, cut right what Chevening was looking for. I believed that I was capable, foresaw my dream of becoming a Chevener as valid. I applied and was awarded the scholarship on first attempt. This is by far the best gift the world has had to offer me. An affirmation that God is tirelessly working for my good cause and that dreams are valid if you believe. style: Why did you particularly want to study in the UK? swazi: The United Kingdom houses top-ranked universities in the world, universities that are renowned for their world class education system. I am moving to the UK this fall to join the reputable University of South Wales for a MSc Forensic Auditing and Accounting the only course of its kind in the UK. I am ecstatic because this course aligns well with my career goal of becoming a renowned Forensic Audit expert. I will be the first black woman in Eswatini to hold this qualification. Proudly Swazi. Startlingly, this discipline is growing rapidly in the commercial world filled with money laundering, fraud, corruption and non-compliance. Obtaining this qualification will be of great significance in Eswatini as this would instigate means of combating fraud. Of interest with this course are the modules on Cyber & Digital Investigations, Financial Crime & Expert Witness, Fraud Examination, Computer Forensic and Forensic Financial Analysis as this would build my capacity of questioning documents and answers given during fraud investigations as well as the procedures to follow during litigation and insolvency expert opinion processes. style: How do you think it will help you in your future career? swazi: As an individual driven by academic excellence, influence and leadership, studying in the UK will significantly highlight my profile thereby giving me influence in both financial and governmental sectors in Eswatini. I believe that I will gain higher professional recognition in the workplace and higher self-confidence that will lead to higher responsibility in my future career and also help my personal development. style: How do you think it will foster UK - Eswatini relations? swazi: I always believe that Development Aid, specifically scholarships for postgraduate education, is one of the best ways to build a relationship between two countries. Chevening scholarships give emaSwati an opportunity to experience the UK culture, way of living as well as opportunities for first-class professional development. The UK is a multicultural country, with a very rich cultural heritage, scholars from all over the world and that augurs well for networking opportunities. Eswatini Chevening Cohorts and Chevening Alumni get a chance of building lasting professional and social relationships In addition, with a strengthened relationship between Eswatini and the UK, business opportunities will be increased for both countries as well as trade interactions and negotiations at an international level. style: What advice would you give to emaSwati thinking of applying for Chevening? swazi: Applicants for the Chevening Scholarship should be proactive in their work environment, communities and engage in professional organisations. They should be Change-Makers with strong leadership traits, be active and have a clear plan on what they want to study as well as their choice of universities because the UK houses over a hundred world-leading universities. In addition, the world continues to change rapidly therefore applicants should be at par with global affairs, they should align their goals with the needs of Eswatini for the betterment of our beautiful nation. style: What are the challenges that you have faced in the working industry and how have you overcome them? swazi: Unemployment in Eswatini is so widespread, graduates are sitting at home with their beautiful accomplishments. It is so sad because everyone deserves a chance, a chance to demonstrate their capabilities. I have overcome the struggle through continual search for opportunities, marketing myself through voluntary work and sorting after life changing opportunities like this aforementioned Chevening Scholarship. I urge companies to open up doors for graduates. style: Acknowledgements? swazi: Thank you UK Government, Chevening FCDO and the UK Embassy in Eswatini for this lifetime opportunity. The journey towards being awarded the scholarship was so daunting, wouldnt have made it had it not been for the grace of God and the immense support received from my friends and family. Thank you Eswatini New Delhi: Amid the farm bills row, the Congress is planning to hold a nationwide agitation against the Centre accusing it of supporting corporates. A meeting in this regard has been called by the party on September 21. Among those who have been asked to attend the meeting include members of the committee, general secretaries and state in-charges. According to sources, party interim president Sonia Gandhi, who has gone abroad for treatment and is accompanied by her son Rahul Gandhi, has issued instructions regarding the meeting. The Congress had earlier decided to oppose the new agriculture bills in the Parliament. Not only the Congress, but the Akali Dal, which is BJP's ally at the Centre, has also opposed the farm bills. Even, the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh associated with the Rashtriya Swamsevak Sangh (RSS) has also criticised the bills. Rahul Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi have accused the Modi government of helping industrialists through these bills. During the first term of the Modi government, the Congress under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi had protested against the Land Acquisition Act and managed to push the government on the backfoot. The party aims to repeat similar efforts once again. Earlier, three bills brought by the Centre with an aim to improve the agriculture sector was passed by the Lok Sabha. Farmers of Punjab and Haryana have expressed their displeasure over the bills and launched protests in this regard. Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal has also resigned from the Union Cabinet after voicing her opposition against the bills. On the other hand, the government has defended the farm bills, saying these have been brought to benefit farmers. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has said that the Congress in its manifesto talked about the same agricultural reforms that the central government brought. The Congress has rejected his statement, calling it an attempt to mislead. The agricultural bills are expected to be introduced in the Rajya Sabha on Sunday after its passage in the Lok Sabha. Vietnamese leaders will present a number of important messages to the United Nations General Assembly when it meets over the next ten days. On the eve of the event, Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of the Vietnamese mission to the UN, said since officially joining the UN on September 20, 1977, the cooperative relations between the two sides have contributed to protecting and promoting national interests, particularly maintaining and consolidating a peaceful and secure an environment favourable for national development as well as international integration. Vietnam attends a UN Security Councils videoconference meeting on the Syrian situation on Friday. The relationship has also helped raise Vietnams position and image in the international arena, and deepen relations with other countries, key partners and friends. The Ambassador stressed that Vietnam has proactively made substantial contributions to the UNs operation with the UN and international community describing Vietnam as a model of success in implementing SDGs, and a country that has seriously worked to materialise the 2030 agenda on sustainable development and the Paris agreement on climate change. Vietnam has actively promoted the UNs reform initiatives, and it was considered among the leaders in implementing the Delivering As One initiative. Quy said the UN has repeatedly praised Vietnam as a model of the developing countries that have emerged from poverty and war remnants to gain the middle-income status. In his congratulatory message to the Vietnamese Government and people on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of National Day (September 2), UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Vietnam has always been a strong partner of the UN since its admission in 1977. The Vietnamese army is participating in the UN's peacekeeping activities and Vietnams leading role in fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals lays a solid foundation for the country to carry out the Sustainable Development Programme 2030, he said. According to Ambassador Quy, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in the 2020-2021 term, Vietnam has participated in the councils work in the spirit of independence, activeness and with responsibility, while affirming its stance of advocating adherence to the UN Charter and basic principles of international law, supporting the search for solutions to regional and international disputes through talks and peaceful negotiations. As President of the UNSC in January 2020, Vietnam has left a good impression with the organisation of an open debate on adhering to the UN Charter to maintain international peace and security, and the first-ever meeting on cooperation between the UN and ASEAN. The ambassador also affirmed that Vietnam has outstandingly fulfilled its positions as chairs of the committee monitoring the implementation of resolutions on South Sudan and the Informal Working Group on International Tribunals, and as coordinator of the 10 non-permanent member countries of the UNSC (E10) in May. With the dual role as non-permanent member of the UNSC and ASEAN Chair 2020, Vietnam held a meeting on the UN-ASEAN, and promoted the role of regional organisations in settling issues in regions. Ambassador Quy quoted the UN Secretary General as assessing that as a non-permanent member of the UNSC, Vietnam has been making significant contributions to sustainable peace. VNS Opposition parties urge civil disobedience campaign to stop President Alassane Ouattaras bid for a third term. Ivory Coasts main presidential election challenger and a group of opposition parties have called for a civil disobedience campaign to stop President Alassane Ouattaras bid for a third term on October 31. The election is seen as one of the biggest tests of the stability of the West African nation since a disputed vote led to a brief civil war in 2010-11. Ivory Coasts Constitutional Council has cleared Ouattara, former President Henri Konan Bedie, and two other candidates to contest the vote. Bedie told a packed opposition PDCI party hall in Abidjan the parties, after a meeting on Sunday, had come together to stop Ouattaras third-term bid. It is left to us, in light of everything that has been said here, to protect the stability of the nation, Bedie said. In the face of abuse of authority, there is only one watchword: civil disobedience. At least a dozen people have been killed since anti-Ouattara riots broke out last month after he declared he would run following the sudden death of his handpicked successor in July. The opposition has said Ouattara, elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2015, is violating the constitution by seeking a third term. The 78-year old president says a constitutional change means his two-term limit has been reset. The outbreak of violence sparked memories of 2010-11, when 3,000 people died in the civil war in the country the worlds top producer of cocoa. Several opposition party leaders took to the floor and backed the idea of trying to stop Ouattara from running again, calling for demonstrations to be held across the country. The political parties are demanding the withdrawal of Alassane Ouattaras candidacy, the dissolution of the Constitutional Council, and the dissolution of the Electoral Commission, because of its subservience to the ruling RHDP party, said Patrice Saraka, an opposition party leader. But there was no call from the opposition for a boycott of the election. Bedie, 86, is one of only four politicians still in the running for the presidency after the electoral commission excluded 40 other would-be candidates. Among those excluded were two leading opposition figures, former President Laurent Gbagbo and onetime rebel leader and former Prime Minister Guillaume Soro. Scores of Moroccan protesters took to the streets on Saturday, September 19 to express their anger against the historic peace agreement that was signed between Israel and UAE, Bahrain defying a government ban on large gatherings to curb the spread of coronavirus. The protesters staged a rally to the Moroccan Parliament situated in the capital city of Rabat and also set fire on a mock Israeli flag. In addition, they condemned the "Arab normalisation" of bilateral ties with Israel. READ: India Welcomes Abraham Accord Between Israel, UAE, Bahrain; Reaffirms Support To Palestine Protesters condemn the deal The protesters in Morocco also waved Palestinian flags, decrying the deals as "treason" and chanted "Palestine is not for sale". The Palestinians view the US-brokered deal as a stab in their back from their fellow Arabs in the Gulf and a betrayal for the Palestinian state. The peace agreement between Israel- UAE and Israel-Bahrain have been criticized by many countries in the Arab world. READ: Trump Hails 'dawn Of New Middle East' Amid Israel's 'historic' Deal With UAE And Bahrain The organizers of the protest interrupted the chanting in between frequently to urge the participants to wear masks and maintain social distancing protocols. Dozens of police officers deployed watched the chaos from a distance. Associated Press quoted human rights activist Abdelhamid Amine, "The normalization deals are an attack on the Palestinian people and their cause". "We are calling on the Moroccan government not to follow suit and we urge it not to surrender to the Zionist and imperialist pressure like other Arab countries", added the activist. Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani said last month that the kingdom does not entertain any form of normalization with Israel. While addressing a meeting he was quoted saying, "The Moroccan monarch, government and people will always defend the rights of the Palestinian people and Al-Aqsa Mosque". The agreement, dubbed as the Abraham Accord, saw the UAE and Bahrain become the third and fourth gulf countries to normalize relations with Israel after Egypt and Jordan. The peace agreement was signed by Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Bahrains Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani and UAE's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed. The Abraham Accord states that the two Arab counties will henceforth normalize diplomatic relations with Israel and thus will be able to exchange ambassadors, establish embassies and enter into trade deals. READ: Trump Presides Over Israel, UAE, Bahrain Peace Agreement Signing In Washington READ: After UAE & Bahrain Deals, Trump Aims At Initiating Direct Flights Between Israel, Morocco Image/Inputs: AP For decades, the American public has been warned about rising sea levels, storm surges, prolonged drought and overpowering wildfires. These warnings, appearing in study after study from climate scientists and policy experts, have been forward-looking. They are chronicles of a warming world foretold, and while in some circles they have been dismissed, ignored or put off for another day in the not-too distant future, the crisis of climate change also raises profound questions about our responsibility to future generations. Just what will our children and grandchildren have to contend with in a warmer world? What responsibility do we bear in limiting our carbon emissions and, in turn, Earths warming? How can we pivot away from fossil fuels through regulation and innovation without disrupting our economy? What are the environmental and economic consequences of doing nothing come 2040, 2050 or 2100? Now Playing: Climate change is already affecting Texas. Climate scientist and Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at Texas A&M University, Andrew Emory Dessler, talks about what San Antonio and Houston can expect. Video: San Antonio Express-News These are still critical questions to ask, but with the western United States ravaged by wildfires and the Gulf overwhelmed by catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Sally, we are again reminded by extreme weather that climate change can no longer be confined to the not-so-distant future. Unlike our previous presidential election editorials on criminal justice and trade, there isnt much nuance to dissect about the records of President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden on the issue of climate change. There is near universal consensus among scientists that human activity is warming the planet. Nevertheless, Trump has dismissed man-made climate change as a hoax and in a recent visit to California said of climate change, I dont think science knows, actually. Trump has instead focused on forest management in this season of wildfires, and while that is a legitimate issue and concern, it is no excuse to antagonize climate science or deny climate change. But that has been the pattern. He has withdrawn the United States from the Paris climate agreement, and his administration has pursued many policies that are retrograde when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Biden, nudged by the youth-led Sunrise Movement, has put forward a $2 trillion plan linking renewable energy to infrastructure spending, set a goal of having the electricity sector free of carbon pollution by 2035 and pledged to return the U.S. to the Paris climate agreement. Climate change is a global issue with local impacts. Just what does climate change, left unchecked, mean for Texas and San Antonio? A study released in March from the Office of the Texas State Climatologist at Texas A&M University found the number of triple-digit degree days in Texas has doubled over the past 40 years and will likely double again by 2036. San Antonio has seen a steady increase in 100-degree days, particularly in the last decade. This year, the mercury hit triple digits 36 times, a tie for fourth-most times on record. Extreme rainfall will be more likely, leading to urban flooding. Hurricane storm surge will be more pronounced along the Gulf Coast, particularly in Galveston and Rockport. And the state has gotten drier, risking wildfires. When we think of climate change in Texas, its impossible not to reflect on Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The economic implications are jarring. Harvey caused about $125 billion in damage, and in its aftermath, ratings firms warned they may consider climate change in assessing risks to cities and states. As Moodys noted in 2017, Climate shocks or extreme weather events have sharp, immediate and observable impacts on an issuers infrastructure, economy and revenue base, and environment. But there will be smaller manifestations, too. For example, the Union of Concerned Scientists, in 2017, warned of routine coastal flooding, meaning every two weeks, in Galveston and the Bolivar Peninsula. This is not a lost cause. Texas leads the nation in wind energy production and has immense potential to produce solar power. The state is blessed with an abundance of natural gas, a far cleaner alternative for power generation than coal. It is poised to remain an energy leader. At the federal level, there are many ways forward to address climate change, be it through a market-based fee-and-dividend program, regulatory efforts or incentives to fuel innovation. We are open to any step forward, but if we fail to act out of denial or polarization, no one can say we werent warned. Advertisement A selection of rare photographs of Audrey Hepburn taken during two of her major film roles have gone on sale for 6,000. The legendary British actress was snapped while starring in 1956 epic War and Peace and also The Nun's Story, which was released three years later. In the former, which was an adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's classic novel, she starred as heroine Countess Natasha Rostova. The collection of 14 photos, which have since passed into the hands of a private collector, are being sold with US based auctioneers Nate D Sanders. A selection of rare images of Audrey Hepburn taken during two of her major film roles have gone on sale for 6,000. Pictured: Some of the shots taken when Hepburn was starring in 1956 film War And Peace In War And Peace, which was an adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's classic novel, she starred as heroine Countess Natasha Rostova. Pictured: Hepburn being embraced by co-star Henry Fonda The new photos show the Hollywood beauty in a variety of poses for the film. One pair show her both face-on and sideways in portrait shots, in others she is seen wearing a bonnet and tiara and in a third the actress is seen being embraced by co-star Henry Fonda. Hepburn is also pictured dressed in-character in the pre-production shots for The Nun's Story, in which she played Gabrielle Van Der Mal, an upper-class woman who leaves her privileged existence to become a nun. The British actress, who died in 1993, was said to be so fond of the photos, of which there are 14 in total, that she kept them for the rest of her life. The Hollywood actor was said to be so fond of the photographs that she kept them for the rest of her life (Another shot taken when Hepburn was working on the film shows her dressed in a floral dress and bonnet) Hepburn is also pictured dressed in-character in the pre-production shots for 1959 film The Nun's Story, in which she played Gabrielle Van Der Mal, an upper-class woman who leaves her privileged existence to become a nun They are now being sold as individual photos via US-based auctioneers Nate D Saunders, with minimum bids ranging from 464 ($600) to 774 ($1,000). It is thought that Hepburn had the photos taken to experiment with different looks for her characters. In her role in The Nun's Story, in which her character became known as Sister Luke, Hepburn received her third nomination for an Academy Award. The film is said to have had a profound effect on her and she later returned to Africa where it was shot to do charity work. The collection of photos have since passed into the hands of a private collector in the US. In her role in The Nun's Story, in which her character became known as Sister Luke, Hepburn received her third nomination for an Academy Award Hepburn wore her hair in a variety of styles for the War And Peace portrait shots, including in one set where she was seen with her hair in a bun A Nate D Sanders spokesperson said: 'These rarely seen pre-production photos show different proposed hairstyles for her character so that the decision could be made about which style to use. 'One can assume she kept hold of them for all those years as she liked them and they reminded her of memories from working on the films.' Hepburn, who later also starred in Breakfast At Tiffany's (1961) and My Fair Lady (1964), died at the age of 64. The timed sale ends on September 24. The British actress, who died in 1993, was said to be so fond of the photos, of which there are 14 in total, that she kept them for the rest of her life. It is thought that Hepburn had the photos taken to experiment with different looks for her characters. Pictured: Hepburn in a shot for War And Peace A Nate D Sanders spokesperson said the photographs were rarely seen pre-production shots, with different hairstyles on display to help decisions about her character be made Pictured: Hepburn in a tiara for War And Peace The sale of the photos ends on September 24. The actress died at the age of 64. Pictured: Another pair of shots show Hepburn in character for War and Peace Born in Belgium in 1929 to a Dutch baroness, Hepburn studied ballet throughout her formative years and had ambitions of becoming a professional dancer. At the end of the Second World War, Hepburn relocated to London where she was scouted during a performance of Cecil Landeau's 'Sauce Piquante', in 1950. From there she enjoyed a meteoric rise to the very pinnicle of the film industry. Just three years later she landed her first leading film role in Roman Holiday and the performance was awarded with a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and an Academy Award. The actress, who had roles in 25 films, also devoted much of her time to charity work and philanthropy. Viral: This Animated video released in 2020 looks exactly the sequence of PM security breach Agriculture Bills: Farmers block roads in Haryana, burn effigies in Punjab India oi-Deepika S Chandigarh, Sep 20: Farmers on Sunday blocked roads in Haryana and burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in neighbouring Punjab, protesting against the farm bills passed in Parliament. Two MLAs from the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which is part of the BJP-led ruling coalition in Haryana, also participated in the protests, reflecting a rift on the issue among their ranks on the issue. Farmers, who have expressed their disagreement with the farm bills passed by Parliament, will stage a protest on days mentioned below: September 21 - All APMC mandis across Rajasthan will observe a one-day strike. September 25 - At least 10 farmer organisations have given a state-wide bandh call and also country-wide 'resistance' call by the AIKSCC. Farmers occupied portions of roads and highways at several places in the state between 12 and 3 pm, following a call given by the Haryana unit of the Bhartiya Kisan Union against the agri-marketing bills, two of which were passed by Rajya Sabha on Sunday. After 3 pm, reports said the road blockades were lifted, ending the day's protests in which BKU was also supported by several other farmer organisations. In Ambala, Haryana Police used a water cannon at the state's border to stop Punjab Youth Congress workers from entering the district and travelling ahead to Delhi as part of their "tractor rally". The Punjab protesters set fire to one of their own tractors when they were forced to end their rally at the Haryana border, police said. Farmers were joined by 'arhitiyas' -- or the commission agents at 'mandis' --during their protests at many places in Haryana. There was heavy police deployment across the state, particularly where the bigger gatherings were expected. Police diverted traffic to alternative routes. Executive magistrates were stationed along with police at many protest venues. Ambala-Nahan national highway near Naraingarh, Jind-Patiala and Jind-Delhi roads near Julana and Sonipat-Gohana highway were among the roads blocked in Haryana. Making farmers shed tears of blood: Rahul Gandhi on farm bills row Traffic was also disrupted on Ambala-Chandigarh highway due to the protests by the Punjab Youth Congress activists. But there was no blockade on the Ambala-Delhi road. The situation at the Haryana-Punjab border was tense for a while as Youth Congress activists were bent upon moving on the national highway towards Delhi. But the spot was heavily barricaded by police, who also used water cannons to disperse the protesters. Farmers at several places in Punjab burnt effigies and copies of the farm bills, claiming that the new laws will destroy their livelihood. The three bills are aimed at giving farmers the choice to sell their produce at competitive prices. But many farm organisations fear they will lead to the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system. Two JJP MLAs, Jogi Ram Sihag (Barwala) and Ram Karan Kala (Shahbad), participated in the Haryana protests, going against the official line spelled out by the party's senior leader and Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala. Sihag said he will not hesitate even to resign if his constituents want him to do that when at any point they feel that the farmers' interests are compromised. Chautala, however, hit out at the opposition Congress accusing it of misleading farmers. "Nowhere in the new farm reforms there is any talk of abolishing the crop MSP," he told reporters. Varun Chaudhary, the Haryana Congress MLA from Mullana in Ambala who joined the protest at Mandour village near Panjokhra Sahib, said the bills were not a "shield for farmers" but for hoarders. Meham Independent MLA, Balraj Kundu, who protested in Rohtak and Charkhi Dadri districts, claimed the bills will benefit the corporates. "From October 2, I will sit on a fast to protest against these anti-farmer measures," he said. In Yamunanagar, Haryana BKU chief Gurnam Singh said, "It is the country's misfortune that despite the farmers' protest these bills were passed." He called it a "murder of democracy". "Laws are for people and if they are the ones who are protesting then for whose benefit have they been passed?" he said. "These laws are not pro-farmers as the government claims, but the big corporates will benefit." He said the statewide protest was peaceful and 17 farmers' organisations extended their support. Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, who also joined the Youth Congress protesters, said all parties except the Akali Dal and the BJP are with the farmers. He slammed Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, accusing him of earlier supporting these "black laws". The SAD has pulled out of the Union government in protest against the bills. Joining the tractor rally, Indian Youth Congress president Srinivas B V said his party stands shoulder to shoulder with the farmers. "This government wants to destroy 80 crore families. Former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri gave the 'Jai Jawan-Jai Kisan' slogan, but under the present regime the farmers are ruined," Srinivas said. Haryana Congress president Kumari Selja said when a Congress-led government comes to power the law will be repealed. The party will hold protests on Monday against the "anti-farmer" bills at district headquarters across Haryana. On Sunday, Rajya Sabha passed the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. The bills were passed by Lok Sabha on Thursday. A third bill is yet to be passed in Rajya Sabha. Its time Toronto built housing, not shelters for the homeless, Sept. 14 The Star editorial is spot-on in calling for more housing, rather than expanding shelters. The Shelter Recovery report going to council provides a sound approach to start changing the trajectory. But it is, as Jonathan Swift would say, a modest proposal in terms of housing needed. There are currently more than 18,000 people on the supportive housing wait list, up from 700 in 2009. The list grows by 1,600 each year. This means if Toronto were to meet its target of 18,000 supportive housing units over 10 years, there would still be over 24,000 people on the wait-list in 2030. Council should endorse and implement the report, but dont stop there. Developing more housing will require setting aggressive targets, partnering with the Ontario and federal governments, community organizations and the private sector to reduce homelessness. This can be part of our COVID recovery plan, as every dollar invested in housing will produce a $1.52 multiplier effect on Torontos economy. The prime minister is holding talks this weekend on whether to increase coronavirus restrictions in England, a source close to No 10 has indicated, as the Labour Party and Scotlands first minister repeatedly urge him to call an emergency Cobra meeting. While the source said that Boris Johnson had meetings about the coronavirus crisis every day, it follows an announcement by Mr Johnson on Friday that the UK is now seeing a second wave coming in and that national lockdown measures may be necessary. New figures show coronavirus infections may be doubling in the UK every seven days. In light of the surging tide of new cases, leading scientist Professor Neil Ferguson called on the prime minister to act sooner rather than later in announcing further restrictions. Professor Ferguson, whose modelling formed the basis for lockdown plans in March, warned that the UK faces a perfect storm following a relaxation of restrictions over summer and schools reopening. Right now we are at about the levels of infection we were seeing in this country in late February, Professor Ferguson told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. If we leave it another two to four weeks we will be back at levels we were seeing more like mid-March. That's clearly going to cause deaths because people will be hospitalised. He added: I think some additional measures are likely to be needed sooner rather than later. We have in some sense a perfect storm right now of people, as they have been told to, getting back to normal, schools reopening, a surge in cases, so therefore the testing system is under strain. So unfortunately we do have to roll the relaxation of measures back a little bit and get contacts down in the population. Meanwhile, Nicola Sturgeon, Scotlands first minister, has reiterated her call for a four-nations Cobra meeting, urging the consideration of co-ordination and alignment in policy. Ms Sturgeon tweeted: Given serious situation across UK, I have also asked again that a 4 nations COBR meeting takes place over next 48 hours. While each of the 4 UK nations will reach our own decisions - rightly and properly - it makes sense to seek as much co-ordination and alignment as possible. The Scottish first minister also said that she could not remember the last time she spoke to the prime minister. Angela Rayner, Labours deputy leader, also repeated her partys call for Mr Johnson to lead an emergency meeting this weekend, telling Sky News: "To keep people safe, what we need is immediate action, on things like the test, track and trace system so we know where this virus is in our areas. That's how to avoid a lockdown. "We need that Cobra meeting. We need to look at what the experts are saying and get on top of this." Keir Starmer had previously called for an emergency meeting, tweeting on Friday: "I'm asking the prime minister to convene a Cobra meeting and to update the country on the measures the government is taking to keep the virus under control, including to fix testing." Sadiq Khan has also called on the prime minister to lead a meeting as a matter of urgency. View this post on Instagram This McDonald's sign, from about 1962, is incredibly rare, representing a brief transitional period from the use of the Speedee character (the hamburger cartoon) in signage to the "Big M" massive golden-arch design, used from late 1962 to the 1970s. Last week, I posted one of those "Big Ms" I spotted in Norwalk, Connecticut. Today, I present a rare single-arch sign that survives in Magnolia, New Jersey only a handful remain around the country. One of them, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Magnolia sign, which is in superb shape, was moved from the restaurants original location nearby. Kudos to this restaurant for preserving a national treasure. Check out the two shields on either side of the arch -- they are the crest of the founding McDonald's brothers, a design choice of Ray Kroc, who himself would go on to be known as "The Founder" when he took their innovative California roadside hamburger stand and turned it into a global colossus. I photographed another one of these single-arch signs several years ago, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, but that one was removed in 2016 and is said to have gone to a private collection of McMemorabilia. (Scroll way back on my feed to see that one.) This is an important artifact, in the development of McDonald's, and in the roadside vernacular of midcentury America. As argued in the National Register report on the Pine Bluff sign, the single-arch sign represents the embrace by corporate America of modernism (think St. Louis Arch and the widespread use of the parabolic arch in pop culture) and the departure from neon toward fluorescent-lit plastic panels in metal frames. This is a vivid example, too, of the midcentury fascination with signage that stands out from the road. Indeed, the Big M design that succeeded the single-arch signs is even more audacious. The Big M would fade away in the 1970s when a smaller McDonald's sign was attached to a towering pole, promoting the new mansard-roofed, brick-covered restaurants. But examples of the Big M and single-arch signs, though increasingly rare, remain, and are a particular favorite find of mine. Justin Savoie, 24, has been sentenced to 90 days in prison after he was caught concealing a loaded pistol in his buttocks A Louisiana man has been sentenced to 90 days in prison after he was caught concealing a loaded pistol in his buttocks. Justin Savoie, 24, pleaded guilty to felony weapons charges in Lafourche Parish District Court on Friday - nine months after cops discovered the gun in the unlikely hiding place during a strip search. Savoie was arrested on December 28, 2019, at a home in the tiny town of Golden Meadow after police responded to reports of 'suspicious activity'. Officers discovered marijuana and drug paraphernalia inside the residence, as well as several guns and a homemade silencer inside Savoie's truck, parked outside. The Louisiana local was taken into custody, according to The Smoking Gun, where he was subjected to a strip search. During a pat down, police pulled out a .25-caliber Titan pistol from Savoie's buttocks. Savoie was concealing a .25-caliber Titan pistol, identical to the one pictured above The weapon - which was 4.3 inches long and had a 2.5 inch barrel - was loaded. Savoie was subsequently charged with drugs and weapons offenses, and released on a $10,600 bond. During his sentencing on Friday, Savoie was ordered to serve 90 days in jail, and was additionally given a three-year suspended sentence. He has also been banned from owning or possessing firearms. New Delhi, Sep 20 : Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday held "irresponsible behaviour" of people responsible for the surge of Covid-19 cases in the country, and appealed to Lok Sabha MPs to spread awareness regarding the pandemic. In his reply on a special discussion on Covid-19 in the lower house of Parliament, he said the pandemic is spreading rapidly because of such behaviour. "It seems people have misunderstood the unlock processes and have become relaxed, thinking everything is fine. They must remember that Covid appropriate conduct is important," he said. "Hands must be kept away from the face. Masks are a must and so is physical distance." The Minister appealed to MPs to help launch a campaign for public awareness regarding Covid-19-related appropriate behaviour and enforce it in their respective constituencies. "If we can end laxity in our behaviour, the fight against Covid can be won quickly. We have to break the chain of Covid transmission," he said in his reply to the nearly five-hour debate. The Minster clarified that the disease does not spread through air and maintained that its cycle is through human transmission, and thus, human behaviour needs to be controlled till the Covid vaccine comes into the market. Citing five independent studies, Harsh Vardhan said that the national lockdown was helpful in combating Covid-19 which so far has infected 54,00,620 people across the country. "Lockdown prevented cases and deaths at a time when the situation was critical." He also said that 145 Covid vaccine candidates worldwide were in pre-clinical evaluation and 35 in the clinical stage. "In India, 30 vaccines have been supported and of these, three are in advanced human trial stages and more than four are in pre-clinical stages. India has planned ahead for vaccine distribution as and when it is available." India was now conducting 12 lakh tests a day and has developed the capacity to produce 10 lakh test kits daily, he said. "We have evaluated 870 kits, recommended 420 and 308 are in use," the Minister said. Earlier in the day, Harsh Vardhan played down fears the Covid outbreak in India has reached the community transmission stage, noting that "only 10 states are reporting maximum cases" and that the bulk of these are in "few districts". During an hour-long social media interaction on Sunday, he also dismissed that the pandemic was peaking in India, stating that different parts of the country were "at multiple trajectories". Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dermot O'Leary has discussed the difficulties he and wife Dee Koppang O'Leary had in becoming parents, advising other couples to not 'lose hope'. The TV presenter, 47, and his other half, 41, welcomed their son Kasper in June and Dermot told how his work getting cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic meant he got to spend 'special time' with the tot. Speaking to The Sun's Fabulous magazine, Dermot gave words of encouragement to couples struggling to conceive after Dee previously admitted they had a 'rocky road' to becoming parents. Honest: Dermot O'Leary, 47, has discussed the difficulties he and wife Dee Koppang O'Leary, 41, had in becoming parents, advising other couples to not 'lose hope' Dermot said: 'Don't lose hope. Just keep going and you'll find resolution one way or another, whether it's through adoption or IVF or whatever. 'Because if you really want to be a parent and you want to bring a kid up in a loving, nurturing and supportive household, then you should do your utmost to do so. 'And I know it's very easy to say these things, because none of that is science. But there are always ways.' Dermot added that one day, when Dee is ready, she will share their journey to becoming parents in the hopes it will give hope to other couples. Parent: Dermot told how his work getting cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic meant he got to spend 'special time' with the tot who was born in June The X Factor host also discussed life during lockdown and said it allowed the pair to have a lot of time with their newborn while he otherwise would have been in America filming the judges' houses portion of the series. Dermot added that while the ongoing pandemic has been an 'unsettling' time, getting to spend his days with Kasper was the silver lining. The TV star admitted he felt anxious in the early days of the pandemic as Britain was moving towards lockdown but, like everyone, learned to adjust. Also in the interview, Dermot revealed he and Dee found out the sex of their baby early on but kept it a secret from friends and family. Encouragement: Giving advice to couples, Dermot said: 'Don't lose hope. Just keep going and you'll find resolution one way or another, whether it's through adoption or IVF or whatever' In his Instagram post announcing Kasper's birth, Dermot penned: 'Welcome to the world baby Koppang O'Leary... We're delighted to announce that we've had a baby! 'A little boy born on Tuesday 23rd June 2020 (Sankthansaften / Midsummer for you Norwegians) at 8.19am, weighing in at 6lb 13oz. 'Enjoying the cuddles in the newborn bubble... cats yet to be 100% convinced. Lots of love, Dermot & Dee x.' Dermot tied the knot with Dee in 2012 after ten years together at St Mary's Church in Chiddingstone, Kent. He added: 'Because if you really want to be a parent and you want to bring a kid up in a loving, nurturing and supportive household, then you should do your utmost to do so' It proved to be a star-studded occasion with guests including Holly Willoughby, James Corden and Bear Grylls. In 2015 Dermot hinted that he was ready to start a family with wife Dee, telling Fabulous Magazine: 'I definitely want kids, but I've got a very busy wife with a very busy life. 'It's not fair for me to say, ''I want kids now''. I do want kids with my wife, but I want them when we both think it's the right thing to happen.' Dermot and Dee met in 2002 when they worked for the same TV production company and got engaged in New York in December 2011. The investigators showed me six pages containing 20 photos, I gave the necessary information. There then followed, in the document, pictures of suspects and extensive material about their role in al-Qaeda, what they had been involved in, their associates and their families. Another segment stated during the time I worked for the Islamic State I knew the following activities executions, assassinations, kidnapping, ransom, and requisitions. Also there, in detail, were the names and ranks of the organisations hierarchy in Mosul, helpfully in a chart. The words are from the interrogation of Said Abd Al Rahman al -Mawla at an American prison, Camp Bucca, in British administered southern Iraq, in 2008, revealing how willing the man who is now the leader of Isis was to betray his fellow fighters to the enemy. Al-Mawla supplied information, in total, on 68 Islamist fighters --- information which led to a series of operation by Western forces, and arrests and killings of suspects, including Abu Jasim Abu Qaswarah, a Moroccan who was then the deputy leader of the group. Al-Mawla has since then risen to the apex of jihadist hierarchy, succeeding Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi after the Isis chief was killed in a US special forces operation last year. The new leader, who had been given the name of Al Hashimi Al Qurashi, has a $ 10 million bounty put on his head by Washington. Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, had accused al-Mawla of being one of the key figures in the persecution of the Yazidi community in Iraq. More than 5,000 Yazidis were killed hundreds of girls and women sold off into sexual slavery as Isis took over territory in the Sinjar region. The revelation of al-Mawlas betrayal of his comrades came in the release of hitherto classified documents at the US military academy at West Point by the Combat Terrorism Centre. They are made public at a time when there are said to be schisms at the top of Isis, which emerged from al-Qaeda as jihad spread through Iraq and Syria. A British security official said these declassified documents show that Daesh (Isis) is rotten to the core and disloyal at its most senior levels. While it has lost territory, Daesh continues to spread its vile narrative and incite violence online. But that propaganda will fall on deaf ears if even the leader is known to betray his own. But Western officials also warned that after being forced out of most of its territory in Syria losing al- Baghdadi along with thousands of killed and captured fighters, Isis is seeking to expand internationally with 20 affiliates established in different countries. On Thursday, as the al-Mawla interrogation reports were released, Christopher Miller, the director of the US National Counterterrorism Centre, said the group has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to rebound from severe losses over the last six years by relying on a dedicated cadre of veteran mid-level commanders, extensive clandestine networks, and downturn on in counter-terrorism pressure, to persevere. Mr Miller told the House Homeland Security Committee in Washington that Isis had continued to carry out assassinations and bomb attacks in Syria and Iraq. It was also trying to free thousands of fighters and their families being held in prison camps in northern Syria, taking advantage of the lack of an agreement among foreign government about what to do with the detainees. Although Isis has suffered reverses in certain regions, it had become particularly potent in parts of Africa, said Mr Miller. On Thursday the group claimed responsibility for the murders of six French aid workers and their two local guides in Niger in August. Al-Mawla, 43 years old, married with a son, graduated in sharia law from the Islamic Sciences College in Mosul before serving for 18 months as a conscript in Saddam Husseins army. He was freed in 2009 in reward for being an informer, and joined al-Qaeda. These declassified documents show that Daesh is rotten to the core and disloyal at its most senior levels British security official The documents show that al-Mawla wrote speeches for al-Baghdadi and became the imam at the al-Furqan mosque in Mosul where the Isis leader preached on a number of occasions. The former soldier projected himself as a champion of Salafist Islam. Opponents of al-Mawla in the Islamic rank have, however, questioned his religious credentials. There have also been claims that he was of Turkman background amid scepticism that Isis fighters would accept a non-Arab as leader. T He released documents contain al-Mawlas Iraqi identity card which show that he was an Arab born in the town of Mahalabiyah. While Chios had been a critical stop in the migration route from Turkey to Greece, fewer refugees were arriving, in part because of tougher government border policies. So attention turned to the few tourists, to migrants like myself who were visiting family and to locals who were returning from taking a break in other parts of the country where more people were getting sick. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has ordered an inquiry into the leak of a question paper of a written test for police sub-inspectors which was scheduled for Sunday. Sonowal, who holds the home portfolio, directed Director General of Police (DGP) Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta to conduct the inquiry expeditiously and nab the culprit responsible for the leak. He also asked Mahanta to probe if there was any conspiracy to derail the recruitment process. The written examination for 597 posts of sub-inspectors, which drew thousands of applicants in 154 centres across the state, had to be cancelled after the question paper was leaked. Before the start of the examination, the question paper was leaked and circulated on Whatsapp, a statement issued by the chairman, state level police recruitment board, said. In the interest of justice to the aspiring candidates and to ensure merit based selection, on the direction of the Honble Chief Minister of Assam, the examination was cancelled, it added. The criminal investigation department (CID) of Assam Police has lodged an FIR in this regard and started investigations to nab the culprits. The new dates of the written examination are expected to be announced within a month. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON (Photo : Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images) AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - OCTOBER 12: The Rocket Lab Mission Control room during the opening of the new Rocket Lab factory on October 12, 2018 in Auckland, New Zealand. The new building includes a new Mission Control Centre, which will oversee launches from Rocket Lab's Mahia Peninsula launchpad and chief executive Peter Beck says 16 flights are planned for next year. Rocket Lab, the aeronautics company headquartered in California, is wrapping up preparations for its first launch from American soil. The aerospace manufacturer, originally founded in New Zealand before establishing its office in the US, has already accomplished 14 mission launches from its Launch Complex 1, which is located near Ahuriri Point, at the southern edge of Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand. Soon to Launch Space Missions from US Soil Recently, it has just finished its "wet dress rehearsal" - a test procedure involving the loading of liquid propellant components like liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen - from its Launch Complex 2 site, near NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. During the wet dress rehearsal, Rocket Lab's Electron booster was carried to the LC-2's newly-built launch pad, raised vertically, and loaded with a liquid propellant that includes high-grade kerosene and liquid oxygen. Mission managers conducted a simulated countdown, down to zero, to see if all associated procedures will commence in compliance with timing plans. "With this major milestone complete, the Electron launch vehicle, launch team, and the LC-2 pad systems are now ready for Rocket Lab's first launch from U.S. soil," said company representatives in a statement released Thursday, September 17. The Rocket Lab statement also clarified that before a launch window is assigned for their first US-launched mission, NASA will first conduct its final development and certification of their Autonomous Flight Termination System (AFTS) software for the mission. The NASA AFTS, according to its Flight Opportunities webpage, is an independent subsystem for the agency's range safety operations. Using Global Positioning System (GPS) and Inertial Navigation System (INS), it can create flight termination decisions without human intervention. Basically, in the event the rocket swerves off course, the AFTS can issue a termination command to the launch vehicle. RELATED: Rocket Lab Launches First Satellite Built and Launched from New Zealand Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 Together with its New Zealand-based LC-1, Rocket Lab can now support more than 130 launch opportunities annually. The company statement emphasizes that their two launch sites, in diverse geographic locations, offer Rocket Lab an "unrivaled level of redundancy" and can assure space flight access regardless of disruption to any of its sites. Construction is closing out on our LC-2 Integration and Control Facility (ICF) within the Wallops Research Park, adjacent to @NASA_Wallops Main Base. The ICF houses a launch control center, state-of-the-art payload integration facilities & vehicle integration department. pic.twitter.com/TABvvir0jm September 17, 2020 Aside from the successful wet dress rehearsal, the company is also looking at the nearing completion of its Rocket Lab Integration and Control Facility (ICF), also within the Wallops Research Park, located next to NASA Wallops Flight Facility Main Base. The upcoming Rocket Lab facility will include a launch control center, payload integration facilities, as well as a vehicle integration department that will support the aerospace manufacturing company's capabilities for ramping up it's processing of Electron vehicles. The company is also already authorized by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct space missions from US Soil. Rocket Lab's Electron missions in LC-2 are now allowed under the five-year Launch Operator License granted to the company. With the FAA Launch Operator License, Rocket Lab can conduct multiple launches from its Virginia site without having to file separate permit requests for each of its missions, streamlining its processes and reducing its mission lead times. Among the space missions lined up for the Electron launch vehicles is a NASA lunar orbit mission in support of the Artemis mission. RELATED: Rocket Lab Receives a Five-Year Launch Operator License from FAA Check out more news and information on Rocket Lab in Science Times. Just when you thought 2020 couldn't get any crazier, Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg suddenly departs this world for, hopefully, a better one. You have to respect that anyone strong, smart, and principled enough to serve on the Supreme Court. Supreme Court justices carry a heavy burden and do so for decades longer than presidents. The Notorious RBG, as she was called, was a saint to all Democrats and a heroine to women around the world. Her colleagues called her brilliant. Can't beat that. Still, many Americans, especially Catholics, had a problem with Justice Ginsburg's staunch support for abortion. Abortion became "legal" via a Supreme Court ruling, not by virtue of the Legislature. As such, abortion advocates have always had nightmares about the Court flipping so far right that it directs Congress to pass the appropriate laws regarding abortion, thereby giving the people a voice the way it should have been done in the first place. Let's cut to the chase. With the passing of Justice Ginsburg, the Dems' worst nightmare has now occurred. Their dream of unfettered abortion is in peril. Pending the wildest, nastiest Senate confirmation fight in recent history which, after Kavanaugh, is saying a lot the Notorious RBG's going to be replaced by the Heavenly ACB. Judge Amy Coney Barrett is a devout Catholic who believes that life begins at conception. She's the mother of seven children, one of them special needs, two of them adopted. Can't get more pro-life than that. And for being pro-life, Judge Barrett's going to get accused, defamed, roasted, and slandered. There will be no line of attack too low for Democrats and their minions in the press. Count on multiple pretend scandals, racy tidbits from shady former friends, unsubstantiated wrongdoing according to multiple anonymous sources. You saw what the Democrats and the press did to Justice Kavanaugh. They're planning worse for Judge Barrett. Because she believes that unborn babies should be protected. Because she believes that adoption is a worthy choice. Because she believes in the teachings of Christ. Because she believes in the Constitution as written. Because, as a conservative, she believes in our country. For all this, Amy Coney Barrett will be grievously abused by her political opponents and the grubby mainstream media. It's going to get seriously ugly. God bless Judge Barrett. May she stay strong in her likely bid for the Supreme Court. And, if you could, Lord, please help the Senate Republicans grow a little spine. Sheesh! Image: Hillsdale College via YouTube. One of the architects of lockdown has warned new coronavirus restrictions will be needed "sooner rather than later" to prevent the disease surging again. Professor Neil Ferguson, from Imperial College London, said the UK was facing a "perfect storm" after controls eased over the summer. "Right now we are at about the levels of infection we were seeing in this country in late February," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. "If we leave it another two to four weeks we will be back at levels we were seeing more like mid-March. That's clearly going to cause deaths because people will be hospitalised. "I think some additional measures are likely to be needed sooner rather than later." The warning came as Boris Johnson holds meetings with government officials amid fears the death rate could rise to the hundreds a day within weeks. Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner also echoed calls by her leader Sir Keir Starmer for the prime minister to call a meeting of the Government's civil contingencies committee, known as Cobra. "We are deeply concerned with the sharp rise in infection rates. What we have seen over the last six months is the Government still can't get the basics right, she told Today. "The Prime Minister has to convene a Cobra meeting this weekend. He has to look at the science and the evidence and he has to make sure the measures are in place and a clear communications strategy on that so people can do the right thing. "It has been absolutely shocking to see how monumentally they have failed at the testing, tracing, tracking system that they put in place." Wales' first minister Mark Drakeford also called for a Cobra meeting, telling Times Radio it was wrong that he had heard first about lockdown measures near the Welsh border, "on the radio". Prof Ferguson called on ministers to develop a set of sustainable coronavirus restrictions to avoid repeated lockdowns. The measures should be designed to last until a vaccine is in place, he argued. 20.09.2020 LISTEN Some 26 covid-19 cases have been recorded at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA). This was recorded among international air passengers arriving in Ghana through KIA. He said some 10,061 passengers have been tested so far. President Akufo-Addo said this in his 17th update on measures being taken against the spread of coronavirus in Ghana. ---Daily Guide A headhunter will be looking for candidates for the following positions: storyboard artist (experience needed); 2d character animator; set designer, prop maker, and puppet maker (including people involved in: hair and fur making, animation constructions, costumes, and puppet painting). Find a partner or financing for your project Show Me Your Project is another strand of the industry forum, addressed to authors and producers of feature films or series. From all submitted projects, 15 films will be selected and shown to a group of broadcasters, distributors, producers, or sales agents during the forum, which will allow the creators to find potential partners. The submitted projects may be at any stage of realization, with the proviso that 80% of the film must be made in stop-motion animation. One-hour individual consultations Ask the Expert is a unique opportunity to consult with select film industry experts about your stop-motion project during an hour-long meeting. Nine experts have confirmed their participation in this years edition of Animarkt. In the field of production, consultations will be conducted by Edwina Liard from Ikki Films and Martin Vandas from Maur Film. The following experts will talk about distribution and sales: Ben Vandendaele from Radiator IP Sales, Candice Costa from Miyu Distribution, and Natalia Dabrowska from New Europe Film Sales. Piotr Knabe will lead the consultations on puppet designs and Tim Allen, a member of Animarkts program council, will lead the animation section. There will also be festival consultations for short animated films conducted by Vassilis Kroustallis from Scheriaa Productions/Zippy Frames and Ivan Zolotukhin from Festagent. We want Animarkt to be a meeting place not only for business but also for professional development, says Katarzyna Gromadzka, the forums co-organizer. We often meet many artists, producers, and other representatives of the stop-motion animation industry at festivals, but we often lack time for longer conversations that will allow us to get to know each other and thus give an opportunity to establish cooperation. This is one of the reasons why were organizing, for the second time, the section Ask the Expert, where, through the exchange of experience and comments on the presented project, everyone has a chance to meet specialists on the stop-motion animation market. Applications to all three sections are open till September 20, 2020. The results will be announced on September 25. Animarkt Stop Motion Forum is co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland from the Cultural Promotion Fund, International Visegrad Fund and co-financed by the Polish Film Institute. More about the event at www.animarkt.pl/en. The secretary of South Carolina's Department of Veterans' Affairs faces a backlash for proposing to move some county-level offices set up to help former service members into regional ones. Retired Army Maj. Gen. William Grimsley the first to serve as the head of the new position in Gov. Henry McMaster's Cabinet has suggested that all 46 county-level veteran offices become a part of the new statewide department. Additionally, a district or regional model would be created around areas that have better facilities so they could share resources with other counties. The offices are state-mandated to assist South Carolina's 400,000 veterans and are separate from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs. By state law, each of the state's 46 counties must have a dedicated office and staff to help veterans. These offices provide assistance in applying for benefits at the federal and state level. The director of each office is appointed by a county's Statehouse delegation. Each branch is funded at the local level. They do not provide direct medical care. But because of the imbalance in the state's population, some veterans in areas with smaller governments aren't getting the same level of service as larger counties, such as populous heavy Charleston, Berkeley and Greenville. While Grimley's suggestion could make getting help more efficient for retirees from small towns and rural areas, some critics worry it will reduce access for some and give local governments less control. So how is this supposed to go?" asked Horry County VA Director Ronald Elvis at a recent discussion about the proposal in front of the local legislative delegation. "Somebody from Little River having to drive to Florence for services? Thats a pretty substantial increase in driving, Elvis said. This program in and of itself is bad for your veterans, your voters. The effectiveness of my office will be severely, severely affected. South Carolina is home to the ninth largest military retiree population in the nation, with more than 400,000 veterans calling themselves residents. State Sen. Luke Rankin, who represents much of the Myrtle Beach area, said he'd like to know more about the cost of implementing this proposal, what the alleged benefits are and why state leaders are considering changes to the county veteran system. It would be a hard sell for Rankin to support any plan that Elvis doesnt think is best for his constituents. Bottom line is Im leery of it, Rankin said. Grimsley has sought input from as many people as possible on the plan. He tried to reach all of the 46 county officers, but said some have been unresponsive. "We do have communication challenges that we are working through," he said. "I've been here since March, so nobody has been used to having a department over the counties before. We just got some growing pains." Grimsley's idea is in the early planning stages. He said it would require significant funding from the Statehouse, and that he isn't ready to broach the topic until some of the more pressing issues facing legislators are cleared. Other large county office directors seemed less alarmed than Elvis in Horry County. Janice Helton, the officer in Berkeley County, said Grimsley assured her that county programs would not be cut under his proposal. She did say it may mean that veterans she has been working with for several years may need to go to other offices to get the assistance they need. "It will definitely change some things," Helton said. "But it's all about serving veterans, and the general cares about that. I don't see a real problem with this." In Beaufort County, where there is a large population of Marine Corps retirees, county office director Carl Wedler said it was too early to speculate. He didn't mind the prospect of sharing resources with offices that need more help. "It would put some strain on us," Wedler said. "But it's the first pass and it seems like a reasonable approach." Grimsley hopes to finalize some ideas after more conversations with lawmakers, veterans and advocates. He knows there has been some backlash, but said the change needs to be done in the name of efficiency. "We need to keep a robust presence for our veterans in all the counties," he said. "We got miles to go before we get there." A 3-year-old boy died from drowning at a pool party Saturday night in northeast Houston. The Houston Fire Department and police were dispatched around 2:30 a.m. The boy was taken to Texas Childrens Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 15:15:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Under Secretary of State Keith Krach's visit to Taiwan severely violates the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, damaging China-U.S. ties as well as peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, experts say. The U.S. government attempts to contain and suppress China in many areas, making use of the high sensitivity of the Taiwan question. The recent official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan are totally irresponsible acts, said Xulio Rios, director of the Observatory of Chinese Politics in Spain. Thurmer Gyula, president of the Hungarian Workers' Party, said that as Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, Krach's visit to Taiwan severely violates the one-China principle. It harms not only the development of China-U.S. ties but also peace and stability in the region and the world, Gyula noted, adding that the United States should immediately stop this provocative act. "The recent so-called official exchange between the United States and Taiwan is nothing but another attempt of the United States to interfere in China's internal matter by openly challenging the one-China policy," said Rizwan Naseer, an assistant professor of the Comsats University Islamabad. Dr. Nasser Abdel Aal, a China expert and professor of Chinese language at Egypt's Ain Shams University, said behind the official exchanges between the United States and the Democratic Progressive Party authority in Taiwan are the self-interest considerations of some American politicians. The move will further harm China-U.S. relationship. Krach's visit to Taiwan is "sending wrong signals" to the Democratic Progressive Party authority in Taiwan, which jeopardizes the relations cross the strait and brings danger to the regional peace, said Herman Laurel, founder of think tank Philippine-BRICS Strategic Studies. "There is a violation of the priniple of the one-China policy and the obligations of the United States," which can lead to "a deterioration of the relations between China and the United States, as well as peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," said Anri Sharapov, an associate professor of the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies in Uzbekistan. Enditem DOHC Ill start by pointing out the obvious and say that Barn Built Bikes arent exactly rookies when it comes to incredible two-wheeled creations. A gifted moto-loving petrolhead, by the name of Sven Decoux founded BBB back in 2014, and things just went from there. They are based in the beautiful town of Tremelo, Belgium and specialize in customizing motorcycles of all shapes and sizes.Their portfolio hosts a plethora of spectacular projects, including a scrambler-style BMW R100RT and one rad Yamaha FJ600, to name a couple. In the past, weve examined the Belgian workshops awe-inspiring Ducati Monster S4-based venture a stunning piece of machinery with cafe racer vibes.Needless to say, these folks mean business! BBBs countless exploits earned them the respect of many a rider, and no wonder. Should you be looking to delight your eyesight with some of these majestic builds, they can be admired on the firms social media profiles after we take a minute to drool over their praise-worthy Kawasaki ZR7, that is.Lets set things straight; the 2001 model in Kawasakis ZR7 range is no toy. It is powered by a feral four-strokeinline-four colossus, with a total of eight valves and four 32 mm (1.26 inches) carburetors. The twin-cooled leviathan has a compression ratio of 9.5:1 and a monstrous displacement of 738cc.At 9,500 rpm, this nasty animal is perfectly capable of generating up to 76 hp, joined by a solid torque output of 46 pound-feet (63 Nm) at around 7,500 revs. A five-speed gearbox channels the engines power to the rear wheel by means of a chain final drive. This whole ordeal leads to a top speed of 131 mph (211 kph), while ZR7s quarter mile time is rated at a mere 12.2 seconds.Suspension duties are taken care of by fully-adjustable 41 mm (1.61 inches) Kayaba forks at the front, coupled with a high-performance Uni-Trak setup on the opposite end. A pair of 300 mm (11.81 inches) brake discs and two-piston calipers are tasked with handling stopping power up front, accompanied by a single 240 mm (9.45 inches) rotor and a two-piston caliper at the rear. Lastly, the entire structure has a dry weight of 452 lbs (210 kg).As to Barn Builts one-off goodness, its story begins with a swingarm transplant. The moto magicians disposed of the stock item to make room for a Honda CBR1100XX Blackbirds unit. You will also notice the latters three-spoke rear wheel and a healthy dose of suspension tuning. Speaking of wheels, those are hugged by top-grade Michelin Pilot Power tires.The following step consisted of tweaking the bikes subframe to accommodate a new tail section, which incorporates the taillight kit. Additionally, a gorgeous suede leather saddle was upholstered by the pros over at JVS, while Decouxs team crafted a unique front fender and installed a set of Tomaselli clip-on handlebars.Next, BBBs aftermarket surgeons went about browsing Motogadgets inventory for an array of fresh electrical components, such as an M-unit control module, M-blaze bar-end turn signals and a Motoscope digital gauge. Now, thats what I call an electrifying makeover!Finally, the exhaust system was chopped up and treated to a carbon fiber muffler. To top it all off, they enveloped ZR7s body panels in a splendid white and Porsche meteor grey metallic finish. On the other hand, its frame and powertrain received a sinister black paintwork.And that, ladies and gents, concludes this entitys meticulous building process. Id firmly encourage that you head over to their Instagram or Facebook pages for a glimpse of delicious mechanical art. Gurbir Singh By The Scientific American magazine, in its distinguished 175-year career, has never done this before. It has endorsed US Democratic candidate Joe Biden over President Donald Trump. The magazine has so far not taken political positions; but for the November poll it has broken a long tradition and come out against Trump for being dismissive of science. The evidence and the science show that Donald Trump has badly damaged the U.S. and its people -- because he rejects evidence and science..The most devastating example is his dishonest and inept response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which cost more than 190,000 Americans their lives by the middle of September, said the editors of the publication. Will such endorsements add up to make Trump lose? The latest Reuters-Ipsos opinion poll of would-be voters says Joe Biden is ahead by 9 points, but it appears a 41% vote is holding solid behind the President. A lot depends on how the 9% undecided and fence-sitting voters go. There couldnt be a worse handling of the Covid-19 crisis. Unemployment soared to nearly 15% in April, with 20.5 million people losing their jobs. Yet the President pretended nothing was amiss. Officials like the Director of the National Institute for Infectious Diseases (NAIID), Anthony Fauci, who disagreed with the President, have been publicly humiliated. Illustration: Tapas Ranjan Yet there is a whole constituency out there who believe it is more important to keep the US of A safe from restive hordes of blacks, Latinos and the rest of the world out to steal their wealth through riots and unfair trade. White supremists, Christian Evangelists, those for no gun control, those against migrants, and those who hold on to their Suburban Lifestyle Dream are a very large swathe of America; and Trump is still their man. A global phenomenon Its not just a US phenomenon. If we see the number of dictators and human rights abusers who have got elected on popular vote, the learning is Roti, Kapda aur Makaan does not always click. In an unstable world, people shrug aside these basics to plum for what they think is nationalism and security. Jair Bolsonaro, a fringe right-wing candidate in Brazils presidential elections in October 2018, pushed two decades of left-wing, Workers Party rule into history books and won resoundingly. That Bolsonaro supported Brazils brutal 1964-85 period military dictatorship did not matter; he was offering to rein in crime and murders. The country in 2018 alone had seen over 60,000 street murders and the drug lords ruled the roost. Bolsonaros promise to send criminals to jail is all that mattered. Today, the Brazilian President stands a quixotic overseer to the largest death rate per thousand of Covid-19 victims, and has allowed Amazons rich forests to be systematically burnt and cleared by gangs of illegal entrants. The environmental disaster is so chronic that the European Union is considering blocking trade with Brazil till the decimation of the worlds largest green lungs is stopped. Ballot autocrats Philippines Rodrigo Duterte is in the same mould. His repressive presidency has invited sanctions and warnings from the world over but that is little deterrence. Since he took office after a popular vote in June 2016, he has run a justice system based on death squads. Till last December, some 5,000 such extra-judicial killings had been recorded. He says he wants to end drug-trafficking; but few of the top operators, known to be close to his ministers, have been ever caught. All this matters little. Last May, half of the seats of the Philippines Senate came up for midterm elections and it was a complete sweep for the Presidents supporters. The list of autocrats who continue to rule using the nationalist card has is quite impressive. Recep Tayyab Erdogan of Turkey has virtually been in control first as Prime Minister and later President since 2003. Riding popularity for his ruthless suppression of Kurdish separatists, he has grabbed constitutional power, and imprisoned thousands of journalists and bureaucrats. And, despite demolishing his currency, and tipping the economy into recession, he still keeps the popular mandate. Perhaps this background will now give some context to the discussion at home why the blow delivered by demonetization in November 2016, followed by the GST mess, the soaring unemployment, and now the virtual freeze of the coronavirus lockdown have all failed to dent the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Keeping the country safe sometimes precedes Roti, Kapda aur Makaan. But democracy and the ballot box have strange ways. Just when everyone thought Recep Erdogan in Turkey was invincible, a little known Opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu handed Erdogan his first big defeat in March last year when he won the Mayoral elections in Istanbul by a narrow margin. Erdogan, true to his style, had the elections annulled and there was a second run-off in June. Imamoglu won this round again albeit by a bigger, 770,000 margin! Principal Economic Advisor Sanjeev Sanyal has adapted his book The Ocean of Churn for young readers, in which he describes the history and geography of the majestic Indian Ocean and its significance and relevance through the ages. The Incredible History of The Indian Ocean also traces the significance of the Indian Ocean on Africa, the Middle East, Europe, South East Asia and Oceania. The Indian Ocean is an incredible big blue body of water that has connected people from the east coast of Africa to Australia for thousands of years. It is not possible to understand Indias history and its relationship with the world without reference to the sea. Indeed, India is the only country that has an ocean named after it. My goal here is to tell Indias story from the maritime perspective as it is the only way one can understand our cities, our culture, and, more broadly, who we are as a people, says Sanyal. The long history of the Indian Ocean is one where the unfolding of events is the result of complex interactions between myriad factors - the monsoon winds, geography, human migrations, technology, religion, culture, the deeds of individuals and, perhaps, occasionally the whims of the gods, he writes. It followed no predetermined path or grand plan, but is the story of long cycles, dead ends and unintended consequences, of human triumphs and extraordinary bravery but also of treachery and inexplicable human cruelty. There are many shades of grey along the way, the book, published by Puffin, says. There are many tidbits, interesting facts, extraordinary stories and maps in the book with illustrations by Nikhil Gulati. Sanyal says he has written the book at a time when the Indian Ocean rim is enjoying a period of peace and prosperity after many centuries of colonisation, war and famine. However, the failed state of Somalia and renewed hostilities in Yemen remind us how fragile this peace can be, he says. The author seeks to answer various questions like when the Indian Ocean came into being, who were the first group of people to look out upon the Indian Ocean, how different groups came to live in the lands bordering the Indian Ocean at various times, and when the first humans arrived in India and how they got here. The book also talks about the fearless travellers and sailors, pirates and conquerors who set out to cross the ocean in search of gold and glory, and discover how geography can shape the course of history. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter The armour worn by bushranger Ned Kelly and his gang 140 years ago might have been inspired by a Japanese samurai suit tucked away in a regional Australian museum. The Kelly Gang famously wore suits of armour fashioned from ploughs when they went into their final battle with police at Glenrowan in north-east Victoria. Ned's steel protective outfit attracted international attention after the gang's violent demise in a hail of bullets and fire and has become an iconic Australian image. But exactly what inspired Kelly and his gang to wear armour and how it was made has been speculated on for more than a century. Six years before the Glenrowan gunfight thousands of spectators had gathered at nearby Beechworth for a carnival which featured a colourful parade of costumes. And among those to take part in that great November 1874 carnival was a Chinese gold miner wearing a samurai suit. The armour worn by bushranger Ned Kelly and his gang 140 years ago might have been inspired by a Japanese samurai suit (pictured) now on display at a regional Australian museum The Kelly Gang famously wore suits of armour fashioned from ploughs when they went into their final battle with police at Glenrowan in north-east Victoria. Ned Kelly's armour is pictured The Kelly Gang's armour protected the bushrangers' heads and torsos but not their lower arms and legs. Two suits of armour are pictured after the seige at Glenrowan in June 1880 The large local Chinese community had sent hundreds of pounds to their homeland to purchase banners, costumes and ceremonial weapons for the carnival the previous year. That memorabilia, including the Japanese armour, arrived on the ship Onward at Port Phillip Bay from Hong Kong and travelled overland to Beechworth. The samurai suit, from the Edo period (1603 to 1868), featured cylindrical breast plates, shoulder pieces and aprons, as did the armour Kelly wore at Glenrowan. His best mate and future Kelly Gang member Joe Byrne was from Beechworth and would have been almost 18 when he likely attended the carnival. Kelly himself could also have seen the Japanese armour as he lived in the same district, was not in jail at the time, and was a month shy of turning 20. Byrne, a regular opium smoker, had many friends among the Chinese miners, was interested in their history and customs and could speak conversational Cantonese. After Joe Byrne, Dan Kelly and Steve Hart were killed and Ned Kelly captured at the Glenrowan seige their armour was mixed up for years. It was re-assembled early this century. Left to right is the armour word by Ned Kelly, Dan Kelly and Steve Hart Police had found five bullet marks on Ned Kelly's helmet, three on the breast plate, nine on the back plate and one on the shoulder. His armour is pictured left. The samurai suit (right) has been held at Beechworth's Burke Museum since 1943 However, he was apparently not keen on Kelly's later idea to don armour for the gang's last stand at Glenrowan in June 1880. The heavy armour - Ned's weighed 44 kilograms - protected the bushrangers' heads and torsos but not their lower arms and legs. Only Ned's suit had upper arm plates. Byrne, Ned's brother Dan and fourth gang member Steve Hart all wore armour under their oilskin coats at Glenrowan and were killed during the gun battle with police. 'I always said this bloody armour would bring us to grief,' Byrne reportedly told Kelly during the siege. Ned survived but was hanged on November 11, 1880. Police found five bullet marks on his helmet, three on the breast plate, nine on the back plate and one on the shoulder. The samurai suit is now held at Beechworth's Burke Museum where guide Graeme McIntosh tells visitors it would have been widely noted at the 1874 carnival and remembered for years. 'We also know that Joe Byrne was friendly with many of the local Chinese because of his opium addiction and probably had ready access to the armour for close scrutiny,' he said. Ned Kelly is pictured left shortly before he was hanged at Melbourne Gaol on November 11, 1880. Joe Byrne (pictured) was Ned Kelly's best mate and a well-read opium smoker Thousands of Chinese miners came to Beechworth during the gold rush The 1850s Victorian gold rush saw thousands of Chinese miners converge on Beechworth, 280km north-east of Melbourne. Mining camps sprang up as gold was discovered at Spring Creek, Reedy Creek, Silver Creek, the Nine Mile Creek and Woolshed Valley. At the height of the Ovens Goldfields rush, the Chinese population in Beechworth was about 7,000 out of a total of 30,000 to 40,000 people. Colonial prejudice meant the Chinese were not allowed to live in Beechworth. Instead, the town had a permanent Chinese camp, temple, shops and a section of Beechworth Cemetery where some 2,000 Chinese were buried. Towers built at the cemetery in 1857 were used by relatives and friends for burning paper money in memory of the dead. A memorial in recognition of the Chinese contribution to society in Australia was erected in the Chinese section of the cemetery n 2010. Source: Explore Beechworth Advertisement 'It has been said that the construction contained wood and bamboo but this is incorrect as the construction consisted of leather and metal.' Ian Jones, the late Kelly expert and author of the definitive biography Ned Kelly: A Short Life, believed Byrne had seen the Japanese suit, which he wrongly described as Chinese. 'Even though Joe didn't like the idea he may have helped design the suits - basing the body armour... on a set of ancient Chinese armour imported for the Beechworth carnival of 1874... ' he wrote. Tom Thompson is a historian who has described and verified Kelly memorabilia for leading auction houses and published three historical books on Ned. 'Joe Byrne was well read and literate,' Mr Thompson said. 'He had several Chinese friends from his early teens, so it is highly likely that Byrne was party to the 1874 Beechworth event. The Kelly Gang seized the town of Glenrowan in the Warby Ranges on June 28, 1880 with failed plans to derail a police train coming from Melbourne. Kelly (in sketch above) confronted police in a suit of armour but was shot in the legs 'Considering what the basic armour looks like, it is pretty clear that the Kelly armour had the pattern of the Japanese, with the addition of the full helmet. 'If this piece went to auction, with the Byrne link, it would sell for $30,000 to $40,000.' Dan Kelly's armour consisted of a breast plate, back plate, apron and helmet Jones suggested Kelly may also have been inspired by something he read in his favourite book, Lorna Doone, a historical romance novel by R.D. Blackmore published in 1869. That book includes a memorable passage in which a notorious band of outlaws rides with their plunder back to a valley stronghold. 'Heavy men and large of stature, reckless how they bore their guns or how they sate their horses, with leather jerkins and long boots, and iron plates on breast and head,' it says. Mr McIntosh suggested yet another theory. 'Like all Kelly stories there is always a contrary anecdote to muddy the waters,' he said. Descendants of German/Austrian miners from Beechworth claim the Kelly armour design was taken from a European Cuirassiers outfit of helmet and breast plate worn in the same 1874 procession. 'But this outfit was worn by mounted cavalry and did not use the plate worn as protection for the groin area that the samurai warrior did and is represented in the Kelly armour,' Mr McIntosh said. 'So it would appear that the samurai armour has the greater claim to being used as the design model.' Paul O'Keefe's great-great grandmother Ettie Williams was Steve Hart's younger sister and according to family lore, Ned Kelly's fiancee or wife. 'I'm not convinced that the Kelly Gang armour was inspired by Japanese samurai armour seen at a parade some years earlier in Beechworth,' he said. 'To the point, this theory is totally contradicted some six years later when Joe Byrne was overheard at the siege at Glenrowan yelling at Ned Kelly, "I told you this bloody armour would bring us to grief". 'This conversation was overheard after the initial volley of shots were exchanged between the Kelly Gang and the police. 'So in my opinion, the armour was Ned's idea. Who or what really did inspire the building of these iconic armours we will never know. 'But I do know it was an ingenious use of what they had at hand to protect themselves against the latest state of the art weaponry the police had at that time.' Amateur historian and Kelly enthusiast Bill Denheld also cited the Byrne quote from Glenrowan as evidence the armour was not his idea. But he still thought the samurai suit was significant to the story. 'Joe lived in the area and very likely Ned, Dan and Steve Hart as well attended the Beechworth carnival,' Mr Denheld said. Tour guide Graeme McIntosh said it was a mystery how the samurai suit (pictured in case) found its way from Japan to China but it may have been souvenired after a skirmish in Korea A police officer adjusts the helmet of Dan Kelly's armour which is displayed alongside that of Steve Hart at the Victoria Police Museum. Ned Kelly's armour belongs to the State Library of Victoria and Joe Byrne's is in private hands 'Their seeing war armour from the ancient Orient would have made an impression on any young person especially those that were of lower classes, which the British autocracy wanted to retain.' Items featured in the 1874 parade and subsequent carnivals were donated to the Beechworth District Hospital and Ovens Benevolent Society committees in 1910. The hospital committees gave the suit of armour, banners and ceremonial weapons to the Burke Museum in 1943. Mr McIntosh said it was a mystery how the samurai suit found its way from Japan to China in the first place but it may have been souvenired following a skirmish in Korea. 'The samurai cause was lost with the banning of the armour by Japanese law in 1876,' he said. 'Little did they know that a folk hero would resurrect the tradition four years later in a little known town called Glenrowan on the other side of the world. 'Like the samurai warrior Kelly's cause was also lost, but dare I say it, Ned Kelly was the last samurai.' Hitting out at the central government for its "mismanagement" in handling the Covid-19 pandemic, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor urged the Centre to become more transparent in its functioning and recognise the "follies" of the current approach. While speaking in the Lok Sabha on a discussion under Rule 193 on pandemic during ongoing monsoon session, the Thiruvananthapuram MP also assured the young people of the country that the Parliament will stand with them and their future as well as will continue to argue for the best practices and policies to overcome this crisis. Taking on the government, Tharoor said the government has got an opportunity in the crisis to "hide its face"."I urge this government to become more transparent in its functioning, to gather and release data to experts where required, to consult with all stakeholders before acting and ultimately to take this nation into confidence -- because it is losing confidence in you," Tharoor said. Citing World Health Organisation (WHO) data collected on Saturday, Tharoor said India recorded a fresh set of 93,337 cases (compared to 42,628 in the US) and tragically, additional deaths of 2,247 (compared to 827 in the US), effectively making India the country with the highest number of daily cases and deaths globally. "It is a painful reflection of the grim times we live in and equally, a reminder of how important it is for us to take time and discuss this vital issue in this House," he said while speaking during discussion. Explaining what happened in the last six months across the country, the MP said there were compelling indications as early as January. "...By January 30, the World Health Organisation had declared the Covid-19 virus as a public health emergency, a declaration that incidentally came on that same day that India too had its first documented case in the form of a student who had returned to Kerala from Wuhan," Tharoor said. "When this government failed to produce any tangible reaction or response to these developments, on February 12, my colleague and member of this House Shri Rahul Gandhi tweeted and publicly warned the ruling dispensation. The coronavirus is an extremely serious threat to our people and our economy. My sense is the government is not taking this threat seriously. Timely action is critical," Tharoor quoted Gandhi. "When the government ignored this to host a crowded welcome to US President Donald Trump in Ahmedabad, the Congress followed up with exhortations on March 3 and on March 5, which I am sorry to say were ignored by a government that has routinely prioritised partisan politics over constructive dialogue, he said. "To those in government, let me say that there is still time left for you to recognise the follies of your current approach," Tharoor said. Veteran actress Dame Diana Rigg always commanded everyone's attention, whether on television or the big screen. Here are some of her memorable roles. Advertisement Dame Diana Rigg recently died at 82 years old. Before she passed away, the award-winning actress left behind a spectacular career spanning more than sixty years. Rigg, who also had a successful career in theater, appeared in several television series and films. Here are some of her unforgettable roles that are loved by many viewers. Dame Diana Rigg at the 2nd Canneseries - International Series Festival on April 06, 2019 | Photo: Getty Images Advertisement THE SENTIMENTAL AGENT (1963) In the hit television drama series, "The Sentimental Agent," Rigg famously portrayed the role of Francy Wilde for the episode called "A Very Desirable Plot," which Harry Booth directed. The actress starred alongside actor Carlos Thompson, who portrayed the role of Argentinian Carlos Varela, an import-export agent based in London. The actor passed away in 1990. Dame Diana Rigg at the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane, London in 2001. | Photo: Getty Images Advertisement THE AVENGERS (1965-1968) In 1965, Rigg was chosen to play secret agent Emma Peel in the British television series "The Avengers." She starred opposite actor Patrick Macnee, who played the role of John Steed. Rigg became even more famous because of her role in the series. Aside from her stellar acting career, she was also recognized as a global pop-culture icon and feminist role model at the time. Portraits of Patrick McNee and Diana Rigg in the television series "The Avengers," circa 1968.| Photo: Getty Images Advertisement EVIL UNDER THE SUN (1982) Rigg also earned global recognition for her performance as Arlena Marshall in the British locked-room mystery film "Evil Under the Sun," which was based on the novel of the same name by Agatha Christie. The movie, directed by Guy Hamilton, was about a murder at a restrictive island resort for rich people. Rigg starred opposite actor Peter Ustinov, who played the role, Hercule Poirot. Advertisement REBECCA (1997) This British-German television miniseries earned Rigg an Emmy Award for her performance as the ominous Mrs. Danvers. Many fans admired her excellent portrayal of the role. "Rebecca" is based on the novel of the same name by Daphne du Maurier. The role, Mrs. Danvers, was made popular by actress Judith Anderson in Alfred Hitchcock's 1940 film. Dame Diana Rigg at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center on March 18, 2014 in New York City. | Photo: Getty Images Advertisement GAME OF THRONES (2013-2017) More recently, Rigg starred in the hit fantasy drama television series, "Game of Thrones," created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It earned the Bafta TV award winner a whole new generation of fans. She played the regal schemer Olenna Tyrell, who was known for her sharp tongue and political machinations. Rigg also received four Emmy nominations for her role in the series. Advertisement OTHER RECENT ROLES Rigg played Duchess of Buccleuch in ITV's "Victoria." She also played Mrs. Pumphrey in Channel 5's new adaptation of "All Creatures Great and Small." Rigg passed away on September 10. According to her daughter, actress Rachael Stirling, the legendary actress succumbed to cancer after being diagnosed in March. Stirling said that her mother spent her final months cheerfully "reflecting on her extraordinary life, full of love, laughter, and deep pride in her profession." Numerous fans and celebrities mourned her passing. Thirty-three years have passed, but the survivors of an Iraqi poison gas attack on the Iranian town of Sardasht still suffer -- and fight for international recognition of the horrific massacre. Thirty-three years have passed, but the survivors of an Iraqi poison gas attack on the Iranian town of Sardasht still suffer -- and fight for international recognition of the horrific massacre. "If someone lost a leg or an arm in the war, you can put a prosthesis on him," said Saleh Azizpour, who heads an association for victims of the attack. "But when our lungs are burned, who will breathe for us?" he asked. Tehran on Monday commemorates 40 years since Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein attacked Iran, launching a war that raged for eight years. Iraq's June 28, 1987, gas attack on Sardasht, a Kurdish town in northwestern Iran, is considered to be the first time chemical weapons deliberately targeted civilians in an urban area. "The dead and wounded range from a three-month-old to a 70-year-old man," Azizpour said. "All were civilians." Iraq dropped gas canisters in four districts of Iran's town of Sardasht in 1987, with the official toll of 119 dead and 1,518 wounded / AFP The official toll is 119 dead and 1,518 wounded. But, according to Azizpour, who was 25 in 1987, many more were affected. Some 8,000 people were exposed to what experts say was mustard gas and many who survived are struggling with long-term health complications. "Even today, there is sometimes so much pressure on my lungs... that I really cannot sleep," said Mahmoud Assadpour, a 50-year-old teacher. The impact of the novel coronavirus, which has hit Iran hard, is a threat to survivors, said Rojane Qaderi, a doctor who heads Sardasht's public health network. "As their immune system is weak... their chances of survival are low," Qaderi said. Survivors of the attack are asked to stay in their homes for protection against the virus. - 'As if in a cage' - Leila Marouf Zadeh (left) helped survivors after the attack before being temporarily blinded, while her husband Mohammad Zamani (right) remembers the stench of of "rotten garlic" from the gas -- both have health complications needing medication / AFP "We are at home, we do not go out, it is as if we are in a cage," said Mohammad Zamani, 59, who remembers hearing "muffled bangs" as the gas canisters dropped. His wife, Leila Marouf Zadeh, was a volunteer nurse. She recalls cries of the wounded at the field hospital begging for help, many people that she knew. The skin of some victims turned red from burns from the incapacitating gas. "Some had crimson breasts, others, their whole bodies," she said. But after a few hours helping the survivors, she too felt the stinging impact. The gas had blinded her temporarily. Rassoul Malahi, a retired farmer who uses an artificial respirator to breathe, tells a similar story. He was left "totally blind" for 18 days. "The consequences of mustard gas are permanent," said Qaderi. "It affects or destroys the lungs. You have to learn to live with it." People hid in shelters like they did during regular bombings, but the gas entered there killing many - this photograph shows the grave of seven-year-old Abbas Janghdoust who died in the attack / AFP The list of symptoms include sore and swollen eyes, red and itching skin, as well as a shortness of breath, difficulty in moving and exhaustion, she said. Now there is an extra problem. Since the United States reimposed crippling sanctions against Iran in 2018, it has been hard to find the drugs needed for survivors. - International silence - Saddam Hussein began using chemical weapons against Iran as early as 1982. But it took the UN Security Council until 1986 to deplore the "use of chemical weapons" in the conflict. Even then, it avoided singling Iraq out specifically for blame. Rassoul Malahi, a retired farmer, lost his sight for 18 days due to the gas; he still needs a respirator to breathe and has to stay indoors as he is especially vulnerable to Covid-19 / AFP The same phrasing was used after the attack on Sardasht. Survivors say the feeble response from the international community was tantamount to complicity in the attack. The UN Security Council's five veto-wielding permanent members -- Britain, China, France, the US and, in 1987, the Soviet Union -- all supported Iraq. Several Western companies and governments are accused of having contributed to Iraq's chemical weapons programme in the 1980s. Today, the town of Sardasht has more than 46,000 inhabitants -- compared to nearly 18,000 in 1987 -- mainly Sunni Muslims from the Kurdish minority. The town, with modest flat-roofed homes built on the slopes of a hill, is surrounded by farmland. At first sight, there seem few signs of what happened. Only a commercial building, its upper floor gutted by bomb damage, offers a clue. - 'Rotten garlic' - At the time, Iraqi warplanes frequently dropped bombs on the town, a short distance across the border into Iran. People remember the deafening explosions they made. But that June afternoon, when gas canisters were dropped on four different neighbourhoods, they fell without making the usual terrifying bang. "I saw white dust that smelled like rotten garlic," Zamani said. He knew what it was, because he had seen it while a soldier at the front in 1984. "I was the first to say it was a chemical bomb, because I had experienced it before at the front," he said. But others did not believe that poison gas could be used against civilians. So they did what they had been told to do to stay safe during conventional bombing raids, they took cover on the spot or in underground shelters. But the toxic gas swiftly penetrated them. Some realised what was happening and ran, like Ali Mohammadi, now 56, a street seller of cheese. When he returned a few hours later, he found a nightmarish scene. "In front of the Red Crescent building, the corpses were all piled up," he said, his voice choked up at the memory. - 'A symbol'- When Saddam Hussein was captured in 2003, Assadpour said he was "happy". Survivors want Sardasht to become a warning "symbol", just as Hiroshima has been since its destruction by a US atomic bomb, and a street in the town has been named after the Japanese city / AFP But he was "disappointed" to hear the deposed dictator was executed without being put on trial for his gas attack on Sardasht. In 2005, Marouf Zadeh provided moving testimony in a Dutch court during the trial of Frans van Anraat, a businessman found guilty of selling the chemicals that Iraq used in the deadly gas attacks. Van Anraat was jailed for 17 years on charges of complicity in war crimes in connection with the chemical attacks, both on Sardasht and on the Iraqi Kurdish town of Halabja, where nearly 5,000 died in an attack in March 1988. But while the trial offered some comfort to the victims, it did not dampen their desire for justice. So the survivors campaign for international recognition of what happened in Sardasht. They want the town to become a "symbol" -- like Hiroshima has been since its destruction by a US atomic bomb -- that provides a warning to ensure "it does not happen again". It's the Air Force's 73rd birthday. To celebrate, top officials and government agencies have posted photos commemorating ... the U.S. Navy. The State Department on Friday posted a tweet to honor the Air Force, but used a photo of the Blue Angels, the Navy's elite demonstration team. Read Next: Marines Rifle Qualification Overhaul May Mean Fewer Expert Badges "Today, the Department celebrates @USAirForce's 73rd birthday," the official account states. "We join the rest of our nation in honoring the service and dedication of the U.S. Air Force's Airmen and women, past and present. #USAF73." The department, which did not respond to Military.com's request for comment, eventually deleted the tweet -- but it wasn't alone in the error. "Happy 73rd Birthday to the @usairforce! We are grateful for all men and women of the U.S. Air Force who have boldly fought for and defended the security of our great nation," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tweeted, also with an accompanying a photo of the Blue Angels. He was quick to delete it minutes later. Separately, Rep. John Carter, a Republican from Texas, used a photo of an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter -- except below the Lightning II were once again F/A-18 Hornets from the Blue Angels demonstration team, which is currently transitioning from the legacy aircraft to F/A-18E/F Super Hornets. The Internet was swift in its response, with many pointing out the gaffe. Others mockingly posted well wishes to the Air Force, using images of sailors and aircraft carriers. Even the official Navy Chief of Information's office weighed in on the mistake, posting the State Department's message with its own in jest: "Happy birthday @usairforce, but we're not giving you the @BlueAngels. Aircraft carriers are also only @USNavy." The mistake follows others involving military aircraft committed this week by two election campaigns. Politico's Dave Brown pointed out that Amy McGrath, a Senate candidate from Kentucky, issued an ad in which she talks about her military experience over stock footage of an F-15 Eagle. McGrath is a former F-18 pilot. Story continues Meanwhile, President Donald Trump's re-election campaign pushed out a fundraising ad asking voters to "Support Our Troops" -- just not American ones. The ad featured a stock image of Russian soldiers being buzzed by a MiG-29 twin-engine jet. It quickly went viral. The description on the Shutterstock photo site says, "Military silhouettes of soldiers and airforce [sic] against the backdrop of sunset sky." Responding to the now-viral ad, Arthur Zakirov, the Russian photographer who created the image, told Politico that he thought the error was "pretty funny." "Today, you hear about the Kremlin's hand in U.S. politics. Tomorrow, you are this hand," Zakirov said. -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. Related: The Trump Campaign Asks You to Support Our (Russian) Troops By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 09/20/2020 ADVERTISEMENT [ Spoilers Warning: This report contains spoilers that reveal if Karine and Paul are still together and the latest on : Happily Ever After? couple.] ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Did Karine and Paul's relationship improve once they went to Brazil and did they return to America later on? ADVERTISEMENT So did Karine and Paul work things out and stay together -- or did the couple split? ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Karine accused Paul of some jaw-dropping behavior when filing her protective order ADVERTISEMENT Paul completely denied Karine's shocking accusations of assault and abuse ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. couple Paul Staehle and Karine Martins are traveling back to Brazil on Season 5 of : Happily Ever After?, so did Karine choose to stay in Brazil and did the couple break up or are they still together now?Paul, a 35-year-old from Louisville, KY, and Karine, a 23-year-old from Tonantins, Brazil, found fame when they starred on Seasons 1 and 2 of : Before the 90 Days. They subsequently appeared on Season 1 of : The Other Way.Paul and Karine met on a dating app and communicated for over a year, despite there being a language barrier, before Paul decided to fly to Brazil and meet Karine in-person for the first time.Although Paul and Karine had many cultural differences and struggled to hold a conversation, they fell in love and got married in 2017.Karine subsequently suffered through multiple heartbreaking miscarriages, but she and Paul announced they had their first child on the way in October 2018. By the end of that month, Paul and Karine revealed they were expecting a baby boy together.Paul hoped the pregnancy would bring him closer to Karine, but shortly before baby Pierre's birth on March 22, 2019, Karine threatened to file for divorce from Paul because she was tired of fighting with him and being accused of talking to other men.Karine didn't feel trusted, supported or loved, but Paul insisted he was doing everything he could to provide for his wife and be there for her.: The Other Way's first season featured Karine and her mother leaving Paul behind in Tonantins and traveling to Manaus via boat to file for divorce.However, Karine went into labor shortly afterwards and Paul rushed to be by her side. Since Paul really stepped it up in the delivery room, Karine decided to give Paul another chance.Paul and Karine had been married for two years by the time Season 5 of : Happily Ever After? filmed. The couple had been in Brazil for over a year but Paul said they were "barely getting by" financially.Paul and Karine therefore planned to move to the United States so Paul could get a job and make more money. He wanted to give his wife and son a better life."It took a lot, but I was able to sponsor Karine on a CR-1 visa, which is a spousal visa and allows Karine to apply and get a two-year Green Card before she even enters America," Paul told the cameras."She already has her Green Card approved; she is a complete permanent resident."Karine, however, wasn't looking forward to leaving Brazil and being so far away from her family. Her spirit was also deflated when she found out Paul's mother Mary wasn't going to help them out or give them money.Mary had said numerous times Paul needed to learn how to stand on his own two feet and be a man.Once the couple landed in the United States, Paul found a one-bedroom "studio" for his family to move into. The place appeared to be a renovated shed with a little front porch, but Paul cleaned it up nicely and Karine actually liked it."Paul is really trying to make me happy. This house is the first step for me to feel comfortable here in the U.S. And right now, it makes me happy," Karine noted.But Karine's happiness didn't last long because Paul couldn't find a job thanks to having an arson felony on his record."I wouldn't want to be with somebody who is kind of like a deadbeat," Mary admitted to her son.After one month of being in America, Karine was having trouble adjusting to her new life in America, but Paul begged her to be patient with him and give it some time."I'll give you two months to find a job. Otherwise, I'll pick up Pierre and we'll leave for Brazil," Karine told her husband.Paul said Karine's threat broke his heart and so he determined, "Failure is not an option for me -- whatsoever."As time passed, Paul said Karine was having "a lot of mood swings" and tended to lock herself into a room for like five or six hours at a time."I just want to find out what I can do to make things better," Paul explained. "I am emotionally exhausted. It's one thing after the next, and it's really difficult."Paul acknowledged this was "the worst" he had ever seen Karine and he worried she'd just hop on a plane back to Brazil without him.Karine then met with an immigration attorney by herself because she said she wasn't adapting to life in the United States and had been arguing with Paul a lot.Karine wanted to find out her options and rights in terms of traveling to Brazil alone with her son."I have to choose between my husband and my family," Karine said. "So I don't know what I'm going to do... But I need somebody to help me. I am desperate."The lawyer, Rania Attum, had a Portuguese translator, so Karine was glad she wouldn't need Paul to translate for her.Rania admitted Karine's situation was complicated but Karine had every right to take her baby and go to Brazil. Rania, however, couldn't promise there wouldn't be any consequences or resistance if Paul didn't agree with her decision to leave America.Karine learned Paul could try to stop her at the airport or put her through court proceedings. Rania therefore asked Karine to really think this one through in order to not make a big mistake."I will never stop Paul from seeing Pierre. But it's a delicate issue. I see that too many fights is not good for me. It's not good for Paul and it's definitely not good for Pierre. I just want the best for Pierre, and if that means going back to Brazil, that's what I'm going to do," Karine explained.Paul said he had applied for numerous jobs but hadn't heard anything back yet, and then Paul freaked out when Karine came clean with him about having met with an immigration lawyer.Paul was very upset given he had provided Karine with a car, food and cell phone. Paul angrily asked, "You're going to jump ship?!"Karine claimed she just needed time with her son and family and Brazil, which Paul called "messed up."Paul reminded Karine that he has "50 percent rights to the child" and would fight this. Karine, totally overwhelmed by Paul's outburst, replied, "F-ck you!"Karine attempted to end the conversation before it got worse, but Paul said, "I will prosecute. In Brazil and America, you can't keep the child from me."Karine cried, saying Paul didn't know when to stop and he had upset her.Paul apologized and admitted he had taken things "too far.""I know if I don't go back to Brazil, Karine is going to leave me. But I know our lives would be so much better here in America because there are a lot more opportunities here... I am stuck between a rock and a hard place," Paul explained in a confessional.Once Paul's two months to find a job were up, it seemed like nothing would convince Karine to stay in the United States.Paul felt disappointed in himself for not being able to support his family, so he suggested they could compromise and all go back to Brazil together.Paul said they had enough money to fly to Brazil as a family, and Karine gushed, "I am happy. I'm excited.""Giving up and going back to Brazil was not my plan. I wanted to live here [in America] and make a better life for everybody. I did everything I could and I couldn't make ends meet," Paul told the cameras."I couldn't make it work. I feel like I failed my family. We're going back temporarily, but I'm definitely concerned that once we're in Brazil, Karine is never going to want to come back."On the latest episode of : Happily Ever After?, Paul and Karine were shown traveling back to Brazil, but he hoped Karine wouldn't give up on America forever.Karine said she was very excited to see her family and grandfather, but Paul called leaving America "bittersweet." He didn't want to stay in Brazil permanently and feared Karine would feel otherwise.Karine said her relationship with Paul was under a lot of pressure in the United States and so a trip to Brazil would be good for their relationship. Karine said she would "think" about returning to America after spending some time in Brazil.Paul and Karine had an emotional goodbye with Paul's mother, who also worried her son and grandchild might never return.According to Paul, Karine threatened him with divorce both in early September 2019 and again only weeks later.Paul claimed Karine was angry with his mother for spoiling their son in Fall 2019 and then told Paul later that month she didn't want him in her life anymore."Karine asked me to remove our photos. And let everyone know that she doesn't want me in her life," Paul wrote in a since-deleted Facebook posting from September 27, according to screenshots captured by his followers.Paul then also wrote a subsequent posting in a mix of Portuguese and English. When translated, the text states, "Karine's divorce lawyer called me. Guess I need a lawyer."Shortly afterward, Paul deleted the second posting as well and then removed most photos of Karine from his page.The couple appeared to be at peace for another month or so, and they celebrated their second wedding anniversary in early November 2019.But later that month, the pair openly discussed filing for divorce, once again.Paul claimed Karine had "started divorce proceedings in Manaus," and Karine told Us Weekly on November 12 that she was "looking for a lawyer.""Over the course of our Christmas dinner Paul and Karine broke up, got back together, broke up, got back together, broke up and this just in -- are back together. Stay tuned for more on this developing story," Instagrammer John Yates posted on December 25.In December 2019, Paul alleged Karine had taken off with their baby and was with a new man named Blake. He also said Karine was demanding a divorce again at the time.But fast-forward to 2020, Paul posted an Instagram video on May 19 of a bike he had purchased and was putting together for Karine.That same month, Paul also took to Instagram to happily announce Karine's pregnancy with Baby No. 2. It appeared Karine was already several months along into her pregnancy at the time.In June 2020, Karine posted a photo of Paul playing with Pierre in late June and captioned it, "Happy Father's Day." She also added a blue heart to her post.Paul and Karine's relationship took a dramatic turn for the worse in July 2020, when Paul lashed out at Karine on Instagram for allegedly calling Paul a "horrible father and husband" and threatening to move their son Pierre back to Brazil.Paul took to Instagram on July 15 with the angry message to Karine and quickly deleted it afterward, but Yates captured a screenshot of the rant and posted it on his own account.Paul blasted Karine in saying, "Yelling at me in public calling me horrible father and husband. We spend every penny we have on bills and designer [clothes] and video games for you. I did not buy anything for myself.""I made sure you and Pierre had everything you all could possibly want and I bought nothing for myself. I try to show my family USA History and I get shunned. Because only your country and culture matter," Paul continued."I take you to the hospital and stay by your side, make sure [you're] at all your doctors appointments and let you spend all your money only on what you want -- but I am a Bad Father and Husband you yell in public... I also never ever cheated on you.""But I understand you want to take Pierre to Tonantins and live because I am such a horrible person," he concluded.The pair appeared to briefly reconcile for about two weeks, but then things changed and Paul and Karine went on to have what appeared to be the worst fight of their relationship On July 30, Paul posted a lengthy Instagram Live video in which he and Karine had both made assault allegations against each other and Karine had called the police on her husband.Paul said he wanted to file for full custody of their son Pierre after Karine allegedly cheated on Paul and violated a Child Protective Services case against her.During the Instagram Live video, an apparent friend of Karine's also told the police Karine wanted to be taken to a "shelter" where someone could "help her."The woman said Karine depended on Paul -- who seemed to be holding Karine's passport and other documents -- for everything, including money, and so Karine basically didn't have a way out.Later that night, at around 4AM, Paul posted another video on his Instagram Stories and seemed to claim the police were called again."I apologize to you guys for earlier. It's been crazy here. I did not get arrested. The cops did come back," Paul said."We had a storm and Karine got on her cell phone and called the police because the WIFI disconnected. She said I was halting her communications... which didn't make any sense to me because she had her phone the whole time and the WIFI just randomly went out.""Sometimes Internet goes out in our houses -- it happens right?! But you're going to call the cops? For that? The cops weren't too happy about it."Paul added it's "been stressful" for the couple and they "need prayers.""I don't want Pierre in dangerous situations," he said. "Pierre has been in a very dangerous situation before and that's why things happened."Paul subsequently made additional Instagram postings, reportedly, in which he claimed Karine had gone "missing" with Pierre while he was in the hospital being treated for a STD. He seemed to blame the alleged STD on Karine for allegedly cheating on him after she arrived in Kentucky."I've never cheated on Karine, ever, but apparently I've tested positive for an STD and they are giving me treatment for me," Paul said in one video.A couple of hours later, Paul then reportedly claimed Karine had filed a "full restraining order" against him and posted photos showing a copy of the order Karine had filed against him."I'm not allowed to be around her or my son, within 500 feet of them at all," he said.Paul subsequently made surprising claims about his estranged wife in his own protective order he had filed against Karine on July 30."I previously found glass in my food," Paul alleged in court documents obtained by Us. "I found similar glass shards from an item she broke."Paul also alleged that Karine's friends were calling him with death threats."[They are] threatening to come to my home and kill me. They requested I pay them $10,000 or I would never see my son again," Paul reportedly claimed, adding that Karine allowed Pierre to "run in the street [and] get into the chemical cabinets.""I fear for my wife's safety and mental well-being. I fear for my son's safety," Paul concluded.A judge therefore reportedly ordered Karine to stop all communication with Paul and stay 500 feet away from him at all times.Karine publicly confirmed in early August 2020 that she had left Paul and obtained an emergency protective order against him.Karine said she wasn't "missing" but needed to be "rescued from an environment" that was no longer healthy for her and her child, adding on Instagram, "Relationships are hard and sometimes it just can't be fixed anymore."Karine's protective order included an array of shocking claims -- including that Paul had physically assaulted her, sexually assaulted her, and prevented her doctor from prescribing contraception to her.In the emergency protection order application Paul had shared on social media, Karine claimed Paul "forcefully rapes me," "hold[s] my Green Card and all my documents," monitors her phone, uses cameras to monitor her on his phone when he is not home, has forced her to drink beer while pregnant, and has forbidden Karine's doctor from prescribing birth control to her."On multiples occasions in the past 3 weeks the respondent pushed me, grab my breast squ[ee]zing and twisting, hurting me, pushing me to the floor, covering my mouth. He force his penis into my mouth and forcefully rapes me. If I refuse he throws things, he yells, or he threat[ens] to call police," Karine wrote in the handwritten two-page application."He currently hold[s] my Green Card and all my documents. I am not allowed to leave the house, he monitor[s] my phone, he [has] cameras around the house and he can see through his phone who arrives and who leaves. He threat[ens] take out son Pierre away if I ever leave. He forced me to drink alcohol by threat[ing] me so I drunk some so he calm down."Karine continued, with the help of a language translator, "He is constantly on social media making videos of me against my will saying I am crazy, saying I have mental illness. Recently he called [Child Protective Services] and told [them] I was always drunk, aggressive, and abusive to him.""He post on social media [that] I have [cheated with] several [men] even knowing that he [has] cameras around the house and I can't leave. I have no access to money for my son or myself.""I went to the doctor to try [and] get contraceptive," she wrote. "In the doctor's office he said 'no' because I would be doing an abortion. The doctor explained the contraceptive was only for preventing [pregnancy] and I would not get pregnant [but] Paul said 'no' and took me home."According to her application, Paul also refused to let her return home to Brazil but she feared she still wouldn't even be safe in her native country."I came to U.S. to visit my in-laws and now he [does] not let me go back. We got married in Brazil, not in U.S.," she wrote. "When I ask to go back to me family he threat[ens] [to] take my son away.""I am terrified he will hurt me or hurt my son because I runned away from him and I am even afraid to go back to Brazil now because He Can go to Brazil and hurt us."Karine ended her application by stating she was also afraid of Paul's mother Mary and wanted no contact with any of his family or friends."I have my family in Brazil but I don't feel that law enforcement will protect me from him there," she wrote. "I am afraid of him and his mother because his mother knows and sees what he does and she refused [to] report her son. I have witnessed him threat[en] and being violent with his own mother.""I do not want any contact with or his mother, his friends or family. I do not want them close, I am afraid of them hurt[ing] my son for revenge.Paul took to his Instagram Stories on August 10, 2020 to shoot down the claims Karine had made in her protective order filing."It truley [sic] breaks my heart it has come to this. I have bent over backwards. I found work. Got a new home. A new car. Let her buy anything she wanted. I did the cooking, cleaning, laundry and took care of Pierre," Paul wrote in his Instagram Stories."I have never in my life physically or sexually assaulted anyone."Paul has claimed for quite some time that Karine has mental health issues, and so he addressed his beliefs in the message to his followers."I have made motions to the court for Karine to get mental help. I have had to double up on my therapy to cope with this madness," Paul wrote."Her motion against me with false allegations is for a 3 year restraining order against me and both my children. Alimony and child support. But I can not see her or my children at all."One day later, Paul vented about how social media has basically ruined his life."I will be deactivating all my social media accounts soon. My social media addiction has caused me nothing but pain. It is time people put their phones and social media down and focus on your loved ones," Paul wrote."Do not allow social media to destroy your relationships and family. I never knew my heart could feel such pain. I always took for granted my son would be around me every day... I never want to date or remarry [or] to ever feel this pain again. To not be a part of your childrens life born and unborn is beyond painful."Paul continued in his Instagram Stories posting, "I regret oversharing private matters on social media and to other people. I regret taking for granted my family would be together for ever and live happily ever after," Paul lamented.Paul advised other men to treat their wives and children well and to "listen, forgive" and "not hold grudges" in relationships."But most of all, keep your marital problems private," Paul concluded."This is a pain no one should have to endure. Not knowing if my children [are] ok. If and when I might see them again. I forgive all those in my life who have ever made false accusations against me."Also in August, Paul posted a photo of little Pierre on Instagram and captioned it, "No Matter Where You Are I Will Always Love & Cherish You."As of mid-September, the bio in Paul's Instagram account reads, "God please grant me a miracle," but the sentence is written in Portuguese.Following a three-week break from social media, Paul took to his Instagram Stories to reveal he was in Brazil and Karine was in Indiana."For everyone thinking I am chasing karine in Brazil. Karine is in Indiana, USA. I came here alone to clean and organize our brazil home. It needs to be sanitary and baby safe," Paul wrote."I have been keeping busy since she left. I finished cleaning and organizing USA house so now I am doing the same thing in Brazil. All my work is on the internet so as long as I have internet I can be anywhere. Even court is on the internet these days."Paul then switched topics from his current location to the fact he's been missing his family."My life revolved around them. I have not seen my son since July. Next court date is now in December. I will not see my sons for a very long time," Paul continued."So I am keeping busy and constructive. Karine is not in Brazil. I knew that when I traveled here. Now my mother is having a mental breakdown because she is also forbidden to see Pierre. I have lost my sons."Paul clearly confirmed Karine is pregnant with another boy because he wrote "sons" multiple times.Paul went on to suggest he's doing everything possible to keep his mind off being alone."I just want to stay busy and be productive. I have to accept the fact I will probably never see my wife and son again . Or see the birth or ever see my unborn child," Paul wrote."That being said, I think I am mentally doing what is best -- staying constructive and busy."Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage! Back in 2016 and early 2017, Fox News was the self-satisfied home to a great deal of principled thinking about the importance of the American people's will. Here, for example, was Laura Ingraham, voicing her approval of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's machinations to bypass Obama nominee Merrick Garland and get conservative justice Neil Gorsuch onto the Supreme Court bench after Trump's election: "The last 70 years a Supreme Court justice has not been confirmed in the final year of a president's term," preached the future Fox host, then a frequent guest on "Hannity." She fretted that it "doesn't matter" to left-leaning partisans. This was lofty-sounding but wrong: To pick just one of many examples to the contrary, the Democratic-controlled Senate unanimously confirmed President Reagan's nomination of Anthony Kennedy in early 1988, an election year. Fox hosts Sean Hannity and Dana Perino, too, signaled their approval of stonewalling Obama's nomination pick. "You know, it's what goes around, comes around," Hannity opined, mentioning McConnell's use of the supposed "Biden rule" to justify the move."Why should the Republicans act any different?" There was no such rule, though: Then-Sen. Joe Biden had been discussing, in a 1992 speech "a hypothetical situation involving a voluntary resignation, not a death, that never came to pass," as Matt Gertz of Media Matters pointed out. Such high-mindedness was in short supply during Fox's popular opinion segments on Friday evening. While Fox's news team gave ample attention to the life and career of the just-deceased Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and TV news across the spectrum discussed the likely next maneuvers in filling her vacancy, nothing was as raw as the comments by conservative activist Ned Ryun. "This is an opportunity, and I say they seize the moment," urged Ryun, founder of the grassroots candidate-training factory American Majority in an interview with Fox News' Tucker Carlson, barely an hour after news broke of Ginsburg's death. For his part, Carlson did have the grace to suggest it might be well to tone things down in those initial hours and wait a bit in order to respect Ginsburg's memory. But he also threw doubt on a credible report that Ginsburg had expressed her "most fervent wish" that the next president would appoint her replacement. "It's hard to believe, and I'm gonna choose not to believe that she said that, because I don't think that people on their deathbeds are thinking about who's president. You hope not - that's a pretty limited way to think as you die. But certainly this will be used as a cudgel by the left." The problem is that her words, according to NPR's reporting, were not uttered in her final hours but a few days earlier in a conversation with her grandchild. Fox News, though, wasn't the only place to find tortured logic and misrepresentations. "Ted Cruz with an excellent point," tweeted Marc Thiessen, the American Enterprise Institute fellow and Washington Post columnist. "If election is litigated can't risk having just 8 justices and the possibility of a deadlocked court. Could cause a constitutional crisis." There were thousands of retweets and likes, but a number of people who pointed out that Cruz and Thiessen seem to have short memories. After all, there was an ideologically split eight-member court in November of 2016 - for the very reasons discussed above. (Also, if you're worried about a constitutional crisis, how about an election settled with the help of a justice Trump just appointed?) In coming days, you can be sure to hear and read about such things as the "Thurmond rule," the "McConnell Rule," the "Biden rule" - none of which exist in law, and sometimes not even in writing. At most, they are conventions, not rules. (According to the Brookings Institution, Strom Thurmond, the former South Carolina senator who chaired the Senate's Judiciary Committee, is credited with an "unwritten admonition that in presidential election years, the Senate should stop processing judicial nominations around the time of its summer recess, perhaps with limited exceptions for clearly non-controversial nominees.") There's no reason to think that the pro-Trump media and right-wing politicians will have a monopoly on self-serving justification in coming days. It's likely to be a dysfunctional circus. The media - of all stripes - could keep from making it worse by maintaining a level tone, by not twisting the facts for the sake of partisanship, and by pushing back against misrepresentations. Based on the initial hours after Justice Ginsburg's death, that's going to be a unreasonably high bar. The Republican nightmare looks something like this: Democrats gain control of the White House and Congress and end the Senate filibuster so they can work their will. They expand the Supreme Court and pack it with a young left-wing majority. They muscle through statehood for the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, bolstering their Senate majority. They mount an effort to circumvent or even abolish the electoral college, empowering California and New York at the expense of small, Republican-leaning states in the heartland. Last fall, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a member of the National Security Council staff, was a star witness against President Trump at House impeachment hearings. Since then, he has left public view, left the White House and left the Army. Now, with an election approaching, he is launching what appears to be a media campaign to take shots at the president. Vindman is making news by saying things like this: President Trump should be considered to be a useful idiot and a fellow traveler, which makes him an unwitting agent of Putin. Vindman said that in an interview with The Atlantic, which has become a much-read Resistance clearinghouse. On Monday night, Vindman spoke to NBC News. We cannot have four more years of this president and the kind of damage that hes done to American institutions, Vindman said, adding that he is now absolutely a NeverTrumper. Vindman said he wants to inform voters about Trump and persuade them to choose an alternative. Neither The Atlantic nor NBC devoted much attention to the details of Vindmans role in the impeachment. And neither clarified what, specifically, Vindman did to start the impeachment process. Syracuse, N.Y. A 30-year-old man is dead and two other people were injured in separate shootings that happened Saturday in Syracuse. The man killed was shot around 7:52 p.m. in the 300 block of Oakwood Avenue, said Syracuse police Sgt. Matthew Malinowski. The victim, identified only as a 30-year-old man, was shot in the midsection. He was rushed to Upstate University Hospital, where he later died. Scanner reports at the time indicated that a person walked up to walked up to 351 Oakwood Ave. and shot at people on the porch. In a separate shooting, two young men were injured after they were shot Saturday afternoon on the citys North Side. Police were called to the 900 block of Butternut Street around 3:40 p.m., where they found a 21-year-old man who had been shot in the hand. A short time later, police located a 19-year-old man who was shot in the back, Malinowski said. Both were taken to Upstate University Hospital and are expected to survive their injuries. In a separate case, Syracuse police arrested a 20-year-old woman Saturday on charges that she fired a gun into the air while arguing with her mother. Officers were called to the 400 block of Shonnard Street around 3:17 p.m., where they found Nazjay Hosea in possession of a 9mm Taurus handgun, Malinowski said. Hosea was charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm. Hosea is currently being held in the Onondaga County Justice Center. Police are also investigating gunfire that happened Saturday night and early Sunday morning in the 600 block of Marcellus Street, the 100 block of Webster Avenue and the 200 block of Sabine Street. No injuries were reported. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has released fresh guidelines and eligibility rules for those travelling to and from India to US, UK, Canada, other countries. India currently has air transport bubbles with 13 countries amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, while more such agreements are on the pipeline. What are air transport bubbles? Transport Bubbles" or Air Travel Arrangements" are temporary arrangements between two countries aimed at restarting commercial passenger services when regular international flights are suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. They are reciprocal in nature, meaning airlines from both countries enjoy similar benefits. The details of such arrangements are as follows: 1. Afghanistan From India to Afghanistan i. Afghanistan nationals/residents and foreign nationals holding valid Afghanistan visas, if required; and ii. Any Indian national, holding any type of valid visa from Afghanistan and destined for Afghanistan only. It would be for the airlines concerned to ensure that there is no travel restriction for Indian nationals to enter Afghanistan with the particular visa category before issue of ticket/ boarding pass to the Indian passenger," the ministrys document said. From Afghanistan to India i. Indian nationals stranded in Afghanistan; ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding Afghanistan passports iii. Foreigners (including diplomats) holding valid visa issued by an Indian Mission in any category covered under Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines dated June 30 as amended from time to time, the document said. 2. Bahrain From India to Bahrain i. Bahraini nationals/residents ii. Any Indian national holding any type of valid visa from the Kingdom of Bahrain and destined for Bahrain only. It would be for the airlines concerned to ensure that there is no travel restriction for Indian nationals to enter Bahrain with the particular visa category before issue of ticket/ boarding pass to the Indian passenger. From Bahrain to India i. Indian nationals stranded in Bahrain ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding Bahraini passports; and iii. Bahraini nationals (including diplomats) holding valid visa issued by an Indian Mission in any category covered under Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines. 3. Canada From India to Canada i. Stranded Canadian nationals/residents and foreigners with valid Canadian visa eligible to enter Canada;ii. Indian nationals with valid visas eligible to enter Canada. The airlines concerned will ensure that there is no travel restriction for Indian nationals. iii. Seamen of foreign nationalities, seamen holding Indian passports would be allowed subject to clearance from the ministry of shipping From Canada to India i. Stranded Indian nationals ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding Canadian passports; and iii. Foreigners (including diplomats), who are eligible to enter India as per MHA guidelines 4. France From India to France i. Indian nationals who are permitted to travel abroad as per MHA guidelines dated 01.07.2020 and destined for EU; ii. Stranded EU nationals/residents, foreign nationals destined for Europe and transiting through France or spouses of these persons, whether accompanying or otherwise; and iii. Seamen of foreign nationalities; Seamen holding Indian passports would be allowed subject to clearance from the Ministry of Shipping. From France to India i. Stranded Indian nationals; ii. Foreigners (including diplomats and OCI card holders), who are eligible to enter India as per Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines . 5. Germany From India to Germany i. Indian nationals who are permitted to travel abroad as per MHA guidelines dated 01.07.2020 and destined for EU; ii. Stranded EU nationals/residents, foreign nationals destined for Europe and transiting through Germany or spouses of these persons, whether accompanying or otherwise; and iii. Seamen of foreign nationalities; Seamen holding Indian passports would be allowed subject to clearance from the Ministry of Shipping. From Germany to India i. Stranded Indian nationals; ii. Foreigners (including diplomats and OCI card holders), who are eligible to enter India as per Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines. 6. Iraq From India to Iraq i. Nationals/residents of Iraq; ii. Any Indian national holding any type of valid visa from Iraq and destined for Iraq only. From Iraq to India i. Indian nationals stranded in Iraq; ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding passports of Iraq; and iii. Nationals of Iraq (including diplomats), holding valid visa issued by an Indian Mission in any category covered under (MHA) guidelines. 7. Japan From India to Japan i. Stranded nationals/residents of Japan and foreign nationals holding valid Japanese visas subject to the border measures and travel restrictions imposed by the government of Japan at the time of travel; and ii. Any Indian national holding any type of valid visa from Japan subject to the border measures and travel restrictions imposed by the government of Japan at the time of travel. From Japan to India i. Stranded Indian nationals; ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding passports of Japan; and iii. Foreigners (including diplomats), holding valid visa issued by an Indian Mission in any category covered under MHA guidelines. 8. Maldives From India to Maldives i. Maldivian nationals/residents and foreign nationals holding valid Maldivian visas, if required; ii. Any Indian national. From Maldives to India i. Indian nationals ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding Maldivian passports, and iii. Foreigners (including diplomats) holding valid visa issued by an Indian Mission in any category covered under MHA guidelines. 9.Nigeria From India to Nigeria i. Stranded Nigerian nationals/residents, foreign nationals destined for Africa and transiting through Nigeria or spouses of these persons, whether accompanying or otherwise; ii. Any Indian national holding any type of valid Nigerian visa and destined for any country in Africa. iii. Seamen of foreign nationalities; Seamen holding Indian passports would be allowed subject to clearance from the Ministry of Shipping. From Nigeria to India i. Indian nationals stranded in any country in Africa; ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding Nigerian passports; iii. Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding passports issued by any country in Africa who are eligible to enter India as per MHA guidelines. iv. Foreigners (including diplomats) holding valid visa issued by an Indian Mission in any category covered under MHA guidelines 10. Qatar From India to Qatar i. Qatari nationals ii. Any Indian national holding any type of valid Qatar visa and destined for Qatar only. From Qatar to India i. Indian nationals stranded in Qatar; ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding Qatari passports, and iii. Qatari nationals (including diplomats) holding valid visa issued by an Indian Mission in any category covered under MHA guidelines. 11.United Arab Emirates (UAE) From India to UAE i. UAE nationals. ii. ICA-approved UAE residents destined for UAE only. iii. Any Indian national holding any type of valid UAE visa and destined for UAE only. From UAE to India i. Stranded Indian nationals ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding UAE passports; and iii. UAE nationals (including diplomats) holding valid visa issued by an Indian Mission in any category covered under MHA guidelines 12.United Kingdom (UK) From India to UK i. Stranded UK nationals/residents, foreign nationals transiting through UK or spouses of these persons, whether accompanying or otherwise. ii. Any Indian national holding any type of valid UK visa and destined for UK only. iii. Seamen of foreign nationalities; Seamen holding Indian passports would be allowed subject to clearance from the Ministry of Shipping. From UK to India i. Stranded Indian nationals ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding UK passports; and iii. Foreigners (including diplomats), who are eligible to enter India. 13.United States of America (USA) From India to USA i. US citizens, legal permanent residents, and foreign nationals holding valid US visas; ii. Any Indian national holding any type of valid US visa. iii. Seamen of foreign nationalities; Seamen holding Indian passports would be allowed subject to clearance from the Ministry of Shipping From USA to India i. Stranded Indian nationals ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding US passports; and iii. Foreigners (including diplomats), who are eligible to enter 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 Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment I have been praying for President Donald Trump since 2017, but I do not know why I feel the burden for a man that I do not have any relationship with. I am just convinced that he is an instrument in the hands of God and deserves spiritual backing and intercession to accomplish the divine assignment placed in his hands. My conviction was justified when Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari made a startling confession on the 8th day of September 2020. He spoke of how President Donald Trump accosted him in a private chat when he visited the White House. President Buhari said: "I believe I was about the only African amongst the least developed countries that Trump invited and when I was in his office, only myself and himself, only God is a witness, he looked at me in the face and said, 'Why are you killing Christians?'" It takes a man who believes in the sanctity of life and love for humanity to ask such delicate and sensitive question. I would not like to talk about the answer that my president gave to President Trump, but I must confess that I was touched by this question that indicated that someone cares about the welfare of the Nigerian Christians. In other words, President Trump held our president accountable for what is happening to Christians in Nigeria. This singular act has further endeared President Trump to me and I hereby make this clarion call to all Christians irrespective of denominational affiliations. Let everyone who has called on the name of the Lord Jesus start praying for Donald Trump as his preservation will inevitably protect us from harm and danger. In June, President Trump's Executive Order on Advancing International Religious Freedom helped ensure that minority religious groups in every community of the world are protected and free to serve their God. Prioritizing international religious freedom in US foreign policy and in foreign assistance is commendable. I would not like to pretend that I am not aware of the criticism leveled against President Trump. He has made controversial statements, but his case is like the biblical David, "I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war". (Psalm 120:7 KJV) I strongly believe that the mind of President Trump is not always in correlation with his spoken words. Mike Pence, who is his vice president, understands this when he stated that he "knows the president's heart". Let us make America great again through our intercessions because in the greatness of America lies our freedom and realization of the purpose of God for our lives. We need a man who will repeatedly ask our leaders, why are you killing Christians? Why are you killing Muslims? Why are you killing pagans? Why are you killing atheists? Why are you killing Hindus? Why are you killing Buddhist? We need a strong man to say no to religious oppression in any part of the world. WASHINGTON - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday reversed heavily criticized guidelines on who should be tested for the novel coronavirus after experts inside and outside the agency raised alarms about public confusion over testing and concerns about the country's ability to control the epidemic. The agency updated its recommendations to call for testing anyone who has been in close contact with anyone found to have the novel coronavirus. The guidance includes testing of those who do not have symptoms of covid-19, the disease caused by the virus. Friday's reversal, which was posted on the CDC's website, took place after the agency was directed in August by the White House coronavirus task force to shift its testing guidance. The task force-directed recommendation said those without symptoms of covid-19 "do not necessarily need a test." Last month's change caused an uproar among public health and medical professionals, who said the move would spark public confusion and impede the contact tracing needed to identify infected individuals and control transmission. They called for the guidance to be reversed. Within the agency, scientists raised concerns that "what had happened was wrong, and it was not good public health practice," according to one federal health official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share internal discussions. Trump administration officials said the push to limit testing was driven by the task force and other federal health officials overseeing testing. Testing of people without symptoms is especially critical because the CDC estimates that up to 40% of people infected with the novel coronavirus show no symptoms of covid-19 but still may be highly infectious and spread the virus. The guidance posted Friday essentially reverts to the CDC's original recommendation calling for testing of all people who have had close contact with a person having a documented coronavirus infection. Public health experts praised Friday's decision but warned that the political interference that led to last month's changes and the conflicting messaging surrounding testing undermine the government's ability to fight the pandemic, which has killed more than 197,000 people in the United States, according to a Washington Post analysis. They also called for a return of daily CDC briefings to provide updates on the coronavirus response. "This is an encouraging step in the right direction and confirms the importance of testing close contacts of people with COVID," Tom Frieden, CDC director during the Obama administration, said in an email. "Now, the administration needs to show that political interference with CDC science will never happen again." "The constant politicization of this crisis has eroded trust in our nation's leading public health institutions," said Richard Besser, the president and chief executive of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and a former acting director of the CDC. "When guidance changes without explanation, trust is lost. CDC guidance should only change to reflect new science, not shifting political winds." Caitlin Rivers, an infectious-diseases expert at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said the U.S. response to the pandemic has been characterized by inconsistent and unclear messaging. "It would be helpful if CDC could hold press conferences when important new guidance is released, to explain the updates. I worry that it's confusing for clinicians and the public to interpret the guidance without context. That has been the practice during previous outbreaks," Rivers said. "If the White House task force develops the guidance, then they should issue the document and hold a press conference." Brett Giroir, an assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, which includes the CDC, said last month that the idea for altering the testing guidance originated with him and CDC Director Robert Redfield and that the change was based on concerns that people can have misleading negative results if the test is given too soon after someone becomes infected. A senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share behind-the-scenes discussions, said last month that Redfield was initially skeptical but then went along with the idea. Giroir also said the guidance went through repeated drafts and was discussed with physicians on the task force, including Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Scott Atlas, a Stanford Hoover Institution neuroradiologist who joined the coronavirus task force this summer. Fauci, who was having surgery and under anesthesia when the task force approved the guidance, has said in a statement that he quickly reviewed a version of the guidelines before his surgery and was "not struck by the potential implication of this particular change" until he saw the final guidance. A senior administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share internal discussions said Friday that Atlas had pushed strongly for the guidance to limit testing of asymptomatic people. Atlas, who has no background in infectious diseases or epidemiology and has become President Trump's favored in-house adviser on the virus, has said fewer people need tests. Trump has said repeatedly that he does not like that more testing had revealed more cases. In a statement Friday, HHS said: "As always, guidelines receive appropriate attention, consultation and input from the medical and scientific experts on the Task Force. This was the case then, and will continue to be the case in the future." Rivers, of Johns Hopkins, said that testing people who have had contact with someone who has a confirmed coronavirus infection is imperative. "Testing enables contact tracing, which identifies chains of transmission to get ahead of the virus," she said. "If we don't test people who have had a known exposure, we may be missing opportunities to find more links in the chain." The Infectious Diseases Society of America, one of many professional medical groups that demanded the reversal of last month's guidance, praised Friday's return by the CDC to a science-based approach to testing guidance. "We urge officials to support the work of controlling this pandemic by following medical guidance of experts in the field," the organization said. In an interview, Thomas File, the president of the infectious-diseases group, said CDC scientists had shared their concerns with him about the way "that the guidance had come about." Giroir said during an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America" that the guidelines were generated by the CDC and insisted that they did not recommend against testing people who are asymptomatic. "It absolutely came from the CDC," Giroir said. "I know for a fact that the version that went to the task force was reviewed and approved by Doctor Redfield." He said the testing of asymptomatic people remains critical. "I want people to know that if you are asymptomatic, you can still spread the virus," Giroir said. "That's why masks are so important, and we want to encourage asymptomatic people to be tested." A federal health official said the guidance originated at the CDC after the agency heard from health-care providers who were worried about shortages of laboratory chemicals needed to conduct the tests. The providers were seeking federal guidelines to prioritize who should be tested. The initial draft was developed by the CDC and sent to officials at HHS and the White House task force for additional input and approval. "After that, it went off the rails," said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share internal policy deliberations. When the final guidance was approved, "the document was dropped" on the CDC for posting to its website, said another federal official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share behind-the-scenes discussions. Reporters seeking comment about the changes made in August were referred to HHS. Following the public outcry, CDC staffers were given talking points developed with input from the task force and the CDC to emphasize that the testing changes were aimed at identifying people with symptoms, according to a version of the talking points shared with The Washington Post. The updated recommendation posted Friday says: "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." US President Donald Trump told an election campaign rally in North Carolina that he could win the Nobel Peace Prize for stopping mass killings between Serbia and Kosovo. Trump was nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize by a Norwegian lawmaker for helping broker a peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, which followed a similar deal between Israel and Bahrain. Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) fought against Serbian forces which led to thousands of deaths in a decade-long bloody conflict and unilaterally proclaimed independence in 2008. Earlier this month, the White House hosted talks between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti but no major breakthrough was achieved through it, in contrast with the US Presidents claims. Next story Im sure its a Nobel Prize for peace. We are stopping mass killings between Kosovo and Serbia. They have been killing each other for so many [years]. They are going to stop killing. I said fellas, lets get together. You know, theyve been doing it for hundreds of years frankly under different names," Trump said. Read: Trumps Nomination For Nobel Peace Prize hard-earned, Says White House Read: Who Nominated Donald Trump For Nobel Peace Prize? All You Need To Know Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament, nominated Trump after he successfully brokered the deal for the normalisation of ties between the two Middle East nations. Public figures, including national politicians, professors and former prize winners are eligible to nominate someone for the Nobel Peace Prize. 'Well-deserved honour' Trumps nomination for Nobel Peace Prize is a "hard-earned and well-deserved honour, said the White House on September 9. Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement Trump was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his work in brokering an Israel-United Arab Emirates peace deal. It was a historic deal and the first such deal in over two decades. This is a hard-earned and well-deserved honour for this President," she said, adding that Trump also brokered economic normalisation between Serbia and Kosovo. Read: Donald Trump Nominated For Nobel Peace Prize For His key Role In UAE-Israel Agreement Read: EU Warns Serbia And Kosovo Against Moving Embassies To Jerusalem (Image: AP) Schools to reopen in these states from Monday: Check list India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Sep 20: Schools in some states are set to partially reopen from Monday after more than five months of a lockdown enforced to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Universities and schools across the country have been closed since March 16 when the Centre announced a countrywide classroom shutdown as part of measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. On March 25, the central government announced a nationwide lockdown to prevent the virus from spreading. While several restrictions have been eased in different phases of Unlock' since June 8, educational institutions continue to be closed. Schools reopening partially from today: Check guidelines As per the latest guidelines under Unlock', schools have been allowed to call students from class 9 to 12 to schools on a voluntary basis from September 21. Punjab The Punjab government allowed students of classes 9 to 12 to visit their schools in areas outside containment zones on voluntary basis for taking guidance from their teachers amid coronavirus pandemic outbreak. However, this permission would be subject to written consent of parents/guardians from September 21 as per Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on September 8, it said. Andhra Pradesh School students from classes 9 to 12 will have the choice to attend classes in person or online in Andhra Pradesh once they reopen, as the state government has allowed the reopening of schools from Monday (September 21). "Schools will reopen starting Monday, students from 9th to 12th standards may attend regular classes according to their wish or connect online," said an official. Assam Schools in Assam will remain closed till September 30. However, partial reopening of for Classes 9-12 has been allowed. According to an order by the state government, students of class 9 to 12 are allowed to visit their schools on a voluntary basis, with the written consent of parents, for guidance from teachers only. Delhi All schools in the national capital will continue to remain closed till October 5 in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Delhi government announced on Friday. "All government and private schools will remain closed for all students till October 5. However, online teaching and learning activities will continue as usual," an official order issued by the Directorate of Education (DoE) said. Karnataka The Karnataka Government, in a new order issued today, has restricted the schools and pre-university colleges to re-open in the state. The classes were to reopen for the students so that doubts pertaining to the specified classes can be cleared in face-to-face interaction. The decision to keep the schools and pre-university colleges in the state closed comes after a rise in the active COVID-19 cases has been found. "Karnataka Government has issued order restricting students of Class 9th to 12th from visiting schools and pre-university colleges to meet teachers, citing rise in COVID cases. They were allowed earlier by Education Dept after a fall in the number of cases," read an ANI statement. Bihar Bihar allowed educational institutions to resume classes for students of classes 9 to 12 outside the containment zones. The state government had decided to impose total shutdown in containment zones till September 30. Haryana Haryana government has also decided to start classes for students of Classes 10 to 12. In a letter, the department has asked all district education officers to ensure that the teachers get a Covid-19 test and download the Aarogya Setu app on their phones. Attendance is not compulsory and students can go on a voluntary basis to clear any doubts related to their course. "Students will have to bring written consent from their parents before coming to school. The students will also have to undergo thermal scanning before entering the school and wear face masks and adhere to safety guidelines," the letter stated. Uttar Pradesh The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has decided that schools and colleges in the state will not be allowed to reopen their doors from tomorrow in view of the coronavirus pandemic outbreak. Kerala Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan has decided to shut schools, colleges and other educational institutions this month. Uttarakhand The Trivndra Singh Rawat-led government has also decided to not open schools till the end of this month. Jammu and Kashmir Schools to reopen in the erstwhile state on voluntary basis from Sept. 21. Gujarat Gujarat has also decided against resumption of normal classes from Monday. Tamil Nadu All the classes would start functioning simultaneously, said the Tamil Nadu government, as several states are set to reopen schools for students of Class IX-XII from Monday, September 21. "All classes will start functioning simultaneously when schools reopen in the state. There will not be classes in a shift, as all the schools have adequate infrastructure," he told reporters on September 19, 2020. Nagaland Students are permitted on a voluntary basis and 50 per cent teaching and non-teaching staff outside containment zones will come to school in Nagaland. "Students of classes 9 to 12 may be permitted to visit their schools, in areas outside the containment zones only, on voluntary basis, for taking guidance from their teachers subject to written consent of their parents or guardians, subject to strict adherence to all the provisions in the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)," a Nagaland government order said. Meghalaya Regular classroom teaching remains suspended in Meghalaya till September 30, but students studying in Classes 9, 10, 11 and 12 can visit their schools to get doubts cleared by teachers. Iranian human rights organizations are reporting the sudden transfer of a prisoner of conscience, Soheil Arabi, to an unknown location. In a report on Friday, the Campaign for the Defense of Political and Civil Prisoners revealed that Iranian security forces transferred Arabi immediately after he managed to disclose on audio the dire conditions in the Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary (GTCP), also known as Fashafouyeh prison. Under the excuse of taking Arabi to the GTCP's clinic, the security forces and intelligence agents transferred the 35-year-old dissident to an unknown location, the campaign reiterated in its statement. "On Thursday, Soheil Arabi was summoned to the head of the GTCP, Ali Chaharmahali. They interrogated him along with several others," the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), reported, adding, "He was also threatened with solitary confinement, and filing a new lawsuit against him." "Mr. Arabi's family is particularly concerned about his condition," HRANA's statement said. "They are apprehensive that, as in the previous occasion, the intelligence agents might batter him again, and file a new legal case against him." The Headquarters of Tharallah, a fearsome security body affiliated with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), arrested the outspoken blogger and photojournalist in November 2013, at his home in Tehran. Arabi previously spent two months in the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps' (IRGC) Ward 2-A in Tehran's notorious prison, Evin, before being transferred to Section 350, which is under judiciary control. On August 30, 2014, a five-judge panel of Branch 76 of the Criminal Court of Tehran sentenced Arabi to death for blasphemy and "insulting the Prophet of Islam" in eight Facebook accounts allegedly belonging to Arabi. The Tehran Revolutionary Court also sentenced Arabi to three years on charges of "insulting the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and "propaganda against the state" in his postings on Facebook. Two years later, the sentence was commuted to seven and a half-year imprisonment, a two-year ban from leaving Iran, the hand copying of thirteen Shi'a textbooks and studies of Shi'ism. Arabi's mother, Farangis Mazlum, who has been seeking her son's release for years, was also arrested last year and sentenced to six years in prison last July on charges of "propaganda against the regime." Russia is afraid of losing us, said Mr. Lukashenko, accusing the Kremlin of trying to suffocate Belarus. Russia, long accustomed to Mr. Lukashenkos eccentric ways but shocked by his sudden burst of open hostility, offered its own bizarre explanation of what the men were doing at the sanitarium. The Russian ambassador in Minsk claimed that the men had simply missed a flight at the airport and needed a place to stay before catching another, but there was no explanation as to why they had chosen rooms in a resort on the opposite side of town, away from the airport. For staff at the sanitarium, the news that their guests were part of a covert Russian military operation to sow chaos only compounded their own confusion. Yelena, a housekeeper in the building where the men stayed, said she was surprised to find out that the Russians had anything to do with the military. They didnt look like fighters, only a few looked strongly built, said Yelena, who refused to give her last name for fear of repercussions from the management. They were behaving well, very culturally, they went to the outdoor gym, she said. Perhaps, they underwent some medical treatment, took baths. The resort called Belorusochka, which means a Belarus woman seemed an odd choice, more a time machine for people nostalgic for the Soviet Union than a place anyone interested in plotting a coup would ever stay. Trina Solar, a leading global PV and smart energy total solution provider, has posted net profits of $72 million for the first half (H1) of the year, up 245.81% from the previous year. Total revenue for the first six months of 2020 reached $1.836 billion, a year-on-year increase of 16.56%, The companys performance shows a sharp increase in sales of PV products and PV systems, which the company attributes to its years of operational experience and effective risk control mechanisms. Jifan Gao, Chairman and CEO of Trina Solar, pointed out that Trina and other leading global PV companies had achieved growth despite the global economic downturn brought about by Covid-19 in the first half of the year. The Chinese PV industry continues to grow in leaps and bounds as we enter the ultra-high-efficiency era, he said. Companies with outstanding sustainable development capabilities and those who are leaders in the global PV market are thriving. Having led the way into the ultra-high-efficiency era, Trina Solar now plans to step up the rollout of advanced production capacity and the application of innovative technologies in our products in order to boost profits further. Customers would remain at the heart of the companys operations, and the company would constantly improve the quality of its products and services to create more value for customers and produce even better returns for society and stakeholders, added Gao. Antonio Jimenez, Managing Director and Vice President, Trina Solar Middle East & Africa commented: The Middle East and Africa region is one of the highest growth regions in the solar industry. Today we are witnessing a tremendous increase in demand for renewable energy in general and solar energy in specific across the region. With the steady growth of our operations and expansion into new markets coupled with our focus on delivering innovative and reliable products and solutions with the highest quality standards, we are confident that we will reach even higher sales and growth figures. In the first half of 2020, Trina Solar invested $125 million in R&D. The company has accumulated 852 patents, including 310 innovation patents, and has consistently maintained its investment in the research and development of advanced technologies for high-efficiency cells, high-power modules and smart tracking mounts, focusing on the development of cutting-edge technologies while simultaneously continuing to improve its mass-production capacity. In the first half of the year, the company achieved total module shipments of 5.84 GW, up 37% over the same period in 2019. February 2020 saw a new market breakthrough for Trina, with the release of the worlds first 500W+ module, Vertex, and in July the company went one better with its 600W+ module to lead the industry into the 600W era. By the release date of the half-year report, the Vertex module was already approaching 1 GW worth of orders. The companys TrinaPro business showed fast and steady growth, with orders for 882 MW delivered worldwideover 100% more than the same period last year. Trina Solar also signed a deal with The Rise Fund, part of one of the worlds largest alternative asset management companies, TPG Group, for project contracts worth a total of approximately $700 million and covering a total scale of 1 GW. Trinas domestic power plant systems business continues to grow steadily, with close to 1 GW worth of PV price-bidding and price-parity projects won during the reporting period, a year-on-year increase of over 25%. Trina Solar is an active proponent of ultra-high-power module products based on large-sized cells, aiming to drive home its advantages in terms of large-scale advanced module production capacity for large cells. The company forecasts total cell production capacity of around 26 GW by the end of 2021, of which the large 210 mm cells are expected to account for some 70%. All of the module production capacity due to be built from the second half of 2020 onwards will be for ultra-high-power modules, with total module production capacity forecast to reach around 22 GW by the end of 2020 and around 50 GW by the end of 2021. The company also aims to further consolidate its industry-leading advantages in the fields of large high-efficiency cells and modules, with plans to promote upstream-downstream interconnectivity in the supply chain based on the 600W+ Photovoltaic Open Innovation Ecological Alliance and to accelerate the transformation of the supply chain to the value chain. TradeArabia News Service An authoritative British voice-over explains that the climate scientists have become impatient, because their pleas have amounted to nothing. So they devise a dastardly plan. Laresa Kosloff has created a thoroughly mischievous film. It begins, documentary style, with the earnest proposition that our planet faces ecological catastrophe through climate change. In melancholy footage with telephoto lens, scientists are seen in protective clothing surveying the damage. More footage of scientists shows them working on a pacifying drug that makes humans contented, keen to play games and forget their tasks at work. The vector for this benign narcotic is the indoor pot plant that thrives in offices as greenwash. What follows presents many analogies to the way we tackle coronavirus. The idleness of the office workers causes production to plummet. The earth gets a chance to breathe but the economy faces collapse. Too few people want too few goods and services. Theyre happy without their former consumption and competitive ambitions. Politicians organise the backlash. They stimulate new optimism by staging a false landing on Mars. Astronauts, who are in fact only actors, are seen growing their own food in their spacecraft as human progress conquers the inhospitable planet. Hope and confidence are restored. But then this fraudulent plan also fails. The actors get narky, because theyre underpaid the resentful precariat of the commercial world and they leak the truth behind the make-believe. The result is paralysis. We return to the stalemate, only now ordinary people take to passive resistance. They lie down in the sun as the "radical acts" of the title. They refuse to co-operate with capitalist society. Time finally caught up with John Turner over the weekend. But he gave it a heck of a run. Over his entire career in Canadian politics, time or timing was the greatest nemesis for this political statesman. Throughout his 91 years, Turner was always racing time; either slightly ahead or slightly behind, but always running. The fight of his life, as he called it, was Canadas great free trade election of 1988 and, while his side did not prevail, Turners misgivings of that period could well be viewed today as a preview for the doubts that have fuelled this centurys backlash to global trade deals. Turner was also the justice minister who decriminalized homosexuality in this country, a crucial step in Canada's long and ongoing reckoning with tolerance of all kinds. Yet so many of the tributes and obituaries after his death this weekend make mention of Turners old-fashioned ideas about politics as it was practised when he returned to it in the 1980s; how out of step he was with the transformations, good and bad, in the political culture. My first glimpse of Turner was at the 1984 convention where he won the Liberal leadership; the first I ever attended. But it would be another four years before I came to Ottawa to cover Turner as an opposition leader and by then, he had been wounded by internal party strife and the reputation, then all but sealed, that he was a politician better suited to another era. It was still a time when women reporters, especially young woman reporters, were the exception on Parliament Hill and I was prepared for Turner to be patronizing or even crude, as so many of the past-their-prime politicians were in those days. Turner was not. He was direct, respectful and unfailingly polite, even when the questions were hard. He had surrounded himself with strong women, not least of them his wife, Geills, and daughter, Elizabeth, and while he seemed to miss the clubby politics of bygone times he also always welcomed new members to the club. The enduring picture of him is his stoic posture during that momentous 1988 election, which also included an incredible coup attempt against his leadership. Debilitated by agonizing back pain throughout the campaign, Turner was the physical manifestation of the strain he was enduring, not to mention the stakes for his career and the country. He walked into each event with great effort, sometimes wincing, but never flinching. I have been thinking that Turner and Brian Mulroney, the prime minister with whom he sparred at the time, were the last leaders permitted to show the wounds their opposition inflicted upon them. Both men, who liked and respected each other, could certainly take criticism and dish it out, but they were both openly hurt by it too, and it showed. It was Jean Chretien, successor to both of them, who paved the way for a different type of political leaders response to criticism; an impervious defiance, which others who have followed him particularly Stephen Harper tried to emulate. Even this current prime minister, Justin Trudeau, is of the never-let-them-see-you-sweat school of weathering political attacks. John Turner always wore his political laments on his sleeve. He despaired of the degeneration in tone and civility. But he never stopped believing things could be better and he never complained. He stayed in occasional touch after he left politics in 1993, showing up at Liberal gatherings and sending the odd note here and there. My first day at the Toronto Star, in 2003, I found a cream-coloured envelope waiting for me on my chair; a courtly, handwritten note from Mr. Turner (as we always called him), congratulating me and saying he expected much. Of course he did. His 90th birthday last year, at the Sir John A. Macdonald Building, was a reunion and a revival meeting for the type of politics he loved, filled with affectionate tributes from friends and former rivals. As one of his long-time staff members and friends, Lisa Haley, told me this weekend, it was the last time that eight prime ministers were gathered for any event, and Turner sat there beaming through it all. The old sparkle was still in those piercing blue eyes of his. Among the group of us who were here in Ottawa back in those days, John Turner impersonations are still very much enjoyed. His staccato bursts of outrage or passion are kept in a kind of verbal scrapbook, hauled out with nostalgia and wistful affection. Theres a huge temptation to see Turner as a tragic figure from Canadas political past. But that doesnt quite capture him, because what he embodied wasnt a failure. Time was his biggest running rival but, in the end, like all his opponents, it will treat him with immense respect. With his passing, it has finally become his friend. Susan Delacourt is an Ottawa-based columnist covering national politics for the Star. Reach her via email: sdelacourt@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @susandelacourt Read more about: Advertisement Jared Kushner helped up a man who fell on Saturday while he and Ivanka Trump visited his family's New Jersey home amid the Rosh Hashanah holiday. While Capitol Hill mourned the loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the Trump administration steamrolled ahead with their campaign, the Kushner family briefly returned to New Jersey this weekend. Photos taken by DailyMail.com showed Kushner, 39, wearing a ball cap, a black sweater and sweatpants as he strolled with his father, Charles, through Long Branch. One of his sons rolled alongside the men on scooter, while personnel with the United States Secret Service trailed nearby. Scroll down for video Photos taken by DailyMail.com showed Senior Advisor Jared Kushner (center) helping up a man who fell on a walkway in Long Branch, New Jersey, on Saturday Jared Kushner (center) was spotted walking with his father, Charles Kushner (right), and one of his sons (left) along a Long Beach shoreline on Saturday Neither Kushner (center) nor anybody else on the weekend stroll wore Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommended face coverings as the pandemic continues During their walk along the bay, a man stumbles and fell to the sidewalk and appeared to need assistance. Luckily, the Senior Advisor to President Trump rushed over and kindly checked to see if he was okay. Kushner could be seen helping the man to his feet as the rest of the family stood nearby. During the Kushner family's Friday stroll, none of them appeared to don CDC recommended face masks during their walk through Long Branch, which is nestled in Ocean County. The county has recorded at 12,160 confirmed COVID-19 cases and nearly 1,050 deaths. The Ocean County Health Department extended their beach seasons into early fall this year, but cautioned locals and visitors against flouting health guidelines. 'We certainly want our residents and visitors to enjoy this beautiful resource, but the pandemic isnt over, and we need everyone to do their part in mitigating the transmission of the COVID-19 virus by adhering to all the social distancing measures and by wearing a mask when appropriate,' said Ocean County Freeholder Gerry P. Little in a statement. Jared was joined on the stroll by his notorious father Charles Kushner, who was jailed for 14 months in 2005 for after a sensational trial that saw the millionaire real estate developer plead guilty to 18 counts of tax evasion, witness tampering and making illegal campaign donations. At the center of the trial was the revelation that Charles had hired a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, who at the time was cooperating with federal officials in an investigation into possible campaign finance violations committed by Charles. Charles then filmed the encounter between his brother-in-law and the woman, who was paid $10,000. Pictured: Senior Advisor Jared Kushner (left) helped a man off the concrete on Saturday after the man accidentally fell The Ocean County Health Department extended their beach seasons into early fall this year, allowing locals like the Kushner's to visit local beaches after the summer season was shuttered In photos taken later on Saturday, Kushner reappeared at the same beach side walkway with his wife, Ivanka, after his father and son returned home. Ivanka, Advisor to the President and his oldest daughter, dressed near identical to her husband as the couple chatted. At one point, the Kushner's deviated from the path and decided to take their shoes off for a detour in the sand. Neither of them wore face masks while on the walkway, but 38-year-old Ivanka slipped one on while on the beach. Later on Saturday, Ivanka Trump (left) joined Kushner (right) for a second stroll along a walkway in Long Brach, New Jersey, on Saturday The couple's visit to the Kushner home comes amid Rosh Hashanah, a Jewish New Year festival that began Friday and celebrations will continue until through Sunday. Pictured: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner Neither Ivanka Trump (left) no Kushner (right) wore a face mask during their initial walk along the Long Brach shore on Saturday Pictured: Before walking onto the beach, Ivanka Trump slipped on a light-colored face mask as she wore a ball cap, sweater and sweatpants on Saturday The couple's visit to the Kushner home comes amid Rosh Hashanah, a Jewish New Year festival that began Friday and celebrations will continue until through Sunday. Ivanka converted to Judaism in 2009 after marrying Kushner who was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family. In an interview with Vogue in 2015, Ivanka opened up about the conversion and called it 'such a personal thing.' 'Were pretty observant, more than some, less than others. I just feel like its such an intimate thing for us,' she told Vogue. Pictured: Jared Kushner (left) holds his shoes as he walks behind his wife, Ivanka Trump (right), on a beach near the Kushner family home in Long Branch, New Jersey 'Its been such a great life decision for me. I am very modern, but Im also a very traditional person, and I think thats an interesting juxtaposition in how I was raised as well. 'I really find that with Judaism, it creates an amazing blueprint for family connectivity. The couple shared three children over the years: Arabella Rose Kushner, Joseph Frederick Kushner and Theodore James Kushner. The Kushner family's New Jersey visit comes at the end of a week of traveling for Ivanka on behalf of her father's campaign. After traveling to Florida, Texas, and Arizona this week, the First Daughter may be expected to follow New York's mandatory quarantine order if she returns to the state. Non-compliance with the order can result in a civil penalty of up to $10,000. Pitstop: Ivanka surprised volunteers at the Latinos for Trump headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, on Wednesday Outfit: She wore a $1,250 dress by Colombian fashion designer Johanna Ortiz Busy bee: After she left Arizona, she flew to Austin, Texas, for another event Ivanka's travels start on Wednesday, when she surprised volunteers at the Latinos for Trump headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, wearing a $1,250 dress by Colombian fashion designer Johanna Ortiz and a tie-dye pastel face mask. She walked around the headquarters with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, waving and speaking to volunteers and at one point, she gave the woman she was talking to a fist bump. After her visit, she sat down with Gov. Ducey and others to participate in a roundtable discussion about America's working families. Ivanka's trip to Arizona marked the first time the first daughter has visited the state since her father was elected, but that wasn't her only visit for the day. After she left Arizona, she flew to Austin, Texas, where she participated in a fundraising event for her father's campaign. Into it: Ivanka Trump learned how to roll out dough for Cuban bread while visiting La Segunda Bakery in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday Outfit of the day: The 38-year-old donned a light blue and white patterned dress with billowy sleeves and a matching Lele Sadoughi pinstriped face mask adorned with pearls Next stop: Ivanka later joined former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi at Columbia Restaurant for a 'fireside chat' about small businesses All smiles: The White House senior adviser flashed the peace sign before sitting down On Thursday, she flew to Tampa, Florida, where she visited La Segunda Bakery in Ybor City and tried her hand at making Cuban bread with baker Anthony Ali. She wore a light blue and white patterned dress with billowy sleeves and a matching Lele Sadoughi pinstriped face mask adorned with pearls. Jennifer Holton, a reporter for FOX13 News, tweeted that Ivanka had 'ordered three loaves of Cuban bread and guava pastries from La Segunda to bring back home to DC tonight.' Ivanka remained perfectly coiffed after her bread-making lesson, with not one blonde hair out of place when she headed to her next stop: Columbia Restaurant. President Donald Trump's eldest daughter joined former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi at the establishment, which is the oldest restaurant in the state. They sat down with other local leaders for an intimate 'fireside chat.' Ivanka removed her mask for the conversation and sat slightly less than six feet apart from Bondi as they discussed the effect of COVID-19 on small businesses, among other things. The second in command to the late Abiola Ebila, the leader of the notorious One Million boys in Ibadan, has been arrested and currently facing trial. Ebila was recently killed by the men of Operation Burst at Ibadan when he was reported to be involved in a kidnap ring and security personnel rounded him up at his hideout. The second in command, popularly known as Eji has assumed leadership of the gang before being arrested for sundry criminal offenses and handed over to the police for trial. Ejis arrest was confirmed on Saturday by the Director-General of Oyo State Joint Security Task Force, popularly known as Operation Burst, Col. Oladipo Ajibola rtd. Col. Ajibola said the security outfit has rid Ibadan of the menace of the notorious gang as the rest of them have run out of the State to seek cover in Lagos and other States. Operation Burst has been able to reduce criminality in Oyo State, people now go about doing their businesses without fear, we have effected a lot of arrests in relation to cultism, yahoo boys and other criminals and hand them over to the right security agency concerned, the high profile among the criminal cases was Abiola Ebila. Abiola Ebila, the leader of one million boys was involved in kidnapping and we got him through one of the personalities he kidnapped while he was asking for ransom, the elimination of Abiola Ebila has sent other gang leaders out of Oyo State and we are still trailing those who are their minions. We have succeeded in getting one of them recently who was the second in command to the late Ebila, we handed him over to another security agency for proper investigation and prosecution and we urge the general public to avail the security agencies prompt information to nip criminality in the bud. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates By Javier Barbancho and Julien Hennequin MADRID (Reuters) - Protesters in some poorer areas of Madrid that are facing lockdown to stem a soaring COVID-19 infection rate took to the streets on Sunday to call for better health provisions, complaining of discrimination by the authorities. Madrid's regional government on Friday ordered a lockdown from Monday in some of the poorer areas of the city and its outskirts that are home to about 850,000 people after a surge in coronavirus cases there. The lockdown measures predominantly apply to areas of lower income and with higher immigrant populations. Peaceful protests were held in 12 of the 37 districts affected on Sunday. About 600 people demonstrated in the southern district of Vallecas, which has one of the highest infection rates in the Spanish capital - about six times higher than that of Chamberi, a wealthy area in the north of the city, according to regional government figures. Tensions rose as protesters at one stage threatened to gain access to the regional government building. "It is illogical that you can go and do things in wealthier areas, but you cannot do the same in Vallecas. There is the same risk of contagion. They are discriminating," said Begona Ramos, 56, a protester, who is self-employed and lives in Vallecas. Demonstrators chanted, "Vallecas is not a ghetto". They also called for the resignation of Madrid regional leader Isabel Diaz Ayuso, who attracted criticism for saying this week that "the way of life of immigrants" was partly to blame for the rise in cases. Madrid mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida said the measures did not discriminate against the poor. "There are no first class residents and second class residents. We have to be together at this moment," he tweeted. Authorities in Madrid, which accounts for a third of all infections in Spain, announced the restrictions in areas where the contagion levels exceed 1,000 per 100,000 inhabitants. Story continues In those areas access to parks and public areas will be restricted, gatherings will be limited to six people, and commercial establishments will have to close by 10 p.m. local time. Police will set up 60 checkpoints to enforce the measures, but will not impose fines on the first day, regional authorities said on Sunday. Fines can vary between 600 euros ($710.64) and 600,000 euros, they said. A certificate was issued for people who need to leave lockdown areas for work, regional authorities said on Sunday. Regional justice chief Enrique Lopez condemned the demonstrations. "We are clear that these are the areas with the highest level of infection. To call protests right now when what we want is to avoid this seems absolutely irresponsible," he told Cadena Ser radio. However, Madrid regional health chief Enrique Ruiz Escudero said if these measures did not reduce coronavirus cases, a city-wide lockdown could follow. "If it is necessary to shut down Madrid, we will do it," he said in an interview with ABC newspaper published on Sunday. Spain has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in western Europe, but Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez ruled out a second national lockdown in an interview with La Sexta TV on Saturday. Some 640,040 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in Spain, health authorities said on Friday, with a rise of 4,697 in the past 24 hours. Nearly 30,500 people have died. (Reporting by Graham Keeley; Additional reporting by Julien Hennequin and Javier Barbancho; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky, Jan Harvey and Diane Craft) Teagasc is hosting a Virtual Sheep Week from 21 25 September to provide all the latest research and advice available to sheep producers around Ireland. Full details of what is happening each day are available at www.teagasc.ie/virtualsheepweek. Daily updates showcasing the on-going research and advisory work in the areas of grassland, genetic improvement, flock health, hill sheep, as well as information on environmental and policy issues will be provided on multiple online platforms. Each day from 7pm to 8pm there will be a live webinar - Live@Athenry - focusing on the topic of the day. Visit Teagasc Facebook or www.teagasc.ie/virtual sheepweek each evening to watch. Each day is themed as follows: Monday Grassland Management Tuesday Genetics and Breeding Wednesday Hill sheep and store lambs Thursday - Flock Health Friday Policy and Environment. Professor Michael Diskin, Teagasc sheep enterprise leader, said: The best technical information to assist sheep producers with their farming enterprise will be covered. We will look at how good grassland management can supply high quality digestible pastures to the grazing ewe and her lambs. We will explore how improving genetics can improve the performance of the animals in the flock. In addition to the one hour Live@Athenry online event each evening, there will be regular updates throughout each day on Teagasc Social Media channels. Follow the weeks activities with #VirtualSheepWeek on Teagasc social media channels Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and Instagram to see the research outputs and the latest advice from the Teagasc sheep programme in Athenry. This Virtual Sheep Week is highly relevant to all sheep producers. NEW DELHI: India on Sunday provided $250 million worth in financial assistance, as budgetary support, to the Maldives to help the country tackle economic hardship that followed the coronavirus pandemic. The ceremony was held on Sunday at the ministry of foreign affairs of Maldives, a statement from the Indian mission in Maldives said. Foreign minister Abdulla Shahid, finance minister Ibrahim Ameer, high commissioner Sunjay Sudhir and the head of State Bank of India (SBI) Male, Bharat Mishra, were those who took part in the handover ceremony. The funds have been made available to the Maldives in response to a request by Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih during a recent telephone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The assistance is being provided under the most favourable terms possible to the Government of Maldives," the Indian mission statement said. It is to be made available through aTreasury Bond sale to the State Bank of India (SBI), Male, which has a tenure of 10 years for repayment. The budgetary support of $ 250 million is extended without conditions; the Government of Maldives is at liberty to use the money in repairing the domestic economic situation in line with its own priorities. Secondly, the financial assistance is being routed through SBI, Male so that it does not reflect in the external borrowings of the Maldives," the Indian statement said. Since the principal payment is due only at the end of 10 years, it will not put any immediate debt servicing liability other than bi-annual interest payment. Maldives is the only country to which India has provided such assistance," it added. That India would extend the financial assistance to the Maldives was confirmed by Indian foriegn minister S Jaishankar. It is part of a concerted effort by India to ensure help to the Maldives following the outbreak of the pandemic earlier this year which has taken it toll on the movement of people across borders especially for business and tourism purposes. Tourism is a major source of revenue for the Maldivian government. Indias moves comes as part of its Neighbourhood First" approach which accords importance in foriegn policy to its neighbouring states in South Asia. The moves are also aimed at ensuring the atoll nation sitting astride some of the worlds busiest shipping lanes and one of its closest neighbours in the Indian Ocean region doesnt gravitate towards New Delhis strategic rival China. Since the pandemic spread, India has despatched a team of doctors and specialists to the atoll nation, donated two consignments of essential medicines and another of food aid including foodgrains and onions in April- May. "In addition, India continuously lifted export restrictions on medical consumables, respiratory apparatus, and testing kits and reagents throughout the pandemic to assist Maldives in its battle against Covid-19. India also maintained the supply of essential commodities to the Maldives despite global trade disruptions," the mission statement said. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. LOS ANGELES - The destruction wrought by a wind-driven wildfire in the mountains northeast of Los Angeles approached 156 square miles (404 square kilometres) Sunday, burning structures, homes and a nature centre in a famed Southern California wildlife sanctuary in foothill desert communities. The blaze, known as the Bobcat Fire, is expected to grow through Sunday and Monday as critical fire weather conditions continued due to gusty wind and low humidity. Additional evacuation warnings were issued Sunday afternoon. Firefighters were, however, able to defend Mount Wilson this weekend, which overlooks greater Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Mountains and has a historic observatory founded more than a century ago and numerous broadcast antennas serving Southern California. The Bobcat Fire started Sept. 6 and has already doubled in size over the last week becoming one of Los Angeles Countys largest wildfires in history, according to the Los Angeles Times. No injuries have been reported. The blaze is 15% contained as teams attempt to determine the scope of the destruction in the area about 50 miles (80 kilometres) northeast of downtown LA. Thousands of residents in the foothill communities of the Antelope Valley were ordered to evacuate Saturday as winds pushed the flames into Juniper Hills. Roland Pagan watched his Juniper Hills house burn through binoculars as he stood on a nearby hill, according to the Los Angeles Times . The ferocity of this fire was shocking, Pagan, 80, told the newspaper. It burned my house alive in just 20 minutes. Resident Perry Chamberlain evacuated initially but returned to extinguish a fire inside his storage container, according to the Southern California News Group, and ended up helping others put out a small fire in their horse stall. Chamberlain said Juniper Hills had been like a majestic sylvan forest but the fire burned the Juniper and sage brush and a variety of trees. It used to be Juniper Hills, he said. Now its just Hills. The wildfire also destroyed the nature centre at Devils Punchbowl Natural Area, a geological wonder that attracts some 130,000 visitors per year. Though the Bobcat Fire neared the high desert community of Valyermo, a Benedictine monastery there appeared to have escaped major damage, according to the Los Angeles Times. Statewide, nearly 19,000 firefighters continue to fight more than two dozen major wildfires. More than 7,900 wildfires have burned more than 5,468 square miles (14,164 square kilometres) in California this year, including many since a mid-August barrage of dry lightning ignited parched vegetation. Meanwhile, officials were investigating the death of a firefighter on the lines of another Southern California wildfire that erupted earlier this month from a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used by a couple to reveal their babys gender. The death occurred Thursday in San Bernardino National Forest as crews battled the El Dorado Fire about 75 miles (120 kilometres) east of Los Angeles, the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement. The name of the firefighter killed has not yet been released. A statement from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said it was the 26th death involving wildfires besieging the state. Authorities also have not released the identities of the couple, who could face criminal charges and be held liable for the cost of fighting the fire. In Wyoming, a rapidly growing wildfire in the southeastern part of the state was closing in on a reservoir thats a major source of water for the capital city, Cheyenne. The water system remained safe and able to filter out ash and other burned material that flows through streams and reservoirs after wildfires, said Clint Bassett, water treatment manager for the Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities. ___ Associated Press Writer Mead Gruver in Fort Collins, Colorado, contributed to this report. The TikTok app is displayed in the App Store on an Apple iPhone in Washington, on Aug. 7, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) TikTok Staves Off Ban After Trump Gives Nod to Partnership Deal President Donald Trump approved a partnership deal in principle that would allow TikTok to operate in the United States, even though it appeared to conflict with his initial order for Chinas ByteDance to divest the video app. I have given the deal my blessing, Trump told reporters at the White House on Sept. 20 before departing for a campaign rally in North Carolina. I approved the deal in concept. Under the agreement, ByteDance, TikToks Beijing-based parent company, will create a new company headquartered in the United States to operate the popular video sharing app, with the promise of bringing 25,000 job opportunities. The new company is planning a U.S. initial public offering within a year. Conceptually, I think its a great deal for America, Trump said, adding that the new structure will most likely be incorporated in Texas. Trump signed an executive order on Aug. 14 giving ByteDance 90 days to sell TikTok. The deal announced on Saturday, however, is structured as a partnership rather than a divestment. The plan would see Oracle and Walmart holding a 12.5 percent and 7.5 percent stake respectively in TikTok Global. It would consist of four Americans out of five board members, the companies said in a statement. ByteDance will reportedly still hold an 80 percent ownership of the company. Given that U.S. investors own around 40 percent of Bytedance, the new company could be described as majority American owned, an unnamed source told Reuters. It was not immediately clear what had caused the White House compromise, but terms in the proposed partnership deal, such as the job creation, would appeal to Trumps America First policy. The Trump campaign also likely wants to avoid turning away the largely young user base that TikTok has garnered ahead of the November election. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a government agency tasked with scrutinizing foreign transactions for national security concerns, will need to review before the deal can go through. The agreement will make Oracle the trusted cloud and technology provider responsible for fully securing our users data, TikTok said in a statement. TikTok Global, according to Oracles CEO Larry Ellison, will run on Oracles new Generation 2 Cloud infrastructure, which he claimed would be much faster, more reliable, and more secure than the first generation technology currently offered by all the other major cloud providers. We are a hundred percent confident in our ability to deliver a highly secure environment to TikTok and ensure data privacy to TikToks American users, and users throughout the world, Ellison said in a statement. TikTok Global is also creating an education initiative to set up an AI-driven online video curriculum that ranges from basic reading to math, science, and computer engineering to teach American children, according to Walmart. Trump on Saturday said they will set up a very large fund for the education of American youth, with a $5 billion contribution from the TikTok deal. Thats their contribution that Ive been asking for, Trump said. ByteDance, acknowledging plans for the online classroom projects, disputed the funding amount later in a post on Toutiao, an AI-powered news aggregator owned by the company. A woman walks past the headquarters of ByteDance, the parent company of video sharing app TikTok, in Beijing on Sept. 16, 2020. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images) To clarify, we also just heard from news about the $5 billion education funding from news, it said. The Walmart statement mentioned TikTok Global will pay more than 5 billion in new tax dollars to the U.S. Treasury, without going into details. In early August, Trump issued another executive order barring U.S. transactions with TikTok from Sept. 20, citing national security. The order said the apps Chinese ties could threaten to give Chinese regime access to millions of U.S. users data, potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage. Acting on the order, the Commerce Department on Friday issued rules banning U.S. app stores from carrying TikTok from late Sunday, but later postponed this start date for one week due to Trump green-lighting the deal. Over time, the rats also acquire the ability to dig lizards out of their hiding places amid rocks and logs, and eat them. They develop an improved agility at tree climbing, and eat eggs from birds nests up there, too. Now you might as well call the place Rat Island. For the rats, this is a tale of evolutionary success. If the remote island of habitat is a human being newly colonized by a virus from a nonhuman animal, we call that virus a zoonosis. The resulting infection is a zoonotic disease. More than 60 percent of human infectious diseases, including Covid-19, fall into this category of zoonoses that have succeeded. Some zoonotic diseases are caused by bacteria (such as the bacillus responsible for bubonic plague) or other kinds of pathogen, but most are viral. Viruses have no malice against us. They have no purposes, no schemes. They follow the same simple Darwinian imperatives as do rats or any other creature driven by a genome: to extend themselves as much as possible in abundance, in geographical space and in time. Their primal instinct is to do just what God commanded to his newly created humans in Genesis 1:28: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it. For an obscure virus, abiding within its reservoir host a bat or a monkey in some remote region of Asia or Africa, or maybe a mouse in the American Southwest spilling over into humans offers the opportunity to comply. Not every successful virus will subdue the planet, but some go a fair way toward subduing at least humans. This is how the AIDS pandemic happened. A chimpanzee virus now known as SIVcpz passed from a single chimp into a single human, possibly by blood contact during mortal combat, and took hold in the human. Molecular evidence developed by two teams of scientists, one led by Dr. Beatrice H. Hahn, the other by Michael Worobey, tells us that this most likely happened more than a century ago, in the southeastern corner of Cameroon, in Central Africa, and that the virus took decades to attain proficiency at human-to-human transmission. By 1960 that virus had traveled downriver to big cities such as Leopoldville (now Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo); then it spread to the Americas and burst into notice in the early 1980s. Now we call it H.I.V.-1 group M: Its the pandemic strain, accounting for most of the 71 million known human infections to date. Chimpanzees were a species in decline, alas, because of habitat loss and killing by humans; humans were a species in ascendance. The SIVcpz virus reversed its own evolutionary prospects by getting into us and adapting well to the new host. It jumped from a sinking lifeboat onto a luxury cruise ship. KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Tens of thousands of Belarusians calling for the authoritarian president to resign marched through the capital Sunday as the countrys wave of protests entered its seventh week. Hundreds of soldiers blocked off the center of Minsk, deploying water cannons and armored personnel carriers and erecting barbed wire barriers. Protests also took place in several other cities, including Brest and Grodno. The crowd in Minsk included about 100,000 people, said Ales Bialiatski, head of the Viasna human rights organization. He said dozens of demonstrators were arrested in Minsk and Grodno. Protests began Aug. 9 after an election that official results say gave President Alexander Lukashenko a sixth term in office; opponents and some poll workers say the results were manipulated. Lukashenko, who has repressed opposition and independent news media during 26 years in power, has rejected suggestions of dialogue with the protesters. Many members of the Coordination Council that was formed by the opposition to push for a transition of power have been arrested or have fled the country. The Minsk demonstrators carried the red-and-white flags that were independent Belarus' national standard before being replaced in 1995, early in Lukashenko's tenure. Some bore placards depicting Lukashenko as a mustachioed cockroach. Although protests have taken place daily since the election, the Sunday gatherings in Minsk have been by far the largest, attracting crowds of as many as 200,000 people. Every Sunday, you are showing yourselves and the world that the Belarusian people are the power, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who was Lukashenko's main election opponent, said in a video message from Lithuania, where she is in exile. The marchers also carried portraits of Maria Kolsenikova, a top opposition figure who has been jailed for two weeks and is facing charges of undermining state security that could bring a five-year prison term. Kolesnikova has said security forces drove her to the border with Ukraine to try to make her leave the country, but that she tore up her passport so she couldn't cross the border. Story continues In a statement relayed by her lawyer on Sunday, Kolsenikova urged protesters to continue. Freedom is worth fighting for. Do not be afraid to be free," she said. I do not regret anything and would do the same again. Also Sunday, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Olga Chemodanova said an investigation has been opened into the release by hackers of the personal information of more than 1,000 employees of the ministry, which runs the police forces. ___ Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed to this report. This February, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg reached the halfway mark of an unprecedented Supreme Court term, staring down what would be a momentous spring and what turned out to be the final months of her life. Behind closed doors, the justices had already cast preliminary votes on disputes concerning immigration, LGBTQ rights and the Second Amendment and they had voted to add even more blockbuster cases to an already bursting docket on issues related to abortion, Obamacare and President Donald Trumps tax returns. Unbeknownst to the public, however, Ginsburg was battling another front. On the cusp of her 87th birthday, routine health scans in February revealed a recurrence of cancer with new lesions on her liver. Departing from her usual practice of transparency on medical issues, Ginsburg, one of the most important women in the United States, decided to withhold the news from the public while her doctors settled on a treatment plan. She only disclosed the diagnosis some five months later, after the term was over. Ginsburg made a choice. Instead of turning the publics attention to her precarious health, she focused on the battle for her legacy. At key moments as her health challenges intersected with the courts work, she dove in to fight for issues that have defined her career in areas such as abortion, voting rights, the death penalty and womens preventive health. Liberals were surprised and relieved to find themselves on the winning side of some critical cases that conventional wisdom predicted would be losses. The wins came as Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the left side of the bench. But arguably, Ginsburgs experience and seniority helped shape the reasoning from the bench and behind closed doors in a way that a younger, less experienced justice may not have. At the same time, even some of biggest Notorious R.B.G." fans were frustrated when she did not retire during the previous Democratic administration. There were those who were disappointed she didnt step down so that President Obama could fill her seat with a progressive jurist likely to serve for several more decades," Elizabeth Wydra, president of the liberal Constitutional Accountability Center, said earlier this summer. But Ginsburg is a fighter, and knows she can do her job on the court as no one else can at this moment." The diagnosis represented Ginsburgs fifth bout of cancer, and as CNNs Joan Biskupic reported, some, but not all of the justices were aware of the diagnoses last term. Since 1999, she has battled the disease in the colon, lung, pancreas and the liver. Last August, just before the term began, she announced, for example, that she had completed a three-week course of radiation therapy to treat pancreatic cancer. Although she did cancel her annual summer visit to Santa Fe, she embarked on a speaking tour of sorts. At one event sponsored by the Library of Congress in August 2019, she revealed that during her bouts with cancer she has often turned to work to distract from her health. I love my job," Ginsburg said. Its kept me going through four cancer bouts." Instead of concentrating on my aches and pains, I just know that I have to read this set of briefs, go over the draft opinion," she said. Abortion case arguments On the bench, after her cancer diagnosis, Ginsburg was her usual self. For more than an hour during oral arguments on March 4, Ginsburg attacked a Louisiana abortion law that required doctors to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. Lawyers for the state and the Trump administration urged the justices to allow the law saying it was necessary to protect public safety. Doctors and clinics argued that it would close all the clinics in the state except for one. Ginsburg repeatedly pressed her perspective, dissecting each point brought up by supporters of the law. She noted that most abortions dont have any complications" and she said that if a complication were to occur it would happen once the woman returned home, perhaps nowhere near the clinic. She all but said that the law was medically unnecessary. There was a reason she was zeroing in on that point. Just four years prior she had voted to strike down an identical law out of Texas. Back then Justice Anthony Kennedy was still on the bench and he sided with the liberals in a 5-3 decision to deliver a victory for supporters of abortion rights. Like many, Ginsburg probably wondered if Roberts would be uncomfortable with the court radically changing its position just because the courts composition had changed. Ultimately, Roberts cast his vote with the liberals to strike down the law. He based his decision on how the court had ruled in 2016 in the Texas case. The Louisiana law imposes a burden on access to abortion just as severe as that imposed by the Texas law, for the same reasons," Roberts said. Ginsburgs side had pulled off an unexpected victory. Voting rights and Covid-19 By April 6, the Supreme Court was faced with an emergency petition concerning voting rights in Wisconsin as the pandemic raced across the country. At issue was a lower court order that extended the deadline for absentee ballots to allow them to be postmarked after elections on April 7. The court split bitterly 5-4 on the issue. In an unsigned order, the majority held in part that when the lower court extended the date by which ballots could be cast, it altered election rules too close to the election. Ginsburg unleashed her fury in a dissent joined by the other liberals on the court, echoing a voting rights dissent she penned in 2013. In that 5-4 case, Shelby County v. Holder, the court gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. Ginsburg furiously wrote in dissent that doing away with that section of the law was like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet." This time, she noted that Covid-19 had become a public health crisis and gathering at polling places posed dire health risks." She said that she didnt doubt the good faith" of her colleagues, but that the courts order would result in massive disenfranchisement." The Courts suggestion that the current situation is not substantially different from an ordinary election boggles the mind," she said. Obamacare contraceptive mandate Much had changed by May. Covid-19 had closed the courthouse doors to the public and the court was hearing unprecedented arguments over the telephone broadcast live to the public for the first time ever. On May 4 Ginsburg participated in oral arguments in a patent case and then traveled to a local hospital for outpatient tests that confirmed she was suffering from a gall bladder infection. The next day she participated in arguments again, but by that afternoon she was admitted to a Baltimore hospital to undergo treatment for what the court called a benign gallbladder condition." There was no mention of cancer. But the hospital visit did not stop her from participating in oral arguments the next day from her hospital bed. The court was hearing one of most important cases of the term: Trumps attempt to broaden exemptions to Obamacares controversial contraceptive mandate that requires employer provided health insurance plans to cover birth control as a preventive service. Critics said Trump was attempting to weaken the mandate by offering exemptions to more people who had religious and moral objections. To be sure, Ginsburgs voice from the hospital room sounded weak. But she pressed hard on the issue. This leaves the women to hunt for other government programs that might cover them," she told Solicitor General Noel Francisco. You have just tossed entirely to the wind what Congress thought was essential, that is that women be provided these services with no hassles, not cost to them," Ginsburg added. When the court ultimately ruled in favor of Trump, Ginsburg, joined by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, dissented. Today, for the first time, the Court casts totally aside countervailing rights and interests in its zeal to secure religious rights to the nth degree," she wrote. She noted that by the governments own numbers between 70,500 and 126,400 women would immediately lose access to no-cost contraceptive services." An endless term Even after the courts 2019-20 term wrapped up, the justices were still battling over emergency petitions related to the federal governments decision to reinstate the death penalty after 17 years. At 2:10 a.m. on July 14, the court issued a 5-4 order that cleared the way for the execution of federal inmate Daniel Lewis Lee. Ginsburg voted in dissent. Like Breyer, Ginsburg believes the court should take a big step and revisit the constitutionality of the death penalty which she thinks is applied arbitrarily. Hours later, the courts public information officer released a statement saying that Ginsburg had been admitted to the hospital in Baltimore for treatment of a possible infection." It hadnt stopped her from voting in the case. By the time the court gavelled out in July, Ginsburg finally told the public that she was on a new bi-weekly chemotherapy regime to keep her cancer at bay. In her statement, she put to paper what she has said at various speaking engagements: she would do the job as long as she could do it full steam. I remain fully able to do that," she said. Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar basks in his Tour de France success with his UAE Emirates team-mates Slovenian rookie Tadej Pogacar won the Tour de France on Sunday, riding triumphantly into Paris in the race leader's yellow jersey at just 21 years old. Pogacar became the Tour's youngest champion since 1904 as Ireland's Sam Bennett won the 21st and final stage after the eight-lap dash around the iconic Champs-Elysees to clinch the green sprint points jersey. The Tour will forever be remembered for a dramatic last-gasp turnaround as Pogacar grabbed the overall lead when his rival Primoz Roglic suffered a mountainside meltdown on the penultimate day. This storied edition of the century-old race packed with thrills and spills will be equally recalled for outsprinting the dark shadow of Covid-19. Starting two months late due to the global pandemic, the race set off under strict health guidelines in Nice with doubts it would make it all the way to Paris. But after 3,400km of intense racing the 146 remaining riders embarked Sunday for a parade of the winners until the hotly-disputed sprint in Paris. The race was a triumph of organisation after the French president gave them the green light to belatedly stage the event, although just 5,000 fans lined Sunday's finish due to the health protocol. dmc/mw Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 13:07:06|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SHANGHAI, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai reported four imported COVID-19 cases and no domestically transmitted cases on Saturday, the municipal health commission said Sunday. The four cases were two Chinese nationals, one Brazilian, and one French. All the cases have been sent to designated medical institutions for treatment. A total of 174 people in close contact with the confirmed patients on the flights have been put under quarantine. The municipal health commission said a total of 630 imported cases had been reported in Shanghai by Saturday. Among them, 581 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery, and 49 were still receiving treatment in hospital with one in critical condition. By Saturday, the municipality had reported 342 locally transmitted confirmed cases, including seven deaths. Enditem DIEPPE, N.B.The Canadian Red Cross says dozens of tenants have been displaced by a fire that heavily damaged a 40-unit apartment building in Dieppe, New Brunswick. It says the fire in the four-storey building on Gauvin Road broke out late Saturday night. A large section of the roof and top level of the building were reportedly destroyed, with significant smoke and water damage elsewhere. No injuries were reported, but the Red Cross says in a release that volunteers spent much of the night arranging emergency lodging and food for 53 people. Additional support is also expected for at least some tenants with purchases of clothing and other essentials. The agency says a number of other tenants are now staying with relatives or friends. Read more about: The woman , who hails from Cross River State , was said to be homeless, but personnel from Lagos State Ambulance Services from Eti-Osa, were said to have come to her rescue. The baby, mother and emergency workers. Ms Blessing Emmanuel, a 35-year-old woman, on Saturday, fell into labour and was delivered of a baby boy under the flyover bridge in Ajah area of Lagos State, Vanguard reports. The incident occurred at about 4.30p.m. The woman, who hails from Cross River State, was said to be homeless, but personnel from Lagos State Ambulance Services from Eti-Osa, were said to have come to her rescue. Both mother and baby were said to be fine, and have been taken to Island Maternity. Confirming the incident, Director-General, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, appreciated the Ambulance Servicess intervention, adding that mother and child were responding fine to treatment. Infinix' Note 8 has emerged in recent leaks as a potential Redmi 9 (or Poco M2) challenger. Both phones have the same Helio G80 processor, although the latter's brand is better established. However, the newer prospect has just been approved by the FCC, revealing that it has quad rear cameras and a sizeable battery. Working For Notebookcheck Are you a techie who knows how to write? Then join our Team! English native speakers welcome! News Writer (AUS/NZL based) - Details here The emerging smartphone OEM Tecno has been rumored to have a device that may take on cost-effectiveness champions such as the Redmi 9 in the works. This device, apparently to be sold under the company's Infinix brand and be called the Note 8, was detected as running the MediaTek Helio G80 SoC on Geekbench 5. Now, a new entry on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may confirm these leaks. The body has approved an Infinix device called the X692 - the same model number implicated in the Geekbench results. Its new official documentation does not confirm its processor information, although it is now much more certain that it will be a 4G/LTE device. An obligatory rear-panel diagram also inadvertently reveals that it has an "AI Quad Camera" that is "designed by Infinix". This is apparent in some logos inscribed on its main camera module, which contains lenses in an upside-down L conformation. There is also another graphic that strongly hints at a 64MP resolution for one of them. The new FCC database entry drops additional juicy details about the upcoming new phone, including that it has at least 1 SKU with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, and is 6.89 inches in length: therefore, its display may be 6 inches across, at least. All in all, it seems that the Infinix Note 8 is indeed shaping up as a potential thorn in the side of Redmi (not to mention Poco). It may be very competitive in markets where better-known budget phone OEMs operate - depending on how Tecno intends to price it, obviously. On that note, this new contender in the making is thought to launch in Thailand and the US thus far. By PTI CHANDIGARH: Farmers in Haryana began their protest against the agriculture-related farm bills on Sunday amid elaborate security arrangements which have been made to ensure that the event passes off smoothly. The Bharatiya Kisan Union's Haryana unit, supported by some other farmer outfits, is holding a statewide protest against the Centre's farm bills during which protesters will block roads for three hours from 12 pm to 3 pm. The farmers are also joined by the 'arhitiyas' or commission agents during their protest. The Punjab Youth Congress, meanwhile, is also taking out a 'tractor rally' from Punjab to Delhi against the Centre's farm-related measures. The rally started from Mohali district in the morning and was moving on the national highway towards Ambala. However, the Haryana Police in Ambala had heavily barricaded the national highway and there was heavy police deployment on the Haryana-Punjab border, police department sources said. On his way to join the tractor rally, Indian Youth Congress president Srinivas B V said his party stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the farmers and dubbed the farm reforms as 'anti-farmers'. ALSO READ: Delhi Police deploys its personnel at border areas as precautionary measure Meanwhile, the Haryana government issued directions to ensure law and order, and minimise inconvenience to the people of the state during the protest from 12 noon to 3 pm on Sunday. Executive magistrates have been directed to remain stationed along with their police counterparts at all such places where congregation of protestors is anticipated. The Haryana Police was conducting patrolling of the national and state highways and important roads in various parts of the state, including Ambala, Kurukshetra, Sonipat, Jind, Sirsa, Fatehabad, Hisar and Bhiwani. Authorities said traffic will be diverted to alternative routes if the protest intensifies. Days after their passage in the Lok Sabha, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar introduced the Farmer's Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 in the Rajya Sabha. ALSO READ: Need assurance on minimum support price, demands Opposition in Rajya Sabha The bills are facing staunch opposition from farmer bodies as well as from within the ruling coalition. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the food processing minister from the Shiromani Akali Dal party, resigned from the government last week. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday had appealed for deferring the stir and invited the farmers for talks. Haryana BKU chief Gurnam Singh said the Centre did not withdraw the three agriculture-related ordinances and presented them as bills during the ongoing session of Parliament, which have been passed in the Lok Sabha and have now been tabled in the Rajya Sabha. On Saturday evening, he had said that the farmers would be holding a peaceful protest during which they would block the roads barring the GT road (national highway). On September 10, the BKU along with some other farmer outfits held a protest in Kurukshetra's Pipli against the farm ordinances. Khattar had asserted that the farm reforms were in the interest of farmers and claimed opposition was misleading them. The chief minister said those who are spreading confusion about the farm bills in such times "are the ones who are the real enemies of farmers and are just trying to serve their own political interests rather than having any concern about peasants". He also reiterated that the 'mandi' system and minimum support price (MSP) mechanism were here to stay. Time froze for girls and women across the nation Friday night as millions learned that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg the second woman in U.S. history to sit on the high court died of complications from pancreatic cancer. For many, it was the loss of a hero, an icon and a champion. Vanessa Cantley was at her son's first high school football game in Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday night when she got an alert on her phone. "My heart just stopped, and I started to cry, which was notable for me because I'm 43 years old, and I've never cried over the death of a public figure or a famous person somebody I didnt know personally," Cantley said. "I guess I always sort of had in the back of my mind that she might live forever because if anybody could do it, she could." Cantley organized a small vigil for Ginsburg on Saturday morning, where about 20 people talked about what Ginsburg's life meant to them. "I'm a practicing attorney and also a mother of two, so shes truly a trailblazer for me," Cantley said. USA TODAY spoke with girls and women about the impact of Ginsburg's life and work on their lives, and how her grit, intellect and compassion inspired them. Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Second woman on Supreme Court had been nation's leading litigator for women's rights Opinion: Ruth Bader Ginsburg's life and work propelled women's equality front and center 'A leader of all humanity , not just women ' People gather at the Supreme Court on the morning after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020 in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Once one of nine women in a law school class of 500, the nations preeminent litigator for womens rights founded the Womens Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union and argued six cases before the court on which she would one day sit, winning five. Ginsburg pursued a new legal strategy in gender discrimination cases, finding male plaintiffs to challenge laws that discriminated "on the basis of sex." As an associate justice, Ginsburg wrote the 7-1 ruling that opened the doors of the Virginia Military Institute to women. She voted with the majority to strike down state laws banning same-sex marriage and helped save President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act for the second time. She became the first justice in history to preside at a same-sex wedding ceremony. Story continues Melinda Ojermark, a recently retired global health expert in Washington, went to the Supreme Court building Saturday morning to pay her respects. She said Ginsburg's "brilliance, humility and tenacity were unparalleled." "She was a role model for women, but more important, also men have taken note and learned from her life and leadership," Ojermark said. "This morning, as I watched people paying their respect, there were many men among those. She was a leader of all humanity, not just women." Yvonne Joyner, 58, who lives outside Philadelphia and runs an art group in Brooklyn, New York, said she had been keeping up with news of Ginsburg receiving the Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center the night before her death. Joyner was coming from the grocery store with a bottle of wine for a night in when she saw the report on TV. "I just sat there, and some tears kind of fell, and I sat there in shock, thinking what's going to happen now? Not just politically but all the things she stood for that were so important. Who is going to embrace everybody now?" Joyner said. "It was too much. To be honest, I was kind of in shock." Joyner said she started a group chat with her daughters and stepson and planned a time for them all to talk. "Oddly enough, it was my stepson who proclaimed the loudest pain," Joyner said. "I think that she was standing up in that way goes to show the spectrum of people she's impacted. As a Black woman, it makes me say, no, we deserve equal rights across the board. We deserve the same rights white men get with the Constitution." As people gather at the Supreme Court on the day after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Rosio Marin of Washington, left, comforts a close friend who declined to give her name, as they mourn the loss of one of the court's liberal justices, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020 in Washington. 'Notorious RBG' : The pop culture icon For many, the diminutive woman was more than a judge on the nation's highest court; she was a pop culture phenomenon. Ginsburg took the stage at operas, was embodied in many a "Saturday Night Live" skit, was portrayed in the feature film "On the Basis of Sex" and featured in an Oscar-nominated 2018 documentary, "RBG," which included a scene of the justice lifting weights while wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with the words "super diva!" That documentary helped Nebraska native Kishahnica Rajendran, 25, express to her mother why she wants to pursue law. "My mom is from India, so she didn't really understand the law school process here," said Rajendran, who was studying for the bar when she heard of Ginsburg's death. "When she saw the documentary, how RBG did it, and what she went through in her life, it was a way my mom saw me. She was like, you can do that, too. She was smiling the biggest smile, and she was so proud that I was going into this profession. That's one moment I will always remember." Ginsburg's face adorns candles, clothing, mugs, pillows, totes, face masks and more. There are Ginsburg-inspired tattoos, jewelry lines, action figures and bobbleheads. In the wake of her death, "Notorious R.B.G." memes a play on the late rapper Notorious B.I.G. and photos of Ginsburg Halloween costumes, complete with "dissenting collar," robe, glasses, earrings and gavel, began to recirculate online. Novelist Donna Dechen Birdwell, who lives in Austin, Texas, joked she's "never been into hero worship," but "growing up in an era where there were very few women of high character and achievement whom I'd want to emulate, Justice Ginsburg was there. She was an anchor of hope for my daughter's future." This image released by Magnolia Pictures shows U.S. Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg in a scene from "RBG." Fighting through pain , standing up for health care access Several women said they would remember Ginsburg as someone who stood up for access to health care, fought through her own health struggles and inspired them to care for others. Barbara Wood, a clinical psychologist who practices in Bethesda, Maryland, said Ginsburg's life work and grit makes her want to give back. "To me, she is someone who battled every day to fulfill the highest ideals of our founders that we are all created equal and deserve equal treatment under the law," Wood said. "Her example will always inspire me to remember that each day, regardless of physical or emotional pain, I have the opportunity and obligation to contribute to the welfare of others." New York City resident Tati Chin, 26, who works in finance, said Ginsburg's rulings on women's reproductive rights were most important to her. In 2014, Ginsburg dissented in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, which determined that family-owned and other closely held companies cannot be forced to offer insurance coverage for certain birth control methods. "For me, it was just powerful because I have an IUD and am strongly propelled for reproductive rights for women, so her dissenting meant a lot to me at the time," Chin said. San Diego resident Sue Eng Ly, 29, said Ginsburg's example is what gave her the strength to file a Title XI suit against a man she said assaulted her in graduate school and to persevere through the process when she had doubts about "ruffling people's feathers." "You know how people pray to the rosary when terrible things happen? Id try to channel her strength," Ly said. "In a lot of ways, Justice Ginsburg, her fierce advocacy showed me, particularly as a woman of color, that I was worthy." Driving women into law Kaitlin Welborn, 34, who works for the ACLU of Alabama, said Ginsburg is the reason she went to law school and advocates for women's reproductive rights. Her cat's name is Ginsburg. "I think she has made me a better lawyer. I aim to always emulate everything that she has done," said Welborn, who wore a "Notorious RBG" T-shirt. "I admire the adversity that she went through and how she was able to keep her integrity and her values and still succeed. And that she was able to find a partner in life, Marty Ginsburg, who was an equal partner." Welborn recalled working at a college bookstore in 2007, making $2 less than her male counterpart, the year that Ginsburg dissented in Ledbetter v. Goodyear. The court ruled employers cannot be sued over race or gender pay discrimination if the claims are based on decisions made by the employer 180 days ago or more. Ginsburg urged Congress to right the courts wrong, and Congress passed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009. "That showed me that even when you lose, it is meaningful to make that stance that you might still win in the long run because youre laying the groundwork for the future," Welborn said. "Small wins make a difference. And the fact that you are doing it at all makes a difference for your clients, and the rest of women in America." Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks about her work and gender equality during a panel discussion at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. As a lawyer focusing on domestic violence law, Parisa Pirooz, 29, said Ginsburg's stamina as an outspoken woman, Jew, and Supreme Court justice gives her courage when she finds herself in difficult positions. "As someone who has to constantly be in that position to be in that fight, and when you see someone in that position, you know the pain and the strength and the amount of energy that that drains," Pirooz said. "To be in these spaces where you cant put your guard down at any moment, to exhibit that amount of strength consistently is difficult." Pirooz said she's seen a range of reactions from friends and colleagues to Ginsburg's death some critical of the justice's decisions. "I dont think it's fair to her legacy to expect that she always have the right opinions or answers to our societal issues," Pirooz said. "I think its conducive to our nations progression to celebrate give her credit where credit is due." Flowers are placed in front of the US Supreme Court on Sept. 19, 2020 to honor the life of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. An inspiration for all ages , to make a difference at all ages Women of all ages said Ginsburg had a profound impact on their lives. Katherine Nguyen, 27, a nurse in the Philadelphia area, said Ginsburg taught her you're never too young or too old to make a difference. "She fought for rights I take for granted and reap the benefits from and am still learning about," Nguyen said. "She was outspoken, passionate and remained politically active past a typical 'retirement' age." Lucy Stack, 10, said she was coming home from riding her bike Friday when she saw her mom crying in their Louisville home. She broke the news to Lucy. "I have a portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and then I have one of her most favorite quotes Someone asked her when there would be enough women on the court," Lucy said. "She said when there are nine because there are nine Supreme court justices." Lucy said the framed portrait and quote are on her wall of inspiring women in her bedroom. They drive her to pursue her dream of acting. "Last night, we were pretty sad," said Lucy's mother, Rachel Stack. "But she said to me, we just have to make sure that someday there are nine." Contributing: Patrick Ryan and Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY; Emma Austin, Louisville Courier Journal This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ruth Bader Ginsburg mourned by women, girls nationwide for legacy Union defence minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday refused to comment on the no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition against Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh. Addressing a press conference along with other Union ministers, Singh condemned the ruckus created in Parliament during the passage of the farm bills. This day will go down in history as 'black day'. The way these bills have been passed goes against democratic processes & amounts to killing democracy. 12 Opposition parties have moved a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Dy chairman: Congress MP Ahmed Patel pic.twitter.com/OKVSB97VNr ANI (@ANI) September 20, 2020 Replying to a question on what the next course of action will be as 12 Opposition parties have moved a no-confidence motion against the deputy chairman, the defence minister said, Notice has been given to the chairman. A decision will be taken by him. I dont want to say anything political. This is the prerogative of the chairman. Also Read | Defence minister Rajnath Singh says ruckus in Rajya Sabha taints image of Parliament in front of entire nation There has been a long debate over the bills. Even if I agree that the Opposition was not being heard, which I dont actually agree with, does it warrant that they will attack the deputy chairman? Does this justify damaging the microphone? the defence minister said. The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 were passed by the upper house of Parliament amid protests from the Opposition in Parliament, and farmers in several parts of the country. Also Read | Be assured, MSP will continue, says Rajnath Singh on farm bills On Sunday, Opposition MPs trooped into the well of the House protesting against the farm Bills. Some MPs broke the microphones on the chairmans desk; and were seen on camera tearing papers. Some MPs were caught on camera protesting near the chair. Also Read | After ruckus in Rajya Sabha, Venkaiah Naidu to take a call on unruly behaviour of MPs While Derek OBrien from the TMC was caught waving the rule book at the chair, AAPs Sanjay Singh was carried out by the marshals later. At least 12 Members of the Opposition later sat in protest in the House, after the proceedings were over Rajya Sabha deputy chairman should safeguard the democratic traditions but instead, his attitude today harmed the democratic traditions and processes. So we have decided to move a no-confidence motion against him, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Ahmed Patel said earlier. This day will go down in history as black day. The way these Bills have been passed goes against democratic processes and amounts to killing democracy. 12 Opposition parties have moved a no-confidence motion against the deputy chairman, the Congress leader said. In northern Los Angeles County, firefighters focused on protecting homes Saturday as increasingly erratic winds pushed the Bobcat Fire toward foothill communities in the Antelope Valley after churning all the way across the San Gabriel Mountains. An evacuation order was issued Saturday for all residents in that zone as the fire burned toward Wrightwood, a mountain community of 4,000, said fire spokesman Andrew Mitchell. Govt says laws make it easier for farmers to sell produce directly to big buyers, as opposition and farmers protest. Indias parliament has passed new bills the government says will make it easier for farmers to sell their produce directly to big buyers, despite growing protest from opposition parties and a longtime ally of the governing party. Opposition legislators raised slogans, tore documents and tried to grab the speakers microphone in the upper house of Indias parliament before two controversial bills were passed by a voice vote on Sunday. The passage of both the bills in parliament is indeed a landmark day for Indian agriculture, one of Prime Minister Narendra Modis senior cabinet ministers, Rajnath Singh, said on Twitter. But Indias main opposition Congress party criticised the government over the bills, calling them black law and pro-corporate. Rahul Gandhi, a top Congress leader, said in a tweet that Modi is making farmers slaves of the capitalists, which the country will never allow to succeed. Is this Democracy? Bills are passed amidst complete chaos, Opposition MPs are silenced, Vote division is not done, Rajya Sabha Procedure, hidden from the public Our democracy, our farmers, our Nation is under attack, we must protect it at all costs. #KisanVirodhiNarendraModi pic.twitter.com/jtBIkDdCDe Congress (@INCIndia) September 20, 2020 Modi has said the new laws will reform antiquated legislation and remove middlemen from the agriculture trade, allowing farmers to sell to institutional buyers and large retailers such as Walmart. The bills also make contract farming easier by providing a new set of rules. But Modis Minister of Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who comes from an alliance party, resigned on Thursday in protest, calling the bills anti-farmer. Badal is from a regional party with a strong base in the northern state of Punjab and believes the bills will increase farmer suffering in the breadbasket state. Her party believes the laws will destroy wholesale markets that ensure fair and timely payments to farmers and weaken the states farmers and the overall state economy. Opposition parties say the farmers bargaining power will be diminished by allowing retailers to have tighter control over them. Farmers protesting against PM Narendra Modi and federal Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar following the passing of farm bills, on the outskirts of Amritsar, Punjab [Narinder Nanu/AFP] Many farmer organisations have in recent days held street protests in Punjab and neighbouring Haryana states against the farm bills. Farmers in India, where agriculture supports more than half of the countrys 1.3 billion people, have seen their economic clout diminish over the last three decades. Once accounting for a third of Indias gross domestic product, farmers now account for only 15 percent of the countrys $2.9 trillion economy. Farmers frequently hold protests to demand better crop prices, more loan waivers and even water delivery systems to guarantee irrigation during dry spells. Sometimes they stage sit-ins or dump truckloads of vegetables onto highways to disrupt traffic. More than half of Indias farmers are in debt, with 20,638 killing themselves in 2018 and 2019, according to Indias National Crime Records Bureau. We will make sure that the government will have to step down on its knees before the farming community of this country, said Randeep Surjewala, a Congress party spokesman. It will be farmers on one side and big businesses on the other side. How will they fight? Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday described the passage of two farm sector bills as a "watershed moment" in the history of Indian agriculture, asserting that they will ensure a complete transformation of the farm sector and empower crores of farmers. In a series of tweets after Rajya Sabha passed the bills by voice vote amid din created by protesting opposition members, Modi said these proposed laws will liberate farmers from numerous adversities as he noted that peasants were for decades bound by various constraints and bullied by middlemen. He again assured farmers that the existing government support system for them will continue. Farmers in states like Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against these bills, with their leaders alleging that the legislations will dismantle the existing system and leave them to the mercy of corporate interests. Modi asserted, "I said it earlier and I say it once again: System of MSP will remain. Government procurement will continue. "We are here to serve our farmers. We will do everything possible to support them and ensure a better life for their coming generations." These bills will add impetus to the efforts to double income of farmers and ensure greater prosperity for them, he said. "Our agriculture sector is in desperate need of latest technology that assists the industrious farmers. Now, with the passage of the bills, our farmers will have easier access to futuristic technology that will boost production and yield better results. This is a welcome step," the prime minister said. The two bills were earlier passed by Lok Sabha. After they get the presidential assent, they will be notified as laws. "A watershed moment in the history of Indian agriculture! Congratulations to our hardworking farmers on the passage of key bills in Parliament, which will ensure a complete transformation of the agriculture sector as well as empower crores of farmers," Modi added in another tweet. It is a landmark day: Rajnath Singh Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailed the passage of two big ticket farm bills by Rajya Sabha on Sunday, calling it a "landmark day" for India's agriculture sector and farmers. While major opposition parties are against the bills, the government has been maintaining that the proposed legislations will help small and marginal farmers secure competitive prices for their produce. "With the passing of two landmark agriculture Bills in Rajya Sabha today, India has cemented the strong foundation for 'Atmanirbhar Agriculture'," the defence minister tweeted. "This is the result of endless dedication and determination of the Govt under the leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi," he added. "After the passage of these two legislators in Parliament, a new history of growth and development in the agricultural sector will be written," he said. He said the bills will not only strengthen India's food security, but will also prove to be a major effective step towards doubling the income of farmers. New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday (September 20, 2020) while addressing a conference on implementation of National Education Policy (NEP) in Jammu and Kashmir expressed that we should strive to make J&K a 'firdaus' (paradise) on Earth. President Kovind said that determined efforts should be made to make this paradise a hub of knowledge, innovation and learning by implementing NEP in letter and spirit. He appreciated the scholarly pursuits of the region and said, "My dream is to see Jammu and Kashmir emerge as a centre of knowledge, enterprise, innovation and skill development. These steps would make Jammu and Kashmir once again a Firdaus on the earth, a bright jewel on the crown of Mother India as it was referred to in the medieval age." My dream is to see Jammu and Kashmir emerge as a centre of knowledge, enterprise, innovation and skill development. President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) September 20, 2020 Let us strive together to make Jammu and Kashmir a Firdaus on the earth, a bright jewel on the crown of Mother India. President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) September 20, 2020 Talking about the rich heritage in the field of education inherited by Jammu and Kashmir, President Kovind said that it has been a centre of literature and learning since time immemorial. Jammu and Kashmir since time immemorial has been a centre of literature and learning, science and spirituality. President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) September 20, 2020 Citing the examples of Kalhanas Rajtarangini and the Mahayana Buddhism, the tenets of which were popular in Kashmir, he opined that history of Indias cultural traditions would remain incomplete without taking them into consideration. Kalhana, the great Kashmiri scholar and poet, in his masterpiece Rajatarangini had said, Learning, lofty homes, saffron, ice water and grapes: things that in heaven are difficult to find are common here. President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) September 20, 2020 Reiterating the importance of NEP, the President said that India has an unprecedented demographic dividend but it could be positively realized only if the young people constituting a substantial segment of the population become skilled, professionally competent, and above all educated in the real sense. Showing faith in the children of Jammu and Kashmir, he said that Jammu and Kashmir is a reservoir of extremely intelligent, talented and innovative children. He further added that the implementation of the education policy will produce students with ignited minds. Emphasizing on value-based education, President Kovind said that it is important to understand our tradition and rich cultural heritage which can be achieved only in our mother tongue. Live TV "It is this mother tongue that is being encouraged in the new education policy as it adheres to the cultural ethos of our country," stated President. He further observed that the three-language formula which is envisioned in this policy is of immense significance and could promote multilingualism as well as national unity but at the same time no language will be imposed on any state or union territory. President Kovind observed that the policy focuses on ensuring accessibility, equality, affordability, accountability and quality in education and encouraging skill development, experience-based learning and logical thinking. President Kovind addressed a Conference through a video message on implementation of National Education Policy in Jammu and Kashmir. Details: https://t.co/ITXYDeuzGO pic.twitter.com/e6T2xnH1Oz President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) September 20, 2020 Emphasizing on the principle of Atmanirbhar Bharat, he said that vocational education as emulated in the NEP 2020 will be helpful in achieving this goal. The President extended his greetings to the youth of Jammu and Kashmir to fulfil the objectives of this policy and a peaceful and prosperous future. The video conference was also attended by the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Vice-Chancellors of Universities and Principals of Colleges in Jammu and Kashmir. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 13:23:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAMASCUS, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian government on Saturday expressed support for the China-proposed Global Initiative on Data Security that aims to tackle issues emerging in the field of data security. In a statement carried by state news agency SANA, the Syrian foreign ministry said that in light of the information revolution, digital economy, and within the framework of keenness on data security, the Syrian government strongly backs the Chinese initiative on data security. The initiative, it said, will work on maintaining an open, secure, and stable supply chain, as well as oppose destroying essential infrastructure and misusing information technology for other countries. The ministry's statement further hailed the initiative as "an additional step taken by China towards a world dominated by equality in opportunities, justice, freedom and respect and protection of nations and ideas." The initiative deserves the support of all countries keen on the security of global data and the development of the digital economy, it added. On Sept. 8, China proposed its global initiative on data security to respond to new issues and challenges emerging in the field of data security and contribute to global digital governance. The proposal was made when Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the International Seminar on Global Digital Governance via video link. Wang said as the digital economy is thriving in China, the country has played a constructive role in multilateral discussions on data security including at the United Nations, the Group of 20, BRICS, and the ASEAN Regional Forum. "We look forward to the active participation of all parties," he said. According to Wang, the initiative is comprised of eight key points. He suggested that states should handle data security in a comprehensive, objective, and evidence-based manner, and maintain an open, secure, and stable supply chain of global information and communications technology products and services. Enditem Tripoli, Sep 20 : The Libyan Coast Guard has rescued 128 illegal immigrants off the country's western coast, authorities said. "The Coast and Ports Guard handed over to the Tripoli reception centre 128 illegal immigrants, who were on rubber boats (at sea)," Xinhua news agency quoted the Anti-Illegal Immigration Department as saying on Saturday. The rescued immigrants are African, Asian and Arab nationals, the Department said, adding that humanitarian assistance has been provided to them. Following the 2011 fall of former leader Mummar Gaddafi's government, Libya has been plagued by a state of insecurity and chaos that prompts thousands of illegal migrants to attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea towards Europe. According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 8,400 illegal migrants have been rescued and returned to Libya in 2020. Thousands of illegal immigrants, who were either rescued at sea or arrested by authorities, remain detained in overcrowded reception centres in Libya, despite repeated international calls to close them. Photo: The Canadian Press CMHC president Evan Siddall speaks to the Canadian Club of Toronto in Toronto on June 1, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette The national housing strategy will need new tools to move more quickly from ideas to finished projects during the COVID-19 pandemic, says the head of the federal housing agency. The Canada Housing and Mortgage Corp. is a key overseer of the decade-long national housing strategy, which includes tens of billions in federal and provincial funding and financing. It has been criticized for the slow turnaround time on some of its national housing strategy programs, including by smaller housing providers who have complained about the reams of paperwork needed to access them. Some of that is unavoidable, said CMHC president Evan Siddall, as lending federal money through the programs requires diligence. The federal government requires the agency to assess a project on factors like affordability, impact on greenhouse gas emissions, and accessibility, he said, and there is also a requirement to consult with provinces and territories. Siddall said the agency has cut turnaround times by one-third, and suggested that new tools could drive down that time further as the country looks to grow the supply of affordable housing. "We in government, what we do is we take these grand problems and we constrain them and in constraining them we actually slow things down, so we've got to find ways to speed them up," Siddall said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press. More help from the private sector is also needed, he said. "We don't have enough money as governments to deal with all this," Siddall said. And there is another element that is harder to define. "Just be more innovative, more aspirational, more experimental. Look at different ideas," he said. One example: The agency is looking at apps to help connect people who do not have adequate housing, with people who have space available. There could also be some new ideas coming from the top this week, as the Liberals are expected to include affordable housing in the throne speech when Parliament returns Wednesday. Among the possibilities is a rapid-housing program that would allow cities and housing providers to purchase distressed assets like hotels and motels where an owner is forced to sell for pandemic-related reasons. The CMHC has been looking at how that program could work, but Siddall would say only that it is the government's decision to make. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic has made housing affordability, which the federal agency had already made a priority, an even bigger issue. CMHC estimates about $1 billion worth of mortgage payments were deferred each month during the pandemic, and fewer people will get ahead on their payments this year than in 2019. The federal agency is striving to ensure everyone in Canada has a home they can afford and that meets their needs by 2030. "It's all about making sure people understand that housing affordability should be what we all care about. It's good for our country. It's good for an economy," Siddall said. He brushed off criticism that CMHC has a bias against home ownership, but he said there needs to be a limit to how far the agency will go to help people get into the market. "People who want to ease credit standards and push debt higher in order to buy houses are only lining their own pockets because they're not helping the people they're purporting to help," he said. "They're actually making houses more expensive. It's really simple economics." Farmers have started gathering at designated spots following a call to block national and state highways on Sunday to protest against three ordinances of the Union government they label as anti farmer. Most of the protesters are arriving at the venues on tractor trailers, motorcycles and cars ahead of the schedule beginning at 12 noon and likely to continue up to 3pm. Farmer leaders earlier marshalled protesters, asking them to assemble at the venues in large numbers. According to initial reports, farmer unions will focus on the northern districts of Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Ambala, Karnal and Kaithal with Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) president Gurnam Singh Charuni leading the agitation in Yamunanagar by blocking the NH344, near the Milk Majra toll plaza. Charuni has uploaded several video messages on social media urging farmers not to get misled by the government and join the protest. Fake news being spread: Charuni News is being spread that the national highways will not be blocked. This news is fake and I appeal to the farmers to block all national and state highways, besides Chandigarh-Delhi (NH-44), Charuni told his supporters in a video message on Sunday morning. However, according to reports received, farmers will not block NH44. Following instructions by the state home department the district administrations has also ensured heavy police deployment to allow traffic to move smoothly on highways. Arrangements made to divert traffic Talking to Hindustan Times, Yamunanagar superintendent of police Kamaldeep Goyal said, Our priority will be to convince the farmers and we will request them not to block the highways, but if they do so then we have made arrangements to divert traffic so that commuters do not face problems. Even as Kurukshetra remained a hot-spot for the farmers, the Haryana government faced flak for a lathicharge on protesters on September 10. Arrangements have been made this time round to ensure such incidents are not repeated, sources have said. Kurukshetra SP Astha Modi said seven points had been identified in the district where farmers were likely to hold protests and block traffic, but the district police had made elaborate arrangements to divert traffic and ensure that the agitation remained peaceful. We have also planed to divert traffic on NH44 from Pipli to avoid traffic jams as there were reports of protests by a political party in Ambala, Modi added. Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, meanwhile, appealed to farmers to not block the highways. He also invited farmer leaders for talks. In a statement issued late on Saturday night, Khattar said everyone had the right to express views, but maintaining peace in the state was also the prime duty of any government. He said the farm ordinances were entirely in the interest of farmers and it was unfortunate to see the opposition parties blatantly politicising the issue to achieve their vested interests. Farmer leaders, however, said they were not invited for talks. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON This story is part of an ongoing series The Road to a Vaccine that looks at Canadas quest to secure a COVID-19 vaccine amid the global pandemic, as well as the hurdles and history it faces to do so. Dozens of teams around the world are racing to find a vaccine for the coronavirus. They are trying different approaches to solve the same puzzle: how to teach the human immune system to fight off a virus that has left hundreds of thousands of people dead worldwide. Vaccines work by mimicking a virus or even just a piece of it to teach your body what the threat looks like. That way, when the virus comes knocking, your immune system is ready for a fight. Most of the potential vaccines currently being worked on use proteins, the tiny workhorses of the body, to mimic a particular part of the virus. Many are trying to mock the viruss distinctive spike proteins the pokey bits that give it its corona or crown because thats what the virus uses to bind to human cells. If you can mess with that, it loses its ability to infect. The current push for a COVID-19 vaccine, in terms of money and resources, could end up being a boon to the field in the years to come, observers say. There are several new technologies being tried that have been in the works for years but are only now getting the push into primetime. If we have to see silver linings on things, and to be honest, there arent that many with the COVID pandemic, one of those is that theres been a lot of effort put into these vaccine technologies, says Dr. Barry Pakes, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto Dalla Lana School of Public Health. There are a number of things that weve thought of but havent really tried before. And now, if were successful, I think its going to mean really good things. Listen to Alex Boyd discuss the road to a vaccine There are more than 100 vaccine candidates currently in the works. Its important to note that any vaccine will have to pass whats called a three-phased clinical test essentially three levels of human testing that get bigger as you go along before even being considered by Health Canada, which then has to sign off on any vaccine before it gets near Canadians. The vaccine candidates below include the four for which Canada has advance purchase agreements, one the government is in talks with, one that was supposed to test here but wont, as well as one thats getting a lot attention recently in China. Here are the different strategies that are at the foundation of seven potential vaccines that Canadians should be watching. The tried and true strategy The the protein subunit approach involves injecting a protein that mimics a piece of the virus in this case its spike protein. This is the same approach that led to the hepatitis B and HPV vaccines. There are advantages here. Because weve used protein subunit vaccines before, we know how to make, store and distribute them. But Dr. Lisa Barrett, a clinician scientist and viral immunologist at Dalhousie University in Halifax, adds there can be a downside, in that this is a very targeted strategy. Whereas other vaccines try to provoke an immune response that fights the virus on multiple fronts, this one is more of a one-trick pony. If the vaccine works, your body will learn to fight the spike protein. If it doesnt, it wont. When you have just a protein-based vaccine, its like youre taking one class in one grade, and that may be enough if its the right class. If its math class, youre going to do OK in the world. Who is trying it This strategy is being employed by a biotech company based in Maryland named Novavax. In late August, the company announced it was moving into Stage 2 clinical testing, in which its hoping to expand on age range of test subjects. Its looking to enrol 1,500 volunteers in the United States and Australia, with about half over the age of 60. While this is a protein-based vaccine, Barrett notes it uses an innovative technology to get that protein into the body, by using very tiny delivery vehicles called nanoparticles. Thats neat, in that it gets into certain parts of your immune system, and it presents that protein, that part of the virus, in a really effective way, she said. Canada has a purchase agreement for a maximum of 76 million doses of this vaccine. An as-yet untested strategy The mRNA strategy gets your cells to do some of the heavy lifting. Instead of injecting a whole protein, this vaccine uses snippets of messenger RNA, which are basically the instructions to build coronavirus proteins. Your cells are tricked into making their own pieces of the coronavirus, which your immune system then, in theory, learns to recognize and react to. This is a technology thats been in development for years but has yet to be approved for human use. Advocates say that turning your own cells into factories for coronavirus proteins has the potential to be faster and cheaper plus cells are already good at building proteins, so they do a lot of the work. While mRNA has been a research interest, it has never been licensed for human use. Barrett says theres been some hesitation around genetic material, such as DNA or mRNA, from something else into humans. Theres a lot of rules and technology and regulation around the approval of those kind of technologies, she said. But she says that all of the money and resources being put into vaccine development right now means that some of these innovative technologies are finally getting tested. Who is trying it Moderna, a biotechnology company based in Massachusetts, specializes in drugs made with mRNA. Its potential vaccine is called mRNA-1273. It was one of the very first companies to begin human testing. Since then, it has drawn attention to the issue of diversity in trials, slowing recruitment in order to get more at-risk people from diverse backgrounds. Moderna announced at the end of July that it was moving in Phase 3 testing, with a plan to enrol 30,000 participants in the United States. According to the New York Times, it, along with Pfizer, bowed to public pressure Thursday and released blueprints of its trial plans in a bid to try to earn some public trust. Canada has a purchase agreement for a maximum of 56 million doses Theres also New York-based Pfizer, one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world, which is teaming with a German biotech company called BioNTech. This partnership hopes to pair BioNTechs technology with Pfizers manufacturing and distribution might. Their vaccine candidate is called BNT162b2. On July 27, they announced they were moving into phase 2/3 testing. Theyre hoping to recruit 30,000 people, beginning in the U.S. but eventually expanding to 120 sites globally, including locations with significant transmission in order to better test the vaccine. Canada has a purchase agreement for a maximum of 20 million doses The trojan horse strategy Viral vector approaches use a protein, usually, the spike protein, wrapped up in another virus that has been neutralized. Often, its a pretty benign virus called an adenovirus, which is the class of viruses that causes things such as colds and pink eye. Your body, in theory, learns how to fight spike proteins, but also gets to brush up on general viral defence as well, thanks to the adenovirus. You ramp up the response to viruses in general, and educate the virus arm of your immune system without having to have a real infection, as Barrett puts it. The downside is your immune system can get distracted by the adenovirus. Since most of us have been exposed to them before, your immune system can sometimes be tricked into falling into an old defence. In rare cases, people might even have adverse reactions to the adenovirus. Thats why the safety of this is going to have to be tested really carefully, she said. Who is trying it Janssen Inc., the pharmaceutical arm of Johnson & Johnson, another industry giant, is working on such a virus, under the name Ad26.COV2-S. According to a statement from the company, it is preparing for the start of Phase 3 later in September. Canada has a purchase agreement for a maximum of 38 million doses. The Chinese company CanSino was, until recently working with Canadian researchers, is also an example of this time of vaccine. The head of the company told the Globe they were moving into Phase 3 last month. After China withheld approval for the company to ship samples of Ad5-nCoV to this country, Canadas National Research Council decided to cut bait and move on to other candidates, a move that researchers involved said likely set Canadas hunt for a vaccine back months. Canada has no purchase agreement for the candidate. The third trojan horse horse contender is a candidate being worked on by AstraZeneca, a British-Swedish pharmaceutical company, with Oxford University in Britain. According to the BBC, the team behind this candidate have considered applying for human challenge testing approval, which is otherwise known as deliberately infecting volunteers in a faster but very controversial way to test a vaccine. Its Phase 3 clinical trials were recently put on hold after a volunteer suffered a serious adverse event. Although some testing has now resumed in the U.S. it could put them behind. Canada does not have a purchase agreement, but Procurement Minister Anita Anand says there are talks taking place. Using coronavirus to defeat coronavirus This is one of the classic ways to make a vaccine, in which the actual coronavirus is used in the vaccine, but in a neutralized form. According to Barrett, its obviously important that the virus is well neutralized, but the benefit of doing this can be giving your body the ability to develop immune responses to multiple parts of the virus, rather than focusing on one, like the spike protein. But this method can sometimes distract your immune system as it rushes to do battle with multiple parts of the virus, rather than picking just one, like the spike protein. The downside is that it can again divert your immune system resources, if you will, to multiple different targets at the same time. And that can lessen the response or how long the response lasts sometimes, she said. Who is trying it Sinopharm, a state-owned pharmaceutical company in China, is using this method on a vaccine candidate. Currently it is in Phase 3 trials but it has also, according to Fortune, been approved for frontline workers in China and more recently, the United Arab Emirates. China reportedly deploying the vaccine before clinical trials had been completed, has raised some eyebrows about safety. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S.s top infectious disease specialist, has urged caution around untested vaccines. He told a congressional hearing in July that claims of having a vaccine ready to distribute before you do testing, I think, is problematic, at best. Canada has no purchase agreement with Sinopharm. Read more about: India's third Covid wave likely to peak on Jan 23, daily cases to stay below 4 lakh: IIT Kanpur scientist India logs over 3.17 lakh new Covid cases in last 24 hours; daily positivity rate up at 16.41 per cent India world's largest emitter of anthropogenic sulphur dioxide: Centre rejects report India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 20: The Environment Ministry on Saturday rejected the findings of a study which claimed that India is the world's largest emitter of anthropogenic sulphur dioxide (SO2) and informed the Rajya Sabha that 18 units for flue-gas desulphurization were installed in the country. Congress MP Ripun Bora had sought to know whether the government is aware that India is the largest emitter of anthropogenic sulphur dioxide from coal burning which causes air pollution. In his reply, Union Minister of State for Environment Babul Supriyo said, "No sir, it has been reported in one of the study of environmental NGO Greenpeace that India is the world's largest emitter of anthropogenic sulphur dioxide (SO2) and coal-based thermal power plants are the major contributors. Government facts do not agree to this." Policy reforms in coal sector: Govt to allow private sector participation He said the ministry, through its December 2015 notification, stipulated norms for emission of sulphur dioxide from thermal power plants apart from other pollutants. "There was no SO2 emission norms for coal-based thermal power pants prior to this notification and regulated through stipulating the height of discharge/emittance through fixing height of chimney," Supriyo said in a written response. Asked whether India has flue-gas desulphurization technology installed in coal plants that will help in reduction of air pollution, the minister said two of the commonly acceptable technology for flue-gas desulphurization of coal-based thermal power plants -- wet scrubbing in alkaline media and dry sorbent injection (DSI) -- are installed in India. "As on August 31, 2020, 16 units on wet scrubbing and two units on DSI technology are installed for de-sulphurisation of flue gas from coal-based thermal power plants," Supriyo said. According to the data, of the 16 wet-scrubbing units, eight are in Maharashtra, three in Gujarat, two each in Haryana and Tamil Nadu and one in Madhya Pradesh. The two DSI units are in Uttar Pradesh. In August last year, a study by environment NGO Greenpeace India had claimed that India is the world's largest emitter of anthropogenic sulphur dioxide, which is produced from coal burning, and greatly contributes to air pollution. The Greenpeace India has released an analysis of a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) data saying India has more than 15 per cent of all anthropogenic sulphur dioxide (SO2) hotspots in the world detected by the OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument) satellite. "The major SO2 emission hotspots in India are Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh, Neyveli and Chennai in Tamil Nadu, Talcher and Jharsuguda in Odisha, Korba in Chhattisgarh, Kutch in Gujarat, Ramagundam in Telangana and Chandrapur and Koradi in Maharashtra. "The vast majority of plants in India lack flue-gas desulfurization technology to reduce their air pollution," it had said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 20, 2020, 10:02 [IST] New Delhi: Ahead of the Union Budget FY 2018, the Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA) on Monday asked the government not to increase excise duty on tobacco in order to bring stability in farm prices of the crop. The non-profit organisation representing farmers across the states, including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Gujarat, appealed to Finance Minister Arun Jaitely, to avoid Ahead of the Union Budget FY 2018, the Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA) on Monday asked the government not to increase excise duty on tobacco in order to bring stability in farm prices of the crop. The non-profit organisation representing farmers across the states, including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Gujarat, appealed to Finance Minister Arun Jaitely, to avoid the onslaught of heavy taxation on legal cigarette industry and help bring stability in farm prices of tobacco. We are very disturbed because of the declining off-take from domestic manufacturers ... Regulatory overreach has created panic and strain on the FCV tobacco farmers in the country, FAIFA General Secretary Murali Babu said in a statement. The Indian tobacco exports are also sluggish and this has resulted in 22 per cent decline in returns to farmers, he added. Excessive increase in the excise duties on tobacco products, cumulative increase of 118 per cent since 2012/13, leading to 22 per cent has led to shrinkage in the legal cigarette volumes, FAIFA said. The steep increase in the excise duty has led to growth of the smuggling of cigarettes in the country due to the high tax arbitrage, it added. Any further tax increase on the already over-taxed legal tobacco industry will only accelerate the process of diversion of tobacco consumption into the illicit and the unorganised tobacco sector, with adverse consequences on revenue collection and the tobacco control objectives of the government and serious implications on farmer livelihood, it said. We are very disturbed because of the declining off-take from domestic manufacturers ... Regulatory overreach has created panic and strain on the FCV tobacco farmers in the country, FAIFA General Secretary Murali Babu said in a statement. The Indian tobacco exports are also sluggish and this has resulted in 22 per cent decline in returns to farmers, he added. Excessive increase in the excise duties on tobacco products, cumulative increase of 118 per cent since 2012/13, leading to 22 per cent has led to shrinkage in the legal cigarette volumes, FAIFA said. The steep increase in the excise duty has led to growth of the smuggling of cigarettes in the country due to the high tax arbitrage, it added. Any further tax increase on the already over-taxed legal tobacco industry will only accelerate the process of diversion of tobacco consumption into the illicit and the unorganised tobacco sector, with adverse consequences on revenue collection and the tobacco control objectives of the government and serious implications on farmer livelihood, it said. For all the Latest Business News, Economy News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. President Akufo-Addo will address the nation a 8pm tonight on new measures taken by the country in the fight against COVID-19. This will be his 17th national address on the subject since Ghana recorded its first two cases of the virus in March 2020. In his previous address, President Akufo-Addo announced the reopening of Ghana air borders. President Akufo-Addo in reopening the air borders said, I am glad to announce that the Kotoka International Airport will resume operations on Tuesday, September 1, 2020. This has been communicated to all international airlines. Expectations are that more of the COVID-19 induced restrictions will be lifted as the number of active cases in the country continues to drop astronomically. As of September 20, 2020, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Ghana has reduced to 499, according to the latest figures released by the Ghana Health Service . Ghana has from March 2020 to September 20 recorded a cumulative figure of 45,877 with 45,081 recoveries and 297 deaths. citinewsroom President Donald Trump averted a ban on downloads and upgrades for American users of TikTok that was scheduled to go into effect on Sunday, saying he has given his blessing to a tentative deal in which US companies Oracle and Walmart will acquire a minority stake in the Chinese video-sharing app. I can say that I have given the deal my blessing, Trump told reporters announcing the deal, adding that he had approved the deal in concept. Oracle and Walmart will acquire 12.5% and 7.5% respectively in a new company, which will be incorporated possibly in Texas and will be called TikTok Global. ByteDance, the Chinese parent company will continue, to hold a stake in the new entity. But Oracle and Walmart said in a joint statement that the new entity will be majority-owned by American investors. Four American companies already own 60% of ByteDance. TikTok Global will be an independent American company, headquartered in the US, with four Americans out of the five-member Board of Directors, the companies added in their statement. The new entity will create more than 25,000 new jobs in the US and will pay more than $5 billion in new tax dollars to the US treasury, which, Trump said, will go towards funding education. Were going to be setting up a very large fund toward the education of American youth. TikTok said it was pleased to confirm a deal had been reached to resolve the Trump administrations security concerns and settles questions around TikToks future in the US. TikTok faced a ban on new downloads and upgrades for American users from Sunday night, along with WeChat, another Chinese social media app. The restriction on TikTok were extended by the commerce department, but the ban on downloads of WeChat and financial transactions will go into effect as scheduled. The Trump administration has said these Chinese companies pose a national security threat for the US. It argued that the Chinese government has access to data collected on American users and could use them to potentially track the locations of federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage. With the new entity, data on Americans will be stored locally. All the TikTok technology will be in possession of TikTok Global, and comply with US laws and privacy regulations. Data privacy for 100 million American TikTok users will be quickly established by moving all American data to Oracles Generation 2 Cloud data centres, the most secure cloud data centres in the world, Oracle and Walmart said in their joint statement. The Covid-19 pandemic is proving to be a good cover for the governments narrative on a failed Air India selloff. While we are continuously assured of multiple bidders being in the fray for buying out this loss-maker, the government has been postponing the selloff date month after month. Now, a raging pandemic and resultant disinterest among potential bidders is being cited to push deadlines further. The AI disinvestment saga began more than two years ago, with the government asserting then that there were multiple interested bidders and that this bold decision to offload AI could have only been possible in the Narendra Modi regime. At that time, the bid conditions made it clear that the government would continue holding a minority stake in the airline and also pass on all the debt to the incoming owner. The sale eventually bombed, not a single bidder came forward due to these restrictive conditions. Early this year, the process of selling off AI was restarted with amended terms. These included hiving off a considerable portion of the airlines debt and putting the entire 100% stake on the block. Nine months down the line and multiple postponements later, the airline is still very much with the government even though reports of several bidders being in the fray persist. As the airline awaits a decision on its fate, its already precarious financial situation has worsened. Now, sources close to developments say that even the one potential bidder a large, reluctant Indian business house which has been under tremendous pressure from the government to place a bid may also be holding off. These sources said that first of all, this business house feels any deal would be possible only after all the debt (and not just a part of it) is taken off. This involves a sum of nearly Rs 60,000 crore. Secondly, this business house may be interested in only signing on a contract to manage operations, not a complete buyout. So instead of outright disinvestment, the government may have to settle with just a private party managing the airline. This would mean that not a single rupee would be earned by the government through selling AI. Media reports suggest that the transaction advisor to the AI sale, EY, has suggested shutting down the airline and deferring the sale process by three years among several options. A final call on the future course of AI will be taken by a group of ministers, headed by the home minister, later this month. Meanwhile, AIs finances are going from bad to worse. In the first three months of this fiscal, the airline recorded a daily loss of almost Rs 28 crore (Rs 2570 crore for the quarter), against year-ago loss figure of Rs 23 crore daily. Revenue during these three months was down nearly 80% to Rs 1,531 crore (Rs 7066 crore). Another source pointed out that some categories of employees, including pilots, have faced nearly 70% salary cuts because of the pandemic. This person said pilots flying hours have been cut drastically due to curtailed operations, they are now being paid only for actual hours flown and additionally, the flying allowance rate has been cut too. This source said the airline needs additional Rs 600-700 crore in funds from its owner, the government, to survive but the owner has been extremely reluctant to fund AIs operations any further. Yet another source said that while salaries have been paid till August, allowances for all employees (not just pilots) have been cut by up to 30%. This person also said that under the Leave Without Pay (LWP) scheme around 5% of the workforce has been relieved. The staff who have opted for this scheme have done so voluntarily, this person said. Other cuts are also obvious. Whenever possible, online meetings are being done to save costs, hotel stay by staff is being discouraged even as vendor dues are piling up. The third source quoted above said vendors dues are being paid but with a significant delay. While cost-saving measures are essential in these times of uncertainty, these alone may not ensure either AIs survival or a selloff. So should the government listen to the lone business house still interested in Air India and opt for a management contract, instead of an outright selloff? Would shutting down the airline be the only sensible way out of the morass? If it is indeed shut down, what happens to the thousands of jobs directly and indirectly associated with such a large airline? Can the government afford to keep funding Air Indias losses in case disinvestment is postponed for three years? There were no easy answers ever, but now, with the pandemic wreaking havoc on the entire aviation industry, there will be added difficulties. Suffice it to say that a decision, this way or that, on AIs fate should be taken at the earliest. The pandemic should hasten decision-making in this case, instead of slowing it down. Opponents of the Agriculture Bills see them as an attempt to dilute the public procurement system and say they could lead to exploitation of farmers by private companies New Delhi: Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Sunday said minimum price or MSP based procurement of agriculture crops from farmers will continue and is not related to the farm bills that seek to give cultivators freedom to market their produce. Days after their passage in the Lok Sabha, Tomar introduced the Farmer''s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 in the Rajya Sabha. The bills are facing staunch Opposition from farmer bodies as well as from within the ruling coalition. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the food processing minister from the Shiromani Akali Dal party, resigned from the government last week. KK Ragesh (CPI), Derek O'Brien (TMC), Trichi Siva (DMK) and K C Venugopal (Congress) moved resolutions for sending the two bills to a select committee of the House for consideration before they are taken up for passage. Speaking at the introduction, Tomar said the two bills are "historic and will bring a revolutionary change in farmers' lives". They seek to remove restrictions on marketing farm products and allow cultivators to engage with private companies to sell their crops. "Farmers will get the freedom to sell their produce at any place and person of their choice," he said adding the bills were brought after feedback from stakeholders that the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) were not doing justice to farmers. The bills seek to bring competition and ensure fair price to farmers, he said. "There are misconceptions being spread about the minimum support price (MSP). MSP is the government''s administrative decision and not linked to the bills. MSP based procurement was there in the country, is there, and will continue," he said. Under MSP, the government guarantees the procurement of crops such as wheat and paddy at minimum prices from farmers. Opposition parties as well as SAD feel the bills are the first step toward removing the MSP which will force the farmers to make distress sales to private companies. Ragesh said the country is witnessing massive agitation by farmers over the bills. "I request the minister and the government to see the wrath of farmers and withdraw these orders and bills." The bills seek to replace emergency ordinances issued earlier. The agri bills, he said, are being dubbed as COVID relief package for farmers but in effect, these are "package for the corporates". "How can it be COVID package? COVID package could have been loan waiver for farmers," he said. Agriculture, he said, is a state subject and the union government was "snatching powers of the states". He said the bills will be throwing farmers at the mercy of the corporates. Farmers do not have bargaining power and they cannot enter into a contract with corporates from a position of strength, he said. Opponents of the bills see them as an attempt to dilute the country''s public procurement system and lead to exploitation by private companies. The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 seeks to give freedom to farmers to sell their produce outside the notified APMC market yards (mandis). This, the government says, is aimed at facilitating remunerative prices through competitive alternative trading channels. Farmers will not be charged any cess or levy for sale of their produce under this Act, according to the government. It will open more choices for farmers, reduce marketing costs, and help them get better prices. It will also help farmers of regions with surplus produce to get better prices and consumers in areas with shortages at lower prices. The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 seeks to give farmers the right to enter into a contract with agribusiness firms, processors, wholesalers, exporters, or large retailers for the sale of future farming produce at a pre-agreed price. It seeks to transfer the risk of market unpredictability from farmers to sponsors. Tomar said this legislation guarantees cultivators price they negotiate at the time of sowing itself. A third bill, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 that seeks to remove commodities like cereals, pulses, oilseeds, onion, and potatoes from the list of essential commodities and will do away with the imposition of stock holding limits, is to be moved separately. Madam, In as much as knowing about these religions would broaden pupils perspectives and understanding, no ways should the teaching of other religions imposed on pupils. As most would argue that the ban of other religions being taught in classrooms is a violation on ones constitutional right to freedom of choice and conscience, there is nowhere in the Constitution where it states that the teaching of other religions should be made compulsory. The Constitution allows them to be practiced, not taught as some have erroneously slipped into that thinking. My point of argument is that the RE curriculum content is too much for children at primary level if we are to create a Christian base for the pupils. The multi-religious concepts they will be exposed to at their early age will brainwash them. Christianity These are young children who need to assimilate the basic teachings and beliefs to cement their Christian faith. Are other religions children taught the basic principles of Christianity at a tender age? Why are we adamant to indoctrinate our children with that which is alien at a critical age? Do all national syllabi in other countries include the teaching of other religions? Should this be imposed on pupils when they dont even have the capacity to make informed choices and decisions? Someone once argued that introducing the religions at tertiary level would be pointless since some would end up not going to college or university. Thats 100 per cent true, but do all pupils at high school learn RE? Its optional and not all choose to learn it. Lets give our children what is basic to anchor their beliefs and teachings in Christianity before we give them that which we think will foster multi-national harmony. Government had the leeway to introduce other religions to the school curriculum in a bid to foster religious tolerance among Eswatini children, but it soon realised that the teaching of these was inappropriate, so it decided to ban them. As far as I am concerned, I see no logic in feeding pupils extreme religious ideas and beliefs at an early age. Do we want to proselytise our children to the various faiths? In other religions proselytism is tantamount to treason; the society disowns the proselyte. Lets think carefully about it before we rush to criticise the government that introduced the ban. S Shabangu A Statement By The Prominent Civil Rights Advocacy Group; Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) Condemning The Recent Skewed Promotions in The Nigerian Customs Service and All Key Appointments of Northerners Into Juicy Offices Since The Inception of President Buahris Administration, and blaming the unequal redistribution of national wealth for the Worsening State of Insecurity in The Northern Region of The Country. INTRODUCTION: Plural and sharply divided societies all over the World attempt to manage their diversities and divisive tendencies through one or more combinations of policy alternatives in the organization and management of their public services for performance; and Nigeria is not an exception. As often times, as experts have rightly noted, these policy alternatives turn out to be delicate arrangements; but when carefully conceived, crafted and practiced, it provides opportunity for centre-seeking and centre-fleeing forces to interact peacefully and co-habit on agreed terms. One of such policy alternatives adopted for the management of the public service in Nigeria for even representation is the federal character principle, which was borne out of the need to ensure even spread of government appointments in all the regions, states and local government councils in the country. Nigeria as a federal society comprising 36 states structure with a population of more than 200 million people and has more than 450 ethnic groups with three clearly dominant and populous Ethnicities of Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa necessitates an arrangement that could accommodate people from the different segments of the country in the public bureaucracy. The notion of federal character therefore presupposes the existence of a federal society. However, as a federal state, Nigeria was faced with the challenge of how to imbibe the principle of federalism in practice. As a result, the quota system was introduced into the Nigerian public service in 1958 by the government to ensure equitable representation of the various groups in the country. To further consolidate on the gains of the quota system, the Federal Military Government of Generals Murtala Mohammed and Olusegun Obasanjo in the drafting and approval of the 1979 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria during the transition to civilian rule (1976-79) introduced into the Nigerian political and administrative landscapes, the principle of federal character, which sought to give opportunities in education and employment, usually at the point of entry, to disadvantaged groups and areas to enable them compete and catch up with more advanced areas and sectors of the nation. The principle of federal character was formulated and put into use by successive governments in Nigeria to address and hopefully mitigate the problem of diversity so as to ensure a peaceful, stable and united Nigeria. The question begging for answer now is whether the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has been able to respect the principle of federal character and its laudable goals of National integration. THE ISSUE: Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution provides: The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few State or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.. This means that the composition of the Government of the federation or any of its agencies, shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or any of its agencies. More so, Section 157 provides that appointment by the President into the offices of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Head of Service of the Federation, Ambassadors, or the principal representatives abroad, Permanent Secretary or other Chief Executive in any Ministry or Department of the federal Government, or any office on the personal staff of the president shall have regard to the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity. However, in a continued flagrant disregard to these provisions, the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has seen deep seated Northern Moslems domination of all strategic federal appointments including the recent skewed appointment of two new Acting Deputy Comptrollers-General of Customs and five Acting Assistant Comptrollers -General of Customs, all from the North, into management position of the Service by the Comptroller General of Customs Col. Hamid Alli (Rtd). Apart from the latest appointees of the customs, which could best designate that agency as Northern Custom Services, Northerners are holding Juicy positions since Buhari came into power, such as, in the Sea Ports, Air Ports, Immigration, Police, DSS, NNPC, FIRS, just to mention but a few. It is regrettable that even within the core Moslem North which enjoys the topmost juicy federal appointments made so far since the last five years of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, there is a widening rift between the few elite who have cornered all the juicy positions on the offer but are controlling over ninety percent of the national wealth and the mass of poor street Children and discontented but restive YOUTHS who out of frustration of being left behind in the apparent bazaar and sharing of national wealth by a few of their educated elites, have launched large scale social upheavals/violent skirmishes in the forms of armed banditry and outright unleashing of blood cuddling violence on soft targets in the North leading to destruction of many towns and communities and the massive migration from Nigeria to Niger Republic in search of security by millions of ordinary Northerners. OUR POSTION AND DEMANDS: In the last five years, the current administration has planted animosity between different Ethnic nationalities than even the civil war created and that it will take the Grace of God and the will to overpower our differences for Nigeria to rebuild the bridge of unity that the selective administrative style of President Muhammadu Buhari has destroyed in the last five years. The dangers in the dominance of only Moslem Northerners running all the internal security Architectures; Customs, Immigration, Police, DSS, NIA is seen in the near collapse of Far North because elements from that side are allowed to ship in weapons and being overlooked because they are brothers but sadly that region is being destabilized. This destabilization has affected all parts of Nigeria because the North that used to be the Food basket of Nigeria has no more Agricultural base because of terrorism and insecurity which heightened by the deliberate sabotage of the Northern tilted internal security Architectures. We are by this statement calling for balance and immediate reorganization of all these departments if stability and national security is to be restored. The federal character and quota system as enshrined in the constitution of Nigeria is to ensure equitable distributions of bureaucratic and political roles in the public service at federal, states and local government levels. The objectives of the policy are to foster national unity and give every Nigerian a sense of belonging in the country in an effort to readdress the unbalanced structure and ethnic domination in government so that national integration could be achieved. Sadly, the Federal Government under President Buhari is playing up those faultlines by promoting only Muslim northerners. Therefore, we urge the Federal Character Commission established under section 153 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution to live up to its mandates empowered in section 8(1) of the Third Schedule of the Constitution to oversee and monitor the implementation of the federal character clauses. Perhaps we need to remind this Commission that its mandates are: i. Work out an equitable formula subject to the approval of the National Assembly for the distribution of all cadres of posts in the public service of the Federation and of the States, the armed forces of the Federation, the Nigerian Police Force and other security agencies, government-owned companies and parastatals of the States; ii. Promote, monitor and enforce compliance with the principle of proportional sharing of all bureaucratic, economic, media and political posts at all levels of government; iii. Take such legal measures, including prosecution of the head or staff of any ministry or government body or agency which fails to comply with any federal character principle or formula prescribed by the Commission, and as provided for in Section 8(3) of the Schedule, iv. Notwithstanding any provisions in any other law or enactment, the Commission shall ensure that every public company or corporation reflects the federal character in the appointment of its directors and senior management staff. SADLY, EVEN THE FEDERAL CHARACTER COMMISSION HAS NO FEDERAL CHARACTER PRINCIPLE IN THE APPOINTMENTS OF BOTH THE CHAIRMAN AND EXECUTIVE SECRETARY COMING FROM NOTHERN NIGERIA. SO IF THE BODY SET UP TO DEFEND A POLICY IS ITSELF A SERIAL ABUSER OF SAME POLICY WHAT BECOMES OF THE ESSENCE? This is pertinent because, as we have noted in an earlier statement, we are apprehensive that the deep seated Northern Moslems domination of all strategic federal appointments under President Muhammadu Buhari, the next government may need to convoke a year-long National Constitutional Conference to try to mend the deeply broken fences. WE REPEAT OUR WARNING AND CAUTION THAT THE PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI ADMINISTRATION HAS DRAGGED NIGERIA BACK BY 60 YEARS BECAUSE OF THE PREVALENCE OF HIS REGIME'S UNREPENTANT PENCHANT FOR APPOINTING ONLY NORTHERN MOSLEMS INTO TOP POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC OFFICES OF THE FEDERATION. THE RECENT APPOINTMENTS IN THE NIGERIAN CUSTOMS MUST BE ANNULED SO THERE IS A BROAD SPECTRUM OF REPRESENTION OF THE DIVERSE INTERESTS AND GROUPS UNLESS AND EXCEPT WE ARE NOW BEING TOLD THAT THE NIGERIA CUSTOMS IS NORTHERN CUSTOMS SERVICE AND IF THAT IS THE CASE, THE BASIS OF ONE NIGERIA IS RUBBISHED. More worrisome is that though, the current Government under President Muhammadu Buhari has skewed all strategic appointments to favour his cronies and political affiliates in the Core Moslem North and a sprinkling of some Christian Northerners, millions of Northerners are still left marginalised just like the heavily marginalised Southerners under the current administration, which is the result for the total state of anarchy in the North.. The Federal Government of Nigeria must be seen to be truly the central government unifying all Nigerians towards a common nation building goals and objectives. HURIWA recalled that Controversy has continued to trail the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) appointment of two new Acting Deputy Comptrollers-General of Customs and five Acting Assistant Comptrollers -General of Customs, all from the North, into management position of the Service by the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hamid Alli (Rtd). Recall that in a statement made available to newsmen recently, the Public Relations Officer of the service, Mr Joseph Attah said the newly appointed Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs were DCG Abdullahi Babani to head HRD, and DCG Mohammed Boyi, NCS TRADOC. Other Assistant Comptroller-Generals (ACG) of Customs appointed into management positions are Saidu Galadima in charge of ICT/Modernization; ACG SM Modibbo for Zone B HQ; ACG Uba Mohammed for E,I&I; ACG Hamza Gummi to head T&T, and ACG Usman Dakingari in charge of Doctrine and Development. Five other DCGs were redeployed. They are DCG David Chikan moved from TRADOC to FATS, Comptroller Mohammed Auwal moved from PHI to PHII, Comptroller Yusuf Garba moved from Kebbi to PHI, Comptroller Hafiz Kalla deployed to Kebbi from FATS (TS) and Comptroller Bello Jibo from Bauchi/Gombe to Seme Border. Comrade EMMANUEL ONWUBIKO: NATIONAL COORDINATOR. Miss Zainab Yusuf: Director, National Media Affairs . HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA). SEPTEMBER 20TH 2020. Jose Luis Magana/AFP via Getty ImagesBy EMILY SHAPIRO, ABC News (WASHINGTON) -- The news of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death has brought Americans from across generations together in mourning. In Washington, D.C., people assembled at the steps of the Supreme Court on Friday night and Saturday morning to honor the legendary justice, who died on Friday at age 87. The sidewalk soon was covered with flowers, candles and handwritten notes. One message in chalk said, "We love you RBG, thank you." Another message was Ginsburg's own words: "Real change, enduring change happens one step at a time." As the sun rose above the highest court in the land, dozens showed up to the steps of the Supreme Court to honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg #RIPRBG pic.twitter.com/fxtjl6bFiA Rachel Scott (@rachelvscott) September 19, 2020 At Columbia University in New York City, mourners placed legal pads and flowers in honor of Ginsburg, who graduated from Columbia Law School at the top of her class in 1959. Ginsburg later returned to Columbia Law School as the school's first female tenured professor. In New Hampshire, people congregated at the state house Saturday to pay their respects. Inspiring to see Granite Staters come together to pay tribute to the life and legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the State House this morning. Thanks to @cindewarmington and @LPS_KentStreet for helping organize this memorial, and for honoring her memory with action. #RBG pic.twitter.com/Dd1PnDNuKM Jeanne Shaheen (@JeanneShaheen) September 19, 2020 Its On Us, a group that fights against college sexual assault, is calling for a nationwide memorial at courthouses across the country Saturday night. 8pm local time tonight | May her memory be a revolution. Image: @ResistanceRev pic.twitter.com/wdMwrH3mLh It's On Us (@ItsOnUs) September 19, 2020 Those with Columbia Law School's Center for Contemporary Critical Thought will be participating in a national memorial at the Triumph of the Human Spirit Statue in Manhattan Saturday night. Join us today at the National memorial for RBG at the Triumph of the Human Spirit Statue. We will meet at 7:45 pm at the Chambers street 1,2,3 Subway Exit and walk together to the memorial. More information can be found here: https://t.co/8fdnAbAYMC pic.twitter.com/YDug5vvhD8 Columbia CCCT (@ColumbiaCCCT) September 19, 2020 Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Not even 24 hours after Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death, multiple media outlets were telling us that on the question of whom they prefer to replace Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court, voters prefer Joe Biden to President Trump. The Fox News headline Saturday afternoon declared that "52% trust Biden over Trump on Supreme Court picks." The Fox News question on the Supreme Court was included in its regular Trump-Pence vs. Biden-Harris poll and was conducted days prior to Ginsburg's death. The Fox poll gave Biden a 52%-45% edge on whom people trust "to do a better job on ... SCOTUS nominations." On early Saturday afternoon, a New York Times headline read, "Polls Have Shown Voters Prefer Biden to Pick Next Justice." The Times article reported on the Fox poll and also reported on its own New York Times/Siena College three-state poll. The Times article states, "In Times/Siena polls of Maine, North Carolina and Arizona released Friday, voters preferred Mr. Biden to select the next Supreme Court justice by 12 percentage points, 53 percent to 41 percent." A Saturday headline at The Hill read, "Majority of voters say Trump should not nominate a Supreme Court justice." This article reports on "a snap poll released Saturday by YouGov." According to The Hill: The poll found that 51 percent of voters believe Trump should not nominate another justice this year, while 42 percent said he should move forward with a nominee. A slight majority, 48 percent, believe the Senate should not confirm a nominee this year. Forty-five percent said the upper chamber should. All of this is meant to discourage President Trump, Senate Republicans, and their supporters from moving forward with a nomination to replace Ginsburg prior to the November elections. In other words, these polls are like most every other election-related poll in this modern drive-by media era. They are meant to shape opinions instead of merely reporting on them. Events in 2016 again provide an informative lesson here. After the death of Antonin Scalia in February of 2016, the media put tremendous pressure on the Republican-led U.S. Senate to give Obama nominee Merrick Garland a Senate hearing and a vote. Part of this pressure included numerous polls that supposedly showed that Americans were overwhelmingly in favor of Garland receiving a Senate hearing and a vote. Polling Report reveals this to be the case. Just days after Scalia's death, Pew Research Center asked, "In thinking about how the Senate should deal with the Supreme Court vacancy, which of the following statements comes closer to your view? Do you think the Senate should hold hearings and vote on whomever President Obama nominates, or not hold hearings until the next president selects a nominee?" Pew reported that "Hold hearings on Obama's nominee" got 56% support, while "Wait for the next president" got only 38% support. In late February of 2016, a CNN/ORC poll asked, "President Obama has said that he will nominate someone to fill the vacancy. Do you think the Republican leadership in the Senate should or should not hold hearings on the nominee?" According to this poll, "should" hold hearings was at 66%, while "should not" was at 32%. Likewise, in early March of 2016, an ABC News/Washington Post poll asked, "The death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has opened a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. After Obama nominates someone to replace Scalia, do you think the Senate should hold hearings and vote on whether to accept the nomination, or should the Senate NOT hold hearings, which would block the nomination and leave it to the next president?" Again, support for holding hearings was supposedly at 63%, while those against holding hearings came in at only 32%. Similarly, in the middle of March in 2016, Gallup asked, "Now turning to the U.S. Supreme Court, as you may know, Merrick Garland is a federal judge who has been nominated to serve on the Supreme Court. Would you like to see the Senate vote in favor of Garland serving on the Supreme Court, or not?" According to Gallup, those wanting the Senate to vote "in favor" were 52%, while those wanting the Senate to "not vote in favor" were at 29%. And so on it went for the weeks and months leading up to the 2016 elections. What's more, liberal pundits across the U.S. ran hundreds of editorials calling for Mitch McConnell to allow hearings and a vote on Garland. Even individual GOP senators including Susan Collins called for the Senate to grant Garland Judiciary Committee hearings. Refusing to acquiesce on Garland hearings was supposed to cost Republicans in the 2016 elections. No less than a former executive editor of The New York Times thought so. Writing in The Guardian, Jill Abramson called Garland's nomination a "political gift" for Hillary Clinton and added that "Garland's temperate record and demeanor also magnify the extremism of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, the leaders for the GOP presidential nomination who could make their own court nominees if Garland is not confirmed by the election. That could further scare off moderate Republicans." After holding up Garland's nomination in 2016, Donald Trump became the U.S. president, the Republicans held on to the U.S. Senate, and they even gained two seats in the 2018 midterms. There's nothing in politics or, more importantly, in the U.S. Constitution that says Republicans can't or shouldn't replace Ginsburg prior to this November. Don't let the drive-by media lead you into thinking otherwise. Additionally, any threats of violence, mayhem, and destruction, or any acts of violence, mayhem, and destruction, that result from Trump and Senate Republicans acting to replace Ginsburg will not be the fault of the president and the GOP. Like the rest of the violence and mayhem currently plaguing the U.S., the blame will lie squarely on Democrats and their voters. And remember: it was Democrats who turned the courts into "super-legislatures" in order to achieve what they otherwise could not get through actually winning elections and passing legislation. If the courts were what our Founders intended, these battles to replace Supreme Court justices would not be so contentious. Trevor Grant Thomas: At the Intersection of Politics, Science, Faith and Reason.| www.TrevorGrantThomas.com Trevor is the author of The Miracle and Magnificence of America. tthomas@TrevorGrantThomas.com Drivers line up to mail tax returns last year at a Santa Ana post office. (Los Angeles Times) To the editor: I received a Father's Day card postmarked from Denver on June 17. (We mailed 100 letters to test the Postal Service. The verdict: Spotty at best, dismal at worst," Sept. 15) It arrived in my home on Sept. 7. No explanation. Correctly stamped and addressed. Fathers Day was June 21. Anecdotal or statistical? The system is broken and we know why. Philip Miles, Pasadena .. To the editor: Payment for my solar panels, due on Aug. 25, was on a schedule. So I was surprised to receive a threatening letter from the company saying I was 11 days past due. The letter arrived Sept. 11. When I checked my account, the check was indeed sent Aug. 16, and it had arrived and been cashed Sept. 10. It took three and a half weeks to get to San Diego. I have been paying bills the moment they come in, but even then, I cant trust that the payment will arrive on time. I now have to waste time calling the company, and the company has to waste time, money and goodwill writing threatening letters to customers who arent actually late. Jean Stapleton, Los Angeles .. To the editor: Up in Silicon Valley, I just received the publicized postcard from the U.S. Postal Service about voting by mail. Even though the postcard mentions that "rules and dates vary by state, so contact your election board to confirm," the advice that voters "[r]equest your mail-in ballot ... at least 15 days before Election Day" is misleading in states, such as California, where ballots are being mailed out to all registered voters automatically. Moreover, the advice on the postcard that "[w]e recommend you mail your ballot at least 7 days before Election Day" suggests a week is enough time and that there is no other way to vote. In fact, seven days may not be enough for a deliberately slowed Postal Service. And most states, including California, have other ways to vote including depositing one's ballot in an official drop box. Story continues Gary Wesley, Mountain View .. To the editor: Imagine my surprise when I received an IRS notice that I was delinquent for my 2019 tax payment and that penalties applied. I sent the payment in early July with six other mailings. Two were estimated tax payments to the state that arrived no problem. One was for Zoom book club. Yet a check to the IRS never arrived. Now I am asked to pay a penalty because the United States Postal Service did not deliver my check to the IRS as they have done without fail for multiple decades. Thank you, Mr. DeJoy. Jean Arnwine, Altadena .. To the editor: Chiseled in gray granite over the entrance to the New York City Post Office on 8th Avenue, a tribute to American postal workers reads: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." However, what these forces of nature can't do, President Donald J. Trump has shown he can: disrupt, delay and stop the U.S. mail. Will the post office's unofficial motto now have to be changed? Harvey Barkan, Studio City While district officials believe there is enough space in most elementary schools to provide socially-distanced instruction one way would be to turn common areas into classrooms there is still the likelihood of some classes being split between two rooms. Teachers might have to alternate where they provide instruction, with teaching assistants aiding in supervision and academic support. For three elementary schools Morehead, Rankin and Southwest district leaders have discussed the possibility that they might have to move some grade levels to other sites in order to accommodate students. Contreras' comments on Friday came as she and her staff were weighing bringing Pre-K students back to school on a voluntary basis starting the week of Sept. 28 and kindergarten students on a voluntary basis the week of Oct. 5. According to Janson Silvers, a district spokesman, school officials are gauging interest from parents in deciding whether to move forward with that plan. Given that the early return would be voluntary for families, the administration is looking at potentially making its own decision rather than waiting for a vote from the Guilford County Board of Education. Contreras is asking the school board to vote on a phased reentry plan at their next meeting on Sept. 24. That proposal would bring back other elementary and middle school students in late October if the county's COVID-19 situation has improved. High school students would return no sooner than Jan 20. Contact Jessie Pounds at 336-373-7002 and follow @JessiePounds on Twitter. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. After breaking off her brief, tumultuous marriage to Colt Johnson, 90 Day Fiance star Larissa Dos Santos Lima didnt head back to her home country of Brazil as many fans (and even Colts mom, Debbie Johnson) thought she might. Instead, the 34-year-old mom moved on to her new boyfriend, Eric Nicholsand took on a whole new look to boot. In addition to major weight loss, Larissa underwent a number of cosmetic procedures, from fillers, Botox, and rhinoplasty to breast implants, a Brazilian butt lift, work on her cheeks and chin, and a tummy tuck. In a new sneak peek of an upcoming episode of TLCs 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After, Eric cared for Larissa after her nose job and breast implants. He even admitted that the aftermath of the procedure had made him realize just how much he cared about his girlfriend. Eric Nichols and Larissa Dos Santos Lima | Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Crazy Horse 3 Eric said the aftermath of Larissas surgery was devastating In the 90 Day Fiance preview, Eric revealed that Larissas rhinoplasty and breast implants had caused her a lot more pain than hed anticipated. Eric spoon-fed his dazed girlfriend in bed, iced her face for hours, doled out her medications, and even had to help her walk because she wasnt yet able to do so herself. I thought things would cool down, but [things] ended up getting way more hectic than I thought, Eric told TLC producers the day after Larissas procedure. His caregiving responsibilities, Eric said, were so intense that he felt like he was training to be a father. Whats more, hed never seen his girlfriend in any kind of intense pain beforeand it was deeply stressful for him. Last night was so dreadful, challenging, stressful, and just devastating overall, Larissas boyfriend confessed. Shes not recovering as quickly as I thought. RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Larissa Dos Santos Limas Boyfriend Has an OnlyFans, Makes Raunchy Art About Larissa The 90 Day Fiance stars surgeon said everything went well in the operating room But, if Eric was concerned, Larissas Las Vegas plastic surgeonDr. Lane Smithdidnt seem to notice. In fact, he seemed altogether pleased with his patients recovery process at her 24-hour checkup. Especially for a whopping three and a half hours of surgery, he raved, everything went really well. Still, Dr. Smith told Larissa that the pain, especially from her implants, would stick around for some timepartly due to the significant change in cup size the 90 Day Fiance star had opted for. Had we gone for smaller implants, they would have hurt less, but these are really big, Larissas doctor reminded her. As for the surgical results so far, though, Dr. Smith seemed pleased with his work. Larissa could barely talk at this point, but she was able to smile and nod when he asked her if she was happy with the initial look of her new implants. Theyre round, high, sexy, he told Larissa of her brand-new breasts. Theyre very even, very good cleavage, and the areolas are about the size of quarters instead of the big, round silver dollars you had before. RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Larissa Dos Santos Lima Reveals Boob Job Results, Announces Live Adult Webcam Show Larissas boyfriend said he felt closer to her after her procedures As for Eric and Larissa, it seemed that their relationship was actually strengthened by her surgery. At the doctors office, Eric even cried seeing his girlfriend in so much pain. Committing to help Larissa through her difficult recovery process however he could, Eric told 90 Day Fiance producers that the procedure had given him a new perspective on just how serious this relationship was. It made me realize we really care about each other, Eric said meaningfully. I know she cares about me enough to have me take care of her, and I care about her enough to want to take care of her. So it tells me that this is a big bond. In earlier episodes, Larissa made no bones about the fact that she hoped her new look would improve her sex life with Eric and might even lead him to propose in the future. Based on his reaction to her recovery from surgery, she might just get her wish after all. The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 were passed in Rajya Sabha on Sunday (September 20) by voice vote despite stiff protest by Opposition lawmakers. The bills were cleared amid mayhem in Rajya Sabha with several MPs taking to the well of the House and raising anti-government slogans. The bills were moved in Rajya Sabha by Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh welcomed the passage of the bills and tweeted, "The passage of these two bills will not only strengthen India's food security, but will also prove to be a major effective step towards doubling the income of farmers. I heartily congratulate the Prime Minister for this unprecedented agrarian reform." "Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, the strong foundation of 'self-sufficient agriculture' has been laid today. After the passage of these two legislators in Parliament, a new history of growth and development in the agricultural sector will be written," he added. Moments before the passage of the bills, TMC MP Derek O'Brien tweeted, "They cheated. They broke every rule in Parliament. It was a historic day. In the worst sense of the word. They cut RSTV feed so the country couldn't see. They censored RSTV. Dont spread propaganda. We have evidence. But first watch this." Live TV Earlier during the debate on the farm bills, Congress MP Ahmed Patel launched a scathing attack on the Centre and said, "I'll talk about what BJP's President said about our manifesto. He studied our manifesto & brought out a few points from it to compare with their Bill. Our manifesto is a horse and they have tried to compare it with a donkey." Former Prime Minister and JD(S) MP HD Deve Gowda raised questions over goverment's decision to pass the bills amid pandemic. "PM Modi should explain what would farm bills do for farming community in short and long term and how it will help in achieving govt's goal of doubling farmers' income," said Deve Gowda. On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had defended the three bills and asserted that the bills are aimed to help the farmers and they will help the farmers in the long run. The prime minister's stand made it clear that the government is unfazed by the opposition to the bills. The bills aim to deregulate the sale of agricultural produce to ensure better prices for the farmers. But opposition parties and many farmers said that these bills are a step towards dismantling the minimum support price (MSP) regime. A judge has blocked the Trump administration from requiring Apple and Google to remove Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat for downloads. In a ruling dated Saturday, Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler in California said the government's actions would affect users' First Amendment rights as an effective ban on the app removes their platform for communication. WeChat is a messaging-focused app popular with many Chinese-speaking Americans that serves as a lifeline to friends, family, customers and business contacts in China. It's owned by Chinese tech giant Tencent and has an average of 19 million daily active users in the US, analytics firms Apptopia said in August. A group of WeChat users had made the injunction request after the U.S. Commerce Department said Friday it would bar WeChat from U.S. app stores and keep it from accessing essential internet services in the country, beginning Sunday night at 11:59 p.m. A judge early Sunday blocked the Trump administration from requiring Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google to remove Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat for downloads by late Sunday The government cited national security and data-privacy concerns in taking action against WeChat and imposing similar restrictions on TikTok, another popular Chinese-owned app. The Justice Department said blocking the order would 'frustrate and displace the presidents determination of how best to address threats to national security.' Restrictions on TikTok were pushed back by a week Saturday after President Donald Trump said he supported a proposed deal that would make TikTok a U.S. company. WeChat users had argued the moves targeting the all-in-one app with instant-messaging, social media and other communication tools would restrict free speech. In the ruling, the court said that a WeChat ban 'eliminates all meaningful access to communication in the plaintiffs' community,' and that an injunction would be in the public interest. The US government had earlier argued that it is not restricting free speech because WeChat users still 'are free to speak on alternative platforms that do not pose a national security threat.' The government cited national security and data-privacy concerns in taking action against WeChat. Trump is pictured Saturday The one-week delay came after Trump on Saturday blessed a deal with TikTok owner ByteDance and U.S. companies Oracle Corp and Walmart Inc to create a new company to handle TikTok's U.S. operations Specific evidence about WeChat posing a national security threat was also 'modest,' according to Judge Beeler. The dispute over the two apps is the latest flashpoint in the rising tensions between the worlds two largest economies, as the Trump administration attempts to counter the influence of China. Since taking office in 2017, Trump has waged a trade war with China, blocked mergers involving Chinese companies and stifled the business of Chinese firms like Huawei, a maker of phones and telecom equipment. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 23:16:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KAMPALA, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Five more prison escapees have been killed, bringing the total number of inmates killed to 13 in an ongoing pursuit of 219 inmates who had escaped in a massive jailbreak in the northeastern district of Moroto, a military spokesperson said on Sunday. Flavia Byekwaso, Uganda's military spokeswoman, told Xinhua by phone that the Uganda People's Defense Force killed three inmates who escaped from the Singila prison on Wednesday afternoon in the ongoing pursuit. She said one escapee of South Sudanese origin who had been recaptured died of bullet wounds sustained in the manhunt while the fifth prisoner was lynched by the angry mob in Moroto. "The pursuit is on. We have five more prisoners killed between yesterday (Saturday) evening and today (Sunday) morning. We have one captured," said Byekwaso. A total of ten escapees have now been recaptured and detained. The spokeswoman said the local members of the community are helping the security forces in the manhunt for the escapees, mainly traditional Karimojong warriors and cattle rustlers serving jail sentences of illegal possession of firearms. "The population is really very vigilant. They are helping the forces whenever they see someone whom they suspect. They usually give them away. They inform us," said Byekwaso. The 219 out 620 inmates broke into a prison armory, taking a total of 15 guns and several rounds of ammunition before overpowering a prison warden on duty. In March, at least three prisoners were killed and six others injured when the inmates attempted to escape in the northwestern district of Arua. Enditem Male lives matter. Old bull elephants sire more offspring than younger studs. However, its not just the females who find sugar-daddies irresistible; trophy hunters and ivory poachers target the oldest, most well-endowed, bulls. The bigger the tusks adorning a hunters pad, the more they will impress his guests on the dinner-party circuit back home. Botswana has around 130,000 elephants, more than any other African country. It will allow 400 tusks to be exported this year. Hunting, the politicians claim, is necessary to control numbers and protect farm livelihoods. It is also a lucrative business. King Juan Carlos was found out when injured during an elephant safari in Botswana. Donald Trump Jr is another enthusiast. Targeting big males, trophy hunters claim, has no significant impact on elephant numbers and gives young bucks a chance to breed. The authors of a paper just published disagree. Elephant society is hierarchical. Youngsters, of both sexes, live in herds with their mother, grandmothers, and aunties. These elephant-caravans, led by a matriarch, travel widely in search of food water, and, occasionally, salt. Between the ages of 10 and 20, young males leave their natal herds and join all-male ones. These bachelor herds have received less attention from scientists than the natal ones. Conny Allen, of Exeter University, wants to address this imbalance. His team set up camera traps along seven traditional pathways in Botswanas Makgadikgadi Pans to monitor elephant traffic. Footage, recorded between October 2017 and September 2018, shows that adolescent elephants tend not to travel alone. The reason, the researchers think, is that lone travel is riskier for younger, newly independent and less experienced, individuals. Lions, whose hunting success-rate in Botswanas Savute region is about 50%, target mostly adolescent ones. Lone animals also fall victim to hunters; human activity is the leading cause of elephant mortality in most populations. Leadership by mature adult bulls did not vary between wet and dry seasons, suggesting that mature bulls play a key role in the all-male elephant society, regardless of season. The groups leader, a mature individual, walks in front of the group. Guiding, however, is not his only function. The grandmother hypothesis explains why women undergo menopause. Older people, with a lifetime of experience behind them, are human filing cabinets, reservoirs of wisdom, valuable in difficult times. Granny may remember what the herd did during the last drought flood or pandemic. By helping her daughters instead of having more babies, Grannys genetic dividend is increased. The benefits, the offspring gain from her guidance, outweigh the resources a matriarch consumes. Elephant grannies, unlike human ones, dont cease to be fertile, but their rich experience is invaluable in the trials and tribulations their grandchildren will have to face. Likewise, old bulls educate younger males in the bachelor herds. When trophy hunters kill them, a vital resource is lost. The idea isnt new. I remember a Zulu guide, in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi many years ago, describing how the old bulls there had been killed by hunters. Large males had to be imported to put manners on bolshie young tuskers who had taken to attacking rhinos. Importance of old bulls: leaders and followers in collective movements of all-male groups in African savannah elephants. Scientific Reports. 2020. Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. The south gate of Gyondong Island's fort, May 2020. Robert Neff Collection By Robert Neff In the late hours of September 20, 1875, the Japanese warship Un'yo anchored off Yeongjong Island (where Incheon International Airport is located). It was on the "castle" (Yeongjong fort) that Captain Inoue intended to exact revenge for the "perfectly unprovoked assault" on his crew by the Koreans the previous day. From what they gathered, the fortress was a short distance from the main landmass and had four gates north, south, east and west. Outside the western gate was a small bridge they identified as "Bansei [and] the road over it leads to the mainland." Captain Inoue and his officers decided the best place to attack would be near the east gate and at dawn. Kawamura Kwanshu, one of the Un'yo's officers, described the attack in dramatic and vivid detail. Just before daybreak, 32 Japanese (10 marines, 19 sailors and three officers) landed near the east gate of the fortress. Almost immediately, the "white-coated" Korean defenders began firing their antiquated matchlocks (kill-range of about 50 meters) and shooting arrows through the fortress's loopholes. A French map of the region to the south of Ganghwa Island, circa 1866. Ernst Oppert, "A Forbidden Land: Voyages to the Corea" One sailor was struck and wounded by a matchlock ball while another was shot in the groin by an arrow. They both survived but the suddenness of the attack seems to have shaken the Japanese. Adding to this, trumpeting could be heard from within the fort and, Kawamura candidly admits, Captain Inoue and his men became somewhat "anxious" as to what the Koreans were doing. Undaunted, some of the Japanese pushed on, climbed over the wall and then opened the gate, allowing their fellow marines to rush into the fortress. A small group of sailors went to the south gate and set fire to the houses around it. Sporadically, the Un'yo fired its deck guns (6.3 inch and 5.5 inch), causing even more chaos among the Korean defenders. The Koreans, believing the superior-armed Japanese force was much larger than it actually was, sought to escape through the western gate but, unknown to them, six Japanese sailors had taken up position just outside the gate and shot anyone trying to pass through it. The south gate of Gyondong Island fort, May 2020. Robert Neff Collection The Korean soldiers including the officers "clambered down the steep bank on the south-eastern side, and in hopes of escaping to the opposite island they stripped off their clothes and plunged into the sea." Unfortunately, the tide was high and too deep to wade across. Many of them hesitated and the Japanese fired on them without mercy 24 Koreans were killed on the rocks and many more drowned trying to swim to safety. Only six or seven were seen making it safely ashore on the distant island. Somehow, Yi Min-dok, the commander of the military district, managed to escape but other officials did not fare so well. A drowned Korean was fished from the water, "the sleeves of his coat were red and the back of it was brown," so they assumed he was one of the generals. The fortress was plundered and among the items of value were 36 bronze cannons and a drum nearly six feet in diameter. According to Kawamura's notes: "In addition to this there were four drums three feet in diameter. Their trumpets were very like toy trumpets used by children in Japan. Their bows also were very like the Japanese. Their arrows were exactly like those in Japan. The swords were numerous, but they must have been bought in Japan. The guns were all matchlocks. Among the booty was a French book on gunnery translated into Chinese." The Japanese fleet at Fusan (modern Busan) in February 1876. Wikipedia image Several Koreans (one source claims 16 while Kawamura states a dozen including three officers) were captured including one soldier with a journal giving the garrison's normal strength as being 250 men and were forced (much to their displeasure) to carry the plunder to the boats that subsequently transported it to the Un'yo. The Japanese flag was also raised over the fortress a challenge to the Koreans to come and reclaim the island. The challenge went unanswered. "We were all greatly disappointed," Kawamura smugly declared. The following day, the Un'yo weighed anchored and returned to Japan the smoking ruins of Yeongjong an example of how the Japanese government would react to unprovoked attacks on its ships or emissaries. Did Korea provoke the Japanese or did the Japanese provoke Korea? Japanese soldiers and their Gatling guns at the negotiations for the Japan-Korean Amity Treaty of 1876. Wikipedia image In his book, "The Japanese Seizure of Korea," Hilary Conroy noted that the dispatch of three warship including the Un'yo under the pretense of surveying the coast was part of a secret plan by "only a very few" members of the Japanese Foreign Office to exert power on the Joseon government. On February 6, 1876, a fleet of two Japanese warships and three transports painted black and reminiscent of Commodore Matthew Perry's opening of Japan to the United States in the mid-1850s and a steamship with the Japanese envoy anchored near Ganghwa Island. They had arrived to "make a treaty or war." On March 22, 1876, Japan and the Joseon government ratified the Treaty of Amity it is no surprise that many Koreans prefer to call it the Treaty of Ganghwa Island. Note: Unfortunately there doesn't appear to be any photographs of the Yeongjong Fortress, so I have decided to illustrate the article with a few images of the reconstructed south gate of the fort on Gyodong Island An image published in the Japan Punch celebrating the ratification of the treaty between Japan and Korea in March 1876. Robert Neff Collection Black lives matter, even in death, which is why a Chicago storyteller and travel historian has devoted herself to bringing attention to the sometimes forgotten graves of African-Americans. Tammy Gibsons efforts and why theyre important will be the topic Wednesday of the Jacksonville Public Library virtual program Black Graves Matter. Ive traveled for the past 10 years, all over the world, locating African-American gravesites, Gibson said, noting that those sites range from often overlooked slave cemeteries to less forgotten sites, like musician Jimi Hendrixs grave in Washington state. More Information "Black Graves Matter" by Tammy Gibson will begin at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday via Zoom. The events page of the library's website has a Zoom link and meeting ID number for those wanting to join the program, which is free and open to the public. See More Collapse Gibson is used to peoples reaction being, Are you crazy? Whats the point of a cemetery? Going to slave cemeteries is to honor the ancestors, she said. Theyre no longer here and dont have a voice. She lends them hers. A lot of these cemeteries, a shopping mall has been built on the grounds, Gibson said. Im like a journalist. I post my photos on social media and let the photos tell the story. If people see a photo of a cemetery thats about to (become) a building, they can speak up before construction begins. Gibsons travels have taken her to plantations where slaves once were the vital workforce that kept it running. Still, even plantations that are open as historic sites tend to be notoriously bad at documenting slave history, she said. While the main plantation house often has a fairly detailed guided tour available, tours of the slave quarters, if theyre available, frequently are self-guided with little background provided, she said. I dont know their names and I feel like its my responsibility as an African-American woman to tell the stories of these people who contributed to the fabric of this country, Gibson said. Now it seems like, with everything thats going on more plantations are trying to be more open and talk about that history. Its a step in the right direction, but theres still a long way to go, she said. You cant talk about the history of the big house if you dont talk about the slave community, she said. Theyre hiring black reenactors to tell the story and be on the grounds, but they say, Can you not be so angry or sad? The reenactors usually decline. They say theyre not going to do that, she said. Im not going to sugar-coat it. Weve had good and bad. We cant always say that America has always been happy-go-lucky. Gibsons program for the library will focus on slave cemeteries and African-American cemeteries, including cemeteries for the slaves of American Founding Fathers George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, she said. Shell also look at the gravesites of prominent African-Americans, including abolitionist Frederick Douglass and civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois. Some of the cemeteries her research has uncovered have fallen into such disrepair that some have become dumping grounds for old mattresses and used tires; others are underwater or completely covered by dirt, she said. Wednesdays program will be Gibsons first Zoom presentation, she said. Usually when I do my presentation, I have artifacts so people can touch and feel, she said. I hope we get through this (pandemic) because I love meeting people face to face. Still, shes happy to have the chance to present her program in some form after a scheduled in-person program in June was canceled. Its her first Zoom program, our first Zoom program, said Sarah Snyder, the librarys assistant director. The Jacksonville library staff has been offering online story time sessions and other virtual takes on the librarys various offerings, but other libraries have been offering other programs via Zoom and Snyder was looking for something beyond childrens story time. We had a couple of researchers in the library who were interested in the topic of Black cemeteries, Snyder said. They were also researching the poor farm in Morgan County. That got me interested in the topic and I found (Gibson). Someone else came in and was talking about it, and I thought it would be a good online program. Gibsons hoping her program, which she said is appropriate for all ages and wont be sad and depressing, inspires participants to better appreciate cemeteries. I see people running, jogging, having picnics at cemetery and thats a good thing, she said. The first time I was at cemetery, I was 19 years old, she said. I was traumatized. It was a fear, something I had to get over. Death is part of life. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- For some private and Catholic schools on Staten Island, the school year has already begun amid implementing safety and social distancing protocols. Students at Gateway Academy returned to the 17-acre Richmond Valley campus on Sept. 9 with new safety measures in place -- including required face coverings, temperature checks, social distancing requirements, and plastic partitions in some cases. After hundreds of hours of research, planning and deliberation with federal, regional, and local government institutions over the summer, we concluded that it was in students' best interest to physically return back to school while adhering to the highest standards of safety, said Head of School Christopher DeSanctis. We ultimately wanted to give parents the opportunity to return their children to a relational school environment and in-person learning five days a week. Students returned to Gateway Academy in Richmond Valley with new safety measures like face masks and social distancing. (Courtesy/Gateway Academy) Gateway Academys administration was in close communication with entities, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), when developing reopening plans for each division of early childhood, elementary and secondary schools. Gateway Academy stands in agreement with these professional institutions and acknowledges that in-person learning not only gives students the opportunity to thrive academically, but mentally, socially and spiritually as well, said DeSanctis. Our holistic educational approach ultimately prepares students to grow into confident leaders and world changers. To prepare for the new school year, Gateway designed a plan that includes multiple layers of safeguards for in-person learning, such as the face-covering requirement for students in kindergarten through high school, heightened cleaning and sanitizing procedures, daily temperature checks, screening questionnaires, and new hand washing and sanitizing stations. A full-time licensed nurse is on staff and was properly trained to treat students who many become symptomatic during the school day. Enrolling my son was the best decision I made for him educationally and for my peace of mind during this pandemic, said Gateway parent Tami Perrotta. Students returned to Gateway Academy in Richmond Valley with new safety measures like face masks and social distancing. (Courtesy/Gateway Academy) SEND US YOUR STORIES As the new school year begins, we are looking to share special editions of the In Class education column, highlighting the positive, uplifting, inspiring and fun activities that schools, teachers, and families will participate in when they return to classrooms for blended learning -- going to classrooms some days of the week and remote learning the rest of the week -- as well as students choosing to learn remotely full-time. Do you have a story idea for the In Class education column? Email education reporter Annalise Knudson at aknudson@siadvance.com. ST. JOSEPH HILL GOES BACK TO CAMPUS St. Joseph Hill Academy in Arrochar welcomed its elementary and high school students on Sept. 15 for the first full day of classes. To maintain social distancing, Hill created two distinct, separate cohorts in the high school, which alternate between two and three days per week of in-person instruction. When learning remotely at home, students live stream into their classroom for synchronous instruction using their laptops. Half of the students are on campus during any given school day. Students can also opt to learn from home full-time, for five full days of remote instruction each week. Every Hill student receives a laptop at freshmen orientation, which allows for the seamless transition of remote learning. Classrooms are equipped with critically needed technological resources to ensure synchronous learning in class. That was made possible due to the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Cardinale who supported the purchase of Poly Studio A/V Soundbar cameras and microphones, and to the Costa and Johnstone Families for the purchase of classroom televisions. The school also installed RGF Air Purification units, thermoscanners for temperature checks, and touchless faucets, paper towel, soap and anti-bacterial dispensers throughout the high school building. FUN CLASSROOM SET-UP AT PRESCHOOL Little Miracles Preschool/Early Childhood Center made a fun, new and safe set-up for when its students return to school, like making the desks into cars. (Courtesy/Little Miracles) Little Miracles Preschool/Early Childhood Center -- home to the youngest members of the Eden II programs serving students with Autism Spectrum Disorder on Staten Island -- is safely welcoming back students with unique approaches and set-ups. Like the rest of New York schools, Little Miracles in Tompkinsville went fully remote in March during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing remote services to students. When the preschool broke the news it would reopen the program, it prepared for the task of developing a plan to safely and effectively provide in-person schooling for some of the preschool and early childhood students, all while maintaining social safety protocols. Our educational team successfully opened our doors this summer and are now thinking about what the fall will bring, said the preschool in an email to the Advance/SILive.com. We want to ensure that, despite the ample protocols and safety guidelines this school year will most certainly require, our students will always see going to school as a fun place to learn and grow, where they can be silly and be themselves. The school year is beginning with the theme of Zooming into the 2020 School Year" as the educational team designed and prepared its socially-distanced classrooms. To make it even more fun for kids, the desks were transformed into cars -- more specifically designed as Jeeps. You can view photos of the classroom below. Little Miracles Preschool/Early Childhood Center made a fun, new and safe set-up for when its students return to school, like making the desks into cars. (Courtesy/Little Miracles) Little Miracles Preschool/Early Childhood Center made a fun, new and safe set-up for when its students return to school, like making the desks into cars. (Courtesy/Little Miracles) ORAL HYGIENE CARE PACKAGES Staten Island students wanted to make sure they were helping their community amid the coronavirus pandemic -- collecting donations to send to childrens homes, nursing homes, and assisted living complexes -- for their new organization called Bright Smile Teens. Abigail Uchitelev, a senior at Tottenville High School, started the organization to donate oral hygiene care packages, which contained toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, and mouthwash for people who cant access those supplies. And she wasnt able to do it alone. Uchitelev said many volunteers helped her collect and package donations, including Sasha Bykhovski, Michelle Flyangolts, Gabriella Vasco, Lauren Sinaiski, and Natalia Pozdnyakova. Uchitelev said they were able to donate to several assisted care facilities and nursing homes -- including The Verazzano Nursing Home, Island Shores, New Broadview Manor Assisted Living, Seamens Society for Children and Families, and The Brielle at Seaview. But she wants to donate more supplies to other facilities in need. Bright Smile Teens wants to know if your facility needs these oral hygiene care packages. To organize a donation from Bright Smile Teens, you can reach out to the Bright Smile Teens Facebook page. BACK TO SCHOOL GIVEAWAY The Urban Fairies of Staten Island held its first Back to School Supply Giveaway event for families on Sunday, Sept. 13. The Facebook group hosted the free event at the Midland Beach barbacue Area -- giving away backpacks and school supplies for families for the 2020-2021 school year. There was also a barbecue held for the children, with lunch for kids provided by chef and caterer Elliot Carter. You can view photos from the event below. The Urban Fairies of Staten Island held its first Back to School Supply Giveaway event for families to get backpacks filled with supplies, as well as face masks. (Courtesy/Urban Fairies) The Urban Fairies of Staten Island held its first Back to School Supply Giveaway event for families to get backpacks filled with supplies, as well as face masks. (Courtesy/Urban Fairies) The Urban Fairies of Staten Island held its first Back to School Supply Giveaway event for families to get backpacks filled with supplies, as well as face masks. (Courtesy/Urban Fairies) The Urban Fairies of Staten Island held its first Back to School Supply Giveaway event for families to get backpacks filled with supplies, as well as face masks. (Courtesy/Urban Fairies) The Urban Fairies of Staten Island held its first Back to School Supply Giveaway event for families to get backpacks filled with supplies, as well as face masks. (Courtesy/Urban Fairies) The Urban Fairies of Staten Island held its first Back to School Supply Giveaway event for families to get backpacks filled with supplies, as well as face masks. (Courtesy/Urban Fairies) FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. MIDDLETOWN A portion of Interstate 91 South was closed in Middletown Saturday night after a crash involving two vehicles, according to the Department of Transportation. The crash, which occurred between Exit 20 and Exit 21, was reported at 8:27 p.m. I-91 South was closed in the area as of 9:10 p.m. Top Indian and Chinese military commanders will meet on Monday at Moldo to discuss the border dispute, especially in the Pangong Lake area, in eastern Ladakh, sources said. This would be the sixth meeting between two military commanders in the last four months. This time, a senior Ministry of External Affairs official -- Joint Secretary, East Asia, Navin Srivastava -- will be joining the Indian delegation. The delegation, headed by 14 Corps commander Lt Gen Harinder Singh, would also include two Major Generals - Major Gen Abhijit Bapat, and Major Gen Padam Shekhawat - apart from Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Inspector General Deepam Seth and four brigadiers. In August, during the fifth round of Corps Commander level discussions - between Lt Gen Singh and South Xinjiang Military District chief, Major Gen Liu Lin, both the representatives deliberated upon the prevailing situation in Pangong Lake, the biggest flashpoint in the standoff. "The meeting of these two military leaders will start at 9 a.m.," said a source, adding that the two commanders met for the first time on June 6 when China had agreed to withdraw their forces from all the places which India had raised objections to. But then a barbaric attack at patrolling point 14 in Galwan Valley on June 15 was carried out by Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in which 20 Indian soldiers and unknown number of Chinese soldiers were killed. The clash occurred at the south bank of Galwan river, which flows in an east-west direction before its confluence with Shyok river. There were the first fatalities faced by the Indian Army in a clash with the PLA since 1975 when an Indian patrol was ambushed by Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh. Now the delegates are meeting to discuss the de-escalation at Pangong Lake where both sides' troops are at rifle range at four locations - three on the southern bank and one on the northern. "At these places, troops are just a few hundred metres away," the source added. On the north bank, the troops are in an eyeball-to-eyeball situation between Finger 3 and Finger 4 -- the military term for mountain spurs jutting into the lake -- where warning shots were fired in the air by both the armies. On the south bank, the two sides' troops are a few metres away at Spanggur Gap, Mukhpari, and Rezang La. China first made provocative military moves and thereafter, India too deployed troops at these locations. At these two places, both the countries' troops have fired warning shots to stop intimidate each other. PLA troops made movements to occupy the area between Finger 3 and 4 earlier this month which led to firing of around 200 shots in the air. The north bank of the lake is divided into 8 fingers that are contested by both sides. India claims the Line of Actual Control is at Finger 8 and had been holding on to area till Finger 4 but in a clear alteration of status quo, the Chinese have been camping at Finger 4 and have set up fortifications between Finger 5 and 8. India and China are engaged in a four-month-long standoff at the LAC in eastern Ladakh. Despite several levels of dialogue, there has not been any breakthrough and the deadlock continues. As wildfires rage across California, an aerial photo claiming to show clouds glowing red from fires below was shared thousands of times on social media. This is false; the photo depicts a sunset over Hawaii, its photographer told AFP, and it was previously misused to portray blazes in the Golden State two years earlier. View of California wildfire above the clouds! reads the caption of a photo showing an aerial view of clouds across the sky, with a fiery red glowing from below. Vote like hell, the post advocates, linking to a voter registration page. An Idaho weatherman also shared the photo on Facebook, while a Twitter user posted it and blamed President Donald Trump for this creation of Hell on earth. AFP previously found this image being shared out of context during wildfires in the summer of 2018. The photo was not taken in California, nor does it depict forest fires from above, its author told AFP in 2018. Also Read: Viral Photos Showing Ominous Orange Skies in San Francisco Maybe Result of California Wildfires It was nowhere near California. This was taken over the big island of Hawaii on July 22. (This is a) sunset picture at 30,000-feet altitude at about 7:30-8:00 pm-ish (from a plane) flying westbound, Nathan Province, a Hawaii resident, told AFP via Instagram. Province published the picture on his Instagram account on July 22, 2018 along with other photos and a video. In the last of these images, the sunset itself is more visible. According to a 2018 tweet from atmospheric scientist and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) strategic planner Michael Lowry, The glow is from a sun angle below the horizontal plane illuminating shallow altocumulus clouds. In early September, online users posted aerial photos of a pyrocumulonimbus cloud caused by the Creek Fire near Fresno, California, The Fresno Bee reported. While impressive, the cloud formation does not glow red like the sunset photo. Today I was flying from San Jose to Las Vegas on SWA & I looked out my window & I saw this cloud. I l found out that it is a cumulonimbus flammagenitus cloud aka pyrocumulonimbus cloud, a type of cloud that forms above a source of heat, such as a wildfire #CreekFire pic.twitter.com/HCqyWiHpNx Thalia Dockery (@SweetBrown_Shug) September 6, 2020 Dozens of different sites are burning across the US West Coast, causing at least 35 deaths since the beginning of the summer in the states of Washington, Oregon, and California. Reputable scientists around the world are almost unanimous in their belief that the world is getting warmer because of human activity. This man-made climate change amplifies droughts, creating ideal conditions for wildfires to spread out-of-control. Trump, who flew to Californias capital Sacramento to campaign for his reelection in November, dismissed a warming climates links to the fires, during a meeting with state officials on September 14. Itll start getting cooler. You just watch. Trump told Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot. I wish science agreed with you," the official responded. Disinformation about wildfire season has included the false claim that members of the structureless political movement Antifa were arrested for arson, which AFP debunked. Melbourne AFL player Harley Bennell is under investigation for breaching coronavirus rules by going drinking outside the team's hub. The Demons reported the midfielder's potential breach on Saturday night to the AFL after becoming aware of it. Melbourne is still investigating but it is believed Bennell hit a pub outside the Twin Waters resort in Maroochydore, where the team is staying. AFL player Harley Bennell (pictured with his girlfriend Amy Crellin) is under investigation for breaching coronavirus rules by going drinking outside the team's hub Bennell, 27, was told to stay outside the hub to avoid any possibility of him infecting other players inside the hotel. Recruited from Fremantle this offseason, he only played fives games this season and was still in quarantine. He was left out of the team's 68-49 victory over Essendon on Saturday that kept its finals hopes alive. The AFL warned players they could be fined $10,000 and sent home from the postseason if they breached league coronavirus rules. Recruited from Fremantle this offseason, he only played fives games this season and was still in quarantine Bennell celebrated the birth of his baby girl named Carter Ivy Logan Bennell last July Richmond players Callum Coleman-Jones and Sydney Stack were last month sent home and suspended for 10 weeks after a fight outside a Gold Coast strip club. Bennell was a solid staring if unspectacular player for the Gold Coast in 2011-15, but played just just two games in four seasons with Fremantle. He was expected the get a new contract with Melbourne after his one-year deal expired despite barely playing. Bennell's career was marred by a series of off-field indiscretions including a disorderly conduct charge for drunkenly arguing with security guard outside a Gold Coast nightclub in 2015. Two Boys Taken From South Carolina Bedroom Found Safe in Florida: Officials Officials said that two South Carolina boys were located safely in Panama City Beach, Florida. The Bay County Sherrifs Office said they found the boys at around 8:15 p.m. on Friday night. Other details about how they were found and what had happened to them are not clear. Matthew Kinman, 9, and Jerry Kinman, 7, were taken from their home in Aiken, South Carolina, on Sept. 17, said officials with the City of Aiken in an earlier update. Officials said that Nancy Christina Kinman, 31, is wanted for questioning about where the missing boys are. She is said to be driving a maroon 2005 Toyota Camry with South Carolina license plate SIY391. (City of Aiken) Matthew is described as 4 feet tall, 90 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. Jerry is described as 4 feet and 55 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. Nancy Christina Kinman was described as 5 feet 2, 185 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes, officials said. The juveniles are listed in [National Crime Information Center]. If located, please hold and notify Aiken Public Safety immediately, said the city. Other details were not released. Officials said Friday that two girls from Aiken, identified as 13-year-old Emily McCarty and 10-year-old Mary Madison McCarty, were found on Thursday. They were both unharmed, reported the Post and Courier. Their case appears to be separate from the Kinmans case. First Lady Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo says President Akufo-Addo deserves a second term in office for keeping faith with Ghanaians by fulfilling many of his promises. During a tour of the Weija-Gbawe Constituency in Accra on Friday, Mrs Akufo-Addo said the President had done a lot of work for Ghanaians within the nearly four years in office and was determined to do more to improve their lives. "Wherever we go, we should tell everyone that there is the need for four more years for Nana," she told the chiefs and people of Gbawe. The tour took the First Lady to the palaces of the Weija and Gbawe Chiefs, the Wiaboman community, and the Zongo community in Mallam. Mrs Akufo-Addo recounted some of the projects the NPP government had undertaken in the Weija-Gbawe Constituency including a model Science Senior High School, and a modern Community-based Health Planning and Service (CHPS) compound with staff accommodation, all of which were ongoing. There was also a new Kindergarten block in Weija, a new sanitary facility at the Weija Presbyterian School, while a motorable steel bridge that would connect Old and New Weija communities would soon commence. She also pledged Rebecca Foundation's continuous commitment in supporting the NPP to do more for the people, saying that, through the Foundation, a lot of support was being provided for women and children while the health care sector was greatly being supported with medical supplies and other essential services. She, however, called for unity and peaceful coexistence between the Weija and Gbawe communities. Nii Laryea Faamlinte, the Chief of Gbawe, commended the NPP government for doing so much for his people , stating that "indeed the NPP government has done well for us in this Constituency, and I'm very happy about the level of development in my area." He however, asked that the pace of construction of the bridge over the Lafa river should begin earnest. The walling of the SHS School should be expedited. He also expressed worry over the activities of landgaurds who were allegedly coming from Weija to cause fear and panic in Gbawe and appealed to the state for protection. He also appealed for a separate constituency for the Gbawe people. The First Lady was accompanied on the tour by Mrs Tina Gifty Naa Ayele Mensah, Member of Parliament for the Weija-Gbawe Constituency and Mr Patrick Kwesi Brako Kumor, Municipal Chief Executive Officer for the area. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A group of 14 Vietnamese, who illegally entered Vietnam from China, were caught by border guards in Ha Giang Province, September 17, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Phan Sai Min. 107 Vietnamese were found illegally entering the country via the northern Ha Giang Province from Tuesday to Friday. These people had illegally entered Meo Vac District, which borders China, said the border guard station of Xin Cai Commune. Two groups consisting of 20 people were detected by authorities Tuesday, entering the border three hours apart. The next day, three more groups consisting of 40 people were also detected. The rest entered Vietnam on Thursday and Friday, four groups with 33 people detected on the latter. Most groups were guided by a third party, it was confirmed. They took advantage of the rain, mist, and low temperature in Meo Vac, partially caused by the impact of the now-devolved Storm Noul, to enter Vietnam, authorities suspected. They had gone to work in China illegally and were thus not eligible for official repatriation programs to bring Vietnamese citizens home from Covid-19 affected areas. All illegal entrants have been put into quarantine as per Covid-19 prevention protocol. Many had expected to be quarantined upon their return, entering Vietnam regardless of the time of day, said Nguyen Van Chung, deputy political officer of the Xin Cai border guard station. Meo Vac District has seen the highest number of illegal entries from China out of the entire border length of Ha Giang since the beginning of this year, with 3,000 illegal migrants detected within the district out of over 3,500 for the whole province, border guards said. Individuals in China often cooperate with accomplices in Vietnam to illegally bring people across the border, mainly for work, provincial officials said. Vietnam had closed its borders and suspended international flights since late March to prevent Covid-19. The government just gave permission for resuming flights to several Asian destinations this month. Johnson County Jail attracts lawsuit for withholding mail from inmates On September 14, the Human Rights Defense Center, a Florida-based nonprofit that focuses on prisoner rights, filed a lawsuit against the Johnson County Board of Commissioners and the Johnson County sheriff, Calvin Hayden, accusing them of withholding mail sent to inmates at the New Century Adult Detention Center in Olathe. Here's a Golden Ghetto crackdown on the criminal class that also targets old school communication . . . Very much like politicos working the postman in order to garner votes. Checkit: Missouri reports nearly 1,400 new COVID-19 cases JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri added nearly 1,400 new COVID-19 cases and 13 more deaths on Saturday. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported that the 1,387 new cases bring the total to 111,516 since the pandemic began. The death toll in the state now stands at 1,793. More numbers on the plague that persists in Missouri and continues to put more people in the hospital amid a fierce debate over civil liberties that are also in critical condition. Checkit: Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-19 18:49:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A staff member shows Italian red wine at Food and Agricultural Products exhibition area during the second China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, east China, Nov. 7, 2019. (Xinhua/Cai Yang) "The Chinese market has so much potential that it can't be ignored," said Simone Incontro, director of the Shanghai office for Verona Fiere (the parent organization for Vinitaly) told Xinhua. ROME, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Italian winemakers say they are making a major push to improve their foothold in China even as most of the world's economy is struggling to emerge from the worst impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Italy has jockeyed with France for the title of the world's top wine producer in terms of volume, but in the fast-growing Chinese market, Italy ranks a distant fourth, not only trailing France but also Australia and Chile, according to 2019 data from the IWSR, a global beverage market analysis group. Five years ago, Italy ranked seventh. Italian wine sector officials told Xinhua they want to continue climbing the rankings. Vinitaly, Italy's main wine fair, took its show to China this year, participating in fairs in three Chinese cities: Xiamen, Chengdu, and Shanghai. Shanghai hosted the last and largest of the three events, which will draw to a close on Saturday. Italy was represented at the fairs by 65 producers and distributors, a record number. Back home, industry groups are holding strategy sessions to chart the best course for growth in the Chinese market. Despite the difficulties of a hot and dry summer in most of Italy and a shortage of workers due to coronavirus travel restrictions, 2020 is shaping up to be a good year for Italian wines in terms of quality. Liv-ex, a wine sector monitoring group, reported in late August that the Italian wine trade this year had by that point already passed its value for all of 2019. A major challenge, analysts and observers said, is to translate that demand to the Chinese market. "The Chinese market has so much potential that it can't be ignored," Simone Incontro, director of the Shanghai office for Verona Fiere (the parent organization for Vinitaly) in Shanghai, told Xinhua. "Wine consumption in China has increased from 0.9 liters per person to 1.1 liters per person over the last two years." Incontro said he believed that China would become a far more important destination for Italy's wine exports over the next five to ten years. Francesco Zaganelli, export manager for Lungarotti, a major wine producer in the central Italian region of Umbria, agreed with Incontro that despite its economic difficulties that this period could be a key point for Italian winemakers. Among Italian producers, Lungarotti has been a pioneer in the Chinese wine market, exporting directly to China for 15 years. Zaganelli said that a combination of factors, including greater recognition of Italian wines in China and the switch to a niche distributor that specializes in the Chinese market, have made a difference. He said that China is now the seventh-largest of Lungarotti's 47 export markets. Land deals at work will potentially add about three more miles to the Silver Bow Creek Greenway Trail connecting Butte and Opportunity. The planned trail will span 26 unbroken miles along the meandering Silver Bow Creek, which has suffered more than a century of pollution from mining operations in Butte and Anaconda. Dori Skrukrud, Butte-Silver Bows community development coordinator, said the Greenway Trail project will not only clean up decades of mining waste, but connect the communities of Butte, Opportunity, Anaconda and Warm Springs. Since remediation began in 1999, the Department of Environmental Quality has removed more than 4 million cubic yards of contaminated mining tailings from the floodplain. Skrukrud said environmental degradation from over 100 years of mining pollution is the reason Silver Bow Creek hasn't been enjoyed until now. Portions of the trail are already complete. Skrukrud said about eight miles of the trail are currently open in three disconnected segments, and two more sections could be added as early as next spring. One of the sections set for construction next spring would begin at the eastern end of Durant Canyon, where the trail would then run along Silver Bow Creek through private property for about a mile to Fairmont Road. Another segment would be built in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County and would begin on Crackerville Road and run north through private and state-owned property, ending at Highway 1. This segment would add about two miles to the trail. The project, part of the cleanup of the countrys largest Superfund complex, includes the creation of the Greenway Service District, a collaboration of Anaconda-Deer Lodge and Butte-Silver Bow counties. The district, which includes representatives from both counties, is responsible for the planning, design, construction, maintenance and operation of the greenway along the creek. Over the last few decades, the Greenway Trail has slowly been filled in and paved. The first segment, constructed in 2008, begins at the Whiskey Gulch Station on Santa Claus Road in Butte and runs westward along the creek to south of Rocker before continuing west to I-15 and then Silver Bow Station. This section includes several pedestrian bridges across Silver Bow Creek and a pedestrian underpass below a railroad bridge. A shorter segment about a mile long was later added and it runs between the Silver Bow and Ramsay communities. The most recent addition was in 2017 with the completion of the segment from Fairmont Road in Silver Bow County to Crackerville Road in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County. The budget for the entire project is around $23.6 million. The money comes from grant allocations from a fund managed by the Natural Resource Damage Program. The fund was established by the state after its legal settlement with Atlantic Richfield Company in 1999. Roughly $19 million have been spent on restoration efforts, access features, easements and trail construction along the creek corridor. There are 18 miles of trail yet to be built. Once complete, the trail will be accessible for all people of all abilities. Milo Manning, chairman of the Greenway Service District authority board and former planning director for Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, said the idea behind the Greenway Trail is to protect the remediation efforts along Silver Bow Creek. It would also provide recreation opportunities to area residents. Manning said it was during his tenure as planning director that Anaconda saw its Superfund listing. Hes been involved with the development of the Greenway Trail for over 20 years. Initially, ARCO was supposed to buy up all the private property along Silver Bow Creek, so they could clean it up, he said. But a lot of people ... wouldn't give up their land. So we [the district] had to buy the properties or get the easements. He said the biggest delay has been getting access to private properties where the trail would cross. He said the district has worked out easements with the various utilities, agencies, private landowners, and the railroads who own right-of-way or property along the creek and its floodplain. But a few more easements still have to be negotiated. Manning said the district is working to settle a land transfer with the Petersen family, which owns the area between Durant Canyon and Fairmont Road. If successful, about a mile of trail would be added and would connect to the trail segment from Fairmont Road to Crackerville Road. He said the group is also working with Butana Sands in Anaconda-Deer Lodge, to gain access through their property. This would extend the trail from Crackerville Road to Highway 1. Recently, the district was close to purchasing 130 acres from the Ueland Ranch for $280,000. However, the deal was off the table after the district failed to get approval from both counties to sign off on the purchase. Our ordinance says that if we [the district] want to buy or sell property, we have to get concurrence from both counties, Manning said. But in July, Anaconda-Deer Lodge commissioners shot down the proposal to purchase the property, citing insufficient funds to complete the trail that would later burden citizens. The county commissioners in Anaconda felt that all the money for this project has been going to the Butte side, and they think theres not enough money to finish the trail on the Anaconda side, which isnt true, Manning said. When we started this project, we didnt look at county lines. We looked at the creek as a whole. Now, the district is pursuing an easement to gain access through the Ueland Ranch. The negotiated price for the easement would be just as much as the purchase price, and this access would add just over a mile to the trail. Aside from the current negotiations involving the Petersen Ranch, Butana Sands and the Ueland Ranch, Manning said the district has a few more easements and right-of-ways to settle. He said he hopes the five-mile section through Durant Canyon will be completed soon, but the Montana Department of Environmental Quality is still cleaning that up. Im pleased with whats done so far, said Manning, who is 83. I would like to see it completed before I die. Love 4 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 1 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. Abductors of a 24 years old lady in Awka, Anambra State have been arrested by the Anambra Police. The young lady was abducted from Awka, Anambra State capital by a three-man syndicate who promised to get her a job, as a makeup artist. The syndicate reportedly lured the lady from Awka to Abba junction, along the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, where she was abducted and taken to an uncompleted building. Dailypost gathered that she was kept in captivity for a week and r.a.p.e.d repeatedly by the syndicate, even after extorting the sum of N400,000 from her relatives. Haruna Mohammed, a Superintendent of Police and the Spokesperson of Anambra State Police Command while confirming the incident said the men have been arrested. He said, Today (Saturday), at about 2:pm, police operatives attached to the Command Special Anti Robbery Squad(SARS) arrested Ekwugha Innocent Chinazo m aged 25years of Awkuzu, Chidiebere Ogoegbunam m aged 24years of Egbu Awkuzu and David Nnaemeka m aged 19years of same address. The suspects had on the 13/9/2020 (last Sunday) lured a 24 years old lady residing at St Michael hostel, Unizik Temporary site, Awka under the pretext of securing her a beauty make up job. They picked her up at Ukpo junction along Enugu- Onitsha Expressway and took her to an isolated building at Awkuzu where they allegedly r.a.p.e.d the victim repeatedly while in captivity for two days despite collecting a ransom of four hundred thousand Naira(#400,000) from her relatives. The suspects have voluntarily confessed to the crime and the victim was taken to the hospital for medical examination. Investigations are still ongoing after which suspects would be brought to book, he said. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates A British man accused of biting off part of a fellow passenger's ear moments after their flight from Birmingham touched down in Majorca has been arrested. The 29-year-old was held after officers called to deal with an altercation on the Ryanair jet witnessed the sickening attack. The incident happened on a plane which had just touched down at Majorca's Palma Airport from Birmingham on Thursday night. Police said they arrested the holidaymaker after he downed another passenger's drink while the plane was still in the air before his drunken assault. The incident happened on a plane which had just touched down at Majorca's Palma Airport from Birmingham (file photo) The Civil Guard said in a statement: 'A 29-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of wounding following an incident on board a plane that had just touched down at Palma Airport. 'The crew on a plane from Birmingham asked us for assistance on Thursday night following a problem linked to a passenger who had been denied alcohol during the flight. 'The man, who was drunk, had ignored their instructions and at one point had even tried to open a fridge with alcohol inside before consuming a drink another passenger had purchased. 'As officers were taking down details of what had occurred by the entrance to the plane, they saw a fight had broken out inside. 'They entered the aircraft and saw the detainee attacking another passenger after biting off part of his right ear. 'He was overpowered and arrested. 'The victim, a compatriot of the man arrested, had to be taken to a hospital in Palma where he was admitted because of the injuries he had suffered after being assisted initially by police at the airport.' Majorca Airport (file photo) Neither of the two men involved in the incident have yet been named. A well-placed source described the two men involved as British, although Civil Guard officers could not be reached on Sunday night to confirm their nationalities. The arrest is very rare in Spain where officers normally deal with alleged cases of air rage by taking down the names and home address of those involved and passing on their details to the Spanish Aviation Safety and Security Agency so they can decide the size of fines. Airlines tend to wrongly claim air rage passengers have been arrested, even when police have made no arrests because officers have not witnessed the alleged assaults or misbehaviour air crews or pilots allege have occurred. Ocasio-Cortez Says Ginsburgs Death Should Radicalize Democrats Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said that her supporters should embrace a different future even if Democratic nominee Joe Biden wins the presidency. Theres no going back to brunch, the self-described socialist said. Our democracy is at a faint heartbeat; it was broken even before Trump. But so long as we can save lives, I believe we have an obligation to do so as we build a new world, she wrote on Twitter. Let this moment radicalize you, she said after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgs death. Let this moment really put everything into stark focus because this election has always been about the fight of and for our lives. And if anything, tonight is making that more clear to more people than ever before. She didnt elaborate. And after we work to command victory in November, I need folks to realize that theres no going back to brunch, she added, suggesting that progressives cannot get complacent even if they win. But she called on her supporters to vote for Biden. Ocasio-Cortez was a surrogate for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), another self-described socialist. And after we work to command victory in November, I need folks to realize that theres no going back to brunch. We have a whole new world to build. We cannot accept going back to the way things were, & that includes the Dem party. We must deliver transformative, material change. pic.twitter.com/r7du2yOl2c Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) September 19, 2020 Voting for Joe Biden, its not about whether you like him or not, its a vote to let democracy live another day, said the socialist Bronx congresswoman, who has been famously tepid in her backing of Biden. No president is the answer. You are the answer. Mass movements are the answer, she added. The congresswoman also told reporters Saturday that if Republicans are successful in confirming a conservative justice to the Supreme Court after Ginsburgs death, she suggested that Democrats will try to pack the court with more justices. We should leave all options on the table, including the numbers of justices that are on the Supreme Court, Ocasio-Cortez said. President Donald Trump says he is obligated to act as soon as possible on filling the Supreme Court and had at least two women in mind for the seat. Most Republicans concurred on the need for speed and one named a practical reason: The nine-seat member, argued Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), must be full if called upon to decide the outcome of a disputed presidential election. The Associated Press Contributed to this report. Terming Parliament clearing two key farm bills as a "historicand landmark moment" for Indian farmers, Rajiv Kumar on Sunday said there is no risk of being exploited by big corporates. The Upper House passedthe Farmer's Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. "A historic and landmark moment for Indian with the Parliament passing the two bills liberating the farmers from traders cartels. The government will guarantee procurement of farmers' output at MSPs announced." Kumar said in a tweet. He also noted that there is no risk of farmers being exploited by big corporates and that the "central government is committed to ensure that". Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant saidthese reforms open doors for new jobs and a new consumption boom in rural areas of India. "These long-due structural reforms will lead to income & wealth generation for farmers. Vast arbitrage usurped by a range of middlemen will vanish. "This required immense political will," Kant said in a tweet. (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.) Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said on Sunday that she will not support President Donald Trump's nomination of a replacement to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court left by the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before Election Day. The announcement makes Murkowski the second Republican in the Senate, after Susan Collins of Maine, to announce her opposition to filling Ginsburg's seat before Nov. 3. Murkowski's position narrows the path for Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to place Ginsburg's successor before voters decide whether Trump will hold the White House for a second term. "For weeks, I have stated that I would not support taking up a potential Supreme Court vacancy this close to the election. Sadly, what was then a hypothetical is now our reality, but my position has not changed," Murkowski said in a statement. Read more: Ginsburg vacancy could tilt Supreme Court to Trump in potential Bush v. Gore repeat "I did not support taking up a nomination eight months before the 2016 election to fill the vacancy created by the passing of Justice Scalia," she added. "We are now even closer to the 2020 election less than two months out and I believe the same standard must apply." The GOP has a 53-seat majority in Congress's upper chamber, meaning the party will not be able to confirm a justice if more than three senators defect, assuming every Democrat votes against the nominee. Ginsburg died on Friday at 87-years-old after suffering from pancreatic cancer. The liberal justice's death ignited a partisan firestorm in Washington, with just over six weeks to go until Election Day. Trump has pledged to nominate a new justice without delay, and McConnell has said that the person will receive a vote on the Senate floor. In a letter to his fellow Republicans on Friday evening, McConnell told them to be cautious about publicly staking out a position on the vote. "Over the coming days, we are all going to come under tremendous pressure from the press to announce how we will handle the coming nomination, " he wrote in the letter, which was obtained by NBC News. "For those of you who are unsure how to answer, or for those inclined to oppose giving a nominee a vote, I urge you all to keep your powder dry. On Saturday, Collins said that she believed the winner of the November election should decide who replaces Ginsburg. "In fairness to the American people, who will either be re-electing the President or selecting a new one, the decision on a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court should be made by the President who is elected on November 3rd," Collins said. Collins is mounting a tough reelection battle of her own, facing off against Democrat Sara Gideon for a chance at a fifth term, and has been dogged by her support for Trump's second nominee, Justice Neil Gorsuch. Murkowski voted against Kavanaugh and will not face a reelection vote until 2022. The attention is likely to turn now to Sen. Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee for president, who has split with Trump in the past and is considered a moderate. Romney was the only Republican in the Senate to vote in favor of Trump's impeachment earlier this year. Romney, who was not in office when Kavanaugh was confirmed but said he would have voted in favor of his nomination, has not indicated whether he supports a new Trump nomination before Election Day. The push-and-pull over a potential vote has been shaped by charges that McConnell's eagerness to seat a new justice is hypocritical. McConnell refused to even hold a hearing on former President Barack Obama's nominee to fill the seat vacated by the late Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016, citing the election calendar. He has since said that the distinction between 2016 and 2020 is that the same party holds both the Senate and the White House this cycle. In a year that already featured unusual amounts of partisan rancor, the fight over the Supreme Court has only turned up the heat. Los Angeles County firefighter Tommy Davis watches a water-dropping helicopter make a drop on the Bobcat fire as it continues to burn in the Angeles National Forest. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Tim Wheeler, 62, a school building maintenance worker, didnt know what to expect when he drove up to the corner of Longview and Pallet Mesa roads in Juniper Hills late Sunday morning. His single-story home was in the path of the Bobcat fire when he last saw it Thursday. For days he had been watching the fire creep toward the desert enclave. The blaze was burning on the nearby hillsides Wednesday. The next morning, the wind shifted, blowing fire deeper into Juniper Hills. Flames made their way along Pallet Creek, across from Wheelers home. Embers were igniting hot spots ahead of the fire. Wheeler, a U.S. Navy veteran, said he grabbed whatever valuables he could and drove off in his black Chevy SSR. As he sped away, he looked back and saw the fire approaching his home. If God wants to take my home then hell take it, he recalled thinking as he drove. The Bobcat fire has grown to more than 103,000 acres, making it one of the largest wildfires in Los Angeles County history. The blaze continued to threaten some desert communities as well as the Mt. Wilson Observatory in the San Gabriel Mountains on Sunday. The fire was no longer bearing down on foothill communities such as Arcadia and Monrovia to the south, but it continued to move into some remote areas in the Antelope Valley to the north, destroying homes and prompting numerous evacuations, officials said. "Were still in the thick of a good firefight," Andrew Mitchell, public information officer with the U.S. Forest Service, said Sunday. There were flare-ups overnight around Mt. Wilson, but firefighters on the ground and in the air were able to prevent any losses there, officials said. L.A. County firefighter firefighter Tommy Davis douses a hot spot Sunday as the Bobcat fire burns in the northern Angeles National Forest foothills. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) The fire has burned 103,135 acres and is only 15% contained, officials said. Fire officials were hoping that lower temperatures and calmer winds expected Monday and Tuesday might give them a chance to get the upper hand on the blaze. "I think the next couple days well start to really get a handle on this fire because the conditions will be right and we'll be able to really start backing it with all our assets," Mitchell said. He noted the number of people fighting the fire has steadily increased to more than 1,600, with help coming from as far as New York. Story continues Fueled by gusty winds, the fire more than doubled in size in just a few days, growing nearly 20,000 acres from Friday to Saturday alone and making an aggressive push to the north. The blaze chewed through an immense swath of the Angeles National Forest, becoming one of L.A. County's largest in terms of acres burned. The county's largest fire, the Station blaze in 2009, burned 160,000 acres in the same Angeles National Forest area, killing two firefighters and destroying more than 200 structures. The 2018 Woolsey fire burned 96,000 acres in L.A. and Ventura counties, destroying more than 1,600 structures and killing three people. The 1970 Clampitt fire in the northern San Fernando Valley burned 105,000 acres and killed four people. The extent of the destruction wreaked by the Bobcat fire wasnt immediately clear. Crews still hadn't been able to go out and perform a damage assessment as of Sunday morning, as firefighters were continuing to defend homes from flames, said Larry Smith, public information officer with the U.S. Forest Service. A Joshua tree burns near a charred field in Juniper Hills. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) "At this time were just focusing on catching this thing," Smith said. Crews were also racing to put out hot spots, at times with the help of bystanders. Melina Castillo was driving along Big Rock Creek Road, just past Valyermo, when she and her 65-year-old father, Manuel Castillo, noticed heavy smoke and flames. Theres some shovels in the back of the truck, and weve got to put it out, she said. The father and daughter, who had been on their way to check on their nearby vacation home, grabbed three buckets from the back of their silver Toyota Tundra. They ran across the creek, which they used to fill the buckets with water to douse the flames. For about 15 minutes or more, they carried buckets of water from the creek to the flames. During one trip, Manuel Castillo saw a firefighter driving by and ran over to tell him flames were burning behind some homes. The firefighter sped off in his pickup truck to seek more help while other firefighters noticed the smoke and flames and pulled over, using shovels to throw dirt on the fire. Within minutes, the flames had been put out. Firefighters thanked the Castillos for helping to save two homes. For Wheeler in Juniper Hills, Thursday marked the first time he had been forced to evacuate his home in the 28 years hes lived there. There had been brush fires before, but firefighters had managed to knock them out. Even when the Station fire threatened the community, the firefighters had managed to keep it at bay. But this fire was different. For up to 15 minutes the winds had pushed the fire down, burning homes, power lines and cars. The remains of a burned home are left after the Bobcat fire swept through the Juniper Hills area. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Wheeler said he drove down and parked off the road. He said that the evacuation center was too far for him and that he didnt have enough money to get a hotel. So he slept on top of his truck bed until Sunday morning, when he drove back up the road and saw how far the fire had reached, which homes had been saved. Then he saw his blue house. It was standing. Im thankful to God he kept it safe, he said. But it wasnt just God he thanked. He knew the firefighters had worked hard to keep many homes in the area from burning down. L.A. County Fire saved my home, he said. They saved this place. Standing outside his home, he saw that flames had burned the corner of his 5-acre property. That was the extent of the damage. The Bobcat fire was one of 27 major wildfires that nearly 19,000 firefighters were battling across the state Sunday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The fires together have killed 26 people and destroyed more than 6,100 structures since mid-August, Cal Fire said. Fifteen deaths have been linked to the North Complex fire, which had burned over 293,000 acres in Butte, Plumas and Yuba counties as of Sunday. Crews reported progress, with containment increasing from 58% Saturday to 64% by Sunday night. To the south, a firefighter died last week while battling the El Dorado fire in the San Bernardino National Forest. That fire, which officials say was sparked by a pyrotechnic device used during a gender reveal party, had burned 22,489 acres and was 59% contained Sunday, down from 66% last week. The drop in containment reflected both the growth in acreage and a controlled burning operation that caused part of the fire line to be reclassified from contained to uncontained, said Cathey Mattingly, public information officer with Cal Fire in San Bernardino. Firefighters were hoping to take advantage of a couple of days of calm winds and better humidity to get a handle on the blaze. But the long-term forecast is expecting some more possible wind activity later in the week, Mattingly said, so were just kind of taking it day by day right now. By Gavin Jones ROME (Reuters) - Italians began voting on Sunday in a raft of local ballots and a referendum, with the ruling coalition under pressure in its first electoral test since the coronavirus crisis. Voters have largely approved of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte's handling of the pandemic, but recent opinion polls suggest this will not help his coalition allies in the vote for the heads of seven regions and mayors in almost 1,000 towns. The rightist opposition, led by Matteo Salvini's League, is expected to win at least four of the regions up for grabs, and could capture the traditional leftwing stronghold of Tuscany. A drubbing for the ruling parties would galvanise the League and its allies, but most analysts say it would be unlikely to trigger a government collapse in the midst of the coronavirus crisis and as the country prepares a crucial 2021 budget. Voting takes place over two days and exit polls will be published at 1300 GMT on Monday when ballot boxes close. The co-ruling anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and centre-left Democratic Party are fielding separate candidates almost everywhere, hurting their chances against a united centre-right. 5-Star, which does not run any of Italy's 20 regions, is pinning its hopes on the only nationwide ballot -- a referendum it champions to cut the number of lawmakers to 600 from 945. Early voting went smoothly despite concerns over possible delays due to coronavirus social distancing rules. "The polling station president and the staff were very clear about the rules. It took 15 seconds longer to vote perhaps, but everything was fine," said 69-year-old university professor Carlo Di Giovine after voting in the referendum in Rome. The centre-left is expected to lose control of Marche in the centre and Puglia in the south, while holding on to the southern region of Campania. Tuscany looks like a neck-and-neck race. The right should easily keep power in the two northern regions where it currently governs -- Liguria and Veneto. The seventh region at stake is the tiny, French-speaking Valle D'Aosta which has its own party system. (Additional reporting by Carmelo Camilli and Roberto Mignucci; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky) The five-year-old Somebeachsomewhere mare Kissin In The Sand made her first start back to the track off a sick scratch in the Roses Are Red a winning one with a 1:49.2 victory in the first of two $35,000 eliminations for the Milton Stakes on Saturday (Sept. 19) at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Race-favourite Warrawee Ubeaut brushed to the lead by a :26.3 first quarter and raced uncontested through middle fractions of :54.4 and 1:22.2. The 6-5 choice appeared uncatchable in the stretch, opening a three-and-a-quarter length lead on the field, but started to shorten stride into the final eighth. Kissin In The Sand, riding the pylons throughout, sprinted off the pegs and chased after the tiring leader with Treacherous Reign rallying from the back. The Nancy Takter trainee hit the finish a half-length better than Warrawee Ubeaut with Treacherous Reign settling for third. Lit De Rose and Stonebridge Soul also qualified for the final. I think that was probably about the worst trip shes had as far as putting her in a position to win, winning driver Jody Jamieson said after the race. It just worked out[Warrawee] Ubeaut just had an off night and Kissin In The Sand was inside for most of the way. Shes supposed to go a pretty big trip once she gets loose from that spot, and she did. So I was real happy about that. Owned by Marvin Katz and Hatfield Stables, Kissin In The Sand won her second race from six starts this season and her 21st from 52 overall, earning $1,386,927. She paid $8.10 to win. Trillions Hanover swept to the front early and hit the finish in time to win the second Milton elimination narrowly in 1:50.3. Tall Drink Hanover hustled to the front moving to a :26.4 first quarter with Boadicea second and Trillions Hanover in third. Into the backstretch driver Bob McClure angled Trillions Hanover off the pylons and grabbed control to a :55.4 half. Boadicea edged first over rounding the final turn as 4-5 favourite Caviart Ally attempted to advance, but was forced three wide to three-quarters in 1:23.1. Into the stretch, Trillions Hanover maintained a near two-length lead but clung to control nearing the finish as So Much More motored off cover with Caviart Ally between horses. At the finish Trillions Hanover kept a head in front of So Much More and Caviart Ally to win with Philly Hanover and Boadicea rounding the top five. It seemed like Yannick [Gingras on Tall Drink Hanover] was looking for some cover. We werent going much up the backside. Watching my fillys races, it looks like shes very deep; shes always pacing hard at the wire. So I figured to put her into that situation to where she can [get] a chance to get tired and fight through it. And shes toughshes got big lungs, a big heart and she likes to race. Winning her second race from nine starts this season and her 12th from 31 overall, Trillions Hanover has earned $362,869 for owners VIP Internet Stable LLC, Falcon Racing LLC and Paul Lang. Tom Fanning trains the $10.00 winner. The Milton eliminations were one of the handful of major stakes events on the Saturday card at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Recaps from the other races are available at the following links: To view the results from Saturday's card of harness racing at Woodbine Mohawk Park, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park. Amid heated debates around the farm bills, high level drama erupted in the Rajya Sabha as opposition members rushed to the Well of the House. The rule book was torn down, Deputy Chairman's microphone was snatched while the opposition was in uproar. Rajya Sabha was adjourned for a brief time after a ruckus created by Opposition MPs opposing agriculture reform Bills on Sunday. TMC MP Derek OBrien entered the well of the House and showed the rule book to Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, during a discussion in the House on agriculture Bills. The ruckus was created when Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar was replying to the concerns raised by opposition MPs. Opposition MPs raised slogans against the government and some also throw out the papers in the Upper House. The Bills being discussed are Farmers and Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. Both of them were passed by the Lower House with a voice vote a couple of days back. Also read: Farm bills tabled in Rajya Sabha amid protests in Punjab, Haryana Rajya Sabha passes the Farmers' and Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, amid protest by Opposition MPs https://t.co/JqGYfi8k4x ANI (@ANI) September 20, 2020 Rajya Sabha: Continuos sloganeering by Opposition MPs in the well of the House, against the agriculture Bills https://t.co/26hIPYMl6N pic.twitter.com/DH2jgj06Z0 ANI (@ANI) September 20, 2020 They have broken every rule of the Parliament. It was a historic day, in the worst sense of the word. They cut RSTV feed so the country couldn't see. They censored RSTV: TMC MP Derek O'Brien after uproar in the House on farm bills https://t.co/VltTgKOx5w ANI (@ANI) September 20, 2020 Rajya Sabha adjourned, following uproar in the House over agriculture bills. pic.twitter.com/xLHUMa8PTa ANI (@ANI) September 20, 2020 Also read: Parliament session likely to be cut short amid Covid crisis as parties reach consensus Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP TKS Elangovan on Sunday said that the Bills on agriculture sector reform will turn farmers into slaves. Elangovan said in the Rajya Sabha that farmers who contribute at least 20 per cent to the total GDP of the country, would be turned into slaves by this Bill. He said that the Bill would not help farmers, it would kill the farmers and make them a commodity. Earlier today, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar moved two agriculture Bills in the Upper House. These Bills are Farmers and Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. Both of them were passed by the Lower House with a voice vote a couple of days back. Also read: Serum Institute to begin phase 3 trials of Covid-19 vaccine soon Syrian opposition sources said Russian jets bombed rebel-held northwestern Syria on Sunday in the most extensive strikes since a Turkish-Russian deal halted major fighting with a ceasefire nearly six months ago. Witnesses said the warplanes struck the western outskirts of Idlib city and that there was heavy artillery shelling in the mountainous Jabal al Zawya region in southern Idlib from nearby Syrian army outposts. There were no immediate reports of casualties. "These thirty raids are by far the heaviest strikes so far since the ceasefire deal," said Mohammed Rasheed, a former rebel official and a volunteer plane spotter whose network covers the Russian air base in the western coastal province of Latakia. Other tracking centres said Russian Sukhoi jets hit the Horsh area and Arab Said town, west of the city of Idlib. Unidentified drones also hit two rebel-held towns in the Sahel al-Ghab plain, west of Hama province. There has been no wide-scale aerial bombing since a March agreement ended a Russian-backed bombing campaign that displaced over a million people in the region which borders Turkey after months of fighting. There was no immediate comment from Moscow or the Syrian army who have long accused militant groups who hold sway in the last opposition redoubt of wrecking the ceasefire deal and attacking army-held areas. The deal between Turkish President and Russian President Vladimir Putin also defused a military confrontation between them after Ankara poured thousands of troops in Idlib province to hold back Russian-backed forces from new advances. Western diplomats tracking Syria say Moscow piled pressure on Ankara in the latest round of talks on Wednesday to scale down its extensive military presence in Idlib. Turkey has more than ten thousand troops stationed in dozens of bases there, according to opposition sources in touch with Turkish military. Witnesses say there has been a spike in sporadic shelling from Syrian army outposts against Turkish bases in the last two weeks. Rebels say the Syrian army and its allied militias were amassing troops on front lines. Search Keywords: Short link: Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 18:52:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOSCOW, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) Security Council did not take any action that would lead to the resumption of the previous sanctions against Iran, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Sunday. The statement came shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed that "the United States welcomes the return of virtually all previously terminated UN sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran" and "Sanctions are being re-imposed on Iran pursuant to the snapback process under UN Security Council resolution (UNSCR) 2231." "Now they are trying to force everyone to put on 'augmented reality glasses' labeled 'made in USA' and perceive what is happening around Iran and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, the Iran nuclear deal) exclusively through them. But the world is not an American computer game," the statement read. To claim that UN sanctions against Iran have been restored is "wishful thinking," the ministry said, urging the U.S. side to "have the courage to finally face the truth and stop speaking on behalf of the UN Security Council." "Unbridled behavior contrary to the JCPOA and UNSCR 2231 is becoming a serious blow from the United States to the authority of the UN Security Council, a manifestation of open disregard for its decisions and for international law in general. This is unacceptable," it stressed. Efforts to maintain and ensure the sustainable implementation of the JCPOA will continue, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. "The United States should not aggravate the situation, but immediately abandon its course of destroying the JCPOA and undermining UNSCR 2231," it added. Enditem Ukrainian sappers have cleared over 7 hectares in the front-line area and handed for disposal 82 explosive objects found in the JFO zone. The Ukrainian military have neutralized an enemy UAV in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. "Since Saturday midnight, one violation of [the latest ceasefire] agreements [by Russia-controlled armed groups in the Donbas warzone] that entered into force on July 27 has been recorded. An enemy UAV was spotted crossing the contact line near the village of Vodiane," Ukraine's Defense Ministry said on its website in an evening update as of 17:00 Kyiv time on September 19. Read alsoDonbas war update: Russia-led forces attack Ukraine positions near Vodiane, Novotoshkivske on FridayThe drone was suppressed by Ukrainian electronic warfare means. No ceasefire violations were reported along the contact line, the report said. In addition, Ukrainian sappers have cleared over 7 hectares in the front-line area and handed for disposal 82 explosive objects found in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) zone. JFO rescuers are also engaged in the restoration of residential buildings and infrastructure damaged in artillery shelling of previous years. They repaired 10 houses in the past day. Works on 31 other sites are underway. Donbas ceasefire: background Chadwick Boseman arrives at the 47th AFI Life Achievement Award gala honoring Denzel Washington in Los Angeles, California, 6 June, 2019. Reuters/Monica Almeida Denzel Washington has paid tribute to Chadwick Boseman, saying that the 43-year-old actor, who lost his battle to colon cancer last month, lived a full life. Washington made his comments during a virtual conversation with Hollywood director Barry Levinson for the Toronto Film Festival, insisting that Boseman didnt get cheated... we did. I pray for his poor wife and his family. They got cheated, but he lived a full life, Washington said. He called the star of 42, Get On Up, Black Panther, and Avengers: Endgame a gentle soul, The Hollywood Reporter reported. Washington receives the 47th AFI Life Achievement Award in Los Angeles, California, 6 June, 2019. (Erik Voake/Getty Images for WarnerMedia) Washington recalled attending the Black Panther premiere and becoming emotional at the work of writer/director Ryan Coogler and Boseman, and thinking that they were now primed to take over Hollywood. "I went backstage and I saw Chad and I saw Ryan Coogler, and then I watched the movie and I remember shedding a tear, because I thought, Man, these young guys are gone. Like they'd taken over. This wasnt the first time that Washington has paid tribute to Boseman since he died on August 28. Read More Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman dies after four-year battle with cancer Chadwick Boseman found his passion in storytelling The Oscar-winner, who paid for Boseman and his fellow Howard University students tuition for a summer drama program at Oxford University around 25 years ago, released a statement to CNN in the days after his shocking death. He was a gentle soul and a brilliant artist, who will stay with us for eternity through his iconic performances over his short yet illustrious career. God bless Chadwick Boseman, it read. Boseman was diagnosed with cancer in 2016. He kept his condition private, while starring in films including Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, 21 Bridges, Da 5 Bloods, and the upcoming Ma Raineys Black Bottom, which will be posthumously released on Netflix next year and was produced by Washington. milehightraveler/iStockBY: LEIGHTON SCHNEIDER, ABC NEWS (NEW YORK) -- The United States experienced historic natural disasters last week, with unprecedented wildfires torching the West and the Atlantic hurricane season setting a record for the number of named storms at this point of the year. Officials in California and the Pacific Northwest, as well as scientists, pointed to these natural disasters as hard evidence that climate change is a global threat and scientific reality impacting American communities. Last Monday, President Trump pointed to forest mismanagement as one reason behind the fires and expressed skepticism about climate change at a press briefing after Wade Crawfoot, California's state secretary for natural resources, said people need to follow the science. It'll start getting cooler, you just watch, said the President I wish science agreed with you, Crawfoot replied. I dont think science knows actually, responded President Trump. ABC meterologist Melissa Griffin tells ABC's Perspective Podcast that the President is correct in saying that the weather will start getting cooler, but only because of the changing season's. Winter will cool down and fire season 2020 comes to an end, and that's it. But then what about fire season 2021? When it does cool down, we seem to forget that [the next] fire season will be around the corner again and what's to say that the next fire season isn't going to be worse? That's the weather aspect, but when it comes to climate, nothing is cooling down. All of the scientific research, when it comes to our warming climate, just has these graphs going up, said Griffin. Climate change is warming the surface of the Earth at a faster rate then ever before and it is leading to fire friendly conditions, but how forests are managed also impacts fires. Forest management, according to Griffin, is the administration of forests and it includes "the scientific and technical aspects of managing a forest" and it does play a role in wild fires. "It's pretty much forest regulation. For example, if you have a dead tree that falls in one of the forests out West forest management is the one that are in charge of removing it so it's not a danger to anything else. And if it does fall and it is dead, it is going to dry up even rapidly. And that's going to be an issue when it comes to these wildfires," said Griffin. She says the combination of forest management and climate change are leading to bigger fires. Management policies have created tinderboxes and that's because they're not removing these dead trees and dead brush fast enough in a forest. Climate change has only made it more likely that these tinder boxes, that forest management is creating, will explode into massive fires and they will spread, and grow faster and bigger than what we've ever seen before, Griffin said. Wildfires are not just burning in forests far from populated regions. They are also happening around cities like Los Angeles or San Francisco, which Griffin says is a sign that climate change, and not just forest management, is having an impact on fires. "We're talking about neighborhoods. We're talking about building areas. It's more populated regions and that does have to do with climate change. Anywhere can see these massive fires grow, especially out west. The entire world is warming at an alarming rate, but the Pacific Coast they've seen some of the most dramatic temperature increases, said Griffin. The worst case for scenario for Griffin is humans don't do anything to stop or slow climate change. "If we don't do anything this just continues to exasperated itself each and every year. We keep seeing the climate, the global temperatures and the global ocean waters continue to rise. That is what we're really trying to avoid here, because the more that happens, the more we're going to see glaciers melting. We're going to see things that we have never seen in our lifetime before. It's almost a question mark. Who knows what's going to happen if this continues, said Griffin. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. The German humanitarian group Sea-Watch on Sunday condemned as politically motivated the blockade of its ship in the Sicilian port of Palermo by Italian authorities after an 11-hour inspection. Philipp Hahn, head of the Sea-Watch 4 mission, called the justification flimsy and a systematic move to prevent civil sea rescue operations in the central Mediterranean. The main reason cited was that saving lives did not conform to the vessels registration. Italian officials also said there were too many life jackets on board while at the same time that the boat's sewage system was not adequate for the number of people rescued. It is the fifth rescue ship blocked by Italian authorities in as many months. The Sea-Watch 4 is operated by four humanitarian groups, including Sea-Watch and Doctors Without Borders. The vessel had rescued 354 people, including 98 unaccompanied minors, families, pregnant women and children. It waited for days to be assigned a safe port, until survivors were transferred to a ferry for quarantine. The Sea-Watch 4 crew also underwent a two-week quarantine off Palermo. The Sea-Watch 4 is only at sea because of the absence of state-led search and rescue capacity at the worlds deadliest sea border, Doctors Without Borders said. It accused Europe of "disregarding its legal and moral duty to save lives, also citing policies to reinforce the Libyan Coast Guard to block smugglers ships from leaving the country, which is not considered a safe haven and where many have reported torture. So far this year, 379 people trying to reach Europe via lawless Libya have died or gone missing on the perilous Mediterranean Sea crossing, 111 of those in August, the group said. Meanwhile, the German-flagged ship Alan Kurdi, operated by Sea-Eye, rescued 114 people Saturday in two operations. The Alan Kurdi was the first to be detained in early May after disembarking 150 people. An outdoor rave took place at a Dublin City Council apartment block less than 24 hours after Covid-19 restrictions were put in place. A video of the outdoor party at the Oliver Bond flats in the southside of the city, was shared across social media. The footage clearly shows up to 100 young people dancing to loud music without social distancing and without face coverings. Level 3 Covid-19 Government restrictions were installed on the capital on Friday night. Read More As part of the restrictions, organised gatherings are only permitted for up to 15 people. Gardai were alerted to the incident at 11.15pm. But officers stated no breaches were detected by gardai. A garda spokesman said: Gardai responded to reports of a gathering at a residential complex on Oliver Bond Street at approximately 11.15pm yesterday evening, Saturday 20th September 2020. Gardai attended the scene and requested all persons to disperse, which they did. No breaches were detected by Gardai. A number of routine patrols were conducted in the area over the course of the evening. The Irish Independent has been made aware a number of residents have become concerned about such scenes in recent weeks, some have asked council representatives to be rehoused. Meanwhile others have packed up and left to stay with relatives. Attempts were made to contact Dublin City Council to respond to the incident. Independent Dublin City Councillor Mannix Flynn, said he blames the council for not having taken control of anti-social behaviour at the flats, as he called for housing officers to take control. The estate management is non-existent, Cllr Flynn said. Oliver Bond flats are a nightmare. There are a lot of lovely people but a few bad apples are terrorising the flats. Dublin City Council are the landlords here and in the last number of years the council is refusing to run their estates in a proper manner. The Council is betraying its tenants and estates. You can get all the analysis you want but the bottom line is Dublin City Council arent capable of managing their own estates. If the Council cant run their estates, they need to bring in a private security company. Over the past number of days people in this estate and other estates in Dublin have told me theyre living their lives in terror. This isnt about Covid 19, its a long-running problem exacerbated now due to the virus but this is about a council not managing its estates and they should be ashamed of themselves. Labour councillor for the constituency, Darragh Moriarty, said: The images circulating on social media, reportedly of a social gathering in Oliver Bond, are concerning. The Department of Health confirmed on Friday that the South West Inner City local electoral ward had the fourth highest rate of confirmed cases per 100,000 in the country. In this context, any breaches of public health guidelines are deeply concerning. By and large, the people of the Liberties, Inchicore, Kilmainham, Rialto and the Tenters, right across the South West Inner City, have played their part in fighting Covid-19. The electoral ward is home to St James's Hospital, the Coombe Hospital and other health facilities. Everyday, residents, who are essential frontline workers, go to work and do their utmost to get us through this crisis. In the context of rising numbers in Dublin, we all need to redouble our efforts. Pitting communities against each other and demonising working class communities will get us nowhere. Instead of pointing the finger at isolated social gatherings, we should be addressing systemic issues in our meat plants and on our construction sites. We need proper sick pay provision for all of workers. Residents who are concerned about breaches of public health guidelines should contact the relevant community leaders and authorities to intervene. WASHINGTONRuth Bader Ginsburg led a hugely consequential life. Friday, she died a consequential death. Within hours of the announcement of her death Friday night, people gathered on the front steps of the Supreme Court building, where she had served as a judge for 27 years, bearing candles and singing Amazing Grace. That outpouring of grief, and the remembrance of her contributions shaping American law, was very quickly also turning toward a fight ahead the slogan of the Womens March vigil planned for Saturday night was May Her Memory be a Revolution. Its a spin on the traditional Jewish bereavement consolation may her memory be a blessing, which many clearly feel Ginsburgs already is. But its adopted at a time when her death promises to be a curse for a nation already in crisis, bringing on a political battle involving all three branches of government that threatens the legitimacy of the court. A child of Brooklyn public schools, Ginsburg attended Ivy League universities on full scholarships. She graduated law school at a time when she could not even get an interview for a Supreme Court clerkship shed been recommended for because she was a woman. As a litigator she began attacking that sexism, with a series of legal cases through her work with the American Civil Liberties Union and the Womens Rights Project in the 1970s, successfully getting the court to begin recognizing that U.S. constitutional rights to equal treatment applied to women. One great measurement of her success is that she became the second woman appointed to serve on the Supreme Court when she was appointed by Bill Clinton in 1993. There she wrote powerful dissents and landmark majority decisions affirming the rights of women and LGBT people. Late in life she became the senior member of the courts de facto liberal wing, and an unlikely pop culture hero nicknamed the Notorious RGB. Her approach to the law first in bringing cases to the Supreme Court and then in deciding them there was one that expanded the rights of full citizenship to people who were being deprived them. It was a way, she said, of realizing the full potential of the American constitutions promise. Think back to 1787. Who were we the people? she once said. They certainly werent women . . . they surely werent people held in human bondage. The genius of our constitution is that, over now more than 200 sometimes turbulent years, that we has expanded and expanded. Twice earlier in her life she survived cancer diagnoses, in her colon in 1999 and her pancreas in the late 2000s. Her death at age 87 Friday from complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer threatens a bitter fight for the divided nation she leaves behind over filling her seat on the Supreme Court. Her final public message, dictated to her granddaughter just before her death according to an NPR reporter, anticipated that fight. My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed, Ginsburg said. The context is that, on a highly partisan court that has only become more overtly polarized alongside U.S. politics in the past four decades, Ginsburgs death leaves conservatives with a 5-3 majority on the court, with only her seat to be filled immediately. Judges, appointed by the president and confirmed by a vote in the Senate, serve lifetime appointments on the nine-member Supreme Court, so opportunities to fill them come along infrequently. When Justice Antonin Scalia died in early 2016, Barack Obama nominated a judge to fill the vacancy. But Mitch McConnell, the leader of the Republican majority in the Senate, refused to give him a confirmation hearing. He argued at the time that filling a seat in an election year would be an affront to democracy. The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president, McConnell said then. His Republican colleagues took the same position then in January of an election year arguing that allowing a president to appoint a justice right before an election would be unthinkable. Of course, even then, it was part of a fairly transparent campaign by the Republican Senate to block as many of Obamas judicial nominees as they possibly could which has been followed by a single-minded focus on stacking the courts with as many conservative Donald Trump nominees as possible, as quickly as possible. President Trump brags about this filling of the benches as a major accomplishment. And he wasted no time in making clear he plans to continue by rushing to appoint a successor to Ginsburg with an election just six weeks away. We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices. We have this obligation, without delay! Trump tweeted Saturday morning. McConnell, meanwhile, has discarded the principles he claimed so steadfastly just four years ago. His statement Friday night on Ginsburgs death included a promise to confirm a successor immediately: President Trumps nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate. He and many other Republicans have produced sophisticated explanations for why this situation with a president from their own party differs from 2016, but it appears clear to many that the actual justification is that exercising and consolidating power trumps principles. There is a significant chance Republicans will not be able to confirm a new justice before the election, and will do so in the lame duck session between the election and the seating of the newly elected Congress even or especially if Trump were to lose and Republicans were to lose control of the Senate. Which sets up a crisis in the making. As Democrats call for Republicans to observe the rules they themselves outlined in 2016, any appointment now will be viewed by them and a substantial number of their voters as illegitimate a stolen seat. That could lead to Democrats, assuming they controlled the presidency and the Senate after the election, attempting to expand the court by adding more seats to right what they view as an injustice. Which itself would be viewed as illegitimate by Republican voters. Believe it or not, there are potentially even darker complications: if, as appears a strong possibility given Trumps rhetoric about mail balloting, the election result is in question after Nov. 3, it will be the Supreme Court that adjudicates the dispute. A Supreme Court that could have, by then, a majority assured by Trumps own new appointee. Sen. Ted Cruz, who has been put forward as a potential nominee by Trump recently, depicted just that scenario in arguing for a rush-job appointment before the election, arguing the prospect of a 4-4 tie vote needed to be avoided. We risk a constitutional crisis if we do not have a 9-Justice Supreme Court, particularly when there is such a risk of a contested election, Cruz tweeted. So, a heavily polarized country in which the rule of law is already thought by many experts to be deteriorating, one suffering through the worst pandemic in a century and massive civil unrest over racism, faces the likelihood its Supreme Court could soon be seen as having no integrity, which could quickly delegitimize the presidential election. That, more than the scenario Cruz outlines, appears to be a recipe for crisis, constitutional and otherwise. A functioning democracy depends for its legitimacy on the agreement from all parties, and most citizens, that the system is functioning fairly according to agreed upon rules, written and unwritten. That agreement is on the verge of shattering. It is unclear what happens after that. Ginsburg led a meaningful, inspiring life, and had a career that changed the lives of her fellow Americans. She made a historic contribution to something much greater than herself. In mourning her passing, Americans might be facing the historic loss of something much greater, too. (Bloomberg) -- The Trump administrations curbs on WeChat were put on hold by a judge, upending an effort to halt use of the Chinese-owned app in the U.S. U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler in San Francisco issued a preliminary injunction at the request of a group of U.S. WeChat users, who argued the prohibitions would violate the free-speech rights of millions of Chinese-speaking Americans who rely on it. The app, which was supposed to disappear from U.S. app stores on Sunday, has 19 million regular users in the U.S. and 1 billion worldwide. The ruling means that neither WeChat nor TikTok, another Chinese-owned mobile app targeted by President Donald Trumps executive order, will become immediately unavailable in the U.S. Trump cited national security concerns in banning the apps, but TikTok Inc. and the WeChat users group have said the president is trying to bolster his re-election chances by attacking China and Chinese companies. WeChat serves as a virtual public square for the Chinese-speaking and Chinese-American community in the United States and is (as a practical matter) their only means of communication, the judge wrote in the ruling, dated Saturday and released early Sunday. Effectively banning it forecloses meaningful access to communication in their community and thereby operates as a prior restraint on their right to free speech. The judge found the government provided insufficient evidence of a security threat. Certainly the governments overarching national-security interest is significant, she wrote. But on this record -- while the government has established that Chinas activities raise significant national security concerns -- it has put in scant little evidence that its effective ban of WeChat for all U.S. users addresses those concerns. The Department of Justice and Commerce Department didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. The government is likely to appeal the ruling. The ruling will probably survive if its appealed to the Ninth Circuit, said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond. Story continues Judge Beelers ruling seems very careful especially in clearly finding that plaintiffs have sufficiently satisfied the requirements for entering a preliminary injunction on the First Amendment claim, Tobias said. The judge also treats the weaker portions of both plaintiffs and the governments arguments, especially the lack of evidence presented by the government, and finds that plaintiffs have the better of it. Michael Bien, an attorney for the U.S. WeChat Users Alliance, said the U.S. has never shut down a major platform for communications, not even during war times. There are serious First Amendment problems with the WeChat ban, which targets the Chinese American community and trampled on their First Amendment guaranteed freedoms to speak, to worship, to read and react to the press, and to organize and associate for numerous purposes, he said in a statement. The U.S. has claimed that WeChat is a threat because its owner, Tencent Holdings Ltd., is intertwined with the Chinese Communist Party, which can use the app to disseminate propaganda, track users, and steal their private and proprietary data. Its a similar argument that the administration has used to target the TikTok app, while also forcing a sale of that apps U.S. operations. TikTok Delay The U.S. government on Saturday delayed its plan to prohibit downloads of TikTok, the popular video-sharing app, after Trump said he approved Oracle Corp.s bid for the U.S. operations of TikTok in concept. The TikTok ban was also set to go into effect Sunday, but the order has been delayed until Sept. 27. TikTok on Friday filed suit in Washington, D.C. At a court hearing Saturday, Bien said the restrictions on WeChat are a far cry from the narrowly tailored measures that the government is required to impose so as not to unnecessarily curtail peoples constitutional rights. Michael Drezner, a lawyer for the the government, said at the hearing that the anxiety and uncertainly U.S. WeChat users may experience because of the prohibitions doesnt entitle them to an order halting the implementation of the restrictions. Their reliance on WeChat is the result of Chinas ban on other social media, which has made WeChat the exclusive, Chinese government-controlled option for them to communicate with people in China, according to Drezner. Drezner also noted the app will remain available for use by people who already have it on their phones, although its use will degrade over time because updates wont be available. But Beeler responded that the ability for the app to function would be essentially eviscerated. Beeler had rejected a request for a preliminary injunction on Friday, which the users had sought on the grounds that the executive order was too vague. The Commerce Department on Friday detailed which transactions with WeChat and its Chinese parent company wont be allowed under the Aug. 6 executive order. The judge scheduled the hearing Saturday in response to a revived request from the users group. The case is U.S. WeChat Users Alliance v. Trump, 3:20-cv-5910, U.S. District Court, District of Northern California (San Francisco). (Updates with users group statement in ninth paragraph.) For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. The Directorate of Education (DoE) has identified 73 low-performing government schools across Delhi on the basis of their performance in CBSE Class 10 exams this year. The schools will now be adopted by the directorate officials who will monitor their academic performance throughout the year. In a circular issued on Friday, DoEs inspection cell said, On the basis of result analysis of Class 10 CBSE result, for the session 2019-20, the low performing government schools have been identified for adoption. All the concerned officers of the directorate are requested to adopt the allotted school for monitoring the academic performance during the session 2020-21. While a majority of these schools have overall pass percentages in Class 10 between 50% and 60%, some have also recorded pass percentage as low as 21%, 34% and 38%. The officials will carry out inspections in their allotted school at least once in a fortnight. They will help schools identify low performing subjects and students and chalk out a plan to improve their performance in the current academic session. The mentors are expected to visit the respective schools at least once in a fortnight and submit an inspection report in the inspection branch within three days and a copy of the same to be given to the head of schools for the action taken report, the circular added. The inspection performa carries parameters like steps taken to improve attendance/ involvement of students in online classes / regular classes; whether the action plan for improvement of low performing students is prepared and followed; and if the schools have requisite online study material for students. At a time when schools are have been forced shut in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, learning have become digital with classes shifting online. An official at the Delhi governments education department said that the idea behind the adoption is to prepare an action plan for these schools. Despite Delhi government schools performing better than last year in CBSE class 10 exams, the performance of some schools are still not up to the mark. The mentors will now monitor the academic performance of these schools and help them improve, the official said. The performance of government schools in Delhi improved by around 11 percentage points, from 71.6% in 2019 to 82.61% this year, in CBSE class 10 exams. Of 1,005 schools from which students took the class 10 exams, 147 achieved 100% results. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON What just happened? President Trump has provisionally agreed a deal between the Chinese-owned social platform TikTok and U.S. firms Oracle and Walmart, meaning the hugely popular video-sharing app may remain available for users in the United States, after all. Speaking with reporters outside the White House on Saturday as he departed for a rally in North Carolina, President Trump said he had approved the deal in concept and had given it his blessing. The news came less than a day before a ban on TikTok apps maintenance and updates was due to come into effect following concerns around the Chinese-owned service. Trump initially signed an executive order banning both TikTok and WeChat in August, citing concerns around the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. The deal between Oracle, Walmart, and TikTok is expected to produce a new company, TikTok Global, which would be headquartered in Texas, would hire some 25,000 employees, and would contribute $5 billion towards U.S. education, according to Bloomberg. As part of the deal, Oracle will become TikToks trusted technology provider and will host user data in the Oracle Cloud. Further details are expected to become available over the coming days. Oracle CEO Safra Catz said, We are a hundred percent confident in our ability to deliver a highly secure environment to TikTok and ensure data privacy to TikToks American users, and users throughout the world. For now, TikTok has one week to finalize the details, with the U.S. Department of Commerce delaying its imminent ban by one week. Unless satisfactory arrangements between the companies can be made, the TikTok apps updates and maintenance will be halted on September 27 at 11:59 PM. A NEW art gallery in Henley held its official opening on Saturday. Henley Fine Art, which is based in the former Louise Claire Millinery pop-up unit in Market Place, held a soft launch last month. It sells mostly landscape paintings by artists from around the world costing from 200 to 10,000. On Saturday, the entrance was decorated with balloons and visitors enjoyed snacks, Prosecco and coffee while admiring the work on show. Owner Jennie Stuart-Smith, who also owns Barnes Fine Art in west London, said: We specialise in landscapes because we find they really open up small, dark spaces and are a lovely thing to have at home. Henley has a very similar crowd to Barnes so the move made sense and sales have been brilliant right off the bat. Were always looking for new artists and lots of customers have been saying, Finally, heres something we want to have on our walls. The gallery is run by manager Lee Dixon and assistant Amber Morgan and Mrs Stuart-Smith comes two days a week. Henley Mayor Ken Arlett, who attended the event, said: Theres some beautiful work here the only trouble is that I dont have enough wall space! Its another sign that things are picking up after the lockdown. The town is looking busy again, the car parks are filling up and youd be surprised how many vacant units in town are under offer. Peoples lives have been on hold but its getting back to normal. Donald Trump approved Oracle Corp.s bid for the U.S. operations of TikTok in concept, a deal forced by the presidents orders last month declaring the popular video-sharing app a national security threat. I have given the deal my blessing. If they get it done thats great. If they dont, thats OK too, Trump told reporters Saturday as he left the White House for a campaign rally in Fayetteville, N.C. I approved the deal in concept. The new company, which will be called TikTok Global, has agreed to donate $5 billion (U.S.) to an education fund, which Trump said would satisfy his demand that the government receive a payment from the deal. Theyre going to be setting up a very large fund, he said. Thats their contribution that Ive been asking for. Under terms of the deal, Oracle Corp. and Walmart Inc. will control 20 per cent of the new TikTok Global, according to a person familiar with the matter. Sequoia Capital and General Atlantic, already investors in TikToks Chinese owner ByteDance Ltd., are also expected to take stakes in the new company, the person said. TikTok said in a statement that it was pleased that the proposal by TikTok, Oracle, and Walmart will resolve the security concerns of the U.S. administration and settle questions around TikToks future in the U.S. The company confirmed Oracle will host all its U.S. data and secure its computer systems. TikTok said it is working with Walmart on a commercial partnership and it, along with Oracle, will take part in a TikTok Global pre-IPO financing round in which they can take as much as a 20 per cent cumulative stake in the company. The deal was forced by a pair of bans Trump issued in August citing national concerns over TikToks Chinese ownership. The Commerce Department on Saturday delayed by a week a ban that would have forced Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.s Google to pull the TikTok video app from their U.S. app stores on Sunday. TikTok Global will likely be headquartered in Texas and will hire at least 25,000 people, Trump said. TikTok will need to hire thousands of content moderators, engineers, and marketing staff that were previously located in China and around the world. To sweeten the deal for Trump, TikTok promised to hire an additional 15,000 jobs more than the 10,000 positions the company already pledged to fill earlier this year. Its unclear if theres a timeline to achieve that target, or any guarantees that it will follow through. Facebook Inc., the largest U.S. social media company, employed about 45,000 people in 2019, while Twitter Inc. employed only 4,900, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Trump is ramping up pressure on Chinese-owned apps in the weeks before the Nov. 3 presidential elections, citing national security concerns about the data U.S. citizens provide to them and the potential for Beijing to use them for spying. The president is trailing his opponent Joe Biden in polls and has sought to portray himself as tougher on Beijing than the Democrat. While the Chinese government must now sign off on the transaction for it to go forward, as of earlier this week, ByteDance was growing increasingly confident that the proposal would pass muster with Chinese regulators, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. Under the terms of the agreement reached early in the week, ByteDance would retain a majority of TikToks assets and control over the algorithm, with Oracle and other U.S. investors taking minority stakes. Trump seemed to contradict that on Saturday. It will have nothing to do with China, itll be totally secure, thatll be part of the deal, he said. All of the control is Walmart and Oracle, two great American companies. Trump spoke with Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison and Walmart chief executive officer Doug McMillon on Friday, telling them he still expected the U.S. government to receive a cash payment as part of the transaction, according to people familiar with the matter. They agreed to the educational donation as a way to satisfy Trumps demand, one of the people said. The new U.S. company intends to hold an initial public offering in about a year, according to people familiar with the matter. TikTok plans to use the proceeds from the listing for the $5 billion educational grant, one of the people said. Oracle will get full access to review TikToks source code and updates to make sure there are no back doors used by the companys Chinese parent to gather data or to spy on the video-sharing apps 100 million American users, according to people familiar with the matter. The deal came together last weekend, the result of high-level negotiations between ByteDance, Oracle and top Trump administration officials after ByteDance rejected a bid from Microsoft Corp. and Walmart to buy the U.S. TikTok service outright. Beijing has signalled it would green light a deal as long as ByteDance doesnt have to transfer the artificial intelligence algorithms that drive TikToks service, Bloomberg has reported. The Treasury Department said the deal is subject to a security agreement that requires approval by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., or Cfius. The term sheet thats been negotiated between Cfius and the companies will now have to be formalized in a document that details the mechanics for implementing the terms of the deal. That document would likely include requirements related to the establishment of the new company, arrangements governing its relationship with ByteDance, whether an IPO is part of the deal, whether ByteDance will have to divest its entire stake in the IPO and what would happen if for some reason the IPO doesnt occur, said Aimen Mir, a lawyer at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP and a former deputy assistant secretary for investment security at Treasury. Read more about: Alesha Dixon attends the 2020 NBCUniversal Winter Press Tour at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena on January 11, 2020 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic) Alesha Dixon reiterated her support for Britains Got Talent colleague and Diversity dancer Ashley Banjo with some Black Lives Matter-inspired jewellery in the latest BGT semi-final. The judge has backed the Banjo again after Diversitys George Floyd and BLM-inspired dance routine received more than 24,000 complaints. Read more: Diversity have 'never been prouder' following ITV's backing, says Ashley Banjo The carefully chosen necklace in question, which spelled out BLM, is the latest show of support from Dixon, who previously told those sending Banjo racial abuse to kiss my black a**. The accessory, matched with a yellow dress, received plenty of notice from viewers, with many taking to social media to praise the 41-year-olds conscientious fashion choice. One person tweeted: Alesha Dixon wearing a BLM necklace is such a power move and I am HERE for it. Another said: I have no choice but to STAN Alesha Dixon! What a queen, while another commented: "Well done Alesha! A great avenue to send out such important message." Meanwhile over on Instagram, a post from Dixon also saw fans praising the star. One wrote: Alesha, as always you look amazing.... but your necklace actually made me so proud to support you and all that you stand for tonight. You are such an inspirational woman. Keep doing what you do. Banjo yesterday took to social media to thank ITV after it showed public support for Diversity following the backlash the dance troupe received, including placing an advert of support across national newspapers. The 31-year-old said on Instagram: "This is what change looks like. @itv stand with @diversity_official and weve never been prouder. This is in all the national papers today. Story continues Read more: Alesha Dixon shares emotional response to Diversitys BLM-inspired routine "Thank you again to everyone that has supported us. #Diversity." In response to viewer complaints, ITV previously said in a statement: Britains Got Talent has always been an inclusive show, which showcases diversity and supports strong storytelling in all forms and ITV stands behind the decision to broadcast Diversitys performance on BGT. Britains Got Talent continues on ITV on Saturday. US Says All UN Sanctions on Iran Restored Under Snapback WASHINGTONThe Trump administration declared Saturday that all U.N. sanctions against Iran have been restored under a snapback mechanism, a move that United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he has not taken action pointing to uncertainty on the issue. The administration said that its triggering of the snapback mechanism in the U.N. Security Council resolution that enshrined the 2015 Iran nuclear deal had taken effect at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. That is 30 days after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo notified the council that Iran was in significant non-performance with its obligations under the accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA. The United States took this decisive action because, in addition to Irans failure to perform its JCPOA commitments, the Security Council failed to extend the UN arms embargo on Iran, which had been in place for 13 years, Pompeo said in a statement released at precisely 8 p.m. The Security Councils inaction would have paved the way for Iran to buy all manner of conventional weapons on Oct. 18. Fortunately for the world, the United States took responsible action to stop this from happening. In accordance with our rights under UNSCR 2231, we initiated the snapback process to restore virtually all previously terminated UN sanctions, including the arms embargo. Read More UN Fails to Approve Iran Arms Embargo Extension In accordance with our rights we initiated the snapback process to restore virtually all previously terminated U.N. sanctions, including the arms embargo, he said. The world will be safer as a result. The White House plans to issue an executive order on Monday spelling out how the United States will enforce the restored sanctions, and the State and Treasury departments are expected to outline how foreign individuals and businesses will be penalized for violations. The United States expects all U.N, member states to fully comply with their obligations to implement these measures, Pompeo said. If U.N, member states fail to fulfill their obligations to implement these sanctions, the United States is prepared to use our domestic authorities to impose consequences for those failures and ensure that Iran does not reap the benefits of U.N.-prohibited activity. But 13 of the 15 Security Council members said the declaration had no legal force, arguing that the United States lost its right to invoke snapback when President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed American sanctions on Iran. The United States argues that it retains legal standing to do so as an original participant in the deal and a member of the council. Snapback means that international sanctions eased or lifted by the nuclear deal are reimposed and must be enforced by U.N. member states, including hitting Iran with penalties for uranium enrichment to any level, ballistic missile activity, and buying or selling conventional weapons. Those bans were either removed or set to expire under the terms of the deal in which Iran was granted billions of dollars in sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear program. Iran now stands in violation of the terms of the deal. China and Russia have been particularly adamant in rejecting the U.S. position, but U.S. allies have not been shy either. In a letter sent Friday to the president of the Security Council, Britain, France and Germanythe three European participants who remain committed to the dealsaid the U.S. announcement is incapable of having legal effect and so cannot bring in to effect the procedure. It flows from this that any decisions and actions which would be taken based on this procedure or on its possible outcome would also be incapable of having any legal effect, they wrote. Thus, the three countries said, the sanctions relief provided by the nuclear deal should remain in place. They also said the snapback of sanctions would be incompatible with their current efforts to preserve the JCPOA deal, which they see as the best deal that could have been reached, Alex Vatanka, director of Iran program and senior fellow of the Frontier Europe Initiative at the Washington-based Middle East Institute, told The Epoch Times earlier. The JCPOA was the first international accord negotiated by the EU and is particularly important to EU leaders, who would see it as proof of the EUs emerging ability to be an important actor in the international arena, Robert Czulda, an assistant professor at the University of Lodz in Poland and an Atlantic Council contributor, told The Epoch Times in an email earlier. Pompeo told Fox News during an Aug. 21 interview of the European response, To side with the Russians and the Chinese on this important issue at this important moment in time at the U.N., I think, is really dangerous for the world. Pompeo traveled to the United Nations on Aug. 20 to formally notify the Security Council that the United States was triggering snapback because Iran is not complying with the nuclear deal. He has said the snapback mechanism was the one thing that the previous administration got right in the nuclear deal that Trump has denounced as the worst deal ever negotiated. Trump administration officials have been attacking the 2015 nuclear deal for years. They say it is fatally flawed because certain restrictions on Irans nuclear activity gradually expire and will allow the country to eventually develop atomic weapons. Trump plans to address Iran in a speech to the General Assemblys annual high-level meeting on Tuesday via videolink from the White House. Officials say he will also touch on his brokering of agreements for Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to normalize relations in part to solidify a regional bulwark against Iran. By Matthew Lee. Epoch Times reporter Ella Kietlinska and Reuters contributed to this article. The CEO of Bloomsbury Publishing plc (LON:BMY) is John Newton, and this article examines the executive's compensation against the backdrop of overall company performance. This analysis will also evaluate the appropriateness of CEO compensation when taking into account the earnings and shareholder returns of the company. Check out our latest analysis for Bloomsbury Publishing Comparing Bloomsbury Publishing plc's CEO Compensation With the industry Our data indicates that Bloomsbury Publishing plc has a market capitalization of UK163m, and total annual CEO compensation was reported as UK1.3m for the year to February 2020. Notably, that's an increase of 31% over the year before. We think total compensation is more important but our data shows that the CEO salary is lower, at UK455k. On comparing similar companies from the same industry with market caps ranging from UK77m to UK309m, we found that the median CEO total compensation was UK832k. This suggests that John Newton is paid more than the median for the industry. Moreover, John Newton also holds UK2.3m worth of Bloomsbury Publishing stock directly under their own name, which reveals to us that they have a significant personal stake in the company. Component 2020 2019 Proportion (2020) Salary UK455k UK444k 36% Other UK795k UK507k 64% Total Compensation UK1.3m UK951k 100% Speaking on an industry level, nearly 40% of total compensation represents salary, while the remainder of 60% is other remuneration. There isn't a significant difference between Bloomsbury Publishing and the broader market, in terms of salary allocation in the overall compensation package. It's important to note that a slant towards non-salary compensation suggests that total pay is tied to the company's performance. Bloomsbury Publishing plc's Growth Bloomsbury Publishing plc's earnings per share (EPS) grew 13% per year over the last three years. The trailing twelve months of revenue was pretty much the same as the prior period. Story continues Shareholders would be glad to know that the company has improved itself over the last few years. It's also good to see modest revenue growth, suggesting the underlying business is healthy. Historical performance can sometimes be a good indicator on what's coming up next but if you want to peer into the company's future you might be interested in this free visualization of analyst forecasts. Has Bloomsbury Publishing plc Been A Good Investment? Most shareholders would probably be pleased with Bloomsbury Publishing plc for providing a total return of 40% over three years. As a result, some may believe the CEO should be paid more than is normal for companies of similar size. To Conclude... As we touched on above, Bloomsbury Publishing plc is currently paying its CEO higher than the median pay for CEOs of companies belonging to the same industry and with similar market capitalizations. 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. And given most shareholders are probably very happy with recent returns, they might even think that John deserves a raise! While it is important to pay attention to CEO remuneration, investors should also consider other elements of the business. We've identified 2 warning signs for Bloomsbury Publishing that investors should be aware of in a dynamic business environment. Switching gears from Bloomsbury Publishing, 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. In an official statement on September 19, Irans Foreign Ministry who had called US President a habitual liar said that the United States' claim of having reinstated the Iran sanctions was completely false. Irans ministry of foreign affairs issued an official press release titled, US futile efforts to reinstate anti-Iran sanctions, wherein it said, reports about the UN Security Council sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran are baseless. It added, at the time when Council rejected the US demands as a non-signatory to the JCPOA, this could not have been made possible. Such a trend never got started in the first place to produce a result today, Irans foreign ministry lashed out saying. Further, addressing the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Irans foreign minister, Mohammed Javad Zarif said that he knows extremely well that Trumps claims about Arms embargo on Iran going into effect beginning today are groundless, invalid, and lack any legal effect. He [Donald Trump] is using his own notorious method and tries to intimidate other countries by threatening to slap international sanctions on them, Irans foreign minister said, berating the US President. Zarif added, this is the best testament to the United States admission of failure in its effort at the UN Security Council. Read: Iran's Revolutionary Guard Vows To Avenge Qassem Soleimani's Killing Read: Iran's Foreign Minister Urges World To Oppose US Sanctions Or Expect The Same Wrong again, @SecPompeo. Nothing new happens on 9/20 Just Res.2231 Boltonwho convinced the boss to order you to CEASE US participationdid. In his words: -Process is not "simple", automatic or snappy. But intentionally "complex & lengthy" -US is a participant. pic.twitter.com/r01YWdV0hp Javad Zarif (@JZarif) September 17, 2020 United States is 'the biggest threat' Further, Irans Ministry of Foreign affairs reiterated that the United States was the biggest threat to world peace and security, citing, the current situation as an example of the US threats and intimidation despite the EU members' difference of opinion. Iran accused the US of ignoring the UN Security Council resolutions, saying, in 2018, as well, the US unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), violating the stipulated international regulations. It alleged that Trump blocked the mechanisms in the accord and in Resolution 2231 in an attempt to pressurize Iran init submission and collapse it using its so-called maximum pressure strategy. Further Iran hurled criticism at the US regime, saying, frustrated at unable to draw a consensus against Iran, the US has now turned to bullying and holding the international community to ransom. Read: Iran Witnessing third Wave Of Coronavirus Outbreak, Warn Health Experts Read: TikTok Says Already Committed To US Data Security Oversight At 'unprecedented Levels' It's the second day in a row of daily new cases under 30, with just 21 cases recorded on Saturday - and marks the lowest new daily case number since June 19 where there were 13 new cases reported. All five deaths recorded today were linked to aged care and included two men and two women in their 80s, and a woman in her 90s. There are now 94 Victorians in hospital with coronavirus, eight in intensive care and five of those in ICU on a ventilator. There were 12,461 test results processed yesterday. "Can I thank each and every one of those almost 12,500 Victorians," Mr Andrews said. "Again, if I can urge and ask all Victorians - don't put it off until tomorrow. Don't wait at all. If you've got symptoms, however mild, please come forward and get tested." A sizeable cluster in Melbourne's south-east has grown again today to 40 cases, up from 34 yesterday. Mr Andrews defended not fining people involved in the cluster who may have broken Chief Health Officer directives, saying the "real riches, the real treasure here" is accurate information and he didn't want to deter any positive cases telling contact tracers the truth about who they had seen or where they had been. "I'm not expecting everyone to be happy with that," he said. "The real riches are not in fining people for telling the truth to a contact tracer. It's getting the place open and if we don't get accurate information, enforcement information you won't trace those people, you simply won't." Mr Andrews this morning has said the outbreak, based around Narre Warren and Hallam, was an example of how quickly outbreaks could take off again. "So it just gives you a sense of one person, just a single person, can infect many, many other people. And the contact tracing work that has gone on there has seen us pull that up," he said. "There is still, I'm sure, close contacts and others will be very much monitored to make sure that if they exhibit symptoms, that we can further isolate them. But they're all isolated there. "We believe that we can pull it up at that number, but again, it's always subject to events as they unfold." Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley has announced cash injections for venues and $13 million worth of grants for individuals affected by the ongoing lockdown measures in the state. Well-known venues across Melbourne and regional Victoria will be among the first to receive grants under the program. Mr Foley said there would also be changes to planning laws to protect music venues. "We want to make sure that in this COVID shutdown period, that venues are not at risk and councils are given the tools to make sure that live music venues can keep pumping out rock and roll and keep pumping out music for many years to come." Health Minister Jenny Mikakos made a celebratory tweet moments before the numbers were released. "Before I go to sleep I get the tentative 'number'. You are awesome Melbourne," she wrote. In a follow-up message, she paid tribute to the five lives lost over the past day but encouraged Melburnians to keep adhering to restrictions to snuff the virus out. "The huge sacrifices made by Victorians are saving many lives. The new cases keep trending down with your efforts. Thank you to all Victorians. You are amazing. We can do this," Ms Mikakos wrote. Melbourne's 14-day rolling average is now 36.2, meaning in all likelihood Melburnians can look forward to gatherings of up to five people from two different households in public spaces and the re-opening of childcare centres. But significant changes such as the lifting of the 9pm to 5am curfew and the five-kilometre radius rule will not be lifted for another month, and only if the rolling 14-day average for new cases drops to less than five cases. The number of 'mystery' cases over with an unknown source over the past two weeks (measured between September 4 and September 17) has now dropped to 52. That number also needs to be less than five by October 26 for the city to move to the third step of easing. Half of Victoria's active cases are still being driven by aged care infections. As of Saturday, 433 of the state's 834 active cases were either residents in aged care, staff members in aged care or family members of staff. The health department announced a new aged care outbreak at BlueCross Riverlea aged care facility in Avondale Heights on Saturday. Meanwhile Sutton Park McKenzie Aged Care in Melton South, Estia Health Aged Care Facility in Keilor and Doutta Galla Aged Services in Woornack are currently topping the list of 75 facilities with active cases, with 114 active cases between them. Healthcare worker infections, which include aged care workers, continue to make up around 15 per cent of overall active cases. A cluster in the City of Casey, thought to be spread by people visiting each other at home, grew to 34 cases on Saturday, with 26 cases active. Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton said on Saturday that the outbreak was now under control, and apologised after he linked that spread to some members of the Afghan community. 715 Chadian citizens tested positive for HCV, representing around 4.63 percent of those examined in the central African country As many as 15,441 Chadian citizens have been tested for Hepatitis C as part of a presidential initiative to treat thousands of African people from the blood borne virus, which is a major cause of liver cancer and severe illness, according to Egypts health ministry. The initiative to treat 1 million African people from HCV was launched by Egypt following a local campaign that had targeted detecting and treating people with chronic diseases in the country, including HCV, diabetes and obesity. In a statement following a meeting on Saturday attended by top officials from both countries, the ministry spokesman said that 715 Chadian citizens tested positive for HCV. This means that they represent around 4.63 percent of those examined in the central African country. HCV patients in Chad have received necessary treatment after they were assessed at a hospital in the capital N'Djamena, the spokesman said, adding that a national committee to combat hepatitis viruses will be formed in Chad in cooperation with experts from both countries. During the meeting, the Egyptian and Chadian officials discussed the work plan for the initiative, as it is set to include examining citizens in other cities outside Chads capital, the spokesman noted. Also, a shipment of medical and preventative supplies has been sent to Chad, including medicine to treat Hepatitis C, PCR equipment to detect Hepatitis B and C, and PCR equipment and preventive supplies for coronavirus. During the meeting, Chadian Minister of Health Abdoulaye Sabre Fadoul thanked his Egyptian counterpart Hala Zayed for her continuous support for general health projects in Chad as well as the fruitful cooperation in many issues of mutual concern in the field of health. He also hailed the Egyptian teams effort to implement the Hepatitis C initiative in Chad. In July this year, the Egyptian health ministry announced that the country was officially free of Hepatitis C. Search Keywords: Short link: A 23-year-old man, who was arrested by police for allegedly raping a teenager twice at Dadar Chowpatty on the pretext of marrying her, has been granted bail by the sessions court. The accused, while claiming that he had been wrongly implicated in the case, produced before the court the WhatsApp messages in which the 17-year-old girls mother had threatened to lodge a rape case against him if he refused to marry her daughter. The court was convinced and granted bail to the accused man. The accused, Tushar Jadhav, is a Diva resident, who works as a ward boy at Nair Hospital. On August 19, he was arrested on charges of raping the minor. Jadhav allegedly befriended the girl in October last year at Nair Hospital and later alledly raped her two months later and then again in February this year at Dadar Chowpatty on the pretext of marrying her. The police booked him on charges of rape under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. Advocates Sunil Pandey and AS More, who represented Jadhav, in their written submissions to the court stated that the accused was trapped as he has a government job. The girls friend had threatened to implicate him in a false case, while the teenagers mother had threatened to register a rape case on him if he did not marry her daughter. The advocates submitted that their client had secured chat records supporting these claims and placed them before the court. They also pointed out that the first information report (FIR) was lodged after a six-month delay. The girl had lodged a similar complaint against another boy in the past and this is pure abuse of law, claimed Pandey. The prosecution had opposed bail for the accused. However, the court observed that the possibility of the accused being implicated could not be ruled out and that no purpose would be served in keeping the accused behind the bars. He was granted bail against a surety of 25,000 on the condition that he would not leave the state without prior permission and would not go near the girl or harm the victim or the witnesses. Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen Phuket Opinion: Driving prices PHUKET: Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Deputy Executive Director ASEAN, South Asia and South Pacific Region, Kulpramote Wannalert delivered an interesting presentation on TATs Tourism Plan and Updates during the COVID-19 pandemic for Expats living in Thailand at the Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce (AustCham Thailand) Joint Chambers Phuket Briefing and Sundowners at Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort, south of Patong, on Friday (Sept 18). opiniontourismeconomicsCOVID-19transport By The Phuket News Sunday 20 September 2020, 09:00AM Just getting transport prices right would be a giant step in the right direction in attracting Thai tourists. Photo: Patong Municipality Ms Kulpramote highlighted what efforts are being made by the TATs 80-odd international offices around the globe to increase confidence among potential tourists to choose Thailand as a holiday destination once international travel resumes. Ms Kulpramote also explained what role the TAT was fulfilling in helping to boost domestic tourism, especially provinces such as Phuket whose residents heavily depend on tourism just to make ends meet. Especially highlighted was the domestic expat market, for which the TAT was seeking suggestions from expats themselves on what they would like to see offered in order to inspire or encourage them to travel within the country. Here it seems appropriate to remind people that the TATs job is to promote Thailand to the world, that is where their expertise lies, not to promote Thailand to Thais, or even expats living in Thailand. That is the purview of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, not the TAT. Yet, here they are assisting best they can in the current crisis. In Phuket, the local TAT office headed by the much experienced, well respected and soon-to-retire Napasorn Kakai has launched two excellent campaigns that have not been given much exposure at all. The first is the PhuketGreatTime.com web platform where all tourism-related businesses can promote discounted packages to tourists, for free. The second campaign intelligently targets potential Thai tourists by simply offering a B500 voucher to any arrival from outside Phuket who presents evidence of booking a room on the island for at least one night. That may not sound much, but it certainly is enough to help Thais living within driving distance of Phuket to decide whether to come to the island for a day or two. While the national government is bandying about billions in the name of boosting domestic tourism, campaigns like this can deliver a healthy return for island residents for a relatively small outlay for a government agency. Such tourists will not be spending much, but it encourages many to come and spend a little, and Thais on short-drive getaways always bring their friends. Such a simple campaign also strikes at the heart of Phukets biggest problem in attracting Thai tourists. For far too many years a holiday in Phuket has been too expensive for most Thais to enjoy. The islands image among Thais as expensive is well on the governments agenda, and even local business leaders have sought help from the government in redressing that problem. While The Phuket News is open to criticsing the government where need be, this problem is for Phuket to fix. How is anyone going to convince people that Phuket is not expensive when social media will let visitors tell everyone themselves exactly how expensive it is to visit here. Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup understands the issue. For the launch of the Seafod & Gastronomy Festival in Patong last month, she managed to get tuk-tuk drivers in Patong to provide transport for people travelling from the designated car park areas to the festival for just B20. As photos of the conversation between Mayor Chalermluck and the tuk-tuk cartel leaders showed, the concept took quite a bit of explaining, but it was finally understood. Drop your prices or try to last even longer without domestic tourists. Yet as pointed out in a comment on a story by The Phuket News, under the government-endorsed official taxi fares, the round-trip fare from the airport to Rawai and back again right now will cost more than the airfare from say Bangkok to Phuket. A Thai living on the island also pointed out in a comment how a friend visiting from Bangkok was charged B200 to travel just two kilometres by tuk-tuk in Patong. Phuket has many, many problems to fix, but if people in Phuket want to start attracting Thai tourists, at the very least this must change. COHOES, N.Y. Cohoes Mayor Bill Keeler released his proposed 2021 budget, designed to guide the city through the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. The $24.5-million budget proposal includes: 2% cut ($424,000) in spending from the general fund adjusted 2020 city budget, no increase in property tax rates, no increase in sewer and water rates. no layoffs of city personnel Just like every city across New York and around the country, the City of Cohoes and our residents are facing severe fiscal stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore we must not shift the citys budget burdens to households in the form of property tax increases or water and sewer rate hikes, Keeler said in a news release. We are confronting this problem by operating with a leaner budget with improved efficiencies,Keeler added. Officials noted how Cohoes is facing a $1.4 million+ COVID-19-related drop in revenue in 2020, with equivalent revenue declines anticipated in 2021. This includes a 20% shortfall in New York State aid payments equaling $550,000 and an $800,000 decline in County Sales Tax receipts. The city is also experiencing a significant decline in user fees, permits, and other revenue, according to city officials. The city also incurred unexpected costs due to 8 city employee retirements resulting in severance payments in excess of $500,000 in 2020. Steps taken, beginning in April 2020, to offset anticipated revenue losses included reconstituting contracts for management of the Cohoes Music Hall for a savings of $250,000; reducing payroll costs via attrition, furloughs, and layoffs; and containing overtime costs in all departments, Keeler noted. Keeler said the budget proposal anticipates accessing $950,000 from the citys $4-million unassigned fund balance account the so-called rainy day fund in 2021 to offset the anticipated ongoing historic declines in Federal, State, and local revenues. If ever there was an appropriate time to tap the rainy day fund, this COVID-19 pandemic is it, City Comptroller Michael Durocher said, noting that an average of $550,000 per year has been accessed from the rainy day fund in each of the last five fiscal years. Per the Cohoes City Charter, Keeler presents his budget proposal to the Board of Managers, who have until Sept. 30, 2020, to review and make changes. The Board of Managers must submit a budget proposal to the Cohoes Common Council by Oct. 1, and the council has until Nov. 15 (45 days) to enact a final budget. A public hearing on the Cohoes 2021 Fiscal Year budget is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 13, beginning at 7 p.m., in the Cohoes Common Council Chambers, 2nd floor, Cohoes City Hall. The meeting is open to the public. All COVID-19 related guidelines, including wearing a mask and social distancing, must be followed. Representative image The central government has made it compulsory for all post-graduate students pursuing MD or MS in broad specialities in medical colleges across the country to undergo a residential rotation of three months in district hospitals as part of the course curriculum in academic session 2020-21. This rotation termed as 'District Residency Programme' (DRP) and the postgraduate medical student undergoing training will be termed as a 'District Resident', the notification issued by the board of governors in supersession of the Medical Council of India (MCI) said. According to the 'Post-graduate Medical Education (Amendment) Regulations, 2020', satisfactory completion of the district residency will be an essential condition before the candidate is allowed to appear in the final examination of the respective postgraduate course. "All postgraduate students pursuing MD/MS in broad specialities in all medical colleges/institutions under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 will undergo a compulsory residential rotation of three months in district hospitals/district health system as a part of the course curriculum. "Such rotation shall take place in the third, or fourth or fifth semester of the postgraduate programme," the latest notification read, reported news agency PTI. The aim is also to orient them to promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative services being provided by various categories of healthcare professionals under the umbrella of National Health Mission. "In doing so, the postgraduate medical students would also be contributing toward strengthening of services of the District Health System as specialty resident doctors working as members of the district teams," the notification said. For the purpose of this programme, a district hospital shall be a functional public sector/government-funded hospital of not less than 100 beds with facilities/staff for the designated specialities at that level/facility. As a part of the programme, district residents would be trained in and contribute to diagnostic/laboratories services, pharmacy services, forensic services, general clinical duties, managerial roles and public health programmes etc, as applicable. They may also be posted in research units or facilities, laboratories and field sites of the Indian Council of Medical Research and other national research organisations, the notification stated. District residents will continue to draw full stipend/salary from their respective medical colleges for the duration of the rotation, subject to the attendance record submitted by the appropriate district authorities to the parent medical college/institution, based on methods and system as prescribed. The District Health System, including the district hospitals, constitute the most important part of the country's public healthcare enterprise. District hospitals represent multi-speciality facilities providing comprehensive secondary level care. These facilities are a major source of health services for the people, the notification stated. With inputs from PTI By Tim Briggs The radical right agenda has infiltrated the Pennsylvania Legislature and threatens the independence of our judiciary. We rely on a fair and independent judicial system to administer equal justice under the law, free from outside pressure and influence. But as we approach a critically important election, that independence is on the line because of a politically motivated attempt to rig our courts. The most radicalized Republican members of the legislature reign over districts simply because they picked their constituents through gerrymandering. The lack of compromise, civility and gridlock in Harrisburg can be directly linked to gerrymandering. The same radicalized Republicans in control in Harrisburg are pushing H.B. 196, which would amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to create judicial districts for our appellate courts, rather than elect them on a statewide basis. Its a bad bill that shows a fundamental lack of understanding about the judiciary and its role in our society. Appellate court decisions impact the rights of all Pennsylvanians, from Erie to King of Prussia and everywhere in between. Appellate judges are elected to interpret our laws, not to represent any particular special interests or regional biases. Judges are to be free of influence and not bring their own agenda to the courts. Electing judges from districts drawn by radicalized politicians would make those judges increasingly beholden to special interests instead of the law, depriving Pennsylvanians of an independent and impartial appellate judiciary. We are witnessing in real time a coordinated war on societal norms, facts, science, civility, compromise and American institutions. These same politicians led by Donald Trump are actively working to turn Americans against each other so they can consolidate power within their own ruling party. House Bill 196 is a means to that end. If H.B. 196 becomes law, it would pit regions against each other and cause disparate interpretations of the same law. House Bill 196 is judicial gerrymandering, pure and simple. Its sour grapes from power-hungry politicians angry that their gerrymandered congressional map was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2018 a decision that prompted Republican lawmakers to call for impeaching the justices who voted to strike down the map. And this summer, the judicial gerrymandering bill moved through the Senate shortly after the Supreme Court, to the ire of many Republicans, upheld Gov. Tom Wolfs COVID-19 emergency declaration. But in a democracy, you dont get to rig the system because a decision didnt go your way. The radical Trumpism agenda being pushed in Harrisburg must be confronted, and we cannot allow these extremist Republicans to undermine our institutions by pushing a bill simply because the current rules do not advance their radical worldview. House Bill 196 will undermine the voters' ability to select from the best and brightest legal minds from across the commonwealth and, instead, put the drawing of judicial districts in the hands of the very politicians who have gerrymandered congressional maps. Moreover, the scorched-earth politics used by these Harrisburg politicians, who have controlled Harrisburg for nearly 30 years, has been to ram through fundamental constitutional amendments with little discussion and no compromise. In fact, another reason to oppose this bill is the process that brought us this far. Potential amendments to the state constitution deserve at least one public hearing, and yet this bill was shamefully rammed through with no hearing and no meaningful opportunity for improvements. Changing the way a coequal branch of government is organized is a major undertaking, and transparency in the process should not be sacrificed for the sake of speed and a radical-right agenda. Attempts to manipulate the courts are disturbing, but not new. A review by the Brennan Center for Justice showed that in 2019, at least 25 state legislatures had bills before them that would risk weakening the courts by giving political actors more control over judicial selection, decision-making or administration. As a proposed constitutional amendment, H.B. 196 will need to pass the House and Senate again in the next legislative session. I have no doubt majority Republicans in Harrisburg will continue to push H.B. 196 early in the next legislative session. Without Democratic control of at least one chamber of our legislature, there is little to stop this frontal attack on judicial independence. Extremist politicians having temper tantrums and pushing radical ideas like H.B. 196 is not conducive to cooperation and solving real problems affecting our citizens during this deadly pandemic. House Bill 196 is yet another reason your voice is critical. We must reject Trumpism and radical agendas and recognize this bill for what it is judicial gerrymandering and fight to safeguard our institutions and the independence of our judiciary. Pa. State Rep. Tim Briggs is Democratic chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. He represents the 149th District in Montgomery County. The only known synagogue in the Arabian Peninsula which is located in an unmarked villa in Dubai - Christopher Pike The makeshift synagogue tucked away inside a modest villa in Dubai is normally sparsely attended. Rabbi Levi Duchman, the only resident rabbi in the UAE, is used to preaching to just a handful who feel safe enough to be open about their faith in the conservative Gulf kingdom. But in recent weeks he has looked on in delight as his synagogue teems with new life. Following the historic peace deal with Israel - signed under the gaze of Donald Trump - Jews have been given license to practice their religion for the first time. And with it a once-anonymous Jewish community is coming out of the shadows. "This brings hope for Jewish life everywhere," the 27-year-old tells the Telegraph. Rabbi Duchman - who has been in Dubai since 2015 under the blessing of Emirati rulers - says he has rapidly seen his congregation double, welcoming in residents he never knew existed and dozens of newly liberated Jewish tourists. At this weekends Friday night dinner for the first night of Rosh Hashanah - the Jewish New Year - around 300 people across the Emirates celebrated the festival, although events had to be spread this year across multiple locations to ensure social distancing for Covid-19. The UAE and Israel have long been covert allies, with Israeli secret service agency, Mossad, working secretly with the Gulf state. The assassination of Hamas militant, Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, in a Dubai hotel in 2010, saw relations cool considerably. Among the UAE's Muslim subjects there has always been deep suspicion of Israelis and Jews. The estimated 300-500 living in UAE were never given Jewish as an option when filling forms asking them to state religion when applying for residency visas, only other. A producer at one radio network admits to having been mandated that the word Jewish was not even allowed to be used on air. With his skullcap proudly resting on his head (he no longer has to disguise his kippah as a Muslim imam's hat), Rabbi Duchman has been busy helping roll out a koshering programme across the shimmering desert city since all Abu Dhabi hotels were mandated to serve meat prepared in accordance with strict Jewish rules. Story continues Kosher wine too, a key part of festivals, religious holidays and blessings, will also soon be available to buy in licences shops where alcohol is exempt from strict Muslim prohibition. The peace deal will mean things like travelling to our families in Israel will be easier, and perhaps now, with the greater availability of kosher food, I wont have to ask everyone to fill a suitcase of food for me every time they visit, laughs Sarah Besnainou, a French expatriate based in UAE. Rabbi Levi Duchman, centre, and members of the congregation pray ahead of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, at the only known synagogue in the Arabian Peninsula - Christopher Pike And the changes are affecting business life in Dubai too. Alex Peterfreund, a Belgian diamond and jewellery specialist, can now ship goods to Tel Aviv for the first time, a key market, as well as call family in Israel, which until August was banned. He believes the Orthadox Jewish tradition, to which he is aligned, will grow "considerably". So much so, his community is preparing to open its own synagogue on the man-made Palm Jumeirah island, and bring its own rabbi. He calls it a development of 15 years in one month, which many members of the community will need time to adjust to. We still have some people that maybe won't feel comfortable saying they're Jewish but that's their private decision, he said. This will take a little bit of time. Critics have been quick to point out that the peace deal merely normalises an already informal relationship between Israel and the UAE. In recent years there has been an increase in trade and scientific research collaboration between the two countries, estimated to be in the range of $300 million to $550 million. Dr Dan Shaham Ben Hayum is one of few Israeli officials who has been working quietly behind the scenes in Dubai. But even as an envoy for scientific research and development, he was once flanked by bodyguards, concealing his nationality where necessary. Its a question that always comes up, he says of the relentless enquiries about his country of origin. I wouldnt be happy to say that before, but now I will. In neighbouring Bahrain, which struck a similar deal this week, there is also a spring in the step of Jews - all 50 of them. Abe Nonoo, the head of the country's Jewish community, and an alumni of Shiplake College boarding school near Henley-On-Thames, claims that without the accord the group - which once numbered 900 - would have disappeared entirely. The Bahraini synagogue is undergoing renovation, and he hopes it will be ready to reopen in February, under a rabbi believed to be of Bahraini descent, born and raised in London. It will be the first time in 40 years, the community has had a religious head. A Jewish man prays ahead of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year - Christopher Pike The agreements - dubbed the Abraham Accords after the patriarch of the world's three major monotheistic religions - were sealed in front of 700 guests on the White Houses South Lawn on Tuesday, an occasion turned opportunity for Mr Trump to burnish his credentials as a Middle East peacemaker ahead of November's election. It has even led to his nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, sparking derision among Mr Trump's opponents. The deal has also conveniently bolstered Mr Netanyahu's reputation at home. Israel is now part of a stronger US-led alliance against Iran, strengthening security ties with wealthy new allies, now far less isolated than ever before. Critics claim the accords do little to address the decades-long conflict between Israel and Palestine. Dr Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, an eminent Emirati political scientist, says even within the UAE community, there are members who are less than pleased by the news. I think there will be a good size of the population who wouldn't want to associate with Israelis, he says, especially the older generation who have lived through generations of anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish sentiment. Its very difficult to get rid of it overnight, so there will be a good segment who will not be as ready to go through with a massive presence of Israelis among us, so this is to be expected and only time will take care of it. Rabbi Duchman, who was congratulated personally by Mr Netanyahu via Zoom after the August 13 announcement, remains optimistic; he believes what is happening in the UAE "will change the relationship of Jews and Muslims all around the world". "From Golders Green to Brooklyn, he adds. "This is a chance to break down misconceptions on both sides, and reduce the prejudice that is bred through separation." ComebackTown is published by David Sher for a more prosperous greater Birmingham & Alabama Click here to sign up for newsletter. (Opt out at any time) Todays guest columnist is David Barry Imagine marrying your soulmate. Being in a prestigious pageant celebrating important advocacy work. Having a job helping others. And shining a positive, brilliant light on an entire community of people. Thats Belinda Doroughs dream and she is living it. One might think that Belinda must have incredible communication and interpersonal skills and ready access to all kinds of situations. Well, she does, thanks to her incredible perseverance. Belinda Dorough is a strong, determined woman with a sparkling personality. You could say she was born to be great. And heres another fact about her: shes doing it all living with cerebral palsy. The way Belinda navigates her environment may look different from you or me. For example, she uses a wheelchair to get from place to place. Even more impressively, she drives her wheelchair using a system that senses her head movement. Unable to produce verbal speech that is easily understood by others, Belinda has mastered the use of a communication device using a switch at her foot. Naturally, learning how to use a device such as this can be complex, but she didnt let that stop her. Belinda operates it proficiently and is very conversational. Just ask her a question. Its these kinds of devices and skills learned at United Ability that have given Belinda the confidence, freedom, and flexibility to shine and show others her outgoing personality. For 12 years, she has worked at Belk, a large department store where she greets customers with her infectious smile and guides them by using a communication device. At work, she is part of the team and a beloved member of the Belk family. Enter Daniel, who also has cerebral palsy. Like Belinda, he uses a communication device obtained at United Ability that helps him express himself. Using his eyes, he composes messages that can be spoken aloud, used in emails or on social media. Yes, he is part of the Facebook community. For mobility, he uses a power chair thats controlled by his head movements. He has been employed at United Ability as a greeter at the main entrance and in our Community Integration Academy workshop. This technology connects Daniel to his community and empowers him to continue dreaming. He hopes that technology will one day enable him to drive a car. Maybe you know where this is heading. Yes, its a love story. Its more than a love story: it is a journey that has resulted in positive outcomes for other people living with disabilities. Daniel proposed to Belinda, using his communication device; and, Belinda said, yes, using hers. Once engaged, they contacted a group home agency to begin the process of finding an apartment in which they could begin their life together. It wasnt as easy as one would think: something promising would come up, then it would fall through. The cycle repeated itself again and again for years. Being strong advocates for people with disabilities, Belinda and Daniel knew that the situation should be made more inclusive for all. They contacted the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program which connected them with a lawyer, and they were able to secure a place in which to live together. The protracted experience made Belinda even more determined to educate others living with disabilities about their rights. So, it made perfect sense that when Belinda wanted to advocate for others publicly, she chose the Miss Wheelchair Alabama contest, a program about advocacy and celebrating achievement as her platform. More than a pageant, its mission is to provide an opportunity for women who happen to be wheelchair users to advocate for others with disabilities. Belinda passionately delivered a speech, that she wrote, that all people with disabilities should have the right to get married, live in their own home, and have all the rights that every other married couple enjoys. Moved by her activism and speech, Belinda was awarded second place and continues to be a vocal advocate for the rights of the disabled. As is often written, there is more to the story. Because of United Ability and their supporters more technologies are being made available that will enable Daniel and Belinda to live more independently and create greater opportunities for meaningful employment. There is even an anniversary on the horizon. We look forward to sharing more stories of inclusion, independence, dreams coming true with you in the future. David Barry is the Director of Communication and External Affairs at United Ability and he oversees all the communications and marketing efforts for the organization. United Ability, formerly UCP of Greater Birmingham, provides a life-spectrum of programs designed to promote self-reliance, present choices, and improve the quality of life for children and adults with disabilities. Kyrgyzstan reported on Sunday 81 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total cases registered in the country since the outbreak of the pandemic to 45,416, Trend reports citing Kabar. The republican headquarters on COVID-19 said that two of the new cases are medical workers, bringing the tally of contracted medical workers to 3199. The total number of recoveries from COVID-19 in Kyrgyzstan increased to 41,578 after 94 new ones were added. The headquarters has reported no death from COVID-19 during the past 24 hours. The nationwide death toll stands at 1,063. Currently, 566 COVID-19 patients are still in hospitals throughout the country and 1,762 patients are receiving treatment at home. Kyrgyzstan's COVID-19 daily infections have been falling below 100 since Aug. 31, after they once hit a record 1,654 cases on July 17. Soccer and circus school are banned, they cant see their friends and they havent been able to go to school. But all through the COVID-19 lockdown, siblings Kiara and Samuel Louca, age 9 and 7, have found a fantastic consolation in books. During lockdown Kiara and Samuel Louca of Coburg look forward to book deliveries by The Little Bookroom staff. Credit:Penny Stephens With a yell and a knock on the door from the delivery man, every three weeks a few new books land on their Coburg doorstep. Their mother, Lizzy, says its a treat just for the pandemic. "It adds a bit of excitement to their week and a bit of happiness," she said. Mumbai: Actor Rana Daggubati is set to host a quirky animated series titled Why Are You? Described as an irreverent fiction comedy, Daggubati launched the first teaser of the show on Instagram on Sunday. The Baahubali star said his interest in animation led him to be associated with the project. Animation and stories told in that form have been of interest since I first started watching, but growing up only a few of us make a transition from cartoon to animation/animae for the adult And India has very little content In this space, so heres presenting to you Why are you? A quirky irreverent fiction comedy with real-ish people, the 35-year-old actor said in a statement. Daggubati is awaiting the release of his action-spectacle Haathi Mere Saathi, which was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Directed by Prabhu Solomon, the movie was scheduled to have a nationwide release on April 2 in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. The film also features Pulkit Samrat, Shriya Pilgaonkar and Zoya Hussain. Donald Trump graded his coronavirus pandemic response with a D and appeared to admit to trying to blackmail Oracle, in talks to partner with TikTok, into supporting his patriotic education programme during his latest campaign rally. The US president, who referred to himself on Saturday as Donald Prump, told supporters that the coronavirus shouldve been stopped in China, as he championed his administrations D-grade response. Speaking in front of a crowd in Fayetteville, North Carolina, the president praised the largest industrial mobilisation since World War Two, in order to produce ventilators and treatments, [If] Somebody said, what grade would you give yourself? I said A+, but I would give myself a D, he told the crowd, as American coronavirus deaths neared 200,000. I would say I would give myself and my whole group because Mike Pence is great, Mike really worked so hard, it's so unfair, he worked so hard, said Mr Trump, in apparent reference to criticism over his administrations handling of the pandemic, partly overseen by the vice presidents leadership of the White House coronavirus task force. The ventilators, the vaccines, the therapeutics we now have, he continued. Look at what's happening when somebody gets very sick, we bringem [patients] back so often, compared to what it was originally. In an event that lasted more than 90 minutes, president Trump also appeared to admit he asked Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison put $5 billion towards a patriotic education programme announced this week, as part of a proposed deal to purchase the US operations of Chinese social media app TikTok. Under the deal announced on Saturday, TikToks US assets are set to be owned by a new company called TikTok Global that will be headquartered in the United States, possibly in Texas, Mr Trump said. I said [to Mr Ellison] you know do me a favour, could you put up $5 billion into a fund so we can educate people as to the real history of our country, said Mr Trump, adding that his so-called 1776 Commission would teach the real history, not the fake history." The president used a Constitution Day speech earlier this week to denounce The New York Times 1619 initiative teaching children about American slavery, accusing it of being unpatriotic, as he set out a counter-project. It was unclear whether or not Oracle will help fund the Trump administrations pro-America education programme following his approval of the TikTok deal. The Chinese government still has to agree to the proposals announced on Saturday. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 01:25:06|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- More than 30 Taliban militants were killed and eight others wounded after the Afghan Air Force targeted Taliban assailants, the Afghan Defense Ministry confirmed late Saturday. The airstrike came after the Taliban assailants attacked security checkpoints in northern Kunduz province early in the day. The ministry said in a statement that Taliban stormed security checkpoints in Nekpay-e-Sayyed Ramadan locality of Khan Abad district in the morning, adding the Afghan forces "in accordance with active defense course of action" responded to the attackers. "As a result, more than 30 militants, including two Taliban divisional commanders named Faizani and Qari Ibrahim, were killed and eight militants wounded," the statement said. Four militants' vehicles, eight motorcycles and many weapons and ammunition were also destroyed. Local villagers said several civilians, who tried to help affected militants after first initial airstrikes, were also killed and injured by subsequent sorties. In the meantime, the statement said that based on initial information civilians were not affected in the strikes, but the Ministry of Defense would investigate the claims. Before the airstrikes, three policemen and three militants were killed and four police personnel and a military vehicle went missing during the clashes in the same locality, provincial officials confirmed earlier in the day. Enditem By Express News Service KOCHI: In A covert operation, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested three West Bengal natives, who were associated with a module of Al-Qaeda that planned terror strikes in New Delhi, from different parts of Ernakulam district early Saturday morning. Mosaraf Hossen, Iyakub Biswas and Murshid Hasan were arrested during an hour-long operation which started at 2am. In a simultaneous operation in Murshidabad, West Bengal, six other members of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated group were arrested. They are Najmus Sakib, Abu Sufiyan, Mainul Mondal, Leu Yean Ahmed, Al Mamun Kamal and Atitur Rehman, all residents of Murshidabad. In Kerala, the NIA, with the support of the state police, raided three houses two at Mudikal near Perumbavoor and one at Pathalam near Kalamassery. Mosaraf and Iyakub, who stayed at different rented facilities, were arrested from Mudikal. Murshid was arrested from a rented house near Pathalam. NIA also seized mobile phones, laptops and documents from the trio. The entire operation had started a month ago after the agencys New Delhi-based intelligence wing, which is monitoring cyber activities, found that an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group in Pakistan was in touch with some persons in India. After monitoring and tracking down their identity and locations, the NIA registered an FIR on September 11 in New Delhi. However, no details were released about the registration of such a case. NIA sleuths monitored suspects daily activities for a week before their arrest Following a directive from NIA New Delhi, officers at the agencys Kochi unit visited the places where the suspects stayed and monitored their daily activities over the past one week. The time and date for the raids were fixed by NIA Delhi after sharing inputs with its units in Guwahati and Kochi. The NIA sought the assistance of the Kerala Police, but no information about its nature was provided. At 1.30 am, around six NIA officials in two SUVs reached near Pathalam Junction and parked the vehicle a few distance away from the house where Murshid stayed. Police officials from the local police station also reached the place. Around 2.05 am, the NIA started the raid. They took Murshid into custody and left the place by 2.20 am. At 2.40 am, four NIA officials in a vehicle returned and checked the house for nearly 15 minutes. While one team was conducting the raid at Pathalam, the other two teams in four SUVs comprising 14 people carried out a simultaneous search at the rented houses in Mudikal. Police officers were also present during the search. After the raid at two houses was completed by 2.45 am, arrested persons --- Mosaraf and Iyakub --- were brought to the NIA office in Kochi within an hour. They were questioned there for nearly 10 hours. According to an NIA press release, the preliminary investigation revealed that these individuals were radicalised by Pakistan-based Al-Qaeda terrorists on social media and were motivated to undertake attacks at multiple places including the national capital region. For this purpose, the module was actively indulging in fundraising and a few members of the gang were planning to travel to New Delhi to procure arms and ammunition. These arrests have pre-empted possible terrorist attacks in various parts of the country, the release said. Murshid arrived at Pathalam nearly two months ago after travel restrictions were partially lifted. He worked as a dailywage labourer and also worked at hotels. During the lockdown, a majority of migrant workers who stayed at the house which I gave on rent left for their native places. It was in June or July that Murshid came here. He did not speak much and was a reserved person. He had submitted a copy of Aadhaar as identity proof when he arrived here. He worked at various places, Nazar, the owner of the house said. Mosaraf was working, including at Perumbavoor, as a dailywage labourer for several years. He recently joined a textile shop there. Police officials who conducted an inquiry about him claimed his family also stayed with him in Perumbavoor. Iyakub first stayed and worked at Adimali in Idukki. He reached Perumbavoor only two months ago and stayed at a rented facility in Mudikal. He also worked in a hotel there. NIA also questioned the arrested persons friends and relatives, who have been working and staying with them at its office in Kochi. After the interrogation, the three were produced before a magistrate and a transit warrant was issued. The arrested were taken to New Delhi on a flight from here in the evening and are likely to be produced at a court before Tuesday. State a safe haven for terror groups Kochi: The arrest of members of an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group is not the first incident in which members of international terror groups were traced from the state. The state is turning out to be a safe haven for terrorist groups, especially JMB which has roots in West Bengal and Assam, reports Toby Antony. Kanakamala case: one more arrested Kochi: The NIA on Saturday held one more person in connection with the case registered against Ansar-ul-Khilafah Kerala, which was busted by security agencies at Kanakamala in Kannur in 2016. The arrested is Mohammad Polakkani, of Kannur. President Donald Trump's name on a stimulus check issued by the IRS to help combat the adverse economic effects of the lockdowns, in San Antonio, Texas, on April 23, 2020. (Eric Gay/AP Photo) Rust Belt Voters Favor COVID-19 Stimulus Checks, Vaccine, but Not Vaccine Mandate, Poll Shows Voters in Rust Belt states would like to see more stimulus checks and loans to help Americans after CCP virus lockdowns stymied the economy, according to The Epoch Times Rust Belt Poll. They would also largely take a vaccine against the virus if its free, but leaned against the idea of a federal mandate forcing Americans to get the vaccine. A majority of registered voters in the six statesIowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsinsupported proposals for coronavirus-related economic relief. The most popular were additional loans to small businesses, with 77.2 percent for and 11.7 percent against. Next in line was additional stimulus checks, which were supported by 75.2 percent and opposed by 13.9 percent. Extending eviction postponements garnered the support of 71.7 percent with 16.6 percent against. Additional unemployment benefits were the least popular of the lineup, with 64.5 percent supporting them and 23.6 percent opposing. Both Democrats and Republicans support more stimulus spending, though theyve had a hard time agreeing on the specifics. Democrats want to add tangential items to the stimulus bills, such as spending on reducing carbon emissions and more access to abortion. Republicans generally prefer leaner bills. A major part of the American economy was paralyzed as many states issued stay-at-home orders to nonessential workers in response to the pandemic. The unemployment rate increased to 14.7 percent in April and decreased to 8.4 percent by August. Vaccine Yes, but Not Forced A plurality of voters, 47.2 percent, would get a COVID-19 vaccine if and when its available for free, while 26.1 percent said they wouldnt get it. But just as strong a plurality, 46.9 percent, opposed a federal mandate requiring all Americans to get the vaccine, while 34 percent supported it. President Donald Trump has placed emphasis on the effort to develop a vaccine by the end of the year. Multiple companies are now preparing clinical trials to test their vaccine candidates. There doesnt seem to be a push for mandatory vaccination at the federal level. Any such plan would be more likely to come from the states, where it would likely face a lower constitutional hurdle. The Epoch Times Rust Belt Poll was conducted by Big Data Poll from Sept. 11 to Sept. 15, 2020, interviewing 2,191 registered voters and 1,440 likely voters in the Midwest via online panel targeting Iowa (7 percent), Michigan (20 percent), Minnesota (12 percent), Ohio (23 percent), Pennsylvania (26 percent) and Wisconsin (12 percent). The sampling error is 2.1 percent for registered voters and 2.6 percent for likely voters at a 95 percent confidence interval. For more information on the methodology and survey design, please refer to the AAPOR Transparency Initiative Checklist, for an overview of survey results click here. WATERLOO REGION On the second anniversary of Isaiah Macnabs shooting death, police are reaching out to individuals in the community who have information that could help solve the homicide. Investigators with Waterloo Regional Police Services Major Crime Unit believe there are several individuals with information that could aid the investigation, according to a press release. Macnab, 20, was killed from multiple gunshot injuries after police responded to a parking lot in the area of Pandora Avenue and King Street in Kitchener on Sept. 20, 2018. Investigators continue to search for a white, four-door Mercedes CLA 250 car that was seen leaving the area with two individuals inside. The vehicle had stolen licence plates attached, reading BZBP153. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 519-570-9777 ext. 8191 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Anonymous tips can also be submitted online at www.waterloocrimestoppers.com. For years, small boats have left northern Lebanon's coast, packed with desperate migrants hoping to reach European shores. Until recently, they carried mostly Syrian and Palestinian refugees. But with Lebanon in freefall, its citizens have begun joining their ranks in larger numbers. Mohammad Ghandour never thought he'd be one of them. But he says Lebanon's economic crisis has left him unable to feed his seven children, and gave him no choice. "I can't afford to make a living for my children anymore. We can't live anymore unless I steal, but I don't want to steal nor do I want my children to grow up and steal. We want to run away from here to get away from illegal activities, because those who are staying alive in this country are living off ill-gotten means. That's it in the end, those who are like me with seven children can't survive apart from by ill-gotten means." Ghandour is one of dozens of Lebanese who've attempted the journey since late August. After 28 hours lost at sea, Ghandour says his boat, carrying his wife, children and other relatives, arrived on a beach near the Cypriot seaside resort of Larnaca. He says his family was detained in a camp for several days and prevented from lodging a formal claim for asylum, before being sent back to Lebanon. "I didn't think they would send us back from Cyprus at all. I wish they had let us drown in the sea instead of bringing us back here; it would have been better because the children are devastated now, they faced death in the sea." Cypriot authorities said about 230 Lebanese and Syrians were sent back to Lebanon by sea in early September. They'd arrived in Cyprus on five boats during the previous weeks. New Delhi: Soon after Rajya Sabha passed two key farm bills giving marketing freedom to farmers, the BJP President JP Nadda said that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has liberated the farmers from injustice they were facing for the last 70 years. Nadda also called opposition irresponsible for their behaviour in Rajya Sabha while the bill was tabled and said, ''The irresponsible act of opposition is unfortunate. They violated the protocols, Chairman will take note of it and take action. The democratic system should function smoothly, we'll request Chairman to take steps for the same.'' Lashing out at the opposition parties, Nadda said that they who are against the bill are anti-farmers. He said, ''Instead of being part of the process, opposition tried to obstruct the liberation of farmers. BJP condemns their act.'' Union Defense Minister Rajath Singh also lauded the bill and congratulated Agriculture Minister for explaining all aspects of the Bills with clarity and conviction in both the Houses of Parliament. Taking to Twitter, Rajnath Singh said, ''With the passing of two landmark agriculture Bills in Rajya Sabha today, India has cemented the strong foundation for Atmanirbhar Agriculture. This is the result of endless dedication and determination of the Govt under the leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi.'' With the passing of two landmark agriculture Bills in Rajya Sabha today, India has cemented the strong foundation for Atmanirbhar Agriculture. This is the result of endless dedication and determination of the Govt under the leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi. Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 20, 2020 After the bill was passed in Rajya Sabha, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar said that despite recommendations of various commissions & experts, Congress never did justice to farmers who found themselves helpless for years. He added, ''Today, when Congress realised they don't have support in Rajya Sabha, they resorted to 'gundagardi'.'' The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 were passed in Rajya Sabha on Sunday (September 20) by voice vote despite stiff protest by Opposition lawmakers. The bills were cleared amid mayhem in Rajya Sabha with several MPs taking to the well of the House and raising anti-government slogans. NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP >> Newtown Township will be applying for federal funding to bolster its career firefighting force. And its crossing its fingers and hoping the third times a charm. At its Jan. 12 meeting, the board of supervisors voted unanimously to resubmit its SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to... This test uses an indigenously-developed, cutting-edge CRISPR technology for detecting the virus' genome sequence New Delhi: The Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) has approved the commercial launch of 'Feluda', the Tata CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) COVID-19 test, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) said on Saturday. This test uses an indigenously developed, cutting-edge CRISPR technology for detection of the genomic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 virus, CSIR said in a statement. "The Tata CRISPR test achieves accuracy levels of traditional RT-PCR tests with quicker turnaround time, less expensive equipment and better ease of use," the statement added. CRISPR is a genome editing technology to diagnose diseases. The technology has been developed by CSIR-IGIB (Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology). "The Tata CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) test, powered by CSIR-IGIB (Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology) FELUDA, received regulatory approvals today from DCGI for commercial launch, as per ICMR guidelines, meeting high quality benchmarks with 96 per cent sensitivity and 98 percent specificity for detecting novel coronavirus," the statement said. The Tata CRISPR test is the world's first diagnostic test to deploy a specially adapted Cas9 protein to successfully detect the virus causing COVID-19, it said. Moreover, CRISPR is a "futuristic" technology that can also be configured for detection of multiple other pathogens in the future. "The Tata Group has worked closely with CSIR-IGIB and ICMR to create a high-quality test that will help the nation ramp up COVID-19 testing quickly and economically, with a 'Made in India' product that is safe, reliable, affordable and accessible," the statement added. Commenting on the development, Girish Krishnamurthy, CEO, TATA Medical and Diagnostics Ltd said, "The approval for the Tata CRISPR test for COVID-19 will give a boost to the country's efforts in fighting the global pandemic. "The commercialisation of Tata CRISPR test reflects the tremendous R&D talent in the country which can collaborate to transform India's contributions to the global healthcare and scientific research world," he said. Anurag Agrawal, director, CSIR-IGIB, said the work started by CSIR under the sickle cell mission for genome diagnostics and therapeutics led to new knowledge that could be harnessed to quickly develop new diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2. He emphasised that this shows the interconnectedness of scientific knowledge and technology and the innovation of the young research team led by Debojyoti Chakraborty and Souvik Maiti. Dozens of anti-government protesters took to the streets in the Egyptian governorate of Giza on Sunday, despite heightened security in the country in advance of anticipated demonstrations. Video clips circulating on social media showed the demonstrators holding banners and chanting slogans calling on Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi to step down. Others set a police car on fire while some threw stones at security forces who tried to stop them. Dozens demonstrated in the al-Basateen district, a large neighbourhood in southern Cairo, and in several surrounding neighbourhoods. Protesters were also marching in Maadi, another large district that houses embassies and foreigners, as well as middle and working class areas, and in Madinat Nasr, a Cairo suburb. In some areas, security forces fired live bullets and tear gas in a bid to to disperse crowds. Egypt went into high alert after former army contractor Mohamed Ali called for anti-government protests on September 20 to commemorate a year since similar demonstrations were launched in the country. According to local media outlet Mada Masr, several cafes in cities around the country were forced to shut down on Monday. #__ pic.twitter.com/gVxknuliFZ (@dC00R) September 20, 2020 Translation: Leave el-Sisi is the slogan that people in the village of Kadaya, Giza, chanted as they destroyed police cars in anger at the situation and closure of the brick factories. We ask God that this be the beginning of the end of the putschist. In a rare show of dissent, thousands of people rallied in cities across Egypt in September last year, demanding the resignation of el-Sisi following a call for protests by Ali, also an actor and businessman who said his company used to carry out projects for the Egyptian military. In response, authorities launched the biggest crackdown under el-Sisis rule, according to Amnesty International, rounding up more than 2,300 people. Security services pre-empted Sundays protests by launching a campaign of arrests that included political figures, including the left-wing political thinker Amin al-Mahdi, and a number of activists, especially in the eastern city of Suez. Several social media users also reported cafes being forced to close over the past week. In addition to the government crackdown on opposition figures and activists, pro-government media called people who planned to demonstrate part of an external conspiracy aimed at overthrowing the government. Take back your country Ali, who lives in self-imposed exile in Spain, had expected a strong response to his calls for demonstrations against the government and over deteriorating living conditions. In an interview with Al Jazeera last week, Ali said: If five million people took to the streets [on Sunday], no one would be arrested at all. Last time [September 2019], the demonstrators returned to their homes, which made it easier for the regime to arrest them, he added. In a video message, Ali called on protesters to stay out until their demands are met. Egyptians unite. Out of love for the Egyptian people, take back your country again. Dont leave it in el-Sisis hands, he said. Do not go home. If we go home, they will detain us. Were in the streets and now we need to stay there. William Lawrence, a former US diplomat and a professor of political science and international affairs at the American University, said the protests were not that large and widespread largely because of the actions of the Egyptian regime. There were over 1,000 pre-emptive detentions and theres been a crackdown [with] arrests of intellectuals, university students, common citizens all to pre-empt larger protests, he told Al Jazeera. Whats important here is not the size of the protests but the fact that they are happening at all in such a tightly controlled situation. Egypt outlawed all unauthorised demonstrations in 2013 after el-Sisi, as defence minister, led the militarys overthrow of democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi following mass demonstrations. Since then, Egyptian authorities have imprisoned and prosecuted thousands of people, according to human rights groups, with a nationwide crackdown intensifying after el-Sisi was first elected in 2014 with 97 percent of the vote. Some Egyptian activists have warned of the danger protesting poses to the lives of demonstrators, given what they called a tight grip on security by authorities. On January 25, 2011, the Egyptian people began their revolution that toppled longtime president Hosni Mubarak. As national dialogue around Ruth Bader Ginsburgs quickly turned to the political battle that would ensue over her replacement on the U.S. Supreme Court, local lawyers wanted to make sure time was reserved to mourn the legal icon and trailblazer. Dozens of San Antonio residents gathered Saturday evening at the Bexar County Courthouse to celebrate Ginsburgs life and service. New Delhi: Congress on Sunday released its first list of 41 candidates for Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls after sealing alliance with Samajwadi Party. Among the list of candidates there are leaders such as Jitin Prasad- former Union Minister of State for HRD. Prasad will contest elections from Tilhar Assembly constituency in UP. The list also included controversial leader Imran Masood who is known for his hate speech against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Masood will contest election from Nakur seat in UP. Some of the other names in the list include Mukesh Choudhary, who will contest Deoband Assembly constituency, while Pradeep Mathur has been fielded from Mathura seat. As part of the alliance, the Samajwadi Party will contest on 298 seats while the Congress will field its candidates in 105 seats. Also Read: SP-Cong alliance in UP: We will fight election together and Akhilesh Yadav will again become Chief Minister, says Naresh Uttam For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. You never know until you try. As Albuquerque Public Schools and many other large districts around the state are limiting all or most instruction to the virtual world, a few districts such as Rio Rancho and Socorro are cautiously reintroducing in-person learning to K-5 students. Classes only started last week, so its too early to tell if this can be pulled off without creating COVID-19 hot spots that present risks for students, teachers, staff and their families. The state Public Education Department has reported 126 COVID-19 cases in school populations since Aug. 17. But the precautions these districts have taken are impressive, and they deserve credit for trying. After all, the stakes are high, and most would agree that online learning for lower grades and special education students, in particular, is far from ideal. In fact, some would argue its a disaster both in terms of learning experience and the disparate impact on women, many of whom are leaving the workforce or reducing their work hours to be in charge of virtual home school. Concerns are running so high, last week state Rep. David Gallegos, R-Eunice, and others filed a federal lawsuit challenging the states refusal to authorize reopening of schools in every county, arguing it violates the constitutional right of students to an equal education. (In-person classes at 50% capacity require a school to have a state-approved re-entry plan and its home county to have fewer than eight new virus cases a day per 100,000 population and a test-positivity rate under 5%.) First, its worth noting that school districts like Rio Rancho and Socorro are operating within the hybrid learning reopening guidelines set out by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. While the governor can order public schools to close under a health emergency, she doesnt have the power to order them to open their doors. Thats up to independently elected school boards around the state. At APS, Santa Fe and Las Cruces, those elected officials have opted out of in-person classes for now. Under the framework set forth by the governor and the Public Education Department, the 11 elementary buildings in Rio Rancho Public Schools, along with its new Shining Stars Preschool, opened the doors to students last Monday for the first time since March. Vista Grande Elementary School Principal Christine Prescott showed some of that traditional start of school excitement, telling the Rio Rancho Observer that only one teacher chose to retire rather than return and attendance whether virtual or in-person was down only slightly from 670 a year ago to 658 this year, including three transfers from APS. The option for virtual learning remains, but many parents voted with their actions to send kids back to the classroom rather than set them in front of a computer. The district has worked hard on precautions. Hallways are split in half with one direction of travel on each side; separate doors are used by each grade to get to the playground, with the number on the playground limited; desks in classrooms are at least 6 feet apart; hand sanitizer is at every entrance; drinking fountains are no longer in use but are equipped with a faucet to allow kids to fill water bottles. Barriers will be set up between seats in the cafeteria. Masks are everywhere. At San Antonio Elementary in Socorro, students and staff pass through a station where their temperature is taken before entering the building. Custodians clean throughout the day and disinfect after classes with a fogger. Within classrooms, students sit at least 6 feet apart and wear masks. In one case, a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher taught in one room while her students worked in the next room with an opening separated by a plastic sheet. That was the happy medium we were able to come up with that would allow her to be in class and that provided her with the sense of safety she wanted, head teacher John Ray Dennis said. In Socorros biggest elementary school, students dont eat in the cafeteria. Lunch is brought to their classrooms, and the only time students can leave is for gym, restroom and recess. We are managing the hallways to make sure kids arent gathering, Principal Laurie Ocampo told the El Defensor Chieftain newspaper. At another Socorro elementary, Midway, more parents wanted their children to attend in person than the school could accommodate and still comply with the states 50% capacity mandate based on the size of the facility. On the flip side, Journal reporter Shelby Perea chronicled the difficulties faced by nurse practitioner Melissa Ortiz of Albuquerque, who is trying to help her three sons with online learning. While her children are older and wouldnt be in the classroom anyway under the guidelines, her story illustrates the challenge. Given her profession, Ortiz says shes never been able to reduce her hours throughout this whole pandemic. Now after working all day 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. Her friend Ivy Sunderland has two students at North Star Elementary in Albuquerque and says she has to be technology support, teacher, lunch lady and more on top of her full-time job. Ive never been spread so thin, she said, adding that she loses patience under pressure. Both (of the kids) have been on the floor crying at least once this week. One has run away twice. New Mexico is in a relatively good place when it comes to current infection rates, but around the world weve seen some rebound of the virus, which appears inevitable as things open. And world leaders are increasingly coming to the conclusion that open they must. Lockdowns are no longer an option. Thats illustrated by French President Emmanuel Macron, who said in the Wall Street Journal last week the governments aim now after a two-month lockdown decimated the economy was to slow the contagion (with measures like mask requirements) while continuing to let people live as normally as possible. The pandemic is by no means over, but we are, as we must, find(ing) a way to live with this virus, Hendrik Streeck, head of Bonn Universitys virology department, told the Wall Street Journal. Thats exactly what districts like Rio Rancho and Socorro are trying to do. And its worth other districts keeping a close eye on how things go and emulating what works for the sake of all our students, parents, teachers and staff. This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers. China's ByteDance Ltd is seeking a valuation of $60 billion for TikTok as Oracle Corp and Walmart Inc take stakes in the short-video app's business to address US security concerns, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday, citing an unnamed person familiar with the matter. Oracle will take a 12.5 percent stake in TikTok Global and store all its US user data in its cloud to comply with US national security requirements, the companies said on Saturday. Retail giant Walmart said it would take a 7.5 percent stake. The two companies would pay a combined $12 billion for their stakes if they agree to a $60 billion asking price, Bloomberg reported. ByteDance, TikTok, Oracle and Walmart did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report. The final valuation had not been set as the companies worked out the equity structure and measures for data security, the Bloomberg report added. US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that he supported a deal in principle would allow TikTok to continue to operate in the United States, even as it appeared to conflict with his earlier executive order for Chinas ByteDance to divest the video app. ByteDance was racing to avoid a crackdown on TikTok after the US Commerce Department said on Friday that it would block new downloads and updates to the app from Sunday. US officials had expressed concern that the personal data of as many as 100 million Americans that use the app were being passed on to Chinas Communist Party government. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New Yorks landmarks were a sea of blue Saturday to honor the legacy of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg -- who died Friday after succumbing to complications related to pancreatic cancer. Often called the notorious RBG, who hails from Brooklyn, she was a champion for equality and justice. Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered all state landmarks to be lit in blue -- reported to be Ginsburgs favorite color -- to remember the prominent and inspiring jurist, he said. As we mourn the loss of one of Americas most prominent and inspiring jurists, New York state will take a moment to celebrate the extraordinary legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her precedent-shattering contributions to gender equity, civil rights and jurisprudence," said Cuomo. ...New Yorkers from all walks of life should reflect on the life of Justice Ginsburg and remember all that she did for our nation, he added. Participating landmarks included: the memorial include One World Trade Center; the Albany International Airport Gateway; the Alfred E. Smith State Office Building; the Grand Central Terminal - Pershing Square Viaduct; the H. Carl McCall SUNY Building; the Kosciuszko Bridge; the Olympic Jumping Complex; the New York State Fairgrounds - Main Gate and Exposition Center; the New York State Education Department Building; Niagara Falls and the Mid-Hudson Bridge. Cuomo announced on Saturday that New York state will honor the life and legacy of Ginsburg by erecting a statue in Brooklyn, her birthplace. FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK and TWITTER The government is mulling to shorten the duration of the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament, say sources in Parliament. The Parliament session which began on September 14 is scheduled to end on October 1. With the hope to get most of the legislative business out of the way in a weeks time, the government is mulling to shorten the duration of the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament, say sources in Parliament. Sources told ANI that due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and continued health restrictions in force, the government is contemplating to shorten the length of the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament. A senior MP claimed that even if all the Ordinances are cleared along with few bills, decision to curtail the session can be taken. The Parliament session which began on September 14 is scheduled to end on October 1. However, with routine tests of MPs, staffers and workers in the Parliament coming positive, the fear of the spread is palpable among the top leadership as well. The ongoing session of Parliament is the first one held amid the pandemic. The government brought in several important legislations including The Salaries and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment ) Bill 2020, The Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2020-21 and The Demands for Excess Grants for 2016-17, The Appropriation (No.4) Bill, 2020. Also read: Defence, security aspect of India-Japan relationship has progressed fast: S Jaishankar Also read: With Akalis set to oppose the farm bills, Govt reaches out to friendly parties as RS numbers look uncertain The Appropriation (No.3) Bill, 2020, Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act and The Farmers (empowerment and protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 to name a few. To keep monitoring the temperature and whether people are wearing masks, a few cameras have been installed on strategic locations. Sanitiser dispensers too have been put in place. Recently both Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Prahlad Patel tested positive for COVID-19. Both had attended the session after being tested negative a few days back. The issue of curtailing the ongoing session is also likely to be discussed at a meeting of Business Advisory Committee to be held today, sources stated. Also read: NIA arrests 9 terrorists with links to Al-Qaeda in multiple raids from Kerala, West Bengal - Muthee Kiengei celebrated the fact that his two women were under one roof and celebrating their daughter's milestone together - He acknowledged the love the two ladies had for their little girl and gladly noted that polygamy had worked in his favour - The radio presenter hugged both of them and shared cake with the wives of his youth as other men watched PAY ATTENTION: Click 'See First' under 'Follow' Tab to see Tuko.co.ke news on your FB Feed Happy wives, happy life. Radio personality and comedian Muthee Kiengei is living everymans dream. The father and husband who happens to be happily married to not one, but two women knows the true meaning of double portion. READ ALSO: Young lady divides netizens after begging hawker for a kiss in traffic Muthee Kiengei and his wives during their princess's birthday. Photo: Muthee Kiengei Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Ruth Matete says she's done with religion, laments religious people abandoned her Over the weekend, Muthee was fortunate enough to celebrate his little girls birthday in a fashion that not many would consider as usual. The comedian whose beautiful daughter turned six, shared cake with his gorgeous spouses and enjoyed a peace that surpassed human understanding. His little lady who was dressed in a princess-like tutu could feel the love from every corner of the room. READ ALSO: Raila, Atwoli join Sossion in celebrating daughter who became first female lawyer in their village READ ALSO: Arsenal 2-1 Westham: Gunners dig deep for second successive league win in tough London derby Her mothers, who once feuded and could not stand each other were on the way to forming an everlasting friendship. Keziah Kiengei, a Kameme TV presenter, and her co-wife put up a united front and stood side by side and posed for a photo as their husband watched from the background. Muthee sat back and observed as his blessings unfolded and told his Facebook followers that at last, love had encompassed his home. Happiness was back and the cloud of darkness that had once taken over disappeared without a trace. READ ALSO: NMS yaomba msamaha kuhusu kisa cha mama kujifungua nje ya Pumwani In a previous post, the dad decided to give women some piece of advice on matters married men and cheating. The Kameme FM presenter revealed he is married to more than one woman. In the Facebook post which has since been deleted, the Kikuyu comedian asked women to stop being insecure over polygamous posts online. Muthee who has two wives asked the "insecure women" to focus and let those who are lucky to be polygamous fight their battles. "Insecure women always feel threatened when we post polygamous posts. Do not feel insecure, your man is not us. Let us fight our battles," read the post. PAY ATTENTION: Help us change more lives, join TUKO.co.kes Patreon programme - https://www.patreon.com/tuko Keep abusing me, you will get tired eventually - Kenya's youngest Reverend Victor Githu | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Teeling Whiskey Company, an Irish whiskey distillery and brand based in Dublin, has grown its pre-tax profits in 2019 by nearly 60pc after it sold over one million bottles. The company, which developed Dublin's first whiskey distillery in over 125 years in 2015, had a pre-tax profit of 1.6m on sales of over 18.2m last year. It reported a pre-tax profit of just over 1m for 2018 with revenue of 15.5m. Teeling's turnover comprised of 16m from the sale of goods and 2.2m from the rendering of services. Its visitor centre subsidiary, Newmarket VC, reported a profit of nearly 500,000. The company also revealed export sales to Europe had grown by 31pc, hitting nearly 4.9m. Sales to the rest of the world, which included the US and Australia, increased by almost 18pc to 8.3m. Domestic sales rose slightly to 5.1m. Jack Teeling, managing director of Teeling Whiskey Company, said last year had been a record year for the company. "Our whole aim is to grow faster than the category and take advantage of the opportunity," he said. "As our whiskey from our new distillery comes into our revenue stream, that is going to lead to more profitability. "We are pretty happy with what came out, particularly with the level of investment we have been doing in terms of laying new stock and sales and marketing. We have probably spent more in 2019 in sales and marketing than any other year, around 5m or so, and most of it was going into the US. "We are still in investment mode," he added. "The sales are reflecting where we want to be." Teeling recognised that the disruption caused by Covid-19 would make this year more challenging, with its visitor centre revenue and tourist retail sales hit hardest. The Dublin entrepreneur said he had high hopes for the brand in the future. "It's a reflection of the maturity of our business in the category," Teeling said of the results. "We are happy with 2019, but there are plenty more opportunities out there for Irish whiskey, particularly in the premium space we occupy." Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-19 22:08:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close In the face of unprecedented challenges, the world is in need of unified actions more than ever. To make the world safer and better, China has made stronger commitments in the United Nations's peacekeeping missions. (Alliance News) - Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned Britain is at a "tipping point" as he refused to rule out a second national coronavirus lockdown if the public fails to follow social distancing rules. With cases rising across the country, Hancock said there was a danger the numbers could "shoot through the roof" unless effective action was taken to halt the spread of the virus. His warning came as the government announced anyone in England who refuses an order to self-isolate could face a fine of up to GBP10,000. The Health Secretary said that hospital admissions for the disease were doubling "every eight days" and would be followed by an increase in the number of deaths. "This country faces a tipping point," he told BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show. "If everybody follows the rules a and we will be increasingly stringent on the people who are not following the rules a then we can avoid further national lockdowns. "But we of course have to be prepared to take action if that's what's necessary." During a round of broadcast interviews, Hancock said the government had taken the decision to impose a legal duty on people to self-isolate if instructed as the data showed some were failing to do so. At the same time ministers have said people on benefits in England will be eligible for a one off support payment of GBP500 if they face a loss of earnings as a result of being required to self-isolate. Hancock told Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme: "We will support people who do the right thing and we will come down hard on people who do the wrong thing." UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been desperate to avoid another nationwide lockdown amid concerns about the economic damage it will inflict just as activity was beginning to pick up again. However, as of Tuesday, around 13.5 million people across the UK will be facing some form of local restrictions as the authorities grapple with the disease. London Mayor Sadiq Khan is now pressing ministers to extend the controls to the capital, which he believes may be just "two or three days" behind the hotspots of the North West and North East of England. Hancock said he was "very worried" about the latest data which suggested Britain could be on the same path as Spain and France a where deaths and hospitalisations are increasing a without effective action. "I am very worried about this second wave. We have seen in other countries around Europe how it can absolutely shoot through the roof," he said. "When the case rate shoots up, the next thing that happens is the numbers going into hospital shoot up. "Sadly, we have seen that rise, it is doubling every eight days or so a people going into hospital a then, with a lag, you see the number of people dying sadly rise." Among the measures being considered by ministers is a temporary two-week "circuit break" with tighter restrictions across England in an attempt to break the chain of transmission. However, the government is facing resistance from some senior Conservative members of Parliament concerned that ministers are taking increasingly stringent powers with little or no parliamentary scrutiny. Graham Brady, chairman of the powerful Tory backbench 1922 Committee, said he intends to table an amendment which would require the government to put any new measures to a vote of MPs. He told The Sunday Telegraph that he would take the opportunity to seek to amend the legislation when the government comes to renew the emergency powers in the Coronavirus Act 2020. "In March, Parliament gave the government sweeping emergency powers at a time when Parliament was about to go into recess and there was realistic concern that NHS care capacity might be overwhelmed by Covid-19," he told the paper. "We now know that the NHS coped well with the challenge of the virus and Parliament has been sitting largely since April. There is now no justification for ministers ruling by emergency powers without reference to normal democratic processes." By Gavin Cordon, PA Whitehall Editor source: PA Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. A 73-year-old woman missing on Fraser Island for four nights was found alive and well on Sunday morning. Madeleine Nowak was reported missing after going on an organised hiking tour on Thursday afternoon. Madeleine Nowak with a paramedic after being retrieved from Fraser Island by the LifeFlight helicopter. Credit:RACQ LifeFlight Rescue She emerged out of the bush near a campsite on the eastern side of the island early on Sunday morning and had an emotional reunion with her husband after authorities were alerted. Acting Inspector Brooke Flood said a major land and air search had continued since the 73-year-old was reported missing, and that this was the best possible outcome. Advertisement Elizabeth Warren called on supporters to fight against Donald Trump nominating a Supreme Court Justice, as she addressed hundreds at a candlelit vigil for Ruth Bader Ginsburg outside the Supreme Court Warren spoke fondly of 'Ruthie' as 'a fighter' who blazed a trail through law school which inspired her own path, and described her as a champion of womens' rights. And she blasted Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell for trying to push through a Supreme Court nominee before the election in November. She told crowds on the steps of the court: 'Mitch McConnell and his henchmen believe they can ram through a Supreme Court justice just 45 days from an election. Mitch McConnell believes this fight is over. What Mitch McConnell does not understand is this fight has just begun' Beneath a poster reading 'No confirmation until inauguration', Warren led the crowd of hundreds in a chant of: 'I will fight'. The steps of the Supreme Court have been blanketed with a collection of flowers, homemade cardboard signs and prayer candles left by hundreds of mourners who visited the steps of the court to pay their respects in the wake of Ginsburg's passing. Hundreds of people gathered as dusk fell outside the Supreme Court to honor the 87-year-old Ginsburg, who died of cancer on Friday, was praised as a trailblazer and tireless champion of the downtrodden Beneath a poster reading 'No confirmation until inauguration', Warren led the crowd of hundreds in a chant of: 'I will fight' Warren said that the battle for collective bargaining should continue, in Ginsburg's memory. She added: 'When it comes to protecting our Dreamers, when it comes to protecting those who are here, who have come to our shores, who have made a home here, Ruth Bader Ginsburg fought. And in her memory we say: I will fight.' Earlier, vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris had joined hundreds of mourners outside the Supreme Court as she paid tribute to Ginsburg as a 'titan' and 'legal mind of the ages'. The U.S. Senator and her husband Douglas Emhoff stopped by a makeshift memorial outside the steps of the high court in Washington D.C. where the veteran judge served for 27 years before her death on Friday. Warren spoke fondly of 'Ruthie' as 'a fighter' who blazed a trail through law school which inspired her own path, and described her as a champion of womens' rights. Mourners arrived outside the Supreme Court Saturday in a quiet tribute to the late 'RBG' Hundreds of mourners have visited the steps of the Supreme Court to pay their respects in the wake of Ginsburg's death Harris shared a photo of her visit on Twitter, calling the Supreme Court justice 'a titana relentless defender of justice and a legal mind for the ages.' 'The stakes of this election couldn't be higher. Millions of Americans are counting on us to win and protect the Supreme Courtfor their health, for their families, and for their rights,' Harris said. It comes after President Trump announced he will nominate a replacement for Ginsburg 'without delay', setting up an extraordinary confirmation battle in the Senate just weeks before the election. Kamala Harris and her husband Douglas Emhoff on Saturday stopped by a makeshift memorial outside the steps of the Supreme Court to pay tribute to late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg The Democratic vice presidential nominee dressed comfortably and wore a mask during her visit to the high court Harris shared a photo of her visit on Twitter remembering Ginsburg as a 'relentless defender of justice.' Mourners stopped by the Supreme Court early Saturday to pay their respects to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died after a battle with pancreatic cancer on Friday Scores of people laid flowers, prayer candles and condolence messages to the late justice outside of the high court The Supreme Court Justice passed away in her home in Washington, D.C. on Friday, after a battle with metastatic pancreas cancer Ginsburg, who had battled several bouts of cancer after first being diagnosed in 2009, finally succumbed to metastatic pancreas cancer Friday evening surrounded by her family at her home in Washington D.C. Hundreds of people packed the steps of the Supreme Court for a second night on Saturday. On Friday, an impromptu nighttime memorial was held shortly after news of her passing broke, which triggered an outpouring of tributes from both sides of the political spectrum. Trump issued a proclamation directing that flags at the White House and all public buildings and grounds and military facilities be flown at half-staff until the late Justice Ginsburg is interred. During the Friday's memorial, dozens of people wearing protective masks sat on the steps quietly reflecting on Ginsburg's legacy, while others knelt to leave bouquets of flowers, small American flags and photos of the justice. Several times, dozens in the crowd broke out into song, singing 'Amazing Grace' and 'This Land is Your Land' as others embraced one another and wiped tears from their eyes. At one point, the crowd broke into a thunderous applause - lasting for about a minute - for Ginsburg. 'Thank you RBG,' one sign read. On the sidewalk, 'RBG' was drawn inside a pink chalk heart. Jennifer Berger, 37, said she felt compelled to join the large crowd that gathered to pay tribute to Ginsburg's life. 'I think it is important for us to recognize such a trailblazer,' she said. 'It is amazing to see how many people are feeling this loss tonight and saying goodbye.' Flowers and tribute signs lined the sidewalk outside of the Supreme Court, where Ginsburg served for 27 years Visitors were seen breaking down in tears as they mourned the loss of the veteran justice Ginsburg spent her final years on the bench as the unquestioned leader of the court's liberal wing and became something of a rock star to her admirers. Young women especially seemed to embrace the court's Jewish grandmother, affectionately calling her the 'Notorious RBG', for her defense of the rights of women and minorities. The memorial service remained mostly peaceful and somber, but turned tense for several minutes after a man with a megaphone approached people in the crowd and began to chant that 'Roe v. Wade is dead,' a reference to the landmark Supreme Court ruling establishing abortion rights nationwide. A large group confronted the man, leading to a brief shouting match. Many in the crowd began yelling 'RBG' to try to drown out the man's voice as he continued to say Republicans would push to quickly appoint a conservative justice to the court. Supreme Court police officers stood alongside the crowd and the man eventually left the area. Ginsburg's death paves the way for Donald Trump to expand his conservative majority on the Supreme Court ahead of November's election. The leader of the court's four-member liberal wing had voiced concerns about the political impact of her passing in the days leading up to her death. 'My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed,' the legal pioneer said in a statement dictated to her granddaughter Clara Spera days before her death. President Trump was on stage in Minnesota when the Justice's death was announced and had carried on with his campaign rally apparently unaware of the news. He was later asked about her death by reporters, Trump said: 'She just died? Wow. I didn't know that, you're telling me now for the first time.' He then paused and held his hands in the air before paying tribute to Ginsburg - who he had a fraught relationship with since he moved in to the White House. 'She led an amazing life. What else can you say? She was an amazing woman whether you agreed [with her] or not. She was an amazing who led an amazing life. 'I'm actually sad to hear that. I'm sad to hear that,' he said, before he turned and walked toward his jet. Meanwhile the White House flag was lowered to half staff and his Chief of Staff Mark Meadows tweeted a tribute to the 'trailblazer' and 'dedicated public servant'. Trump later tweeted a longer statement, describing Ginsburg as a 'titan of the law' whose legal expertise and historic decisions inspired generations of Americans. 'Today, our nation mourns the loss of a titan of the law' who was 'renowned for her brilliant mind and her powerful dissents at the Supreme Court,' Trump said, after the rally in Minnesota. 'Her opinions, including well-known decisions regarding the legal equality of women and the disabled, have inspired all Americans, and generations of great legal minds,' he added. 'May her memory be a great and magnificent blessing to the world.' Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died aged 87 after a battle with metastatic pancreas cancer. She is pictured at one of her last public appearances in February. Chief Justice John Roberts paid tribute to his colleague Friday describing her as a 'champion of justice'. 'Our nation has lost a justice of historic stature,' Roberts said in a statement. 'We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her, a tired and resolute champion of justice.' Former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George Bush and Jimmy Carter all voiced their tributes, along with politicians including Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The White House lowered its flags to half staff and social media users pointed out that in Jewish tradition, a person who dies on Rosh Hashanah - which started tonight - is regarded as a person of great righteousness. Rajya Sabha is likely to take up the contentious farm bills on Sunday with the Congress and many opposition parties trying to put a united front to oppose these proposed legislations terming them as anti-farmer and pro-corporate, even as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is also reaching out to several regional outfits for support. The numbers, however, appear to be in favour of the ruling dispensation to get these bills passed from Rajya Sabha, while the lower house has already cleared them despite a key National Democratic Alliance member Shiromani Akali Dal vehemently opposing them. Some key BJP leaders are said to be in touch with various non-Congress opposition parties to seek support from their Rajya Sabha members for these bills. While the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is yet to have a clear majority of its own in the 245-member Rajya Sabha, many regional parties have backed it for the last several sessions to ensure passage of various legislations proposed by the government. BJP leaders expressed confidence that they will get the support of over 130 members, including nine of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and six of the Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress -- both of whom are not part of the ruling alliance if a division of votes is sought on these bills. Another regional party, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) was also being wooed by the BJP, but its chief and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday asked his party MPs to vote against these bills, alleging these would cause great injustice to farmers in the country. The BJP itself has the highest tally with 86 seats, followed by 40 of the Congress. The three members of the SAD are sure to vote against the bills, but Shiv Sena, a former BJP ally and now in opposition, has expressed it support for these bills. The Maharashtra party has three members in Rajya Sabha. Several other regional parties, including three-member Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party with eight seats, and BSP with four, have joined the opposition's ranks in protest against these bills but it may not prove enough to hinder their passage. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's forceful defence of the three bills and blistering criticism of the Opposition for protesting against them on Thursday made it clear that he remains unfazed by the opposition and that his government will press on to get Parliament's nod for these measures aimed at opening private avenues for farmers to sell their produce. His assertion came amid Congress and several other parties besides the Shiromani Akali Dal coming out strongly against these bills, calling them 'anti-farmers'. Farmers in states like Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against these proposed laws which, their leaders allege, will end up dismantling the existing government-backed support system they have. A number count of parties that have come out against these draft legislations suggests that there are as of now nearly 100 MPs opposing them. There is no clarity about the stand of some small parties which have around a dozen members put together. Since the Modi government assumed office for its second time in 2019, its rivals have not been able to scuttle any of its major bills due to a rise in the ranks of treasury benches and a corresponding fall in the opposition ranks. The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill were passed by Lok Sabha on Thursday, while the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill was passed on Tuesday. These bills seek to replace ordinances already promulgated by the government. With opposition parties dubbing the three bills as 'anti-farmers' and the SAD quitting his government to protest them, Modi refuted their criticism, describing these proposed laws as 'historic' and stating that they will unshackle farmers by allowing them to sell their produce anywhere at a better price. A day after resigning from Union Cabinet, senior SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal said she feels 'saddened' that her voice in support of farmers was not heard and demanded that the government should pause on these legislations by referring them to a parliamentary panel for wider consultations. The government has presented these bills as pro-farmers, saying these will ensure that farmers get better prices for their produce and do not get subjected to regulations of 'mandis'. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had said on Thursday in Lok Sabha that farmers will be free to sell their produce to anyone and these bills will increase competition and promote private investment, which will help in the development of farm infrastructure and generate employment. However, opposition parties have slammed the bills as 'anti-farmers', claiming that the agriculture sector will be left to the fate of corporate interests. Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal also appealed to all non-BJP parties to unite in Rajya Sabha and oppose the three bills that he claimed would leave farmers in the hands of big companies for exploitation. India has provided financial aid of $250 million to the Maldives to help it mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant was in response to the request made by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to PM Modi to overcome the difficult economic situation in the Maldives, the Indian embassy said on Sunday. The statement added, A handover ceremony was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Maldives to mark the occasion in the presence of Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid, Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer, High Commissioner Sunjay Sudhir and CEO, SBI, Male Bharat Mishra. The financial assistance was announced first during a virtual meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and provided through a Treasury Bond sale to the State Bank of India (SBI), Male which has a tenure of 10 years for repayment, it said. The India-Maldives partnership is unique and the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted this. India will continue to stand by the people and Government of Maldives during these difficult times, the embassy said. The USD 250 million budgetary support showcases the resilience and reliability of the India-Maldives relationship. India's Neighbourhood First policy and the Maldives' India First policy have worked in tandem during the COVID-19 pandemic to safeguard the well-being of our peoples. Today is another milestone in our historic ties that have expanded in scope and risen in ambition in the recent past, it said. India had provided substantial and continued assistance to the Maldives during the COVID-19 pandemic. A team of doctors and specialists visited the Maldives in March to assist in COVID-preparedness. A consignment of 5.5 tonnes of essential medicines was donated in April, another consignment of 6.2 tonnes of medicines was airlifted from 4 Indian cities to Male by the Indian Air Force, and 580 tonnes of food aid was provided in May. India continuously lifted export restrictions on medical consumables, respiratory apparatus, and testing kits and reagents throughout the pandemic to assist Maldives in its battle against COVID-19. On the request of the Government of Maldives, India will also send doctors and nurses recruited on short-term contracts to reinforce the health system in the Maldives in the battle against COVID-19. Tourism constitutes a third of the Maldives' national revenue. Neeza Imad, Minister of State for Economic Development of Maldives, has said that COVID-19 has had a "devastating impact" on the country's economy, particularly to SMEs that account for most of the tourism related employment. As a result of the ongoing crisis, the International Monetary Fund has projected that the country's economy will contract by 8.1 per cent in 2020. (With PTI inputs) Also Read: 'COVID-19 vaccine with 50% effectiveness': Key points in AstraZeneca's 111-page trial blueprint Also Read: Seven of top 10 most valued companies lose over Rs 59,000 crore in combined m-cap Also Read: GST compensation: 21 states go for Option 1 borrowing plan South Korean police, on September 20, said that they had arrested a defector who was trying to return back to North Korea after spending two years in the South. Defection is a big problem in the Korean peninsula with hundreds of people defecating the Northern dictatorship to enter South Korea. As per the latest statistics, nearly 33, 000 people have defecated to the South over the past two decades. As per the local police, the unidentified defector had fled to South Korea in 2018 and was suspected of breaking in a military sight in South Koreas border town of Cheorwon to head back to North Korea. Explaining the case to reporters, a police official said that the man was currently under investigation and the police was probing into the reason of his crossing from one side to another. Other defection cases In July this year, a man successfully defected escalating tensions between the twin states. The man did so by going through a drainage ditch and swimming across the Han River to the North. Upon his return back to the North, the 24-year-old asked the government to probe into the security officials guarding the border. Earlier this year, Thae Yong-ho, who defected to South Korea from the North in 2016, become the first-ever defector to win a constituency seat. He was competing as United Future Partys candidate in Seouls much affluent district, Gangnam won by a remarkable 58,4 per cent votes. Yong-ho who was North Korea's ambassador to the UK is the highest-ranking official to defecate from the Kim Jong Un led the nation. Read: North Korean Defector Wins Gangnam Constituency Seat In South Korea Read: Asia Today: Fewer Cases In Melbourne, Korea; Japan Travel Up Yong-ho along with his family had defected in August 2016 saying that he had now become aware of the "gruesome realities of the North. Speaking to a parliamentary committee, he had highlighted the plight of North Koreans saying that they were living in conditions similar to slavery. Following his escape, the north had accused him of leaking state secrets, child rape and embezzlement of government's money. According to reports, near;y 33, 000 people have defecated to the south over the past two decades. Read: North Korea Defector Says He Is '99% Sure' Of Kim Jong Un's Death: Report Read: South Korea: Defector Turned Activist Defiant Amid Korea Crisis Image credits: AP Former journalist Ian Bailey has lodged a complaint with gardai over concerns about a drone being flown on to his west Cork property and filming him without his permission. Bailey, currently fighting his third attempted extradition to France in connection with the unsolved murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier, lodged a complaint over the drone with gardai at Schull last Monday. "I was out in the garden on Monday afternoon and I became aware of a drone. It was getting closer - I shooed it and it went away. Then it came back. All you could hear was the noise of it," he told the Sunday Independent. "It was a concern to me so I reported it to gardai in Schull. They got back to me a couple of days later and said the law is very unspecific on drones, that it's a grey area basically. It was a massive invasion of my privacy as far as I'm concerned. "There are two documentaries being made at the moment that involve me so I wondered if it might be the Netflix crew responsible for the drone. I asked them and they said no and I accept that. I know it wasn't the other documentary by Jim Sheridan, as I'm co-operating with that production." Acclaimed director Jim Sheridan has been working for six years on a series on the murder of the French woman, entitled In Abstentia. It is due to be aired in January. Netflix is behind a rival documentary on the French woman's murder and are currently filming scenes in west Cork. UK media company Lightbox is producing the series on behalf of Netflix. Director of this production, John Dower, also stated when contacted that his team were not behind the drone at Bailey's property. "I would never film anyone without their knowledge of permission. I'm amazed that the story of two competing documentary crews still counts as news. We are making a film about Sophie Tuscan du Plantier with the co-operation of her family," Mr Dower said when contacted. This newspaper reported last weekend that the two rival film-makers of the documentaries had a 'face off' at a west Cork market the previous weekend, in full view of their chief subject - Ian Bailey. There were "tense words" between the documentary-makers who descended upon Schull market a couple of weeks ago, where Bailey operates a weekly stall with his partner Jules Thomas. Bailey is co-operating with Jim Sheridan's documentary but is not participating in the Netflix production. Ms du Plantier was beaten to death outside her holiday home on December 23, 1996, during a trip to west Cork. International interest in the story has soared after the success of West Cork, the podcast about the crime. Although never charged in Ireland, Bailey was tried and convicted of murder in absentia in a Paris court last year. On October 12, Justice Paul Burns will deliver his decision on whether Bailey is to be extradited to France. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's Grand Palace on Saturday, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy. The kingdom has seen near-daily gatherings of youth-led groups since mid-July calling for the resignation of Prayut, the former army chief behind the 2014 coup, and a complete overhaul of his administration. Some are also demanding reforms to Thailand's ultra-wealthy and powerful monarchy -- a once-taboo topic in the country due to its tough royal defamation laws. The burgeoning movement, partly inspired by Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests, remains largely leaderless. But this weekend's demonstration was organised by students of Bangkok's Thammasat University -- a group that has been among the most vocal about the royal family's role in Thailand. Human rights lawyer Anon Numpa, who has emerged as one of the key figures in the movement, took a stronger line on monarchical reform in a fiery speech late Saturday night. "My knee will never kneel for dictatorship," he shouted, reiterating the protesters' calls for the royal family to stay outside of the kingdom's politics. His speech was met with cheers from the crowd, who by nightfall had gathered at the historic Sanam Luang field in front of the Grand Palace. "Today is one of the turning points in Thai history," protester Patipat, a 29-year-old history teacher in the crowd who declined to give a full name, told AFP. Bangkok authorities estimated more than 18,000 at Saturday's demonstration, though organisers claimed a much higher turnout. AFP reporters on the ground estimated a crowd size closer to 30,000. This would make it one of the largest gatherings the kingdom has seen since the 2014 coup. Waving a three-fingered salute taken from the Hunger Games film trilogy, protesters huddled under a sea of umbrellas to shield from rain, their glowing smartphones bobbing in the darkness above the 12-hectare (30-acre) grassy field. Story continues "We will not stop until we have monarchy reform," said fellow activist Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, who insisted their aim is not to abolish it -- but to "adapt it to society". Around 10,000 uniformed and plainclothes police patrolled the area as the crowd grew through the day. Some protesters wore fake crowns, while a group carried a cardboard model of a submarine to symbolise their displeasure over military spending. "People can protest, but peacefully and within the law," said government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri, declining to comment further. Demonstrators vowed to continue rallying overnight at Sanam Luang, where Anon said they will place a replica at dawn of a small bronze plaque commemorating the end of royal absolutism in 1932. The original was embedded in the ground of Bangkok's Royal Plaza for decades before it mysteriously vanished in 2017 -- which activists say is emblematic of a wider whitewashing of Thai political history. - Pro-democracy test - Since 1932, Thailand has seen a cycle of violent protests and coups, with the military stepping in to stage more than a dozen putsches -- often in the name of protecting the unassailable monarchy. The latest wave of student-led demonstrations has largely been peaceful. But unprecedented calls for frank discussions about the royal family have sent shockwaves through the kingdom. King Maha Vajiralongkorn sits at the apex of Thai power, buttressed by the kingdom's military and billionaire clans, and commands an estimated fortune of up to $60 billion. The student demands include greater accounting of the palace's finances, the abolition of royal defamation laws and for the king to stay out of politics. They also want a rewrite of the 2017 military-scripted constitution, which they say tilted last year's election in Prayut's favour, and for the government to stop "harassing" political opponents. So far, authorities have arrested more than two dozen activists, including Anon, charging them with sedition before releasing them on bail. The weekend demonstrations will prove a test for the pro-democracy movement, analysts say, who question if its support base will grow beyond the social media-savvy youth. Thammasat University, where protesters gathered Saturday, has long been a hotbed of student activism. In 1976 students at the university protesting the return of a military dictator were shot, beaten to death and lynched by state forces and royalist mobs. Prayut has vowed authorities would use "soft measures" on the protesters "because they are children". Demonstrators gathered in Tokyo, Stockholm, and Taipei Saturday in solidarity with the Bangkok protesters, with further rallies planned in the United States and France. bur-lpm/dhc/bfm Bolivia's government announced on Friday it has contacted the International Criminal Court to denounce former president Evo Morales for "crimes against humanity" over last month's mass roadblock movement. The government accused Morales of "terrorism and genocide" over the 12-day campaign that saw hospitals complain they were unable to receive urgent medical supplies needed to treat coronavirus patients. Bolivia's state prosecutor "is at the ICC in The Hague filing a complaint for #crimesagainsthumanity against Evo Morales and others," said interim President Jeanine Anez on Twitter. Technically states submit communications to the ICC about alleged serious crimes rather than filing complaints. Afterwards the court decides whether to investigate. Conservative Anez said that the communication was "due to the siege of the cities that caused more than 40 deaths from lack of oxygen," which could not be delivered to hospitals. Morales denied any wrongdoing and said the allegations were "a smoke screen aimed at distracting the Bolivian people's attention from the economic, health and humanitarian catastrophe" in their country" ahead of a presidential election in October. Morales, who is a hugely influential figure in Bolivia even though he currently lives in exile in Argentina after 14 years in power, had encouraged his supporters to ramp up the pressure on authorities in a bid to prevent a postponement of the election. The election was originally due to take place in May but was postponed until September 6 and then October 18. While the protests failed to force the poll to take place in September, Bolivia's main trade union called off the roadblocks after the government approved a law preventing a further postponement beyond the October date. But the 12 days of social action involving 142 roadblocks across the country severely limited the ability of trucks carrying oxygen to reach hospitals treating coronavirus patients. Bolivia has recorded more than 118,000 cases and almost 5,300 deaths from the coronavirus. Neither Morales nor his Movement for Socialism (MAS) party have commented on Anez's claim. It is not the first criminal proceeding brought by the government against the 60-year-old Morales -- Bolivia's first ever indigenous president who was in power from 2006-19. Authorities have also accused Morales of two intimate relationships with minors, including one in which he supposedly fathered a child with a girl who was 15 when she became pregnant. The government also accused Morales of "sedition and terrorism" over the civil unrest that broke out following his resignation and flight into exile in November. MAS has dismissed those accusations as a pre-election tactic. Luis Arce, the MAS candidate for president, has led polls since he was nominated in January but in the latest he was neck-and-neck with centrist former president Carlos Mesa. Morales has been barred from standing in the elections, even as a senator. He fled into exile following three weeks of protests against his controversial re-election to an unconstitutional fourth term last October. An Organization of American States audit found evidence of fraud in the election, after which Morales resigned and left the country. The public prosecutor's office said its head Jose Maria Cabrera met ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda in The Hague on Friday. By PTI NAGPUR: Nine senior workers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) who live in the organization's headquarters here have tested positive for coronavirus, a Sangh functionary said on Saturday. "Nine swayamsevaks, mostly senior citizens, tested positive two or three days ago. All have been quarantined properly and the headquarters has been fully sanitized," he said. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and General Secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi were not in the headquarters when these workers tested positive, he said. Around 20 senior swayamsevaks (volunteers) live at the RSS headquarters. Meanwhile, due to rising coronavirus cases in the city, Nagpur Mayor Sandip Joshi has appealed for a `Janta curfew' on Saturday and Sunday till September 30. TDT | Manama Health minister warned people in Bahrain yesterday that the coronavirus infection could spike again if the behaviours dont change. Bahrain has reported a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases, according to the National Medical Taskforce for Combating the Coronavirus, particularly in the past two weeks. The task force has said that people here have allowed themselves to get into such a predicament with the non-compliance fo precautionary guidelines during Ashura holidays. This resulted in a distressing spike in the caseloads over the past week. Faeqa bint Said Al-Saleh said that such irresponsible behaviors if continued, would only result in triggering a surge in the infections while warning that the pandemic is far from over. Those who failed to comply with mandatory procedures, caused the infections to surge in the past days, Al-Saleh said. The caseloads will continue to surge if the irresponsible parties continue their complacency and recklessness. This calls for a collective commitment to health protocols from all of the people in the Kingdom, Al-Saleh stressed. A cargo plane has crashed at the international airport in Somalia's capital. The country's transport minister said three of the four crew members on board were injured after the incident at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu on Saturday. Photos posted from the scene show the plane's cockpit crushed against a concrete barrier close to the sea. Transport minister Mohamed Abdullahi Salad told reporters that the plane had just taken off for Beledweyne town in central Somalia, but returned to the airport after detecting mechanical problems. Markings on the plane indicate that it is operated by Silverstone Air in neighbouring Kenya. A spokesman for the UN mission in Somalia, shown in photos responding to the crash, did not immediately respond to a request for details. The heavily fortified airport is home to diplomatic missions and serves as a hub for humanitarian flights in the Horn of Africa nation, which is trying to rebuild after three decades of conflict. Somalia has seen a number of plane crashes this year. Recommended US admits killing civilians in Somalia airstrike In July, a cargo plane carrying humanitarian aid crashed in Beledweyne in central Somalia. And in May, six people were killed when a Kenyan plane with African Express carrying medical supplies crashed on approach to Bardale in the Bay region. Married At First Sight stars Martha Kalifatidis and Michael Brunelli are one of the only successful couples to come out of the experiment. And the lovebirds certainly celebrated their second anniversary in style on Saturday, enjoying a meal at Rick Stein at Bannisters in Port Stephens. Taking to Instagram, Martha and Michael showcased their night out together at the ritzy restaurant. Still going strong! Married At First Sight stars Martha Kalifatidis and Michael Brunelli enjoyed a lavish second anniversary dinner together at the weekend, which they shared to Instagram Martha and Michael met as strangers in September 2018, when they fulming their 'wedding' on Nine's controversial experiment, MAFS. Celebrating two years since saying 'I do' in the non-legally binding ceremony, Martha looked effortlessly glamorous in a bridal-white flowing dress, She entered the restaurant elegantly, while carrying a nude-hued clutch. While at the venue, the couple showed off the seafood catch, which included a medley of lobster, mussels, and oysters. Glam: Martha opted for a glamorous, white flowing dress as she along with a nude-hued clutch she elegantly carried into the restaurant The pair later dined on a chocolate brownie, with chocolate sauce that spelled out: 'Happy Anniversary.' Michael later let his girlfriend know he was trying to get former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson to wish the couple a happy anniversary. 'I was trying to get you another present that was from Pamela Anderson,' he said. Yummy: While at the restaurant the couple showed off the seafood catch which included a medley of lobster, mussels, and oysters. (Right) dessert 'I have been DMing her and asking her for an anniversary message.' Pamela was yet to respond to the P.E. teacher-turned-influencer. 'Pamela Anderson I love you. You're my idol,' Martha said. Martha then showed the pair having a laugh together as Michael posed in his underwear by the window at their hotel accommodation. Relaxed: Martha then showed the pair having a laugh together with Michael posing in underwear by the window The couple have been one of the strongest to come out of the Married At First Sight Australia experiment. During an appearance on KIIS FM this month, Martha revealed the pair had a secret split for a few hours earlier in their relationship. Martha was asked by host Kyle Sandilands if she and Michael had ever broken up before, to which the 31-year-old admitted: 'For like a few hours.' Shock split: Martha revealed that she and Michael had a secret separated in the past, while speaking on KIIS FM radio - but it was only for a few hours She then explained that they didn't even spend any time apart during the split, because they were still stuck in the same house together. Earlier this year, the couple moved in together in Sydney's trendy Bondi. Michael currently runs his own online fitness program, while Martha is one of Sydney's most successful Instagram influencers. Forty-three new COVID-19 cases and another death were reported by the City of Laredo and Webb County on Sunday. A man in his late 60s passed away Sunday, marking the 282nd death of a Webb County resident during the pandemic. There are now 496 active cases in the Laredo community and 100 people are currently hospitalized, 51 of whom are in intensive care. Gov. Greg Abbott is allowing Texas communities to reopen further where less than 15% of people in the hospital are there for COVID-19 treatment. Last week, when Abbott made this announcement, Laredos COVID-19 hospitalization rate was the highest in the state at 26.4%. On Sunday it was up to 27.7%, according to the city. Hospitalizations are half of what they were at their peak in Laredo, but the number has fluctuated in the last few days. On Thursday, 110 people were hospitalized; on Friday, 99; on Saturday, 95; and up to 100 on Sunday. These numbers are constantly fluctuating throughout the day, health officials have noted. The hospitalization rate the state looks to is a seven-day average, Abbott said. Laredos cumulative positivity rate has been on a relatively steady decline since mid-August, when 39.4% of people who were tested for COVID-19 were positive. The positivity rate as it stands now is 27.1%. And the rolling positivity rate, measuring test results only from the last seven days, is 10.4%. Since March, 48,644 people in Webb County have been tested for COVID-19: 13,171 have been positive and 35,473 were negative. Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com As Punjab Engineering College (deemed to be university) plans to introduce multidisciplinary courses for undergraduate programmes, its senate will be discussing their structure in the upcoming meeting. The PEC senate members are scheduled to meet on Wednesday to discuss the flexibility in curriculum for the engineering students. The proposal is in its preliminary stage. PEC is likely to offer humanities and social sciences courses with a choice of five to six subjects to its engineering students of the December batch. However, the subjects have yet to be finalised. PEC director Dheeraj Sanghi said, We are of the view that there should be flexibility in curriculum for the engineering students. In the upcoming meeting of the senate, structure of the courses will be discussed. Multidisciplinary subjects are being introduced in line with the provision of new education policy. However, PEC would need the approval from its governing bodies before introducing such courses. The proposal will be discussed with all stakeholders, including the department and institution heads, and the view of faculty of other institutes will also be taken so that only beneficial courses are introduced. PEC is even planning to hire two to three faculty members for the multidisciplinary courses from the internal budget of the institute as no extra funds will be available this time. PEC offers eight BTech courses and 14 MTech courses to over 3,000 students. This has come at a time when the deemed to be university is gearing up for its centenary celebrations next year and preparing a proposal to get the status of a centrally funded institute, such as Indian Institutes of Technology. Image: AP/Evan Vucci President Donald Trump on September 19 promised to put forth a female nominee in the coming week to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, pushing the Republican-controlled Senate to consider the pick without delay. Taking the stage at a North Carolina rally to chants of Fill that seat, the president said he would nominate his selection despite Democrats' objections. And, after conducting what he joked was a very scientific poll" of the Fayetteville crowd as to whether supporters wanted a man or a woman, he declared the choice would be a very talented, very brilliant woman." He added that he did not yet know whom he would choose. We win an election and those are the consequences, said the president, who then seemed to signal that he'd be willing to accept a vote on his nominee during the lame duck period after the election. We have a lot of time. We have plenty of time. We're talking about January 20th." But one Republican senator already broke ranks. Maines Susan Collins, who is in a tough reelection battle, said on September 19 that she believed replacing Ginsburg should be the decision of the president who is elected November 3. Three more defections from the GOP ranks would be needed to stop Trumps nominee from joining the court. Also read: How Ginsburg's death could reshape the presidential campaign At stake is a seat held by a justice who was a champion of women's rights and spent her final years on the bench as the unquestioned leader of the courts liberal wing. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. vowed to call a vote for Trumps nominee, but Democrats countered that Republicans should follow the precedent that GOP legislators set in 2016 by refusing to consider a Supreme Court choice in the run-up to an election. The impending clash over the vacant seat when to fill it and with whom scrambles the stretch run of a presidential race for a nation already reeling from the pandemic that has killed nearly 200,000 people, left millions unemployed and heightened partisan tensions and anger. McConnell pledged to Trump in a phone call Friday night to bring the choice to a vote though he has not said if it would be before the election. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said any selection should come after Nov. 3. Voters should pick the president and the president should pick the justice to consider, he said. The president this month added 20 more names to his roster of potential court nominees, and aides in recent days have focused on a short list heavy on female candidates, according to four White House aides and officials close to the process. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss private conversations. Those under close consideration for the high court include three women who are federal appeals court judges: Amy Coney Barrett, beloved among conservatives and an early favorite; Barbara Lagoa, who is Hispanic and comes from the battleground state of Florida; and Allison Jones Rushing, who clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas and for Neil Gorsuch, when the current Trump-appointed justice was an appeals court judge. At least one man, appeals court Judge Amul Thapar, has also been under consideration. A McConnell ally from Kentucky, he has been screened by Trumps team for past openings and he would be the first Asian-American on the high court. McConnell, who sets the calendar in the Senate and has made judicial appointments his priority, declared unequivocally in a statement that Trumps nominee would receive a confirmation vote. In 2016, McConnell refused to consider President Barack Obamas nominee months before the election, eventually preventing a vote on Judge Merrick Garland. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York convened a conference call with Democratic senators at midday Saturday, according to a person on the private call who was not authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. He told senators the number one goal must be to communicate the stakes of the confirmation vote. Schumer also warned that if Republicans push through the nominee, nothing is off the table for Senate rules changes to come, the person said. Ginsburgs death seemed certain to stoke enthusiasm in both political parties as the election could now be viewed as referendum on the high courts decisions, including the future of abortion rights. Democrats raised more than $71 million in the hours after Ginsburgs death, indicating her passing has already galvanized the partys base. Hundreds of mourners gathered for a second night outside the Supreme Court building, holding candles in honor of Ginsburg and listening to a succession of testimonies and rallying speeches. Among the speakers was Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who eulogized Ginsberg as an icon, a trailblazer and a friend and accused McConnell of seeking to cynically hijack the confirmation process. Today Mitch McConnell and his henchmen think they can ram through a Supreme Court justice only 45 days before the election, Warren said. What Mitch McConnell doesnt understand is that the fight has just begun. A confirmation vote in the Senate is not guaranteed, even with a Republican majority. McConnell has launched a risky, unprecedented strategy. It could motivate conservative voters to rally behind Trump and GOP senators or it could push away moderates who prefer to see the Senate stick to norms or are fearful of a right-leaning court stripping away womens right to choose an abortion. Typically, it takes several months to vet and hold hearings on a Supreme Court nominee, and time is short before November. Key senators may be reluctant to cast votes so close to the election. With a slim GOP majority, 53 seats in the 100-member chamber, Trumps choice could afford to lose only a few. McConnell did not specify the timing. But trying for confirmation in a lame-duck session after the Nov. 3 election, if Trump had lost to Biden or Republicans had lost the Senate, would carry further political complications. Democrats immediately denounced McConnells move as hypocritical, pointing out that he refused to call hearings for Garland 237 days before the 2016 election. The 2020 election is 46 days away. The average number of days to confirm a justice, according to the Congressional Research Service, is 69, which would be after the election. But some Republicans quickly noted that Ginsburg was confirmed in just 42 days. Obama waited more than a month to nominate Garland after Justice Antonin Scalia died in February 2016. John Fischetti, who waited in line more than two hours to enter Trumps Fayetteville rally, said replacing Ginsburg would inflame tensions but was within the presidents rights. I would assume it would make everyone more energized, Fischetti said of the political repercussions. Trumps people want him to always press forward. Four GOP defections could defeat a nomination, while a tie vote could be broken by Vice President Mike Pence. After Collins decision, focus grew on Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah, who have been critical of Trump and protective of the institution of the Senate. And because the Arizona Senate race is a special election, that seat could be filled as early as Nov. 30 which would narrow the window for McConnell if the Democratic candidate, Mark Kelly, wins. The next pick could shape important decisions beyond abortion rights, including any legal challenges that may stem from the 2020 election. In the interim, if the court were to take cases with eight justices, 4-4 ties would revert the decision to a lower court; for instance, the Affordable Care Act could then be struck down by a lower Texas court. Biden has promised to nominate a Black woman to the high court if given the chance. His campaign reiterated Saturday that it would not release names before the election. Follow Moneycontrols full coverage of the 2020 US presidential elections here After Payal Ghosh accused filmmaker Anurag Kashyap of sexual harassment on Saturday, actor Kangana Ranaut supported her and said that many big heroes had done that to her too in a tweet. The 'Queen' actor revealed that 'many big heroes' did exactly the same to her. After actor Payal Ghosh accused filmmaker Anurag Kashyap of sexual harassment, actor Kangana Ranaut on Sunday said that many big heroes had done that to her too. The Queen actor revealed that many big heroes did exactly the same to her. She tweeted, What #PayalGhosh says many big heroes have done this to me also: Suddenly flash their genitals after locking van or room door or in a party during a friendly dance on the dance floor stick his tongue in your mouth, take appointment for work and come home but force himself on you. Bollywood is full of sexual predators who have fake and dummy marriages. They expect a new hot young girl to make them happy every day. They do the same to young vulnerable men also. I have settled my scores my way. I dont need #MeToo but most girls do #PayalGhosh #AnuragKashyap, tweeted Ranaut. On Saturday, the Gangster actor has come out in support of Payal Ghosh after she accused the Gangs of Wasseypur director of sexual harassment. Also Read:Congress attacks govt over farm sector bills, questions about MSP What #PayalGhosh says many big heroes have done this to me also, suddenly flash their genitals after locking van or room door or in a party during a friendly dance on the dance floor stick his tongue in your mouth, take appointment for work and come home but force himslef on you. Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 20, 2020 Also Read: Biggest feminist I know: Taapsee defends Anurag Kashyap from sexual assault allegations Following the tweet by Payal, Kangana came out in her support and tweeted. Every voice matters #MeToo#ArrestAnuragKashyap. On Saturday, the Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi actor Ghosh accused Kashyap of sexual harassment. Speaking to ANI, she said, Five years ago I met Anurag Kashyap regarding work. He called me to his house. When I went there, he took me to a separate room and tried to sexually assault me. He forced himself on me. I request the authorities to kindly take action and let the country see the demon behind this creative guy. I am aware that it can harm me and my security is at risk. I am seeking action against him, said Ghosh. Responding to sexual assault allegations by Ghosh, Kashyap rejected all the accusations saying they were baseless. (ANI) Also Read: Kangana Ranaut praises Adityanath for his announcement to make film city By Patpicha Tanakasempipat and Matthew Tostevin BANGKOK (Reuters) - Openly challenging the monarchy of Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn, thousands of protesters marched in Bangkok on Sunday to present demands that include a call for reforms to curb his powers. Protesters have grown ever bolder during two months of demonstrations against Thailand's palace and military-dominated establishment, breaking a longstanding taboo on criticising the monarchy - which is illegal under lese majeste laws. The Royal Palace was not immediately available for comment. The king, who spends much of his time in Europe, is not in Thailand now. The marchers were blocked by hundreds of unarmed police manning crowd control barriers. Protest leaders declared victory after handing police a letter detailing their demands. Phakphong Phongphetra, head of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said the letter would be handed to police headquarters to decide how to proceed. "Our greatest victory in the two days is showing that ordinary people like us can send a letter to royals," Parit "Penguin" Chiwarak, told the crowd before it dispersed. At the biggest demonstration in years, tens of thousands of protesters on Saturday cheered calls for reform of the monarchy as well as for the removal of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former junta leader, and a new constitution and elections. Shortly after sunrise on Sunday, protesters cemented a plaque near the Grand Palace in Bangkok in the area known as Sanam Luang, or Royal Field. It reads, "At this place the people have expressed their will: that this country belongs to the people and is not the property of the monarch as they have deceived us". Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said police would not use violence against protesters and it was up to the police to determine and prosecute any illegal speech. Bangkok authorities would need to determine whether the plaque was illegal, and if it was it would be removed, Bangkok's deputy police chief Piya Tawichai told reporters. Story continues After the protest, people queued up to take pictures next to the plaque, which also features a hand giving the three-finger salute adopted by pro-democracy protesters. DIVISION But far from all Thais support the new plaque, which resembles one that had commemorated the end of absolute monarchy in 1932 and which was removed from outside a royal palace in 2017, after Vajiralongkorn took the throne. Prominent right-wing politician Warong Dechgitvigrom said the actions of the protesters were inappropriate and that the king was above politics. "It didn't achieve anything," he told Reuters. "These actions are symbolically against the king, but the king is not an opponent." Thai authorities have said criticising the monarchy is unacceptable in a country where the king is constitutionally "enthroned in a position of revered worship". Protests that began on university campuses have drawn increasing numbers of older people. That includes "red shirt" followers of ousted populist Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who had clashed for years with pro-establishment "yellow shirts" before Prayuth seized power in 2014. "The new generation is achieving what their parents and grandparents didn't dare. I'm very proud of that," said Somporn Outsa, 50, a red shirt veteran. "We still respect the monarchy, but it should be under the constitution." Protesters say the constitution gives the king too much power and that it was engineered to allow Prayuth to keep power after elections last year. He says that vote was fair. The next protest is scheduled for Thursday. Protest leaders called on Thais to take Oct. 14 off work to show their support for change. Other measures they sought for were for people to withdraw deposits from Siam Commercial Bank , in which the king's Crown Property Bureau owns more than 23% of the shares, and to stop standing for the royal anthem in cinemas. (Additional reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Chris Reese, William Mallard and Alex Richardson) Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. Farm bills passed in Parliament: Which party stands where The Upper House of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) on Sunday passed two contentious farm bills amid uproar by Opposition members. The bills have triggered protests by farmers at several places. Read more PLA opens three fronts in South China Sea to distract the world from Ladakh Post the military flare-up at Galwan Valley, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) has mobilised four out of five of its military theatre commands with reports suggesting that live firing drills and exercises from the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea to date were a distraction for its calculated aggression in Ladakh. Read more Apple Watch SE vs Series 3: Which one should you go for? Apple launched a bunch of new products at its event earlier this week. It also introduced an affordable smartwatch this time called the Apple Watch SE. Read more Hyundai India expects sales to remain robust with Creta, Venue leading charge Hyundai Motor India expects its sales to further pick up in the next few months with few of its models continuing to lead in various segments during April-August period of the current fiscal year, a senior company official said. Read more Anand Mahindra gifts tractor to farmer in Bihar who carved 3 km long canal in 30 years Anand Mahindra, the business tycoon, often takes to Twitter to share various posts. While some of his posts make people chuckle, a few leave them inspired. Read more Baseless: Anurag Kashyap denies actor Payal Ghoshs sexual assault claims Actor Payal Ghosh accused filmmaker Anurag Kashyap of sexual assault. She alleged that the incident happened during the making of Bombay velvet. Watch Preity Zinta shares how she kept sane during quarantine in latest fitness video from Dubai Keeping fans updated with her test results from the hotel, Bollywood actor Preity Zinta finally ended the mandatory quarantine in Dubai where she will be attending the Indian Premier League 2020 as co-owner of the IPL team Kings XI Punjab. Read more "We are launching probably the most important feature we have developed to date," said Marc O'Dwyer, CEO of Big Red Cloud Irish accountancy software provider Big Red Cloud has teamed up with US fintech Plaid to provide open banking and allow it to "compete far more aggressively" with big international competitors, it said. Big Red Cloud - which supplies online accounts software to over 75,000 SMEs - said the partnership has allowed it to launch a new open banking module, in what it described as its "most important feature to date". The addition of the module will allow Big Red Cloud customers to connect financial accounts at over 11,000 institutions, including AIB, Bank of Ireland and Revolut, and to streamline managing their business finances. "We are launching probably the most important feature we have developed to date," said Marc O'Dwyer, CEO of Big Red Cloud. "Our open banking module will enable businesses, and their accountants if they so wish, to have a direct feed of all banking transactions with their pillar banks. This significantly speeds up data processing and cuts down on errors. This will be a game-changer for Irish SMEs." Mr O'Dwyer said some accountants would previously had told larger SME clients to sign up to one of the overseas software providers. "But this enhancement puts us on a level playing field with these providers and offers the added advantage of coming from a wholly owned and operated Irish company. We also cater 100pc for all Revenue's requirements - unlike many of our overseas competitors". Big Red Cloud has integrated with Plaid, a data network powering over 3,000 fintech apps and services globally, such as Coinbase, Expensify and Transferwise, to facilitate the launch. "SMEs are an often overlooked and underserved population in financial services, but their financial empowerment is just as critical as that of consumers," said Keith Grose, international lead at Plaid. "Companies like Big Red Cloud provide the tools necessary for SME owners to better understand their business' financial health and take control of it - crucial resources amid the current economic turmoil." Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, on September 20, denounced Chinese fighter jets crossing the median line and said that the action proves that Beijing is a threat to the entire region. She further said Chinas decision to hover its aircraft above the island has revealed the true intentions of Beijing. On September 18 and 19, several Chinese aircraft cross the midline in the Taiwanese straight and entered the air defence identification zone in Taiwan. I believe these activities are no help to Chinas international image, and whats more have put Taiwans people even more on their guard, understanding even better the true nature of the Chinese Communist regime, the president told press reporters. In addition, she also asserted that other nations in the region have a better knowledge of the Chinese threat. Ing-wen, who had recently opened the country for Hong Kong protesters, also warned that the Chinese Communists must restrain themselves, and not provoke. As per British Herald, all the Chinese drills took place during the visit of American Economics Affairs minister Keith Krach to Taiwan. Soon after the drill on September 18, an undeterred Beijing announced that its would continue to conduct military drills near Taian strait and slammed the collision between US and island. China's rare incursion China on September 18 ventured across the median line of the Taiwan strait in a rare incursion as a top United States diplomat visited the self-governed island. According to a statement by Taiwan's Defence Ministry, at least 18 Chinese aircraft, including fighter jets and bombers crossed the median line on Friday morning. The latest violation by the Chinese side came as US Undersecretary of State Keith Krach visited Taiwan for the nation's former President Lee Teng-hui's funeral. Read: China Sends More Warplanes As Taiwan Honors Late Leader Read: Taiwan, US Pay Tribute To Island's Leader, 'Mr. Democracy' China claims Taiwan as its own territory and is particularly upset, as well as concerned about the growing relations between Taipei and Washington. According to the US Department of Defence, China had not crossed the median line of the Taiwan strait for two decades from 1999 to 2019. However, last year in March, Beijing for the first time in many years manoeuvred across the line and since then there have been many instances of such violations by the Communist state. Read: China Crosses Median Line In Taiwan Strait During US Envoy's Visit To Island Read: Taiwan's President Pledges Stronger Ties With US Amid Chinese Drills WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Saturday promised to put forth a female nominee in the coming week to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, pushing the Republican-controlled Senate to consider the pick without delay. Taking the stage at a North Carolina rally to chants of Fill that seat, the president said he would nominate his selection despite Democrats objections. And, after conducting what he joked was a very scientific poll of the Fayetteville crowd as to whether supporters wanted a man or a woman, he declared the choice would be a very talented, very brilliant woman. He added that he did not yet know whom he would choose. We win an election and those are the consequences, said the president, who then seemed to signal that hed be willing to accept a vote on his nominee during the lame duck period after the election. We have a lot of time. We have plenty of time. Were talking about January 20th. But one Republican senator already broke ranks. Maines Susan Collins, who is in a tough reelection battle, said Saturday that she believed replacing Ginsburg should be the decision of the president who is elected Nov. 3. Three more defections from the GOP ranks would be needed to stop Trumps nominee from joining the court. At stake is a seat held by a justice who was a champion of womens rights and spent her final years on the bench as the unquestioned leader of the courts liberal wing. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. vowed to call a vote for Trumps nominee, but Democrats countered that Republicans should follow the precedent that GOP legislators set in 2016 by refusing to consider a Supreme Court choice in the run-up to an election. The impending clash over the vacant seat when to fill it and with whom scrambles the stretch run of a presidential race for a nation already reeling from the pandemic that has killed nearly 200,000 people, left millions unemployed and heightened partisan tensions and anger. McConnell pledged to Trump in a phone call Friday night to bring the choice to a vote though he has not said if it would be before the election. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said any selection should come after Nov. 3. Voters should pick the president and the president should pick the justice to consider, he said. The president this month added 20 more names to his roster of potential court nominees, and aides in recent days have focused on a short list heavy on female candidates, according to four White House aides and officials close to the process. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss private conversations. Those under close consideration for the high court include three women who are federal appeals court judges: Amy Coney Barrett, beloved among conservatives and an early favorite; Barbara Lagoa, who is Hispanic and comes from the battleground state of Florida; and Allison Jones Rushing, who clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas and for Neil Gorsuch, when the current Trump-appointed justice was an appeals court judge. At least one man, appeals court Judge Amul Thapar, has also been under consideration. A McConnell ally from Kentucky, he has been screened by Trumps team for past openings and he would be the first Asian-American on the high court. McConnell, who sets the calendar in the Senate and has made judicial appointments his priority, declared unequivocally in a statement that Trumps nominee would receive a confirmation vote. In 2016, McConnell refused to consider President Barack Obamas nominee months before the election, eventually preventing a vote on Judge Merrick Garland. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York convened a conference call with Democratic senators at midday Saturday, according to a person on the private call who was not authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. He told senators the number one goal must be to communicate the stakes of the confirmation vote. Schumer also warned that if Republicans push through the nominee, nothing is off the table for Senate rules changes to come, the person said. Ginsburgs death seemed certain to stoke enthusiasm in both political parties as the election could now be viewed as referendum on the high courts decisions, including the future of abortion rights. Democrats raised more than $71 million in the hours after Ginsburgs death, indicating her passing has already galvanized the partys base. Hundreds of mourners gathered for a second night outside the Supreme Court building, holding candles in honor of Ginsburg and listening to a succession of testimonies and rallying speeches. Among the speakers was Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who eulogized Ginsberg as an icon, a trailblazer and a friend and accused McConnell of seeking to cynically hijack the confirmation process. Today Mitch McConnell and his henchmen think they can ram through a Supreme Court justice only 45 days before the election, Warren said. What Mitch McConnell doesnt understand is that the fight has just begun. A confirmation vote in the Senate is not guaranteed, even with a Republican majority. McConnell has launched a risky, unprecedented strategy. It could motivate conservative voters to rally behind Trump and GOP senators or it could push away moderates who prefer to see the Senate stick to norms or are fearful of a right-leaning court stripping away womens right to choose an abortion. Typically, it takes several months to vet and hold hearings on a Supreme Court nominee, and time is short before November. Key senators may be reluctant to cast votes so close to the election. With a slim GOP majority, 53 seats in the 100-member chamber, Trumps choice could afford to lose only a few. McConnell did not specify the timing. But trying for confirmation in a lame-duck session after the Nov. 3 election, if Trump had lost to Biden or Republicans had lost the Senate, would carry further political complications. Democrats immediately denounced McConnells move as hypocritical, pointing out that he refused to call hearings for Garland 237 days before the 2016 election. The 2020 election is 46 days away. The average number of days to confirm a justice, according to the Congressional Research Service, is 69, which would be after the election. But some Republicans quickly noted that Ginsburg was confirmed in just 42 days. Obama waited more than a month to nominate Garland after Justice Antonin Scalia died in February 2016. John Fischetti, who waited in line more than two hours to enter Trumps Fayetteville rally, said replacing Ginsburg would inflame tensions but was within the presidents rights. I would assume it would make everyone more energized, Fischetti said of the political repercussions. Trumps people want him to always press forward. Four GOP defections could defeat a nomination, while a tie vote could be broken by Vice President Mike Pence. After Collins decision, focus grew on Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah, who have been critical of Trump and protective of the institution of the Senate. And because the Arizona Senate race is a special election, that seat could be filled as early as Nov. 30 which would narrow the window for McConnell if the Democratic candidate, Mark Kelly, wins. The next pick could shape important decisions beyond abortion rights, including any legal challenges that may stem from the 2020 election. In the interim, if the court were to take cases with eight justices, 4-4 ties would revert the decision to a lower court; for instance, the Affordable Care Act could then be struck down by a lower Texas court. Biden has promised to nominate a Black woman to the high court if given the chance. His campaign reiterated Saturday that it would not release names before the election. ___ Lemire reported from New York. Peoples reported from Montclair, New Jersey. Additional reporting by Darlene Superville, Alexandra Jaffe and Ashraf Khalil in Washington and Kevin Freking and Bryan Anderson in Fayetteville, North Carolina. ___ This story has been corrected to show that Bidens campaign says Biden would not release names of potential Supreme Court nominees before the election, not that he would. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Shiromani Akali Dals Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Gujral slammed the Centre over the two farm bills in the Upper House on Sunday and warned the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party against taking the farmers protests lightly. Dont think that the farmers of Punjab are weak, all Punjabis are the children of our Gurus and we have learnt it from them to sacrifice and stand up against oppression, he said as the Rajya Sabha debated the bills. Demanding that the bills be sent to a select committee to address the issues raised by farmers, Gujral said, We are requesting the government again and again so that all stakeholders can be heard. If in Punjab farmers are oppressed, then Akali Dal will always stand by them. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the lone SAD member in PM Modis cabinet that cleared the bill, resigned as Union minister on Thursday in a dramatic protest against the bills. Addressing a virtual press conference here, senior SAD leader and former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra said, It is unfortunate that even after we expressed our concerns to the BJP and conveyed the sentiments of the farming community to its central leadership, it did not address the issue. We, however, will not fail in our duty towards farmers and will continue to strive to ensure justice for them and Punjab, he said. The party, which initially supported the bills, on Saturday said it is unfortunate that even after the party conveyed its concerns to the BJP leadership on the three agricultural reform bills, the issue wasnt addressed, and appealed to all political parties to join its struggle against the legislations. The SAD said it will not sit quietly and take this fight to its logical conclusion. Meanwhile, it also castigated the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for allegedly betraying farmers by not opposing the passage of the bills in Lok Sabha. One of the oldest allies of the ruling BJP, the SAD has come out strongly against the three bills which are meant to deregulate the sale of farm produce. On the other hand, questioning the Akalis alliance with the NDA, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday asked the SAD to list one pro-farmer initiative persuaded by it with the BJP-led Centre in the past six years. Hitting out at Badals for perpetuating lies in the past few days on agriculture bills, he said they had openly and shamelessly supported these since the Ordinances were brought in. The chief minister, in a statement here, said SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal had been fabricating lies on farm bills, which have been completely exposed. Did either of you even once call the ordinances anti-farmer till they were presented in the Lok Sabha? the chief minister asked Badals. Farmers in Punjab and neighbouring Haryana have repeatedly taken to the streets against the farm bills, which they have dubbed as anti-farmer. They have expressed apprehension that the passage of these bills would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system and leave the farming community at the mercy of big corporates. New Delhi: Actors such as Manoj Bajpayee, Gajraj Rao and Rajesh Tailang have come together to raise funds for their colleague Bhupesh Kumar Pandya, who is fighting lung cancer. Bhupesh, who is best known for his role in Ayushmann Khurrana's 'Vicky Donor'. He is admitted to a hospital in Gujarat and is in need of money. Hence, Bollywood has extended a helping hand to him. "Request all of you to step forward help out colleague actor Bhupesh, a NSD graduate," Manoj Bajpayee tweeted. Gajraj Rao and Rajesh Tailang also sought monetary help for Bhupesh on their respective Twitter accounts. "Our dear friend, a fantastic actor Bhupesh Kumar Pandya is fighting a hard battle with cancer. He needs our support urgently, Please click this and do your bit," read Rajesh's tweet. Meanwhile, a Twitter user named Achin Jain wrote, "Bhupesh ji who worked with us in our upcoming film, 'Pagglait' is fighting a massive battle with lung cancer. It's a tough time that everyone is going through but your little support can allow him to fight this battle more strongly." Please support our dear friend and great actor https://t.co/ipuddRZUoN Rajesh Tailang (@rajeshtailang) September 18, 2020 Apart from 'Vicky Donor', Bhupesh Kumar Pandya has also worked in 'Hazaron Khwahishein Aisi', web series 'Delhi Crime' and other movies. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 13:41:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close FAIZABAD, Afghanistan, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Taliban insurgents launched massive offensives on Shuhada and Khash districts of Afghanistan's northern Badakhshan province early Sunday but the attacks have been repulsed, provincial government spokesman Nik Mohammad Nazari said. "The Taliban rebels launched massive offensives on Shuhada and Khash districts at 1:00 a.m. local time today but the attacks have been repulsed and the insurgents retreated after leaving 17 bodies behind," Nazari told Xinhua. According to the official, 10 insurgents were killed in Shuhada and seven more killed in Khash district. The official also admitted that four policemen had been killed in the two districts. Ten more militants and six policemen have been injured during the gun battle, the official added. Cleanup operation is going on in the said districts, Nazari further said. Taliban militants who have intensified activities amid intra-Afghan talks in Doha have yet to make comment. Enditem Officers of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday interrogated the six alleged al-Qaeda terrorists, arrested the day before from Bengals Murshidabad district, for more than ten hours at the agencys office at Salt Lake in the eastern outskirts of Kolkata. The agency has plans to fly the suspects to Delhi on Monday evening. Before that they will be questioned by a team of the Special Task Force (STF) of the Kolkata Police, officers aware of the developments said. An officer from the state CID questioned the suspects on Sunday evening. Officials aware of the developments also said that bank accounts of two of the suspects showed deposits that did not match their income. Efforts were being made to find out if the arrested men were members of a common social media group. It is also being probed whether they had recruited people from other districts, especially Birbhum, where gelatin sticks stolen from stone quarries have been smuggled in large quantities in recent years. The arrested men were examined by doctors from a local hospital on Sunday since they are in transit police remand. Significantly, the arrests were made five days after a NIA court in Kolkata ordered a seven-year jail sentence and fine for two men connected with the 2014 IED blast at Khagragarh in Burdwan district where the banned terrorist organization Jamat-ul-Mujaheedin of Bangladesh (JMB) was operating a cell. On Saturday, NIA teams conducted simultaneous raids at several locations at Ernakulum in Kerala and Murshidabad and arrested nine men suspected to be associated with a Pakistan sponsored module of al-Qaeda. The three men arrested in Kerala were identified as Murshid Hasan, Iyakub Biswas and Mosaraf Hossen. Those arrested in Murshidabad are Najmus Sakib, Abu Sufiyan, Mainul Mondal, Leu Yean Ahmed, Al Mamun Kamal and Atitur Rehman. The NIA said that it got to know about an inter-state module of al-Qaeda operatives at various locations in India including West Bengal and Kerala. The group was planning to undertake terrorist attacks in Delhi and at vital installations in India with an aim to kill innocent people, the agency said in a statement. According to the NIA, incriminating material including digital devices, documents, jihadi literature, sharp weapons, country-made firearms, a locally fabricated body armour, articles and literature used for making home-made explosive devices were seized from the possession of the arrested men. As per preliminary investigation, these individuals were radicalised by Pakistan-based al-Qaeda terrorists on social media and were motivated to undertake attacks at multiple places including the National Capital Region. For this purpose, the module was actively indulging in fund raising and a few members of gang were planning to travel to New Delhi to procure arms and ammunition. These arrests have pre-empted possible terrorist attacks in various parts of the country, said a NIA statement. On September 15, a NIA court in Kolkata ordered a seven-year jail sentence for two men in the 2014 Khagragarh blast case. Mustafizzur Rehman alias Saqib alias Tuhin was arrested in December, 2018 and convicted under Section 120B and 125 of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 18, 18A, 18B, 19 and 20 of the UA (P) Act. The second convict, Kadar Kazi alias Kador was arrested in January 2019. He was convicted under Section 120B and 125 of the IPC and Section 18 and 20 of the UA (P) Act. On October 2, 2014, the IED went off accidentally when it was being assembled by JMB members who had taken the house on rent to carry out operations. Two people died in the blast while a third suffered injuries. The case was initially probed by the state police before NIA took over the case. China has eased restrictions on theaters and other performance venues, including raising the cap on audience numbers, as the COVID-19 epidemic has waned in the country. Performing centers are now allowed to fill 75 percent of their operating capacity, the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism said in a statement. Moreover, commercial performances are now allowed in low-risk areas with the consent of local authorities, said the statement. It added that large-scale commercial performances still require appropriate control of audience numbers based on the local epidemic containment situation, and the green light will be given first to events held outdoors. However, the ministry has recommended suspending commercial performances in high- or medium-risk areas, according to the statement. Audiences are asked to register using real names, wear facial masks, and have their body temperature checked before entering performance venues. Apart from performing centers, the ministry will also lift curbs on tourist attractions nationwide, which will be allowed to open at 75 percent capacity during the upcoming National Day holiday beginning on Oct. 1. Kolkata, Sep 20 (UNI) The NIA's rapidfire swing into action prevented one of the six Pakistan-aided al-Qaeda operatives from making good his escape during the investigation agency's nightlong raid of several hideouts in West Bengal's Murshidabad district. The National Investigation Agency acted in a supersonic speed as one of the operatives was almost on the run, it came to know during interrogation. The NIA began a series of interrogation of the six al-Qaeda operatives immediately after a local city court remanded them to six-day NIA custody up to September 24. The nameplate may not enjoy the same recall as its competitors, but the Mazda B-Series has had a very long historyone that dates back all t... President Donald Trump has endorsed state Del. Nick Freitas, R-Culpeper, in his bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger. The president announced his support via Twitter. Nick Freitas (@NickForVa) will be an incredible Congressman for the people of Virginia, Trump tweeted Friday morning. A Green Beret Combat Veteran, he is Strong on the Military & Vets, the Economy, Healthcare, and the Second Amendment. Nick has my Complete and Total Endorsement! #VA07 This is huge!, the Republican legislators campaign emailed supporters Friday evening. President Trump needs Nick in Congress fighting back against the socialist agenda and working for our Commonwealth. Nick will work with President Trump to back our police officers, restore law and order, and stop the far-left mob. President Trump needs Nick in Washington to join him in rebuilding our economy, especially in the wake of COVID-19. Together, they will rebuild the greatest economic comeback in history, but that cant happen without your help, the campaign added, requesting donations. Nick needs your urgent support to get to Washington and defend our President. Eric Cantor, a former House majority leader, endorsed Freita the week before last. Cantor joined with Dave Brat, his former political rival, to back Freitas for the Central Virginia post that the two men once held. The Culpeper legislator is among the GOP candidates being funded by the House Republicans campaign arm as a member of its Young Guns program. The Army veteran of two combat tours in Iraq was endorsed the other week by the National Federation of Independent Business, the countrys largest small-business association. Spanberger was endorsed in the first week of September by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The former CIA officer and U.S. postal inspector chairs the House Committee on Agricultures Conservation & Forestry Subcommittee and serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Tom Bliley, who represented the 7th District for 20 years before Cantor, is a member of Freitas finance committee, along with Cantor and Brat. In December, two days after the delegate entered the race, U.S. Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, announced they were backing Freitas. The California native has also been endorsed by the Club for Growth and FreedomWorks, two conservative advocacy groups; and U.S. Rep. Ben Cline; state Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Spotsylvania; and state Dels. Michael Webert, R-Marsha; and Brenda Pogge, R-James City County. Brat endorsed Freitas last spring. Brat was elected to represent Virginias 7th District primary in June 2014, shocking the political world by defeating Cantor, the House majority leader. In 2018, Spanberger defeated Brat by a 50 percent to 48 percent margin. Before Spanberger took office, a Republican had represented the 7th District since 1971. The National Republican Congressional Committee began targeting Spanberger in February 2019 because she is among the freshman House members who flipped GOP-held seats in the 2018 midterm elections. Donald Trump won the 7th District in the 2016 general election. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the 7th District race as a Democratic toss-up. New Delhi: The India, China Corps Commander meeting will take place on Monday (September 21, 2020) morning at 9 am IST at Moldo, Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). This time a diplomat from the Indian side will be present at the meeting. Naveen Srivastava, Joint Secretary East Asia of Ministry of External Affairs will attend the Crops Commander meet tomorrow. Atleast five such corps commander meetings between the Indian and Chinese armies has taken place on June 6, 22 and 30, July 14 and August 2. In the first meet, on June 6, both sides had arrived on a consensus for disengagement but the Chinese violated it which lead to a bloody stand off at Galwan on June 15. India had lost 20 soldiers while China also suffered casualties. Live TV India's focus will be on disengagement by the Chinese PLA, something which New Delhi has been reiterating since the beginning of the more than four month long stand off. This is the first such meeting since the Moscow pact, a key outcome of the meeting between India and China Foriegn Ministers S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on September 10 on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) meet in Moscow. 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. The situation in eastern Ladakh deteriorated after China unsuccessfully attempted to occupy Indian territory in the southern bank of Pangong lake on the intervening night of August 29 and 30. On Friday, India had carried out a comprehensive review of the overall situation in eastern Ladakh including its operational preparedness in view of the continued belligerence by the Chinese army and its fresh attempts to "intimidate" Indian troops in the region, government sources said. At a nearly 90-minute meeting of the high-power China Study Group, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Bipin Rawat and the three service chiefs also looked at further enhancing the vigil along the nearly 3,500-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC), including in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim sectors, sources had said. Following China's fresh attempts to change the status quo in the southern bank of Pangong lake, India has further bolstered its military presence in the region. New Delhi: As much as Rs 70,590 crore worth of credit has been sanctioned to discoms under the liquidity package for payment of dues by these utilities, Parliament was informed on Sunday. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in May this year had announced a Rs 90,000 crore liquidity infusion into cash-strapped discoms for clearing their outstanding dues till March 2020. Now, the government is in the process of enhancing this package to Rs 1.2 lakh crore factoring in discoms outstanding dues till June this year. Some states had urged the central government to hike this liquidity package by factoring in outstanding dues of April and May as well. "As against Rs 90,000 crore of liquidity infusion package announced by the government, Rs 70,590 crore worth of loans have been sanctioned and Rs 24,742 crore has already been disbursed/released till September 16, 2020," said Power Minister R K Singh in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha. The government is infusing liquidity in the power sector through Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and REC Ltd to enable the sector to maintain power supplies as cash flows had plummeted during lockdown imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19. Under this intervention, the REC and PFC are extending special long term transition loans of up to 10 years to discoms for liquidating their outstanding dues of Central Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) Generation (Genco) & Transmission Companies (Transcos), Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and Renewable Energy (RE) generators. In separate reply to the House, the minister stated that power demand would increase from 1,399.91 billion units (BU) in 2019-20 to 2,047.43 BU in 2026-27. He also told the House that the peak power demand would increase to 298.77GW in 2026-27 from 200.69GW in 2019-20. close up mature businessman holding smartphone and checking news from company by texting to employee , business and technology concept EU leaders are looking to strengthen their powers to take on tech monopolies, according to a report published in the Financial Times. Comments from EU commissioner Theirry Breton come at a time when big tech is facing serious opposition on the continent. Companies such as Amazon (AMZN), Facebook (FB), Google parent Alphabet (GOOG), Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT) would be forced to reevaluate business practices if new rules came into effect. Breton told the FT: There is a feeling from end users of these platforms that they are too big to care. [Under] certain conditions we may also have the power to impose structural separation, he continued. New powers would only be enacted in extreme circumstances, Breton said, but a proposal had been put forward to exclude groups from the single market if they refused to play ball. A rating system could also be introduced, alongside a blacklist which would alert the public to behaviours such as non-compliance with tax laws and compliance with removing illegal content. Once proposed actions have been finalised, they will go to the European Parliament and European Council. A separate Digital Services Act is due to come into play before the end of the year, which will set out new rules for data-sharing and the digital marketplace as well as boosting competition. It is an update on rules brought into force around the end of the dot com bubble in 2000. Across the bloc and elsewhere tech has come under considerable scrutiny. For years the idea of a digital services tax has been discussed by officials in the UK. Recent reports saw a potential ignition of conflict with the US, as digital services taxes were brought into discussions as the government tries to find ways to plug the hole in Britains economy, following the impact from the coronavirus pandemic. READ MORE: TikTok: Trump backs Oracle deal, delays app store ban BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 20 By Elnur Baghishov Trend: As many as 3,097 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, 183 more people have died from the coronavirus over the past day. Sadat Lari added that the condition of 3,898 people is critical. So far, more than 3.74 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 422,100 people have been infected, and 24,301 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 359,500 have reportedly recovered from the disease. The country continues to apply strict measures to contain further spread. Reportedly, the disease was brought to Iran by a businessman from Iran's Qom city, who went on a business trip to China, despite official warnings. The man died later from the disease. The Islamic Republic only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19. The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. Dominic Raabs police protection officer has been suspended from duties after leaving his gun on a plane at Heathrow. The officer had been accompanying the foreign secretary on a trip to the US. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: "We are aware of the incident on a flight into the UK on Friday, 18 September and we are taking this matter extremely seriously. "The officer involved has since been removed from operational duties whilst an internal investigation into the circumstances is taking place." The weapon was reportedly found by a cleaner. It follows a similar incident in February of this year, when David Camerons bodyguard was removed from operational duties after leaving his gun in a toilet on a transatlantic plane. The gun, believed to be a 9mm Glock 17 pistol, was handed into flight attendants by a passenger. As a former prime minister, Mr Cameron is entitled to continued security by the Metropolitan Police. The foreign secretary travelled to Washington to discuss the issues of Brexit and Northern Ireland with senior US politicians, including Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State. Mr Raab said he had had "very positive discussions" with Republicans and Democrats after senior US figures warned Britain must uphold its commitment to Northern Ireland as part of Brexit. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Speaker of the US House of Representatives, said that while she "welcomed his assurances", breaking its international agreements will have consequences for future trade deals with the US. "If the UK violates its international agreements and Brexit undermines the Good Friday accord, there will be absolutely no chance of a US-UK trade agreement passing the Congress," Ms Pelosi warned. NextSite, LLC, will be looking to give a lift to Richmond Street in Painesville. The company researches and identifies businesses to bring to areas. The resolution came in a third reading at a Painesville City Council meeting on Sept. 8 and will allow the city manager to enter into an agreement with NextSite, LLC for research, marketing, and consulting services. Cathy Bieterman, economic development director, said that Richmond Streets potential presents opportunities for the area. Richmond Street is a key entry point from Route 2 into the city, Bieterman said. We want to see new retail, restaurants and commercial development that complements the downtown and creates an inviting entry experience. She said the efforts sought out by NextSite will help improve Richmond Street. We are engaging NextSite to assist us with market data and analysis that will help further our attraction efforts, identify new retail targets and proactively outreach to those prospects. We want a positive change on Richmond Street that will ultimately further enhance the image of our community. Talks about improving the Richmond Street area have been in the works, Bieterman said. The City of Painesville has had a focus on that Richmond Street corridor and redevelopment of that corridor, Bieterman said. We have been actively seeking prospects for that area. This NextSite agreement helps us get in some better data, research, and market analysis data that will help us better understand the market and helps us better understand what targeted retailers or food establishments may be a good fit. Bieterman said the information NextSite will help determine what businesses to target. NextSite offers us the research and market analysis that we need to be able to determine if those targeted entities that were going after are ones that match with our community, Bieterman said. pic.twitter.com/ABqfoJvDgF Now anyone who wants a little help reading text on their phone can listen to web pages out loud on the Google app on iOS. Just tap the speaker icon to listen now or add the story to your queue. Download the app here https://t.co/1EtsIPUERn September 16, 2020 The Google app for iOS will soon be updated with a feature that will read articles out loud for the users.The update was announced in a tweet by Google where the tech giant revealed that iOS users will soon have their own reader. Moreover, the new update will also allow the users to create a queue of webpages to be read in the style of a podcast.According to updates, a new speaker icon will appear in the top right corner of the iOS UI. Tapping on the icon will enable the read out loud feature that will dictate the complete webpage or article for the user.The user will also be able to pause or skip around the webpage.The feature will only be available through the Google app directly. This means that the users cannot get the reader via Google Chrome and other browsers. Instead, they will have to search for the article or access it via the Discover feed.Google introduced a similar feature for Android users earlier this year as well. The reader for Android was backed by Google Assistant who read every article word-by-word when commanded.The feature on Android is pretty much a success and seeing the same happening for iOS users seems like a great initiative by Google.Read next: Google is rolling out some more listing options for in-store purchases that can help shoppers search for things with more ease while avoiding unnecessary exposure Deadly ricin mailed to Pres. Trump at White House, authorities in Texas Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Officials have detected ricin, a deadly poison found in castor beans, in an envelope that was sent, apparently from Canada, to President Donald Trump. Quoting an anonymous official, The Wall Street Journal reports that the packet intercepted carried a letter and a substance that tested positive for ricin. The report says that the envelope appeared to come from Canada, and that law enforcement is investigating possibly similar envelopes addressed to authorities in Texas. No suspect had been identified as of early Sunday. No other details are known about similar packets sent to officials in Texas. The Journal quotes a spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigations Washington field office as saying that the investigation is underway and that the Secret Service and the Postal Inspection Service were also part of the probe. At this time, there is no known threat to public safety, the spokeswoman said. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ricin can be in the form of a powder, a mist, or a pellet, or it can be dissolved in water or weak acid. CDC adds, It would take a deliberate act to make ricin and use it to poison people Ricin is very toxic. It works by getting inside the cells of a persons body and preventing the cells from making the proteins they need. Without the proteins, cells die. Eventually this is harmful to the whole body, and may cause death. Theres no antidote for ricin, which can kill a person within 36 to 72 hours of exposure. Ricin was declared an illegal substance in July 2019, and the FBI has charged people for attempting to obtain the toxin, according to USA Today. In 2014, a Mississippi man admitted to sending ricin-laced, threatening letters to then-President Barack Obama and Republican Sen. Roger Wicker as well as a county judge. Ricin is an incredibly dangerous biological toxin just a few tiny grains can kill a human, U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna said in a 2019 case, in which a California man pleaded guilty to attempting to buy ricin. Because it can be used as a weapon of mass destruction and there is no antidote for ricin poisoning, any attempt to acquire this deadly chemical agent is an extremely serious matter that will prompt a vigorous response. Samuel Humy graduated from Cornell Law School this year and moved to California. With a job lined up with the Santa Clara County Public Defender Office, he planned to take the California State Bar exam over the summer and start work in early August as a lawyer. Then the coronavirus happened. And the fires. The State Bar pushed the test normally scheduled in July back to September, then to October as it figured out the software and security issues around a new online format for the hours-long exam, which normally involves test takers crammed into conference rooms. Humy and his partner, who is also taking the bar, found a place in Santa Cruz to study, but the CZU Lightning Complex fires forced them to evacuate. The bar is a stressful test, without having to worry about a pandemic, fires and an untested online format, Humy said. Plenty of other would-be lawyers around California are also unsettled. Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle Results from the July bar exams normally come out in mid-November, at which time law students who do not pass can begin studying for the February exams, according to Daniel Schweitzer, a longtime bar exam tutor. With results from the delayed October test not slated to come out until mid-January, there will be almost no time for students who fail to begin studying for the February test unless it too gets delayed. Pushing the results back delays when people can start their career, Schweitzer said. Some people, including Humy, believe that California should allow law graduates to work without passing the bar, given the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic. Several other states have granted the privilege this year. The California State Bar said it is working on a provisional licensing program at the direction of the state Supreme Court, which would allow this years graduates to postpone taking the bar exam and begin practicing law under supervision. There is no firm timeline for when that would happen, however. Public comment on a draft rule wrapped up last week, and a plan still would need to be approved by the State Bar Board of Trustees and adopted by the California Supreme Court. The nature of the online bar exam has also raised some concerns. Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle The American Civil Liberties Union of California sent a letter to the California Supreme Court which oversees the bar, voicing concerns about plans to collect biometric data from test takers to use facial recognition software during the test. Facial recognition has been repeatedly demonstrated to be less accurate when used to identify Black people, people of Asian descent, and women, the ACLU wrote, adding that using the technology would further entrench racial and economic inequities that have long created barriers to the legal profession. Nonprofit groups recently filed a lawsuit against the State Bar in federal court in San Francisco on behalf of test takers who require accommodations being forced to take the test in person, putting them at what they say is increased risk of contracting the virus. Test takers who are unable to stay in front of a computer camera for the duration of each test section, those needing a paper exam, or physical scratch paper, or people who use screen-reading software are required to take the test in person, according to the lawsuit filed by the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund and Legal Aid at Work. There is no unlawful discrimination in the administration of the October bar examination, Donna Hershkowitz, State Bar of California interim executive director, said in a statement in response to the lawsuit. The COVID-19 protocols that will be in place for in-person administration of the bar exam for both disabled and nondisabled test-takers follow national and state public health guidelines to minimize the risk of infection spread during this unprecedented pandemic, she added. Some law school deans penned a letter asking the test be open book because of concerns about how remote proctoring will work, potential technical difficulties, and the increased stress they said a remote exam will cause. For test takers like Jenny Lai studying for the bar, canceled and delayed tests mean more time to study but also worry about life afterward. She and her family also had to evacuate their home in Morgan Hill because of the SCU Lightning Complex fires while she was studying for the exam. I was very worried my standing offer was no longer on the table, said Lai, who has worked at a small litigation firm as a legal assistant for years and has an offer to begin work as an attorney once she passes the test. She still has an offer but doesnt know how long it will stand if the test is delayed again. Its not just lawyers who must adapt to major changes in licensing tests. Across the state, engineers, doctors, CPAs and other professionals in training are seeing the tests that could determine their futures and earnings potentials delayed or moved online. In the case of some engineers, a professional test has even been moved out of state. The Principles and Practice of Engineering Examination, one of the requirements to become a licensed engineer in California, normally takes place in April. The test has to be done in person since the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying, which administers the test nationally, said remote proctoring is not currently possible. We are studying the possibility for the future when technology is better able to provide a higher level of exam security and a more consistent experience for examinees, Nina Norris, the councils chief communications officer, said in an email. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes In early August, the council said the test would take place in California in October. But about three weeks later, it said the states limits on group gatherings would make it necessary to move the test across the border to the Silver Legacy Resort in Reno. I dont see how magically driving over state lines is going to make it safe, said Dominic Gutierrez, an engineer for the California Department of Water Resources, who had planned to take the test. Passing would make him eligible for a significant annual pay increase in his current job, he said. Theres been so much uncertainty in their messaging that its made studying difficult, he said. Gutierrez said he is not willing to drive to Nevada from his home in Sacramento to take the test in who knows what kind of conditions because a family member who is immunocompromised could be more vulnerable to the effects of the virus if he were to catch it. Asked about accommodations for those who cant travel, Norris said the council has added another exam date in January in Pomona (Los Angeles County). She said the council had delayed moving the test out of state in the hopes California would relax restrictions, and that Nevadas looser restrictions lowered the risk of another cancellation. Californias Department of Consumer Affairs, which oversees the licensing of engineers and many other professions statewide, has reopened some testing centers closed in March because of the pandemic, said department spokeswoman Michelle Cave. Prospective doctors and surgeons have also seen testing requirements shift. In May, the United States Medical Licensing Examination, an organization that administers medical tests, suspended a step in its clinical skills exam namely, an in-person test that requires students to interview patients and perform physical exams. This month the organization began administering the test again at some medical schools around the country, but it is still suspended in locations with virus restrictions in place. People can now get a training license without this step, although its still not possible to get a physicians or surgeons license without it, according to Carlos Villatoro, a spokesman with the Medical Board of California, which oversees licensing applications. Update: This story has been updated to clarify Samuel Humys status as a lawyer. Chase DiFeliciantonio is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: chase.difeliciantonio@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChaseDiFelice Ten years ago, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents banned undocumented students from attending institutions like UGA, even if they have DACA status, which runs in the face of the university's slogan, "birthplace of public higher education." Now more than ever, UGA's policies must reflect its sentiment. Education is a hot topic this Legislative session. Here's what bills we're watching. Here are some of the hot-button education bills were tracking at the Argus Leader. Check back each day to see where they stand as we update. Thousands of protesters cheered as activists installed a plaque in Bangkok Sunday declaring that Thailand "belongs to the people" -- the boldest show of defiance in a youth-led movement which is questioning the unassailable monarchy's role in the country. Thailand has seen near-daily protests for the past two months led by student activists calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, a former army chief who masterminded the 2014 coup. Demonstrators spent Saturday rallying in Bangkok's historic Sanam Luang field next to the Grand Palace, where organisers took a stronger line on reform, calling for the royal family to stay out of the kingdom's politics. Authorities said the demonstration drew 18,000, though AFP reporters on the ground estimated a 30,000-strong crowd at its peak -- making it the largest such gathering Thailand has seen since the 2014 coup. On Sunday at dawn, student activists installed a commemorative "People's Plaque" in Sanam Luang field. "Down with feudalism, long live the people," shouted protest organiser Parit Chiwarak to the cheering crowd. The new plaque states the date Sept 20, 2020, followed by the proclamation: "The people have expressed the intention that this country belongs to the people, and not the king." The movement is pushing frank questioning of the royal family's role into the public -- once a taboo topic due to Thailand's draconian royal defamation laws. The plaque references the original brass one embedded for decades in the ground of Bangkok's Royal Plaza, which commemorated the end of royal absolutism in 1932. But it mysteriously disappeared in 2017 -- after King Maha Vajiralongkorn took power following the death of his father -- replaced with one bearing a reminder for Thais to remain loyal to the "nation, religion, king". Activists say the missing plaque is emblematic of a wider whitewashing of Thai political history. Story continues Palace officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Organisers had initially planned to march to Government House, but a last-minute change of plans saw protesters move to the Privy Council's office -- opposite the Grand Palace -- to submit a list of demands addressed to the king. The highly influential board of royal advisors wields significant influence in Thailand. Dozens of officers stood guard, alongside water cannon trucks in front of the palace. - 'People have woken up' - The largely leaderless youth-organised movement, partly inspired by Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests, is calling for Prayut's government to be dissolved, a rewrite of the 2017 military-scripted constitution, and for authorities to stop "harassing" political opponents. Some factions within the movement have also called for greater accounting of the palace's finances, the abolition of royal defamation laws and a call for the king to remain outside of politics. King Maha Vajiralongkorn sits at the apex of Thai power, bolstered by a powerful military and conservative establishment. He spends long periods in Europe, his absence from Thailand raising ire on social media in recent months as the economy tumbled because of the pandemic. The new Sanam Luang plaque will be regarded "as an immediate challenge", said analyst Paul Chambers, warning that the growing acrimony could lead to "state violence against protesters". Prayut has said Thailand would be "engulfed in flames" if the students push too hard, though he vowed "softer measures" against the weekend's protesters. Since 1932, the military has staged more than a dozen coups following bouts of violent protests -- which arch-royalist generals have claimed in the past was necessary to defend the king. The recent wave of demonstrations has so far been peaceful. But authorities have arrested more than two dozen activists, charging them with sedition before releasing them on bail. Protesters have called for another rally Thursday outside parliament as MPs debate potential constitutional changes. "MPs are afraid... They're worried they might get some problems." A general strike has also been called for October 14. "People have woken up," student Napassorn Saengduean, 20, triumphantly told AFP as Sunday's rally dispersed. "I will keep coming back until I die." bur-rs/qan " " Vickie Landrum (left) and Betty Cash fell victim to radiation sickness after a December 1980 close encounter. Intercontinental U.F.O. Galactic Spacecraft Research and Analytic Network Archives A UFO sighting on the evening of December 29, 1980, changed the lives of three Texans forever -- and not for the good. While driving through the southern tip of the east Texas piney woods, north of Houston, Betty Cash, Vickie Landrum, and Vickie's seven-year-old grandson Colby came upon a huge diamond-shaped object just above the trees and 130 feet away. Cash hit the brakes, and she and the elder Landrum stepped outside. Immediately, they noticed intense heat. Their faces felt as if they were burning. When Vickie reentered the car and touched the dashboard to steady herself, she left a handprint. Advertisement " " Among other symptoms, Vickie Landrum and Betty Cash suffered festering body sores. The UFO sighting has had a permanent effect on their health. Intercontinental U.F.O. Galactic Spacecraft Research and Analytic Network Archives Blasting fire and heat, the UFO slowly ascended. Suddenly, numerous helicopters -- 23 in all -- appeared from all directions, positioning themselves near the strange craft. By this time the witnesses were back in the car and watching the spectacle from their moving vehicle. (Other motorists saw the object and the helicopters from different, more distant locations.) Eventually, the flying objects were lost to view. Unfortunately, the episode was only beginning. Back home the three fell sick, Cash most severely. She suffered blisters, nausea, headaches, diarrhea, loss of hair, and reddening of the eyes. On January 3, unable to walk and nearly unconscious, she was admitted to a Houston hospital. Vickie and Colby were experiencing the same symptoms, though less severely. The witnesses' health problems continue to this day. In September 1991 Cash's personal physician, Dr. Brian McClelland, told the Houston Post that her condition was a "textbook case" of radiation poisoning, comparable to being "three to five miles from the epicenter of Hiroshima." For years the three have pursued their case through the courts, seeking answers and redress, but official agencies deny any knowledge of the incident-even though the helicopters have been identified as twin-rotor Boeing CH-47 Chinooks, used by both the Army and the Marines. A 33-year-old man was shot in the left leg and taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center in good condition, police said. A 42-year-old man was also shot in the left leg and taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition. NEW DELHI: The second meeting of foriegn ministers of the so called Quad" group of countries Japan, US, Australia and India is expected to be hosted by Tokyo in early October, the Japanese media reported on Sunday. The Tokyo meet, the first took place in September in Washington, comes amid heightened tensions between India and China along their border in Ladakh. Beijing has looked at the Quad" which first crystallized as a grouping in November 2017 as an anti-China construct, aimed at containing it. The deliberations among Japans Toshimitsu Motegi, the United States Mike Pompeo, Australias Marise Payne and Indias Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also comes as an aggressive China flexes its military muscles in the Indo-Pacific region. On Sunday, Chinas state-backed Global Times said Beijing would conduct live-fire military exercises in the southern part of the Yellow Sea" this week. Tensions have been simmering in the South China Sea and the Straits of Taiwan, according to news reports. According to the Japan Times, foriegn ministers of the US, India and Australia could also have a meeting with newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga after Shinzo Abe stepped down. Abe is widely seen as the main architect of the Quad" that took shape amid Chinas growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Sharing the common values of democracy and the rule of law, the four countries aim to enhance cooperation in the security and diplomatic fields," the Japan Times report said. It would be the first face-to-face diplomatic occasion for Suga, who took office Wednesday (16 September)," the report said. In the expected second meeting, the four foreign ministers are likely to affirm their countries cooperation to realize the Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision" and discuss ways to deal with Chinas aggressive attitude in the medical field, including vaccine development," the report said. It was a possible reference to China trying to push its covid-19 vaccines among countries. Especially in the coronavirus crisis, a meeting of the four countries foreign ministers would have great significance," the report said quoting an unnamed Japanese government source. The proposed meeting in Tokyo also comes amid major disagreements between the US and China on a whole host of subjects starting with trade and spanning the spread of the covid - 19 pandemic and human rights issues in Xinjiang. Earlier this month, US deputy secretary of state Stephen Biegun had said that New Delhi could host the second Quad meeting." But Indian foriegn minister S Jaishankar had said that talks to fix a date and venue were going on without confirming that New Delhi would host the talks. There was no immediate comment from New Delhi on the report. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-21 06:24:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MEXICO CITY, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Mexico on Sunday restated its willingness to work closely with the U.S. authorities to combat drug trafficking and dismantle drug trafficking rings. "The government of Mexico reiterates its willingness to continue working closely and in coordination with the U.S. authorities for the benefit of the safety and health of the inhabitants of both countries, based on the principles of shared responsibility, mutual trust, and respect for the sovereignty, jurisdiction and laws of both countries," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. At the end of August 2019, the two governments created a High Level Security Group to serve "as a single channel to address common security priorities," the ministry said. "The strength of the bilateral relationship and the mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation demonstrate the commitment of both governments to foster friendly relations that allow them to address their concerns, as well as find joint solutions to shared challenges," the ministry added. The statement comes days after the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump complained that Mexico was not doing enough to contain the flow of illicit drugs into the United States. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who took office in December 2018, reformulated the country's anti-drug trafficking strategy "with a comprehensive vision that addresses this phenomenon from the perspectives of security, public health, development, justice and well-being," the ministry said. According to Lopez Obrador, the way to effectively combat crime is to invest in education and welfare programs that steer youth away from criminal activity, in conjunction with anti-narcotics operations. Enditem 'We have this obligation, without delay!' Trump tweeted Donald Trump has vowed to defy Ruth Bader Ginsburg's dying wish and nominate her replacement immediately, igniting a tumultuous political battle that could determine the result of the US election in November. In doing so the president will redraw the electoral battle lines, making the vote less a referendum on his handling of the coronavirus, and instead an ideological fight over the future of the US Supreme Court. His campaign suggested it was a game-changing development. Mr Trump said: "We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices. We have this obligation, without delay!" Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and the Democrat leadership in the Senate immediately called for the nomination to be delayed until after the election. But Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate leader, vowed to press ahead with confirming Mr Trump's nominee. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in her chambers at the Supreme Court in Washington, August 23, 2013 He said: "President Trumps nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate." The Senate only has to confirm by a simple majority, and Republicans currently hold power with 53 seats to 47. However, several of the party's more moderate senators - including Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska - may be reluctant to ram through the new nominee in an election year. The confirmation process usually takes about two months so that means it could take place after Nov 3, during the "lame duck" period before the inauguration of Mr Trump or Mr Biden on January 20. If Mr Trump were to lose, and Republicans drop seats in the Senate, the fate of his nominee would become uncertain. Mr McConnell wrote to his Republican colleagues urgently telling them to "keep their powder dry". He said: "This is not the time to prematurely lock yourselves into a position you may later regret." Story continues A recent Pew Research Center survey showed that, even before Justice Ginsburg's death, the Supreme Court was a more important issue to US voters than the coronavirus. Alex Conant, a Republican strategist, said: "Joe Biden wants this election to be a referendum on Trump. Now it's going to be a referendum on whoever he nominates to the Supreme Court. It's hard to see how this doesn't help Trump politically." Mr Trump would become the first president since Ronald Reagan to nominate three justices to the nine-member bench. That would give the court a 6-3 conservative majority, securing its ideological leaning for a generation and cementing Mr Trump's legacy. The court decides issues that are fundamental to US society including on abortion, the environment, gay rights, the power of the presidency, and gun control. Female voters in the suburbs are expected to be key to the election result, and it is probable Mr Trump will nominate a woman to replace Justice Ginsburg. The favourite is Amy Coney Barrett, a devoutly Catholic appeal court judge in Chicago who was considered for Mr Trump's two previous nominations, and has already been vetted by the White House Counsel's Office. In her deathbed statement Justice Ginsburg, who had publicly criticised Mr Trump, said: "My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed." Her passing may galvanise liberals to turn out in large numbers for Mr Biden in an attempt to secure her legacy. Mr Biden, who has already pledged to nominate the first black woman to the Supreme Court, said: "Let me be clear that the voters should pick the president, and the president should pick the justice for the Senate to consider." Republicans, and particularly Mr McConnell, faced accusations of hypocrisy after having refused a previous Supreme Court nomination during the 2016 election year. Merrick Garland was nominated to fill a vacancy by Barack Obama in February 2016, but Mr McConnell delayed his confirmation for nine months until the election. During that campaign Mr Trump took the unprecedented step of releasing a list of potential future Supreme Court picks before he was elected, which led to conservative and evangelical voters uniting behind him. After Mr Trump won he filled the vacancy with a conservative judge, Neil Gorsuch. Last week, Mr Trump released a similar list including potential future justices who would vote to overturn Roe v Wade, the landmark ruling that legalised abortion nationwide. Mr Obama said: "Four and a half years ago, when Republicans refused to hold a hearing or an up-or-down vote on Merrick Garland, they invented the principle that the Senate shouldnt fill an open seat on the Supreme Court before a new president was sworn in. Republican Senators are now called to apply that standard." He added: "The questions before the Court now and in the coming years are too consequential to future generations for courts to be filled through anything less than an unimpeachable process." But Mr McConnell said the situation was different now because, unlike in 2016, one party controlled the White House and Senate. TikTok is now planning to go public without the sale of its parent company, ByteDance, in a deal that would involve American software behemoth Oracle as the responsible partner for US data and Walmart is some vague capacity. The deal hasnt been approved by either Washington or Beijing yet, and both TikTok and WeChat will be banned from U.S. app stores as of Sunday. The deal is being reviewed by the Trump administration and appears to be a compromise agreement that avoids selling ByteDance to an American company as Trump had previously demanded. But there is another interesting twist to the ongoing debacle that plays into U.S. elections and helps Trump considerably: Hes given TikTok and extension on operations until November 12th. In other words, while no new users will be able to download TikTok in the United States as of Sunday, TikTok will continue to operate in the United States unhindered until November 12th--to get past the elections. That accomplishes two things: First, it lets Trump avoid a highly unpopular move against a wildly popular app during a heated election campaign. Second, it gives TikTok time to iron out the fine points of a potential deal with Oracle to the governments liking. As it stands with the new proposed deal, ByteDance would remain a majority shareholder in TikTok, according to an unnamed source cited by CNN. Oracle would host TikTok user data to alleviate national security concerns that the company was feeding American data to the Chinese government. WalMarts potential role here is unclear, though it may just serve as an e-commerce partner. Further to the pending deal, TikToks board of directors would have to be approved by the United States government and must include a data security expert with top-secret security clearance, according to the same CNN source. That, too, should raise concerns among the American public when it comes to privacy. This is how a wildly popular and equally frivolous short video app has become the focal point of a global balance-of-power war. That data is a goldmine, and everyone wants to control it. Its far beyond a national security threat. The Chinese authorities also need to approve the deal. On August 28th, China imposed new export controls on algorithms such as those employed by TikTok in a thinly veiled attempt to prevent the sale of ByteDance to an American company. At the time, keeping in mind that this is all very fluid, Microsoft was the big dog in the running to acquire TikTok. Those new export controls could still make it difficult for this deal to go through in its newest proposed form. So, with China trying to prevent the deal, and Trump issuing only vague statements, its unclear whether it will move forward at all. Trump has only remarked on the fact that ByteDance would remain the majority shareholder: Conceptually, I can tell you, I dont like that. According to Reuters, Trump told reporters Thursday: Were 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. And Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin is allegedly the big force pushing for this new compromise deal with Oracle, despite criticism from lawmakers and possibly Trump himself, according to the Washington Post. So, what role would Microsoft play? No one seems to know outside of Trumps suggestion that its somehow still got skin in this game. Business Insider reported that Microsoft had earlier insulted TikToks owner at some point during the bidding process. If the deal goes through, TikTok could IPO in the U.S. within 12 months, and Business Insider claims that it would consider Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom as its CEO. But its not likely to be much of a bulwark against perceived national security threats, Weifeng Zhong, senior research fellow at George Mason University, told NPR, noting that the proposed structure could give ByteDance the ability to overrule Oracle. By Michael Kern for Safehaven.com More Top Reads From Safehaven.com: Investing and growing your savings is a long-term process that can take many years. Thats why its important to start as early as possible. And rather than chasing the next hot IPO that could end up crashing and crippling your portfolio, youre better off looking for stable investments that can slowly and steadily help you accumulate wealth over the years. It may sound like a boring strategy, but its one of the best ways to ensure you retire rich without putting your portfolio in harms way. Bank stocks never go out of style Investing in a top bank stock is a good way to ensure that your portfolio will continue rising over the years. The Big Five banks in Canada can provide your portfolio with lots of stability, and theyre great sources of dividend income. Bank of Nova Scotia (TSX:BNS)(NYSE:BNS) currently yields around 6.5% per year. But 2020 has been an off year for financial stocks, so lets assume that on average, itll generate dividend income of 5% per year. And lets say that typically itll grow at a rate of 8% every year thats about the annual growth it has averaged for the past 20 years (prior to this year, of course). Under this model, Im also going to assume that dividends are not re-invested into the stock. But to generate any growth youll first need to buy some shares. Rather than a big lump sum, lets assume you contribute $350 every month and buy shares of Scotiabank. With those assumptions in place, lets take a look how your wealth might grow if you began investing in the stock at the age of 25: Age Year Total Contributions Beginning Portfolio Balance Growth Ending Portfolio Balance Dividends Total Dividends Portfolio + Dividends 25 1 $4,200 $4,200 $294 $4,494 $210 $210 $4,704 26 2 $8,400 $8,694 $609 $9,303 $420 $630 $9,933 27 3 $12,600 $13,503 $945 $14,448 $630 $1,260 $15,708 28 4 $16,800 $18,648 $1,305 $19,953 $840 $2,100 $22,053 29 5 $21,000 $24,153 $1,691 $25,844 $1,050 $3,150 $28,994 30 6 $25,200 $30,044 $2,103 $32,147 $1,260 $4,410 $36,557 31 7 $29,400 $36,347 $2,544 $38,891 $1,470 $5,880 $44,771 32 8 $33,600 $43,091 $3,016 $46,108 $1,680 $7,560 $53,668 33 9 $37,800 $50,308 $3,522 $53,829 $1,890 $9,450 $63,279 34 10 $42,000 $58,029 $4,062 $62,091 $2,100 $11,550 $73,641 35 11 $46,200 $66,291 $4,640 $70,931 $2,310 $13,860 $84,791 36 12 $50,400 $75,131 $5,259 $80,391 $2,520 $16,380 $96,771 37 13 $54,600 $84,591 $5,921 $90,512 $2,730 $19,110 $109,622 38 14 $58,800 $94,712 $6,630 $101,342 $2,940 $22,050 $123,392 39 15 $63,000 $105,542 $7,388 $112,930 $3,150 $25,200 $138,130 40 16 $67,200 $117,130 $8,199 $125,329 $3,360 $28,560 $153,889 41 17 $71,400 $129,529 $9,067 $138,596 $3,570 $32,130 $170,726 42 18 $75,600 $142,796 $9,996 $152,792 $3,780 $35,910 $188,702 43 19 $79,800 $156,992 $10,989 $167,981 $3,990 $39,900 $207,881 44 20 $84,000 $172,181 $12,053 $184,234 $4,200 $44,100 $228,334 45 21 $88,200 $188,434 $13,190 $201,624 $4,410 $48,510 $250,134 46 22 $92,400 $205,824 $14,408 $220,232 $4,620 $53,130 $273,362 47 23 $96,600 $224,432 $15,710 $240,142 $4,830 $57,960 $298,102 48 24 $100,800 $244,342 $17,104 $261,446 $5,040 $63,000 $324,446 49 25 $105,000 $265,646 $18,595 $284,241 $5,250 $68,250 $352,491 50 26 $109,200 $288,441 $20,191 $308,632 $5,460 $73,710 $382,342 51 27 $113,400 $312,832 $21,898 $334,730 $5,670 $79,380 $414,110 52 28 $117,600 $338,930 $23,725 $362,655 $5,880 $85,260 $447,915 53 29 $121,800 $366,855 $25,680 $392,535 $6,090 $91,350 $483,885 54 30 $126,000 $396,735 $27,771 $424,507 $6,300 $97,650 $522,157 55 31 $130,200 $428,707 $30,009 $458,716 $6,510 $104,160 $562,876 56 32 $134,400 $462,916 $32,404 $495,320 $6,720 $110,880 $606,200 57 33 $138,600 $499,520 $34,966 $534,487 $6,930 $117,810 $652,297 58 34 $142,800 $538,687 $37,708 $576,395 $7,140 $124,950 $701,345 59 35 $147,000 $580,595 $40,642 $621,237 $7,350 $132,300 $753,537 60 36 $151,200 $625,437 $43,781 $669,217 $7,560 $139,860 $809,077 61 37 $155,400 $673,417 $47,139 $720,556 $7,770 $147,630 $868,186 62 38 $159,600 $724,756 $50,733 $775,489 $7,980 $155,610 $931,099 63 39 $163,800 $779,689 $54,578 $834,267 $8,190 $163,800 $998,067 64 40 $168,000 $838,467 $58,693 $897,160 $8,400 $172,200 $1,069,360 After 40 years, you would have contributed a total of $168,000, generated growth of $729,160 and earned dividend income of $172,200. Combined, your portfolio would be worth $1,069,360. Story continues At that point, you could cash out and use the money as you wish, including investing the full amount into an ETF and living off the dividend income. If you were to invest $1,000,000 in an investment yielding 5% per year, your annual dividend income of $50,000 could potentially be enough to live off, or, at the very least, be a great way to supplement your other retirement income with. Bottom line If Scotiabank continues growing its dividend, and if you re-invest the income, then these returns would be even larger. But the point is to show that if youre able and willing to start investing money into Scotiabank today, you could be in for a big payday when it comes time to retire. It may not be as exciting as buying and trading stocks all the time, but by building your investment steadily over time, you can earn a great return while taking on minimal risk. There are many other stocks besides Scotiabank that you can invest in, and it may even make sense to use an ETF to provide you with more diversification and stability. By sticking to a plan and slowly contributing more money over the years, you can make your life a whole lot easier when it comes time to retire. The post Millennials: Want to Retire Rich? Start Investing in This 1 Stock Today appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada. More reading Fool contributor David Jagielski has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA. The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2020 By PTI NEW DELHI: The two farm bills, which were passed in Rajya Sabha amid a din, are against the interest of farmers and today will be remembered as a black day for democracy, the Congress said on Sunday. The Rajya Sabha passed 'The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020', and 'the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020' on Sunday amid the din created by opposition members. Congress also said that the government is attempting to hand over farming to corporates and the day will be remembered as "anti-farmer day". "The legislations are not just against farmers but also against the federal structure as agriculture is a state subject and trading within the state is in the concurrent list," senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel told reporters. ALSO READ: Calling it 'anti-farmers', Punjab government to move court against new farm bills States are already under the onslaught of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and there is an attempt by this government to reduce their revenues, he alleged. This government has "attacked" the spirit of the Constitution as agriculture is a state subject and "the central government tried to pass these bills in the name of trading", Patel said. "Whatever the prime minister may say and preach that today is a historic day for farmers, but today is a black day and will be written in black ink," he said. "The proposed legislations are against the interests of farmers and they want to hand over farming into the hands of the corporate sector and people will be harassed. Farmers' problems would rise. Today is an anti-farmer day," Patel said. EXPLAINED: What are the new Agri Bills and why farmers are unhappy When there is an attempt to end Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMC), the corporate sector will have a major role to play in farming, he claimed. Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said today is a "black day for democracy". "No such bills have been passed, but the government claims that the bills have been passed. This is a murder of democracy," he said. Singhvi said at least 10 people wanted division and many moved resolutions for amendments. "How did these bills get passed," he said. "We feel that you cannot get the laws passed merely with your brute majority. These unconstitutional bills will not only be challenged but also annulled after it is challenged in the Supreme Court," Singhvi said. The government knew that it could not get these bills passed on its own and that is why it bulldozed it, he alleged. "You also are being misled by the BJP on the Congress manifesto. They are trying to befool the people of the country," Singhvi said. On Friday, the BJP had alleged that the Congress in its 2019 poll manifesto had promised to abolish the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC ) Act. Congress leader Patel said earlier the government had brought the Land Acquisition Act against which farmers revolted and it had to take it back. "This government wanted to give land to the corporate sector. Now they want to hand over farming into the hands of the corporate sector," he alleged. Patel said instead of minimum support price (MSP), the prime minister is saying farmers will be paid the maximum selling price. The charges made against the Congress that it promised to abolish the APMC Act in its manifesto, are attempts by the BJP to distort things and are half-truths, the Congress leader said, noting that it had kept 22 safeguards for farmers but the BJP is not talking about them. "I raised in Rajya Sabha on whether the government is ready to keep those safeguards for farmers, that the Congress had kept, this government is silent," Patel said. Congress leader from Bihar Akhilesh Pratap Singh said the APMC Act was abolished in 2006 and there is distress sale of farm produce in Bihar. Thousands of vehicles of produce come to Punjab and Haryana for sale and traders and profiteers are making money instead of farmers, he noted. "This is going to happen all over the country now that these bills have been brought," he said. Congress leader K C Venugopal said today will be marked as the "darkest day of Indian democracy". "The manner in which the government as roughshod the grossly anti-farmer bills was totally against any and every procedure and tradition laid out in the rule book," he said. "The high-handedness and utter disregard for democratic tradition and norms seems to have become the new normal even in Parliament- the temple of our democracy. The government bulldozed the anti-farmer bills at the cost of well established parliamentary procedures, rules and traditions," Venugopal said. The government is "hellbent upon helping their crony capitalist friends by going to any extent, including denying discussion and division for passing the bills in the house," he said. The Maus director Yayo Herrero is preparing a second feature, Los Quinquis, a standout at this years edition of Madrids ECAM film school Incubator program, which he will take to this years San Sebastian Festival to pitch in the Meet Them! section for projects. Apart from its inclusion at ECAMs Incubator, the film took part in a writing lab organized by Spains Sgae authors collection society. Herrero himself attended Februarys Berlinale Talents. Himself a twin, Herreros project turns on Adan and Lois, twin brothers living on the outskirts of Madrid who share everything. Raised in The Red Tower, a building for rehoused residents controlled by East European organized crime groups, the boys must rely on one another to escapea seemingly endless cycle of crime and poverty. Herrero discussed the project with Variety ahead of this years Meet Me! In The Maus, one could say you explore the legacy of history still weighing on those who lived the events. Los Quinquis is about the world of drugs and juvenile delinquency in Spain towards the end of last century, but still feels relevant, urgent. How do you assess the weight of the recent past? Cinema is a vehicle for revisiting things that strongly inform the way we view life today. Understanding who we were helps us to be what we truly wish to be. Thats why, when I write a story, I like having one foot in the present and the other in the past. This project encompasses the collective visual imagination of the 1970s and 1980s and evokes much of the music and rhythms of that era. What can you say about the role music plays in your films? Music is the art-form that brings us closest to the world of our memories. Life experiences of the past usually spring to mind whenever we hear a song or any piece of music. They become, in a way, the soundtrack of our memory, rekindling our rawest and most immediate emotions. I set out, in Los Quinquis, to mix sounds inherent to the past with the sounds coming out of our districts today, the aim being to link two worlds that are seemingly very far apart in terms of time. In short, to connect the reality of our districts today with the memories we grew up with in the 1970s and 1980s. Story continues You said that Los Quinquis was a project that had to be shot in 16mm. Whys that? Take a walk through some of the districts on the outskirts of Madrid today, like San Cristobal de los Angeles, for instance, and youll think time has stood still. Most of those districts were built in the 1960s and 1970s and theyre still almost exactly as they were back then. The sandy parks, the buildings, that retro aesthetic, with those reallocated housing estates, clothes hanging on clothes lines, the scorched vacant lots all of that takes me back to the districts of my childhood. Given all that, 16mm seemed the right format to me, because of its grainy texture and the natural flickering effect of celluloid. That, I thought, as far as audiences are concerned, could provide a tinge of magic. In Los Quinquis, you talk about your fathers relationship with that generation in Spain. You also say that the film is a tribute to your father. But where did the story of this film come from? In the 1980s and 90s, my twin brother and I lived in Oviedo with my father, who was a prison supervision attorney at Villabona Prison. Many relatives of convicted delinquents would often come to our house, trying to get reduced sentences for their loved ones. It wasnt until 2013 that I first toyed with the idea of writing a story about them. It came to me during my fathers funeral, when some of those small-time delinquents of my childhood came up to us to offer their condolences. My father had helped many of them through the toughest years of their lives. In a way, the film is a direct tribute not only to my father, but also to all those people from the present-day point of view of a pair of twin brothers. Because my vision as a director is necessarily informed by the memory of my twin brother. Saying something is made for global audiences is almost cliche in todays digital climate. How do you, as a director, deal with this paradigm shift where all of a sudden, films have an expanded reach? Does that affect the creative process? For filmmakers, this paradigm-shift entails constant reassessment of how we go about our work. Re-invention is evolution, and thats good because it forces us to face new challenges all the time. As a filmmaker, I never want to stop learning; I want to enjoy what I do, step out of my comfort zone. Paradoxically, although the digital world offers lots of screens and possibilities, deep down I want Los Quinquis to be executed as a traditional movie, shot on film, and screened in movie theaters to large audiences. That, I think, is the biggest challenge for a director in this digital era. Jamie Lang and John Hopewell contributed to this article. Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. A prominent doctor has accused both the state and federal governments of trying to cover up a potential major shortage of face masks for medical staff. Dr Yvom Sharma claims it has been widely known for months that the number of face masks available was less than that required to keep front line workers safe. This is despite both the federal and state governments insisting stocks are adequate. Dr Sharma said the lack of transparency on mask numbers from government officials has denied workers any opportunity to source other options for personal protection. 'Certainly on behalf of medical staff who are working on COVID wards and in aged care, we've always known there is a shortage of N95 masks,' Dr Sharma told Today. Two friends wearing face masks sit in a park in Melbourne with drinks amid the waning second wave of coronavirus in Victoria 'It's something that governments have constantly denied. If they'd owned up to it earlier, we could have been talking about other solutions.' Dr Sharma said while there is a shortage of key materials all over the world, we must ensure our medical professionals are using the best quality protective equipment when dealing with coronavirus patients. 'We know we need N95 masks for medical staff facing COVID, we know we need fit testing and I'm glad we've finally arrived at the truth,' he said. 'Hopefully we can drive up production and acquisition of these masks so were ready for heaven forbid the third wave if it ever comes.' The Melbourne GP said while dropping COVID-19 case numbers in Victoria were encouraging and showed progress, there was still a long way to go in the pandemic. 'We don't need to do everything perfectly, we just need to do lots of things good enough,' he said. Dr Sharma's comments were disputed by Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Coatsworth, who claimed there was no critical shortage of PPE in Australia. 'We have millions of N95 masks in the national stockpile and equally Victoria does as well,' he told the program. Dr Yvom Sharma (pictured) said medical staff have been aware of a shortage of face masks in the industry for many months Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Coatsworth (pictured) quashed Dr Sharma's claims and said there was no critical shortage of PPE in Australia 'Provided the guidelines are followed then we have more than enough PPE to protect the healthcare workers who are our most valuable resource.' Dr Coatsworth believes issues had risen as experts were trying to expand the range of patients for whom medical staff should wear N95 masks. 'There is a view within the medical and nursing community that the use of N-95 respirators should be expanded,' he said. 'If you use N95 respirators for every healthcare interaction then you start running into problems. 'Whilst there is no shortage at the moment - nobody is in a position to supply infinite number of N-95 respirators to the healthcare system. 'It's important we follow the guidelines which we are formulating with the best interests of protecting healthcare and aged care workers.' WHO advisor Mary-Louise McLaws (pictured) believes a lack of PPE for medical staff played a huge role in the deadly second wave of coronavirus in Victoria Dr Sharma's calls come after Victorian Chief Medical Officer Andrew Wilson claimed Victorian health workers are being forced to use second rate face masks to deal with coronavirus patients due to a shortage in the state. Professor Wilson said the state would burn through the supplies of the best quality personal protective equipment in one week in private meetings leaked to the ABC. The leak found doctors and nurses have not been fit tested for N95 masks, while staff who work directly with COVID-19 patients have been unable to access them. Health authorities believe the lack of adequate personal protective equipment for medical staff played a vital role in the size of the deadly second wave of the disease in Victoria. Chief Medical Officer Andrew Wilson (pictured) was leaked saying medical staff would burn through all supplies of N95 masks in Victoria in one week Face masks offered for sale in Victoria in July. Through Stage Four coronavirus restrictions all members of the public must wear a mask outside in Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement WHO advisor and epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws said not having the proper protective equipment for COVID workers wasn't good enough. 'It's poor leadership, it's unconscionable and it's unethical not to have a continuous uninterrupted supply for our frontline healthcare workers,' she said. Health workers and unions have been crying out for N95 masks since April, with Premier Daniel Andrews claiming in August there were 'substantial reserves' of the masks available. After being questioned about a shortage of available N95 masks, Professor Wilson said there had always been enough available for medical staff. 'All decisions about PPE use in our health services has been guided by expert advice and evidence, with the best possible protection for staff the primary consideration, and thankfully supply has always met that guidance,' he said. Around 20 per cent of Victoria's coronavirus cases in July and August came from medical staff. Infectious disease expert Raina Macintyre believes a shortage in available masks lead to a large number of health care workers being struck down by COVID-19. 'There's no doubt that with better PPE, fit testing and a precautionary approach, much of this wave in health workers could have been prevented,' she said. The family of late Moshood Abiola has exonerated the eldest surviving wife of the deceased, Adebisi Abiola, who is being alleged to be responsible for the arrest of two children(Kazeem and Aliu) of the late politician over recent robbery at his Ikeja residence in Lagos. Head of the family, Muritala Abiola, made the clarification on Sunday in a statement following speculation that the woman was behind their arrest and detention. The Head of Abiola family of Gbagura Abeokuta, brother of the Late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola (GCFR), the winner of 1993 Abiola Presidential election rejects false statements made by one Olive, mother of Kazeem and Aliu Abioladeni grating the highly respected matriarch of MKO Abiola family, Alhaja Adebisi Abiola, over a robbery incident which recently happened at Moshood Abiola Crescent in Ikeja, Lagos State, the statement said. The family explained that contrary to the wrong information being peddled in the media, Mrs Abiola never had a hand in the arrest of Messrs Kazeem and Aliu Abiola. The statement further explained that it appears the heated exchange with the Divisional Police Officer, Ikeja, who came to investigate the robbery was what prompted the police to take them (Kazeem and Aliu) to the station. The two brothers were subsequently detained by the police while investigation was on going in spite of appeals for their release by members of the Abiola family including our family matriarch, Alhaja Adebisi Abiola and her daughter but the police insisted on being allowed to do their jobs without fear or favour, the statement read. The statement said that at the request of Mrs Abiola, Muri Abiola, Lola Abiola- Edewor and Ramon Abiola met with the Lagos police commissioner, Akeem Odumosu , to appeal for the release of the arrested duo. This is alongside efforts made by the lawyer retained by Mrs Abiola to have the young men released. The head of the family also added that the police authority later explained to them that the duos mother, Ms Olive, has instituted a case of illegal detention of her sons against the police through Mike Ozekhome in the court. The family emphasised that the eldest wife of the late businessman has been responsible for the upkeep and welfare of the family, insisting that there is no basis to wrongly accuse her of what she knows nothing about. Chief (Mrs.) Mariam Adebisi Abiola has been the pillar of Abiola family since the demise of M.K.O Abiola. She has been responsible for the maintenance and refurbishment of the Abiola compound without a kobo from the estate of late Chief MKO Abiola as well as the welfare of the entire family including her step children, inclusive of the duo in question, Kazeem and Aliu. The family described the mother of the duo, Ms Olive, as an ingrate, recalling that the woman being wrongly accused represented then late Abiola at the wedding of her(Olive) daughter both physically and financially. The duos biological mother, Olive abandoned the two boys in question. It was Chief Mrs. Mariam Adebisi Abiola who has been taking care of these children for the family. Olive is an ingrate. Chief Mrs Adebisi Abiola represented our late father at the wedding of Olives youngest daughter both physically and financially, the statement emphasised. The family declared that the woman(Adebisi) deserves respect as a result of her consistent care for the family for the past years , most importantly, her role as an anchor and mother to all the children of the late Abiola. We believe in the family that Chief Mrs. Mariam Adebisi Abiola deserves the highest respect due to her consistent care for the entire family over the last 46 years. Especially notable is her role as an anchor and mother to many since our dear brother passed on 22 years ago. She is a reserved and humble lady by nature and we must defend her good name in this matter. She was the victim of an armed robbery attack and then a media campaign of calumny. We reached an alignment as a family to achieve the release of both brothers which was made a herculean task by that lawsuit. Glory be to God that we have been successful, the statement read. The family head said the duo(Kazeem and Aliu) have also condemned the media smear by their mother and expressed their regret that such false accusations were disseminated against Mrs Abiola, adding that our priority as a family was securing the release of the young men but the defamatory allegations could not go unaddressed. TANZANIA, Tanzania - Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the United Nations will not support reimposing sanctions on Iran as the United States is demanding until he gets a green light from the Security Council. The U.N. chief said in a letter to the council president obtained Sunday by The Associated Press that there would appear to be uncertainty on whether or not U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo triggered the snapback mechanism in the Security Council resolution that enshrined the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six major powers. The Trump administration declared Saturday that all U.N. sanctions against Iran have been restored, a move most of the rest of the world rejects as illegal and is likely to ignore. The U.S. announcement is certain to cause controversy during the U.N.s annual high-level meetings of the General Assembly starting Monday, which is being held mainly virtually this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. announcement came 30 days after Pompeo notified the council that the administration was triggering snapback because Iran was in significant non-performance with its obligations under the accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA. But the overwhelming majority of members in the 15-nation council call the U.S. action illegal because President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the plan in 2018. They point to Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the nuclear agreement. It states that a JCPOA participant state can trigger the snapback mechanism. The U.S. insists that as an original participant it has the legal right, even though it ceased participating. Guterres noted in the letter that the Security Council has taken no action subsequent to the receipt of the letter of the U.S. secretary of state, neither have any of its members or its president. He said the majority of council members have written to the council president to the effect that the letter did not constitute a notification that snapback was triggered. And he said the presidents of the council for August and September have indicated that they were not in a position to take any action in regard to this matter. Therefore, Guterres said: It is not for the secretary-general to proceed as if no such uncertainty exists. The U.N. Secretariat, which Guterres heads, provides support to the Security Council in implementing sanctions including establishing committees and panels of experts to monitor their implementation along with websites on the nature of sanctions and lists of those on sanctions blacklists. Guterres said the U.N. wont take any action pending clarification by the Security Council on whether or not sanctions that have been lifted should be reimposed. Under the snapback provision, U.N. sanctions eased or lifted by the nuclear deal are re-imposed and must be enforced by U.N. member states. Those would include hitting Iran with penalties for uranium enrichment to any level, ballistic missile activity and buying or selling conventional weapons. Those bans were either removed or set to expire under the terms of the 2015 deal in which Iran was granted billions of dollars in sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear program. China and Russia have been particularly adamant in rejecting the U.S. position, but U.S. allies have not been shy either. In a letter sent Friday to the Security Council president, Britain, France and Germany the three European participants who remain committed to the agreement said the U.S. announcement is incapable of having legal effect, so it cannot reimpose sanctions on Iran. Russias deputy ambassador to the U.N., Dmitry Polyanskiy, said the U.S. had only isolated itself. Its very painful to see how a great country humiliates itself like this, opposes in its obstinate delirium other members of U.N. Security Council, he wrote on Twitter. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who co-ordinates the JCPOA Joint Commission, reiterated that the U.S. cannot be considered a JCPOA participant state and cannot initiate the process of reinstating UN sanctions. Consequently, he said, the sanctions remain lifted. Chinas U.N. Mission tweeted: US unilateral announcement on the return of UN sanctions on IRAN is devoid of any legal, political or practical effect. ... Its time to end the political drama by the US. In its own letter to the Security Council on Saturday, Iran said the U.S. move is null and void, has no legal standing and effect and is thus completely unacceptable. The White House plans to issue an executive order on Monday spelling out how the U.S. will enforce the restored sanctions, and the State and Treasury departments are expected to outline how foreign individuals and businesses will be penalized for violations. The United States expects all U.N. member states to fully comply with their obligations to implement these measures, Pompeo said. If U.N, member states fail to fulfil their obligations to implement these sanctions, the United States is prepared to use our domestic authorities to impose consequences for those failures and ensure that Iran does not reap the benefits of U.N.-prohibited activity. It remains unclear how the administration will respond to being ignored, particularly by its European allies, which have pledged to keep the nuclear deal alive. A wholesale rejection of the U.S. position could push the administration, which has already withdrawn from multiple U.N. agencies, organizations and treaties, further away from the international community. ____ Matthew Lee contributed to this report from Washington. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) sector has rapidly become a preferred fuelling option for a large fleet of service vehicles such as cabs and auto-rikshaws, and even some private vehicles, over the past few years. However, the segments recovery post the lockdown has been a long drawn out one, with industry sources stating that sales have currently recovered to around 85-90 per cent of pre-Covid levels. According to industry analysts, sector executives do not expect the market to normalise until the last quarter of the current financial year (Jan-Mar, 2021). For instance, Indraprastha Gas saw April and May sales virtually wiped out due to the lockdown and relevant restrictions, but beginning June, things have begun to pick up. Indraprasthas CNG volumes are currently at 85-90 per cent of normal levels. However, the company expects volumes to normalize by the end of 4QFY21. Maharashtra Natural Gas Ltd (MNGL) and Central UP Gas Ltd (CUGL) have seen volume impact at levels similar to IGL. CUGL (Kanpur) has seen better recovery, while MNGL (Pune) has been drastically impacted due to extended lockdown, said analysts at Motilal Oswal Institutional Equities in a research note. According to the report, IGL and MNGL have achieved minimum work program (MWP) despite the disruption and the managements remain confident of achieving double-digit growth from next year. For FY22, we build-in volume growth of 14%, over FY20 levels, to 7.6mmscmd (v/s 6.4/4.6mmscmd in FY20/FY21), they said. The companies also have growth strategies revolving around improving CNG infrastructure, increasing PNG penetration, and creating new synergies by bidding for new locations. Other consequences of the pandemic may also have an effect on demand for CNG, which is primarily driven by the transport services segment. Virtual connect has drastically impacted intracity and intrastate travel. Commercial segments are down as there is uncertainty regarding when traffic would return to restaurants and malls, the note said. Fight on A combined photo capture taken from a video released by Samsung Newsroom, Sunday, a day before this year's Alzheimer's Day, shows four researchers who are studying Alzheimer's disease with financial support from the Samsung Science and Technology Foundation. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics By Kim Yoo-chul A day before World Alzheimer's Day (Sept. 21), Samsung Electronics released videos highlighting efforts by researchers to develop various projects aimed at tackling the disease on multiple fronts. The content, viewable online at Samsung Newsroom, demonstrates the company's focus on how its financially assisted development projects help people who have the disease. Samsung has funded 15 projects both directly and indirectly via Samsung Science and Technology Foundation so far. The 15 include ones related to disease-modifying therapies and diverse treatment options for patients who are experiencing symptoms of cognitive decline. Samsung's support for Alzheimer disease projects is in line with its funding of research in the fundamental sciences, especially biology. From 2013 to the end of the first half of this year, Samsung provided 770 billion won in funding to 601 studies. From a business standpoint, the Alzheimer's disease market will grow from $2.2 billion in 2018 across eight major markets to $12.9 billion by 2028 at a compound annual growth rate of 19.3 percent, according to recent estimates by GlobalData. In order to better understand the detailed risk factors on cognitive trajectories in early- and late-onset Alzheimer's disease, Samsung Medical Center joined with Samsung Alzheimer Research Medical Center, Harvard Medical School and Indiana University to study conventional risk factors accelerated with cognitive decline in late-onset Alzheimer's. Samsung's bio drug manufacturing affiliate Samsung Biologics signed a contract development and manufacturing agreement with Taiwan's APRINOIA Therapeutics to possibly develop an anti-tau monoclonal anti-body candidate to treat the disease. Canada refines details on the eligibility requirements for foreign nationals who want to activate their work permits during the coronavirus pandemic. More details released on who can apply for employer-specific work permits without leaving Canada More details released on who can apply for employer-specific work permits without leaving Canada Canada refines details on the eligibility requirements for foreign nationals who want to activate their work permits during the coronavirus pandemic. More details released on who can apply for employer-specific work permits without leaving Canada Canada refines details on the eligibility requirements for foreign nationals who want to activate their work permits during the coronavirus pandemic. More details released on who can apply for employer-specific work permits without leaving Canada Canada refines details on the eligibility requirements for foreign nationals who want to activate their work permits during the coronavirus pandemic. Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A Canada released more detailed information on who is eligible for a new temporary policy that benefits temporary residents with job offers. The new policy, announced last month, allows eligible foreign nationals with valid status to apply for a job offer-supported work permit from inside Canada. It also means that eligible foreign nationals will not be denied a work permit if they have not complied with certain temporary residence conditions. In addition, eligible former temporary foreign workers may be allowed to work while a decision on their work permit is pending. In order to be eligible to apply for an employer-specific work permit without leaving the country, the foreign national needs to have legal visitor status in Canada. They may also be in Canada on implied status. They need to have been physically present in Canada on August 24, 2020 and have not left the country since. They can only be submitting an application for an employer-specific work permit. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) officers are instructed to consider the expiry date of the period of authorized stay to be the decision date on the submitted application. Have a job offer? Contact a lawyer for work permit help. Temporary workers who converted to visitor status are also authorized to work as long as they meet the following eligibility requirements: They have valid temporary resident status as a visitor and were physically present in Canada on August 24, 2020. They also must have remained in Canada since. They have held a valid work permit in the past 12 months preceding the date on which they submitted their application for a work permit under the new policy, despite the fact that they are now in Canada on visitor status. They must intend to work for the employer and the occupation specified by the LMIA or LMIA-exempt offer of employment included in their work permit application submitted under the new public policy. They have applied to IRCC for the interim authorization to work using the IRCC webform. They also need to have requested that the authorization to work be applicable until a decision is made on their work permit application. Travelling to the border for immigration services is considered non-essential travel. Before coronavirus hit, foreign nationals would have to leave the country and come back in order to activate the visa. The practise was barred in an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus. Canadas immigration minister, Marco Mendicino previously said that the new measure will help temporary foreign workers and Canadian employers alike, by allowing them to skip this step while coronavirus measures are still in force. Have a job offer? Contact a lawyer for work permit help. 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved KYODO NEWS - Sep 20, 2020 - 09:26 | All, World U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that he supports a proposed deal "in concept" that could pave the way for Chinese video-sharing app TikTok to continue to operate in the United States on the grounds that security and data privacy concerns have been resolved. Citing "recent positive developments," the Commerce Department said the same day that it will delay a ban on the popular app from U.S. app stores, which was supposed to kick in on Sunday night, to Sept. 27. Under the proposed deal that would involve the app owner ByteDance Ltd., U.S. software company Oracle Corp. and retailer Walmart Inc., security will be "100 percent," Trump told reporters, adding, "I can say that I have given the deal my blessing." "If they get it done, that's great. If they don't, that's OK too," he added. Trump suggested that the deal will lead to the creation of a new company that will be in charge of TikTok's operations in the United States, likely to be headquartered in Texas. The Chinese government must sign off on the new U.S. company as a step toward finalizing the deal, according to Bloomberg. TikTok, which says its service is used by 100 million Americans, became hugely popular in the United States after its parent company ByteDance acquired U.S. short-video platform Musical.ly in 2017 at a price tag of around $1 billion. Musical.ly was fully rebranded as TikTok. But the Trump administration has labeled TikTok, along with Chinese messaging app WeChat, as national security risks, alleging that the platforms capture vast swaths of data from U.S. citizens for transfer to the Chinese government. The Commerce Department said Friday a ban on downloading the two from U.S. app stores will take effect from the end of Sunday. Related coverage: U.S. to ban downloading Chinese apps WeChat, TikTok after Sunday U.S. software giant Oracle eyes teaming up with Chinese TikTok owner TikTok sues Trump gov't for banning service in U.S. AEI report: Graduates of Protestant schools most likely to have intact marriages, fewer divorces Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A new report from the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute concluded that those who attended Protestant private schools as children were less likely to get divorced and have children out of wedlock than their public school peers. AEIs Institute for Family Studies examined data from the Understanding America Study from 2015 and 2016, as well as the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, first conducted in 1997. They compiled their findings in a report titled The Protestant Family Ethic: What Do Protestant, Catholic, Private, and Public Schooling Have to Do with Marriage, Divorce, and Non-Marital Childbearing? Men and women who have been educated in a private school tend to be more likely to be married, less likely to have ever divorced, and less likely to have had a child outside of wedlock, the report, released Wednesday, showed. Sixty-three percent of adults who attended Protestant schools were in an intact marriage compared to just 42% of adults who attended public schools, according to the 2015-2016 study. The share of Catholic and secular private school attendees who were in an intact marriage stood at 49% and 53%, respectively. The results of the Understanding America Study demonstrated a similar pattern regarding the differences in divorce rates among alumni of Protestant, Catholic, secular private schools, and public schools. Forty-three percent of adults who graduated from public schools have been divorced at least once. The share of Catholic School alumni who have ever been divorced stood at 40% while the share of Protestant and secular private school graduates who have been divorced stood at 21%. Among adults who attended public school, 26% have had a child out of wedlock compared to 16% of Catholic school alumni. Among Protestant and secular private school graduates, 11% said that they have had a child out of wedlock. The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, cited in the AEI report, asked students who attended school in the late 1990s a series of questions about their school environments. The results of this inquiry showed that students at different types of schools had varying perceptions about morality. When asked if almost NO kids ever had sex in their grade, only 16% of public school students answered in the affirmative. A much higher share of Protestant school students (75%) reported that almost no students in their grade ever had sex while 51% of secular private school students said the same; 38% of Catholic school students said that almost none of their peers engaged in sexual activity. Just 37% of public school students reported that almost NO kids use illegal drugs; 83% of Protestant School attendees reported an almost drug-free school environment, along with 65% of secular private school students and 55% of Catholic school students. The reported difference in regular religious service attendance between students at religious schools and those who attended secular private schools and public schools was stark: 61% of Protestant school students said that almost all of their peers attended church services regularly compared to 21% of Catholic school students, 5% of public school students, and 4% of secular private school students. The results of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth indicated a noticeable difference in post-secondary school plans among public and private school students. While 20% of public school students said that almost all of their peers planned to attend college, 62% of Catholic school students said the same; 60% of Protestant school students and 57% of secular private school students reported that a high percentage of their peers planned on pursuing higher education. Twenty years later, the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth looked at the marriage and family lives of the subjects they had surveyed in their 1997 report. The results demonstrated that 43% of millennials who attended secular private and public schools were in intact marriages compared to 51% of their Catholic peers and 57% of those who attended Protestant schools as children. Thirty-one percent of the millennials who attended public schools had been divorced. The share of respondents who had ever been divorced was much lower among those who attended Catholic (18%), secular private (20%), and Protestant schools (21%). The share of millennial public school graduates surveyed in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth who had a child out of wedlock (36%) was more than double that of their private school peers. Fourteen percent of Protestant school graduates, 16% of Catholic school alumni, and 19% of those who attended secular private schools had at least one child outside of marriage. In an effort to account for some of the factors that led to adults who attended different types of schools as children to see varying outcomes in their marriage and family lives as adults, the report compared the schools teachings on the controversial issues of marriage and human sexuality. When it comes to family life, public schools stress the importance of being tolerant and accepting of family diversity or just avoid talking about loaded matters touching on marriage, divorce, and non-marital childbearing, the report explained. Catholic schools often address church teaching regarding human sexuality and marriage, but some schools do not focus on these controversial teachings so much as on less controversial virtues and values, like charity, forgiveness, and the Golden Rule. In contrast to many Catholic schools, which have sought to be more catholic in the sense of being open to those of various religious and moral perspectives, including beliefs about sexual morality and marriage, the report asserted that Protestant schools are more likely to stress the importance of marriage as a good in and of itselfand of having and raising children in marriage. Religious schoolingand particularly Protestant schoolingis associated with higher rates of stable marriage, lower rates of divorce, and lower rates of out-of-wedlock births, even after controlling for key aspects of respondents backgrounds, the report continued. Explaining the impact that intact marriages and the traditional nuclear family have on society as a whole, the report emphasized, Men and women who forge strong and stable marriages are typically happier, healthier, and more prosperous. Any children they have are also more likely to be in better shape emotionally, economically, and educationally. The communities dominated by successfully married men and women are more prosperous, economically mobile, and safer. The report was authored by W. Bradford Wilcox, a senior fellow at the Institute for Family Studies, Wendy Wang, the director of research at the Institute, Albert Chang, a professor at the University of Arkansas, and Patrick Wolf, a professor at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. KYODO NEWS - Sep 20, 2020 - 10:46 | All, World A package containing the poison ricin and addressed to President Donald Trump was intercepted by law enforcement earlier this week, U.S. media reported Saturday. Tests confirmed the presence of ricin, a poison found naturally in castor beans, according to local reports. Investigators are looking into the possibility that the package was mailed to the president from Canada, CNN reported citing a U.S. law enforcement official. Mary-Liz Power, chief spokeswoman for Canada's Minister of Public Safety Bill Blair, said in a statement that Canadian law enforcement officials are working closely with their U.S. counterparts, according to CNN. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it would take "a deliberate act to make ricin and use it to poison people" and that no antidote exists for the poison, which can kill a person within 36 to 72 hours of exposure, according to USA Today. Related coverage: Trump says he backs TikTok deal that may allow its operations in U.S. U.S. top court justice, women's rights pioneer Ginsburg dies at 87 The 2020 China Space Conference opens in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province, on Sept 18, 2020. [Photo by Zhao Lei/chinadaily.com.cn] China is determined to land its astronauts on the moon and set up a scientific station there, according to a project leader. Zhou Yanfei, deputy chief designer of China's manned space program, said on Friday that China wishes to use the manned lunar missions to carry out scientific surveys and technology demonstrations, explore ways to develop lunar resources and strengthen the nation's space capabilities. "A new wave of lunar explorations has been emerging in the world, with participants aiming to make sustainable missions to deepen knowledge of the moon and exploit resources there," he said in a report delivered at the 2020 China Space Conference in Fuzhou, Fujian province. "Unlike other nations, China must depend on its own science and technology to realize our goals." The country is independently able to land its astronauts on the moon because it has the technologies, a group of well-trained, innovative professionals and high-efficiency research and management systems, Zhou said. Planners, designers and engineers have done feasibility research and discussed all aspects of the manned lunar program. Chinese researchers will have to overcome a long list of technical and engineering difficulties, Zhou said. "Our existing carrier rockets can't perform landing missions to the moon because they are not powerful enough. The Shenzhou-series manned spaceships are not suitable for lunar expeditions. We don't have a lunar landing capsule," he said. "Our ground support system was designed for operations in low-Earth orbit rather than on the lunar surface. Moreover, Chinese astronauts have no experience working on an extraterrestrial body." The first step is to produce a powerful launch vehicle. Zhou said researchers initiated two approachesmaking a new heavy-lift rocket capable of deploying more than 35 metric tons of payload in a lunar transfer orbit, or modifying the next-generation rocket designed to carry astronauts, which is under development. Researchers prefer the latter approach because it would be easier to design and make and would become operational earlier. It would be used to transport astronauts and components to a lunar transfer orbit to assemble a landing capsule, which will then take astronauts to the moon, according to Zhou. The new rocket is being designed at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology. Its main body will be 87 meters tall, with a diameter of 5 meters, which would make it almost twice as tall as the Long March 5, currently the biggest of China's rockets. The gigantic craft will boast a liftoff weight of about 2,200 metric tons, nearly triple that of the Long March 5. That will enable the rocket to place a 25-ton spacecraft in a trajectory to get it to the moon, designers have said. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday termed the Parliamentary nod to the agrarian reform bills as a watershed moment in the history of Indian agriculture. He reiterated that the system of minimum support prices (MSP) will remain, and the public procurement will continue. Congratulations to our hardworking farmers on the passage of key bills in Parliament, which will ensure a complete transformation of the agriculture sector as well as empower crores of farmers. We are here to serve our farmers. We will do everything possible to support them and ensure a better life for their coming generations, PM stated in a series of tweets after the Rajya Sabha passed the legislations by voice vote amid ruckus. ALSO READ | Two farm bills passed in Rajya Sabha despite protests by Opposition MPs The Prime Minister also stated that for decades the Indian farmer was bound by various constraints and bullied by middlemen, while the bills passed by Parliament would liberate the farmers from such adversities. These bills will add impetus to the efforts to double income of farmers and ensure greater prosperity for them, he tweeted. He added that the agriculture sector is in desperate need of latest technology, and the farmers will now have easier access to futuristic technology that will boost production and yield better results. BJP chief J P Nadda, while hailing the passage of the bills, said that the farmers have been freed from the injustice that has been continued for the last 70 years. Those who are against the bill are anti-farmers. Instead of being part of the process, Opposition tried to obstruct the liberation of farmers. The BJP condemns their act, said Nadda. A street near Hongik University, a popular tourist area in Seoul, is empty, Sunday. Yonhap The government is seeking to begin doling out emergency handouts later this week to help people recover from the impact of nationwide efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19, officials said Sunday. Earlier this month, the government drew up its fourth supplementary budget of the year worth 7.8 trillion won (US$6.6 billion), which includes cash handouts and other relief to households, merchants and self-employed people bearing the brunt of the ongoing antivirus fight. According to the officials from the finance ministry and other relevant state agencies, the government has set a tentative timetable of providing the handouts from as early as later this week on the condition that the supplementary budget can be approved by the National Assembly by Tuesday as it has requested. If the budget is approved as hoped, the government plans to begin sending relief funds worth 200,000 won to families whose children are preschoolers and elementary students from as early as Friday. Gary Norcross became the CEO of Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (NYSE:FIS) in 2015, 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 Fidelity National Information Services. Check out our latest analysis for Fidelity National Information Services How Does Total Compensation For Gary Norcross Compare With Other Companies In The Industry? According to our data, Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. has a market capitalization of US$91b, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth US$28m over the year to December 2019. We note that's an increase of 50% above last year. We think total compensation is more important but our data shows that the CEO salary is lower, at US$1.2m. In comparison with other companies in the industry with market capitalizations over US$8.0b , the reported median total CEO compensation was US$11m. Hence, we can conclude that Gary Norcross is remunerated higher than the industry median. Furthermore, Gary Norcross directly owns US$112m worth of shares in the company, implying that they are deeply invested in the company's success. Component 2019 2018 Proportion (2019) Salary US$1.2m US$1.2m 4% Other US$26m US$17m 96% Total Compensation US$28m US$18m 100% Speaking on an industry level, nearly 14% of total compensation represents salary, while the remainder of 86% is other remuneration. Investors may find it interesting that Fidelity National Information Services paid a marginal salary to Gary Norcross, over the past year, focusing on non-salary compensation instead. If non-salary compensation dominates total pay, it's an indicator that the executive's salary is tied to company performance. A Look at Fidelity National Information Services, Inc.'s Growth Numbers Story continues Over the last three years, Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. has shrunk its earnings per share by 70% per year. Its revenue is up 45% over the last year. Investors would be a bit wary of companies that have lower EPS On the other hand, the strong revenue growth suggests the business is growing. In conclusion we can't form a strong opinion about business performance yet; but it's one worth watching. Moving away from current form for a second, it could be important to check this free visual depiction of what analysts expect for the future. Has Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. Been A Good Investment? Boasting a total shareholder return of 63% over three years, Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. has done well by shareholders. This strong performance might mean some shareholders don't mind if the CEO were to be paid more than is normal for a company of its size. To Conclude... Fidelity National Information Services prefers rewarding its CEO through non-salary benefits. As we touched on above, Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. is currently paying its CEO higher than the median pay for CEOs of companies belonging to the same industry and with similar market capitalizations. But Fidelity National Information Services is growing its revenue, and total shareholder returns have also been pleasing for the last three years. The only sore spot is EPS growth, which is negative over the same period. All things considered, although EPS growth would've been nice, the positive investor returns and revenue growth lead us to believe Gary is appropriately paid. 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 2 warning signs for Fidelity National Information Services that investors should be aware of in a dynamic business environment. Switching gears from Fidelity National Information Services, 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. One of the endless criticisms in the endless debate on the rights and wrongs of present-day big tech and the quest for data accountability is the idea that users of such tech are effectively walking cash-generators for the corporate behemoths. Like so much in this world, such a statement is not entirely wrong but it is not entirely right either. The likes of Google, Facebook, and Twitter subsist by selling advertising, its true. All three would argue that they do not sell data, however. Nonetheless, marketing is crucial to their business model. The most accomplished, and most profitable, of the three is Google. Why? Because they got there first, says a source. They got in early, they have a better algorithm, and they show more relevant ads. First-mover advantage is hugely important. In the third quarter of 2018, 87% of Googles total revenue came from advertising, equating to about 20.4bn. Google CEO Sundar Pichai is on the record as saying that Google will never sell any personal information to third parties. You get to decide how your information is used, Mr Pichai wrote in The New York Times in 2019. There is certainly merit to that statement the convenience which Google provides to modern living, in terms of traffic-monitoring for example, is only possible via the sharing of location data. If no one shares their location, the service cannot work. Meanwhile, personal data from Google Drive or Gmail is never used for marketing purposes, the company says. Nevertheless, Google has shown itself to be wise to the fact that scepticism about big data is only growing with time hence the commitment made in 2019 to auto-wipe data for new accounts, and to prompt long-term users to do the same. Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Picture:Justin Sullivan/Getty Images The company still needs to make money, however. Pichai sums it up thus: A small subset of data helps serve ads that are relevant and that provide the revenue that keeps Google products free and accessible. That revenue also sustains a broad community of content creators, which in turn helps keep content on the web free for everyone. This all sounds very altruistic, and certainly the utility provided by Google cannot be denied. Regardless, it is one of the most profitable companies on the planet, so money is certainly being made somewhere. The recently introduced California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which came into effect at the beginning of 2020 in Googles home state, has a number of wide-reaching effects. One of those is to define what a sale is in terms of data transfers. Under the act, any transaction which sees something of value change hands equates to a sale, and in all such cases, the individual whose data is being used has to be given the opportunity to opt out of the deal. This is one of the key reasons why acknowledging the sale of data would be so problematic for the manner in which Google functions. The company does acknowledge that at some part of the process a sale takes place, it just denies that it is the one doing the selling. The argument is not dissimilar to that made regarding the torrenting of media, with those hosting torrent files, or torrent sites, arguing that they are merely providing a service, not committing any overt act. But how exactly does ones online data become monetised? In the case of Google, the all-conquering search giant, formed in 1998, itself operates its revenue-generating business model in two main ways. Firstly it assembles all the data it has recorded from your various online interactions into a profile of interests, and potentially physical characteristics, and allows advertisers to target their messaging at that demographic. Secondly, it shares its vast wealth of data with advertisers directly and asks them to bid for ad space, be it on mobile devices or desktop, via a constant stream of online auctions. Such auctions are constantly happening in the background via an automated system known as "real-time bidding". The system is a double-edged sword. In auctioning off advertising space on their apps and websites, publishers likewise share personal data via permissions phone numbers, device IDs, browsing history with Google and hundreds of other companies like it. Stock image. Picture: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire The process sees a persons data go through a number of different layers in real time, from leaving a users device to ending up in the hands of an advertiser. Supply-side platforms (SSPs) collect the data to sell, ad tech exchanges like Google organise the automated auctions for advertising space between themselves and the advertisers, and demand-side platforms (DSPs) do the bidding on behalf of the advertisers themselves. The auctions may sound grandiose given the real-world variant of the term in reality they last mere nanoseconds, with the highest bidder getting the space. In this manner, ads based on your recent browsing activity or personal preferences magically end up targeting you via an app that may be completely unrelated to the activity on sale. Where Google has the advantage in this system is that it controls vast tracts of the real-time bidding universe. This has resulted from prescient acquisitions as the company has developed, not dissimilar to Facebooks strategic acquisitions of Instagram and Whatsapp, together with the ongoing success of its own signature advertising products. For example, in 2009 it bought AdMob, the largest ad SSP for the then-burgeoning smartphone application advertising market. In 2020 AdMob under Googles ownership sends more than 40bn mobile and text ads per month across mobile browsers and individual applications. AdMob develops tools for web developers to build into their apps, known as software development kits (SDKs), which then connect the apps to the ad exchanges directly. From there, your app shares an ad with you based off the volume of data that AdMob shares with Google and the exchange, and to end the process both Google and the app developer are paid for the service. AdSense meanwhile is Googles flagship monetisation product, counting some 11m websites as its customers and paying out $10bn to publishers each year. It works simply by a publisher making advertising slots available on its site which Google fills with the winning bids in those same real-time auctions. Billions of these auctions happen every day with Google acting both as data facilitator and oftentimes the exchange also. In each case Google receives bid requests from across the web; it then shares data with the DSPs representing the advertisers, and receives remuneration once the auction is completed. The amount depends on the scale of the auction and the number of clicks the displayed ad produces. Cost per click (CPC) varies depending on the subject matter, with an average across the spectrum of between $1 and $2. Read More Cianan Brennan: Putting a market value on genetic data AdSenses revenue split equates to 68% for the publisher and 32% for Google. This equates to millions of dollars per day. Make no mistake, Google is an enormous revenue generator, both for itself and for thousands of individual sites which likely could not exist without that income. Meanwhile, at the users end, the individual is affected in that all the data points for an auction on their device are tied back to their specific data points from phone identifiers, or cookies (the footprints of desktop browsing), to information from a persons own Google account. Then there are the means by which Google personalises your data, preferences, and online history. You can get a feel for this personally by checking out myaccount.google.com. Should an advertiser wish to target a specific age group, with particular interests, Googles algorithm moulds the copious amounts of data it processes into inferences as to demographics and interests, which are then made available to the demand side for targeted ads. Taking that a step further, its Customer Match facility allows advertisers to upload data on and target individual users by name, email, and device ID, information which is shared with Google routinely for example via Google Play Services, the app installed on all Android devices charged with ensuring third-party applications run properly. This particular form of data-sharing then sees ads served at the individual customer via their account across platforms. Cookies, meanwhile, are of less import than Googles own data collection and profiling, it seems. Cookies are for when you specifically want to target someone who has already performed a desired behaviour say in purchasing a specific product, says an ad-exchange source. "Its called remarketing, and theyre nice to have because theyre proven, as opposed to speculative. But that serves to seriously limit the number of people you can show an ad to. So is there a problem for individual publishers, given they get a cut of all advertising that comes their way via Google? This really depends on what the advertiser is looking for although with the Covid-19 pandemic having decimated in-house advertising budgets of media companies for example, at present the point is slightly moot. Nevertheless, publishers can boast their own first-party data that is, metrics exclusive to the site in question, like browsing history and viewer behaviours. In happier times, an in-house marketing sales department is of more use to an advertiser looking for a bespoke campaign with a specific return. Google takes approximately 30% of all revenue earned from a website, as well as requiring you to use their publishers ad manager system, which can add up to substantial costs, says one in-house source. If we sell directly, we can layer on our own first-party data regarding a users interests, but even then wed have to use the Google management system which we pay a standing fee for, they say. First-party data is gold dust and is essentially the best quality. Many agencies would love to get their hands on such data, but many sites seem reluctant to give it up, most likely as it would be like opening up Pandoras box. Google are definitely a hindrance overall, but we cant really operate without them as they are so established. Even other market leaders use the Google platform overall, so its hard to compete. They have publishers cornered, in essence. File picture: PA In short, many other companies have tried and failed to offer a direct system, but as Google is so prevalent in the industry, its not really a runner. When speaking about the benefit of dealing directly with a data bank like Google, one industry source says: Its all about efficiency. You want to be able to go online, have a campaign drawn up inside 30 minutes and let loose. Then you can come back the next day and adjust. Thats the beauty of online advertising, in that its measurable. Most traditional advertising, a logo on a shirt, say, cant really be measured. "And a lot of advertising has traditionally been about maintaining brand recognition. But online advertising evolves all the time, its a question of evolving with it to get the best return on investment. So this is how the system works. What then are the potential issues, other than the irritation of low-grade, looped advertising content? As with all data-heavy projects of all hues, the largest issues exist in terms of privacy breaches, and the ever-expanding potential for same. With the sheer amount of data flying through the ether as a matter of course, data grabs become an ever-more attractive prospect for those looking to exploit the system. At present, the Irish Data Protection Commission has open inquiries under way into both the adtech industry and the real-time bidding advertising framework. The aforementioned customer-matching technique in practice is one particular avenue with the potential to prove problematic from a privacy standpoint, with research suggesting that such specifically targeted systems which are utilised by all the big tech companies can lead to the reverse engineering of phone numbers and other personal identifiable information (PII). However, it is also true, as Sundar Pichai suggests, that online marketing only works proportionate to the information which users are willing to voluntarily give up. By routinely deleting browser histories and location data, a user will make it at least a little more difficult for companies to target them. What Google is banking on, and with good reason, is that enough people are happy enough to give up their data for the returns they receive. Unless that changes, the billions being made via automated online advertising will not be going anywhere. Putting a market value on genetic data Genuitys endeavours with the Irish publics genetic data raise questions as to why the Government has not become involved in orchestrating a publicly-funded genomics project which would cost a fraction of the price of the private one, and would see the collated data returned to the public domain, says Cianan Brennan. Its 2020, and were not yet flying around in hovercars. Yet the world is a fundamentally different place to what it was 20 years ago. Back then, mobile phones were becoming increasingly common, but the smart device revolution was still several years away. Facebook wouldnt appear before 2005. Google existed, but was many years removed from the all-conquering behemoth we know now. Nowadays, in a world of smartphone ubiquity and endless online information, the marketing of data has become commonplace. While such information is valuable, the whole oblique nature of the process renders it, for good or ill, of little everyday interest to most. The health and wellbeing sphere has been far from immune to the encroachment of big data. Google routinely monitors the exercise its users take, where they cycle to, where theyve walked. Popular apps such as FitBit, acquired last year by Google, or Apple Health, collect data on individual users fitness and wellbeing statistics as a matter of course, though the volunteering of said information is voluntary. Closer to home the recent launch of the Covid Tracker app was a poster-child for responsible data processing in the case of a civic-minded app, one which people who would ordinarily have little appetite for interacting with the data giants such as Google would be more inclined to download. However, the app has not been without its problems, most of which have stemmed from the Google/Android side of things and have been fired by that companys need to acquire data to feed its behavioural marketing models. Asked at the launch about the appropriateness or otherwise of relying so heavily on private entities Apple and Google for an application aimed at curing a societal ill, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly compared the tech giants' status to that of a national utility. I think it is probably a facet of modern life. They are the technology platforms. Were largely dependent on the ESB to keep the country running, but thats ok. We are largely dependent on these private-sector companies to keep the internet running, to keep broadband running, to do an awful lot of things, he said. It just is what it is. However, there is other data relating to our collective health physical information that is of huge value. And the sheer scope of what it means is something the Irish State, let alone its people, has yet to get a handle on. Were talking about genetic data, and the market value of the individual human genome the DNA files which double as the building blocks for humankind. The focus of this market is not necessarily research. The value lies in what may seem a far more banal avenue, mainly the predictability of susceptibility to disease. But if you think that means the potential for enormous profit does not exist, you are very much mistaken. Last month, Blackstone Group, a giant American private-equity multinational, acquired about 75% of Ancestry.com in a deal worth the guts of 4bn. Ancestry is an American genealogy company set up in 1996, the largest for-profit entity of its kind on the planet, with its European headquarters in Dublin. Its fundamental premise is the sale to consumers of DNA kits with which they can map their genetic ancestry. This basically translates to an estimate of ethnicity, together with the inference of family relationships between its 18m users. In practice, the service is used by customers to trace unknown biological relations. Analysis of its kit samples is performed by the American corporation Quest Diagnostics, one of the largest clinical laboratory companies in the world. Irish people will be familiar with it as one of the laboratories, used to process Cervical Check samples, which became household names after a number of Irish women took lawsuits over incorrect smear-test results. Blackstones recent track record has been one of investment in growth industries and companies likely to benefit from dramatic shifts in consumer behaviour. It is far from inconceivable that the move towards marketable genomes is a classic example of such a shift. What may come as a surprise is that a valuation can indeed be placed on an individuals genetic sequence. For $99 theyll tell you what percent Viking you are, and how susceptible you are to cancer, says Simon McGarr, a privacy solicitor. Read More Aine Kenny: PhD students call for urgent reform of the system Its amazing that they get you to pay them. You dont get much of anything in return really. But theyve got the genome, and the genome is valuable. How valuable? A recent presentation by pharmaceutical research company Open Orphan put the price per sample at anything between $450 and $3,000. A compromise figure of $1,500 is often accepted as the current going rate. Apply that rate to a full population and you begin to see that genomics is big business, with large-scale pharma multinationals on the lookout for areas where they can access swathes of genetic data, ostensibly for pharmaceutical research, most especially in the field of rare disease drugs. Individual citizens owning the rights to their own genetic data is far from usual, but that cannot alter the fact that the acquisition of such data is big business in 2020. So, what if there were a determined grab for the genetic data of the Irish people? Thats an easy question to answer because it has to all intents and purposes already happened. In late June of this year a private entity known as Genomics Medicine Ireland (GMI), established in 2015, quietly rebranded its American, Icelandic, and Irish operations as Genuity Science, while acquiring a new chief executive. GMI had made any number of headlines in recent years, with its goal of sequencing the genomes of 450,000 people a tenth of the Irish population, and a large enough cohort to enable the effective profiling of the entire citizenry, given the interrelated ancestry of Irelands people. The company has been partnering with individual hospitals to acquire large tracts of genetic data. Earlier this year it found itself embroiled in a controversy of sorts after a joint venture between itself and Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, aimed at harvesting the genetic data of 9,000 brain-tumour patients of the hospital, was broadcast publicly via a series of newspaper advertorials. The catch is that participation in the project is on an opt-out basis, rather than opt-in, and many of the participants are already dead. The study itself had initially been blocked by the States Health Research Consent Declaration Committee, established under the Data Protection Act 2018, which gave effect to GDPR in Irish law. That decision was overturned on appeal, with a caveat that the study must be publicly advertised. Eventually the company and Beaumont bowed to public pressure and extended the deadline for opting out of the study by three months until the middle of this month, to mitigate the effects the Covid-19 pandemic would have had on the visibility of the public information announcements. This week the deadline was extended once more until the end of this year, following a flurry of criticism from the likes of Social Democrats co-leader Roisin Shortall. Why the name change? Despite its name, Genomics Medicine Ireland was in fact a subsidiary of an international genetics company, WuXi NextCode, which acquired it in 2018. Officially, Genuity has said the rebrand was necessitated by it having to overhaul its structure after China introduced new national security regulations which make it harder for foreign genetic research companies to share data. The move saw Wuxi NextCode split from its Chinese operations as part of the corporate restructuring. However, the companys prior association with China, given the political climate in the Asian country, had led to criticism from some quarters, with Wuxi NextCode last year rebuffing accusations of ties to China, emanating from the American Senate, and reiterating its status as a multinational headquartered in the US. Where does GMI stand? Theyve kept stating that theyre not Chinese, so that would suggest it was damaging the study, said one industry source, speaking on condition of anonymity. This restructuring allows us to sharpen the short-term strategic focus of our business to better catalyse the biopharma industrys ability to effectively and efficiently integrate genomic data and insights into their drug development endeavors, said Rob Brainin, incoming CEO of the new entity. Our long-term vision and commitment to improving the lives of patients by accelerating the pace of precision health remains the same. Where Genuity stands out is that in it the Government has opted for the genomic profiling of the Irish nation via a private entity, one backed by roughly 70m in taxpayers' money via the Irish Strategic Investment Fund. Meanwhile, a Wuxi NextCode executive went on LinkedIn in August 2019 to announce that GMI had 12,000 whole genome sequenced MS patients and was actively looking for a pharma partner to explore the underlying genetic and biological drivers. The post was removed shortly thereafter. The executive no longer works for Wuxi. This is not to say that Genuitys data-acquisition practices have escaped regulatory scrutiny. In November 2019, months prior to the Beaumont Hospital public announcement, the Data Protection Commission informed privacy advocacy grouping, Digital Rights Ireland, that it had commenced a widespread compliance and supervision investigation regarding how the company processes the genetic data of Irish citizens. No update on the matter has yet been released, although it is understood the possibility of a full inquiry into the companys data-acquisition practices has been mooted and may yet materialise. The overriding question regarding Genuitys endeavours with the Irish publics genetic data is why the Government hasnt become involved in orchestrating a publicly-funded genomics project one which would cost a fraction of the price of the private project, and which would see the collated data returned to the public domain. What these private projects are doing is collating genome banks and then charging big pharmaceutical companies to access them, says McGarr. You could use that genetic information to profile who might be susceptible to the coronavirus, for example. The then-GMI had made just under $13m in revenue through making available certain genomic data to be used in extensive research per its most recently-filed accounts as at the end of 2018. It comes down to this: What do people know and what do they expect? DNA is abstract; someone could consent to selling it, but would they want it sold on to the big pharma companies? says McGarr. What if it were to affect my life insurance, for example, when a profile becomes available showing a predisposition towards cancer and then my family cant get cover? The consequences are so enormous its mind-boggling. In theory, the sale of genetic data does not have to be a one-off either, but something that can be repeated, with the same windfall on each occasion. Taking the 450,000 cohort which Genuity has aimed for, at a price of $1,500 per sample, youre left with a databank with a value of $675m with the possibility of resales. The fact that Ireland hasnt considered the ethical problems involved in the collation of this data is an abomination, says the industry source. For 10m we could have a national genome project which benefits those taking part. Private industry, its responsibility is to make profits via therapeutic products. You have to presume that such concerns make decisions which will be beneficial to them, they say. So why wouldnt the Government get involved in a publicly-funded genome project, of which there are multiple examples already in existence across Europe? Why instead sign on with private industry? My feeling is that there has been a tendency to worship at the altar of foreign direct investment in Ireland at a cost of letting foreign companies dictate the terms of engagement, says the industry source. These companies are not questioned in terms of risk-benefit ratios. That is fine in terms of reputational risk, but your genome is another ball game. Its like a naked picture of you. If you knew someone was taking one you wouldnt let them. In Ireland weve chosen the most exploitative model possible. This private project should be countered by a public one. Look for diseases in the Irish population and benefit a huge amount of people for the least amount of investment possible. Black uniformed riot police swiftly forced hundreds of women, who had stood with linked hands, into police vans. Belarusian police have detained hundreds of female protesters in Minsk, as several thousand women marched through the capital demanding the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko. Mass protests challenging the results of an August 9 presidential election that declared Lukashenko the landslide winner have swept across Belarus over the past month, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported. 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. Several thousand women marched in central Minsk on September 19, briefly scuffling with riot police, who then blocked their path. Black uniformed riot police swiftly forced hundreds of women, who had stood with linked hands, into police vans. "We won't forget! We won't forgive!" shouted the women, who were carrying red-and-white flags and banners, a symbol of the opposition that has been banned by the authorities. Others chanted, "Long live Belarus!" and, "Shame!" Drivers passing by sounded their horns in solidarity with the protesters. Read alsoWomen's peace march, students' protests take place in Minsk (Photo)The demonstration was the latest women's march calling for Lukashenko, who has been in power for 26 years, to resign after what the opposition and the West have called a rigged election. On September 12, 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. Many of Belarus's most prominent opposition leaders are women, including exiled presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and detained members of the Coordination Council like Maria Kolesnikova and Lilia Vlasova. In a statement released ahead of the march, Tikhanovskaya, who has taken refuge in neighboring Lithuania, praised the "brave women of Belarus." "They are marching despite being constantly menaced and put under pressure," she said. Among those arrested on September 19 was Nina Bahinskaya, a 73-year-old great-grandmother and prominent opposition activist. Despite unprecedented police brutality against protesters, Bahinskaya has cut a frail but resolute figure amid the crowds protesting against Lukashenka. His ex wife Lisa Armstrong recently left his unwanted belongings out on the street. And Ant McPartlin appeared in good spirits as he enjoyed a date night with his girlfriend Anne-Marie Corbett on Saturday. The couple put on a loved-up display as they held hands while arriving at Amazonico restaurant in Mayfair. Couple: Ant McPartlin, 44, appeared in good spirits as he enjoyed a date night with his girlfriend Anne-Marie Corbett, 43, on Saturday Ant, 44, arrived at the venue in a navy jumper with a matching blazer along with a pair of tan trousers. The I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! host completed his look for the evening with a pair of white sneakers. Anne-Marie, 43, cut an elegant figure in a black midi dress with a pleated detail and a sweetheart neckline. Ant's other half, who met the star while working as his personal assistant, added height to her frame with a pair of gold heels. Date: The couple put on a loved-up display as they held hands while arriving at Amazonico restaurant in Mayfair Anne-Marie wrapped up in a black leather jacket and styled her blonde locks into loose curls. It comes after Lisa said a final goodbye to her ex-husband as she left out his unwanted possessions in the street for her neighbours to take. No doubt the items were no longer wanted by the TV presenter so Lisa made sure they went to a good home instead. The make-up artist, 43, placed the goods in boxes marked 'help yourself' and put them outside her west London property as she prepares to move out of the marital home she formerly shared with her ex. Casual: Ant arrived at the venue in a navy jumper with a matching blazer along with a pair of tan trousers Dapper: The I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! host completed his look for the evening with a pair of white sneakers The items were easily identifiable as Ant's because they included his Newcastle United shirts and a 'Team Ant' foam hand from Saturday Night Takeaway. There was also Ant's old dressing gown and a pile of board games. No longer needed was Piers Morgans book The Insider and Lisa threw in her own Craig Revel Horwoods Tales from the Dance Floor - she is Strictly's head make-up artist. Lisa, who received 31 million in her divorce settlement from Ant, was also throwing out a bowl used by labrador, Hurley, as well as a Banksy artwork calendar and a Jamie Oliver book. A source told The Sun that Lisa is leaving her West London house and wanted a 'big clear out.' Style: Anne-Marie cut an elegant figure in a black midi dress with a pleated detail and a sweetheart neckline They added: 'Ant had already sifted through what he wanted to keep and had gophers collect them in recent weeks. 'What was left is being offered for free. His bathrobe has been taken. Footie memorabilia has also been given away. But it was the end for his Newcastle shirts.' Another source said: 'Some of it is Ants, some of it is Lisas and some of it they bought together.' On Tuesday, Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan said he did not agree with Lisa's decision to throw out these possessions, even though she is divorced. He was particularly astonished to see she had thrown out his book. Looking good: Ant's other half, who met the star while working as his personal assistant, added height to her frame with a pair of gold heels Piers told co-host Susanna Reid and the audience: 'Ant McPartlins ex Lisa Armstrong who is a wonderful makeup artist, she does my makeup on Life Stories. 'And I thought we were friends. I really did. I was quite friendly with Ant. Apparently this is stuff that Ant himself didnt want back. 'These are the unwanted items that neither of them ever wanted to see again. There were things youd expect, like Craig Revel Horwoods Tales From the Dancefloor. Wholly understandable. 'His Newcastle shirt. I wouldnt want to keep them either. A Team Ant foam hand from Saturday Night Takeaway. Again, why would you want that? Split: Ant's ex wife Lisa Armstrong recently left his unwanted belongings out on the street. 'So you have all these things and in the middle of it, you have a copy of my book, The Insider.' Later on in the show, Piers said Lisa had contacted him to apologise. She told him: '"Oh my god, Im so sorry, I wasnt even there. I havent even see that book. Are you mad at me?" Yes I am mad at you. No, I just want my book back!' Lisa split from Ant in 2018 after 12 years of marriage, and is now reported to be dating James Green. Lisa and Ant finalised their divorce back in April after their split in January 2018 following the presenter's highly documented battle with painkillers and alcohol. Possessions: Lisa placed the goods in boxes marked 'help yourself' and put them outside her west London property as she prepares to move out of the marital home she shared with Ant The Saturday Night Takeaway star has continued his relationship with his former personal assistant and girlfriend of two years, Anne-Marie. However last month Lisa appeared to confirm that she was dating her new lover James, after fans reached out on Twitter to congratulate her on the happy news. Meanwhile, Lisa has named her new cosmetics range after the pals who supported her following her split from Ant. Politicians past and present offered their condolences after news broke of the death of former prime minister John Turner on Friday night at his home in Toronto. He was 91. Turner served as the 17th prime minister of Canada from June 30 to Sept. 17, 1984. Politicians across the country paid tribute on social media to the man they say devoted his life to serve Canadians. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he will never forget all that Turner contributed to Canada and called him one of a kind. An honourable gentleman and an upstanding Canadian, John cared deeply about democracy, equality, and those he served, Trudeau said in a tweet. His optimistic outlook, energetic approach, and tireless service inspired many and our country is a better place for it. Former prime minister Stephen Harper said Turner served his family and country with great dignity. His legacy and commitment to public service will be remembered for generations, Harper said in a tweet. Ontario Premier Doug Ford offered condolences to Turners family and friends. He was a dedicated public servant who devoted decades of his life to making Canada a better place, Ford wrote. Former Ontario premier Bob Rae said he was very sorry to hear the news of Turners death. John Turners vitality and determination, his loyalty to friends, his belief in public service and in Parliament itself he served his country with great distinction and honour, Rae tweeted. RELATED STORIES Obituary Former PM John Turner dead at 91 Former PM Jean Chretien released a statement honouring his long-time colleague and friend. John and I served together for many years as Members of Parliament and cabinet colleagues in the governments of Lester B. Pearson and Pierre E. Trudeau, Chretien said. During his tenure as Prime Minister, I was honoured to serve as his Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister. More than anything, John was a House of Commons man and an outstanding public servant. He revered our democratic institutions like no other and served his constituents and Canada with great distinction. He will be greatly missed. In addition to his career in politics, Turner was also an accomplished athlete with Olympic potential when he was studying at the University of British Columbia. I am saddened to learn that John Turner, Canadas 17th prime minister and 1949 graduate of the University of British Columbia died yesterday. He ran track for the UBC Thunderbirds and would return to receive an Honorary degree from UBC in 1994. My condolences to his family, tweeted UBC president and vice-chancellor Santa J. Ono. The novel coronavirus has drastically changed the plans for most school districts across the state. In the Lake Houston area, which is serviced by Sheldon, Huffman, New Caney, Crosby and Humble ISDs, most districts are just getting back to in-person education. In July, the Texas Education Agency announced that schools would be able to have their first four weeks of school online and would then have to reopen for in person instruction. For districts in areas where there is a high level of community spread, delaying school was also an option, according to the TEA website. Sheldon ISD Sheldon ISD started with virtual schooling for the first four weeks on Sept. 8, which will continue through Oct. 2. District-wide, Superintendent King Davis said they focused on professional development to help in transitioning to the new platforms for education in the weeks before the school year kicked off. In addition to Sheldon ISDs trainings, some teachers began Appy Hour to help learn about Google Classroom from peers. Although it began with two Sheldon ISD teachers, other districts are able to join. Hurricane Lauras threat pushed back a few days of laptop distribution to students as the district prepared for the upcoming school year to start virtually. Pre-kindergarten through second grade are required to teach in asynchronous learning with the requirements from the TEA, but Sheldon ISD is offering an option for synchronous learning in these grades as well if parents choose to use it. Remaining grades will be taught in synchronous learning online. About 30 percent of parents have declared that their students will return in person according to Davis, which he said is about average across the board at every campus and there are no in-person outliers on any campuses. Teachers will be instructing online and in-person simultaneously in synchronous learning once students return to campus. They decided to teach this way so that there is a seamless transition for parents and students who later decide to return their students to face-to-face learning. While there have been concerns about the risks of the potential spread of coronavirus, Davis said they are making plans to stay safe and are doing their best to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Were all concerned of course about the potential exposure, but we worked really hard to disseminate information and to truly articulate our plan... I mean we cant guarantee that there wont be cases but what were doing as most districts and other organizations are doing, were just putting our best faith effort and creating safe plans so we can hopefully, are doing our very best to prevent any COVID cases. For more information on Sheldon ISDs return to school plan, as well as their safety plans, visit their website. Huffman ISD Huffman ISD started school online on Aug. 25, which was successful thanks to the preparation of the teachers prior to restarting school, according to Assistant Superintendent Joel Nolte. They redesigned the school calendar to allow for the maximum amount of time to prepare for the new school year under current guidelines. Although they are required to offer an asynchronous instructional plan, some use synchronous instruction as a strategy. Huffman ISD has adopted a one-to-one laptop initiative for students from sixth to 12th grade and provided either a laptop or an iPad for students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade for those who are in need. Hotspots have been provided for students who do not have reliable internet connection as well. We are proud of the work our technology department has done in such a short period of time to get our students ready to be able to fully participate as a student, Nolte said. They returned to campus in full for face-to-face instruction on Sept. 15, while continuing to offer online courses. On Sept. 11, some select grades were able to return in person for a day to transition to the new face-to-face learning model and prepare for the new normal. About 25 percent of their students plan to stay remote learners according to Nolte. We greatly appreciate the cooperation from our parents as we have prepared for this school year and all of our staff at Huffman ISD is very excited to have our students back on the 15th and begin the journey to return to a normal school experience, Nolte said in an email. New Caney ISD Much like neighboring Humble ISD, New Caney started remote instruction on Aug. 10 but waited until Sept. 8 to begin in-person instruction. Their decisions for reopening were made with recommendations from Montgomery County health officials as well as the guidelines from the TEA. New Caney ISD has developed a flexible learning model offering both on campus instruction or remote learning instruction through the learning platform Canvas, so that in the case of a classroom being shut down they can transition to remote work. According to executive director of public relations Scott Powers, about 60 percent of students chose to return to campus while 40 percent chose to remain remote. While it is not possible to eliminate risk of furthering the spread of COVID-19, the district has developed an on-campus instruction plan that includes a set of measures to reduce the risk to students, teachers, and staff in an on-campus instructional setting, Powers said in an email. The district has also developed a Standard Response Protocol as part of the On-Campus Instruction Plan to guide the districts response in the event there is a case or cases of confirmed COVID-19 among students or staff. New Caney has had a 1:1 Chromebook program for six years now according to Powers, so all students have access to a district provided laptop. They have distributed 15,642 Chromebooks for students from prekindergarten through 12th grade this year Powers said in an email. For more information, visit their back to school website here. Humble ISD Humble ISD reopened on Aug. 11 for online schooling, Aug. 17 for self-contained special education, and Aug. 24 for all students who voted to return to school for face-to-face instruction. At the Aug. 3 special board meeting, trustees voted to have an A/B split schedule for middle and high schools until Oct. 12, at which time middle schools would resume normal schedules and high schools were to stay with the new A/B system. In a board meeting on Sept. 8, they adjusted their original plans to return middle schools and high schools in full starting Sept. 21. This decision came as the board had received complaints about the A/B schedule, while public comments urged them to reconsider opening campuses in full. Students were provided with technology when campus closures began in March, and since then, Humble ISD campuses have had WiFi extended near campuses for students who do not have access to reliable internet connections. Humble ISD has also launched a coronavirus data dashboard for information regarding their data for reopening as well as current staff and student reported cases. Humble ISD is providing in-person, online, or online learning with in-person UIL for students. According to Humble ISDs website, parents and guardians can change their decision for in-person or virtual learning through the learning location form. Crosby ISD Crosby ISD started school on Aug. 13 through remote learning which continued until Sept. 4. They offered two options for parents after that, a face-to-face choice in the traditional learning environment or asynchronous remote learning. For those who return face-to-face, routine temperature checks are to be conducted throughout the day and face coverings are required according to their back to school plan on their website.Students who remain virtual will have daily completion items that will be submitted to prove attendance and grading guidelines will follow the normal policies as those who are on campus. Secondary students have an option for UIL or extracurricular activities according to the back to school plan. For more information, visit Crosby ISDs website here. savannah.mehrtens@chron.com New Delhi, Sep 20 : Top Indian and Chinese military commanders will meet on Monday at Moldo to discuss the border dispute, especially in the Pangong Lake area, in eastern Ladakh, sources said. This would be the sixth meeting between two military commanders in the last four months. This time, a senior Ministry of External Affairs official -- Joint Secretary, East Asia, Navin Srivastava -- will be joining the Indian delegation. The delegation, headed by 14 Corps commander Lt Gen Harinder Singh, would also include two Major Generals - Major Gen Abhijit Bapat, and Major Gen Padam Shekhawat - apart from Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Inspector General Deepam Seth and four brigadiers. In August, during the fifth round of Corps Commander level discussions - between Lt Gen Singh and South Xinjiang Military District chief, Major Gen Liu Lin, both the representatives deliberated upon the prevailing situation in Pangong Lake, the biggest flashpoint in the standoff. "The meeting of these two military leaders will start at 9 a.m.," said a source, adding that the two commanders met for the first time on June 6 when China had agreed to withdraw their forces from all the places which India had raised objections to. But then a barbaric attack at patrolling point 14 in Galwan Valley on June 15 was carried out by Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in which 20 Indian soldiers and unknown number of Chinese soldiers were killed. The clash occurred at the south bank of Galwan river, which flows in an east-west direction before its confluence with Shyok river. There were the first fatalities faced by the Indian Army in a clash with the PLA since 1975 when an Indian patrol was ambushed by Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh. Now the delegates are meeting to discuss the de-escalation at Pangong Lake where both sides' troops are at rifle range at four locations - three on the southern bank and one on the northern. "At these places, troops are just a few hundred metres away," the source added. On the north bank, the troops are in an eyeball-to-eyeball situation between Finger 3 and Finger 4 -- the military term for mountain spurs jutting into the lake -- where warning shots were fired in the air by both the armies. On the south bank, the two sides' troops are a few metres away at Spanggur Gap, Mukhpari, and Rezang La. China first made provocative military moves and thereafter, India too deployed troops at these locations. At these two places, both the countries' troops have fired warning shots to stop intimidate each other. PLA troops made movements to occupy the area between Finger 3 and 4 earlier this month which led to firing of around 200 shots in the air. The north bank of the lake is divided into 8 fingers that are contested by both sides. India claims the Line of Actual Control is at Finger 8 and had been holding on to area till Finger 4 but in a clear alteration of status quo, the Chinese have been camping at Finger 4 and have set up fortifications between Finger 5 and 8. India and China are engaged in a four-month-long standoff at the LAC in eastern Ladakh. Despite several levels of dialogue, there has not been any breakthrough and the deadlock continues. Imperial Valley News Center Man Admits Concealing Material Support to Hamas Washington, DC - A Somerset County, New Jersey, man admitted Tuesday that he concealed his attempts to provide material support to Hamas, Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers of the U.S. Department of Justices National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito, FBI-Newark Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr., and FBI Assistant Director for Counterterrorism Jill Sanborn announced. Jonathan Xie, 21, of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp to an information charging him with one count of concealing attempts to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: Xie admitted that he knowingly concealed and disguised the nature, location, source, ownership and control of the attempt to provide material support and resources to Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyya and the Islamic Resistance Movement, an organization that is commonly referred to as Hamas. Xie admitted that he knew Hamas was a designated foreign terrorist organization and has engaged in terrorist activities. He said he attempted to conceal the attempted support believing it would be used to commit or assist in the commission of a violent act. In December 2018, Xie sent $100 via Moneygram to an individual in Gaza who Xie believed to be a member of the Al-Qassam Brigades a faction of Hamas that has conducted attacks, to include suicide bombings against civilian targets inside Israel. At approximately the same time that Xie sent the money, he posted on his Instagram account Just donated $100 to Hamas. Pretty sure it was illegal but I dont give a damn. In April 2019, Xie appeared in an Instagram Live video wearing a black ski mask and stated that he was against Zionism and the neo-liberal establishment. When asked by another participant in the video if he would go to Gaza and join Hamas, Xie stated yes, If I could find a way. Later in the video, Xie displayed a Hamas flag and retrieved a handgun. He then stated Im gonna go to the [expletive] pro-Israel march and Im going to shoot everybody. In subsequent Instagram posts, Xie stated, I want to shoot the pro-israel demonstrators . . . you can get a gun and shoot your way through or use a vehicle and ram people . . . all you need is a gun or vehicle to go on a rampage . . . I do not care if security forces come after me, they will have to put a bullet in my head to stop me. In April 2019, Xie sent a link to a website for the Al-Qassam Brigades to an FBI employee who was acting online in an undercover capacity. Xie described the website as a Hamas website and stated he had previously sent a donation to the group. Xie then sent screenshots of the website to the undercover employee and demonstrated how to use a new feature on the website that allows donations to be sent via Bitcoin. On April 18, 2019, when the undercover employee asked whether Bitcoin was anonymous, Xie responded: yah i think thats why hamas is using it now because money transfer is not that anonymous. The investigation revealed additional social media accounts for Xie, including a YouTube account which contained, among other things, a playlist containing videos, many of which advocated or propagandized Soldiers for Allah, the war in Syria, Hezbollah (a foreign terrorist organization), and the Houthi movement in Yemen, as well as support for Bashar al Assad, Saddam Hussein, and North Korea. The count of concealing attempted material support carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Sentencing for Xie is scheduled for Jan. 27, 2021. Assistant Attorney General Demers and U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI and task force officers of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Crouch, Jr.; and the U.S. Department of Defense, Army Counterintelligence, 902d Military Intelligence Group, with the investigation leading to todays guilty plea. He also thanks the U.S. Secret Service for its assistance with the case. The government is represented by Senior Trial Counsel Joyce M. Malliet of the U.S. Attorneys Offices National Security Unit and Trial Attorney Taryn Meeks of the U.S. Department of Justices Counterterrorism Section of the National Security Division. A senior Facebook executive has signalled it may not be able to continue providing social media services in Europe if it is forced to suspend the transfer of data to the US. In an affidavit, Facebook Irelands head of data protection and privacy Yvonne Cunnane said it was not clear how it could continue to provide Facebook and Instagram. She said there would be significant and wide-ranging consequences, not just for the social media giant, but for businesses across Europe. The claims were made in a legal filing as part of Facebooks challenge to a preliminary order from Irelands Data Protection Commission (DPC) requiring it to stop transferring the data of EU users to the US. The high-stakes case came before the High Court last week. Facebooks European headquarters is in Dublin. In the event [Facebook] were subject to a complete suspension of the transfer of users data to the US, as appear to be what the DPC proposes, it is not clear to [Facebook] how, in those circumstances, it could continue to provide the Facebook and Instagram services in the EU, Ms Cunnane said in the legal filing. The affidavit painted a stark picture of the economic impact her company believes will flow from the DPC decision. She said that in a recent survey commissioned by the social media giant, 7,700 businesses around Europe said Facebook apps helped them generate estimated sales of 208bn in 2019. Facebook last week secured permission to bring a challenge to the decision. The High Court also put a stay on the DPC's inquiry, pending the outcome of the action. The move by the DPC to issue the preliminary order was the first step in the enforcement of a hugely significant European Court decision in July. This decision struck down the transatlantic Privacy Shield treaty, restricting how companies can send personal information about people in Europe to the US. The court found neither US national security laws nor the Privacy Shield framework provided enforceable privacy rights or effective legal remedies for Europeans whose data may become the subject of US government surveillance. According to legal filings, Facebook received a letter from the DPC on August 28 saying it had launched its own inquiry in light of the judgment. The letter included a preliminary draft decision that data transfers were made in circumstances which fail to guarantee a level of protection equivalent to that provided by EU law. In her affidavit, Ms Cunnane said Facebook was given three weeks to make submissions on the draft decision. She said the issues involved were complex and claimed the time allowed for a response was inadequate given the potentially serious consequences at stake. Ms Cunnane said Facebook was concerned the DPC had already formed a view and that it would not be able to persuade it to take a different opinion. Among Facebooks grounds for its legal challenge is a claim the DPC failed to conduct an inquiry before it reached a decision. Facebook has also alleged the DPC prejudged or prematurely judged the matter and that it has not been afford fair procedures. The matter will return to the court in November and the DPC is expected to defend the case. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 23:33:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close XIAMEN, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland official on Sunday expressed the hope that people across the Taiwan Strait can join hands and make shared efforts for national rejuvenation. Liu Jieyi, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks while meeting mainland and Taiwan participants of the 12th Straits Forum in the port city of Xiamen, Fujian Province. People from both sides of the Strait overcame barriers and enthusiastically participated in the forum to express the hope of peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, and the improvement of people's well-being, Liu said, calling it an irresistible trend and a common aspiration. It is in accordance with the common interests of people on both sides of the Strait to uphold the 1992 Consensus and promote the development of cross-Strait relations, said Liu. No forces can stop the trend of the Chinese nation's rejuvenation, Liu stressed, calling provocations by "Taiwan independence" forces the greatest threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and to the interests of people across the Strait. People from the mainland and Taiwan should jointly thwart any attempt seeking "Taiwan independence," he said. Enditem Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/AP Matthew Egler appeared unwell. In the hours leading up to July 24, he was emailing Arizona officials, claiming to have an intimate relationship with Ivanka Trump, and stating that he might be the next Republican vice president. Then, shortly after midnight, he allegedly drove to the Arizona Democratic Party headquarters in Phoenix, smashed a glass door, and lit a fire that completely destroyed the partys field office in what might be one of the most hotly contested counties in the upcoming presidential election. In social media posts reviewed by The Arizona Republic, Egler issued Trumpian talking points about Democrats fixing the election for Joe Biden. He appeared to confess to the fire as a political message. I BOMBED THIS BUILDING he wrote. LISTEN TO WHAT IM SAYING. As America hurtles toward one of the most contentious elections in its history, law-enforcement officials and security experts are warning of increased potential for violent attacks targeting the vote. Recent election cycles have been marked by unrest, but 2020s chaotic combination of pandemic and protests has led everyone from the feds to activist groups to sound the alarm. Factor in an increasingly mobilized far right, a president who routinely accuses Democrats of fraudulent schemes, and preemptive right-wing chatter about stopping that imagined fraud, and the resulting atmosphere, some extremism-watchers warn, is an explosive one. The Left Secretly Preps for MAGA Violence After Election Day Mike German, a fellow with the Brennan Center for Justice and former FBI special agent focusing on terrorism, made no predictions about election violence, but noted that this election comes amid a flare-up of violent tensions, especially on the far right. Here we have not just the very contentious election, German told The Daily Beast, but an election in the midst of considerable amount of far-right violence directed at Black Lives Matter protests, and at law enforcement, despite the seemingly friendly relationship these [far-right] groups seem to have cultivated with law enforcement. Story continues Egler, who is accused of arson and has pleaded not guilty, does not appear to be a member of any organized extremist group. In fact, rather than a longtime Donald Trump supporter, he was a former attempted volunteer for the Democratic Party in Maricopa County, Arizona. Party officials declined his help, with one seeking a protective order against him in early 2017; an attorney for Egler did not respond to a request for comment for this story. Instead, his social media suggests a strange trajectory into violent themes, election-related conspiracy theories, and confused ramblings, often implying that he thought Ivanka Trump was in a relationship with him (she talks to me, sends me hearts, he wrote in one tweet). Suffice it to say there is plenty of precedent for Trump supporters turning to violence. His alleged attack on the office forced the Maricopa County Democrats headlong into an issue thats always on the back of our minds, communications director Edder Diaz-Martinez said. The entire building was gone, Diaz-Martinez told The Daily Beast. That's where people, mostly volunteers, congregated to do the organizing and the strategizing and to hold our meetings... I think its been a wake-up call, certainly. The view isnt universal. The partys chair in another traditionally bellwether county said he wasnt worried about election-related violence. I dont see anything different from any other year, Ed Bruley, chairman of Michigans Macomb County Democrats, told The Daily Beast. Still, a pair of August reports by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) suggest that terror-watchers are keeping a close eye on voting sites. In a recent bulletin to law enforcement, reviewed by Yahoo News last week, the FBI warned that extremists across the ideological spectrum likely will continue to plot against government and election-related targets to express their diverse grievances involving government policies and actions. The bulletin warned that it had observed a pattern of election-related violence this cycle, including threatening 2020 political candidates or events, including threats against current candidates for President, presidential conventions, and counter protestors at campaign rallies, as well as individuals committing arson or sending threatening packages targeting political party offices. Although the bulletin omits ideologies from its descriptions, one incident appears to describe a previously unreported plot by members of a far-right militia who discussed plans to storm their state capitol and kill everyone inside. Members stated the need to act prior to a possible Democratic presidential administration, due to the belief that stricter firearms regulations would be enacted quickly thereafter, the bulletin reads. The document reportedly goes on to describe a plot by an extremist in Ohio to set off a bomb that would spark a race war if Trump did not win re-election. (The FBI declined to comment on the memo, telling The Daily Beast that it routinely shares intelligence with law enforcement.) A DHS report from mid-August on physical threats to the 2020 election season, first reported by the extremism news site Left Coast Right Watch, also warned of potential unrest. The memo, which highlighted campaign gathering, polling places, and voter registration sites as the most likely targets, noted that COVID-19 and racial justice protests have likely exacerbated the typical election-season threat environment. The report cited two arsons or attempted arsons on Republican party offices in Wyoming and North Carolina, in 2018 and 2016, respectively, as well as a self-proclaimed anti-Trump man who allegedly drove a van into a tent where Republican Party volunteers had been registering voters in February. DHS terror assessments might be taken with a grain of salt, a department whistleblower alleged last week. In a complaint, a former high-level DHS employee alleged that department leadership this year repeatedly ordered him to downplay the threat posed by white supremacists and inflate the threat posed by the left, namely the anti-fascist movement. Recent reports from independent groups like the Center for Strategic and International Studies, as well as a DHS draft of a document on potential terror attacks, cite white supremacists as the countrys greatest terror threat. The FBI has also specifically labeled far-right conspiracy theories like QAnon as a terror threat. And this election is the first in which the Boogaloo movement, a coalition of far-right and libertarian personalities that has been implicated in multiple violent attempted plots, has been in play. Trumps rhetoric around the election could serve to aggravate far-right violence, which has been significantly more deadly than activity corresponding with the left. In recent months, Trump has repeatedly attempted to discredit mail-in votingwhich Democrats encourage as a COVID-19 safety measureas a vehicle for fraud, and has claimed that people might catch COVID-19 from touching ballot dropboxes, or that the boxes might be tampered with. Increasingly, Trump has also claimed that anti-fascists are going to burn down his supporters neighborhoods. ANTIFA THUGS WILL RUIN SUBURBS, a recent Trump campaign text read. Another Trump text, days later, read ANTIFA ALERT. Theyll attack your homes if Joes elected. Although antifa is not a single, unified entity, one organized anti-fascist group in a swing state said they were worried about election-related violence, particularly after Trumps remarks. Were concerned, a spokesperson for Atlanta Antifascists, an activist group in that city, told The Daily Beast, noting increasingly mobilized QAnon and militia movements, and attacks on Black Lives Matter events. Trump and supporters paint a picture of the country being on the verge of some sort of Bolshevik takeover, somehow with Biden at its head, the group said. We dont know when or if violence will take place, but of course believers are being primed for it. It will be an interesting next few months. German said Trumps language certainly raises the potential for far-right violence. And as we have seen, once police dont respond to that far-right violence, its not surprising to see communities rely on self-help measures. Recent left-right clashes around protests have led to at least four deaths, two at the hands of a right-wing militia member, one at the hands of an anti-fascist, as well as the death of that same anti-fascist at the hands of law enforcement. (The vigilante accused of killing two, 17-year-old Illinois resident Kyle Rittenhouse, was able to walk past police unimpeded after the shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin.) Antifa Is Literally Never Mentioned in the First Prosecutions of Protest Violence As that cycle of violence continues, certainly the rhetoric isnt helping, especially when it is giving support to far-right militancy, German said. Trump has recently dismissed concerns about supporters who fired paintballs at the left in Portland, and defended the actions of Rittenhouse. Some of that cycle is still in its planning stages, with left- and right-wing groups attempting to forecast the other sides plans and respond accordingly. Earlier this year, a bipartisan group called the Transition Integrity Project offered predictions on possible street-level outcomes, should the election not immediately result in a clear winner. One possible situation involved Trump refusing to concede defeat, leading to violent unrest. The bipartisan group forecasted that some 4 million Biden supporters might protest in his defense, but that the Trump campaign was more likely to be ruthless and take measures like tapping surrogates to embed operatives inside protests to encourage violent action or deploying unorthodox law enforcement to protests. Based on those predictions, a left-leaning coalition called Fight Back Table recently held discussions about how to protest, should Trump contest the election results. Those discussions, first reported by The Daily Beast, led to conservative media headlines about imminent lefty protests. In another game of dangerous left-right telephone, the Canadian media company Adbusters launched a campaign calling for a 50-day siege of the White House, which was really a call to protest in a park across from the building. Nevertheless, right-wing groups portrayed the protest call as an urgent threat to violence, and upped the ante on social media, with prominent figures calling to further militarize the area around the White House and to shut down all movement into & out of DC. Many of those cascading concerns stem from Trumps claims and attendant fears on the right that Democrats will cheat at the polls, and fears on the left that Trump will attempt to overturn a Biden victory. Hes also alleging fraud in the election, which is one more motive for these groups to resort to violence, German said of the president. At least one far-right operation already claims to be organizing in-person actions against elections officials in the event of perceived fraud, Right Wing Watch reported last week. Republican operative Ali Alexander, who has previously associated with alt-right personalities and advised a PAC that received a $60,000 donation from GOP mega-donor Robert Mercer, announced an initiative to stop the steal of the election, presumably by Democrats. Despite the Trump talking point being completely unfounded, Alexander claimed to be organizing a physical operation targeting bad election officials. In the coming days, we will launch an effort concentrating on the swing states, and we will map out where the votes are being counted and the secretary of states, Alexander said in a broadcast. We will map all of this out for everyone publicly and we will collect cell phone numbers so that way if you are within 100 mile radius of a bad secretary of state or someone whos counting votes after the deadline or if theres a federal court hearing, we will alert you of where to go. Alexander, who has not been accused of violence, told The Daily Beast that the action was legal, peaceful civic engagement that he had conducted in 2018 in Florida without incident. Diaz-Martinez, the Maricopa County Democrats official, said the attack on his organizations offices were a reminder to have their own plan in place. Somebody coming in in the middle of the night and throwing some sort of explosive into your building is something you can't mitigate, he said. But what you can mitigate is something like having a plan in place for potential incidents that may occur after or before the election. His organization is encouraging mail-in and early voting (which is easier in Arizona, which has extended early voting), as well as encouraging people to become poll monitors. The latter has been challenging during the COVID era, he noted, but he said younger volunteers have risen to the task. Were working closely with authorities, he said, adding that the fire was a call to action. The temperature in the air is rife with contentiousness because people are very passionate on both sides. German, for his part, said law enforcement needs to understand that the far right is a threat to them, too, and that the presence of police might not always be welcome at polling sites, evenor especiallyin a charged environment. The ability to have a free and fair election often means that law enforcement needs to stay away from the polling places as well, he said. Having police monitoring polling sites, particularly where theres a history of racism or discrimination in that police department, is problematic and creates a chilling effect. Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Hyderabad, Sep 20 : The rural areas in Telangana are bearing the brunt of COVID-19 even as the number of cases has considerably dropped in the state capital. Districts outside Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits account for 80-85 per cent of the 2,200-2,300 new cases added to the state tally every day. Till the first half of July, it was the state capital which was at the receiving end. With 700-800 cases every day, GHMC was accounting for 80-85 per cent of the daily infections at one point in time. Thirty-two districts, excluding Hyderabad, accounted for 137 cases or 13.45 per cent of the 1,018 cases reported on July 1. The ratio of the districts jumped to 50.15 per cent on July 15 (801 out of total 1,597 cases). The districts reported 1,364 or 72.65 per cent of the 1,891 cases on August 1. The case load in rural areas rose to 78.76 per cent on August 15 (868 out of 1,102 cases) As many as 2,415 cases of the 2,892 (83.50 per cent) reported on September 1 were from these districts. A week later, the ratio climbed to 87.29 per cent (2,088 out of 2,392 cases). It slightly came down to 86.54 per cent (1,781 out of 2,058) on September 14 and further dropped to 85.6 per cent (1,818 out of 2,123 cases) on September 19 as authorities also reduced the number of daily tests by a few thousand. An analysis of the current situation shows that the daily jump in cases has come down over the last two-three weeks but the numbers are dropping to below 2,000 only on weekends when fewer tests are conducted. While there is definitely an improvement in the overall situation compared with last month, the spike in cases continues in Tier-II towns and rural areas, where the health infrastructure is still inadequate. Considering the fact that Telangana is still adding 2,200-2,400 cases every day and 4-6 districts reporting a daily jump of over 100 cases, the health authorities meeting their ambitious goal of controlling the situation by the month-end appears doubtful. Districts like Rangareddy, Medchal Malkajgiri, Karimnagar, Warangal Urban, Nizamabad, Khammam, Nalgonda, Suryapet, and Sangareddy are mostly reporting over 100 cases each every day. Reports from these districts show that even small villages have over 100 positive cases. For instance, in Govindapur village of Karimnagar, 73 out of 90 families were affected. Buoyed by the improvement in the situation in Hyderabad, Director of Public Health G Srinivas Rao exuded confidence on August 25 that the situation will be under control in the remaining districts by September-end. He was confident that the cases will be brought down to minimum. Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar told Union Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba during a videoconference on Saturday that the number of positive cases has started declining in Telangana. "The government is keeping a close watch on the situation and fully geared up to handle the pandemic," he said. Explaining various measures taken by the state, the Chief Secretary said that testing has been ramped up. RT-PCR testing is being done on every person found symptomatic person detected through rapid antigen test. The government has formulated a strategy to make all hospital beds equipped with oxygen facilities. He also said that special focus is laid on managing the situation in the districts. On August 25, the state reported a jump of 2,579 cases, taking Telangana's total tally to 1,08,760. Nine deaths had pushed the cumulative death toll to 770. Since then, the state added over 60,409 cases till September 19 at an average of 2,400 cases per day. The state also witnessed 255 deaths during the period. Officials said by ramping up testing and health infrastructure, they brought down the COVID-19 fatality rate and improved the recovery rate as well as tests per million population ratio. The fatality rate came down from 0.69 per cent on August 25 to 0.60 per cent on September 19. The recovery rate improved from 75.27 per cent to 81.28 per cent during the same period. Samples tested per million population have gone up from 27,502 to 64,104. Facing flak from all sides for low testing, the state government has ramped up the testing over the last two months. Currently, 50,000 to 60,000 tests are conducted every day in Telangana. The number of laboratories conducting tests has gone up from 47 to 60. These include 43 private laboratories. There are also 1,076 centres for rapid antigen tests. The number of private hospitals treating COVID-19 has also gone up from 170 to 219. The number of government hospitals treating COVIC-19 patients total 42. Over 150 private hospitals are located in Hyderabad and adjoining districts. There are 102 hospitals in GHMC area, 35 in Rangareddy district, and 15 in Medchal Malkajgiri. They include large corporate hospitals, which are also catering to coronavirus patients from neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Large government facilities for COVID-19 treatment are also concentrated in Hyderabad and the beds in some district hospitals are not vacant, forcing patients to head to the state capital. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) RAMALLAH, West Bank Ahmed Dawabsha, a 10-year-old Palestinian from the village of Duma in the northern West Bank, is getting ready to go back to school on Sept. 20. When he learned that he had to wear a face mask as a protective measure against the novel coronavirus, Ahmed broke into tears. How would I put on a face mask and I dont have an ear, he sobbed. Ahmed is a member of the Dawabsha family, whose home was firebombed in the Duma arson attack by a group of Israeli settlers in 2015. The family home was set on fire at night, resulting in the death of Ahmeds younger 18-month-old brother Ali and his parents, Saad and Riham, who died of their wounds weeks later. Ahmed, four years at the time, survived but suffered severe burns on his head, face and body. Ahmed Nassr Dawabsha, the childs uncle, told Al-Monitor, Ahmeds right ear was completely burned off [in the 2015 attack]. He was getting himself ready to go back to school. He prepared his new clothes and backpack. He tried to put on the mask but he could not. He collapsed and cried for five hours. We tried to calm him down. He said that he feared that he would be bullied by children at school. On Sept. 14, Israels Lod District Court handed Amiram Ben-Uliel, a Jewish settler, three life sentences and an additional 20 years in prison for the killing of the Dawabsha family members, and was convicted of throwing an explosive device in the familys home. The court also ordered Ben-Uliel to pay nearly 1 million Israeli shekels ($292,000) in compensation for Ahmed, but his uncle told Al-Monitor that the courts rule will remain a dead letter since the convicted does not have this kind of money. He said that the rule was issued after five years of reluctance and playing for time in the hope that the family would drop the case. We, however, did not let go and remained persistent to bring the killers to justice. We have attended over 100 court sessions until we were able to obtain this judgment, Dawabsha said. The family has not been content with the courts rule against Ben-Uliel, as it acquitted him in May of the charge of belonging to the so-called Hilltop Youth, which is an extremist settler youth group based in areas of the West Bank. They continuously attack Palestinians and their property as they believe Palestinians have to pay the price for taking over the Holy Land and must be expelled. We already rejected the courts decision to acquit Ben-Uliel from belonging to the terror group. We will refer to the Israeli Supreme Court to reinstate the charge against him, Dawabsha said. He stressed that the life sentence against the killer does not mean anything. This will not bring back to life Saad, his wife and their toddler. It will not heal Ahmeds psychological and physical wounds. We will refer to the Supreme Court to have it condemn the group and the system that created this settler. He noted, This [Jewish] settler lives on Palestinian land that they [the settlers] seized by force, fully assisted and protected by the Israeli government and army. The settlers have been provided with all the necessities of life, including electricity and water, and were allowed to colonize our lands and monitor our homes and to sneak into our village at night like bandits and carry out a firebomb attack on our home. This group must be condemned." Dawabsha added, According to the internal law, we are under occupation and the protection of civilians is the responsibility of the occupying power, which has failed to do so. We will not rest until this group is condemned and until we obtain court rulings that would be a lesson to these people and deter others from committing such acts. The killers house must be demolished and his nationality revoked. The village of Duma is located in Nablus governorate in the northern West Bank and is one of the most attacked areas by settlers, namely at the hand of the Hilltop Youth, which is active there, according to Dawabsha. Despite the courts decision, the legal battle for the Dawabsha family has not yet ended, as the family is not only going to the Israeli Supreme Court but is also following up on another case in the city of Jerusalem that it filed against the State of Israel in 2016, to pay compensation to the family. The sentence to have the killer pay nearly 1 million shekels in compensation will not happen as he does not have the money. We have initiated a legal case against the Israeli government in 2016 because it is responsible since it allowed him to stay on this land, providing him with the standards of living, and therefore it [the state] has to compensate the family. This is a different case than the one in which we obtained the [life sentence] ruling, Dawabsha explained. Commenting on his nephews stance on the courts decision, Dawabsha, who has been attending court sessions over the past five years, said, Ahmed has not been to any session. He was supposed to face off with the killer and testify against him before the court on June 9, but he could not and did not attend. This killer deserves nothing less than death, because if he ever gets out he would burn another family, he said. Since the arson attack, the 10-year-old orphan has been living with his grandparents, also in Duma. He has been refusing to visit his parents burned house. Ahmeds treatment may take 10 years. His right ear needs complete reconstruction, which takes years. Sixty-five percent of his body is made of plastic skin. [The attack] has had a heavy psychological toll on him. He has been in a daily struggle with himself. Why did they burn us? Why did they kill us? he keeps wondering, the uncle lamented. Despite his immense hardships, Ahmed is trying to cope and to lead a normal life. He is a top student and practices his favorite hobby of horseback riding and hurdling. He trains in a nearby village. He also loves to draw. Five years after the crime, its effects are still visible on Ahmeds body and face and on his familys house that is still blackened by the fire. The Dawabsha family seeks to turn the house into a museum so it remains a proof of the horrific crime. They donated the house and its land to the Palestinian government for this purpose, awaiting funding for the museum project. Investigations are continuing after a teenage student was involved in a virtual kidnapping incident in Sydney, which has seen more than $213,000 transferred into an offshore account. NSW Police received reports of a missing 18-year-old Chinese woman on September 8 after friends became concerned for her welfare. Photos and videos of the woman had been sent to family members using popular messaging service WeChat before large sums of money were demanded by a person pretending to be Chinese police to ensure her safe release, police say. Following extensive inquiries from NSW Police, Chinese authorities and the Australian Federal Police, the woman was found unharmed in the inner-city suburb of Pyrmont on September 15. Police have since raided a Chatswood unit, while a 22-year-old male has spoken with officers. Investigations continue. In one of the photos, a pair of bare legs can be seen with police trying to determine if that person is a victim themselves or involved in the scam. More than $200,000 had been transferred during the virtual kidnapping. Source: NSW Police NSW Police Force state crime command director Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Bennett said police were urging the community to remain vigilant to such elaborate phone scams. Less than two months ago, the NSW Police Force issued a warning to the community about virtual kidnapping scams targeting Chinese students studying in Australia, Det Chief Supt Bennett said. It appears these scammers are continuing to operate and are once again preying on the vulnerabilities of individuals in the community who are not in direct physical contact with their families. Det Chief Supt Bennett said this particular incident had begun in July when the woman received an email from someone posing as Chinese police saying her personal details had been illegally used on a package intercepted overseas. The individuals behind these virtual kidnapping scams continually adapt their scripts and methodology which are designed to take advantage of peoples trust in authorities, he said. Story continues What is virtual kidnapping? Police are reminding Chinese nationals authorities in China would never contact students demanding money and such behaviour should be reported to the Chinese Consulate in Sydney and police. Earlier this year NSW Police issued a warning after a rise in virtual kidnappings, a type of extortion scam. At least nine students this year have fallen victim to the scams, which have netted criminal syndicates a minimum of $3.4 million. Students are typically telephoned by a Mandarin speaker who purports to be someone holding authority in China such as an embassy, police or tax official. They are told they risk deportation or arrest unless their families pay a ransom. The students send images of themselves bound and gagged, move into hotels and cut off all communications. Anyone with information relating to incidents of virtual kidnappings should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online. 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. Celebrated left-wing writers, a professor and a TV host are among famous faces to call for a violent response if Donald Trump succeeds in securing a replacement for Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The Supreme Court justice, who died on Friday at the age of 87, left as her dying wish not to be replaced until after the November presidential election. However, both Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority leader, and President Trump have said they intend to replace her with a conservative of their choosing as soon as possible. McConnell's control of the Senate all but ensures Trump's choice will be approved to the lifetime position if a vote is held. Reza Aslan, a religious scholar and former CNN host, tweeted to his 293,000 followers: 'If they even TRY to replace RBG we burn the entire f****** thing down.' Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death on Friday saw critics of the president to call for arson and riots Reza Aslan said: : 'If they even TRY to replace RBG we burn the entire f****** thing down' Aslan told his almost 300,000 followers to prepare themselves for unrest Aslan's documentary, Believer, exploring world religions, was canceled by CNN in 2017 after Aslan called Trump a piece of excrement, using an expletive, in June 2017. Beau Willimon, a screenwriter who produced the U.S. version of House of Cards and the president of the Writers Guild of America, East, told his 164,000 followers: Were shutting this country down if Trump and McConnell try to ram through an appointment before the election.' Another writer predicted riots. 'If McConnell jams someone through, which he will, there will be riots,' said Laura Bassett, a political journalist writing for GQ and the Washington Post. Author Aaron Gouveia, whose latest book is about toxic masculinity, tweeted: 'F*** no. Burn it all down.' And a professor of political science repeated calls for arson attacks on Congress. Emmett Macfarlane, who teaches at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, tweeted: 'Burn Congress down before letting Trump try to appoint anyone to SCOTUS.' Beau Willimon, celebrated screenwriter, was among those calling for violent unrest Willimon said he and his followers would be 'shutting this country down' if RBG was replaced Author Aaron Gouveia tweeted, in response to a swift replacement: 'F*** no. Burn it all down' Gouveia made his disapproval of plans to replace RBG before November clear Ginsburg's dying wish was to not have the battle to replace her play out before the election A member of the Wisconsin Ethics Commission, responsible for administering state laws regarding campaign finance, ethics and lobbying, echoed the urging for violence. When Ed Markey, senate candidate for Massachusetts, said that McConnell should not nominate a replacement in an election year, Scot Ross tweeted: 'F****** A, Ed. If you can't shut it down, burn it down.' On Saturday morning Trump said that he would seek to nominate a replacement for Ginsburg 'without delay'. 'We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices. We have this obligation, without delay!' Trump tweeted on Saturday morning from the White House. Emmett Macfarlane, who teaches at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, tweeted: 'Burn Congress down before letting Trump try to appoint anyone to SCOTUS' The tweet was addressed to the Republican Party's main account, in an apparent rallying cry to the party to move forward to confirm his nominee in the Senate before the November 3 election. Trump also retweeted a comment noting that the Senate filibuster for judicial nominees had first been abolished by former Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid, eliminating the 60-vote super-majority once needed to confirm federal justices. 'Thank you Harry!' commented Trump. In November 2013, Senate Democrats led by Reid used the so-called 'nuclear option' to eliminate the 60-vote rule on federal judicial appointments, but not for the Supreme Court. In 2017, the Republican majority in the Senate extended the nuclear option to the Supreme Court to confirm Justice Neil Gorsuch. The professor urged arson as a response Trump had retweeted a former Obama administration official who wrote: 'Harry Reid will go down in history for having handed the court to conservatives when he took the first step toward eliminating the 60-vote requirement for confirmation.' McConnell has vowed that Trump's nominee will receive a vote on the Senate floor, but in a letter to his caucus on Friday he urged Republicans: 'keep your powder dry.' 'Over the coming days, we are all going to come under tremendous pressure from the press to announce how we will handle the coming nomination,' he wrote in the letter addressed, 'Dear Colleagues.' 'For those of you who are unsure how to answer, or for those inclined to oppose giving a nominee a vote, I urge you all to keep your powder dry,' McConnell wrote. 'This is not the time to prematurely lock yourselves into a position you may later regret.' World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland, July 3, 2020. Reuters The World Health Organization endorsed Saturday a protocol for testing African herbal medicines as potential treatments for the coronavirus and other epidemics. Covid-19 has raised the issue of using traditional medicines to battle contemporary diseases, and the endorsement clearly encouraged testing with criteria similar to those used for molecules developed by labs in Asia, Europe or the Americas. It came months after a bid by the president of Madagascar to promote a drink based on artemisia, a plant with proven efficacy in malaria treatment, was met with widespread scorn. On Saturday, WHO experts and colleagues from two other organisations "endorsed a protocol for phase III clinical trials of herbal medicine for Covid-19 as well as a charter and terms of reference for the establishment of a data and safety monitoring board for herbal medicine clinical trials," a statement said. "Phase III clinical trials are pivotal in fully assessing the safety and efficacy of a new medical product," it noted. "If a traditional medicine product is found to be safe, efficacious and quality-assured, WHO will recommend (it) for a fast-tracked, large-scale local manufacturing," Prosper Tumusiime, a regional WHO director, was quoted as saying. WHO's partners are the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the African Union Commission for Social Affairs. "The onset of Covid-19, like the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, has highlighted the need for strengthened health systems and accelerated research and development programmes, including on traditional medicines," Tumusiime said. He did not refer specifically to the Madagascar drink Covid-Organics, also called CVO, that President Andry Rajoelina has pitched as a cure for the virus, however. It has has been widely distributed in Madagascar and sold to several other countries, mainly in Africa. In May, WHO Africa Director Matshidiso Moeti told media that African governments had committed in 2000 to taking "traditional therapies" through the same clinical trials as other medication. "I can understand the need, the drive to find something that can help," Moeti said. "But we would very much like to encourage this scientific process in which the governments themselves made a commitment." (AFP) They announced that they had made the 'difficult decision' to separate Friday afternoon on social media. Now friends on Christina and Ant Anstead say they were 'shocked' at the announcement. A source close to the couple told Us Weekly that the two kept their decision to end their marriage of less than two years to themselves. Didn't see it coming: Christina and Anstead's announcement Friday that they were separating left their friends 'shocked' as they kept the news to themselves, according to Us Weekly; shown in December 2019 'Christina and Ant have been very private about this and friends are shocked to hear the news because they seemed happy together publicly and while in front of others,' the source explained. The 37-year-old Flip Or Flop star revealed Friday on Instagram that she and Ant had made the 'difficult decision' to end their marriage. The real estate agent shared a contemplative shot of the soon-to-be ex-couple for her 1.4 million followers, showing them silhouetted against the sunset while walking on a beach. Farewell: Christina, 37, took to social media on Friday to reveal the 'difficult decision' she's made with husband Ant Anstead to call it quits, after less than two years of being hitched 'Ant and I have made the difficult decision to separate. We are grateful for each other and as always, our children will remain our priority,' she captioned the photo. 'We appreciate your support and ask for privacy for us and our family as we navigate the future.' She and the For The Love Of Cars presenter, 41, wed on December 22nd, 2018, and share son Hudson London, whose first birthday they celebrated earlier this month. Over: Christina and the 41-year-old For The Love Of Cars presenter wed in December 2018, and share son Hudson London, whose first birthday they celebrated earlier this month; seen in 2019 Christina recently unveiled the ninth season of her HGTV real estate show Flip Or Flop with ex Tarek El Moussa, to whom she was married from 2009 until 2018. She and Tarek share daughter Taylor, nine, and son Brayden, five. Ant, for his part, also has children from a previous marriage, to Louise Anstead: daughter Amelie, 19, and son Archie, 14. 'We appreciate your support and ask for privacy for us and our family as we navigate the future,' Christina said in Friday's post; seen earlier in their relationship on Instagram The news of Ant and Christina's split comes after the British born Ant was recently able to fly home to be with his older children after a months-long delay due to the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier in lockdown, Ant had explained that due to flight cancellations he was unable to be with his two older children. The doting dad was grateful for 'modern communications' and relied on daily FaceTime calls to bridge the gap between himself and his kids. Across the pond: Ant recently reunited with his older children from a previous marriage, in England daughter Amelie, 19, and son Archie, 14 Better times: Ant had lamented being separated from part of his family due to the pandemic and said the separation wasn't easy; seen on Instagram with their blended family However, the separation wasn't easy and he lamented not being able to get his blended family all together. 'I am so over 2020 now!!!! This last week has been particularly TOUGH,' he wrote in June. Clearly, the stresses of this year also took their toll on his relationship with his second wife, in spite of a cheery post in August celebrating their dating anniversary. It remains to be seen whether Ant will stay across the pond, or return to co-parent his young son in Orange County, California with Christina. Clearly: The stresses of this year also took their toll on his relationship with his second wife; Ant and Christina seen here in May of 2019 10. And finally, a plethora of great reads. Chris Rock on Americas summer of strife and his dramatic turn in the new season of Fargo. The possibility of life on Venus. One N.F.L. teams attempt to turn protest into action. Those are just a few of this weeks Best Weekend Reads. Our editors also suggest these 11 new books, the latest TV recommendations, and new music from Justin Bieber, Sam Smith and others. Have you been keeping up with the headlines? Test your knowledge with our news quiz. And heres the front page of our Sunday paper, the Sunday Review from Opinion and our crossword puzzles. Its the last weekend of summer. Hope you have an easy seasonal transition. Your Weekend Briefing is published Sundays at 6 a.m. Eastern. Did a friend forward you the briefing? You can sign up here. What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at briefing@nytimes.com. Browse our full range of Times newsletters here. The International Muslims Organization is urging Toronto police to investigate last weekends fatal stabbing outside a Rexdale mosque as a potential hate crime. In a vigil held Saturday, members of the community thanked Toronto police and Supt. Ron Taverner for their work on the case, but say the crime has sent a shock wave of fear. Mohamed-Aslim Zafis, 58, a volunteer caretaker was stabbed as he was sitting outside the IMO mosque last weekend on Rexdale Boulevard, near Kipling Avenue. Police said the accused had no known motive or connection to Zafis. At that moment, as dozens, hundreds of officers worked day and night, we knew that these officers, the detectives in the homicide unit, not only understood our pain, they shared it, said Mustafa Farooq, CEO of the National Canadian Council of Muslims. Given what we are seeing, however, we are further asking the Toronto Police Service to continue this investigation forward as a potentially hate-motivated crime. When a mans throat is slit in a mosque, when people are raising questions about social media, and potential links to white supremacist violence, we cannot help but ask these questions and we know, with or without us asking, that the Toronto Police Service will continue its diligent and professional investigation. Omar Farouk, president of the International Muslim Organization, echoed similar sentiments, stating that the homicide is one of a growing number of incidents targeting the Muslim community. This has sent a shock wave of fears and concerns of the community, and there is good reason for these fears and concerns, Farouk said. Someone came to our place of worship, a place we come to find peace and solace with intent to kill. On Friday, Toronto police homicide Insp. Hank Idsinga said the investigation is in the early stages and that its too early to say if the homicide may be investigated as a hate crime. Its definitely something that we are open-minded to, exactly what the motivation was . . . but, right now, weve laid the charge (of first-degree murder). Were getting him before the courts to face that charge and the investigation is continuing, Idsinga said. Zafis was remembered at the vigil as a kind, gentle soul, and praised for his charitable spirit in his final moments. On the day he was killed, he handed out food to the hungry and worked to keep his fellow worshippers safe. Guilherme William Von Neutegem, 34, was arrested Friday and charged with one count of first-degree murder. Advertisement Lisa Curry and her son Jett Kenny have shared their pain a day after burying their daughter and sister Jaimi Kenny following a years-long battle with an eating disorder and alcoholism. Jaimi died at Sunshine Coast University Hospital last Monday morning surrounded by her family, including both her Olympian mother and Ironman father Grant Kenny. Poignant tributes shared on Instagram on Sunday morning were a final goodbye to the beloved 33-year-old from a family who still can't believe she is gone. 'Yesterday, as the sun was setting, we said goodbye to you, our Jaimi,' Curry wrote of the 100-person funeral at Sunshine Coast Chapel on Saturday. Lisa Curry has shared their pain a day after burying her daughter and sister Jaimi Kenny (left) following a years-long battle with an eating disorder and alcoholism Jaimi's brother Jett penned his own somber tribute within an hour of his mother's, reflecting on the good times the close family with his 'biggest sister' 'As the last sun rays filtered through the trees onto you, fairy lights flickering everywhere around, with the most divine flowers surrounding you, and a room full of unconditional love, we farewelled you... always our bubba. 'It was just perfect... beautiful, quiet, pretty and sparkly... just the way you would have wanted it.' Curry alluded to her daughter's heartbreaking battle with the demons that led to her death - that at least now they would haunt her no more. 'Our little angel, you can now rest peacefully. Free of pain, free to flourish and free to grow, free to just be,' she wrote. 'Jaimi, as dad and I lovingly held you when you took your first breath, we lovingly held you as you took your last. Goodnight sweet girl... we hope you have a nice long sleep.' Jaimi's brother Jett penned his own somber tribute within an hour of his mother's, reflecting on the good times the close family had with his 'biggest sister'. 'You were there whenever I needed you, you taught me how to cook gourmet food like roast potatoes, chicken and salad, and tacos - the essentials in our household,' he wrote. Curry posted this photo of Jaimi with her dog cropped into the shape of a heart and surrounded by flowers Lisa Curry and Grant Kenny farewelled Jaimi on Saturday September 19 in a moving service on the Sunshine Coast Jaimi's sister Morgan Gruell posted her own tribute later on Sunday, calling her the 'most sentimental person she had ever known', who she saw the beauty in everyone and everything 'You gave me a slight insight into fashion by dressing me in up in dresses and putting makeup on me when I was young. Youd sit behind me while I ate dinner and would pick at anything pimple looking on my back - even if it was just a mole. 'You were my second mother, you were my biggest sister, you were my friend, and you were a fighter until the very end. 'Jaimi, I will love you forever and you will always have a place in my heart. I will miss you dearly, but cherish the moments we had together greatly. I love you so much, and I will see you again at some point.' Jett also reflected on the funeral, thanking the people who were able to attend and those who couldn't due to Queensland's gathering limit due to coronavirus. 'Yesterday we said our final goodbyes to my beautiful sister and I would just like to thank everyone for your overwhelming love and support,' he wrote. 'The entire family was inundated with loving messages, flowers and thoughts for our beautiful Jaimi. I personally will never be able to thank everyone enough. But do know that it will never be forgotten.' Jaimi's sister Morgan Gruell posted her own tribute later on Sunday, calling her the 'most sentimental person she had ever known', who she saw the beauty in everyone and everything. 'I will always remember her taking the time to stop and take a photo of a pretty flower, an interesting door, or her feet standing next to crunchy leaves that had fallen from the trees. I promise to always appreciate these things as she did,' she said. Former Olympian Lisa Curry (pictured second from the right) is pictured with tears in her eyes as she emerges after from the emotional church service with her husband Mark Tabone (pictured right) Family and friends of Jaimi Kenny are seen embracing each other at the conclusion of the heartbreaking funeral service The heart-wrenching picture captures the emotion of Jaimi's family in the wake of her shocking and tragic death 'You were surrounded by SO much love and beauty. Fairy lights everywhere, flowers everywhere, love everywhere 'It was a service fitted for the queen of all things pretty, you would have loved it. We will continue to miss and love you always. 'A huge thank you for all the messages of love and support that have been pouring in over the past week. It means the world to us to know how very loved and adored she was by all who met her.' Dozens of devastated family and friends had gathered for the funeral on the Sunshine Coast on Saturday afternoon, after the tight-knit clan spent almost a week grieving the loss of the 'bright, bubbly' Jaimi. After almost two hours, guests began filling out of the Sunshine Coast Chapel. Lisa could be seen bursting into tears as her husband Mark Tabone, family members and friends, all tried to comfort her. Those in attendance congregated out the front of the church, tearfully exchanging hugs before Jaimi's immediate family followed them out of the service. Jett, sister Morgan and their devastated parents embraced as Jaimi's white coffin, covered in pink and orange dahlias and baby's breath, was placed in the back of the hearse and carried away. The heart-wrenching final goodbye was made all the more difficult with only 100 family and friends allowed to attend under Queensland coronavirus restrictions. Jaimi Kenny's brother Jett (pictured front left) and father Grant Kenny (pictured front right) can be seen leading the pallbearers as they carrying her coffin out of the church Tribute: A bagpiper played a stirring tune as Jaimi's white coffin, covered in pink and orange dahlias and baby's breath, was placed in the back of the hearse Jaimi's casket is placed in the back of a hearse as those in attendance at the memorial service fight back tears Dozens of mourners at Jaimi Kenny's funeral a pictured giving their final farewell to the beloved young woman Lisa Curry is pictured in tears next to her son Jett, as Jaimi's body is being prepared to be driven away in a hearse Earlier on Saturday, as the service got underway, swathes of brightly dressed mourners arrived at the Maroochydore funeral home wearing floral patterns. They gathered out the front of the venue from about 3.30pm, chatting quietly among themselves until the Curry-Kenny clan arrived. Jett donned a slick, grey suit and dark tinted sunglasses when he stepped out of a car alongside his Ironman father about 4pm. The pair supported one another as they made their way through the crowd of friends and family. A lone man playing a somber melody on the bagpipes eventually greeted guests, instructing them to make their way into the church for the service to begin. Lisa Curry and Grant Kenny have farewelled their eldest daughter Jaimi Kenny (pictured left) on Saturday at a funeral service on the Sunshine Coast Dozens of devastated family and friends spent almost a week grieving the loss of the 'bright, bubbly' Jaimi (pictured) Jaimi's immediate family had gathered at Grant's waterfront home in the morning before the service. They spent the morning preparing for the funeral together and tidying up the house, before friends eventually came to help them transport bouquets of flowers which have been arriving since news of Jaimi's tragic death spread. Jaimi's younger sister Morgan, who is pregnant, arrived with her husband Ryan and their two-year-old son Flynn before other members of the family after they left the Kenny home earlier on Saturday to head to the church. Jaimi was particularly close with Flynn, and constantly doted on him. The proud aunt often commented on how much she adored the two-year-old - who shares an incredible likeness to her when she was a child, with her famous golden blonde tresses and big blue eyes. Just three weeks ago, Morgan shared a photograph of her and Flynn to Instagram, and Jaimi was quick to comment: 'Just divine, both of you', alongside several heart emojis. Four weeks before that, she again commented on a photograph of Flynn, and commented that Morgan's growing family was 'just the cutest'. 'Darling Flynn, oh you are beautiful,' another comment left by Jaimi read. Jaimi Kenny, 33, had long battled an eating disorder, with her family supporting her through years of treatment at a private clinic (Jaimi, left, is pictured with her family at her sister Morgan's 2016 wedding) Jaimi had also been battling alcoholism and had struggled to cope with the loss of her then-boyfriend Lachy Crossley in July 2017 Prior to her death, Jaimi had expressed her desire to one day have a family of her own, and absolutely doted on the children in her family. After her parents' marriage deteriorated, Ironman Grant Kenny went on to have a daughter Trixie Belle with radio star Fifi Box. 'Trixie' was the centre of Jaimi's universe, and the nanny even moved down to Melbourne to live with the duo. 'Jaimi absolutely adored children and was especially close to Trixie,' a family friend told Sunshine Coast Daily. The children gave her 'a whole new lease on life'. But her struggles with her mental health brought her back to the Sunshine Coast and her parents shortly after making the move. She worked closely with the End ED clinic which specialises in eating disorder treatment and recovery. Jaimi met and fell in love with local business owner Lachy Crossley on the Sunshine Coast. His mother Gail said 'they had plans to be together forever... They were certainly in love'. 'You could just see the love in their eyes that they had for each other. People described them as a modern-day Romeo and Juliet,' Dr Crossley added. Family ties: Lisa is pictured with her son Jett (left), surviving daughter Morgan (right) and her grandson Flynn Her model brother Jett (left) paid tribute to his sister on Tuesday 14 September admitting that while he 'may not have been the best brother' to Jaimi (right) they 'loved one another unconditionally' But in 2017, Lachy died in circumstances 'too heartbreaking' for the family to discuss. The happy couple had recently moved in together and had began discussing their future together. They both loved each other and loved children even more. The tragedy plunged Jaimi further into a depression and she spent the years to follow in and out of hospital and the eating disorder clinic. Her medical team tried everything, including blood transfusions, to extend her life. The Curry-Kenny clan have repeatedly expressed their fondness of her medical team, and thanked them for their hard work in maintaining Jaimi's quality of life. On Friday night, Morgan's husband Ryan thanked the local community for their support and outpouring of love in the days since Jaimi's death. 'Thank you to everyone who has reached out and offered kind words, gifts, support and love to Jaimi's family and I. The condolences are so welcome and helpful,' he wrote alongside a photo with bouquets of flowers. 'We have been sharing the messages with each other and although we may not have been able to offer a response we have received the love from all of it and are very appreciative. 'Jaimi was so very loved and will be so very missed but the love we all share for her will keep her memory alive.' Gone too soon: Jaimi is the daughter of Lisa and her ex-husband, Australian ironman champion Grant Kenny (who is pictured with his daughter as a baby) Condolences: Lisa's husband, Elvis Presley impersonator Mark Tabone (left), also addressed the tragedy in an Instagram post on Tuesday September 16. Pictured with Lisa and Jaimi Jaimi was extremely tough on herself, growing up in a family surrounded by Olympians, Ironmen, models and professional dancers. Grant and her brother Jett are both Ironmen and revered within the local surf life saving community. Jett still works as a life guard with Alexandra Headlands Surf Club, and is also a successful model. Meanwhile her younger sister Morgan flourished when she moved to France for her dance career, scoring a prestigious role with the Moulin Rouge. 'She was incredibly hard on herself and her own harshest critic, but completely non-judgmental of others,' a Curry-Kenny family friend told Sunshine Coast Daily. 'Growing up on the beach on the Sunny Coast, she was - apart from being incredibly gorgeous - a genuinely kind soul, bubbly, loveable and outgoing. No-one knew until many years later about her silent struggles with depression and chronic eating disorders. She managed to keep on smiling despite so many very dark days.' Despite her ongoing struggles, friends of Jaimi told how she always brought 'light and laughter' to the lives of those she around her. 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 New chapter: In 2013, Grant, 57, welcomed a daughter named Trixie Belle with radio presenter Fifi Box (right). Fifi - who had a close friendship with her ex's adult children, including Jaimi (left) - did not acknowledge Grant was the father of her daughter until 2016. Pictured in 2017 Even retail assistants at her local shopping centre in Kawana told Daily Mail Australia she was always a 'friendly face' when she popped in. Her model brother Jett paid tribute to his sister on Tuesday, admitting that while he 'may not have been the best brother' they 'loved one another unconditionally'. 'I may not have been the best brother to you all the time, I know you thought you weren't being the big sister I needed all the time, but I do know we loved one another unconditionally all the time,' he wrote. 'I will love you forever. Rest In Peace my beautiful big sister, the world lost one of its treasures yesterday but heaven gained one. You will be dearly missed by all whose lives you touched.' The tight-knit family have been congregating at Kenny's luxury home in the days since Jaimi's passing. They've kept a relatively low profile, instead opting to mourn privately. But Jett has been spotted several times around town, turning to his closest friends during the difficult time. 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 Friends of Jaimi told how she always brought 'light and laughter' to the lives of those she around her He has shared several photographs taken at the gym, enjoying cocktails and pizza at a Brisbane bar and at the surf club where he works in the days since Jaimi's passing. Jaimi had been struggling for some time in the lead up to her tragic death, both with her eating disorder and a dependency on alcohol. She first sought help for mental health 'troubles', including anxiety, when she was 14. But in 2014, she was charged with high range drink driving after she was caught swerving between lanes on the Sunshine Coast Motorway. Police pulled her over, and she was required to appear in Maroochydore Magistrates Court, where the court heard she had consumed up to 16 bottles of Strongbow cider. She recorded a blood-alcohol reading of 0.23 per cent at the scene - almost five times the legal limit. Her lawyer at the time told the court she was getting help for her problems, and admitted that alcohol had become 'a bit of a feature' in her life since the deterioration of a romantic relationship in 2012. Jaimi had been supported by her parents and siblings through many years of treatment at private clinic End ED, on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Shattered staff at the clinic said they could not discuss Jaimi's struggle, but told how she became part of the 'family' over the years. Grieving: Jaimi (centre) is survived by her Ironman father, former pro swimmer mother (right), brother Jett (left) and sister Morgan RIP: Jaimi is pictured as a child with her mother, a three-time Olympian and former swimmer She was an avid swimmer at the time and hoped to follow in her Olympian mother's footsteps. The family confirmed Jaimi's death on Monday September 14 with a moving statement. '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,' Grant first said on Monday. 'Jaimi will forever be remembered as a caring, bright and loving soul who always put others before herself,' he 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.' For free and confidential support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Butterfly Foundation for eating disorder concerns on 1800 ED HOPE Students at the age of 15 should be busy thinking about their classes, extracurricular activities, friends, and their future. But some teens have more to worry about in high school. A 15-year-old Rockford, Illinois, girl named Cherish Coates had a newborn son to worry about. Becoming pregnant without realizing it in 2004, this sophomore, who lived with her grandparents, experienced sharp pains in her stomach one day. Before the night was out, she had delivered her own baby with no assistance in her bedroom. Not knowing what to do and too scared to tell her grandparents, Cherish managed to cut the umbilical cord, and with the help of her boyfriend, got the very premature baby to the NICU at the SwedishAmerican Hospital. The terrified young father had left the baby, who weighed 3 pounds (approx. 1 kg), in a shoe box at hospital with just a short message. We wrote a note that we wanted him to be named Allen Correy, that we loved him so much, and wanted to him to have the best future possible, Cherish recalled on The Doctors. Cherish and her boyfriend had no idea what to do next and felt like they couldnt tell their parents or grandparents what had happened, but they kept visiting their baby. I remember just looking at how beautiful he was, and how tiny he was. I had never held a baby before; I had never babysat or anything, she told the Chicago Tribune. The SwedishAmerican Hospital was one of the places where the 2001 Illinois Safe Haven law was in effect. That allows parents to leave newborns at designated locations, including hospitals, police and fire stations, and other emergency medical providers, without fear of prosecution for abandonment. Neonatal nurse Jeannie Joseph was the person charged with baby Allens care. He was fighting for his life and needed lots of medical attention because of how prematurely he was born. She looked like such a scared girl you could tell that she was sad, and embarrassed, and scared, Joseph told the Tribune. The veteran nurse could tell that the young mom needed some encouragement. You know that you saved his life, right? Joseph remembers telling Cherish. I dont want you to hang your head. You gave him the best chance you could. This interaction meant the world to Cherish, and for the first time, she felt she had someone she could confide in. It was nurse Jeannie Joseph who gave Cherish the courage to own up to her pregnancy to her family and get her life back on track. This is too big of a secret to keep from your family, she remembers telling Cherish. You need their support. Whatever decision you choose to make you need to talk to them. Cherish, who was making straight As and working part-time, decided to share the news with her own mother, who had also had her at a young age. To her surprise, her mother reacted wonderfully and supported her decision to bring baby Allen home and help raise him. As Joseph told the Tribune, there was no hesitation, there was no anger, there was no anything. She hugged Cherish and she loved on the baby. Flash forward to 2017. Cherish graduated from high school, and college, and was now living in Arizona with Allen and two other children. Inspired by Joseph, she trained to be a Certified Nursing Assistant, according to SwedishAmerican, and was working toward her law degree, reports the Tribune. She felt the urge to reconnect with Joseph, who couldnt believe that Allen was now a teenager. In an emotional reunion on the The Doctors, the two women exchanged hugs. Tears flowed in the audience and onstage. Allen was choked up, too, as nurse Joseph told him how handsome he was. Host Dr. Andrew Ordon told the nurse, Youre one of those saints, one of those healthcare providers that goes beyond Its not work. Its passion, its love. Since their reunion, Cherish has returned to working in health care as a sonographer, inspired by nurse Jeannie and reminiscing on Allens birth. As Allen succeeds in school, runs on the track team, and participates in the U.S. Navy Sea Cadet program, its hard to imagine a much happier ending to this story. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, the Holy Sees Permanent Observer to the United Nations, addresses the UN Human Rights Council's urgent debate on the situation of human rights in Belarus which took place on Friday in Geneva. By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp The use of excessive force and human rights violations against defenseless citizens in Belarus was the topic of a debate on Friday in Geneva before the UN Human Rights Council. The debate took place within the 45th Session of the Human Rights Council and was entitled On the Situation of Human Rights in Belarus. Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, the Holy Sees Permanent Observer to the United Nations also addressed the Council. Holy See appeals for peaceful resolution In his remarks, Jurkovic said that the Holy See has been following the situation in Belarus since the elections took place. He said the Holy See renews its appeal for a peaceful and just resolution to the tensions through sincere dialogue, the rejection of violence, and respect for justice and fundamental human and civil rights. He recalled the recent visit of Archbishop Richard Paul Gallagher, the Holy Sees Secretary for Relations with States which took place from 11 to 14 September. Through that visit, the Holy Father has demonstrated a particular and tangible solicitude for the whole Country and especially for the local Catholic Church, the Archbishop explained. He expressed the hope that Gallaghers visit might bring about a deeper understanding of the ecclesial mission of the Church and of the instrumental role that it plays in fostering social reconciliation and national cohesion. Protesters should be heard Specifically addressing the protests taking place, Jurkovic expressed the Holy Sees position that it is indispensable that demonstrators present their requests in a peaceful way. It is also necessary that governing authorities exercise restraint and listen to the voices of their citizens and remain open to their just aspirations, assuring full respect for their civil and human rights. These words are an echo of Pope Franciss words after the Angelus this past Sunday. Holy See willing partner in further dialogue Jurkovic ended by saying that the Holy See desires a peaceful and rapid resolution to the ongoing tensions. To that end, he said the Holy See remains open to being a part of any further discussion that might bring about such much needed peace. The Tencent Holdings Ltd. WeChat app is displayed in the App Store on a smartphone in an arranged photograph taken in Arlington, Virginia, on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. WASHINGTON A U.S. judge in California halted the Trump administration's ban on downloads of the Chinese-owned app WeChat early Sunday. The move blocks the Commerce Department from forcing Apple and Alphabet's Google to remove Tencent Holding's WeChat for downloads by Sunday evening. U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler in California said in an order that WeChat users who filed a lawsuit "have shown serious questions going to the merits of the First Amendment claim, the balance of hardships tips in the plaintiffs favor." Beeler's preliminary injunction also blocked the Commerce order that would have barred other transactions with WeChat in the United States that could have degraded the site's usability for current U.S. users. The U.S. Commerce Department and the White House did not immediately comment. The Commerce Department announced Friday morning that it will ban U.S. business transactions with Chinese-owned social apps WeChat and TikTok on Sunday. Read more: Trump to block downloads of TikTok, WeChat on Sunday Commerce Department officials who spoke with reporters on the condition of anonymity Friday explained the next steps for WeChat users in the United States. The ban would have rendered the app largely dysfunctional for those who had already downloaded it. "Users will experience some dysfunction and latency to the point where there will be an outage or a message or something will timeout. So, we do expect it may be usable but it may not be particularly functional after Sunday," a Commerce Department official said. Commerce Department officials also said on a call with reporters that they were preparing for a long legal battle. Tens of thousands of opposition supporters marched in the Belarusian capital of Minsk Sunday, defying a heavy security presence that included water cannon and armoured vehicles. More than 100 people were arrested on the sidelines of that demonstration and similar protests in other major cities, the rights group Viasna said. The protests came a day after police officers detained hundreds of demonstrators at a women's march in the capital. The opposition movement has kept up a wave of big demonstrations every Sunday since President Alexander Lukashenko won a disputed victory in August 9 polls. In Minsk, people holding red-and-white protest flags gathered for the "March of Justice" walked through central streets holding placards with slogans such as "Cowards beat up women" and "Get out!". Natalya Chizhevich, a 60-year-old retired teacher said she came every week. "Europe won't help us get rid of Lukashenko, the people themselves have to remove him," she said. Several independent media outlets estimated numbers at tens of thousands, while the opposition newspaper Nasha Niva put the figure much higher at 150,000. Previous marches have drawn estimated turnouts of at least 100,000. "I hope this won't die down. We come out every time, it's such a breath of fresh air," said Maxim Karpov, 33. "This all gives us strength to fight on." Police and internal troops drove military trucks, water cannon and armoured personnel carriers into the city centre and set up barbed wire. In the evening, large numbers of riot police with shields faced off against flag-waving protesters after detaining small numbers at the start. Viasna said at least 80 had been detained in Minsk and 47 in other cities. In the southwestern city of Brest, police said they fired tear gas at protesters during tense street clashes and added that one officer fired a stun grenade into the air. The government ordered a reduction in mobile internet coverage during the protests, and central Minsk metro stations were closed. Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who has claimed victory over Lukashenko in the polls and taken shelter in Lithuania, praised demonstrators for coming out "to bravely stand up for what they want". The mass protest followed a police crackdown Saturday on peaceful women demonstrators who wore shiny accessories for a "Sparkly March". Protesters were dragged into vans, and some were lifted off their feet and carried. Belarusian interior ministry spokeswoman Olga Chemodanova said Sunday that police had detained 415 people in Minsk and 15 in other cities Saturday for breaking rules on mass demonstrations. She said 385 had been released. - 'Worth fighting for' - The scale of Saturday's detentions prompted the opposition's Coordination Council to warn of a "new phase in the escalation of violence against peaceful protesters". Among those detained was prominent protest figure Nina Baginskaya, 73, who was later released. The aggressive police tactics prompted an opposition Telegram channel, Nexta, which has more than two million subscribers, to publish what it said were the names and ranks of more than 1,000 police officers. Protesters have tried to pull masks and balaclavas off police who appear at demonstrations in plain clothes or in uniforms without insignia or name badges. Opposition leader Tikhanovskaya on Saturday said Belarusians were ready to strip police obeying "criminal orders" of anonymity. Lukashenko has dismissed opposition calls for his resignation and sought help from Russia's President Vladimir Putin, who has promised law enforcement backup if needed and a $1.5 billion loan. Tikhanovskaya is to meet European Union foreign ministers Monday in Brussels as the EU prepares sanctions against those it blames for rigging the election and the regime's violent crackdown. Authorities have jailed many of Tikhanovskaya's allies who formed the leadership of the Coordination Council, or driven them out of the country. Campaign partner Maria Kolesnikova has been imprisoned and charged with undermining national security. She released a message to protesters Sunday saying: "Freedom is worth fighting for. Don't be afraid to be free!" Search Keywords: Short link: Professor James Arrey Abangma Atia Azohnwi Professor James Arrey Abangma, President of the University of Buea (UB) chapter of the National Union of Teachers in Higher Education (SYNES) says they remain committed to the institutions of the State in quest for the welfare of their members. Taking to Facebook on September 17, Prof. Abangma came back on some of the issues he addressed in an interview published in The Post on July 13, 2020, which interview was unfortunately distorted and published on social media platforms by some bloggers. Contrary to claims that they had issued an ultimatum for the Head of State to pardon some sanctioned UB lecturers, Prof. Abangma clarifies that SYNES-UB rather appealed to President Paul Biya to pardon two of theirs sanctioned in June for alleged wrongdoing. He said the appeal for pardon is a legal provision which was made within the period of three months as stipulated by law. That action on the case of the members sanctioned is carried out by the national executive of SYNES with SYNES-UB chapter acting as facilitator; that under such context, all options are on the table; and that the legal bench of SYNES is charged with such responsibility, Abangma clarified. The varsity don regrets that his interview was distorted to give the impression that they are in battle with the State. Mimi Mefo Info that carried the same story after my interview with The Post reported a distorted version. In its report it stated that: Members of SYNES are victimized in the university; That a commission was set up to assess the action of the Head of State; that SYNES (UB chapter) has given the President of Republic a period of three months to grant the dismissed lecturers pardon to order for their reintegration; and that I granted her a telephone interview, the professor bemoaned. He adds that: I never granted an interview to Mimi Mefo Info. Members of SYNES (UB chapter) are not victimized by the administration of the university. The Vice-Chancellor [Professor Ngomo Horace Manga] operates an open-door policy and SYNES is a strong partner in the university governance. SYNES leadership knocks on the door of the Vice-Chancellors office on any burning issue and we have had many occasions working with him. This does not cancel the fact that we have differences concerning the sanctions on our members; We cannot be appealing to the Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education to intercede for our members to be granted presidential pardon, and at the same time issuing an ultimatum to the President of the Republic. We pray that this distorted version of the interview on social media would not jeopardize our efforts for the request made for the Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education to intercede for us in the request for Presidential Pardon. We remain committed to the institutions of the State in quest for the welfare of our members. Flashback Cameroon-Info.Net recalls that in July, the National Union of Teachers in Higher Education (SYNES) pleaded with the Minister of State, Minister of High Education to intercede on their behalf for the Head of State, President Paul Biya to pardon two of theirs sanctioned in June for alleged wrongdoing. Dr. Martin Ndeh Sango and Dr. Aloysius Nyuymengka Ngalim were last June punished for failing to participate in re-sit examinations at the end of the previous academic year. Indeed, Decree N2020/317 of June 22, 2020 dismissed Dr. Sango Martin Ndeh from the higher education corps. The then lecturer at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Buea was sent packing, without suspension of his pension rights, for attempting to obstruct the smooth conduct of resit examinations organised in the said faculty during the 2018/2019 academic year and for repeatedly committing acts likely to impede the normal and smooth functioning of the faculty. Although President Biya dismissed Dr. Sango based on the minutes of a Disciplinary Board held at the University of Buea on March 25, 2020, and on the recommendation of the Minister of Higher Education, members of SYNES Buea Chapter are of the opinion that their colleagues were victimised based on their unionism. Dr. Sango had said he could not make it to campus during the resit exams of 2018/2019 owing to the insecurity that had enveloped Mile 16 Buea where he lives. He is said to have notified his hierarchy of the situation. While Dr. Sango served as Vice President of SYNES Buea Chapter before his dismissal, Dr. Ngalim was said to be a bona fide member of the lecturers union before the sanctions fell on him. In an interview published in The Post on July 13, 2020, Prof. James Arrey Abangma, SYNES Buea Chapter President appealed that President Biya uses his good conscience to pardon the axed lecturers. All options are on the table, but for now, within the period of three months, all what we seek is Presidential pardon. For now, everything is being done to seek for Presidential pardon, and we cannot seek Presidential pardon and then start making cases or flexing muscles. But when every other thing fails, all avenues will be exploited, to see into it that our members are reinstated. A case is with the National Executive Bureau of SYNES, but SYNES Buea is just a facilitator, Prof. Abangma is quoted as saying. He recalls that SYNES came into existence with the support of the International Labour Organisation, ILO, and they will leave no stone unturned to ensure that SYNES members are not arbitrarily relieved of their duty like Dr. Sango and Dr. Ngalim. We will have to stretch to the limit of elasticity to see to it that our colleagues are reinstated, said Abangma. Prof. Abangma told The Post that the National Executive Bureau of SYNES has put in place a judicial bench, to carry out investigations, whose findings will be authoritatively used to state the reason behind the heavy sanctions meted on members of SYNES. Hear him: A team of eminent law professors will have to work with Common Law lawyers to follow a Presidential pardon and we hope the Head of State, H.E. President Paul Biya, will actually consider our case, because, these colleagues have been doing everything possible for schools to continue during these difficult times. They staked their lives, and their liberties, and I dont think they should be treated shabbily in this manner. Cameroon-Info.Net remembers that on March 24, 2017, Prof. Abangma and Dr. Sango, respectively President and Vice President of SYNES-UB, announced the suspension of a lecturers strike in order to break the then deadlock in the Anglophone crisis. They had taken the decision to allow government show good faith by releasing their arrested colleagues, students and implementing the various agreements reached at during the Adhoc Committee meetings of 2016 and January 2017. New Delhi, Sep 20 : Heart failure is one of the most under-diagnosed heart diseases in our country, contributing to a high number of death rates. The National Heart Failure Registry recently revealed its one-year data, which shows that close to 17 percent of patients die within 90 days of being diagnosed with heart failure. These high death rates are comparable to mortality associated with cancers of the breast and cervix. There is lot of ambiguity when it comes to understanding heart failure. The disease is often confused with heart attack, or its symptoms are ignored as signs of old age or other diseases. Currently, it's the leading cause of mortality and repeat hospitalisations amongst all CVDs, with close to 10 million patients in India, Dr Sandeep Seth, Professor of Cardiology, AIIMS, New Delhi told IANSlife. What is Heart Failure? Dr Seth explains, heart failure is a chronic and progressive disease in which the heart muscle weakens or stiffens over time, making it difficult for the heart to pump normally. This leads to symptoms like shortness of breath, need for elevated pillows to breath properly while lying down, swelling in the ankles, legs and abdomen, sudden weight gain and constant tiredness or fatigue. What causes Heart Failure? Several comorbid conditions and risk factors can cause heart failure. A prior heart attack is one of the key reasons. Sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, stress, smoking, excessive consumption of alcohol, drug usage etc., that leads to lifestyle diseases, increases the risk of developing heart failure in the future. Dr Seth lists the factors. - Hypertension or high blood pressure makes the heart work harder than it must. Over time, this puts pressure on the heart muscle responsible for the pumping action - Coronary artery disease: Narrowed arteries limit the supply of oxygen-rich blood. The heart pumps harder to meet the need of the limited blood flow resulting in weakened heart muscle - Heart attack: Heart attack and Heart Failure are not similar. Heart attack is a sudden cardiac event that has a direct effect on the basic functioning of the heart. A prior heart attack can majorly cause damaged and mean that the heart will never be able to pump as effectively as it did earlier, leading to Heart Failure - Diabetes: Chronic condition like diabetes increases the risk of high blood pressure and coronary artery disease which in turn increases risk of acute heart failure - Cardiomyopathy: Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle caused due to alcohol consumption and/or smoking or drug abuse or other yet to be discovered causes - Obesity: Being overweight increases risk for abnormal heart function and puts one at the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes etc. In the long run, excessive fat deposition can affect the flow of blood through heart muscle, leading to heart failure - Heart Valves disease: In this ailment, one or more of the valves in your heart doesn't work properly. This can cause the blood flow through your heart to your body to be disrupted and cause various complications in your body which can lead to heart failure. - Irregular heartbeats: Abnormal heart rhythms, especially if they are very frequent and fast, weakens the heart muscle and could cause heart failure It's advisable to adopt an overall healthy lifestyle. One should exercise on a regular basis, refrain from smoking, drinking or drug abuse and eat healthy and nutritious meals. People should also develop a habit of regular health screening to ensure that any possible heart disease could be diagnosed at an early stage, to ensure timely treatment. (Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in) The San Diego Padres announced a pair of roster moves today. Luis Patino has been optioned to the teams alternate site, with Austin Adams being reinstated from the injured list to join the active roster. This will be Adams first appearance with the team since being acquired from the Seattle Mariners at the trade deadline. Patino is one of the Padres many highly-regarded pitching prospects. Hes now completed a couple of stints at the major-league level during the 2020 season, making 9 appearances out of the bullpen and starting one game. Long-term, the Padres hope Patino will prove himself worthy of a rotation spot, but they have the luxury of patience with the 20-year-old right-hander. Its been a mixed bag over Patinos first 16 1/3 innings in the Show. His 5.51 ERA/5.82 FIP can largely be attributed to his 7.2 BB/9, a number that certainly has been colored by the small sample size of 2020. Hes also managed to notch 10.5 K/9, roughly in line with his minor league averages in that regard. Having finished 2019 in Double-A, its unlikely he was ready to make the jump directly to the majors under normal circumstances, though the talented youngster was certainly pegged to be a fast-rise in the Padres system. Adams, 29, came to the Padres with Austin Nola and Dan Altavilla at the trade deadline. Thought its easy to consider Adams a throw-in because he was injured at the time of the deal, Adams nonetheless comes with four seasons of control beyond 2020, including one final pre-arb year in 2021. A waiver claim last season from the Nationals, Adams hasnt stayed healthy long enough to sustain a breakout that began when he joined Seattle last season, but the possibility remains that Adams could become a vital piece of the San Diego bullpen this season or beyond. His first appearance with the Padres will be his first overall in 2020, but he posted a 3.77 ERA/2.96 FIP in 2019 across 29 appearances totaling 31 innings with the Mariners. While command can be an issue, Adams managed 14.8 K/9 last year, a number that suggests he has the stuff to develop into a late-game stopper. Itll be interesting to see how exactly the Padres plan to work him into the bullpen rotation in the limited games remaining before the playoffs. India, the US, Japan and Australia are set to hold a ministerial meeting in Tokyo next month under the framework of the "Quadrilateral" coalition to further boost cooperation in the Indo-Pacific in view of China's growing assertiveness in the region, people familiar with the development said. The meeting is expected to be represented by foreign ministers of the four countries. In November 2017, the four countries gave shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the "Quadrilateral" coalition or "Quad" to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence. "The second ministerial meeting of Quad is expected to take place next month in Japan," said one of the people cited above. The meeting of foreign ministers of the four countries under the 'Quad' framework had taken place in New York in September 2019. India is also expanding bilateral cooperation with Japan, the US and Australia in the Indo-Pacific region. On its part, the US has been pushing for a greater role for India in the Indo-Pacific which is seen by many countries as an effort to contain China's growing clout in the region. Earlier this month, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat said India thinks the grouping "is a good system" to ensure freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region. "We want the Quad to become a system to ensure this, he said at a conference. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal has resigned citing her distress with the growing discontent among Punjabs farmers, while, her party, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) will remain in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). What she has done is known as political positioning. That is what the Shiv Sena (SS) and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) had done earlier. TDP leaders resigned from Cabinet a year before the 2019 elections in Andhra Pradesh. The TDP lost the election badly. In contrast, SS ministers remained in the Cabinet till the end. They contested the 2019 assembly elections with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but smelling power in the state, quit. If SAD wants to protest, it should not employ double standards. In politics, there are very few examples of people rejecting privilege to work for the disadvantaged. Take one. In 1954, the Praja Socialist Party (PSP) formed a government in Travancore (now Kerala) with support from several parties. There was, at the time, an agitation for a separate state for the Tamil- speaking areas of Madras presidency. The police opened fire on peaceful protests, killing 15 people, including students and farmers. Ram Manohar Lohia was the general secretary of the PSP, and was in jail. The next morning, he sent a telegram, seeking the resignation of then chief minister (CM) Pattom Thanu Pillai. The CM did not resign immediately, but the party split and the government fell shortly after. Farmers concerns have not been addressed for decades. India has only one model of agrarian success, the Green Revolution. There is talk of a second Green Revolution but not much has happened. I belong to Doab (the land between the Ganga and Yamuna). When millions of people returned to their villages because of the pandemic, they did not find shelter in the land of their forefathers. They lost their jobs in the cities and agriculture was not able to sustain them. The Centre has passed two bills on agricultural reforms. Under the Framers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, farmers will be able to sell their produce anywhere in the country. On The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, the government claims that the farmers income will increase and middlemen will be cut out. Earlier, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill had been passed, which provides that grains, pulses, edible oils, potatoes, onions will not remain essential commodities. The government believes that this will attract foreign investment in agriculture. Those opposed to this say that with the abolition of the current mandi structure, farmers will not get the Minimum Support Price (MSP). This could give private companies a means to exploit farmers. Traders will hoard and there will be volatility in food prices. This will end food security and increase the black market in essential commodities. Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has responded strongly saying that the system of MSP and government procurement will continue. Some BJP-run state governments have done well in getting farmers a fair price for their produce. The Uttar Pradesh government has distributed Rs 21,889 crore to farmers over the last two years. About 86% of farmers have less than two hectares of land, hardly enough to feed their families. Little wonder then that, according to the National Crime Records Bureau, 42,480 farmers and daily labourers committed suicide last year, though the Union agriculture minister said in the Lok Sabha last Tuesday that state-wise figures for farmers suicides have not been available since 2016. But the truth is that farmers in several states are in a state of distress and ferment. India is going through an unprecedented crisis. Tensions along the border with China, the lethal impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the dismal economic situation have raised anxieties and apprehensions. At such a time, agrarian unrest will make things much worse. Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan The views expressed are personal SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In this article TSLA Tesla Chief Executive Office Elon Musk speaks at his company's factory in Fremont, California. Noah Berger | Reuters Tesla plans to host its annual shareholder meeting, followed by a "battery technology day" presentation, on Tuesday, September 22. Elon Musk's electric car company is likely to disclose specifications for at least one new type of battery cell that the company has been developing, and may give an aspiring start-date for manufacturing its own cells at scale, too. As CNBC previously reported, Tesla has established a prototype manufacturing line for battery cells at their skunkworks lab in Fremont, California, near its U.S. car plant. However, on the day before the event, Musk took pains to downplay the short-term importance of the announcements coming at battery day. On Monday after the close of trading, Musk wrote on Twitter: "Important note about Tesla Battery Day unveil tomorrow. This affects long-term production, especially Semi, Cybertruck & Roadster, but what we announce will not reach serious high-volume production until 2022. We intend to increase, not reduce battery cell purchases from Panasonic, LG & CATL (possibly other partners too). However, even with our cell suppliers going at maximum speed, we still foresee significant shortages in 2022 & beyond unless we also take action ourselves." Tesla shares dropped more than 6% after hours on Musk's tweets, after closing almost 2% higher for the day at $449.39. The company's stock is up more than 420% for the year. Dependence on suppliers Since January 2017, the EV maker has mass manufactured battery cells for its cars and energy storage products at its Gigafactory near Reno, Nevada, with its partner, main battery cell supplier, and co-investor in the facility, Panasonic. More recently, Tesla began sourcing cells from CATL and LG, and making battery packs for the made-in-China (MIC) version of its Model 3 sedans with these at a newer vehicle assembly plant in Shanghai. The Tesla MIC vehicles are now sold in China, with some set for export to Europe.In August, Panasonic planned to invest $100 million to set up a new cell production line at the Nevada Gigafactory, the Nikkei first reported. In general, Tesla's battery team looks for ways to drive down the costs of production, increase the lifetime and charging speed of their batteries, and make sure their batteries are safe for use in electric vehicles. According to people familiar with Tesla's internal goals for battery cells, the company has been gunning to deliver more than a 70% improvement in the energy density of their cells, and improved power density too, versus the 2170 cells that they buy from Panasonic. If Tesla figures out how to make and integrate higher performance battery cells into its vehicles, its cars -- and someday, trucks -- could travel more miles per charge, could be lighter weight, and could cost the company less to produce. AutoForecast Solutions' research analyst for new energy vehicles, Conrad Layson, noted that a lot of automakers are now looking at a way to position themselves at the top of the EV market, which represents about 3.5% of new vehicle consumption worldwide. He said, "If [Tesla] decides to go ahead and make their new battery cells, the 'Road Runner' cells, then they will be realizing a strategy that's about control. They would be able to make batteries to their specifications without paying anybody else, or waiting on anybody else for development. They want to be able to control this internally and probably produce in quantity. For now, they are going to be reliant on their cell suppliers." Volatility likely Tesla events like "battery technology day," often lead to stock price volatility for Tesla, with shares often increasing around the date of the event. But what CEO Elon Musk promotes at these events does not necessarily manifest into real or successful products on the timeline announced. In October 2016, Elon Musk showed off solar glass roof tiles in a demo that helped Tesla convince investors to approve a $2.6 billion acquisition of SolarCity. To this day, Tesla is not making or installing solar glass roof tiles in a significant volume. In April 2019, at an "autonomy day" presentation, Musk said Tesla expected to be "feature-complete in self driving this year." He also said, "We expect to be confident enough, from our standpoint, to say that we think people do not need to touch the wheel and can look out the window," while driving Tesla vehicles with the Full Self-Driving option, by the second quarter of 2020. But this summer, Musk revealed that the company's automated driving system dubbed FSD was going through a "fundamental rewrite." Specifically, on August 14, 2020, Musk wrote in a tweet: "The FSD improvement will come as a quantum leap, because it's a fundamental architectural rewrite, not an incremental tweak. I drive the bleeding edge alpha build in my car personally. Almost at zero interventions between home & work. Limited public release in 6 to 10 weeks." Musk tweet Analysts gave shares of Tesla a price target boost this week leading up to battery day: Wedbush increased their price target from $380 to $475; Piper Jaffray from $480 to $515; Deutsche Bank from $300 to $400; and Credit Suisse from $280 to $400. Flash U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday urged Republicans to confirm "without delay" a replacement for late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died the previous evening at the age of 87. "We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices. We have this obligation, without delay!" the president tweeted. U.S. media cited presidential aides and advisers as saying that Trump was considering a woman for his latest Supreme Court nominee, who would also be the third appointee during his presidency. Assessment of possible options began on Saturday, according to reports. Ginsburg died of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer, the Supreme Court said in a news release, adding that a private interment will be held at the Arlington National Cemetery, without revealing the specific date for the ceremony. The second female Supreme Court justice in U.S. history and a champion for equal protection under law for women, Ginsburg was nominated to the bench by then President Bill Clinton in 1993 and over the years became the most senior liberal justice on the nation's highest court. The death of Ginsburg set up a fierce partisan fight on Capitol Hill over whether to confirm a nominee less than 50 days away from the presidential election. Democratic lawmakers led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden as well as former President Barack Obama, all maintained that Ginsburg's replacement be nominated by the next president to be chosen by voters in the Nov. 3 election. "The voters should pick the president, and the president should pick the justice for the Senate to consider," Biden said Friday night. Such a position echoed Ginsburg's dying wish. "My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed," she said in a statement dictated to her granddaughter, Clara Spera. On the Republican side, however, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who blocked a Senate hearing of an Obama appointee shortly ahead of the 2016 election to replace late Justice Antonin Scalia who died in February that year, said Friday that the Senate will vote on Trump's nominee to fill the vacancy Ginsburg left. Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who is on Trump's list of potential Supreme Court nominees announced on Sept. 9, said Friday the president should tap a new justice "next week." The number of justices on the bench reduced to eight following the passing of Ginsburg, among whom only three are liberals. Trump is expected to swing the bench further to the right with a new appointee. While Republicans in the Senate changed the rules so that the confirmation of a Supreme Court justice now needs 51 votes rather than a supermajority, the slight 53-47 majority they hold in the Senate means they can only afford a maximum of three defections, a scenario where Vice President Mike Pence's tie-breaking vote will be needed to seat the new candidate. The San Antonio Police Department is asking for the publics help in finding 17-year-old Sebastian Eduardo Vazquez Carpio. Vazquez Carpio, who sometimes goes by Sebas, hasnt been seen since Friday on the 5500 block of Burgate Farm in the West Side. He was last seen wearing a light blue long sleeve shirt with black shorts and a black backpack. Officials say he may be riding a bike. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal If there was ever a moment when it seemed certain that the old American way of policing was dead, it came in early June with the drone footage of a river of tens of thousands of Black Lives Matter protesters flowing down Hollywood Boulevard in liberal Los Angeles. The marchers kept coming and coming singin songs and a-carryin signs, like a mashup of Buffalo Springfields For What Its Worth (penned about 1966 protests a block away, on Sunset) with the endless headlights in Field of Dreams. You had to think that if California, with its progressive traditions and its solid bloc of Democratic public officials, couldnt show the rest of the world what it looks like to defund the police the growing demand of marchers from Hollywood all the way to Philadelphia in those first days after the Minneapolis police murder of George Floyd then nobody could. Yet today, when it comes to sweeping cop reforms, it increasingly feels just 11 short weeks after Floyd died with a cops knee on his neck like maybe nobody can. Indeed, nowhere has proved a bigger bust than California, where a package of significant, but not radical, statewide reforms far short of protesters demands to steeply reduce, if not abolish, traditional police forces in favor of social services and unarmed interventions has mostly failed in a just-ended legislative session in Sacramento. In less than three months, the Black Lives Matter protests grew smaller and the voice of the entrenched regime of police union lobbyists grew louder, filling the void. The centerpiece bill certifying police officers so bad-apple cops cant easily move from jurisdiction to jurisdiction never came up for a vote, and other reform measures were killed or watered down. A retired attorney whod long worked on policing issues for the ACLU told The New York Times Miriam Pawel: The culture has not even begun to change. Even in Minneapolis, ground zero for the Floyd protests, a call for a rapid, radical rethinking of big-city policing has been dramatically slowed down. A push that would have allowed voters to decide in November on replacing the police department in Minnesotas largest city with a Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention with a holistic, public health-oriented approach to public safety was halted for now by a local commission. In other cities, early calls for like-minded plans pitched under the broad and sometimes confusing banner of defund the police have struggled for oxygen in a summer of rising murder rates, especially as COVID-19 has sparked municipal budget crises. Christy Lopez, a Georgetown University law professor who co-leads the schools Program on Innovative Policing and is a national reform expert, told me in an email interview that there has been a noticeably wide gulf between demands and legislator rhetoric, and the proposals actually put on the table, let alone passed. Lopez cited a perfect storm of factors: lawmakers distracted by other issues, such as the coronavirus, the longstanding power of police unions and a learning curve for activists to promote the benefits of dramatic reforms. Movement advocates and activists have to work harder at this, she said, because race and class bias make it less likely that lawmakers will trust that they know what they are talking about. Whats so frustrating is that while the momentum for rapid reform stalls, the police killings of Black and brown Americans under murky circumstances hasnt stopped. In Los Angeles, just a traffic jam or two away from where so many had marched in June, sheriffs deputies killed a Black man during a traffic stop on a bicycle. And in Rochester, New York, protests mounted with release of police bodycams showing police placing a hood over and allegedly suffocating another Black man, Daniel Prude, after his family had called for help during a mental health breakdown back in March. Both Prudes death and the LA killing of the cyclist Dijon Kizzee seem to bolster the argument of those seeking both to dramatically change the role of police departments and to reduce their funding in favor of social programs and new ways of intervention where people suffering nervous breakdowns or routine traffic stops arent the province of armed cops who, despite their supposed training, have escalated too many situations into violence. Even before George Floyds killing, advocates for dramatic police reform largely shared a common agenda of ideas that included not only reducing the role of uniformed cops in responding to mental health calls, but also more independent oversight of police conduct, increased funding for social services in high-crime neighborhoods and more restrictions on use-of-force tactics, such as chokeholds. And after the post-Floyd protests, which drew large, diverse crowds and took place in all 50 states, there were scattered, but significant, victories in some of these areas. In July, the liberal college city of Berkeley, California, voted for a plan for traffic enforcement by unarmed civilians (as well as mental health and homeless services) that would reduce police spending by 50%. But in most jurisdictions, less dramatic reforms are struggling before elected officials whove often received campaign aid from police unions that oppose even modest changes. In California, Pawel noted, a study revealed law enforcement unions and associations donated $5.5 million to state lawmakers from 2011 to 2018. For every Berkeley, there are several stories like New York City, another supposed liberal stronghold, where lawmakers are now working to modify a ban on chokeholds after police union objections. But even where commonsense reforms, such as chokehold bans, take root, incremental change as opposed to a completely different mindset around public safety wont address the basic problem of policing in America. That would be a permanent culture of structural racism and inherent bias reinforced by reactionary police unions thats much stronger than a few days of added sensitivity training or hiring a few more Black officers. Dr. Howard Henderson, founding director of the Center for Justice Research at Texas Southern University, told me that dramatic reforms are so hard because were forgetting that the police union culture and the systemic structures around policing have created their own environment thats immune to traditional policy approaches. Its essentially immune to democracy and even political ideology. Thats certainly true in places like New York City, where supposed leftist mayor Bill de Blasio has defended a brutal police response to protests. Here in Philadelphia, the future of significant police reform is very much in the balance, with several proposals such as a strengthened police oversight commission on the November ballot and other moves, such as chokehold ban, still pending before City Council. The council also plans hearings on the controversial police use of tear gas during the June protests, but advocates for the more dramatic idea of drastically reducing the police budget in favor of neighborhood-based violence intervention programs are waiting until 2021. We need a complete altering of the mindset around public safety, councilmember-at-large Helen Gym, a leader of the charge on police reform, told me echoing Texas Southerns Henderson that sweeping change will require both listening to citizens in the most affected communities and educating the wider public that traditional policing isnt set in stone. And that will take some time. You cant be short term, Gym added. This is deeply set in our culture, through our history and institutions. So the changing needs to be equally purposeful. Dramatic but necessary police reform probably wont only require public education, but also electing more public officials who arent beholden to police unions and their campaign contributions. It also takes several bold cities, such as Berkeley or Minneapolis, charging forward with their plans to end policing as we know it, so places like Philadelphia will have a better roadmap as to what works and what doesnt. Im hopeful about this, but I cant help but wonder: How many more Daniel Prude moments must America endure until we get there? Will Bunch is the national opinion columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer. A red alert has been sounded in six districts of Kerala as the low pressure that has developed over the Bay of Bengal gained strength. It will continue to rain for the next three days, the India Meteorological Departments regional centre in Thiruvananthapuram said. Several parts of the state have been receiving heavy rain for the past few days and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams are on standby in affected areas. Shutters of many swollen dams have been opened to ease storage and several rivers are filled to the brim. People living in low-lying areas have been shifted to relief camps as a precautionary measure. IMD regional centre director, K Santhosh, said the low pressure area is likely to become more marked over the northwest part of the Bay of Bengal during the next 24 hours. Fishermen have been warned not to venture into the sea and landslide-prone areas have also been warned. On August 7, a landslide in Idukki district had flattened a row of dwelling units claiming 70 lives. Usually the IMD sounds a red alert if the rainfall is expected to be more than 20 cm and above in 24 hours and orange alert if it is between 11 and 20 cms. Vadakara in Kozhikode district received 10 cam rainfall till Sunday noon and many areas also witnessed high-speed winds. The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority has banned night travel in hilly areas in view of the prevailing situation. Red alert is in force in six districts_ Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram and Idukki and orange alert in four other districts. The state has already crossed the 2000 mm rainfall mark during the current south-west monsoon season-- this is the third consecutive year the state is surpassing the usual quota of (2000 mm) of rain, IMD data showed. In 2018, the state had witnessed a severe flood which claimed more than 500 lives. Express News Service By KOLKATA: The Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology(MAKAUT), the only government institute in eastern India that has introduced forensic science subject in graduation and postgraduation courses, included the deaths of actors Sushant Singh Rajput and Sridevi in its syllabus as case studies. Students will be asked to reconstruct the scenes and come to their conclusions with logical explanations. Sujay Mitra, a professor of forensic science at the varsity, said crime patterns and reaction style have changed over the years. Now on many occasions, your attackers are invisible taking advantage of the cyber world. Now, the reasons for which an individual is reacting has completely been changed. Even 20 years ago, we used to ignore many issues. But in present days, the same reasons are becoming important to react and invite depression, she said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-19 17:33:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Left part of the combo photo shows the lander of the Chang'e-4 probe taken by the rover Yutu-2 (Jade Rabbit-2) on Jan. 11, 2019, and right part shows the rover Yutu-2 (Jade Rabbit-2) taken by the lander of the Chang'e-4 probe on Jan. 11, 2019. (Xinhua/China National Space Administration) FUZHOU, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- China plans to launch the Chang'e-5 lunar probe by the end of this year, a senior designer said at the ongoing 2020 China Space Conference in Fuzhou, capital of east China's Fujian Province, that will continue until Sept. 21. Yu Dengyun, deputy chief designer of China's lunar exploration program, said preparations are progressing smoothly, and the Chang'e-5 probe will make a soft landing on the moon and bring samples back to Earth. China's current lunar program involves three phases: orbiting, landing, and return. The first two phases have been completed successfully, said Yu. The Chang'e-5 probe is expected to realize lunar sample collection, takeoff from the moon, rendezvous and docking on lunar orbit and high-speed reentry into the Earth's atmosphere, marking breakthroughs in China's aerospace history, said Yu. According to Yu, China is conducting a further verification study for the research and development of space station and the manned lunar mission, and it plans to set up an unmanned lunar research station for manned landings on the moon. The conference that commenced on Friday is jointly hosted by the Chinese Society of Astronautics and the China Space Foundation. Amid the COVID-19 restricts on public gatherings, Moroccans took to the streets of Rabat on Saturday, September 19 to protest the recent peace deals signed between two Arab countries and Israel. UAE and the Kingdom of Bahrain normalise relations with Israel as they signed peace agreements in Washington on September 15. Read: Trump Hails 'dawn Of New Middle East' Amid Israel's 'historic' Deal With UAE And Bahrain Peace deal a 'betrayal' of the Palestinian cause The peace agreement between the countries was brokered by the Trump administration. During the signing ceremony, the US President called the deals a step forward in achieving lasting peace in the Middle East and hoped that other Arab nations would also follow the examples of UAE and Bahrain and normalise relations with Israel. At first, Morocco was reported to be among the other Arab countries considering a peace deal with Israel but the prime minister rejected the idea last month. As per reports, protestors were chanting slogans like "Palestine is not for sale" and characterized the deal with Israel to be treason. Former president of the Moroccan Association of Human Rights, Abdelhamid Amine, who was also one of the organisers of the protest, called on the government not to follow suit and we urge it not to surrender to the Zionist and imperialist pressure like other Arab countries. Read: Bahrain Follows UAE, Inks Peace Deal With Israel: How Middle East Countries Reacted The Abraham Accord The agreement, dubbed as the Abraham Accord, saw the UAE and Bahrain become the third and fourth gulf countries to normalise relations with Israel after Egypt and Jordan. The peace agreement was signed by Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Bahrains Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani and UAE's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed. After signing, Trump urged other Middle Eastern countries to follow the UAEs lead and enter into peace agreements with Israel. He added, Now that the ice has been broken, I expect more Arab and Muslim countries will follow the United Arab Emirates' lead. And I want to just thank them-- it's not surprising, knowing Mohammed so well. It's not surprising. They are in that lead position. And normalise relations with Israel. The US President went on to add that the deal was merely the start of the normalisation process of Israeli ties with its neighbours and that more such deals are likely to occur. Trump also stated that the deal will also allow Muslims from UAE and Bahrain to visit the numerous historical sites in Israel. (With AP inputs) Read: Middle East Surpasses 50,000 Mark For COVID-19 Deaths As Cases Continue To Soar Read: US Secy Pompeo Terms Israel As America's 'most Reliable Partner In The Middle East' An internal police investigation that followed Lincoln Police Officer Mario Herrera's Aug. 26 shooting has determined that the officer who returned fire at two fleeing suspects was following the department's general orders, practice and training, police say. Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister, who returned to work this week following a bout with COVID-19, said Investigator Cole Jennings, who had been on administrative leave since the incident, returned to duty Sept. 8. He said Jennings' actions were the primary focus of an internal affairs investigation, which is separate from the Lancaster County Sheriff's criminal investigation into the fatal shooting of Herrera, who succumbed to his injuries Sept. 7. But, Bliemeister said, another facet of the review is continuing and focuses on the department's general orders on body armor. "We are asking ourselves if (the department's general orders regarding search warrants) meet (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies) standards, meet community standards and adequately describe our expectations to our staff for the wearing body armor," he told the Journal Star in an email last week. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 03:01:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ABUJA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A total of 14 bodies have been recovered so far after a passenger bus fell into a river in the Ivo district of Ebonyi state in Nigeria's southeast region, a police officer told Xinhua on Saturday. The accident involved a bus carrying members of a church returning from a burial on Friday evening, said Stella Uchegbu, state commander for the Federal Road Safety Corps, adding that so far the number of people on board cannot be identified as the bus is still trapped. "That kind of bus normally carries up to 30 or more passengers. We do not know whether it was fully-laden," Uchegbu said. Officials on Saturday said the driver lost control of the bus while trying to overtake a truck. The vehicle then veered off into the river and got submerged immediately. A police spokesperson of the state, Loveth Odah, confirmed to Xinhua that seven of the bodies recovered so far are male while seven are female. All the bodies were recovered on Saturday. According to Odah, local authorities had earlier rescued five people and declared others missing. Some of the rescued victims remain unconscious and have been taken to a hospital, said the police spokesperson. A search for more bodies by rescuers is still ongoing. Enditem Democratic U.S. presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks to union carpenters and reporters during a campaign event at the Jerry Alander Carpenter Training Center in Hermantown, a suburb of Duluth, Minnesota, September 18, 2020. WASHINGTON After a month of political conventions, fresh controversies, more protests and additional deaths from the coronavirus, the 2020 presidential race remains where's it's been for months with Joe Biden leading President Trump nationally by nearly double digits, and with a majority of voters opposing the president. Those are the results of a new national NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, which finds Biden ahead by 8 points among registered voters, 51 percent to 43 percent, with more than 50 percent of voters disapproving of Trump's job performance and with Trump holding the advantage on the economy and Biden holding the edge on the coronavirus. What's more, the poll shows that close to 90 percent of voters have firmly made up their minds, and that seven-in-10 believe the upcoming debates aren't that important in deciding their vote. "So far, despite major upheavals in the country, little has changed," said Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt, whose firm conducted this survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff. "In 2020, the fundamentals of our country have been shaken to our core, while the fundamentals of the election have not," Horwitt added. Still, the poll finds that 11 percent of all voters are up for grabs, which is greater than Biden's ballot advantage over Trump. And Trump's numbers have inched up in the poll since the summer, while Biden's favorability rating has also improved in the past month. "Trump's summer swoon is over," said McInturff, the GOP pollster. The NBC News/WSJ poll conducted Sept. 13-16 comes after a turbulent and eventful month of news, including the Democratic and Republican conventions, the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin, some 30,000 more deaths from the coronavirus, the Atlantic report alleging the president disparaged fallen military service members and the coverage of Bob Woodward's new book on Trump. But the poll was conducted before the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Sept. 18. According to the survey, Biden leads Trump, 51 percent to 43 percent, among registered voters essentially unchanged from Biden's 9-point lead last month, 50 percent to 41 percent. Six percent in the current poll say they're undecided or supporting another candidate. Biden's biggest advantages in the poll are among Black voters (he gets support from 90 percent of them to 5 percent for Trump), voters ages 18-34 (60 percent to 31 percent), women (57 percent to 37 percent), whites with college degrees (54 percent to 41 percent), independents (45 percent to 39 percent) and seniors (50 percent to 46 percent). Trump, meanwhile, has the edge among all white voters (52 percent to 43 percent), men (50 percent to 45 percent) and whites without college degrees (59 percent to 36 percent). (A separate NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Telemundo oversample of Latino voters will be released on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET to gauge where the Latino vote stands in the presidential race.) And in the combined 12 swing states Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin Biden is ahead of Trump by 6 points, 51 percent to 45 percent. By IANS MUMBAI: Actress Malaika Arora says she feels blessed to have overcome Covid-19 with minimum pain. Malaika, who tested positive earlier this month, took to Instagram to share her journey of overcoming the virus. "'Out and about'...M finally out of my room after so many days days, it feels like an outing in itself," the actress wrote while posting a picture of herself, in which she can be seen wearing a mask. "I feel so blessed to have overcome this virus with minimum pain and discomfort. A big thanks to my doctors for their medical guidance, to BMC for making this process hassle-free, to my family for their immeasurable support and to all my friends, neighbours and fans for all their good wishes and the strength that I got from your messages and support. I can't thank you all enough in words for what everyone has done for me in these difficult times. All of you please stay safe and take care," she added. On September 7, Malaika had confirmed that she has tested positive for Covid-19, after speculative reports did the rounds that she has contracted coronavirus. She shared the news officially on Instagram. Revealing that she has been infected by the virus, she added that she is asymptomatic and is quarantined at home. "Today I have tested positive for coronavirus but I want to inform you all that I am feeling fine. I am asymptomatic and following all the required protocols and will be quarantined at home as instructed by my doctors and authorities. I request all of you stay calm and safe. Thank you for all your support. Much love Malaika Arora," Malaika wrote. News of Malaika being infected started doing the rounds shortly after her good friend Arjun Kapoor announced a day before that he had tested Covid-19 positive. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 14:44:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close XIAMEN, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland official has urged young people from Taiwan to make contributions to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Liu Jieyi, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks on Saturday when visiting a district in the city of Xiamen and holding discussions with Taiwan youth representatives in Fujian Province. Liu commended young people from Taiwan for their commitment to rural development and corresponding achievements. He also sent greetings via video link to young people from Taiwan who are contributing to the poverty reduction fight in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Taiwan compatriots and Taiwan-funded businesses have made important contributions to the mainland's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, reflecting the Chinese people's solidarity and perseverance, Liu said. Only when the mainland and Taiwan maintain sound relations can Taiwan compatriots' interests and well-being be fundamentally safeguarded, Liu noted, calling on young people across the Taiwan Strait to live their lives to the fullest and make contributions to the national rejuvenation. Enditem Riqui Puig's omission from the squad for today's Trofeo Joan Gamper has an explanation. According to RAC1, the young midfielder does not figure in Ronald Koeman's plans for the new season and has been informed of the decision and told to search for another club where he can playing time on loan. In theory, Koeman has been more impressed by the work ethic and contribution by on of the other youth team graduates, Carles Alena, and with a clear excess of midfielders in the squad with Pjanic's arrival, one of nine had to make way and the player elected is Riqui Puig. So the decision to leave him out of the list for the friendly against Elche was purely technical, and a signal for other clubs to know that the player is on the market. Barcelona's youth team pearls It goes without saying that the news will not go down well with those who fiercely defend the policy of bringing young players through the academy system - and see one of the great hopes to have emerged from La Masia (along with Ansu Fati), packing his suitcase to leave - at least for the new season. With Riqui Puig out on loan, Barcelona will free up a place in the first team squad - if he stays, he is guaranteed a squad number, as stipulated in his contract. That would give Koeman a little more leeway to confect his squad which at the moment, consists of 32 players. Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Sunday (September 20, 2020) arrested one person in connection with a weapon snatching case that took place on Saturday at Dadsara village of Awantipora in Jammu and Kashmir. While the other suspected person is still not arrested, the police has also recovered the 12 bore rifle which was reportedly found from a school premise of Dadsara. As per reports, the two suspected people were identified through video footage and the role of a third person, if any, is being ascertained. Earlier on Saturday in the morning around 10:50, two masked youth had entered a Jammu and Kashmir Bank in Dadsara and attacked the private security guard with an axe. They had then snatched the guard's 12 bore rifle. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 00:27:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MAPUTO, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Mozambican Ministry of Land and Environment reiterated on Saturday the effort by the government to construct a landfill in each province of the country by 2024. The announcement was made during a volunteer beach cleaning activity led by the ministry at the Catembe Beach, in the country's capital city Maputo, to celebrate the World Cleanup Day. "We are working to build infrastructure that will guarantee proper management of solid waste in our urban centers so that the current situation, in which we have total absence of landfills and the consequences it brings, is no longer a reality," said the Mozambican minister of Land and Environment Ivete Maibaze in her speech at the event. The minister said that part of work being done is following President Filipe Nyusi's pledge to build a landfill in every province of the country until 2024, and the waste management is expected to create a new value chain in a circular economy. The minister also made an appeal for Mozambican's personal responsibility over environmental protection, saying that it is not an exclusive responsibility of the government. Actions to celebrate World Cleanup day took place across Mozambique, mostly through volunteer beach cleaning activities. Enditem Indian travellers could be debarred from entering South Africa as the country prepares to resume international travel when it lowers its Covid-19 lockdown restrictions on October 1. The South African government is facing a dilemma whether it should include BRICS partners India and Brazil on a list of countries that could be debarred from travelling to the country due to the high levels of infections in the two countries, which are currently sitting behind the US in having the highest number of infections in the world. The list of countries barred from entering South Africa is still being compiled by Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, in consultation with other government ministries. It is expected to be finalised by early next week. For latest updates on coronavirus outbreak, click here The UK and France are also expected to be on the list, which will be revised every fortnight. But restricting travellers from India and Brazil would place South Africa at risk of diplomatic issues, a government source told the weekly Sunday Times. The argument is, do we continue to trade and tourism based on our BRICS partnership or do we close our doors and risk diplomatic issues? the source told the weekly. While announcing the lowering of the lockdown to level one, the lowest in the governments five-level strategy to counter the pandemic, President Cyril Ramaphosa invited tourists. Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane told the weekly that South Africa would use the guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation to determine which countries would be allowed to send visitors when international travel resumes. These guidelines include reviewing transmission patterns, measures for controlling outbreaks in both the departure and arrival countries and the readiness of the countrys health system to deal with infections. Coronavirus Worldometer | 15 countries with the highest number of cases, deaths due to the Covid-19 pandemic The minister remained positive about business not being affected even if there were restrictions placed on countries invested in South Africa. If a country has been categorised as high risk, someone who has invested in South Africa and has to come back and check their project is able to apply to the home affairs minister (who) can approve for that person to come, provided they produce a negative coronavirus test within 72 hours of travel, Kubayi-Ngubane said. Travel agents who were excited by Ramaphosas invitation said it would take a long time for the country to revert to the level it had before the lockdown of more than 10 million tourists annually. India is a farming nation. In rural areas, a majority of the population survives on farming. And this has not only enabled us to feed our stomachs but in some cases also export food to the world. According to IBEF, India is among the 15 leading exporters of agricultural products in the world. Moreover, agricultural exports from India reached US$ 38.54 billion in 2019 and US$ 28.93 billion in 2020 (until January 2020). So clearly, it is a considerable chunk for India. However, this wasnt always the case. In fact, there was a time when India was suffering from famines and yields so low, that the nation was forced to import food from other nations. All this changed, due to the Green Revolution in India, and its all thanks to M.S Swaminathan -- the father of Indian Green Revolution. Getty Images/Reuters Hailing from Tamil Nadu M.S. Swaminathan or Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan was born on August 7, 1925 in the region of Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu. His father, Dr. M.K. Sambasivan was a surgeon by profession. After completing his basic schooling, he decided to enter the field of medicine, He eventually went ahead to complete his graduation in the field of biology at Maharajas College in Trivandrum in Kerala and earned a Bachelors of Science Degree in Zoology. However at the same time -- around 1943 -- he witnessed the Great Bengal Famine where he saw the plight of Indians starving for food. He wanted to make a difference, so he decided to make the switch from the field of medicine to agriculture. He enrolled in Madras Agricultural College and completed another graduate degree, this time in Agricultural Science. Stepping out of India for academics In 1947, he joined Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi as a post-graduate student and learned about genetics and plant breeding. He later became a UNESCO fellow, researching on potato genetics at Wageningen Agricultural University, Institute of Genetics in the Netherlands. He learned how to transfer genes from wild species of Solanum to the cultivated potato species Solanum tuberosum. In the year 1950, he was a part of the Cambridge School of Agriculture where he earned his doctorate in Philosophy. He later accepted a post doctoral research associateship with the University of Wisconsin, Department of Genetics where he helped in setting up of a USDA potato research station. Here he was also offered a full-time faculty, which he gracefully declined, to come back to India in 1954. The Green Revolution In India, he put his learnings into practice and started to teach Indian farmers to effectively increase the production of their yield with the help of high-yielding wheat varieties, fertilisers and advanced farming techniques that put less strain on farmers. Reuters In 1960, he collaborated with Norman Borlaug and other scientists to develop HYV or High Yielding Variety seeds of Wheat which he encouraged farmers around the nation to adopt. In the year 1965, Swaminathan set up thousands of demonstrations in the northern part of our nation to show small-scale farmers how genetically modified grains can help grow better yields in the same fields. This was game-changing as in the first year, the harvest tripled previous production levels. Swaminathan educated farmers to adopt these new methods overlapping the barriers of illiteracy and lack of formal education. Due to his efforts, the average crop yield of 12 million tons spiked to 23 million tons in just a matter of four crop seasons. Reuters Swaminathan later collaborated with then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to establish agricultural policies and programmes to help the nation stay self-sufficient in the field of agriculture for years to come. Swaminathan was the Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture in 1979-1980. Before this, he served as the Director-General of Indian Council of Agricultural research from 1972-1979. He has also been a part of the Planning Commission -- in charge of agriculture and rural development from 1980 to 1982. Getty Images Awards and achievements For his efforts in solving the problem of hunger in India, he was awarded Padma Shri in the year 1967, followed by a Padma Bhushan in 1972 and Padma Vibhushan in the year 1989. Swaminathan is the recipient of the World Food Prize of 1987. He has also been made president of the Pugwash Conferences on science and world affairs. Californias Employment Development Department has stopped taking new applications for unemployment benefits until Oct. 5 while it resets itself to help prevent backlog growth, it said in a news release issued late Saturday. The announcement was issued along with a 109-page report from a strike team appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on July 29 to modernize information technology programs and transform the customer experience at the EDD, which has been unable to keep up with the crush of claims brought on by the pandemic. In addition to a huge backlog of initial claims that still need processing, the strike team estimated in its report that no more than 1 in 1,000 people who are trying to reach the sole call center able to help customers are getting through. When the EDD starts taking claims again on Oct. 5, people applying online will use a new automated identity verification system that will require them to upload an identification document and a selfie photo using a camera-equipped mobile phone or tablet. That will cut down on manual identity verification, a leading source of payment delays, and let the EDD devote more resources to its backlog of unpaid claims. Almost 600,000 Californians applied for unemployment insurance more than 21 days ago and have not had their initial claims processed. An additional 1 million people have received payments but subsequently had their claims halted for eligibility certification or other issues, and are awaiting resolution. Because of bottlenecks in the system, Californias current backlog of undetermined claims is growing by at least ten thousand claims per day, the strike team report said. It also found fault with the EDDs call centers. The one that can assist customers with their claims is only open weekday mornings, gets 6.7 million calls a month from about 600,000 individuals, and is unable to keep up. One major bottleneck is the EDDs process of flagging about 40% of new claims for manual processing, which delays a benefits determination for at least 21 days. Most are flagged for identity verification, often because the applicants name does not exactly match what is in Social Security or other databases, perhaps because they used a nickname or middle initial instead of a full name. The EDD said that between January and June, about 60% of the mail it sent out seeking additional information to verify a claimants identity was returned. That response rate dropped significantly to 15% in July and 9% in August indicating a strong suspicion of recent fraud, it said. In the last month or two, many Californians have reported getting multiple pieces of mail from the EDD addressed to their homes but in the names of persons they did not know. Some envelopes appeared to contain debit cards, which the EDD uses to pay benefits. On Sept. 10, the EDD announced a number of steps it was taking to prevent fraud, such as limiting the number of benefits it would send to people at the same address. Organized high-volume unemployment fraud is a very real problem in every state, the strike team report said. However, most claims flagged for verification in California are legitimate. Fraudsters know how to submit false claims without getting flagged because the current automated identity verification process is simplistic and easy to exploit. During the two-week reset, EDD will integrate an identity verification tool called ID.me, made by a company of the same name. This tool uses data sources and algorithms to more accurately and efficiently validate a claimants true identity during the application process and stop scammers much earlier than through todays follow up process involving notices through the mail, the EDD said in a press release. This tool will require new claimants to upload a photo of themselves and of their drivers license, passport or other identification document. It is expected to reduce the percentage of new claims being flagged for manual processing verification to 10% and increase the speed at which new claims are paid. It is expected that applicants without a camera-equipped phone or tablet can either borrow one, call an ID.me center that will help them apply using a computer, or apply by mail, said Amy Palmer, a strike team spokeswoman. People who want to file a claim before Oct. 5 will be directed to a temporary webpage where they can provide their contact information so EDD can get in touch with them after the reset ends. People who have already applied for benefits will not use the ID.me, but the new system should free up resources for EDD to deal with unpaid claims. The team also recommended that EDD adopt a burndown plan, in which older claims will begin to be addressed immediately, and with relief coming to many claimants as soon as a few weeks from now, and the final remnants of the backlog resolved within four months, it said. Other short-term recommendations include implementing a new dashboard to identify and close bottlenecks in claims processing, placing outbound calls to claimants to resolve issues, publishing a new dashboard that will identify the unemployment backlog each week and the estimated time it will take to eliminate it, and making it easier to use the online claims system on mobile devices. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes The strike team is headed by Yolanda Richardson, the California Government Operations Agency secretary, and Jennifer Pahlka, who co-founded the United States Digital Response, the United States Digital Service and Code for America. Pahlka is a private citizen who donated her time. Its report was originally due Sept. 12, but Newsom said last week he was delaying its release to give the EDD time to respond. The team also made a number of long-term recommendations. EDD Director Sharon Hilliard said her department agrees with all of the reports recommendations and has either implemented or is in the process of implementing all recommendations provided by the Strike Team. The report highlights a number of troubling realities of how the department currently operates, said George Warner, an attorney with Legal Aid at Work, a nonprofit that represents employees. Particularly troubling is the reports findings that people calling EDD have a statistically insignificant chance of actually getting help on their claims. Warner agreed that EDD is far too focused on preventing fraud and said workers who dont speak English as a primary language struggle to use the departments website and access benefits. Even those fluent in English struggle to understand the departments densely worded notices and get discouraged by the bureaucratic maze. Kathleen Pender is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: kpender@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kathpender Kim Kindersley, front, with Michael O Lionsaigh and his son Niall in the hemp fields His ancestor invented Guinness almost 300 years ago by roasting the barley; now Kim Kindersley has turned to the cultivation of the cannabis plant, hemp. From his smallholding in Co Cavan, he's helping to revive an industry that disappeared from the Irish countryside a century-and-a-half ago. Kindersley and Michael O Lionsaigh, a Cavan farmer, are harvesting their hemp crop to produce CBD oil, which is undergoing a worldwide boom because of its perceived medicinal qualities. "Hemp is believed to be the oldest cultivated crop in the world; it could bring life back to rural Ireland," says O' Lionsaigh - who, like Kindersley, is passionate about a plant that can be used to produce thousands of products and is leading the boom in hemp oil production. Sitting in a mobile home beside the farm's quaint rural cottage, they, and various friends and acquaintances who have gathered for the harvest, extol the virtues of hemp, a non-intoxicating variety of the cannabis plant with less than 0.3pc THC, the compound that produces the 'highs' associated with cannabis use. "Growing it here with family and friends gives us all a connection to the land," says O Lionsaigh. Because of its close association with cannabis, it is highly regulated. Despite a worldwide boom for its derivate products, there seems to be no official appetite to revive a crop that was once extensively grown in Ireland to supply the sailing industry with the product needed to make ropes, rigging and sails for ships in the era before steam and diesel. Kindersley grew up spending summer holidays at the Luggala Guinness estate with his grandmother Oonagh Guinness. He met Mike in Kenya, where he was studying the ancient shamans and their connection to the land and the use of plants, roots and bark for what is known as 'herbal medicines'. They decided to get involved in a growing movement to revive hemp - a tall, thistle-like plant that thrives in the drumlin country of Cavan. Sean, who has arrived from Longford to help with the harvest, is a historian who says evidence of the plant has been found in Woodstown in Waterford from the year 850. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was widely grown around Skerries and Rush in north Dublin and it was often combined with linen for strength. It is now undergoing a revival as a by-product of the growing cannabis industry, although they are all at pains to point out that hemp by-products like CBD oil don't and can't give users a 'high'. "CBD oil has remarkable properties," says Kindersley. "More and more people who were sceptical have taken it and it has changed their lives," he says, citing its anti- inflammatory properties - which help with arthritis, in particular, and a whole raft of other ailments. Gathering a few wheelbarrows and secateurs, we set off for the four-acre plot just coming into bloom on the farm near Stradone, a couple of miles from Cavan town. "Rub the top of the plant," says O Lionsaigh. When you do, fragrant oil sticks to your hand - but not in a cloying way. This is a totally organic product, it brings people back to their roots. This could be a lifeline for many farmers because it is an alternative crop and it remediates (revives) the soil. It can produce hundreds of different products." We are joined by his young son Niall as we move through the field, cutting the taller plants low down to leave long stems so that it can be laid out on wires to dry, like tobacco, in the polytunnels at the back of O Lionsaigh's farmhouse. When it is ready, the seeds of the dried plant are cold-pressed (like top-quality olive oils) to extract the concentrated oil, which is siphoned into small bottles and labelled under their brand name, Hu Botanicals. "We have 12 acres here; everything is organically grown and hand-harvested," says O Lionsaigh. "Everything is done in a very beautiful way," chimes in Kindersley, who is based in England but has come over for the harvest. They both believe that the ultra-strict and convoluted licensing regime regarding hemp should be relaxed. What they call 'Big Pharma' is also trying to increase restrictions so that it can move in on the artisan cottage industry, they say. Pharmaceutical giants want it regulated to such a degree, they believe, that the "natural" product of small producers will eventually be replaced by a synthetic pill. "What we're doing is not only preserving our natural farming heritage but helping people to deal with life 'in the fast lane'," says Kindersley. Hemp, they say, is biodegradable and its by-products can be used in everything from 3D printing to building houses. A US patent has also found that cannabinoids, such as those found in hemp, "have antioxidant properties... useful in a treatment of a wide variety of diseases". In the peaceful setting of a Cavan hill-farm, the field is buzzing with wildlife from the bees from the row of hives at the end of the field, to colourful flocks of goldfinches swooping and zigzagging in flight across the tops of the tall, dark-green hemp plants. Taking a break from filling the wheelbarrows, O Lionsaigh looks over to a distant hill, which helps him gauge when rain is on the way. "Hemp can bring people back to their roots; this plant is in our DNA," he says. His grand plan, apart from producing the CBD oil, is to turn the cottage and outbuildings into a healing centre. But, in the meantime, more volunteers are arriving and the job of bringing in the harvest has to take priority over further discussion about the magical powers associated with the plants blooming amid the wild-flower meadows of rural Cavan. Rochester Gunfire at a backyard party killed two people and wounded 14 others early Saturday in Rochester, a city roiled in recent weeks by outrage over the police suffocation death of Daniel Prude. As many as 100 people were at the gathering when the shooting started just before 12:30 a.m., Acting Police Chief Mark Simmons told reporters. Police were still trying to piece together who opened fire and why. Simmons said it was too early to say whether more than one person was shooting or whom the intended targets may have been. "It sounded like somebody was trying to go to war," neighborhood resident Asa Adams told Spectrum News. A man and woman, estimated to be in their late teens or early 20s, were killed, Simmons said. Their names weren't immediately released. The 14 wounded by gunfire were not believed to have life-threatening injuries. They were all between the ages of 17 and 23, police tweeted Saturday morning. Simmons said no suspects were in custody. "This is truly a tragedy of epic proportions," Simmons said in a news conference held near the home. "I mean 16 victims is unheard of, and for our community, who's right now going through so much, to have to be dealt with this tragedy, needlessly, for people who decide to act in a violent manner is unfortunate and shameful." Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The shooting comes as the city in Western New York has been rocked by protests over Prude's death, caused when Rochester police officers put a hood over his head to stop him from spitting, then pushed his face into the pavement and held him down until he stopped breathing. "Our community has been hurting enough already," Rochester City Council Vice President Willie Lightfoot said. "This is just another thing on top of all the things that we've been going through." The details of Prude's death only emerged this month, leading to daily protests, allegations of a coverup and calls for the arrests of the officers involved. On Monday, the city's mayor fired Police Chief La'Ron Singletary, who she said initially misled her about the circumstances of the March death. Other senior police officials announced they would retire or leave top command jobs. New Delhi: Dues of four major domestic airlines -- IndiGo, SpiceJet, GoAir and AirAsia India -- to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) have more than doubled between February and July amid the coronavirus pandemic, senior officials said. However, the domestic airline that owes the highest amount of dues to the AAI is Air India. The national carrier's dues to the AAI increased by 2.75 per cent to 2,258.27 crore in this period, the officials noted. An airline has to pay various charges like air navigation, landing, parking etc to the AAI to use facilities at any of its more than 100 airports. Both Air India and the AAI work under the Civil Aviation Ministry. India has six major domestic carriers, IndiGo, SpiceJet, GoAir, AirAsia India, Air India and Vistara, which owed to the AAI a total of 2562.04 crore as on August 1 and this was around 10 per cent more than on February 1, the officials told PTI. They said India's largest airline IndiGo's dues stood at 41.62 crore on February 1, which increased by 130.6 per cent to 95.99 crore in the subsequent six-month period. The aviation sector has been hugely impacted because of travel restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, the six major domestic carriers have instituted various cost-cutting measures like pay cuts, layoffs or leave without pay during the last few months. SpiceJet, which is India's second-largest carrier, had dues of 65.35 crore to the AAI on February 1, which increased to 132.4 crore by August 1, the officials stated. Due to non-payment of dues, the AAI had on August 1 put SpiceJet on cash and carry mode, which means the airline has to pay charges daily at AAI-run airports to operate flights from there. SpiceJet spokesperson told PTI, "SpiceJet remains firmly committed to its obligations. We continue to have normal operations at all AAI-run airports as before." Air India's dues to the AAI on February 1 stood at 2197.6 crore and it increased to 2258.27 crore on August 1, the officials noted. On July 8, the AAI put Air India on cash and carry mode at airports in Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Chennai and Kolkata for non-payment of dues. AirAsia India's dues to the AAI increased from 0.96 crore on February 1 to 18.89 crore on August 1, the officials mentioned. "While we do not comment on specific figures, AirAsia India has been making regular payments of dues to the Airport Authority within the agreed credit period," the airline's spokesperson told PTI. Vistara is only one of the six major domestic carriers which saw its dues to the AAI decrease in February-July period. Its dues were 5.72 crore on February 1 and it fell to 4.31 crore on August 1, the officials said. Both AirAsia India and Vistara have Tata group as the majority shareholder. Air India, IndiGo and Vistara did not respond to PTI's queries on the matter. GoAir's dues to the AAI increased from 16.91 crore on February 1 to 52.18 crore on August 1, the officials mentioned. On August 10, GoAir was put on cash and carry mode by the AAI on its airports because of non-payment of dues. "GoAir is engaged in continuous discussions with AAI and would like to assure that there is no impact on GoAir's operations," its spokesperson said. "GoAir flights will continue to be operated as normal at all airports. In fact, AAI is holding securities much in excess of the exposure and Go Air has represented to AAI and the MOCA to ease the requirements of securities and release excess securities which will provide some additional liquidity," he added. The airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad are managed by private companies and not by the AAI. 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 NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 19, 2020 / Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against FirstEnergy Corporation ("FirstEnergy" or the "Company") (NYSE:FE) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court for the S, and indexed under 20-cv-06896, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants who purchased or otherwise acquired FirstEnergy securities between February 21, 2017, and July 21, 2020, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Plaintiff seeks to pursue remedies against FirstEnergy and certain of the Company's current and former most senior executives under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act"), and Rule l0b-5 promulgated thereunder. If you are a shareholder who purchased FirstEnergy securities during the class period, you have until September 25, 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 newaction@pomlaw.com 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] Defendant FirstEnergy is headquartered in Akron, Ohio. The Company is an electric utility company with subsidiaries and affiliates involved in the distribution, transmission, and generation of electricity, as well as energy management and other energy-related services. FirstEnergy's ten electric utility operating companies comprise one of the U.S.'s largest investor-owned utilities, serving more than six million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York. The Company also owned and operated two nuclear power plants in Ohio-the Perry Nuclear Generating Station and the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station. Story continues The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operational, and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose to investors that: defendants touted FirstEnergy's legislative "solutions" to problems with its nuclear facilities, but failed to disclose that these "solutions" centered on an illicit campaign to corrupt high-profile state legislators to secure legislation favoring the Company. Over a nearly three-year period, FirstEnergy and its affiliates funneled more than $60 million to prominent state politicians and lobbyists, including Ohio Speaker Larry Householder ("Householder"), to secure the passage of Ohio House Bill 6 ("HB6"), which provided a $1.3 billion ratepayer-funded bailout to keep the Company's failing nuclear facilities in operation. In addition, defendants falsely represented that they were complying with state and federal laws and regulations regarding regulatory matters throughout the Class Period, exposing the Company and its investors to undisclosed risks of reputational, legal, and financial harm. The truth began to be revealed on July 21, 2020. That day, federal agents announced the arrest of Householder and four other persons, including a prominent FirstEnergy lobbyist, in connection with a $60 million racketeering and bribery scheme. The 82-page criminal complaint and affidavit detailed a pay-to-play scheme in which FirstEnergy corrupted the legislative process to ensure the passage of HB6. Prosecutors described the case as involving the "largest bribery, money-laundering scheme" in Ohio history. On this news, FirstEnergy's stock price fell, trading as low as $22.85 per share on July 22, 2020, down nearly 45% from its closing price of $41.26 per share on July 20, 2020, damaging FirstEnergy shareholders. 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 SOURCE: Pomerantz LLP View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/606886/SHAREHOLDER-ALERT-Pomerantz-Law-Firm-Reminds-Shareholders-with-Losses-on-their-Investment-in-FirstEnergy-Corporation-of-Class-Action-Lawsuit-and-Upcoming-Deadline-FE Beta became the ninth named storm to make landfall in the United States on Monday night, after coming ashore along the Texas coast near the southern end of the Matagorda Peninsula, close to Port O'Connor, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph. Well ahead of landfall, the storm's wrath was felt along the storm-battered Gulf Coast over the weekend. Beta has weakened to a tropical depression as of 10 a.m. CDT Tuesday. Further weakening to a tropical rainstorm is anticipated in the coming days, but torrential rainfall and flooding will continue along a portion of its slow-moving path. Communities that were devastated by Hurricane Laura, and to some extent more recently by Hurricane Sally, could face strong winds and downpours that could hinder ongoing recovery efforts. AccuWeather forecasters have rated Beta a 1 on the AccuWeather RealImpact Scale for Hurricanes. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 29 counties in Texas on Monday as Beta churned toward the coast. On Sunday evening, pummeling waves generated by the storm destroyed part of the 61st Street Pier in Galveston, Texas, a coastal town south and east of Houston. Webcam footage captured workers trying to save as much of the pier as possible as waves battered the structure. Part of the fishing pier was found several miles away on Monday morning, KHOU 11 reported. Heavy rainfall from Beta is seen dousing the Texas coastline as the tropical storm makes landfall on Monday night. (AccuWeather) Even as far away as Louisiana, the storm was churning up rough surf and causing flooding over the weekend. Lakeshore Drive in New Orleans was closed on Sunday as water levels climbed on Lake Pontchartrain. Video showed the choppy waters on the lake, even as the storm swirled off of Texas over the western Gulf of Mexico. Coastal flooding continued on Monday with some roads inundated and impassible. Flash flood watches were in effect in the city in advance of the storm's excessive rainfall. Story continues Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency ahead of the tropical storm on Monday, opening up state resources to aid in local government response. He warned that the storm's slow movement puts the southwestern part of the state at risk for flooding through at least the middle of the week. Numerous watches and warnings remain in effect along the coasts of Louisiana and Texas, due to the potential for storm-surge flooding, heavy rainfall and tropical-storm-force winds. Forecasters and officials are urging residents to not focus on Beta's intensity, and rather on the days of heavy rainfall and flooding that it is likely to unleash, even well away from the center of the storm. CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP Widespread rainfall totals of 4-8 inches are expected across southeastern Texas and into southern Louisiana. Higher rainfall totals on the order of 8-16 inches with an AccuWeather Local StormMax of 24 inches are expected to occur along the Texas and Louisiana coasts. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called on Texans to remain vigilant and heed all advice of local officials on Sunday. "The State of Texas is prepared to support communities in the path of the storm, where substantial amounts of rainfall and flash flooding are a significant threat.We will continue to closely monitor the storm and work collaboratively with officials to ensure our fellow Texans are safe," he said. Heavy rainfall and the risk for flash flooding are likely even if the storm wobbles back over the water and lingers just offshore of the Texas coast as currently forecast. "This rainfall can lead to significant, life-threatening flooding, which may last for several days," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Rob Miller said. Primarily due to the flood threat, Beta will be a 1 for the United States on the AccuWeather RealImpact Scale for Hurricanes. The RealImpact Scale for Hurricanes is a 6-point scale with ratings of less than 1 and 1 to 5 that was introduced by AccuWeather in 2019 to rate tropical systems based on multiple impacts, rather than just wind, like the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale does. Even though Beta is not nearly as strong as Hurricane Harvey, which exploded into a Category 4 storm in 2017, it is expected to crawl across the region, and forecasters warn that it will have enough fuel to produce torrential rainfall along its path. In 2017, Harvey unloaded up to 61 inches of rain as it spent days spinning over eastern Texas. Back in 2001, Allison, as a tropical storm, unleashed disastrous flooding across southeastern Texas, due to its slow movement. Should the storm stall near the Texas coast, rainfall amounts could be higher and may even exceed 24 inches. Conversely, should Beta move along at a quicker pace or more drier air get pulled into the storm, total rainfall amounts could be cut in half for some locations, though flooding would still remain a threat. Beta will continue to create a minor to moderate storm surge along the western and central Gulf coast, as well as rough seas, pounding surf and dangerous rip currents over the Gulf of Mexico. "Tropical Storm Beta is a reminder that hurricane season is still in full swing," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said in a media release on Friday. "Now is the time to prepare. Stock your emergency kit, refill prescriptions and monitor Houston OEM's channels for official updates." Waterspouts and isolated tornadoes can occur in Beta's outer bands to the northeast of the center of the storm. An area of 40- to 50-mph wind gusts will extend along the Texas and southwestern Louisiana coasts. An AccuWeather Local StormMax of 55 mph is expected closest to where Beta made landfall. "As high pressure to the north weakens and another upper-level disturbance approaches from the northwest, Beta should take a more northerly [to northeasterly] course during the middle and latter part of the week," Miller said. Depending on the exact track of Beta, drenching downpours could reach the Southeast later in the week, including areas recently impacted by Hurricane Sally. Weak steering winds have resulted in Beta meandering over the Gulf of Mexico since last week. Forecasters had been monitoring the disturbance for over a week before it developed into Tropical Depression 22 on Thursday, Sept. 17. By Friday evening, the system strengthened into Tropical Storm Beta, writing a new page in the record books for becoming the earliest 23rd-named tropical storm in the Atlantic, replacing Alpha from 2005, which formed on Oct. 22 and was the first-ever storm to be named a Greek letter. The tropical storm claimed the second letter in the Greek alphabet on Friday afternoon, following Wilfred and Alpha. Once the last name on the Atlantic hurricane season's designated list is exhausted, Greek letters are used to identify tropical storms. Prior to Beta, eight storms had made landfall in the U.S. during the hyperactive 2020 hurricane season. In comparison, 3 to 4 storms typically strike the country during an entire hurricane season. With months still left in the Atlantic hurricane season, more Greek letters are likely to be used. Last week, AccuWeather meteorologists upped their 2020 season predictions for the number of total storms to 28, which would tie the record number of named storms in the basin set in the notorious 2005 season. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios. Chloe Lewis has revealed her 11-month-old son Beau has to wear a helmet for 23 hours a day because he has a misshapen head. Taking to Instagram on Sunday, the former TOWIE star, 28, explained how the condition was due to a traumatic birth. The mother-of-one - who welcomed Beau with her partner Danny Flasher last October - shared several sweet snaps with her little one in his head gear as she discussed his journey. Bundle of joy: Chloe Lewis has revealed her 11-month-old son Beau has to wear a helmet for 23 hours a day because he has a misshapen head She penned: 'I wanted to do a little post to share Beau's journey with you all & raise awareness for other babies. 'When Beau was born he suffered a dishaped head due to a traumatic birth & then for months after he would sleep on the flatter side as it was more comfortable for him. We used the shaping pillow but in Beau's case it didn't do much for him.' Explaining how she searched for advice she added: 'I then came across the loviest girl Ria & her beautiful boy Rudi who had the same thing. Adorable: The mother-of-one shared several sweet snaps with her little one in his new head gear Honest: Taking to Instagram on Sunday, the former TOWIE star, 28, explained how the condition was due to a traumatic birth Candid: She penned: 'I wanted to do a little post to share Beau's journey with you all & raise awareness for other babies' 'So I decided to message her randomly through Instagram. WHAT IS FLAT HEAD SYNDROME? Babies sometimes develop a flattened head when they're a few months old, usually from sleeping on their back. Sometimes the head can be flattened on one side (known as plagiocephaly) or the back of the head becomes flattened, causing the head to widen and the skull to bulge out (known as bracycephaly). The head can be flattened in the womb, and the condition is more common in babies born prematurely because they're squeezed through the birth canal when their skulls haven't fully developed. But the most common cause is because babies now sleep on their backs every night a position doctors advise to prevent cot death. When they lie on their backs, the full weight of their heads rests on the back of their skulls and the pressure of the mattress on their soft skull causes it to become flat. The conditions is not thought to be medically dangerous. Doctors advise changing the baby's position in the day to relieve pressure on the back of its head, and it will often correct itself over time. However, they warn parents not to change their baby's sleeping position from lying on their back at night. It's very important for babies to sleep on their back, because it reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Source: NHS Choices Advertisement 'I asked her 100 questions & she completely put my mind at ease then advised me to visit The London Orthotic Consultancy. 'So here we are 3 weeks in... wearing his helmet for 23hrs a day. Let's just say it hasn't been easy but we know it's for the best. She signed off saying: 'We Love you Beau boy (If any one has any questions Ria has kindly offered to answer any questions as will I. 'Couldn't have done it without you @ririhalli So thank you Would love to hear your journeys if your going through similar with your own babies #babyhelmetclub'. Babies sometimes develop a flattened head when they're a few months old, usually as a result of them spending a lot of time lying on their back. These problems are quite common, affecting around 1 in every 5 babies at some point. There are specially designed helmets and headbands that some people claim can help improve the shape of a baby's skull as they grow. It comes after Chloe recently spoke about her pregnancy in a Q&A and said she gained 1.5 stone in weight while expecting her first baby. The reality TV star admitted she was 'surprised' at her low weight gain and also shared she fell pregnant just a month into her family planning journey. She told followers: 'I weighed myself towards the end, I was about 1 1/2 stone heavier. I really thought I was going to blow up pregnant but really surprised myself.' When asked whether she planned to start a family, the media personality said she 'felt the time was right' as she was content in her relationship with Danny. 'Yes we planned & fell the first month but everyone is different. I don't know if you ever feel the time is right,' she said. 'I just was very happy in my relationship & knew it was right & I've always wanted to be a mumma. 'Plus I had lots of practise with my sisters babies, the only difference is I got to give them back.' [sic] Ugandan Financial Technology (FinTech) companies have been advised to involve more women in the conceptualization, designing and development of Fintech products and solutions that can tap into the underserved market segment of Ugandan women entrepreneurs. Damali Ssali, a Chartered Accountant, Business and Trade Development Expert, says that in a country where 48 per cent of all small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are owned by women, it is paramount to develop financial inclusion solutions spearheaded by women. Over 70 per cent of informal cross border trader women need access to affordable fintech solutions. That segment is a ready market for innovative fintech solutions which can only be designed and developed through greater increase in women in fintech processes, Ssali said while delivering a key note address titled Women in FinTech the Case of Uganda at the maiden Women in Fintech Summit held at Sheraton Kampala Hotel on Friday 18th September under the theme fostering leadership, innovation and championing women empowerment. The summit was the culmination of a week-long Women in FinTech Hackathon where 15 women-led teams met between 12th and 17th September 2020 to conceptualize and develop different financial inclusion products with special focus on women in areas such as payments, lending, saving, e-commerce, e-education and e-agriculture, among others. Organized by HiPipo under the Include EveryOne program in proud partnership with ID8, Crosslake Tech, ModusBox, Mojaloop Foundation and the Level One Project; the Women in Fintech Hackathon and Summit sought to generate interoperable financial inclusion solutions for women, by women. According to Ssali, this initiative is a step in the right direction. She, however, stressed that if Ugandan Fintechs are to design products and solutions that reflect the actual customers, then they must increase the number of women in Fintech from the current 10 per cent to 50 per cent! At the recent 40-Days-40-Fintechs initiative organised by HiPipo, it was discovered that only 10 per cent percent of the participating Fintechs had women as their co-founders or part of their senior management. Therefore, having women in fintech in not only the right thing to do, and moral thing to do, but most importantly, it is the smart thing to do and the profitable thing to do! she said. Ssalis argument was re-echoed by Hon Judith Nabakooba, the Minister of ICT and National Guidance, who promised government support in development of ICT solutions targeting women. As a sector we need to implement interventions that remove roadblocks to access and usage of ICTs by women such as reducing the digital divide between urban and rural dwellers by availing ICTs to the underserved communities; promoting the digital literacy of women so that more can use ICTs, she said in a written speech read in her absensia by Judith Odio, a Commissioner from the Ministry of ICT. In the same vein, Adama Diallo, the Mojaloop Foundation Director and Google Head of Partnership for the next billion users project in Africa, said in a recorded video that in a world where three quarters () of purchases are done by women, Fintechs urgently need to be female-centric. Further, Kristy Duncan, the founder and CEO of Women in Payments delivered a speech under the theme Funding Wellsprings for Women in Fintech. Kristy Duncan noted that digital financial inclusion is vitally important as it will empower women and girls to a life of equal opportunity. We need more women in fintech to promote innovation. Because if we don't include women innovators, then we are only innovating with half the population, she said. There was also a panel discussion targeting Financial Inclusion for women at the bottom of the pyramid and all panelists agreed that such women need a simple, convenient and fit-for-purpose mobile solution. Moderated by Ritah Kabanyoro from Smart 24 TV; the panel had Primera Muthoni Products Specialist at MTN Uganda, Doreen Lukandwa Head of Marketing and Customer Experience at Beyonic Uganda, Penny Kamusiime Manager, Customer Experience at YO Uganda Limited and Stella N. Lugalambi co-founder of Hamwe East Africa Ltd. SUCCESSFUL. Nicholas Kalungi, the chief operation officer at HiPipo Foundation noted that the Women in Fintech Hackathon and Summit had succeeded both in objective and implementation. Besides being the first of its kind in Uganda, Kalungi noted that over 30 teams expressed interest in participating but only 15 were shortlisted for the Hackathon. These were Yo Uganda Limited, Team Spec, E-Moments, W-Sacco, Kanzu Code Ladies, GreenGrab, Achors, UgMart, Hack Girls, Team Kameeza, Alpteq ICT Solutions, Team Affinity, Sky Code, Team Time and Kuzimba Services. Save for one, the other 14 actively participated throughout the week. The teams were taken through daily interactions with a pool of facilitators, mentors and assessors from all over the world who were either physically present or accessible remotely via ID8, Slack and other virtual platforms. They were then tasked to develop simple but relevant and ready-for-market financial inclusion products targeting women. At the Women in FinTech Summit, five teams were identified as having performed better than the rest. These were Kanzu Code, E-Moments, Anchors, Affinity and Hack Girls. The overall winners as scored by the jury were Kanzu Code Ladies and walked home with USD 2,000 to be used to put their product on the market. They developed an online bank to ease access to finance for local women. The other 4 teams that made the top five will together share USD 2,000. Meanwhile, HiPipo CEO - Innocent Kawooya applauded all participating teams as all winners and promised that there was a plan to create an innovation hub for all of them to ensure that their ideas are actualized and their products go to market. At the summit, the HiPipo patron, Eng. David Karubanga who is also the State Minister for Public Service and Member of Parliament for Kigorobya County applauded the organizers for thinking about Women as the world grapples to reduce the dominance of men in all sectors. He also promised government support in fulfilling this dream of enhancing women financial inclusion. FACTFILE: Globally, women entrepreneurs are 30% less likely to have access to sufficient funding for their businesses. However, Women entrepreneurs continue to receive only a small fraction of the total capital available for SME investment across Africa generally and Uganda specifically. In Uganda, bank lending is dominated by the corporate sector and typically excludes lending to those employed outside of the formal sector, or to small and micro businesses, areas in which women are more likely to be employed. In 2018, Bank of Uganda reported in that informal cross border trade stood at USD595million and Uganda registered a trade surplus. In 2015, a McKinsey and Company study indicated that companies that had a balanced and inclusive workforce were 33% more likely to have better than average profits. A Boston Consulting Group study indicated that companies with a balanced and inclusive senior management teams had 19% higher revenues due to innovation Our Reporter The Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA) says it is disappointed in the police for going to the extent of obtaining a court order to stop them from demonstrating against the controversial Agyapa mineral royalties deal. According to the group, the police are acting in bad faith given the formal and orderly procedures ASEPA followed ahead of the programme. I think it is a bit surprising because we had written to the police in accordance with the Public Order Act, and we had stated clearly what we intended to do on the 21st of September. The police wrote back to us citing a number of issues which we disagreed with. So were through with some processes for the demonstration only to be hit with this court order. Its actually novel, we didnt know the police will go to this extent to prevent us from demonstrating, he said. Speaking on an Accra based radio station, Citi FM, the Executive Director of ASEPA, Mensah Thompson said the move by the police was surprising, adding that the group would engage its legal team to decide on the way forward. We will refer the matter to our lawyers, and we are hoping that our lawyers will advise accordingly. But we are disappointed with the police for going to this extent to stop the demonstration. Court restriction An Accra High Court placed an injunction on the planned demonstration by the group. It comes after the Inspector General of Police, Mr James Oppong-Boanuh went to court following the insistence of ASEPA to demonstrate despite a police directive. It is hereby ordered that the respondents herein, namely ASEPA and Mensah Thompson or any other group of persons affiliated to the respondents are prohibited and restrained from demonstrating against an agreement passed by the Parliament of Ghana popularly known as Agyapa agreement which demonstration is intended for 21st September 2020, the court order said. The agreement On Friday, August 14, this year, Parliament approved five agreements to allow the country to derive maximum value from its mineral resources and monetise its mineral income accruing to the state in a sustainable and responsible manner. That would be by allowing the MIIF, created by Act 978 of 2018, to incorporate a subsidiary/subsidiaries and use them as SPVs to engage in pure commercial private sector transactions to maximise the mineral royalties from the 12 gold mines, with four penciled to come on stream in the medium term. The approval covered the Minerals Royalties Agreement, the Amended and Restated Minerals Royalties Investment Agreement and the relationship agreement among the government, the MIIF, Agyapa Royalties Limited and ARG Royalties Ghana. The rest are the assignment agreement between the MIIF and Agyapa Royalties for the assignment of the right of the fund to Agyapa to receive the royalty value due from ARG under the investment agreement for the acquisition of the allocated minerals royalties from the fund in consideration for shares to be issued by Agyapa to the fund at an agreed price of $1 billion. The approval was to enable the country to use Agyapa Royalties as an SPV to secure about $1 billion and leverage to finance mines in Ghana and across Africa. The yields accruing could also be used to finance large infrastructural projects by the MIIF. By that agreement, Agyapa, which will operate as an independent private sector entity, will be able to raise funds from the capital market, both locally and internationally, as an alternative to the conventional debt capital market transactions. The funds, which are expected to be raised from the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE) through initial public offers (IPOs), will be a long-term capital, without a corresponding increase in Ghanas total debt stock, and hence without a public debt repayment obligation. Concerns Following the approval of those agreements, some groups, including the Minority in Parliament, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and some civil society organisations (CSOs), raised concerns that the agreements were opaque and amounted to the mortgaging of the future of the country. The opposition NDC raised concerns that the deal was shrouded in secrecy, with its flag bearer, Mr John Mahama, serving notice that he would cancel the deal if he won power. Additionally, a coalition of 15 CSOs called the Alliance of CSOs working on Extractive, Anti-Corruption and Good Governance, is demanding the immediate suspension of the implementation of the controversial SPV, Agyapa Royalties Limited. The coalition said until there was full disclosure on the beneficial ownership of Agyapa Royalties, the implementation of the deal should be deferred. 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 New Delhi, Sep 20 : Pakistan has been eliminating its Sikh population for decades through killings, rapes, abductions and forced marriages of young women, yet it is funding and fuelling Khalistani terrorism and separatist movement globally to achieve it sinister plans to break up India, a Canadian expert has said. The expert Terry Milewski, who authored a recently released report on the subject, made the remarks while was speaking at a webinar "Khalistani Terrorism and Canada" organised by Delhi-headquartered think-tank Law and Society Alliance through video conferencing on September 18. Milewski, who wrote the September 9 report "Khalistan: A Project of Pakistan" published by the Canadian think-tank MacDonald-Laurier Institute, said the Khalistani terrorists have sworn their allegiance to Pakistan, which in turn has pledged to play the tunes of China. The MacDonald-Laurier Institute report has taken the Khalistani extremists by storm, triggering an intense global debate on Khalistani terrorism, and exposing Pakistan's major hand in it. Milewski said his report had exposed the Khalistan extremists and Pakistan, where real Sikhs still suffer from forcible conversion to Islam, attack on gurdwaras, abductions and killings. "It is like the India-Pakistan partition days are not yet over. This is why the Sikh population is rapidly declining in Pakistan." He said the trigger for writing the report even after 35 years of the Khalistani terrorists' Air India bombing, the largest mass killing Canada had ever seen and its victims yet to see complete justice delivered, was the ambitious Khalistan map that he saw of the 'Referendum 2020' campaign. The proposed Khalistan map had included several parts of India, including some landmass of Rajasthan, the entire Indian side of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi. "But this map, put up by Sikhs For Justice as part of the voter enlisting exercise in Canada, did not claim a single inch of Pakistani territory as part of Khalistan. It should have included Lahore, from where Maharaja Ranjit Singh ran an empire, and Nakanana Sahib, where Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born. Why are those parts of land with Sikh history being left out? The answer is that people who are organising the movement for Khalistan cannot afford to run the campaign without Pakistan's monetary and other kinds of support. They do not want to annoy their masters." Milewski said he had seen the open Pakistan support to the extremist Khalistani during the August 15 protests organised in front of Indian missions in Canada. Though the two sides try to hide the support, they get exposed each time, he said. Milewski criticised liberal nations like Canada for waiting for the Khalistani terrorists to strike and kill its citizens rather than to act pre-emptively despite tell-tale signs of the plot regarding the Air India flight. Member of the UK's House of Lords, Remi Ranger thanked Milewski for the "explosive" report and noted that his credibility made it even more powerful. "Khalistani extremists are an insult to the Sikh Gurus. They are totally misguided, and work at the behest of Pakistan that uses religion to divide people." He also appealed to the nations that have given shelter to the Khalistani separatists to realise the harm they were committing to their own citizens, like those affected by the Air India flight terror attack. "The Khalistanis, by working for India's enemies, are committing a crime that goes against their Gurus, who worked to unite India, and their own kith and kin. They have done enough damage to the legacy of their Gurus." The number of prisoners tested positive for Covid-19 in Maharashtra jails breached the 2,000 mark on Saturday. However, jail officers say that the spread of the contagion is under control, as out of total 2,011 cases 1,616 prisoners have recovered. Officials said that since the authority is stressing more on aggressive testing, new cases are emerging. Additional director general (prisons) Sunil Ramanand said that the jail administration has succeeded in containing Covid deaths in the state prisons as since the outbreak fatalities were restricted to (only) six deaths. Since past around six weeks no fatalities were reported in the prisons. As per the latest report from the prison department 13 new cases were reported across various prisons on Saturday that took the total caseload of infected prisoners from 1998 to 2011. The Yerwada Central prison in Pune recorded the maximum Covid cases among prisoners; 259, followed by Nagpur, Mumbai, Sangli and Chandrapur prisons with 219, 183, 173 and 171 cases, respectively. Till date six prisoners have succumbed to the virus. These fatalities were reported in prisons in Taloja Navi Mumbai, Yerwada Pune, Amravati and Dhule. The first case of Covid-19 was reported in Byculla jail on May 31 followed by Satara prison and then the major outbreak in Arthur Road central prison. 43 jails in the state had population of 36,000 prisoners during initial days of the lockdown. After the de-congestion measures were implemented, state prisons houses around 26,000 prisoners. So far, 14,252 Covid tests have been conducted. A maximum of 1366 test were done in Nagpur prison followed by Mumbais Arthur Road jail with 998 testing. Around 416 staff working at the jails have also tested positive and of them 358 have recovered while four succumbed to the disease. A prison official from Pune headquarters said that several effective steps were taken to contain the spread of Coronavirus in state prisons. After first case of Covid in the state prison was reported, the measure implemented immediately was imposing strict lockdown at each prison. It meant that all the staff and officers posted at a prison would not be able to go out for a month. Even the jail staff who lived in nearby quarters were not allowed to go home fearing he/she may bring the contagion in the prison. The staff was on rotation every month, the officer said. After this, restrictions were imposed for new prisoners. New prisoners would have to first compulsorily spend a 14-days quarantine and stay at a temporary prison. They would then be transferred to the main prison and that too only after undergoing a test. The state prisons department as of today have 78 temporary prisons, the officer added. In order to make the Covid prevention more effective by de-congestion of overcrowded prisons we have also released nearby 11,000 prisoners, as per the courts directives. As of today, the state prisons have around 26,000 prisoners, another officer said. In light of Covid cases increasing in prisons across the state more so in Kolhapur, the bench of justice SS Shinde of the Bombay high court on Friday while passing orders in an emergency Covid parole application filed by a convict directed the jail authorities to act in accordance with the guidelines of the high-power committee (HPC) as well as treat applications for temporary bail or parole on merit. Presently, we are stressing more on increasing the testing in prisons. Till date over 14,000 testing (RT-PCR) of prisoners have been done, the officer added. Other measures such as encouraging prisoners for Yoga and exercise and enhancing nutritional value of the food given to prisoners to boost their immunity, were also taken, the officer said. Statistics till September 19, 2020 Prisoners: Tests done - 14,252 Covid positive - 2,011 Recovered - 1,616 Death - 06 Staff: Tests done - 2,507 Covid positive prisoners - 416 Recovered - 358 Death - 04 Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Reuters) Saint-Fons, France Sun, September 20, 2020 08:06 489 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45f25be 2 Lifestyle France,fashion,fish,luxury,Ictyos,salmon Free A French company is collecting fish skins that would otherwise wind up in restaurant trash cans, turning them into leather for use in watch straps and wallets, and pitching them at the high-end luxury market. Turning fish skin into leather is an age-old craft. It is experiencing a revival -- driven by its environmentally-friendly credentials -- but has yet to break into the rarefied end of the fashion industry. Three friends, who met when studying chemical engineering near Paris and taught themselves the tanning process from scratch, are trying to change that. "Salmon skin has a suppleness, and a finesse, it's less than half a millimeter thick, but with a resistance which is nearly equivalent to cow leather," said Benjamin Malatrait, one of the three friends, who co-founded a company called Ictyos. Read also: First-ever online Paris fashion week clicks off "It has a grain which is more marked, with the scales that are a bit reminiscent of lizard," he said at his firm's workshop near the French city of Lyon. "Visually its quite exotic." Their firm has been given a six-month stint inside a startup incubator run by Paris-based global fashion giant LVMH, owner of brands such as Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior. The idea is that the incubator's graduates land deals with LVMH fashion houses. Malatrait said Ictyos is working with 250 clients -- big brands and artisan producers -- who are testing the products for use in watch straps, bags, and clothes. Topics : France fashion fish luxury Ictyos salmon Protest leader Panusaya Sithijirawattankul stands in front of a police barrier as she holds a letter addressed to Thailands king asking him to support political reforms, Sept. 20, 2020. Updated at 7:15 a.m. ET on 2020-09-21 Pro-democracy protest leaders said Sunday that they had submitted a letter to Thailands King asking him to accept political reform as they wrapped up a two-day demonstration in Bangkok that drew more than 100,000 people at one point. The letter asking the monarch to endorse reform of his own institution was unprecedented in a country where the king is considered semi-divine and safeguarded by laws that can land critics in jail for years. Amid intermittent rain showers, about 5,000 demonstrators massed near the Privy Council building after many had stayed overnight on a nearby field reserved for royal ceremonies that they had occupied a day earlier. Thousands of unarmed police lined the roadways and blocked access to the historic buildings in the area. Protesters had wanted to deliver the letter directly to the panel of advisers to the king but handed it instead to the metropolitan police chief because they were prevented from approaching the building. In fact Im not satisfied with it but I accept that it was the best I can do, Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, a protest leader who carried the letter, told reporters. We will follow up with the response, if there is no progress made, we will see. Pakpong Pingpetra, the commander of the metropolitan police, said he would deliver the letter to the nations police chief as the privy councilors are above politics. We will inform of the progress, Pakpong told Panusaya and nearby demonstrators. The open letter addressed to King Maha Vajiralongkorn repeated demands sounded since the protest movement began in mid-July including the resignation of Prime Minister Chan-o-cha, a rewrite of the constitution, and reform of the royal institution itself. Using unprecedented language, it asked the monarch to accept and act duly on our recommendations. Make no mistake, the recommendations do not call for abolishing the monarchy, rather they are meant to maintain the monarchy and solve crisis in faith which currently affects your reign, it said. Earlier Sunday, protesters placed a plaque on the Royal Grounds where they had stayed overnight and said they were symbolically replacing one that went missing in April 2017 commemorating the 1932 Siamese Revolution that transitioned the country from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy. Here the people express their views that this country belongs to the people, not to the king, it said. Police said they would file charges of trespassing and violating public gathering law, as well as possible charges under the Lese Majeste law, which criminalizes royal defamation with prison sentences of up to 15 years per offense. Investigator teams will watch taped speeches to see if they violate the institution or not. If so, there will be prosecution, police Maj. Gen. Piya Tawichai, the commander of the metropolitan police bureau, told a separate news briefing. Thai protest leaders place a plaque on grounds reserved for royal ceremonies stating that Thailand belongs to its people, Sept. 20, 2020. (Nontarat Phaicharoen/BenarNews) Next rally announced for Sept. 24 Student leaders said they were planning their next rally outside the parliament building on Thursday to press MPs to revise the constitution, which activists said was written to preserve a military-backed government in power. On Saturday, tens of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators converged in the heart of Bangkok despite rain showers for the latest in a series of increasingly outspoken protests since mid-July. Protest organizers and police estimated Saturdays crowd to be more than 100,000, making it one of the largest anti-government protests since street demonstrations rocked the Thai capital in the lead-up to a military coup six years ago. After gathering at the Bangkok campus of Thammasat University where a crowd of demonstrators forced their way through a locked gate the protesters crossed the street to the Royal Grounds near the Grand Palace where a stage was set up for speeches by rally leaders. The fight doesnt end in one day so all people must participate, Parit Chiwarak, a Thammasat student and protest leader who is nicknamed The Penguin, told journalists. We came to the Royal Grounds with our hands up to show that we are unarmed, so there will not be a clash. The Bangkok Metropolitan Police deputy commander, meanwhile, said officers were lenient with the protesters following the advice of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha. The Royal Grounds, known as Sanam Luang in Thai, have been closed to the public since the cremation of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) in October 2017. I reaffirm here: the monarchy is not an obstacle to democracy. Other countries such as England, Spain, Sweden and Denmark have royals and democracy, but Thailands king has too much power, Parit said. Another speaker, former Thammasat student Sirawit Serithiwat, told the crowds that the military had retained power since a coup in 2014 despite an election in April 2019. People are fed up with it. We cant retake the democracy despite holding a new election, so we are exerting our power to oust the government, Sirawit separately told BenarNews. Prayuth, a retired general, was the top commander of the Royal Thai Army when he led the overthrow of the democratically elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra. Prayuth retained power after the 2019 general election and a rewriting of the constitution that allowed 250 hand-picked senators to vote for the top government office. The prime minister made no direct comments on the demands voiced at the latest rally but, through a government spokesman, thanked everyone who helped keep it calm. Gen. Prayuth Chan-o-cha, the prime minister and the defense minister, thank officials and people who helped make the rally peaceful. The officials took good care of the demonstrators and avoided confrontation and provocation to not create tension, Anucha Burapapichaisri told the media. On Thursday, Prayuth had warned that a large-scale gathering could lead to a spread of COVID-19 Thailand has seen about 3,500 cases since the outbreak began. When you gather in mobs you are creating an enormous risk of new infections, the prime minister said on Sept. 17. And with that, you also create enormous risk to the livelihoods of tens of millions of fellow Thais. Landmark Kittipan On-chan, a student from Ubon Ratchathani in southeastern Thailand, said he was happy about the huge turnout for the weekend rally. I take what is happening as a candle-lighting which will lead to future victory, he told BenarNews. In the final speech of the rally on Sunday, student protest leader Parit called the handover of the letter the greatest victory of the protest movement thus far. It proved that people, ordinary people, can submit a letter to the royal family. This is the greatest victory we have achieved so far. We can talk and use normal Thai language. We have proof that everybody is human, he said. Titipol Phakdeewanich, dean of the Faculty of Political Science of Ubon Ratchathani University called the weekend rally a landmark in Thai political history. I dont think there would be any quick changes but it is the important landmark for calls for changes in the nations power structure, a demand that want the monarchy to be integral part of the democracy, Titipol told BenarNews Sunday. The change could be achieved when this generation grows up and succeeds the older conservative generation. Prominent right-wing politician Warong Dechgitvigrom had a different view, calling the actions of the protesters inappropriate. It didnt achieve anything, Reuters news agency quoted him as saying. These actions are symbolically against the king, but the king is not an opponent. The demonstrations began on July 18 when thousands gathered at the Democracy Monument in Bangkok while thousands more gathered the next day in northern Chiang Mai province. Since then, pro-democracy crowds have gathered across the nation in a series of protests. During an Aug. 10 rally, demonstrators released a list of 10 demands including a call to diminish the power of the monarchy through a change to the constitution. Prior to this weekends events, police arrested 14 activists on a series of charges including sedition, organizing gatherings of 10 or more people to incite unrest, and leading mass gatherings that could spread COVID-19, while 15 others turned themselves in to law enforcers. Arnon Nampa, a human rights lawyer and a leader of the protests, has been arrested three times. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the next rally will be on Tuesday. Amidst mass anti-governmental protests, Belarus authorities have been trying to silence critics in the international community that have called it out on human rights abuses. As Guardian reports, during a debate in the UN Human Rights council, Belarus and its allies, Russia, China and Venezuela, repeatedly tried to limit presenters and even called for the presentations to be shut off on Friday, September 18. Read: Germany Seeks More Scrutiny Of Belarus By Top UN Rights Body Belarus and allies try to disrupt council proceedings As per reports, the human rights council passed a resolution calling out serious violations in Belarus. In its resolution, the council also asked the UN High Commissioner to take cognizance of the matter and report back to the council with its findings. Belarusian representative Yuri Ambrazevichs attempt to cut off Svetlana Tikhanovskaya's video message to the council is reported to have been overruled by the council president Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger. The UNs special rapporteur on Belarus describes the situation in the country as catastrophic and stated that there have been 10,000 reports of unlawful detentions with at least 500 reports of torture being carried out by the authorities. Read: Russian Intelligence Chief Accuses US Of Funding Belarus Protests Against Lukashenko Mass protests erupted in Belarus last month after President Alexander Lukashenko, who has already served 26 years in office, was declared to have won the August election. Belarus opposition leaders have since then claimed that the elections were rigged and have demanded Lukashenkos resignation. The United States and EU have also stated that the elections were not free and fair and that Lukashenko should enter a dialogue with the protesters. On the other hand, Lukashenko has claimed that the mass protests are merely a US move to destabilise the country. However, the Belarusian President is yet to provide any evidence to back his claims. Read: UN Condemns Human Rights Violations In Belarus Read: Belarus President Lukashenko Reiterates Russia's US Funding Theory To Disparage Protestors mbongeni@times.co.sz MBABANE What a waste! Two top-of-the-range government vehicles; a Mercedes Benz and a Land Rover Discovery, that cost taxpayers over E2 million, are currently lying idle and unattended to at the Central Transport Administration (CTA). This is the case even though government is currently faced with a shortage of cars in its pool and a proposal has been made for the procurement of a new fleet. What has made these vehicles to become a concern is that they are both in good condition and they are ready for usage. It has been gathered though that they have been parked for two years now without any movement. They are a sorry sight at the CTAs workshop. The Times SUNDAY has established that the Mercedes Benz is valued at E1.7 million while the Land Rover discovery cost around E800 000. This effectively means both vehicles cost taxpayers E2.5 million to procure. Information reaching this publication is that the Mercedes Benz belonged to the office of the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) while the Land Rover was allocated to the Mozambique Embassy. According to information sourced from the CTA, government had purchased the Mercedes for former DPM Paul Dlamini. Dlamini is now Chairperson of the Kings Advisory Council (Liqoqo) and before he left office in 2018, government was supposed to purchase a vehicle for him in respect of Finance Circular No.2 of 2013. Dlamini was entitled to the vehicle by virtue of being the former deputy prime minister. Meanwhile, the Land Rover is said to have been used by the late Prince Tshekedi when he was still the High Commissioner of the Kingdom of Eswatini to Mozambique. It has also been gathered that the vehicle was also used by former High Commissioner Christian Nkambule before it was returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then taken to the CTA, where it has been lying idle since. Govt channels blamed Washington Khumalo, the CTA General Transport Manager, said the Mercedes Benz could have been long handed to Dlamini but the administration was still waiting for authorisation from the Ministry of Finance. Khumalo confirmed that both vehicles were in good condition. He said as soon as they received authority from the ministry, they would deliver the vehicle to the Liqoqo chairman. The Land Rover will form part of the vehicles that would be auctioned by government. We have compiled a list of these vehicles and we are waiting for the process to go ahead, he said. He continued: For the Land Rover, were waiting for its papers from Mozambique so that it could be cleared. DPM in the dark Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Themba Masuku said he has taken interest in vehicles that are used to chauffeur him. He said even though he had not questioned anyone about the vehicles allocated to him, but the Mercedes had made him develop an interest in vehicles belonging to his office. What they normally do is that they send a vehicle, depending on the kind of assignment I am expected to attend on the day. Currently, I am being chauffeured in a BMW X5 which I am told belonged to a former minister. They dont tell me about changing of vehicles, he said. Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Public Works and Transport Khangeziwe Mabuza said she was not aware of the issue of the Land Rover but said the Mercedes Benz was approved by the ministry to be released to Dlamini. The issue of the Mercedes was approved. All I know is that the vehicle should be with Dlamini by now. However, after we approved its transfer we handed the matter to the Ministry of Finance which is responsible for issuing authority, the PS said. When drawn for comment, the chairman of Liqoqo said he had no information regarding the whereabouts of the Mercedes Benz. He said nothing had been communicated to him. Kute lengikwatiko, he said, meaning, I know nothing Meanwhile, Abednigo Ntshangase, the Eswatini High Commissioner to Mozambique, has confirmed that the Land Rover belonged to the embassy. At first, Ntshangase denied knowledge of the vehicle but later, after consulting, confirmed knowledge of the vehicle. I have since inquired about it and I am told its the one that was utilised by the late HRH Prince Tshekedi when he was the High Commissioner to Mozambique, he said. Finance Circular No.2 The Times of Eswatini reported on February 21, 2019 that the CTA had already procured the Mercedes Benz through Tender No.99 of 2018/2019. It had not been delivered at that time, and its precise price was fixed at E1 727 858.80. The car, as per Finance Circular No.2 of 2013, was to be owned and maintained by government. Upon his death, it was to be sold to his estate at depreciated value. According to Article 5 of the Circular, the former DPM, who once served as the Shiselweni Regional Administrator and Lubombo Regional Secretary, was eligible for other several benefits, which included a monthly salary of E55 581.60. Based on what the Circular stipulates, he will not be eligible to receive two salaries at the same time from the same source of fund. It effectively means he would depend on the pay from Liqoqo, which is around E50 000, excluding sitting allowances. The E55 581.60 he was to get as a pensioner equates to 80 per cent of the basic salary he earned when he deputised for deceased former Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini. Reads the clause which deprives the ex-DPM of his lucrative benefits: To maintain the dignity of the prime minister and deputy prime minister, this framework provides for the former prime minister and deputy prime minister, certain benefits to assist them to respond to post parliamentary life. It then attaches strings to the benefits: They will be eligible for these benefits unless they hold an appointive or elective position in government, to which a rate of pay is attached. One of the benefits for Dlamini, which government sources said would fall away as a result of his royal appointment, was the monthly salary of E55 581.60. Initially, he did not need to work for this money. Another benefit he was to get from government is the provision of security, which was to be in line with his risk profile as determined by the national commissioner of police. (Natural News) Big media AKA: Mainstream Media is making big dollars stoking race hate and violence according to one of the toughest street cops who sat down for a rare interview. And the fear being sold by the media is largely unfounded, according to revelations on the Thomas Paine Podcast. (Article republished from TruePundit.com) And that has become very dangerous. The media has helped endanger police throughout the entire United States and the future of law enforcement is cloudy at best, especially with an insane media stoking racial strife and harted toward police. Listen above Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below A mother has shared her absolute worst moment after an entire plane full of passengers was forced to disembark because her toddler refused to wear a face mask on an American Airlines flight. Single mother Rachel Davis said she was at a complete loss of words when crew on a flight on September 17 from the US state of North Carolina to New Hampshire approached her before she was seated to insist her two-year-old son wear a mask. Ms Davis shared the incident on her Instagram account, explaining that her son had been on four other flights with the airline in the same week and had not been required to wear a mask. Rachel Davis said she was asked to leave an American Airlines flight because her two-year-old son Lyon, refused to keep his face mask on. Source: Instagram/rachelstarrdavis Ms Davis said she was told by a crew member that she would have to comply with the companys policy that states all people over the age of two-years-old must wear a face covering onboard, or leave the aircraft. As I tried to put down my things and get a mask out, I heard [the crew member] on the phone saying yeah, its clear there is going to be a problem and we will need you to come down,. The nastiest smug look on her face, Ms Davis wrote. She added she was eventually kicked off as her son refused to keep the mask on. I tried repeatedly, begged him, bribed him, pleaded with him, did everything I could while he was screaming and crying as I tried to hold him and put the mask on, feeling my absolute lowest of lows as a mother, she said. American Airlines has required face coverings on board its flights since May and in July announced it would only allow exemptions for customers under two-years-old. The airline requires all other customers to wear a face covering from the time they enter the airport where their trip begins until they leave the airport where their trip ends. Ms Davis said struggling to get her toddler to wear a mask was enough to upset her and accompanied the post with an image of herself and her son at the American Airlines gate, looking defeated while her young son slept. I continued trying to get him to wear the mask, bawling my eyes out and hyperventilating behind my own suffocating mask. Desperate to get home after the worst week. He would have been asleep before we even pushed back if they had just been humans, Ms Davis wrote. Story continues The mother said the pilot had the final say and all passengers were forced to leave the plane, while she was escorted off by the pilot. I screamed my head off in my absolute worst moment, she said. Rather than get themselves any bad press by escorting a crying mum and two-year-old off the plane, they forced everyone to deplane, and wouldnt let us back on the flight home. The mother said the company placed her on another flight later that evening but didnt elaborate if her two-year-old was asked to wear a mask on that flight. Ms Davis ended her emotional post by insisting she was not against wearing masks and would not fly with American Airlines again. This is the world we live in? This is not a mask debate. This is a be a god damned human debate, she wrote. She followed her post with a story highlighting the World Health Organisations recommendation that children under the age of five should not be required to wear a face mask. Yahoo News Australia has contacted American Airlines for comment. To ensure the safety of our customers and team, American Airlines requires all persons 2 years and older to wear an appropriate face covering throughout the entirety of their journey. Policies are enforced and approved face coverings are made available at key points throughout the customer journey. Weve reached out to the family to learn more about their recent travel experience and to address their concerns, an American Airlines spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia. 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. Jerusalem: Thousands of Israelis resumed their weekly protest on Sunday outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus official residence in central Jerusalem, despite a new nationwide lockdown order aimed at curbing a raging coronavirus outbreak. An exception allowing people to hold public demonstrations was included in the three-week lockdown imposed last Friday. But many participants in the gathering appeared to ignore social-distancing rules that order them to remain in small separated capsules of people. Israeli protesters hold signs and chant slogans during a demonstration against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu near the Prime Minister's residence in Jerusalem. Credit:AP Thousands of Israelis have participated in the protests throughout the summer, calling on Netanyahu to resign while he is on trial for corruption charges and accusing him of bungling the countrys coronavirus crisis. In the ultra-Orthodox town of Bnei Brak near Israel's commercial hub of Tel Aviv, over 100 activists took to the streets and burned garbage to protest restrictions on gatherings for public prayers. By PTI ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's major Opposition parties on Sunday demanded "immediate" resignation of Prime Minister Imran Khan as they launched an alliance to hold a countrywide protest movement to oust his government. A 26-point joint resolution was adopted by the All Parties Conference (APC) which was hosted by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and attended by Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) and several other parties. At a joint press conference after the end of the multi-party meeting, JUI-F chief Mualana Fazl ur Rehman read out the resolution and said that the Opposition parties have agreed to launch an alliance named 'Pakistan Democratic Movement' to organise countrywide protest against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government. The resolution alleged that the Imran Khan government has been granted "fake stability by the same establishment" that interfered with the elections to bring the incumbent rulers to power. It expressed "extreme concern" over the increasing interference of the establishment in internal affairs of the country and regarded it as a "danger to the nation's stability and institutions". The forum also demanded that elections be held again in a transparent manner and that electoral reforms should be passed in order to ensure free and fair polls. It said the Opposition would not cooperate with the government in the legislative process. It said that protest would go ahead in phases. In the first phase, the Opposition parties will hold joint rallies in all four provinces in October. The second phase will begin in December during which the Opposition will hold big rallies across the country. Finally, a "decisive" long march towards Islamabad would start in January next year to oust the government, it said. Earlier, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif addressed the multi-party conference through a video link and said that the struggle of the Opposition parties was not against Khan but against those who brought an "inefficient" man to power. Sharif, 70, the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) supremo, has been living in London since November last year after the Lahore High Court granted him permission to go abroad for four weeks for treatment. On Friday, PPP chairman Zardari talked to him over phone and invited him to virtually attend the conference. He staged a political comeback by criticising the country's powerful establishment for allegedly supporting Khan. "Our struggle is not against Imran Khan. Today, our struggle is against those who installed Imran Khan and who manipulated elections (of 2018) to bring an inefficient man like him into power and thus destroyed the country," he said. He asked the powerful Army to stay away from politics and follow the Constitution and vision of the country's father Quaid-e-Azam' Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The powerful Army, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 70 plus years of existence, has hitherto wielded considerable power in the matters of security and foreign policy. Before Sharif, former president Asif Ali Zardari also addressed the conference through a video-link and criticised the government which he said was using the tactics to suppress the Opposition. COVID-19 may have caused most businesses in the hospitality sector to close earlier in the year, but that didnt stop Offaly duo Conor Leen and Stephen Flynn from continuing their efforts to work with local coffee shops and restaurants to fight hunger in the developing world. Stampify (www.stampify.ie) is a non-profit that allows users to swap loyalty stamps for meal donations. Their goal is to work with coffee shops and restaurants to create a sustainable solution to hunger and help create a world where no one is unsure of where their next meal will come from. Stampify initially launched a prototype paper loyalty card for charity in 2018 to test their concept. Conor Leen, Co-Founder and CEO of Stampify, came up with the idea when he encountered a homeless man on a cycle home after receiving a free burrito from a loyalty card I was struck by the inequality of the situation, I could have paid for the burrito and to be honest didnt realise it was free until I checked my loyalty card. However, there are people out there who are not as fortunate as I am and for whom that meal could mean a lot more The loyalty card for charity Stampify created works very similarly to traditional loyalty systems, where you collect stamps with every purchase and after a certain amount of purchases you receive a complimentary gift, but it does have some key differences. Stampify can be used across different businesses, and when you complete the card instead of receiving a complimentary gift as you would normally, the partner businesses makes a donation to charity. For every stamp you collect the business donates two meals to children in their place of education in the developing world. Our model is simple Buy one. Feed two. We want to make changing lives as easy as ordering a coffee said Conor Leen. To make this impact possible, Stampify partner with international aid charity Marys Meals to deliver meals to 19 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and the Caribbean. The paper loyalty card was a hit with customers and businesses alike, but after growing to over 100 locations the team realised that they needed a more scalable product. They decided to build an app that uses QR technology to allow users to collect stamps by scanning codes, and launched the app on March 7 in 30 locations. However just the following week Ireland went into lockdown due to COVID-19 and all of their partner businesses were forced to shut their doors. COVID-19 disrupted the launch of our app, and of course meant the supply of meals from our amazing partners was reduced as their businesses were forced the close. The timing couldnt have been worse said Stephen Flynn, Head of Operations. The Stampify team remained determined to build towards a brighter future, and used the downtime to apply for charitable status, upgrade the interface of the app, and prepare to relaunch. With restrictions recently relaxing in Ireland, the team have set up 5 businesses in Offaly with the Stampify app Conway and Co, The Foxy Bean, The Square Cafe, The Hairy Barber and The Bridge House. Not deterred by the obstacles they have faced, they are excited to start growing their social enterprise again. We have donated over 120,000 meals to children in the developing world in a little under two years. That has acted as a big motivator for us in continuing to work on Stampify despite all the obstacles we have faced. said Conor Leen. The Stampify app is available to download for free on iOS and Android devices. If you are a business who is interested in working with Stampify you can email info@stampify.ie for more information. Dongri police on Saturday arrested a man from Uttar Pradesh (UP) near the Nepal border, who along with an associate had allegedly killed his employee and fled the city. The accused, Bablu Yadav, 29, had hit the deceased on the head with a stone slab over a monetary dispute. Yadavs associate is still wanted in the case and police are looking for him. According to police, Yadav came to Mumbai in 2006 and started working as a carpenter. The victim, Mukesh Gupta, 30, also from UP, started working with Yadav as a carpenter, said senior inspector Avinash Dharmadhikari of Dongri police station. Yadav got a small contract at an apartment in Dongri where Gupta and the absconding accused were also working. The incident occurred on September 15 when an argument took place between Yadav and Gupta. Yadav along with the absconding accused hit a stone slab on Guptas head and fled, added Dharmadhikari. The Dongri police got information about the incident and rushed to the spot. They found Gupta lying in a pool of blood and rushed him to JJ Hospital where he was declared dead. During the inquiry, police learnt that Yadav and Gupta had disputes over the distribution of money from the carpentry work, added Dharmadhikari. A police team went to UP and found out that Yadav had gone to Nepal. Police convinced his family to ask him to return from Nepal. As soon as he came back, Mumbai Police nabbed him and brought him to Mumbai on Sunday. He was produced in court and was remanded in police custody till September 28. (Natural News) Drought conditions this year have been so bad that water coming from the Colorado River has dropped to below-average levels, jeopardizing the two largest man-made water reservoirs and threatening water shortage in several western states. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) conducted a simulation study calculating future water levels in Lake Powell and Lake Mead as water coming from the river is just 55 percent of the annual average. Results released Sep. 15 showed that the reservoirs are 12 percent more likely to fall to critically low levels by 2025 than projected in the spring. This is a pretty significant increase over what was projected in April due to the declining runoff this year, said hydrologist Carly Jerla, who works as an analyst for the bureau. The forecast comes as Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and Mexico are in the middle of a heated negotiation over the use of the river in the next several years. The states have already been forced to conserve water to secure the long-term use of the river, but the continued drought conditions hamper conservation efforts. Colorado water may drop to critical levels The Colorado River, which supplies water to about 40 million people from Wyoming to Arizona, is now on its 21st year of extended drought. The bureau conducts five-year projections at least three times a year using the Colorado Simulation System and stress testing techniques to determine potential shortages if drought conditions persist. Lake Mead currently stands at 40 percent (1,083) of its full capacity while the upstream reservoir Lake Powell is 48 percent full (3,598). If current drought conditions continue, the bureau said that theres a 20 percent likelihood the two reservoirs will drop to critical levels in 2025. Lake Mead is particularly vulnerable as theres a 32 percent likelihood it will fall into a shortage by that year. When water level reaches 1,075 feet, Arizona and Nevada will have to face deeper cuts as part of a drought contingency plan signed by the states along with California and Mexico last year. The three states were pressured to sign a deal with Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado to voluntarily cut their water use after the federal government warned of a mandatory squeeze on the supply. In the absence of consensus plans from the Basin states, the federal government must take action to protect the river and all who depend on it farmers and cities across seven states, said Bureau Comissioner Brenda Burman in a statement. Burman said that the agreement proves to be effective in addressing water shortage, with water levels in the reservoir going up by six feet in 2019. Terry Fulp, the bureaus regional director, added that Lake Mead is about 40 feet higher today than it would be without current and previous conservation efforts. Such initiatives helped prevent larger cuts in water deliveries. The models provide valuable information to cities and farms in preparation for more drought conditions and potential water shortages, especially in light of the latest forecast. According to Burman, I think what the projections are showing us is we have greater uncertainty than we did last year. Authorities initially expected that reservoir levels will go up this year because the Rocky Mountains were blanketed with a snowpack that was slightly above average over the winter. But with many places experiencing record-high temperatures, the runoff from the Colorado River turned to be 55 percent of the annual average. (Related: Devastating drought is imminent: Scientists surprised to find Colorado River Basin drying up faster than expected.) Burman bemoaned the projection numbers and said that she hopes the region heads into years of wet conditions. But if it doesnt, she expects the states to come together and make it work. Climate.news has more on the drought conditions in the western U.S. Sources include: StrangeSounds.org USBR.gov 1 NYTimes.com USBR.gov 2 AZCentral.com Arizona News Phoenix, Arizona - Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced Thursday that a State Grand Jury indicted Lorenzo U. Herrera a/k/a Larry Herrera, a former candidate for the Arizona Senate, on 34 felony counts including Attempted Fraudulent Schemes and Practices, Forgery, and Perjury. The charges arise from Herreras attempt to qualify for Clean Elections Funding in 2018. The indictment alleges that Herrera offered or presented forged Citizens Clean Elections Commission Qualifying Contribution forms to the Secretary of States Office and that on each of those forms he perjured himself by falsely asserting that he had obtained $5.00 qualifying contributions from individuals. To do this, Herrera purportedly took the identities of sixteen individuals with the goal of attempting to obtain money from the Citizens Clean Elections Fund. Assistant Attorney General Todd Lawson is prosecuting the case. The Arizona Attorney Generals Office recently launched its Election Integrity Unit (EIU) webpage that includes an online election complaint form. EIU was created with the support of the Arizona Legislature to combat reports of voter fraud. Currently, EIU has more than two dozen active criminal and civil investigations. All defendants are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law. They may have been competing for the heart of the same man but Bachelor contestants Bella Varelis and Bec Cvilikas appear to be the best of friends. Bella, 25, and Bec, 25, headed out for breakfast at White Rabbit in Double Bay on Sunday. The pair were rugged up on what was a grey-looking day overhead, with Bella wearing an oversize, furry hoodie in an off-white tone. Pals! They may have been competing for the heart of the same man but Bachelor contestants Bella Varelis and Bec Cvilikas appear to be the best of friends. Both pictured The comfortable garment swamped her frame, and she covered up her face with the hood at times. She added a pair of blue jeans to the ensemble, which had the hems at her ankles turned up. The brunette wore her hair up in a loose bun worn at the very top of her head in a casual do. Munch time: Bella, 25, and Bec, 25, headed out for breakfast at White Rabbit in Double Bay on Sunday Cosy: The pair were rugged up on what was a grey-looking day overhead Looks so comfortable! Bella was wearing an oversize, furry hoodie in an off-white tone Bella opted for a soft, neutral makeup palette with a pastel pink lipstick in a matte finish. She finished the outfit with cat eye sunglasses, white sneakers and a black crossbody bag. Unusually, she carried a pair of dark denim jeans in her hand, as well as her mobile phone. Cute: She added a pair of blue jeans to the look, which had the hems at her ankles turned up Details: The brunette wore her hair up in a loose bun worn at the very top of her head in a casual do Now you see her! She covered up her head in the hood at times as she walked along Matching! Bec meanwhile was also cosy in a furry jacket, but in her case she opted for a dark colour Bec meanwhile was also cosy in a furry jacket, but in her case she opted for a dark colour. She too wore pale blue jeans with some ankle detailing, in her case fraying around the edges. Keeping their matching theme going, Bec had on a pair of white sneakers and carried a crossbody bag. Jean genie: She too wore pale blue jeans with some ankle detailing, in her case fraying around the edges So alike! Keeping their matching theme going, Bec had on a pair of white sneakers and carried a crossbody bag Likewise, she chose neutral makeup with pink lipstick and wore cat eye sunglasses on her face. The women headed off to breakfast where they met model Jordan Simek, embracing her heartily. Jordan looked pretty in pink, choosing a soft v-neck jumper and wide-leg blue jeans, worn with white shoes. Hey buddy! The women headed off to breakfast where they met model Jordan Simek (right) Big hugs! They greeted the former Australia's Next Top Model star heartily, with lots of hugs Holding on! Jordan cuddled up to her pals for some time before letting go The former Australia's Next Top Model star chose a pink-based makeup look and wore her blonde hair in waves around her face. Bella and Bec are believed to be runners-up in the quest for Bachelor Locky Gilbert's heart. Their fellow contestant Irena Srbinovska is widely believed to be the winner of The Bachelor. Gorgeous! Jordan looked pretty in pink, choosing a soft v-neck jumper and wide-leg blue jeans, worn with white shoes As of this Friday, Irena is the bookies' favourite to win The Bachelor, with Sportsbet offering odds of just $1.30. Bella Varelis is tipped for second place ($3.25) and Bec Cvilikas is expected to place third ($7.50). The Bachelor continues Wednesday at 7:30pm on Channel 10 In the seven weeks since the Burleigh-Morton COVID-19 Task Force was created, it has increased access to testing, assisted schools with reopening plans and secured a shelter for homeless COVID-19 patients. But coronavirus cases in the region continue to spike, and there is more work ahead for the group. The task force's goal is to lower the region's 14-day rolling average positivity rate to 5% or below, but the rates for the state and Burleigh and Morton counties have been on the rise. The task force operates in an advisory capacity only, which Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health Director Renae Moch said can be a challenge. It does not have the authority to enact mandates. Task force members attempted to address the continued rise in cases on Sept. 4 by recommending that local governments mandate masks. The commissions for Bismarck and Morton County did not enact mandates. The commissions for Mandan and Burleigh County, which met a week after the previous two, did not discuss mandates because of the other commissions' decisions. Many people in the area believe that mask mandates infringe on personal freedom. "I feel like there's a little bit of distrust or nonbelief that those measures work, but if they are implemented and people are doing them, they have been proven to work," Moch said. "If we could see more compliance for the mitigation measures we're suggesting, we could make a difference. It's just disheartening to see that our numbers are going in the opposite direction." Moch believes the community needs to follow the example of schools and colleges, which have required masks. "There's definitely some work to do," she said. "I think in order to best make a difference in the community, the schools are definitely doing their part, its the rest of us that kind of have to get on board to see what we can do to help in that situation." The task force has made some gains in other areas in its month and a half of work, though. Task force makeup The task force consists of a steering committee made up of state and local government and public health officials, including North Dakota Chief Operating Officer Tammy Miller, Bismarck Mayor Steve Bakken and Morton County Commission Chairman Cody Schulz. Moch heads the task force. Five subcommittees focus on different areas of pandemic response: business community, educational institutions and activities, health care/testing strategy/contact tracing, public education and awareness, and underserved populations. The task force's initial goal was to get the area's 14-day rolling average positivity rate at or below the state's. Both the region's and the state's average have increased since late July. Burgum on Monday said the task force's new goal is to have the area's rate at or below 5%. It stood at 6.9% for Burleigh-Morton as of Sept. 17. Miller said the 5% positivity rate goal is better suited to a newly implemented county-by-county risk level system and falls within guidelines from the White House. Burgum on Sept. 3 moved the state from a statewide green/low risk level to a county-by-county risk level. Eight counties including Burleigh and Morton moved to yellow/moderate risk, eight moved to blue/"new normal" and the other 32 stayed at green. The risk levels are reviewed weekly. Bakken said the regional COVID-19 hot spot taxed resources, which he looked to the state to bolster. He said the state has provided more testing kits and created an additional testing location. The task force also received an $850,000 budget funded by the federal CARES Act, with much of the money going to support vulnerable populations such as the homeless, according to Miller. Part of the budget was allocated for a local marketing campaign being conducted by Agency MABU. Boosting businesses The business community subcommittee, led by Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC President Brian Ritter, is addressing confusion among business owners about testing for employees, guidelines for gatherings and changes to business operations. The subcommittee created a graphic with COVID-19 testing times and locations, distributed it to businesses and posted it on social media. The group also is sharing a series of 20 graphics on social media that answer frequently asked questions about sick leave, traveling and other issues. The subcommittee is proactive about getting important information out to businesses, Ritter said. When Burgum changed the Burleigh-Morton risk level to yellow, the subcommittee emailed bars, restaurants and personal care businesses such as hair salons to inform them of the change in guidelines from the state. Ritter said he does not have data on how many businesses are requiring masks or following ND Smart Restart guidelines, but he would like to see that information. "We're optimistic the business community is heeding this guidance, but it's an ongoing process," he said. Aiding education The educational institutions and activities subcommittee was tasked with supporting safe back-to-school plans for K-12 and higher education and making sure children and young adults understand the importance of COVID-19 prevention measures such as wearing a mask, staying socially distant and practicing good hygiene, chairman Anton Sattler said. Sattler works for the environmental health division of Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health and collaborated with local schools on their reopening plans before the formation of the task force. Sattler said local universities have encouraged testing. The University of Mary encouraged its students to get tested for coronavirus before coming to campus, which prevented some students who tested positive from arriving and potentially spreading the virus. The subcommittee also discussed strategies to motivate testing in students. Bismarck State College created a student liaison position to promote mask wearing and hand sanitizing to peers. The schools and colleges have excellent plans, Sattler said, but challenges come when students are off campus. "One of our biggest concerns is students outside of schools and colleges getting infected through community spread," Sattler said. The subcommittee is pausing its work now that schools and universities are back in session and will meet as needed. Toughening testing One of the main focuses of the health care/testing strategy/contact tracing subcommittee was increasing testing availability in the region. There are now testing events five days a week, involving several entities. From Aug. 1 to Sept. 1, the 14-day rolling average daily total tests increased from 918 to 1,076, which is a 17.2% increase, Moch said at the task force's Sept. 11 meeting. The subcommittee also increased messaging about testing protocols for close contacts, which streamlined the amount of questions public health officials were receiving. Close contacts should now be tested for the coronavirus seven to 10 days after being exposed to the virus. Going forward, Moch said, the subcommittee will focus on the recent spike of COVID-19 cases in long-term care facilities in the region. State and local officials said that rise in cases is being discussed, though no plans to address it have been announced. On Friday, there were 196 active cases in long-term care facilities in Burleigh-Morton -- nearly two-thirds of the active cases in long-term care facilities statewide. Bakken said the task force is investigating how the virus is entering those facilities. Custer Health Administrator Erin Ourada, who leads the subcommittee, was not available for comment. Public education The public education subcommittee is working with Agency MABU on an information campaign called "COVID Stops Here." The hope is that the subcommittee is putting out information people can trust and support, according to Kalen Ost, emergency preparedness information specialist at Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health and subcommittee chair. The first phase of the campaign launched online Monday with both paid social media content and posts shared on official pages. The campaign is aimed at three groups: those who feel "invincible," particularly in the 20-29 age range where the number of active cases is highest in the region; people "fatigued" from taking measures to prevent COVID-19; and those "resistant" to being urged to wear masks or practice social distancing. The campaign encourages residents to take personal responsibility to prevent the disease. Burgum and local officials have been emphasizing personal responsibility and individual choice rather than mandating mask wearing in public. "For as passionate as the COVID debate is, I'm sure that there are some people who by default will love it and some people by default that will hate it," Ost said. "There's no getting around that. My hope would be that there's people in the middle that look at it and are able to find something in it that resonates with them." Bakken said, "With the speed that Agency MABU turned around the campaign and messaging, they knocked it out of the park." Helping the homeless The underserved populations subcommittee's main focus is securing a location and resources to create a local shelter for homeless people who have tested positive for COVID-19 or need to isolate because of exposure. The Bismarck Motor Motel has been selected as the shelter, and contracts with shelter management and security providers are being finalized, Moch said. Myriad services had to be secured for the shelter, such as transportation, mental and physical health care, and meal distribution. Moch said plans for the shelter were being discussed before the creation of the task force, but the underserved populations subcommittee provided more organization in the process when it took over. The shelter will have six rooms, and the subcommittee is looking into how to scale up the available resources in case of an influx of people in need come winter. Dr. John Hagan, the medical director for the Department of Corrections, heads the subcommittee. He did not respond to requests for comment. 'Ever-changing monster' The task force next meets on Sept. 25. It recently switched to meeting every other week, although subcommittees will continue to meet weekly or as needed, to allow more information to be shared at the larger task force meetings. Ost said that one of the difficulties of responding to the pandemic is that it evolves over time. "The pandemic is this gigantic, ever-changing monster. Every day it brings up challenges that are brand new, challenges that we thought we had figured out answers for and challenges we never dreamed could have existed," Ost said. "There's no one perfect answer for it." Reach Sam Nelson at 701-250-8264 or sam.nelson@bismarcktribune.com. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Yard signs supporting US President Donald Trump and Democratic US presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden are seen outside of an early voting site at the Fairfax County Government Center in Fairfax, Virginia, US. (Image: Reuters) Even if youre generally not into smart-home devices, a smart smoke alarm is the one essential appliance every home should have. While a traditional alarm depends on your being around to hear it, a smart smoke alarm will alert you when something is wrong, no matter where you are. Most smart smoke detectors are hybrid devices that detect smoke and heat, as well carbon monoxide. And because they connect to your home internet, they can send you notifications via a smartphone app. An added benefit is that in addition to smoke notifications, they can send low-battery warnings long before the batteries run out, which means youll never have to hear those annoying chirps in the middle of the night. They also allow you to silence the alarm using an app no longer will you have to swing around a broom or towel to clear the smoke when youve burned dinner. Wirecutter, a New York Times company that reviews products, recommends the second-generation Google Nest Protect for most people. More than just alert you to fire, a smart smoke alarm that is compatible with other smart devices you own (or may purchase later) can be set up to to perform other lifesaving tasks, like shutting down your HVAC system during a fire, turning on your cameras to record, unlocking your front doors and turning on smart lighting to make it easier for you to get out and firefighters to get in. After all this praise, however, wed be remiss if we didnt point out one of their biggest flaws: Even the smartest smoke detector lives only 10 years. Thats because by law, your smart smoke alarm must stop working and be replaced. (So definitely dont buy a used one off eBay.) Yankees rookie Deivi Garcia will be on the mound Sunday when New York goes for the three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. And once again, Garcia will honor his hero, Red Sox Hall-of-Fame ace Pedro Martinez. Introducing Yankees Insider: Get exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers In his last start on Wednesday, Garcia wore a belt with No. 45 emblazoned on it as a tribute to Martinez, an all-time Bronx foe. Its not being superstitious or anything like that, Garcia said via the teams Spanish translator after throwing seven sterling innings in Wednesdays 7-2 win over the Blue Jays in Buffalo. Its actually that when we started spring training back in February, I asked for a belt. But I asked for a belt with the No. 45 and thats in honor of Pedro Martinez, Garcia said. Its just a number that I carry around. I have it in my glove, in some of my gloves. Thats really the reason why. Garcia will continue his new tradition in his Fenway debut, according to the New York Daily News. I mean hes a legend here and there were a lot of exciting games here in the stadium, Garcia said through Yankees translator Marlon Abreu. "My dad even told me about all those great games and everything going on. And he told me to go out there and do the best you can for your team to represent your team. Buy Deivi Garci Yankees gear: Fanatics.com, MLBShop.com, Lids Martinez loves the 21-year-old right-hander, whom he showered with praise after his big-league debut this season. Congrats to 21-year-old Dominican pitcher Deivi Garcia on an excellent debut for the Yankees, Martinez tweeted. He did a great job at mixing his pitches. His body looked stable and fully extended. I was impressed with the way he commanded his pitches. Garcia wont be the only rookie on the mound Sunday at Fenway Park. The Red Sox will counter with highly-touted pitching prospect Tanner Houck, who will be making his second big-league start. (NJ Advance Medias Brendan Kuty and Randy Miller contributed to this report.) 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 subscription. Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. T ens of thousands of Britons are at risk of losing their homes as the Governments ban of evictions comes to an end on Monday. Private renters in England and Wales have been protected during the coronavirus pandemic thanks to a ban on evictions announced in March. This was then extended, meaning anyone who has been served with an eviction notice since August 29 is entitled to a six-month notice period. However, up to around 55,000 households in England who were served notices between March and August are not awarded this protection, campaign group Generation Rent has warned. Labour has called for protective measures to be extended and has warned of a winter homelessness crisis, while the Local Government Association (LGA) has said councils are concerned that the ending of the ban could see a rise in homelessness. Shelter chief executive Polly Neate has said renters served notice before August could still face automatic eviction from Monday, while for those served notice after August the measures simply delay the threat of homelessness. The National Residential Landlord Association (NRLA) said it has encouraged landlords to work with their tenants to sustain tenancies wherever possible. But the NRLA added it is important to begin tackling the most serious cases including tenants committing anti-social behaviour and domestic abuse, or with rent arrears which have nothing to do with Covid-19. A 26-year-old tenant from Warwickshire, who asked to remain anonymous, said she was given notice by her landlord on April 2 for September 30 but said she has found it difficult to find a new home as she is a DSS tenant meaning she is receiving benefits. She said she had found a property but it is only available in November, meaning she has over a month in which her current landlord will be able to apply for a court ruling to have her forcibly removed. I am remaining anyway, because Im not intentionally making myself homeless but that will leave me liable for a lot of court fees and does risk me being told by the courts to leave with two weeks warning, she said. Ben Beadle, chief executive of the NRLA, said: We continue to encourage landlords to work with their tenants to sustain tenancies wherever possible, making use of the guidance we have prepared. To support this the Government should follow the example of Scotland and Wales and develop a stronger financial package to help tenants to pay off rent arrears built since the lockdown started. Ministers also need to address the crisis faced by those landlords who have rented their homes out whilst working elsewhere. The six months notice required in such circumstances freezes them out of accessing their own homes, effectively making them homeless. A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: Weve taken unprecedented action to support renters by banning evictions for six months, preventing people getting into financial hardship and helping businesses to pay salaries. To help keep people in their homes over the winter months, weve changed the law to increase notice periods to six months and introduced a winter truce on the enforcement of evictions for the first time. In addition we have put in place a welfare safety net of nearly 9.3 billion and increased Local Housing Allowance rates to cover the lowest 30 per cent of market rents. Dhinesh Kallungal By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Though the recent arrest of three Al-Qaeda operatives from Ernakulam by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has come as a shocker for the state, the arrest of a Murshidabad native with counterfeit currency notes in 2016 had shed light on transnational unlawful activities in the state. The state polices investigation regarding the high quality counterfeit notes that were reportedly printed in Bangladesh hit a dead end after the accused who was released on bail by a local court was killed in a road accident at Perumbavoor in Ernakulam in 2018. The Crime Branch progress report (accessed by TNIE) had then recommended an NIA investigation. Unfortunately, the case was not taken up by the central investigation agency. The progress report also pointed out several lapses from the side of the local police. A Murshidabad native, Sahadatt Hossain, was taken into custody on June 15, 2016 from a petrol pump after the `1,000 note he had given to the petrol bunk was suspected to be counterfeit. It was later found out that the note was fake and in the subsequent raid the police had recovered 141 counterfeit notes in the denomination of `1,000 and 38 notes in the denomination of `500 from his place of stay. Sahadatt was then charged under Sections 15(1)(a), (iiia), 16(1)(b) of UAPA as all the suspected notes were of high quality as specified in the third schedule of the UAPA 1967 and amendment Act 2012. In the investigation, the police found there was a large racket behind the counterfeit notes and then zeroed in on two West Bengal natives, Akram and Mintu. When the police found transnational connections in the case, they had then recommended the case to be probed by the National Investigation Agency under Section 6 of the NIA Act in January 2017. However, the investigation team did not collect the details of the persons who arranged the bail for the accused, nor did it collect vital details from West Bengal in connection with the case, the report states. According to a senior police officer, the sleeper cells of the anti-national operatives were active in the state years ago. Chances of migrants being lured into these rackets after landing in Kerala are also high, he said. Sources in a case involve a son who killed and dismembered the bodies of his parents. Most heinous was the act of beheading his mother and boiling it in a pot. The Tennessee Supreme Court threw out the request of the 32-year old who eviscerated the corpses of his parents. He wanted to keep the court from seeing pictures from the scene of the crime. One them is that of his mother's head getting boiled in water like soup, reported Knox News. The court disregarded the request of the killer, identified as Joel Michael Guy Jr. who tried to stop viewing the evidence. Next, the pictures were used in court was used against him, taken without a warrant from his house, noted Metro UK. One of the developments in the heinous double murder is whether Judge Steve Sword will render Guy's murderous rampage as invalid. This is because no proper search warrant was obtained at the scene of the crime at Goldenview Lane home, his parents' residence. On Thanks Giving Holiday 2016, Detective Jeremy McCord of the Knox County Sheriff's Office went to the residence of 55-year-old Lisa Guy. She was supposed to be at work, so he checked in on her. He was going in to see the shock of his career. Upon ariving on the property, he finds it uneasily vacant, there was a for-sale sign in the front lawn. The detective sensed something queer and felt the heat from a door with a whiff of strong chemicals. He noticed that groceries were spilled on the entrance which is a bad sign. The detective was alarmed and decided to go inside the house with no official warrant. Also read: Jealous Boyfriend Burned His Fiancee to Death Because She Exposed Her Body on the Beach He saw the gruesome scene, and knew what happened to Lisa and Joel Guy Sr, age 61. There was gore all over as blood scatter on wall. He even saw the head of Lisa that was stewing in boing water on the stove. The husband's hands were chopped off and was seen on the bedroom floor. Inside the bath were two severed torsos. More evidence was found like the house key, which connected Guy Jr. to the horrific slaying of his parents. But, the accused wanted to be declared innocent because of the illegal evidence. Last December, Knox County Criminal Court Judge Bob McGee ignored his claims but allowed an eccentric pretrial appeal. Soon after the case was transferred to Judge Sword because he was retiring, Sword is waiting for a Supreme Court decision. According to Prosecutor Leslie Nassios, the parents were setting an ultimatum for then 28-year old Guy Jr. who studied at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He was told during Thanks Giving, cited Meaww. Adding evidence from his room at his parent's house, the murderer had stayed during the occasion. In the room, he had items to be used to kill and eviscerate them cruelly. He also bought muriatic acid to breakdown the flesh of his parents. The murderer's defense lawyers consisting of present or past public defenders said that the evidence had no official warrant. They needed Joel Jr.'s official consent to enter the house. But sources say McGee disagreed and he never resided full time, only yearly visits, mentioned The Sun It was not an ordinary homicide case according to the decision and the grisly murder discounted needing a search warrant. Related article: Russian Ballerina Dismembered, Dissolved in Sulfuric Acid Amid Fears of Lewd Picture Leak @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. (Natural News) A small country in Northwestern Europe is under pressure to tackle climate change around the world. Wales is being pressured by the United Nations to cut climate warming gases by 100 percent. Climate scientists refer to this as a net zero target. In order to achieve this goal by 2045, Wales will have to put a moratorium on the construction of new ROADS! Thats right: It might not be a world war or a nuclear bomb that destroys the industrialized world. The collapse of modern-day civilization could be completed by the leaders of each country, as they dismantle their countrys infrastructure step-by-step all for the common cause of combating climate change. If countries want to achieve a net zero target, they will have to severely restrict their energy production, ban the construction of roads, stifling transportation and economic production. In other words, the climate change push is a suicide cult, driving societies to collapse. Central economic planners pressure Wales to ban road construction The government of Wales is taking the climate change push seriously after receiving a report from the charity, Friends of the Earth Cymru (FOEC). The report warns that the ministers of Wales should cut climate warming gases by 100 percent long before 2045, or else the world could end. FOEC instructs the government of Wales to halt all investments in high carbon infrastructure, including new gas power plants, incinerators and ROADS. FOEC instructs the government to ban all pensions for firms involved in coal, oil and gas. They also want to force all new homes to be free from fossil fuel energy. FOEC also wants to take away any subsidies for flights, pushing airline prices higher. Its all part of advancing the the UN International Paris Climate Agreement. Haf Elgar, FOEC director, warned, We urgently need to set targets that are in line with the international Paris agreement so that we dont go over 1.5 degrees of global warming. FOEC chastised the Welsh governments current climate plan and said it is not consistent for a globally responsible Wales. The Welsh government has tried to appease the climate change alarmists in the past but apparently they arent doing enough to succumb to the economic, community and behavioral controls that these central planners want to impose over peoples lives. Feeling guilty again, The Welsh government is now welcoming FOECs report, as they agree to radically control the lives of their people. In order to appease the central planners, the Welsh government has already committed to new economic controls. The Welsh Government is committed to reducing net emissions by 2050 at least 80% lower than the baseline (1990 or 1995) and has set interim emissions targets for 2020, 2030 and 2040. Every five years, the Welsh Government must set a maximum total amount for net Welsh emissions (a carbon budget) and must take into account international agreements to limit increases in global average temperatures. In order to carry out the latest and most ambitious climate control plans, the Welsh government will have to close roads and allow for adequate green space to be provided within five minutes of walking distance of every home. All future construction of new roads must be halted because this contributes to the carbon footprint. Transportation will be strictly limited. As the infrastructure slowly collapses, the people of Wales will have to depend more on the government for their needs. A new tax will have to be collected to address the climate change plan as well, with a plan to allocate funds for the economic projects set forth by the UN governing body. Learn more about the climate suicide cult at ClimateAlarmism.News. Sources include: ClimateDepot.com ClimateAlarmism.News SeneDD.Wales There is no one out there, period, who knows my brothers story like I do. People know pieces, but no one knows the full story, said Johnson, an attorney and artist who was his brothers manager. I think people ought to see whats behind the scenes and whats behind a superstar. They see the superstar, but they dont see his interaction with his family, his interaction with friends. Since I ran the business and am his brother, I can tell that story." Henderson has wanted to do this project for 15 years, although it has changed over time to now focus on the brothers after long talks with Johnson during the editing of G.O.D. Johnson is executive producer on the film over the past year. He talked about his brother and their lives. We would talk in his law office, we would go out for coffee, we would sit for three or four hours and talk, said Henderson who hopes to start production on what is currently structured as a seven-episode miniseries in Buffalo within the year. Travelers wearing face masks walk at Beijing Daxing International Airport in Beijing, Sept. 19, 2020. Reuters Visiting the spot for the first time since the night of the shooting did not upset Zonia Cooper, she said. A pastor at the Dignity Integrity and Grace Outreach Ministry, she believes her son lives on. She stood at the mouth of the alley where his body was and prayed out loud, The spirit of Jordan Cooper, his energy, his unconditional and unlimited love, we bind it to us, and we live a victorious life. Washington, Sep 20 : US President Donald Trump has ordered that flags across the country be flown at half-staff to honour Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 87. As part of the order contained in a presidential proclamation released late Friday by the White House, flags will be flown at half-staff at the White House and all public buildings and grounds, military bases, naval stations and overseas diplomatic facilities until Ginsburg is laid to rest, reports Xinhua news agency. Flags at the White House and the nearby Eisenhower Executive Office Building were already lowered as Trump returned to the White House on Friday night following his campaign rally in Minnesota. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also ordered the lowering of flags on Capitol Hill, as is tradition. Ginsburg died on Friday due to complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer, the Supreme Court said in a statement, adding that a private interment would be held at Arlington National Cemetery, without revealing the specific date for the ceremony. Ginsburg was nominated to the bench by then president Bill Clinton in 1993. Trump in the proclamation praised Ginsburg, the second female Supreme Court justice in US history and leader of the court's liberal wing, which is now in the minority, calling her a "trailblazer". Describing Ginsburg as "an inspiration to all Americans," Trump said the late Justice was "renowned for her powerful dissents at the Supreme Court" and that her "work helped bring about greater equality for women, secure rights for the disabled, and will continue to influence our Nation for generations to come". Praising her "quick mind", the president said Ginsburg "brought flair to the bench with her stylish jabots and her warm friendships among colleagues, even those with whom she often disagreed, most notably with the late Justice Antonin Scalia". Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif urged the global community to oppose the bullying nature of the United States through arbitrary sanctions or expect to face similar sanctions in future. US President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order which will allow his administration to impose sanctions on any country violating the arms embargo on Iran. The US intensified its efforts to trigger snapback of all sanctions under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) as the arms embargo is set to expire in October. The Americans, as a rule, act like a bully and impose sanction...the world community should decide how to act towards bullying, Zarif told Iranian state television. The Iranian foreign minister claimed that Tehran will be able to fulfil its weapon requirements with the help of strategic partners like Russia and China. He said that Iran will not only be self-sufficient on weapons front but will also be able to export it. Zarif, however, added that Iran can procure weapons from its strategic partners and secondary US sanctions will not be an obstacle for them. As they (other countries) will face the same thing tomorrow when America takes the same action towards the Nord Stream project, as well as other projects because a bully will continue to act like a bully if he is allowed to do it once, Zarif said. Read: Iran's Foreign Min Believes US Sanctions Will Not Be An 'obstacle' Once UN Embargo Expires Read: US, UNSC Members Struggle Over 'snapback' As Iran's Arms Embargo Deadline Nears Struggle over snapback The United States has been struggling to return the sanctions as other signatories of the Iran nuclear deal continue to resist and question its legality. The Iran nuclear deal was enshrined in a UNSC resolution which still names the US as a participant and the Trump administration has been arguing on the technicality that Washington could still trigger a snapback. On September 18, Britain, France, and Germany reportedly sent a letter to the UNSC, saying they need sanctions relief for Iran to preserve the nuclear agreement. Meanwhile, the Trump administration said that all UN sanctions on Iran will be restored and the arms embargo will not expire in mid-October. Read: Iran's Revolutionary Guard Vows To Avenge Qassem Soleimani's Killing Read: Iran Witnessing third Wave Of Coronavirus Outbreak, Warn Health Experts Amani Williams organized her first March for Black Lives event in Hamilton in mid-June. Just over three months to the day since, shes still at it having hosted her fourth rally and subsequent march Saturday afternoon. As long as there is a reason to come out, Im going to continue to, said Williams. Around 75 people gathered in Hamilton City Halls forecourt, echoing familiar chants of Black lives matter and no justice, no peace, no racist police, while many carried signs calling to defund the police. The sidewalk below the feet of demonstrators was scrawled with colourful chalk drawings, carrying messages of unity is power, Black trans lives matter, and Black is beautiful. The march began at City Hall, where organizers handed out water, snacks, signs and masks to participants that didnt have their own. As the crowd walked toward Dundurn Park, passing motorists honked horns and held up their fists. Hamilton police, heavy in numbers, stood back and blocked traffic. Taking the stage during the protest march was the family of Jamal Francique a 28-year-old Black man, father of two, a son and a grandson who died after he was shot by Peel Regional Police in Mississauga. As reported by the Toronto Star, around 7:45 p.m. on Jan. 7, 2020, Peel officers were in the area of Southampton Drive and Aquinas Avenue to make an arrest. They located the person of interest in a vehicle, there was an interaction and one officer discharged his firearm at the vehicle multiple times. The man, who has since been identified as Francique, was shot and died Jan. 9. His death remains under investigation by the provinces Special Investigations Unit (SIU). Speaking to a crowd in Hamilton, his family called for answers into his death once again. Theyre looking for transparency in the investigation as well as the release of the names of the officers involved in the incident. Its the worst thing that life brings, not having him, said Franciques mother Anne-Marie White. We dont have answers. Jamal was a shining star. When he came into a room, everybody gravitated to his smile, said his father Derek Francique. The life that was taken away from my son is very tragic. We as a community cannot let the questions surrounding (Jamals) death go unanswered, said Knia Singh, lawyer for the family. This is why were here. There has to be accountability. Singh said Saturdays march should be the last one. I say that because we live in a society that has the will, the resources and the knowledge on how to police the community in a fair and unbiased, humane way, he added. Until that happens, Williams, 23, said shell continue to organize marches and rallies come snow or sleet this winter. Rounding out the speeches, she once again called for Hamilton Polices operations budget to be defunded by 20 per cent and have the funds allocated to mental health supports, affordable housing and health care. Earlier this month, Hamilton Police announced it would be organizing a public town hall meeting to address the ongoing calls from the community. If they want us off the streets, defund the police, said Williams. The police are taking their time but thats fine, we will be out here. Were going to make them work until they defund. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The annual cybersecurity conference of Kerala Police, cOcOn 2020, concluded here on Saturday. Speaking at the valedictory function of the two-day conference, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the conference, over the years, has evolved into a reputed international event on cybersecurity. He lauded the participation of the business community in the conference. It ensures security in businesses. Also, the business community plays a big role in the societys development, he said. State Police Chief Loknath Behera said that despite the conference being held virtually due to Covid-induced restrictions, the event evoked a good response. Over 7,500 people registered for the event and above 5,000 attended. There event recorded two million views on social media. cOcOn organising committee vice-chairman ADGP Manoj Abraham said that the conference aims at creating a safe internet space. We are living in the era of the internet and technology has become a part of our life, be it business or studies. Even cyber crimes are on the rise. Several cases, especially those involving women and children, were reported in the past six months alone. cOcOn will help resolve these issues effectively, he said. He made the suggestions in Hanoi during talks with RoK Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, who is paying an official visit to Vietnam on September 17 and 18. The visit is significant in promoting cooperation between the two countries, he said. Kang is also the first foreign guest to make official visit to Vietnam since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Vietnam always attaches importance to its relationship with the RoK and wishes to tighten collaboration in order to boost the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership more practically, especially in the context two countries are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic ties in 2020, Minh told his guest. He said that despite the pandemic, Vietnam and the RoK have flexibly maintained all-level exchanges and cooperation in different spheres, particularly the economy. Minh suggested the RoK Government facilitate the export of Vietnamese agricultural products to the country, initially pomelo and red dragon fruit, while helping Vietnam join RoK value chains in the RoK and globally, contributing to raising two-way trade to US$100 billion shortly. For her part, Kang lauded Vietnams efforts in containing COVID-19 as well as the countrys role as the ASEAN Chair amid a host of difficulties caused by the pandemic. The minister expressed her hope that Vietnam will reap more socio-economic and diplomatic achievements in the time ahead. The RoK Government attaches importance to and wishes to deepen the relationship with Vietnam - a major partner in its New Southern Policy, Kang said, pledging that it will further support Vietnam in performing the roles of a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council during the 2020-2021 term and the ASEAN Chair in 2020. The RoK will also join hands with Vietnam to accelerate the implementation of high-level agreements practically and effectively, contributing to advancing the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership to a new high, she continued. The minister also spoke highly of Vietnams decision to resume commercial flights with the RoK and suggested the two countries increase the frequency in the time to come. Kang called on Vietnam to facilitate the entry of RoK businesspeople under COVID-19 prevention and control regulations, in order to step up bilateral economic, trade, and investment ties. The two sides agreed to encourage RoK firms to invest and expand operation in Vietnam. The RoK will further expand its non-refundable aid to Vietnam and support official development assistance (ODA) infrastructure projects in response to climate change. The two countries consented to strengthening cooperation in health care and soon extend a memorandum of understanding on sending and receiving Vietnamese workers to the RoK, reached in 2018. More attention will be paid to assisting the Vietnamese community in the RoK, including Vietnamese women who are married to local men, they agreed. Regarding regional and international issues, the two countries will maintain close coordination and effective cooperation in multilateral mechanisms such as the UN, ASEAN, APEC, ASEM, WTO, and Mekong. At the same time, they will partner in the fight against natural disasters and disease, especially COVID-19. They also highlighted efforts in promoting dialogue and peacefully settling the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula. Both support maintaining peace, stable security, and the peaceful settlement of the East Sea/ South China Sea issue in line with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS). Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 10:58:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LOS ANGELES, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Video-sharing social networking platform TikTok on Saturday voiced hope that an agreement reached by its Chinese parent company ByteDance with Oracle and Walmart will "resolve the security concerns of the U.S. administration and settle questions around TikTok's future in the U.S." The Los Angeles-based company issued a statement Saturday afternoon, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had approved a deal between the three parties. TikTok disclosed some details about the three-party agreement handed over to the authority Monday and weighted by the White House so far, saying Oracle will become its "trusted technology provider," and Walmart will play a role in "commercial partnership." U.S. Commerce Department Secretary Wilbur Ross noted that Trump has provided until Nov. 12 for the national security concerns posed by TikTok to be resolved. "If they are, the prohibitions in this order may be lifted," Ross said. A TikTok representative said in a statement acquired by Xinhua on Friday that the Los Angeles-based tech company disagrees with the U.S. Commerce Department's decision and felt disappointed that it will block the download and update of the company's popular app starting Sunday. China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Saturday that it is resolutely opposed to the U.S. move to block downloads of WeChat and TikTok apps, urging the United States to immediately stop bullying and safeguard international rules and order. In the absence of any evidence, the United States has repeatedly used state power to suppress the two enterprises for unwarranted reasons, which seriously disrupted their normal business activities, undermined the confidence of international investors in the U.S. investment environment and damaged the normal global economic and trade order, the MOC said in a statement. The Commerce Department's statement came following Trump's Aug. 6 executive order banning any U.S. transactions with ByteDance, starting in 45 days. A similar order was issued for WeChat, which is owned by Chinese tech giant Tencent. Enditem House Speaker Nancy Pelosi paid tribute to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Sunday, calling her a "powerful, brilliant brain on the court" in an appearance on ABC's "This Week," while refusing to take another impeachment inquiry off the table in order to block President Donald Trump's upcoming nominee to the Supreme Court. "We have our options. We have arrows in our quiver that I'm not about to discuss right now but the fact is we have a big challenge in our country. This president has threatened to not even accept the results of the election," Pelosi told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos. "Our main goal would be to protect the integrity of the election as we protect the people from the coronavirus." Trump, who has pledged to nominate a woman, said at a campaign rally in North Carolina on Saturday that he will nominate Ginsburg's replacement in the next week. "We have our options. We have arrows in our quiver that I'm not about to discuss right now," Speaker Pelosi tells @GStephanopoulos when pressed on what Democrats would do if Pres. Trump and Republicans push a SCOTUS nomination ahead of the Nov. 3 election. https://t.co/JhU93KY3iQ pic.twitter.com/HOmI8AxREN This Week (@ThisWeekABC) September 20, 2020 Pressed by Stephanopoulos that she's "not ruling anything out," Pelosi emphasized that the Constitution requires Congress "to use every arrow in our quiver." MORE: Donald Trump to put forth nominee to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in coming days: Sources "We have a responsibility," she said. "We take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. We have a responsibility to meet the needs of the American people." Story continues "Let's just win the election. Let's hope that the president will see the light," Speaker Pelosi tells @GStephanopoulos when asked about some Democrats calling for an expansion of the Supreme Court if Republican approve a Trump SCOTUS nominee ahead of 2020. https://t.co/TkkaJ0jj9y pic.twitter.com/nS13nDbWh0 This Week (@ThisWeekABC) September 20, 2020 Pelosi, however, said Democrats would not use a continuing resolution to keep the government open before a potential shutdown Oct. 1 as leverage to try to slow down the impending nomination. "None of us has any interest in shutting down government. That has such a harmful and painful impact on so many people in our country. So I would hope that we can just proceed with that," Pelosi said. "We're not going to be shutting down government. I do hope, though, that the focus on health care and what it means in terms of the courts will have public opinion be of such magnitude that the Republicans will finally, finally address the coronavirus crisis." The speaker demurred when challenged by Stephanopoulos about Democrats calling to expand the number of seats on the court if the Senate confirms Trump's nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden is ultimately elected. "Let's just win the election," Pelosi said. "Let's hope that the president will see the light." Pelosi, who ordered flags to half-staff on Friday evening in honor of Ginsburg, urged people to turn out to vote this fall to defend the right to choose and health care -- contending the fate of Obamacare as well as the country's ability to end the pandemic hang in the balance. "So the president is rushing to make some kind of a decision (on his nominee) because he -- Nov. 10th is when the arguments begin on the Affordable Care Act," Pelosi said. "He doesn't want to crush the virus. He wants to crush the Affordable Care Act." PHOTO: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi arrives to pay her respects at the makeshift memorial for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in front of the US Supreme Court, Sept. 20, 2020 in Washington. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images) As the country closes in on 200,000 deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, the impasse continues over another phase of congressional aid. Pelosi told Stephanopoulos that Ginsburg "would want us to move forward to protect the people who are sick." "It's really important for everyone to get out there and vote," Pelosi said. "This is about the people. It's about their health, their economic wellbeing, the health of our democracy. We have a great deal at stake here. I think we should be very calm. We should be inspired by Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was brilliant. And she was and she was successful. And she did more for equality for women in our country than anyone that you can name." MORE: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, powerhouse Supreme Court Justice, dies at 87 The House passed the Heroes Act on May 15, proposing $3.4 trillion in coronavirus relief. Senate Republicans have not acted on the measure, opting instead to craft a bill with targeted relief totaling $300 billion. On Sept. 10, that bill failed to advance through a procedural vote in the Senate, continuing the stalemate while lawmakers turn their focus to a stop-gap funding bill needed to stave off a government shutdown at the end of the month. Pelosi has periodically negotiated with the administration, offering to decrease the relief package by $1 trillion if Republicans will increase their offer to more than $2 trillion, but Congress is unlikely to strike a deal prior to the Nov. 3 election. Appropriators, however, are expected to put the final touches on a short-term funding bill as soon as Monday. Pelosi says Democrats will 'use every arrow in our quiver' to block Trump's Supreme Court nominee originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Care homes are having to wait up to 15 days for Covid test results, the Daily Mail can reveal. Managers say the system is so 'shambolic' they fear further fatal outbreaks. With Health Secretary Matt Hancock warning that a virus 'tipping point' is approaching, the care bosses demanded a much quicker turnaround. The Mail spoke to 19 providers which together run 393 homes. Staff or residents tested positive at a third of the chains over the past fortnight and in most cases results came late. Nine said they had to throw away tests after couriers did not turn up on time. One had to ditch 250 swabs in a week. Care homes are having to wait up to 15 days for Covid test results, with bosses fearing fatal outbreaks. Above, workers at Ashwood Court residential care home in Lowton, Warrington Homes need quick results if they are to halt an outbreak. Several providers had to wait as long as 15 days and in some cases heard nothing back from laboratories. Results should be processed within 24 hours but the supposedly 'world- beating' system has been overwhelmed. In other developments: Downing Street warned that Britain was 'in the last-chance saloon' with fresh restrictions coming in days if existing rules are not followed; Chief medical officer Chris Whitty is to give a televised address declaring the UK is 'heading in the wrong direction'; Overcrowded pubs and restaurants will be shut down on the spot, with police encouraged to carry out checks; Mr Hancock suggested that millions of Londoners could be told to work from home this week in a toughening up of restrictions in the capital; Experts warned that lockdown-style restrictions that discourage eating out and returning to the office would cost the economy up to 250million a day; A further 3,899 cases were confirmed in the UK yesterday, taking the seven-day average to a four-month high Nadra Ahmed, who is executive chairman of the National Care Association, said the testing chaos was 'one of the Government's greatest failings'. She added: 'I can't believe they didn't envisage that there would be an increase in demand for tests and results in a timely manner as lockdown was eased. 'We can't deal with a postcode lottery at this critical time. As it stands, it is utterly chaotic, shambolic and a disgrace.' Care home boss Mark Ellison, who owns Temple Grove care home in East Sussex with his wife Joanne (both above), said another 57 carefully administered swabs had to be thrown away Liz Kendall, Labour's health spokesman, said: 'Ministers need to take urgent action to guarantee weekly testing with swift results to ensure care homes are properly prepared and keep all elderly and disabled people safe.' It is three months since Mr Hancock promised 'every care home' in England would receive regular testing for the virus. Home with one in four batches going to waste A care home boss has hit out at the Government's 'inadequate' testing system which has seen one in four batches of tests go to waste because couriers have not turned up. Mark Ellison, 46, owner of Temple Grove care home in East Sussex, said his manager was almost in tears this week after another 57 carefully administered swabs had to be thrown away. He said he had expected 'teething problems' but it is 'unacceptable' that at least 25 per cent of the time the couriers do not turn up to collect the home's samples. When tests are collected, the results are often delayed with some coming back weeks later. Mr Ellison, who owns the home with his wife Joanne, said: 'At the moment our staff are agreeing to be swabbed, but we can't force them to and I worry if this continues to be such a shambles they will be less inclined.' Advertisement Weekly for staff and every 28 days for residents, this allows managers to catch asymptomatic infections and stop the virus from spreading. But the scramble for swabs has led to lengthy delays. Around 19,000 care home residents have died since the pandemic began at its the height Covid-19 was killing 400 a day. A Department of Health report circulated last week warned that the virus is now spreading through care homes again, with cases quadrupling since the start of the month. Testing tsar Baroness Harding says that demand for tests is three or four times higher than the daily capacity of around 240,000. Judith Stockton, manager of Woodlands Care Centre in Macclesfield, Cheshire, said: 'Even two days is too long. If there was a positive, in two days' time the whole home would be infected if we weren't isolating. I'm very scared. The answer back in April was testing. The answer is we need tests back and we need them quicker. It's the only hope we've got.' Boris Johnson last week announced measures to 'toughen up rules' surrounding staff movements in care homes. Ministers are also agonising over whether to impose restrictions on family visits. Care homes have begun locking down to visitors in coronavirus hotspots or in homes where a member of staff or resident has tested positive. Britain's biggest care chain, HC-One, is restricting visitors in 99 homes because of local lockdowns or high community infection rates. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: 'Every day we make sure care homes across the country receive 100,000 test kits with the vast majority reporting no problems. 'We are providing every care home with free PPE until the end of March, ring-fencing 1.1billion to prevent infections and making a further 3.7billion available to councils to address pressures caused by the pandemic.' STAKEHOLDERS across the Philippines, including direct and indirect exporters and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) have appealed to the government for urgent help, saying their focus has now been reduced to ensuring day-to-day survival. Enterprises and businesses from the top 10 exporting regions are asking for swift government measures and initiatives to address the mounting trade and economic difficulties they encounter amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. They enumerated a growing wish list of interventions needed to enable exporters and MSMEs to recover from the unprecedented setbacks due to the pandemic, travel restrictions and lockdowns. The list was presented during a series of regional online consultations conducted by the Export Development Council over the implementation of the updated Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP) 2018-2022. The series was held in collaboration with the Department of Trade and Industry-Export Marketing Bureau and Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. Participants came from the National Capital Region (NCR), Central Luzon and Calabarzon in Luzon, Western Visayas, Central Visayas and Eastern Visayas, and Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Soccsksargen and Caraga in Mindanao. They called for specific and detailed measures centered on enhancing trade facilitation, productivity and competitiveness, market access and promotion, financial assistance, innovative capacity, and information dissemination. NCR attendees pushed for, among others, intensified training on Halal and major international certifications, export requirements and procedures; modern facilities to support production; incentives for identified priority sectors; and export financing assistance. They also sought help on the more-than-usual requirements from financial institutions because of the pandemic. Central Luzon attendees commented on the higher prices of their products compared to other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) suppliers due to higher cost of operations. They also noted the unstable supply chain for wood-based products due to government policies that are causing prices of raw materials to unreasonably increase. Story continues Other pressing issues for the regions exporters include the delays and high costs owing to various requirements on product certification, standards, fumigation, rules of origin, testing and labeling. They also observed how local government units implement their own policies that are not aligned to that of the national government rules. In addition, MSMEs are at a disadvantage because they have weak links with freeports and economic zones in terms of transit arrangements, information, and technology sharing. Participants asked for aid to medium sized enterprises, which are also hard hit by the pandemic, through an SB Cares facility similar to the one available to micro and small enterprises. Moreover, stakeholders in the Calabarzon area underlined the lack of information on and access to virtual/online marketing and promotion of local products. There should be a government agency that will help MSME exporters digitalize, the participants said. Concerns in Visayas In the Visayas, a major issue for Western Visayas is poor logistics, which hampers and delays the transport of raw materials and finished products. Regional stakeholders also highlighted the lack of international flights flying in and out of Western Visayas, as well as the lack of export capability of the regional ports that could help to reduce export costs. Among their list of recommendations are the following: establish a multi-sectoral warehouse, conduct supply chain management workshop to address logistics concerns and facilitate the approval/issuance of the certificate of origin in the region. They also called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow the e-submission of documents and assign more personnel. Another suggestion is to have post-Covid updates on export markets and trends, particularly in the Asean, US, Europe and Latin America. A dialogue with concerned government agencies on reopening of international flights to allow entry of imported raw materials into the country was also proposed. Central Visayas exporters said they will benefit from the removal of unnecessary regulatory impediments, access to interest-free trade credit and stimulus package, and help in taking advantage of preferential status programs such as the General System Preference (GSP) and GSP+. Stressing the short shelf life of agricultural products, exporters for Eastern Visayas asked for the streamlining of export processing, utilizing of updated technology in product development, farm mechanization and clustering of farmer groups, and enhancement of the one-stop laboratory and shared service facility for longer shelf life and increased production. Struggles in Mindanao Meanwhile, stakeholders in Mindanao pointed to the continuing struggles of both big and small exporters as a consequence of Covid-19, and discussed how their attention is now focused on day-to-day survival. They cited the permanent shutdown of South Bukidnon Fresh Trading Inc., an exporter of fresh pineapples, as one of the casualties of the pandemic in the region. Their wish list includes the strict implementation of the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act among government regulatory agencies such as the FDA, Bureau of Customs, and LGUs. The want to see improvement in export business preparedness and resiliency measures amidst the adverse effects of climate change, and the extension of technical support on business continuity planning. Aside from these, they issued calls for capacity-building in virtual/online marketing and e-business platforms, stronger tripartite linkages among the academe, industry and government for more focused assistance, and more access to the Department of Science and Technologys Food Innovation Centers and Technology Business Incubators. They added that there is a need to fast-track reduction of tariffs for bananas and other agricultural products exported to South Korea and Japan, and to strengthen market access through aggressive market intelligence network by foreign trade service corps and agricultural commercial attaches. (PHILEXPORT NEWS AND FEATURES) Gettyimagesbank For safety reasons, some important information about the author, including her name, was altered. ED. By Su-jin Escaped from North Korea in 2006, arrived in South Korea in 2007 (repatriated from China in 2002 and 2004). I attempted my first escape from North Korea after I began to learn about the outside world when I was in high school. I had some friends in North Korea who would share movies from South Korea and America. My mind was moved by what I had seen. I couldn't wait to get out of North Korea. I dreamed of escaping, but I was also terrified. It seemed it would be easier to fly to the moon. The first time I tried to escape, I was captured quickly. The second time, I was in China for a few weeks, but I was captured again when someone informed the Chinese police about me. Looking back, I am not surprised that I was captured so easily both times. I was young, naive and just ready to escape, hoping for a miracle. By the third attempt, I was much more mature and carefully planned things; I was paranoid rather than hopeful. My early years in South Korea were fantastic, but then I got married and my life changed for the worst. He had been so nice before we got married everyone thought he was so fantastic. But after I became his wife, he seemed to think I was his property. Publicly, he would talk about me being the queen of our home, pretending that he was running home to be with me. But at home, he would bully and dominate me. Finally, he beat me up so badly that I couldn't leave the house for weeks. His beatings didn't break me. He had done everything he could to isolate me and that harsh beating was probably meant to show me what he could really do to me if I continued to disobey him. However, I didn't give up. I wanted to be a good wife, but I hadn't escaped from North Korea to live as an abused wife. When I told him that I wanted to learn English, he tried to block me. He was clearly frustrated that I was so determined. I started studying on my own; then I found TNKR (Teach North Korean Refugees). He can't speak English so I guess that is a reason he saw my desire to learn English as a challenge to his authority. He finally agreed I could study one-on-one, but only with female tutors and I had to return home after studying. He refused to let me study at a traditional university, so I found a cyber university. He finally relented, as long as I didn't study on the university campus or interact directly with other students. He was so determined not to let me associate and mingle with others. I suspect that he even put a tracking device on my phone because he would know the places I had been. In North Korea, my life had changed because of foreign movies. In South Korea, everything changed because of studying at TNKR and a cyber university. My self-esteem had been broken, but English and learning as a student gave me something new, gave me confidence in myself, and reminded me that I shouldn't throw away my life as an abused wife. Finally, I could take on the challenge to leave him even though I knew my life would be difficult as a divorced woman in South Korean society. My tutors had no idea about my situation, but their messages asking me if I wanted to study always delighted me. And of course, the TNKR leaders who knew about my situation would check on me, giving me more confidence that I could succeed and letting me know that I was not alone. The divorce was difficult. I had to go into hiding for a while, moving from place to place. At last, I am free. I am going through a healing time now. Coronavirus has made everything more difficult, but thankfully I escaped from my terrible situations in both North Korea and South Korea so I can live even through this difficult time, but as a free woman. I am now re-establishing my identity and gaining confidence in myself as a human being. I am free because of movies and English. Casey Lartigue Jr., co-founder of the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education Center, was the 2017 winner of the "Social Contribution" Prize from the Hansarang Rural Cultural Foundation and the 2019 winner of the "Challenge Maker" Award from Challenge Korea. TNKR co-founder Eunkoo Lee translated the refugee's remarks from Korean to English. Even though OLED technology is not used in this affordable Xiaomi mid-range smartphone, the IPS panel in the Note 9 knows how to convince, considering the price range. In contrast to the Redmi 9, the IPS panel of the Note model is brighter and has significantly more contrast and more stable viewing angles. In addition, the speaker sounds better, the 48-MP main camera is nicer, and the fast charger is included in the box. However, some reasons for complaint for a 150-Euro (~$178) smartphone remain in the Redmi Note 9, such as the relatively slow processor, the slow storage connection, or the limited camera and video qualities. But at the current purchase price of about 150 Euros - trend decreasing - you currently cannot expect much more from an affordable mid-range smartphone in our opinion. In the end, this causes a purchase recommendation for the Redmi Note 9, if budget is the limiting factor when buying a smartphone. However, you should choose the version with 4 GB of RAM, since our test revealed that the MiUI software in our 3-GB version hits its limits with storage-hungry apps, such as games that have to be loaded into temporary storage. This is the terrifying moment bystanders were forced to run for cover after a gunman struck in a triple shooting outside a Chinese takeaway. The CCTV footage was recorded near Coventry, West Midlands, as the suspect opened fire on Thursday night. Police have now imposed a dispersal order and said that they are now ploughing 'significant' resources into its effort to catch the offenders behind the attack. In the clip, a group of young men standing together on the pavement can be seen ducking for cover as the gunman opens fire from beyond the camera. The assailant is then thought to have driven off at speed in a dark-coloured vehicle. Three people were injured after the gunman, who is thought to have had an accomplice driving a car, opened fire. Two of the victims have been discharged from hospital but a third continues to receive medical treatment. Bystanders were forced to run for cover after a gunman struck in a triple shooting outside a Chinese takeaway in Coventry, West Midlands A police spokesman said: 'The man that we thought was most seriously injured was less serious than first thought and has been discharged from hospital. One still remains in hospital in a stable condition. 'We are continuing to put significant resources into patrolling the area and trawling CCTV to apprehend the offenders. We also have a Dispersal Order in place in Far Gosford Street.' Dispersal powers are granted under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 and mean officers can direct anyone to leave an area whose behaviour is likely to cause alarm, harassment or distress. The road was initially closed while police forensically examined the scene and went door-to-door speaking to traders following the incident on Thursday night Police also have the power to seize items that are used to cause distress, including bicycles. Speaking the day after the incident, Chief Inspector Paul Minor, of Coventry Police, said: 'We'll be stepping up patrols in the area over the coming days. 'This was outrageous violence on the streets of the city centre and we're doing everything we can to bring those responsible to justice.' The road was initially closed while police forensically examined the scene and went door-to-door speaking to traders. The street has since returned to normality as staff at the Chinese takeaway boarded up a bullet hole in the window and swept up debris. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of N.Y., right, speaks next to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., during a news conference about COVID-19, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Read more NEW YORK President Donald Trump is escalating his promise for a coronavirus vaccine before Election Day. But across America, Democrats, independents and even some Republicans do not trust his administration to produce a safe and effective vaccine on such an aggressive timeline. Such hesitancy threatens to exacerbate the public health risk for millions of Americans whenever a vaccine is released. With the Nov. 3 election fast approaching, Democratic officials face a delicate political challenge. Should they attack Trump's vaccine claims too aggressively, Democrats risk further undermining public confidence in a possible lifesaving medicine while looking as though they are rooting against a potential cure. But if they don't push back, it makes it easier for Trump to use the real or imagined prospect of a vaccine to boost his reelection campaign. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee demonstrated the Democrats' balancing act on Friday when asked whether he would be willing to take a vaccine released by the administration before the election. If all the protocols had been followed and the evidence is in, of course, Id follow science. It doesnt matter when it happens, Inslee told The Associated Press. "But I would have to look at the science, not Donald Trump. There isnt one single thing I would ever trust from Donald Trump to be true. The focus on a speedy vaccine could be overshadowed by a sudden fight over the future of the Supreme Court in the wake of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death on Friday. But Inslee's comments are in line with a growing consensus of Democrats in leadership positions, including the party's presidential nominee, Joe Biden. They have repeatedly cast doubt on Trump's promises but pledged to follow the guidance of scientists and health care experts such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, the governments top infectious disease specialist. Trump restates his promise of an imminent vaccine almost daily. Trump on Friday promised that 100 million doses of a still-unknown vaccine would be produced by the end of the year and there would be enough vaccines for all Americans by April. Three vaccines are already in the final stage, Trump said at a briefing. Joe Bidens anti-vaccine theories are putting a lot of lives at stake, and theyre only doing it for political reasons," the president said from a White House podium. "Its part of their war to discredit the vaccine now that they know we essentially have it. Well be announcing it fairly soon. FAQ: Your coronavirus questions, answered. The first case of COVID-19 was reported in the United States just eight months ago. Health experts, including the administration's own Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief, believe a vaccine will require at least 12 months to 18 months to create because of the extensive testing required to ensure it's safe and effective. The politics of the coronavirus vaccine are complicated. Trump has suffered politically from the pandemic, which has devastated the global economy and killed nearly 200,000 Americans, more than triple the number of deaths he predicted in April. But six weeks before the Nov. 3 election, there is a broadening sense from voters that things have begun to move in the right direction at least a little even as experts warn that it's too soon to believe the worst is over. Four in 10 people now say the worst is behind us the same number of people who say the worst is yet to come, according to a poll released last week by the Kaiser Family Foundation. That was the most optimistic outlook reported by the think tank since the pandemic began. Three in 4 believed the worst is yet to come back in early April. At the same time, most Americans worry that the political pressure from the administration will lead the Food and Drug Administration to rush to approve a coronavirus vaccine without making sure it's safe and effective. That includes 85% of Democrats, 61% of independents and 35% of Republicans, according to Kaiser. At this point, nobody actually believes it will be ready before the election, said Mollyann Brodie, who oversees public opinion research at Kaiser. The politicization of such an important health issue has huge impacts, she said, pointing to the extraordinary challenges ahead for public health officials to persuade as many Americans as possible to take the vaccine whenever it's released. Democrats facing difficult elections this fall are working to navigate the delicate issue. California Rep. Ami Bera, one of three Democratic physicians serving in the House of Representatives, said the modest drop in infections from the summer peak does not mean the nation has turned the corner, as Trump has suggested. He said a vaccine is critically important and welcomed one as soon as possible, as long as it's deemed safe by science. I don't have any vaccine hesitancy. I know the immense power of vaccines. We are going to need a vaccine. I have no issue with taking a vaccine, Bera said. But he offered a warning: Trust the scientists. Trust the doctors. Dont trust the politicians." On Capitol Hill, Democrats are sticking with a simple, consistent message pushing for a vaccine as soon as possible, but not a moment earlier. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Friday praised the FDA scientists and researchers helming the vaccine initiative, but she has been highly critical of the Trump-appointed FDA commissioner. We all hope and pray for a vaccine, and that will make a tremendous difference, Pelosi said. We dont want it one day sooner than it is ready, from a safety and efficacy standpoint, and we dont want it one day later, she added. Hopefully that will be soon. Still, it's far from certain that all Americans will take the vaccine when it's available. Only about half of Americans say they would definitely or probably get a vaccine if it were available to them today, according to a poll released by the Pew Research Center this past week. ___ Associated Press writers Emily Swanson and Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment I need to begin todays Daily Article with an admission: I will not see the movie I am going to criticize today. Critics of what I am about to say will note that fact. But I doubt they would say that I need to contract cancer to warn you not to contract cancer. The film Cuties is currently available on Netflix. The streaming service describes the movie this way: Eleven-year-old Amy starts to rebel against her conservative familys traditions when she becomes fascinated with a free-spirited dance crew. Free-spirited doesnt begin to tell the story. Scenes of a movie that should not have been made The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is a secular platform owned by Amazon, not a Christian family movie-reviewing site. Nonetheless, its descriptions of some of the scenes in Cuties are beyond disturbing. I am sorry for what youre about to read and will edit where I can, but since I hope you will not see the movie, what follows is essential to understanding the furor over it: When caught with her cousins phone, an eleven-year-old girl locks herself in the bathroom, pulls down her pants, and snaps a picture of her private parts before publishing it online. No nudity is actually shown. Children are watching pornography on a cell phone. Nothing is shown, little girls are huddling around a phone and talking about what is going on. Another scene shows two young girls watching the routine of a rival, older dance team on a cell phone. One of the girls exposes her bare [body]. [Her body] is briefly visible. Frequent scenes of eleven-year-old girls dancing lewdly where the camera pans in and zooms in on [their bodies]. A scene where an eleven-year-old girl dressed in a tank and panties is splashed with water and begins twerking in a frenzied kind of way. On her feet bent over, on her knees, and on her hands and knees. Camera zooms in on her [body] as she positions on all fours and twerks. [Twerking is a highly sexualized form of dancing.] What Nancy Pelosis daughter thinks of the film After Netflix acquired the movie, it produced a promotional poster and trailer that were criticized for sexualizing eleven-year-old girls. Netflix replaced the poster with a new one, claiming, This was not an accurate representation of the film, so the image and description has been updated. However, the movie still includes the scene that was the source of the promotional image in which the young girls wear revealing outfits and perform a sexualized dance routine. A Netflix spokesman told Variety that the movie is a social commentary against the sexualization of young children. Its an award-winning film and a powerful story about the pressure young girls face on social media and from society more generally growing upand wed encourage anyone who cares about these important issues to watch the movie. The films director stated in a Washington Post op-ed that she made the film to start a debate about the sexualization of children in society today, hoping for change that will benefit children for generations to come. However, exploiting children to warn about exploiting children is the wrong way to prevent the exploitation of children. Several members of Congress have called on the Justice Department to take action against what they call child pornography. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic Party presidential candidate, warned that the movie will certainly whet the appetite of pedophiles and help fuel the child sex trafficking trade. Christine Pelosi, the daughter of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, tweeted: Cuties hypersexualizes girls my daughters age no doubt to the delight of pedophiles like the ones I prosecuted. Cancel this, apologize, work with experts to heal your harm. And the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCSE) stated, While we commend director Maimouna Doucoure for exposing the very real threats to young girls having unfettered access to social media and the internet, we cannot condone the hypersexualization and exploitation of the young actresses themselves in order to make her point. Two biblical facts and a word of hope Lets close by focusing on two biblical facts. One: The sexual exploitation of children is horrifically wrong. The Bible declares that children are a heritage from the Lord (Psalm 127:3). Jesus loved children and said of them, To such belongs the kingdom of God (Mark 10:14). As we will see tomorrow, this fact is more urgent than you might think. Two: We should seek ways to use evil for good. Joseph said to the brothers who sold him into slavery, You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good (Genesis 50:20). The Lord calls us to join him in using the brokenness of our world to advance his kingdom and our welfare. For example, I grieve for the children who were exploited in the making of Cuties and wish the movie had never been made, but we can use the controversy it has sparked to condemn such exploitation and to work for the protection of children around the world. If you and I will ask Gods Spirit to empower and use us today (Ephesians 5:18), he will answer our prayer. If we will speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), we will lead people to Gods truth and love. Blaise Pascal offered this word of hope: He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to Gods providence to lead him aright. What will be your guide and end today? Originally posted at denisonforum.org SENIOR Government officials allegedly connived with private suppliers to siphon US$3 million from Treasury through inflated prices for Covid-19 materials, it has been learnt. The matter is being investigated by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) after the lid was lifted by a whistleblower. ZACC spokesperson Commissioner John Makamure said arrests of the Government officials were imminent as the anti-graft body was seized with the matter. The names of the Government officials and private suppliers cannot be released now as investigations are still underway, he said. Recently, Comm Makamure said a ZACC compliance and systems review unit descended on Government offices to probe a multi-million dollar tender, as allegations were raised that Covid-19 materials had been astronomically inflated to bleed Treasury. The investigation resulted in the tender being cancelled, thus saving US$3 million. Even if the tender was cancelled, an act of corruption was committed, hence the ongoing investigations, he said. This comes a few months after former Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Obadiah Moyo was arrested in connection with a US$60 million procurement scandal involving Drax International. Dr Moyo is currently out on bail. Said Comm Makamure: In the past couple of weeks, ZACCs compliance and systems review unit managed to save the country over US$3 million that could have been siphoned to line the pockets of corrupt elements within our midst. These individuals imposed proxy companies which did not comply with provisions of the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) Circular 1 of 2020 for emergency procurement of Covid-19 materials. The individuals went on to demand payments of goods at an extremely inflated cost. The ZACC compliance teams intervention, after having been informed of the unavailability of the said materials, subsequently resulted in the cancellation of the tender, saving State funds in the process. The matter is now under investigation to bring those behind this scam to book. He said there was a worrying trend of wanton violation of PRAZ Circular 1 of 2020 for emergency procurement of Covid-19 materials, which was promulgated to allow for the expeditious purchase of medical equipment and drugs as the nation fights Covid-19. Those in charge of buying the Covid-19 materials, Comm Makamure added, should be transparent and accountable or risk going to jail. Sunday News Justin Bieber's fifth studio album, Changes, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart in February. Following the cancellation of his world tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the pop superstar has since teamed-up with Ariana Grande for the song Stuck With U in May, and with Chance The Rapper for his new single, Holy. And now it appears the Yummy star isn't finished with his flurry of new music as he was seen heading into a recording studio in Los Angeles on Saturday. Back at it: Justin Bieber was spotted heading back into a recording studio in LA on Saturday Bieber, 26, looked calm and cool while casually walking towards the studio dressed in yellow shorts, a grey hoodie and a pair of white Yeezy Foam Runner sneakers. Adding a subtle touch of style, he also donned a military-green beanie cap over his brown tresses The hitmaker has been in full promo mode with the release of the Holy song and video on Friday, which included a stop in West Hollywood for a meet-and-greet and to watch a large group of fans dance to Holy outside of a firehouse. New music: Bieber's new single, Holy, featuring Chance The Rapper, dropped on Friday Holy appears to be an optimistic love song that's drenched in Christian imagery in a post COVID-19 world. 'That the way you hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me -- Feels so holy, holy, holy, holy, holy,' he sings in the catchy chorus. 'On God -- Runnin' to the altar like a track star -- Can't wait another second -- 'Cause the way you hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me -- Feels so holy.' Sign of the times: Bieber stars in the Holy video, directed by Colin Tilley, as a struggling oil miner who's laid-off and evicted The deeper meaning: Holy appears to be an optimistic love song that's drenched in Christian imagery in a post COVID-19 world; he stars alongside actress Ryan Destiny Bieber stars in the Holy video, directed by Colin Tilley, as a struggling oil miner who's laid-off and evicted, while his on-screen love interest Ryan Destiny, who plays a nurse, finds out her beloved patient has died. Chance The Rapper, who collaborated with Bieber on I'm The One, with DJ Khalid, Lil Wayne and Quavo, also makes an appearance in the Holy video. With sales topping 150 million records, Bieber is among the world's best-selling music artists. Farmers on Sunday blocked roads in and burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in neighbouring Punjab, protesting against the farm bills passed in Parliament. Two MLAs from the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which is part of the BJP-led ruling coalition in Haryana, also participated in the protests, reflecting a rift on the issue among their ranks on the issue. Farmers occupied portions of roads and highways at several places in the state between 12 and 3 pm, following a call given by the unit of the Bhartiya Kisan Union against the agri-marketing bills, two of which were passed by Rajya Sabha on Sunday. After 3 pm, reports said the road blockades were lifted, ending the day's protests in which BKU was also supported by several other farmer organisations. In Ambala, Police used a water cannon at the state's border to stop Youth Congress workers from entering the district and travelling ahead to Delhi as part of their tractor rally. The protesters set fire to one of their own tractors when they were forced to end their rally at the Haryana border, police said. Farmers were joined by 'arhitiyas' -- or the commission agents at mandis' --during their protests at many places in Haryana. There was heavy police deployment across the state, particularly where the bigger gatherings were expected. Police diverted traffic to alternative routes. Executive magistrates were stationed along with police at many protest venues. Ambala-Nahan highway near Naraingarh, Jind-Patiala and Jind-Delhi roads near Julana and Sonipat-Gohana highway were among the roads blocked in Haryana. Traffic was also disrupted on Ambala-Chandigarh highway due to the protests by the Youth Congress activists. But there was no blockade on the Ambala-Delhi road. The situation at the Haryana-Punjab border was tense for a while as Youth Congress activists were bent upon moving on the highway towards Delhi. But the spot was heavily barricaded by police, who also used water cannons to disperse the protesters. Farmers at several places in Punjab burnt effigies and copies of the farm bills, claiming that the new laws will destroy their livelihood. The three bills are aimed at giving farmers the choice to sell their produce at competitive prices. But many farm organisations fear they will lead to the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system. Two JJP MLAs, Jogi Ram Sihag (Barwala) and Ram Karan Kala (Shahbad), participated in the Haryana protests, going against the official line spelled out by the party's senior leader and Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala. Sihag said he will not hesitate even to resign if his constituents want him to do that when at any point they feel that the farmers' interests are compromised. Chautala, however, hit out at the opposition Congress accusing it of misleading farmers. Nowhere in the new farm reforms there is any talk of abolishing the crop MSP, he told reporters. Varun Chaudhary, the Haryana Congress MLA from Mullana in Ambala who joined the protest at Mandour village near Panjokhra Sahib, said the bills were not a shield for farmers but for hoarders. Meham Independent MLA, Balraj Kundu, who protested in Rohtak and Charkhi Dadri districts, claimed the bills will benefit the corporates. From October 2, I will sit on a fast to protest against these anti-farmer measures, he said. In Yamunanagar, Haryana BKU chief Gurnam Singh said, It is the country's misfortune that despite the farmers' protest these bills were passed. He called it a murder of democracy. Laws are for people and if they are the ones who are protesting then for whose benefit have they been passed? he said. These laws are not pro-farmers as the government claims, but the big corporates will benefit. He said the statewide protest was peaceful and 17 farmers' organisations extended their support. Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, who also joined the Youth Congress protesters, said all parties except the Akali Dal and the BJP are with the farmers. He slammed Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, accusing him of earlier supporting these "black laws". The SAD has pulled out of the Union government in protest against the bills. Joining the tractor rally, Indian Youth Congress president Srinivas B V said his party stands shoulder to shoulder with the farmers. This government wants to destroy 80 crore families. Former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri gave the 'Jai Jawan-Jai Kisan' slogan, but under the present regime the farmers are ruined, Srinivas said. Haryana Congress president Kumari Selja said when a Congress-led government comes to power the law will be repealed. The party will hold protests on Monday against the anti-farmer bills at district headquarters across Haryana. On Sunday, Rajya Sabha passed the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. The bills were passed by Lok Sabha on Thursday. A third bill is yet to be passed in Rajya Sabha. (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.) Magnitude 4.5 earthquake rattles Southern California, but no major damage reported LA Times Tropical Storm Beta to spend days pounding Gulf Coast AccuWeather 12 Facts About the First Day of Fall TreeHugger On Quitting Academia London Review of Books Roger Angell Turns 100 American Conservative. I know I posted on this just days before he actually Attained the milestone. Now that he has, he deserves a second post. Its not even day that some hits 100. A patient has died after ransomware hackers hit a German hospital MIT Technology Review The Indian queens who modelled for the worlds first vaccine BBC RIP Ruth Bader Ginsburg Will the Election Turn on R.B.G.? NYT MoDo Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, feminist pioneer and progressive icon, dies at 87 Scotusblog Trump says he will nominate woman to the Supreme Court next week WaPo Momentum growing among Republicans for Supreme Court vote before Election Day The Hill Nothing is off the table: Supreme Court fight could reshape the Senate Politico Op-Ed: Democrats have a secret weapon to thwart a rapid Ginsburg replacement. They should use it LATimes Erwin Chemerinsky How Abraham Lincoln Fought the Supreme Court Jacobin Alaska Senator Murkowski said Friday she would not vote for a justice ahead of Inauguration Day Alaska Public Media Lindsey Graham Earlier Vowed a President in Their Last Year Shouldnt Fill Supreme Court Vacancy: Use My Words Against Me Newsweek Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Obama calls on Republicans to delay filling vacancy as it happened Guardian The biggest obstacle we will face in addressing the court problem isnt Mitch McConnell, itll be @neal_katyal and elite lawyers. Its the legal liberal elites who are trained to worship the Supreme Court and disdain Congress. Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) September 19, 2020 I wouldnt count on it, but its a straw in the wind. Although a lame duck strategy, if thats where #MoscowMitchMcConnell is headed, could ease the pressure on weasels like Collins, it might conceivably bring out the moral compass of Romney and Grassley:https://t.co/6nuLRDLf2V Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) September 19, 2020 Farmers in Maharashtras Dhule district lauded the contentious agriculture bills passed in Rajya Sabha, saying the Modi government has removed all the compulsions that farmers have had for a long time. The bills introduced in the Lok Sabha by the Modi government has removed all the compulsions that farmers have had for so long. Now we can sell our harvests all over the country, news agency ANI quoted a farmer as saying. The decision that has been taken by the government is in interest of farmers. Earlier we were not getting the expected price of the crops and now I think the Central government is standing with us and supporting the farmers of the country, said another farmer. The Rajya Sabha on Sunday gave a nod to two crucial farm bills as the upper house of Parliament witnessed a ruckus by the slogan-shouting Opposition leaders. The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, were passed by voice votes. As per the bills, farmers can take their produce anywhere - inter-state or intra-state - beyond agricultural produce market committees (APMCs). The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020, also tabled by the Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar, could not be taken up due to the time limitation. These bills will now go to President Ram Nath Kovind for his assent after which they will become law. Farmers from Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against the bills. Describing it as the anti-farmer, agriculturists fear that these bills will end the mandi system. Designed by Sir Alec Issigonis and John Sheppard starting from the Austin Mini , the Mini Moke was meant for military use as a lightweight, easily transportable field vehicle. The small wheels and low ground clearance made it unsuitable for such a purpose so, in a bid to recoup some of the development costs, it was launched on the civilian market.Once repurposed, the Mini Moke was meant as a fun vehicle, and this proves to remain the case even today, when Moke International is relaunching it as a roadworthy vehicle in the UK, after acquiring the rights to the trademark in 2015. The new, improved Mini Moke is bigger, prettier and more powerful than the original but it still retains the same chassis and overall aesthetics customers have come to love.And the Mini Moke sure was loved in its heyday: in between no less than four James Bond appearances, its been favored by celebrities like supermodel Kate Moss and actress Brigitte Bardot, and been used extensively anywhere from beaches to luxury resorts. The new iteration is fit for the road, though dont expect it to be incredibly fast or powerful.Powered by a more environmentally-friendly 1.1-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine mated to a four-speed automatic transmission, the new Mini Moke has 67 bhp on tap and 93 Nm of torque, with a top speed of 68 mph (109.4 kph) and an economy figure of 34 mpg. Inside, you get a two-speaker USB radio, three-clock gauge cluster and headrests on the seat virtually luxury features compared to the OG. Power steering and heated windscreen come to complete the list, along with upgraded brakes and suspension.Only 56 items will be made to celebrate the 56th anniversary of the brand, with each unit starting at 20,000 (approximately $25,800) before options. Customers have 14 colorful paint finishes to choose from, and will receive a numbered plaque for the hood and Union Jack badging throughout, as fit for such a British classic.Moke International says additional models will arrive in Europe and the U.S. in 2021. George Poikayil By Express News Service KASARGOD: The Department of Health changed its mind to convert the District Hospital to a COVID Hospital and has instead directed the district medical officer Dr AV Ramdas to turn the General Hospital in Kasaragod to treat coronavirus patients, said officials. The decision was announced by the principal secretary of Health and Family Welfare Dr Rajan N Khobragade in a Zoom meeting, they said. To be sure, last week Collector D Sajith Babu had put out a statement saying the District Hospital would be turned exclusively to a COVID Hospital. Dr Ramdas had made arrangements to shift key departments to other locations, which TNIE reported on Saturday. "We will have to look for hospitals in Kasaragod to accommodate the departments of General Hospital," said hospital superintendent Dr Rajaram. Kasaragod MLA NA Nellikkunnu shot off a letter to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to reconsider the decision. "In April, when General Hospital was converted to a COVID Hospital, the antenatal wing was shifted to a cooperative hospital in Cherkala and the patients had to undergo a lot of hardship," he said. On average, 300 women give birth every month in General Hospital, which is around 10 births per day, he said. EK Nayanar Memorial Cooperative Hospital does not have room to accommodate such large numbers of pregnant women. "Pregnant women had to share beds and caregivers were forced to sleep on the floor in the hospital. Now after six months of COVID, why is the government thrusting the same plight on the people of Kasaragod," he asked. Apart from the antenatal wing, the hospital will also have to find space for the departments of Surgery, Paediatrics, Psychiatry, and chemotherapy. In his petition of the chief minister, Nellikkunnu said the people of Manjeshwar and Kasaragod taluks depended on the General Hospital, and the government should not forget the hardship caused to the people by the decision last time. He wondered why the General Hospital was being converted to a COVID Hospital when the district had a COVID Hospital in Ukkinadka and another 550-bed hospital built by the Tata Group. COVID Hospital, a picture of apathy As reported by TNIE on Saturday, the 551-bed hospital built by the Tata Group will be run only as a COVID First-Line Treatment Centre because the government does not have funds to start a full-fledged hospital there, said top officials. The COVID Hospital, set up in the Academic Block of the Medical College Hospital at Ukkinadka, is struggling without adequate and qualified staff. After six months, the ICU is still not ready and has only one physician. Health officials said the hospital does not have clinicial doctors such as pulmonologists, anaesthetists, and general physicians. The 200-bed hospital admits only around 50 patients and if they developed serious symptoms, they are referred to Kannur Medical College Hospital. "Against this backdrop, the government allowed 22 senior residents posted at Kasaragod medical college to work from Kozhikode medical college, where there is surplus staff," said a doctor, who helped set up the hospital. "This is gross neglect and orphaning of the district," he said. In an order dated September 2, joint director (Medicine) of Medical Education, Dr Thomas Mathew allowed 22 senior residents, who are specialists doctors, to join Kozhikode Medical College on 'working arrangement'. TNIE has reviewed the order. The 22 senior residents included anaesthetist, general physicians, general surgeons, paediatricians, and chest specialists, whose expertise was needed in Kasaragod. But this is not the first time the government was encouraging such 'working arrangement' that directly benefited the doctors and hurt the district. In November 2018, psychiatrist consultant Manju Peethambaran of General hospital left for Alappuzha, her home district, on working arrangement. After furore, her arrangement order was cancelled in December 2019. But she is yet to rejoin. In March, when the COVID cases were on the rise, general physician Mohammed Rijosh of Panathady Taluk Hospital left for his home district of Kozhikode. Paediatrician Meena Kumari of the same hospital left for Kollam. Both the working arrangements were cancelled by a departmental order in July. Dr Meena Kumari reported back but Dr Rijosh was yet to join. Though two doctors have not yet reported back, the department has not yet taken any action and they are drawing salaries, said the official cited above. "It is a double whammy for Kasaragod because on the one hand the government plays favourites with employees and on the other hand neglects the district," he said. No one has lived in Sandy Point for nearly half a century, but interest in the resettled community off the coast of Newfoundland is suddenly on the rise. Located on land that juts out into St. George's Bay, or Bay St. George, the area has seen more visitors this summer than it has in many years, and people with roots in the resettled community are pleased. "It makes me feel really proud," said Richard Legge, whose great-great-grandparents are buried on Sandy Point. He estimates that a typical year might bring a few hundred visitors, but that the number of visitors this year has more than quadrupled, to more than 2,000. "I love the place. I love going over there," he said. Submitted by Richard Legge Serving the needs of visitors At low tide, Sandy Point is located on a peninsula extending outward near the community of Flat Bay, and people can hike or ride ATVs to get there. At high tide, sea water sometimes rises above the lowest point to create an island. Legge and other volunteers take full advantage of the chance to travel there by ATV. They've spent much of the summer fundraising and planning projects to make Sandy Point more visitor-friendly. Submitted by Richard Legge Picnic tables, firepits, outhouses, an enclosed water well and pump, and signage have been added. Legge also spent time restoring the final resting place of some of his ancestors, whose graves had caved in over the years. Submitted by Richard Legge Legge has been doing a bit of upkeep on Sandy Point for the past few years but this summer he decided to place a guest book there to try to track where the visitors are coming from. Once the fall comes, he said, he'll take the book home to count the signatures and get a sense of who's visited. "It's a place to bring your family," said Legge. "People got relatives buried over there, and they really enjoy going over for the day, taking their family over for a picnic, boiling up some food, having a fire in the firepit, and visiting the graves of their ancestors." Story continues Submitted by Richard Legge Need to protect But all the increased activity on Sandy Point hasn't gone unnoticed by those trying to protect the area's ecological integrity. Parts of the island are owned by the Nature Conservancy of Canada, and are under protection as a nature reserve, because of Sandy Point's unique wildlife, including the endangered piping plover, and plants such as seaside lavender and saltwater cordgrass. Submitted by Janette Gallant/Parks Canada Julia Lawler, the NCC's stewardship co-ordinator in Newfoundland and Labrador, said she's received calls this summer from people worried about ATV use and the construction of infrastructure such as outhouses. Even though the NCC owns only a small portion of Sandy Point, about 67 acres, said Lawler, the group has in the past taken responsibility for protecting the whole island. As a result, she said, public perception may be that the entire land mass of nearly 800 acres is a nature reserve, which is not accurate. Caution advised Lawler herself visited Sandy Point this summer and witnessed ATV use and camping, but she said it appeared most people were taking care not to disturb the area's natural beauty. "I think that it's exciting that so many people are getting out and getting to know Sandy Point. It's a really special place," said Lawler. Submitted by Richard Legge However, Lawler cautioned that with increased activity there's an increased potential for damage to the area. She said she hopes all visitors to Sandy Point will be mindful of the need to avoid beach areas during the bird nesting season in June and July. Lawler also encouraged people to stick to the trails when riding ATVs on Sandy Point, and to pack out any garbage that they have with them. "It's always good just to let wildlife be wild, and let those animals do their thing as we do our thing," she said. Bernice Hillier/CBC Looking out for the island Legge agreed that the unique history and environment of Sandy Point means the area deserves protection. He said he believes most visitors are mindful of that. "I got no concerns," said Legge. "They respect the place, they follow the trails, they do no harm." Bernice Hillier/CBC Legge said he's also heard concerns about the impact visitors might be having, including people feeding foxes on Sandy Point, and he advised people to leave the animals alone in their natural habitat and not interfere with them. Legge said he's confident people will do that. Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador New Delhi, Sep 20 : The Delhi police have arrested a 32-year-old man accused of sexually exploiting girls on the pretext of getting them modelling jobs in the national capital. The accused Pankaj Bansal is a resident of Ganga Nagar in Rajasthan and had completed his B.Tech from Chandigarh in 2010. Pankaj opened a placement agency in October 2019 and on the pretext of providing modelling jobs to girls, he used to exploit them 'sexually'. The matter came to light when a girl lodged a complaint with K.N Katju Marg police station in Delhi. The complainant said she was being allegedly raped and threatened by the accused after he lured her for promising her a modelling job through his placement agency. The accused posted the advertisement on Facebook for bank jobs but once contacted by the victim, he started luring her to try for a modelling career and asked for her photos, police said. "After receiving pictures, Pankaj told her that she was not suitable for modelling. Thereafter, he also introduced himself as acclaimed "body masseur" and boasted of giving services to several supermodels in India. He later called the girl to a hotel in Rohini where on the pretext of providing his services as a masseur, he exploited her without her consent and also threatened the girl of killing her and also making the video viral," said P.K. Mishra, DCP Rohini. Police said the accused also demanded at least Rs 25,000 from the victim. During sustained interrogation, Pankaj revealed duping other girls earlier with the same modus operandi. At least five more victims have come forward who have levelled similar allegations against him. New Delhi, Sep 20 : As farmers march towards the national capital to voice their discontent over the contentious agri Bills, two of the Bills have already been passed by both Houses of Parliament - the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020. Despite police 'bandobast' in place on both sides of the borders, the farmers are eager to be heard. In Haryana, farmers blocked roads to protest the new agri Bills. Wearing Kurtas, many farmers tried to block roads in Ambala. National Highway 344 which is better known as Ambala-Roorkee national highway is blocked. In Kaithal too, farmers blocked the Ambala-Hisar highway. The story is not very different in Kurukshetra where local farmers blocked key roads to Kurukshetra and Shahabad. With the matter being politically sensitive, most political parties sided with the farmers. After SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur resigned from the Union Cabinet, Ram Karan Kala, Shahabad MLA of Jannayak Janta Party, an ally of the BJP in Haryana was spotted at a protest site. Inside Parliament, the opposition created a ruckus as the two Bills were being passed. As organisations like Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) are already threatening to march to the capital where the Parliament is in session, Delhi Police has been put on alert mode. The police has increased its patrol and barricades in border areas with Haryana as well as in Ghazipur. With Punjab Youth Congress along with farmers hitting the Delhi-Chandigarh national highway to take part in a tractor rally headed to Delhi, the police have been asked to be on their toes. The bone of contention has been the two Bills as well as the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020. Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President J.P. Nadda both have clarified that the MSP is not going anywhere, farmers' unions believe the Bills will phase out the MSP and the traditional grain market system. They also claim it to be against the small farmers, something the Centre dismisses. "It will root out the middlemen," the Prime Minister recently said in a virtual address. He also said that it will help farmers go barrier-less. But, there are many commission agents or middlemen that the Centre says will be rooted out, particularly in Punjab who are worried of being rendered jobless. A study says, there are roughly 28,000 registered commission agents, who too are concerned of going jobless. While giving a historic boost to rural India, three ordinances were promulgated on June 5, 2020 for the benefit of farmers and to transform the agriculture sector. These ordinances were: The Farming Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020 to promote barrier-free inter-state and intra-state trade in agriculture produce; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020 to engage with processors, aggregators, wholesalers, large retailers, exporters; and Amendment to the Essential Commodities Act to liberalise regulatory environment for farmers. The first two are being passed as Bills in both Houses of Parliament. MSP has been one of the concerns of many farmers, irrespective of the Centre's assurance. Many feel farmers will either cease to get the benefit of it or private players may exploit them. With politics heating up over the matter, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said, "These ordinances will cause irreparable damage to farming in the state. The Punjab Vidhan Sabha, in its session held on August 28, 2020, had passed a resolution to withdraw these ordinances." He said it was to ensure the continuity of the MSP regime. However, with many farmers now surpassing the line of static protest and headed to the national capital to be heard, the phase of nuanced negotiation is over. Now, it's over to the law enforcement machinery. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 16:05:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu (L) and Ghulam Bahauddin Jailani, Afghan State Minister for Disaster Management and Humanitarian Affairs, sign the agreement during a hand-over ceremony in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Sept. 20, 2020. China provided a batch of non-emergency humanitarian supplies to the Afghan government at a hand-over ceremony held here in Kabul on Sunday. (Photo by Rahmatullah Alizadah/Xinhua) KABUL, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- China provided a batch of non-emergency humanitarian supplies to the Afghan government at a hand-over ceremony held here in Kabul on Sunday. The supplies which included more than 11,000 tents, 60,000 blankets and 110,000 daily necessities, according to Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu, will greatly improve the disaster emergency response capacity of the Afghan government, and enable the people affected by disasters to live in peace. "China will continue to provide assistance to the best of its ability when needed by Afghanistan, and is wiling to promote Chinese enterprises to actively participate in the economic reconstruction of Afghanistan," Wang said at the ceremony. "On behalf of the Afghan government and the families of disaster victims, I'd like to express gratitude to Chinese people and government for their continued donations to the Afghan people. I'd also promise to distribute these supplies among the need people in all provinces in a transparent manner," Ghulam Bahauddin Jailani, Afghan State Minister for Disaster Management and Humanitarian Affairs, said at the ceremony. China's aid came at a time when natural disasters such as floods have caused tremendous damage to the Afghan people. At least 122 people have been killed, 147 others wounded and several others have gone missing in torrential floods in Afghanistan's 12 eastern provinces since Aug. 25. Enditem Global crisis requires global solution When will we have a vaccine? Will it be safe? Will it be effective? How will it be distributed? Will it be affordable? These are just a few of the health, political, social, economic, and ethical questions everyone is asking in the hope that the COVID-19 pandemic will come to an end soon. The Oxford University partnership with the global pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is amongst the front-runners in the development of a vaccine. It is well into its stage three clinical trials which are being carried out in the UK, US, Brazil, and South Africa. If it goes ahead, then the Australian biotechnology company CSL will join in the production of the vaccine. CSL is the major producer of vaccines in Australia. Closer to home, there is the Queensland University (QU) vaccine which began phase one clinical trials in July and is working with CSL. The Australian government has secured an advance order of 33.8 million doses of the Oxford vaccine for local manufacturing. It has also signed an agreement for 51 million doses of the vaccine being developed by the University of Queensland and CSL. The government has indicated that it will supply both vaccines free of charge, with the aim of commencing the roll-out of the Oxford vaccine at the beginning of 2021. Of course, all of those plans are dependent on the results of trials. Patent barriers The pharmaceutical industry is notorious for the thousands upon thousands of so-called intellectual property (IP) rights (patents) they hold, protecting their monopoly over medications and charging other companies and governments monopoly prices for a licence to use them. This acts as a barrier for low- and middle-income countries, in particular, to purchase or manufacture them. Big Pharma cares little for peoples lives; it exists to make super profits. Vaccines can be quite complex, requiring numerous IP licences, each of which takes time to purchase the right to use and costs money. To use without permission can result in being sued for millions of dollars. Patents can run for anything up to twenty years following their registration before a generic version can be produced by a rival company. This is a time for sharing and cooperation, not barriers by profiteering patent-holders. An international coalition of scientists, legal experts, and engineers is calling on corporations to make intellectual property that could be used in the fight against COVID-19 freely available. They are being asked to sign the Open COVID Pledge to indicate their commitment to do so. The pledge states: Immediate action is required to halt the COVID-19 Pandemic and treat those it has affected. It is a practical and moral imperative that every tool we have at our disposal be applied to develop and deploy technologies on a massive scale without impediment. We therefore pledge to make our intellectual property available free of charge for use in ending the COVID-19 pandemic and minimizing the impact of the disease. We will implement this pledge through a license that details the terms and conditions under which our intellectual property is made available. A number of companies and organisations have already made the pledge, including Intel, IBM, SkoposLabs, Sandia National Laboratories, UnifiedPatents, McKinsey & Company, RADVAC, and OVSI. There are others who have expressed an expression of interest, but are still to make the pledge, including several pharmaceutical companies. COVAX facility The solution requires an international body, and COVAX is the organisation that has been set up for that purpose. It is co-led by The Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). Its aim is to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, and to guarantee fair and equitable access for every country in the world. The global pandemic has already caused the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives and disrupted the lives of billions more. As well as reducing the tragic loss of life and helping to get the pandemic under control, introduction of a vaccine will prevent the loss of US$375 billion to the global economy every month. Global equitable access to a vaccine, particularly protecting health care workers and those most-at-risk is the only way to mitigate the public health and economic impact of the pandemic, COVAX states on its website. COVAX aims to deliver doses of vaccines for at least twenty per cent of the worlds population. Bringing together governments, global health organisations, manufacturers, scientists, the private sector, non-government organisations, and philanthropy, with the aim of providing innovative and equitable access to COVID-19 diagnostics, treatments and vaccines. 170 countries have signed up. To increase the chances of success, COVAX has created the worlds largest and most diverse portfolio of vaccines that are in various stages of research and trialling. Nine of these candidate vaccines are already in development and a further nine are under evaluation. Member countries that are in a position to pay for the vaccine will purchase it, with distribution on an equitable basis. Gavi COVAX AMC, a separate body, is responsible for funding to ensure that the ninety-two middle- and lower-income countries that cannot fully afford to pay for COVID-19 vaccines themselves get equal access to COVID-19 vaccines as higher-income self-financing countries and at the same time. Its funding is raised from governments, philanthropists and other organisations quite separately to income raised by COVAX through the sale of vaccines. At present it has only raised US$700 million of the US$2 billion it needs by the end of 2020. Needless to say, the US has not joined COVAX. Global response required The importance of supporting COVAX cannot be over stated. For society to return to any semblance of normal and international borders to be opened up, it is not sufficient for Australia to contain or eliminate it within its borders. The threat of resurgence will remain. With almost thirty million confirmed cases globally and the number of deaths approaching one million, the number of cases continues to rise. In India, Brazil, and the US in particular, there is no sign of an end to this tragedy. Australia has made a relatively small contribution of $80 million. This could and should be increased. As one of the richest countries in the world, Australia should be making a far bigger contribution. If it cancelled one of the seventy-two F-35 fighter jets that it ordered from the US, it could redirect those funds to a life-saving cause. Internationalism is required. It is the fastest path to economic recovery as well as ending the human suffering. As COVAX states: Nobody wins the race until everyone wins. The United States on Monday will sanction more than two dozen people and entities involved in Irans nuclear, missile and conventional arms programs, a senior US official said, putting teeth behind UN sanctions on Tehran that Washington argues have resumed despite the opposition of allies and adversaries. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said Iran could have enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon by the end of the year and that Tehran has resumed long-range missile cooperation with nuclear-armed North Korea. He did not provide detailed evidence regarding either assertion. The new sanctions fit into US President Donald Trumps effort to limit Irans regional influence and come a week after US-brokered deals for the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to normalize ties with Israel, pacts that may coalesce a wider coalition against Iran while appealing to pro-Israel US voters ahead of the Nov. 3 election. The new sanctions also put European allies, China and Russia on notice that while their inclination may be to ignore the US drive to maintain the UN sanctions on Iran, companies based in their nations would feel the bite for violating them. A major part of the new US push is an executive order targeting those who buy or sell Iran conventional arms that was previously reported by Reuters and will also be unveiled by the Trump administration on Monday, the official said. The Trump administration suspects Iran of seeking nuclear weapons - something Tehran denies - and Mondays punitive steps are the latest in a series seeking to stymie Irans atomic program, which US ally Israel views as an existential threat. Iran is clearly doing everything it can to keep in existence a virtual turnkey capability to get back into the weaponization business at a moments notice should it choose to do so, the US official told Reuters. The official argued Iran wants a nuclear weapons capability and the means to deliver it despite the 2015 deal that sought to prevent this by restraining Irans atomic program in return for access to the world market. In May 2018, Trump abandoned that agreement to the dismay of the other parties - Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia - and restored US sanctions that have crippled Irans economy. Iran, in turn, has gradually breached the central limits in that deal, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), including on the size of its stockpile of low-enriched uranium as well as the level of purity to which it was allowed to enrich uranium. Because of Irans provocative nuclear escalation, it could have sufficient fissile material for a nuclear weapon by the end of this year, the official said without elaborating except to say this was based on the totality of information available to the United States, including from the IAEA. The Vienna-based agency has said Iran only began significantly breaching the 2015 deals limits after the US withdrawal and it is still enriching uranium only up to 4.5%, well below the 20% it had achieved before that agreement, let alone the roughly 90% purity that is considered weapons-grade, suitable for an atomic bomb. Iran and North Korea have resumed cooperation on a long-range missile project, including the transfer of critical parts, he added, declining to say when such joint work first began, stopped, and then started again. Asked to comment on the impending new US sanctions and the US officials other statements, a spokesman for Irans mission to the United Nations dismissed them as propaganda and said they would further isolate the United States. The US maximum pressure show, which includes new propaganda measures almost every week, has clearly failed miserably, and announcing new measures will not change this fact, the missions spokesman, Alireza Miryousefi, told Reuters in an email. The entire world understands that these are a part of (the) next US election campaign, and they are ignoring the US preposterous claims at the UN today. It will only make (the) US more isolated in world affairs, he said. The White House declined comment in advance of Mondays announcements. Snap back of UN sanctions? The US official confirmed Trump will issue an executive order that would allow the United States to punish those who buy or sell conventional arms to Iran with secondary sanctions, depriving them of access to the US market. The proximate cause for this US action is the impending expiration of a UN arms embargo on Iran and to warn foreign actors - US entities are already barred from such trade - that if they buy or sell arms to Iran they will face US sanctions. Under the 2015 nuclear deal the UN conventional arms embargo is set to expire on Oct. 18. The United States says it has triggered a snap back, or resumption, of virtually all UN sanctions on Iran, including the arms embargo, to come into effect at 8 p.m. on Saturday/0000 GMT on Sunday. Other parties to the nuclear deal and most UN Security Council members have said they do not believe the United States has the right to reimpose the UN sanctions and that the US move has no legal effect. On Friday, Britain, France and Germany told the Security Council that UN sanctions relief for Iran - agreed under the 2015 nuclear deal - would continue beyond Sunday, despite Washingtons assertion. In letters to the Security Council on Saturday, Chinas UN Ambassador Zhang Jun and Russias UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia both described the US move as illegitimate and said the UN sanctions relief for Iran would continue. Also on Saturday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council he cannot act on the US declaration that UN sanctions had been reimposed because it was not clear whether they had snapped back. It is not for the Secretary-General to proceed as if no such uncertainty exists, he said. Targets include Irans nuclear, missile, arms groups The new executive order will define conventional weapons broadly as any item with a potential military use, meaning it could cover such things as speed boats that Iran retrofits to harass vessels in international waters, the US official told Reuters. It would also apply to conventional circuit boards that can be used in ballistic missile guidance systems, he added. The more than two dozen targets to be hit with sanctions on Monday include those involved in Irans conventional arms, nuclear and missile programs, the official said, saying some of the targets are already sanctioned under other US programs. That could prompt criticism that the US move is redundant and designed for public relations purposes to look tough on Iran, a charge critics have made about past US sanctions actions. Among the targets will be Irans most nefarious arms organizations, about a dozen senior officials, scientists and experts from Irans nuclear complex, members of a procurement network that supplies military-grade dual-use goods for Irans missile program, and several senior officials involved in Irans ballistic missile program, the US official said. The official declined to name the targets, saying this would be made public on Monday, and stressed that the United States wants to deter foreign companies from dealing with them even if their governments believe this is legally permitted. You might have a split in some countries where a foreign government may claim that the UN sanctions dont snap back but their banks and companies will abide by US sanctions because they want to make sure they are not a future target, he said. Taking note of instances of suspected COVID-19 reinfection reported from Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Delhi and Maharashtra, the Union Health Ministry is considering gathering data of such cases to ascertain their veracity, sources said. They said it needs to be confirmed whether these cases are indeed distinct second infection and not just lingering effects of the first one. This can be done only by genetic sequence analysis to see if it is the same strain of the virus which had caused the first infection or a different one. For gathering data on suspected cases of COVID-19 reinfection, the health ministry may also issue guidelines and a format based on which database of all such cases is to be maintained by the State Surveillance Units (SSUs) and District Surveillance Units (DSUs), sources said. Worldwide, there isn't sufficient evidence on reinfection. Most scientists describe the recurrence as shedding of the residual virus which may happen for up to three months since the first infection is diagnosed, Dr Neeraj Nischal, an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at AIIMS said. During such a time their RT-PCR test may come positive, he said. "The second possibility is that it could be a different strain which is causing the infection. To know whether it is reinfection or active infection, one can do viral culture, sub-genomic RNA analysis or compare the genome of the two samples -- that of the first infection and the supposed recurrence. "But these methods are technically demanding and not easily available," Dr Nischal explained. ICMR Director-General Dr Balram Bhargava had last week said reinfection of COVID-19 is possible, even though it is a "very rare" occurrence. He, however, stressed that it is not a matter of serious concern. "We have seen someone gets measles and is supposed to be protected all his life because he generates certain antibodies. But then, we have seen reinfection occurring in measles as well. "Similarly, we can have COVID-19 reinfection as has been described by the case in Hong Kong. But, it is not a matter of serious concern. It has been noted that whenever reinfection occurs, both the infections have been mild," Bhargava said. He had earlier said there is a need to find out how long immunity lasts. Suspected cases of COVID-19 reinfection has also triggered concerns regarding the effectiveness of vaccines being developed. According to some researches, immunity to coronavirus probably lasts at least three months or even longer, but it has not been scientifically established yet how long immunity lasts. "Understanding how our immune system responds to the virus is an important step towards vaccine development," Dr Sanjay Rai, a professor in the department of community medicine at AIIMS said. "What should be of concern is whether the virus is mutating very fast and to find out if the magnitude of mutation is very large. Then the vaccine developed against the virus may not act on this mutant variety. We don't have evidence to suggest drastic mutations in strains of SARS-CoV-2 in India till now," he said. The concept of immunity after an infection is important because if immunity wears off it could pose a challenge for vaccines, another researcher said, adding that booster shots may be needed. It is also unclear whether reinfected people would be able to spread the virus. That's another reason why scientists say people should continue to wear masks, practise social distancing and good hygiene, experts said. Instances of coronavirus reinfection have been reported from Hong Kong, Belgium and the Netherlands raising concerns that herd immunity may not be enough to curb the pandemic. However, scientists in India and elsewhere said more studies are needed for reliable inference. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. UN sanctions are being reimposed on Iran and the US is planning additional measures, including to punish the countries that do not agree with the sanctions, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said. Washington [US], September 20 (ANI/Sputnik): UN sanctions are being reimposed on Iran and the US is planning additional measures, including to punish the countries that do not agree with the sanctions, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said. today, the United States welcomes the return of virtually all previously terminated UN sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran, Pompeo said in a Saturday statement, adding that the sanctions are being re-imposed on Iran pursuant to the snapback process under UN Security Council resolution (UNSCR) 2231. According to the statement, the US expects all UN member states to comply with their obligations to implement the sanctions, failure to do so will lead to consequences. In addition to the arms embargo, this includes restrictions such as the ban on Iran engaging in enrichment and reprocessing-related activities, the prohibition on ballistic missile testing and development by Iran, and sanctions on the transfer of nuclear- and missile-related technologies to Iran, among others. If UN Member States fail to fulfill their obligations to implement these sanctions, the United States is prepared to use our domestic authorities to impose consequences for those failures and ensure that Iran does not reap the benefits of UN-prohibited activity, Pompeo said. ALSO READ: Indian Americans organize free drive-thru food giveaway for more than 15,000 families ALSO READ: India allows export of onions lying on ports to Bangladesh He added that the US will continue its maximum pressure campaign against Iran until a comprehensive agreement is reached. In the coming days, the United States will announce a range of additional measures to strengthen implementation of UN sanctions and hold violators accountable, Pompeo said. Irans Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Majid Takht Ravanchi, expressed hope that members of the UN Security Council would ignore US attempts to take advantage of the UNSC mechanisms. In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, obtained by Sputnik on Sunday, Irans permanent representative reiterated Tehrans stance regarding the sanctions, saying that Iran considers the US attempt to restore UN sanctions legally untenable, since Washington is no longer a party to the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), having withdrawn from the Iranian nuclear deal in 2018. The majority of the UN Security Council members, including Russia, China, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, have said they would not support the US decision to re-impose sanctions against Iran since the United States unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear agreement in 2018. The JCPOA, signed in 2015 by Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union, stipulates the removal of international sanctions from Tehran in exchange for scaling down its nuclear program. The deal was then enshrined in UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which includes the provision on the five-year arms embargo. Guterres said on Wednesday that it was up to the UN Security Council to interpret its resolution on the JCPOA nuclear deal, following the US threats to snapback all sanctions on Iran. (ANI/Sputnik) ALSO READ: India, Bangladesh hold Director General level talks in Dhaka, agree to share real-time border info Nepalese man also in custody, journalist accused of giving 'sensitive information to Chinese intelligence' A senior Indian journalist based in the capital New Delhi has been arrested for passing sensitive information to Chinese intelligence, local police confirmed late on Friday. A case under Indias Official Secrets Act was registered against 61-year-old Rajeev Sharma on Sept. 13 and he was arrested the next day, police said. Two more people, a Chinese woman and a Nepalese man, were arrested in connection with the case, police confirmed in a second statement on Saturday. In the more detailed statement, Delhi Polices Special Cell accused Sharma of working for Chinese intelligence officers, claiming that confidential documents related to Indian Defense department were recovered from his possession. The statement identified the Chinese woman as Qing Shi and her Nepalese associate as Sher Singh, saying the two were arrested for paying Sharma huge amounts of money through illegal channels for conveying sensitive information to Chinese Intelligence. It said, shell companies operated by foreign intelligence were used to transfer the funds. There has been no reaction from the Chinese side yet. The issue has come to the fore during a time of heightened tensions between New Delhi and Beijing, who remain engaged in a border standoff since June, when 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash with Chinese troops. Sharma, a freelance journalist who also runs a YouTube channel, focused on foreign affairs and defense matters. He has previously worked with several Indian media outlets, according to local media reports. The police statement also mentioned that Sharma wrote a weekly column for Global Times, a daily run by Chinas Communist Party, from 2010 to 2014. He wrote for the Chinese paper this July too, detailing a rapprochement roadmap for Beijing and New Delhi. ( Agencies) The National Liberal Party (PNL) will request in Parliament's plenary sitting that the report on the budget revision be referred back to the Budget and Finance Committee, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban declared, on Sunday, in Iasi, adding that the expenses included in it are not possible, because there the country might find itself at default risk. "PSD [the Social Democratic Party] is a delirious party that wants to destroy Romania. What happened in the Budget Committees, in which PSD has a circumstantial majority, represents a crime against the Romanian economy and risks leading Romania to insolvency, to bankruptcy. We cannot stand idly by and we cannot accept for the PSD to mock this country. I would like to remind you that no other political party outside the PSD has endorsed these vicious decisions. We will fight in the plenary sitting of the Joint Chambers so that we can refer back the report to the Budget and Finance Committee. I am convinced that through an exemplary mobilization of the other political parties that have demonstrated rationality and connection with the economic reality, we will succeed," Orban told a news conference. He was asked what the PNL will do next week when the budget revision amendment to increase pensions by 40% and a bill giving teachers an incentive of 500 euros are to be debated in Parliament. The prime minister mentioned that the government is prepared "for any other situation", so as to prevent PSD from "harming Romania". "I can tell you that the negative echoes of that famous meeting of the Budget-Finance Committee are already very present. (...) These expenditure increases are not possible. PSD has actually generated additional expenses of 6.5% of GDP, and at the same time, it increased the maximum debt-to-GDP ratio, from 44% to 40%. What have they actually done? They have generated additional expenditure and denied the possibility of obtaining financing to support these expenditures, namely they have laid the foundation for bankruptcy. We cannot accept for the PSD to make a mockery of this country and lead Romania to nowhere. We will fight, and with parliamentary elections just around the corner we will free Romania of this wicked majority that behaves as Romania's enemy," Orban said. Protesters in some poorer areas of Madrid that are facing lockdown to stem a soaring COVID-19 infection rate took to the streets on Sunday to call for better health provisions, complaining of discrimination by the authorities. Madrid's regional government on Friday ordered a lockdown from Monday in some of the poorer areas of the city and its outskirts that are home to about 850,000 people after a surge in coronavirus cases there. The lockdown measures predominantly apply to areas of lower income and with higher immigrant populations. Peaceful protests were held in 12 of the 37 districts affected on Sunday. About 600 people demonstrated in the southern district of Vallecas, which has one of the highest infection rates in the Spanish capital - about six times higher than that of Chamberi, a wealthy area in the north of the city, according to regional government figures. Tensions rose as protesters at one stage threatened to gain access to the regional government building. "It is illogical that you can go and do things in wealthier areas, but you cannot do the same in Vallecas. There is the same risk of contagion. They are discriminating," said Begona Ramos, 56, a protester, who is self-employed and lives in Vallecas. Demonstrators chanted, "Vallecas is not a ghetto". They also called for the resignation of Madrid regional leader Isabel Diaz Ayuso, who attracted criticism for saying this week that "the way of life of immigrants" was partly to blame for the rise in cases. Madrid mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida said the measures did not discriminate against the poor. "There are no first class residents and second class residents. We have to be together at this moment," he tweeted. Authorities in Madrid, which accounts for a third of all infections in Spain, announced the restrictions in areas where the contagion levels exceed 1,000 per 100,000 inhabitants. In those areas access to parks and public areas will be restricted, gatherings will be limited to six people, and commercial establishments will have to close by 10 p.m. Police will set up 60 checkpoints to enforce the measures, but will not impose fines on the first day, regional authorities said on Sunday. Fines can vary between 600 euros and 600,000 euros, they said. Regional justice chief Enrique Lopez condemned the demonstrations. "We are clear that these are the areas with the highest level of infection. To call protests right now when what we want is to avoid this seems absolutely irresponsible," he told Cadena Ser radio. However, Madrid regional health chief Enrique Ruiz Escudero said if these measures did not reduce coronavirus cases, a city-wide lockdown could follow. "If it is necessary to shut down Madrid, we will do it," he said in an interview with ABC newspaper published on Sunday. Spain has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in western Europe, but Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez ruled out a second national lockdown in an interview with La Sexta TV on Saturday. Some 640,040 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in Spain, health authorities said on Friday, with a rise of 4,697 in the past 24 hours. Nearly 30,500 people have died. Search Keywords: Short link: A man is detained during a demonstration in Trafalgar Square against the lockdown imposed by the government, in London, on Sept. 19, 2020. (Henry Nicholls/Reuters) London Police, Protesters Clash at Anti-Lockdown Demonstration LONDONMore than 1,000 people gathered in central London on Sept. 19 to protest against lockdown measures aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus, before the event was broken up by police. People gather in Trafalgar Square to protest against the lockdown imposed by the government, in London, on Sept. 19, 2020. (Henry Nicholls/Reuters) The protest, which led to 32 arrests, came as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is considering whether to reimpose some lockdown restrictions across England. Demonstrators carried banners saying COVID is a hoax and My body, my choice: No to mandatory masks, as well as chanting at police: Choose your side. A man is detained during a demonstration in Trafalgar Square against the lockdown imposed by the government, in London, on Sept. 19, 2020. (Henry Nicholls/Reuters) Police said protesters were ordered to leave Trafalgar Square on the grounds that the demonstration was putting those taking part and other members of the public at risk. This, coupled with pockets of hostility and outbreaks of violence towards officers, means we will now be taking enforcement action to disperse those who remain in the area, Londons Metropolitan Police said in a statement. A person is detained during a demonstration in Trafalgar Square against the lockdown imposed by the government, in London, on Sept. 19, 2020. (Henry Nicholls/Reuters) Under laws introduced to slow the spread of infection, people in England arent allowed to gather in groups of more than six. There are exemptions for political protests, but only if organizers follow guidelines to reduce the risk of the disease spreading. Organizers of previous anti-lockdown protests have been fined up to 10,000 pounds ($12,914). People gather in Trafalgar Square to protest against the lockdown imposed by the government, in London, on Sept. 19, 2020. (Henry Nicholls/Reuters) Some of the protesters voiced opposition to compulsory vaccines, as well as more general mistrust of the government, the media, and the World Health Organization. Britain has suffered Europes highest death toll from coronavirus, with more than 41,000 deaths on the governments preferred measure. National testing for the disease hasnt kept up with demand since schools reopened this month. Rising case numbers in parts of Scotland, Wales, and northern England have already led to local restrictions on people inviting friends to their homes, and reduced pub and restaurant hours. By Henry Nicholls Shiv Sena leader Arvind Sawant on Sunday highlighted the shortcomings of the sudden announcement of the Covid-19 lockdown. Speaking on a discussion on the management of the Covid-19 pandemic in the Lok Sabha, the MP from South Mumbai said that post-announcement of the lockdown there were so many people on the streets that the idea of social distancing went for a toss. He also said that there were no trains to ply the migrant workers back to their native places but goods trains mowed down people while they were sleeping on railway tracks. After the announcement of lockdown, Mumbai streets saw more people than the number of people who would have come to streets post-Partition. But the government didnt start trains. People were mowed down by (goods) trains on railway tracks. Somewhere we made mistakes, he said. Sawant also highlighted how the Dharavi model became a standard for curbing the coronavirus contagion. He said that authorities in the Philippines implemented the same techniques to address the surge in the number of infections. He also said that the foreign as well as national media praised authorities in Maharashtra for the way they handled the infection in Dharavi, which is one of the largest slums in Mumbai, where people live in close proximity. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also highlighted the need of having discussions in Parliament on the coronavirus disease. I have been saying it from the first day that you have given a positive message to the nation, by coming to Parliament in such large numbers even in the wake of a threat to health security, said Birla. The Speaker also called the outbreak one of the greatest challenges to mankind. He said that these conversations will provide solutions to the nation in solving the challenges of Covid-19. Its an expensive suburban transit project thats being built underground despite evidence an above-ground route would be cheaper and serve more people. The description may provoke flashbacks for anyone who has followed Toronto transit debates in recent years, but this isnt another story about the Scarborough subway. A different project, the planned $4.7-billion Eglinton West LRT in mid-Etobicoke, has garnered far less attention than its cousin in eastern Toronto. But like the high-profile Scarborough project, critics charge that the Ontario governments proposal for Eglinton West will waste hundreds of millions of dollars and deliver insufficient transit benefits. Shoshanna Saxe, assistant professor at the University of Torontos department of civil and mineral engineering, agreed the extension is needed in order to fill a gap in the transit network. But she described putting the line below ground as an expensive mistake. Certainly the project does not need to be underground. Theres space at surface, theres lots of good reason to build surface rail, she said. The Eglinton West LRT is part of the $28.5-billion transit expansion the Ontario PC government introduced last year, which also includes the Ontario Line, Scarborough subway, and Yonge subway extension. It would be an extension of the under-construction Eglinton Crosstown LRT and run 9.2 kilometres from Weston Road to Renforth Drive in Mississauga, passing the edge of Premier Doug Fords Etobicoke North riding. Seven stations would provide connections to GO Transit as well as TTC and MiWay bus routes. Aside from short sections at either end, the extension would be built below ground. The province expects to award the tunnelling contract for Eglinton West sometime next year, and open the extension by 2028. A subsequent phase would connect to Pearson International Airport. Joshua Engel-Yan, who is leading the project for Metrolinx, the provincial transit agency, said the LRT will deliver significant benefits to the community in the form of better access to transit, shorter trips across the city, better access to jobs in the second largest employment centre in the province, and less traffic on our roadways. Whatever its benefits, the decision to bury the line has raised eyebrows. Even for a suburban arterial road, Eglinton Avenue west of the Humber River is exceptionally wide. The roadway was designed to accommodate the Richview Expressway, which the province cancelled in 1971. But the original form persists, and in some sections the right-of-way is 100 metres wide, leaving ample space to build an above-ground LRT without removing traffic lanes, the loss of which is a commonly cited argument by opponents of surface rail. A Metrolinx study, called a business case, estimated an above-ground version of the extension would cost $2.9 billion, $1.8 billion less than the provinces underground plan. Before the Ontario government took over the project last year, city of Toronto staff determined burying the line would be too expensive, and endorsed a surface option instead. Engel-Yan said cost was just one factor in Metrolinxs analysis of potential routes, and the underground plan outperforms all other optionsin terms of offering the best network connectivity and travel experience for people living, working and travelling along the corridor. The higher cost is just one downside of putting the LRT underground, according to critics. An above-ground extension would also allow for more stops 10 instead of the underground versions seven because surface stations would be less expensive. Placing additional stops at mid-block locations would be more convenient for local residents and attract more riders. By 2041, an above-ground extension would have 42,500 daily boardings, compared to 37,000 for the underground plan, according to the Metrolinx study. However, the agency concluded that because the seven-stop underground plan would allow LRT vehicles to stop less frequently and travel quickly through tunnels, the cumulative travel time savings for riders each morning would be 142,000 minutes, more than double that for the above-ground option. The Metrolinx study cited the time savings as a major reason the higher cost of the underground route was justified. But to Cameron MacLeod, director of transit advocacy group CodeRedTO, the emphasis on faster trips and fewer stops unfairly favours long-distance riders over more local residents. Were spending a lot of money for far fewer stops, which means this will be more convenient for someone who wants to go through Etobicoke than it will be for someone who lives in Etobicoke, he said. Engel-Yan rejected MacLeods characterization. The extension is designed to benefit the local communities along the route, as well as the region, he said. Coun. Stephen Holyday (Ward 2, Etobicoke Centre) said his constituents are strongly in favour of the underground plan. Although the city previously determined traffic impacts of a surface LRT would be minimal, Holyday argued the line would create bottlenecks at major intersections because transit vehicles would require additional green light time, forcing drivers to wait longer to cross. If you live here its not very far to go by car to highway, or a major arterial to a highway. So mobility as a whole is linked to the successful ability to drive down these major arteries without them getting too backed up, Holyday said. Although the extension would be used by residents from across Etobicoke, including riders on north-south TTC lines, 2016 census data confirm Holydays assertion that many who live close to the route are reliant on their cars. In five of the seven neighbourhoods that would be directly served by the LRT, only 20 to 28 per cent of residents took transit to work, significantly below the city-wide average of 37 per cent. Incomes in the five neighbourhoods were also higher than average. Saxe, the U of T professor, said spending hundreds of millions of dollars extra to avoid possibly slowing drivers isnt a wise use of public resources given the urgent environmental need to get more people out of their cars. She also raised concerns about the lack of provision in the provinces plan for the kind of intense development Metrolinx itself says should be built around underground transit stops to boost ridership and generate revenue. According to the business case, the predominance of single-family homes along Eglinton West significantly reduces the potential for redevelopment on much of the route. Saxe argued expensive underground transit needs hundreds of thousands of residents and workers nearby to support it. Its nonsensical to build billions of dollars of infrastructure and then just hope and pray that it will all work out, she said. Ben Spurr is a Toronto-based reporter covering transportation for the Star. Reach him by email at bspurr@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @BenSpurr Read more about: The grieving parents of a baby girl who died after being run over by the family's 4WD have told of how they broke the devastating news to her young sister and brother. Anna Seagren, aged 17 months, was killed when she was hit at the family's farm on Victor Harbor Road in Mount Jagged, South Australia, at about 3.45pm on Friday. 'I saw her as soon as I made the mistake so I knew that she was gone,' said heartbroken mother Jessi Seagren. Beautiful toddler Anna Seagren, 17 months, was killed when she was accidentally run over by her parents' 4WD in Mount Jagged, south of Adelaide, South Australia on Friday Parents Danny Seagren (left) and Jessi (right) told of the devastating moment they had to break the news to their other young children that they would never see their baby sister again The beautiful, loving family in happier times. Pictured: parents Danny and Jessi with Jack (front left), Grace (front right) and baby Anna (in Danny's arms). The family is doing its best to cope with the unimaginable tragedy Jessi had taken the vehicle to pick up her eldest daughter, Grace, from the bus stop when the tragic accident unfolded. South Australia Police said late on Friday night that paramedics had tried to save the girl at the scene, but sadly she could not be revived. Jessie and her husband, Danny, then had to face the unbearable task of telling their other young children Grace, five, and three-year-old Jack that they would never see their little sister again. 'We've told the other kids that she's an angel now and she's not going to come home anymore - but we can still talk to her and we love her, and that we were lucky to be her parents for those 17 months,' Jessi told Seven News Adelaide. Jessi and Danny reached out to warn other parents who think it can never happen to them, pleading with them to slow down, don't rush and to give their babies an extra last cuddle. 'We just didn't see her come out,' Jessi said. Paramedics worked on Anna Seagren (pictured) but she could not be revived Devastated mum Jessi said she didn't see toddler Anna (pictured) come out The parents told of how much they loved their beautiful little girl who completed their family and have said how much they would miss her. 'She was really cheeky, really cuddly and affectionate. She was just a perfect, happy, boisterous, gorgeous girl,' Jessi told Adelaide Now. Shattered at their loss, the Seagrens remembered the happy tot for her cheerfulness and playful nature. 'She loved going on the motorbikes. 'She loved the chickens. She would chase them around,' Mrs Seagren said. '(And) she loved her swimming lessons. She was learning to kick her legs.' Anna was 'best mates' with her brother Jack and copied everything he did. They said their baby girl will be 'really missed'. One child is run over in their own driveway across Australia each week, according to South Australia's Department for Infrastructure and Transport. More than a third of children aged under six who died in crashes were killed 'off road' in yards, car parks and driveways. Oregon says people who lost homes or suffered other damage from the wildfires that erupted across the state this month should contact their insurance companies immediately to begin their claims. But they should be prepared for a long process as they work to get their payouts and start to rebuild. Authorities say the fires that erupted earlier this month burned more than 1 million acres in Oregon in just one week, and theyre still burning. Homeowners and firefighters are just starting to tally the damage. At least nine people died and hundreds of homes burned. As evacuation zones open up, people are beginning to return to their properties to discover homes, barns and vehicles destroyed. Brad Hilliard, spokesman for Oregon Department of Consumer & Business Services, said it will take them time to tally just what theyve lost and more time to recoup that loss as insurers work to cope with the blazes' unprecedented toll. We encourage people to take their time with the process and also understand that your insurance company is going to need time to handle things, Hilliard said. Because theyre handling a large number of claims across a number of states. Fires this month have spanned Washington, Oregon and California. The total financial losses figure to be staggering, after fires devastated the southern Oregon communities of Phoenix and Talent. The Beachie Creek fire east of Salem destroyed at least 470 homes. Dozens more homes were lost to fires in Clackamas County. California wildfires in November 2018 destroyed 14,000 homes and generated $11.4 billion in insurance claims within two months. This years blazes on the West Coast appear to have done far less damage, but the total devastation is plainly severe. In Oregon, homeowner insurance policies typically cover wildfires in the same way they would cover a typical house fire, but Hilliard said autos even if they were in a homes garage require separate coverage. The state offers several pieces of advice on how to begin the claims process: Notify insurance companies immediately about evacuation and damage. Policies will often cover short-term housing for people in evacuation zones, and will typically provide long-term housing while homeowners rebuild. Ask about advances on your claim to pay for supplies and equipment to get by. Even if it takes a long time to settle a claim, advance payments may be available quickly. Save receipts and keep a running list of whats been lost. Keep a paper and pen handy to make notes when things spring to mind, and look through old photos and videos that might help jog your memory. Figure out how long your insurance company will give you to provide a complete list. Photograph damaged items but dont throw them out until a claims adjuster has seen them. People living in manufactured homes can visit a state website for ownership documentation that may have been destroyed in the fire. Contact your mortgage company to learn how it manages insurance payments. Its too soon to know how this months' blazes will affect insurance rates in places where wildfires burned, or elsewhere in Oregons wildland areas, Hilliard said. But the NW Insurance Council said Friday that the state is preparing to issue an emergency order to prohibit insurers from canceling insurance policies in fire affected areas, or because of a wildfire claim. The state will also require insurers allow a grace period of premium payments on policies in areas affected by the wildfire. Oregon fields 1,400 insurance and financial complaints a year, according to Hilliard, who said the state can help mediate when disputes arise between policyholders and their insurance carrier. On Friday, Hilliard said people who suffered wildfire losses should resist any pressure to settle their claims before theyre ready, and to carefully catalog what theyve lost and what it was worth as they prepare to rebuild. It takes time to work through that, Hilliard said, to rebuild and replace what was lost. -- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | Two agriculture sector Bills have been tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Sunday by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar. Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar moved two agriculture sector Bills in the Rajya Sabha on Sunday. These Bills are Farmers and Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. Both of them were passed by the Lower House with a voice vote a couple of days back. The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 permits the electronic trading of farmers produce and allows the setting up transaction platforms for facilitating direct online buying and selling of farm products. The Delhi Police is on alert with respect to the farmers protests that are taking place in the neighboring states of the national capital over Bills on agriculture sector reforms, the Delhi Police informed on Sunday. Forces have been deployed near the Ashok Nagar-Ghazipur area, as well as the Delhi-Haryana border. On Saturday, Farmers and Arhtiyas (commission agents) in Rohtak staged a protest and raised slogans against the Centres reforms. They said that their outcry would continue till the three bills were taken back. Also read: Defence, security aspect of India-Japan relationship has progressed fast: S Jaishankar Also read: With Akalis set to oppose the farm bills, Govt reaches out to friendly parties as RS numbers look uncertain The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 provides for a farming agreement prior to the production or rearing of any farm produce. A guaranteed price to be paid for the purchase of farming produce will be mentioned in such agreements. Hailing the passage of the bills, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had described this proposed legislation as historic and said that they will rid farmers and the farm sector of middlemen and other bottlenecks. The Prime Minister further stated that these agrarian reforms will open new doors for farmers to sell their produce, which will fetch them more profit for their produce. Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday asked Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal and Lok Sabha MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal ten questions pertaining to the new agriculture bills. Responding to the no-holds-barred attack launched by both Sukhbir Badal and Harsimrat Badal, the Chief Minister alleged the duo had been fabricating lies on the whole issue just to cover up their muddied faces, which had been completely exposed. Singh asked the Badals if any one of them had even called the bills anti-farmer when they were presented in the Lok Sabha. Was Harsimrat not part of the Union Cabinet when the ordinances were introduced without consulting any of the stakeholders, considering that one of the reasons cited by her for her resignation was that the Centre failed to address her demand for discussions with these stakeholders? he asked. The Chief Minister asked whether Harsimrat Badal, before her resignation, told the farmers that she was trying to persuade the central government to address their concerns. Why does she continue to describe the concerns as those of the farmers and not her own if she is truly concerned about the destructive impact of the new laws on them? Does this mean she herself still believes those atrocious legislations to be pro-farmer, contrary to what she is trying to falsely project to the farmers? he said. Singh questioned, Why is SAD still part of the NDA given that, by Harsimrats own admission, the BJP-led government failed to address the farmers concerns she put before them? The Chief Minister asked the SAD whether it named even one pro-farmer initiative that the party persuaded the BJP-led government at the Centre to take over the past six years. Did Sukhbir not state clearly and unambiguously at the all-party meeting convened by me on the issue that the Ordinances were not anti-farmer and would actually benefit the farmers?, he said. Singh asked whether Harsimrat Badal or Sukhbir Badal was present in any of the meetings of the high-powered committee, on which you are making baseless claims of my governments stand and responses? Why have you and your party chosen to deliberately and maliciously ignore the key portions relating to agriculture in the Congress partys Lok Sabha manifesto of 2019 and the Punjab Congress manifesto of 2017? he questioned further. In his tenth question, Singh*said, Do you really believe that by repeating your lies often enough you will be able to make them sound like truth and befool the farmers, whose lives your party was directly responsible for destroying through 10 years of your misrule in Punjab? The Chief Minister said he was sure that the Akalis and the Badals, could offer no reasonable explanation or rational answer to any of these questions. The people of Punjab, especially the farmers, will not forgive them, he added. The Ordinances, which you had been shamefacedly supporting all through till you decided to back off under political compulsions out of fear of losing your farmer vote-bank, were never discussed or even mentioned at the high-powered meetings a fact on which your coalition partners either deliberately kept in the dark or which you chose consciously to ignore in your own petty interest, he told the Badals. The Chief Minister asserted that the SADs claims of standing shoulder to shoulder with the farmers were hollow and false as long as they continued to lie on the subject and remained a part of the anti-farmer central government. Also read: NIA arrests 9 terrorists with links to Al-Qaeda in multiple raids from Kerala, West Bengal As a result of COVID-19, many people had to put off their cancer screening. This means thousands of people may not catch cancer early, when it is easier to treat or when it could even be prevented. The Cancer Services Program (CSP) of Staten Island encourages anyone who has delayed their breast, cervical or colorectal cancer screening to schedule it now. New York state is getting back to business, and many health care providers are scheduling cancer screenings. Medical offices are taking steps so that screening can be done more safely. These steps may include: asking patients about COVID-19 symptoms before they have their appointments providing face masks and hand sanitizer adding more time between patient appointments Frequent disinfecting and cleaning Spacing chairs in waiting areas so that people can socially distance There is also a screening test for colorectal cancer that can be done from home. Call the CSP to find out more about colon cancer screening and the Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) take-home kit. Many are wondering if it is safe to be screened again, and the answer is not the same for everyone. People should talk to their health care provider about their overall health and their risk for breast, cervical or colorectal cancer. They can decide together if getting a screening is safe at this time. The CSP is here to give information about cancer screening and help those who do not have insurance. The CSP provides free breast and cervical screenings to women age 40 and over and free colorectal screenings to men and women age 50 and over. Call the CSP of Staten Island at 718-226-6447 for more information. (Barbara OBrien, RN, is the administrator of CSP of Staten Island.) The Madness of the Media as They Consider Trump Commentary Some years ago, long before anyone outside of Donald Trumps immediate family thought of him as a serious candidate for the presidency, I wrote a book called Media Madness. Though its now out of print, I think I can say without immodesty that it anticipated some of the media madness we are seeing in the age of Trump. But if the book were to be reissued today, it would have to be rewritten to take account of a much more severe strain of the same illness. I wrote it at around the time that the late columnist Charles Krauthammer, a trained psychiatrist, coined the term Bush Derangement Syndrome to describe the hatred that the media felt for then-President George W. Bush and the follies that hatred engendered in the commentariat and left-leaning politicians of the day. But my focus was on a less specific and much less well-defined malady which stemmed, as I saw it, from a species of what the French would call folie de grandeur. The media, in other words, had even then been driven mad by self-importance. Flushed with their own success, as they saw it, in terminating the Vietnam War and the presidency of Richard Nixon and ever more locked into the habit of groupthink, they had come to believe that they were, collectively, the oracular spokesfolks and sole possessors of the truth. As such, they came to believe that the world looked to them and them alone to determine who is and who isnt fit for public office. If by the voters mistake some unfit person should contrive to be elected, the media came to see it as their duty to find, or if necessary invent, some scandal by which he or she, like Nixon, could be driven from office. All this depended on the medias sense of their own infallibility, which couldnt but result in a radical skewing of their moral perspective. By the time of the second Bush administration, they had already come to think that anyone who thought differently from themselves on the big important questions of the day wasnt just mistaken but willfully perverse, even wicked. The converse was also true: Any politician who slavishly followed the medias party line could do no wrong and was (and is) immune from scandal, as a certain former vice president is now demonstrating. Lies and Mistakes The medias belief in their own exclusive possession of the truth has also licensed them, in their own view at least, to call anyone with a different perspective a liar. That is in effect what the so-called fact-checkers of The Washington Post have done with Trump, though they are more squeamish than most of the presidents detractors about using the word lie and instead refer to the 20,000-odd L-words they profess to believe the president guilty of telling as false or misleading claims instead. This is itself a false or misleading claim, as any unprejudiced look at what the supposed fact-checkers are calling false will reveal including numerous jokes, truthful exaggerations (to use Trumps own term), and unverifiable opinions with which the rabidly anti-Trump Post doesnt agree. Yet, you regularly read that impressive-sounding figure of 20,000 cited, both in the Post and in other papers, as fact. Apart from media groupthink, one reason they get away with such a monstrous falsehood is that, back in the initial wave of media madness under Bush, the word lie appears to have been redefined. Remember Bush lied, people died? After several years of pointing out that a mistake (for example, about the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq) wasnt the same thing as a lie, I took the trouble to look up lie in the dictionaryseveral dictionaries, in fact. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that, while I wasnt looking, somebody had decided that a mistake could be a lie, and all but one of the dictionaries I consulted agreed. In other words, if party A claims, however plausibly, that he hasnt lied but only made a mistake, party B can now point to any of several dictionaries as the authority for saying, not only that he did lie but that, as a gift to the fact-checkers, he lied again in denying that he had lied. This redefinition according, as the lexicographers would no doubt claim, to common usage was of course highly advantageous to a scandal-hungry media forever proclaiming their own exclusive relationship with the truth. Their own mistakes for example about the Russian collusion narrative remain mistakes (though they dont even acknowledge this much) while those of their victims can be called lies at will. Media Favor Rage Indeed, once you are marked as a scandalous person by the media, as Trump has been for the past four years, you dont even need to make a mistake to be accused, not only of lying but of murder. In Bob Woodwards new book, provocatively titled Rage, the Washington Posts ace reporter of Watergate fame purports to have identified the latest, if not the biggest, Trump scandal in the presidents revelation that he knew of the deadliness of the COVID-19 virus in early February but chose to play down its seriousness to avoid a panic. Now, we know that the pro-panic views of the media, numerous prominent Democrats, and even the CDC only date from much later in the spring. Moreover, its by no means clear even now that the near-total lockdown that panic eventually inspired was the best approach to the disease. I myself believe that measures could have been taken to protect the most vulnerable, the sick, and the elderly, without shutting down most of the countrys economy. But the media, following the lead of the Chinese communists, are now all for panic. Therefore, they insist they have always been all for panic and that anyone (such as Trump, for example) who was ever against panic not only lied by expressing an opinion contrary to the medias but must be considered to have on his hands the blood of more than 200,000 plague victims. I know because I read it on Twitter. In French, la rage means rabies, the madness of a mad dog. I wonder what kind of madness the title of Woodwards book refers to? And who is really suffering from it? James Bowman is a resident scholar at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. The author of Honor: A History, he is a movie critic for The American Spectator and the media critic for the New Criterion. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Tropical Storm Beta is slowly drifting to the Gulf of Mexico's western part, likely to scrape the Texas coastline by early next week. Beta showed the major threat of rainfall as it slowly gains strength, said a report from The Weather Channel. Other than the Texas Coastline, Louisiana is also expected to see coastal flooding. Reports also showed that the Texas coastline has already seen some minor coastal flooding due to Beta. Hurricane season is usually most active during September. According to the New York Post, Beta is the 10th Atlantic storm so far this month. It is the highest recorded number for any September, said Colorado State University meteorologist Phil Klotzbach. The threat of Beta comes as parts of Alabama and Florida Panhandle reel back from the damage of Hurricane Sally. Warnings on storm surge and the tropical storm are being expanded as of Saturday evening. The Texas coast's 300-mile stretch is on a hurricane watch as the storm slowly gains strength in the Gulf of Mexico. It is drifting toward the northeast. The chances of Beta growing into a hurricane went down on Saturday. But it is still one of three active storms in the busy hurricane season. "On the forecast track, the center of Beta will slowly approach the Texas coast Sunday and Monday," the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. As of 7 p.m. CDT Saturday, Beta was about 330 miles east-southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas. Its sustained winds stand at 60 mph, reported USA Today. The NHC noted that the storm had remained still for hours. Warnings, Orders Issued Officials in the Houston area issued voluntary evacuation warnings and disaster declaration. Galveston County and the city of Galveston also issued voluntary evacuation orders. Mayor Pro Tem Craig Brown issued a statement saying the high tides and 10 inches of forecasted rainfall could lead to impassable roads. This is likely to take place in the city's west and low-lying areas. County Judge Mark Henry also said in a news conference Saturday that his concern is also based on storm surge concerns. But he assured that a mandatory evacuation is not expected. Henry said that if a person can survive at home for three or four days without power, they will be fine. He added that the situation where people will end up without power is also still unsure. He advised those who will need life support equipment to move somewhere else. The mayor of Port Aransas, Texas, also issued a disaster declaration that closed beaches at 8 p.m. Saturday. This was so the city could brace of Beta. The mayor first banned overnight camping by the beaches. The NHC continues to look into two other storms across the Atlantic basin as of Saturday, said Orlando Sentinel. Apart from Tropical Storm Beta, they are also looking at Hurricane Teddy and Tropical Storm Wilfred. As Wilfred already took the last name in the 2020 hurricane season list, Beta was named using the Greek alphabet. Check these out! Tropical Storm Sally Forms Near Florida Hurricane Sally Slams into Florida and Alabama; Rescues Underway for Widespread Flooding Hurricane Sally Makes Landfall as Category 2 Storm in Alabama A wing at Hydebank built for just three dissident republicans will cost the taxpayer a grotesque 355,000 a year to run, it has emerged. Sunday Life revealed last week that the unit housing Christine Connor, Amanda McCabe (also known as Mandy Duffy) and Sharon Jordan cost a huge 482,000 to build. The running cost was revealed by Justice Minister Naomi Long in response to a question from Ulster Unionist Doug Beattie. I have concern, firstly about the amount spent to house three prisoners. 482,000 is an obscene amount of money to create this unit and I want to know if the Justice Minister was given sight of this before the decision was made, he said. Secondly, this will cost over a third of a million pounds to run, which is grotesque. All prisoners are suffering as a result of us pandering to terrorists. I tried to end this in 2016. Had we adhered to that, this wouldnt be happening, but I was voted down. Now we have this absurd splashing out of money at a time when we are still struggling with a pandemic. The Fern 4 unit is home to Christine Connor, who was jailed for 20 years last month for trying to kill police officers, Amanda McCabe and Sharon Jordan, both of whom are facing charges of directing a New IRA terror campaign. Expand Close Sharon Jordan and Mandy Duffy (Mandy McCabe) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sharon Jordan and Mandy Duffy (Mandy McCabe) Prison Service bosses admitted to the construction costs last week. Some of the money went on furniture bought from Ikea, expensive seating, pricey electrical equipment and a huge TV mounted on a common room wall. A spokesman said the service had a legal duty to provide proper care. It is the responsibility of the Prison Service to hold those placed in our care in safe, decent and secure accommodation, he added. An unused area has been converted into a new unit capable of accommodating women separately from the main (prison) population. This required extensive internal and external structural, mechanical and electrical work to deliver significant changes to the security infrastructure and facilities, and the creation of a recreation area. This was completed in two weeks at an approximate cost of 482,000. Roe House, a similar wing in the all-male Maghaberry Prison that holds 25 dissidents, costs nearly 2million a year to run. Expand Close Christine Connor pictured arriving at Belfast Court / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Christine Connor pictured arriving at Belfast Court Mr Beattie wants to see both scrapped and paramilitary prisoners moved to regular units. This is not the fault of the Prison Service, its a political issue we have allowed to continue, said the UUP justice spokesman. A motion that I tabled in 2016 to end the separated regime over eight years would have given us a roadmap to deal with the issue. Expand Close Colin Duffy at yesterday's whiteline picket in Lurgan in support of republican prisoners. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Colin Duffy at yesterday's whiteline picket in Lurgan in support of republican prisoners. However, it was voted down. Those who opposed it need to explain their reasons. Yesterday, dozens of people including leading republician Colin Duffy joined a protest in Lurgan town centre in support of dissident hunger strikers. Saoradhs Stephen Murney told the crowd inmates were refusing food in a show of solidarity with a Palestinian doctor charged following a New IRA terror probe. Issam Hijjawi Bassalat, who was arrested last month, is being held in a Covid-19 unit at Maghaberry. Mr Murney said the GP went on hunger strike after being put into forced isolation. Scores of republican prisoners at Maghaberry and Portlaoise have joined Issam Hijjawi to demand his return to Roe House, he added. After months of saying different regions of the province require different approaches to limiting the spread of COVID-19, Premier Doug Ford announced a blanket reduction in permitted social gathering sizes on Saturday 10 indoors and 25 outdoors that applies across the province, effective immediately. Only two days ago, Ford had imposed those limits in Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa, saying it was too soon to apply the restrictions province-wide. Saturday morning, health authorities announced 407 new daily cases of the coronavirus the second day in a row above 400 numbers Ford called alarming growth in the number of COVID cases in Ontario. Three weeks ago, we were around 80 cases. A week ago, we were around 200 cases. Now, were over 400 cases and climbing. Folks, the alarm bells are ringing, Ford said at a news conference. Too much of it is being tied to people who arent following the rules. People who think its OK to hold parties, to carry on as if things are back to normal. They arent. We need to take decisive action as we did in the earlier stages of COVID, to protect our vulnerable and to protect the progress weve made together, he said. The new province-wide social gathering limits will be in place for the next 28 days, the premier said, specifying that hosts cannot combine the indoor and outdoor limits at the same gathering to boost the number of legal invitees. The new indoor limits will not apply to staffed facilities including movie theatres, restaurants, places of worship, banquet halls, gyms and convention centres, he said. Critics were quick to point out that they dont apply to schools, where the provinces reopening plan does not mandate smaller class sizes. In addition to a province wide rollback in social gathering limits we need to see a province wide rollback on class sizes, said NDP Deputy Leader Sara Singh in a statement. How could Doug Ford believe its not safe to have more than 10 people in a gathering, but that its safe to have 30 kids in a classroom and 70 kids on a school bus? The NDP is calling for a cap of 15 students per class and additional funding to increase staff at local public health units and nursing homes. Singh criticized Fords government for not moving quickly enough, when it has been clear for weeks that COVID cases are rising. The Ford government was not prepared for this spike in cases and they should have been, Singh said. The entire province had been operating under gathering limits of 50 people indoors and 100 outdoors since Aug. 12, when the last region, Windsor-Essex, moved into Stage 3 of reopening. Most of the province has been in Stage 3 since mid-July. Barbara Yaffe, Torontos associate medical officer of health, could not say what proportion of the new cases are coming from social gatherings, but it is an increasing trend and thats why were trying to address it proactively. At this point in Ontario, our numbers are rapidly going up. It is a wave. Are we saying its a big second wave or are we saying a smaller wave? While the uptick is concentrated in certain dense urban areas, Yaffe said the province-wide reduction in social gathering size is precautionary so that the small increases still being recorded elsewhere are not exacerbated. Part of the problem, said Yaffe, is that many people arent clear on what rules are for parties. The bottom line is: if youre with your social circle which can be up to 10 people you can be close with them, you dont have to wear a mask. Anyone else, even in a social gathering, you have to keep your distance two metres or wear a mask. Dont go to the party if youre not feeling well, she added. After a number of large parties were reported in Brampton over the summer, Mayor Patrick Brown called on the province to lower gathering limits. Parties held by returning students at Western University in London led to an outbreak of COVID-19 in Middlesex-London last week. Folks, we cant have these wild parties right now. Its just way, way too risky, said Ford Saturday. We have to come down hard on the rule breakers. The Progressive Conservative government has introduced legislation to boost fines for illegal party hosts to $10,000. Existing emergency orders impose $750 fines on guests of these gatherings. This is geared to the wild parties out there, said Ford. Im not going to be banging down peoples door if they have 10 people over. Im going to be banging down their door if they have 150 people. Thats what it is, its a deterrent. Unfortunately, theres a few people out there that dont want to follow the rules and think were out of this; we arent out of this. Asked about a reluctance to snitch on friends expressed by some younger people on social media, the premier didnt mince words: Its not about snitching on a friend, its about saving the friends grandmother or grandfather or their parents lives. The province carried out 39,000 tests on Friday, a record number, Ford said. To boost testing capacity, the province will open 10 new pop-up assessment centres and is working to get tests for asymptomatic people available in pharmacies. Health Minister Christine Elliott said the province is working with universities, hospitals and community labs to expand the governments ability to process those tests. How we face the next surge, how we hold off the next wave, its critical and its up to all of us, Ford said. Read more about: Khalaf Al Habtoor, Founding Chairman of UAE-based conglomerate Al Habtoor Group (AHG), has revealed plans to open a representative office in Israel, following his meeting with Shlomi Fogel, Chairman of Israeli Ampa Group. Al Habtoor and Fogel expressed their celebration of the signing of the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement signed in Washington DC between the UAE and Israel on September 15, marking a new era of normalized relations between the two nations. Al Habtoor said: I have been looking forward to this day for a very long time. I have always believed that Emiratis and Israelis have a lot in common. Both peoples are business-oriented and have relied on human talent and ambition more than their countries natural resources to build robust, innovative economies. The opportunities that this deal will present are great for both sides. I am confident this will open up new doors and lead to stronger economies, and closer cultural ties between the peoples, he added. Fogel commented: Through successful business collaboration and trade, peace will be cemented. Together with our Emirati counterparts, we will show the way to live in peace to the rest of the world. Since the announcement of the normalization of relationships between the UAE and Israel, we have received a large number of inquiries for collaboration in several fields, ranging from AI and technology, to agriculture, hospitality and trading. The possibilities are endless for both sides in our diversified fields and new ones, and we want to be present to grasp them, said Al Habtoor. He had previously disclosed that the Group had launched talks with Israir Airlines, a domestic Israeli carrier, to open direct commercial flights. We are preparing to reveal a few collaborations in the coming days, he concluded.- TradeArabia News Service Strong afternoon winds intensified a wildfire burning for nearly two weeks in mountains northeast of Los Angeles, prompting authorities to issue new evacuation orders Saturday for desert communities that lost some homes a day earlier. Meanwhile, officials were investigating the death of a firefighter on the lines of another Southern California wildfire that erupted earlier this month from a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used by a couple to reveal their babys gender. The death occurred Thursday in San Bernardino National Forest as crews battled the El Dorado Fire about 75 miles (120 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement. Also read: California wildfire smoke blankets parts of Canada In northern Los Angeles County, firefighters focused on protecting homes Saturday as increasingly erratic winds pushed the Bobcat Fire toward foothill communities in the Antelope Valley after churning all the way across the San Gabriel Mountains. An evacuation order was issued Saturday for all residents in that zone as the fire burned toward Wrightwood, a mountain community of 4,000, said fire spokesman Andrew Mitchell. The fire grew to 142 square miles (368 square kilometers) on Saturday when winds pushed the flames into Juniper Hills. Some residents fled as blowing embers sparked spot fires, hitting some homes but sparing others. Bridget Lensing feared her familys house was lost on Friday after seeing on Twitter that a neighbors house three doors down went up in flames. The house stood when she made her way back Saturday afternoon but her neighbors houses in the remote community were burned to the ground. Everything around us is gone, she said. The extent of the destruction in the area about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of downtown LA wasnt immediately clear. But, Los Angeles County park officials said the blaze destroyed the nature center at Devils Punchbowl Natural Area, a geological wonder that attracts some 130,000 visitors per year. No injuries were reported. On the south side of the Bobcat Fire, firefighters continued to protect Mount Wilson, which overlooks greater Los Angeles and has a historic observatory founded more than a century ago and numerous broadcast antennas serving Southern California. Also read: Thousands of firefighters battle US West Coast blazes amid overwhelming ruin The fire that started Sept. 6 had already doubled in size over the last week. It is 15% contained. Officials said the fire has been challenging because it is burning in areas that have not burned in decades, and because the firestorms across California have limited resources. There were about 1,660 firefighters on the lines. The name of the firefighter killed in the nearby El Dorado Fire was being withheld until family members are notified. The body was escorted down the mountain in a procession of first-responder vehicles. No other information was released about the circumstances of the death. A statement from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said it was the 26th death involving wildfires besieging the state. A new blaze sparked by a vehicle that caught fire was growing in wilderness outside Palm Springs. To the north, a fire burning for nearly a month in Sequoia National Forest roared to life again Friday and prompted evacuation orders for the central California mountain communities of Silver City and Mineral King. More than 7,900 wildfires have burned more than 5,468 square miles (14,164 square kilometers) in California this year, including many since a mid-August barrage of dry lightning ignited parched vegetation. The El Dorado Fire has burned more than 34 square miles (89 square kilometers) and was 59% contained, with 10 buildings destroyed and six damaged. Cal Fire said earlier this month that the El Dorado Fire was ignited Sept. 5 when a couple, their young children and someone there to record video staged the baby gender reveal at El Dorado Ranch Park at the foot of the San Bernardino Mountains. The device was set off in a field and quickly ignited dry grass. The couple frantically tried to use bottled water to extinguish the flames and called 911. Authorities have not released the identities of the couple, who could face criminal charges and be held liable for the cost of fighting the fire. Throughout the Northwest, firefighters welcomed cooler weather and rain, as well as much-improved air quality and visibility that would allow some to survey fire activity with drones. Senate Democrats want to block the chamber from holding a vote to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Tension is rising between lawmakers in Washington, D.C., in the wake of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgs death on Friday. Democratic senators intend to do whatever they can to block the chamber from holding a vote to replace Ginsburg on the bench, should President Donald Trump put forth a nominee ahead of the November election, CNN reports. Senate Democrats, who are in the minority, on Saturday considered tactics to keep the White House and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell from putting up a new justice prior to Nov. 3. With a 53-seat majority, Senate Republicans have vowed to push through a pick as soon as possible, despite McConnells move to block a vote on then-President Barack Obamas pick in Judge Merrick Garland to fill the Supreme Court seat left open by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016, months prior to the November election that year. United States Capitol (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) As a result, several methods to halt it are being considered. READ MORE: Hillary Clinton reflects on Ginsburg, warns of GOPs attempt to enact the greatest travesty One of those methods would be to drag out the nomination and confirmation process by bringing the chamber to a stop, objecting routine business for the day. Although McConnell could garner the support of at least 51 senators to vote against that, some Republicans have come out against holding a vote on a new appointee before Nov. 3. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, stated that she does not want a Justice chosen until the election. She noted McConnells move to block Obamas nomination of Garland as a reason behind her decision not to support a vote before the election, calling it a double standard. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg participates in a discussion at the Georgetown University Law Center on February 10, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images) READ MORE: Ruth Bader Ginsburgs dying wish: I will not be replaced until a new president is installed Senate Democrats are also considering pushing legislation to increase the number of seats on the Supreme Court, should Trump make a third appointment to the Court. Story continues The Guardian reports that Trump stated that he will announce a nominee for Ginsburgs seat next week, and he intends to select another woman to fill it. The fastest amount of days a confirmation took for a Justice was Ginsburg, with 50 days. Election Days is 44 days away. Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now! The post Democrats mull tactics to halt Trump Supreme Court nominee appeared first on TheGrio. " " Transorbital Lobotomy Procedure 2010 HowStuffWorks.com In the 1950s, when Virginia farmer Henrietta Lacks was facing cancer, she wasn't thinking that one of her tissue samples would be used for decades to come in scientific research -- polio vaccine development, a trip to space, gene mapping and more. We know this because no one asked her permission. Her family didn't find out about it for 25 years, and only then because a researcher contacted them asking for samples of their DNA [source: Zielinski]. Let's also take a look at lobotomies, operations in which doctors break connections in patients' brains to treat conditions such as depression and schizophrenia. At the height of lobotomy practice in the 1940s, prior to advancements in mental health care, this ice-pick-through-the-eye-socket procedure appeared to be sound. The treatment even snagged a Nobel Prize in 1949 [source: Jansson]. Advertisement Today, we might be shocked that these things were considered OK. But in life, there are humans behind science, and what these people consider "right" and "wrong" can change. That's the trick with ethics, the study of right and wrong. Accepted beliefs evolve. So how does ethics work in medicine, and how might it be different in 100 years? Different professions have their own ethical standards. Examples of ethical themes in most of them include honesty, carefulness, integrity, non-discrimination and confidentiality. Because of medical ethics, you can have a reasonable expectation that your personal information will be kept private, your clinical providers won't be impaired, and your wishes for care while incapacitated will be respected. Ethics are so highly valued in medicine that most doctors pledge to adhere to the Hippocratic Oath. This oath, developed by the Greek physician Hippocrates about 2,500 years ago, outlines principles of medical ethics. For example, it incorporates rules of honor and justice, cautions against criminal activity and maintains patient rights [source: Alper]. However, just as we have adjusted our moral compasses to view taking unauthorized samples from patients for research as wrong, medicine continues to change -- and so does medical ethics. In 100 years, what practices that are common today will shock our descendants? For one, it's possible that the thought of drug testing on actual humans over, say, robots will be absurd. Even today, the Institute of Food Research in the United Kingdom uses a mechanical stomach for tests regarding food safety and pharmaceutical development [source: Entrepreneur]. Also -- though having a doctor perform a surgery out of his house today would make the five o'clock news -- there might come a time when surgeons aren't even in the operating room. After all, the advent of robotic surgery is already allowing surgeons to guide robots with small instruments for certain procedures, such as coronary artery bypass and gallbladder removal [source: Medline Plus]. A surgeon still seeking access to that operating room would possibly be falling short of his or her ethical obligation to continue to advance his or her skills. These types of speculations may seem comical, but similarly, the Nobel Prize selection team from 1949 probably never would have guessed we would be debating the ethics of lobotomies today. We'll have to wait 100 years to see what happens. The music world lost an all-time great on Sept. 11, 2020, when Toots Hibbert died in Jamaica at the age of 77. After breaking through with Toots & the Maytals in the early 60s, Hibberts massive voice and personality reached audiences around the world on The Harder They Come (1972) soundtrack and on tour with acts such as The Who. Hibbert never stopped writing sparkling music or delivering stage performances that stuck with audiences. At a 2018 show at Brooklyn Bowl, I watched Toots & the Maytals and couldnt help be transported back in time. Hibbert was not an over-the-hill performer cashing a paycheck; he was a force who somehow seemed to still be in his prime in his mid-70s. At that show, Hibbert introduced A Song Call Marley, which he described as a great song. (He was right.) Hibbert wrote it about his old friend Bob Marley (1945-81), the only giant of Jamaican music whos reached a bigger audience than Toots & the Maytals. In remembering Hibbert to Billboard, Island Records founder Chris Blackwell said the late force of nature could very well have the following Marley has one day. Chris Blackwell believes Toots Hibbert could match the following of Bob Marley in the future Pete Townshend of The Who and Toots Hibbert of Toots & The Maytals pose backstage in Rhode Island. | Steve Morley/Redferns Blackwell and Hibbert go way back, all the way to 1961, when Toots & the Maytals were just starting out. But Blackwell knew immediately that Hibbert was a rising star, and he managed his career and eventually signed him to Island Records. When you hear Blackwell speak of Hibbert, he frequently mentions the mans purity. In an interview included on the The Harder They Come DVD, Blackwell described how hed try to convince the bandleader to modify his live shows so hed save some of his big hits for later in the performance. Hibbert had a hard time understanding that concept. He tended to just go straight into his best songs and whatever else he wanted to play, whatever moved the crowd. (Besides, he had enough winning songs to take shows wire to wire.) After his passing, Blackwell told Billboard he thinks Toots & the Maytals could one day reach Marley-level fame with music fans. I think his music, what he has done in his life, will become recognized and collected in the same kind of way that Bobs music has over the years, Blackwell told the outlet. Where people who like Bob Marley like almost every record hes ever made, that kind of thing. The quality of Toots & the Maytals work stands against that of Marley Toots Hibbert and Willie Nelson perform together in 2004. | M. Caulfield/WireImage for NBC Universal Photo Department Blackwell believes Hibberts music will continue to grow in popularity for the obvious reason: It is the equal of the music of Marley (or any other Jamaican performer). From early ska tracks such as Its You and Never You Change to reggae classics such as One Eye Enos, Sailing On, and Pressure Drop, Hibberts catalog is deep. Unless theyve followed Jamaican music, a lot of people probably wouldnt have known him that much, Blackwell told Billboard. But once people do hear him, I think theres every chance he could get the same kind of global following that Bob has got. Blackwell makes a good point. The more people hear Toots & the Maytals, the more theyll recognize his unique contribution to music. Hibberts soulful strain of reggae and ska holds up as well (or better) than many of Marleys recordings. The world would be blessed to embrace Toots on the same level. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 20:06:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's white paper on the employment and labor rights in Xinjiang shows the effectiveness of measures taken by the Chinese government to promote employment and protect labor rights in Xinjiang, refuting unfounded accusations with concrete facts and figures, international experts have said. The white paper, titled "Employment and Labor Rights in Xinjiang," was released by China's State Council Information Office on Thursday. Bishnul Rijal, deputy chief of International Department and member of the Nepal Communist Party Central Committee, said the white paper clearly shows China's people-centered development policy and its absolute commitment to the well-being of its people. It is unacceptable that Xinjiang-related issues are politicized or hyped with the ill-intention to defame China, said the expert on international affairs. Sonia Bressler, a French expert on China, said that the Chinese government has always adhered to a people-centered governance philosophy and improved the well-being of local people by facilitating their employment. The white paper shows the real situation and achievements in employment promotion in Xinjiang through facts and data, effectively refuting some Western media's groundless accusations against China on Xinjiang-related issues, Bressler said. Donald Rushambwa, a researcher at China-Africa Economic and Culture Exchange Research Center, said the white paper shows that the labor rights and interests of the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang have been fully protected. Through various employment-oriented training, local workers have greatly improved their skills and enhanced their competitiveness, Rushambwa added. Oleksiy Koval, a member of the Board of the Ukrainian Association of Sinologists, said that the white paper shows the public the various endeavors taken by the Chinese government to promote employment and develop Xinjiang. The white paper provides specific data on changes in employment in Xinjiang over the past five years, including the number of new jobs, changes in the income of the population and poverty alleviation in poor rural areas, Koval said. For local residents, there are many concrete examples of how the existing employment system can be used to improve their life, increase their incomes and find desirable jobs, he added. Mohamed Noman Galal, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, said providing employment to over 13 million people in Xinjiang is a "reaffirmation that the people of Xinjiang are equal to all other Chinese citizens in terms of full rights and duties." Having visited Xinjiang several times and talked to many local people, Galal, a former Egyptian Ambassador to China, said, "We didn't find any kind of discrimination against the people of Xinjiang." Enditem (Natural News) Lies by the New York Times in the late 1950s were crucial to enslaving the nation of Cuba under mass-murdering dictator Fidel Castro, who was portrayed by the paper as an anti-communist freedom fighter. Before that, Pulitzer Prize-winning lies by the New York Times were crucial in helping mass-murdering dictator Joseph Stalin conceal his genocide-by-starvation perpetrated against Ukraine. And now, it seems, the far-left newspaper and the forces behind it hope that lies about America in the 1619 Project will destroy the freest and most prosperous nation in human history. Fortunately, the lies were caught early, and they are now sparking outrage and scrutiny nationwide. (Article by Alex Newman republished from TheNewAmerican.com) The central element of the 1619 Project is the claim that ant-black racism, slavery, systemic oppression, and other evils are embedded in the very DNA of America. Of course, if Americas very DNA is evil, there can be no change in policy and no possible transformation that would make the nation redeemable. In short, under the view put forth by the Times and its project, the only possible conclusion is that America must die so that something new can replace it. That is the objective. The free-market system is painted as responsible for slavery, too. Because the narrative is based on easily disproven lies, though, a simple dose of truth can neutralize the poison and that is already happening. But the threat remains. In thousands of government schools all across America, including some of the largest districts, children are being force-fed the Times blatantly false historical narrative about the United States a history so phony that even left-wing historians have debunked it as ridiculous. While the fake history in the 1619 Project has been widely ridiculed and totally discredited by virtually every scholar who examined it, including those hired by the Times, the lies are being openly pumped into the minds of millions of captive children across the nation. More jurisdictions are constantly jumping on the bandwagon. If left unchallenged, the consequences of these pernicious lies being taught to ignorant and impressionable young Americans will be devastating. Fortunately for America, however, the entire scandal surrounding the fake history is causing parents and taxpayers everywhere and even the President of the United States to take a much closer look at what is being taught in government schools more broadly. Already, Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from public schools that teach it, sparking a national conversation. And he identified indoctrination in public schools as the reason for the mayhem in the streets. As parents realize that their children are being strategically brainwashed with fake history as part of a plot by powerful forces to destroy America and her liberties, the repercussions and the coming backlash are likely to be even more serious. The 1619 Project narrative, mostly invented by Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and a kook historian she parrots, flips reality completely on its head. America was founded on the idea that all men are created equal, a principle that led to it becoming one of the first societies in all of human history to abolish slavery. But instead, the United States is portrayed as a uniquely evil nation. In fact, under the false history of the 1619 Project, America is defined almost exclusively by its temporary tolerance of an institution that has been ubiquitous literally since the dawn of humanity. Instead of celebrating this incredible history of human progress and expanded respect for God-given liberties, the racist project erases it and replaces it with a deadly fraud. The project originally began as a series of essays published last summer in the far-left and increasingly racist New York Times. The date was chosen to mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival in Virginia of indentured servants (not slaves, the Times fake history notwithstanding) from Africa who had been kidnapped by Imbangala warlords in modern-day Angola. Once in Virginia, they joined indentured servants from Europe brought over by the Virginia Company. The Times makes no reference to these facts, falsely referring to the Africans as slaves. The Times also makes no reference to the fact that one of Americas first military engagements as a new nation was to battle African slave catchers who were capturing and enslaving Europeans and Americans on the high seas. Nor does the Times mention the free Americans of African descent such as Anthony Johnson, who arrived in Virginia in 1621 as an indentured servant. He became the colonys first legal slave owner after a lawsuit in which the court ruled he could keep his servant in servitude for life. Johnson also owned rights to a number of European indentured servants, which the Times again conveniently omits. According to the paper, the 1619 Project was supposed to reframe the countrys history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of [the United States] national narrative. Everything including traffic in Atlanta was supposedly caused by this slavery and racism. And yet instead of reframing, the project rewrites history, using lies and deception. In essence, it is an elegant regurgitation of the debunked ramblings of fringe University of Houston historian Gerald Horne, a proud supporter of genocidal Marxist mass murderer Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, who murdered more Africans during his barbarous reign than all living white Americans (excluding abortionists) combined. Even the first sentence of the headline of the first essay in the project contains multiple factual errors: Our democracys founding ideals were false when they were written, it says. Of course, America is not and never has been a democracy. If Hannah-Jones had bothered studying any American history, she could have read The Federalist, #10, by James Madison, the Father of the Constitution (and an enemy of slavery), to understand why he rejected democracy as a terrible form of government, and chose to create a republic instead. Instead, the project blasts the decidedly undemocratic Constitution, as if that were a bad thing. Also, the notion that Americas founding ideals are false implies that all men are not created equal, a self-evidently racist and ridiculous statement. The second sentence of the 1619 Projects opening essay title is deceptive, too. Black Americans have fought to make them true. Of course, Americans of all skin tones struggled in the fight, with hundreds of thousands of European-descent Americans dying in the Civil War that freed the slaves in the South. Instead of recognizing that, the racist Project demonizes white Americans for their supposed collective sin of slavery, while falsely suggesting that black Americans have been left on their own to struggle for freedom against evil white Americans. Everything was going great for the Times false narrative, for a while. Copies of the magazine were flying off the news stands. A podcast and a school curriculum were launched to spread the propaganda further. Times writer Hannah-Jones, the creator of the project, even joined the papers disgraced Soviet propagandist Walter Duranty, who covered up a genocide for Stalin, in getting a Pulitzer Prize for publishing lies. Apparently peddling obvious and deadly communist propaganda for the Times has its benefits! But then, actual historians from across the political spectrum took a look. The whole narrative promptly crumbled. In a letter to the Times, a coalition of historians specializing in U.S. history, U.S. independence, and the Civil War demanded prominent corrections of all the errors and distortions contained in the 1619 Project. These errors, which concern major events, cannot be described as interpretation or framing, wrote the group brought together by Princeton historian Sean Wilentz that included leading historians including James McPherson, Gordon Wood, James Oakes and Lincoln Richard Carwardine. They are matters of verifiable fact, which are the foundation of both honest scholarship and honest journalism. The enormity of the errors and the refusal to correct the record suggest a displacement of historical understanding by ideology, the historians continued. Indeed, even the most important points in the narrative are blatantly false, with no historical evidence to support them. The central narrative is that practically everything in American history, including the decision to declare independence, revolved around slavery. But that is so obviously phony, historians could not identify even a single piece of anecdotal evidence to support the charges. I dont know of any colonist who said that they wanted independence in order to preserve their slaves, explained American Revolution historian Gordon Wood, one of the innumerable critics and debunkers of the Times propaganda, calling the narrative so wrong in so many ways. McPherson, dubbed dean of Civil War historians by the Wall Street Journal, blasted the Times for peddling an unbalanced, one-sided account that left most of the history out. And that is just the mild criticism from liberals. Conservatives largely blasted it as racist, pseudo-historical propaganda, with one critic even referring to it as neo-confederate drivel. Even the radical left could not provide cover for the enormity of the errors. The World Socialist Web Site, which pointed out that virtually no black sources (including Fredrick Douglass) were used for the 1619 Project, interviewed, among other historians, Oxford historian Richard Carwardine, a recognized scholar on U.S. history. He exposed what he described as the one-sided narrative. I am troubled that this is designed to make its way into classrooms as the true story of the United States, because, as I say, it is so partial, he said, blasting as preposterous the primary thesis of the 1619 Project. It is also wrong in some fundamentals. Carwardine also noted that the drive for immediate abolition of slavery owed much to evangelical Protestant fervor, and that the movement was largely white, discrediting another central elements of the project. This urgent thrust towards immediate emancipation surely poses a problem for those who see racial hostility as the ineradicable DNA of white America, the Oxford historian of America continued, adding that many white Christians were killed and were prepared to be martyred for their biblical acknowledgment of the reality that dark-skinned people were created equal and in the image of God and therefore should be liberated immediately. In an interview with the far-left Atlantic magazine, anti-Trump activist and Princeton historian Wilentz actually expresses sympathy and support for the goals of the 1619 Project, but blasts the obvious factual errors. To teach children that the American Revolution was fought in part to secure slavery would be giving a fundamental misunderstanding not only of what the American Revolution was all about but what America stood for and has stood for since the Founding, Wilentz explained, adding that opposition to slavery was a very new thing in the world in the 18th century. Discrediting the 1619 Projects central thesis even further, Wilentz noted there was more anti-slavery activity in the colonies than in Britain. Other historians were even harsher, pointing out the almost absurd ironies that pervade Hannah-Jones ramblings. Writing in City Journal, historian Allen Guelzo ridicucled the Times 1619 Project as a silly conspiracy theory. Making matters worse, he continued, is that the false conspiracy theory was concocted from the chair of ultimate cultural privilege in America. In no human society has an enslaved people suddenly found itself vaulted into positions of such privilege, and with the consent even the approbation of those who were once the enslavers, continued Guelzo, mocking Hannah-Jones for her privilege. Even the Times own fact-checker, Leslie Harris, blew the whistle, saying that her corrections were ignored and that the central premise of the 1619 Project was wrong. Far from being fought to preserve slavery, the Revolutionary War became a primary disrupter of slavery, she explained in Politico, adding that most of the 13 colonies employed free and slave black Americans in the fight with the promise of securing their own freedom. Despite my advice, the Times published the incorrect statement about the American Revolution anyway, in Hannah-Jones introductory essay. The paper also mischaracterized slavery in early America, she added. Of course, one does not need to rely on modern-day historians to understand that Hannah-Jones could not be more wrong. Americas Founding Fathers left a long list of writings in which they denounced slavery as an affront to God, human dignity, and liberty. Dr. John York at the Heritage Foundation compiled a sizable list of documented quotes proving it. There is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do, to see a plan adopted for the abolition of [slavery], explained George Washington, the father of American, in a 1786 letter posted online from the governments own archives. He eventually provided for his slaves to be freed and even cared for from his estate. Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Madison, Hamilton, Mason, Jay, and plenty more made similar statements. Now, in response to the outrageous narrative in 1619, black Americans who value truth are coming together behind the 1776 Unites Initiative as an inspirational alternative to fight back against the anti-American slander sold by the Times. Led by Bob Woodson, the effort is dealing a devastating blow to the racist agenda of the 1619 Project, even offering a pro-America, pro-truth curriculum that can be used to teach history in high schools. The goal: let millions of young people know about these incredible stories, African-Americans past and present, innovative, inventive, who faced adversity, did not view themselves as victims, and chose pathways to be agents of their own uplift. What 1619 postures is that all of the problems facing inner-city blacks are attributed to factors that are external to that community, Woodson said, blasting self-flagelating guilty white people and angry, rich blacks as the source of so many problems. Explain to me how institutional racism could cause black people to fail in systems run by their own people. Tell me how that works! Nothing is more lethal to a people than to covey to them that its impossible for them to be agents of their own uplift. Federal officials are also fighting back. U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) introduced a bill to block federal funds to any schools using the 1619 propaganda, which he blasted as a racially divisive, revisionist account of history that denies the noble principles of freedom and equality on which our nation was founded. President Donald Trump, who recently blamed government-school indoctrination for the riots in the streets, warned on Twitter that the U.S. Department of Education was exploring ways to stop federal funding to schools that use the propaganda. Fortunately for history and America, the indoctrination of children has become a high priority for the Trump administration and other leaders. Indeed, as President Trump explained in his Independence Day speech this year at Mount Rushmore, the sort of dangerous propaganda in the 1619 Project is responsible for the ongoing demolition of society. The violent mayhem we have seen in the streets of cities that are run by liberal Democrats, in every case, is the predictable result of years of extreme indoctrination and bias in education, journalism, and other cultural institutions, he said. Against every law of society and nature, our children are taught in school to hate their own country, and to believe that the men and women who built it were not heroes, but that they were villains. Talk-radio king Rush Limbaugh has also taken aim at the indoctrination, warning that left-wing activists disguised as teachers were poisoning Americas children with hatred and vile racism. Last year, he even urged parents to get their children out of public schools. Responding to the LGBT history indoctrination mandates passed in New Jersey, evangelical leader Franklin Graham also warned parents that it was time to get their children out of government schools. Even left-wing historians and educators are sounding the alarm about what is happening in Americas classrooms. In his new book How to Educate a Citizen, Emeritus Professor at the University of Virginia E.D. Hirsch highlighted the implications. Intellectual error has become a threat to the well-being of the nation. A truly massive tragedy is building, he warned, adding that public schools were now diminishing our national unity and our basic competence. The culture is up for grabs, and elementary schools are the culture makers, he continued. The idea that identity and ethnicity are inborn and indelible from birth is a false view that leads to group hostility, Hirsch continued, calling on schools to teach true history and help create a united American culture so that children can embrace their identity as Americans rather than competing and warring factions. The idea that there can be an American culture that everyone joins seems to be anathema to some academic thinkers. But I cant believe its anathema to any normal person in the country who isnt some social theorist. Instead, the 1619 Project joins communist propagandist Howard Zinns fake history as yet another tool for government schools to poison the minds of children and divide them from their nation and their incredible heritage. It also comes amid escalating Marxist indoctrination under the guise of Black Lives Matter propaganda, which has infiltrated government schools all across America. That has occurred even as the founders of the movement admit publicly that they are trained Marxists and that they are consulting with ancestor spirits. Combined with Critical Race Theory, white privilege, intersectionality, and hatred of America, Christianity, the nuclear family, and more, it is all a recipe for national and civilization suicide. Of course, it is true that individuals of African heritage have been dehumanized by some individuals of European heritage. And there is nothing wrong with talking about that in fact, it is important, and offers valuable lessons. And yet, in the entire screed against white Americans that is the opening of the 1619 Project, Hannah-Jones never once mentions Charles Darwin. His racist ramblings on the favoured races included the idea that the civilized races of man will almost certainly exterminate, and replace, the savage races throughout the world. He also claimed that differences between gorillas and darker skinned people from Africa or Australia were small, but that once allegedly superior Europeans wiped them out, the gulf would be huge. These deranged ideas inspired Nazism, Marxism, eugenics, and many other mass-murdering movements. And yet Darwin is held up to children as a hero. Racist Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger, who believed in eugenics to improve the human race by eliminating people she considered human weeds from the gene pool, is also given a pass in the 1619 Project. No mention is made of her Negro Project to reduce the population of blacks. Today, the institution she created has slaughtered millions of black babies, and the death toll continues to grow daily. Nor are Times readers informed about her frequent appeals to the KKK and other white supremacist groups in the quest to reduce minority numbers. In other words, the fake anti-racist propaganda peddled by the Times ignores the real racists while demonizing those who laid the foundation for equality and liberty worldwide. Ironically, the real racism of today is oozing out of the Times. In 2018, for instance, the paper hired virulent racist Sarah Jeong to serve on its editorial board. Among other outrages, Jeong admitted it was kind of sick how much joy I get out of being cruel to old white men. She also argued that white people are only fit to live underground like groveling goblins. The raw, seething hatred shocked America, but the Times saw no problem with it. The paper has also been described by one of its former reporters as the establishments propaganda megaphone to sell foreign wars to Americans, primarily against black and brown people. Another liberal editor recently left, too, blasting her former employer for hostility to truth and honesty. Hannah-Jones has also been exposed as a virulent racist herself. In a letter to the editor published in 1995, she described whites as savages and bloodsuckers, adding that the white race is the biggest murderer, rapist, pillager, and thief of the modern world. Claiming Columbus was no different from Hitler, she said the collective crimes of Europeans were unnecessarily cruel and can only be described as acts of the devil. Of course, holding an entire race responsible for the real and imagined crimes of some individuals who share the same skin tone is the very essence of racism. Also ironically, many of the arguments made by Hannah-Jones are exactly the same as those made by supporters of slavery such as John Calhoun. For instance, the 1619 Project falsely claims that the statement all men are created equal in the Declaration of Independence only applied to those of European ancestry. This is literally the exact same claim made by Calhoun. And yet, even the briefest review of the Founding Fathers writings show that it is false. All Hannah-Jones has been able to do is hurl silly accusations of racism and being white at her critics. A minor correction was grudgingly made by the Times as an update. But the grotesque arguments used by defenders of slavery are still being peddled to children and adults. Hannah-Jones also fails to mention several indisputable facts that completely contradict her racism narrative. For instance, immigrants to America from Nigeria tend to do better than European-descent Americans born in America. How could this be possible if America is a white supremacist society designed to keep blacks down where anti-black racism is in the nations very DNA? Nor does Hannah-Jones reveal that there are more black people today in America who immigrated voluntarily than were brought over as slaves after being purchased from other Africans. Why does she not mention those facts? Because it would discredit the entire premise of the 1619 Project, of course. For her dishonesty, Hannah-Jones even received a Pulitzer Prize. But this is not the first time. Times Moscow correspondent Walter Duranty parroted Stalins obviously false propaganda to American audiences, even hiding the Soviet genocide in Ukraine that starved an estimated 10 million people to death. In 1933, he quipped about the ghoulish extermination, which he continued to deny, that you cant make an omelet without breaking eggs. For those lies, he, too, received a Pulitzer. More recently, Times propagandist Herbert Matthews convinced Americans that Castro was the George Washington of Cuba, even as sensible Americans and even the U.S. ambassador to Havana were warning that he was a communist. That deception resulted in Cuba being enslaved unto this day. The reality of America is practically the opposite of the depiction created by the Times and Hannah-Jones. True history reveals that America is a unique and special nation in world history, among the first to be founded on the biblical principles. This solid foundation would lead directly to the creation of the first major self-governing, godly republic since ancient Israel. And eventually, this amazing heritage would lead to the ending of legal slavery less than a century after independence. Ultimately, the then-revolutionary ideas Americas Founding Fathers enshrined in the Declaration of Independence the self-evident truth that all men are created equal would spread liberty worldwide. Like virtually every society throughout all of human history, it is true that some Americans originally tolerated slavery. However, it was because of Americas unique and incredible founding, and the biblical principles and worldview upon which it was founded, that the ubiquitous scourge of slavery was practically eradicated from the face of the Earth. That process began in the Christian West and then slowly spread around the globe. It took until 2007 for some African nations to criminalize slavery, and the institution is still widely practiced on the continent. But thanks to the example set by Western Christians, it is slowly dying. The 1619 Project, then, represents a case study in flipping history upside down for Marxist purposes. As George Orwell explained, those who control the past through the teaching of history in the present will control the future. The goal of those behind the Times deception is to destroy America and everything it represents especially human liberty. After all, racism is supposedly in the DNA of the nation. It is bad enough that paying adults are swallowing this ludicrous propaganda. To teach this hatred and false history to children should be viewed as a crime. It must be opposed. And after the 1619 Project is removed, a full-scale investigation into the poison being fed to children nationwide should ensure. Americas survival depends on getting history right. Read more at: TheNewAmerican.com and Brainwashed.news. Ruckus in Rajya Sabha after government pushes for passage of farm bills India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Sep 20: Rajya Sabha on Sunday witnessed heated exchanges after the opposition demanded that the discussion be continued on Monday, since the session was scheduled to end at 1 pm. Leader of Opposition, Ghulam Nabi Azad, said the discussion should be continued on Monday since majority of the MPs were in favour of that. Muting of democratic India continues: Congress on Rajya Sabha MPs suspension "To decide this, we should go by the consensus of the members, not by the numbers of the ruling party," he said. Despite repeated requests, opposition parties arrived at the well of the house to protest against the discussion. There was uproar in the House after V Vijaysai Reddy (YSRCP), while speaking in support of the bill, accused the Congress of "hypocrisy" as the bill contained the promises made by the Congress in its Lok Sabha poll manifesto. As Reddy accused the Congress of promoting "middlemen" and some other remarks, Congress members created uproar. Anand Sharma (Cong) said the member's conduct has not been as per the traditions of the House and he should retract his statement and apologise. L Hanumanthaiah, who was in the chair at the time, said he would look into the records and expunge any objectionable remarks made. "If there is anything objectionable it will be taken off the records," he said. The din continued for sometime in the House with YSRCP and Congress members engaged in heated arguments. Reddy said the bill was in favour of the farmers as it promoted contract farming that would ensure sale of his produce and free him from the clutches of middlemen. He asked why tobacco is not included under the purview of the bill and demanded so. He also accuses the Congress of being hypocritical as it had promised the same in its manifesto. "What is this hypocrisy. Why they are opposing these bills. They are nothing but.....," he said that led to uproar. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar introduced the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 in the Rajya Sabha. Ram Gopal Yadav (SP) said the BJP should ensure that it doesn't do anything that the future generations should hold them guilty of. He said it was difficult to believe that these bills are being put forth by the son of a farmer. Yadav alleged that there seems to be some compulsion that the ruling party does not want to discuss or debate on any of the bills, as it was rushing through these bills without discussion. "You did not consult anyone before bringing these ordinances during the pandemic. You should have at least consulted the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh," he said. T K S Elangovan (DMK) said the two Bills are an insult to farmers and were not necessary. "This government has no right to bring these bills, as agriculture is a state subject. This bill also repeal the ordinance and the promise of this government to implement M S Swaminathan Committee's recommendations," he said. "This Bill is not for the sale of farmer's products, this bill will sell the farmers and make them slaves of big businessmen. This bill will affect farmers, kill them and make them commodities," he alleged. K Keshava Rao (TRS), while opposing the bill, said the Agriculture Minister claimed that this is a Bill for new-age agriculture, but was against it. Alleging that this bill seeks to change the very character of the country, he said, "you have made an agricultural country into a corporate country". He said farmers will not have a level playing field as the bills seek to put the poor farmers against the traders. "This government has set out to kill the golden goose," he said, accusing the government of not discussing the issue with states and people. He also alleged that these Bills are an assault on state rights and the Constitution. Ram Chandra Prasad Singh (JDU), while supporting the bills, said it is for the first time that a farmers' policy has come after a long time. He said in 1991 when the country saw liberalisation, it missed bringing agriculture reforms. More than one lakh vacancies lying vacant in CAPFs: Nityanand Rai tells Rajya Sabha He cited the example of Bihar where the Nitish Kumar government has abolished the APMC Act in 2006 and yet farmers are getting good price for their produce through MSP and farmers are producing more. He said farmers will get different options after the bills are passed. "I urge the Agriculture minister, both these bills are good tasks and agriculture will benefit from it. Please also do research to help increase the farmers' income," he said. Prude FamilyBY MEREDITH DELISO AND JULIA JACOBO, ABC News (ROCHESTER, N.Y.) -- An independent investigation into the government handling of the death of Daniel Prude moved forward on Friday when the Rochester City Council authorized the power to subpoena several city departments, including Mayor Lovely Warren's office and the Rochester Police Department. The City Council voted 8-0 during a special virtual meeting Friday morning to authorize the subpoenas, which support an "independent investigation into the internal communications, processes and procedures that took place related to the death of Daniel Prude" and grants authority to "investigate all city departments including the right to review records and papers" and issue subpoenas. City Council President Loretta Scott said the investigation would start with the first 911 phone call placed on March 23 regarding Prude, 41, a Black man who died a week after being restrained by Rochester police during a mental health emergency. Andrew G. Celli Jr., an attorney with the New York law firm Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP, will lead the independent investigation, which the City Council approved on Tuesday. "[Rochester] is a community that's asking hard questions and it's a community that deserves clear answers," Celli said during a media briefing Friday after the City Council's vote. "And that's what I'm committed to do." The investigation will look to determine "who knew what when" in the death of Prude, Celli said. "There's really one question here, and that is: Was there a cover-up? That's a blunt way to put it, but that's the question we are seeking to answer." The team plans to gather sworn testimony from witnesses, emails, text messages, memos and other documents as it seeks to determine a timeline of events, examine how city departments communicated with each other behind closed doors, and what city officials said publicly, versus what they knew at the time, Celli said. Celli acknowledged that some of these documents have already been released in a 300-plus-page report commissioned by Rochester Deputy Mayor James Smith, which includes police reports and emails. "We're going to go much deeper than the deputy mayor did, and we're going to get to the bottom of this," Celli said. His team plans to issue subpoenas to four Rochester agencies -- the mayor's office, the police department, the law department and the City Council -- by Monday, Celli said. They haven't decided whose testimony they will take, though Celli said that the mayor is under consideration. The investigation should take about three months, at which point they will release their report to the public, including transcriptions of collected testimonies, Celli said. The intragovernmental study is one of several investigations stemming from Prude's death, including one from his family, who has alleged an internal cover-up in a federal lawsuit against the city. The state attorney general's office also has moved to empanel a grand jury, which would determine whether criminal charges should be brought in the case, as part of its investigation. On Monday, Warren announced she would enact several reviews from the deputy mayor's report. She has called for the City Office of Public Integrity to initiate a thorough investigation to determine if any employees, including herself, violated city policies or ethical standards, and she called on the U.S. attorney general to investigate whether Prude's civil rights were violated. Earlier this month, police body camera footage was released showing the incident between the officers and Prude. In the video, officers are seen pinning Prude to the ground while a spit bag is on his head, and he eventually appears to go unconscious. Prude died a week later. The Monroe County medical examiner listed his death as a homicide caused by "complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint." Seven officers involved in the incident have been suspended as the state attorney general conducts her investigation. On Monday, Warren also fired Rochester Police Chief La'Ron Singletary, two weeks before he was set to retire, amid shakeups in the department. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Also Saturday, at least six rockets were fired at NATOs Resolute Support base in southern Kandahar. No casualties were reported and no one claimed responsibility. NATO said in a statement that if the Taliban were behind the rocket fire, it could jeopardize the U.S. peace deal in which the Taliban have promised not to attack U.S. and NATO forces. Editor: On Saturday (Sept. 12) evening, I joined a group of Black Lives Matter protestors in Rio Rancho to show my support for their efforts to work toward equitable treatment for all people in our communities regardless of the color of their skin or ethnic background. The members of the Black New Mexico Movement held the rally to encourage awareness of problems and adversity that people of color face daily in our nation. No one there came to there to shout ugly epithets about white people or law enforcement. No one came to create havoc. Instead, my friends and I carried signs encouraging voter registration, and the speakers talked about the importance of voting and completing the census. These activities are hardly a threat to the city of Rio Rancho. Indeed, these individuals were behaving like responsible, caring citizens who were performing a community service. Nevertheless, hundreds of counter-protesters swarmed in with blaring music and loudly revving motors. They began screaming hostile, threatening phrases in the direction of the rally attendees. One individual even attempted to drive his car through the gathering, but was stopped by one very brave young man who actually stood in front of the car! When it was observed that the counter-protesters brought guns with them, one of the protestors called the police, and the rally organizers asked us to disperse for our safety. Only then did the police arrive. The mayor and the governing body should have been quick to denounce the counter-protestors for putting residents in danger and blackening the reputation of our city. The majority of Rio Rancho residents, I am sure, are appalled and ashamed of the behaviors of the rabble-rousing counter-protestors. My friends and neighbors here in Rio Rancho are humble, hardworking, and decent people, who would condemn that behavior. Hopefully, for the next rally, more of these Rio Ranchoans come to lend support for individuals who are actually only trying to exercise their First Amendment rights. Katherine Perez Rio Rancho Deputy Minister of Information, Pius Enam Hadzide says the appointment of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the Chairman of ECOWAS Heads of State is an indication that West African leaders believe President Akufo-Addo deserves another term in office. President Akufo-Addo was unanimously elected as the new Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), at the 57th ECOWAS Summit, which was held in Niamey, capital of Niger. According to the Deputy Information Minister, the decision of the ECOWAS Heads of State to appoint President Akufo-Addo barely a few months to election in Ghana suggests to him that the West African leaders wish to see him continue as President of Ghana. In a one-on-one interview with the host of Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, Kwame Nkrumah Tikese, Pius Enam Hadzide said that the West African leaders have used a coded message to communicate with Ghanaians on the choice of leader they should consider in the upcoming December 7 elections. When the leaders met at the 57th ECOWAS Summit, they unanimously agreed that if they need a leader that can unite them, someone who has the vision and experience to lead ECOWAS out of its troubles, then it is H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, he stated. One thing I have learned from this is that West Africa leaders are suggesting something to us. We have to take a moment to think about it. Who told you that the other West African countries dont know that we are going to the polls in December? They know and the coded message they are giving to us is clear and so Ghanaians must understand it, he asserted. He, however, pointed out that even though the West African leaders cannot choose a President for the country, they have seen something good in President Nana Akufo-Addo to have made him the leader of ECOWAS Heads of State, knowing very well that the election in Ghana is around the corner. Watch video below 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 Whenever theres news of scam at a stockbroking house, investors rush to transfer their securities to another company. But when the broker is already under investigation, and most clients rush to transfer their stocks, the requests pile up. Investors faced a similar problem when scandal at Karvy Stock Broking came to light. Recently, many are facing the same problem with Anugrah Stock and Broking. When a stockbroker illegally transfers clients securities to another account and uses them for its benefit, its a tough battle to get them back. All hopes are on courts, regulators and investigating agencies. However, one of the ways to avoid falling victim to such scams is to sign up for the online transfer of securities with your depository. The service can help cross-check the statements that the broker is sending and also allows online transfer of securities in case theres any issue with the broker. While the facility to transfer securities without going through the broker is available, hardly 10% of the clients use it. The majority are not even aware of it," said Venu Madhav, chief of operations at Zerodha. Heres how to use the services available with depositoriesCentral Depository Services Ltd (CDSL) and National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL)to transfer securities to another demat account without approaching your broker. Transfer process Four parties that are involved in the transfer process are, the client, a depository, a depository participant (DP) and a broker. In most cases, the broker is also the DP. When a client wants to transfer securities to another demat account, he fills up a delivery instruction slip (DIS) and submits it to the DP, which is typically your broker. The DP (or broker) then matches the signatures on the DIS. Some stockbrokers may call the client to verify the request. The DP then processes the request through a depository. For securities such as stocks, the transfer is quick and easy, even if it is between the two depositories. But if someone wants to transfer government-issued securities, like sovereign gold bond, from CDSL to NSDL or vice versa, it can be time-consuming. In some cases, the security will be rematerialized and then dematerialized for the transfer to be effective when two depositories are involved," said Madhav. Online process CDSL offers a service called EASIEST, which stands for electronic access to securities information and execution of secured transaction. In this, clients get two options. In the first, they can add up to four CDSL demat accounts as trusted accounts where they would like to transfer holdings. Once signed up, it becomes an entirely online process without the need to send a request to broker or DP. Such transfersto trusted accountscan be done using a PIN (personal identification number). In the second option, called account of choice, the client can transfer stocks to any demat account. For security reasons, these transfers can be done only using digital signatures. NSDL, too, has similar options under its service called SPEED-e. For password-based transfers, the client can add up to three accounts. To transfer to any other account, the investor will need a digital signature and a smart card that NSDL issues. NSDL and CDSL charge for both the options. The PIN or password-based transfer to pre-notified accounts is cheaper, as some brokers levy a 120 fee as annual maintenance charge. The service, which allows transfer to any demat account using digital signature is costlier, with some brokers charging as much as 1,000 as yearly maintenance. If an investor wants to allow another person to operate the account on his behalf, he needs to execute a power of attorney (PoA) agreement that needs to be submitted to the depository. In case of a joint account, one of the owners needs to give PoA to the other to avail of the service. These services also come with other benefits. The client can check the account balance and get the statement for transactions. This helps in checking whether the broker-provided information is genuine or not. A demat account holder needs to sign up for these services at depositories websites. The depository will provide a form on sign up, which the investor must submit with its broker (or DP). Only after the DP authorizes the request, the services will be enabled. Once activated, the client will get the password and a smart card. More control If you are an investor who does not trade regularly, the depositories also offer an option to freeze the account for debit or credit of securities. A client can also specify a stock or the number of stocks that he wants to freeze. Once you freeze your demat account or a stock, the broker cannot transfer securities out of it. The charge for this is capped at 125 for each instruction. Say, an investor has a long-term portfolio, where he doesnt sell stocks. He can freeze debit from this account. In this case, the stocks he buys would be credited to the account, but he wont be able to sell any. In most recent scandals, brokers found loopholes in regulations and debited clients account to transfer securities to the demat accounts of their own. The option to freeze the demat account is also available with the broker (or DP) without signing up for the depositories online services. But if you do it through the broker, it will take time to process this request. When you sign up for depositories services, investors can freeze or unfreeze the account whenever they want. The tax fact Transfer of securities to an account other than yours can attract tax. Typically, when you sell shares, only the gains are taxed. But when you transfer shares without any consideration to someone else, it would be considered as gift. Its the recipient that has to pay tax on gift, not the donor. If an individual gifts an asset to close relatives, including spouse, parents and children, the recipient does not need to pay tax. You can add demat account belonging to them as trusted account," said Naveen Wadhwa, deputy general manager, Taxmann.com, a platform that provides tax research-related services. Lending of securities without consideration does not attract any tax from either the lender or the borrower. In case you need to temporarily transfer securities to another account, its better to transfer them to one of your accounts. 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 Governor Godwin Obaseki, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, has scored the highest number of votes in Saturdays Edo State governorship election and has been declared the winner. The result of the election, held in all Edos 18 local governments, was declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday in Benin, the state capital. Godwin Obaseki of the PDP, having satisfied the requirement of the law and scored the highest number of votes, is hereby declared the winner, Johnson Alalibo, the chief returning officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state, announced on Sunday afternoon. Mr Obaseki polled 307,955 votes to defeat his main rival, Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who had 223,619 votes. He also won in 13 of the 18 local government areas and thus scored more than 25 per cent of votes cast in two-thirds of the local governments in the state to satisfy the second constitutional requirement to be declared governor. Mr Obaseki won his first election in 2016 as a candidate of the APC, principally supported by Adams Oshiomhole, the immediate past governor and former chairman of the APC. Mr Ize-Iyamu was then the candidate of the PDP. But in the course of his term as the governor, Mr Obaseki became estranged with Mr Oshiomhole, causing an epic political battle now capped off with his victory today. The battle contributed to the fall of Mr Oshiomhole as the chairman of the APC. But Mr Obaseki also could not get that partys ticket and he had to switch to the PDP with his deputy, Phillip Shaibu. Days ahead of the election, APC leader and former governor of Lagos, Bola Tinubu, had in a recorded broadcast made an appeal to the Edo electorate to reject Mr Obaseki, whom he dismissed as having no sound democratic credential. Messrs Tinubu and Oshiomole are close allies. Mr Obaseki won in 13 local government areas, including his home Oredo LGA, which is the largest. Mr Ize-Iyamu, on the other hand, won the remaining five local governments, including his main backer Mr Oshiomoles Etsako West. Mr Ize-Iyamu lost his home LGA of Orhionmwmwon. Saturdays election was not without incidents of ballot snatching, over voting technical glitches affecting card readers, and violence reported in a few polling units by returning officers during the collation exercise. These incidents caused the cancellation of votes in some polling units. A total of 14 parties contested the election but PDP and APC are the main parties. The election was conducted with compliance to some COVID-19 protocol as officials were seen conducting thermal checks and requiring voters to use face masks before voting. However, there was no social distancing anywhere. LG APC PDP Esan North East 6556 13579 Esan Central 6719 10794 Igueben 5199 7870 Ikpoba Okha 18218 41030 Uhunmwonde 5972 16741 Egor 10202 27621 Owan East 19295 14762 Owan West 11193 11485 Esan South East 9237 10565 Etsako West 26140 17959 Oredo 18365 43498 Ovia North East 9907 16987 Esan West 7189 17434 Akoko Edo 22963 20101 Etsako East 17011 10668 Etsako Central 8359 7478 Orhiaonmwon 10458 13445 Ovia South West 10636 12659 Bachelorette Georgia Love, 31, was forced to cancel her lavish Italian wedding. And now, the former TV star has spoken about being forced to delay her more recent Tasmanian wedding plans. Speaking to The Herald Sun this week, she said: 'We have set a (wedding) date next year and are forging ahead hoping it is going to happen as we want it to.' Delayed: 'We don't want to plan a third wedding' Bachelorette Georgia Love, 33, (pictured) has spoken about her postponed nuptials to fiance Lee Elliott to the Herald Sun this week Georgia had originally planned on having her dream wedding with Lee in Italy, but the coronavirus pandemic forced the couple to cancel. 'We had planned an entire wedding for Italy and that has just gone completely out of the window,' she said. 'We then planned a wedding for Tasmania and that date has now changed.' Troubles: 'We had planned an entire wedding for Italy and that has just gone completely out of the window,' she said. 'We then planned a wedding for Tasmania and that date has now changed.' Georgia explained the pair don't want to plan a third wedding if they have to change their latest plans due to the pandemic. 'We don't want to have to plan a third wedding, but if it ends up that we have to postpone it we will do that.' Despite the wedding plans being in disarray, Georgia has launched a new sleepwear range called Georgia Elliott. Plan B! Georgia (pictured) and Lee moved their wedding from Italy to Tasmania due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Georgia announced in June The brand's first launch is flight themed. A reminder for buyers of what it is like to travel first class. Georgia and Lee got engaged last year. In June, Georgia told the Ben Rob & Robbo revealed the pair had changed the location to Tasmania due to COVID-19. 'We were planning on a wedding for Italy next year so in 2021,' she said. Say 'I Do': The television presenter added that even if international travel opens the couple still plan to hold their nuptials in Georgia's home state of Tasmania instead 'But we've gone back on those plans, so we figured there's just too many 'what-ifs' in the world at the moment.' The television presenter added that even if international travel opens the couple still plan to hold their nuptials in Georgia's home state of Tasmania instead. 'Even if Italy is fine by then we do not want to put it on our family and friends that they have to find the money to do so in such uncertain times with people losing their jobs,' she added. The perfect dress: After becoming engaged Georgia (pictured with Lee) admitted that she had already started trying on dresses before the pandemic hit Speaking to Who Magazine in June, Georgia admitted that she had already started trying on dresses before the pandemic hit. 'I'd started dress shopping. I was actually in a bridal boutique when my sister read out on her phone that Scott Morrison was holding a press conference announcing that all restaurants were shutting down,' she said. 'I thought, 'Oh s**t.' And also, 'Um, can you concentrate on me in the beautiful white dress?'' DMCC, the worlds flagship Free Zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise, has extended its Business Support Package until October20, 2020. The announcement follows the strong appetite and positive reaction from Dubais business community to the original support package launched in March and the subsequent extension and expansion of the package in July. The Business Support Package is the largest commercial package ever released by DMCC and is comprised of measures that safeguard and support businesses, helping to reduce costs and facilitating business continuity during the economic environment shaped by Covid-19. Measures applicable to DMCCs existing 17,500 member companies include: 25% discount on 3-year licence renewal 20% discount on 2-year licence renewal 10% discount on 1-year licence renewal 10% discount on all licences expired in 2020 renewal 100% waiver of late licence renewal penalties 100% waiver of late lease renewal penalties 100% waiver of the Office Sharing Permit fee 100% waiver on change of address fee for relocating from physical office to DMCC Business Centre 50% waiver of the Company Reinstatement fee, applicable if the licence was terminated by the authority due to non-licence renewal 50% waiver of dormancy fees 30% discount on additional licence A 2-month suspension of rent for Flexi Desk and DMCC Business Centre tenants renewals or monthly/quarterly instalment with no discount In addition, DMCC has partnered with Emirates NBD to offer new and existing member companies the opportunity to convert payments into flexible and interest-free instalments. Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DMCC, said: Our visionary leadership continues to take decisive action to safeguard public health and ensure the resilience of our national economy. As the largest free zone in the UAE, our decision to extend the Business Support Package is set to boost Dubais economic resilience at this critical time and ensure that the emirate remains the chosen place for doing business in the months and years to come. Dubai has been able to maintain its position as a global business hub and we have good cause to remain optimistic about the future. Ahmad Hamza, Executive Director Free Zone, DMCC, said: Supporting our entire business community has been our top priority, and will remain so as we enter this new phase of recovery. By extending our Business Support Package, we enhance the ease of doing business, which in turn ensures that Dubai and DMCC continue to be the destination of choice for businesses, entrepreneurs and people alike. DMCC also introduced a 50% reduction in business set-up fees for all diamond-related companies alongside a free 12-month membership of the Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE) valid until 30 September 2020. DMCC witnessed an uptick in new company registrations in May and June in sectors such as Technology, Professional Services, Financial Services, Energy, Precious Metals and Stones, and Food and Agro, in addition to company registrations from China. In the first half of 2020, DMCC welcomed 805 new member companies to its business district. TradeArabia News Service Close Matt Hancock: I would report my neighbour The UK is facing the possibility of a second national lockdown due to Boris Johnsons failure and incompetence on coronavirus, Labours deputy leader has warned. Angela Rayner told her partys virtual conference that there had never been a prime minister more out of his depth and ill-equipped to the task than Mr Johnson. Her comments came after Labours leader Sir Keir Starmer said the PM should apologise over the chaotic testing system in the UK in recent weeks. - Xian Lim recently held another successful solo art exhibit called "Everything Will Be Okay" - The exhibit was held on September 20 at the Secret Fresh Gallery in San Juan City which features some of the actors paintings - Kim Chiu then took to social media to congratulate her talented boyfriend who always makes her proud - Their supporters then adored the celebrity couple for always supporting each others passion PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Kim Chiu recently expressed how proud she is after her boyfriend Xian Lim successfully held another solo art exhibit. Titled "Everything Will Be Okay," the exhibit held on September 20, 2020 at the Secret Fresh Gallery in San Juan City features some of the actors paintings. Kim then took to Instagram to congratulate her talented beau who always makes her proud. Super proud of you!!! As always naman!!!! So much story in one artwork. Indeed hard work paid off! CONGRATULATIONS @xianlimm. ALEXANDER LIM in #everythingwillbeokay edition. Kim Chiu (Photo from Flickr) Source: UGC PAY ATTENTION: Shop with KAMI! The best offers and discounts on the market, product reviews and feedbacks. Netizens then adored the couple for always supporting each others passion. Congratulations direk Xi keep the love and support to each other, God bless u both. Ang saya ko nakita ko cla.ang galing ni xian congrats.xian god bless you both. Ang ganda talaga ninyong pagmasdan, kasama na pati ang napakaganda mong mga paintings so beautiful tlaga, amazingly beautiful, congratulations to both of you Xian and Kim, you guys really supporting each other in every way you can. Ano pa d alam ni xi very talented guy ssunod nyn mgddirect nnmn cya proud gf Congratulations Xi ang gaganda ng paintings. PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! Xian Lim is among the famous actors in the Philippines. He is in a relationship with his on-screen partner, Kim Chiu. Some of their movies are "Bakit Hindi Ka Crush Ng Crush Mo" and "Bride for Rent." Recently, Xian and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) announced about the Philippines first puppetry series to be directed by the actor. Earlier, the couple's fans also gushed over the actor commending Kims "bagong gising" selfie. 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 At a vigil for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Saturday night led hundreds in a chant of I will fight, and delivered a speech warning that American democracy was at stake as President Donald Trump geared up to nominate Ginsburgs replacement. Warrens remarks came a night after Ginsburg died at 87 from complications of metastatic pancreas cancer. NBC News reported that the longtime justice said her most fervent wish was not to be replaced until a new president sat in the White House, and hundreds whod gathered at the candlelight vigil held signs reading Honor RBG and Honor Her Wish." Our very democracy is on the line, Warren told the crowd in front of a sign with Ginsburgs image and the words no confirmation until inauguration. Four years ago, (Senate Majority Leader) Mitch McConnell told us that there would be no vote in the U.S. Senate on a Supreme Court nominee because our president had only one year in office, and every republican stood with him," Warren said. "Today, Mitch McConnell and his henchmen believe that they can ram through a Supreme Court justice only 45 days from the election. McConnell, who in 2016 led Republicans' block of President Barack Obamas Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, said Friday that the presidents nominee to replace Ginsburg would get a vote in the Senate. Mitch McConnell believes that this fight is over, Warren added. What Mitch McConnell does not understand is this fight has just begun. Warren noted that Ginsburg had helped secure the rights of women to organize and helped to protect immigrants, leading gatherers in a chant, I will fight. Democrats argue that its hypocritical if Republicans vote on a Supreme Court justice nominee so close to an election. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, known for her bipartisanship and independence and facing a tough primary fight from Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon, said Saturday she would have no objection to the Senate Judiciary Committee starting the process of reviewing the credentials of Trumps nominee. But she said does not believe that the Senate should vote on the nominee prior to the election. In fairness to the American people, who will either be re-electing the president or selecting a new one, the decision on a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court should be made by the president who is elected on Nov. 3. My statement on the Supreme Court vacancy: pic.twitter.com/jvYyDN5gG4 Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) September 19, 2020 Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska recently said she would not vote to confirm a Supreme Court nominee so close to an election. Sen. Mitt Romney, the only GOP senator who voted to convict Trump on one of the impeachment charges against him, has not addressed whether hed vote on a nominee. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, who recently came out in support of Collins, weighed into the Supreme Court discussion on Saturday morning. He mourned the loss of Ginsburg for the court and the entire nation, and urged Trump and the Senate to allow the American people to cast their ballots for president before a new justice is nominated or confirmed. The Supreme Court is too important to rush and must be removed from partisan political infighting." The passing of Justice Ginsburg is not only a loss for the court but for the entire nation, and I urge President Trump and the U.S. Senate to allow the American people to cast their ballots for President before a new justice is nominated or confirmed. Charlie Baker (@MassGovernor) September 19, 2020 Trump, honing in on one of his campaign promises to secure conservatives to the bench, called it an obligation to nominate a justice. We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices, Trump said on Saturday. We have this obligation, without delay! .@GOP We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices. We have this obligation, without delay! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 19, 2020 Related Content: Social conservatives and evangelical Christian activists began mobilising over the weekend to push for the speedy confirmation of the person Donald Trump ultimately nominates to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, sensing that their long-denied goal of shifting the Supreme Court decisively to the right was finally within reach. A major focus of their efforts will be Senate Republicans, who as a group remain far from united around a plan and a timeline for considering a nominee. In interviews, these activists made it clear that they would pressure senators to move as soon as possible, with some pushing for a vote before 3 November election because they believe any delay could demoralise religious and conservative voters who want to see the party take a swift and forceful approach. The campaign for the presidents eventual nominee will involve a coalition of well-financed political groups and religiously affiliated organisations with networks across the country. And in some cases, the work has already begun. The Faith and Freedom Coalition, led by longtime social conservative strategist Ralph Reed, held events over the weekend featuring two Senate Republicans facing tough reelection fights, Joni Ernst of Iowa and Thom Tillis of North Carolina both members of the Judiciary Committee, which holds Supreme Court confirmation hearings. Speaking to a gathering in North Carolina on Saturday, Mr Reed said: Not only is the presidency on the ballot, but the future of the Supreme Court for a generation is on the ballot. The Judicial Crisis Network, which spent millions on advertising supporting the presidents two previous nominees to the court, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, was completing plans and a budget for its latest rollout of ads. Strategists with knowledge of the groups work said they expected it to release details of its campaign imminently. The confirmation of a justice who would give conservatives a sixth vote solidifying a right-leaning majority on a court that has split 5:4 in many of the most contentious cases involving social issues like abortion rights and same-sex marriage would represent the fulfilment of a goal that has eluded activists for more than a generation. It would also be the most consequential victory to stem from the religious rights unlikely partnership with the president and would serve as validation that the bargain between the thrice-married Manhattan billionaire and his flock of religious followers from the heartland has paid off far beyond expectations. The bitterness of old disappointments still lingers for many conservatives, who believe the Republican Party was not vigilant enough in keeping liberal judges off the federal courts over the years. Although news of Ginsburgs death was just hours old, activists urged the party to act immediately, before any momentum was lost. In the genuine grief that you have as a nation over the death of a Supreme Court justice, you have to plan quickly, said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B Anthony List, an anti-abortion group with activists on the ground in several swing states. Ms Dannenfelser said that while she would defer to Mr Trump and senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, on the question of timing, she believed that action before Election Day six weeks from now would more clearly define the choice before voters between Mr Trump and Joe Biden. The prospect of a rushed confirmation, however, is unnerving to some Republicans, who fear it would endanger senators in tight races, like Susan Collins of Maine and Cory Gardner of Colorado. But Ms Dannenfelser said that considerations over individual campaigns should be set aside in pursuit of the larger and more important goal of seating Mr Trumps nominee. It doesnt matter any of the political calculations none of that matters, she said. What matters is the direction of the nation. And thats why we expect the president and the Senate to move quickly. Mr Trump appears to understand the urgency with which his base views the matter. The importance he places on keeping his word to his followers especially when it comes to the Supreme Court is underscored in a campaign slogan he repeats often: Promises made, promises kept. He said on Saturday that he expected to make a nomination in the next week and that his pick would be a woman. Penny Young Nance, president of Concerned Women for America, said that many conservative voters would lose faith if they saw Senate Republicans dragging their feet. The frustration often with Congress and government institutions by people in the real world, Ms Nance said, is: Why is this so hard? Why is this so complicated? Just get it done. Say what youre going to do and then go do it, she added. Real America has expectations that they expect will be met. The battle over a nominee to replace Ginsburg, who died on Friday, could be a galvanising moment that helps reaffirm for many of the presidents supporters why they took a gamble on him four years ago. Probably Trump wouldnt have been the president had McConnell not decided to delay the vote on Merrick Garland, said Frank Cannon, a veteran social conservative strategist, referring to the majority leaders decision to block Barack Obamas nominee after Justice Antonin Scalia died in 2016, saying that the vacancy should be filled by the next president. This is why we wanted this guy, Mr Cannon said, referring to Mr Trump, who won overwhelmingly with voters who said Supreme Court appointments were the most important issue. Mr Cannon added that Mr McConnell most likely views the next confirmation as equally consequential and will do whatever he can to hold a vote soon, even if the exact timing is still unclear. This is what he sees as his legacy and his contribution to history, he said. The transformation of groups like the Susan B Anthony List from opponents of Mr Trumps early in the 2016 campaign into proud and unwavering backers of his presidency illustrates how intertwined the conservative movement has become with the president and how much they need each other to survive politically. Ms Dannenfelser was one of several socially conservative women who signed a letter in January 2016 urging Iowans to vote for anyone else in the states caucuses, saying that they were disgusted by Mr Trumps treatment of women and that they believed he cannot be trusted on the issue of abortion. To win the favor of anti-abortion conservatives, Mr Trump committed himself to their agenda in a way no previous Republican presidential nominee had. He put out a list of specific candidates he was considering for the Supreme Court, including some who had expressed doubts about abortion rights. And two months before the election, when the Susan B Anthony List asked him to sign a commitment that he would nominate only anti-abortion justices and slash funding for Planned Parenthood, Mr Trump agreed. Filling Ginsburgs seat, Ms Dannenfelser said, is the fulfillment of his No. 1 obligation. In evangelical and social conservative circles, an early consensus was emerging that Mr Trumps nominee would have to be a woman whose conservative convictions were equal to Ginsburgs devotion to liberal jurisprudence. Privately, the first name immediately floated among some conservative activists who are close to the White House was Amy Coney Barrett, a judge on the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals. But given Ms Barretts conservative Roman Catholic beliefs, which Democrats pressed her on during her confirmation in 2017, and the concern she has expressed about abortion, her nomination could fail to win votes from some moderate Republican senators not to mention the fierce resistance it would draw from Democrats and liberal outside groups that have vowed multimillion-dollar campaigns of their own. While it is impossible to say whether Mr Trump or Mr Biden would benefit more from a raging national debate over the future of the Supreme Court, Democrats are showing a growing interest in the issue that party leaders said was encouraging. I think we are highly motivated about just making sure that vacancy is protected and preserved for the next president, representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said in an interview on Saturday. The prospect of a fight with Democrats over a nominee whom social conservatives view as one of their own and someone they believe was unfairly targeted for her faith during her confirmation is something that conservative activists said would energise their voters. But any delay by Republicans, or the selection of a different nominee who is not seen as conservative enough, could deflate that enthusiasm, said Terry Schilling, executive director of the American Principles Project, a group that opposes abortion and gay and transgender rights. The Republican base will be really upset if they dont nominate someone and try to replace Ginsburg with the conservative equivalent, he said, naming Ms Barrett as a choice that would satisfy the right. Trump, he added, may not have any other option. The consequences of losing this election and not filling this seat, I think your hand is forced. New York Times Pakistan on Sunday said the diplomat proposed by India as the next acting head of the Indian mission in Islamabad is too senior for the post even as it sought to link bilateral relations to the resolution of the Kashmir issue. The name of Jayant Khobragade was proposed to the Pakistani side in June, days before New Delhi asked Islamabad to reduce the strength of its high commission by 50%. The move had triggered a reciprocal decision by the Pakistani side. People familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity that the Pakistani side felt the diplomat was too senior to function as the charge daffaires. One of the people said Khobragades current assignment he has been serving on deputation with the Department of Atomic Energy since 2017 could have been a factor in Pakistans decision. The Indian and Pakistani high commissions in the two national capitals have been headed by the deputy chiefs of mission since August 2019, when Pakistan asked India to withdraw then high commissioner Ajay Bisaria as part of a slew of retaliatory actions in response to Indias decision to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special status. Pakistan also opted at that time not to go ahead with the posting of the diplomat who had been chosen as its next envoy to India. A statement from Pakistans Foreign Office spokesperson said: Pakistan believes that by proposing a senior diplomat, who has already served as ambassador in another post, India is trying to circumvent the effect of downgrading of diplomatic relations, which is obviously not in line with Pakistans decision. Khobragade, who served as a counsellor in the Indian mission in Islamabad some years ago, has also held assignments in Russia, Kazakhstan and Spain, and was ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic during 2013-17. However, keeping in view the diplomatic norms, Pakistan has counselled India to nominate an officer with seniority commensurate with Pakistans decision of downgrading the diplomatic relations, the statement added. The Pakistani spokesperson referred to veiled threats in sections of the Indian media that the visa issue would further destabilise bilateral ties and said that it must be clear that the relations between India and Pakistan are inextricably linked to the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. There was no immediate reaction from Indian officials to the Pakistani spokespersons comments. As he presented Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with the National Constitution Centers prestigious Liberty Medal this week, center president Jeffrey Rosen hailed her as a giant of constitutional law, the courts most forceful advocate for gender and racial equality, and one of the most influential justices in history. In the world of the opera, he said, in a nod to her beloved musical genre, a diva is a woman of outstanding talent, who breathes life into a centuries-old work, and whose voice soars above the rest, strong and clear. Someone like Ruth Bader Ginsburg. READ MORE: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies at 87 Ginsburg would die within hours, after a decade-long fight with cancer. And on Saturday, thousands flocked to view that video tribute online one that became an unexpected eulogy, delivered from a city that birthed the ideal of equal treatment under the law that she spent her career defending. Tributes poured in from across Philadelphia, where admirers held an informal vigil Saturday night outside City Hall and women at the Fishtown Recreation Center donned Notorious RBG T-shirts a nod to her late-in-life turn as pop icon. Fellow judges and legal scholars described her as a jurist who, despite her diminutive stature, played a staggering role in expanding the rights for the nations women and minorities. READ MORE: Ruth Bader Ginsburg made the impossible look easy | Opinion And at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Center City, which hosted a tribute exhibition to Ginsburgs life and legacy last year, the online gift shop was inundated with orders for face masks, action figures, coffee mugs, and other tchotchkes bearing her image, museum staff said. At Clark Park in West Philadelphia, activists and others cited Ginsburgs lifelong commitment to liberal ideals as they marched Saturday in opposition to a planned rally by the alt-right group the Proud Boys. She radiated intelligence and purpose, said Jhett Bond, a 46-year-old writer. She left us with her legacy. To fight, and to fight in a way that inspires others to follow. Ginsburgs popularity, here and across the country, stemmed as much from the work of her early career, as a professor at Rutgers University and lawyer who fought and won pivotal cases on womens rights, as it did from her 27-year tenure on the bench. There, she emerged in recent years as the undisputed leader of the courts liberal wing, known for her sharp writing and powerful dissents on cases involving abortion, voting rights, and pay discrimination against women. READ MORE: How Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgs death could reshape the presidential campaign While hearing a Pennsylvania case earlier this year over whether employers could claim religious exemptions to deny providing birth-control coverage to their workers, she quickly cut to the core as questioning from the other justices became mired in debates over arcane points of administrative law. You have just tossed entirely to the wind what Congress thought was essential: that women be provided with these services with no hassle, no cost to them, she said, calling into the hearing from a hospital bed in Maryland where she was recovering from a gallstone infection at the time. LISTEN: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg responds skeptically to the Trump administrations argument: Her dissent in that case would be her last. She just got it and went right at it, said Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, whose office argued the case. She was just remarkable that day and every day. But it was her powerful dissent in the 2017 voting-rights case Shelby County v. Holder in which Ginsburg compared the majoritys decision to strike down parts of the Voting Rights Amendment to throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet that inspired Shana Knizhnik to launch her Tumblr blog titled The Notorious R.B.G. while in law school at New York University. It started out as kind of a joke, the Philadelphia native and former law clerk at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit told CNN on Saturday, the anniversary of Knizhniks wedding, at which Ginsburg officiated. It was sort of a play in contrasts between this amazing rapper who died early in life and this diminutive octogenarian Supreme Court justice. But I think that her notoriety, her incredible superhero status in American culture was something that people were yearning for especially young people and young women in particular. The moniker quickly took off, spawning T-shirts, books, feature films, and museum exhibitions, and engendering a cult following. These days, said Drexel law professor Lisa Tucker, who teaches a class on the Supreme Court, there is no question which justice is the favorite of her students. Shes without a doubt No. 1, she said. But its not only my students. I have daughters and stepdaughters ranging in age from 12 to 21 and I see it in their peers. I have friends whose daughters dress up as her for Halloween. Ginsburg fostered that devotion during many visits to Philadelphia, which reliably drew standing ovations and whooping cheers from sold-out crowds. In December, she was inducted into the Only in America Hall of Fame at the National Museum of American Jewish History. Youd be surprised how many friends called me with daughters and granddaughters desperately hoping to get tickets, said Marjorie Midge Rendell, a judge on the Philadelphia-based Third Circuit. We judges are pretty dull people, and for her to have captured the imagination and become that rock star, she benefited all of us. READ MORE: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says her Philadelphia honor is pure joy While accepting the honor, Ginsburg, the first Jewish woman appointed to the Supreme Court, read the famous words of Emma Lazarus, a Jewish writer whose work she credited with inspiring her. A line from Lazarus' poem The New Colossus Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free is inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty. That was one of the most moving experiences of my life. There wasnt a dry eye in the house, said Josh Perelman, the museums chief curator. Not just because its a beautiful poem ... but it was amplified by who Justice Ginsburg is and how she created a life of dedication to the ideals of this nation and her stature as a beacon for justice and hope. For Rosen, the Constitution Center president, it was that dedication that made Ginsburg such an influential figure in his life. The two met by chance on an elevator when she was an appellate judge on the D.C. Circuit and he a young law clerk. Not knowing what to say, he struck up a conversation about opera a hesitant attempt at small talk that blossomed into a decades-long friendship. READ MORE: Ginsburg to be remembered with statue in her native Brooklyn He would bring her to the Constitution Center in 2013 for a revealing conversation about the inner workings of the court and ultimately edited a collection of their talks into his book Conversations With RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Life, Love, Liberty and Law. Rosen said Saturday he was honored to have been able to present her with the Liberty Medal in the waning hours of her life. Even though the coronavirus and the justices ailing health prevented a ceremony in person, Ginsburg sent a letter calling it a huge honor. To have your hero be your role model, Rosen said Saturday, his voice trailing off. She just inspired me every day and will continue to for the rest of my life. Whenever I feel that Im distracted or not as focused as I should be, I think, What would RBG do? And then I get back to work. Staff writers Samantha Melamed, Allison Steele, and Alfred Lubrano contributed to this article. If you want to know who really controls Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (ASX:API), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. Generally speaking, as a company grows, institutions will increase their ownership. Conversely, insiders often decrease their ownership over time. Companies that used to be publicly owned tend to have lower insider ownership. Australian Pharmaceutical Industries is not a large company by global standards. It has a market capitalization of AU$503m, which means it wouldn't have the attention of many institutional investors. Taking a look at our data on the ownership groups (below), it seems that institutions own shares in the company. Let's delve deeper into each type of owner, to discover more about Australian Pharmaceutical Industries. View our latest analysis for Australian Pharmaceutical Industries What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Australian Pharmaceutical Industries? Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing. We can see that Australian Pharmaceutical Industries does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Australian Pharmaceutical Industries, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too. We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Australian Pharmaceutical Industries. Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited is currently the largest shareholder, with 19% of shares outstanding. With 5.1% and 4.9% of the shares outstanding respectively, First Sentier Investors (Australia) IM Ltd and LSV Asset Management are the second and third largest shareholders. Story continues Our studies suggest that the top 25 shareholders collectively control less than half of the company's shares, meaning that the company's shares are widely disseminated and there is no dominant shareholder. While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too. Insider Ownership Of Australian Pharmaceutical Industries While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it. Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances. Our most recent data indicates that insiders own some shares in Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Limited. In their own names, insiders own AU$8.0m worth of stock in the AU$503m company. It is good to see some investment by insiders, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying. General Public Ownership The general public, mostly retail investors, hold a substantial 54% stake in Australian Pharmaceutical Industries, suggesting it is a fairly popular stock. This level of ownership gives retail investors the power to sway key policy decisions such as board composition, executive compensation, and the dividend payout ratio. Public Company Ownership It appears to us that public companies own 19% of Australian Pharmaceutical Industries. This may be a strategic interest and the two companies may have related business interests. It could be that they have de-merged. This holding is probably worth investigating further. Next Steps: It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Australian Pharmaceutical Industries better, we need to consider many other factors. I always like to check for a history of revenue growth. You can too, by accessing this free chart of historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph. But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter future. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. 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 dark shapes briefly surfaced near the boat sailing in the darkness off the coast of northern Spain, then there was a thud, followed by an expletive in Spanish. Orcas had rammed the hull of the Spanish boat, the Urki I, in the early hours of Monday, as the two-person crew tried to divert its course. But the damage was done: The rudder was broken, and the Urki I had to be towed back to port by a boat from the Red Cross. Over the past two months, orcas have damaged about a dozen pleasure boats off the Iberian Peninsula from the Strait of Gibraltar to the coast of Galicia, the most northerly point in Spain, baffling marine biologists and sailors. After many years of telling tales and celebrating stories of men and their valour, filmmakers have started to invest in the stories of women where they take the lead. Things are slowly and gradually changing as even the audience has started to accept female-dominated stories. It should have been normalized way back but glad to see that at least steps are being taken to make women the lead characters. But, if you think men in female-led stories are nothing but just side characters then you are probably wrong. They too are the important anchors to the stories written for women. In the movies led by men, women were reduced to damsels in distress but thats not the case here. Men are not eye-candies in the female-dominated movies as they too have important parts to play. Here are 5 Bollywood men in female-dominated stories who were more than just side characters in those movies. 1. Vikrant Massey In Chhapaak Vikrant Masseys character Amol is the one who gives confidence to the character of Malti played by Deepika Padukone to fight for her battle against the one who threw acid on her face. 2. Jassie Gill In Panga Former India captain in Kabaddi Jaya Nigam finds her biggest supporter in her husband, Prashant, played by Jassie Gill. He was an important anchor to Jayas post marriage and motherhoods stint with Kabaddi. 3. Pankaj Tripathi In Gunjan Saxena Pankaj Tripathis role in Gunjan Saxena was actually an eye-opener in many ways. He smashed patriarchy and proved that back in the 90s, Indian fathers could have been progressive and made sure that their daughters do whatever they deem is fit for them. 4. Parambrata Chattopadhyay In Bulbbul Parambratas character Dr. Sudip is not someone who believes in the patriarchal notions and how a woman should act a certain way. He, in fact, helps Bulbbul to understand her real power. In an interview, director Avnita Dutt, said, The Doctor character was a tip of the hat to the Renaissance man, who is simple, who is not threatened by a strong woman, and who doesnt believe in all this hierarchy. 5. Vicky Kaushal In Raazi Vicky Kaushals character in Meghna Gulzars story starring Alia Bhatt is not reduced to being only Sehmats husband, Iqbal. It was him who made his family trust Sehmat and was also supportive of her. He has also tried to break away from the stereotypical portrayal of Pakistani Army officers through his performance in Raazi. Vicky told PTI, Weve been conditioned that way. We cant pinpoint fingers at anyone. But thats what was fun to do while playing the part. To try breaking the quintessential mould of the Army guy and the Pakistani guy. When we mix the two, an image always emerges he would be crude, shrewd, and a fanatic. Iqbals character breaks the image. That was the beauty of this role. Do you agree with us that these men were not just the side characters? There's a lot of advice about how to stay safe from the coronavirus this fall, but the nation's top infectious-disease expert wants you to keep one tip at top of mind: stay out of restaurants and barsbasically, away from any indoor spaces with crowds. In many states, restaurants and bars were closed early in the pandemic. Some states reopened bars, only to close them again when several outbreaks were linked to bars. Eight months into the COVID-19 era, New York is only just now allowing indoor restaurant service (at 25% capacity) as of Sept. 30; there, bars are still outdoor-only. In an interview with MSNBC's All In With Chris Hayes last week, Fauci said, "I totally agree" that bars should remain closed. Why? Fauci said that if you look at the figures on the CDC website, "that's really telling." "It shows the risk of different types of situations that give you a higher risk of transmissibility, and coming right out at you from the figure is restaurants, bars, and gyms," said Fauci. "When you have restaurants indoors in a situation where you have a high degree of infection in the community [and] you're not wearing a mask, that's a problem. RELATED: COVID Mistakes You Should Never Make "And that's the reason why we have very, very clear when we make a recommendation, depending upon the level of infection in the community, you've got to look very carefully at things like bars as a really important place of spreading of infection," Fauci added. "There's no doubt about that. And that becomes particularly important if you happen to be in an area with a high degree of community spread. So those are things that are crystal clear." In June, Fauci told a Congressional hearing, "Congregation at a bar inside is bad news. We've really got to stop that. Right now." That month, 107 coronavirus cases were linked to a single bar in East Lansing, Michigan. In recent weeks, many colleges have welcomed students back to campus, only to cancel in-person classes because of COVID-19 outbreaks linked to indoor parties and gatherings. Story continues Fauci has repeatedly advised that "outdoors is better than indoors." Several studies have shown that the coronavirus can spread readily indoors via recirculated air in ventilation systems, while transmission outdoors is much less likely. Fresh air causes coronavirus particles to disperse before they can be inhaled or otherwise invade the mucous membranes, which experts believe are the primary means of COVID-19 transmission. RELATED: Everything Dr. Fauci Has Said About Coronavirus As for yourself, do everything you can to prevent gettingand spreadingCOVID-19 in the first place: Mask, get tested if you think you have coronavirus, avoid crowds (and bars, and house parties), practice social distancing, only run essential errands, wash your hands regularly, disinfect frequently touched surfaces, and to get through this pandemic at your healthiest, don't miss these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID. A capital murder case scheduled to be tried the first day jury trials can resume in the state has been delayed due to illness, and when the trial goes forward it will not include statements made by the defendant after a sheriff gave him whiskey before his arrest. Defense attorneys Ron Smith and Nick Heatherly are also seeking to dismiss some capital counts from the indictment. Roger Stevens, 68, is charged with capital murder in the shooting and beating death of Kay Letson Stevens in Southeast Decatur on Nov. 14, 2015, two days after their divorce was finalized. He allegedly chased her through the Corner Bakery and Eatery, which she co-owned, shot her, and beat her head against a concrete curb. After the shooting, Roger Stevens barricaded himself in the cab of his tractor-trailer outside the Target Distribution Center on Greenbrier Road in Limestone County. Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely, along with then-Morgan County Sheriff Ana Franklin and Stevens' brother, climbed into the cab of the tractor-trailer after talking with the suspect on the phone, hoping to persuade him to submit to arrest. When we got there, he was sitting up in that truck drinking, Blakely said shortly after the arrest. I looked over and saw the whiskey he had and he got to talking about the kind it was and how it wasnt cold. So I sent some of my guys to get cups and ice. Blakely acknowledged then it was an odd tactic, but one aimed at defusing a dangerous situation. In some cases, you can get the persons mind off whatever theyre doing at the time in the bad situation and get them talking about other things, he said then. Anytime you do this, you always hope for a positive outcome, but it cant always turn out that way. The suspects are the ones dealing the cards, and our response has to follow what they do. According to a defense motion, adopted in an order by Morgan County Circuit Judge Jennifer Howell last month, the State conceded that these statements were inadmissible due to the fact that law enforcement provided Defendant with alcohol. The State further stated that it would not offer these statements. Smith on Friday said the prosecution made the obvious call in allowing Stevens' statements to be suppressed. When youre intoxicated and then the officers are giving you liquor, you cant really say its a voluntary statement, that you didnt get anything in return for it, Smith said. Due to COVID-19 concerns, the state Supreme Court in March halted all jury trials until last Monday. Stevens' trial was to be the first up that day in Morgan County, despite a motion by his lawyers that the trial could not be held safely during the pandemic. Howell denied the motion, and the parties issued dozens of witness subpoenas. On Sept. 11, Stevens' lawyers filed another motion to delay the trial, this time because counsel has a family medical emergency that will preclude him from participating in the proceedings. Howell granted the motion Monday, the day jury selection was scheduled to begin. Given the publicity of this case and the concern regarding juror responses to summons during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the agreement that five alternates be kept, the clerk shall summon 360 jurors in the case, Howell ordered, and only 90 jurors will be in the courthouse at one time. Smith said hes hopeful that a November trial can proceed safely with the safeguards implemented by the judge. I think well be OK. Theyve got precautions in place and the way its set up, unless things change, I think theyre reasonable, he said. Smith defended a non-jury trial in Athens recently. That actually went pretty smoothly, even with all the precautions. You have the shields, but then the witness takes off the mask when theyre behind the shield so you can see their face. You just stay back a little bit, he said. "It wasnt as bad as I expected it to be. Now in this case were going to have a whole lot more people. Were going to have a jury. So thats going to be a big difference. The penalty for capital murder is either death or life in prison without parole. District Attorney Scott Anderson in 2017 filed a notice that he did not intend to seek the death penalty against Stevens, so a conviction of capital murder would mean Stevens would spend the rest of his life in prison. Stevens' lawyers this month filed a motion seeking to strike two counts of the indictment in an effort to downgrade the charge to murder. A conviction for non-capital murder comes with a penalty of either life with parole or life without parole. An intentional killing that constitutes murder does not necessarily constitute capital murder. To become a capital case, the murder must meet one of 20 circumstances, ranging from murder during the commission of a kidnapping to murder of a child. One circumstance that elevates a homicide to capital murder is if the killing took place during the commission of a burglary. Four of the counts in Stevens' indictment allege Stevens was committing a burglary by unlawfully entering the bakery with the intent to commit a felony when he killed her. In the initial indictment against Stevens, the capital murder counts were entirely tied to the alleged burglary. A superseding indictment was later filed alleging another circumstance that prosecutors argue provides grounds for elevating the homicide to capital murder: a murder by the defendant where a court had issued a protective order for the victim, against the defendant. Two counts in the superseding indictment allege Stevens killed his ex-wife while a protective order was in place. After a defense request for a more definite statement, the DAs office advised that the protective order was included in the final divorce judgment filed two days before the death. The divorce order prohibits either party from conduct likely to harass, threaten, coerce, intimidate, or in any manner whatsoever disturb the other partys right to a separate life and to peace and contentment . Stevens' defense attorneys this month argued that violation of the divorce order does not elevate murder to capital murder. Their argument relies on the wording of the capital murder statute. The law elevates a murder to capital murder when a a court had issued a protective order for the victim, against the defendant, pursuant to Section 30-5-1 . Section 30-5-1 is not a part of the divorce code. It instead details the procedure for protection-from-abuse petitions filed by victims of abuse. Indeed, Kay Letson Stevens did file such a petition, but it was denied. In October 2014, Kay Stevens sought a protection-from-abuse order against her husband, alleging he twice came to the bakery, throwing black paint at the wall one time and saying, Ill kill you if I ever see you with another man, the second time. Her petition asked the court to prevent Roger Stevens from contacting her at home or at work. It also asked that he be ordered to surrender all firearms. Howell declined to issue the protection-from-abuse order because the alleged actions were not a definition of abuse. Smith said he is not sure which of multiple capital murder counts will be emphasized by the prosecution. Theyve kind of done the shotgun approach where theyve got six counts for one killing. You can only end up with one, Smith said. 2020 The Decatur Daily (Decatur, Ala.) Visit The Decatur Daily (Decatur, Ala.) at www.decaturdaily.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. 5088 view Add Comment Agricultural scientists from all over the country will come to Bikaner A National seminar to be held from 14 November inSwami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agricultural University Bikaner, 10 October, A national seminar on 'holistic approach to agricultural development in a changing rural environment' will be organized by the Indian Society of Extension Education (ISEE) under the joint auspices of Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agricultural University and the Foundation for Action Research. In this, agricultural scientists, students and progressive farmers from all over the country will participate. In connection with its preparations, the Vice Chancellor on Thursday. R. A meeting was held in the Chancellor Secretariat Auditorium under the chairmanship of P. Singh. On this occasion, Prof. Singh said that through seminars, experiences of agricultural scientists across the country will be shared. Various committees are being formed for its successful organization. Every officer should discharge his duty seriously. He informed that during the seminar, the chief scientists will read papers based on research and other works. Prescribed themed posters will be presented. Pro. Singh said that agricultural students and progressive farmers will also participate in the seminar. Exhibition of products of progressive farmers will be held. In the meeting, various preparations including housing, food, registration of agricultural scientists from different regions of the country were reviewed. Registrar Prof. Rajesh Sharma Seminar Organizing Secretary and Director of Extension Education Prof. SK Sharma will be the coordinator. At the meeting, former ISCC Chairman Dr. Baldev Singh, Registrar Prof. Rajesh Sharma, Director of Extension Education Prof. SK Sharma, Research Director Prof. SL Godara, IABM Director Prof. NK Sharma, Founder Postgraduate Education Prof. Vimala Dukwal, Director of Land Homogeneity and Revenue Generation Prof. Subhash Chandra, Prof. Ramdhan Jat, Dr. Bhagwan Singh Meena, Dr. Chitra Henry, Dr. RK Verma, Dr. Jaya Paliwal etc. remained present. Vice Chancellor met Chief Secretary Jaipur, Swami Keshavanand Vice Chancellor of Rajasthan Agricultural University Prof. R. P. Singh met the Principal Secretary (Agriculture and Horticulture) Nareshpal Gangwar on Wednesday in Jaipur. He informed about various activities of the university and gave information about vacancies. Gangwar asked to send a report of vacant posts. He also assured that vacant posts will be filled soon. The chancellor invited him to come to the university. During this, the Registrar Prof. Rajesh Sharma and Finance Controller BL Sarva also accompanied. Vice Chancellor participated in the meeting held under the chairmanship of Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) Niranjan Arya and discussed various issues. Pro. Singh took over as president of ISEE Bikaner, 10 October. Swami Keshavanand Vice Chancellor of Rajasthan Agricultural University Prof. R. P. Singh on Thursday took over as the President of the Indian Society of Extension Education (ISEE). The outgoing president of the Society, Prof. Baldev Singh assigned him the assignment. ISSE is the oldest society working in the field of broadcasting education at the national level. It was formed on 12 June 1964. Currently it has more than 2 thousand 300 lifetime members across the country. After taking charge Prof. Singh said that all the priorities recorded in the constitution of the society will remain his priorities. Richard Jackson, who heads the Council of School Officers, a union for mid-level leadership, said there is not widespread buy-in from principals yet. He said school leaders are angry that D.C. Public Schools seemingly put the onus on principals to reopen their buildings. He said principals are frustrated that the city has not yet checked school ventilation systems and do not trust that their buildings are ready for students. School officials confirmed that they will be checking every schools HVAC system and will provide necessary upgrades by Nov. 9, though they could not say how many systems have been checked so far. An eight-day of legislature will begin on Monday under the shadow of COVID-19 pandemic, amid unprecedented safety measures and restrictions, as several Ministers and legislators have tested positive for the infection. The session is likely to be stormy with the Opposition eyeing to corner the B S Yediyurappa-led BJP government on a host of issues, including management of the pandemic, which has affected over 5.11 lakh people in the state. Principal opposition Congress has also decided to raise issues such as the D J Halli violence, drugs scandal, law and order situation and the state's financial situation during the session, slated to end on September 30, Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri has made it mandatory for all, including members, officers, staff and journalists, to undergo RT-PCR test for COVID-10, seventy two hours prior to the start ofthe session. COVID negative certificate has been made compulsory for entry into both the Houses at the Vidhana Soudha here. According to the legislature secretariat, both the assembly and the Legislative Council would meet at 11 am. The session had to be convened before September 23 in view of the Constitutional provision that the legislature has to meet at least once in six months. The budget session was cut short andadjourned sine die on March 24 in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak with the state reporting 41 positive cases and one death at the time. As of September 19, cumulatively 5,11,346 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 7,922 deaths and 4,04,841 discharges. As part of preventive measures in the legislature, seats of members are separated by transparent shields. Attendees will also have to wear face shields and follow the preventive measures for coronavirus. While public will not be allowed entry, the press gallery has been shifted to the second floor. Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan on Saturday joined the list of Ministers who have tested positive for COVID-19. Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Food and Civil Supplies Minister K Gopalaiah were infected earlier last week. Several legislators from both treasury and opposition sides have also tested positive. There are 10 new bills, 19 ordinances and two bills pending from the previous session that are likely to be taken up during the session. Pointing to this, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah said the time fixed for the session will not be enough and it needs to be extended. The senior Congress leader and former chief minister is likely to raise it during the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting slated for Monday morning ahead of the commencement of the session. The party has alleged corruption in procurement of medical equipment, and is likely to raise the issue on which both the opposition and the ruling BJP have locked horns in the past. The session is taking place at a time when there is speculation in some quarters that the BJP central leadership is mulling to replace 77-year-old Yediyurappa, considering his age. Yediyurappa, meanwhile, is awaiting the high command's nod to go ahead with the expansion or reshuffle of his Cabinet, despite fears of possible disgruntlement, with too many aspirants and limited ministerial berths. (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| 2020-09-20 02:25:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIRUT, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased on Saturday by 779 cases to 28,297, while the death toll went up by five to 286, the Health Ministry reported. Director General of Rafic Hariri University Hospital Firas Abiad warned on Saturday that the daily increase in COVID-19 cases has been alarming, as Lebanon can only provide 60 beds in emergency rooms at hospitals for the time being. Abiad urged the government to adopt a proper strategy to avoid a disastrous situation especially at a time when schools are about to reopen and there will be an increase in the number of flu cases in winter. Lebanon has been fighting against COVID-19 since Feb. 21. The country has received several donations from different countries for the fight against COVID-19, including China which offered batches of medical supplies. Enditem Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Pham Anh Tuan said that his Ministry is about to submit to the PM the National Strategy for Digital Government Development for the period 2021-2025, with a vision to 2030. Tuan told the recent national conference on e-government with the theme: "Developing e-Government to promote online public services towards digital government - Models and solutions" that the positive results achieved in recent years have created a foundation for digital transformation in the Government to develop digital Government in the coming years. The event. Tuan said that the development of e-Government, digital government, and digital transformation is the countrys important policy and orientation that has been approved by the Politburo, the Government, and the Prime Minister in recent years. Many resolutions and decisions related to this issue have been promulgated in the past two years, including Resolution 52 dated September 27, 2019 of the Politburo, Resolution 17 dated March 7, 2019 of the Government and Decision 749 dated June 3, 2020 of the Prime Minister. Implementing the above policies, the Government, ministries, sectors, localities and the digital technology business community have worked hard to develop e-Government, providing online public services for people and businesses. Experts attending the event said that Vietnam has made great efforts to develop e-Government. According to the United Nations E-Government Rankings, Vietnam has jumped up 13 places since 2014. In the most recent report in July, the ranking of Vietnam's e-Government increased from 88/193 in 2018 to 86/193 countries, but ranked 6/11 in the ASEAN region. Regarding online public services, according to statistics of the Department of Informatics, by September 2020, the rate of online public services at level 4 reached 19.1%, nearly 4.2 times higher than in 2018. Nine ministries and agencies under the Government and 15 provinces and cities reached the rate of over 30%. Typically, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Information and Communications have provided 100% of online public services at level 4; Thua Thien Hue province provides 100% of online public services at level 3 and 4, with level 4 reaching 55%. In order to achieve the government's target of providing at least 30% of online public services at level 4 this year, the Ministry of Information and Communications is making efforts to deploy online public services at level 4. Talking about future development directions, Deputy Minister Tuan said that in 2020, for the first time, the United Nations used the term "Digital Government". This reflects the trend of countries moving from e-government to digital government. In fact, in Vietnam, the development orientation of the digital government has been outlined in Resolution 52 of the Politburo, as well as in the National Digital Transformation Program approved by the Prime Minister. Accordingly, Vietnam aims to complete the digital transformation in the Party, the State, the Fatherland Front agencies, and socio-political organizations by 2025 and complete the construction of a digital government in Vietnam by 2030. In order to concretize this orientation, the Ministry of Information and Communications has urgently developed a National Strategy on Digital Government Development for the 2021-2025 period, with a vision to 2030. This strategy is being submitted to the Prime Minister for consideration and promulgation. The Ministry of Information and Communications expects that this will be an overall strategy, giving vision, goals and responsibilities to implement the contents according to a roadmap, ensuring synchronous implementation, inheritance, connection and development in both depth and width. Businesses slow in digital transformation Many Vietnamese enterprises, especially small and medium enterprises, are still not fully aware of the role of digital transformation in the fourth industrial revolution. Many reports from the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) have shown that Vietnamese small and medium enterprises currently account for about 97 per cent of the total number of enterprises, but the level of science, technology and innovation is low. Up to 80-90 per cent of machinery used in Vietnamese enterprises is imported; of which, nearly 80 per cent is old technology from the 1980s to 1990s. Cisco Systems, a provider of information technology products and services for businesses, conducted research on the digital growth index of small and medium-sized enterprises in Asia-Pacific. The study was conducted on more than 1,340 businesses in the region, including 50 businesses in Viet Nam. Vietnamese SMEs are facing barriers in digital transformation, such as a lack of digital skills and human resources (17 per cent) or a strong information technology foundation to enable digital transformation (16.7 per cent). However, 18 per cent of Vietnamese SMEs have invested in cloud technology, 12.7 per cent invested in cybersecurity and 10.7 per cent invested in software and hardware upgrades. The Tin Tuc (News) newspaper quoted Vu Tien Loc, VCCI chairman, as saying that State agencies needed to continue to institutionalise and actively implement local technology innovation guidelines and policies. He recommended co-ordination among departments, agencies, branches and localities in promoting and implementing guidelines and policies on technology innovation. The State's policies in this area were not attractive enough, while procedures were still cumbersome and time-consuming, he said. It was also difficult for businesses to access preferential capital and other support sources, said the chairman. On the business side, Loc said that it was necessary to have the right view and a clear sense of responsibility to innovate the business model, technology in production and management models based on digital technology. That was the key factor for businesses to move towards creative, sustainable and inclusive development goals, said the chairman. VNS M.T E-government growth to closely connect with smart city, digital transformation The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) has just held a consultation session with businesses about proper strategies for e-government development in the period from 2021 2025, with a vision to 2030. Kildare agritech company Terra Nutritech is planning increased international growth in the coming months to grow turnover to 15m over the next three years. The firm has designed a dosing system for sprinkling precisely measured amounts of essential liquid minerals for animal health into farm water systems. "The way I would always describe what we do to somebody who's not in the agricultural sector is that we have developed basically an espresso machine to put Berocca for cows into water," said CEO Padraig Hennessy. The system provides two way information between farmer and supplier: "So from our office here in Kildare I can see on to a farm anywhere in the world to see what animals are feeding, the dosage rates and how much stock is left." Despite the pandemic, the Moone-based firm has experienced 35pc growth this year and still expects to move into new markets in the coming months, he said. "This year we've expanded into Germany and Belgium. Before the end of the year, we aim to be in Denmark, the Czech Republic, Uruguay and Hungary. We're talking to poultry providers in North Africa and to large companies in the US and Far East. "We see rapid expansion in the next three years. We developed all our technology so that it was hugely scalable. From day one we set out to develop the product as a disrupter to the incumbents in the market. We knew once we got traction we could scale very quickly," he said. The company has been self-funded with investment of 3m to date. "We bootstrapped the whole way," said Hennessy. "Most companies our size look to venture capital or other institutional investors. We've taken a slightly different view on things, being greedy to be honest, trying to retain the shares ourselves. That has possibly meant we have grown a small bit slower in the last couple of years, but we believe now we're at the stage where we can actually grow and take it to the next level." The second new use of student loan debt repayment as a benefit revolves around unused sick days. Many companies insist those days be used by the end of each year. But who wants to go on vacation during a pandemic? Other companies allow a rollover of some sick days until the following year but concerned employees afraid of losing their jobs may not be willing to use them. Now, Fidelity is helping some companies set up plans that allow employees to choose between rolling over their sick days and taking their value as a direct payment to their student loan servicer. For example, employee benefits company Unum is working with Fidelity to allow employees to transfer carry-over paid time off into a payment against student debt beginning next year. Since the CARES Act waived almost all student loan payments until the end of this year and interest is not accruing any extra payments made now go directly toward paying down the balance of the loan, working even harder to eliminate the debt. Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist monk, dies at 95 22 Jan 2022 | 10:32 AM Hanoi, Jan 22 (UNI) Thich Nhat Hanh, a prominent Vietnamese Buddhist monk, has died at the age of 95. see more.. Saudi-led coalition says carried out no airstrikes 22 Jan 2022 | 10:22 AM Riyadh, Jan 22 (UNI/Sputnik) The Saudi-led coalition said it had not carried out airstrikes on the prison in the northern Yemeni province of Saada. see more.. Mother sues Meta, Snap for daughters suicide 22 Jan 2022 | 9:51 AM Washington, Jan 22 (UNI) A woman has filed lawsuit against Instagram's parent company Meta and Snap Inc as an addiction to their social media platforms caused the suicide of her 11-year old daughter. see more.. UN chief calls for US-China negotiation over trade, technology 22 Jan 2022 | 8:38 AM United Nations, Jan 22 (UNI/Xinhua) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for dialogue and negotiation between the United States and China over trade and technology to avoid the polarization of the world market and economy. see more.. In an effort to address the areas critical affordable housing shortage, a Longview church donated a vacant lot to Housing Opportunities of Southwest Washington to build a 48-unit apartment complex. Longview Presbyterian Church officially donated the 2-acre lot adjacent to its property on Pennsylvania Street to the housing authority in August after about two years discussing the project, said Rev. Dexter Kearny, co-pastor. The goal of the project is to help alleviate homelessness, he said. About 52% of Cowlitz County renters are rent burdened, or spending more than 30% of their income on rent, said Jennifer Westerman, Housing Opportunities of Southwest Washington CEO. Income is not keeping up with cost of housing, and the availability of any housing, let alone affordability, is limited, she said. All that paints a picture of need, Westerman said. We really need to focus on increasing the supply of affordable housing in this region. The proposal is for a complex of multiple two-story buildings with 48 units total, including one, two and three bedroom apartments, Kearny said. As proposed, the building would circle a green space and include an office and indoor communal space, he said. Longview Presbyterian purchased the land along with the lot its building is on in the 1970s, intending to use it for expansion, Kearny said. However, the congregation remained steady and the lot sat vacant. Kearny said after he and his wife and fellow co-pastor, Liz Kearny, moved to Longview in 2016, they and the churchs governing board discussed what to do with the lot. One of the churchs priorities for years has been helping those in poverty and homelessness, Kearny said. The more the church became involved, the more the lack of affordable housing in the community became clear, he said. When considering what to do with the lot, the church decided to use the land for affordable housing because providing stable housing is an first step in helping someone address other problems, whether those are financial, mental health or physical, Kearny said. Taking away that concern allows the person to start to thrive, so we felt called to it, he said. We felt it was one way our church could engage, especially with our empty lot and the resources close by. ... We felt there was a lot to be gained by using that lot for this purpose. A church committee explored several options for the lot, including building tiny homes or duplexes, or selling the land and buying a different apartment complex, Kearny said. But the committee realized the church didnt want to be the property manager, so it decided to find a partner for the project, he said. The committee talked to several organizations and eventually formed a strong connection with Housing Opportunities of Southwest Washington, Kearny said. After discussing the project for a couple years, the church officially donated the land to the organization in August, he said. The regional administrative body, or presbytery, had to approve the donation because the Longview church technically holds the land in trust for the denomination, Kearny said. When the final vote happened to donate the land ... I ended up weeping tears of joy because it was such a labor of love to reach this point, Kearny said. Theres still a lot of work to do, but to me, it hit a big culmination at that moment. Westerman, Housing Opportunities CEO, said the church has been phenomenal to work with and the organization is glad to help in the development process. The project is the largest the housing authority has attempted recently, and its trying to get as many units included as possible, she said. Along with providing much needed housing, the project would be an asset to the neighborhood, Westerman said. A lot of people get concerned when we build affordable housing that it is going to decrease their housing values, she said. That doesnt tend to be the case, especially with a housing authority project. It has a tendency to be nicest housing in the neighborhood. ... We develop them to blend in the neighborhood. Westerman said Housing Opportunities is making progress on the project, which is a high priority for the agency. The Enterprise Community Partners Inc. paid for the site feasibility study, valued at about $50,000, she said. The study includes a wetland report and geotechnical surveys. The Longview City Council in June allocated $150,000 in HOME Program funds to Housing Opportunities for the project. Westerman said the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington granted the organization $160,000 for project predevelopment, including designs. Were grateful for all the people working together to make this happen, she said. Affordable housing comes to be by the efforts of the community, looking forward to moving this along. Housing Opportunities will soon select an architect and complete a needs assessment to determine who the target population will be, Westerman said. The housing authority will invite public comment on the project down the road when it has designs, she said. Westerman said she intends to apply to the Federal Home Loan Bank in May and the state Housing Trust Fund in September 2021. If the project is funded by those sources, construction could begin in early 2022, she said. Kearny said Housing Opportunities will take the lead throughout the funding and construction process, and the church will come back to provide support for tenants once the project is built. Depending on what the tenants need, that could be tutoring, meal shares, a clothing bank or other services, he said. Were really excited to continue to care for the people who most need help in our community ... and partner with an awesome organization, he said. I hope this could become a model for other churches and maybe help pave the way for that. Love 29 Funny 1 Wow 1 Sad 4 Angry 10 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. Wunmi Mosaku in Lovecraft County Wunmi Mosaku in Lovecraft County HBO In a recent interview with "Lovecraft Country" creator Misha Green, I invoked a work that, I suspected, would evoke a specific response: "Watchmen." Our Zoom conversation came at the tail end of a press day during which I'm sure many other fellow journalists had mentioned that other HBO series, one that instigated choruses of heady debate and intricate analysis. Junkets are like that: some questions get asked over and over again, and actors and producers do their level best to provide quotable variations on a theme as answers. It's an annoying business, but it's their job. Still, I made a bet as to what sort of reaction that mention might elicit. Sure enough, Green's smile took on a shade of forbearance when I asked her whether she considered the cultural heat around "Watchmen" while making "Lovecraft" and if she wondered how her series might evolve the conversation. "No," she gently and patiently responded, before observing that even in the midst of production, it was pointed out to her that both her series and "Watchmen" reference the race massacre in Tulsa. She responded to that observation with, "'Lots of ways we can look at Tulsa. It's not a monolith, guys, it's OK.' And I feel the same way about this moment. What's happening in this moment has been happening for a very long time." But this version of the "moment" to which Green referred is a tug-of-war between discomfort and understanding and a lot of the burden of figuring out to navigate the thorny fields of our nation's fraught history with regard to race and racism has fallen to TV series and films, fictional and nonfictional. "It's odd," Green added. "As an artist, you want to be speaking to the times. We could argue that was happening when 'Underground' [Green's previous series] was becoming a thing. We can argue that it was happening before that moment." The question is how much of an obligation artists such as Green have to provoke conversation regarding the moment and somehow move it along, and whether the audience will simply allow her and others creators to make a series centered upon people who aren't typically the focus a Black family in the case of "Lovecraft Country" and see it without the weight of expectation that it must somehow make some grand, powerful statement that speaks to This Moment. Story continues It's easy to see why "Lovecraft Country" confuses and irritates some people in a way that differs from those who simply don't like shows of its ilk. The disconnect has something to do with its structure: like the 2016 novel upon which the series is based, "Lovecraft Country" is a family drama whose episodes hang together like an anthology series. "The X-Files" adopted this one-and-done structure to great success, although the most unshakable of its fans will admit that even that beloved classic was inconsistent. It could also be disgusting, even controversial in its storytelling, without anyone grilling Chris Carter about its overarching social message. Very little of the content of "The X-Files" aggravated the politically or socially choleric viewer, because its FBI cases were open and shut affairs told in a time when the Bureau wasn't subject to accusations of partisanship. Whereas "Lovecraft Country" has confrontations with racists and racism baked into its very premise by centering Black protagonists in segregated1950s America. This gives rise to certain expectations of inserting meaning and profundity within stories about slimy monsters, warlocks and demons. The novel's author Matt Ruff purposefully pits Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors) and Leti Lewis (Jurnee Smollett) against a white sorcerers' cult known as the Sons of Adam; in the second episode table-setter it's revealed that Atticus shares a bloodline with a founding member whose forebear raped one of the hero's ancestors. What's leading to no shortage of confusion among "Lovecraft" detractors is Green's choice to follow an anthology format that's fallen by the wayside. Today's definition of anthology series characterizes one-season dramas that follow a major arc with little to no deviations from the path between premiere and finale. But the "Lovecraft" narrative is more comparable to "Tales From the Crypt," with many stories fused to the spine of a season-long arc and Tic's journey. Obviously this is not some seamless chimera. The defining characteristic of "Lovecraft Country" is its tendency to veer down backroads en route to each waystation. With the sixth episode set to air, we've already messily danced with several terror tales, some illustrative parables about aspect of the Black American experience alloyed to a larger story that is, for all intents and purposes, a typical gothic horror piece. H.P. Lovecraft's catalogue consists of short stories held together with tentacles, goo and his penchant for bigotry. This makes the heroes' Blackness in 1950s America a clapback in itself, a state that contains many stories, mostly triumphant and much of it in confrontation with terror. The potent and recently-aired fifth episode, "Strange Case," shows Ruby Baptiste (Wunmi Mosaku), half-sister to Leti, falling under the spell of the mysterious Braithewaite family associate William (Jordan Patrick Smith), who slips Ruby a potion that transforms her into a white woman. Initially horrified, William invites Ruby to spend the day walking through the world in white skin and sure enough, she discovered all the ease and privilege that comes with moving through the world as a white woman. At one point, she even gets an ice cream cone for free. Highlighting this is the ironic prominence of Janet League's recorded recitation of "Dark Phrases" from Ntozake Shange's "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf" playing in the background as Ruby, in Hillary's skin, sits unmolested on a bench in a white neighborhood, the sun shining down on her: somebody/anybody sing a black girl's song bring her out to know herself to know you Thusly won over by her magic boon, Ruby heads to a luxury department and scores a position she's long coveted she made an associate manager and goes by Hillary. The price of her transformation spell (besides an expiry that leads to painful, gooey skin-shedding) is that as Hillary, Ruby hears how her white colleagues talk about Black people, specifically the Black clerk the store deigned to hire. All the jokes the white salesgirls make about their Black colleague could, and do, refer to Ruby. They just don't know it because she's camouflaged. Ruby's subterfuge ends after a night of her co-workers' racist tourism to a club to the South Side where the department's manager attempts to rape the Black sales clerk. The next day Ruby gives her notice as Hillary, of course and as a parting gift assaults the manager, bloodily sodomizing him with her stiletto heel as she sheds her fake whiteness. Ruby makes sure he sees that it was a Black woman that he held in such high esteem and, in the end, had screwed him for one, in a very loose matter of speaking. This is a Lovecraftian pulp tale like all the others; it can also be interpreted as an unsubtle tale of passing. Beyond that, a scene in which Michael K. Williams' Montrose, a closeted gay man, joins his lover at a drag pageant and releases his shyness to joyfully dance as he is makes this hour a commentary about society's impositions on our identity. But that aside fits only as well as the viewer allows for it. As the interviewing manager points out to Hillary, she has more than enough education and skills for a management position, but those are Ruby's accomplishments. Ruby's Blackness was her only barrier; in her real skin, she was barely able to submit an application. And this is a situation Mosaku has firsthand knowledge of, as a Nigerian-born actor living in Britain. "I've experienced it. My sisters have experienced it. My mother has experienced it. My father has experienced it. I know that my skin color in a room full of the wrong people regardless of my education, my ability, my drive, my enthusiasm will be a hindrance," she shared. How do you tell that story in a way that hasn't been told before? With a lot of blood, guts and squishy sound editing. The ninth-inning twist in "Strange Case" is that Ruby isn't the only one wearing another person's skin, a revelation that violates her anew. But the fallout of that will have to wait, since this week "Lovecraft" takes a step back to show us Atticus' tour in Korea, viewed through the eyes of his old lover Ji-Ah (Jamie Chung) who hints at the end of the previous episode that somehow she has seen his future. Viewers who take issue with the means by which "Lovecraft Country" joins one story to the next have a point: characters commit shocking acts that don't immediately appear to have a purpose beyond creating additional obstacles for the characters to surmount. The connective tissue linking tale to tale, cliffhanger style, may be this season's weakest link. But people with an affection for horror anthology shows of yesteryear learn to roll with the rubbery explanations as to how the heroes wriggle out of traps because, with a few notable exceptions, we're in it for the simple adrenalized jolts. Non-white creators telling their stories in this space are still a rare sight, for that matter. Green is one of the few Black genre creators working on TV, let alone on HBO. (Another is "Get Out" director Jordan Peele, an executive producer on the series.) "It's really weird because we've been working on this show for three and a half years now, and I wake up every day as a Black woman," she said. "So in making the show, that wasn't a thing. Because by default, that's the world I live in, and seeing Black people in these spaces is not strange." "But I also wonder," she adds, "do white men think about that when they make their stories about themselves? Do they worry aboutthat double consciousness?" So, I don't. I just go with, this is what I love. It has people that look like me, and you're allowed to interpret what you want to interpret from it... If you want to really know something or understand something, you can find a path towards that understanding." We can enjoy the "Lovecraft Country" ride for what it is: a collection of windows into terror that shift from one week to the next. Or depart, if you haven't ready. Green's aim is to tell many stories within an epic narrative, and she should be afforded the change to run with that desire, unencumbered by expectations to speak to any "moment" aside those of her own creation. Related Articles MINSK, Belarus (AP) - Thousands of protesters who have flooded Belarusian cities for six weeks of demonstrations to demand an end to the 26-year rule of the countrys authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko include people of all ages, professions and social groups. While younger people make up the bulk of the protests pushing for Lukashenkos resignation after the Aug. 9 vote that the opposition sees as rigged, many retirees also have joined the daily demonstrations. Some of them spoke to The Associated Press about their motives and their hopes. NINA BAHINSKAYA The 73-year-old former geologist has become one of the most recognizable faces of Belarus protests, fearlessly waving a huge red-and-white opposition flag in front of riot police. On more than 100 occasions, the police seized the flag from her, but every time she would make a new one. When police told her that she was violating a ban on unauthorized demonstrations, she responded by saying "Im taking a walk" - the snappy reply now chanted by thousands of participants in daily protests. A selfie with Bahinskaya has become a popular rite for many young protesters. Nina Bahinskaya, 73, poses for a photo holding an old Belarusian national flag at an entrance of her apartment building in Minsk, Belarus, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. The 73-year-old former geologist has become one of the most recognizable faces of Belarus protests, fearlessly waving a huge opposition's red-and-white flag in front of riot police. "I noticed that the riot police more rarely beat protesters when they see elderly people among them," she told The Associated Press. "So I come out to protest as a defender, an observer and a witness. Im psychologically and intellectually stronger than the police. Even among those who detained me, there were people who respected me." Bahinskaya says she overcame her fear of authorities when Belarus was still part of the Soviet Union. She was detained dozens of times and the fines she was ordered to pay have run into the equivalent of $20,000. MIKHAIL BATSYAN The 69-year-old former diplomat took part in opposition protests long before last month's vote. His daughter fled the country to Ukraine with her boyfriend after they were beaten by police in the first days after the election, but Batsyan continued to attend demonstrations together with his wife. "Now we attend the marches together," Batsyan said. "Our dream is to live in a free Belarus at least for a while. I have seen a lot in my life, I dont fear anything anymore and I cant look at whats going on with indifference." The opposition has adopted the red-and-white flag that was the state flag of Belarus in the first years after the Soviet collapse until it was replaced with a modified version of its Soviet-era flag in 1995. Batsyan proudly takes the red-and-white flag that flew over the Belarusian Embassy in Vienna when he worked there in the early 1990s to protests. TAMARA RUZHENKOVA Ruzhenkova, a 66-year-old former cello teacher at a musical school, sees the regular protests as a "breath of fresh air." She denounced Lukashenkos description of protesters as "drug addicts," noting that his speeches demonstrate a "complete lack of culture." "I don't want that president. I have no respect for him and feel shame" for what he says and how he says it, she said. Ruzhenkova said Lukashenkos cavalier dismissal of the coronavirus outbreak, which he advised people to ward off by riding a tractor, having a regular shot of vodka and visiting saunas, angered Belarusians and helped fuel the protests. "The coronavirus has demonstrated that he hasnt shown any empathy," she said. Ruzhenkova deplored the support offered to Lukashenko by Russia, Belarus main sponsor and ally, arguing that without it Lukashenko would have been forced to step down already. VITAL RAVINSKI Ravinski, a 75-year-old pathologist, attended some protests with his daughter and a granddaughter. "I come out to protest so that my children and grandchildren have a good life," he said. "By joining the protests, I show that everyone can do it without any fear." Ravinski has become widely popular on social networks when he faced a phalanx of police in full riot gear at a protest shortly after the vote and said: "I cant keep watching this madness, and thats why I came here. And I will keep coming until I get killed." LARISA KOVAL The 68-year-old former sales expert said she had little interest in politics before signing up to work as an observer during the Aug. 9 election and witnessing vote-rigging. "The way election officials treated us was disgusting and it made me angry," she said. "I cant accept such massive lies. Lukashenko has lost his mind, dignity and conscience, hes trying to cheat the entire nation." Early during the protests, she sheltered a young protester when he was hunted by police during a post-election raid in the Belarusian capital. Koval said she attends opposition demonstrations despite having heart problems. "I cant allow the thought that Lukashenko will not step down," she said. "And I will fight to end his desperate clinging onto power." ALES MARACHKIN Marachkin, an 80-year-old painter, denounces the Belarusian leader who frequently admired the Soviet Union as a "Soviet holdover." The authorities have barred Marachkin from having personal exhibitions and removed his paintings from the national art museum. "Taking part in protests is a therapy for me," Marachkin said. "Otherwise, I would have stayed in bed and would have died long ago. The opposition marches fill me with energy." HALINA LAHATSKAYA The 60-year-old Lahatskaya, who worked in the construction sector, said she tries to speak to riot police when she attends protests, which she has been doing almost every day for a month. "Im trying to find something humane in them," she said. She argued that the Belarusian leader has lost public support, noting that even her 94-year-old father who always voted for Lukashenko cast his ballot in August for opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. She would like to personally speak to the Belarusian leader to persuade him to step down. "I want to talk to Lukashenko. I think he will listen to me," she said. YAN HRYB The 85-year-old Hryb, a former teacher, said he hopes to live to the day when Lukashenko steps down, adding that it should be declared a national holiday. "It will become the countrys main holiday," he said. Hryb lamented that the Belarusians have been patient with Lukashenko for too long. "I join protests to make Belarus a democratic and economically developed European country," he said. "I have been struggling for it for my entire life." NATALYA KACHANOUSKAYA Kachanouskaya, a 72-year-old English teacher, said she has participated in protests against Lukashenkos rule ever since he took the helm in 1994. "Its necessary to learn how to control natural fear," she said. "Why should I fear - I do everything right!" She said she has instructed her 16-year-old grandson how to avoid being detained by police, adding that he was rounded up once because he failed to follow her advice. "Im very proud of him!" she said. Mikhail Batsyan, 69, and his wife Ludmila Batsyan, 65, pose for a photo draped in an old Belarusian national flag at an entrance of their apartment building in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020. The 69-year-old former diplomat has regularly joined protests together with his wife after their daughter fled the country to Ukraine with her boyfriend after they were beaten by police in the first days after the Aug. 9 election. (AP Photo) Tamara Ruzhenkova, 66, poses for a photo at an entrance of her apartment building in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020. The 66-year-old cello teacher at a musical school sees the regular protests as a "breath of fresh air." She denounced Lukashenko's description of protesters as "drug-addicts," noting that his speeches demonstrate a "complete lack of culture." (AP Photo) Vital Ravinski, 75, poses for a photo holding a poster reads "Fascism will not pass" at an entrance of his apartment building in Minsk, Belarus, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020. Ravinski, a 75-year-old former doctor, attended some protests together with his granddaughters, aged 17 and 29. "I come out to protest so that my children and grandchildren have a good life," he said. "By joining the protests, I show that everyone can do it without any fear." (AP Photo) Larisa Koval, 68, poses for a photo holding an umbrella in the colors of an old Belarusian national flag at the entrance of her apartment building in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020. The 68-year-old sales expert said that she had little interest in politics before signing up to work as an observer during the Aug. 9 election and witnessing vote-rigging. Early during the protests, she sheltered a young protester when he was hunted by police during a poste-election raid in the Belarusian capital. (AP Photo) Ales Marachkin, 80, poses for a photo with a poster showing Belarus's neighboring countries at the entrance of his apartment building in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020. Marachkin, a 80-year-old painter, denounces the Belarusian leader who frequently admired the Soviet Union as a "Soviet holdover." The authorities have barred Marachkin from having personal exhibitions and removed his paintings from the national art museum. (AP Photo) Halina Lahatskaya, 60, poses for a photo holding a poster that reads "come out to the people, coward" at an entrance of her apartment building in Minsk, Belarus, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020. Lahatskaya, a 60-year-old construction engineer, said she tries to speak to riot police when she attends protests. "I'm trying to find something humane in them," she said. She argued that the Belarusian leader has lost public support, noting that even her 94-year-old father who always voted for Lukashenko cast his ballot for opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. (AP Photo) Yan Gryb, 85, poses for a photo holding a small Belarusian national flag at an entrance of his apartment building in Minsk, Belarus, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. The 85-year-old Hryb, who worked as a school teacher, said he hopes to live to the day when Lukashenko steps down, adding that it should be declared a national holiday. Hryb lamented that the Belarusians have been patient with Lukashenko for too long. (AP Photo) One of the first cutbacks that many poor families consider during tough financial times is education for their daughters. During the pandemic with in-class learning shuttered, some girls in rural areas of Asia countries are being pushed to drop out. Lina, an 11th-grade student in Cambodia who dreamed of obtaining an accounting degree, is among them. Her parents want her to leave school and find work to help the family pay down its debt. Linas story was shared with Bloomberg by Room to Read, a non-profit organization that promotes literacy and gender equality in developing countries. The group changed her name to shield her identity. To determine the impact of the virus outbreak on girls education, Room to Read conducted a survey of 28,000 girls in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Vietnam. It found that 42% of girls surveyed reported a decline in their familys income during the Covid-19 pandemic and that one in two girls surveyed was at risk of dropping out. When families cant afford school and have to choose, they will often send boys, said John Wood, founder of Room to Read. Financial hardships and cultural stereotypes about gender roles play a major part in keeping girls in less-developed countries from completing their education, he said. Although the full scope of the problem isnt yet clear because many schools remain closed for in-person classes, groups that promote girls education including the World Bank and the United Nations agency UNICEF are closely monitoring the situation worldwide. More disadvantaged families are going to have particular struggles because of the economic impact. This will make it particularly difficult for them to send their children to school, said Toby Linden, the World Banks education practice manager for East Asia and Pacific. One of the lessons from the pandemic is the important role the families have in supporting their childrens education. The pandemic has decimated jobs and reduced household income, threatening to drag as many as 100 million people into extreme poverty. As many as 20 million more secondary school-aged girls could be out of school globally, according to the Malala Fund, a non-profit organization that promotes girls education. In the Asia Pacific region, that would add to the 35 million girls and boys already not in school. This is expected to exacerbate the education deficit for girls in poorer countries, where the rate of female secondary school enrollment was low before the pandemic. It risks setting back years of progress for girls education and gender equality in some of the worlds poorest nations. The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa showed how devastating a loss of income was to girls education. Poorer families needed their children to make money during the crisis, and children who found work were rarely encouraged to return to school when it reopened. The female education deficit is one of the key factors hindering womens workforce participation and their wages. An extra year of secondary school education for girls can increase their future earnings by as much as 20%. Barriers that prevent girls from completing 12 years of education and limited learning opportunities cost countries as much as $30 trillion in lost lifetime productivity and earnings. The worrying trend is that the reopening of schools doesnt automatically mean that all children will be back in schools, said Francisco Benavides, regional education adviser at UNICEF East Asia and Pacific. The pandemic has a high economic impact for the region. If girls dont have access to learning opportunities, its very likely that the families and society will be less able to adapt to economic shock. Educating girls also has been shown to lead to greater gender equality. For example, in Thailand, women hold 32% of senior management roles, compared with an average of 27% globally, according to Grant Thornton data published in 2020. They make up 24% of chief executives and 43% of chief financial officers. Although Thailand is an outlier, it shows what can be achieved when women are educated. Though other countries in the region also have made progress in girls education in past decades, the virus means the region will be going backward several years, according to Benavides. Well lose progress. The spillover effect will be massive because it may also impact the generation after this one. It can take us so many years to get back to where we were before. This wont help the Asian economy. As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, Brazil and Argentina said that they would be seeking more time to commit to the global COVID-19 vaccine facility known as COVAX. Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha was informed on September 20 that The Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network is being enhanced to address the needs for distribution and tracking of COVID-19 vaccine, whenever it becomes available. Read on to know all the latest updates on the much-awaited COVID-19 vaccine 1 | Latin American nations plan to join the COVAX vaccine facility after deadline: Brazil, Argentina, and Latin American nations are seeking more time to commit to the global COVID-19 vaccine facility known as COVAX, saying they intend to do so as soon as possible after missing the September 18 deadline. Peru's foreign ministry said it managed to sign the binding agreement on September 18 and will get access to 12 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines through COVAX, a scheme for pooled procurement and equitable distribution of eventual vaccines 2 | Phase III trials of Oxford vaccine to begin in Pune next week: Phase III human clinical trial of the COVID-19 vaccine, developed by Oxford University and being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII), Phase III human clinical trial of the COVID-19 vaccine, developed by Oxford University and being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII), will begin at the Sassoon General Hospital in Pune next week 3 | Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network to track COVID-19 vaccine: The Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN) system, which provides real-time information on vaccine stocks and storage temperatures across all cold chain points in the country, is being enhanced to address the needs for distribution and tracking of COVID-19 vaccine, whenever it becomes available, the Rajya Sabha was informed on September 20 4 | Three coronavirus vaccine makers release clinical trial blueprint as part of transparency push: AstraZeneca has released its 111-page clinical trial blueprint for its COVID-19 vaccine, following transparency concerns, as it refused to provide details about neurological illness in two trial participants in the UK. AstraZeneca isn't alone, AstraZeneca has released its 111-page clinical trial blueprint for its COVID-19 vaccine, following transparency concerns, as it refused to provide details about neurological illness in two trial participants in the UK. AstraZeneca isn't alone, Moderna and Pfizer too have announced they will release blueprints of the past week's clinical trials Farmers in the states of Punjab and Haryana held protests on a call given by various organisations against the anti-farmer" bills introduced by the Union government in Parliament. The reports were received from Faridkot, Moga, Ludhiana, Ferozepur, Sangrur, Hoshiarpur and other places in Punjab and also many places in neighbouring Haryana. In this photo, Farmers shout slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh during a protest over various farmers' issues, in Amritsar. (Image: PTI) Pharma company Astrazeneca has released a 111-page trial blueprint, after several questions were raised about its Covid-19 vaccine trials since two participants in the UK reported illness. Reports said experts are quite concerned about Covishield, developed by Oxford University and Astrazeneca as not much is known about the trials. What does the blueprint say? * It says that the goal is to develop a vaccine with 50 per cent effectiveness, as mandated by the Food and Drug Administration. * There will have to be 150 people ill with confirmed coronavirus among participants who were vaccinated or received placebo shots. * A safety board will perform an early analysis after there have been just 75 cases. * When the vaccine will be found 50 per cent effective, it will apply to the government for early release of the vaccine for emergency use. Also Read | AstraZenecas trial illnesses may not be due to Covid-19 shot, says Oxford University Releasing the blueprint of a vaccine under research is believed to be unusual as several other rival companies are also racing to develop an effective Covid-19 vaccine. But Moderna, Pfizer, Astrazeneca, all three pharma companies have released their blueprints detailing how they are proceeding with the trials. Controversy over Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine On September 8, Astrazeneca confirmed that it has stopped trials on September 6 after two participants reported illness. It refused to divulge any further information regarding the illness. The trials running in other countries were also stopped. After the UK authorities announced that the illness reported was not related to the vaccine shot, Astrazeneca resumed its trial. However, the United States has not yet permitted the resumption of Oxford vaccine trial. What we know so far about illness reportedly prompted by Astrazeneca vaccine shots? According to New York Times, one participant developed spinal cord inflammation after receiving one shot of the vaccine. Later, it was found that the volunteer had a previously undiagnosed case of multiple sclerosis. Third-phase trial in India likely to begin tomorrow The final phase of human clinical trial of Oxford-Astrazenecas Covishield will begin at the Sassoon General Hospital in Pune next week, after Drugs Controller General of India gave Serum Institute of India (SII) a go-ahead to continue its trial. The phase-III trial of Covishield vaccine will begin at Sassoon hospital from next week. It is likely to start on Monday. Some volunteers have already come forward for the trial. Around 150 to 200 volunteers will be administered the vaccine candidate dose, Dr Muralidhar Tambe, dean of Sassoon General Hospital, told PTI. The stalemate provides little solace for Costanzo, whose medicine, Rituxan, by Genentech, was approved in 1997 by the Food and Drug Administration to treat lymphoma and can be used off-label for multiple sclerosis. It is one of seven medications with price increases unsupported by new clinical evidence, according to the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review. ICER noted that over 24 months, the price after any discounts from drug companies are factored in increased by almost 14 percent, which results in an estimated increase in drug spending of approximately $549 million. President Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Fayetteville Regional Airport in North Carolina on Saturday. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) The push for quick action on a successor for the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg gathered steam Saturday, as President Trump said that he expected to announce his choice this week and that it would be a woman. Early Saturday, Trump on Twitter called on the Senate to act without delay. We want to respect the process. I think its going to go very quickly, actually, he said to reporters just one day after the 87-year-old justice died from complications of pancreatic cancer. I think well have a very popular choice, whoever that may be. Trump said he had a short list of contenders. He did not name names, but a leading candidate to replace Ginsburg is U.S. Circuit Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a former law clerk for the late Justice Antonin Scalia and a longtime law professor at the University of Notre Dame. Trump was moving to nominate a woman to the court at a time when his 2020 reelection bid is faring especially poorly among female voters. At one point in a campaign rally in the battleground state of North Carolina on Saturday, he asked the crowd whether they wanted him to nominate a man or woman. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has helped expand the gender gap in his favor by choosing Sen. Kamala Harris of California as his running mate. Biden has promised to name a Black woman to the Supreme Court. Ginsburgs death leaves just two women on the court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. The first and only other woman to serve on the court was Sandra Day OConnor, who was nominated by President Reagan in 1981 and retired in 2006. Trumps push for quick action on a nominee is politically risky for some in his own party. In a sign of the complicated politics of the Supreme Court debate, Republicans have begun to split over whether to back the presidents push for quick action. Trump won an important ally when Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, which will hold hearings on the nomination, said Saturday that he would support any effort to move forward on a nomination. Story continues That statement by Graham who is in his own tough reelection fight was a reversal of the senators own position in 2016, when Republican leaders refused to hold hearings on President Obamas nominee. Graham said then that he opposed any effort to fill a court vacancy during a presidential election year. And in October 2018, he said, If an opening comes in the last year of President Trumps term and the primary process has started, well wait till the next election. But one of the Senates most vulnerable Republicans facing reelection this year, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, put herself bluntly in opposition to the presidents wishes. I do not believe that the Senate should vote on the nominee prior to the election, she said. In fairness to the American people, who will either be reelecting the president or selecting a new one, the decision on a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court should be made by the president who is elected on Nov. 3. Looming over Republicans as they decide how to handle the issue is Ginsburgs dying wish, conveyed by her granddaughter. In some of her final moments with her family, she shared her fervent wish to not be replaced until a new president is installed, Harris wrote in a tribute Friday night. We will honor that wish. Trumps push, which is backed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), sets the stage for a political clash that seems likely to dominate both Capitol Hill and the presidential campaign for the six weeks until election day. Still, the prospect of Trump making another Supreme Court appointment produced a fundraising bonanza for Democrats including a group raising money to unseat McConnell, who is up for reelection this year. In less than 24 hours after the news broke, the Get Mitch Fund raised $12 million. Before Friday, its total fundraising haul has been $3.5 million. In a move that made him a hero of conservative Republicans and laid the groundwork for Trump to leave a big mark on the court, McConnell in 2016 refused to allow the Senate to consider Judge Merrick Garland, Obamas pick to replace the conservative Scalia, eight months before the election. The Senate never held a hearing, let alone a vote, on the nomination. Hours after the news of Ginsburgs death, McConnell announced Friday that the Senate would vote on Trumps nominee, but pointedly did not say when that would happen. Typically it takes several months to vet and hold hearings on a Supreme Court nominee, and time is short ahead of the election. Under the rules of the Senate, if McConnell has at least 50 senators ready to support a Trump nominee, there is little Democrats can do to stop it besides delay. But there is a significant question of whether McConnell will have those votes. Collins statement opposing a preelection vote was a significant defection from one of the Senates few relatively centrist Republicans. She is facing the toughest reelection of her career this year in large part because her cross-party appeal eroded after she backed Trumps Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh. But she runs a risk of alienating the Trump-backing Republicans she needs to win in Maine by saying the court vacancy should be filled by whomever wins the Nov. 3 election. Asked about Collins statement Saturday, Trump told reporters, I totally disagree with her. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) had already said she would not vote to confirm a nominee this close to an election. I would not vote to confirm a Supreme Court nominee. We are 50-some days away from an election, she told Alaska Public Radio on Friday before Ginsburgs death was announced. Another vulnerable Republican whose position is in doubt is Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado. Also under scrutiny: Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, who besides Murkowski has been one of the few Republicans in the chamber willing to defy Trump. And there is speculation on how the senators who value the Senate as an institution such as retiring Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) or Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) would vote. Other Republicans facing tough election fights Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Martha McSally of Arizona, Joni Ernst of Iowa and Kelly Loeffler of Georgia have already rallied to Trumps call for a vote on his nominee. One option would be for McConnell to postpone the vote into a lame-duck session when the existing Congress would meet after election day before the new Congress is sworn in. Senators like Collins up for reelection might then be less subject to political cross-pressures between the need to appeal both to Trump supporters and to swing voters. But a lame-duck session would be rife with risks. Any GOP senators who lose their bid for reelection might be less willing to bow to the presidents wishes if they thought it ran counter to the message their voters just sent especially if Trump is also not reelected. On the other hand, lame-duck senators might feel more free to put another conservative on the Supreme Court, knowing that they wont face voters again. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Amid the simmering tensions between Indian and Chinese troops at Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, China has once again showed its treacherous character. After facing humiliating defeats in Galwan and Pangong, Chinese President Xi Jingping has ordered his army to open another front against India. China has increased the deployment of its troops at six areas along LAC near Arunachal Pradesh. There is tension in Upper Subansiri's Asapila, Longju, Bisa and Majha areas. China has also built a road near LAC in Arunachal Pradesh's Bisa. The Indian Army is ready to respond to China's challenge and Army is on alert in 4 sensitive areas of LAC in Arunachal Pradesh. It is to be noted that the activities of the People Liberation Army's of China are being closely monitored in those areas where conflict took place between the two countries' Army in 1962. According to sources, surveillance has been increased in 6 disputed areas and 4 sensitive areas along LAC in Arunachal Pradesh. This new conspiracy of China proves once again that Beijing's words and actions are not the same. Patrolling has been increased in several areas of Arunachal Pradesh to thwart any attempt of incursion by China. Live TV Notably, China stakes its claim over the entire Asapilla sector which is strategically important area. The sector is situated hundreds of feet above the sea level and this makes it tough for the Chinese Army to remain on top of the peaks of this sector in winters. Meanwhile, the government on Friday (September 18) held a meeting to review the overall situation in eastern Ladakh including the country's operational preparedness in view of the China's refusal to disengage and the fresh attempts by PLA to "intimidate" Indian troops in the region. Pakistani education activist and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has warned that as many as 20 million girls may never return to schools even after the global Covid-19 crisis is over, the media reported on Sunday. Speaking at a side event of the UN General Assembly on Friday, Malala acknowledged that Covid-19 had been a striking setback to our collective goals", such as educating women, reports Dawn news. On education alone, 20 million more girls may never go back to the classroom when this crisis ends (and) the global education funding gap has already increased to $200 billion per year," she said. Malala, who became of the face of Taliban brutality when she was shot in the head for going to school in the Swat valley, reminded the international community that sustainable global goals, set by the UN five years ago, represented the future for millions of girls who wanted education and were fighting for equality. Noting that little had been done in the last five years to achieve those goals, she asked the world body, when are you planning to do the work"? When will you commit the necessary funding to give every child 12 years of quality education? When will you prioritise peace and protect refugees? When will you pass policies to cut carbon emissions?" she queried. According to a UN report released last month, the global coronavirus pandemic has created the largest disruption of education systems in history, affecting nearly 1.6 billion students in more than 190 countries and all continents. Closures of schools and other learning spaces have impacted 94 per cent of the worlds student population, up to 99 per cent in low and lower-middle income countries, it added. 20.09.2020 LISTEN Agricultural Researcher and Vice-Chair of the Coconut Federation of Ghana, Kwaku Boateng, has expressed optimism over recent developments in the coconut industry in Ghana as more young people venture into the value chain. Speaking in an interview with Globe Television, Mr. Boateng, said recent collaborations between government and industry players aimed at highlighting the economic potential of coconut has attracted thousands of young people to venture into coconut farming and processing. He thanked the CEO of Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Dr. Afua Asabea Asare and the government of Ghana for supporting the coconut industry through the Coconut Revitalisation Programme as well as the Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) Programme. He said, over 100,000 coconut seedlings which have so far been distributed to 5,000 farmers under the PERD programme is proof of the government's commitment to supporting farmers to boost coconut cultivation and export. In 2012, the sale of coconut water alone raked in approximately 350 million dollars in the United States of America. Mr. Boateng stated that the economic viability of coconut cannot be overemphasised as coconut trees can live for up to 90 years while producing fruits. He added that every part of the tree can be utilised for the manufacture of a variety of products. "We have realised that many young people are beginning to venture into coconut production and export, which is a positive sign and an indication of how impactful our campaigns have been so far." In 2019, GEPA, in collaboration with the African Coconut Group (ACG) organised the first-ever International Coconut Festival in Ghana, which brought together exhibitors as well as major players to promote coconut business. The government of Ghana added coconut into the National Tree Crop Development Authority (NTCDA), which was established in 2019 and mandated to develop and regulate the production, processing, marketing and export of coconut and other selected tree crops. According to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database for the year 2017, Ghana ranked 14th on the list of the world's top coconut producers with 383,960 metric tonnes produced in 2017 alone. Woman Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Illegally Exporting Maritime Raiding Craft and Engines to China Jacksonville, Florida - Yang Yang (34, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to conspiring to submit false export information through the federal governments Automated Export System and to fraudulently export to China maritime raiding craft and engines in violation of United States (U.S.) law, and also to attempting to fraudulently export that equipment in violation of U.S. law. Yang faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. According to the plea agreement, Yang was employed by Shanghai Breeze Technology Co. Ltd., a company headquartered in Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China. At the direction of co-conspirators in China, she attempted to order from a U.S. manufacturer seven combat rubber raiding craft equipped with engines that can operate using gasoline, diesel fuel, or jet fuel. These vessels and multi-fuel engines are used by the U.S. military and can be operated after being launched from a submerged submarine or dropped into the ocean by an aircraft. No comparable engine is manufactured in China. When the U.S. manufacturer suggested that Yang purchase cheaper gasoline-fueled engines, she insisted that she wanted to purchase the military-model multi-fuel engines. To induce the manufacturer to sell this equipment, Yang falsely represented that her customer was an entity called United Vision Limited in Hong Kong, rather than Shanghai Breeze Technology Co. in Shanghai. One of Yangs Chinese co-workers had told her that American manufacturers would be more likely to sell to an entity in Hong Kong rather than one in mainland China. By misrepresenting what company was buying the equipment, and where it was located, Yang caused the entry of false information in the Department of Commerces Automated Export System in violation of federal law. When interviewed by federal agents on Oct. 17, 2019, Yang admitted that she had only one client, Shanghai Breeze, and that based on her communications with a co-conspirator, she knew that the combat raiding craft were not intended for Hong Kong, but instead, mainland China. On Aug. 13, 2020, Yangs co-defendant, Zheng Yan, also pleaded guilty to conspiring to submit false export information and to fraudulently export the raiding craft and engines in violation of U.S. law. The trial of their remaining co-defendants, Fan Yang and Ge Songtao, is scheduled to begin on Feb. 1, 2021. This case was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican and Heather Schmidt, Senior Trial Attorney, Counterintelligence and Export Section, U.S. Department of Justice. 20.09.2020 LISTEN BRETHREN!!! WHILST YOU WAIT ON GOD AND JOURNEY/RACE TOWARDS YOUR SALVATION, DO NOT LET FAKE; DELIVERANCE MINISTRIES, PROPHETS, PASTORS, AND CHURCH OWNERS TAKE YOU TO HELL WITH THEM; YOU DESERVE A PERMANENT RESIDENT WITH GOD IN THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW EARTH. OVERCOME THIS WORLD YOU MUST. Dear Child of God bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ through faith, learn to complete your salvation journey as every child eventually grows up by themselves learning by adult teachings Salvation is only through Jesus Christ who became the lamb offered for the salvation of men.No man or woman of God can replace God and became your hope to salvation. Everyone has to deal directly with God the FATHER THE SON ,AND THE HOLY GHOST into Him we were baptised with the Holy Spirit. It is only when such individuals with the Spiritural baptism come together we become the Body of Christ.Such will buffet or discipline our lives so that Jesus Christ won't tell you I do not know that day. Our baptism earns each one of us sonship to God, yet after that, we each together start a journey to complete the work salvation, God started on us. As the scripture below says we will be accountable to God individually. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 24. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. Yesterday we dealt with verses 24 -26. Today we will be dealing with v.27. It is a testimony each of us need to assess individually whether we are learning to keep ourselves fit for the race or His purpose. We cannot live our lives any how and in any way we humans consider appropraite. I like this version.V.27 . RV says. But I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest perhaps having preached to others, I myself may become disapproved. Consider this scripture before I carry on (Matthew 7: 21 - 24). God is not going to allow you to be with Him just because you did wonders or miracles in His name, or preached eloquently but did not have the discipline v. 27 is talking about. The Greek word used for this interpretation means beat to discipline or make the it a slave ( meaning you let the Spirit of God in you decide over your flesh's noctenal desires). This is not to ill-treat the body, as in asceticism, nor to consider the body evil, as in Gnosticism. This is to subdue the body and make it a conquered captive to serve us as a slave for fulfilling our holy purpose. This is equivalent to putting to death our raethly members (Col. 3:5) and putting to death the practices of the body (Rom. 8:13). Or not allowing our body to be used for the indulgence of lust or doing anything on our own except what is holy to God. Brethren, Paul realised that the Corinthians misused (in fact it is even worse in today's church) their body by indulgence in fornication, not caring for God's temple (6:19), and in the unrestrained eating of things sacrificed to idols, not caring for weak believers (8: 9-13). A metaphor meaning to lead the vanquished as a captive and a slave, to bring the captive into slavery, making him a slave to serve the conqueror's purpose. Lest means that if we don't do that the Greek word used implies possibility that one will offend. Now brethren, according to the context of vv.24-27 this refers to the preaching of the reward as an incentive to the Christian runners.This is related to the kingdom, the manifestation of which will be a reward to the overcoming saints who have won the Christian race (Heb. 12 28). Now let us deal with either to be disqualified,disapproved, or rejected as unworthy of being with the Lord or for a prize. We see that by evidence provided in scriptures the apostle was saved by grace through faith in Christ. And not only so, he was called to be an apostle to carry out God's New Testament handling of how and what must be done for the Body of Christ. Nonetheless,here he was very much on the alert ( which is the my burden in this testimony) to run his course (Acts.20:24) by subduing his body to serve his holy purpose ( a charge which is for every one born of the Spirit of God through baptism then, now and time to come). Paul did that so that he might not be disapproved and rejected at the judgement seat of God (2 Cor. 5:10). Who are we therefore, in todays world different and so we are found sleeping recklessly and selfishly amongst ourselves(fornicating) and making stupid justifications; including quoting David , Abraham who had a very different dispensation. Any man doing that is surely not having God's approval. Such people will be found unworthy of the reward (even if they may be found with God) of the coming kingdom, Please read with me the following scriptures (Matt. 7:21-23; 25:11:12). Indeed the kingdom of God with the Saviour sitting on the right hand of God will be coming back not as a lamb any longer but as a King with authority to pass judgement with the FATHER. Let us seek with the Holy Spirit to strengthen and straigthen our steps whilst doing the race. Join me to know who are these self hired, prophets, pastors, church owners, deliverance and prayer ministries who are exploiting the children of God for their selfish gains. none are Levites of the despensation of grace as these evil, worshippers of gods without hands and legs are doing in your communities. You will also know those who are truly called of God fearfully running the raise, discipling their bodies so that at the judgement seat God will find them worthy for His reward (or are really repenting for the forgiveness now that they have known what they do do is serving evil).Look for them and run the race together with such men and women. SURELY, SURELY, I SAY TO YOU THERE CAN NEVER BE MORE CHURCHES IN A NATION YET THE SAME ARE FULL OF EVIL WHERE CHURCH BUILDINGS ARE MORE THAN RESIDENTIAL HOUSES. IT IS FALSE, SUCH SURELY DOESN'T BELONG TO GOD; NO MATTER HOW THEY POLISH THEIR ACTS. LET US REPENT, REPENT, REPENT, FOR IT IS NEVER TOO LATE EVEN IF YOU DO IT IN THIS HOUR, WHICH IS NOW AS YOU READ THIS. CALL ON HIS NAME LORD JESUS CHRIST AND HE WILL RECALL YOU. THROW AWAY ANY THING WHICH IS NOT SUPPORTED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. The German charity organisation Sea-Eye said on Saturday its rescue ship, Alan Kurdi, had picked up some 133 migrants from three different boats, stranded in the southern Mediterranean Sea. According to a press release by Sea-Eye, the Alan Kurdi rescue vessel spotted an overloaded rubber dinghy, carrying 90 people on Saturday. Alan Kurdi Captain Joachim Ebeling informed the German and Libyan authorities but did not receive any response. Following the first rescue mission, the crew were informed about another wooden boat stranded in the southern Mediterranean Sea with 24 people on board. Amongst the 114 rescued people on board the Alan Kurdi were "eight minors and eight women", the statement said, adding that several injured people and a pregnant woman received medical treatment. In a later rescue mission, the crew of the Alan Kurdi picked up another 19 distressed migrants from a fishing boat, bringing the total number to 133 rescued migrants. According to a tweet by Sea-Eye, the Alan Kurdi was on its way to the Italian port of Lampedusa. Libya has emerged as a major transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty to Europe. In recent years, the EU has partnered with Libya's coast guard and other local groups to stem the dangerous sea crossings. Rights groups, however, say those policies leave migrants at the mercy of armed groups or confined in squalid detention centers rife with abuses. =========================================================== Thanks to Red Table Talk, the Smith family has been in the spotlight more than ever. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith have two children together, Willow and Jaden Smith. And it seems Will and Jaden have an extra-special bond, as theyve shared their close relationship on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Will once told DeGeneres one of his greatest fears while on the show. Years later, Jaden talked to the comedian without Will by his side and he verified he doesnt share the same fear as his father. Heres what happened. Will Smith and Jaden Smith appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show together in 2013 Jaden Smith and Will Smith attend the 26th annual EMA Awards at Warner Bros. Studios on Oct. 22, 2016 in Burbank, California | Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic Fans adore the Smith family thanks to the candid nature of Red Table Talk. And back in 2013, Will and Jaden went on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to talk about family matters, their father-son relationship, and life on the big screen. Judging from their interview, it seems Will and Jaden have an incredibly loving and close relationship. I understand that you purposely try to embarrass Jaden as much as possible, DeGeneres joked to Will on the show. Will stammered and tried to defend himself, but DeGeneres then projected a large image of Will hugging Jaden and making an embarrassing face. You know, I love him, Ellen, Will noted. You know, when you have kids and you love them and youre proud of them, you just want to kiss them in the mouth sometimes. Im really happy that I have such a loving father, Jaden added, but theres a time and place for everything that happens. Will told Ellen DeGeneres hes terrified of mice Will Smith, Eva Mendes, and Ellen DeGeneres during 31st Annual Peoples Choice Awards | KMazur/WireImage In the same 2013 interview, DeGeneres asked Will if hes scared of anything and he had a surprising answer. Youre a confident man, and you raise your kids with confidence, DeGeneres started. Are you scared of anything? What is your fear? Mice, Will confidently answers. He then goes into detail regarding his feelings about the tiny rodents and why he believes theyre the worst of all. Im like, brave for my kids and Im strong. If theres a mouse, Jada gotta deal with it, he added. How about this rats are OK or possum or something, but a mouse . Will then screams in fake fear as if he saw one in the studio. The actor then added that just talking about mice makes him nervous. They can get you! he exclaimed. A mouse can get you. DeGeneres then tried to convince Will that mice are sweet and innocent, but he wasnt buying into it. The comedian then told the actor that the next time he visits the show, they were going to work on his fear. Jaden told DeGeneres hes not scared of rodents like his father is RELATED: Jaden Smith Has His Own House and He Allegedly Causes Trouble for the Neighbors DeGeneres welcomed Jaden back in 2019, though this time, the 20-year-old arrived without his father. Jaden mentioned he was so glad to be back on the show after a long hiatus, as he had much to discuss with DeGeneres regarding his career and efforts to help the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. While speaking to the comedian, the Smith family skydiving trip was also discussed. And Wills fear of mice was brought up, too. Are you scared of mice? DeGeneres asked Jaden. Im not scared of mice, Jaden verified. But he then looked all around him in the studio just to make sure production didnt surprise him with any rodents. Im not not scared of mice, though, he added. Im not overly scared of mice as he is, but its like, I wouldnt like to see a bunch of mice right now, Ellen. Ill be honest with you. If I saw a mouse right now, I would be scared. Im going to be honest with you. However, Jaden then reiterated that his mouse fear is like that of the average person and isnt anything like his fathers phobia. And he noted that its OK to be scared of mice. No, its not, DeGeneres joked. Theyre just little innocent creatures. Were sure if Will ever comes back on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, hes in for a cruel joke by the comedian, as she certainly hasnt forgotten what he told her. Check out Showbiz Cheat Sheet on Facebook! About 450 Indian workers are forced to beg in Saudi Arabia, according to a report by The Times of India. Work permits of most of the workers from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Kashmir, Bihar, Delhi, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Haryana, Punjab and Maharashtra, had expired, following which they had no option but to beg to survive. As per the report, videos of the workers claiming that the Saudi authorities shifted them to the Shumaisi detention centre in Jeddah after identifying them have gone viral. "We have not committed any crime. We were forced to beg because of our situation as we lost our jobs. Now, we are languishing in the detention centres," a worker said. "My brother passed away and my mother is critical. I want to be sent back to India," another worker said in a video. There are over 26 lakh Indians working in Saudi Arabia, the largest expatriate community in the Gulf country. While 2.4 lakh Indian nationals had reportedly registered to return to India, approximately 49,000 have been able to come back, as per a written response in Lok Sabha by Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan. Social worker and MBT leader Amjed Ullah Khan told the publication that the local authorities shifted the workers to the detention centres after finding out that they had overstayed in the country. "Those who did not have the 'aqama' (work permit) were later taken to the detention centres," he said. Khan has written a letter to Prime minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Civil Aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ausaf Sayeed demanding the Centre to aid the workers who are stuck. Responding, to the concerns, the Consulate General of India, Jeddah tweeted, "The Consulate & Embassy have been in close consultation with MEA and Saudi authorities for sometime for arranging special flights, ensuring clearances & fulfillment of necessary health protocols. Flights carrying Indian deportees, are likely to be operated in the next week." The Consulate & Embassy have been in close consultation with MEA and Saudi authorities for sometime for arranging special flights, ensuring clearances & fulfillment of necessary health protocols. Flights carrying Indian deportees, are likely to be operated in the next week. India in Jeddah (@CGIJeddah) September 19, 2020 (with agency inputs) RIGA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th September, 2020) Latvian law enforcement officers will be given all the necessary resources to investigate the murder of prominent lawyer Pavels Rebenoks, who was killed in the Baltic country in the early hours of Sunday morning, Interior Minister Sandis Girgens said. A friend of Rebenoks, Martins Kriekis, first announced on Twitter that the lawyer had been murdered after the pair had met on Saturday evening. Kriekis said that a reward of 20,000 Euros ($23,679) will be available to anyone who can identify the perpetrator. "The case of the sworn attorney Pavels Rebenoks will be of the highest priority for the police. It is important that Latvia does not return to the criminal atmosphere of the 90s. In connection with the lawyer's murder, State Police officers worked all through the night and will continue to do so. It will be the police's duty to solve the crime, and it will be a test of the professionalism of the law enforcement agencies," Girgens told reporters. The interior minister also conveyed his condolences to the relatives of the murdered attorney. Rebenoks, who was born in 1980, previously worked as an adviser to Einars Repse, who served as Latvia's prime minister from 2002 to 2004. The lawyer was also a managing partner at the Rebenoks and Vilders firm. Back on Aug. 5, 2020,ran a story titled "" Heres a quote from that article:The overall security story regarding online learning has not been good.just reported this week a story titled "Cyberattacks on school districts are nothing new," the article reads. "In fact, there have been nearly a thousand such incidents since January of 2016, according to the K-12 Cybersecurity Research Center."But as schools nationwide are engaged in full-time remote instruction or a hybrid of in-person and virtual learning, such attacks are arguably even more disruptive, both to students educational as well as social and emotional needs.Sadly, the virtual learning challenge is not just about delivering compelling content that keeps children (of all ages) engaged and growing in knowledge. Numerous cybersecurity incidents are derailing online lessons faster than COVID-19 outbreaks. Consider these news headlines:Heres a quote from the last article: A distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) cyberattack is what allegedly took down online learning for Miami-Dade Public Schools early this week."The major looming question why wasnt the fourth-largest school district in the country ready for this sort of attack they say a 16-year-old pulled off?Meanwhile, global cyberattacks against universities have been increasing. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a cyber arm of the Government Communications Headquarters, issued a warning in the past week about the scope and impact of these threats increasing:In the U.S., the University of Utah paid more than $450,000 in a ransomware attack on its computers: The cyber criminals encrypted about 0.02% of the data stored there before the U.s Information Security Office detected the attack. The university did not specify the threat, but ransomware attacks involve criminal groups that hack into and steal data; encrypt it so that its owners cannot access it; and demand payment to release the data often threatening to release sensitive information if their demands are not met.Many other cyberattacks against global universities have accelerated during COVID-19, and the trend seems to be continuing as we head into the fall.In the good news category, DHS-funded Cyber.org held a kickoff of the development of national K-12 cybersecurity learning standards that can be used in schools and districts nationally, as no national standards currently exist. This work supports the recommendations of the recent Cybersecurity Solarium Commission report to recruit and develop the next generation of the federal cybersecurity workforce and the bipartisan PROTECT Act Cyber.org has convened key stakeholders across government (including CISA NICE and NSA ), industry (including Palo Alto Networks and Southwest Airlines ) and education (including historically Black colleges and universities like Grambling State University and Maricopa County Regional School District) to help develop the standards, which will be available at the start of the 2021-2022 school year.Id love to see the Cyber.org, or another DHS/CISA project effort, also include online cyberprotections for K-12 schools and universities in their scope of effort. While there are many organizations that are working together to stop cyberattacks, including ransomware , there needs to be additional funding and coordinated resources available to help these schools ensure that content is delivered safely and that the connectivity stays available.I am concerned that cybercriminals continue to evolve their tactics faster than the good guys in times of crisis, and it is not encouraging that so many problems are hampering virtual learning efforts in the midst of the pandemic.It does show renewed efforts and resiliency are needed for cybersecurity, now more than ever before. In 2014, one of the first meetings Serge Dedina had as mayor was with officials at AT&T. The companys building on Palm Avenue and 13th Street had been an eyesore for over a decade. Years of whitewashing graffiti had turned the facade into a quilted patch of off-white squares. Dedina, who has made beautifying Imperial Beach one of his top priorities, wanted to cover the building with a mural. Four years after sitting down with AT&T, the mural is finally complete. It feels really good, Dedina said. Its really amazing that something seemingly so simple was so complicated. Advertisement The mural, which is 20 feet tall and 225 feet wide, covers three walls of the AT&T building. It features calming ocean landscapes with marine animals swimming along the side of Palm Avenue and an astronaut floating in outer space giving Imperial Beach a hang loose sign. The artists, Todd Stands and Dave Frink, included small details like hidden schools of fish that can only be seen by getting out of your car and walking over to the mural. Artist Dave Frink working on the AT&T building mural in Imperial Beach. (Todd Stands ) Stands and Frink designed the mural with as little open space as possible to prevent people from tagging it with graffiti. Were trying to do everything we can so that people wont tag it, Frink said. So were trying to eliminate a lot of big areas of solid color wherever we can. More than 40,000 cars drive by the mural every day. The most visible wall is the one facing east; it features two giant jelly fish talking to each other. The Rosarito-based artist Dual used spray paint to draw the jelly fish. He used gold paint that makes the mural shine in the mornings when the sun hits it from the east. Its fitting that a Baja California artist contributed to the project. Dedina said part of his inspiration to beautify Imperial Beach was the public art movement of Tijuana. That whole model of muralism in Mexico and using artists to clean up blight is really someone weve followed in TJ, he said. Rosarito-based artist Dual stands in front of his completed mural on 13th Street and Palm Avenue in Imperial Beach. (Todd Stands ) The mural took the month of June to complete. Imperial Beach residents werent shy about showing their support. People were screaming out their car windows, Hey, it looks great, Stands said. People were honking their horns, pulling over, or even double-parking right here in the middle of the lane. Wed say, Guys get back in your cars! The AT&T mural is just the latest in Imperial Beachs year-long campaign to beautify the city. The city hopes to paint 12 murals by the end of the year and theyve teamed up with local organizations like Pangea Seed and IB Beautiful to pull it off. Pangea Seed, an organization that promotes ocean conservation through art and education, helped install murals at the 7 Eleven at Palm Avenue and Second Street and Soapy Joes Car Wash near Palm Avenue and 13th Street. IB Beautiful, a local nonprofit, contributed $8,000 for the AT&T project. Three more murals are scheduled to go up in August, the mayor said. We have a lot more to do and its really exciting, Dedina said. Contact Gustavo Solis via Email or Twitter Migrants who head to the United Kingdom often see it less as a panacea than a last-ditch means-to-an-end, says Matthieu Tardis, an expert in migration policy at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI). Here is a question-and-answer with the specialist: "Some migrants in Calais have relatives or a community of fellow countrymen or women in the UK. Then there is the English language, which is much more widely spoken than French. "But in the autumn of 2016, when the main camp was dismantled in Calais, we saw that when adults were offered housing and when we suspended the Dublin Regulation, a large majority stayed in France. They asked for asylum in France and many got it." Also read: Germany to take in 1,500 refugees from Greek islands The EU's so-called Dublin Regulation stipulates migrants must apply for asylum in the European country where they first arrive -- more often than not Italy, Greece and Spain -- and will be sent back to that nation if found in another member state. "The bad conditions they experience in France, in Italy, in other EU countries, pushes them to go even further, to think that in the UK it will be better. "But often, they don't ask for asylum there as the Dublin Regulation is still valid, so they would be sent back elsewhere in the EU. "They remain illegal. The economy is far less regulated than in France, there are more opportunities. It's a very liberal economy that needs labour that isn't that well paid, and foreigners typically accept these types of positions." "That will be a big issue that isn't about to be settled. The British submitted a proposal to the EU regarding a readmission mechanism that would allow them to continue as with Dublin. For the moment, the EU doesn't want to discuss that, it's quite a one-sided proposal. "The UK is an island and rarely the first port of entry in Europe. In a way, the sea protects it, even if there are more and more crossings. "It is definitely easier for the British to negotiate with France on this issue rather than the EU, but it remains to be seen what France would gain from it. "The British could also unilaterally decide that EU countries are safe third-party countries but if there is a bilateral convention with France, it will be easier for them." "It's in everyone's interest to cooperate to avoid tragedies. But in a way, the British have exported their borders onto French territory, like we Europeans do in North African countries or Turkey. "France got British funding to secure the tunnel entrance, the port of Calais. Is France going to continue to negotiate in exchange for money? That's a possibility. That's been going on for 20 years, bilateral treaties have always played on that. "What France should focus on is having legal ways for migrants to get to the United Kingdom. If there are as many crossing attempts, it's because policy only focuses on securing crossing points." One such legal way could be family reunification. Russian woman killed in motorbike accident on Rawai beachfront PHUKET: Chalong Police are investigating the death of a 36-year-old Russian woman in a collision between a car and motorbike on the Rawai beachfront on Friday (Sept 18). accidentsdeathRussiantransportSafetypolice By Tanyaluk Sakoot Sunday 20 September 2020, 10:32AM Rawai Municipalitys Rawai Rescue Team attend to the Russian woman on the beachfront road in Rawai on Friday (Sept 18). Photo: Rawai Municipality Rawai Rescue Team The woman, now identified as Nadiya Gizatullina, was riding a pink Honda Scoopy i motorbike along the beachfront road at about midday when she was struck by a white Honda car being driven by a Belarus man, Lt Jaruwit Khuncharoen of the Chalong Police told The Phuket News. Emergency responders from Rawai Municipalitys Rawai Rescue Team soon arrived, he said. Although Ms Gizatullina was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, she still sustained severe head injuries, Lt Jaruwit added. Ms Gizatullina was not carrying any form of identification on her at the time, but was later identified by a friend, Lt Jaruwit noted. Lt Jaruwit declined to reveal any details of how the accident happened, or even identify the driver of the car that struck the motorbike. The driver is a Belarus man. He is about 35 years old. He has not fled or refused any responsibility in this accident, Lt Jaruwit said. "I cannot reveal more detail because I still have to investigate the accident further and gather more information. I need to get CCTV camera footage from Rawai Municipality on Monday [Sept 21]," Lt Jaruwit concluded. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-21 05:10:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Iraq on Sunday announced its decision to ban the entry of foreign travellers into the country, citing "the increasing number of coronavirus infections in neighboring countries," while Morocco's total COVID-19 cases surpassed 100,000 after sharp daily increases in the past weeks. The ban imposed by Iraq's Higher Committee for Health and National Safety came as as the Iraqi Health Ministry reported 3,438 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number in the country to 319,035. The ministry also confirmed 64 new fatalities from the infectious disease, taking the death toll to 8,555, while 4,052 more patients recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 253,591. Having been recording one of the highest numbers in daily infections since early August, Iraq has been struggling against the coronavirus pandemic amid a gradual ease of anti-virus restrictions. As for the preparations for the upcoming Shiite ritual of Arbaeen, Iraqi Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi said his ministry "has prepared an integrated plan in coordination with health institutions in all Iraqi provinces," expressing hope for "no increase in the number of coronavirus infections after Arbaeen." Morocco registered 1,927 new COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, taking the total tally in the North African country to 101,743, the ministry of health said in a statement. The death toll from the virus rose by 35 to 1,830, with 279 patients still in intensive care units, the ministry added. In Iran, the hardest hit country in the Middle East, the overall number of coronavirus cases has grown to 422,140 after 3,097 new infections were detected in the past 24 hours, while the pandemic has so far claimed the lives of 24,301 Iranians, up by 183 in the past 24 hours, according to Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for the Iranian health ministry. She said 1,272 patients were hospitalized because of complications from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, while 3,898 remain in critical condition. It is worth noting that 24 out of 31 Iranian provinces are in high-risk condition in terms of COVID-19 infection. Data issued by the Israeli Ministry of Health on Sunday showed that the proportion of coronavirus cases among people under the age of 20 in Israel has risen significantly to almost a third of all detected so far in the country. According to the data, the proportion of the young people aged 19 and below testing positive for COVID-19 rose from 17.4 percent of all cases on April 18, to 22.4 percent on June 19, and to 30.9 percent at present, while the proportion of infected children under the age of 10 rose from five percent in April, to 6.8 percent in June and to 10.2 percent at present. Palestine reported on Sunday 683 new COVID-19 cases and nine fatalities, raising the total number of infections in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem to 45,446 and the death toll to 300. In a press statement, Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said four deaths were recorded in Hebron, four in Tulkarm, and one in Bethlehem. Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Sunday that the increase in Turkey's daily coronavirus cases slowed down but not the number of severe patients, the latter of which has reached 1,456. Turkey reported 1,519 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, raising the total confirmed number in the country to 302,867. In addition, 61 people died in the past 24 hours from the virus, taking the death toll to 7,506, while the number of the total recoveries has risen to 267,233. Saudi Arabia reported 483 new COVID-19 infections on Sunday, the lowest daily increase in the kingdom since mid-April, raising the total cases in the kingdom to 329,754, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The current number of active cases in Saudi Arabia has dropped by more than 75 percent to 14,830, including 1,138 in the intensive care units, from the peak numbers, according to Mohammed Abdulaali, spokesman of the Saudi Health Ministry. The Qatari health ministry on Sunday announced 230 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number in the Gulf state to 123,376, official Qatar News Agency reported. Kuwait on Sunday reported 385 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 99,434 and the death toll to 584, the Health Ministry said in a statement. On Sept. 14, the Kuwaiti government decided to postpone the fifth phase of its plan to return to normal. During the fifth phase, theaters and cinemas would be allowed to reopen and all social events permitted to be held. In Oman, 1,722 new COVID-19 cases and 28 more deaths were reported on Sunday, raising the tally of infections to 93,475 and the death toll to 846. As the first among the Gulf countries to report COVID-19 cases, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday announced 674 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 84,916. The UAE health ministry also reported 761 more recoveries from the virus, taking the tally of recoveries in the UAE to 74,273. Lebanon on Sunday reported the highest 1,006 daily COVID-19 cases, raising the total number to 29,303, while the death toll went up by 11 to 297, according to the country's health ministry. Caretaker Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hassan called for imposing a total lockdown in the country for two weeks in an attempt to reduce daily infections, especially given the limited capabilities of Lebanon's health sector. In Tunisia and Jordan, the number of COVID-19 cases on Sunday rose by 625 and 239 respectively to 9,736 and 4,779. On Sunday, Tunisian President Kais Saied ordered the establishment of an analysis laboratory for coronavirus in the central province of Sidi Bouzid amid a surge in the daily infections in the North African country. The National Center for Disease Control of Libya on Sunday reported 715 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the war-torn North African country to 27,949. The Center said in a statement that 389 more patients recovered and 8 more died, raising the total recoveries to 15,068 and the death toll to 444. Enditem A ngela Rayner hit out at the Government's "serial incompetence" as she opened this year's Labour Party conference. The deputy leader hailed the party's "new leadership" as she kicked off the virtual Labour Connected event on Sunday. Ms Rayner said Labour will be campaigning on three economic priorities of jobs, jobs, jobs in the months ahead. Over the next three days, we will show what we can achieve with a new leadership for our party and for our country," she said. At this time of national crisis, we are offering the country the leadership it needs. We will act in the best interests of the British people and in our shared mission to defeat this terrible virus. We will call this failing government out for its serial incompetence that is holding Britain back. Her comments came as Boris Johnson told reporters the UK is now seeing a second wave coming in and Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned ministers will have to take more measures if the public does not follow Covid-19 regulations. Ms Rayner said the country is facing the prospect of another national lockdown because of the Prime Minister's failure and incompetence. Last Wednesday at Prime Ministers Questions, I faced a prime minister who pretends hes a man of the people but has shown his contempt for women and the working class," the Ashton-under-Lyne MP said. As a single mum, he said my children would grow up ill-raised, ignorant and illegitimate. He only knows one approach denying that problems exist and then blaming other people for his own incompetence. We are facing a second spike, further restrictions and the prospect of another national lockdown because of his failure and incompetence. Loading.... She also accused Mr Johnson of continually trying to blame others for the Governments failings. Never has there been a prime minister more out of his depth and ill-equipped to the task than this Bullingdon Club blagger," she told the online conference. He lights up Downing Street green for Grenfell and then whips Tory MPs to block the Grenfell inquiry recommendations. He claps for our carers when it suits him for a photo opportunity but he doesnt even know what they earn and wont pay them what they deserve. Angela Rayner reads message from 'a man called Keir' as she deputises for Labour leader at PMQs He calls a Covid war cabinet to allow grouse shooting when the frontline staff cant get the tests they need and people cant say goodbye to their loved ones. Yet its always somebody elses fault civil servants, the public health body they voted to create in the first place, or even the public for doing the right thing and trying to get a Covid test. Sir Keir Starmer explained his party's new motto of "new leadership" on Sky News' Sophy Ridge programme. He said: We are making it clear were a new leadership and that means being absolutely clear about recognising the scale of the defeat last December. Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer being interviewed by host Andrew Marr / PA That was devastating for the Labour Party, devastating for the Labour movement and for the millions of people who desperately needed Labour government. So, recognising that, listening to those that no longer vote Labour, and Ive spent the last six months listening and asking for conversations with people that are difficult rather than easy, and changing and focusing on the future. That means difficult decisions like tackling anti-Semitism. So, a new leadership focused on 2024, but absolutely recognising the scale of the task we face. Sadiq Khan was due on Sunday to stage a virtual rally of supporters to launch his campaign for a second term in the delayed May 2021 local elections. The Mayor of London criticised the hapless Government over its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Mr Khan told Labours virtual conference: Unfortunately, and it gives me no pleasure to say this, weve all been catastrophically let down by the Government. If ministers had risen to this moment, as the British public have, then the loss of many lives and much of the economic hardship could have been avoided. These times called for a government that could put ideology, dogma and ego aside, and calmly and competently do whatever it takes to save lives and jobs. Unfortunately, we got the exact opposite. Just when we required a steady, capable hand on the tiller, weve had a hapless government that keeps on steering us onto the rocks. The Liberal Democrats are due to run their conference from September 25 to 28 while viewers can tune in for the Conservative conference from October 3 to 6. Pune: Pune district in Maharashtra reported 3,667 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the count to 2,52,168, a health official said on Sunday. The death toll in the district reached 5,698 as 69 patients succumbed to the infection, he said. Of the total number of new cases, 1,700 were found in areas within the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits, where the tally has reached 1,31,781," the official said. As far as recoveries are concerned, 1,545 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day. In the industrial township of Pimpri Chinchwad, the count of COVID-19 patients went up to 70,172 with 749 new cases. The cumulative tally of positive cases reported from the rural parts of the district, the civil hospital and areas within the Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) has increased to 50,215, the official said. Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor VAN BUREN COUNTY, MI A 7-year-old boy from Covert Township was pronounced dead at the scene of a four-vehicle crash that occurred Saturday when one vehicle ran a stop sign, police said. The boy was identified as Damian Sanchez Enriquez by Covert Township police. Authorities responded to the crash at 1:55 p.m. Sept. 19, at the intersection of 28th Avenue and M-140 in Covert Township, according to the Covert Township Police Department. The crash was caused by the driver of a 2001 Buick Regal, who ran a stop sign on 28th Avenue and traveled into the east lane of M-140, police said. The Buick struck a 2008 Saturn VUE, which was northbound on M-140, which caused the Saturn to hit a vehicle traveling in the southbound lane, police said. A fourth vehicle rear-ended the southbound vehicle, police said. One person was pronounced dead at the scene of a 4-vehicle crash in Van Buren County, authorities say. (Courtesy Photo South Haven Area Emergency Services) The boy, who was a passenger in the Saturn, was pronounced dead at the scene as a result of injuries caused by the crash, police said. The driver of the Saturn, who was his relative, was transported to Bronson South Haven Hospital to be treated for injuries related to the accident and is in stable condition, police said. There were no other injuries in the crash, police said. The crash remains under investigation by Covert Township Police. Once the investigation is complete, police said they will present formal charges to the Van Buren County Prosecutors Office against the driver who ran the stop sign. Covert Township police were assisted on the scene by South Haven Area Emergency Services, Michigan State Police and the South Haven Police Department. More on MLive: Police seek information on suspects from vehicle break-ins in Calhoun County No injuries after Amtrak train hits car stuck on tracks, police say Motorcyclist killed on highway ramp in Flint Jim Schopf, an owner of 'Field of Screams,' a Halloween destination in Mountville, Lancaster County, said hed typically see tens of thousands of customers come through the gates, but this year, he expects far fewer to take a hayride, venture into the Den of Darkness, and walk the Nocturnal Wasteland. Read more MOUNTVILLE, Pa. Hours before the blood-curdling screams, before the chain saws and moans of approaching zombies merged into a symphony of terror, workers tidied up the old farm with leaf blowers. For Jim Schopf, that was a joyful noise. Nothing scares the owner of a popular Halloween attraction more than silence. What do you got there, a box of heads? Schopf asked an employee hurrying past him before opening night on Sept. 11. Schopf and his brother, Gene, turned their familys 40-acre farm in Lancaster County into Field of Screams" in 1993, harvesting fear instead of chickens, potatoes, and corn. One old chicken barn is now a haunted asylum filled with mannequins in various states of decay. In a normal year, Schopf said hed see tens of thousands of customers come through the gates, but this year, he expects far fewer to take a hayride, venture into the Den of Darkness, and walk the Nocturnal Wasteland. Field of Screams is one of several haunted attractions that opened in Pennsylvania and New Jersey over the last three decades as Halloween became Americas fastest-growing holiday and evolved into an entire season encompassing two months. The National Retail Federation expects Halloween spending to be $8.05 billion this year, down slightly from last years $8.78 billion due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many questions about the 2020 holiday remain unanswered, particularly whether officials will ask residents to pass on traditional candy-giving and whether parents will allow their children to trick-or-treat anyway. Facebook posts lament the cancellation of Halloween, but in a survey, the retail federation found that the number of households that planned to hand out candy dropped from 69% last year to 62%. Haunted attractions range from simple corn mazes and pumpkin patches to multimillion-dollar pyrotechnic displays like Field of Screams or Creamy Acres' Nights of Terror in Gloucester County. For the U.S. Department of Agricultures purposes, they fall under the umbrella of agritourism. As of the agencys 2017 census, 711 Pennsylvania farms offered agritourism activities, bringing in a combined $27 million annually. Southeastern Pennsylvania had the most, with 191 in Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties. Liam Migdall, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, said most agritourism farms focus on the fall season. For a lot of suburban farms, agritourism has been whats kept them in business, because they dont have enough land to make a living simply producing a commodity, and development prevents them from expanding, Migdall said. Income from agritourism will likely be especially critical for those farms this year because of the market and price volatility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. READ MORE: Peeps wont be produced for Halloween, Christmas or Valentines Day Most of the attractions are finding a way to open, offering socially distanced haunts, requiring masks, and posting hand-washing instructions in horror-themed fonts. One of the main things we had to change was our capacity," Jim Schopf said. "You used to be able to just show up and wait in line, and if there was 500 people in line, you get in and youre 501. Now we are making everyone purchase online and pick a time slot and arrival time to limit and spread out those people. Field of Screams has about 300 employees, most of them seasonal. Schopf said additional restrictions have been placed on their interaction with customers, limiting contact and distance, meaning the zombies and ghouls wont be as close. Theyre not going to be breathing down your neck, he said. Some of the nations largest and best-known haunts, including Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., and Terror Behind the Walls, a major fund-raising effort by Philadelphias Eastern State Penitentiary, have been canceled this year. There are several other attractions across the country called Field of Screams, and at least one of them, based in Kentucky, is not opening. Terror Farm, an attraction in Perry County, wont be opening either, and a statement on its website said it was unable to get clear guidance on what will be expected for haunted attractions to safely operate in the age of COVID-19. Our monsters and madmen," it said, simply can not stay six feet away from their prey and wed be fools to ask them to. READ MORE: Is the worlds biggest Ouija board in Western Pa. or Massachusetts? Yes. No. Goodbye. Sean Kelley, vice president of Eastern State Penitentiary, said the historic prison in the citys Fairmount section would have been celebrating the 30th anniversary of Terror Behind the Walls" but will instead hold night tours for small groups through the Halloween season. The prisons traditional Halloween event saw tens of thousands of customers, even busing them in from parking lots elsewhere in the city. If theres a lesson in 2020, its that long-term planning is not possible, Kelley said. It was just impossible to run a haunted house. People are touching each other, theyre very close together. What were putting together now will be low-key, quiet, and suspenseful. Kelley said each haunted attraction made decisions based on its own comfort level and what percentage of its space is indoor vs. outdoor. He said no decision has been made for next year. Linvilla Orchards, in Media, Delaware County, isnt focused on scares for customers, but rather the family-friendly pumpkin- and apple-picking that draws droves of families before the sun sets on fall weekends. Like Field of Screams, Linvilla is moving to time-ticketed purchases for activities like hayrides. Its definitely going to be a slower season for us because none of the schools signed up for their weekday tours this year," said farm manager Norm Schultz. The last two weekends, including Labor Day, saw really nice weather, and we actually had bigger crowds than we expected. Every week, were reevaluating and learning how we can make it better. Its a learning process for everyone." Linvilla has 60 full-time employees, Schultz said, and brings in 200 part-time workers for the fall season. So many farms depend on the fall, he said. For those that just got started in this and made big investments, the pandemic could really devastate them. FORT WORTH, Texas, Aug. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- ADM Endeavors, Inc. (OTCQB: ADMQ) said today it believes it is important to notify shareholders that the Company is currently involved in negotiations to acquire online brands and service providers. Our task, for our shareholders and for our Company, is to expand ADM Endeavors exponentially. We are exploring opportunities, carefully doing due diligence on the right brands and the right web marketing situations, said CEO Marc Johnson. The Company sells Anything With A Logo on its website, www.JustRightProducts.com, developing products ranging from unique business cards to coffee cups with tens of thousands of other unique products for customers to select from. To meet its customer needs, Just Right Products has implemented state of the art in house production that is supplemented with factory direct international sourcing. Just Right Products has maximized its work area by offering on site traditional brick and mortar retail within its manufacturing facility. This allows the most efficient use of labor with all employees cross trained for retail and production work. We are striving to achieve the optimum share price that reflects the fundamental value of the Company, provide financial information to investors, both retail and institutional, in a timely and accurate way, observe the rules of the SEC through non-aggressive awareness promotions and build receptive capital markets for future financing at favorable terms, Mr. Johnson said. ABOUT ADMQ: Since 2010, our wholly owned subsidiary, Just Right Products, Inc., has operated a diverse vertical integrated business in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, which consists of a retail sales division, screen print production, embroidery production, digital production, import wholesale sourcing, and uniforms. The Retail Sales Division focuses on any product with a logo. It sells a very wide range of products from business cards to coffee cups. Our motto is "We Sell Anything With A Logo!" Just Right Products salespeople excel because they are selling the items people like to buy. The Screen Printing Department utilizes its five screen printing machines to print garments and can produce more than 8,000 units per day. The Embroidery equipment has 51 heads of embroidery capacity. The Digital Department and all the other departments have significant growth potential. The Import Department sources products for retail and wholesale customers. ADM Endeavors has employees fluent in Chinese, Spanish and Arabic thereby affording significant opportunities to interact directly with multiple product sources internationally. The Uniform Division sells uniforms to businesses and schools, with the advantage of in-house production and international sourcing. Forward Looking Statement: This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements," as defined in the United States PSLRA of 1995, that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and the actual results and future events could differ materially from management's current expectations. The economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors identified in the Company's previous filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements in this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Paul Knopick pknopick@eandecommunications.com 940.262.3584 Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. Hong Kong bans Air India flights, says one-third of 23 new cases recently travelled from India The Hong Kong government on Sunday suspended flights from Air India after a surge in the number of coronavius disease cases, according to local media reports. Read more Defence minister Rajnath Singh says ruckus in Rajya Sabha taints image of Parliament in front of entire nation Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said that the ruckus which took place in the Rajya Sabha during the debate on farm bills has tainted the image of Parliament in front of the entire nation. He called the behaviour saddening, unfortunate and shameful. Read more Amid Chinas actions across Indo-Pacific, 2nd Quad meeting slated to be held in Tokyo in Oct The members of the Quad, especially India, Japan and Australia, have also stepped up work on forging partnerships with like-minded countries in the region, or those with interests in the Indian Ocean, with an eye on Chinas increasing assertiveness and aggressiveness. Read more IPL 2020: Jos Buttler to miss Rajasthan Royals opening game against Chennai Super Kings due to quarantine requirement IPL 2020: The BCCI had reduced their quarantine period to 36 hours instead of the six days that other players underwent as they entered one bio-bubble from another, having arrived on a chartered flight. Read more Deepika Padukone on being a badminton player during school days: That was my life, no late nights, no TV, no movies During her appearance on Nat Geo show Mega Icons, Deepika Padukone revealed her school days were all about badminton which did not allow her to spend time with her friends or enjoy watching TV or movies. Read more Heres what TikTok said after Donald Trump gave his blessings for Oracle deal The new entity called TikTok Global would set up a new headquarter in the US and bring 25,000 jobs across the country. Read more Uncharted Destination: Know all about Tuvalu island, one of the least visited travel destinations Located in the Pacific Ocean, the isolated island of Tuvalu is counted as one of the worlds least visited travel destinations but its gorgeous beaches and stilt houses are too dreamy to miss. Read more Watch | Why USA top court judges death caused political fight: Trump vs Biden SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Studies indicate that homemade masks help combat the spread of viruses like COVID-19 when combined with frequent hand-washing and physical distancing. Many of these studies focus on the transfer of tiny aerosol particles; however, researchers say that speaking, coughing and sneezing generates larger droplets that carry virus particles. Because of this, mechanical engineer Taher Saif said the established knowledge may not be enough to determine the effectiveness of some fabrics used in homemade masks. Saif, a mechanical science and engineering professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, led a study that examined the effectiveness of common household fabrics in blocking droplets. The findings are published in the journal Extreme Mechanics Letters. Aerosol particles are typically classified as less than 5 micrometers, and lie in the range of hundreds of nanometers. However, larger droplets up to about 1 millimeter in diameter can also be expelled when an individual speaks, coughs or sneezes. These larger droplets pose a problem because, with sufficient momentum, they can squeeze through the pores of some fabrics, break into smaller droplets and become airborne. However, for an individual to feel compelled to wear a mask, it must be comfortable and breathable, the researchers said. A mask made out of a low-breathability fabric is not only uncomfortable, but can also result in leakage as the exhaled air is forced out around contours of a face, defeating the purpose of the mask and providing a false sense of protection. Our goal is to show that many common fabrics exploit the trade-off between breathability and efficiency of blocking droplets large and small." Saif, mechanical science and engineering professor at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign The team tested the breathability and droplet-blocking ability of 11 common household fabrics, using a medical mask as a benchmark. The fabrics selected ranged from new and used garments, quilted cloths, bedsheets and dishcloth material. The researchers then characterized the fabrics in terms of their construction, fiber content, weight, thread count, porosity and water-absorption rate. "Testing the breathability of these fabrics was the easy part," Saif said. "We simply measured the rate of airflow through the fabric. Testing the droplet-blocking ability is a bit more complicated." In the lab, the researchers fill the nozzle of an inhaler with distilled water seeded with easy-to-find 100-nanometer diameter fluorescent particles which happens to be the size of a novel coronavirus particle. When puffed, the inhaler forces the water through the nozzle and generates high-momentum droplets that collect on a plastic dish placed in front of the inhaler. To test the fabrics, the researchers repeat this process with the various materials placed over the collection dishes. "We count the number of nanoparticles landing on the dish using a high-resolution confocal microscope. We can then use the ratio of the number collected with and without the fabric to give us a measure of droplet-blocking efficiency," Saif said. The team also measured the velocity and size of the particles expelled from the inhaler using high-speed video. Their analyses revealed that droplets leave the inhaler at about 17 meters per second. Droplets released by speaking, coughing and sneezing have velocities within the range of 10 to 40 meters per second, the researchers said. In terms of size, the high-speed video detected droplets with diameters in the 0.1 to 1 millimeter range, matching that of the larger-sized droplets released by speaking, coughing and sneezing. "We found that all of the fabrics tested are considerably effective at blocking the 100 nanometer particles carried by high-velocity droplets similar to those that may be released by speaking, coughing and sneezing, even as a single layer," Saif said. "With two or three layers, even the more permeable fabrics, such as T-shirt cloth, achieve droplet-blocking efficiency that is similar to that of a medical mask, while still maintaining comparable or better breathability. "Our experimental platform offers a way to test fabrics for their blocking efficiency against the small and now larger droplets that are released by human respiratory events." In short, it's bound to get a lot of attention of the wrong kind, including from us. And that's a shame, considering cheap Japanese cars always have a sense of humor baked into them, while this transformation probably required at least a hundred hours of work.At the moment, we don't have a lot of information about this car. It popped up on one of our favorite Reddit car threads and was clearly spotted at a car meet in Florida. Oh, Florida, why are you always behind the craziest stuff in America?At the back, the transition from Miata to Eldorado is quite smooth. You've got the vertical fins on either side, some funky-looking taillights, and flamboyant Cadillac styling. You could also compare this to the Ford Thunderbird or any other luxury vehicle from that era.The project even gets the fenders right, partially covering the wheels. But it all falls apart at the front. There, the classic pop-up headlights of the 1st-generation Miata are replaced by what looks like Toyota Celica triangular lights. it's projects like this that give both the 7th-gen Celica and the Miata a bad name.What happened, did the builder run out of time and money when he hot to the front? Because the last time we checked, a Cadillac Eldorado didn't have any triangle shapes. For a retro look, we would have suggested the Pitcrew retro front end with round headlights. Of course, it's a little expensive at $3,000. On the other hand, Elmiata's builder seems to have the skill to fabricate something like that from scratch. Jobs across the central business districts of Sydney and Melbourne could be lost for up to a decade due to the coronavirus recession, slowing the nation's economic recovery. Analysis of the long-term impacts of recessions on the job market, compiled by the economics department of the Reserve Bank, shows dislocations like the current pandemic could also hit the job prospects of young and older people more than those in their prime working years. The inner suburbs and CBDs of Melbourne and Sydney, plus several tourism-focused regional areas, have suffered the biggest job losses due to the coronavirus recession. While payrolls measured by the Australian Bureau of Statistics are down by 4.4 per cent in NSW since March, they are 8.5 per cent lower in Sydney's CBD and inner south. GREENSBORO The spiral staircase ended up, as promised, in someone's living room. More than two years after beginning renovations on the derelict hulk of a massive mill on Fairview Street, a Wisconsin company is delivering on that and many other promises to build historic, affordable apartments and other amenities. Alexander Co. is preparing to open the first phase of its Printworks Mill project, which will ultimately have 217 apartments, retail space and self-storage. The $54 million project is being built in the historic complex that had been one of the most innovative fabric-printing mills in the South, reduced to a shell with flooded floors, broken windows and a gaping roof that let in light spring snow back in March 2018. The Madison, Wis., company, which specializes in renovation and reuse of historic buildings around the country, plans to open the first apartments in October. Many of them incorporate historic features like the spiral staircase that was one of the many unique touches in the 470,000-square-foot labyrinth of columns and graffiti-covered walls. An image of Venus and its thick clouds taken by NASA's Mariner 10 mission during a planetary flyby maneuver on February 7 and 8, 1974. Kevin M. Gill/NASA/JPL-Caletech The director-general of Russian space corporation Roscosmos claimed this week that Venus is a "Russian planet." "Resuming Venus exploration is on our agenda. We think that Venus is a Russian planet, so we shouldn't lag behind," Dmitry Rogozin told reporters on Tuesday. Rogozin also revealed the country's plans to send its own mission to Venus, on top of an already-proposed joint venture with the United States called "Venera-D." The top space officials comments come on the back of new research published this week, which found that Venus' clouds could be harboring microbial life. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The head of the Russian space agency has staked the country's claim on Venus, saying this week that it is a "Russian planet." Dmitry Rogozin, who is the director general of Russian space corporation Roscosmos, revealed that the country plans to send its own mission to Venus. This would be on top of an already-proposed joint venture with the United States called "Venera-D" that would include sending an uncrewed space mission to the planet in either 2026 or 2031. Speaking to reporters at an international helicopter exhibition in Moscow on Tuesday, Rogozin said: "Our country was the first and only one to successfully land on Venus. The spacecraft gathered information about the planet it is like hell over there," according to The Times. "Resuming Venus exploration is on our agenda. We think that Venus is a Russian planet, so we shouldn't lag behind," he added, CNN reported. Rogozin's comments come days after new research suggested that a gas on Earth called phosphine had also been detected in the atmosphere of Venus, meaning the planet's clouds could be harboring microbial life. In the study, published in the journal Nature Astronomy on Monday, Cardiff University professor Jane Greaves and her team said that their discovery makes Venus a new area of interest. Story continues "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," Greaves said, according to CNN. Venus is the second closest planet from the Sun and is considered one of the hottest in our solar system. The planet's atmosphere is made up almost entirely of carbon dioxide and is the second brightest object in the night sky, after the moon. The Soviet Union became the first country to successfully land a spacecraft on Venus in 1970. The Venera 7 was one of many probes to be sent to the planet and became the first to transmit data from there back to Earth. Although it made a successful soft landing, it melted within seconds. Its successor Venera 9 also launched by the Russians took the first and only image of the Venusian surface from the ground-level perspective in 1975. The country plans to send its own mission to Venus between 2021 and 2030, Rogozin said, according to CNN. Read the original article on Business Insider Secret U.S. government documents reveal that JPMorgan Chase, HSBC and other big banks have defied money laundering crackdowns by moving staggering sums of illicit cash for shadowy characters and criminal networks that have spread chaos and undermined democracy around the world. The records show that five global banks JPMorgan, HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank, Deutsche Bank and Bank of New York Mellon kept profiting from powerful and dangerous players even after U.S. authorities fined these financial institutions for earlier failures to stem flows of dirty money. U.S. agencies responsible for enforcing money laundering laws rarely prosecute megabanks that break the law, and the actions authorities do take barely ripple the flood of plundered money that washes through the international financial system. In some cases the banks kept moving illicit funds even after U.S. officials warned them theyd face criminal prosecutions if they didnt stop doing business with mobsters, fraudsters or corrupt regimes. JPMorgan, the largest bank based in the United States, moved money for people and companies tied to the massive looting of public funds in Malaysia, Venezuela and Ukraine, the leaked documents reveal. The bank moved more than $1 billion for the fugitive financier behind Malaysias 1MDB scandal, the records show, and more than $2 million for a young energy moguls company that has been accused of cheating Venezuelas government and helping cause electrical blackouts that crippled large parts of the country. JPMorgan also processed more than $50 million in payments over a decade, the records show, for Paul Manafort, the former campaign manager for President Donald Trump. The bank shuttled at least $6.9 million in Manafort transactions in the 14 months after he resigned from the campaign amid a swirl of money laundering and corruption allegations spawning from his work with a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine. Tainted transactions continued to surge through accounts at JPMorgan despite the banks promises to improve its money laundering controls as part of settlements it reached with U.S. authorities in 2011, 2013 and 2014. In response to questions for this story, JPMorgan said it was legally prohibited from discussing clients or transactions. It said it has taken a leadership role in pursuing proactive intelligence-led investigations and developing innovative techniques to help combat financial crime. HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank, Deutsche Bank and Bank of New York Mellon also continued to wave through suspect payments despite similar promises to government authorities, the secret documents show. The leaked documents, known as the FinCEN Files, include more than 2,100 suspicious activity reports filed by banks and other financial firms with the U.S. Department of Treasurys Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. The agency, known in shorthand as FinCEN, is an intelligence unit at the heart of the global system to fight money laundering. BuzzFeed News obtained the records and shared them with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. ICIJ organized a team of more than 400 journalists from 110 news organizations in 88 countries to investigate the world of banks and money laundering. In all, an ICIJ analysis found, the documents identify more than $2 trillion in transactions between 1999 and 2017 that were flagged by financial institutions internal compliance officers as possible money laundering or other criminal activity including $514 billion at JPMorgan and $1.3 trillion at Deutsche Bank. Suspicious activity reports reflect the concerns of watchdogs within banks and are not necessarily evidence of criminal conduct or other wrongdoing. Financial institutions have abandoned their roles as front-line defenses against money laundering. Paul Pelletier Though a vast amount, the $2 trillion in suspicious transactions identified within this set of documents is just a drop in a far larger flood of dirty money gushing through banks around the world. The FinCEN Files represent less than 0.02% of the more than 12 million suspicious activity reports that financial institutions filed with FinCEN between 2011 and 2017. FinCEN and its parent, the Treasury Department, did not answer a series of questions sent last month by ICIJ and its partners. FinCEN told BuzzFeed News that it does not comment on the existence or non-existence of specific suspicious activity reports, sometimes known as SARs. Days before the release of the investigation by ICIJ and its partners, FinCEN announced that it was seeking public comments on ways to improve the U.S.s anti-money laundering system. The cache of suspicious activity reports along with hundreds of spreadsheets filled with names, dates and figures flag bank clients in more than 170 countries who were identified as being involved in potentially illicit transactions. Along with sifting through the FinCEN Files, ICIJ and its media partners obtained more than 17,600 other records from insiders and whistleblowers, court files, freedom-of-information requests and other sources. The team interviewed hundreds of people, including financial crime experts, law enforcement officials and crime victims. According to BuzzFeed News, some of the secret records were requested as part of U.S. congressional investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Others were gathered by FinCEN following requests from law enforcement agencies, BuzzFeed said. The FinCEN Files offer unprecedented insight into a secret world of international banking, anonymous clients and, in many cases, financial crime. They show banks blindly moving cash through their accounts for people they cant identify, failing to report transactions with all the hallmarks of money laundering until years after the fact, even doing business with clients enmeshed in financial frauds and public corruption scandals. Authorities in the U.S., who play a leading role in the global battle against money laundering, have ordered big banks to reform their practices, fined them hundreds of millions and even billions of dollars, and held threats of criminal charges over them as part of so-called deferred prosecution agreements. A 16-month investigation by ICIJ and its reporting partners shows that these headline-making tactics havent worked. Big banks continue to play a central role in moving money tied to corruption, fraud, organized crime and terrorism. Advertisements By utterly failing to prevent large-scale corrupt transactions, financial institutions have abandoned their roles as front-line defenses against money laundering, Paul Pelletier, a former senior U.S. Justice Department official and financial crimes prosecutor, told ICIJ. He said banks know that they operate in a system that is largely toothless. Five of the banks that appear most often in the FinCEN Files Deutsche Bank, Bank of New York Mellon, Standard Chartered, JPMorgan and HSBC repeatedly violated their official promises of good behavior, the secret records show. In 2012, London-based HSBC, the largest bank in Europe, signed a deferred prosecution deal and admitted it had laundered at least $881 million for Latin American drug cartels. Narcotraffickers used specially shaped boxes that fit HSBCs teller windows to drop off the huge amounts of drug money they were pushing through the financial system. Under the deal with prosecutors, HSBC paid $1.9 billion and the government agreed to put criminal charges against the bank on hold and dismiss them after five years if HSBC kept its pledge to aggressively fight the flow of dirty money. During that five-year probationary period, the FinCEN Files show, HSBC continued to move money for questionable characters, including suspected Russian money launderers and a Ponzi scheme under investigation in multiple countries. Yet the government allowed HSBC to announce in December 2017 that it had lived up to all of its commitments under its deferred prosecution pact and that prosecutors were dismissing the criminal charges for good. In a statement to ICIJ, HSBC declined to answer questions about specific customers or transactions. HSBC said ICIJs information is historic and predates the end of its five-year deferred prosecution deal. During that time, the bank said, it embarked on a multi-year journey to overhaul its ability to combat financial crime. . . . HSBC is a much safer institution than it was in 2012. HSBC noted that in deciding to release the bank from the threat of criminal charges, the government had access to reports from a monitor who reviewed the banks reforms and practices. The Department of Justice declined to answer specific questions. In a statement, a spokesperson for the departments criminal division said: The Department of Justice stands by its work, and remains committed to aggressively investigating and prosecuting financial crime including money laundering wherever we find it. Everyone is doing badly: Dirty money swamps bureaucrats Money laundering isnt a victimless crime. The free flow of dirty cash helps sustain criminal gangs and destabilize nations. And it is a driver of global economic inequality. Laundered funds are often shunted between accounts owned by obscure shell companies registered in secretive offshore tax havens, allowing elites to hide massive sums from law enforcement and tax authorities. An ICIJ analysis found that banks in the FinCEN files regularly processed transactions to companies registered in so-called secrecy jurisdictions and did so without knowing the ultimate owner of the account. At least 20% of the reports contained a client with an address in one of the worlds top offshore financial havens, the British Virgin Islands, while many others provided addresses in the U.K., the U.S., Cyprus, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Switzerland. ICIJs analysis found that in half of the reports banks didnt have information about one or more entities behind the transactions. In 160 reports, banks sought more information about corporate vehicles, only to be met with no response. Estimates by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime indicate that $2.4 trillion in illicit funds are laundered each year the equivalent of nearly 2.7% of all goods and services produced annually in the world. But the agency estimates that authorities detect less than 1% of the worlds dirty money. Everyone is doing badly, David Lewis, executive secretary of the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force, a partnership of governments around the world that sets anti-money laundering standards, acknowledged in an interview with ICIJ. His organizations country-evaluation reports which dig into how well banks and government agencies meet anti-money-laundering laws and regulations show lots of box-checking but little practical progress. Many countries seem more concerned with looking good on paper than actually cracking down on money laundering, he said. Even an association of the worlds biggest banks complained last year that regulators focus on technical compliance rather than whether systems are really making a difference in the fight against financial crime. A Bombing in Jerusalem For some financial institutions, the problem client is another bank. One early morning in 2003 Steven Averbach was on the No. 6 bus in Jerusalem, when a man rushed to board as the bus pulled away. There were too many things out of place with the man, recalled Averbach, who grew up in New Jersey but immigrated to Israel as a teenager. The man wore long black pants, a white shirt and a black jacket, the typical garb of an Orthodox Jew. But he wore tipped shoes that didnt fit with the Orthodox sect dress, and his jacket was bulging. In his right hand was a device that looked like a doorbell. Averbach, who had previously served as chief weapons instructor for the Jerusalem police force, drew his sidearm. But as the ex-cop turned to face the man, he detonated himself, Averbach later testified in a video deposition. The blast killed seven and wounded 20 others, leaving Averbach paralyzed from the neck down. He died in 2010 of complications from the long-term effects of his injuries. By then, he and his family had become plaintiffs in a lawsuit in the U.S. accusing a Jordanian financial institution, Arab Bank, of moving funds that helped bankroll terrorists involved in the bus bombing and other attacks. The FinCEN Files show that as the litigation was casting a shadow over Arab Bank, it was benefiting from a working relationship with a much bigger, more influential bank: Standard Chartered. The U.K.-headquartered bank helped Arab Bank clients access the U.S. financial system after regulators found deficiencies in Arab Banks money laundering controls in 2005 and forced it to curtail its money-transfer activities in the U.S. Standard Chartered continued its relationship with Arab Bank as the lawsuit against the Jordanian bank worked its way through U.S. courts and even after American authorities put Standard Chartered on notice that it must stop processing transactions for suspect clients. New York regulators concluded in 2012 that Standard Chartered had schemed with the Government of Iran for nearly a decade to push through $250 billion in secret transactions, reaping hundreds of millions of dollars in fees and leaving the U.S. financial system vulnerable to terrorists, weapons dealers, drug kingpins and corrupt regimes. This pattern of conduct cost Standard Chartered nearly $670 million in penalties in the second half of 2012 as part of two deferred prosecution agreements and other deals with New York and U.S. authorities. Despite its official pledges to stay away from suspect customers, Standard Chartered processed 2,055 transactions totaling more than $24 million for Arab Bank customers between September 2013 and September 2014, the FinCEN Files show. Then, in late September 2014, Standard Chartered got another reason to back away from Arab Bank. In the lawsuit stemming from the 2003 Jerusalem bus bombing and other attacks, a jury in Brooklyn found Arab Bank liable for knowingly supporting terrorism by transmitting money disguised as charitable donations for the benefit of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that the U.S. classifies as a terrorist organization. More than a year later, compliance staffers at Standard Chartered sent FinCEN a suspicious activity report acknowledging the banks dealings with Arab Bank up to a few days after the verdict in Brooklyn and expressing concerns about potential terrorist financing. But that wasnt the end of it. Standard Chartered shifted nearly $12 million more in transactions for Arab Bank customers from just after the verdict until February 2016, according to a follow-up suspicious activity report included in the FinCEN Files. Many wires referred to charities, donations, support or gifts, the bank said. The follow-up report noted that the payment records raised concerns as in the Brooklyn trial that illicit activities were being potentially funded under the guise of charity. The civil verdict against Arab Bank was overturned when an appeals court found flaws in the trial judges jury instructions. Arab Bank then settled with nearly 600 victims and victims relatives for an undisclosed amount. In a statement, Arab Bank told ICIJ it abhors terrorism and does not support or encourage terrorist activities. The bank said that allegations against it date back nearly 20 years to a time when anti-money-laundering laws, tools and technologies were different than they are now. In every country where it operates, Arab Bank is in good standing with government regulators and complies with anti-terrorism and money laundering laws, the bank said. The 2005 U.S. regulatory limits against the bank were formally lifted in 2018. Standard Chartered told the BBC, a partner of ICIJ, that it initiated account closure in connection to Arab Bank shortly after the jury verdict. This process can take time in some cases, the bank said, but in all cases the bank continues to fulfil its regulatory obligations while exiting accounts. Arab Bank noted it enjoys a longstanding relationship with Standard Chartered that continues today. Standard Chartered no longer processes U.S. dollar transactions for Arab Bank, but it still provides other banking services for the Jordanian financial institution, Arab Bank told ICIJ. Rewards and risks Why do banks move suspect money? Because its profitable. Banks can pad their bottom lines with the fees they collect as money spins through the webs of accounts often maintained by corrupt users of the financial system. JPMorgan, for example, scored an estimated half a billion dollars in revenues by serving as the chief banker to Bernie Madoff, according to filings in the bankruptcy case spawned by the collapse of his multi-billion-dollar Ponzi scheme. Dealing with shady customers does carry risks. JPMorgan paid $88.3 million in 2011 to settle regulators claims that it had violated economic sanctions against Iran and other countries under U.S. embargoes. Treasury officials hit the bank with a cease and desist order in 2013 that described systemic deficiencies in its anti-money-laundering efforts, noting the bank had failed to identify significant volumes of suspicious activity. Then, in January 2014, the bank paid $2.6 billion to U.S. agencies to settle investigations over its role in Madoffs scheme. JPMorgan posted profits of more than double that amount in just that quarter on its way to nearly $22 billion in profits for the year. Madoff pleaded guilty and is serving a 150-year sentence in federal prison. JPMorgan continued, after those enforcement actions, to move money for people involved in alleged financial crimes, the FinCEN Files show. Among them: Jho Low, a financier accused by authorities in multiple countries of being the mastermind behind the embezzlement of more than $4.5 billion from a Malaysian economic development fund, called 1Malaysia Development Berhad, or 1MDB. He moved just over $1.2 billion through JPMorgan from 2013 to 2016, the records show. Low first gained notoriety for partying with Paris Hilton, Leonardo DiCaprio and other celebrities. One night at a club on the French Riviera, he got into a bidding war over a cache of Cristal champagne winning the contest with a final bid of 2 million euros, according to Billion Dollar Whale, a bestselling book about the 1MDB swindle. He was first outed by media reports in early 2015 as a key figure in the 1MDB scandal, the so-called heist of the century. Singapore issued a warrant for his arrest in April 2016. Authorities in the U.S., Malaysia and Singapore are seeking his capture. JPMorgan also moved money for companies and people tied to corruption scandals in Venezuela that have helped create one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises. One in three Venezuelans is not getting enough to eat, the UN reported this year, and millions have fled the country. One of the Venezuelans who got help from JPMorgan was Alejandro Piojo Isturiz, a former government official who has been charged by U.S. authorities as a player in an international money laundering scheme. Prosecutors allege that between 2011 and 2013 Isturiz and others solicited bribes to rig government energy contracts. The bank moved more than $63 million for companies linked to Isturiz and the money laundering scheme between 2012 and 2016, the FinCEN Files show. Isturiz could not be reached for comment. The secret records show that JPMorgan also provided banking services to Derwick Associates, an energy firm that won billions of dollars in no-bid contracts to repair Venezuelas failing electricity grid. A 2018 analysis by the Venezuelan chapter of the nonprofit group Transparency International concluded that Derwick Associates failed to deliver the power capacity expected and overbilled the Venezuelan government by at least $2.9 billion. Alejandro Betancourt was in his 20s when he co-founded Derwick with a younger cousin. News articles and Internet postings from 2011 raised allegations about Derwick. The company later filed a lawsuit that claimed it was the victim of a smear campaign that falsely accused it of being part of a criminal group. The suit was settled on undisclosed terms. The FinCEN Files show that Derwick used accounts at JPMorgan to move at least $2.1 million in 2011 and 2012 and that the bank processed other transactions of undisclosed amounts for Derwick and its managers at least into 2013. In 2018, the U.S. Justice Department charged a senior Derwick executive, Francisco Convit Guruceaga, in an alleged $1.2 billion bribery and money-laundering scheme. Betancourt was cited in the criminal complaint as an unnamed co-conspirator, ICIJ partner Miami Herald later reported. A lawyer for Betancourt said: My client denies any wrongdoing. Convits attorney declined to comment. In a general statement, JPMorgan noted that it had acknowledged in 2014 that it needed to improve its anti-money-laundering controls and that since then it has invested heavily toward this effort. Today, thousands of employees and hundreds of millions of dollars are devoted to helping support law enforcement and national security efforts, the bank said. Boss of bosses Often, the secret files show, banks handling cross-border transactions have little idea who theyre dealing with even when theyre shifting hundreds of millions of dollars. Take the case of a mysterious shell company called ABSI Enterprises. ABSI sent and received more than $1 billion in transactions through JPMorgan between January 2010 and July 2015, the FinCEN Files show. This amount included transactions through a direct bank account with JPMorgan, which ABSI closed in 2013, and through so-called correspondent banking arrangements, in which a bank with significant U.S. operations, such as JPMorgan, allows foreign banks to process U.S. dollar transactions through its own accounts. Compliance watchdogs based at the banks Columbus, Ohio, operations hub decided to try to figure out ABSIs actual owner in 2015 after a Russian news site reported that a similarly-named shell company which JPMorgans records indicated was the parent of ABSI was linked to an underworld figure named Semion Mogilevich. Mogilevich has been described as the Boss of Bosses of Russia mafia groups. When the FBI put him on its Top Ten Most Wanted list in 2009, it said his criminal network was involved in weapons and drug trafficking, extortion and contract murders. The chain-smoking, beefy Ukrainians signature method of neutralizing an enemy, The Guardian once reported, is the car bomb. The records show the compliance officers searched in vain through their files on the shell company, unable to determine who was behind the firm or what its true purpose was. While those details still remain unclear, JPMorgan had plenty of reasons to examine ABSI years earlier: it operated as a shell company in Cyprus, considered a major money laundering center at the time, and it was directing hundreds of millions of dollars through JPMorgan. Mogilevich is featured in Worlds Most Wanted, a Netflix documentary series released in August. Through a spokesperson, Mogilevich said he had no knowledge of ABSI. He has previously said: I am not a leader or an active participant of any criminal group. The mighty dollar BuzzFeed News used the cache of suspicious activity reports in 2018 to publish stories revealing secret payments to shell companies controlled by Manafort, who is now serving a federal prison sentence in home confinement in a case based largely on these transactions. A former U.S. Treasury Department official, Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards, pleaded guilty in January to conspiring to unlawfully disclose FinCEN documents to BuzzFeed News. BuzzFeed News has not commented on its source. FinCEN and other U.S. agencies play an outsized role in anti-money-laundering efforts around the world, largely because money launderers and other criminals share the same goal as many bank customers who operate across borders: moving U.S. dollars, the de facto global currency, between account holders in different countries. An elite group of mostly U.S. and European banks with large operations in New York pocket fees for performing this trick, drawing on their privileged access to the U.S. Federal Reserve. These banks U.S. operations can also help turn local money into U.S. dollars, another key money laundering goal. American law entrusts banks with frontline responsibility to prevent money laundering, even though their financial incentives run entirely in the direction of keeping money dirty or clean moving. While banks are empowered to stop a transaction if it appears to be shady, theyre not necessarily required to do so. They simply have to file a suspicious activity report with FinCEN. FinCEN, which has roughly 270 employees, collects and sifts through more than two million new suspicious activity reports each year from banks and other financial firms. It shares information with U.S. law enforcement agencies and with financial intelligence units in other countries. Long gone Inside big banks, systems for sniffing out illicit cash flows rely on overworked, under-resourced staffers, who typically work in back offices far from headquarters and have little clout within their organizations. Documents in the FinCEN Files show compliance workers at major banks often resort to basic Google searches to try to learn whos behind transfers involving hundreds of millions of dollars. As a result, the secret documents show, banks frequently file suspicious activity reports only after a transaction or customer becomes the subject of a negative news article or a government inquiry usually after the money is long gone. In interviews with ICIJ and BuzzFeed, more than a dozen former compliance officers at HSBC called into question the effectiveness of the banks anti-money-laundering programs. Some said the bank didnt give them enough time to do much beyond cursory looks at large flows of cash and that when they requested information about who was behind big transactions, HSBC branches outside the U.S. often ignored them. They would say: Sure, well get back to you. But theyd never get back, recalls Alexis Grullon, who monitored international suspicious activity for HSBC in New York from 2012 to 2014. At Standard Chartered Bank, a lawsuit filed in December 2019 in federal court in New York claims, employees who objected to illegal transactions werent ignored they were threatened, harassed and fired. Julian Knight and Anshuman Chandra claim in the suit that they were forced out of management jobs at the bank after it learned they had cooperated with an FBI probe into transfers of money that Standard Chartered had pushed through for U.S.-sanctioned entities from Iran, Libya, Sudan and Myanmar. Standard Chartered, the suit claims, engaged in a highly sophisticated money laundering scheme, altering the names of parties subject to U.S. sanctions on transaction documents and creating a technological workaround that allowed illegal transactions to slip through the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank undetected. Chandra, who worked in the banks Dubai branch from 2011 to 2016, concluded that the sanctions busting helped bankroll terror attacks that killed and wounded soldiers serving in the U.S.-led coalition, as well as many innocent civilians. The suit says the scheme allowed the bank to profit from the high premium that Iran and its operatives were willing to pay to convert Iranian rials the countrys sanctions-depressed currency into dollars. You can run a show like this probably for a few months without being caught if its a small group running it within the bank, Chandra said in an interview with ICIJ partner BuzzFeed News. But something like this happening over a period of years and coming into billions of dollars someone at the top should have asked the question: How are we making this money? Chandra and Knight claim that the bank acknowledged only a fraction of its violations and lied about when illegal transactions had stopped when it came forward and admitted sanctions violations as part of its 2012 deferred prosecution deal with U.S. authorities. The agency extended the banks probationary period again and again over several years. Then, in 2019, the bank paid $1.1 billion more for continuing violations of sanctions against Iran and other countries and agreed to extend its deferred prosecution pact for two more years. Standard Chartered didnt answer questions from ICIJ and its partners about the ex-employees claims. In court papers, Standard Chartered said their allegations are implausible and meritless. I am dying: Ukraine, JPMorgan and the kleptocrats Twenty-one-year-old Olesia Zhukovska took a bullet in the fight against corruption in Ukraine. Shed been working as a nurse in western Ukraine in late 2013 when protests broke out in the heart of Kyiv, the capital. During the regime of President Viktor Yanukovych, billions of dollars were being smuggled out of the country channeled through far-off accounts at some of the worlds biggest banks. Demonstrators protested their leaders tilt toward Russia and the high-level corruption that was wrecking the countrys economy, its schools, its health system. Ukrainians were dying, patient advocates said, because money intended for life-saving medicines and equipment was being stolen by insiders. Zhukovska says she couldnt afford the $3,000 bribe it would take to get a job in an urban hospital. She worked instead at a rural health center with no heat, no medicines. Nothing, she says. The structure looked like an old ruin. In December 2013, she joined growing anti-government rallies in Kyiv, volunteering to treat demonstrators beaten by baton-swinging government forces. She was sorting bandages on Feb. 20, 2014, when a snipers bullet tore into her neck. It hit less than an inch, she says, from her carotid artery. As an ambulance rushed her to the hospital, she tweeted: I am dying. Olesya Zhukovskaya (@OlesyaZhukovska) February 20, 2014 It was the day of what became known as the Snipers Massacre. When the day ended, Zhukovska had survived, but dozens of others had been killed by rooftop police snipers who rained fire on protesters. Zhukovskas tale of struggle and pain is similar to the stories of average people around the world who suffer as corrupt politicians and their cronies in Ukraine and beyond enrich themselves with the help of name-brand banks with global footprints. As the young nurse was still healing in a hospital in early 2014, Yanukovych fled the country. So did his closest adviser, Chief of Staff Andriy Klyuyev, who had emerged as a despised face of the crackdown. Both ended up in exile in Russia. Both are wanted by Ukrainian authorities and under U.S. sanctions that accuse them of embezzling public funds and subverting Ukrainian democracy. An investigation later found that a solar energy group run by Klyuyevs family, Activ Solar, made off with hundreds of millions of dollars in what were purportedly loans from government-owned banks. Its assets were funneled into a network of offshore companies controlled by Klyuyev family members, according to a report by Ukraines Financial Intelligence Unit as part of a multinational investigation into the Yanukovych regime. The Activ Solar affair was part of an orgy of corruption under Yanukovych that included a network of companies linked to Klyuyevs brother, Serhiy, buying Ukraines presidential palace, the Mezhyhirya estate, where Yanukovych lived, for a rock-bottom price. The palace with a zoo complete with ostriches and a replica of a Spanish galleon for cruises on the Dnieper River became a symbol of the regimes decadence. As always, corrupt proceeds need a place to hide. On the way, most pass through Lower Manhattan. Lingerie and knee Boots In January 2010, the same time Yanukovych was winning the first round of Ukraines presidential election, someone incorporated a new company at the U.K.s corporate registry, Companies House, a government office long criticized for granting legitimacy to companies with secret owners. The new company, NoviRex Sales LLP, claimed to be in the domestic appliances business, but its paperwork suggested something else was going on. It listed its official address as a small shop in Cardiff, Wales. Recently occupied by a nail salon, the same address was used by hundreds of other companies registered at Companies House. NoviRexs listed owners were two other companies, both incorporated in the British Virgin Islands and also without visible owners. The same two BVI companies were listed as owners of thousands more companies at Companies House many registered to the same shop in Cardiff. Records show that the two companies that owned NoviRex also owned companies linked in news reports to suspected bid-rigging and other corrupt acts, much of it centering on Ukraine. The FinCEN Files show NoviRex soon began firing off payments of astonishing size and frequency. For a domestic appliances business, some of the reasons NoviRex gave for the payments were strange: $200,000 for lingerie from a British Virgin Islands company $34,000 for keyboard stickers from a Hong Kong firm almost $400,000 on knee-boots from another Hong Kong company. Yet as NoviRex moved millions of dollars through the global banking system, its financial statements available online from Companies House indicated it was basically moribund, spending less than $2,500 a year. NoviRex sent all its payments from banks in notorious money-laundering centers, including Latvias ABLV Bank. But to move dollars internationally, NoviRex needed more than dodgy Latvian banks. It needed a global institution with access to accounts with the New York branch of the U.S. Federal Reserve System. NoviRex needed JPMorgan Chase. The Middleman With roots dating to American Revolutionary era figures Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, the global banking behemoth provided ABLV with a U.S. dollar account in New York, allowing the Latvian bank to, in turn, offer dollar accounts to its own customers, including NoviRex. In the early 2000s, even as banks faced new obligations under the 2001 USA Patriot Act to carefully check out their foreign banking partners, JPMorgan ramped up business supplying U.S. dollar accounts to foreign banks. By 2003, it had become the global leader in correspondent banking, processing payments for the clients of 3,500 other banks around the world, helping bring JPMorgans overall daily dollar transaction volume to more than $2 trillion for clients in 46 countries. In 2004, FinCEN issued a warning to global banks about Eastern European banks and their shell company customers, reporting that $4 billion in suspicious transactions had been reported since 1996. In 2005, the year Jamie Dimon was named JPMorgans chief executive, FinCEN warned that Latvian banks and their sizable non-Latvian customer base continue to pose significant money laundering risks. FinCEN said: Many of Latvias institutions do not appear to serve the Latvian community, but instead serve suspect foreign private shell companies. FinCEN said Latvias 23 banks then held about $5 billion in nonresident deposits, mainly from Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union. This was JPMorgans market. In allowing a transfer, a correspondent bank (in a simple case) deducts the amount from the account of the sending bank and credits the account of the receiving bank, taking a fee. By granting foreign banks access to U.S. dollars, JPMorgan was opening the systems doors to their customers, including anonymous shell companies like NoviRex. In return for this gatekeeping power, and the fees it brings, U.S. law requires JPMorgan and other banks like it to monitor each transaction cleared on foreign banks instructions and to vet the foreign banks it does business with. A later probe would find that 90% of ABLV customers were deemed high risk by ABLV itself, primarily because they were shell companies registered in secrecy jurisdictions. Some of these shells were moving billions of dollars later traced to corruption in Ukraine. U.S. regulators concluded ABLV had institutionalized money laundering as a pillar of the banks business practices, aggressively peddled money laundering schemes to clients, and produced fraudulent documentation of the highest quality to support these schemes all the while bribing Latvian officials to protect the bank from any threats to its business model. Two financial crime experts who reviewed NoviRexs transactions at ICIJs request said the signs of money laundering were clear. NoviRex had behaved like no legitimate business ever would. If I was at JPMorgan and I saw this, Id be thinking: This is horrendous, one of the experts, former U.K. police detective Martin Woods, said. What normal company buys computers, lingerie and buckets? By early 2014, as citizens were filling the streets to protest Yanukovych, Klyuyev and other government leaders, NoviRex had moved more than $188 million in transactions via JPMorgan. Pulling out JPMorgan, meanwhile, was moving on. By the end 2014 it had terminated correspondent accounts of about 500 foreign banks, including, according to a Latvian banking trade group official, banks in Latvia. In a December 2014 report to shareholders, the bank acknowledged mistakes made and lessons learned from our experiences in foreign correspondent banking. Every company makes mistakes (and weve made a number of them), but the hallmark of a great company is what it does in response, Dimon, the CEO, wrote in a cover letter. He didnt mention Ukraine or Latvia, or ABLV or NoviRex. Nor did he mention that, shortly before the pullout, U.S. regulators had issued a scathing appraisal of JPMorgans money laundering safeguards and ordered the bank to review its correspondent banking practices. By then, Ukraines treasury had been looted, JPMorgans fees pocketed. JPMorgans treasury-services group, the parent of its correspondent-banking business, reported $4.13 billion in revenue in 2013. Dimons total compensation in 2014 was $20 million. The NoviRex story might have ended there. But then, in November 2016, Donald Trump was elected Americas 45th president. Soon after, the U.S. Justice Department appointed Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate Russias election interference and other issues relating to Trump and his associates. One of those associates was Paul Manafort, onetime chairman of Trumps presidential campaign. Death Penalty Manafort had also served as a consultant and lobbyist for Ukraines former president, Yanukovych. The FinCEN Files show staff at JPMorgans Columbus, Ohio, compliance office became concerned about press reports from Ukraine of secret payments to Manafort-controlled shell companies disguised as payments for computer equipment. The bank noted that NoviRex had made such payments. As scrutiny of Manaforts foreign dealings intensified, the FinCEN Files show, JPMorgan filed more suspicious activity reports detailing years after the fact millions of dollars in payments to the consultant, his associates and their businesses. At Manaforts 2018 trial, NoviRexs name surfaced as one of a handful of shell companies used by Ukrainian oligarchs to channel payments for political lobbying work to Manaforts own shell companies. In all, NoviRex secretly paid $4,190,111 to Manaforts consulting operation on behalf of Yanukovychs Party of the Regions, according to government exhibits in his trial. Manafort was ultimately convicted of bank fraud, failure to report a foreign bank account and other crimes. At one of Manaforts trials, his former business partner, Rick Gates, finally revealed the person behind NoviRex: Klyuyev, Yanukovychs right-hand man. The help that JPMorgan provided Klyuyevs company never came up during the trial. In all, the FinCEN Files show, JPMorgan transmitted 706 transactions totaling at least $230 million for NoviRex from 2010 to 2015. Much of that amount went to companies incorporated in secretive tax havens. In 2018, FinCEN declared JPMorgans former customer, ABLV, a primary money laundering concern that had moved billions of dollars for Ukrainian tycoons accused of looting state assets. FinCEN barred U.S. banks from providing ABLV access to U.S. correspondent accounts a step known in financial circles as the death penalty. It is now in liquidation, and some of its bankers have been arrested by Latvian authorities. In response to questions from ICIJ, an ABLV spokesperson said that during the liquidation, an auditor is carrying out a review of the banks ex-clients and their transactions. She added: We cannot publicly comment regarding any specific legal or natural persons. Tricks and cunning: Big penalties dont stop banks from moving dirty cash Money streamed in from California, Peru, Bolivia, China and other places where low-income families were willing to sink their modest savings $2,000, $5,000, $10,000 into an investment they hoped would change their lives. With the click of a keyboard, investors money funneled through the New York operations of global banking giant HSBC. Then it zipped across the world into accounts at HSBCs sprawling Hong Kong offices. Like others taken in by what became known as the World Capital Market Ponzi scheme, Reynaldo Pacheco, a 44-year-old father in Santa Rosa, California, promoted the deal to family and acquaintances. When the WCM scheme began to unravel, one of the unlucky investors hed encouraged to put money into the deal decided to have him killed. Three men kidnapped him and beat his head with rocks, leaving him dead in a creekbed, his hands tied behind his back with tape and one of his shoelaces. Thousands of victims lost an estimated $80 million in the scheme. The FinCEN Files show that HSBC continued shifting money for the WCM investment fund at a time when authorities in three countries were investigating the company and the banks internal watchdogs knew it was an alleged Ponzi scheme. More than $30 million tied to WCM flowed through the bank in 2013 and 2014 at a time when HSBC was under probation as part of its deferred prosecution deal with American authorities. Even after U.S. securities regulators won a restraining order freezing the companys assets, WCMs account at HSBC Hong Kong stayed active. According to court documents later filed by attorneys seeking money for the schemes victims, WCM drained more than $7 million from the account during the following week, drawing its balance to zero. WCM wasnt the only company tied to criminal activities that moved money through HSBC during the five-year probation that came with the banks $1.9 billion deferred prosecution deal. The banks Hong Kong office, for example, processed more than $900 million in transactions involving shell companies linked in court records and media reports to alleged criminal networks, an ICIJ analysis found. American prosecutors and other officials have praised deferred prosecution deals and other types of money laundering settlements as effective tools for making sure big banks follow the law and stop serving criminals. When authorities announced Standard Chartereds deferred-prosecution deal in 2012, an FBI official declared: New York is a world financial capital and an international banking hub, and you have to play by the rules to conduct business here. ICIJs investigation shows that five of the banks that appear most often in the FinCEN Files HSBC, JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, Standard Chartered and Bank of New York Mellon continued moving cash for suspect people and companies in the wake of deferred prosecution agreements and other big money laundering enforcement actions. Four of those banks signed non-prosecution or deferred prosecution deals in the past 15 years relating to money laundering. The only bank of the five that hasnt been the subject of a non- or deferred prosecution agreement is Deutsche Bank. Instead, it reached a $258 million civil settlement in 2015 in response to a probe by U.S. and New York banking regulators that found that the bank had moved billions of dollars on behalf of Iranian, Libyan, Syrian, Burmese and Sudanese financial institutions and other entities sanctioned by the U.S. Bank of New York Mellon was among the first big banks to pay a large penalty to U.S. authorities for anti-money-laundering failures. In 2005, two years before its merger with Mellon Financial, Bank of New York paid $38 million dollars and signed a non-prosecution agreement after a federal probe concluded that it had allowed $7 billion in illicit Russian money to flow through its accounts. Media reports said investigators believed that Mogilevich, the alleged Russian mafia Boss of Bosses, was behind some of the transactions. Even as its avoided big money laundering enforcement actions in recent years, Bank of New York Mellon has continued doing business with suspect figures, the FinCEN Files show. The leaked records show, for example, that Bank of New York Mellon moved more than $1.3 billion in transactions between 1997 and 2016 tied to Oleg Deripaska, a Russia billionaire and a longtime ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Since 2008, Deripaska has been the subject of allegations in media reports tying him to organized crime. When U.S. authorities announced sanctions against him in 2018, they said he had been previously been accused of threatening the lives of corporate rivals, bribing a Russian government official and ordering the murder of a businessman. Deripaska denies laundering funds or committing financial crimes. In 2019 the Trump administration lifted sanctions on three companies linked to him. U.S. sanctions on Deripaska himself remain and hes suing in an effort to upend them. BNY Mellon takes its role in protecting the integrity of the global financial system seriously, including filing Suspicious Activity Reports, the bank said in a statement. As a trusted member of the international banking community, we fully comply with all applicable laws and regulations, and assist authorities in the important work they do. Red flags One striking pattern revealed by ICIJs analysis of the leaked records is the willingness of multiple banks to process transactions for the same risky clients. Deripaska, the Russian oligarch, didnt just have Bank of New York Mellon helping him out. The secret records reveal Deutsche Bank shuffled more than $11 billion in transactions between 2003 and 2017 for companies he controlled. The records also indicate that Deutsche Bank and Standard Chartered helped Odebrecht SA a Latin American construction firm behind what U.S. prosecutors called the largest foreign bribery case in history move $677 million from 2010 from 2016. Deutsche Bank played a role in transactions involving more than $560 million of that amount, the records show. Then theres Dmytro Firtash, a Ukrainian oligarch who is wanted on criminal charges in the U.S. In 2014, American prosecutors unsealed an indictment accusing him of bribing officials in India in an effort to secure a mining deal. Since late 2019, U.S. news outlets have reported on claims that Firtash played a role in President Trumps effort to dig up dirt in Ukraine on his 2020 reelection opponent, Joe Biden. Firtash, who says he began his climb in business trading Ukrainian powdered milk for Uzbek cotton after the fall of the Soviet Union, lives in exile in a mansion in Vienna, protected so far from efforts to extradite him. His Art Nouveau villa has a home cinema and an infinity pool a 2017 profile by Bloomberg Businessweek dubbed him the Oligarch in the Gilded Cage. When it comes to banking, he and companies tied to him found open doors among many of the industrys big institutions. All five big banks in ICIJs analysis JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, Standard Chartered, HSBC and Bank of New York Mellon handled transactions for companies controlled by Firtash, the FinCEN Files show. And the records indicate that all five approved transactions tied to Firtash in the time periods after U.S. authorities had forced the banks to pay fines and pledge to work harder to vet suspect clients. The files show that among these banks, JPMorgan moved the most money for companies controlled by Firtash by far shuffling hundreds of transactions totaling nearly $2 billion between 2003 and 2014. JPMorgan and the other banks should have been aware of Firtashs questionable history as far back as 2010, when a leaked U.S. diplomatic cable linked Firtash to Mogilevich. Then in 2011, a lawsuit filed in Manhattan by former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko provided the banks even more of a heads up, even naming specific accounts at four of the banks that the suit alleged were being used by Firtash for money laundering. The suit accused Firtash, Mogilevich and future Trump campaign manager Manafort of laundering illicit funds from Ukraine through banks and investment deals in the U.S. The suit claimed accounts at the New York offices of JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, Standard Chartered and Bank of New York Mellon were being used in money laundering operations shifting money stolen in Ukraine to the U.S. and then after it had been cleaned round-tripping it back to Ukraine. Despite the allegations, these five banks continued to handle transactions involving companies controlled by Firtash, the FinCEN Files show. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2013, in part because Tymoshenko and her lawyers werent able to provide enough specifics of the transactions involved in the alleged scheme. Firtash has denied wrongdoing, telling Bloomberg Businessweek that hes the victim of a special machine of propaganda organized against me. He told the magazine that Tymoshenko was wrong in everything. She lies all the time. In order to money launder, you need to have dirty money to start with. I always had clean money. In a statement, an attorney for Firtash told ICIJ that Firtash has never had any partnership or other commercial association with Semion Mogilevich. The attorney said Firtash would not answer questions from ICIJ because its queries are reliant on the unlawful and criminal disclosure of suspicious activity reports. Holding bankers accountable Why havent seemingly big financial penalties done more to change banks behavior? John Cassara, a financial crime expert who worked as a special agent assigned to FinCEN from 1996 to 2002, said that the size of the penalties paid by HSBC and other big banks may sound large but that theyre a tiny fraction of the banks profits. And the money isnt paid by the bankers who should be held accountable, he said its paid by shareholders. BNP Paribas, Frances largest bank, received the biggest fine of all in 2014, when it was forced to pay $8.9 billion in the face of evidence that it helped shift billions of dollars through the U.S. financial system on behalf of Sudanese, Iranian and Cuban entities subject to American sanctions. Unlike settlements with HSBC and others, this wasnt a deferred prosecution. The bank agreed to accept a criminal conviction, and to force out 13 staffers. But for the French bank, the priority in settlement negotiations was ensuring that its license to process dollar transactions in the U.S. wasnt permanently taken away. Instead, U.S. regulators barred BNP Paribas from such activities for one year. After the deal was announced, the banks share price rose 4%. James S. Henry, a New York-based economist, attorney and author who has been investigating the world of dirty money since the 1970s, says American enforcement actions over the past two decades have had some impact on large banks behavior at least compared to an earlier era when they operated with almost no restraints. But he said its going to take more prosecutorial will and international collaboration to truly change the relationship between banks and illicit cash flows. That includes holding banks as institutions as well as top bankers themselves accountable. We have to put some senior executives who are in charge of this stuff at risk, Henry said. And that means fines and/or jail. Shark tank It sounded like something out of a spy novel. Deutsche Bank employees instructed clients from Iran and other hot spots to lace their payment messages with code words that would trigger special handling. One executive urged workers to employ tricks and cunning to avoid detection by American authorities. These tricks of the trade were exposed in a November 2015 announcement by New York banking regulators. Deutsche Bank, state officials said, had been caught shifting nearly $11 billion between 1999 and 2006 on behalf of Iran, Syria and other countries under U.S. sanctions. Under the $258 million settlement with the state and the Federal Reserve, Deutsche Bank agreed to reform its practices and fire employees involved in the sanctions-evasion operation. In a statement, Deutsche Bank framed the deal as old news: The conduct ceased several years ago, and since then we have terminated all business with parties from the countries involved. A month after the settlement was announced, the FinCEN Files show, Deutsche Bank was working behind the scenes to move money for a company linked to Ihor Kolomoisky a Ukrainian billionaire who, U.S. prosecutors later alleged, was engaged in a massive laundering scheme that funnelled cash into the American heartland. Kolomoisky has his own spy thriller mystique. U.S. prosecutors say hes long been known for ruthlessness and even violence in business dealings, once hiring armed goons to take over the offices of a government-owned oil company. In an article in the Wall Street Journal, one associate recalled meeting with Kolomoisky and watching as the oligarch pressed a remote-control switch that dropped crayfish meat to the hungry sharks occupying his office aquarium. The leaked records show Deutsche Bank moved $240 million from December 2015 to May 2016 for a shell company registered in the British Virgin Islands that, U.S. court filings claim, was controlled by Kolomoisky and a business partner. A lawsuit filed last year in state court in Delaware alleges Kolomoisky used the shell company, Claresholm Marketing Ltd., to help pull off a series of brazen fraudulent schemes via PrivatBank, a Ukrainian institution that Kolomoisky and a partner controlled until the end of 2016. The new owners of the bank claim in the suit that Kolomoisky and his associates siphoned away billions of dollars from the bank through sham loans and then laundered the money through investments in the U.S. This past July, New York regulators reached another money-laundering settlement with Deutsche Bank. This time, the bank agreed to pay $150 million in penalties related to its dealings with convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein as well as with two non-U.S. banks involved in money laundering scandals. A month later, U.S. prosecutors filed civil forfeiture complaints in federal court in Florida that included allegations of thievery and money laundering against Kolomoisky similar to the claims in the Delaware lawsuit. Prosecutors say much of the money allegedly stolen from PrivatBank between 2008 to 2016 ended up in investments in the U.S. including commercial real estate in Texas and Ohio, steel plants in Kentucky, West Virginia and Michigan and a cellphone factory in Illinois. Kolomoisky did not respond to questions from ICIJ. A lawyer for him said in August: Mr. Kolomoisky emphatically denies the allegations in the complaints filed by the Department of Justice. In the state court case in Delaware, lawyers for Kolomoiskys businesses said the suit fails to show violations of racketeering statutes or other laws. Kolomoisky has also filed a defamation action against PrivatBank in Ukraine, claiming the bank has falsely accused him of fraud and other wrongdoing. Deutsche Bank declined to answer questions about its dealings with Kolomoisky, saying it was legally restricted from commenting on clients or transactions. The bank told ICIJ that it has acknowledged past weaknesses and learnt from our mistakes. It said it has systematically tackled these issues. We are a different bank now, it said. Your browser does not support the audio element. Understanding the difficulties of putting out flames in Ho Chi Minh Citys tiny alleys, a Vietnamese man has modified a three-wheeler into a mini fire engine' for use in such situations. Ly Nhon Thanh, 54, has been the head of the neighborhood guardian team of Nguyen Thai Binh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City since 2008. Since then, he has observed many house fires looked upon by firefighters unable to help because of limited access to the buildings, which are nestled inside alleys too narrow for full-sized fire trucks. To solve the problem, Thanh modified a three-wheeled motorbike, turning it into a mini fire engine which easily maneuvers through narrow alleys to reach a fire. The local fire brigade gave approval to the improvised fire motorcycle and has allowed Thanh to use it to help battle several blazes. It took me more than three weeks to complete the first fire engine. Despite many failures, I got it done, Thanh said, laughing. Ly Nhon Thanh inspects the hose of his fire bike modified from a three-wheeled motorbike. Photo: Kim Ut / Tuoi Tre He has taken part in extinguishing more than thirty fires since designing the fire motorcycle. Thanh even created two more that can aid in both firefighting and rushing injured residents to the hospital. The last time he used his fire bike to help put out a fire was on August 28, when the flame broke out in a narrow alley on Nguyen Cong Tru Street, District 1. Thanh drove his vehicle to support the squad of firefighters and rescue the victims assets. On that day I heard some people screaming for help. When we got there, the building was engulfed in flames, recalled Thanh. Thanks to my motorcycle, we were able to navigate our way deep into the alley to battle the blaze." Ly Nhon Thanh rides his custom-made fire bike into a small alley in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City to help put out a fire. Photo: Minh Hoa / Tuoi Tre At the end of March, concerned about the fact many roads and houses were flooded by torrential downpours, Thanh decided to equip his vehicles with a pump to help dry out the water when necessary. He has since used his pump to bail water out of flooded areas throughout his community. Thanhs guardian team also supports the police of Nguyen Thai Binh Ward in cracking down on crimes, having chased after hundreds of robbers in numerous cases of robbery and drug trafficking. Thanhs selfless devotion to the community has been recognized by authorities who have thanked him for safeguarding his neighborhood. Ly Nhon Thanh (left) looks on as a coworker wipes a battering ram clean before loading it onto a fire bike modified from a three-wheeled motorbike. Photo: Thu Hien / Tuoi Tre Ly Nhon Thanh speaks on a walkie-talkie on a fire bike modified from a three-wheeled motorbike. Photo: Thu Hien / Tuoi Tre Ly Nhon Thanh (left) sits on his motorcycle next to two coworkers. He bought the motorcycle with his own money to chase robbers. Photo: Thu Hien / Tuoi Tre Ly Nhon Thanh looks at a journal where he keeps photos of his past cases of chasing after robbers. Photo: Kim Ut / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The government and opposition parties have reportedly reached a consensus to cut short the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament to check the spread of coronavirus. The session could end as early as the middle of this week, news reports suggest. It was reported earlier that the session could be cut short. The session started on September 14 and was scheduled to conclude on October 1. However, a final decision by the Cabinet committee on parliamentary affairs is awaited. Most political parties favoured curtailment of the ongoing session at a meeting of the Lok Sabhas Business Advisory Committee (BAC). The meeting involved floor leaders of all parties, government representatives and was chaired by the Speaker. 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 Lok Sabha has so far passed three Bills to replace agriculture sector related ordinances. Also, both the Houses have cleared a bill to replace an ordinance for cutting by 30 per cent the salaries of MPs to ramp up funds in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Some opposition parties had reportedly conveyed to the government that conducting the full 18-day session could be a risky affair. The issue was raised after some Members of Parliament, including Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Prahlad Patel, tested positive for COVID-19 during the session. The Budget Session was short-terminated in March after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic. (With inputs from PTI) An engineer who helped develop Sir James Dyson's electric car has won a religious discrimination and unfair dismissal claim against the company after her manager told her 'I don't like Muslims'. Zeinab Alipourbabaie, 39, told an employment tribunal that senior technical project manager Kamaljit Chana also said: 'Muslims are violent' and 'Pakistani men are grooming our girls.' Miss Alipourbabaie worked at Dydon in Wiltshire for four years but resigned in 2018 after months of harassment and discrimination by Mr Chana. Zeinab Alipourbabaie (left) told a tribunal that senior technical project manager Kamaljit Chana (right) also said: 'Muslims are violent' and 'Pakistani men are grooming our girls.' Mr Chana, who is Sikh and also a Conservative councillor in Harrow, northwest London, denied making the comments but a tribunal found Miss Aliporbabaie's account of the one-to-one meeting 'compelling and persuasive'. The judgment of the Tribunal stated: 'The Claimant's case is that in the course of the conversation he asked where she was from and that she told him that she was from Iran. 'He asked if she was a Muslim and she replied that she came from a Muslim family... he said 'that he did not like Muslims'. 'He said they are violent, talked about terrorist attacks, and repeated that he did not like Muslims and they are violent. 'Mr Chana talked about 9/11 and said his family did not take flights any more because they were scared..He went on to say Pakistani men are grooming our girls.' 'She goes on to say that she then left the meeting as she felt uncomfortable and shocked.' The court also heard Mr Chana excluded Ms Alipourbabaei from meetings and emails and advised against promoting her. The court found that Iranian national Ms Alipourbabaie's resignation amounted to constructive unfair dismissal. Mr Chana was handed a final written warning but kept his job at Dyson after an internal investigation also found he had bullied and harassed Miss Alipourbabaie. Miss Alipourbabaie said: 'No one should have to endure the pain of harassment and discrimination that I suffered while working at Dyson as result actions of Kamaljit Chana, a man who, as the Tribunal noted, is a councillor. 'As such he has a public duty not to hold discriminatory views but should set an example being fair minded and tolerant of all religions.' Dyson told the Times: 'It said: 'These allegations were investigated fully and disciplinary action was taken against Kamaljit Chana who was found to have acted inappropriately. British billionaire Sir James Dyson said his electric car was cancelled for being 'too risky' 'We have since launched mandatory 'respect' training for all our people.' Leigh Day lawyer Leila Moran said: 'My client has fought bravely to bring this case to Tribunal and the judgment is a powerful moral victory. 'She was put in an awful position in which she endured harassment and discrimination because of her religion over a protracted period of time. In the end she had no option but to resign. 'The Tribunal accepted that Mr Chana made wholly unacceptable comments, that he deliberately excluded her from meetings and emails, and that he expressed critical views about whether she should be promoted. 'This case should serve as a warning to other companies that all employees must be treated absolutely fairly and that any harassment and discrimination on grounds of religion will not be tolerated by the Employment Tribunal.' Earlier this year, British billionaire Sir James Dyson said his company's electric car was cancelled for being 'too risky'. The aborted 'N526' Dyson electric car, which Dyson piled 500 million of his own money into before pulling the plug, was a 16-foot-long seven-seater, electric SUV. The 2.6 tonne-vehicle featured an aluminium body, quiet-running tyres and quick-charging battery cells that would have provided enough power to drive 600 miles on a single charge. My current strategy in encouraging non-mask compliant strangers to put on a mask is as follows: give them a dirty look and then briskly walk past them in a big curve as if they have a magnetic force field that repels everything. Not surprisingly, it doesnt work. Either they dont notice, dont care, or think Im smizing. Fortunately, the majority of people I see when outside have been following public health guidelines, but what should I do (if anything at all) when I see that one person not wearing a mask or physically distancing? I want to look out for the safety of those around me. After all, were supposed to be in this COVID-19 pandemic together, right? I asked my Twitter followers what they do when coming across someone not physically distancing or wearing a mask. Most replied they keep their distance and move on, adding its not worth it to risk having an angry individual get close to their face. Others said they have tried to tell people to mask up but were ignored. When it comes to a business, some just dont shop there anymore if they dont feel safe. University of Toronto psychology professor Steve Joordens says even with the best intentions, its easy to come off as accusatory when asking someone to wear a mask. When confronted, people tend to have a flight or fight response, and as weve seen through countless viral videos, a few have opted for the latter. Joordens says there is a temptation to automatically think of a non-mask wearer as a conspiracy theorist who doesnt believe in COVID-19, and while there are people that fit that description, there are also individuals who might still be in a state of denial that a pandemic is happening after going through personal trauma such as losing a job or a family member. To some extent we lost our previous way of life and wearing a mask is associated with accepting that life isnt going to be the same, he said. For some people, that is hard to accept. If its a person you feel like you could reason with, Joordens suggests giving them a chance to express why theyre not wearing a mask or where their frustrations are coming from in order to cool down what could be a hostile situation. It might make it hard for them to rationalize their current actions and be a turning point for them. But if its in a public setting like a grocery store, Joordens says its better to ask staff to intervene because they have the authority to enforce rules. They have some status and they can cite store policy, he said. They can say, I know its a pain, but wearing a mask is literally store policy and were going to face a fine if someone is without a mask. For them to make it less personal can be more effective. Associate professor Suzanne Sicchia in the teaching stream of the University of Toronto Dalla Lana School of Public Health says shaming people, arguing with them and calling them COVIDIOTS isnt going to get any positive outcomes. She agrees with Joordens if its someone youre comfortable talking to, try to get at the root of their actions, and maybe keep a spare mask and bottle of sanitizer for a friend or family member. If its a stranger, Sicchia says its easier to make it about you. She recalls going grocery shopping in the spring and being approached by a woman in her 80s who wasnt wearing a mask, as well as another man who said he just came back from a trip. Sicchia kept stepping back as the two tried to strike up a conversation with her. She told them that she wanted to keep her distance because she didnt want to get either of them sick. I just say I dont want to affect you, she said. Dr. Vinita Dubey, associate medical officer of Toronto Public Health, said in an email there are legitimate medical reasons a mask may be difficult for someone to wear, such as those cognitive conditions, disabilities or mobility issues. Those individuals should be extra mindful to stay home if sick, wash their hands frequently and keep a physical distance from others, Dubey says. If you are in the presence of someone unable to wear a mask, she adds, the best protection is to maintain the minimum two-metre buffer zone. Above all, protect yourself first, Sichhia adds. Both Joordens and Sicchia say sometimes its just easier to take yourself out of a situation where you dont feel safe or feel that policies arent being enforced. Follow mask protocols, maintain your distance and set an example for everyone to follow. Personally, Im having a blast trying to think of a Halloween costume that would go with a mask. Correction Sept. 21, 2020: This story was edited to correct the spelling of Steve Joordens surname. Slogan-shouting members tried to heckle the presiding officer who was protected by House marshals TMC MP Derek O'Brien attempts to tear the rule book as ruckus erupts in the Rajya Sabha over agriculture related bills, during the ongoing Monsoon Session, at Parliament House in New Delhi. PTI photo New Delhi: Some opposition members led by the TMC climbed on to the chairman's podium, tore official papers, and heckled the presiding officer as they opposed the government's push to pass two contentious farm bills on Sunday without considering their demand for sending the proposed legislations to a house committee. Ruckus prevailed after Deputy Chairman Harivansh overruled opposition pleas for postponing Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar's reply to the debate on the two bills till Monday as the scheduled sitting time of the House was over. As slogan-shouting opposition members rushed into the well, Harivansh put motions by Congress, TMC, DMK and CPM members for sending the bills to a select committee of Rajya Sabha for greater scrutiny, for vote. He declared the motions have been negated by voice vote even as movers of the motion sought division of votes. As the Chair took clause-by-clause passage of the bills, Derek O'Brien of the TMC and some other opposition members climbed on to the podium showing the rule book to Harivansh. Some members tore official papers. Slogan-shouting members tried to heckle the presiding officer who was protected by House marshals. As unruly scenes prevailed, mikes installed in the House were muted and a few minutes later the proceedings were adjourned for around 15 minutes. When the House re-assembled, the opposition members were again in the well chanting slogans. At least one of them climbed on the table of officials. Harivansh said a division of vote cannot be sought from the well of the House and insisted they should first return to their seats. As per procedure lobbies have to be cleared for enabling electronic voting on a legislation. Amid the uproar and slogan-shouting, the Deputy Chairman put the two bills -- Farmer's Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 -- for approval through voice vote. With government having numbers of its favour the bills were passed. This completes parliamentary approval process for legislation of the bills. Now they would be sent to the President of India for his assent. Once the President gives assent, they will become law. Democratic nominee Joe Biden has no plans to release a list of potential Supreme Court nominees, a campaign official said Saturday. Biden had come under pressure after the Friday death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to publish a list of people he might pick for the high court vacancy given the opportunity. The former vice president has only committed to nominating a Black woman to the court if he faced a vacancy as president. President Donald Trump said Saturday he expects to nominate a replacement for Ginsburg next week and it would likely be a woman. He complimented two appeals court judges said to be on his short list, Amy Coney Barrett and Barbara Lagoa. Biden said late Friday that whoever wins the November 3rd election should be the one to fill the vacancy left by Ginsburg, while most Republicans have insisted the decision is up to Trump. Trump had released a list of potential nominees even before Ginsburgs death, seeking to distract from campaign-season criticism over his response to the coronavirus pandemic. Just before Ginsburgs death was announced, Biden was asked about naming potential Cabinet officials or justices before the election. Were going through that now with the transition committee of the people who I might choose, Biden told reporters after a campaign stop in Duluth, Minnesota on Friday. Theres a lot of incredibly qualified people. What I want to make sure I do is keep the commitment that my government, assuming I win, my Cabinet and the White House looks like the country. When pressured into whether he would release any names before the election, Biden said, No, I dont think so. The peace talks, launched last week between the Taliban and the Afghan government in Doha, were hailed as a historic opportunity to end decades of war. But while the sides have met a handful of times, they havent agreed on the basic format of the negotiations, including which issues will be discussed and in what order. Chennai: DMK Working President MK Stalin on Monday criticised the police action on protesters at Marina beach demanding lifting of the ban on Jallikattu and a permanent solution for holding it. It is condemnable that instead of holding talks with peaceful protesters, it has been attempted to end protests using police with an authoritarian mindset, Stalin, opposition leader in the state assembly, said in a statement. He also dubbed the action as anti-democratic. Police, in an early morning crackdown, started removing scores of protesters who were demonstrating at the Marina beach. Live | Jallikattu to be conducted on February 1 in Alanganallur in Madurai The action comes on a day when the state Assembly is expected to discuss the matter after the customary Governors address. The protesters, mostly students and youth, had dubbed the ordinance, promulgated on Saturday, as a temporary measure and sought a permanent solution for conduct of Jallikattu. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Does the September share price for Cooper Energy Limited (ASX:COE) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will estimate the stock's intrinsic value by estimating the company's future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Models like these may appear beyond the comprehension of a lay person, but they're fairly easy to follow. We would caution that there are many ways of valuing a company and, like the DCF, each technique has advantages and disadvantages in certain scenarios. If you still have some burning questions about this type of valuation, take a look at the Simply Wall St analysis model. See our latest analysis for Cooper Energy Crunching the numbers We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Levered FCF (A$, Millions) -AU$4.10m AU$43.9m AU$51.3m AU$56.8m AU$61.4m AU$65.4m AU$68.7m AU$71.7m AU$74.3m AU$76.7m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x3 Analyst x2 Analyst x2 Est @ 10.7% Est @ 8.17% Est @ 6.39% Est @ 5.15% Est @ 4.29% Est @ 3.68% Est @ 3.25% Present Value (A$, Millions) Discounted @ 9.5% -AU$3.7 AU$36.6 AU$39.1 AU$39.5 AU$39.0 AU$37.9 AU$36.4 AU$34.7 AU$32.8 AU$31.0 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = AU$323m Story continues After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (2.3%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 9.5%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2030 (1 + g) (r g) = AU$77m (1 + 2.3%) (9.5% 2.3%) = AU$1.1b Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= AU$1.1b ( 1 + 9.5%)10= AU$437m The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is AU$760m. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of AU$0.3, the company appears a touch undervalued at a 26% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out. dcf Important assumptions Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Cooper Energy as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 9.5%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.204. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business. Moving On: Although the valuation of a company is important, it ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. What is the reason for the share price sitting below the intrinsic value? For Cooper Energy, there are three pertinent factors you should further research: Risks: For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Cooper Energy that you should be aware of before investing here. Management:Have insiders been ramping up their shares to take advantage of the market's sentiment for COE's future outlook? Check out our management and board analysis with insights on CEO compensation and governance factors. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered! PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Australian stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. Nokia 3.4 has been spotted with a circular rear camera design thats different from the previous generations. HMD Global is scheduled to launch new Nokia phones on September 22. The company hasnt dropped any hints on what to expect but leaks suggest a couple of Nokia phones. Among these could be the Nokia 3.4 which has now passed FCC certification. The FCC listing mentions two models of the Nokia 3.4 that are TA-1283 and TA-1285. Here, one model of the Nokia 3.4 is for the dual-SIM variant, and the other for single SIM. The FCC certification hints at an imminent launch but it hasnt been confirmed yet. The smartphone has been leaked numerous times in the past revealing its specs and design. Nokia 3.4 has been spotted with a circular rear camera design thats different from the previous generations. It could come in two storage variants of 3GB+32GB and 3GB+64GB. Nokia 3.4 is rumoured to feature a 6.52-inch HD+ display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 processor, and expandable storage up to 512GB. The smartphone is also expected to pack a 4,000mAh battery. The camera details of the Nokia 3.4 had also been leaked. There could be a triple camera setup at the rear with a 13-megapixel, 5-megapixel and 2-megapixel sensors. For selfies, the Nokia 3.4 is expected to sport an 8-megapixel front camera. Along with the Nokia 3.4, HMD Global could launch the Nokia 2.4, and Nokia 7.3 as well. The flagship Nokia 9.3 PureView will reportedly launch by the end of this year. A single passenger infected 15 others with COVID-19 on a 10-hour trip from London to Vietnam, a new study published by the Centers for Centers for Disease Control has shown. The report shows how the unidentified woman, 27, unknowingly spread the virus back in March. It shows how the female traveler, who had a sore throat prior to flying, infected 12 passengers in business class, two in economy and a crew member out of the 217 on board. 'She was seated in business class and continued to experience the sore throat and cough throughout the flight', the report in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases states. Days later the 27-year-old businesswoman tested positive for coronavirus. In the coming days, the number of U.S. deaths is set to hit 200,000, according to the official tally, though the real number is certainly higher. The virus has infected more than 6.7 million Americans. Nearly 11,000 people have been exposed to the virus on planes, The Washington Post reports. The report adds: 'The most likely route of transmission during the flight is aerosol or droplet transmission from case 1, particularly for persons seated in business class. 'The risk for on-board transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during long flights is real and has the potential to cause COVID-19 clusters of substantial size, even in business classlike settings with spacious seating arrangements well beyond the established distance used to define close contact on airplanes.' A single passenger infected 15 others with COVID-19 on a 10-hour trip from London to Vietnam, a new study published by the Center for Centers for Disease Control has shown. An airline staff member wears surgical mask inside an airplane at the Hong Kong International Airport, stock image Melaku Gebermariam uses an electrostatic sprayer to disinfect the inside of a Delta Airplane between flights on July 22, at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington Official guidance on the CDC website states: 'Air travel requires spending time in security lines and airport terminals, which can bring you in close contact with other people and frequently touched surfaces. 'Most viruses and other germs do not spread easily on flights because of how air circulates and is filtered on airplanes. 'However, social distancing is difficult on crowded flights, and sitting within 6 feet of others, sometimes for hours, may increase your risk of getting COVID-19.' But researchers from Vietnams National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology argue: 'Although the international flight industry has judged the risk for in-flight transmission to be very low, long flights in particular have become a matter of increasing concern as many countries have started lifting flight restrictions despite ongoing SARS-CoV-2 transmission.' A second study also looked into a cluster of four people on one flight from from Boston to Hong Kong on March, Forbes reports. In that case researchers wrote: 'Given the case histories and sequencing results, the most likely sequence of events is that one or both of passengers A and B contracted SARS-CoV-2 in North America and transmitted the virus to flight attendants C and D during the flight. 'The only location where all four persons were in close proximity for an extended period was inside the airplane.' They add: 'Our results strongly suggest in-flight transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Our results demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted on airplanes. To prevent transmission of the virus during travel, infection control measures must continue.' Masks were not mandatory in either case study looked at. The US set a one-day record with over 1 million coronavirus diagnostic tests being performed Saturday, but the country needs 6 million to 10 million a day to bring outbreaks under control, according to various experts. The virus continues to spread and there is currently no approved vaccine. Some public health experts fear infections could spike this fall and winter, perhaps even doubling the death count by the end of the year. Yet the grim milestone and the prospect of more American deaths to come have prompted no rethinking from the president about his handling of the pandemic and no outward expressions of regrets. Social distancing sign is displayed at a check-in area for Southwest Airlines Co. at Los Angeles International Airport. In the coming days, the number of U.S. deaths is set to hit 200,000, according to the official tally, though the real number is certainly higher. The virus has infected more than 6.7 million Americans. Masked passengers fill a Southwest Airlines flight from Burbank, California, to Las Vegas on June 3. A report shows how the unidentified woman, 27, unknowingly spread the virus back in March. It shows how the female traveler, who had a sore throat prior to flying, infected 12 passengers in business class, two in economy and a crew member out of the 217 on board Instead, Trump has sought to reshape the significance of the death tally, trying to turn the loss of 200,000 Americans into a success story by contending the numbers could have been even higher without the actions of his administration. The country performed 1,061,411 tests on Saturday, according to data from The COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer-run effort to track the outbreak. The record comes after testing has fallen for several weeks. The United States tested on average 650,000 people a day in the week ended September 13, down from a peak in late July of over 800,000 people a day. Since the start of the pandemic, testing shortages have hampered efforts to curb the spread of the virus. At one point during the summer, Houston residents lined up in cars and waited hours for tests, even sleeping in their vehicles overnight. Miami saw similar lines. In March, Trump said 'anyone who wants a test, gets a test.' That goal has yet to be achieved. In May the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at University of Washington estimated around 180,000 deaths by October. Their predication now stands at around 378,000 deaths by January. When The Womens Rights Law Reporter - the countrys first periodical to focus solely on womens rights law - was faced with an uncertain future, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, then a law professor at Rutgers- Newark School of Law, stepped in to help the law review get back on its feet. The Reporter, started by Anne Marie Boylan in her Newark apartment, had published just one issue before it ran out of money and a headquarters, said Diane Crothers, a former civil rights attorney who was one of the founding members of the periodical. But Ginsburg, who had served as one of the periodicals advisors for its inaugural issue, helped bring The Reporter into a basement on Rutgers law schools campus and vouched for it, saving it from extinction, she said. Ruth was already one of our faculty advisors, recalled Crothers. Since we couldnt raise money from the foundation community, she helped us move into a basement room in the Rutgers Law school. She was instrumental in that. Years after the first issues of The Reporter, Ginsburg would become a trail-blazing attorney and judge, trying and setting precedent in landmark cases, many of them centered on womens rights in America. Decades later, she would become the second woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court. On Friday, Ginsburg died at 87 of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer just three months after she announced she was undergoing chemotherapy treatment for lesions on her liver, the latest of her several battles with cancer. Her death sent the country into mourning, with tributes coming in torrents from political supporters and opponents alike. Ginsburgs death also set off a national debate over whether President Donald Trump should appoint a new Supreme Court Justice to replace her before the election. For Crothers and Elizabeth Langer, who were both students at Rutgers-Newark School of Law, Ginsburgs legacy was much more personal. Photo of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the Rutgers Law School yearbook when she was a law professor.Courtesy of Rutgers University When Langer first started at Rutgers' law school, she hadnt yet met Ginsburg, she said. But she had heard of The Womens Rights Law Reporter, which she thought would be indispensable. The idea of starting a law journal dedicated to womens rights was a fairly radical idea, she said. In 1970 there were no journals dedicated to womens rights. It wasnt even a legitimate subject of inquiry. When she brought the idea to the school administration, it was almost immediately met with resistance, said Langer. I met with the dean...and asked him if we could have a place at Rutgers law school along with the other journals, said Langer. He was very skeptical. He didnt really want a publication that had no money and no staff, even though we were enthusiastic. He gave Langer and the group of law students she organized three conditions on which they could start the Reporter at Rutgers, she said: a place to work, funding and a faculty advisor. After finding a headquarters in the basement of a dilapidated townhouse near the law school and securing funding, it was down to the faculty advisor. Langer had not taken any classes with Ginsburg but heard of her reputation and interest in pushing womens rights forward, she said. Without knowing her, Langer set up an appointment with Ginsburg to ask if shed be the reviews faculty advisor. She was pleasantly surprised when Ginsburg quickly agreed. As an advisor, Ginsburg was a taskmaster, exacting in her reviews and when it came to legal research, said Langer. But despite her meticulous nature, Ginsburg would always be there for the students that sought her help. Her word lent the review weight as it pushed against a current, even after Ginsburg left the law school in 1972. She gave us credibility. Gave us legitimacy, said Langer. Defended us to faculty members who thought this was ridiculous. And she shepherded us through, along with a lot of enthusiastic law students. Mostly women. Crothers' foray into law started in a less conventional manner, she said, borne of her career in radical feminism and the womens liberation movement of the late 60s and early 70s. After a Womens Liberation meeting where Boylan spoke, Crothers began working at The Reporter as a jack-of-all-trades, she said. When the periodical nearly faltered, Ginsburg was one of the people who supported it, said Crothers. And when Crothers decided to enroll in Rutgers-Law School of Newark, Ginsburg wrote her a sterling letter of recommendation, setting her down a path to a career as a civil rights attorney. She had no doubt that I was going to make this major contribution to the legal profession, which is just kind of hyperbole, recalled Crothers about the letter that landed her in law school. For both Crothers and Langer, their days in the courtroom are behind them, having both retired from their legal careers. But the two both mourned Ginsburg, for her impact on the world and on them. Shes irreplaceable, said Langer. Shes an incredible human being and an incredible lawyer and a very important person in the history of the womens rights movement. And in my life, too. As both former lawyers watched the news coverage of Ginsburgs death, they remembered how the then-law professor helped them along the way. With a national debate about her replacement already forming in the wake of Ginsburgs death, the two only hoped that people would remember what she had done for womens rights. It shouldnt be all ripped away, said Crothers. She worked very hard to get us freedom. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Rodrigo Torrejon may be reached at rtorrejon@njadvancemedia.com. David Daleiden sues Planned Parenthood, seeks $75K for defamation Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Pro-life activist David Daleiden, whose undercover videos exposing Planned Parenthood's practices led to a congressional investigation, filed a federal defamation complaint against Planned Parenthood on Tuesday, arguing that the abortion giant lied to the media about his videos. Daleiden, the founder of the Center for Medical Progress, filed the complaint in a New York federal court. He alleges that Planned Parenthood told the media that he and CMP manufacture[d] and created a false smear campaign when they released a series of undercover videos and transcripts showing Planned Parenthood officials discussing their willingness to engage in the illegal sale and harvesting of aborted babies' organs, tissue and limbs. In his new complaint against the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Daleiden, represented by the Thomas More Society, says CMPs videos show evidence of high-level Planned Parenthood officials discussing their questionable practices in their abortion and fetal tissue harvesting programs. The complaint calls out PPFA Senior Vice President of Communication and Culture Melanie Newman and accuses her of issuing a statement to media on Sept. 18, 2019, that was published by Rewire News, an outlet that advocates for abortion. Newman was quoted accusing CMPs investigation as a multiyear illegal effort to manufacture a fake smear campaign against Planned Parenthood. On Nov. 15, 2019, the complaint adds, PPFA posted on its official Twitter account that Daleiden and others created a false smear campaign against Planned Parenthood. The comments were made after Daleiden, CMP and other defendants were ordered by a California federal judge earlier to pay $2.3 million in damages to Planned Parenthood after a jury had found Daleiden and an associate guilty of crimes including creating fake government-issued identification cards, illegal recording and trespassing. In reality, as PPFA and its representatives recorded on the videos readily admit in other fora, Plaintiffs videos accurately record Planned Parenthood officials own shocking words spoken in real life, the complaint contends. According to the new complaint, PPFA has caused substantial reputational, emotional, financial, and other damages as a result of objectively false assertions made about Daleiden and CMP. The complaint asks for PPFA to pay actual and punitive damages of $75,000 to make Plaintiffs whole for the presumptive impairment to their reputation, personal humiliation, mental anguish and suffering. The complaint also requests punitive and exemplary damages, in an amount necessary to punish PPFA for its malicious conduct toward Plaintiffs. Daleiden is also asking the court for an injunction requiring PPFA to retract and remove all false statements about CMP and Daleiden on its Twitter page and made to Rewire News. The legal complaint also seeks to force PPFA to issue a publicly accessible correction of these statements. Planned Parenthood is not content to make obscene financial profit by killing off Americas next generation and endangering pregnant women. Additionally, they feel that they must obliterate the reputation of anyone who dares to challenge them and suggest that what they are doing is not the great philanthropic work that they pretend it is, Tom Brejcha, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Society, said in a statement. Planned Parenthoods very existence is an anathema to Americas pursuit of the most basic of human rights and they know it. We have not been surprised over their campaign to smear the reputation of Mr. Daleiden, but they are not allowed to falsely besmirch his reputation for exposing the truth. Newman told The Christian Post in a statement responding to the complaint that Daleidens claims are still baseless. They are just another desperate attempt by a discredited source to get publicity, she argued. Last fall, a jury with all of the facts fully presented to it decided that David Daleiden and the Center for Medical Progress intentionally broke the law in a multi-year, malicious campaign to advance their goals of banning safe, legal abortion in this country, and preventing Planned Parenthood from serving the patients who depend on us. The result: Daleiden was ordered to pay millions of dollars in damages. And, he still faces criminal charges. Since 2015, Daleiden and CMP have released several full-length investigative videos that have shocked many in the pro-life community and angered abortion-rights supporters. Many of the videos show the abortion giants employees discussing how clinics received payments priced per fetal specimen and the ways surgical abortions are altered to obtain intact organs, limbs and tissue for research. Altering an abortion procedure for this purpose is illegal. As a result of the undercover investigation, Republican-led congressional committees launched investigations into the practices of the nations largest abortion provider. The Trump Justice Department has also looked into the matter. The videos also reenergized calls to strip Planned Parenthood of federal funding. One of CMP's undercover videos from 2014 filmed at a Planned Parenthood workshop in Michigan showed an abortion provider arguing against helping children who are victims of rape and sexual assault. The speaker said that because clinic workers are not state employees, they should not be required to report known cases of child abuse to authorities. In a report released in 2016, the House Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives found evidence that several tissue procurement companies and abortion clinics might have violated federal felony laws barring the sale of human tissue. The report included information on criminal and regulatory referrals filed by Republican members of the panel. The House Oversight and Reform Committee, now chaired by Democrat Carolyn Maloney of New York, issued a statement refuting many of CMPs findings, arguing that CMP's videos "include no credible evidence that Planned Parenthood profits from its fetal tissue donation program." In October 2015, PPFA announced that it will no longer accept reimbursements to cover the costs of fetal tissue donations. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 20) The new chief of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation believes the possible abolition of the embattled agency will not be a good idea as such move will prove to be counterproductive for the Filipino people. Speaking to CNN Philippines on Sunday, PhilHealth President Dante Gierran explained that abolishing PhilHealth may only hurt the Filipino people who are counting on the state health insurer for their healthcare needs. Palagay ko (I think) its not good. Its counterproductive to the Filipino people, Gierran said in an interview with Newsroom Weekend. What will become of that (Universal Health Care) law if the President abolishes the PhilHealth? Saan pupunta ang mga tao natin? Wala na bang insurance corporation na in charge po doon sa pag may kababayan tayo na nagkakasakit? Ang PhilHealth lang po, he added. [Translation: What will become of that law if the President abolishes PhilHealth? Where will our people go? Are there any other insurance corporations in charge of those who are getting sick? Its only PhilHealth.] Last week, Senate President Vicente Tito Sotto III revealed that President Rodrigo Duterte is considering the possible abolition of PhilHealth should Gierran fail to rid the agency of alleged fraud and widespread corruption by the end of the year. Gierran meanwhile welcomed the challenge, adding that his first priority will be to conduct a very wide reshuffle of the beleaguered organization. That will be my first project, said Gierran, a retired director of the National Bureau of Investigation. Because ang corruption naman it's not machine-driven eh, it's driven by people. While he did not provide further details, the PhilHealth chief said the reshuffle will cover the agencys offices nationwide. He likewise appealed to the public to give PhilHealth's new leadership a chance to prove its capabilities. Allegations of corruption, which resurfaced in July, earlier prompted various branches of government to launch separate probes on the state health insurer. PhilHealth, which earlier denied the corruption claims, said it will submit to whatever instructions are made based on the recommendations by the appropriate government bodies. READ: Task Force: PhilHealth execs negligent on IRM implementation, concealed info and documents Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 20, 2020 08:28 489 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45f2db9 4 National helicopter,Papua,Paniai,Nabire,helicopter-missing,emergency-landing,Freeport-Indonesia,Papua-Police,search-and-rescue Free Three people have been rescued from a Bell 212 helicopter owned by PT National Utility Helicopters (NUH) that made an emergency landing in a river basin in Paniai regency, Papua, on Thursday. The rescued crew members arrived at Aturure Douw airport in Nabire regency on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. local time. They were carried by a helicopter owned by mining giant PT Freeport Indonesia that had flown from Timika city to the landing site in the bed of the Degeuwo River in Paniai. The rescue team took the pilot, Capt. Endy Nawalaga, the copilot, Capt. Erik Kurniawan, and a crew member named M. Aswar Jamal to the Nabire General Hospital, Nabire Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Sonny M Nugroho said. Before being taken to Nabire, the three victims were given first aid in Siriwo district. Read also: American pilot dies after humanitarian group aircraft crashes in Papua Sonny said Erik had suffered injuries to the head and legs, as well as a collision wound to the chest. Meanwhile, Endy was injured on the head and legs, and Aswals left arm was broken, Sonny said on Saturday, as quoted by kompas.com. The NUH helicopter was heading to the Baya Biru area to deliver food. It was reported missing several hours after it took off from Nabire Airport at 10:47 a.m. local time on Thursday. A search and rescue team managed to locate the helicopter on Friday and attempted to rescue the three men but was unable to because of bad weather and difficult terrain. The team then asked PT Freeports search and rescue team to assist using better equipment. (aly) Former President John Dramani Mahama has responded to claims by the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) that he lacks credibility. The NPP on a number of occasions has claimed that Mr. Mahama has no credibility in delivering on his promises. During the launch of the NPP manifesto, President Nana Akufo-Addo lambasted Mahama saying he has 'zero' credibility when it comes to the implementation of policies hence cannot be trusted. But Mr Mahama has responded to such claims in an interview on Woezor TV on Sunday, September 20. John Mahama in the interview challenged President Akufo-Addo to show the infrastructural projects his government has undertaken in his four-year administration. Ghanaians know what my track record is and I am talking about economic infrastructure and if it comes to social infrastructure, my opponent comes nowhere near me in terms of my track record. I built schools, I built hospitals, I repaired the roads, electricity, water, we expanded the Tema Port investment of over one billion dollars. We built the new Terminal three, University of Ghana Medical Centre, water supply to many communities, and extended electricity to so many communities across the country. I did countless things when it comes to infrastructure. So when it comes to credibility who is more credible when it comes to delivering infrastructure as we have promised? He [Akufo-Addo] should show me one school he has built or one hospital he has built-in four years. ---citinewsroom Samsung Electronics' building in Seoul / Korea Times photo by Shin Sang-soon By Baek Byung-yeul Samsung Electronics' woes seem to have deepened as the Korean tech giant is apparently stuck in the middle of the trade war between the United States and China. The world's largest memory chip maker reportedly suspended its supply of semiconductors to Huawei Technologies Sept. 15, the day that Washington's new sanctions on the Chinese tech company went into effect. This comes after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tightened the noose on Huawei, Aug. 17, urging Washington's allies and partners to join its move to restrict the direct or indirect use of U.S. technology by the Chinese company, citing security concerns. Given Huawei accounted for 7.3 trillion won ($6.14 billion), or 3.2 percent, of its sales in 2019, according to estimates by local brokerage house Eugene Investment, Samsung Electronics is on the verge of losing one of its largest clients. Regarding the possibility of cutting off Huawei, Samsung has said it could not discuss client-related issues, but industry analysts said the company's revenue will likely suffer in the short term from losing Huawei as a customer. They added Samsung will soon be able to make up the expected losses by selling its chips to other smartphone manufacturers, but it is still apparent that Korea's largest company by market capitalization is in an awkward situation due to external factors. What could put Samsung in further trouble is China's angry response towards the company's decision to cut off sales to Huawei. A Chinese newspaper lashed out at Samsung and SK hynix, in a Sept. 10 article, for their decision to stop supplying chips to the Chinese firm, warning that revenue at the Korean companies will drop a lot as they could lose the entire Chinese market if they do not supply Huawei. Citing a comment from Xiang Ligang, director-general of the Beijing-based Information Consumption Alliance, one Chinese newspaper reported, "We all believe Huawei is in trouble, but we don't believe Huawei will fall. Because Huawei is one of the world's largest mobile phone manufacturers, if you lose this partner, what opportunities do you have to grow?" Not only firms such as Samsung and SK but also other once-bitten Korean companies doing businesses in China have been shifting their attention towards the possible ramifications of Washington's tightened restrictions on Chinese firms. The Chinese report could be interpreted as a threat, reminding many Korean companies about how much they struggled after China's apparent retaliatory measures to Seoul's decision to allow the deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system in 2017. Hit hard by China's retaliation, one Korean distribution company lost more than a trillion won and was compelled to modify its business strategy. Also, game companies are still unable to directly sell their products in China the world's largest game market after over four years, as they have repeatedly not been given the proper government licenses required when launching new games. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-21 06:05:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HOUSTON, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- A small plane crashed in U.S. state of Texas on Sunday, killing four people on board, according to media reports. Local media quoted an official from Texas Department of Public Safety as saying that two men and two women were killed when their plane crashed shortly before 11 a.m. near Hilltop Lakes Airport, about 200 kilometers northwest of Houston. All four people on board were pronounced dead at the scene, said the official. The local official said the pilot was attempting to make an emergency landing and was in radio contact with the Federal Aviation Administration when the crash happened. According to a flight schedule, the plane took off at Horseshoe Bay, Texas, just before 10 a.m. and was headed to Natchitoches, Louisiana. Enditem Police detained so many protesters that they ran out of room in their vans Riot police on Saturday detained hundreds of women as opposition protesters marched through the Belarusian capital Minsk demanding an end to President Alexander Lukashenko's rule. Around two thousand women took part in the "Sparkly March", wearing shiny accessories and carrying red-and-white flags of the protest movement. Police blocked the women and began dragging them into police vans as they stood with linked hands, swiftly detaining several hundred, an AFP journalist saw. The march was the latest in a series of all-women protests calling for the strongman to leave following his disputed victory in elections last month. His opposition rival Svetlana Tikhanovskaya also claimed the victory. In a statement released ahead of the march, Tikhanovskaya, who has taken refuge in Lithuania, praised the "brave women of Belarus". "They are marching despite being constantly menaced and put under pressure," she said. Among those detained Saturday was Nina Baginskaya, a 73-year-old activist who has become one of the best-known faces of the protest movement. Police released her outside a police station shortly afterwards. Police detained so many protesters that they ran out of room in vans, releasing around 10 women. Ambulances were called after several women became unwell during the detentions. The opposition is due to hold mass demonstrations on Sunday. tk-am/jj Islamabad, Sep 20 : The Pakistan Army said that security forces have killed four terrorists in Balochistan province during an operation. In a statement on Saturday, the Army's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations said the security forces conducted the intelligence-based operation upon receiving a tip-off about the presence of terrorists in Awaran district, reports Xinhua news agency. The statement said the terrorists' hideout and a logistic base were destroyed while a large cache of arms, ammunition and communication equipment were recovered. But it did not provide information about the affiliation of the terrorists. Earlier in the day, the Pakistani military said security forces had killed a terrorist commander along with three other terrorists in the Waziristan area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. PM Narendra Modi (File image) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been awarded the Ig Nobel Prize 2020 for Medical Education. Modi was awarded the prize for "using the COVID-19 pandemic to teach the world that politicians can have a more immediate effect on life and death than scientists and doctors can". Besides Modi, the medical education prize was jointly awarded to Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of Mexico, Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, Donald Trump of the USA, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Vladimir Putin of Russia, and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow of Turkmenistan. Not to be confused with the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize, the Ig Nobel Prize is a satirical and parody award given out by a magazine Improbable Research every year since 1991. The award plays on word ignoble, an antonym of noble. It aims to "honour achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think". Modi became the second Indian Prime Minister to be awarded the Ig Nobel Prize. In 1998, then-PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan were awarded the Ig Nobel Peace Prize for "aggressively peaceful explosions of atomic bombs." This year, the Ig Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to the governments of India and Pakistan for "having their diplomats surreptitiously ring each others doorbells in the middle of the night, and then run away before anyone had a chance to answer the door." This year, the Ig Psychology Prize was awarded to Miranda Giacomin of Canada and Nicholas Rule from the USA for "devising a method to identify narcissists by examining their eyebrows." The Medicine Prize was awarded to 3 people for "diagnosing a long-unrecognized medical condition: Misophonia, the distress at hearing other people make chewing sounds." In 2013, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko was awarded the Ig Nobel Peace Prize for making it illegal to applaud in public and to the Belarus State Police for "arresting a one-armed man for applauding." Its worth sticking around for the end credits of Rocks, a disarming, dazzling study of friendship amid a group of east-London-born teenage girls. Not for any Marvel-style bonus footage, but for the rare clarification that pops up after the names of the young, mostly non-professional actors have shimmied across the screen: The cast and many other young Londoners collaborated with the writers and filmmakers to create the characters and world of this film. This shared approach to storytelling isnt entirely new, especially in British cinema. Major names such as Shane Meadows and Andrea Arnold have built their reputations upon a respectful and thorough approach to working with their young ensemble casts for films like This Is England, Fish Tank and Cannes Jury Prize-winner American Honey. With Rocks, however, the boundaries between filmmakers and cast have been obliterated, opening up a new channel of creativity that spills onto the screen in a fluid celebration of multiculturalism and sisterhood. Its weird how a film gets attributed to a director, says Sarah Gavron (Suffragette, Brick Lane), who assumed that very role for Rocks. What were trying to communicate is that this is a film by all of us. We live in a world where people dont get platforms for the wrong reasons and were hoping that this film changes that and gives ownership where its due. Rocks tells the story of teenage girls growing up in east London (Fable Pictures) The film is pinned to the story of British-Nigerian teenager Rocks (birth name Shola, played by Bukky Bukray), whose mother leaves her to care for her younger brother. Its shaped in part by Hackney-born playwright and screenwriter Theresa Ikoko, who wanted to write something for her sister. She made sure that I had a childhood, she says. I think that a lot of black and brown girls, either by circumstance or society, have to sacrifice their softness and their childhood or adolescence for the greater good of the community or family. The finished film, however, is based on myriad stories from the filmmakers, cast and local schoolgirls who were consulted and observed for the film over a nine-month research period. We posted these big sheets of paper across the walls with character exercises on them, Ikoko explains when describing her initial work with the girls. We asked them when their character cried for the last time, and to tell us about a scar on their characters body. Theyre all really active members of their communities and families, and are amazing storytellers, so they brought a lot of energy and magic to the film. Ikoko stresses, however, that the girls input wasnt channelled into making Rocks an authentic film about teenage girls living in London today. I hate that word, she says. I dislike this idea of black people being used as a stamp. These are clever and precious thinkers, and represent more than just what the cool kids say. Our process was more about constantly sharing and acknowledging each other. Its this impassioned commitment and community mentality that make Rocks such a milestone in British cinema, taking the foundations laid by its peers and guiding this collaborative vein of filmmaking into even more open terrain, where a group of loving, multi-ethnic girls can exist together onscreen untethered to any overwhelming trauma or romantic entanglements. Films that nurture the young voices that they choose to spotlight have a tendency to endure, even when they stray from realism. As it approaches its 10th anniversary, Joe Cornishs Attack the Block owes its cult status not just to its ambitious concept (a band of aliens wreak havoc on a south London estate) but to its ensemble of affable and robust teenage characters. Before writing his script, London-born Cornish spoke with hundreds of young people across the city and filled big folders with verbatim transcripts from their workshops. The conversations would begin with him outlining the premise of the film. Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up The young cast helped with the dialogue in 2011s Attack the Block (Optimum Releasing) I think as soon as I pulled out a picture of a kid on a moped being chased by an alien, they realised that this is going to be a different kind of conversation, he tells me. We'd say, What would you do if this meteor crashed in your neighbourhood? What would you think if this creature jumped out? We would never get it on the nose if we asked them directly about what they thought about certain issues. It was always through the lens of science fiction; I think it gets much more truthful stuff. Once the cast of Attack the Block were locked in, a series of sessions were instigated in which they could tweak their characters dialogue as they saw fit, though Cornish also commends his collaborators for helping to devise the the chaoss comedic comments: Young people have an amazing sense of humour, because the world is ridiculous, and young people are open to acknowledging that faster than older people are. Filmmaker Eva Rileys debut film Perfect 10 focuses on two estranged siblings in Brighton. She wrote the final version of her script with her first-time actors Frankie Box and Alfie Deegan in mind, and would use spontaneous moments and improvised dialogue from the pair to carry some of the heavier scenes when filming. She believes that the naturalism that came from their collaboration may help to change the narrative around working-class characters for global audiences. Newcomer Frankie Box plays an aspiring gymnast in Eva Riley's Perfect 10 (606 Distribution) Sometimes films about working-class kids in the UK show them to be criminals, or baddies, she says. Theyre one-dimensional. But at the heart of it, these are two warm, complicated young people played by such lovely actors. I want someone in another country to watch them and engage with them, even if they dont understand what mug means. The call for improved representation both onscreen and behind the camera has never been greater. Recently, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a potentially game-changing new set of guidelines that demand diversity in order for a film to qualify for a Best Picture nomination. As a modern example of representation throughout its entire creative process, Rocks is revolutionary. For Ikoko, though, her hopes for what the film can achieve are more personally aligned. I've always been a huge Marvel fan, and I remember seeing Black Panther and crying at the back of the cinema in Angel, she remembers. Because I saw myself; I saw languages that felt like they belonged to me, materials and prints, and a love for a community that felt resonant to me. I cried, she continues, because this world that I loved with such dedication finally loved me back. I hope that people who might not feel loved back watch Rocks and feel that they too are worthy of being loved. Rocks is out now in cinemas Perfect 10 is currently available to stream On Demand from Curzon Home Cinema and BFI Player U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listens during the third annual U.S.-Qatar Strategic Dialogue at the State Department in Washington, U.S., September 14, 2020. WASHINGTON The Trump administration is set to announce a slew of fresh sanctions and additional measures in support of Washington's maximum pressure campaign against the Iranian regime. As early as Monday, the United States could sanction more than two dozen people and entities involved in Iran's nuclear, ballistic missile and conventional arms programs, a senior U.S. official told Reuters. On Saturday, the United States unilaterally re-imposed U.N. sanctions on Tehran through a snapback process, a process that other U.N. Security Council members have previously said Washington does not have the authority to execute. "If UN member states fail to fulfill their obligations to implement these sanctions, the United States is prepared to use our domestic authorities to impose consequences for those failures and ensure that Iran does not reap the benefits of U.N.-prohibited activity," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a Saturday evening statement. "Our maximum pressure campaign on the Iranian regime will continue until Iran reaches a comprehensive agreement with us to rein in its proliferation threats and stops spreading chaos, violence, and bloodshed," Pompeo said, adding that in the coming days the Trump administration "will announce a range of additional measures to strengthen the implementation of UN sanctions and hold violators accountable." The U.S. Special Envoy for Venezuela and Iran, Elliott Abrams, told reporters last week that it "remains to be seen" whether UN member states will enforce the re-imposed sanctions. "We will have some announcements over the weekend and more announcements on Monday, and then subsequent days next week as to exactly how we are planning to enforce these returned U.N. sanctions," Abrams explained. Last month, Pompeo addressed the 15 member nations of the U.N. Security Council and reiterated that the Trump administration will continue its maximum pressure campaign in order to rein in Tehran's missile and nuclear programs. He asserted on August 20 that the U.S. would enforce sweeping sanctions on Iran, even though the United Nations Security Council voted to not extend a crucial arms embargo on the rogue regime. "I have not had a single world leader or one of my counterparts tell me that they think it makes any sense at all for the Iranians to be able to purchase and sell high-end weapons systems, which is what will happen on Oct. 18 of this year, absent the actions that we took at the United Nations yesterday," Pompeo told CNBC a day later. "We're not going to let them have a nuclear weapon, we're not going to let them have hundreds of billions of dollars in wealth from selling weapons systems. Every leader around the world knows it's a bad idea," he said, calling Iran "the world's largest state sponsor of terror." Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, nations are set to convene the third meeting of the G20 Trade and Investment Working Group (TIWG) on September 20. The meeting will be held virtually in the presence of the G20 Trade and Investment Ministers presided by the Saudi G20 Presidency to discuss the trade policies investment policy cooperation for the sustainable economic growth of the nations worldwide. On September 19, the Saudi government announced in an official press release that the event will be held remotely due to the COVID-19. The Ministers will discuss progress made on the G20 Actions to Support World Trade and Investment in Response To COVID-19 agreed upon on May 14, 2020, the Ministry said in the release. It added, that the leaders would also draft policies towards reforms of the World Trade Organization to strengthen international investment and boost the operations by enhancing the competitiveness between the worlds Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs). The Kingdom informed that the Saudi Minister of Commerce, Dr. Majid Al Qasabi, Engineer Khaled Al Faleh, and Saudi Minister of Investment will hold a press conference to give updates on the meeting and the outcomes and reforms discussed by the worlds ministers. It was with great pride that #KAUST accepted the honor of supporting Saudi Arabias Group of Twenty (G20) Presidency in proposing impactful solutions to the worlds most pressing challenges. Follow this page closely to learn more about our Universitys G20 endeavors. #Science20 pic.twitter.com/24PAMwvKkA KAUST (@KAUST_News) September 18, 2020 Read: Russia - Saudi Arabia Discuss G20, OPEX Coronavirus Vaccine Deal Read: UN Chief Guterres To Urge India, G20 Nations To Target Sustainable Transition Post-COVID Documentation of trade policies G20 Trade Ministers, during the meeting, will focus on trade, investment policies, and working mechanisms to increase the economic growth, robust businesses for long-term global economic flourishment. So far, in the meetings held, the G20 Trade and Investment Working Group (TIWG) have ensured that the international organizations, the Business 20 and the Think 20 (T20) were also given the opportunity to provide suggestions on documentation of trade policies. The 2020 TIWG meeting will be held online where ministers will interact with a consensus to support a multilateral trading system and promote inclusive and coordinated global value chains, according to the agendas listed by the Saudis ministry on the website. As per the 'Terms of Reference' of the G20 Trade and Investment Working Group, the Saudi ministry said that it will invite the International Organizations (IOs) for technical support. It added that the ministers will implement the commitments from the previous Trade Ministers Meetings (TMMs) and Sherpa Meetings and take into account the priorities of the G20 Presidency. Further, it said that the G20 Trade and Investment Working Group will address challenges of the dipping world's GDP, through more effective policy cooperation and concrete actions. Read: Russia - Saudi Arabia Discuss G20, OPEX Coronavirus Vaccine Deal Read: G20 Education Ministers Collaborate To Promote 'lifelong Learning Opportunities For All' (Image Credit: Twitter/@G20Australia/ Representative Image) Your browser does not support the video tag. Tom Cotton: Senate Will Move Forward on Confirming Ginsburg Successor Without Delay Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said the Senate will move forward in confirming a new Supreme Court justice after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on Friday. My condolences to Justice Ginsburgs family and my regard for her lifelong dedication to public service, Cotton told Fox News on Sunday morning. Ginsburg was the face of the left-wing bloc of the Supreme Court. The Senate will exercise our constitutional duty, Cotton said, adding that the Senate will have nomination hearings. We will move forward without delay, the Arkansas senator said. Cotton said that its not clear if the vote would happen before the November election, but that it is a possibility. There will be a vote. There have been some cases, like Justice Ginsburg herself when the confirmation process took less than 44 days, he added. There have been other cases [in] which it took longer, so its too soon to say right now. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), following Ginsburgs passing, said that he will try in earnest to nominate a Supreme Court justice as soon as possible. President Trumps nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate, he said. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump told a crowd Saturday in North Carolina that hell nominate a woman judge. I will be putting forth a nominee next week. It will be a woman, he said in Fayetteville. I think it should be a woman because I actually like women much more than men. There is speculation that Trump will look to nominate Judge Amy Coney Barrett or Judge Barbara Lagoa. He praised the two in the rally. Trump, who already selected two Supreme Court justices during his presidency, said that a nomination would give conservatives a decisive advantage in key decisions. We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices. We have this obligation, without delay! he wrote on Twitter Saturday. Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in her chambers at the Supreme Court in Washington on July 31, 2014. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) Ginsburg, a left-wing icon and standard-bearer for feminism, died of metastatic pancreatic cancer in her home in Washington, surrounded by her family. She was the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court. Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day OConnor was the first. Ginsburg dictated a statement to her granddaughter, which said that my most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed, reported NPR. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), wrote a tweet, American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president. Meanwhile, Democratic nominee Joe Biden said the Supreme Court justice should be selected by whoever wins the presidency in November. There is no doubtlet me be clearthat the voters should pick the president and the president should pick the justice for the Senate to consider, he told reporters over the weekend. Police in Philadelphia have identified one of the two suspects they say opened fire on three plainclothes officers Friday night, capturing them in a crossfire. Jeffione Thomas, 28, whose last known address is on the 7800 block of Fayette Street, is wanted for attempted murder, police announced Saturday, Action News 6 ABC is reporting. According to reports, the three officers were in an unmarked police vehicle, driving on the 1400 block of Sharpnack Street around 8 p.m. Friday. Thats when a man, who police identified as Thomas, rode alongside their vehicle on a bike. Reports indicate one of the officers rolled down his window to ask Thomas if he was OK, and thats when police say Thomas pulled out a gun and began firing at the officers. Their vehicle was hit several times. One bullet passed through the drivers seat and struck an officer in the back, but his vest stopped the bullet, reports indicate. The officers pulled off the street, went up on a sidewalk and hit a fence, then got out and returned fire, according to reports. A second gunman began firing at the officers from further down the street, putting them in a crossfire, according to reports. Both shooters ran away. It wasnt known what started the shooting or if the gunmen knew the three were police officers, according to reports. The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest of the suspects, NBC 10 is reporting. Our officers were ambushed for simply doing their jobs, working to get drugs and guns off our streets, Lodge President John McNesby told NBC 10. This brazen disrespect of law enforcement is unacceptable. The officer who was struck was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition, and a second officer was treated for cuts to her leg, according to reports. Anyone with information should call the police, 215-686-TIPS. Representative Image By Naandika Tripathi It was supposed to be a landmark year for Akshay Sirsalewala: Graduation from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM)- Kozhikode in April, marriage in May and a new job in June. But the pandemic struck, resulting in his weddingwhich was supposed to be attended by 800-odd guestsreducing to a low-key, 20-people affair. His joining date with the PwC US Advisory in Bengaluru was deferred to January 2021. I understand that my employers intention was goodlike many companies they could have fired me, which they did not. But when such things hit you, positive thoughts are not the first things that come to your mind, says the 27-year-old Mumbai resident. Sirsalewala did not want to just sit at home for 10 months without earning and decided to utilise the time more productively. Along with his friend Utkarsh Kumar, who graduated from the same business school, he started Mentorship Series in April to guide incoming postgraduate students and final year undergraduate students with a structured placement preparation process. We started with one-to-one [online] sessions, targeting postgraduate students and chartered accountants (CA). Then, to reach a wider audience, we started tying up with colleges by finding the right people on LinkedIn, connecting with them and convincing them to host us, explains Sirsalewala, who is a CA and has cleared all levels of Chartered Financial Analyst and Financial Risk Manager. Sirsalewala and Kumar faced many rejections initially, but after hosting about five webinars for colleges like Shri Ram College of Commerce, Aligarh Muslim University, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College and so on, they started getting multiple queries. The duo charges 750 for a one-to-one 75-minute counselling session and 4,000 per college seminar of the same duration. 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 In five months, theyve mentored over 500 students. Sirsalewala and Kumar, who say they are learning on-the-job with each seminar, plan to scale up this business and take it forward even after they start working. We hope that five years later, most B-school and undergraduate students interested in consulting will have heard about us. We are also evaluating launching a monthly newsletter, where we will feature articles by successful professionals and our learnings over the years, explains Sirsalewala. According to a recent survey conducted in the wake of the pandemic by First Naukri, an end-to-end campus hiring platform of online recruiter naukri.com, 51 percent fresh graduates who have received a job offer said their joining dates have been pushed ahead, while 10 percent have had their offers rolled back. One such student is Pooja Goel. She was supposed to join a digital business transformation company in April after completing an MBA in marketing from the Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad. The company kept delaying the joining date and after a point, stopped answering her calls. It was a hint that the job isnt in my hands anymore, she says. Goel, who was initially clueless on how to deal with her situation, decided to launch Pink Collar Professionals, a platform that caters to women-led small businesses and helps them scale up through product and brand campaign ideas, social media content strategy and audits, digital marketing and so on. While I was studying, I used to attend startup events, summits and conferences, where I almost never saw any women on the panel as well as in the crowd. I know womens participation has considerably increased but were not there yet, says the 27-year-old, who launched this venture with her personal savings of 20,000. She started with creating awareness about her startup through different Facebook groups, communities and pages for women entrepreneurs, and many people showed interest. Starting my own venture was a huge step to take amid the pandemic when many businesses were finding it tough to survive. But I didnt want to sit idle and waste time when I already had skills to utilise, she adds. Goel has provided digital support to 30 women entrepreneurs to help scale up their businesses, which ranged from edtech and online gifting to clothing and handmade jewellery. She is also providing digital skills training to rural women in partnership with Smile Foundation and aims to reach 10,000 women in the next two years. Indias growth suffered its worst fall on record in the April-June quarter, with the gross domestic product contracting 23.9 percent. According to the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy, the unemployment rate reached 27.1 percent in early May as 122 million Indians lost their jobs between March and April. When Sandeep Sinha, a senior procurement manager at Studiokon Ventures in Delhi, was winding up with what he thought was just another work day in July, his manager called, saying the company has decided to let him go due to an ongoing financial crisis. It was really tough to digest. I was in trauma for 15 days, but my wife supported me and helped me come out of it, says the 35-year-old. With nine years of work experience, Sinha knew finding a job amid the pandemic would be tough. Still, he applied for 400 open positions, but with no positive outcome. The market is still welcoming people with 0-2 years of experience or someone having 20-plus years of experience. The real problem of the pandemic is for people in the middle, either economic class wise or work experience wise, says Sinha, who didnt want to waste time looking for jobs and launched his own startup, ANS Finserv, in August. With an investment of up to 3 lakh from personal savings, Sinha decided to help people around their financial concerns. ANS Finserv helps clients build up some corpuses to secure their future against events like Covid-19, he says. Bajaj Finserv, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Future Generali, Digit Insurance are some of its customers. Were under process in signing contracts with the State Bank of India, HDFC Life, Tata Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, RBL and Citibank. We want to be a 200-plus employee organisation with a target revenue of 60 crore by the end of FY23-24. We have started working on multiple products like insurance, loans, billing software, says Sinha. Some of the sectors severly affected by the pandemic include food service, travel, retail, real estate and recreation. Several media houses also laid off employees during and after the national lockdown. One of them is The Hindu, which decided to scale down editorial operations in Mumbai. I was covering crime for the Mumbai edition of The Hindu. About 20 of my colleagues, including me, were laid off in June... June 30 was our last day at work, recalls 34-year-old Gautam S Mengle, who was associated with the 142-year-old newspaper since its Mumbai edition was launched five years ago. Without wasting time, Mengle got together with his mentor S Hussain Zaidi, a veteran crime journalist and author, to start working on a media website. We just got talking about how cybercrime doesnt get the dedicated coverage it deserves, and how most news reports on it are riddled with jargon and published [mostly] by tech news portals, says Mengle. On August 15, they launched CySpy India, a website which aims to simplify cybercrime and cyber security for the lay reader. Mengle is also working on a few other projects simultaneously, including research for a web series and fact-checking a manuscript for a publishing house, till the website starts generating profits. It helps to have a side hustle while your business finds its feet. It takes away the stress of paying the next months rent or EMI and also gives you something to do apart from your business. At the same time, I am doing what I love about my jobreporting the news, he adds. The Covid-19 crisis has prompted many companies to reconsider their workforce planning strategy, according to Paul Dupuis, MD and CEO of Randstad India, a human resource consulting firm. This has raised awareness about contingent and temporary labour. There is a clear shift in many organisations toward increasing the percentage of this segment of the workforce, allowing for agility and flexibility of scaling up in good times and scaling down in challenging times. Priyanka Subarno, 29, was employed with a civil society organisation in Delhi. Despite working long hours while managing household chores, she was laid off in May. I worked with them for 10 months and despite giving more than 100 percent, they fired me. Thats when I decided I wouldnt work for anyone... Id rather be my own boss. Subarno launched Tribespun with her ex-colleague Manna Beck in July. The venture aims at reviving dying indigenous art forms by helping people in tribal areas to use their skills for creating modern lifestyle and utility-based products. We work toward turning regional art forms into a viable market product with the primary goal of supporting the artisans associated in handcrafting each piece, says Subarno. Tribespun has 25 artisans associated with it, out of which 20 are from Jharkhand and the rest from Madhubani, Bihar. The focus is on providing the artisans with work on a regular basis, offering them fair wage rates without negotiations. Our profit margins are very low at the moment since the focus is mainly on laying a strong foundation for the business before we expand our products line, adds Subarno, who is selling these handicraft items via social media and website. While Subrano has no regrets and considers the layoff as an opportunity to pursue something she is passionate about, its not been that simple for Bhargav Joshi, who was a chef with Gustoso, an Italian restaurant in Kemps Corner, Mumbai. After being laid off in July, he was extremely worried for his family of nine who were dependent on his earnings after their food business shut down in the wake of the lockdown. We were devastated and didnt have enough money to pay the loans or even the fixed costs of our food business. I could see that the worst was coming our way, says Joshi, who is now home with his family in Valsad, Gujarat. In August, along with his friend Sreejita Mukherjee, an HR professional who was also laid off, the 22-year-old decided to open a food takeaway and delivery service of Italian cuisine, which is his area of specialisation. We did research and trials for a month and when we saw the situation was getting better and people started living the new normal way, we decided to open The Belas Cucina in Valsad, says Joshi, who personally prepares the orders at home as well as delivers them. In the initial weeks, The Belas Cucina was receiving 15 orders per day but later Joshi started taking only 10 orders daily so that he can manage cooking and delivering the food. After establishing themselves in Valsad, the duo plans to get on to delivery platforms like Zomato and Swiggy. Once the situation gets better, we plan to expand our business to dine-in and set up outlets in cities like Ahmedabad and Surat, says Joshi. Amid all its challenges, Covid-19 has provided us with the opportunity to step beyond the edge of our comfort zones, says Dupuis. If we look at the opportunity side of the unemployment coin, I am sure we can discover, explore and grab opportunities to not only survive the crisis, but also thrive. History has shown remarkable transformations for the better following major global crisesbe it the Spanish flu, the Sars outbreak or the 2008 global financial crisis, he adds. I am confident that todays temporary situation of job losses is, in fact, a trigger to exercise our muscle of resilience and innovation. (This article first appeared in Forbes India, here) 8301 view Add Comment Accommodation on discounted rate in Rajasthan Bhavan Mumbai Chief Minister took decision in the interest of patients suffering from serious diseases Jaiapur, 20 October. subsidized rate of accommodation and food at Rajasthan Bhawan in Vashi, Navi Mumbai will be made avaialble to Residents of Rajasthan going to Mumbai for the treatment of serious diseases. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has taken this sensible decision in the interest of people suffering from serious diseases. It is noteworthy that a large number of patients from Rajasthan go to Mumbai to get treatment for serious diseases of Cancer, Heart, Alzheimer's, Kidney, Liver etc. They have to face big problem of stay and food. Gehlot has taken this public welfare step in view of such patients being able to get treatment conveniently and their families do not have to face problems. According to the decision, people suffering from other serious illnesses including Cancer, Heart and Alzheimer's disease, kidney and liver transplant, will be able to avail subsidized accommodation and food facility in Rajasthan Bhavan. They have to provide a certificate of being a native of Rajasthan and a serious illness. Such patient will get the benefit of this facility for 7 days. Under special circumstances, this facility will be available for a maximum of 15 days. Americas rapid and urgent transition to online school has come with a host of unforeseen consequences that are only getting worse as it continues into the fall. The big picture: The issues range from data privacy to plagiarism, and schools are ill-equipped to deal with them, experts say. Online schooling is taking a toll on childrens privacy rules and rights, as the whole experiment depends on teachers who aren't necessarily trained in technology and student privacy and aren't always using software that has been vetted and determined to be secure. Minors are supposed to have federal online privacy protections under the Childrens Online Privacy and Protection Act, but it has proven hard to protect those rights as school districts and teachers have rushed to set up online schooling during the pandemic. The Federal Trade Commission, which enforces the privacy law, has signaled it will be watching the education technology space closely but will use prosecutorial discretion for companies working in good faith to be compliant. Were trying to take brick-and-mortar school and shove it onto the internet, and the two things just arent compatible, Karen Richardson, executive director for the Virginia Society for Technology in Education, told Axios. Even the most dedicated parent or educator is going to have a really hard time figuring out whats actually happening with their students' data, Josh Golin, executive director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, told Axios. The pandemic is moving educational inequalities online and creating wholly new inequities. Remote learning is exacerbating the digital divide between students as broadband access becomes even more essential. Zoom school brings classmates into each other's homes, which can put socioeconomic differences on display. Experts fear online school will push some students off an educational cliff as tech issues or abbreviated lesson plans create a learning gap. And while richer school districts can employ people to deal with privacy and cybersecurity compliance choosing the apps and other digital products that best protect students and their data poorer school districts cant. Theres been an uptick in cheating and academic dishonesty as schooling has moved online. While at home, students can look up answers to online tests or discuss assignments with one another. Schools are hiring online proctoring services to prevent cheating, which comes with additional costs to cash-strapped institutions and raises privacy red flags. There are also the practical difficulties of online learning that don't rise to the same level as privacy violations or cheating, but have still confronted teachers with a whole series of unexpected challenges. Jori Krulder, a high school English teacher in Paradise, California, told Axios she's been surprised by how much longer it takes to get through lessons with online teaching. "It's a fine balance between moving too fast and losing them," she said. "Kids are struggling with motivation right now." Beyond that, teachers are missing having the natural rhythm of their classrooms and being able to make eye contact to encourage students to raise their hands and answer questions. Calling out a question on video is often met with dead silence, Krulder said. "Wait time" the concept of waiting for a student to answer a question until they feel comfortable enough to do so is a victim of online learning, she said. "There's a long, awkward pause," she said, and that students will just "wait you out" and not answer at all over the computer. The bottom line: Schools have done the best they can in crisis, but the problems created by online school are affecting the learning and development of a generation of students. She is mum to Theodore, two, and one-month-old Gigi. And Vogue Williams displayed her toned figure as she headed to Global Radio studios in London early on Sunday. The radio host, 34, headed inside to record her Heart FM show where she discussed joked that she wouldn't have married her husband Spencer Matthews if it was based purely on the ex Made In Chelsea star's embarrassing voice notes. Wow! Vogue Williams displayed her sensational figure as she headed to Global Radio studios in London on Sunday to record her Heart FM show She donned a pair of khaki cargo pants which she paired with a cropped black polo neck top. Vogue injected a touch of glamour with delicate gold earrings and bracelets. The mother-of-two highlighted her golden complexion with a natural makeup look and she styled her caramel tresses in chic plaits. Vogue also wore black angular shades which complemented her black patent heels. Enviable figure: The radio host, 34, looked gorgeous as she strutted through central London and made her way inside the broadcast building On her Sunday morning show on Heart, Vogue discussed a new dating app called String which allows users to communicate via voice notes only. This prompted Vogue to play embarrassing voice notes from her husband Spencer, 32, as she said shes not sure that they would have ever got married if they had met via voice notes. She played amusing recordings from Spencer to her listeners, including messages where he told her that hed taught their son his first swear word, and accidentally lost their dog (again). Army chic: She donned a pair of khaki cargo pants which she paired with a cropped black polo neck Glamorous: The mother-of-two highlighted her golden complexion with a natural makeup look and she styled her caramel tresses in chic plaits Vogue said: 'I reckon if we had met over voice notes, Im not 100% sure that we would have got married. He honestly leaves the worst voice notes! 'So I actually thought Id go through my phone and Im gonna show you some of stuff that he sends me, and these are actual real notes that he sends me! 'Right, weve got a dog called Winston that hes nearly lost, not once, not twice, but on multiple occasions.' Vogue then went on to play a voice note from Spencer: 'Hi darling, so you remember when I told you I forgot Winston on the way to the airport and I had to put him in a cab to pick him up? New way of dating: On her Sunday morning show on Heart, she discussed a new dating app which allows users to communicate via voice notes only 'Well, Ive just taken him to the shop with me and Ive left him outside the shop. Came home, realised he wasnt there, went back to the shop and found him so dont worry! Twice now, but we still have him.' Vogue said: 'I mean hes not even apologetic in that! I can hear humour in his voice, he finds it funny!! She then added: 'Now, another one, Im not sure that I can leave him alone with Theodore anymore because hes just teaching him things that Im not happy about' Vogue played another clip from Spencer: 'Hi darling, so, I think I might have taught Theodore his first swear word accidentally. I said f*** and now he keeps on saying it. Sorry about that! Youve got that to look forward to when you get home!' Deal breaker: Vogue played embarrassing voice notes from her husband, 32, as she said shes not sure that they would have ever got married if they had met via voice notes Six weeks after giving birth to their youngest child, Gigi, in August, Vogue was forced to hit back at trolls after she was body-shamed for her post-baby weight loss. The 34-year-old broadcaster garnered much adulation when she shared a video of herself donning a skimpy blue bikini for a tan tutorial on Instagram. The star revealed that she had been subjected to some 'awful' comments for her appearance. Insisting that she 'shouldn't be made to feel bad' for her own body, the mother-of-two shared a video of herself working out in a red top with black leggings. Captioning the silent clip of the fitness session, 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' it's not something I aspire to do after having a child nor do I think it's important. My body is different to other people's, I didn't do anything specific. 'I've 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 I'm breastfeeding and it's important to keep calories up so you have a good milk supply. 'I trained the whole way throughout my pregnancy and I think that is a factor in the way I look now. I'm also VERY tall so there's a lot more room for a baby.' Mummy shaming: Vogue was recently forced to hit back at trolls after she was body-shamed for her post-baby weight loss, six weeks after giving birth to her daughter Gigi Revealing that she's been a fitness devotee for almost half her life, she continued: 'I've trained since I was 16, for me it's 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).' Addressing the tanning video directly, she said: 'I didn't post that video to show off my body. I have always done tan tutorials, I don't feel the need to hide my body because as I've read 'it's unrealistic 6 weeks PP'.' 'What should a body look like after a baby?' Vogue challenged. 'There isn't a set way it should look. I don't want anyone to feel bad about their bodies and I certainly don't want to be made feel bad about my own. .' Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to hold a meeting with chief ministers of seven states next week to review the Covid-19 situation in country. The meeting is likely to be held on September 23, sources told news agency PTI. Also read: PM Modi to meet chief ministers today on Covid-19 situation; discussion on Delhi on Wednesday Chief ministers of Maharashtra, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh among others are expected to attend the meeting, they said. This meeting comes in the backdrop of Covid-19 cases breaching the 5.3-million mark in India on Saturday, according to the health ministry dashboard. As many as 85,619 people have died of the infection in the country. PM Modi has regularly been holding these meetings to review the pandemic situation across the country with a focus on states and UTs where the infection is more widespread. Also read: PM Modi meets ministers to assess Indias response to Covid-19 pandemic The last such meeting was held on August 11 and chief ministers and representatives of 10 most-affected states -- Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Punjab, Bihar, Gujarat, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh took part in it. (with PTI inputs) How will coronavirus affect UK business schools this fall? London Business School will use an integrative hybrid model that involves some in-person learning. File photo When students arrive at business schools in the UK this fall, the experience will be radically different from usual. Social-distancing and mask-wearing will be mandatory while socializing will be at a minimum. Otherwise, it is unclear what the future holds. The country is already suffering a resurgence of Covid-19, the national testing system is severely stressed, 10 million people are under some sort of restriction and the government is considering a second nationwide lockdown. The recently introduced rule of six bans groups of more than that number from congregating although thankfully educational settings are exempt. So how are its business schools coping with this situation, and how will campuses look and feel? Manchester Alliance Business School, one of the countrys top-ranked schools, is in the northwest, where several towns are experiencing Covid outbreaks and lockdowns are expected. Alliance plans to open its campus properly in October for some students, although the full-time MBA has postponed its induction week to December, and classes proper start in January. (As the full-time MBA lasts 18 months, rather than the standard European 12, participants were relaxed about putting off the start date, says the school.) However, Alliance had a dry-run of its new system in early September, when participants on the full-time and part-time MBA which started in 2019 came onto campus. We had ten to a classroom instead of the usual 20, says Xavier Duran, MBA programs director. It really let us test out everything, making sure that masks were worn and how to ensure that people socially distance. Things went well one-way systems worked, albeit in a building empty except for the workshop participants. The three days were intense, with two days of workshops running from 9-5 and group-work in the evenings, and some participating virtually but, says Duran, as networking is such a vital part of an MBA and people have been unable to do it for so long, they were very happy with the situation. Story continues Alliance says that its courses will be socially distanced they are insisting on 2 meters distance, rather than the government advice of one, classroom capacity will reduce from 58 to 22. Lectures will be delivered online, but all courses will have a face-to-face component, says Xavier Duran, meaning that there will be one to two hours every day. Students will be kept up to date with the latest guidance on the university website, and will be strongly encouraged to adhere to the rule of six when socializing off-campus. There is an on-campus testing centre for anyone who displays covid symptoms. Hossam Zeitoun. Warwick photo Warwick Business School, located in the Midlands close to the city of Leicester which at the time of writing was still under lockdown, just completed induction week for its Executive MBA. Some did it online, because they are in countries with travel restrictions or would have to quarantine if they came to the UK, but most chose to do it face-to-face, says Hossam Zeitoun, course director for the Executive MBA. Group-work that usually takes place in groups of six of seven were reduced to groups of four people. One-way systems are in place throughout the campus, and stairways are either up or down, so people dont pass each other. Lecture theaters which previously had a capacity of 70 will take only 42 people, who will sit in their own, designated Perspex boxes. Breakout spaces also have Perspex screens. Social distancing is in place throughout the campus, and lounge spaces have signs reminding people about the distancing rules, while student experience ambassadors will remind students of the rules if they gather in groups of more than six, or stand too close together. If rooms reach capacity people will ask some to move to another area. A track-and-trace system is also in place; students swipe in and out of rooms, so that if anyone tests positive then WBS can alert anyone they have been in contact with. London Business School aims to provide a quality learning experience for roomies and Zoomies those studying in-person, and those learning remotely with its new integrative hybrid model. All students use technology throughout their sessions to interact with faculty, access course content and take part in any discussion. All breakout groups will consist of some people in the room, and some on a screen. All students use technology during sessions to communicate with themselves and professors. Each student keeps their webcam on so everyone attending can communicate with peers and fully take part whether on campus or not. This means faculty can shine and students benefit fully from each others contributions, says Tolga Tezcan, academic director of the MBA, MiM, and MAM programs. Faculty are supported by specially trained facilitators who essentially operate as film directors to highlight questions from students and ensure a great flow of communication throughout. Lecture theaters are at 50% capacity, but LBS have added courses such as managing through crisis, virtual networking and remote project management. They are working with speakers and companies from more countries than usual, and have been working on new ways to connect students with recruiters. Said Business School, Oxford, says that teaching groups have quartered from 80 to 20 students, with in-person classes supported by on-demand digital content. Lectures have a maximum of 20 people, with the exception of the largest lecture hall, which will now take 43. Lecturers will stand behind a large screen, except in the biggest. In order to increase capacity, Said has also hired the Oxford Playhouse theatre for the fall term, which otherwise would have been sitting empty. Said has increased the number of cafes and catering spaces on campus, in order to more evenly spread people and reduce crowding. Because administrative staff are working from home, some offices have been converted to social spaces too. Stewards will be placed on every door. Students will also use an app called Crowdless, developed in the Oxford Foundry the universitys entrepreneurship center to use existing data, crowdsourced data and machine learning to determine how busy places are, so students can head to less crowded parts of the campus. Judge Business School, Cambridge, welcomed 57 Executive MBA students back to campus at the start of September, with 41 participating remotely. Full-time MBA students orientation week begins on 21 September, with classes starting a week later. Streams will be smaller than previously, and class sizes will depend on how many students have overcome visa issues and travel bans and made it to campus. Over spring and summer, classrooms and lecture theaters were prepared for social distancing, with clear marking of which seats can be used. One-way systems are in place. Plasma screens throughout the school will display the Covid-19 Code of Conduct, which is also in a booklet given to students. Students will only be allowed in Judge buildings when they have timetabled activities. Masks and hand-gel is available, and students are reminded not to shake hands or hug when they meet. Door-opening pads have embedded sanitizer. Judge aims to turn a crisis into an opportunity for lasting innovation and improvement to the student experience and to invest in the future in order to continue to deliver high-quality education and a rich student experience. In practice, this means that the use of technology has been accelerated by the crisis. The pandemic, while extremely disruptive to everyone around the world, has provided an opportunity for students to learn and apply new ways of thinking to many future situations, says Thomas Roulet, deputy director of the Cambridge MBA program. The same, of course, is true for schools. DONT MISS MEET LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOLS MBA CLASS OF 2022 and MEET WARWICK BUSINESS SCHOOLS MBA CLASS OF 2020 The post UK B-Schools Ready To Contend With Covid This Fall appeared first on Poets&Quants. Over the years, a great number of Koenigsegg cars have made their way into the spotlight. We had the One:1 , Regera, Agera and more recently the Jesko and Gemera. All so powerful they seem not from this Earth, and so beautiful there should be a drool-effect warning on them.Koenigseggs name is completely linked to hypercars. That means well never see anything other than this type of vehicle rolling off the assembly lines in Angelholm. But we probably wouldnt mind if they did.Just have a look at the thing that is the main photo of this piece. Thats right, its a semi truck, based on one of Koenigseggs finest, the Agera The rendering comes from the same guys who brought us Lamborghini -, McLaren- or Aston Martin-based semis: fleet service provider Fleet Logging . It has no practical future, of course, but it goes to show that in some cases carmakers could make anything they wanted, and still be recognizable.Looking way closer to the ground than would be our expectation from a regular cargo hauler, the rendering borrows just the right amount of Agera elements, mostly at the front, of course. The lower part of the tractor head is the recognizable front of the hypercar, but the similarities extend well higher, all the way to the helmet-shaped windscreen - and by the way, it too employs a single windscreen wiper, located smack down the middle of the glass surface.As for the powertrain, this is a rendering, and one of something that will never come to be, so you can imagine anything you want in this respect. The Korean Register (KR) has presented Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) with the worlds first Cyber Security (CS Ready) class notation for a very large liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier. The presentation took place at KRs Headquarters in Busan on September 18 in the presence of senior representatives from Hyundai LNG Shipping (HLS), Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE). Hyundai LNG Shipping is the owner of the very large LPG carrier built by HHI which is scheduled for delivery later this month. KR granted the notation after completing successful document and field inspections, which included Kongsberg Maritime's ship alarm and monitoring system (AMS) and Hyundai Global Service's Integrated Smart ship Solution (ISS). This is the first time the KR cyber security notation has been awarded to a very large LPG carrier, the notation is issued to newbuilding ships that have successfully passed 49 inspection items in a total of 12 categories, including risk and asset management, cyber incident response and recovery. The four companies have been collaborating on joint research and developments for the past eight months, while working to apply and verify KRs cyber security Rules for newbuilding ships. HHI and KSOE have built a cyber security network encompassing the main systems, conducting risk assessment and vulnerability diagnosis for cyber security threats and KR has carried out and completed cyber security inspections across the network. As part of the comprehensive technological testing, KR conducted its first MITRE ATT&CK based penetration test to verify the safety of the cyber security system. LEE Hyung Chul, Chairman and CEO of KR said at the presentation event: The success of this joint research has enhanced our excellent cyber security technology status around the world. KR will continue to strengthen its global cyber security leadership, and will work to increase its unrivalled expertise and widen its certification capabilities. CHOI Jang-pal, Head of Business Operation Division, HLS said: We are very pleased to secure the cyber security notation from KR which offers the highest standard of certification capabilities worldwide. Ship cyber security risk management is a top priority, and we will continue to proactively ensure our practices and processes offer the highest level of protection. Through our collaboration with KSOE, we will continue to procure preemptive technology and to build smart ships with industry-leading differentiated cyber security systems, in todays world, we must deliver ships which are fully certified for maritime cyber security, added KIM Jae-eul, HHI Executive Vice President, CTO. Newbuilding vessels increasingly need cyber security notation as the application of digital technologies such as advanced automation and integrated control systems become more common, in addition, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is expected to strengthen its demands for cyber security risk management as from 2021.-- Tradearabia News Service By Lawrence Hurley and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Saturday named two conservative women who he has elevated to federal appeals courts as contenders to fill the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy caused by Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death, a move that would tip the court further to the right By Lawrence Hurley and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Saturday named two conservative women who he has elevated to federal appeals courts as contenders to fill the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy caused by Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death, a move that would tip the court further to the right. Trump, who now has a chance to nominate a third justice to a lifetime appointment on the court named Amy Coney Barrett of the Chicago-based 7th Circuit and Barbara Lagoa of the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit as possible nominees. Ginsburg's death on Friday from cancer after 27 years on the court handed Trump, who is seeking re-election on Nov. 3, the opportunity to expand its conservative majority to 6-3 at a time of a gaping political divide in America. "We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices," Trump said on Twitter. "We have this obligation, without delay!" Any nomination would require approval in the Senate, where Trump's Republicans hold a 53-47 majority. Not all Republican senators supported the move: Maine's Susan Collins on Saturday said Trump should hold off on nominating. "In fairness to the American people, who will either be re-electing the President or selecting a new one, the decision on a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court should be made by the President who is elected on November 3rd," Collins, facing a tough re-election race herself, said on Twitter. Democrats are still seething over the Republican Senate's refusal to act on Democratic President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, in 2016 after conservative Justice Antonin Scalia died 10 months before that election. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said then that the Senate should not act on a court nominee during an election year, a stance he has since reversed. Even if Democrats win the White House and a Senate majority in the November election, Trump and McConnell have time as the full new Congress would not be sworn in until Jan. 3 Senior congressional Democrats raised the prospect of adding additional justices next year to counterbalance Trump's nominees if they win control of the White House and Senate in the November election. McConnell, who has made confirmation of Trump's federal judicial nominees a top priority, said the chamber would vote on any Trump nominee. Given that they have few tools to block the eventual nomination from passing, Democrats plan to try to rally public opposition to the move. "The focus needs to be showing the public what's at stake in this fight. And what's at stake is really people's access to affordable healthcare, workers' rights and women's rights," said Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen in a telephone interview. Obama himself on Saturday called on Senate Republicans to honor what he called that "invented" 2016 principle. "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," Obama said in a statement posted online. AMY CONEY BARRETT AND BARBARA LAGOA Even before Ginsburg's death, Trump had made public a list of potential nominees. Barrett has generated perhaps the most interest in conservative circles. A devout Roman Catholic, she was a legal scholar at Notre Dame Law School in Indiana before Trump appointed her to the 7th Circuit in 2017. A Barrett nomination would likely ignite controversy, as her strong conservative religious views have prompted abortion-rights groups to say that if confirmed by the U.S. Senate, she would likely vote to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Lagoa has served on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for less than a year after being appointed by Trump and confirmed by the Senate on an 80-15 vote. Prior to that she also spent less than a year in her previous position as the first Latina to serve on the Florida Supreme Court. She previously spent more than a decade as a judge on an intermediate appeals court in Florida. Another candidate Trump has considered previously is Amul Thapar. He was a district court judge in Kentucky - the first federal judge of South Asian descent - before Trump appointed him to the Cincinnati-based 6th Circuit in 2017. Conservative activists for years have sought to get enough votes on the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. During the 2016 campaign, 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 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. Kavanaugh angrily denied those accusations and was narrowly confirmed. SENATE CHALLENGE Republicans risk the possibility of liberals embracing more radical proposals should Trump replace Ginsburg but Democrats win November's election, with some activists on the left suggesting even before Ginsburg's death that the number of justices on the court should be expanded to counter Trump's appointees. "Let me be clear: if Leader McConnell and Senate Republicans move forward with this, then nothing is off the table for next year," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told fellow Democrats on a Saturday conference call, according to a source who listened to the call. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler on Saturday said that rushing a court pick through the Senate if Democrats win in November would be "undemocratic." He said in a Twitter post that doing so would mean "Congress would have to act and expanding the court would be the right place to start." Confirmation votes could also put more pressure on incumbent Republican senators in competitive election races, including 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, who is not up for re-election this cycle, also could play a pivotal role. She told local media on Friday, prior to Ginsburg's death, that she would not vote for a Supreme Court nominee so close to the election. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley and Steve Holland in Washington; Additional reporting by Rick Cowan in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone and Daniel Wallis) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Victoria has recorded just 14 new COVID-19 cases and a further five deaths as health authorities say the state heads towards COVID-19 normal. The fatalities take the Victorian toll to 762 and the national count to 849. It takes Metropolitan Melbournes 14-day new case rate down to 36.2, well below the states target of 50. The figures come after police on horseback chased off a group of around 100 people marching against the governments strict lockdown in the beachside suburb of Elwood on Sept. 19. Officers made 16 arrests and handed out 21 fines for breaching health directions. The penalties tally exceed the states COVID-19 new cases of 14. Despite police efforts to persuade people not to protest in person, the rallies have commenced for three weeks so far. A Victoria Police statement on Sept. 19 showed patience was wearing thin, saying the behaviour of these selfish few who choose to blatantly ignore the directions will not be tolerated. Meanwhile, the premier has said retired police officers could be recalled to help conduct household checks. The next step on Melbournes roadmap out of lockdown is from Sept. 28 when some on-site work will return, child care will reopen and some school students will be allowed back into the classroom. People will be able to meet outdoors for up to two hours with members of one other household, though the five-kilometre travel limit will remain. The states Chief Health Officer, Brett Sutton said on Sept. 19 the five-household cluster of 34 cases in the citys southeast was under control, with no new cases linked to the cluster on Saturday. Contact tracers have acted quickly to contain the outbreak, with government officials speaking with community leaders and members. By Andi Yu. The Epoch Times contributed to this article. Four years ago on one of his annual trips to India, New Zealand YouTuber Karl Rock, 35, decided to pick up a Go Pro worth $400 and start filming his journey to every state in India. His intention was simple: to make visitors to India feel less intimidated. (We have no reason to believe he is like any other non-Indian social media star who is turning to India for the sheer number of followers and likes it provides.) One of his videos, in which he walks around a neighbourhood in Haryana speaking with the locals in Hindi, went viral, clocking nearly 5.2 million views. Now, his channel has over 1 million subscribers. Thats cool, but what brings him here? Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted on July 10 about the Kiwi YouTuber who donated plasma after he recovered from the coronavirus infection. Long ago, when I had heard that the Tablighi Jamaatis had donated plasma, I made up my mind that if I ever got infected, Id donate too. So when I recovered, I went to the clinic and was blown away with the facilities and the hygiene. It was a fairly simple and safe procedure. Karl, after donating plasma Karl is elated that Kejriwal called him a Delhiite. Donating plasma was my way to assimilate and give back to Incredible India. Tryst with India Karl moved to India permanently in 2016. When I lost my job in the IT sector in Auckland, I decided it was now or never. It took time to convince my folks, but I was successful. Donating plasma was my way of giving back to Incredible India His now wife, then girlfriend, who he met in 2016 was part of the reason. The couple got married in 2018 and Karl posts cute videos of his desi avatar. My wife is from Haryana so the Haryanvi culture in the house is powerful and they have happily made me part of that, he shares. The social dilemma He picked up the camera after he moved to India and has faced a lot of hate online, he says. It comes from people who do not understand what Im doing or who think Im trying to bring India down. All I want to do is educate foreigners about India and show them the bright side. With time, I have learnt to ignore the negativity and focus on the positive instead. After the Hindi video, Indians also began sharing his videos. People might be conservative here, but India welcomed me with open arms and now home is here, he says. Follow @MissNairr on Twitter Who should be the next HT Brunch Social Media Star Of The Week? Nominate using the hashtag #BrunchSocialMediaStarOTW or email htbrunch@hindustantimes.com From HT Brunch, September 21, 2020 Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch Former Leinster rugby player Darragh Fanning has opened a new Mexican restaurant in the old Offaly Express office in Tullamore. The opening of the Tullamore branch of the socially responsible chain was delayed as a result of Covid-19 but is now welcoming customers. Zambrero uses the tagline 'Mexican with a mission' as they donate meals to disadvantaged countries for every one purchased in one of their outlets. "We are Feel Good Mex," they say. "With our Plate 4 Plate initiative you can fill your karma and your belly in one stop. Every burrito or bowl you buy, means one meal donated to someone in need across the globe. With our partners Rise Against Hunger our goal is to donate 1 billion meals by 2025. It's a win-win. "The more Zambrero you eat, the more we all help the hungry of the world, and the better we all feel." Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 17:04:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on Aug. 21, 2020 shows a logo of the video-sharing social networking company TikTok's Los Angeles Office in Culver City, Los Angeles County, the United States. (Xinhua) - TikTok disclosed some details about the three-party agreement, saying Oracle will become its "trusted technology provider," and Walmart will play a role in "commercial partnership." - Both American companies will take part in TikTok's global pre-IPO financing round in which they can take up to 20 percent cumulative stake in the company, a statement said. - "We will also maintain and expand TikTok Global headquarters in the U.S., while bringing 25,000 jobs across the country," the company said. LOS ANGELES, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Video-sharing social networking platform TikTok on Saturday voiced hope that an agreement reached by its Chinese parent company ByteDance with Oracle and Walmart will "resolve the security concerns of the U.S. administration and settle questions around TikTok's future in the U.S.." The Los Angeles-based company issued a statement Saturday afternoon, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had approved a deal between the three parties. TikTok disclosed some details about the three-party agreement handed over to the authority Monday and weighed by the White House so far, saying Oracle will become its "trusted technology provider," and Walmart will play a role in "commercial partnership." As part of this proposal, Oracle would be in charge of hosting TikTok's all U.S. user data and securing associated computer systems to "ensure U.S. national security requirements are fully satisfied," the statement noted. According to the company, as of June, the total number of TikTok's monthly active users in the country soared to 91,937,040, and based on quarterly usage, 100 million Americans used the app. People take part in a TikTok filming session in Vilnius, Lithuania, Aug. 10, 2020. (Photo by Alfredas Pliadis/Xinhua) The statement also said both American companies will take part in TikTok's global pre-IPO financing round in which they can take up to 20 percent cumulative stake in the company. A business insider familiar with the deal told Xinhua that TikTok had a plan to finish IPO in the U.S. market in one year if possible. "We will also maintain and expand TikTok Global headquarters in the U.S., while bringing 25,000 jobs across the country," the company promised, adding "Our team works tirelessly to provide a safe and inclusive platform and we're thrilled that we will be able to continue serving our amazingly diverse and creative community." Trump and some U.S. politicians have repeatedly speculated that TikTok poses a national security threat to the country, though no evidence has been provided to support the allegations. On Aug. 6, Trump issued an executive order banning U.S. transactions with ByteDance, citing the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The ban will take effect on Sept. 20. On Aug. 14, he signed a second executive order that will force ByteDance to sell or spin off its U.S. TikTok business within 90 days. TikTok has sued the U.S. administration to block the order issued on Aug. 6, arguing it is unconstitutional. Trump, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and the Department of Commerce were listed as defendants in the 39-page indictment. The logo of TikTok is seen on a smartphone screen in Arlington, Virginia, the United States, Aug. 30, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) The U.S. Commerce Department said Friday that according to the order on Aug. 6, as of Sunday, any moves to distribute or maintain TikTok on app stores such as Apple Store and Google Play will be prohibited, and a more extensive ban against the app would be applied from Nov. 12. TikTok replied on Friday that it felt disappointed with the decision. After Trump's remarks earlier in the day, the department posted a statement on its official website Saturday afternoon to postpone the ban against the popular app. "In light of recent positive developments, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, at the direction of President Trump, will delay the prohibition of identified transactions pursuant to Executive Order 13942, related to the TikTok mobile application that would have been effective on Sunday, September 20, 2020, until September 27, 2020 at 11:59 p.m." A girl plays in a TikTok-themed room at the Smile Safari, an Instagram and TikTok museum, in Brussels, Belgium, August 7, 2020. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong) The U.S. users rushed to download the popular app. TikTok downloads rose 12 percent to 247,000 in the U.S. on Friday compared to the previous day, according to preliminary estimates from Sensor Tower, which tracks mobile apps. China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Saturday that it is resolutely opposed to the U.S. move to block downloads of WeChat and TikTok apps, urging the United States to immediately stop bullying and safeguard international rules and order. In the absence of any evidence, the United States has repeatedly used state power to suppress the two enterprises for unwarranted reasons, which seriously disrupted their normal business activities, undermined the confidence of international investors in the U.S. investment environment ,and damaged the normal global economic and trade order, the MOC said in a statement. By Express News Service KOLKATA: Four of the six Al-Qaeda suspects, arrested from Murshidabad on Saturday, were scheduled to travel to Kashmir via Delhi and communicate with their handler in Pakistan, identified as Hafiz, through dark web using onion router, said the NIA officials after interrogating the suspects overnight. The sleuths of the central agency, who also arrested three others from Ernakulam in Kerala, came to know the suspects were scheduled to receive automatic firearms and explosives from a remote pocket along the India-Pakistan border in the Valley. The NIA is zeroing in on more suspects in Bengal who were radically motivated by the accused. "The nine suspects, including two students, used to be members of a WhatsApp group comprising 13 others. The chats history was deleted and the IT experts are working to retrieve it," said an NIA official in Kolkata. Abu Sufiyan, the tailor, who is suspected to be the mastermind, had set up a madrasa at Raninagar in Murshidabad district. "We learned that he used to raise funds showcasing the madrasa on behalf of the Al-Qaedas Bengal module. We will investigate whether more youths were radically motivated in the madarsa," the official added. The NIA officers will also investigate the classmates of Najmus Sakib, a second-year computer science student in an ITI institute, and another first-year B.A. student Atiur Rehman. Najmuss father Nurul Islam was not ready to accept NIAs allegation. "My son used to be busy in studies and he hardly spent time with anyone in the locality for chitchatting. How can he be linked with a Pakistan based terror outfit," he asked. Echoing the same, Atiurs father Tazmuddin Mandal said his son was falsely framed. "He used to teach children in the area. We never saw him shouting at anyone. He was focused on his studies," he said. The West Bengal police interrogated the suspects arrested from Murshidabad at the NIA office on Sunday. The officials of the Special Task Force, the Criminal Investigation Department, state Intelligence Branch also interrogated the accused. The former governor of Ondo State and national leader of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Olusegun Mimiko, has given reasons why Agboola Ajayi, the incumbent deputy governor and the partys governorship candidate, should be elected as the next governor in the state. Mr Mimiko disclosed that if elected, Mr Ajayi would restore good governance and reform civil service for employment opportunities for residents. The former governor said this at the flag-off of ZLPs campaign for its candidate on Saturday in Ore, headquarters of Odigbo local government area of the state. He encouraged voters to avoid vote-buying and violence before, during, and after the poll. According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the immediate past governor advised the people of Ondo State to stay away from vote buying and dont be intimidated by stolen funds of the opposition. Ajayi will bring good governance and jobs. Speaking on his promises for the people, Mr Ajayi vowed to reduce tuition fees of the state tertiary institution from N150,000 to N50,000 and also improve the civil service system. We will create a civil service revolving credit scheme for civil servants who desire to build houses and buy cars. We believe this will serve as support for them. He promised to also carry out some infrastructural development. We will initiate a zero pothole project across the state and start an Operation Restore Power in the South in the first 100 days in office, Mr Ajayi said. Notable individuals at the flag-off rally include the partys chairman, Joseph Akinlaja, three former speakers of the state House of Assembly, Bakita Bello, Taofeeq Abdulsalam and Jumoke Akindele, among other political elites. The Ondo State governorship election will come up on October 10 with 17 political parties in the contest. Other major contenders with Mr Ajayi are Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Eyitayo Jegede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Thus far, more than 800 New Mexicans have lost their lives to COVID-19 in 2020. These individuals were from all walks of life, and none deserved to be a casualty of this pandemic. The emotional and financial pain felt across all parts of the state continues to this day. New Mexico prevented itself from being an epicenter of the pandemic through the implementation of proactive measures ordered by our governor and compliance with those measures by responsible citizens. As responsible citizens, New Mexicans must now ensure New Mexico does do not become the epicenter of a state economic disaster. More than 10,000 people work in the New Mexico horse racing industry: farmers, truck drivers, veterinarians, trainers, blacksmiths and jockeys, to name a few. All are dedicated to their craft, and all are part of a nationwide industry rich in history, with its beginnings in the United States, right here in what is now present-day New Mexico, on the banks of the Rio Grande. As a sport, horse racing in New Mexico is largely supported by tourism dollars from local casinos. The funds realized from these dollars are allocated directly to the winnings in horse race purses. These winnings support the industry and are utilized to fund every aspect of the industry including, but certainly not limited to: horses, farms, feed, equipment and wages for the 10,000-plus individuals previously mentioned. In other words, the funds realized from the horse racing industry in New Mexico run wide and deep in support of New Mexicos economic development. Therefore, if allowed to open and fully operate, horse racing and its associated gaming, long seen as the third largest economic engine in the state of New Mexico only behind oil, gas and tourism will provide a significant contribution to the states economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. After closing the casinos in March, the purse accounts are now empty at Sunland Park, SunRay Park and Ruidoso Downs. Albuquerque Downs will run out of money in days. Accounts once designed to promote the economic prosperity for horsemen and horse owners are now completely empty for the first time since 1999. COVID-19 has taken our loved ones, family, friends and so much more. It has caused us to close our businesses, shelter in place, homeschool our children and evaluate every aspect of our lives. As the year draws near to its close and the last remaining purse dollars are exhausted, New Mexicos five commercial casinos remain closed, while every other casino in the United States has been granted the right to open. If we want horse racing, if we want direct or indirect racing industry jobs, if we want the tax revenue horse racing and their casinos generate for New Mexico, I urge the governor to allow the casinos to open even in a limited fashion. What will it take to prevent us from once again being last? By PTI NEW DELHI: Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Sunday asked the central government for allocating funds from PM CARES for the rehabilitation of lakhs of migrant workers displaced due to COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. The hardship faced by the people could have been mitigated if there was a well laid out strategy, he said in the Lok Sabha, adding that the intensity of the pandemic could have been moderated. Chowdhury also flagged the issue of "under-reporting" of COVID-19 deaths in the country. On the issue of migrant workers, he said lakhs of such workers were forced to flee to their home states on foot as there was no means of transportation during the 'severe' lockdown period. Now these workers are not finding work in their home states to sustain themselves and again compelled to move to places where they can find work, he said. To rehabilitate such workers, the Congress leader said, the government should consider spending some amount from the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund. ALSO READ | Government to implement new financial model for interest subvention for SC/OBC SHGs Badruddin Ajmal of AIUDF and Sri Krishna D Lavu of YSRCP also talked about the issue of unemployment. Lavu suggested that the government enhance its spending towards infrastructure which would lead to job creation. Besides, Chowdhury also raised the issue of overcharging by private hospitals amid the pandemic outbreak. Members cutting across party lines spoke on fleecing of distressed COVID-19 patients by such private hospitals. Danish Ali of BSP urged the Centre to enhance the infrastructure of district hospitals. He said he was pained that people were giving religious colour to the disease while referring to the Tablighi Jamaat controversy. A Tablighi Jamaat congregation held in March in Delhi's Nizamuddin area had significantly contributed to the doubling of coronavirus cases in India. ALSO WATCH: The Uttar Pradesh government is mulling to promulgate an ordinance to check forcible, coerced and allurement-induced religious conversions, including ones in the name of love, said a senior state government official. The government has already studied in detail the proposal for the ordinance pending with it as the UP Law Commission had submitted a draft legislation Uttar Pradesh Freedom of Religion Bill, 2019. The proposal is once again attracting attention after the Kanpur police recently set up an SIT (Special Investigation Team) to look into reports of love jihad in the Kanpur area. I understand some work has gone into it at the government level, said UP Law Commission chairman justice Aditya Nath Mittal on Friday. He had submitted the 268-page report, along with the draft legislation, to chief minister Yogi Adityanath on November 21, 2019 after working nearly six months on it. Justice Mittals report, along with draft legislation, suggests provisions for punishment in cases of forcible, coerced, allured religious conversions and the power to the civil court to declare a marriage null and void if it was solemnised for religious conversion as its primary purpose. It also suggests making a provision for a person to submit a declaration to the district magistrate, a month before his/her conversion and a similar declaration from the priest (pujari, maulvi, priest) about the execution of that conversion. Justice Mittal, in November 21 last, had said that in December 2017, chief minister Yogi Adityanath had suggested a new law for preventing forcible conversion and that any re-conversion should not be considered an offence. After that, the commission worked on the report. Justice Mittal had then said: We submitted the report and the draft bill of the Uttar Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2019 to the CM. The report is against the forced, coerced, fraudulent, allured conversion and not against any willful conversions. The report, including the draft legislation, was prepared after researching pre and post-independence laws in India and the neighbouring countries like Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. It said states like Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand had made special laws to ban conversions by force, fraud, marriage or allurement. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON (CNN) US President Donald Trump said Saturday he has approved a deal between TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, and Oracle, temporarily averting a ban on TikTok in US app stores. The Commerce Department confirmed in a statement Saturday evening that it would delay by one week restrictions that were originally to take effect on Sunday. ByteDance will continue to be majority owner of TikTok under the agreement Trump said he approved, according to a person familiar with the matter. Speaking to reporters, Trump said he approved the deal "in concept." "I have given the deal my blessing," Trump said. "If they get it done, that's great. If they don't, that's okay, too." The deal will also include Wal-Mart, Trump said, adding that "the security will be 100 percent. They'll be using separate clouds and very, very powerful security." Trump said the deal will also include a $5 billion fund for US education, though he did not say which companies would be making the payment. Trump had previously expressed a desire for the companies to make a payment to the US Treasury, but was surprised when he was told such an arrangement would be illegal. Trump's blessing comes hours before restrictions from the Commerce Department were set to take effect that would remove TikTok from US app stores, including those operated by Apple and Google. The White House declined to comment. ByteDance will continue to be majority owner of TikTok under the agreement Trump said he approved, the person said. That contradicts Trump's claim to reporters on Saturday that TikTok would be "totally controlled" by Walmart and Oracle, who will have up to a 20% share in TikTok, the person said. TikTok confirmed in a statement that Oracle and Walmart will have a 20% share. "As part of this proposal, Oracle will become our trusted technology provider, responsible for hosting all US user data and securing associated computer systems to ensure US national security requirements are fully satisfied," TikTok said. "We are currently working with Walmart on a commercial partnership as well. Both companies will take part in a TikTok Global pre-IPO financing round in which they can take up to a 20% cumulative stake in the company. We will also maintain and expand TikTok Global's headquarters in the US, while bringing 25,000 jobs across the country." Trump also said that TikTok would be incorporated in Texas as a new company. Oracle CEO Safra Catz said in a statement: "As a part of this agreement, TikTok will run on the Oracle Cloud and Oracle will become a minority investor in TikTok Global," said Oracle CEO Safra Catz. "Oracle will quickly deploy, rapidly scale, and operate TikTok systems in the Oracle Cloud. We are a hundred percent confident in our ability to deliver a highly secure environment to TikTok and ensure data privacy to TikTok's American users, and users throughout the world. This greatly improved security and guaranteed privacy will enable the continued rapid growth of the TikTok user community to benefit all stakeholders." Speaking to reporters, Trump offered high praise to Walmart and Oracle executives, including Oracle chairman Larry Ellison, a close political ally. "You have the combination of the Walmart, that's obvious, and the high tech of Oracle, and the genius of the two leaders of those companies, okay?" Trump said. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Trump says he has approved a deal for purchase of TikTok." Haiti - G9 : Formal denial of the National Disarmament Commission Lieutenant Colonel Edwin Florexil of the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAd'H), Coordinator of the National Commission for the Disarmament, Dismantling and Reintegration (CNDDR) rejects any allegation of participation in the formation of the "Federation" of armed gangs and allies better known as the G-9, claiming that the statements of Commissioner Jean Rebel Dorcenat on September 3 have been misinterpreted. He recalls that since the reactivation of the National Commission for the Disarmament, Dismantling and Reintegration (CNDDR) by the presidential decree of February 21, 2020 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27161-haiti-security-reactivation-of-the-disarmament-commission.html the Commission has never stopped working to put in place mechanisms aimed at gradually curbing the problem of armed violence. With the support of its national and international partners, the commission carried out and materialized a set of activities in various fields specific to its mandate, in particular the socio-economic study on the vulnerability of areas exposed to community violence in difficult neighborhoods and the development of a proposal for a National Strategy for the Disarmament, Dismantling, Reintegration and Reduction of Community Violence (DDR-RVC). This National Strategy proposal addresses the various DDR-RVC aspects in a comprehensive manner and in accordance with international standards. It was the subject of consultation and reflection bringing together institutions and strategic partners whose field of competence is linked to the fields of intervention and competence of DDR. Lieutenant Colonel Edwin Florexil emphasizes "there are no words to alleviate the suffering and pain of families grieving after acts of violence that have raged for too long in their ranks. Nevertheless in his name and that of the CNDDR he "salutes the memory of all the victims and sympathizes with the mourning homes, while taking the opportunity to energetically support the judicial and police authorities in their readiness to take over when dialogues and peaceful negotiations fail..." See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31545-haiti-justice-binuh-very-concerned-about-the-upsurge-in-insecurity.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29707-haiti-flash-the-national-disarmament-commission-issues-an-ultimatum.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27161-haiti-security-reactivation-of-the-disarmament-commission.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29980-haiti-insecurity-more-than-270-000-weapons-in-the-hands-of-haitians-the-un-concerned.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29295-haiti-security-dinepa-in-trouble-in-the-hot-neighborhoods.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29256-haiti-flash-about-500-000-illegal-firearms-in-the-country.html HL/ HaitiLibre Based on structural modeling of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and proteins, the researchers from Duke University argue that newly identified regions of positive selection in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) likely affect species-specific RNA instead of protein function improving our understanding of the molecular mechanisms responsible for highly unique biological properties of this virus. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server. Transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, isolated from a patient. Image captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Credit: NIAID The pandemic spread of a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) linked to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has incited efforts to understand the genetic basis for its unique traits and species exchange from non-primate hosts to humans. One of the crucial characteristics is that viral shedding starts before symptom onset; conversely, in the original SARS epidemic in 2002-2004, viral shedding began 2-10 days after the onset of symptoms. This striking difference, ultimately responsible for the global spread of SARS-CoV-2, indicates that one or more molecular mechanisms during cell invasion, viral replication, or immune evasion may have changed. In any case, mutations aiding viral transmission would likely be favored by natural selection, which makes tests for positive selection a rather useful tool for pinpointing candidate genetic changes responsible for such unique properties of SARS-CoV-2. Several recent publications around the SARS-CoV-2 genome have found signals of positive selection and conservation within the gene encoding spike glycoprotein, based on the ratio of synonymous to nonsynonymous substitution. Nonetheless, such tests cannot detect changes in the function of RNA molecules. In this exciting new paper, Dr. Alejandro Berrio, Dr. Valerie Gartner, and Dr. Gregory A Wray from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina (United States) hunted for regions of possible and probable positive selection within the genomes of six coronavirus species including SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. Chasing mutations and conserved regions In this study, the researchers have applied a test for branch-specific oversubstitution of mutations within confined windows of the genome and without reference to the genetic code. In other words, the method they have used tests for a surplus of branch-specific nucleotide substitutions within a designated window relative to a neutral expectation for divergence in that window. They have tested for branch-specific selection on nucleotide sequences in coronavirus genomes, focusing their attention on six species from the Sarbecovirus subgenus from the Coronaviridae family, as well as on Bat coronavirus BM48-31/BGR/2008 as an outgroup. To gain comprehensive insights into the evolutionary mechanisms that have shaped genetic variation within the SARS-CoV-2 genome relatively recently, they have compiled a list of known mutations, primarily based on accessions sequenced since the start of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, highly conversed regions of the genome across the sarbecovirus genomes were examined with the use of PhastCons, which is a special type of statistical model/program to identify and score conserved elements. Adaptive modification of the SARS-CoV-2 genome "The results reveal several signals of positive selection that are unique to a single species and others that are recapitulated in multiple species," say study authors. "The latter finding suggests that some segments of the viral genome have repeatedly experienced adaptive modification," they add. Generally speaking, the distribution of positive selection is more in line with closely related species when compared to divergent ones implying that certain molecular functions have been modified over an interval that expands beyond the origin of a single species, although not across the entire Sarbecovirus expansion. When mutations were concerned, the vast majority of variants were singletons, representing either mutations without segregation or potential sequencing errors. More specifically, the researchers identified Nsp4 and Nsp16 as prime regions of the SARS-Cov-2 genome with mutations that may contribute to its unique biological, pathological, and epidemiological features. These mutations are highly specific for SARS-CoV-2 and may, in turn, affect molecular processes that are mediated by the positive or negative RNA molecules, which includes RNA stability, transcription, and translation processes, as well as the evasion of the host innate immune system. Considering multiple perspectives "By shining a light on regions of the SARS-CoV-2 genome that appear to be under positive selection yet are unlikely to alter protein function, our results illustrate the value of evaluating the potential for adaptive changes in secondary structures within the genomes of RNA viruses", conclude study authors in this bioRxiv paper. Consequently, these results emphasize the importance of taking into account mutations in viral genomes not only from the perspective of their effect on protein structure but also how they may influence other molecular processes pivotal to the viral life cycle. And while it is enticing to speculate about the possible adaptive role of RNA changes within Nsp4 or Nsp16 accelerated regions, the authors suggest that this should always be pursued in the context of robust experimental results. For example, the primary sequence of the genome can be modified to encode the same protein sequence while disrupting secondary structure within the aforementioned regions, subsequently testing for the consequences in viral replication and molecular functions. In any case, this specific study may inspire other researchers to conduct studies with the aim of better understanding the evolving functions of RNA secondary structure found within the SARS-CoV-2 genome. As a result, this may open the door for novel therapeutic and preventative measures against this pandemic virus. *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. Page Content Present during the meeting were Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs, Ministers Egbert Doran, Anna Richardson, Ardwell Irion, Ludmila de Weever, drs. Rodolphe Samuel, and Richard Panneflek as well as President of the Collectivite of Saint Martin Daniel Gibbs together with Vice-Presidents Valerie Damaseau, Annick Petrus, and Yawo Nyuiadzi and their support staff. Several points were addressed, such as the lifting of border controls, the synchronization of preventive health measures, the creation of a United Congress of St. Martin, and the continuation of joint cultural projects. The discussions were particularly constructive and fruitful, specifically the exchanges on the health protocols currently enforced in each territory and the joint measures that could be implemented to protect the populations such as the proposal of joint COVID-19 testing. Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs stated that a meeting would be held with Prefete Deleguee of Saint-Martin and Saint Barths Sylvie Feucher, the Regional Health Agency (ARS), local Public Health Department, and Collective Prevention Services (CPS) on Tuesday, September 22, 2020, to discuss the possibilities of synchronization and implementation of these health measures. Both governments emphasized the importance of pursuing cooperation efforts on issues of common concern, such as the relaunching of the tourist destination and the estimated tourist arrival activity for the upcoming season and prevention of the spread of COVID-19. They also discussed the decision to accelerate the process for the creation of a United Congress; a joint institutional body, which would have been particularly decisive in the current crisis and possibly avoid reoccurrences of such unilateral decisions. Regular working meetings will be planned in order to make concrete progress on these topics of cooperation. In closing of the meeting, all officials present expressed their elation for the people of St. Martin whom they stood in solidarity with. They expressed that Wednesday, September 16, signalled a day in history for St. Martin, a day of unity and strength as one island and one people. Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs stated that she was happy to facilitate the meeting because there is so much that should be done in terms of actions to be taken in order to move both sides of the island collectively forward. It will take continued collaboration and dialogue, and as such, if we have to be the example to show the state and the kingdom how it is to be done, let it be so, she further stated. President of the Collectivite of Saint Martin Daniel Gibbs stated that what transpired on Wednesday, September 16, is what we need to have translated legally so that it does not occur again. This is one of the reasons why he initiated the idea of a United Congress St. Martin in order to dialogue about all the issues discussed in the meeting as communication is of utmost importance in St. Martins mutual functioning. On Thursday, September 17, the Council of Ministers held a cooperation meeting with the Collectivite of Saint Martin at the Government Administration Building. Although this meeting was planned since earlier in the week, both governments are elated with the outcome of the unity march of Wednesday, September 16, that took place at the Cole Bay/Bellevue border checkpoint which led to the lifting of the border controls at the Bellevue and French Quarter checkpoints. Hospitals in the UK have been warned that they must clear beds and brace themselves for an upcoming rise in coronavirus cases in the next few weeks. COVID-19 cases, hospital admissions, and deaths are all on the rise, as shown in the figures that the government revealed on September 18. There are more than 10 million people who will soon be living under local lockdowns as the North East became the latest to impose restrictions. Preparing for the next wave On September 18, 3,395, COVID-19 patients were recorded, which means the rolling seven-day average number of cases has increased 2% in a day and 33% in a week to 3,354. The increase in cases raises concerns as the UK is moving towards a second peak of the virus. MPs in London have been informed of plans to increase step down beds in the capital, according to The Telegraph. The beds at the hospitals will be made available to COVID-19 patients who no longer need any hospital treatment but can recover from the virus while isolating. Also Read: China Says No Need to Vaccinate Entire Population, Only Frontliners The data comes as Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned that hospitalizations are doubling every eight days and that the outbreak is accelerating. This means that it is critical that people follow social distancing and lockdown rules. One MP, who has seen the plans, said that he was told hospitals have reserved beds for those comping out of the hospital and who needs to recover. At the start of the lockdown, they were having to send people back to care homes or back to other facilities, with consequences. This is why they have book places in respite care or empty care homes so that people will go out of the hospital but won't return to their normal place of living. In an interview with BBC Breakfast, Health Secretary Hancock warned that it was critical that people continued to follow the basic rules with regard to coronavirus. Hancock said that they had seen an acceleration in the number of cases over the last couple of weeks, and they have also seen that the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 is increasing every eight days, so they need to take action. Overwhelming the NHS Government statistics show that 194 newly-infected patients were admitted to hospitals in England on September 15, compared to just 84 eight days ago and just 38 on August 30. It means that 154 patients are needing care from the NHS every day, which is triple the figure of 52 on September 1. More than 3,000 people every day were being admitted to NHS hospitals during the peak of the first wave back in April. Data suggests that it would take more than three weeks for daily admissions to the top 2,000. A top infectious disease expert warned that it is plausible that the doubling rate of every eight days could continue. Professor Paul Hunter from the University of East Anglia said that the number of admissions could surpass the daily rate seen in March and April in just a month. Related Article: Boris Johnson Announces "Rule of Six" COVID-19 Restrictions Set to Start this Week @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Sharron Cohen in 1973 was known as Sharron Frontiero, a young U.S. Air Force lieutenant in Montgomery, whose sex discrimination lawsuit became the first case Ruth Bader Ginsburg ever argued before the Supreme Court. That case, Frontiero v. Richardson, became a landmark decision, Reckon reports. Its considered the first successful sex discrimination case filed against the federal government and altered the legal landscape for future gender equity cases. Her superiors at nearby Maxwell Air Force Base, where she worked as a physical therapist, repeatedly refused to grant her the housing allowance and medical benefits automatically given to married male service members. That meant she made less in wages than men of equal rank. Instead, the Air Force insisted she had to prove that her husband depended on her for half his living expenses, a stipulation not required of men. Cohen grew up in a workingclass family and put herself through school, becoming one of the first in her family to graduate from college. Her husband, Joseph, whom she married in 1969, was still a student. The full housing allowance would be a significant financial help. A lawsuit filed of her behalf by the founders of the Southern Poverty Law Center was unsuccessful. The ACLU and its new Womens Rights Project division heard about the case and asked to be involved. The case was argued before the Supreme Court on Jan. 17, 1973. Four months later, the court ruled 8-1 that the Air Force policy violated Cohens rights. Specifically, the courts majority found it violated the due process clause in the Fifth Amendment, which says the federal government can deprive no one of life, liberty or property without due process of the law. Cohen wasnt in court when the decision was handed down; she didnt realize she could attend. By then, she had moved on with her life. She and Joseph divorced. She retired from the Air Force after four years, remarried and had a son, Nathan. She and David Cohen, her husband of more than 40 years, now live in Massachusetts and enjoy spending time outdoors and with their grandchildren and family. Cohen still identifies as deeply, deeply feminist and worries about the coming political battle over the filling of Ginsburgs seat, and what it might mean for the issues she cares about. It scares me as much as it scares a lot of people, she said. And it isnt worthy of her legacy. She didnt owe us anything. She gave everything. French health authorities reported 10,569 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday, down from the previous day's record increase of 13,498. The number of French deaths from the disease rose by 12 over the preceding 24 hours to 31,585, the health ministry said. The cumulative number of confirmed cases now stands at 453,763. The latest death toll amounts to a more sizeable increase of 311 over the 31,274 published on Saturday, a difference that may reflect late arriving data for earlier fatalities. Besides a resurgence in the spread of the coronavirus since lockdown measures ended in May, epidemiologists say higher case numbers are also the result of a six-fold surge in testing since the process became available without charge or prescription. The rolling seven-day count of COVID-19 hospital admissions rose to 3,894 from 3,853 on Saturday, according to the latest French data, with intensive care admissions stable at 593. Search Keywords: Short link: Godwin Obaseki, Saturday, sailed through a fierce opposition to secure his second mandate as the governor of Edo State. Mr Obaseki, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), polled 307,955 votes to defeat his main rival, Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who had 223,619 votes. Mr Obaseki won his first election in 2016 as a candidate of the APC, principally supported by Adams Oshiomhole, the immediate past governor and former National Chairman of the APC. Mr Ize-Iyamu was then the candidate of the PDP. Mr Obaseki later fell out with Mr Oshiomhole with both men becoming adversaries. However, Mr Obasekis reelection victory on the PDP platform could be attributed, in part, to the role played by Bola Tinubu, many people believe. Mr Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos, who is revered as the national leader of the APC, released a recorded broadcast shortly before the election where he described Mr Obaseki as a dictator and called on the people to reject him at the polls. A PREMIUM TIMES reporter, Nicholas Ibekwe, who covered the Edo election, said Mr Tinubus remarks against Mr Obaseki in the video played out very well in favour of the governor. #EdoNoBeLagos, an anti-Tinubu movement led by pro-Obaseki groups, became energised during the election because of the Tinubu video, as many voters interpreted Mr Tinubus remarks as an indication that he wanted Edo to be a subdued territory under Lagos State, Mr Ibekwe said. Oshiomhole factor, APCs internal wrangling Closely related to this is the Oshiomhole factor in Mr Obasekis victory. Mr Oshiomholes dominance in the APC campaign negatively affected the visibility of the partys candidate, Mr Ize-Iyamu, so much so that the election was viewed by many as an Obaseki-Oshiomhole fight. If you come to Edo, if not for the billboard, you would think its Oshiomhole that was contesting against Obaseki, said the PREMIUM TIMES reporter, Mr Ibekwe. You hardly hear anybody call Ize-Iyamus name, it was only Oshiomhole, Oshiomhole, and Oshiomhole. He (Oshiomhole) was not the right person to lead the campaign, he added. The picture of Mr Oshiomhole being a powerful godfather bent on removing his estranged protege from office naturally made Mr Obaseki look like an underdog in the election and consequently attracted sympathy and support for the governor. Comparatively, Mr Oshiomhole, more than Mr Ize-Iyamu, appeared to have had a higher stake in the Edo election hence analysts believe he wanted to use the election to extract his pound of flesh from Mr Obaseki whose fight with him contributed to his removal from office as APC chairperson in June. The internal power struggle within the APC with many APC governors and chieftains seeking ways to retire Mr Oshiomhole from politics and cut Mr Tinubus influence ahead of the 2023 presidential election also contributed to the partys defeat in Edo. While Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers, other PDP governors, and leaders were providing funds, mobilising voters for Governor Obaseki and PDP in Edo, their counterparts in the APC quietly distanced themselves from Mr Ize-Iyamu which they apparently saw as a Tinubu/Oshiomhole project. Although it could not be confirmed at the time of filing this report, some APC governors were said to have secretly provided financial support to the PDP candidate, Governor Obaseki. Good performance Saturdays election was also, among other things, a referendum on Governor Obasekis performance. Many of those who voted for him said they did so because of his performance in the past four years. I voted for Godwin Obaseki because of his exceptional performance in almost four years. We only had governors like this during the time of the late Samuel Ogbemudia and since then we never had this kind of opportunity, Magdalene Barrah, a retired health worker in Benin City, told PREMIUM TIMES, Sunday. Ms Barrah said Mr Oshiomhole was okay when he was the governor, but not exceptional like Mr Obaseki. We have seen nearly all abandoned projects being completed. I attended the School of Nursing in Benin City and some critical buildings were abandoned in the school until the coming of Obaseki. Same with the School of Health Technology that has been transformed. So it is with many other structures. In terms of payment of salaries and pensions, Obaseki got it right too. During the era of Oshiomhole pensions were not paid for more than one year, but during the era of Obaseki it changed, she said. Advertisements Rodsimeon Idaewor, a journalist in Benin City, said he travelled to vote for Mr Obaseki because of the governors performance level, even though PDP lost in his (Idaewor) ward. This is the kind of person who should rule Nigeria, persons who are answerable to the people, and not to godfathers. He has built new roads, completed old buildings in the state, and he is doing a refinery, Mr Idaewor said. Joseph Elegide, a lawyer, said he voted for Mr Obaseki because the because the man has worked and he has impressed me. Some people felt that they are kings, but in fairness to them, they had the goodwill to have brought Obaseki in the first instance even when he was not known, but having done what is required of him as governor and he did not disappoint, why would they now turn around to begin to demonise him? he said. Prior to his (Obaseki) emergence as governor of Edo, touts took over the streets of Benin terrorising people to the extent that we became afraid, Gani Momodu, a businessman, said. When Obaseki came, he eradicated all these people and stopped them from collecting all these illegal levies. With that alone, it is sufficient for me to vote for him. The election outcome confirms Mr Obasekis popularity, especially in Edo South District, where he won even in Mr Ize-Iyamus Orhionmwon Local Government Area. In Edo North, where many saw as an APC stronghold, Mr Obasekis running mate, Philip Shaibu, with his enormous political clout, was able to checkmate Mr Oshiomhole. Edo Central, besides their traditional support for the PDP, fully supported Mr Obaseki because of the understanding that the district will produce Mr Obasekis successor in 2024. If Mr Ize-Iyamu had won the election, he would have naturally wanted to do two terms in office, which would have disrupted the aspiration of the people in Edo Central to produce the next governor of the state. Since the ouster of Oserheimen Osunbor as governor after about a year in office in 2008, the central senatorial district has not produced the state governor. As a result, the people of the district are hoping that one of their own would be governor after Mr Obasekis second term in 2024. The Edo voters, it is good to mention, displayed vigilance they voted, monitored the electoral process, and protected their votes. The impartiality and professionalism of the election commission and the security agencies, many Nigerians say, also contributed to Mr Obasekis victory. Congratulations, escapefromamerica.com got a very good Social Media Impact Score! Show it by adding this HTML code on your site: Escapefromamerica.com scored 84 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 4/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 20 Dec 2012, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. escapefromamerica.com is very popular in Stumble Upon, Facebook, Delicious and Twitter. It is liked by 939 people on Facebook, it has 65 twitter shares and it has 5 google+ shares. Furthermore its facebook page has 1290 likes. 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Referring domains for escapefromamerica.com by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines. Facebook link FACEBOOK PAGE LINK FOUND FACEBOOK PAGE www.facebook.com/pages/EFAM-Escape-From-America-Magazine/148012072010 DESCRIPTION Is now the time to Escape from America? LIKES 1290 PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT 9 PAGE TYPE Website TIMELINE PAGE TIMELINE A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The URL of the found Facebook page. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. The type of Facebook page. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND The TikTok app on a smartphone in an arranged photograph on Aug. 3, 2020. Read more BEIJING TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance are making a fresh legal attempt to stop the impending end of the popular app in the United States. In a lawsuit filed on Friday night against U.S. President Donald Trump and the Department of Commerce, they are demanding, among other things, an injunction. A separate suit, to stop a ban on the Chinese app WeChat, was to be heard in a California court on Saturday. According to decisions by the Washington government, U.S. smartphone users will no longer be able to download TikTok from Monday, and the app will stop working completely on Nov. 12. TikTok has around 100 million users in the U.S. Trump has dubbed TikTok a security risk on the grounds that Chinese authorities could get data from U.S. users. TikTok and ByteDance deny the allegations. Trump had issued an executive order in August that would ban TikTok in the United States from the middle of this month unless it was sold to a U.S. company. The U.S. government is immediately pulling the plug on the Chinese messaging app WeChat because of similar criticisms: It will both disappear from app stores and lose most of its functions on Monday. WeChat also wants to prevent that in a court in California. TikTok and ByteDance argue in their lawsuit that the Trump administration's ban violates their rights and the U.S. Constitution. They had already sued over Trump's previous order with similar justification. At the same time, negotiations about a deal for the US business of the TikTok app are continuing in the background. Trump insists that US investors must have a majority share in TikTok in the U.S. The Chinese government had torpedoed earlier talks about a purchase of the U.S. business by Microsoft with new export rules for software. China on Saturday condemned Washington's measures against TikTok and WeChat. In response to a reporter's question, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce said the move "seriously damages the lawful rights of the companies involved (and) disrupts the normal order of the market." The spokesperson said the U.S. aimed to "hunt and suppress" the firms "without evidence" and urged Washington to "reject bullying behavior and immediately halt their wrongdoing," warning that Beijing will otherwise respond with "necessary measures" to protect Chinese interests. In a statement released on Saturday, WeChats parent company Tencent said it had put forward a comprehensive proposal to address the U.S. governments concerns, and said it will continue to discuss with the government and other stakeholders in the U.S. ways to achieve a long-term solution. Three female appeals court judges, all conservatives recently appointed to the bench, are among President Trump's leading candidates to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, according to people familiar with the selection process. Trump over the weekend said he would tap a woman to replace Ginsburg, a liberal lion, whose death Friday threw the final weeks of a divisive presidential campaign into further turmoil as the president and the Republican Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, pledged to fill the seat as soon as possible. The three likely finalists have impressive legal credentials and compelling personal stories and are also certain to pull the high court to the right, perhaps for years, as the justices tackle some of society's most contentious issues, including abortion rights, healthcare reform and racial inequality, legal experts said. Two leading contenders for the nomination, officials said, are Amy Coney Barrett a 48-year-old former professor at Notre Dame Law School and a darling of the conservative legal establishment, who now serves on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and Barbara Lagoa, 52, a former federal prosecutor who was the first Cuban American to serve on the state Supreme Court in Florida and now sits on the 11th Circuit. Also in the mix is Joan Larsen, a 51-year-old former state judge in the battleground state of Michigan, now on the 6th Circuit. Trump specifically mentioned Barrett and Lagoa in a telephone call with McConnell not long after Ginsburg's death, according to a person familiar with the conversation who was not authorized to be quoted by name. The choice could be made public later this week, but whether the Senate would try to act on the nomination before the Nov. 3 election remains uncertain, the person added. Amy Coney Barrett, a federal appeals court judge, is a leading contender to be President Trump's nominee to fill the Supreme Court seat of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. (University of Notre Dame / TNS) Some Trump advisors have pushed Lagoa in the belief that nominating her could help the president with Cuban American voters in Florida, a key swing state in the election where polls have shown a tight race between Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden. Story continues Lagoa has deep Florida roots. She was born in Miami and got her bachelor's degree from Florida International University. A 1992 graduate of Columbia Law School, she worked as an attorney in Miami-area law firms until 2003, when she become a federal prosecutor. In 2006, Lagoa took a post on a state appeals court and last year was tapped by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to a seat on the state's high court. Less than a year later, Trump picked her for the 11th Circuit, which has jurisdiction over federal cases in Florida, Alabama and Georgia. She has served on that court since December. Asked Saturday about Lagoa, Trump said she was an extraordinary person. Ive heard incredible things about her. But, he added, I dont know her. Shes Hispanic and highly respected. Larsen, who has spent most of her career as a professor at the University of Michigan Law School, is better known in conservative legal circles. She served in a key position in the Justice Department's influential Office of Legal Counsel in 2002-03, in the George W. Bush administration, and later was appointed to a seat on the Michigan Supreme Court. She was confirmed to the federal appeals court in late 2017 by a 60-38 vote. It is not clear whether Trump has met her. Trump does know Barrett and has been impressed with her, which appears to give her the edge, people familiar with the president's thinking said. Barrett was a finalist in 2018 to fill Anthony Kennedys seat, which ultimately went to Brett Kavanaugh. Because she already has been vetted, the White House could move quickly to nominate her without having to worry about unpleasant surprises that might derail a confirmation although Trump has been known to disregard such cautions with picks for other jobs. Barrett grew up in New Orleans and graduated at the top of her class in 1997 from Notre Dame Law School, where she became a professor. Trump named her in 2017 to the 7th Circuit, which has jurisdiction over federal cases in Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. Like the others, Barrett checks most of Trumps most important boxes. She is young and would likely serve for decades (Supreme Court justices have lifetime appointments), and she is a reliable conservative, backed by the Federalist Society, which has served as a proving ground for Republican judicial nominees. She clerked for former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a legal hero on the right. In her legal writing and three years on the appeals court, Barrett has provided hints that she would rule with the most conservative justices on disputes over civil rights, voting rights, free speech and separation of church and state. She has also expressed willingness to overturn precedents that she believes are not in line with the Constitution. Because of that, Barrett is seen by conservative supporters and liberal opponents as a linchpin vote to jettison the 1973 landmark Roe vs. Wade ruling that established the right of women to have an abortion. Following precedent "is not a hard-and-fast rule," Barrett wrote in a 2013 law review article. "I tend to agree with those who say that a justice's duty is to the Constitution, and that is thus more legitimate for her to enforce her best understanding of the Constitution rather than a precedent she thinks is clearly in conflict with it." In 2013 remarks coinciding with the 40th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, Barrett spoke both to her own conviction that life begins at conception and to the high price of pregnancy and burdens of parenthood that especially confront women before she asked her audience whether the clash of convictions inherent in the abortion debate is better resolved democratically, according to an account in a Notre Dame magazine of a presentation she gave to students. And in 2015, she signed a letter to Catholic bishops that affirmed the teachings of the church as truth, including the belief in the "value of human life from conception to natural death." NARAL Pro-Choice America, which supports abortion rights, fought Barretts confirmation to the appellate court in 2017, saying at the time that she was aligned with extreme, anti-choice organizations, and her writings make clear she believes Roe vs. Wade was incorrectly decided. NARAL and other abortion rights groups are expected to lobby hard against any Trump nominee. Barrett has another intangible quality that would likely appeal to Trump: She is good on television. Also, she has five biological children and two adopted from Haiti a tableau that could appeal to a president who is always conscious of visual images. When senators grilled her during a 2017 hearing, Barrett calmly deflected their questions and pushed back on attacks on her record, even when Democrats probed her about her religion. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the ranking Democrat on the panel, pressed Barrett at the hearing about how her Catholic faith might affect her ability to be a fair judge. Why is it that so many of us on this side have this very uncomfortable feeling that, you know, dogma and law are two different things? Feinstein asked at the 2017 hearing. And I think whatever a religion is, it has its own dogma. The law is totally different. And I think in your case, professor, when you read your speeches, the conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you, and thats of concern. Barrett replied that she would faithfully apply all Supreme Court precedent as an appellate judge. She added later that she would never impose my own personal convictions on the law. Timothy Johnson, a professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, noted that such responses might make Barrett a top contender. "This is absolutely someone President Trump would love, because she is willing to push back on the left," he said. Times staff writer Eli Stokols contributed to this report. Shes one of TVs highest earners, so why is Strictlys Claudia Winkleman still convinced shell never make the big league? She tells Francesca Babb how imposter syndrome keeps her on her toes and why her family always comes first Shes one of TVs highest earners, so why is Strictlys Claudia Winkleman still convinced shell never make the big league? Claudia Winkleman is deeply unpopular. Not with her bosses at the BBC, whose decision to put her on the ranks of their highest-paid earners with an annual salary of more than 370,000 would imply they probably think she is OK at her job. Not with the public, nearly 8 million of whom tune in to her Strictly adventures alongside Tess Daly week after week. And not with her book publishers, who gave her free rein over lockdown to spill her musings on life into a 243-page tome, which they will release imminently. But, a little closer to home, Claudia, it would seem, is the absolute worst. My children are unbelievably irritated by me, she says of her brood, Jake, 17, Matilda, 14, and Arthur, nine. I am very strict, and very unpopular. For someone to whom popularity is paramount (I hate confrontation, I hate people being grumpy with me she tells me) and to whom children are everything, youd think this would be a little crushing. But for Claudia, a bit of eye-rolling and the odd slammed bedroom door mean things are exactly as they should be. I dont want to be their friend, she says, a look of vague amusement at the prospect crossing her face. I want them to fully understand the importance of folding towels and unloading the dishwasher. We sit down together for mealtimes with no phones at the table. I sound horrible, but it is how it is. Claudia wears dress, Red Valentino, mytheresa.com. Ultimately, I always knew I came first with my parents, she says, and I try to do that with my kids' It was her own parents, newspaper editor Eve Pollard OBE and newspaper publisher Barry Winkleman, who separated when she was three, who taught her the benefits of a little parent/child friction. Oh, I thought my parents were idiots when I was my childrens age, she laughs. But now I talk to my mum and my dad all the time and were very close. Her mothers pioneering career she was only the second woman to be an editor of a British paper when she took the helm at the Sunday Mirror in 1987 also taught her how to make the precarious career/life balance work. Ultimately, I always knew I came first with my parents, she says, and I try to do that with my kids. When my son was really little, I was going to work, and he asked why. I couldnt explain to him the mortgage and all of that, so I just said, Mummys going to work to buy bananas, because he loved bananas then. He must have been six when he came up to me, holding bananas, going, Mummy, you dont need to go, we have bananas! I had to explain that I actually like going to work, and thats a lesson my mum taught me, too. Of course, I feel guilty sometimes. I feel guilty now because Im not with them, but Ill race home when were done. The reason for Claudias absence from her kids today is to talk about her new book, Quite, which is named after her favourite word: its firm, restrained and manages your expectations, she says in the introduction. Its just a stream of nonsense I wrote in lockdown, she starts, before getting eye-rolled by her publicist, whose primary job today is to try to stop the endlessly self-deprecating Claudia from convincing us all not to read said book. Apparently, I slag it off too much, but we all know deep down Ive actually got nothing interesting to say. And I dont mean that in a bad way. Ive got nothing to teach anyone, but I can talk about the power of a great pair of boots, or how anything with hot cheese is better than anything without hot cheese. I just want people to have a bit of a laugh. Ive never known anyone who can fire as many insults at themselves as Claudia. But this relentless self-deprecation is, I think, her secret weapon. Well never get to the real Claudia Winkleman there are too many half-finished sentences and going off at random tangents for that. She refuses to be earnest, or ever take herself seriously, and viewers clearly love her for it. Claudia has co-hosted Strictly with Tess Daly since 2014. They were the first all-female presenting team on primetime Saturday night television Claudia with the Britains best home cook team: Chris Bavin, Angela Hartnett and Mary Berry Shes wrong about the books usefulness, though. While she will claim in the introduction that if you want to learn something practical, this isnt the book for you, I disagree. What Claudia does well is self-acceptance. Her writing is funny, real and caring. She will help you negotiate the ups and downs of relationships with a witty anecdote about a friends disastrous date. Shell make you feel better about having an afternoon nap with a quote from someone clever her mum once sat next to at lunch. She will encourage you to dress exactly how you want. She has even made me feel less bleak about my moth infestation thanks to a throwaway comment about moth-eaten jumpers looking better than box-fresh ones. She is as adept, courtesy of her history of art degree from Cambridge University, at talking about Caravaggio as she is the art of a great T-shirt. Im not interested in perfect, she says of her approach to life. Ive always known going for that is a bad idea, and Ive doubled down on it as Ive got older. My friend Tanya [clinical psychologist Professor Tanya Byron, with whom Claudia co-hosts a podcast, How Did We Get Here?) is very interesting on the pursuit of happiness. She says, I dont think we should be happy all the time. I think we should be happy lots of the time. We should look after each other and not worry about the self worry about everyone else. Im truly happy when Ive made something inedible for the family, had a tidy and beaten the nine-year-old at Connect 4. Her disinterest in perfection stretches to her philosophy on ageing, too. For the record, she looks great, even on a fuzzy FaceTime screen: black Topshop T-shirt and jeans (the same thing Ive worn every day for the past 20 years), huge glossy fringe hanging over her heavy black-lined eyes, and, yes, she is quite tanned, but thats because nobody wants to see my natural blue skin tone. Her celebration of a tan that is a shade too deep, eyeliner that is a millimetre too thick are what make her feel more like one of us. I like getting older, she says, nodding vigorously, her fringe bouncing along for the ride. If anybody reads the book and goes, shes a crumpled, orange slump of a woman with two dicky knees, its fine, because I feel better than I used to. My 20s were full of me worrying that I wasnt doing the right thing. In my 30s I was just pregnant and working. But in my 40s? I smashed it. The great thing about your 40s is that your face is falling off, youre craggy as s**t, your arse wobbles and that is deeply freeing. I dont want to look good in a bikini. That ship has sailed. I dont want to be fashion forward or to try the new restaurant an hour away from my house, Im not interested. I suspect this unstarry attitude is part of her appeal with both TV producers and the public alike, and encouraged the BBC to pair her with Tess Daly to present Strictly back in 2014. This move made them the first all-female presenting team on primetime Saturday night television. Coat, Maje. Shirt, Joseph. I genuinely think its my fringe thats given me this career, Claudia says As we speak, Claudia is waiting to start filming a Covid-safe Strictly, and has just begun Britains Best Home Cook, which she has done alongside Mary Berry for the past two years. It must be very satisfying to be the master of a career that only seems to get better with age. I genuinely think its my fringe thats given me this career, she says, leaning in to the camera to show it off in its full glory. In work meetings, people would go, Whats her name? Weird, ditsy little d***head, oh yeah, the one with the fringe and that would help me get the job. Other than that, I dont have an appeal. Ive been very lucky and dont argue with me on this I dont think of myself as big league at all. I dont want to be the boss of anything other than my offspring. Im not interested in that kind of winning. It was Strictly, really, that propelled Claudia to the TV big league. She had hosted its sister show, It Takes Two, since the programmes inception in 2004, being promoted to primetime co-hosting duties when the late Sir Bruce Forsyth retired. Having such a prominent position at the BBC, you would think, would be quite the confidence boost. Im just waiting to be fired, she deadpans. Im waiting for somebody to tap me on the shoulder and go, Oh, sorry, weve got this all wrong, you are not allowed to go in again, weve got Rylan instead, but I dont think thats a bad thing. Imposter syndrome is incredibly useful. Weve both met people who are like, I was born to do this, get out of my way. I dont want to be that person. Feeling dont throw up grateful and slightly surprised I think is a good thing. It keeps you on your toes. Her co-host and friend Tess, Claudia says, is the reason she can stand up on the main Strictly stage week after week, when crippling nerves threaten to throw her off cue. I love her, she says. She is warm, funny, so beautiful but such a strong creature. I get really, properly vomit-inducing nervous before each show its the responsibility, the idea that I could mess it up that scares me. Tess is the person who looks after me and helps me. I dont like doing things by myself, I like sharing. I love standing next to Tess, I love standing next to Mary Berry, I love the podcast with Tanya. I dont want to do anything by myself, it makes me deeply uncomfortable. If you think this love-bombing is reserved for celebrity alone, its not. I can imagine Claudia walking into the butchers and asking for a pound of mince with the same shower of compliments. You can hear it in the way she talks about her non-showbiz friends. I ask her about therapy, and if shes tried it. She has once, she replies, but actually my girlfriends are my lifeline, my everything. I ask if she has a mantra for when things get tricky in life: phone a girlfriend. What is she proud of? Im happy with so many aspects of my life, but me and my girls Im grateful for that every day. While he might not get as much airtime as her girls, Claudias husband, film producer Kris Thykier, is key to her happiness, too. The two have been married 20 years this year. I ask her how she celebrated it. Im not very romantic, so I usually forget, she says. Hes more romantic than me, but if we were both romantic, it would be disgusting, wed just be licking each others chins all the time. Whats the secret to a lasting marriage? Somebody kind, somebody who laughs at themselves, she says. When youre younger, kind? Ugh, what a loser! Id always fancy the bloke who didnt text me back for two weeks. But Kris is kind. I dont need a trip to Paris, I dont need anything fancy. I need, Ive run you a hot bath, or, I know you love this boxset, so lets watch it. Jacket, Mulberry. Trousers, Amanda Wakeley. Shoes, Gianvito Rossi. While he might not get as much airtime as her girls, Claudias husband, film producer Kris Thykier, is key to her happiness, too Did she always know she wanted kids with Kris? Yes. I was just waiting to have a baby. I think it was on our second date, I told him I was ovulating, which was probably quite terrifying for him. And on that note, its time for her to go, back home and back into mum mode. As we are wrapping up, I ask her what shes excited for in her future, what she thinks her 50s might bring her. If you think I did my 40s right, you know when Im really going to come into my own? My 70s. Im going to wear a kaftan and start collecting baby animals. Im going to stand around saying no to everything, eating hot cheese with a tiny kitten in my bra if Im still wearing a bra, which I doubt. The kids may not like it, but hey, when did that ever matter? Strictly for Claudia Favourite emoji Last thing you put on your credit card? Lip salve. I love Blistex and Dr Lipp. What always gets you on the dancefloor? Uptown Funk. When youre dreaming of your bed, if this comes on, then no chance. Your favourite tipple? A margarita all Im interested in is salt. Your go-to takeaway order? Five Guys cheeseburger with fried onions and more fried onions. Dont judge me. The last time you cried? Toy Story 3 always makes me cry. Yes, my kids think Im weird. Last great book you read? Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is particularly excellent. What superpower do you wish you had? Flying. Ive no interest in other peoples thoughts there would just be a lot of Wow, she really is orange. Finish the sentence: Love is Fantastic, powerful, all encompassing, the best thing on earth. Your house is on fire what do you grab? Photos, the kids drawings, the tortoise. Whod play you in a film of your life? Alice Cooper or Ozzy Osbourne. What are you having for dinner tonight? Mary Berrys chicken curry its utterly magical. If I can do it, anyone can. Earliest memory? Meeting a chicken. I think I was in a red shiny coat. I must have been two or three. Have you ever been starstruck? Harold Bishop from Neighbours blew my mind. Id watched it twice a day at university, and there he was, in front of me in Tesco. I could barely breathe. Career plan B? Baker. But to be honest Id be a bad one. Top of your bucket list? Id love to go on a proper walking holiday around the Cornish coast. My friend did it and the photos were extraordinary. They camped, ate, walked and laughed. Once Ive persuaded my 17- and 14-year-olds its a good idea, were off. Advertisement The things I love about getting older An extract from Claudias brilliant new book Quite There are some wonderful things about getting older. I wouldnt be in my 20s again, they were too nervy, too angst-ridden. Am I coming across the right way? Am I holding this fork correctly? When will I have a baby? What will I do with my life? And then I think I spent most of my 30s pregnant or nursing and worrying about milk ducts and sleep schedules and nursery rhymes. But my 40s have been great; my late 40s even better. Youve just got used to your face, youve just worked out how to slow-cook a ham and youve finally decided where you like to be and what you like to do. If youve got kids, things are hopefully getting easier as theyre older too. Friendships are fully solid now. As a gang, were not letting anyone leave. Yes, one of us will make mistakes we forget to call back, we get too pickled, were slightly self-obsessed but we know its a phase, we have history and thats important. Claudia and her husband of 20 years, Kris Thykier. Hes more romantic than me, but if we were both romantic, it would be disgusting, wed just be licking each others chins all the time Weve all been through proper stuff too. Weve dealt with death, pain, sadness our parents are older, or some gone already; our kids have tested us; maybe some of us have realised we married turds. Weve had the big chats, the why are we here, the Im not happy conversations and weve pulled each other out. Of course theres still drinking and howling but its multi-layered now, often profound. If were lucky, by the time we hit our mid-40s we will have more financial security. Or at least a better understanding of money and how to take charge of what we do have. Were old enough to realise that a 900-quid coat is a bit of a nonsense and were happy that we own a colander. We spend wisely (most of the time), we know that splurging more on Jarlsberg and less on sparkly clutch bags is better. We can take great pride in the objects weve collected, whether thats an outstanding assortment of vases or a dazzling pile of high heels (remember when having one pair of going-out shoes was the norm?). Weve come to care about things that we didnt when we were 24. It might be the environment, it might be about equality, protecting womens rights maybe we volunteer for our local food bank or hospital. Some of us march, some of us raise money but we have something we care about (which isnt just ourselves or our small circle). Weve come to realise that giving back and being less selfish makes us feel better even than our fancy boots ever do. And yet. I feel that alongside all of these advantages I should mention the effect of the ageing process on our bodies and our faces. Everything was springy once, everything was easy to handle; you could drink and eat whatever you wanted. You wanted to get into a tight dress on Saturday? Maybe skip lunch on Friday. Easy. Nothing to see here just having some leaves and one olive so I can zip my jeans up. Age rather sh**s all over that. Your hormones mean that if you want to get into an unforgiving outfit on Saturday you will have to have juiced for three weeks prior. Your elastic face is, well, less elastic and whereas before a bit of lipstick and a big scarf meant you were dressed, this now looks a little tragic. Wait, this used to work. Ive put on clean clothes, some tinted moisturiser and am chewing gum, why do I still look like Meatloaf? But I have good news. I have found the body part that, even in our late 40s and beyond, we can really go to town with. Our necks are craggy and crumpled (this might just be me) and our knees are now made entirely of crepe. Bikinis are long gone as our stomachs are like an accordion made of skin. But because were older and know that eating and breaking bread and laughing with friends is vital, we refuse to pass up on cake or pizza or potatoes and all the other stuff that makes life great on a Thursday night. So let me tell you about the area we can really focus on, the one that, for some miraculous reason, hasnt fallen apart. Shoulders. Bare shoulders can shrug (excellent, involves no words but this gesture says everything) and they can twinkle and glisten under good lights. Wear strapless anything, wear a sweater that falls off the shoulder, don stuff with a wide neckline that means the clavicle is showing. With shoulders out we can flirt, we can laugh and we can take all the good of getting old and still hold on to the Yeah, Im going out and feel like an absolute sex god tonight. Dont worry about Botox (Im not surprised, this is just my new face), avoid the expensive creams that do nothing (yes, the advertising is compelling but shes a supermodel and is 22) and dont give a stuff about baggy knees. Just rely on the two bony bits on top of your arms either side of your neck. Shoulders and a sense of humour about the crumbling of everything else will get us through. Quite will be published on 1 October by HQ, price 16.99. To order a copy for 10.99 until 4 October, go to whsmith.co.uk. Enter the code YOUQUITE at checkout. Book number 9780008421656. Terms and conditions: whsmith.co.uk/terms. The two male patients, both 36 years old and from the southernmost province of Ca Mau, returned to Vietnam from Pakistan on flight QH461 on September 13-15, transiting in Qatar and the Republic of Korea. They arrived at Cam Ranh airport in the central province of Khanh Hoa. They were quarantined upon arrival. Earlier, on September 11, they reportedly had contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case in Pakistan. They were tested for SARS-CoV-2 on September 16 and their results released on September 17 came back positive. They are now being treated at Cam Lam districts Health Centre in Khanh Hoa province. Meanwhile, the last COVID-19 patient treated at Da Nang Lung Hospital was given the all-clear on September 18 afternoon. In Da Nang city, there are only four COVID-19 patients under treatment, all at Hoa Vang COVID-19 treatment hospital. Vietnam has so far recorded 941 recoveries and 35 fatalities related to the coronavirus. China has published a white paper defending its Xinjiang internment camps for Uighur Muslims and other ethnic minorities following the US announcing it will block some exports from the region over alleged human rights abuses. Beijings paper, published on Thursday, also gives some indication of the scale of the labour programmes, stating that an average of 1.29 million workers, including 415,400 from southern Xinjiang, were trained annually between 2014 and 2019. The document does not clarify whether workers have passed through these vocational training centres multiple times. However, a total of almost eight million people out of Xinjiangs population of 22 million may have been through the programme, according to the reports figures. In the report, the Chinese Communist party government defends its labour programme by claiming it exists to alleviate poverty through employment, saying: Through its proactive labor and employment policies, Xinjiang has continuously improved the peoples material and cultural lives, and guaranteed and developed their human rights in every field. The document, which has been published in several languages, suggesting it is aiming for an international audience, said the average annual relocation of surplus rural labour was more than 2.76 million people, more than 60 per cent of whom were in southern Xinjiang. It repeatedly underlines the role of the "training centres" in alleviating poverty. Between 2018 and 2019, the paper says some 155,000 people in southern Xinjiang and the surrounding area found employment outside their home towns and subsequently emerged from poverty. Beijing has come under fire for accusations of human rights abuses, and even genocide, against the regions Uighur Muslims allegations it has repeatedly denied. Other charges levied by human rights groups include re-education and surveillance of ethnic minorities. China has also been accused of forced sterilisation of women. The government has consistently insisted that mass "vocational education and training" is necessary in the region to combat terrorism and poverty. The US has compared the Xinjiang detention centres to concentration camps, and this week blocked exports from five entities in the region it claimed used forced labour. A region-wide ban may still be considered, US officials said. The escalation followed US sanctions, announced in July, against Chinese politicians who it claims are responsible for human rights breaches against Muslim minorities. "These extraordinary human rights violations demand an extraordinary response," Kenneth Cuccinelli, the Department of Homeland Security's acting secretary said, announcing the export block. "This is modern-day slavery." China responded by saying allegations of forced labour were fabricated. Earlier this week, clothing giant H&M said it was ending an indirect relationship with a supplier in China in light of allegations of forced labour within the supply chain. British Prime Minister is spending the weekend considering whether to tighten Covid-19 measures in England, after saying the UK was "now seeing a second wave". The government is understood to be looking at a ban on households mixing, and reducing opening hours for pubs, the BBC reported on Saturday. At least 13.5 million people, roughly one in five of the UK population, are already facing local restrictions. Former government adviser Prof Neil Ferguson said new measures were needed "sooner rather than later". The scientist, whose advice was crucial to the decision to go into in March, said: "If we leave it another two to four weeks, we will be back at (infection) levels we were seeing more like mid-March. "That's clearly going to cause deaths because people will be hospitalised," he told the BBC. Johnson only has direct power over restrictions in England. The devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can set their own rules. Widespread growth of the virus has been recorded across the country, with cases doubling every seven to eight days. There were a further 4,422 confirmed UK cases on Saturday and 27 deaths. Friday was the first time the daily total of positive tests had exceeded 4,000 since May 8. A further 350 cases were reported on Saturday in Scotland, the highest daily increase since May, 212 new cases in Wales, and 222 in Northern Ireland. In Bolton, one returning holidaymaker, who did not self-isolate and instead went on a pub crawl, is being partly blamed for the town's spike in cases. Meanwhile, governments across Europe have announced new restrictions to tackle the surge in infections. Speaking on Friday, Johnson said he did not "want to go into bigger measures" but that tighter social distancing rules might be necessary. He added: "Clearly when you look at what is happening, you have got to wonder whether we need to go further than the rule of six that we brought in on Monday." The government is understood to be considering a short period of tighter rules across England - "a circuit break" - which could involve closing hospitality venues. However, schools and workplaces would stay open. WYOMING, MI Police have identified a 16-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man who were fatally shot earlier this week in Wyoming. Santos Padilla Banegas, 16, and Elmer Geovany Lopez Toi, 20, died as a result of injuries from the Wednesday, Sept. 16 double homicide, according to the Wyoming Police Department. The shooting happened about 4:50 p.m. Wednesday on Division Avenue at Wilbur Street. The area is north of 44th Street. RELATED: Teen and young man die in Wyoming double shooting The two were on foot when they were shot by someone in a vehicle, Wyoming police said. Police said they believe the vehicle could be a dark-colored 2010-11 GMC Acadia. Police said they believe the Acadia had multiple occupants. The vehicle was last seen headed south on Jefferson Avenue from Wilbur Street. Officers arrived to find the boy and man with gunshot wounds, near the road. Lopez Toi was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Padilla Banegas was transported to Metro Health Hospital to be treated for injuries from the shooting, but later died, police said. Anyone with information about the shooting can call Wyoming police at 616-530-7300 or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345. More from MLive: 7-year-old boy dies in multi-vehicle crash after driver runs stop sign, police say Police seek information on suspects from vehicle break-ins in Calhoun County No injuries after Amtrak train hits car stuck on tracks, police say Motorcyclist killed on highway ramp in Flint Also, being a billionaire. But if there's one other thing he's known for, and has been highly consistent about over the years, it's a productivity habit that he's articulated again and again. It comes down to this: Fewer meetings, more emails. "No meetings or phone calls unless I'm picking up a check," he told Thrive Global in 2016. "Everything is email." "I'm not big on 'Let's go eat lunch' meetings," he told Inc.com in 2014. "The only way you're going to get me for a meeting is if you're writing me a check. Same with phone calls. They're a waste of time." "Yes," he said in a highly meta video last year, in which he referenced his Inc. interview while editing his own Wikipedia page to reflect his anti-meeting mantra. "I hate meetings. Nobody likes meetings except the people who bring the donuts and the people who like to talk about their kids." O.K. Mark. Got it. No meetings. Email, or perhaps even, text. In fact, while I'm not going to include Cuban's email addresses here (as I can't vouch for their accuracy or his eagerness to share them), if you search online, you'll find a bunch of fast results. You'll also find stories from entrepreneurs saying they raised money from him after "cold emailing," and at least one story by a colleague of mine on Inc.com saying that he shared a phone number last year through which anybody could text him. Anyway, this is a wonderful productivity habit for Cuban, but it's a bit problematic for others trying to emulate him. (Frankly, the more you're in a position to emulate him, the more successful you might already be.) In short, Cuban almost certainly has much more money and power than the people who want to meet with him. That means he's in a position to dictate the terms of interactions. Good luck trying to tell a potential client--or your boss, if you have one--that you think meetings are a waste of time and you'd rather just communicate over email. Perhaps if you're running a business you can insist on a preference for fast email or text communication over meetings. But would you really be comfortable? The relative stakes might seem a lot higher for you than they do for Cuban. Also, I suspect Cuban would set aside his "no meetings" preference for the right meeting. Imagine a highly sought-after free agent who he wanted to sign to the Mavericks. Would he truly refuse to meet in person if the player wanted to? That said, I think you can pull out some of the advantages Cuban talks about from a less-meeting, more-emailing life. Near the top, besides reclaimed time, is that email creates a virtual paper trail. "I want to do everything via email because that allows me go to back and look something up," Cuban said in that same highly meta video interview. "I've got emails that are 25 years old now." Even if you do have to attend meetings (virtual ones, even, given our current situation), you can certainly send short follow-up emails afterward, documenting things that were proposed or decided, and politely inviting others to "correct me if I'm misremembering." Another advantage comes from simply doing the math: figuring out the value of the time that you'd be putting into a meeting, and comparing it to other things you could be doing (and the size of the potential opportunity you'd be discussing). For Cuban, it might be hard to justify spending an hour or two talking to someone about a small investment opportunity, even if it might ultimately lead to a $1 million profit. You or me? We might be a lot more willing to put in time for that kind of return. At the end of the day, all of this comes down to how you want to spend the time you have on this planet--time being the most finite resource, much more than money. Give the Trudeau government credit on one important front. When the Liberals took office in 2015 they vowed to make Canadas judges more reflective of the population as a whole, and they have indeed made significant progress in that direction. Take women on the bench. Back in 2016, about a third of federally appointed judges were women. As of last October (the most recent count available), that number was up to 44 per cent and its rising every year as the government appoints more female judges. Gender parity on these courts is in sight, and thats no small achievement. But when it comes to visible minorities (thats still the term the government uses when it compiles statistics in this area) progress has been a lot more uneven. The number of racialized appointees to the bench actually dipped slightly for a couple of years before rising again over the past year. Since the Liberal government started its second mandate last November, it says 19 per cent of new judges self-identified as being from visible minority groups and 3 per cent were Indigenous. Taken together, thats a total of 22 per cent of appointments not far shy of the 27 per cent of Canadians who come from these communities. Justice Minister David Lametti deserves credit for picking up the pace, but those numbers cover just less than one full year. At this rate it will be many long years before the Canadian judiciary starts to look like the population as a whole. Its time to pick up the pace, and a group of bar associations and legal groups this week identified one good place to start. Its the Federal Court of Canada, which, astonishingly in the year 2020, has just two minority judges (one Indigenous and one of Kurdish background) among its 44 members. The court now has six vacancies, and the legal groups are urging Lametti to fill all of them with qualified candidates who are Black, Indigenous or people of colour. That, of course, is easier said than done. Members of the Federal Court must agree to live in or close to Ottawa, and must have expertise that matches the vacancies on the court at a particular time. The minister cant just take the next six recommended BIPOC candidates and put them on the court. But the current make-up of this particular court, whose caseload involves mostly immigration and Indigenous cases, cant be justified. Two judges out of 44 is, on the face of it, a shockingly poor result, especially at a time when racial justice issues are at the top of the public agenda. The government should address this as quickly as possible. Still, the Federal Court is just one small part of the federally appointed court system across the country, which includes almost 1,200 judges. Ottawa needs to up its game in getting more diverse judges on those courts, and continue the progress it has made in the past year. That will require a lot more work to encourage more qualified lawyers from many backgrounds to apply. The more who step forward, the greater are the chances theyll be chosen when a vacancy comes up. Lametti clearly knows this, and held a forum on judicial diversity with legal groups this past week to spread the message. He spoke about the need to encourage a wider range of people to become lawyers, to advance in the profession, and to put themselves forward when opportunities arise. Simply waiting for change to happen clearly wont work. The goal, to be clear, isnt simply to meet arbitrary quotas. A more diverse judiciary, as Lametti has said, should result in better informed decisions, be fairer, and increase public trust in the court system. None of that should be controversial these days. The job is to get it done, and the government should start by taking steps to change the make-up of the Federal Court. Tom Hanks (L) and Rita Wilson attend 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Calif., on Jan. 19, 2020. (Leon Bennett/Getty Images) Tom Hanks Quarantined in Australian Hotel Queensland has recorded two new COVID-19 cases amid reports Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks is staying at a luxury Gold Coast mansion rather than in a government-mandated hotel. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Sept. 20 at a press conference both cases were already isolating with one among a close contact of a known case and the other an international traveller in hotel quarantine. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk speaks during a press conference in Brisbane, Australia on June 16, 2020. (Jono Searle/Getty Images) The figures come as the premier again had to field questions about celebrities receiving special quarantine exemptions after reports Hanks and other members of a film crew were staying on a property in the Gold Coast hinterland. Related Coverage Tom Hanks Sparks Quarantine Debate in Queensland, Australia The actor is in Australia to finish filming an Elvis Presley biopic by Australian director Baz Luhrmann. Palaszczuk said she had been advised the Oscar-winner was staying in a hotel not a house. Very few countries are producing movies at the moment, she said. There are a whole lot of jobs relying on that industry. It has been nine days since the Sunshine State has recorded a community transmission of COVID-19, while its number of active infections has fallen to 29. The result comes as Queensland prepares to welcome ACT travellers on Sept. 25 and double its intake of international arrivals by the end of October. The border will only open to Canberrans who arrive by plane and anyone coming from New South Wales via the ACT will have to wait 14 days before being allowed to fly. Queensland will also lift its quota on international arrivals from 500 to 1000 by Oct. 24, with the government calling for expressions of interest from Brisbane and Cairns hotels to take returnees. Read More Australia Eases Limits to Welcome More Citizens Home in Stages By Sophie Moore The Trump administration declared Saturday that all U.N. sanctions against Iran have been restored, a move most of the rest of the world rejects as illegal and sets the stage for an ugly showdown at the world body ahead of its annual General Assembly. The administration said that its triggering of the snapback mechanism in the U.N. Security Council resolution that enshrined the 2015 Iran nuclear deal had taken effect at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. That is 30 days after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo notified the council that Iran was in significant non-performance with its obligations under the accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA. The United States took this decisive action because, in addition to Iran's failure to perform its JCPOA commitments, the Security Council failed to extend the UN arms embargo on Iran, which had been in place for 13 years, Pompeo said in a statement released at precisely 8 p.m. In accordance with our rights ... we initiated the snapback process to restore virtually all previously terminated U.N. sanctions, including the arms embargo, he said. The world will be safer as a result. The White House plans to issue an executive order on Monday spelling out how the U.S. will enforce the restored sanctions, and the State and Treasury departments are expected to outline how foreign individuals and businesses will be penalized for violations. The United States expects all U.N, member states to fully comply with their obligations to implement these measures, Pompeo said. If U.N, member states fail to fulfill their obligations to implement these sanctions, the United States is prepared to use our domestic authorities to impose consequences for those failures and ensure that Iran does not reap the benefits of U.N.-prohibited activity. But the U.S. move faces stiff opposition from the other members of the Security Council who have vowed to ignore it. They say the U.S. lost legal standing to invoke snapback when President withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed American sanctions on Iran. The U.S. argues it retains the right to do it as an original participant in the deal and a member of the council. Even before the U.S. declaration, fellow Security Council members said the declaration had no legal force, calling into question the ability to enforce snapback. Snapback means that sanctions eased or lifted by the nuclear deal are reimposed and must be enforced by U.N. member states, including hitting Iran with penalties for uranium enrichment to any level, ballistic missile activity and buying or selling conventional weapons. Those bans were either removed or set to expire under the terms of the deal in which Iran was granted billions of dollars in sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear program. China and Russia have been particularly adamant in rejecting the U.S. position, but U.S. allies have not been shy either. In a letter sent Friday to the president of the Security Council, Britain, France and Germany the three European participants who remain committed to the deal said the U.S. announcement is incapable of having legal effect and so cannot bring in to effect the procedure. It flows from this that any decisions and actions which would be taken based on this procedure or on its possible outcome would also be incapable of having any legal effect, they wrote. Thus, the three countries said, the sanctions relief provided by the nuclear deal will remain in place. U.S. officials have talked tough about their intentions to ensure the sanctions are enforced, but it remains unclear how the administration will respond to being ignored, particularly by its European allies, which have pledged to keep the nuclear deal alive. A wholesale rejection of the U.S. position could push the administration, which has already withdrawn from multiple U.N. agencies, organizations and treaties, further away from the community. In the midst of a heated campaign for reelection, Trump plans to address Iran in a speech to the General Assembly's annual high-level meeting on Tuesday. Officials say he will also touch on his brokering of agreements for Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to normalize relations in part to solidify a regional bulwark against Iran. And, as he seeks to demonstrate statesmanlike credentials ahead of the election, Trump has injected another element of uncertainty into the mix by threatening to retaliate 1,000 times harder against Iran if it attacks U.S. personnel overseas. Iran earlier Saturday warned that it may still strike U.S. interests to avenge the death of a top Iranian general in an American airstrike earlier this year. But the head of the country's Revolutionary Guard Corps mocked a report that it was plotting to assassinate the U.S. ambassador to South Africa, saying Iran's response would target people directly or indirectly involved in the general'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.) Pakistan has been eliminating its Sikh population for decades through killings, rapes, abductions and forced marriages of young women, yet is funding and fueling Khalistani terrorism and separatist movement globally to achieve it sinister plans to break up India, a Canadian expert, who authored a recently released report on the subject, has said. Terry Milewski, who wrote the September 9 report Khalistan: A Project of Pakistan published by the Canadian think-tank MacDonald-Laurier Institute, said the Khalistani terrorist had sworn their allegiance to Pakistan, which in turn has pledged to play the tunes of China. Milewski was speaking at a webinar Khalistani Terrorism and Canada organised by Delhi-headquartered think-tank Law and Society Alliance and strategic affairs publication Defence.Capital through video conferencing on Friday (September 18). The MacDonald-Laurier Institute report has set the cats among the pigeons and has taken the Khalistani extremists by storm, triggering an intense global debate on Khalistani terrorism, and exposing Pakistans major hand in it. Milewski said his report had exposed the Khalistan extremists and Pakistan, where real Sikhs still suffer from forcible conversion to Islam, attack on Gurudwara, abductions and killings. It is like the India-Pakistan partition days are not yet over. This is why the Sikh population is rapidly declining in Pakistan. He said the trigger for writing the report even after 35 years of the Khalistani terrorists Air India bombing, the largest mass killing Canada has ever seen and its victims yet to see complete justice delivered, was the ambitious Khalistan map that he saw of the Referendum 2020 campaign. The proposed Khalistan map had included several parts of India, including some landmass of Rajasthan, the entire Indian side of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Delhi. But this map, put up by Sikhs For Justice as part of the voter enlisting exercise in Canada, did not claim a single inch of Pakistani territory as part of Khalistan. It should have included Lahore, from where Maharaja Ranjit Singh ran an empire, and Nakanana Sahib, where Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born. Why are those parts of land with Sikh history being left out? The answer is that people who are organising the movement for Khalistan cannot afford to run the campaign without Pakistans monetary and other kinds of support. They do not want to annoy their masters. Milewski said he had seen the open Pakistan support to the extremist Khalistani during the August 15 protests organised in front of Indian missions in Canada. Though the two sides try to hide the support, they get exposed each time, he said. Milewski criticised liberal nations like Canada for waiting for the Khalistani terrorists to strike and kill its citizens rather than to act preemptively despite tell-tale signs of the plot regarding the Air India flight. United Kingdoms Member of House of Lords, Lord Remi Ranger, thanked Milewski for the explosive report and noted that his credibility made it even more powerful. Khalistani extermists are an insult to the Sikh Gurus. They are totally misguided, and work at the behest of Pakistan that uses religion to divide people. He also appealed to the nations that have given shelter to the Khalistani separatists to realise the harm they were committing to their own citizens, like those affected by the Air India flight terror attack. The Khalistanis, by working for Indias enemies, are committing a crime that goes against their Gurus, who worked to unite India, and their own kith and kin. They have done enough damage to the legacy of their Gurus. Lord Ranger said India needs to open its doors and have intelligent communicators placed in the embassies abroad to counter the information warfare unleashed by Pakistan through the Khalistani elements. Sukhi Chahal, Chairman of Punjab Foundation and Founder of The Khalsa Today, said Pakistan had destroyed Punjab by fuelling terrorism. He also hit out at the Khalistani elements globally for their silence on the atrocities committed on the Sikh community in Pakistan. Recently, one Granthis (Sikh religious preachers) daughter was kidnapped in Pakistan, forcibly converted, and married to a Muslim. None of the Kahlistanis spoke against it. That is because, Pakistan is where the support for Khalistan is coming from. Chahal said the common Sikh community in the West should rise up against the Khalistani elements. Else, their silence will inflict a bigger damage to the community and Sikhism, he said. Over in the US, EIA crude oil inventory data will give the latest read on the energy sector, after its COVID-19 knock back. Graphic: Getty Data releases this week will give markets further indications of how fast economies around the world are faring from the coronavirus, with one key word in mind: recovery. While FX traders will be digesting Brexit developments which saw the pound on unsteady footing last week, purveyors of travel and leisure stocks will be watching to see whether a second UK lockdown could be on the cards. Over in the US, EIA crude oil inventory data will give the latest read on the energy sector, after its COVID-19 knock back. Weekend stories to watch for developments on: Key earnings: Full-year earnings: Close Brothers (CBG.L) Half-year earnings: Nike, Cineworld (CINE.L), Carnival (CCL) Trading update: Tui (TUI.L) UK some data, some policy The UK government's internal market bill is still in train. Photo: Getty Last week, news hit that group of scientists had recommended the government implement a second, two-week lockdown during October amid rising fears of a punishing second wave of the coronavirus. Meanwhile, the Internal Market Bill is still awaiting approval by the House of Lords, despite Johnsons agreement of a compromise with rebel members of the Conservative Party. In lieu of its annual conference, the UK opposition Labour party is hosting an event called Connected from Sunday 19 to 22 September. Leader Keir Starmers key note is on Tuesday. Key data to watch: Wednesday: 9.30am UK manufacturing & services PMI (September, flash) European recovery watch Germany, Europe's biggest economy, will be in the spotlight. Photo: Getty All eyes will be on European data to gauge the extent of its recovery, with PMIs across the bloc and consumer confidence data for the eurozone. Leaders from the EU will also meet in person on Thursday to discuss industrial strategy in the aftermath of the coronavirus, as well as tensions with Turkey and Russia. Relations with China and the state of Brexit will also be on the slate. Story continues August surveys showed signs of a significant slowdown, which makes sense after the fast recovery of the reopening months. September data should provide some guidance on whether the momentum has slowed further or whether it has stabilised, say analysts at ING. Germanys IFO index update will give investors a feel as to how Europes biggest economy is faring. Key data to watch: Monday: Rightmove House Price Index Tuesday: 3pm eurozone consumer confidence (September, flash) Wednesday: 7am German GfK consumer confidence (October) 8.15am 9am French, German, eurozone PMIs (September, flash) Thursday: 9am German IFO index (September) US jobs, PMIs and oil inventories IEA crude oil inventories are coming up. Photo: Getty PMIs continue to pour in, as USs flash numbers for September are published on Wednesday. Jobless claims and existing home sales will also give a measure as to the temperature of the economy. In central bank-related news, Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell will testify to the Houses select subcommittee to the coronavirus crisis about the banks response. Markets will also be keeping a close eye on tech stocks since their recent waver. Key data to watch By Andy Sullivan and Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Grief-stricken Americans gathered at makeshift memorials around the country on Saturday to mourn the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal, feminist icon, as President Donald Trump signaled his intention to fill the vacancy weeks before a heated election. Mourners heralded Ginsburg's groundbreaking legal career and expressed dark worries about the country's direction. Democratic Party vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her husband, Douglas Emhoff, joined crowds outside the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Saturday morning. Ginsburg was "a titan - a relentless defender of justice and a legal mind for the ages," Harris wrote in a tweet https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1307328451343515648 with a photo of the visit. "The stakes of this election couldn't be higher," she added. Visitors to the Supreme Court left flowers and signs during the day, many with young children in tow. By Saturday evening the crowd swelled to fill the street in front of the courthouse. Mourners listened to an a capella group sing "A Change Is Gonna Come," the civil rights era anthem, and to speakers including Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. Amanda Dym, an 18-year old college student, she'd known about the "notorious RBG," was when she was younger, but didn't realize how much work she'd done for women's rights until she saw a documentary about the judge's life. "I don't know where the country would be without her," she said, adding that she was "scared for the future of our democracy." Ginsburg, 87, died on Friday night from pancreatic cancer. Trump now has a chance to expand the U.S. top court's conservative majority as a presidential election looms at a time of deep divisions in America. Candlelight tributes to Ginsburg started Friday evening and are expected to continue through the weekend. Hundreds also protested outside Republican U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's home in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday. Story continues On Friday, McConnell said the Senate would vote on any replacement nominated by Trump. The Republican president now has a chance to appoint his third justice and give the court a 6-3 conservative majority. Protesters noted that in 2016, McConnell refused to act on Democratic President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, after conservative Justice Antonin Scalia died 10 months before a presidential election, saying it was too close to voting day. "Don't be a hypocrite," said protestor Steve Tonnemacher. Republicans narrowly control the Senate with a 53 of 100 members, and Democrats need a simple majority vote to stop any Supreme Court nominee. Demonstrators chanted "Ruth sent us," and "Ditch Mitch." Protester Carol Edelen blasted McConnell saying "He will not advocate for any of our issues and to use this occasion to push his agenda, his power forward, is just unacceptable, just totally unacceptable." GINSBURG'S DEATH AS WAKE UP CALL Sheila Katz, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women in Washington, said she was moved to hear the blowing of many shofars - the traditional ram's horn used to herald the start of the new year - at a vigil for Ginsburg at the Supreme Court on Friday evening. "It's a literal wake-up call to the Jewish people that we need to work together, and better ourselves," said Katz. "We cannot simply mourn Ruth Bader Ginsburg. We must take action to honor her legacy, to fight for a fair court and to continue to protect women's rights." Feminist activists fear that a third justice picked by Trump would give the court's conservative majority a better chance of overturning Roe vs. Wade, the landmark decision holding that a woman has a constitutional right to abortion. Hollywood celebrities paid tribute online. "I am heartbroken," actor Jennifer Lopez wrote on Instagram. "She was a true champion of gender equality and was a strong woman for me and all the little girls of the world to look up to." In Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cynthia Enloe channeled her grief by making a poster encouraging motorists to honk in honor of the pioneer of women's rights, and stood at a busy intersection on Saturday morning. "When I heard the terrible news of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death last night, my first thoughts and all my friends on email and text was, 'This is horrible, it cannot get worse,'" Enloe told Reuters. "But then I thought, they want us to get depressed, and I thought I will do the opposite of being depressed. I will go out and make a poster and stand at the intersection and let people honk their support." A trailblazing women's rights lawyer before she joined the court in 1993, Ginsburg - popularly known by her initials RBG - emerged as an unlikely pop icon in recent years, her image emblazoned on coffee mugs, T-shirts and children's books. In New York, an image of Ginsburg and the alternating messages "thank you" and "rest in power" were projected on the front of the New York State Civil Supreme Court building in Manhattan. Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled plans Saturday to erect a statue of Ginsburg in New York City's Brooklyn borough where she was born. More than 200 mourners held a candlelight vigil in San Francisco on Friday night and marched through the city's Castro district. They carried a large sign that said "We won't let you down RBG." (Reporting by Andy Sullivan and Lucia Mutikani in Washington, Brian Snyder in Boston, Bryan Woolston in Louisville and Peter Szekely in New York; Editing by Scott Malone, Heather Timmons, Matthew Lewis, David Gregorio and Michael Perry) Management and staff of the BlueCrest College in Accra has honoured the crowned winner of Miss Ghana 2020, Monique Mawulawe Agbedekpui for raising the colleges flag high in Ghana and beyond. She was presented a cheque for GHC17,000 in order to enable her accomplish the ambassadorial work as a crowned Queen on a project to benefit society. Rector of the school, Dr. Anand Agrawal mentioned that Miss Monique has put up a sterling performance to beat other contestants and finally bringing the sash and crown to BlueCrest College, her alma mata. He stated that there are four pillars of BlueCrest College, including Innovation, Preparation, Technology and Leadership, which equips students who graduate from the school to be industry ready and problem solvers to any society they find themselves. As part of BlueCrest Colleges goals to make positive impacts to the society, Dr. Agrawal charged the beauty queen to also make progress by adding values to society in her ambassadorial projects. Head of Fashion Department at the College, Madam Mercy Ampofowah Osei expressed joy to have a Miss Ghana from the School of Fashion Design, adding that Miss Monique was enrolled into the higher diploma fashion design in the year 2016 and completed in 2018. According to Madam Mercy, the beauty queen excelled mostly in practical work as she portrayed creativity and talent in her drawing, which produced extraordinary results in her projects. Miss Monique expressed gratitude to management BlueCrest College and all for the worthy gesture and support shown to her. She mentioned that, her projects schedules from now to December, which includes distribution of PPE from next week, blood donation next month, an entrepreneurial section in November for the young ones who could not go to school as others did. Miss Monique did fashion and design and wants to assist those who would not get the means to pay for their school fees and want to make liquid soap and other products. She will be having clothe a child in December, which would be a collaboration with BlueCrest for children who do not have clothes to wear especially during major festivities. She will be seeking sponsorship as well to embark on the project and also on scoliosis, breast cancer. She advised the youth to persevere and never allow inferiority complex to ruin their dreams and ambitions. Despite what anyone thinks about honoring the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a handful of area activist leaders said it was important for central Pennsylvania residents to gather Saturday to encourage one another to embrace her legacy. The mood of about 60 people who lit candles in Ginsburgs memory outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse was solemn. Prior to hearing the speakers, a moment of silence was held. The 87-year-old died Friday after her battle with metastatic pancreatic cancer. Andy Hoover, communications director for the Pennsylvania American Civil Liberties Union, said her life was political, therefore, anyone who agrees with what she stood for needs to continue persuading others to think the way she did. Her life was political because the right to abortion, and birth control, and comprehensive reproductive health care is political, Hoover said. It shouldnt be; the right to reproductive health care should be basic and understood, but unfortunately, its been made political. The right to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and transgender people can live their lives comfortably without harassment, without discrimination, thats what Justice Ginsburg stood for. Joelle Liller, of Mechanicsburg, said as a Catholic, she goes against the faiths religious teachings by choosing to support Ginsburg. I have always looked up to her, Liller said. It doesnt matter what race, gender, sexual orientation you are, we all deserve the right to be what we are and we shouldnt be discriminated against. She said the loss of Ginsburg, who sat on the nations highest court for 27 years, is a big one. And, staying in the fight for womens rights is something Ginsburg has inspired her to do. Ginsburgs legacy wont be lost on Lillers 19-year-old daughter, she said. As a Catholic, it is not my job to tell people what to do, Liller said. We need to have rights as women to decide for ourselves and with whomever, our spiritual leader is, what the proper thing is for us individually. Ginsburg founded the ACLUs Womens Rights Project' in 1972, Hoover said. In the first two years of the project, 1972-1974, the ACLU and our states affiliates were involved in over 300 cases of sex discrimination, he continued. Between 1969 and 1980, when Justice Ginsburg left our organization, we were involved in two-thirds of the sex discrimination cases that reached the Supreme Court, Hoover said. She could have retired at that moment and her legacy would have been amazing. Eric Dundore, of Mechanicsburg, said he thought it was worth the time Saturday night to honor Ginsburg for all of her contributions she made to the country. Shes known for gender issues altogether, Dundore said. She helped with some male things, too. Men who are raising children and that kind of stuff as well. Her legacy is based on gender in general. Several people expressed their concerns that Republicans will move swiftly to fill her seat on the nine-member bench. Dundore was one of them. He called Republicans hypocritical for considering a new nominee this close to the General Election. "They should leave well enough alone until well after the election, Dundore said. Iggy Azalea welcomed baby boy Onyx Carter earlier this year. And it seems the little one is already quite the traveler, seen flying out of LAX with his rapper mom and a nanny on Sunday. The Fancy hitmaker's pride and joy looked absolutely adorable while relaxing in a chic Fendi stroller during what was the first look at the little dude's face. Oh boy! Iggy Azalea and her baby boy Onyx were seen at LAX on Saturday. There, the little one's face was seen for the first time So sweet: He looked absolutely adorable while hanging out in a Fendi stroller wearing a little bucket hat Iggy was seen stepping out of a black SUV as she arrived at the airport with her baby boy. The Australian rapper was dressed comfortably and casually in a pair of cream-colored sweatpants decorated with lovely floral designs. She also carried along a matching sweatshirt with text on the back, but likely left it off due to the LA heat, and she had a matching T-shirt on with the same design. The 5ft10in songwriter sported voluminous blonde curls that shone in the sunlight, and she rounded out her ensemble with a pair of simple white sneakers. Arriving in style: Iggy was seen stepping out of a black SUV as she arrived at the airport with her baby boy Staying comfy: The Australian rapper was dressed comfortably and casually in a pair of cream-colored sweatpants decorated with lovely floral designs On theme: She also carried along a matching sweatshirt with text on the back, but likely left it off due to the LA heat, and she had a matching T-shirt on with the same design Blonde beauty: The 5ft10in songwriter sported voluminous blonde curls that shone in the sunlight, and she rounded out her ensemble with a pair of simple white sneakers Iggy accessorized with a slim black handbag slung over her shoulder, and her chauffeur handed her a black mesh bag with snake print trim. Her assistant also carried a thick brown and black Fendi bag as they headed toward security. The Problem rapper sported a pale pink mask over her face, in line with an order from California Governor Gavin Newsom requiring masks to be worn in all public places. Onyx was able to go without, though, as masks aren't required or recommended for children under two. The little boy looked cute in his luxury stroller with his white bucket hat and white patterned outfit, along with tiny white socks. Stocked up: Iggy accessorized with a slim black handbag slung over her shoulder, and her chauffeur handed her a black mesh bag with snake print trim Helping hand: Her assistant also carried a thick brown and black Fendi bag as they headed toward security Safety first: The Problem rapper sported a pale pink mask over her face, in line with an order from California Governor Gavin Newsom requiring masks to be worn in all public places Too cute: The little boy looked sweet in his luxury stroller with his white bucket hat and white patterned outfit, along with tiny white socks Mum's the word: The US permanent resident shares her young son with her boyfriend, rapper Playboi Carti, though she has yet to clarify if the two are still together No details: Despite giving Onyx his last name, Iggy has yet to clarify whether the two are still dating In addition to her aid, Iggy had a nanny helping to care for Onyx while she traveled. The US permanent resident shares her young son with her boyfriend, rapper Playboi Carti. Despite giving Onyx his last name, Iggy has yet to clarify whether the two are still dating. She first announced Onyx's birth in June. 'I have a son,' she wrote in her Instagram Stories. 'I kept waiting for the right time to say something but it feels like the more time passes the more I realize I'm always going to feel anxious to share news that giant with the world.' 'I want to keep his life private but wanted to make it clear he is not a secret & I love him beyond words.' Breaking the news: She first announced Onyx's birth in June on Instagram Disclosure: 'I have a son,' she wrote. 'I kept waiting for the right time to say something but it feels like the more time passes the more I realize I'm always going to feel anxious to share news that giant with the world' Going public: 'I want to keep his life private but wanted to make it clear he is not a secret & I love him beyond words' Last week, Iggy took to TikTok to share some stunning views of her astounding post-baby body. She danced around and showed off her flat tummy and curvaceous derriere in multiple outfits, including a stunning black bikini with eye-catching straps around her chest and thighs. The songstress has claimed her newly svelte figure isn't the result of cosmetic surgery, and instead said she looked so slim because she had already been fit prior to getting pregnant. She has previously been open about a rhinoplasty operation and breast augmentation. Flaunt it! Last week, Iggy took to TikTok to share some stunning views of her astounding post-baby body. She claimed she hadn't gotten cosmetic surgery after giving birth The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday managed to push through both the controversial farm bills Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 of the three it had proposed and got passed in the Lok Sabha amid uproar from opposition MPs. The government is likely to introduce the third farm bill in the Upper House of Parliament on Monday. The bills were passed with voice votes while opposition MPs were sloganeering against the bills in the well of the house. Dramatic scenes unfolded in Rajya Sabha shortly before the bills and their amendments were being introduced. TMC MP Derek O Brien said that it was sad, sad day for Parliamentary democracy and alleged that despite oppositions demand for a vote the government pushed through the legislation with a heavy hand since it was outnumbered on the issue. Rajya Sabha had to be adjourned for a few minutes after some opposition MPs snatched papers from the desk of the vice-chairperson, Harivansh Narayan Singh, and damaged the microphones on his desk. Marshals had to be called in to control the situation. Soon after 1 oclock when union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar was responding to the objections raised during the debate on the bills, the RS deputy chairperson announced an extension in the time of the session. The leader of the opposition, Congress Ghulam Nabi Azad objected, saying that the house could only be extended through consensus and the consensus among members was to adjourn the house till Monday, giving the minister enough time to respond to the questions raised. Opposition MPs then created ruckus when Harivansh Singh continued the proceedings of the house. As he took the amendments and resolutions one by one, opposition MPs rushed to the well of the house in protest. While BJP ended up getting both the bills it had introduced in the upper house passed through voice vote, it has hardly emerged stronger from the entire process. Three regional heavyweights its oldest ally, Punjabs Akali Dal, and the ruling parties in Odishas and Telangana, the BJD and TRS which the BJP usually banked on to get support for crucial bills, made their opposition to the farm bills loud and clear. All three parties vehemently proposed the farm bills in their present state and proposed sending the bills to a select committee. Akali Dals Naresh Gujral warned the ruling party that it should not let the sparks lit in Punjab and Haryana turn into massive flames, while Keshava Rao of the TRS described the bills as an attempt by the BJP to sell agriculture, the soul of India. He described the bills as a direct and brutal assault on state rights and constitution and said that the bills violate the spirit of our constitution. BJDs Amar Patnaik expressed apprehension that the bill when implemented would result in a market capture by the corporates and said that there is a feeling that MSP is set to goThere is a huge miscommunication in the bill. BJP has relied on strong regional parties such as the TRS, the YSR Congress and BJD when it came to crunch situations in passing bills such as the Jammu and Kashmir reorganization bill, UAPA (amendment) bill, RTI (amendment) bill and the Triple Talaq bill. Together the three parties send 19 MPs to the upper house. The other parties that clearly expressed their partys stance against the bills included the Congress which has 40 (MPs), SP (8 MPs), Trinamool Congress (13 MPs), DMK (7 MPs), AAP (3 MPs), NCP (4 MPs), RJD (5 MPs) and the CPI and CPI(M) which together send 6 MPs to the house. Parties that clearly supported the bill included BJP (86), YSR Congress (6), AIADMK (9) and BPF (1). Leaders of Shiv Sena and the BSP raised some objections but also found merit in the bill. While BJP leaders such as Bhupendra Yadav defended the bill during discussion in the house claiming that those opposing the farm bills would be antiquated just like the leaders who had opposed the construction of Bhakra Nangal Dam, which ultimately turned out to be a great success. However, opposition MPs such as Congresss Pratap Singh Bajwa hit back at the BJP asking it the reasons for pushing for a bill that even RSS affiliate organisations like Swadeshi Jagran Manch and Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh had expressed their reservations against. Samajwadi Partys Ram Gopal Yadav described the bill as a death warrant for the countrys youth. Manoj Kumar Jha of the RJD said that the bill once passed would become the obituary of the countrys farmers. Former Prime Minister and JD(S) patriarch HD Deve Gowda wondered the reasons for the hurry shown by the BJP in passing the bill. The Prime Minister should explain what this bill will do for farmers in short and long term, he asked. Congress MP Ahmed Patel said that the day will go down in history as black day". The way these bills have been passed goes against the democratic processes and amounts to killing democracy," he said, adding that 12 Opposition parties have moved a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha deputy chairman. Thousands of Belarusians calling for the President Alexander Lukashenko to resign marched through Kyiv as the countrys wave of protests entered its seventh week. Hundreds of soldiers blocked off the center of Minsk, deploying water cannons and armored personnel carriers and erecting barbed wire barriers. Protests also took place in several other cities, including Brest and Grodno. The crowd in Minsk included about 100,000 people and dozens of demonstrators were arrested in Minsk and Grodno said Ales Bialiatski, head of the Viasna human rights organization. Protesters with old Belarusian national flags march to protest the official presidential election results Hundreds of soldiers blocked off the center of Minsk A female protester holding a former white-red-white flag of Belarus during a demonstration Protests began after President Alexander Lukashenko's victory in the August 9 poll ;opponents and some poll workers say the results were manipulated. Lukashenko, who has repressed opposition and independent news media during 26 years in power, has rejected suggestions of dialogue with the protesters. Many members of the Coordination Council that was formed by the opposition to push for a transition of power have been arrested or have fled the country. The Minsk demonstrators carried the red-and-white flags that were independent Belarus' national standard before being replaced in 1995, early in Lukashenko's tenure. Some bore placards depicting Lukashenko as a mustachioed cockroach. Although protests have taken place daily since the election, the Sunday gatherings in Minsk have been by far the largest, attracting crowds of as many as 200,000 people. Belarusians are protesting against the re-elected President Alexander Lukashenko Dozens of protesters were arrested in Minsk and Grodno 'Every Sunday, you are showing yourselves and the world that the Belarusian people are the power,' Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who was Lukashenko's main election opponent, said in a video message from Lithuania, where she is in exile. The marchers also carried portraits of Maria Kolsenikova, a top opposition figure who has been jailed for two weeks and is facing charges of undermining state security that could bring a five-year prison term. Kolesnikova has said security forces drove her to the border with Ukraine to try to make her leave the country, but that she tore up her passport so she couldn't cross the border. In a statement relayed by her lawyer on Sunday, Kolsenikova urged protesters to continue. 'Freedom is worth fighting for. Do not be afraid to be free,' she said. 'I do not regret anything and would do the same again.' Also Sunday, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Olga Chemodanova said an investigation has been opened into the release by hackers of the personal information of more than 1,000 employees of the ministry, which runs the police forces. Australia's ambassador to Cambodia has apologised for eating a dish containing softshell turtle, which are highly protected in parts of the world. Ambassador Pablo Kang shared an image earlier this month of a bowl containing cooked turtle his party consumed during a visit to rural Pailin, but deleted the tweet after drawing criticism online. "I have removed my tweet about softshell turtles and eels, and apologise to all those who took offence," Kang tweeted on Tuesday. The ambassador's culinary faux pas stirred little interest inside Cambodia -- where one particular softshell turtle species can be legally farmed and sold for food. The meat is often made into a soup that is a particularly popular delicacy in capital Phnom Penh. But many other species of softshell are considered critically endangered around the world, and the pictures drew the wrath of online critics. The Australian embassy told local outlet VOD, the dish had been offered as an official meal and the ambassador was assured the turtle had been farmed, and not from the wild. "My intent was not to promote these dishes, but to tell people about some of the foods I was offered during my recent provincial visit," Kang said. "I certainly do not condone the harvesting of any endangered species for food or other purposes, and will be more careful about my actions in future." (Natural News) The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) has been spending the vast majority of their resources fighting back against the near-endless nightly rioting perpetrated by Antifa and Black Lives Matter. Because of this, they have not been able to deal with a lot of cases of violent crime, which is on the rise. Now, after three months of nonstop attacks, they are finally feeling the strain of being stretched too thin. While the PPB were able to take a break for a few nights due to the intensity of the wildfires in Oregon stopping both Antifa and Black Lives Matter from being able to effectively organize their forces to fight the police, they are expected to resume soon once the air in the city clears up. Not only are the rioters threatening to continue with their demonstrations, violent crimes are up in Portland. Shootings in the city have injured a total of 159 people so far. Last year, by this time, that number was just 88. This can no doubt be attributed to the fact that a lot of police officers are busy dealing with riots rather than patrolling the citys neighborhoods and keeping the peace. This surge in violence is forcing the PPB to choose between quickly solving these shootings or effectively dealing with the riots. The PPB is also dealing with internal problems. Budget cuts imposed upon them have eliminated 84 positions in the PPB including an elite anti-gun violence team and another 50 or so officers have decided to retire this summer. According to Daryl Turner, the president of the Portland Police Association, many chose to retire because they felt demoralized by the deteriorating situation in the city. (Related: Where are the police? Anti-police Minneapolis City Council begs department to stop surging crime rate three months after voting to defund and abolish the police.) Furthermore, the PPB is feeling a lot of tension coming from Portland officials. Earlier in September, Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler banned the PPB from using tear gas during riots, effectively limiting the ability of the police to control violent crowds. Because of this, the PPB might one day be the only police force preventing Portland from collapsing. The Oregon State Police has threatened to pull out of the city due to Wheelers reckless and shortsighted decision. Antifa warns riots will continue once air clears Several Antifa-affiliated organizations, such as the Pacific Northwest Youth Liberation Front (PNW-YLF) and the Portland chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (Portland DSA), are threatening to continue their nightly riots after they agreed to a brief pause in the violence as the Oregon wildfires made it difficult for people to stay outside for too long due to the toxicity of the air. PNW-YLF announced on their social media accounts that their nightly riots will finally resume. Its been a hot second, PDX, so yall better show the [expletive] up, they said on their Twitter account, announcing a riot on Friday night. Meet: 7 p.m. Move: 8 p.m. Be water, spread fire, melt ice. Olivia Katbi Smith, co-chair of Portland DSA, made a similar announcement after their demonstrations which are relatively peaceful and occur right before more violent groups like PNW-YLF take over in the evening were similarly halted due to the fires. Now that the air is more tolerable, Portland DSAs activists have vowed to continue demanding that Wheeler further defund the police. Despite the fact that the Portland City Council has already taken $15 million from the PPB, they say its not enough. In an email to local news outlet Willamette Weekly, Katbi Smith said: The protests were put on pause because we are living in a climate emergency, and unprecedented wildfires created conditions that made street protest impossible and emergency mutual aid work became our priority. Now that the air has cleared, protests will resume because our mayor has failed to heed the demands weve been making all summer: to defund the Portland Police as so many crises escalate in the U.S., we must work to dismantle all parts of the system of racist, capitalist oppression. Listen to this episode of the Health Ranger Report, a podcast by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, as he explains why liberal cities across America, like Portland, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, are collapsing because of compounding crises, such as the pandemic, the endless rioting and ineffective Democratic Party-controlled local governments. Federal government wants to charge Portland officials over inaction against riots While the PPB might not receive any help from either the local or state officials, they are being aided by the federal government. The Department of Justice is exploring whether or not it can pursue either criminal or civil charges against Portland officials over their inability or unwillingness to crack down on the Antifa and Black Lives Matter rioters. Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said that the department had done research to figure out whether it could pursue charges against certain officials, but declined to comment on if any charges will be brought up. This is occurring because PPB officers were, for many nights, explicitly ordered not to respond when federal law enforcement officers at the federal courthouse in downtown Portland were being besieged by rioters. They were ordered not to associate with the federal officers and to not give them aid, even though hundreds of rioters were attempting to break their way into the courthouse almost every night for several weeks. If the Justice Department can push through with pressing charges against some Portland officials, such as Mayor Wheeler, it may force them to relent on their attacks on the police, which might be able to give the PPB just enough room to breathe from the stress placed upon their shoulders. Learn more about the state of the riots in places like Portland by reading the articles at Rioting.news. Sources include: WSJ.com WWeek.com KGW.com The native Kiwi ran Woolworths' Australian supermarkets division until 2011 and left when he was passed over for the role of CEO. He then spent the past nine years at American retail giant Walmart, becoming CEO and overseeing 4600 stores, a million staff and $US307 billion ($421 billion) in annual sales. Air New Zealand, with revenue of $NZ5.8 billion ($5.8 billion) in 2019, is minuscule in comparison. But Foran says the job is not. "Im learning a new industry... were dealing with the biggest crisis thats ever hit that industry... and the government owns 52 per cent of the company," he says. "The combination of those things has made this as challenging as any role that Ive ever had." The big question for all airlines is when they can start flying again, where to and who will want to step on board. A month ago Foran said it would take at least until 2023 for demand to recover to pre-COVID levels but now says the outlook is less certain. I certainly do not believe we will see anything across the Tasman this calendar year. If it comes back quicker, we're going to pop some champagne. Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran That's because while vaccines will likely start to roll out from the end of this year, they will not be 100 per cent effective - perhaps only 50 per cent, he says - while distributing them around the globe will take years. Even then, not everyone will get the jab. "In America... theyve recently done a survey over there and only half the people said theyll take the vaccine," he says. "And then of course we have reinfection rates." Australia and New Zealand's governments had both hoped to have a "trans-Tasman bubble" allowing unrestricted travel between the two countries operating by September, before second waves of infections hit Auckland and Melbourne. Prime Minister Scott Morrison raised the idea again at Friday's national cabinet meeting but Foran says it won't be happening any time soon. "I certainly do not believe we will see anything across the Tasman this calendar year. Its hard to believe it would be before March next year and could well be longer, he says. "If it comes back quicker, were going to pop some champagne." The Tasman is the busiest air route in and out of Australia, with Air New Zealand carrying just over a third of the 7.8 million passengers who made the hop last year, against fierce competition from Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia. (For Foran it's personal: he's got three children - including Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs five-eighth Kieran Foran - and seven grandchildren this side of the ditch.) The United States has been increasingly important for the airline too on the back of an inbound tourism boom and it had planned to launch non-stop Auckland-New York flights this month. But Foran says flights to the US won't resume until the end of 2021. Loading Foran says international travel will be "clunkier" when it does restart. Passengers might have to undergo rapid COVID-19 tests before and after flights, and significantly improved tracking and tracing will be required. A vaccination "health pass" is possible too, he says, but the risk of reinfection could render that obsolete. As Australia debates how best to handle the virus and business leaders line up to attack Victorias aggressive lockdown strategy and other states for keeping their borders closed, Foran says it is clear that wiping out the virus completely is not a realistic goal. "Elimination, which is a worthy thing to go after, is probably not sustainable based on what were now learning, which is the vaccine is not going to be 100 per cent effective, not everybody is going to take it, and its going to take years to get distributed," he says. Rajeev Sharma, a freelance journalist was arrested by Delhi Police on September 14 for sharing crucial information about Indias border strategy and Army deployment to the Chinese intelligence agencies. After that, two more persons were arrested in connection with the case, Chinese agent Qing Shi and her Nepali Associate Sher Singh. The Delhi Police today convened a presser to reveal the details about the arrest and Sharmas involvement in passing on the secret information to his Chinese handlers, Michael & George, based in Kunming, China, through different digital mediums. Special Cell DCP Sanjeev Kumar Yadav spoke at the press conference, claiming that Sharma was contacted by Chinese Intelligence agents in 2016 for carrying out spying for them. Delhi Police says Rajeev Sharma earned Rs 40 lakhs for spying for the Chinese He also added that Sharma was also in touch with some Chinese intelligence officer and had received Rs 40 lakhs in the last 18 months as he was being given $1,000 for passing on each sensitive information. The police official revealed that Chinese intelligence had tasked the journalist for conducting espionage activities in lieu of large amounts of money and luxury holidays. Sharma, who was writing on defence-related issues for a few of the Indian media organisations, as well the hawkish Chinese state-affiliated media house Global Times, was arrested based on the inputs shared by the central intelligence. The police have recovered classified documents from him, the DCP added. The information conveyed were related to Army movements, Defence acquisitions, Dalai Lama, foreign policy etc. #BREAKING: Full statement of Delhi Police on arrested journalist Rajeev Sharma who has disclosed his involvement in procurement of secret/sensitive information and conveying it to his Chinese handlers Michael & George, based in Kunming, China, through different digital channels. pic.twitter.com/HE91PlQAji Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) September 19, 2020 A statement issued by Delhi police reveals that when Rajeev Sharma was writing for Global Times, he was spotted by Chinese intelligence, and he was approached by Michael from Kuming city through his LinkedIn profile. He had invited Sharma to Kuming for an interview in a Chinese media company, and the cost of his travel was paid by the Chinese. Michael and his junior Xuo had asked Rajeev Sharma to provide inputs on various aspects of Indo-China relations. Sharma maintained contacts with Michael and Xuo between 2016 to 2018 through various means including emails and social media services. In January 2019, he met another Chinese person George, a General Manager at a Chinese media company. He had offered Sharma 500 USD for each articles on various topics related to Dalai Lama. George had informed Rajeev Sharma that they will send him money through a company located at Mahipal Pur in Delhi, which is operated by Chinese woman Qing Shi. This company exports medicines to China, and in exchange, they receive money from China via legitimate means, which was used to make payments to their assets like Rajeev Sharma. Delhi police have informed that around Rs 40-45 lakh was transferred using this channel. Money was also being routed through hawala channels. Sharma provided information on Galwan, Doklam and Dalai Lama to Chinese intelligence As per the interrogation by the police, Sharma had disclosed that he had provided information on issues like India-Bhutan-China trijunction including Doklam, Galwan Valley, Indian-Myanmar military co-operation, India-China boundary issues etc. #Breaking | Chinese spy ring busted in Delhi. 3 suspects have been nabbed who allegedly provided info on military deployment in Doklam & Galwan to the Chinese. Delhi Police says this ring also has a freelance journalist. Priyank, Bhavatosh & Nikunj with details. pic.twitter.com/rSHU8Gznsv TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) September 19, 2020 In January 2019, Sharma had come in contact with a Kunming based Chinese entity George. George had asked Sharma to write/inform about Dalai Lama related issues and was offered $500 per article/information. He had received more than 30 lacs from George in 10 instalments from January 2019 to September 2020, the police official mentioned. A Chinese national and Nepalese man arrested for paying money to Sharma for espionage activities The police official said that Sharma was assisted by a Chinese woman Qing Shi and her Nepalese associate Sher Singh, who had been arrested for allegedly paying huge sums of money to him through a web of shell companies. Sharma had disclosed in his statement that Chinese nationals Jhang Chang and his wife Chang-li-lia were running the companies MZ Pharmacy and MZ Malls, under the fake names of Suraj and Usha. Reportedly, the Chinese woman named Qing Shi is an intelligence officer of the Ministry of State Security (MSS) of the Chinese government. The name of her Nepali Associate is Sher Singh. They were operating the espionage racket from Mahilpur and further investigation into the Chinese companies based in Mahilpur is in progress. Further investigation is underway and forensic analysis of mobiles and laptops is under progress to unearth further details of the entire network and the conspiracy in the case. Sharma was arrested by a special cell of Delhi police on September 14 under the Official Secrets Act. His Twitter account has been restricted following his arrest. Sharma has reportedly worked with The Tribune, Free Press Journal, Sakaal, etc. and for left-wing publications like The Quint, DailyO, etc. He also runs a YouTube channel. Source : OpIndia Relatives of 12 Hong Kong citizens, all of whom arrested by Chinese forces, have asked the Citys police to check on their condition and ensure that only lawyers appointed by them and not the Chinese government can meet them. Following the draconian National Security law earlier this year, Hong Kong police, an ally of China, has arrested tens of thousands of people accusing them of committing crimes against the government. Currently, all 12 residents have been detained in Shenzhen city. Speaking at a press conference, which was organized right outside the Hong Kong police headquarters on September 20, Li Tsz Yin, one of the relatives said, We want our son back...even though we can't visit him, at least give us a letter from him to confirm that he's there. As per the US News, all the 12 people were arrested on August 23 after they were caught entering the mainland Chinese water. Set off from Hong Kong on a boat, they were all set for Taiwan. All of them have been accused of committing crimes in the anti-govt protests being held in hong kong since 2019. Read: Hong Kongs First CBD Cafe Opens Its Doors To Customers Read: Australian Judge James Spigelman Resigns From Hong Kong Appeals Court Over Security Law No interference by Hong Kong On September 13, the Hong Kong government said in a press conference that it will not intervene in the case of Chinas detention of 12 Hong Kongers at sea who tried to flee to Taiwan on a boat. Calling it a mainland matter, the semi-autonomous Hong Kong refused to play a role in altering Chinas determination and interests despite repeated pleas from the relatives of those arrested. While the relatives said that China was compromising legal rights of the detainees, the Peoples Republic called the detainees as separatists and rejected the formal request to return them to the territory. In a news conference organized after the Hong Kong administration was approached by the desperate families for assistance, the government said, The relevant crime falls within the jurisdiction of the mainland and the special administrative region government respects, adding, it will not interfere with law enforcement actions. Read: US Warns Citizens Against Travel To China, Hong Kong Citing COVID-19, Arbitrary Detention Read: Hong Kong Refuses To Interfere In 'mainland's Matter' Over 12 Locals Arrested By China Image credits: AP US President has announced a possible deal between and Walmart to share the US operations of Chinese video sharing application TikTok, which was placed on a ban list due to security concerns. The deal mandates the creation of a new American company -- incorporated in Texas -- and the prospect of 25,000 new jobs. Further, will give USD 5 billion to fund the education of American youths. Trump said he has given his blessings to the new deal. " is moving along. We're dealing with Oracle, which you know of, in combination with Walmart, another great American company. The security will be 100 per cent. They'll be using separate clouds (data) and a lot of very, very powerful security," Trump told reporters at the White House on Saturday. Last month, Trump had signed an executive order to ban Chinese applications and WeChat by September 15 unless the ownership of the two Chinese changed to American hands. "They'll (TikTok) be making about a USD 5 billion contribution towards education. We're going to be setting up a very large fund for the education of American youths, and that will be great. I've been asking for this (education fund)," Trump said on Saturday. ALSO READ: TikTok files complaint against Trump administration to try to block US ban "We'll see whether or not it (the deal) happens, but conceptually, I think it's a great deal for America. They'll be hiring at least 25,000 people. It will most likely be incorporated in Texas. It'll be a brand new company. It will have nothing to do with any outside land, any outside country. It will have nothing to do with China. It will be totally secure," Trump said. "I think it's going to be a fantastic deal. The technology is superior to anything in the world, and we like that. Again, a lot of jobs, a lot of money for our country. Billions of dollars of taxes will be paid every year. Hundreds of millions of users, and they'll be happy. Everybody will be happy," he said. Trump said TikTok will keep its name. "I have given the deal my blessing. If they get it done, that's great, if they don't, that's okay too. It's a great deal for America," he said. "They'll report the full scope of the deal very soon, but it will be totally controlled by and Walmart," he added. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday questioned the six al-Qaeda terrorists, a day after they were arrested from West Bengals Murshidabad district, for more than 10 hours. The agency plans to fly the suspects to Delhi on Monday after they are questioned by a team of the Kolkata Polices Special Task Force (STF), officers aware of the developments said. The officials cited above said that the bank accounts of two of the men showed deposits that did not match their incomes. It is suspected that the arrested men are members of a common social media group. It is also being probed whether they had recruited people from other districts in the state. The six men were also subjected to a medical examination on Sunday. Significantly, the arrests came five days after an NIA court in Kolkata ordered seven-year jail sentences and fines for two men connected with the 2014 IED blast at Khagragarh in Burdwan district, where the banned terrorist organization Jamat-ul-Mujaheedin of Bangladesh (JMB) was operating a cell. On Saturday, NIA teams conducted simultaneous raids across Ernakulam in Kerala and Murshidabad, and arrested nine men suspected to be associated with a Pakistan-sponsored module of the Al-Qaeda. The three men arrested in Kerala were identified as Murshid Hasan, Iyakub Biswas and Mosaraf Hossen. Those arrested in Murshidabad are Najmus Sakib, Abu Sufiyan, Mainul Mondal, Leu Yean Ahmed, Al Mamun Kamal and Atitur Rehman. The NIA said the group was planning to undertake terrorist attacks in Delhi and at vital installations in India. The Rajya Sabha on Sunday passed two Farm Bills amid a pandemonium due to protests by opposition members. The Upper House gave the nod to The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, as opposition MPs continued to shout slogans during their passage. Some lawmakers even staged a walkout in protest. Earlier, replying to the debate on the Bills, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar assured the House that the Minimum Support Price regime will not be scrapped. Some of the amendments moved by the opposition lawmakers were not pressed for voting while those pressed for voting were negated. The opposition also demanded that the Bills be sent to the Select committee of the Upper House but it was not accepted by the government. Earlier, the House witnessed unruly scenes when TMC MP Derek O'Brien went near the Chair and tried to snatch a mike while citing from the rule book. When his objections were overruled, an aggressive Derek O'Brien tore the rule book by calling the Bills "Kala Kanoon" or black laws, leading to adjournment of the House for a brief period. The Trinamool leader was also heard saying: "You cannot do this" to the Chair. At one point in time, the aides of the Deputy Chair, who was conducting the House proceedings, had to come forward to shield him. Despite repeated requests, many opposition members reached the Well of the House to register their protests. Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad demanded that discussion on the Bills be continued on Monday. "To decide this, we should go by the consensus among the members, not by the numbers of the ruling party," Azad said. The opposition as well as BJP ally Shiromani Akali Dal termed the Bills an "anti-farmers" move by the Centre, with some staging a walkout. Thousands of farmers in Punjab, Haryana and several other states have been protesting since the government introduced these Bills in the Lok Sabha on September 14, the opening day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. The Bills seek to replace the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020 promulgated on June 5. The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 seeks to provide a new ecosystem in which farmers and traders, as per the government, will enjoy freedom of choice relating to sale and purchase of their produce and facilitates remunerative prices through competitive alternative trading channels to promote efficient, transparent and barrier-free inter- and intra-state trade and commerce. The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, aims to provide a national framework on farming agreements that protects and empowers farmers to engage with agri-business firms, processors, wholesalers, exporters or large retailers. Cambridge has seen the biggest annual rise in rental searches outside London. Photo: Getty The Home Counties and Cambridge have become new rental hubs, as people increasingly look to migrate from London. The rise of working from home amid the coronavirus pandemic has spurred renters to look beyond the traditional commuter areas, according to new data from Rightmove (RTMVY). Cambridge saw the biggest annual rise, with searches surging 76%, while Chessington in Kingston upon Thames is Londons new prime renting real estate. Searches for rental properties in Chessington nearly doubled, rising by 99%. Tenants in Chessington are paying average monthly rents of 1,258 ($1,625), which is still a 4.3% year-on-year increase, but is 742 cheaper than average rents across London as a whole. Chessington South railway station, a Zone 6 location, is at the end of the Chessington Branch Line. Vinesh Mistry, sales and lettings manager at Parry & Drewett in Chessington, said: Weve seen lots of interest from bigger neighbouring towns like Surbiton and Sutton and theres great value for money here. Were a smaller community, there are only about 3,500 chimney pots in Chessington, so when something comes up there is a good fight for it. We recently advertised a lovely two-bed Victorian cottage and had 125 viewing requests. The study, which looked at 60 million rental searches in August compared with the same time the previous year, also showed rental searches were up 34%. Agents are reporting in some cases over 100 prospective tenants enquiring about a single property. Only three cities, Cambridge, Oxford and Gloucester, feature in the top ten list for biggest search increases outside London Tenants are paying asking rents of 1,319 on average each month in the university city, which is almost 90 more expensive than the national average, but still 681 cheaper than in London. The cost of renting in Cambridge has risen by just 1% compared with this time last year. Rightmoves property expert Miles Shipside said: Since the market reopened in May weve seen a growing trend of buyers looking to move out of urban areas and it appears renters are now following suit. No-one knows what the future holds, but at the moment, its clear to see that places with a slower pace of life are top of renters home-hunting wish-lists. READ MORE: Coronavirus: UK house prices at record high after biggest monthly leap in 16 years A Deutsche Bank branch in Frankfurt, Germany. Frank Rumpenhorst/picture alliance via Getty Images Leaked documents from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network were shared with news outlets. They showed that big banks had for years engaged with dirty money with little oversight. Banks named in the documents included JPMorgan Chase, HSBC, Barclays, and Deutsche Bank. Here are some of the biggest takeaways from the scandal. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Thousands of leaked documents shared with journalists have shown how some of the world's biggest banks for years facilitated the movement of dirty money. The documents, part of a collection of files belonging to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, were published on Sunday by BuzzFeed News and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. FinCEN is in charge of compiling "suspicious-activity reports" sent to it by banks that suspect financial wrongdoing by their clients. SARs do not constitute evidence of wrongdoing but are a way to alert regulators and law enforcement. The documents are shared with law-enforcement and financial-intelligence groups around the world. The agency does not require banks to stop dealing with clients who prompted SARs. BuzzFeed News and ICIJ said the documents showed that banks including JPMorgan Chase, HSBC, and Deutsche Bank engaged with and facilitated the movement of criminal money even after raising suspicions. The files detailed movements and transactions over almost two decades, from 1999 into 2017. Many of the banks named in the report have responded in statements to BuzzFeed News. Here are some of the biggest revelations to come out of the bombshell report: 5 banks processed more suspicious money than anyone else in the leak The names of five big banks came up more than any others in the documents. Of the $2 trillion in suspicious transactions, $1.2 trillion moved through Deutsche Bank. Nearly all the rest was processed by JPMorgan, Standard Chartered, Bank of New York Mellon, and Barclays. Story continues Several other banks, including Societe Generale, HSBC, State Street Corporation, Commerzbank AG, and China Investment Corporation, also processed billions. European bank shares already under pressure from a resurgence of the coronavirus have tumbled since the report was published. Barclays shares were last down 5.4% on London's FTSE 100 index, at their lowest since late April, while Deutsche Bank shares were down nearly 9% in Frankfurt, at their weakest since late May. The leaked documents represented 0.02% of total SARs Reporters saw more than 2,100 leaked SARs but this is just the tip of the iceberg. According to the ICIJ, more than 12 million SARs were filed with FinCEN from 2011 to 2017, meaning those in the leak represented just about 0.02% of the total. HSBC moved money for the WCM777 Ponzi scheme that victimized thousands The files revealed that HSBC allowed fraudsters involved with WCM777, an $80 million Ponzi scheme, to move money around the world, the BBC reported. In 2013 and 2014, the bank moved fraudsters' money from the US to Hong Kong, despite having promised to clamp down on money laundering, the outlet reported. In 2012, after a US Senate investigation, the bank was fined a record $1.9 billion for its role in channeling cash for what the investigators called "drug kingpins and rogue nations," the BBC reported at the time. But the following year, fraudsters working with WCM777 were able to move more than $15 million through HSBC, despite warnings that it was a scam, the leaked documents show. At the time of the notice, WCM777 was barred from conducting business in three states. The Ponzi scheme targeted poor communities in various nations and victimized thousands of Asian and Latino immigrants, according to the BBC and BuzzFeed News. HSBC told the BBC it has always followed its legal duty in reporting such activities. Read the full report from the BBC here. Banks processed millions for the family of a Kazakh politician wanted by Interpol The documents showed that JPMorgan Chase, along with Bank of America, Citibank, American Express, and others processed millions in transactions linked to a Kazakh politician wanted by Interpol, BuzzFeed News reported. The family of Viktor Khrapunov, a former mayor of Almaty, Kazakhstan, used JPMorgan Chase to handle millions of dollars in transactions, even after Interpol issued a so-called red notice, the outlet said. At the time of the transactions, Khrapunov and his wife stood accused of money laundering, fraud, and the creation of an organized crime group, according to Newsweek. They were convicted in absentia, having fled to Switzerland. They described the charges as politically motivated, BuzzFeed News reported. Arkady Rotenberg, a Putin associate, may have used Barclays to launder money and evade sanctions The documents suggested that a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin's may have used the UK-based Barclays Bank to avoid sanctions and launder money, the BBC reported. Arkady Rotenberg, a childhood friend of Putin's, is among several associates who were put under European Union and US sanctions following Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, the BBC reported. The sanctions were meant to restrict Rotenberg from conducting business with Western banks. But companies controlled by Rotenberg appeared in numerous SARs in the leak, according to the BBC. From 2012 to 2016, a company named Advantage Alliance moved about $77 million through HSBC. The US Senate has said there is strong evidence that the company is owned by Rotenberg. A Senate investigation found that the company was making secretive art purchases using its Barclays account to evade the sanctions, the BBC reported. Barclays closed Advantage Alliance's account in 2016, but leaked SARs showed that the bank continued to deal with numerous other companies thought to be owned by Rotenberg until 2017, the BBC reported. Barclays denied any wrongdoing. Read the full report from the BBC here. $142 million of suspected Iranian money was processed via the UAE US prosecutors have alleged that Gunes General Trading, based in Dubai, was used to funnel Iranian state money via the United Arab Emirates and evade international sanctions, according to the BBC. In 2011 and 2012, the documents showed, the UAE's central banking system processed $142 million in transactions for the company, despite them being labeled as suspicious, the BBC said. A New York branch of Standard Chartered Bank noted hundreds of suspicious transactions from the company and flagged them to the UAE's central bank but did not mention an Iran connection, the BBC reported. While the UAE's central bank said it alerted law enforcement and closed the accounts, Gunes General Trading used other state-owned banks to funnel another $108 million in transactions until September 2012, the BBC reported. In 2016, the US said the company was involved in a major sanctions-evasion scheme. It has wound up within the past two years, the BBC reported. The Central Bank of the UAE did not respond to the BBC's request for comment. Read the full report here. A major donor to the UK's ruling Conservative Party was linked to the Kremlin The husband of a major donor to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party has received money from a Putin-linked millionaire who is under US sanctions, the leaked documents showed. The files showed that Vladimir Chernukhin, the husband of Lubov Chernukhin who has given almost $2.2 million to the Conservative Party was given $7.8 million by an offshore company that could be traced back to a Russian politician and oligarch named Suleyman Kerimov. Kerimov was one of several oligarchs named in a 2018 report by the US Treasury Department discussing "malign" Russian activity. The Treasury report said he was accused of laundering money and leaving taxes unpaid in Europe. Lubov Chernukhin has spent time in the company of three prime ministers and she once paid $205,000 to play tennis with Johnson, according to the BBC. North Korea laundered money using a string of shell companies and US banks The leaked documents suggested that despite international sanctions blocking North Korea's access to the global financial system, it has laundered more than $174.8 million, NBC News reported. The documents show that transactions flagged as suspicious from about 2008 to 2017 were cleared through US banks including JPMorgan Chase and Bank of New York Mellon, NBC News said. North Korean wire transfers flagged in the SARs were often facilitated by Chinese and shell companies, NBC News reported. Experts told NBC News that the transactions showed all the hallmarks of money laundering. Read the full report here. Banks flagged Paul Manafort's activity as suspicious years before he was arrested Bank transactions linked to Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former strategist who was convicted of fraud in 2018, were flagged as suspicious six years earlier, in 2012, the ICIJ reported. More than $50 million in payments to Manafort processed by JPMorgan Chase over 10 years attracted SARs, according to the ICIJ. The report said the bank processed $6.9 million in transactions after Manafort resigned from Trump's campaign. Manafort is serving a seven-year sentence for tax fraud, bank fraud, and failure to report foreign bank accounts. Deutsche Bank managers knew more than they claimed about an infamous trading scandal 2017's mirror-trading scandal a $10 billion money-laundering scheme involving crime bosses, drug cartels, and terrorist networks saw Deutsche Bank pay a fine and blame middle managers in its Moscow offices. But the leaked SARs showed that awareness of the issues at the heart of the scandal went far higher in the company, BuzzFeed News reported. According to BuzzFeed News, warnings of serious failings at the company were sent to the bank's chair and its supervisory board. Bank of America was so concerned that it submitted a SAR about Deutsche Bank's dealings and then its managers were asked to leave Deutsche Bank's building when they attempted to discuss the matter in London, BuzzFeed News reported. Christian Sewing, now Deutsche Bank's CEO, ran the audit office overseeing the bank's Moscow dealings, but he gave the office the all-clear, BuzzFeed News reported. Deutsche Bank told BuzzFeed News that Sewing was not personally involved in the Moscow audit. Read the full story here. Financial regulators catch only a small fraction of the activity behind dirty money The FinCEN leak includes 2,100 SARs, but they're a fraction of what's out there. Banks often don't know or don't follow up on their inquiries about the ultimate owners of the accounts they process, the ICIJ reported. David Lewis, executive secretary of an anti-money-laundering group called the Financial Action Task Force, told the ICIJ that compliance was more often about going through the motions than taking real action. "Everybody is doing badly," Lewis said. A 2011 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimated that less than 1% of global illicit financial flows were seized and frozen. Read the full story here. Read the original article on Business Insider (L) Incumbent U.S. Sen. Edward Markey speaks in Malden, Mass. on Sept. 1, 2020. (Michael Dwyer/AP) (R) U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III speaks outside his campaign headquarters in Watertown, Mass. on Sept. 1, 2020. (Charles Krupa/AP) Democrats Threaten Retaliation If Trump Fills Supreme Court Vacancy: Pack the Courts Democrats are threatening to expand the Supreme Court and pack it with their own judges if the GOP moves forward with filling a vacancy left after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgs death last week. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) wrote in a statement: Mitch McConnell set the precedent. No Supreme Court vacancies filled in an election year. If he violates it, when Democrats control the Senate in the next Congress, we must abolish the filibuster and expand the Supreme Court. Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.) also wrote that if McConnell, the Republican Senate majority leader, holds a vote in 2020 we pack the court in 2021. Its that simple. At the same time, an opinion writer for the Washington Post called for Joe Biden to pack the court and expand the number of seats on the Supreme Court if he wins in November. This is not unprecedented. The number of justices has not been static at nine; its changed six times, from as few as five to as many as 10. All it takes is for Congress to pass an act, and for the president to sign it. If a Biden victory came with a Democratic congressional majority, expanding the number of Supreme Court justices wouldnt be that hard to do, the article opines. An adviser who served under former President Richard Nixon said Biden must announce that he will expand the Supreme Court to 11 justices. If the GOP rushes to pack the Court, the Dems will expand the SCOTUS to 11 justices, and expand the lower federal courts by 70 to 100 new judgeships, which have long been needed. In short, he will depoliticize the federal judiciary, said John Dean. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), accompanied by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speak to reporters following a meeting with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows as they continue to negotiate a CCP virus relief package on Capitol Hill in Washington on Aug. 7, 2020. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo) Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-N.Y.) have not made their intentions clear if McConnell attempts to nominate a Supreme Court judge before the November elections. Republicans have called the idea to pack the courts radical and something that goes against the principles of democracy. Some Democrats have feared it could backfire, as if the Republicans gain both chambers of Congress and the presidency, they could add their own judges. The U.S. Constitution does not require that nine justices sit on the Supreme Court, although that number has stood for more than a century. The size of the top court has been changed several times between the founding of the republic and the Civil War in the mid-19th century. Ginsburg, considered a left-wing icon, died last week after suffering several bouts of cancer. McConnell said he will move to nominate a Supreme Court justice, and President Donald Trump told a crowd in North Carolina Saturday that he is planning to select a woman judge. About two years ago, when Chanesar Khan first heard that a company will build a new solar park spread over 989 hectares of land, which he and others in western Indias Nedan village had been using to grow food and to graze their animals, he boarded a bus to meet a lawyer in Jaisalmer district80km away. Together, over the next couple of months, they organized fellow villagers and filed a petition in the Rajasthan High Court challenging the allotment of the land to the plant. Around the same time, one Barkat Khan, along with another set of villagers in Nedan, filed a similar petition in the court. But in November 2019, the court dismissed both the cases, following which Chanesar and Barkat filed appeals in the same court. Then, on 8 September, the court heard Barkats appeal and ordered status quo on the land until a further hearing. All construction on the 1500 MW Fatehgarh Ultra Mega Solar Park being built by Adani Renewable Energy Parks Rajasthana joint venture of Adani Green Energy and the Rajasthan governmenthas come to a halt. My grandfather first began to use this land. Our entire family depended on this land," says Chanesar Khan. His appeal is pending a hearing. Most of the 1500 families in Nedan, many of whom are landless and belong to marginalised communities, traditionally depended on the land, which is now under litigation, to earn their living. But the Rajasthan government says it controls the land and refers to it as wasteland. And that is why it has identified 94,936 hectares of such government-held land in Jaisalmer alone for renewable projects, ignoring its long-time users like the communities in Nedan, whom the government calls encroachers because they dont have legal titles over these lands. Nedans case illuminates how these government-held lands that communities across India use for livelihood are now becoming the next frontier of land conflicts. In the early to late-2000s, conflicts raged in Indias forest and agricultural lands and eventually resulted in the 2013 Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act. But that act provided for rehabilitation only when private land was acquired. It does not address a situation where government-held land is being retained, said Gopal Sankaranarayanan, a senior advocate in the Supreme Court who handles land-related cases. As a result, in the shadow of many upcoming solar projects, local communities, which are mostly landless and marginalised, demand titles over the lands, and compensation if they are displaced. They say that the land belongs to them because they use it. Some of them have begun to approach the courts; others protest or break solar equipment in their quest for compensation. In the absence of a legal framework to resolve these disputes, conflicts rage on. The problem is now showing up more prominently in the governments bid to promote solar parks because they need large tracts of land. If there is no land title, there is no compensation," said Govabhai Rathod, convenor of the Zameen Adhikar Jumbesh in Gujarat, which is organising state-wide protests against allotment of government-held lands to large-scale projects. The government does not care who is dependent on the land. That is why there is a need for a movement." If the revenue law (which applies to government-held lands) of the state does not make any provision for people who are staying on revenue land, it is necessary for a person who is staying on that land to challenge that law," Sankaranarayanan, the lawyer, said. Meanwhile, Indias solar foray is only accelerating. So far, the Indian government has granted approvals to 34 ultra-mega solar parks across the country to meet its solar energy target of 100 GW by 2022. In states such as Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, which are leading the push for solar parks due to their high sun intensity, the most freely available land is government-held land. Piling court cases In Rajasthan alone, communities have filed at least 15 cases since 2011 against solar projects. In Madhya Pradeshs Neemuch district, people of multiple communities protested when a solar plant took a portion of the land on which they depended. In Gujarat, a solar plant at Charanka disrupted the traditional grazing routes of agro-pastoralist shepherd communities. These conflicts also irk the project developers because they delay the completion of solar projects which then adds to the overall project cost. Many surveys have flagged this problem. In 2012, when solar parks were just taking off in India, a joint survey by the National Resources Development Centre and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, found that most of the solar projects are in remote locations where the primary contentious issues are conflicting land claims and land allocation for grazing." The report by the two policy research institutes added, as the solar energy market matures, it is critical that government policies and (private) developers minimise the impact on the local communities." One way to avoid disputes is to make sure that the land which is being used for solar should not be productive. It should be just wasteland," says Ashvini Kumar, former managing director of the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), a government of India body that builds solar parks. However, the state governments make little distinction between government-held land and unused wasteland. There are (still) large questions about renewable energy," said Kanchi Kohli, a researcher with the Centre for Policy Research. If youre setting it up to address energy security and the environment, but at the same time if its built on creating social injustice, how do you call it legitimate?" The ministry of new and renewable energy, Rajasthans renewable energy department and the representatives of the Adani Group did not respond to the queries sent to them by email and phone. Land for the landless Nedan is 100 km, as the crow flies, from the Pakistan border, and 60 km by road from Pokhran, the site of Indias first nuclear weapons test. Chanesar Khans grandfather got about a hectare of land in Nedan during the land-settlement surveys before Indias independence. Over time, as his family grew, they started to use the vacant land in the village to cultivate pearl millets and sorghum. Other families in the villagea mix of Dalits, Rajputs and Muslimsalso did the same. Although most families are landless, socially powerful ones used more land than the powerless to earn their livelihood. Then, sometime in 2006, the Rajasthan government put out advertisements for a scheme to allot land to landless families in Jaisalmer, according to Chanesar Khans court petition. People, including those in Nedan, paid bribes to make the appropriate documents to be able to get land titles, remembers Bheru Singh, former sarpanch of Nedan. The following year, the state government issued its first set of rules to lease government land to renewable energy developers. But in 2009, the government abruptly cancelled the scheme to allot land to the landless, leaving the villages without titles to the land that they used. This was the reason the Rajasthan High Court had given when it dismissed Nedans petitions last year, saying that the villagers have no prior right to the land because the state had cancelled the scheme. But Motisingh Rajpurohit, Barkat Khans lawyer, says other issues are involved. Part of the land that the Rajasthan government allotted to the solar park was earmarked for agricultural use, and the state changed its classification to barren land in 2017, a year before allotting it to Adani. And the other part of the land allotted to the park, Rajpurohit says, was commonly used by the villagers for grazing their cattle and for funerals. What has made matters worse for communities that depend on government-held lands is the failure of land reforms to redistribute land to landless communities. An IndiaSpend report found that 5% of farmers control 32% of agricultural land in India. And that more than half of the rural households, mostly dalits and adivasis, do not own any agricultural land, driving them to use government-held lands. That is why landless communities including dalits have led movements in various states to demand land rights. Until recently, marginalised communities have not had the chance to pay attention to documentation," said Neeraj Bunkar, an independent land researcher in Rajasthan. They might have historical rights to the land, but they dont have the papers to prove it. This is what makes them vulnerable." Energy and land conflict Like Rajasthan, which has the highest sun intensity and also the largest proportion of government-held land, solar projects are coming up in several other states. Gujarat has already commissioned 2,080 MW solar plants, Madhya Pradesh has commissioned 2,324 MW, and Karnataka has commissioned 7,295 MW, according to Bridge to India, a consultancy firm. Some of these states are also at the heart of an emerging new terrain of land-related contestation. In 2014, when the 1600 MW Welspun solar plant took over the land in four villages of Madhya Pradeshs Neemuch district, adivasis and nomadic communities who depended on that government-held land for their livelihood protested. Fifteen people who led the protest were arrested. Most of them didnt get jobs in the plant, Frontline reported. In Gujarats Charanka, 600 MW solar park has cut off a semi-nomadic shepherd community from their customary migratory routes. The government interacted with the higher caste groups to develop this park, excluding other castes and their interests, says Ryan Stock, an assistant professor from the University of Northern Michigan who has researched on the Charanka solar park. In Kerala, villagers protested against the Kasaragod Solar Park that was coming up on community-used land, and got the government to scale its capacity down from 200 MW to 50 MW. In Rajasthans Bhadla village, construction of a solar park is stuck because the communities who were using the land demanded compensation to relocate, according to a report in Mercom India, a Bengaluru-based clean energy consulting firm. In the 15 cases that communities in Rajasthan had filed against solar plants in the states high court, the court dismissed nine of the cases. Two cases were declared unnecessary because the solar plant had already been built. In one of the orders, the court noted, Renewable energy is the mantra of the day because it is environmentally friendly." In Nedan, Chanesar Khan alleges that some unknown men offered to give him a job in the solar park if he withdrew his case. Two others from the village confirmed of similar offers made to them. But after the high court dismissed the petitions the first time, the job offers also dried up, he says. Paying dissenting individuals is part of the process of taking actual possession of the land that the government leases out to the project developers, says a private solar developer who didnt want to be identified because he has active projects in the state. At least 12 of the 18 months allotted to developers for building solar plants go into sorting out land issues, and the delay adds to the overall project cost, the developer said. This is a serious issue." So, it does help to have a clear legal framework to structure the negotiations because it is time-consuming for all parties involved and the ones who are most vulnerable are the ones that end up losing," says Arpitha Kodiveri, a research scholar at the European University Institute who studies environmental law. In Nedan, some villagers have begun to sell their animals because they cannot access the grazing land. Chanesar Khans herd of goats is now down to 30 from 1000 last year. Khan worries, If the court decision does not come in our favour, what will become of us?" If the government wants to do renewable energy right, this would be a good case in point," said CPRs Kohli. When dealing with an unresolved encroachment issue with complex use rights and ownership, the government will need a detailed assessment of the history of how land is used and how records have changed before it can actually determine a good compensation or rehabilitation package." Mridula Chari is an independent journalist based in Mumbai Sikandar Shaikh contributed to this story from Jaisalmer 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!! Washington: US President Donald Trump says he will pick a woman to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and expects to reveal his nominee within days. Trump vowed to move rapidly to start the replacement process, telling a campaign rally in North Carolina on Saturday (local time), "I will be putting forth a nominee next week." Trump and Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell have both vowed to move quickly to fill Ginsburg's seat, but have not said if they intend to force an appointment before the November 3 presidential election. President Donald Trump said he will announce his Supreme Court nominee this week. Credit:AP The confirmation process for a Supreme Court justice typically takes around three months, but there are just over six weeks remaining until election day. Even if they lose the White House and their Senate majority, Republicans could still fill the seat in the "lame duck" session that runs until January 3. WASHINGTON, D. C. - The top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee on Sunday said Democrats who object to President Donald Trump nominating a successor for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg so close to an election are criticizing Trump for following the law and the U.S. Constitution. The Presidents job is to nominate someone for the Supreme Court, Jordan told Maria Bartiromo on FoxNews. Its then the Senates job to advise and consent and go through the process. Jordan said that Trump is also following the historic norm by moving forward with a nomination, because nine out of ten times, when the same party that controls the White House also controls the U.S. Senate, a Supreme Court nominee who is put forward in an election year gets confirmed. He observed that when the White House and Senate are controlled by opposite parties, the election year confirmation ratio for Supreme Court nominees slips to one in eight. I hope we move forward and I hope we put someone in there who is going to respect the Constitution, follow the Constitution, understand the First Amendment and Second Amendment are critically important, Jordan continued. Thats the kind of justice we need. According to a New York Times analysis, there have been just sixteen Supreme Court vacancies in presidential election years throughout U.S. history. The vacancy created by the 1864 death of Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney was the only one to occur closer to an election than Ginsburgs death. Taney died 27 days before the election, while Ginsburg died 46 days before the upcoming Nov. 3 contest. President Abraham Lincoln waited until after he was re-elected to nominate Salmon P. Chase of Cincinnati to fill the vacancy created by Taneys death. Chase was confirmed on Dec 6, 1864. Democrats such as U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio have urged the U.S. Senate to wait until after voters decide Novembers presidential election to pick a successor for Ginsburg, who died on Friday. They note that Republicans who controlled the Senate awaited results of the 2016 presidential election before choosing a successor when Justice Antonin Scalia died that year, and would not allow a vote on President Barack Obamas nominee for the post, Merrick Garland. They set this precedent, Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar said in her own Sunday morning appearance on CNN. And they cant mess around and use raw political power right in the middle of an election. When Obama nominated Garland, Jordan issued a statement that applauded "the Senate for putting this critically important decision where it should be: in the hands of the voters and their pick for president in November. This time around, Republican U.S. Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska have said it would be more appropriate to wait until after the election to vote on a nominee. But Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky says he plans to proceed with a vote on Trumps nominee, and many Republicans in the U.S. Senate back his stance. Republican U.S. Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio issued a statement on Saturday evening that said he looks forward to seeing who President Donald Trump plans to nominate and thoroughly assessing his or her qualifications for this important role. Leader McConnell has said that he will hold a vote on any nominee President Trump sends to the Senate, and I intend to fulfill my role as a U.S. Senator and judge that nominee based on his or her merits, Portmans statement said. Trump says hell soon announce his pick, and it will be a woman. When Bartiromo sought Jordans opinion on two appeals judges that are supposed to be among Trumps top choices - Amy Coney Barrett in Chicago and Barbara Lagoa in Atlanta - Jordan said those two individuals would be great but it will be up to the Senate to confirm Trumps pick and he hopes it happens as quickly as possible. He said he hopes whoever is selected will be in the mold of Justices Scalia, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, and frankly not in the John Roberts mold. Whats most important to me is someone whos going to follow the Constitution, Jordan continued. Understand where were at right now. I mean, think about what weve seen in the last six months. "Democrat governors, Democrat mayors have said you cant go to church, you cant go to work, you cant go to school, but you can protest, riot and loot, so theres been all kinds of limits on your fundamental liberties, your fundamental rights. We need someone on the court who will respect those liberties, who understands how important the Bill of Rights and the Constitution really are. That, to me, is whats most important. Read more: Sen. Rob Portman says the Senate should consider President Donald Trumps Supreme Court nominee Ohio members of Congress react to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgs death House of Representatives condemns coronavirus-related discrimination against Asians over objections from Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio Senate Committee approves three Ohio federal judge candidates after members voice concerns about Cuyahoga Countys J. Philip Calabrese FirstEnergy now under SEC scrutiny: What does that mean? House adopts bill by Rep. Marcia Fudge to fight school segregation Bipartisan Congress members including Rep. Anthony Gonzalez propose coronavirus relief plan with $450 weekly unemployment payment House agrees to rename Grand River Post Office for police officer Andy Nowacki, who died in Iraq war 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 The Opposition in Lok Sabha Sunday alleged a failure in the strategy to deal with the coronavirus crisis, saying a sudden lockdown caused hardships to the migrants and the poor, a charge rejected by BJP and its ally JD(U). The ruling allies said Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the fight against the killer virus well by taking states into confidence and several lives were saved by the government's persistent efforts. Initiating the debate on "Covid-19 pandemic in the country", Shashi Tharoor (Congress) alleged "utter mismanagement" in dealing with the pandemic, saying the country witnessed a "fundamental breakdown" in government machinery in the past few months, instead of mature and proactive governance. He said that instead of clearly-communicated protocol and comprehensive strategies on part of the government, the country witnessed a lack of clarity, readiness and preparedness to combat the virus. Had the government listened to warning about the virus made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and others, the situation would have surely been managed better, Tharoor said. Participating in the debate, BJP member Kirit Solanki highlighted various welfare schemes announced by the Modi government and said the poor and downtrodden were provided free foodgrains and cash incentives during the lockdown and afterwards. Solanki said the country has so far tested five crore people for coronavirus of which 1.5 crore tests were conducted in the last two weeks. The BJP member pointed out that 33 crore poor people were given Rs 31,235 crore through the direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and the beneficiaries include farmers, women and senior citizens. Without naming anyone, Solanki said a leader was tweeting on ways to deal with the virus, but he is not present in the House to debate on the issue. Rajiv Ranjan Singh of the JD-U slammed opposition members for criticising the government "rather than giving constructive suggestions". "The more you criticise the Prime Minister, the more his popularity graph will go up," he said. Singh said because of a timely announcement of the lockdown, the country did not face community spread of the virus. The ruling dispensation, Tharoor earlier said, continued to delay the implementation of a national strategy to stop the spread of the virus. "This was the first failure of the government," he said. The failure to adequately recognise the scale and complexity of the problem compounded their unwillingness to listen to the voices that warned well in advance of the consequences of ignoring the problem of such magnitude, he said. When the number of cases were comparatively low in India there was still time for the government to execute comprehensive strategy to curb it, he said. "It is moral responsibility of any government to take the nation into confidence and not leave them in dark." He also said that due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown, the country's economy is in a bad shape now, and added arrangements were not made to fight with the virus. If the migrant workers were allowed to go to their hometowns in the beginning, the current situation would have not arisen, he said. The government should have taken the nation into confidence which it did not do as a result the nation "is losing confidence in you (government)", he said. DMKs Dayanidhi Maran slammed the government for its alleged failure in creating enough health infrastructure in the country during the lockdown. He said when the first case was detected in February, the government allegedly did not take initiatives to fight the virus and instead "it was busy gathering people" for the US President Donald Trump's Gujarat visit. Maran said during the Budget Session in February-March, no one was speaking about the virus and alleged he was not allowed to speak in the House on the issue. "When the lockdown was announced, people got just four hours to prepare. There was no planning. The states were not informed, the way demonitisation was announced in 2016. There was chaos everywhere," he alleged. The lockdown was "fantastic" but the government "failed" to create the required health infrastructure, Maran said. "We have lost time. We let go the golden window. He also said after the PM's announcement of the salary cut for MPs, many firms also resorted to the same steps, besides sacking some of their employees. In an apparent reference to the Tablighti Jamaat incident in Delhi where scores of people tested positive, Marana criticised the government for "blaming" Muslims for the initial spread of Covid-19 in the country. TMC member Kalyan Banerjee said the Centre should provide financial help to states and the GST dues of West Bengal should be released expeditiously. He said the pandemic should be fought by the states and Centre together. "This is not the time to start a blame game. We have to fight coronavirus going beyond political considerations. He also lauded the state government's handling of the migrant workers crisis during the initial phase of the lockdown. B V Satyavathi of the YSR Congress lauded healthcare workers. Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant alleged the migrant crisis was not handled properly by the Centre and "there were mistakes somewhere". Sawant appealed to the PM to fight the pandemic unitedly, the way the whole country is standing united on the border standoff with China. "The PM should lead, we all will support. Please don't discriminate us. Help us," he said. Editor: All lives matter! I believe this. Thats why I joined my neighbors at what is being called the Black Lives Matter protest here in our city of Rio Rancho. Imagine my shock when I walked up to what was supposed to be a peaceful demonstration, only to be jeered and shouted at by people who sought to deprive me of my constitutional right to peacefully assemble in my hometown. I was appalled. I have been a resident of Rio Rancho for 33 years, I raised my children here, and my grandchildren are growing up here. Until last March, I volunteered regularly for RRPS. I take part in community events. I drive the speed limit, pick up my dogs poo, and put my trash cans away when theyre emptied. All in all, Im a good citizen and have had a great life. Ive even run for office, and in doing so, knocked on thousands of doors and talked to a lot of really good citizens. Most, even of those who disagreed with my position, were polite and kind. They are real people, with real-life issues, who need support, not division. What I witnessed on Saturday were not the people I know to be Rio Rancho, and Im so disappointed with the behavior of those who let their fear and hate rule them. I mean, who is against stopping racism? Those who support racism, I guess. They were shouting All lives matter, all lives matter while carrying guns and threatening us. Really? All lives matter to them? So much that theyre willing to shoot someone? Their fears were whipped up by delusional bullies. The peaceful Black N.M. Movement event, on the other hand, was listening to speakers extol the importance of voting in upcoming elections and filling out the census. It baffles me that people could be so threatened by something so fundamentally American. Funny thing is, this is the third event that Black New Mexico Movement has held in our city. The first two were not attended by Back the Blue followers, and there was not even a hint of violence. Go figure. And, do they really Back the Blue? Not from what I saw. What if one of these counter-protestors, aka violent mob, had pulled out their gun and taken aim at a citizen of Rio Rancho? He would be forcing the police to then use deadly force. Then what? Also, if they really support the police, they wouldnt be shouting in the officers faces with their unmasked mouths. COVID, yall, geez. The good people in uniform had less to fear from our peaceful group, protesting police violence, than from their self-appointed supporters. Its time for the good people of Rio Rancho to take a stand against violence of all sorts, and get out there and vote to bury racism back under the rock from whence it escaped. If all lives matter, Black lives matter. Alexis Jimenez Rio Rancho Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France Sun, September 20, 2020 20:05 488 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4606b31 2 Art & Culture Palestine,Paris,France,arts-and-culture,art-exhibition,Israel Free An exhibition of art donated to the as yet only notional National Museum of Palestine has gone on show in Paris. Works by the first couple of photography, Henri Cartier-Bresson and Martine Franck, as well as the street artist Jef Aerosol are featured in "Colours of the World", which runs at the Arab World Institute (IMA) in the French capital until December 20. Art given to the exiled museum has been held in the IMA's reserves in France since 2015. IMA chief and former French culture minister Jack Lang told AFP that so far the institute has been looking after some 400 works. Read also: Banksy to donate sale of artwork to Palestinian hospital "It is a Palestinian museum in exile made up of donations from artists from a number of countries which we keep in our reserves," Lang added. He said he hoped a bricks and mortar Palestine museum "will be built one day in East Jerusalem". Palestine's ambassador to UNESCO, Elias Sanbar, said the project "may seem utopian", but similar museums in exile were set up for South Africa under apartheid and Chile under the Pinochet dictatorship. Alongside the show, the IMA is also staging an exhibition of photos and videos by Arab artists called "Shared Memories" drawn from the vast donation of Lebanese collector Claude Lemand. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More The Nifty declined on September 18 but managed to give a third consecutive higher weekly closing. The benchmark index is trading above 5-simple moving average on a daily, weekly, and monthly time frame, indicating positive price action is unharmed. The weekly MACD line is trading above the signal line, indicating that positive momentum will continue. At the same time, MACD is trading above the '0' line, which is also supportive of positive price movement in the mid-term. Currently, the index is progressing through an Inverse Head and Shoulders pattern, and a bullish breakout will come on a decisive close above 11,600, whereby Nifty can move towards 12,000 to complete its pattern target. India VIX is trading below its 10-DMA as well as 20-DMA, suggesting volatility is not in the favour of bearish action. At the same time, 11,200 will act as a crucial support and base. Any decisive close below these levels will lead to a trend reversal, till then one can opt for the buy-on-dip strategy for higher levels of 12,000. Bank Nifty The Bank Nifty traded with a negative tone but managed to sustain above the crucial 22,000-mark. As long as the banking index trades above 22,000, it can be a bargain-hunting opportunity for the bulls. Here are three stocks that can give up to 20 percent return: Bank of Baroda: Buy around Rs 45 | Target: Rs 54 | Stop Loss: Rs 40 | Upside: 20 percent The short-term correction seems to be over in the stock and the bulls are likely to take charge again. The higher high and higher low formations on the weekly timeframe suggest that the bulls have entered in a counter at lower levels. Further, the line of parity on the daily chart is providing good support, which signals that a short-term rally can't be ruled out in the coming days. Traders can initiate long positions around Rs 45 with a stop loss of Rs 40 for the target of Rs 54. State Bank of India: Buy around Rs 190 | Target: Rs 215 | Stop Loss: Rs 178 | Upside: 13 percent Bargain hunting is seen at lower levels where it formed a strong base near Rs 185-190 levels. Currently, it has given a consolidation range breakout on the daily chart in which it has been trading for the last few days and the momentum oscillator RSI also turned above 50-mark, which suggests that a reversal is round the corner. Other indicators and oscillators are also lending support to the price action. Traders can take an entry from the level of Rs 190 for the target of Rs 215 while keeping a stop loss of Rs 178. Mahanagar Gas: Buy around Rs 900 | Target: Rs 960 | Stop Loss: Rs 870 | Upside: 6 percent The scrip spurted from a low of Rs 876 and formed a Cup and Handle pattern on daily chart. It showed pullback on the upside marked the high of Rs 919 whereby pattern breakout will come on a decisive close above Rs 950 levels. Indicators and oscillators are also sending conducive signals for the coming sessions. Based on the technical structure, one can go long in the scrip around Rs 900 for the target of Rs 960 keeping a stop loss of Rs 870 on a closing basis. (The author is Head of Technical Research at Narnolia Financial Advisors Ltd.) : The views and investment tips expressed by experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. New Delhi: Disposal of biomedical waste including PPE kits worn by healthcare professionals and public became a challenge during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Union Health Ministry told the Rajya Sabha on Sunday. As informed by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), disposal of bio-medical waste including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kit worn by healthcare professionals as well as general public became a challenge during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey said. The minister was responding to a query by BJP MP Mahesh Poddar in the Upper House over the disposal of biomedical waste during the coronavirus crisis in the country. On being asked whether COVID-19 cases increased among individuals employed in garbage collection and disposal, the minister said the data is not maintained by the Centre. Public Health being a State subject, information relating to increase in COVID-19 cases among individuals employed in garbage collection and disposal, due to mismanagement in disposal of bio-medical waste including PPE kit etc., is not centrally maintained, Choubey said. Elaborating on the steps taken by the government for improvement in biomedical waste disposal, the minister said the CPCB has issued separate guidelines for their Handling, Treatment and Disposal These guidelines on management of coronavirus related bio-medical waste including used masks and gloves were initially issued on March 19 and later revised on July 17, he said. As per CPCB guidelines, used PPEs like face shields, goggles, hazmat suits, plastic coverall, used masks, head cover, shoe cover etc. generated from COVID-19 isolation wards at Healthcare Facilities shall be segregated and sent to Common Facilities for disposal as per Bio-medical Waste Management Rules, 2016 (BMWM Rules). However, used PPEs like masks and gloves generated in Common Households, Commercial Establishments, Institutions, etc., are required to store separately for a minimum 72 hours for disposal along with solid waste after cutting or shredding. Such shredded used masks from households can be collected as dry solid waste by Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), the minister told the Rajya Sabha in a written response. 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 There was so much wrong with Attorney General William Barrs comparison of shelter-at-home orders to slavery among the great intrusions on civil liberties in America that its hard to know where to start. Its as absurd as it is offensive to speak about human bondage and a lifesaving step against a pandemic in the same breath. Its ignorant of U.S. history that includes the internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans who were forced from their homes and jobs to live in what President Franklin D. Roosevelt called concentration camps during World War II. It fails to account for the times when Americans were imprisoned for merely speaking out against their government. In fact, Thomas Jefferson ran for president in 1800 on a platform that included repeal of the Alien and Sedition Act, which made it a crime to falsely criticize the government or its officials. Ill return to sedition, which is back in a disturbing way, in a moment. But first, here is what the attorney general said during an appearance in northern Virginia: You know, putting a national lockdown, stay-at-home orders, is like house arrest. Its you know, other than slavery, which was a different kind of restraint, this is the greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history, Barr said. The attorney general is perhaps the last one with standing to be talking about civil liberties. The Wall Street Journal and New York Times reported that Barr told federal prosecutors in a recent call that they should contemplate sedition charges against those who committed violent acts during protests in recent months. Sedition is one of the gravest crimes on the federal books, designed for those who plot to overthrow the U.S. government. To be clear: Anyone who vandalizes or destroys property, or assaults another person during a demonstration, should be prosecuted for his or her acts. But to characterize this lawlessness as sedition smacks of an authoritarian response to intimidate dissent. It gets worse. The New York Times also reported that Barr has asked prosecutors in his Justice Departments civil rights division to explore whether they could bring criminal charges against Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan a former U.S. attorney for allowing demonstrators to establish a police-free zone near the citys downtown this summer. Democrat Durkan had been a harsh critic of President Trump, tweeting in June that he should Make us all safe. Go back to your bunker when he threatened federal intervention in response to the protests. Reasonable people can debate Seattles approach to the protests, but there is nothing reasonable about an administration even thinking of prosecuting a duly elected mayor of a major city for acting within her discretion. She rightly called it an act of tyranny, not of democracy. By now there is no longer any question about Barrs obsequiousness to Trump and willingness to stretch the truth and rule of law in the presidents service. He has thoroughly discarded the notion that an attorney general should uphold the integrity of the office by steering clear of the partisan fray. He told a Chicago Tribune columnist that the nation could be irrevocably committed to the socialist path if Trump were to lose in November. And, of course, Barr has joined Trump in amping up unsupported fears that voting by mail greatly expanded during the pandemic would be rife with fraud. As evidence, Barr made a false claim on CNN that we indicted someone in Texas who had stolen 1,700 ballots. On an almost daily basis, Trump insists the only way he could lose to Joe Biden would be through widespread fraud. The paranoia is deepening throughout Trumpworld. The top communications official for the Department of Health and Human Services accused scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of sedition, playing politics to undermine president Trump. That spokesman, Michael Caputo, predicted that Trump would win the election but Biden would refuse to concede. And when Donald Trump refuses to stand down at the inauguration, the shooting will begin, he said on social media. The drills that youve seen are nothing. If you carry guns, buy ammunition, ladies and gentlemen, because its going to be hard to get. After those tirades, Caputo announced that he was taking a leave of absence to focus on his health and family. But it raises the question: How did someone so reckless ever get that high-level job? And why was he not fired? There is only one vaccine to this mounting authoritarian threat to the republic. Register. Vote. John Diaz is The San Francisco Chronicles editorial page editor. Email: jdiaz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnDiazChron Rice from a paddy in the Jookdong-dong area of Busan's Gangseo District is harvested. Korea Times file By Ko Dong-hwan Various Korean rice types were tested in 2010 to see how they would grow in higher temperatures brought about by climate change. The testing was based on general circulation model (GCM) scenarios and virtual models called crop environment resource synthesis (CERES). It was conducted by agro-climate change and ecology researchers from the state-run National Institute of Agricultural Sciences. The results were startling. Compared to Korea's average temperature between 1971 and 2000, a test scenario with a rise of 2 degrees Celsius showed rice yields would fall by 4.5 percent. The figure was 8.2 percent with a 3 degree rise. When the test used the United Kingdom Meteorological Office's carbon dioxide-based scenario known to forecast higher temperatures than other virtual climate models the yield fall was 15 percent. One of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's future climate trajectories, which incorporated intensifying greenhouse gas concentrations worldwide, also showed that Korea's rice production would sustain a huge hit, according to the Gyeonggi Province Agricultural Research and Extension Services. Under a Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 a scenario in which greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise throughout the 21st century yields were expected to drop by almost 14 percent by 2040 compared to 2020. "If the temperature keeps surging and we don't come up with any measures, we could see our rice yields fall by as much as 40.1 percent at the end of this century," Kim Joon-hwan, from the National Institute of Crop Science's (NICS) Crop Production and Physiology Division, told The Korea Times. The forecasts are frightening in a country where rice has been a food staple for centuries. In fact, Korea is experiencing a greater rise in average temperatures than many other countries. According to Choi Byung-yeol from the Gyeonggi agricultural services' Crop Research Division, Korea saw a 1.5 degree Celsius rise in average temperature in the 100 years from 1912, whereas the global average was 0.7 degrees. The country's food self-sufficiency in 2018 stood at just 21 percent down from 94 percent in 1965 according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. This means that Korea relies heavily on other countries and could suffer a huge impact if there are hiccups in the global food supply chain. In this August 2018 photo, a rice paddy in Hampyeong village in South Jeolla Province's Hampyeong County is arid after groundwater evaporated in an extreme heat wave. Yonhap "The COVID-19 global pandemic has brought fears of a global food crisis," Choi told The Korea Times. "The United Nations World Food Programme has forecast that the global population in food poverty will jump from 130 million to 260 million by the end of 2020. "We have also seen news that major agro-exporters such as Vietnam, Russia, Serbia, Pakistan, Cambodia and Thailand have started limiting exports to protect their own food security. This so-called food nationalism lockdown is becoming real. But what poses a greater threat is not something instantaneous like COVID-19. It is agro-environmental changes due to climate change's impacts that have been happening for much longer." The country's agro-experts have been monitoring rising temperatures in Korea because of their effect on rice growth, yield and quality. In Suwon, in Korea's central Gyeonggi Province, average temperatures during the rice growing period from May to October rose by 1.5 degrees Celsius between 1964 and 2018. During 2000-2019, the figure rose by 1.1 degrees. Choi said temperatures throughout Gyeonggi had risen by 0.3 degrees every decade since 1970, but recently the trend has accelerated. While climate change's two most defining effects are elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide and temperature, it is the latter that seriously affects rice production. During rice's heading stage when panicles are fully visible when the temperature is 35 degrees or higher, it affects pollen and makes pollination unlikely to succeed, according to Jung Jong-tae from the Chungcheongnam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services. He told The Korea Times that extreme heat had increased the unsuccessful pollination rate in 2018. "For Japonica rice in Korea, the right temperature for the 40 days of the ripening period following its heading stage is 21 to 22 degrees Celsius," Jung said. "But if higher temperatures persist during that period, alpha-amylase, an enzyme in rice, becomes more active and dissipates starch inside the grains. It affects rice quality and yield as more grains become smaller and opaque in color, the grains' protein level increases and fewer grains become available for polishing." Evaluators taste a new rice type, Chamdream, at Gyeonggi Province Agricultural Research and Extension Services in Hwaseong in November 2019. It was developed by the agency and has improved flavor and a high tolerance of insects. Yonhap According to Ahn Gyu-nam from the South Jeolla Agricultural Research and Extension Services, rising temperatures affect rice ripening. Higher temperatures, especially during the 20 days following the heading stage, severely damage yields. "Rising temperatures shorten the grain's growth period, especially for those that take longer than other types to ripen," Ahn told The Korea Times. "Although we alternated timings for seeding to accommodate climate change's impact, it eventually shortens the growth period before heading." Citing NICS research from 2018 that forecast climate conditions for Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, during 2051-60 based on the RCP 8.5 scenario, Ahn said increased temperatures "sped up the grains' growth rate and reduced the time taken for the grains to reach the heading stage by five days." This ultimately "decreased the proportion of ripened grains significantly whereas unripe grains greatly increased." To meet harsh climate conditions expected in the future, Korean rice experts began searching for strong local types and studied their genes to develop new "super rice." GETTYIMAGESBANK It takes 15 to 20 years to develop and introduce a new genetically improved rice type to weather harsher climate conditions. Korea has seen some new types developed that have proven stronger than their predecessors. But doubts remain whether these improved types will keep up with future climate conditions, prompting experts to urge faster research and development for a "super rice" before it is too late. "Despite climate change's effects in Korea, our rice production has so far been on the rise because of our new rice types," Joo Ok-jung from Gyeonggi agricultural services told The Korea Times. The agency found that Samgwang, a rice type developed during the 2000s, yielded more than those from the 1990s, and even more than earlier types. Joo planted Chucheong (a rice type developed before 2000) and Samgwang two major types grown in Gyeonggi in a 1,000 square meter plot and compared their yields from 2009 until 2019. The average annual yield for Samgwang was 574 kilograms, while that of Chucheong was 519, meaning the former had better adaptability to rising temperatures. "Better rice types are born after their strength is proven in a number of encounters with high temperatures, typhoons, blight and harmful insects," Joo said. "So the more recently developed types are equipped with a stronger natural resistance." A rice paddy in North Gyeongsang Province was flooded in September this year after a series of typhoons hit the country. Courtesy of Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Government Gyeonggi agricultural services has begun developing rice types that pollinate and ripen well in high temperatures and can withstand diseases like bakanea. This makes the infected seeds grow at least 1.5 times bigger than normal and they die within the first two weeks. "One of the new rice types we are working on will withstand the tropical climate Korea might experience in future, so we are researching genes that allow grains to ripen at high temperatures," Joo said. "Our other upcoming new breeds have been designed to withstand a shortage of water and fertilizers, so as to be more effective for a future climate than the present one." Other super breeds have been created by Chungcheongnam-do agricultural services. Bbareumi buds and ripens before summer's extreme heat arrives in Korea in June. Baekokhyang, in contrast, starts to grow after late August when summer is almost over. Sebi, another super rice developed by a Sejong University professor's team, has genes that allow pollination at 40 degrees Celsius, according to Jung. "Future rice types must pollinate well under extreme heat, and not trigger alpha-amylase to keep the grains healthy and transparent, and have low protein levels," Jung said. "Each of these traits means a defense against climate change's various impacts like extreme heat, drought and flooding." Korean researchers' hunt for stronger rice types dates back more than a decade. Seoul National University's Department of Plant Science tested Hwaseong and Dasan in 2008 and 2009, respectively, and found the former superior. They saw that Hwaseong had a significant number of grains failing to ripen and a loss in yield when the temperature was raised by 5 degrees Celsius, whereas Dasan showed such signs between 1.5 and 3 degrees. "Nurturing rice types that are not sensitive to high temperatures or developing new ones with such traits will reduce the risk of yield loss due to climate change," the school researchers concluded. Kim said NICS has also recently found that Jowun, Manan, Dongan and Ilmi are particularly strong Korean rice types with little change in quality or yield in high temperatures. "We have been paying more attention to high temperature's detrimental effect of reducing rice yields because of grains' shortened growth period and increased respiration volume than CO2's positive effect of increasing the grains' photosynthesis volume and thereby increasing its yield," Kim said. Chungcheongnam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services demonstrates Bbareumi's fast growth in July by transplanting seedlings on one side of a paddy and harvesting them from the other. The banner in the background reads Bbareumi is "Korea's first rice type that can be harvested twice a year, in July and October." Yonhap But "super rice" cannot be a silver bullet by itself. Agricultural methods specialized to help rice grow under extreme conditions are also required for future production. Planting rice later than the conventional season of spring to see its budding past summer's extreme heat is one way, according to Joo. This method is possible as spring and fall in Korea become shorter and summer comes earlier. Chungcheongnam-do agricultural services found that under temperatures of 26 degrees Celsius or higher for 20 days following the heading stage, irrigation with flowing water increased yields up to 14 percent compared to stagnant water. The experts also recommended against using nitrous fertilization. Joo said the chemical hampers budding at high temperatures and lowers resistance to harmful insects. Restricting arsenic in any form of fertilization is another key. Unlike the United States and China, where arsenic levels have often been high, in Korea, the chemical in over 1,100 rice samples was found at an average of 0.06 milligrams per kilogram, below the country's standard of 0.2, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's 2015 finding. Arsenic and extreme heat were found to cause double the threat to rice production, according to a Stanford University Earth System Science Department 2019 study. "Korean rice so far seems safe from arsenic," Jung said. "But if Stanford's study is true, the chemical in high temperatures could pose a new threat." Would you prefer the next Broncos ownership group include John Elway or Peyton Manning? You voted: What religion has to do with this time of racial unrest In many ways, the ongoing story of protests in American streets against racial injustice has deep roots in religion. That's certainly true of misguided and misused religion that tolerated, if not actively encouraged, slavery -- and then, when the Civil... This former Kansas City newsman shares a perspective that's certain to anger nearly EVERYONE without any hope of a culture war solution or respite. Read more: Regarding As wildfires ravage West, Biden avoids climate focus (Front Page, Sept. 13): So Joe Biden hasnt prioritized climate change in his campaign and rhetoric. I get how disappointing that is: Im a climate activist living in todays California! But blaming Biden distracts you from doing something productive about it. Bidens job right now is to win an election. If youre a politician out to win, you pay attention to what voters tell you. And voters, particularly in battleground states, are putting the environment and climate change toward the bottom of their priority list. A meaningful action is to take part in the get-out-the-vote campaign for voters who prioritize the environment. The Environmental Voter Project is an organization contacting inactive environmentalists and then turning them into consistent activists and voters. If we get enough environmental-priority people to become reliable voters politicians will start to talk climate sense. Dont blame Biden for listening to voters go get environmentalists to vote! Stuart Collins, San Francisco Donate to fire victims Thousands of Californians have lost everything in the fires. Many fled their homes with only the clothes on their backs. This means they are without even the basic necessities like underwear or socks. I went through my closet last night and picked out jeans, shoes, shirts and sweaters I never wear. Im guessing you could do the same thing. Lets all pull together and donate these and other items to Californians far less fortunate than we are now. Denny Freidenrich, Laguna Beach (Orange County) End the War on Drugs Regarding Blame open drug dealing as overdose deaths soar (Bay Area, Phil Matier, Sept. 13): Is it not time to deal with drugs as a public health issue, generally ending the so-called war on drugs? Criminalizing drugs is no more effective than Prohibition was with regard to alcohol. I say legalize, regulate and tax all drugs. Drug use should become criminal only if the user commits a crime while under the influence. Agatha Hoff, San Francisco Grow firefighting force Two recent letters rightly called for action regarding climate change. However, in addition to long-range actions, such as far more renewable energy and electric cars, we also need immediate action to tackle the climate emergency. Fire season requires fast action to prevent the degradation of our lives, not to mention the probable reduction of property values. The brave and hard-working people at Cal Fire are woefully undermanned for the scale of climate emergency we are seeing. How about a modern and large firefighting force that has an air force (manned and unmanned) and massive and well-equipped ground-component divisions? Do we need 100,000 people? Probably. The new fire prediction center at San Jose State University would fit right in with this new force. Perhaps a two-year commitment for a young person out of high school would get them free college tuition (a state G.I. Bill). It would cost a lot, but higher property taxes (on the ballot now) might be just the way to pay for this and protect our property. The social and environmental benefits could be enormous. Steve Goldberg, San Francisco Well-deserved scrutiny Regarding In climate crisis, city squabbles over fixes (Bay Area, Sept. 13): Heather Knights entertaining broadside against public process comes just as UC Berkeley was fined $2.35 million for having egregiously misstated crime statistics as required by the Clery Act, and the California Supreme Court sustained a neighborhood groups suit for the universitys failure to consider the local impacts of enrollment expansion. The scrutiny of public process may appear tedious to administrators who stand under the spotlight, but the courts and the Department of Education, at least, recognize its profound utility. Carol Denney, Berkeley Passing on the blame I read with interest Insult to intelligence (Letters, Sept. 14): Why are some people so intent on blaming President Trump for not protecting us from the pandemic? This statement sounds silly. Dont individuals make decisions for themselves? I expect the majority prefer to blame someone else for their failures (no matter what they may be), and in this case, the most convenient person would be The Donald. Really, now! Kabul, Sep 20 : Afghanistan's Defence Ministry on Sunday said 4,776 IEDs were discovered and defused across the country in the past six months. In a statement, the Ministry said the IEDs had been planted by the Taliban on public roads, in residential areas and on highways, reports TOLO News. "Lives of thousands of civilians were saved and hundreds of kilometres of roads and hundreds of bridges and culverts were preserved as a result of defusing the 4,776 IEDs," the statement said. The Ministry said that although the use of IEDs was in serious violation of international human rights laws, unfortunately, the Taliban continue to apply it as war tactic. In July, official Afghan security data seen by TOLO News indicated that 2,685 civilians were killed or wounded in the five months from January 21 to June 20. The data also revealed that that 351 civilians were killed or wounded between January 21 and February 19, and the casualties increased to 553 between February 20 to March 19. The rise in civilian casualties and attacks by the Taliban have been sharply criticized by foreign diplomats and critics who say the violence should be reduced to move the peace process forward. Over a month after expelling Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria, Pakistan on Sunday refused to grant visa to diplomat Jayant Khobragade, who has been appointed as Indias charge daffaires in Islamabad. The development is expected to further downgrade diplomatic ties between the two belligerent neighbours. The bilateral relations have taken a major hit, following Indias decision to revoke Article 370 and bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir region into two union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in August 2019, resulting in a near standstill in ties. India officially proposed Khobragades name in June this year. Islamabads move to oppose visa is reportedly due to Khobragades seniority, The Times of India reported. Pakistan reportedly considers the diplomat too senior to lead the Indian mission, especially after its strength has been halved. Diplomatically, Pakistan does not have a say on who India appoints as its diplomats and rejecting a visa to a high-level appointee is a rarity. New Delhi is likely to now respond with reciprocal action. An IFS officer of 1995 batch, Khobragade, has served in Pakistan earlier, is at present the joint secretary in the Department of Atomic Energy. Prior to this, he has served as Indian ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic. Later, he worked with Indian missions in Russia, Spain and Kazakhstan. India recently described Pakistan as an epicenter of terrorism and said no one deserves unsolicited lecture on human rights from Islamabad that has consistently persecuted its ethnic and religious minorities including Hindus, Sikhs and Christians. Exercising the Right of Reply to the statements made by Pakistan at the 45th session of Human Rights Council (HRC) here, the Indian representative said that it has become habitual for Pakistan to malign India with false and fabricated narratives for its self-serving malicious purposes. Neither India nor others deserve this unsolicited lecture on human rights from a country that has consistently persecuted its ethnic and religious minorities, is an epicenter of terrorism, has the distinction of providing pensions to individuals on UN Sanctions list and has a Prime Minister who proudly admits training tens of thousands of terrorists to fight in Jammu and Kashmir," the Indian diplomat said. Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected to raise the issue of Jammu and Kashmir again in his United Nations General Assembly address on September 25. CALHOUN COUNTY, MI Police are searching for suspects from at least two car break-ins that happened early Saturday morning in Calhoun County. Police responded to a report of a vehicle break-in at 4 a.m. Sept. 19, in the area of Sunset Boulevard and Capital Avenue in Pennfield Charter Township, according to the Calhoun County Sheriffs Office. A witness told police they had found four men ransacking their vehicle, police said. The men reportedly fled the scene after the homeowners dog began barking, police said. During an investigation, police said they found another car that had been broken into on Sunset Boulevard. Police are asking the public for help with any information or video from these neighborhoods from Saturday morning. Anyone with information can call the sheriffs office at 269-781-0880, Calhoun County Dispatch at 269-781-0911 or Silent Observer at 269-964-3888. As local activists face fines for organizing unpermitted events, some Charlottesville officials and city councilors are at odds over the citys approach to a planned Aug. 12 demonstration and its slow move to issue the fines. The city has started cracking down on events that dont receive a permit in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Robert Gray received a $500 fine for the Juneteenth celebration in Washington Park. Zyahna Bryant was fined $500 on Sept. 4 for organizing the Black Joy Fest without a permit, according to a letter obtained under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. She did not return a request for comment. As of Friday, the city is still reviewing the use of Market Street Park for the Reclaim the Park event on Aug. 12, even though it occurred four days after Bryants Black Joy Fest and its been two weeks since she was fined. The city stopped issuing special event permits on March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All fines have been issued for violating the event regulations rather than an ordinance limiting in-person gatherings to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The citys operating procedures for special events make exceptions for events of fewer than 50 people and demonstrations that occur without prior planning or announcement as a spontaneous response to a newsworthy occurrence. Council concern Outgoing City Manager Tarron Richardson, whose last day is Sept. 30, issued a warning ahead of the Aug. 12 event to community organizers saying they could be cited for it. His statement focused on the citys ordinance intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus and highlighted dangers of non-permitted events. According to emails obtained through FOIA, Richardsons statement was supported by leadership in the police and fire departments, but received pushback from Councilors Michael Payne and Sena Magill for holding a hard line around a delicate subject. While Magill and Payne wrote that they understood the strain that the events placed on city resources, they felt the planned tone of Richardsons statement could spark turmoil around the anniversary of the deadly 2017 Unite the Right rally. The way this particular release has been worded will potentially light a match, Magill wrote. The trauma that people are still experiencing is very real, the need for the community to express that is just as important as the precautions we need to take regarding covid. According to the emails, the statement was revised before it was published. In further exchanges, some councilors were concerned about the citys slow response to the events. They were worried that an extended review process could undermine the need to exercise equal enforcement of its regulations. In late August, Richardson issued a stronger statement saying that the city has supported the communitys right to peaceably assemble, but that obstructing city streets and using parks without the proper permits will no longer be allowed. The statement said that organizers of previous events would be fined, but at the time not all had received a penalty. The statement appeared to reignite simmering tensions between Richardson and the council and came two weeks before the two parties announced they had mutually agreed to part ways. In an email to Richardson the night after the statement was released, Mayor Nikuyah Walker asked if only the Juneteenth organizer had been fined and, if so, that isnt fair and should be corrected. Walker, who indicated she had asked the questions in a text message as well and hadnt received an answer, asked if Richardson had decided only to fine Gray and what led to his decision. In response, Richardson first detailed a paragraph about his whereabouts since Walkers text and why he hadnt yet responded. He said that he was reviewing the events and the Juneteenth event was already fined because Gray had agreed to pay it rather than cancel the event. Walker responded that Richardsons first paragraph was unnecessary and rude per usual. She said the events dont need an extended review process. These events did not need further review. Youve been present for all of them, you know which ordinance was in effect, and you know the amount that each event costs the City, she wrote. If youre not fining everyone who has had an event, you shouldnt fine anyone. Its simple. Councilor Heather Hill responded that it was her understanding organizers would be fined for all events that were not spontaneous demonstrations, which Richardson confirmed. I do agree that it should not be a lengthy process to evaluate this and it is important for the community to understand sooner versus later that we are being consistent, she wrote. Councilors have noted the city is trying to strike a difficult balance between public safety and free speech. Magill said Saturday the regulations are especially difficult with the convergence of the pandemic and ongoing unrest around police brutality and systemic racism. We are trying to navigate two pandemics. Many of the protests are bringing forward that theres been this other pandemic going on for hundreds of years and it has to stop and theyve been saying it has to stop and its not stopping. And we have to stop it, she said. These protests are just as important because so many people think were done with it. There are still so many people who dont think theyre racist when they have racial bias and they dont realize they do and dont want to believe they do. Hill said Friday enforcing the ordinance is very challenging because we do care about this community. Its a very delicate balance of wanting to be sure we allow people to express themselves while keeping our community safe, she said. Its really important were consistent with enforcing our ordinances. Staffs concerns Meanwhile, Police Chief RaShall Brackney has pushed for stronger enforcement measures while Neighborhood Development Services Director Alex Ikefuna said downtown business owners could call the police with concerns about an activist group delivering aid. Jason Ness, the citys business development manager, wrote in an Aug. 18 email that he had been approached by Downtown Mall business owners with concerns about a tent that had been routinely set up on the mall. The tent, operated by the Charlottesville Black Youth Action Committee, was used as the focal point to distribute food and water for people who are homeless. The committee also accepted monetary donations for community organizations, but didnt overtly use the tent for a fundraiser. Ness wrote that the organizers were using a tent and amplified sound without a permit. He said one business owner called the police over a dispute with those at the table so there are larger issues at play. Ness said downtown business owners supported the committees cause, but were concerned that if they were allowed to operate without a permit that a group with offensive ideas could receive the same leeway. Im not sure what are the exact next steps but if this group continues to plan to set up on the Mall, then it is in the Citys best interest to ensure all vendors are treated the same and held to the same expectations, Ness wrote. Assistant Zoning Administrator Craig Fabio told Ness the tent didnt require a vending permit and he felt it should fall under special event regulations. He said it could be considered a demonstration, but if it was that the group should not use the tent for safety reasons. Ikefuna wrote to Ness that the police department is responsible for enforcing the noise ordinance and, therefore, business owners should contact officers if there is a noise concern. It is more effective to call the police when the violation is occurring rather than after the fact, he wrote. Brackney wrote to city leadership about a planned event on Aug. 21 with contact information for the organizers, one of whom she said was a University of Virginia student. Brackney came under fire this summer after Virginia State Police troopers were seen using city vehicles to respond to a nonviolent rally protesting police brutality. In response to Brackneys email, Interim Fire Chief Emily Pelliccia noted UVa has a portal for community members to report violations of its coronavirus regulations, whether on Grounds or not. Brackney was concerned about events calling for attendees not to notify or speak with police or the media, saying they were cause for a heightened level of concern. We need to do something about these events and the strain they are putting on City resources, she wrote. She also notified city leaders about a planned event by activist Tanesha Hudson later this month, writing Another park event this is getting out of control. Councilor Lloyd Snook said the city has a legitimate interest in controlling demonstrations that disrupt traffic, or that monopolize a city park. If someone wants to stage a demonstration that blocks important intersections at rush hour, the city is allowed to say, Not then, not there. Two hours earlier or later, or in the Park; just not then and there, he said. That power to regulate the when and where of demonstrations is not unlimited, but nor is the freedom of protesters to choose the when and where. Snook said if the city allows protests to violate the coronavirus regulations on crowd sizes, it would hypothetically have less legal standing at a fraternity party. Above all, Magill noted, the city is focused on the coronavirus pandemic. While most protesters or demonstrators may follow safety measures, Magill said, the city doesnt have the resources nor does it want to go through a crowd and ensure that every single person is being safe. We dont want to be some sort of dictatorship thats going through and checking peoples papers, she said. We want the police as far away from free speech protesting as possible. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. By PTI NEW DELHI: Hong Kong has banned Air India flights from Sunday to October 3 after a few passengers on its flight on Friday tested positive for COVID-19 post-arrival, a senior government official said on Sunday. Air India passenger flights were barred from landing in Hong Kong between August 18 and August 31 after 14 passengers on its Delhi-Hong Kong flight of August 14 tested positive for COVID-19 post-arrival. Passengers from India can arrive in Hong Kong only if they have a COVID-19 negative certificate from a test done within 72 hours prior to the journey, according to rules issued by the Hong Kong government in July. Moreover, all international passengers are required to undergo a post-flight COVID-19 test at the Hong Kong airport. A spokesperson of the national carrier confirmed the recent order, saying, "Hong Kong has prohibited Air India for two weeks -- September 20 to October 3." "There is only one flight scheduled in the two weeks -- the Delhi-Hong Kong flight of September 21. That flight is cancelled and the passengers have been informed," the spokesperson added. Air India Express had on Friday said its flights were suspended for 24 hours by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) for bringing two passengers with COVID-positive certificates on August 28 and September 4. Air India Express, which is a subsidiary of Air India, resumed its Dubai flights on Saturday. According to rules in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), every passenger travelling from India is required to bring an original COVID-negative certificate of an RT-PCR test done within 96 hours prior to the journey. "A few passengers on a September 18 Delhi-Hong Kong flight tested positive for COVID-19 post arrival," the senior government official said. "As a result, Air India's flights have been banned from September 20 to October 3 by the Hong Kong government," the official added. Besides India, a pre-flight COVID-19 negative certificate is mandatory for all passengers from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Africa and the US, according to the Hong Kong government's rules. An airline operating a flight to Hong Kong from any of these nine countries has to submit a form before departure, stating that all passengers on board have COVID-19 negative certificates. Scheduled international passenger flights continue to remain suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, special international flights have been operating with the approval of aviation regulator DGCA. Air India has been operating special international flights since May 6 under the Vande Bharat Mission to help stranded people reach their destinations. Since July, India has established separate bilateral air bubble arrangements with countries such as the US, Germany, France, the UAE, the UK and the Maldives for international flight operations. Under a bilateral air bubble pact, the airlines of both countries can operate international flights with certain restrictions. Flash The Syrian government on Saturday expressed support for the China-proposed Global Initiative on Data Security that aims to tackle issues emerging in the field of data security. In a statement carried by state news agency SANA, the Syrian foreign ministry said that in light of the information revolution, digital economy, and within the framework of keenness on data security, the Syrian government strongly backs the Chinese initiative on data security. The initiative, it said, will work on maintaining an open, secure, and stable supply chain, as well as oppose destroying essential infrastructure and misusing information technology for other countries. The ministry's statement further hailed the initiative as "an additional step taken by China towards a world dominated by equality in opportunities, justice, freedom and respect and protection of nations and ideas." The initiative deserves the support of all countries keen on the security of global data and the development of the digital economy, it added. On Sept. 8, China proposed its global initiative on data security to respond to new issues and challenges emerging in the field of data security and contribute to global digital governance. The proposal was made when Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the International Seminar on Global Digital Governance via video link. Wang said as the digital economy is thriving in China, the country has played a constructive role in multilateral discussions on data security including at the United Nations, the Group of 20, BRICS, and the ASEAN Regional Forum. "We look forward to the active participation of all parties," he said. According to Wang, the initiative is comprised of eight key points. He suggested that states should handle data security in a comprehensive, objective, and evidence-based manner, and maintain an open, secure, and stable supply chain of global information and communications technology products and services. Police killed all three perpetrators at the time; the trial is focused on 14 alleged accomplices, accused of obtaining weapons and providing other support. Still, the proceedings have captivated the nation and are seen as historically significant. Although not being broadcast live, the trial is the first of its kind to be filmed for archival purposes. The First Lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo has toured parts of the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency in the Greater Accra region to rally for more votes for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the December elections. The First Lady first graced the graduation ceremony of the National Vocational Training Institute where a batch of returnees trained under German and Ghana governments' training project, and were given startups to ply their vocation. Mrs Akufo-Addo stated that vocational training was crucial for the development and growth of the country since it provided job opportunities for the youth. She said it was imperative for all stakeholders to collaborate with the government to help sustain such institutions. Mrs Akufo-Addo also encouraged the trainee beneficiaries to put the skills they had acquired into productive ventures and also make the best out of the startup tools and kits to become ambassadors of Technical and Vocational Education Training, (TVET). During her tour of the Constituency, Mrs Akufo-Addo donated hospital supplies on behalf of her Rebecca Foundation to the Legon Hospital. The items included beds, nose masks, sanitizers, thermometer guns, droplers, bed sheets, diapers and blankets. She commended the hospital staff for their commitment during the trying times of the COVID-19 pandemic and pledged her foundations continuous support to help the health sector. The First Lady again attended a durbar of Chiefs at Bawaleshie in the Constituency. She reminded the chiefs and people of the efforts of the Akufo-Addo-led Government in nation building, creating sustainable livelihoods for its citizens hence the need to retain the NPP in power. She also appealed to the Constituents to reelect Ms Lydia Seyram Alhassan, the incumbent Member of Parliament for the area. Ms Alhassan, on her part, said she would canvass for more development Project for her constituents when reelected. She recounted that through her foundation, she had been able to give scholarships to many brilliant but needy tertiary students in the Constituency and initiated the construction of a health facility at Mempeasem, which was about 70 per cent complete, among other projects. 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 WASHINGTON President Trump said on Saturday that he had approved a deal between the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok and major American companies, an agreement that will delay the U.S. governments threat to block the popular app in the United States over national security concerns. The deal, which must still gain formal U.S. approval, would create a new U.S.-based company, TikTok Global, in which Oracle, an American software maker, and Walmart would own 20 percent, placing more equity in the service into the hands of American companies and investors. While the structure falls short of an all-out sale of TikTok, it is still a concession by ByteDance, TikToks Chinese owner one that has apparently satisfied the administrations concerns about Chinas ability to harness data from users of the app. The Commerce Department, which planned to bar TikTok from U.S. app stores as of midnight Sunday, said that it would delay that plan for one week. The deal capped weeks of drama over the fate of TikTok that underscored how much relations between the United States and China have deteriorated, with their race for technological superiority and their mutual suspicions extending to a social media platform known for silly video clips and a trendsetting, mostly young user base of 100 million people in the United States. The Secret Service and the FBI are investigating an envelope that was mailed to U.S. President Donald Trump. The envelope tested positive for the deadly poison ricin, according to officials on September 19. What is ricin? The envelope containing the poison was shipped from Canada, and a field test showed that the poison in it is ricin. Ricin can be made from castor beans, but its effectiveness as a poison depends on the care with which it is made. In some past ricin letters, the material was not concentrated enough to be deadly. The FBI's Washington Field Office said in a statement that federal agents are currently investigating a suspicious letter that was received at a U.S. government mail facility. The statement added that there is no known threat to public safety as of this time. Officials stated that the U.S Postal Inspection Service is also investigating the incident. The mail addressed to the White House is pre-screened, and it is tested for dangerous substances at an off-site mail facility. Also Read: Sen. Lindsey Graham Says Trump Should Release Tax Returns, Suggests Rival Should Do the Same There have been numerous cases of ricin in the mail sent to the White House in the past decade. One instance was back in 2013 in which a man in Mississippi sent a letter with ricin to President Barack Obama as part of a strange plot to frame an Elvis impersonator with whom he was feuding, according to Washington Post. Ricin can be deadly if it is ingested or inhaled, but touching it is unlikely to be fatal. Ricin has no antidote, and symptoms of ricin poisoning include fever, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, and vomiting. Letter came from Canada On September 19, the RCMP said that it is working with the FBI after federal U.S. officials intercepted an envelope addressed to the White House that has the poison ricin. Spokesperson Dan Brien told CBC News that the RCMP could confirm that it has received a request for assistance from the FBI in connection with a suspicious letter sent to the White House. Brien stated that the initial information from the investigation suggests that the letter originated in Canada. He said that he could not offer more details at this time. A spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said that his department was aware of the reports. The FBI, Secret Service, and the U.S Postal Inspection Service were leading the investigation. Deaths connected to ricin Several deaths have resulted after a victim was injected with ricin. People have been poisoned from eating castor beans, but most of the cases that involve eating castor beans do not result in poisoning because it is difficult for the digestive system to release the ricin from the beans. This means that ricin is not as well absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract, compared with inhalation or injection. The first known case of ricin poisoning happened in 1978 in London, UK, when Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov was jabbed in the leg in public on Waterloo Bridge in the middle of London by a man using a weapon built into an umbrella. The last recorded case of ricin was in 2018 when police raided an apartment in central Cologne and found a massive amount of Castor Beans and ricin powder and paste, according to The Telegraph. The investigators had found three mobile phones among the possession of the suspect, in one of which many messages along with instructions on how to make a bomb were found. The suspect had also acquired the means to make ricin poison from castor beans. Related Article: WHO Says Vaccine Not the Ultimate Solution for COVID-19 @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Figure 8: Manholes and pipes. Design steps: o Draw the main pipes as polylines using AutoCAD, and at each manhole, begin a new polyline. o Open a new file in the Sewer GEMS, user data extension, then right-click on conduit, and add a new field with the name cad for example. o Import the cad file containing the main pipes as DXF file, in the Sewer GEMS, by clicking on Model Builder o Change the units to m and establish connectivity using spatial data with a tolerance of 1 m. o Table type is a conduit, Key fields are labeled then, select the field layer and choose cad as property. o We will obtain a plan containing the main pipes with a manhole at each new polyline (Fig 8). o Select the outlet point and make it an outfall. o Make an excel sheet to find the sanitary load at each manhole. o Change the size of the Manholes to be larger, by clicking on manhole, label, and change the height multiplier. o Click on conduit catalog and add define 4 different conduit diameters of PVC material: inside diameter of 300, 200, 50, and 100 mm. Mannings coefficient = 0.013 and Hazen Williams coefficient = 130.The material is PVC. The diameters are small when dealing with camps (not buildings with so many floors). o Click on unit sanitary load, and add the unit sanitary load = 30 L/Person/day in the camp. o Select Design constraints, and modify the default design constraints for the velocity to be between 0.6 and 0.9 m/s, the % full to be 85 %, the cover to be between 0 and 2 m, and the piping matching to be at the crowns. o Then modify the slopes: Set the maximum slope = 0.01, and the minimum slope varies according to the rise: for a rise = 50 mm slope = 0.01, rise = 100 mm slope = 0.008, rise = 150 mm slope = 0.004, rise = 200 mm slope = 0.003. o Click on extreme flows, then add the values of the constants in Babbitt equation: Population unit is Capita * 103, c1 = c3 = m1 =0, c2 = 5, e1 = m2 = 1 and e2 = 0.2. o Select the manholes, and select the unit sanitary dry weather load, loading unit count = 0. o Add in the loading unit conduit column, the values calculated in the excel file for each manhole. o Flex table manhole, set ground elevation = 0.5 m to have different levels of rim and invert elevation. o Click on Options to modify the base calculation options. Select the calculation type Design, and select false in the case of use pumped flow. o Click on compute. Try to not have any errors and any warnings. If you have a warning, the Sewer GEMS will compute and give answers but it will not if you have any error. o In the results Flex conduit table, the diameters of the pipes are 50 in the beginning of the pipe where the flow is small, then the diameter increases to 100 mm in some regions near the outfall where the largest flow. Figure 9: Profile 1. o Click on view, profiles, new, and select the profiles needed (Fig.9). o Select view, profiles, and double click on each profile to obtain the elevations at each station, or right-click, view engineering profile to obtain a detailed drawing of the pipes (Fig. 10). Figure 10: Engineering profile 1. o The Sewer GEM software will do the design of the network and find the profile of the elevation of the pipes, the diameter, length and depth of excavation, and of fill needed for each pipe, in addition to the flow capacity. China late Friday flew at least 19 fighter jets and bombers into Taiwan airspace just ahead of a series of meetings between a senior American diplomat and leaders of the self-ruled island, according to the R.O.C Ministry of National Defense. Why it matters: The Chinese military display during Undersecretary of State Keith Krach's visit, the highest-ranking State Department official to visit the island since the U.S. cut ties with Taipei in 1979, comes as a warning to Taiwan and the U.S. about their increasing political and military cooperation, the New York Times reports. Taiwan's status is one of the most sensitive issues between the U.S. and China. Beijing considers the island part of Chinese territory, while the U.S. and Taiwan share a robust, though unofficial, relationship and have committed to assisting the island in maintaining its defensive capabilities. Context: The State Department said earlier this week that Krach was traveling to the island to attend a memorial service former President Lee Teng-hui, who died in July, according to the Wall Street Journal. The visit also came amid reports that the Trump administration plans to sell Taiwan $7 billion worth of weapons to bolster its defenses, the Financial Times and WSJ reported. The deal, which includes cruise missiles, mines and drones, would be the second largest package of weapons provided to Taiwan by the U.S. following a $8 billion arms deal in 2019. What they're saying: Those who play with fire are bound to get burned, Senior Col. Ren Guoqiang, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, said at a briefing in Beijing, according to the NYT. He added that the U.S. deepening its relationship with Taiwan amounts to what he called collusion. The big picture: Beijing recently conducted large-scale aerial and maritime exercises southwest of Taiwan, characterizing the drills as "legitimate and necessary for the mainland to protect its sovereignty and integrity," the BBC reports. Our thought bubble, via Axios' Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian: As the Trump administration moves toward closer ties with Taiwan, the Chinese government is signaling that it will meet each U.S. measure with a countermeasure of its own. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The signing of the Abraham Accords is an incredible achievement for the Trump administration. For the last three and a half years President Trump disregarded all conventional wisdom regarding the Middle East despite warnings from past presidents, State Department officials and diplomats around the world. Many thought that his new policies would end in death and destruction. How did he know what no one else did? How did he see peace when everyone else saw war? The answer lies with a concept called faith-based diplomacy. President Trump looks at Israel from a biblical point of view. He understands how the base of his voters looks at Israel, and when Bible-believing Christians voted for him, they made it clear that they wanted him to improve relations with Israel. Trump changed the course of Americas policy toward Israel, drastically altering the trajectory set by past presidents. He used the fact that his base was behind him to implement major policy shifts. These shifts were not necessarily politically correct, but they were biblically correct. Since former president Carter, the USs Middle East policy had viewed Israels occupation as responsible for the absence of peace in the Middle East. The PLOs aggression and refusal to either disavow terrorism or accept Israels right to exist were brushed aside. The Obama administration adopted the 1978 Hansell Memorandum, which condemned Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria, as US official policy. This State Department document was based on an erroneous interpretation of the Fourth Geneva Convention from 1949 and had no basis in international law. But Obamas acceptance of it enabled the UN Security Council to pass a resolution criminalizing Jewish communities beyond the 1949 armistice line. The Trump administration recognized the false narrative, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the administration was replacing the Hansell memo with an accurate assessment of international law. It is important that we speak the truth when the facts lead us to it. And thats what weve done, Pompeo announced in January 2020. President Trumps policies expose the corrupted narrative of his predecessors policies toward Iran and Israel. Trump ended the Obama doctrine on Israel. He stopped blaming Israel for the problems of the Middle East, and he started looking at how to strengthen the alliance between Israel and America. He refocused the story by seeing the situation as it is: that Israel is a small but flourishing democracy amid the hostile Middle East. This shift in perspective has allowed America and Israel to once again work together in harmony. Because many of Trumps core supporters are Bible-believing Christians who look at the world from a biblical point of view, he adopted their perspective and as a result made some bold decisions. The most notable example is moving the US embassy to Jerusalem. Every advisor, from the secretary of state at the time to his secretary of defense, told Trump that he was making a huge mistake. The State Department said that such an initiative would start a third Intifada and that thousands would be killed. It could lead to World War III. Even the Democrats who voted for the Jerusalem Embassy Act told him that it was not the right time, that such a move would cause incredible destabilization in the region. For this reason, other countries did not want to move their embassies. They feared the reaction by the Muslim world. Moving the embassy did not seem to be a smart political decision. But because Trumps base is Christian and expected him to do the biblically correct thing, rather than the politically correct thing, he did it. And that led to a huge policy shift. All the explosive reactions that people worried about never happened. And this has been the general counterintuitive trend. Decisions made solely from a political perspective, in the name of peace but at the expense of Israels security, end badly. But when decisions are made looking from a biblical point of view, things go right. People later realize that the threats were never followed through and their fears were unfounded. Adapted from TITUS, TRUMP, AND THE TRIUMPH OF ISRAEL Copyright 2020 by Josh Reinstein. Published by Gefen Publishing. Available wherever books are sold. Even then, goodbye dear Cherra, and your rain goodbye. I am off to my home, for my life is yonder, though my love is here. If you have not soaked yourself in the tumultuous rains of Cherrapunji, then possibly your affair with the rains is incomplete. The wettest place on earth got even wetter during the Covid-19 lockdown. According to the Meteorological Department at Sohra, this years rainfall in Cherrapunji has been the highest in 10 years. The monsoon has been late this year but good weather in lockdown finally induced good rains Going by the record for the last 10 years from January till August, Cherrapunji received 10,900 mm rainfall, which has been the highest in a decade, said Piyush Kumar Jha, Met in-charge, Sohra. Heres a look at the rainfall recorded in Cherrapunji for the January-August period in the last 10 years: 2020 10,900 mm 2019 7,736 mm 2018 6,291 mm 2017 9,913.4 mm 2016 9,182.7 mm 2015 10,637.5 mm 2014 8,483.4 mm 2013 6,411.6 mm 2012 10,591.4 mm 2011 7,691.4 mm The meteorological department states that India has received the highest rainfall in August this year since 1976 25 per cent more than the average, after recording 10 per cent less downpour than the average in July, thus setting a new record after 44 years. The IMD, however, has forecast that monsoon may slow down in September. One of the worlds wettest regions Cherrapunji in Meghalaya has an average annual precipitation of about 450 inches (11,430 mm) during monsoon season (from May to September). Unfortunately, the popular travel destination is devoid of tourists this season, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. The state has counted 4,557 coronavirus infections, of which 2,038 are active cases. The state borders remain closed for seven days in the beginning of every month as a precautionary measure. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has urged President Ram Nath Kovind to not give assent to the farm bills which were passed by Parliament on Sunday. SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal requested the President to return these bills to Parliament for reconsideration. The SAD, part of Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), had opposed the bills, calling them anti-farmers. Badal had on Saturday said that there can be no talks with the Centre until agriculture bills are taken back. Also read: 2 farm bills clear Rajya Sabha hurdle amid protests Badal said the passage of the bills marked a sad day for democracy and millions in the country. Democracy means consensus, not majority oppression, the SAD leader said in a statement shortly after Rajya Sabha passed two of the three bills. Please stand by the farmers, kisan mazdoors, arhtiyas, mandi labour and Dalits. Please intervene on their behalf with the government. Otherwise they will never forgive us, Badal said in the statement. The party showed its opposition in the Rajya Sabha too on Sunday. Its leader and Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal had resigned in protest against the bill. Dubbing the SAD chiefs sudden U-turn on the farm ordinances as a cheap gimmick to hoodwink the farming community, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday dared Sukhbir Singh Badal, to quit the BJP-led Centre to prove his partys sincerity in the matter. Amid an uproar by the Opposition, Rajya Sabha on Sunday passed the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. They were passed by Lok Sabha on Thursday. A third bill is yet to be passed in Rajya Sabha. There are times when I feel like Im at breaking point, Zara*, a mother-of-two facing eviction when the government lifts its ban in England and Wales this weekend, tells The Independent. I have an eight-year-old and a 16-year-old I havent told my daughter the complete reality of the situation because I know it would make her worry. As a parent you want to protect your children from stress of losing their home. We live in fear." Zara is one of hundreds of thousands of women who have lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic. She used to work for the local council facilitating parenting courses, but without a real contract in place, and has been unable to return to work. A report by the University of Exeter found that women are almost twice as likely as men to have lost their job during the pandemic with 7 per cent of women made redundant during the lockdown in comparison with 4 per cent of men. Women are always hardest hit with the burden falling particularly hard on single mothers, the 42-year-old says. A lot of the time, their jobs are quite precarious. We are facing a troubling cocktail of issues problems which they have always faced but the pandemic has exposed the problem and made it worse. Women are bearing the brunt because they are more likely to look after their children. Childcare is really expensive here. This has already prevented me from getting work, so Ive had to look for informal work, but the coronavirus has made childcare even harder to get hold of. The economy was geared against women and renters before coronavirus. Now the government is betraying those most hurt by the recession by letting the eviction ban lapse." Zara, who is a member of the London Renters Union, says a disproportionate number of the people who have recently approached them for help are women. The former council worker, who says she is very concerned about her childrens mental health, says she was not eligible to receive furlough payments from the government or reap the benefits of its self-employment support scheme. Her husband owns a small business, which has not received government support despite struggling to make ends meet during the coronavirus crisis, she adds. She says she got in touch with her landlord to explain that she and her husband are trying hard to obtain a loan, but the landlord has not responded. Frontline service providers say that women are disproportionately facing homelessness because of being hardest hit as the government lifts its ban on evictions in England and Wales this weekend. Charities say women are more likely to have fallen into rent arrears than men, as they are more likely to have lost their jobs during the pandemic. Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, director of Womens Budget Group, a network of leading academic researchers and policy experts that analyses government policy from a gender perspective, tells The Independent: In previous recessions, men have been more likely to lose their jobs, while women have been hit harder by cuts to public services. This recession is likely to be different. Most of the sectors that have been hardest hit by the crisis and are most vulnerable in the recession, such as retail, hospitality and the care sector, employ a majority of female staff. Closures in the childcare sector mean that women who rely on childcare in order to do paid work will struggle to get back to the workplace and may have to cut their hours if they go back at all. As womens employment and earnings are set to decrease, the lifting of the eviction ban is likely to have a particular impact on women. Our research has shown that pre-Covid housing was unaffordable for women in every English region with average rents taking up 43 per cent of womens median earnings and 28 per cent of mens. Women who were already struggling to pay rent are now likely to be at the forefront of eviction notices. MPs and charities have urged the government to urgently extend the ban on evictions to ensure that renters who have lost their jobs in the wake of the Covid-19 emergency and unprecedented economic downturn are not kicked out of their homes during autumn and winter. The ban was due to come to an end on 23 August but was extended by four weeks until this Sunday because of fierce criticism levelled at the government with courts able to begin eviction hearings from Monday. Joe Levenson, of Young Womens Trust, a charity that supports young women on low or no pay, tells The Independent that women may bear the brunt of the oncoming wave of eviction notices when the ban ends. He says: Even before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, young women, especially those struggling to live on low or no pay, were too often ignored, undervalued and underpaid. Despite women taking on countless extra hours of childcare, an increased chance of job losses and hit to their mental health, we have seen a total lack of a gendered response from the government to this crisis. From a young age, women are pushed into certain types of work like admin, retail, hospitality and the beauty industry. These are the very sectors that are taking the hit as we try to economically recover from coronavirus. We need to see a commitment from the government to ensure that their build, build, build agenda means investing in social infrastructure as much as physical. And that new jobs and opportunities dont just mean more jobs for the boys. But the government must also make employers immediately publish their redundancy and job-loss data by sex, ethnicity and disability so we can see and address the true impact on women and minorities, especially as the furlough scheme ends in October. Leading housing charity Shelter states that 322,000 private renters have fallen into arrears since the public health crisis began, while 174,000 were threatened with eviction by landlords or letting agents. Citizens Advice has found that an estimated 4 million have fallen behind on rent, council tax or a telecoms bill. The District Councils Network has warned that almost half a million who spend over half of their income forking out on rent could be at risk of eviction when the ban ends. This includes 108,000 lone parents with children and a further 100,000 who are aged between 16 and 24. Some 90 per cent of single parents are women. The present court system stipulates that anyone who accumulates rent arrears of eight weeks or more can be automatically evicted, on top of the risk of being subjected to a section 21 no fault eviction, which enables landlords to repossess properties at short notice without providing a reason. During the Covid-19 emergency, no legal evictions have been allowed, but landlords have nevertheless been permitted to serve notices. The Scottish government recently indicated plans to expand a similar eviction ban until spring 2021. *Zara's name has been changed to protect her identity US President Donald Trump's administration said late Saturday that all United Nations sanctions on Iran have been restored and a conventional arms embargo on the country will no longer expire in mid-October. But 13 of the 15 UN Security Council members, including long-time US allies, say Washington's move is void and diplomats say few countries are likely to reimpose the measures, which were lifted under a 2015 deal between world powers and Iran that aimed to stop Tehran developing nuclear weapons. "The return of sanctions today is a step toward international peace and security," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement. "In the coming days, the United States will announce a range of additional measures to strengthen implementation of UN sanctions and hold violators accountable." Here is a look at the events leading to this showdown and an explanation of what could happen next: WHY IS THE ARMS EMBARGO ON IRAN EXPIRING? The Security Council imposed an arms embargo on Iran in 2007. The embargo is due to expire on October 18, as agreed under the nuclear deal among Iran, Russia, China, Germany, Britain, France and the United States that seeks to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons in return for sanctions relief. It is enshrined in a 2015 Security Council resolution. In 2018, Trump quit the accord reached under his predecessor Barack Obama, calling it "the worst deal ever." The United States failed last month in a bid to extend the Iran embargo at the Security Council. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE 2015 NUCLEAR DEAL? The remaining parties to the nuclear deal have said they are committed to maintaining the agreement. Iran has said it would remain in place despite the US move at the United Nations. Britain, France and Germany told the UN Security Council on Friday that UN sanctions relief for Iran would continue beyond September 20. "We have worked tirelessly to preserve the nuclear agreement and remain committed to do so," the UN envoys for the three countries said in a letter to the Council, seen by Reuters. WHAT SANCTIONS WOULD 'SNAPBACK'? A return of UN sanctions, a so-called snapback, would require Iran to suspend all nuclear enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development, and ban imports of anything that could contribute to those activities or to development of nuclear weapon delivery systems. It would reimpose the arms embargo, ban Iran from developing ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons and bring back targeted sanctions on dozens of individuals and entities. Countries also would be urged to inspect shipments to and from Iran and authorized to seize any banned cargo. WHAT LED TO THIS SHOWDOWN? The United States submitted a complaint about Iran breaching the nuclear deal to the Security Council last month. In response to the US quitting the accord and imposing unilateral sanctions in a bid to get Iran to negotiate a new deal, Tehran has breached central limits of the pact, including on its stock of enriched uranium Under a 2015 UN Security Council resolution enshrining the nuclear deal, the United States says that it triggered a 30-day process leading to a snapback of all UN sanctions on Iran. Washington argues that while it quit the nuclear deal in 2018, the 2015 resolution still names it as a participant. Under the sanctions snapback process if a Security Council resolution to extend sanctions relief on Iran is not adopted within the 30 days, then UN sanctions are supposed to be reimposed. No such resolution has been put forward for a vote. Indonesia, the president of the Security Council for August, said last month that it was "not in the position to take further action" on the US bid to trigger a return of all UN sanctions on Iran because there was no consensus in the body. Thirteen of the 15 council members expressed their opposition, arguing that Washington's move is void given it is using a process agreed under the nuclear deal it is no longer a party to. Pompeo warned Saturday that "if UN Member States fail to fulfill their obligations to implement these sanctions, the United States is prepared to use our domestic authorities to impose consequences for those failures." WHAT WILL THE UNITED STATES DO NOW? Trump plans to issue an executive order allowing him to impose US sanctions on anyone who violates the UN arms embargo on Iran, sources told Reuters, in a bid to reinforce the US assertion that the measure has been extended indefinitely beyond October 18. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said on Thursday that the order was expected in the coming days and would allow Trump to punish foreign actors - US entities are already barred from trading weapons with Iran - by depriving them of access to the US market. HOW MIGHT A BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HANDLE IRAN? Three senior Iranian officials have told Reuters that Iran's leadership is determined to remain committed to the nuclear deal, hoping that a victory by Trump's political rival Joe Biden in the November 3 election will salvage the pact. Biden, who was vice president when the Obama administration negotiated the accord, said he would rejoin the deal if Iran first resumed compliance. "If Iran returns to strict compliance with the nuclear deal, the United States would rejoin the agreement and build on it, while working with allies to push back on Iran's destabilizing actions," Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said. The CIO has been directed to produce the accused before the Court of Special Judge for NIA Cases at Patiala House Court New Delhi on or before the date of the expiry of the custody. The Judicial First Class Magistrate Court at Ernakulam remanded three Al-Qaeda operatives Murshid Hasan, Mosaraf Hoseen and Yakub Biswas arrested on Saturday by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).The court said that they are remanded and their custody is entrusted with Shankar Brata Raimedhi, SP/CIO, NIA, New Delhi from yesterday 5 pm till 11 am on September 22. The CIO has been directed to produce the accused before the Court of Special Judge for NIA Cases at Patiala House Court New Delhi on or before the date of the expiry of the custody. According to the order of the Court, Al-Qaeda consisting of more than 10 members mostly of Bengali origin and operating from different parts of the country, is planning anti-national/terrorist activities at several locations in India.The group is headed by the first accused, who is a Bengali speaking individual and has travelled to several places in South and East of India. He is inspired by the violent ideology of globally proscribed terrorist outfit Al-Qaeda. The accused and some unknown others are members of the said group and are involved in the aforementioned conspiracy, the court added. NIA said that the group is suspected to be in possession of weapons and is actively raising and collecting funds for the purpose of procurement of arms and ammunition and that all members appear to be highly radicalized and motivated to commit terrorists to further their Jihadi ideology and activities.It is also stated in the remand application that analysis of the documents and materials seized show that all members appear to be highly radicalised and motivated to commit terrorists to further their Jihadi ideology and activities and several incriminating chats, photos and videos show that they have hatched a conspiracy for anti-national activities. ALSO READ: Congress attacks govt over farm sector bills, questions about MSP ALSO READ: Activist Shabir Choudhry expresses discontent over silence on rights abuses in PoK Farmers on Sunday blocked roads in Haryana and burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in neighbouring Punjab, protesting against the farm bills passed in Parliament. IMAGE: Youth Congress workers and farmers during a protest over farm bills, in Ambala. Photograph: ANI Photo Farmers occupied portions of roads and highways at several places in Haryana between 12 and 3 pm, following a call given by the state unit of the Bhartiya Kisan Union against the agri-marketing bills, two of which were passed in Rajya Sabha on Sunday. After 3 pm, reports said the road blockades were lifted, ending the day's protests in which BKU was also supported by several other farmer organisations. In Ambala, Haryana Police used water cannons at the state's border to stop Punjab Youth Congress workers from entering the district and travelling ahead to Delhi as part of their 'tractor rally'. Punjab protesters set fire to one of their own tractors when they were forced to end their rally at the Haryana border, police said. Farmers were joined by 'arhitiyas' -- or the commission agents at 'mandis' -- during their protests at many places in Haryana. IMAGE: Police use water cannon to disperse Youth Congress workers and farmers protesting over farm bills, in Ambala. Photograph: ANI Photo There was heavy police deployment across the state, particularly where the bigger gatherings were expected. Police diverted traffic to alternative routes. Executive magistrate were stationed along with police at many protest venues. Ambala-Nahan national highway near Naraingarh, Jind-Patiala and Jind-Delhi roads near Julana and Sonipat-Gohana highway were among the roads blocked in Haryana. Traffic was also disrupted on Ambala-Chandigarh highway due to the protests by the Punjab Youth Congress activists. But there was no blockade on the Ambala-Delhi road. The situation at the Haryana-Punjab border was tense for a while as Youth Congress activists were bent upon moving on the national highway towards Delhi. But the spot was heavily barricaded by police, who also used water cannons to disperse the protesters. IMAGE: Members of various farmers organizations stage a protest over agriculture related ordinances, in Hisar district. Photograph: PTI Photo Farmers at several places in Punjab burnt effigies and copies of the farm bills, claiming that the new laws will destroy their livelihood. The three bills are aimed at giving farmers the choice to sell their produce at competitive prices. But many farm organisations fear they will lead to the dismantling of the minimum support price system. Varun Chaudhary, the Haryana Congress MLA from Mullana in Ambala who joined the protest at Mandour village near Panjokhra Sahib in Ambala district, said the bills were not a "shield for farmers" but for hoarders. Independent MLA from Meham, Balraj Kundu, who protested in Rohtak and Charkhi Dadri districts, claimed the bills will benefit corporates. "From October 2, I will sit on a fast to protest against these anti-farmer measures," he said. In Yamunanagar, Haryana BKU chief Gurnam Singh said, "It is the country's misfortune that despite the farmers' protest these bills were passed." He called it a 'murder of democracy'. IMAGE: Members of various farmers organizations stage a protest against the central government over agriculture related ordinances, in Patiala. Photograph: PTI Photo "Laws are for people and if they are the ones who are protesting then for whose benefit have they been passed?" he said. "These laws are not pro-farmers as the government claims, but the big corporates will benefit." He said the statewide protest was peaceful and 17 farmers' organisations extended their support. Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, who also joined the Youth Congress protesters, said all parties except the Akali Dal and the BJP are with the farmers. He slammed Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, accusing him of earlier supporting these "black laws". The SAD has pulled out of the Union government in protest against the bills. Joining the tractor rally, Indian Youth Congress president Srinivas B V said his party stands shoulder to shoulder with the farmers. "This government wants to destroy 80 crore families. Former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri gave the 'Jai Jawan-Jai Kisan' slogan, but under the present regime the farmers are ruined," Srinivas said. Haryana Congress president Kumari Selja said when a Congress-led government comes to power the law will be repealed. The party will hold protests on Monday against the 'anti-farmer' bills at district headquarters across Haryana. On Sunday, Rajya Sabha passed the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. The bills were passed by Lok Sabha on Thursday. A third bill is yet to be passed in Rajya Sabha. Strong winds stoked a wildfire burning for nearly two weeks in mountains northeast of Los Angeles, prompting authorities to issue new evacuation orders for desert communities that lost some homes a day earlier. Meanwhile, officials were investigating the death of a firefighter on the lines of another Southern California wildfire that erupted earlier this month from a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used by a couple to reveal their babys gender. The death occurred Thursday in San Bernardino National Forest as crews battled the El Dorado Fire about 75 miles (120 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement. In northern Los Angeles County, firefighters focused on protecting homes Saturday as increasingly erratic winds pushed the Bobcat Fire toward foothill communities in the Antelope Valley after churning all the way across the San Gabriel Mountains. An evacuation order was issued Saturday for all residents in that zone as the fire burned toward Wrightwood, a mountain community of 4,000, said fire spokesman Andrew Mitchell. The fire grew to 142 square miles (368 square kilometers) on Saturday when winds pushed the flames into Juniper Hills. Some residents fled as blowing embers sparked spot fires, hitting some homes but sparing others. Bridget Lensing feared her familys house was lost on Friday after seeing on Twitter that a neighbors house three doors down went up in flames. The house stood when she made her way back Saturday afternoon but her neighbors houses in the remote community were burned to the ground. Everything around us is gone, she said. The extent of the destruction in the area about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of downtown LA wasnt immediately clear. But, Los Angeles County park officials said the blaze destroyed the nature center at Devils Punchbowl Natural Area, a geological wonder that attracts some 130,000 visitors per year. No injuries were reported. On the south side of the Bobcat Fire, firefighters continued to protect Mount Wilson, which overlooks greater Los Angeles and has a historic observatory founded more than a century ago and numerous broadcast antennas serving Southern California. The fire that started Sept. 6 had already doubled in size over the last week. It is 15% contained. Officials said the fire has been challenging because it is burning in areas that have not burned in decades, and because the firestorms across California have limited resources. There were about 1,660 firefighters on the lines. The name of the firefighter killed in the nearby El Dorado Fire was being withheld until family members are notified. The body was escorted down the mountain in a procession of first-responder vehicles. No other information was released about the circumstances of the death. A statement from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said it was the 26th death involving wildfires besieging the state. A new blaze sparked by a vehicle that caught fire was growing in wilderness outside Palm Springs. To the north, a fire burning for nearly a month in Sequoia National Forest roared to life again Friday and prompted evacuation orders for the central California mountain communities of Silver City and Mineral King. More than 7,900 wildfires have burned more than 5,468 square miles (14,164 square kilometers) in California this year, including many since a mid-August barrage of dry lightning ignited parched vegetation. The El Dorado Fire has burned more than 34 square miles (89 square kilometers) and was 59% contained, with 10 buildings destroyed and six damaged. Cal Fire said earlier this month that the El Dorado Fire was ignited Sept. 5 when a couple, their young children and someone there to record video staged the baby gender reveal at El Dorado Ranch Park at the foot of the San Bernardino Mountains. The device was set off in a field and quickly ignited dry grass. The couple frantically tried to use bottled water to extinguish the flames and called 911. Authorities have not released the identities of the couple, who could face criminal charges and be held liable for the cost of fighting the fire. Throughout the Northwest, firefighters welcomed cooler weather and rain, as well as much-improved air quality and visibility that would allow some to survey fire activity with drones. ___ Associated Press writer John Antczak in Los Angeles and Daisy Nguyen in San Francisco contributed to this report. The first black woman to win a Booker prize, Bernadine Evaristo, has revealed that she struggled with racial identity as a child. Evaristo recalled how growing up in the 60s and 70s she would deliberately cross the road to avoid being seen with her 'very dark-skinned' father because she 'didn't want to be associated with him'. The acclaimed author, 61, grew up in Woolwich, southeast London and was the daughter of a white English teacher and a Nigerian welder. The first black woman to win a Booker prize, Bernadine Evaristo, has revealed that she struggled with racial identity as a child Speaking on today's Desert Island Discs on Radio 4, Evaristo recalled: 'I remember when I was about 11, seeing him walking down the street towards me and I crossed the road because I didn't want to say hello to him because I didn't want to be associated with him. 'I mean, that feels terrible now, but that's what it was like, because growing up in the 1960s and 70s, in a very white area, there was nothing around us to tell us that being a person of colour was a good thing.' Evaristo was the fourth of eight children and said she and her siblings were not taught about their Nigerian heritage growing up. Her father, born Julius Taiwo Obayomi Evaristo, adopted the English name Danny. 'He [my father] had four boys, four girls at a time when there was a lot of racism on the streets before the Race Relations Act,' she said. Evaristo, left, was the fourth of eight children and said she and her siblings were not taught about their Nigerian heritage growing up, and her father, born Julius Taiwo Obayomi Evaristo, right, adopted the English name Danny 'So he had children in a society where it was kind of OK to be racist, and he had to protect us.' The Race Relations Act 1965 was the first piece of legislation in the UK to address the prohibition of racial discrimination. The act banned racial discrimination in public places and made the promotion of hatred on the grounds of 'colour, race, or ethnic or national origins' an offence. Evaristo believes her father's reluctance to tell his children about Nigerian culture was because he was concerned for them. 'He didn't tell us anything. He said later on that he wanted us to grow up as English children and so it wouldn't be wise for him to tell us about his past or to pass on his language, which was Yoruba.' Evaristo pictured as a child, second right, with the rest of her family. Evaristo was the fourth of eight children and said she and her siblings were not taught about their Nigerian heritage growing up She also explained how she would be referred to as 'half caste' by other black people in the UK due to her mixed heritage. 'Growing up we were called ... half caste and that didn't feel like an insult. That was what mixed-race people were called,' she said. The author's Booker-winning novel 'Girl, Woman, Other' topped the best-selling charts for five weeks over summer in the wake of the widespread Black Lives Matter protests. She became the first BAME woman and the first black British writer to assume the top spot in the UK paperback fiction charts. The Marion County Sheriffs Office said late Saturday that it had recovered human remains on the North Fork Road property of legendary environmentalist George Atiyeh. The agency said it is still waiting for positive identification from the Marion County Medical Examiners Office. The remains were recovered Thursday. Atiyeh, 72, who played a central role in saving Opal Creek from clear-cutters, would be the states ninth fatality from wildfires. He is the nephew of the late Gov. Vic Atiyeh, who served from 1979 to 1987. The Beachie Creek fire roared down the Little North Fork of the Santiam River and burned Atiyehs house to the ground. None of his friends have seen him since before the fires began. Friends and family had urged Atiyeh to leave when the fire began to expand. His daughter said he told her that he didnt feel he was in jeopardy and was determined to stay. The same fire that wiped out Atiyehs house also struck his beloved Opal Creek, the federally protected landscape known for its enormous, ancient trees and crystalline pools. The stream and surrounding forest made the site one of the states premier hiking destinations. A spokesman for the Marion County Sheriffs Office said he did not have additional information about where on Atiyehs property the human remains were found. Sgt. Jeremy Landers said it took significant efforts to gain access to the property late last week. Drones, K9s and search and rescue teams scoured the area for signs of remains. He said multiple buildings on the site were damaged by fire. The 13,500-acre Opal Creek Scenic Recreation Area and the 21,000-acre Opal Creek Wilderness Area are in the Willamette National Forest. The heart of the area is about 50 miles east of Salem, where county and national forest roads lead to the old mining town of Jawbone Flats and the surrounding wilderness. Atiyeh helped family members operate a mine in the area. But when the U.S Forest Service made plans to log the old growth along the pristine stretch of Opal Creek near Breitenbush, Atiyeh fought back. It became a pivotal moment in the history of Oregons environmental movement and resulting timber wars. Atiyeh and others convinced U.S. Sen. Mark Hatfield that the area deserved protection. Federal legislation protecting the creek was passed in 1996. -- Noelle Crombie; ncrombie@oregonian.com; 503-276-7184; @noellecrombie A medical student has become a rising TikTok star thanks to his incredible vocals. Ricky Rosen, from Sydney, has quickly amassed a large online audience with covers and singing challenges including one where he sings in five different accents, ranging from American to Scottish. But while the 21-year-old has been delighting fans with videos on the app, he admits he put off singing as a career path for years due to a lack of confidence. Scroll down for video Australian medical student Ricky Rosen (pictured), who is from Sydney, has become a rising TikTok star thanks to his incredible vocals and quirky accent challenge Ricky shared his first TikTok video on April 25, and has since attracted 330,000 followers and more than 3.7 million likes in the past six months. In an interview with Daily Mail Australia, Ricky admitted he was never confident enough in his abilities to enter reality TV singing contests and had never really 'put [himself] out there' before launching his TikTok page. 'Realistically, I am at the beginning of whatever this journey is. I haven't had to put myself out there besides the last couple of months, and I've been fortunate with the response,' he told Daily Mail Australia. His most viral video, a clip singing Bubbly by Colbie Caillat in five separate accents, has more than 4.2million views. 'I thought people might be interested in the video, but I really didn't expect the response it got. I personally didn't think they [the accents] were that good that people would actually like it. It was just something silly I'd do with friends and family to annoy them,' he joked. Ricky admitted he was never confident enough in his abilities to audition for reality TV singing contests and had never really 'put [himself] out there' before launching his TikTok page in April 'i didn't expect the response it got': Ricky's most viral video, a clip singing Bubbly by Colbie Caillat in five separate accents, has more than 4.2million views Playing the piano since the age of three, Ricky said he's always been interested in music, but never actively pursued a career in it. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, he decided to 'bite the bullet' and use his free time productively and creatively. 'I moved back in with my family amid COVID-19 and it was a break from what I was doing with my studies. I just had a bit of free time and it was something that I knew I should be pursuing and wanted to put out there,' he said, adding he's now found the perfect balance between his studies and TikTok. 'It was something that I knew I should be pursuing': Ricky, who is studying to become a doctor, claims he's found the perfect balance between his studies and managing his TikTok Coming soon: Ricky has been busy working on original music, and is excited to hopefully release his first single in October Many successful musicians got their start on YouTube, with TikTok likely to open doors for a host of creatives in the future. Justin Bieber was scouted by manager Scooter Braun in 2007 thanks to his YouTube videos, while Australian stars Troye Sivan, Cody Simpson and band 5 Seconds Of Summer (5SOS) began their careers by posting content on YouTube. Ricky has been busy working on original music, and is excited to hopefully release his first single in October. He can also be found on Instagram. MBABANE Is Dr Edmund Mazibuko, the Registrar at the Examinations Council of Eswatini (ECESWA) working without a contract? This is because fresh allegations have surfaced that Mazibukos contract allegedly expired on March 31, 2020, while the ministry of education and training claims Mazibuko had told them he would leave office in January 2021. Mazibuko is currently under fire following a parliament report released on Wednesday which contains damning allegations of corrupt practices that are said to have played out at the councils results and projects. The allegations were widely published by the media this week. However, Mazibuko quashed some of the allegations when he appeared before the Parliament Select Committee on Thursday. He argued that the allegations were just a smear campaign from those who want his seat. He fired a broad salvo at Director Research Dr Clement Dlamini whom he claimed wanted to be registrar of the council. Meanwhile, documents seen by the Times SUNDAY reflect that in 2013 government, through the Ministry of Education and Training, decided to renew his contract for five years plus a further two more years. This publication has gathered that the issue of Mazibukos contract was discussed during the tenure of Wilson Makhalempi Ntshangase, who was the then Minister of Education and Training. The principal secretary at that time was Pat Muir. It is stated in a letter dated February 28, 2013, signed by the retired Muir, that upon the lapse of the five-year contract, Dr Mazibuko would also be entitled to a further two-year extension. If the letter of renewal is anything to go by, it would mean Mazibukos contract expired in March 2018. However, with the addition of the two more years, the contract expired in March this year. is he in office legally? Concerned parties have since wondered if Mazibukos stay in office was still legal. For the past two weeks, Mazibuko has not responded to questions sent by the Times SUNDAY regarding the issue of his contract. The questions were sent to him on September 11 through a WhatsApp message to which he responded by promising to contact this journalist. Thank you for the text. I will contact you regarding it. Thanks, he stated. On Friday, another message was forwarded to Mazibuko but he did not respond. Yesterday morning, his phone rang unanswered and an SMS was again forwarded to him but at the time of compiling this report, Mazibuko had still not responded. However, Minister of Education and Training Lady Mabuza said she engaged Mazibuko about the issue of his contract. The politician, who also serves as Mafutseni Member of Parliament, said the response she got from Mazibuko was that he would be in office until January 2022. All I know is that his contract was renewed in 2018 when we were still not in office. I think it was extended by two or three years, the minister said yesterday. She continued: As a ministry, we are still going to look at the issue of the contract, Meanwhile, when his contract was renewed in 2013, the ministry stated that government was happy with his performance. The letter reads: The ministry has received notification that the contract for Dr. Edmund Mazibuko will be coming to an end on the 28 February 2013 and that he has indicated his willingness to renew this contract. The ministry is further pleased to learn that the Examinations council is happy with Dr. Mazibukos performance and is in support of the request for renewal of the contract. It continues: I have since discussed this issue with the Hon. Minister of Education and Training Wilson Ntshangase who has no objection to this recommendation. I am therefore pleased to inform you that the ministry is in support of Mazibukos application for renewal of a contract for the next five years with effect from 1 March 2013 to 1 March 2018. The ministry has also approved a two-year option to extend the contract when it comes to an end. The ministry hopes that this arrangement will bring stability to the Exams council and further allow the unfinished projects to be implemented to the fullest. snat against renewal Sikelela Dlamini, Secretary General of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), said they did not support the renewal of a contract for people who had passed the compulsory retirement age. What normally happens is that when ones contract expires, he or she gets a renewal. Even though we are not privy to the operations at ECESWA but as a Union, we do not support renewal of contracts for people who have passed the compulsory retirement period, he said. Dlamini added: We believe the country has a rich pool of capability and therefore many emaSwati can be able to do the job that the registrar does. This is a simple professional and management issue which does not need its occupant to be a rocket scientist to be able to effectively run the ECESWA. President Moon Jae-in and members of K-pop boyband BTS pose for photographs with a time capsule for future youth to be opened 19 years later, during the inaugural Youth Day ceremony at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Saturday. Yonhap By Jung Da-min President Moon Jae-in stressed the government's commitment toward a fair society in a speech apparently targeting young people to assuage their frustration at various government policies and scandals where fairness issues have been raised. But his message is not gaining much traction with the younger generations who say such a message is meaningless without real policy changes. They said they are seeing unfairness in almost every sector of society, with scandals surrounding high-ranking officials who are close aides to the President. In the speech for the inaugural Youth Day, Saturday, Moon used the word "fair" 37 times. "We hear the rage from young people who say that unfairness persists," he said. "We will push policies that meet the expectations of the young and reflect their views, so they can follow their dreams and take on challenges from a foundation of opportunities and fairness." He especially promised to seek fairness in employment, education and military service sectors that young people react sensitively to, and the ones that recent scandals have involved. He did not mention specific cases, but his speech implied the government's controversial plan to make irregular security workers regular ones at Incheon International Airport Corp., former Justice Minister Cho Kuk's alleged use of influence to help his children get admitted to prestigious universities, and current Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae's alleged influence peddling to help her son get favors during his mandatory military service. However, young people did not react positively to his promises. "There have been hardly any changes during the past three years. President Moon has been emphasizing fairness since taking power, but even more unfairness has been brought in society. It is a problem that the current administration doesn't even have a clear sense of what unfairness is," said Yang Myung-han, 32, an office worker in Seoul. Some were also upset over the Incheon airport employment situation, where the government sought to realize Moon's pledge of "zero irregular workers" by making security staff permanent employees, which drew a strong backlash from young people who said the decision deprived many jobseekers of an opportunity. "What I heard from my friends who are in their 30s was that they were feeling deprived seeing the Incheon airport operator's decision," said another office worker in Seoul, surnamed Park, 31. "I think government's policies give the public the negative impression that they are not giving fair opportunities to young people." While the attendees of the inaugural Youth Day ceremony at Cheong Wa Dae included the seven-member K-pop superstar group BTS, 29-year-old office worker Kim Sun-hyeong said she wanted the President to present real policy changes rather than focusing on events. Go Seong-woo, a 26-year-old college student, said, "It would be nice if there were practical alternatives to establish a culture that eliminates unfairness, instead of empty discussions on the abstract values of fairness. I hope there will be more opportunities for sound discussions and education in which people talk about how they can maintain a sound social system." Office worker An So-young, 30, said she hopes the government does not forget to make policies efficient by focusing on realizing fairness for fairness's sake, which is unrealistic. The opposition parties were also skeptical of Moon's speech. The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) said the President was unqualified to talk about fairness. "For the last three years and four months, we've enough seen the President expressing willingness to achieve fairness. People are experiencing unfairness not because he has not talked about fairness," PPP spokeswoman Rep. Kim Eun-hye said in a statement Sunday. Rep. Kim said repeated speeches on fairness would be hollow if scandals involving ruling bloc figures, like Cho and Choo, are allowed to continue. Choi Young-il, a political commentator and adjunct professor at Kyung Hee Cyber University, said the Moon government must bring about practical policy changes as it enters the latter half of its term. "The timing of the Youth Day ceremony was a bit tricky when young people were feeling unhappy about series of scandals surrounding Moon's aides including Cho and Choo," Choi said. "The government now needs to present policies that make the young feel there are real and practical changes in all sectors including employment." According to a survey by Gallup Korea, Friday, 45 percent of 1,000 respondents approved of Moon's job performance, while 45 percent disapproved. Among the latter, 17 percent cited problems in personnel management, implying the Choo scandal has affected their opinion. In another survey by Realmeter, Wednesday, 49 percent of 500 people said Choo should step down, while 45.8 percent disagreed with this. But among those in their 20s, 56.8 percent called for the minister's resignation, higher than the average. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 22:25:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Xinhua writer Wang Jiangang UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has told Xinhua he believes that the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need to strengthen multilateralism, while also expressing hope to continue to work closely with China to address the common challenges facing the world. "Looking at today's global landscape, it is clear that the common good is best served through more international cooperation, not less," the UN chief said on Friday. "The UN's 75th anniversary, now more than ever, reminds us that multilateralism, consensus and cooperation must be instrumental in maintaining and safeguarding the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter," the secretary-general said. Guterres reiterated his stance on multilateralism under the current situation, noting it must be both "networked" and "inclusive." "We need a networked multilateralism, in which the United Nations and its agencies, the international financial institutions, regional organizations and others work together more effectively with stronger institutional links," he said. "And we need an inclusive multilateralism, drawing on the critical contributions of civil society, business, foundations, the research community, local authorities, cities and regional governments," the secretary-general elaborated. Speaking about the COVID-19 pandemic, Guterres said "the virus is the number one global security threat in our world today and we need international solidarity to defeat it." "We need to massively expand new and existing tools that can respond to new cases and provide vital treatment to suppress transmission and save lives," he said. The secretary-general spoke highly of China's contribution to addressing global challenges and its success in poverty reduction. Calling it "a pillar of multilateralism," the UN chief said China has been playing an increasingly bigger role in regional and world affairs, adding that the UN's close cooperation with China also extends to peace and security issues around the globe, including in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. "The United Nations and China enjoy a high level of cooperation," he said. "I welcome China's comprehensive position on a wide number of topics of common interest, ranging from climate change to peacekeeping, and sustainable development." "I hope that China will continue its proactive policies to strengthen the UN's global work on maintaining peace and security and encouraging sustainable development," the secretary-general added. The UN chief also called China's achievements in poverty reduction "very strong." China is in the final stage of eliminating absolute poverty, he said. At the end of 2019, the number of impoverished people in China's rural areas declined to 5.51 million from 98.99 million at the end of 2012, with the poverty headcount ratio dropping to 0.6 percent from 10.2 percent during the same period. The secretary-general said China is "emerging as a key player within the UN system." China is the second largest contributor to the UN's regular budget, a major contributor to UN peacekeeping, and the second-largest financial contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget, he said. Currently, China contributes a total of over 2,500 uniformed peacekeepers, who showed "consistently high quality and professionalism" in their service with UN peacekeeping operations, he said. Guterres said that the UN is "proud of the strong presence of the United Nations family in China." "Last year, we marked the 40th anniversary of the UN working in China, which coincided with the period of China's transformation through its reform and opening-up policy," he said. "The United Nations has supported and witnessed China's remarkable development achievements during this period and is committed to further strengthening our partnership in all pillars of the organization's work, including development, peace and security and human rights," he added. He said he trusts that China will continue playing an important role in supporting multilateral efforts in building more equal and inclusive societies that are more resilient towards unprecedented global challenges. Enditem Kansas City Scary Redux Scare enthusiasts in KC return after shooting on opening night KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) - There was panic in the West Bottoms last night when two people were shot near The Edge of Hell and The Beast haunted houses on opening night. Kansas City police are still investigating that shooting. Tribute Placed @ 12th & Oak KC honors life of Justice Ginsburg at Jackson County Courthouse KANSAS CITY, Mo. - One woman who visited the Jackson County Courthouse Saturday night did so to show her daughters what "powerful women can do." Alicia Guggenmos was among those who congregated to honor the life and career of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Friday. "She never gave up. Train Trax Cut Back Ridership On Amtrak Down 75% The downtown Washington Amtrak Train Station, which was once the seventh-busiest Amtrak station in the state, has seen ridership figures plummet in recent months as the COVID-19 pandemic rolls on. Marc Magliari, a media relations official for Amtrak, said ridership at Washington has fallen about 75 percent compared with last year, when more than 12,900 people boarded trains at the downtown station. EPIC Panty Purchase L Brands Sells Majority Stake in Victoria's Secret's UK Business Victoria's Secret store | Source: Shutterstock By Reuters September 15, 2020 02:10 NEW YORK, United States - L Brands Inc said on Monday British clothing retailer Next Plc would acquire a majority stake in its Victoria's Secret UK business under a newly formed joint venture. Social Contract Broken TikTok Ban Averted: Trump Gives Oracle-Walmart Deal His 'Blessing' President Trump has given tentative approval to a deal that will keep TikTok alive in the U.S., resolving a months-long confrontation between a hit app popularized by lip-syncing teens and White House officials who viewed the service as a national security risk. TikTok downloads were set to be banned in the U.S. Veep Double Talk Joe Biden said in 2016 a SCOTUS seat can be filled in an election year Joe Biden claimed in 2016 that it was the 'constitutional duty' of a president to name a Supreme Court nominee even in an election year At the time he criticized Republicans for delaying the process Republican senators were delaying the confirmation of Obama's pick Merrick Garland Yet on Friday, Biden Snail Mail Threat To Prez Package containing ricin poison sent to Trump A package containing ricin poison that was addressed to US President Donald Trump has been intercepted before it reached the White House, officials told US media. The letter was discovered at a screening facility for White House mail earlier this week, the officials said. AOC Cancels Brunch AOC warns libs Trump-Biden election a lifestyle changer: 'There's no going back to brunch' Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has braced her supporters for a very different future than they may have expected -- even if presidential nominee Joe Biden and other Democrats prevail in November. "There's no going back to brunch," the New York Democrat warned in an online post. Blue Moon Coming Soon A rare blue moon will light up the night sky this Halloween A blue moon will occur on Oct. 31, 2020. That's right, a rare phenomenon on Halloween night - talk about epic!What is a blue moon?Now in a perfect world, a blue moon would most likely mean that the moon appears blue during the night. That's usually not the case, unfortunately. Church Copes With Crooks Thieves cause $200,000 worth of damage at local church KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- The pandemic has pushed some people to desperation and even crime. That's what a local church believes has led to thieves stealing from the congregation, leaving behind a trail of destruction in the process and causing more than $200,000 worth of damage. Pandemic Life Lesson Metro school districts seeing varying levels of COVID-19 after students return KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) - Most schools in the Kansas City metro have now been back in session for a week, and while many students are glad to be back in class, there have been COVID-19 issues at schools. Autumn Forecast For Now Hazy sunshine, high near 76 Sunday Hide Transcript Show Transcript SUNDAY. EVENING FORECAST, TEMPERATURES GRADUALLY COOLING FROM THE UPPER 60'S AND LOW 70. LOWER 60'S BY LATER IN THE EVENING. THE LOWS BY TOMORROW MORNING, UPPER 40'S AND LOW 50'S. IT WILL FEEL LIKE FALL OUT THERE TO GET SUNDAY STARTED. 51 FOR A LOW IN KANSAS CITY. Let's try this again . . . For our early morning readers we share this peek at pop culture, community news and top headlines for right now.is the song of the day this is thefor right now . . . Dancer Actor Kishore Aman Shetty and his friend whom the police suspect to be an important link in the chain involved in the sale of narcotic drugs in the region, were arrested by Mangaluru City Police on Saturday. The two allegedly possessed and consumed the narcotic drug Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and were arrested at Kadri Padavu. Giving details about the case, Mangaluru City Chief Vikash Kumar Vikash stated that based on a tipoff the two - Kishore Aman Shetty (30) and his friend Akeel Nousheel (28) were arrested. They are accused of consuming and trying to peddle drugs and booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. The two are said to have brought the MDMA packets from Mumbai. Though there were reports of the accused organizing party and drugs being offered there, the Commissioner said they are yet to verify. He also said that it was too early to link the case with the arrests made in Bengaluru. The police officials are probing the case from all the angles and are searching for the links of the two. Kishore hails from Kulai, near Mangaluru. A great dancer, he rose to fame after he acted in dance-oriented Hindi movie Anybody Can Dance (ABCD). He was part of Dance India Dance Season 2 and also Dance Ke Super Star. In Kannada too he had shown his talent through a reality show- Dance. Kishore was also a famous choreographer in Mumbai. Police said that Noushal who hails from Surathkal was working in Dubai and had come to Mangaluru about a year ago. An early morning shooting inside the Wheels of Soul clubhouse in Camden Sunday left a Philadelphia man dead and another man injured, law enforcement officials said. Jermaine Wilkes, 38, died after being shot multiple times around 1:45 a.m. inside the motorcycle clubhouse on the 800 block of Princess Avenue, according to a statement by Acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill S. Mayer and Camden County Police Chief Joseph Wysocki. The other victim was in critical condition at an unidentified area hospital, they said. A search is ongoing for one or multiple shooters, authorities said. Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective Jose Rosardo in the Prosecutors Office at 609-422-6291 or Detective Shawn Donlon in the Police Department at 856-757-7400, or email ccpotips@ccprosecutor.org. U.S., Emirati and Sudanese officials will hold a decisive meeting in Abu Dhabi on Monday on a possible normalization agreement between Sudan and Israel, Sudanese sources told me. Why it matters: If the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates accommodate Sudans requests for economic aid, an announcement on a normalization agreement with Israel similar to the ones struck with the UAE and Bahrain could be made within days, sources briefed on the process tell me. Details: The White House National Security Council's senior director for Gulf Affairs, Middle Eastern Affairs Directorate, Brig. Gen. Miguel Correa, is expected to represent the U.S. at the meeting. Correa was involved in the efforts to draft the Israel-UAE agreement. The UAE, which is hosting the meeting, will be represented by national security adviser Tahnoun bin Zayed, who is also in charge of the talks with Israel. Sudan will be represented by members of the civilian and military branches of the government mainly the chief of staff to Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and Minister of Justice Nasredeen Abdulbari, who is also a U.S. citizen. According to Sudanese sources, the government of Sudan is asking for the following economic aid in return for a normalization deal with Israel: More than $3 billion in humanitarian assistance and direct budgetary aid in order to deal with an economic crisis and fallout from devastating floods. A commitment by the U.S. and the UAE to providing Sudan with economic aid over the next three years. Between the lines: Israel is following Mondays meeting very closely. Since the meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and the chairman of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan last February in Uganda, both countries continued quiet talks on the possibility of normalization. The issue of normalization between Sudan and Israel was raised last Tuesday in a meeting in Washington between Netanyahu and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Israel has been encouraging the Trump administration to adhere to Sudans request for economic aid as part of any normalization deal. In addition to economic aid, the Sudanese government wants the Trump administration to remove Sudan from the State Department's state sponsors of terrorism list. This issue is indirectly connected to the normalization deal with Israel. Pompeo supports delisting Sudan and set the end of October as a deadline for this move, according to U.S. officials. But in order for this to happen, the following conditions must be met: The Sudanese government needs to pay $300 million as compensation to the families of U.S. citizens killed in terror attacks against U.S. embassies in Africa in 1998 and against the USS Cole in 2000. The U.S. Senate needs to pass a bipartisan bill spearheaded by Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) that will give Sudan immunity from future lawsuits in the U.S. and reinstate Sudans status as a country that does not sponsor terrorism. Pompeo is pressing both Republican and Democratic senators to support the bill and vote on it by mid-October. U.S. officials believe that a normalization agreement between Sudan and Israel will convince Congress to support such a bill. The meeting in Abu Dhabi on Monday will take place on the sidelines of the visit by Burhan to the UAE. He is expected to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed to discuss the possible normalization deal with Israel in return for U.S. and Emirati aid for Sudan. The big picture: Burhan is pushing for normalization with Israel and believes it will help Sudan get out of the economic and humanitarian crisis it's facing, Sudanese sources tell me. Burhan only represents the military faction of the government. The civilian faction and Prime Minister Hamdok had reservations about the move for a long time out of concern for domestic protests. Sudanese sources told me that in recent days, Hamdok was convinced that normalization with Israel will serve Sudans interests and gave Burhan a green light to move forward if Sudans requests for economic aid are met. The White House and Emirati officials decline to comment on this story. Editor's note: This story was updated after the meeting was pushed from Sunday to Monday. Tory MP's wife Sasha Swire has branded Michael Gove as 'dishonest with his ambition' and 'dangerous' in her latest comments about her upcoming memoirs. Lady Swire, who describes the minister for the Cabinet Office as 'bonkers' in her book, has launched another attack on him in an interview with The Observer today. She told the paper: 'I love Michael. I can forgive anything if they've got colour. 'The more dangerous, the more alcoholic, the madder they are, the better. But she added: 'Where Michael is slightly dishonest is with his ambition. He's always lied about that. He's a typical hack. 'He loves being at the scene of the crash. I think he's quite dangerous.' Lady Swire, pictured with husband Hugo, has described senior Tory minister Michael Gove as 'dangerous' and 'dishonest with his ambition' in an interview ahead of the release of her book Lady Swire describes Gove, pictured, as 'bonkers' in her soon-to-be-published memoirs In the interview, she admits 'maybe I was naive' about potential backlash to the book and brands Samantha Cameron a 'lefty'. Barely a single senior member of the governments of Boris Johnson, Theresa May and David Cameron emerges unscathed in the memoirs 'Diary of an MPs Wife.' At one point, after a meeting of the National Security Council, her husband Hugo tells her he is 'starting to think Gove is ever so slightly bonkers'. She adds that William Hague looked 'exasperated every time Gove spoke'. Cameron 'gave Gove a b*****king' and 'went ballistic' when Gove publicly attacked the 'preposterous' number of Etonians in Cameron's inner circle. Gove's aim in saying this was to wreck Boris Johnson's chances of succeeding Cameron, declares Lady Swire, who adds: 'Gove is a 'loose cannon' and, as an ex-journalist, 'mistakes headlines for achievements'. She describes Gove's close ally Dominic Cummings, Johnson's No 10 chief of staff, as 'one of those odd amoebas you find in jars in school science labs'. Cummings is a 'stark raving mad Rasputin'. Teaming him up with Gove, the 'most volatile member of the Government, was always an explosion waiting to happen'. Lady Swire accuses Gove of 'lying through his teeth' and says that when he fell out with Cameron over Brexit, Cameron was so angry he said he would never have Michael or his wife Sarah Vine a Mail columnist or his children in his house ever again. She says Gove also upset former Tory leadership contender Rory Stewart, who looked set to 'punch' him when Gove made a joke that backfired about a jihadi kissing Stewart's wife. It was 'nutter Michael in a nutshell'. David Cameron thinks it is 'hilarious' to joke with Lady Swire's husband about the size of Michael Gove's manhood and the former Prime Minister is drawn to Lady Swire because she is 'lewd'. Lady Swire told the Observer that she was 'terrified of causing trouble' and says she is glad to be out of politics. Her husband Hugo, who was knighted in David Cameron's resignation honours, stepped down as MP for East Devon last year. She also doubles down on comments made about others in the book including 'stark raving mad' Dominic Cummings of whom she says: 'It will all go tits up with him, it always does. Hell explode.' She also says that Theresa May 'didnt have an original idea in her head'. In Lady Swire's tell-all memoir, she reveals how David and Samantha Cameron drowned their sorrows following the Brexit vote. She tells how, in the wake of the 2016 referendum, she visited the Camerons for a weekend at their Oxfordshire home. She claims that the then-Prime Minister asked her husband to bring 'two fat Cohibas [Cuban cigars] and plenty of booze' and was 'chomping on cigars' over 'endless bottles of wine'. And she adds that Mrs Cameron had to muster up some Dutch courage before joining her husband for his resignation speech, feeling unable to do so 'without drinking a large negroni'. She also says that Mr Cameron told her former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had a two-way mirror in his bedroom. 'I sit next to Dave at dinner,' she writes. '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. '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?' ' Boris Johnson is described as 'His Blondness', adding that he used to be a 'political calculating machine' with 'no political identity or proven ability to grasp difficult questions and decisions' She describes Gove's close ally Dominic Cummings, Johnson's No 10 chief of staff, as 'one of those odd amoebas you find in jars in school science labs' and says he is 'stark raving mad' Of Boris Johnson, she is withering, writing: 'It scares the s*** out of me that people don't see [Mr Johnson] as the calculating machine he really is,' and she describes Mr Johnson's fiancee Carrie Symonds as his 'hot young vixen'. Meanwhile, Mrs May is Mrs 'Glumbucket', the 'Maybot', 'Old Ma May' or 'old bat, crippled by her lack of intellectual confidence. Nor does Lady Swire, 57, spare the blushes of the Royal Family in her book, Diary Of An MP's Wife. She says the Queen 'fixed her beady eyes' on her at a dinner at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland when Sir Hugo was an Ulster Minister in the Cameron administration. Prince Philip 'ranted' about how 'appalled' he and the Queen were that guests used laptops during Palace banquets. And Sir Hugo is distracted at a meeting with Prince Charles by his 'thick Hanoverian hands'. Lady Swire's reaction to Prince Harry's engagement to Meghan Markle in 2017 is to predict 'trouble ahead'. The future Duchess of Sussex is 'eating the redhead for breakfast', she declares; he is 'clearly not as clever as she is'. Lady Swire claims her book is a modern version of the highly acclaimed and outrageous Alan Clark Diaries in the Thatcher era. Like Clark, she gives a riveting insight into the political skulduggery and sexual high jinks of the Tory elite. She also pokes affectionate fun at her husband Sir Hugo, or 'H', as she refers to him and candidly talks of their marriage problems. The book the most indiscreet political memoir in decades claims Boris Johnson was driven by jealousy of Cameron. He saw Cameron as a 'fee-paying squit' at Eton in comparison to his own status of King's Scholar at the school. Mr Cameron has admitted the diaries, due out next week, were 'kind of embarrassing'. Diary of an MPs Wife by Sasha Swire is published by Little, Brown on September 24. I went out there in the early morning to pray quietly at the scene of the incident and to ask God Why this? and What did we do to our children? Why all this! Washington told WHAM-TV. There will be no further interest in our demand for moral justice until we command the same justice from within our own community! And the outrage starts from within the community. The western world had largely considered India to be a production hub, and also, a good potential geography for clinical trials, and a big market. But in Covid-19 research, Indian companies and government researchers are also researching new drug candidates and potential vaccines, says Prosenjit Datta. IMAGE: A research scientist works inside a laboratory of India's Serum Institute, in Pune, May 18, 2020. Photograph: Euan Rocha/Reuters A crisis can trigger major transformations. The race for a Covid-19 cure has also dramatically altered the way drug and vaccine research, clinical trials, and drug production is done globally. The urgency has led to partnerships and alliances between erstwhile rivals; unprecedented levels of government-private co-operation; and production capacities being built even before a drug or a vaccine is ready. It has also led to a shift in priorities for drug research companies as they put aside other research projects to focus on a Covid-19 cure. India finds itself in the thick of action because of its production capabilities primarily, but it is also playing a crucial role in clinical research and vaccine discovery. Normally, a new drug or vaccine could take 10 years or more to hit the market. In the case of Covid, researchers, drug companies and regulators are trying to compress that timeline as far as possible. This is leading to some great innovations. It has also led to some shortcuts that are necessary today but might be dangerous if continued for long. Photograph: Euan Rocha/Reuters Three questions crop up when we look at the way the global pharmaceutical industry is working to find a solution. Two of these questions have consequences for patients. The third involves the future of the Indian pharmaceutical industry. The first question is whether the changes in drug research, clinical trials, and production dynamics that we see today are temporary or will continue. Two, Covid-19 has led to an unparalleled concentration of resources -- both funds as well as researchers -- for infectious diseases. Will this remain once drugs to treat the diseases and a vaccine to prevent it become freely available? And finally, the third question: Will India continue to play a crucial role in the future or will it lapse back into being just a global pharmaceutical manufacturing hub? Photograph: Illustration/Dado Ruvic/Reuters Let us look at the changes and their implications. The response to Covid-19 has led to hundreds of partnerships, alliances, and global groupings and they are growing daily to do vaccine, antibody, and other research. In India, from vaccine producers such as the Serum Institute of India to drug makers like Cipla and Wockhardt, almost every player big and small has forged multiple partnerships and/or become part of major global groupings that came together in the past few months. The idea is to break up and parcel out portions of the research and development process so that they can be conducted in parallel to save time. This has meant the joining of hands between traditional drug makers, vaccine researchers, university departments, biotechnology firms, genomics ventures, and artificial intelligence start-ups often working closely but remotely. Research data that was once closely guarded are now put on open platforms so that every scientist across the world has access. IMAGE: A research scientist works inside a laboratory of India's Serum Institute, in Pune, May 18, 2020. Photograph: Euan Rocha/Reuters Another enormous change is in the way clinical research is conducted. Because traditional clinical trials in hospital settings may expose participants to high viral loads, virtual clinical trials have got a huge boost. Virtual clinical trials are not new but now they are being used at a higher scale than earlier. Drugs are couriered to participants and their progress and reactions are remotely monitored through digital tools. Those are good changes. The not-so-good part, because of the urgency, is that regulators around the world are willing to settle for smaller clinical trials and limited data before clearing a drug for emergency use even though large scale clinical trials would continue to be conducted. This was seen when the US FDA cleared Remdesivir for emergency use authorisation though participants are still being enrolled for a large-scale efficacy study. The worry is whether the drug regulators can close the door they have partially opened in the future. Meanwhile, because countries and healthcare facilities have their hands full with Covid-19, many other diseases are not getting the attention they deserve. These include everything from diabetes to cancer, and from tuberculosis to malaria and dengue. Because of the unprecedented funds and research resources being thrown at Covid-19, some attention has got diverted from research on cures for other diseases. In the past, many observers felt that infectious disease research was treated like a step-child by drug companies -- now it is the reverse. The focus and resources devoted to drugs and vaccines for Covid-19 will continue for at least two if not three or four years. This is because no one seriously expects a magic bullet to emerge. Initial vaccines and drugs will be partial solutions at best. The research will continue until better drugs and vaccines are developed. But after that, what? The best solution would be if the drug industry and governments could strike a fine balance between research for lifestyle diseases, and research for anti-virals and antibiotics. Finally, what will be the future role of India in this? The western world had largely considered India to be a production hub, and also, a good potential geography for clinical trials, and a big market. But in Covid-19 research, Indian companies and government researchers are also researching new drug candidates and potential vaccines. Traditionally, Indian companies have not made a mark in original drug or vaccine discovery. Covid-19 could be the spur that pushes them to play higher up in the original drug discovery process. The writer is former editor of Business Today and Businessworld and founder and editor of Prosaicview, an editorial consultancy. Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/ Rediff.com Tehran, Sep 21 : The spokesman of Iran's Foreign Ministry Saeed Khatibzadeh on Sunday urged the US to "return to the global community" and perform its duties. "The world has reached nothing but insecurity, war and instability with US actions," Khatibzadeh said in his weekly press briefing, as quoted by official news agency IRNA, Xinhua reported. The Iranian spokesman was commenting on remarks made by the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who claimed that "the United States is returning virtually all United Nations sanctions on Iran". Khatibzadeh described Pompeo's position as "a world full of lies," and the only trace of the US actions in the world is "ruinous and ominous legacy," and Washington is now heading for "a new act of defiance." Iran's message to Washington, he added, is that it should "return to the global community and to its duties." Talking about the possibility that the US may try to force the unilateral inspection of Iranian ships and planes, Khatibzadeh responded "the fact that the United States is so isolated." He pointed out that the E-3 countries (Britain, France and Germany), "outright allies" of the United States, have issued a statement on Sunday denying Washington's right to impose sanctions on Iran and saying its actions have no legal effect. "Any action that violates Iran's sovereignty and international regulations will be met severely and without a moment of hesitation," he warned. The Iranian spokesman said the US must "refrain from acts of piracy by land, air and sea, because the era of piracy is over." The global community, he added, must stand united against the United States so it will respect international laws and regulations and "stop it's criminal activities." -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text From September 28, those who violate Covid-19 restrictions in the UK will face fines of up to 10,000 (nearly $13,000), as health secretary Matt Hancock said the country is at a tipping point with cases rising exponentially. The country reported a further 4,422 new cases on Saturday, the biggest daily increase since early May. Hancock told TV channels on Sunday: This country faces a tipping point. We face a choice. If everybody follows the rules ...then we can avoid further national lockdowns. But we of course have to be prepared to take action if that is what is necessary. I dont rule it out; I dont want to see it. The fines for those breaching self-isolation rules will start at 1,000 (nearly $1,300), but could increase to up to 10,000 for repeat offences and for the most egregious breaches, including for those preventing others from self-isolating. Russia reported 6,148 cases of Covid-19 in the past day, the most new cases registered in two months. The number of new infections is up 30% since September 1, when schools opened. Frances daily coronavirus cases surged to the highest since the national lockdown ended in May. Another 13,498 cases were reported on Saturday, the second straight day over 13,000. To the alarm of experts, Italians headed to the polls for a referendum and regional elections. Just a week after a Herculean effort by schools to reopen in line with last-minute Covid-19 rules, classrooms across the country were shut to pupils and transformed into ballot stations. In Spain, nearly a million Madrid residents went into a partial lockdown from Sunday. Meanwhile global fatalities neared 1 million, and deaths in the US, the worst-hit country, moved closer to 200,000. The breakthrough budget agreement announced Thursday by Gov. Phil Murphy and legislative leaders has two big pieces, one good and one shameless. The good part is the hike in the millionaires' tax. This is not about class warfare, or resentment of the rich. Its about shared sacrifice to cope with the economic collapse caused by this pandemic. The virus broke the political deadlock. Republicans responded with the same tired arguments theyve made for the last decade. They note that the richest 1 percent already pay 40 percent of all income taxes and predict that demanding more will cause them to flee the state. Yes, the wealthy pay the bulk of the income tax, which is steeply progressive by design. But the sales tax and property tax are regressive, and in the final wash, New Jerseys middle-class pays a higher share of its income in state and local taxes than the top 1 percent pays. When Republicans say the rich need relief, they are the ones practicing class warfare. And will the rich flee? Republicans and conservative Democrats have made that claim since Gov. Jim McGreevey hiked taxes on upper-income families nearly two decades ago, and they made it again when Murphy raised taxes on incomes above $5 million two years ago. We now have hard data from the Department of Treasury to show that this argument is a myth. The number of people earning more than $1 million in New Jersey has doubled in the last 20 years, despite those tax hikes. The sizzling real estate market in New Jersey during this pandemic, juiced by families leaving Manhattan, suggests that more are on the way. The pandemic has forced much steeper sacrifice from working families than from the rich, inflaming this economys outrageous inequities. Among families earning $50,000 or less, nearly two-thirds have lost income, according to the Department of Treasury. Among those earning more than $150,000, one-third have lost income. And the stock market is doing just fine, thank you. Raising taxes on the rich is nothing to celebrate. Its just that we need the money. * * * Now to the shameless part: Their plans to spend the bulk of the roughly $390 million in new revenue. They could spend this money to strengthen the state for the long run. They could roll back the plan to borrow $4 billion, on top of the states existing record-setting debt. They could clean the lead pipes that are poisoning our children or help the estimated 200,000 kids who cant get an education because they cant get online. They could do more to fix NJ Transit. Instead, theyre using the money to send rebate checks of up to $500 per family during the heat of next years political campaign, limited to families earning $150,000 or less. The credit is horribly designed, so that a lawyer earning $100,000 will get more than a cashier earning $20,000. It inexplicably favors married couples over single parents, even at the same income level. And while Democrats pitch it as a response to the pandemic, the checks wont go out until next summer, when the worst of the crisis will likely have passed. Lets call this what is: a bribe for voters in an election year. This proposal is the brainchild of Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex, who normally has a closer eye on the poorest among us and added $14 million in this years budget for food pantries. But Coughlin, cautious by nature, has resisted raising the millionaires' tax, saying it could trigger a taxpayer revolt that would cost Democrats seats in the Legislature. The rebate offers some protection. When Democrats released this plan, they spoke at a podium with a banner proclaiming Middle-class tax relief. As a strategy for the 2021 election, this makes sense, for Murphy and for Democrats in the Legislature. When Republicans warn that tax-happy Democrats intend to hit the middle-class next, Democrats can point to this tax cut. This is designed to help middle-class families, Coughlin says. But after the 2021 election, the tax credits will leave New Jersey with an even deeper fiscal crisis. The $4 billion in borrowed funds, about 10 percent of annual spending, will be gone by next summer, leaving an enormous hole to fill in the 2022 budget. Does it make one scrap of sense to dig that hole even deeper now? More: Tom Moran columns Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. The UK has recorded 3,899 new Covid-19 cases and another 18 deaths, amid warnings from the Health Secretary the country is at a 'tipping point'. The newly-released coronavirus infection figures are down on yesterday's 4,422. Overall, 394,257 cases have been confirmed. Health authorities said a further 18 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Sunday. This brings the UK total to 41,777. The victims were aged between 62 and 98, and all had known health conditions, NHS England said. The dates of the deaths were between April 30 and September 19, with the majority on or after September 18. Three other deaths were reported with no positive Covid-19 test result. It comes as Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned Britain is at a 'tipping point' as he refused to rule out a second national coronavirus lockdown if the public fails to follow social distancing rules. Pictured: staff at a Coronavirus testing centre in Leicester today. Health authorities today said there had been 12 fatalities in England, but none in Scotland or Wales. The figures for Northern Ireland have not yet been released With cases rising across the country, Mr Hancock said there was a danger the numbers could 'shoot through the roof' unless effective action was taken to halt the spread of the virus. His warning came as the Government announced anyone in England who refuses an order to self-isolate could face a fine of up to 10,000. The Health Secretary said that hospital admissions for the disease were doubling 'every eight days' and would be followed by an increase in the number of deaths. 'This country faces a tipping point,' he told BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show. 'If everybody follows the rules - and we will be increasingly stringent on the people who are not following the rules - then we can avoid further national lockdowns. 'But we of course have to be prepared to take action if that's what's necessary.' During a round of broadcast interviews, Mr Hancock said the Government had taken the decision to impose a legal duty on people to self-isolate if instructed as the data showed some were failing to do so. At the same time ministers have said people on benefits in England will be eligible for a one off support payment of 500 if they face a loss of earnings as a result of being required to self-isolate. Mr Hancock told Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme: 'We will support people who do the right thing and we will come down hard on people who do the wrong thing.' Boris Johnson has been desperate to avoid another nationwide lockdown amid concerns about the economic damage it will inflict just as activity was beginning to pick up again. Large groups of walkers enjoy the warm sunshine as Police patrol Hyde Park in London on the first weekend of the Rule of Six being in place However, as of Tuesday, around 13.5 million people across the UK will be facing some form of local restrictions as the authorities grapple with the disease. Second wave of Covid cases in Europe is not causing deaths to spike compared with the peak in spring A second wave of coronavirus cases in Europe is not causing deaths to spike. Although cases in Spain have soared to almost 15,000 a day leading to a new lockdown in parts of Madrid the number of deaths remains relatively low compared with the peak in spring. There were 240 deaths in Spain on Thursday much lower than the 929 daily deaths reached in late March when there were a recorded 9,000 cases a day. In France, another 13,498 cases were reported yesterday. But the latest 24-hour death toll 154 on Friday is much lower than in mid-April when there were 1,400 deaths but 5,500 confirmed cases. The difference may be explained by an increase in testing in the countries in recent months, but could also be a sign that the virus is mainly infecting younger, healthier people who survive the illness. Sweden, which did not impose a lockdown, continues to have a significantly lower rate of cases and deaths from Covid-19. On Tuesday, Sweden had its lowest number of new cases since March. In April, Covid deaths in a single day in Sweden peaked at 115. Now, some days, that figure is zero. Reported infections have been climbing steadily across most of Europe over the past two months, with more than half of countries seeing an increase of over ten per cent in the past two weeks. Advertisement London Mayor Sadiq Khan is now pressing ministers to extend the controls to the capital, which he believes may be just 'two or three days' behind the hotspots of the North West and North East of England. Mr Hancock said he was 'very worried' about the latest data which suggested Britain could be on the same path as Spain and France - where deaths and hospitalisations are increasing - without effective action. 'I am very worried about this second wave. We have seen in other countries around Europe how it can absolutely shoot through the roof,' he said. 'When the case rate shoots up, the next thing that happens is the numbers going into hospital shoot up. 'Sadly, we have seen that rise, it is doubling every eight days or so - people going into hospital - then, with a lag, you see the number of people dying sadly rise.' Among the measures being considered by ministers is a temporary two-week 'circuit break' with tighter restrictions across England in an attempt to break the chain of transmission. However, the Government is facing resistance from some senior Conservative MPs concerned that ministers are taking increasingly stringent powers with little or no parliamentary scrutiny. Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the powerful Tory backbench 1922 Committee, said he intends to table an amendment which would require the Government to put any new measures to a vote of MPs. He told The Sunday Telegraph that he would take the opportunity to seek to amend the legislation when the Government comes to renew the emergency powers in the Coronavirus Act 2020. 'In March, Parliament gave the Government sweeping emergency powers at a time when Parliament was about to go into recess and there was realistic concern that NHS care capacity might be overwhelmed by Covid-19,' he told the paper. 'We now know that the NHS coped well with the challenge of the virus and Parliament has been sitting largely since April. There is now no justification for ministers ruling by emergency powers without reference to normal democratic processes.' Under the latest rules, from September 28 people in England will have a duty to self isolate for 14 days if they test positive for coronavirus or they are instructed to do by NHS Test and Trace because they have been in contact with someone with the disease. Sir Keir Starmer said Labour would support the measures but warned that a second national lockdown was becoming more likely because the Test and Trace programme was in a state of 'near collapse'. 'Because the Government's now effectively lost control of testing, it doesn't necessarily know where the virus is. So if I was the prime minister, I would apologise for the fact that testing is all over the place,' he told the Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme. Mr Hancock, however, said he was not prepared to apologise, saying: 'I will endlessly defend my team. They are doing amazing work day-in-day-out.' (CNN) A package containing the poison ricin and addressed to President Donald Trump was intercepted by law enforcement earlier this week, according to two law enforcement officials. Two tests were done to confirm the presence of ricin. All mail for the White House is sorted and screened at an offsite facility before reaching the White House. A US law enforcement official told CNN that investigators are looking into the possibility the ricin package sent to Trump came from Canada. Mary-Liz Power, chief spokeswoman for Canada's Minister of Public Safety Bill Blair, said in a statement, "We are aware of the concerning reports of packages containing ricin directed toward US federal government sites. Canadian law enforcement is working closely with their US counterparts. As this is an active investigation we cannot comment further." The FBI and Secret Service are investigating the matter. Authorities are investigating additional similar packages mailed to addresses in Texas that may be connected to the same sender in Canada, a US law enforcement official said. Ricin is a highly toxic compound extracted from castor beans that has been used in terror plots. It can be used in powder, pellet, mist or acid form. If ingested, it causes nausea, vomiting and internal bleeding of the stomach and intestines, followed by failure of the liver, spleen and kidneys, and death by collapse of the circulatory system. "The FBI and our U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service partners are investigating a suspicious letter received at a U.S. government mail facility. At this time, there is no known threat to public safety," the FBI's Washington field office said in a statement to CNN. CNN has reached out to the Secret Service for comment. This story was first published on CNN.com 'A package containing the poison ricin and addressed to Trump intercepted by law enforcement' Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, intensified the Trump administrations feud with the U.N. on Thursday, sharply criticizing a new report on extreme poverty in the United States as misleading and politically motivated and questioning the very idea that the U.N. Human Rights Council would investigate poverty in America. The report, written by Philip Alston, the U.N.s special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, examines inequality in the United States and condemns President Trumps administration for pursuing high tax breaks for the rich and removing basic protections for the poor. Poverty is an issue the Trump administration takes very seriously, Haley wrote in a letter to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), one of 20 lawmakers who urged the Trump administration to present Congress with a plan to reduce poverty across the nation. The administrations overarching view is that the best way to help people get out of poverty is to help them get a job. It is patently ridiculous for the United Nations to examine poverty in America. Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Advertisement Rather than focus on the United States, which Haley noted has its lowest unemployment rate in decades, the former governor of South Carolina said Alston should have used his voice to shine a light on vulnerable populations in countries such as Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is patently ridiculous for the United Nations to examine poverty in America, Haley wrote. In our country, the President, Members of Congress, Governors, Mayors, and City Council members actively engage on poverty issues every day. Compare that to the many countries around the world, whose governments knowingly abuse human rights and cause pain and suffering. Haleys remarks came two days after she announced the U.S. was pulling out of the U.N. Human Rights Council, criticizing it as protector of human rights abusers and a cesspit of political bias. Alston, a native Australian and law professor at New York University, published his report June 1 after touring California, Alabama, Puerto Rico and West Virginia at the end of last year. The American dream is rapidly becoming the American illusion, Alston states in the report. The equality of opportunity, which is so prized in theory, is in practice a myth, especially for minorities and women, but also for many middle-class white workers. Alston was scheduled to present his report Thursday to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. Shortly before it was set to begin, he tweeted that the event was postponed until Friday. On Twitter, he said he looked forward to responding in the Human Rights Council. Too bad the U.S. wont be there, he added. In her letter, Haley said she was deeply disappointed that Alston used his platform to make misleading and politically motivated statements about American domestic policy. Regrettably, his report is an all too common example of the misplaced priorities and poor use of funds proven to be rampant throughout the U.N. system, she wrote. While Haley said Alston categorically misstated the progress the United States has made in addressing poverty and purposely used misleading facts and figures in its biased reporting, she did not specify what facts the Trump administration disputed. Sanders responded swiftly to Haleys letter Thursday, writing that he considered it totally appropriate for the U.N. special rapporteur to focus on poverty in the United States. He noted that more than 40 million Americans still live in poverty, 30 million have no health insurance, and 140 million struggle to pay for basic living expenses. You are certainly right in suggesting that poverty in many countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi is far worse than it is in the United States, Sanders wrote. But what is important to note about poverty in America is that it takes place in the richest country in the history of the world. In an interview with The Times early this month, Alston anticipated that U.S. officials would not appreciate his report. The United States is a proud nation, he said. I dont think that it will particularly appreciate being given such a poor report card before the international community. But I would very much like it if the U.S., when I present the report on June 21 to the Human Rights Council, would come out and try to defend its policies. I think that would be a very helpful step in getting serious debate going. Jarvie is a special correspondent. TikTok owner Bytedance said in a social media post on Sunday that it was the first time it had heard in the news it was setting up a $5 billion education fund in the United States. US President Donald Trump said he had approved a deal, which included a $5 billion education fund, to allow TikTok to continue to operate in the United States. Also Read: US delays TikTok Apple, Google app store ban until September 27 "The company has been committed to investing in the education field, and plans to work with partners and global shareholders to launch online classroom projects based on AI and video technology for students around the world," ByteDance said on its official account on Toutiao. Guwahati, Sep 20 : Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has ordered an inquiry into the leak of a question paper of a written examination for recruitment of police sub-inspectors, scheduled for Sunday, officials said. The State Level Police Recruitment Board was supposed to conduct the written test in all the 33 district headquarters to recruit sub-inspectors in Assam police. An official of Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said that Sonowal has directed the Director General of Police (DGP) Bhaskarjyoti Mahanta to expeditiously conduct the inquiry into the leak of question paper of the recruitment examination and find out the culprits. "Chief Minister asked the DGP to investigate if any vested interest group conspired to derail the recruitment process taken up by the state government and ensure strict action against the guilty," the official said. The written test for the recruitment of sub-inspector against 597 vacant posts of Assam Police sub-inspector has been cancelled hours before the leakage of question papers on social media. The State Level Police Recruitment Board Chairman in a press statement said that an FIR has been filed in this regard. "The new dates of the written examination would be declared within next one month.The candidates are once more assured that the examination would be free and fair and hence they should continue with the preparations," the statement added. The coronavirus pandemic has dealt a further blow to Indian expatriates. Abhishek Gautam, a 30-year-old mechanical engineer, was in Delhi in March when borders were closed. He said that his applications to reenter Singapore, where he has lived for five years, have been denied more than 25 times and that he has been on unpaid leave since. His visa requires him to be physically present by October, and he isn't sure whether he'll get an extension. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Seoul, South Korea Sun, September 20, 2020 15:35 488 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45faa58 2 Entertainment South-Korea,circus,drive-in,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic Free A clown juggled and acrobats launched themselves through the air above a stage in an open field in Seoul at the weekend as the audience watched from the safety of their cars, cocooned from the risk of coronavirus. The annual circus -- usually held in May -- was pushed back twice this year because of the virus until organizers turned it into a drive-in event. "The performing arts are very important even during a pandemic," said Cho Beong-hee, manager of the Seoul Street Art Creation Centre. "So we came up with different ideas in trying to make this event happen and the drive-in option was chosen as it was deemed the safest idea." Each event allows 30 cars to park in front of the stage, while the event is also streamed online for free. Read also: Don't open the door!: Japan haunted house goes drive-in The lack of interaction with the audience posed new challenges for the performers. "I had to re-imagine and re-think new ways to go about my performance," said Lee Sung-hyung, a performer at the circus. The crowd clapped and honked car horns as acrobats swung above the giant stage, hoisted by a crane. In the audience, Yu Hye-jin said she was satisfied with her seat. "I think watching performances in cars is great," she said, adding, "I think it can be done in the future, with other performances like musicals." Schools in several states, including Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Nagaland will re-open for Class 9 to 12 students who wish to take guidance from teachers on Monday, in keeping with the Centre's Unlock-4 guidelines The coronavirus cases in India raced past 54 lakh on Sunday with 92,605 more testing positive as schools in some states prepared to partially reopen for students from classes 9 to 12 who wish to seek guidance from their teachers. Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh's Raipur is set to go under a weeklong stricter lockdown from Monday to control the spread of the infection, as per PTI. Single-day recoveries exceed new cases India's single-day recoveries exceeded the number of new infections with 94,612 people recuperating from COVID-19 in 24, taking the rceovery rate to 79.68 percent. The total COVID-19 recoveries have reached 43,03,043. As many as 60 percent of the new recoveries were reported from five states Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Maharashtra continued to top the chart with more than 23,000 new recoveries, while both Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh accounted for over 10,000 single-day recoveries, it said. The COVID-19 caseload in the country surged to 54,00,619 while the toll climbed to 86,752 with the virus claiming 1,133 lives in a span of 24 hours, according to the health ministry's 8 am update. The case fatality rate stood at 1.61 percent. India's COVID-19 count had crossed 20-lakh on 7 August, 30 lakh on 23 August, 40 lakh on 5 September and it went past 50 lakh on 16 September. "Also, 52 percent of the new cases are concentrated in five states. These are also the states contributing maximum to the new recoveries," the ministry underlined. Maharashtra accounted for over 20,000 (22.16 percent) of the new cases. Both Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka accounted for more than 8,000 cases, it said. As many as 425 or 37 percent of the fatalities reported on Saturday were from Maharashtra, followed by Karnataka (114) and Uttar Pradesh (84), it said. There are 10,10,824 active cases in the country which comprise 18.72 percent of the total caseload, showed the health ministry data. According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 6,36,61,060 samples have been tested up to 19 September with 12,06,806 samples being tested on Saturday. 'No significant mutation of virus' Meanwhile, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan asserted that no significant or drastic mutation in strains of SARS-CoV-2 has been found in India till now. During a virtual interaction with his social media followers, Vardhan said that the ICMR has been conducting large-scale sequencing of nationally representative strains of SARS-CoV-2 virus collected for several months over different time-points. Detailed results on mutations and evolution of the virus will be available in early October, he said. Replying to queries during the 'Sunday Samvad' interaction, Vardhan asserted that enough oxygen is being produced in the country and the health ministry is closely monitoring the situation. Vardhan informed that the ICMR had validated a few saliva-based tests for the detection of COVID-19, but no reliable test has been found. Companies with tests approved by US-FDA have still not approached the Government of India, he added. He further said that the country's apex health research body is actively exploring this test method and information will be released as soon as reliable options are available. The health minister noted that it would take a substantive amount of time for developing herd immunity to be able to cover about 70 percent of the population. Hence, the focus of the government is primarily towards putting together a strategy that combines containment and hospital management, he said. Schools to partially re-open in several states Schools in several states, including Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Nagaland and Madhya Pradesh will re-open for Class 9 to 12 students on Monday, in keeping with the Centre's Unlock-4 guidelines, according to a Scroll report. All government-run and private schools across Jammu region will reopen partially for higher classes after six months of closure due to the pandemic, a senior government official said, assuring that all necessary arrangements are in place for the safety of students. However, she said the attendance of the students would be voluntary and based on the consent of their parents. We are partially reopening the schools outside containment zones for the students of 9 to 12 classes from tomorrow with terms and conditions in accordance with the guidelines of the government, Director School Education, Jammu zone, Anuradha Gupta told PTI. She said only 50 percent teachers would attend their duties as per the prepared roster, while the students of Classes 9 to 12 can attend their classes only with the written consent from their parents or guardian. Gupta said the department has worked out arrangements with the school management and they undertaken fumigation and sanitisation of the school premises. Besides ensuring social distancing, the schools will also ensure availability of adequate number of hand sanitisers, face masks and will follow the guidelines issued by the health department besides ensuring social distancing. The school management would also ensure medical help if needed, she said. The Punjab government also announced on Sunday that it would allow students of classes 9 to 12 to visit their schools in areas outside containment zones on a voluntary basis. However, some states, including Delhi and Karnataka, have announced that they will not allow students to visit schools from Monday, according to the Hindustan Times. Raipur to go under lockdown Late on Saturday night, Raipur Collector S Bharathi Dasan issued an order declaring Raipur district as a containment zone and restricted several activities from 9 pm on 21 September till midnight of 28 September, a state public relations department official said. "Raipur district has so far reported over 26,000 COVID-19 cases and 900-1000 cases are being recorded daily. To break the chain of transmission, it has become necessary to declare the entire district a containment zone. Inter-district borders in Raipur will remain sealed during this duration," the order said. All Central, state, semi-government and private offices will remain closed. No public meeting or rally will be allowed, but government staff engaged in prevention and control of COVID-19 will continue to work as earlier, it said. "All shops and commercial establishments, including grocery shops will be closed during the period. Medical shops will be allowed to remain open while home deliveries of medicines will be given priority. Milk shops will be open from 6am to 8am and then 5pm to 6:30 pm," an official said. Petrol pumps will provide fuel only to government vehicles, private vehicles engaged in medical emergencies, and to ambulances. LPG cylinder distributors are allowed to take orders only via telephone and provide home delivery, while liquor shops will remain closed. The order said industrial houses and construction units will have to make on-site residential arrangements for their labourers. Essential services, like health, electricity and water supply, sanitation works and emergency services have been kept out of the purview of restrictions, and those needing to move out of the district will need an e-pass, an official said. Lockdown has also been imposed for differing durations in several other urban areas of the states. Central team visits Jammu A central team visiting Jammu called for 100 percent house-to-house survey, contact tracing and increasing the number of testing, especially using Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kits, to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the region. The four-member team headed by National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) director SK Singh was discussing with senior government officers the steps to be taken for containing and controlling of the spread of COVID-19 following a spike in cases last month, said a spokesperson. Reviewing the measures through video conference meetings with district administration and health teams of six districts Samba, Ramban, Kishtwar, Kathua, Rajouri and Doda, the team highlighted the need for focus on the testing and surveillance of containment zones using door-to-door surveys. "The team members urged the officials concerned to focus on influenza-like Illness (ILI) /Severe Acute Respiratory infection (SARI) cases, 100 percent house-to-house survey, contact tracing and increasing the number of testing, especially with RAT. They asked the officials to focus on the data analysis and stepping up the testing, contact tracing and surveillance of the areas from where more cases are detected so that chain can be broken," the spokesman said. He said the team suggested the measures to be implemented in the containment zones and asked them to involve ASHA and field Health staff to identify ILI cases so that testing of all can be done. "Door-to-door survey was suggested for identifying high-risk persons like pregnant women or the elderly and those with comorbidity," he said. With inputs from PTI KITCHENER Four Wilfrid Laurier University students have tested positive for COVID-19. They are part of a weekend of rising cases of the disease, in which two members of GoodLife Fitness Kitchener Williamsburg also tested positive for the virus, and Waterloo Region confirmed 28 new cases. The university said two of the students are being managed by Region of Waterloo Public Health, with the other two managed by Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health. Despite our extensive precautions and planning, the Laurier community is not immune to the recent increase in cases in the Region and across the province, said Deborah MacLatchy, president and vice-chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University, in a press release. Were counting on our students to do their part to prevent the spread of COVID 19 by avoiding gatherings and following public health guidelines. As for the GoodLife cases, both members belong to the same household and have indicated to the gym they contracted the virus from a family member outside the club. GoodLife was informed of the positive test by these members and, out of an abundance of caution, we are informing members who were also in the club at these times, said GoodLifes vice-president of operations, Tracy Matthews, in a statement. The affected individuals have not been back in the club since Sept. 14. Region of Waterloo Public Health is reporting 28 new COVID-19 cases over the weekend, with another six added from earlier in the week. That brings the total to 112 active cases currently, and 1,592 total cases since the pandemic began. No one is in hospital. There are six active outbreaks in the region, three of which were declared on Saturday at Lanark Heights Long-Term Care, a child-care setting and a separate congregate setting. Of all the local cases, 1,360 were reported as resolved. Deaths are unchanged at 120. Matthews said the GoodLife cases are unrelated to Fridays report of an outbreak at a sports/fitness facility in the Waterloo Region. This is the first case in the region related to a GoodLife gym, she said. Gyms were allowed to open in Ontario as part of the third and final stage of the provinces reopening plan in mid-July, with masks optional for gym users in the act of working out. Anyone else inside the building is required to wear a mask, and everyone is expected to follow social distancing protocols. Matthews said all GoodLife gyms are enforcing masking requirements established by public health authorities, have added increased space between equipment and are reducing capacity using an online booking system. She said theyve also introduced a constantly cleaning philosophy with a focus on using hospital-grade cleaning solutions on high-touch areas and surfaces. We are encouraged by the positive feedback that we have received from Public Health authorities about the safety measures in our clubs, as well as our COVID-19 response process, and we are grateful for their continued work to help support the health and safety of our members and associates, said Matthews. GoodLife has reached out to public health for further direction. FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. A day after Ruth Bader Ginsburgs death, President Donald Trump relished the opportunity to promise his supporters that he would fill the vacant Supreme Court seat, a move designed to energize his voters just weeks before the election. In his first expanded remarks about the Supreme Court, Trump told thousands of supporters at a campaign rally Saturday that he has a moral duty to replace Ginsburg, and that his pick will be a woman. So Article 2 of our Constitution says the president shall nominate justices of the Supreme Court, he said. I don't think it can be any more clear ... I don't think so. I don't think so. Fill that seat! the crowd chanted. Thats what we're going to do. We're going to fill the seat, he responded to cheers. Trumps allies said they hoped he would shift his focus from the coronavirus outbreak to the Supreme Court to invigorate Republicans by showing them whats at stake in the election. The president delivered Saturday, signaling that he plans to campaign on the issue for the next six weeks, revising a strategy he employed in 2016. Trump noted presidents, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, had nominated justices to the Supreme Court 29 times in an election year, saying he has plenty of time before his term ends Jan. 20. We won an election and those are the consequences, Trump said. You know, it's called fill that seat and that's what we're doing. In 2016, the Republican-led Senate refused to hold a vote on President Barack Obamas nominee for a vacancy, Merrick Garland, claiming it was because it was an election year. This time around, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed to hold a vote on Trumps nominee, though he hasnt specified timing. The crowd also noted Ginsburgs death. Before Trump flew from Washington, several thousand attendees at the Fayetteville Regional Airport were asked to include the late Supreme Court Justice and her family in pre-rally prayer. There was little social distancing or masks. Story continues Supporters of President Donald Trump wait for his arrival to speak during a campaign rally at Fayetteville Regional Airport. During the rally, without saying her full name, Trump bashed Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who said earlier in the day that the Senate should wait to vote on a nominee until after the election so that the winner of the election can choose the selection. "We have some senators you know, oh forget it," he said. "I won't say it. Susan. I won't say it. Susan. And during the event, when Trump announced he would nominate a woman next week, he took two "very scientific" polls, as he described them jokingly, on whether he should pick a woman or man. The crowd cheered louder for a woman. "That's a very accurate poll because that's the way I feel," he said. It will be a woman, a very talented woman, he assured. The crowd cheered. He is considering Judge Amy Coney Barrett of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, and former Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara Lagoa, now a federal appeals court judge who is Cuban American. Barrett is considered the leading contender because of her conservative credentials, Trumps interest in picking a woman and the fact that shes already been interviewed, according to five people familiar with the White House process. With just over six weeks before the election, Trump is lagging behind Biden in both national and state polls. His standing has fallen in many key states, such as Ohio and Iowa, and even in traditionally red states, such as Arizona and Georgia, in both public and campaign polls. Trump also touched on other topics in the nearly two-hour event. At times, he reverted back to his standard stump speech, careening from one topic to another, from the video-sharing app TikTok to his wall on the border with Mexico to trade deals to funding the military. Yet the Supreme Court vacancy loomed large. But no one cares about that anymore, all they care about is fill that seat, he said. Trump attacked Democrat Joe Biden, calling him the worst candidate, the dumbest of all candidates, and the worst candidate in the history of presidential politics. "If I lose to him, I dont know what Im going to do, he said. "Ill never speak to you again. Youll never see me again. How do you lose?" He blasted Biden on his mental acuity, his stance on China and his record on restoring the economy when he served as Barack Obamas vice president. He also accused Bidens son Hunter of using his fathers name to earn millions in China, though he offered no evidence of his claim. Where is Hunter? What the hell ever happened? he asked. He took the money and he ran I think. Where is Hunter? He took the money, he went to China and he took $1.5 billion and he had no experience. He didnt have a job until this guy became vice president. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Fayetteville Regional Airport. And he mocked Biden for failing to release a list of possible Supreme Court nominees as he did last when he updated a previous list. We're asking for Biden's list, he said. He can't give it. Trump again heaped praise on his administration for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak, but on Saturday he said little about the actual pandemic. We're rounding the turn, he said. We're rounded the corner of the pandemic. Trump allies have pushed the president to focus his message on the economy and law and order in the wake of nationwide protests over police brutality, but he has generally resisted, though he did mention those issues Saturday. We built the greatest economy in the history of the world and now we're doing it again and we're doing it very rapidly, he said. And he repeated his nearly daily assault on voting-by-mail, saying without evidence that the practice will lead to massive election fraud. We're counting on the federal court system to make it so that we can actually have an evening where we know who wins, OK, he said. Not where the votes are going to be counted a week later, two weeks later. But on Saturday, it was clear that he would use the Supreme Court as a new talking point in the final weeks of the election. His campaign even began to raise money off the issue. Pres. Trump will fill the Supreme Court vacancy with a conservative justice. 800%-MATCH live to Make America Great Again! Claim your match NOW. Maria Carrasco contributed to this report. Officers from the National Police Headquarters will on Monday, September 21, 2020, embark on a march through some streets of Accra as part of activities to assure the public of their readiness to provide security for the upcoming Presidential and Parliamentary Elections. A press release by the Police said, the march will start in the morning at 6am and end at mid-day. Route "From the Ring Road where the National Police Headquarters is located, the parade will march through highways or streets of Ako Adjei Interchange - 37 Military Hospital - Obasanjo Highway Kawukudi Roundabout - Accra Girls Secondary School - Pig Farm - Kotobabi - Accra New Town - Nima - Kwame Nkrumah Circle - Kojo Thompson Road-Liberation Road- Castle Junction - La Teshie Road - Danquah Circle back to the National Police Headquarters," the statement said. "The Police Administration is therefore urging the general public for corporation Officers from the Motor Transport and Traffic Department will be deployed to manage traffic". The press release added that the march "shall also be used to display some Police resources like ambulance, trained dogs, crime scene and armoured vehicles, which shall be tactically deployed as part of resources for election security, to protect law abiding citizens and residents of Ghana". 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 With Ginsburgs death, a more volatile U.S. presidential race The U.S. is mourning the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the deeply admired Supreme Court justice who died on Friday. Her death has set the stage for a polarizing battle to replace her on the court. With just six weeks to go before the Nov. 3 election, President Trump has vowed to fill her vacant seat without delay and said that he would choose a woman. Justice Ginsburg had said that her most fervent wish was that she not be replaced before a new president took office, and Democrats are angrily recalling Republicans refusal in 2016 to consider President Barack Obamas nominee for a successor to Justice Antonin Scalia, who died nine months before that years election. The stakes: Justice Ginsburgs death has the potential, at least in part, to shift the race from a referendum on Mr. Trump and his handling of the coronavirus crisis to a battle over the court and volatile issues like abortion. mfanukhona@times.co.sz MBABANE The USA market, which was one of the countrys lucrative markets, has terribly nosedived to alarming proportions in the past five years. Exports to the United States were valued at E1.3 billion in 2014 against E411 million that was recorded last year. This shows a sharp decline by E1.2 billion. Due to the impact of COVID-19 and the countrys removal from trade benefits under AGOA, it could prove to be a mammoth task for the country to realise the gains achieved in 2014. The trade balance hasnt improved at all, with goods shipped to the United States from April 2020 to July 2020 not demonstrating any improvement in terms of the difference between the monetary value of the countrys exports and imports from USA. Goods shipped to US over the past five months are valued at E11.2 million (US$700 000). However, US shipped goods valued at E83.2 million to Eswatini during the five-month period the country has been under COVID-19 siege. The trade data has been sourced from the United States Census Bureau, the principal agency of the US Federal Statistical System responsible for producing data about American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the US Department of Commerce and its director is appointed by the president of the United States. From January to July 2020, the US has exported goods to Eswatini valued at US$10.2 million, the equivalent of E163.2 million against E33.6 million worth of goods sold to the American market. This shows an unfavourable trade balance of E129 million. It effectively means the foreign exchange reserves have been greatly depleted during the period under review. Apart from AGOA trade benefits, the USA and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), which includes Eswatini, signed a Trade, Investment, and Development Cooperative Agreement (TIDCA) in 2008. According to the Office of the US Trade Representative, the TIDCA establishes a forum for consultative discussions, cooperative work, and possible agreements on a wide range of trade issues, with a special focus on customs and trade facilitation, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, and trade and investment promotion. Eswatini is also a member of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)), which signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with the USA in 2001. The kingdom is currently USAs 185th largest goods trading partner with E752 million (US$47 million) in total (two way) goods trade during 2018. The US goods trade surplus with Eswatini was E320 million (US$20 million) in 2018. This is due to the fact that goods sold to the country by the US totalled E528 million against goods valued at E208 million shipped to America by Eswatini. Eswatini imports the following goods from US l art and antiques; l vehicles; l machinery; l organic chemicals; l military equipment; On the other hand, the country normally exports the following to the USA l tree nuts; l prepared food; l processed fruit; l wine and beer; l vegetable oils (ex. soybean); l sugar; l perfumery l cosmetics; Bheki Bhembe, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development, said the trade numbers between US and Eswatini told the country that it was a net importer of goods from America. Bhembe mentioned that the countrys AGOA status would also weigh in on the kingdoms trade position with the US. However, the principal secretary explained that the US/Eswatini trade position did not give the full story because most of the countrys exports were destined to SACU and European Union (EU) regions, which make up for the position with the United States. Overall, he elucidated that the country imported more goods and services than it exported. Emmanuel Ndlangamandla, the Executive Director of the Coordinating Assembly of Non Governmental Organisations (CANGO), said the trade imbalance was unfavourable to Eswatini as it deprived it of foreign exchange gains that would have seen the country getting more dollars to improve the country. He said the availability of the market was insufficient if the manufacturing industry was small or lacking capacity to produce more for it (market). improve Ndlangamandla emphasised on the need for the country to improve its export base so that there was no trade deficit. The executive director mentioned that the countrys economic road map should be tailored to address such things. He said the countrys trading system should ensure that production supplied the market satisfactorily. According to the Post COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan, government has resolved to boost production, with significant reduction in agricultural imports as the country is determined to produce more maize, avocados, citrus, baby vegetables, fish, poultry and red meat. It is mentioned in the recovery plan that agricultural exports will increase so that they would have positive effects on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The recovery plan states that a total of 4 610 jobs will be created in the manufacturing industry. It is also mentioned that the manufacturing investment will amount to E6.537 billion. These manufacturing projects include the expansion of the sugar industry for value addition to produce various (sugar) products, and the manufacture of pharmaceuticals through the Royal Science and Technology Park (RSTP). The projects will also include production of fridge components, and a Kelloggs factory to manufacture noodles and other food products, leather factory for the manufacture of industrial protective clothing, the refurbishment of former Swazi Paper Mills for the manufacture of craft paper, cardboard, and other products. enrichment It is said that a Lubombo Industrial Park will be set up to manufacture soap, pharmaceutical, and assembly of cars as well as an ethanol enrichment plant. It is worth noting that the manufacturing sector will benefit from the largest share of investments out of the Recovery Plan, so that the sector is well-positioned to drive the countrys growth as per the objectives of the Eswatinis Strategic Road map 2019-2022. A majority of these projects will take place in Matsapha the industrial hub of Eswatini. The manufacturing projects are in line with the NDP, which emphasises the development of a dynamic private sector that supports sustainable and inclusive growth. Specifically, the manufacturing sector will contribute to the achievements of the four sectoral outcomes identified by the NDP, which are: l enhanced export growth and product diversification; l strengthen the business environment; l increased employment; l stimulating investment and fostering entrepreneurial activity. One of the planned projects is already under construction, and that is the Kelloggs Tolarum Eswatini (PTY) Ltd, which shall manufacture noodles. It is anticipated that the project will contribute over E6 billion to the countrys Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Government hopes this project alone will boost the economy in many ways. Particularly, it is thought that MSMEs will benefit, as they will be supplying the inputs needed for producing noodles such as flour. To boost the economy and exports, government says Eswatini will be making the much needed investments for industrial innovation and improving local capacity to manufacture goods for export. At the same time, the manufacturing sector presents immense opportunities to absorb Eswatinis youth, particularly those engaged in technical vocational education and training (TVET). opportunity Moreover, this is a huge opportunity for skills development and skills transfer especially in high tech industries that will be manufacturing products, according to the recovery plan. The manufacturing sector projects will contribute to the achievement of SDGs, which allow the promotion of sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. The target for the least developed countries like Eswatini for this goal is to achieve at least a seven per cent growth in per capita gross domestic product (GDP) per year. However, according to the World Bank calculations, Eswatini requires a yearly minimum growth rate of 23 per cent in real per capita GDP to reduce poverty and inequality. With an expansion of the manufacturing sector, Eswatini would be creating enumerable opportunities for both skilled and unskilled youth, including women, to close the inequality gap and further reduce poverty. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 20:42:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Bambang Purwanto JAKARTA, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo has assigned Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic in the country in addition to the recent establishment of a national committee on pandemic mitigation and economic recovery. The Indonesian Health Ministry has said the daily increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country has hovered around 3,000 in the past two weeks. The ministry on Sunday reported 3,989 more cases, bringing the total to 244,676, with the death toll adding by 105 to 9,553. On Saturday, the ministry recorded the highest daily hike of 4,168. The senior minister was given a special assignment to control the COVID-19 outbreak especially in the capital city of Jakarta, and provinces of West Java, East Java, Central Java, South Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, Bali, North Sumatra and Papua, which represent 75 percent of the COVID-19 cases in the country. The president also asked relevant ministries including the Health Ministry to work together and monitor the progress of the COVID-19 mitigation in these regions. The COVID-19 Mitigation Task Force's spokesman Wiku Adisasmito on Thursday announced a series of measures to curb the spread of the pandemic. Among them was to synchronize relevant data between the central government and the regional administrations, which would be used as references to make decisions on the COVID-19 mitigation and economic recovery. The government also implemented administrative rules on the enforcement of health protocols, including imposition of sanctions on those who violate the rules. The president also underscored the improvement of the treatment management for COVID-19 patients to lower the mortality rate and increase the recovery rate, as well as immediate actions on clusters especially in coronavirus-prone districts or cities. The government would also create a synergy in tackling the deadly virus among cities which are adjacent to each other including the capital city of Jakarta to its surrounding areas as West Java province's cities of Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi, where the mobility of commuters is high. Among the measures to mitigate the pandemic was to encourage people to change their behaviors in exercising the health protocols, Pandjaitan told a virtual press conference on Friday. There was an increasing trend in the number of new COVID-19 cases in September compared to August although the recovery rate was also rising, he said, admitting that the increase occurred when economic activities resumed. He said that in the next two to three months, there might be a time of crisis before an effective COVID-19 vaccine is available. The vaccine is now under the third phase of clinical test. The minister requested the Health Ministry to make sure the availability of medicines for COVID-19 patients in all the provinces across the country. He also called on the governors in the worst-affacted provinces to prepare two or three star hotels to be turned into quarantine centers for COVID-19 patients without symptoms and those with light symptoms. Especially for the Indonesian Armed Forces and the State Police, Pandjaitan called for tightened operations to ensure health protocols are well implemented. The State Police's spokesman Brigadier General Awi Setiyono said the disciplinary enforcement is conducted in stages ranging from persuasive measures to legal sanctions. According to Setiyono, the measures include warning people of abiding by the health protocols, and imposing sanctions of fines, social works and revocation of business permits. Enditem 20.09.2020 LISTEN Panabo is a rural community in the western north region of Ghana. The community had access to classroom blocks for primary education until in January 2020 the classrooms all got broken down. Not even one is left. From dilapidated classrooms to now no classrooms. Please see the current situation on youtube https://youtu.be/q8BIr13zTeg Whiles it seems a blessing in disguise that the classrooms did not collapse on the pupils and teachers, the lack of classrooms was already an enormous challenge for pupils in the community to have access to education. Those who can walk have to foot for 45minutes or more out of the community to access education. If not for the COVID-19 and the goverment of Ghana directives on (partial) schools closure, and pupils were to return to school today, it will be huge challenge for the pupils of panabo. The community leaders have since January 2020 been lamenting and pleading with the public and concern stakeholders to support panabo rebuild the classroom blocks before January 2021 when schools are scheduled to be re-opened in Ghana. Please to help contac us by email: [email protected] or mobile phone 0542431667. All support received will be acknowledged publicly. AZT BHPian Join Date: Nov 2019 Location: Bombay Posts: 578 Thanked: 2,116 Times Daimler may be banned from selling cars in Germany over legal battle with Nokia and Sharp Nokia, Qualcomm and Sharp have joined forces in the Avanci LLC patent pool, which promises to collect royalties from the car industry by offering a fixed price per vehicle, currently running at $15 a car for a 4G-standard license. Daimler disagrees and wants to maintain the practice of suppliers negotiating the licenses, ideally at a fraction of the umbrella-deal cost. Quote: A good decade after Nokia Oyjs mobile-phone business suffered a fatal blow at the hands of the iPhone, the Finnish company is still feeding off a lucrative asset that it salvaged from the wreckage. Nokia retained a catalog of thousands of wireless communications patents that is steadily growing thanks to a thriving research operation. Now an attempt to change how those patents are monetized has led Nokia into court with Daimler AG, the maker of Mercedes-Benz cars. Quote: Modern automobiles are so brimming with electronic gadgetry that the industry has casually likened its products to smartphones on wheels. Wireless technology allows occupants to make calls, stream music or dial up emergency services in case of an accident. Traditionally, automakers require that their components makers, be it Continental AG or Robert Bosch AG, handle any royalty issues, and indemnify them for any patent demands that may come later Quote: Nokia is trying to enforce its approach via a high-stakes court battle, with hearings in Munich, Dusseldorf and Mannheim. Its here that the Finns struck legal gold: the company won an injunction that could stop Daimler from selling cars in Germany, which would be a suicidal situation for the inventor of the automobile on its home turf. One consolation for Daimler is that enforcing a car-sale ban would require Nokia to post collateral of 7 billion euros ($8.3 billion) in a separate proceeding, a risky proposition for the Finnish company given the huge outlay. But here is where it gets interesting Quote: But then on Sept. 10, Sharp won an injunction in a Munich court that also threatens a ban on Daimler vehicles, albeit at a much lower collateral of just 5.5 million euros, putting additional pressure on the carmaker. Quote: While Daimler is appealing the ruling, it sent major shock waves through the industry and beyond (Nokia surged about 3% after the verdict). At stake isnt just the licensing model for patents used in cars, but in pretty much every product that promises wireless connectivity, be it a fridge, a combine harvester or a medical device. For Nokia and its peers, the automobile industry is only the tip of the licensing iceberg, and theyre going global. Quote: Continental has gone one step further, fielding a suit against Avanci in the U.S. and urging the European Commission to step in and stop what it considers unfair competition. Like Daimler, Continental is invoking a rule stating that technology needed by everyone must be shared under fair terms. A royalty of $15 as demanded by Avanci would wipe out all profit for the components makers, and that doesnt include patent owners who arent part of the Avanci platform but also want to get paid, the company contends. Quote: Its not all bad news for Daimler and the suppliers in its corner. At a hearing in Dusseldorf earlier this month, the judges indicated they want the EUs top court to weigh in on the dispute. The judges in Luxembourg should say whether Nokia can pick and choose whom they want to license to in the supply chain -- an important legal milestone for Daimler. But recent rulings in California and London as well as Nokias Mannheim win have benefited owners of patents for standard-essential technology, said Jorge Contreras, a University of Utah law professor who specializes in the intersection of patent and antitrust law. Ultimately, it could give them an edge when trying to negotiate licenses. There are multiple cases ongoing in the EU and US courts over technology patents owned mainly by Nokia.Nokia, Qualcomm and Sharp have joined forces in the Avanci LLC patent pool, which promises to collect royalties from the car industry by offering a fixed price per vehicle, currently running at $15 a car for a 4G-standard license. Daimler disagrees and wants to maintain the practice of suppliers negotiating the licenses, ideally at a fraction of the umbrella-deal cost.There's another counter case in the US filed by Continental claiming a royalty of 15$ as demanded would wipe out all profits of component makers.This case looks headed to the EU's top court with no end in sightRead More: https://www.livemint.com/companies/n...800090647.html Last edited by AZT : 11th September 2020 at 14:29 . Scarlett Johansson says her sacrifice was very much in character (Image by Marvel Studios) **SPOILER BELOW** Scarlett Johansson has opened up about Black Widows death in Avengers: Endgame, which saw the beloved superhero sacrificing herself in order to retrieve the Soul Stone. But while undoubtedly one of the most emotional scenes in the blockbuster, some fans were upset that she wasnt given a funeral scene like Tony Stark, while others were just furious that she left the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Watch: The Black Widow trailer below... Read More: Chris Hemsworth putting on more bulk than Thor for Hulk Hogan role During a recent interview with Games Radar, Johansson candidly discussed her death in Avengers: Endgame. She said: I love Natasha. Shes had an incredible 10-year journey, and I felt that she was finally able to make an active choice. It seemed very in-character, that ultimate sacrifice that she makes Shes made peace with that, and, in some ways, has known thats her destiny all along, in a weird poetic way. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, Scarlett Johansson, David Harbour, Florence Pugh, O.T. Fagbenle, director Cate Shortland and Rachel Weisz attend Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, July 20, 2019. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney) Johansson said that all her past performances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe had built to Black Widows decision in Endgame, which saw her holding Hawkeye back so that she could be the one to die at Vormir. When you look back on the films, thats in there. All the films have led her to that choice or to be able to make that choice, or for it to be a choice. Read More: Taika Waititi wishes Chris Hemsworth a happy birthday with hilarious snap Johansson has promised that upcoming film Black Widow will offer resolution for the character, while director Cate Shortland assured fans that the delayed superhero movie will honour her. That [death] gives Black Widow an added heart at the end, because its not wrapping [the story] up. Its actually what you feel its not a narrative thing. Its like, how do we make the audience feel? Well get to see if thats the case when Black Widow is released in UK cinemas on 28 October. By PTI NEW DELHI: The government is giving all necessary support for development of a vaccine against the novel coronavirus in the country and three vaccine candidates are in different phases of clinical trial, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said in Parliament on Sunday. Replying to a discussion in Lok Sabha on the coronavirus pandemic, the Health Minister said so far 6.37 crore tests have been conducted in the country which is "probably the highest in the world". Vardhan said on the scientific front, nearly 2,000 genomes of the novel coronavirus have been sequenced so far in the country. He listed out a series of steps taken to contain the spread of infection and combat the pandemic. Over 15 lakh people have been screened at airports, he said. When Nepal reported its first case, screening of 16 lakh people was done on the border, he said. In the initial days, even doctors did not have enough knowledge on this disease, Vardhan said. However, more than 2-3 million have been trained in capacity building. On the lockdown that was announced to contain the spread of the virus, Vardhan said from March 16-23, half-a-dozen to a dozen state governments had either announced partial or total lockdown. He said many things are said about the merits and demerits of lockdown. Five professional independent studies have assessed about how many cases and deaths were prevented due to it and have come out with their findings. Vardhan said before the WHO cautioned the world that coronavirus is an international health concern, the Centre started its work on January 8 and by January 17, it had issued an advisory to all states. "We had given a detailed health advisory, had started point of entry surveillance...community surveillance was also started," Vardhan said. On testing capacity, Vardhan said on Saturday, nearly 12 lakh tests were conducted. He said initially, there was only one lab that had the cornavirus testing facility but the country now has 1,773 labs. "We now have the capacity to develop 10 lakh kits everyday," he said. On development of vaccines, he said there are 30 vaccine candidates in the country at different states. "Three vaccine candidates are in different stages of clinical trial," Vardhan informed. Vardhan said under the PM Cares Fund, the Health Ministry got Rs 893 crore for buying "Make in India" ventilators. Plus, the National Disaster Relief Force under the National Disaster Relief Fund made provision of Rs 11,000 crore to all state governments wherein the State Disaster Management Funds could be used. He said there are 17,000 COVID-19 facilities in the country which have nearly 18 lakh beds, 13,000 quarantine centres have 6 lakh beds. He also saluted the corona warriors in the country. Among the celebrity Zoom events and reunions during the lockdown, the "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" virtual table read on Thursday could have beat them all. This underscored Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston's reunion. Virtual Table Read for 'Fast Times' The virtual table read brought together the 1982 movie's star Sean Penn alongside Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Matthew McConaughey, and Shia LaBeouf among others. The former married couple had a flirty moment while reading out a raunchy scene in the reading session. Ptt and Aniston, who were divorced in 2005, made fans elated when they were reenacting a steamy scene in which their roles, Brad Hamilton, and Linda Barrett, tease during one of Hamilton's dreams. This was besides them exchanging pleasantries. The film was for a special cause; for Sean Penn's charity CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort), which is "a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and strengthening communities affected by or vulnerable to crisis," reported Pink Villa. Clips of the table read aired on Thursday night displayed Pitt voiced Judge Reinhold's character, Hamilton and Aniston voicing Phoebe Cates' character of Barrett. Both were caught chuckling as they voiced the racy pool scene from the film. The unrehearsed event on Thursday, September 17, was part of Feelin' A-Live, a charity read by comedian Dane Cook. It was presented by Snack Pop. The Steamy Moment Pitt donned a green t-shirt while Aniston donned a red bikini over a white tank. The scene was when his character imagines Barrett urging him to approach her breasts with his hands. Also Read: Brad Pitt's New Flame Nicole Poturalski Addresses Angelina Jolie Rumor With Cryptic Instagram Post They recreated the famous dream sequence moment wherein Hamilton conjures an image of a bikini-clad Barrett seducing him as she climbs out of his house's swimming pool. Aniston as Barrett remarked to Hamiton, "Hi, Brad. You know how cute I always thought you were. I think you're so sexy. Will you come to me?" reported NBC San Diego. Pitt and Aniston's reunion has been reported since the initial announcement of the table read but fans did not imagine that the pair would be recreating one of the movie's most iconic scenes. Morgan Freeman read the stage directions. There were a couple of graphic descriptions of Barrett's breasts he had to read and prompted suppressed laughter from the rest of the actors. Freeman finally read the seductive stage directions, "She pushes him away so he can watch as she carefully unstraps the top of her bathing suit, the incredible Linda Barrett's breasts fall loose, lord have mercy." The stars lost their calm by then, reported Decider. Elle said that the scene was entertainingly part awkward and part comical with Julia barely containing her laughter. Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston's Friendship Off-screen, Pitt and Aniston have a friendly relationship. According to a source, despite their onscreen reunion and affectionate Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards moment, Jennifer Aniston is not dating Brad Pitt. Related Article: Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston Reunite in an Anticipated Virtual Comeback in Table Read @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Most Rust Belt Voters Support Fracking: Poll The plurality of voters in key battleground states in the Rust Belt support fracking as a means of increasing oil and natural gas production in the United States, according to The Epoch Times Rust Belt Poll. More than 39 percent of likely and registered voters in the Rust Belt states of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin support fracking, more than 33 percent oppose it, and 27 percent are undecided, according to the poll. Former Vice President Joe Biden has said he would ban all oil drilling or gas drilling on federal lands, a plan which one by one estimate results in the loss of 1 million jobs. President Donald Trump supports fracking. Fracking is a common term for hydraulic fracturing, a method of extracting oil and gas from parts of the earths crust inaccessible by conventional drilling methods. Trump has suggested that Biden would ban all fracking, which is an exaggeration of Bidens current proposal for a limited ban on federal lands. Bidenhe wants to end fracking, end petroleum productsend petroleum. No natural gas, no nothing. End everything. And thats it. How does that work in Texas? How does that work in Pennsylvania? Trump said at an event in Virginia on Aug. 21. The president was likely referring to the potential future prospects for the fracking industry under Bidens overall energy plan, which calls for all of Americas electricity to be produced without carbon emissions and for a rapid, government-subsidized transition to electric cars. Biden claims his plan would create 1 million jobs. I am not banning fracking. Let me say that again. I am not banning fracking, no matter how many times Donald Trump lies about me, Biden said during a speech in western Pennsylvania, home to one of the worlds largest natural gas deposits. Support for fracking is split among ideological lines. More than 65 percent of conservatives support it, compared to 15.6 percent of liberals. The Rust Belt states will likely play a crucial role in determining the winner of the presidential election on Nov. 3. Rust Belt voters surveyed for The Epoch Times poll favor Biden (46.7 percent) over Trump (40.7 percent). Environmental activists say fracking can pollute underground aquifers, an assertion the industry says is overblown. The drilling technology has seen a surge in domestic oil and gas production, upsetting groups concerned about climate change but trumpeted by others as a win for U.S. energy security, reducing reliance on oil from the Middle East. Reuters contributed to this report. Dear Rusty: I am trying to help a good friend of mine who lives in Indiana and is 80 years old. I am very concerned as hes not now collecting SS for some reason, and I have no idea why. Is there any reason that you know of that would keep him from getting his benefits? Is there maybe something he might have done to keep him from getting his money? He worked his whole life, is a retired electrician and was a long-time member of the Electricians Union. Im not sure if he knows how to apply for his benefits, but hes having a hard time making ends meet and could definitely use the extra money. He told me that an organization has offered to help him, but it will cost $7,500 and there is no guarantee they can get it for him. He cant afford to pay that kind of money only to be told there is nothing they can do for him. Im hoping you can give me some insight. Signed: Faithful Friend Dear Faithful Friend: If your friend has, as you say, worked and contributed to Social Security via FICA payroll taxes all his life, then he should be eligible to collect Social Security benefits. It only takes 40 quarters of credit (about 10 years of earnings) to be eligible for SS, so he should certainly be eligible if he paid SS FICA taxes for enough years. Are there reasons why he might not be collecting? Sure, but theyre not common, and here are a few: Indiana is one of 26 states where some state employees dont participate in the Federal Social Security program. If your friend was a state employee for his whole life he may not have contributed to SS, so he may not have the requisite 40 credits needed to collect Social Security. Social Security benefits are generally exempt from garnishing, except for certain types of situations. Any U.S. government agency (such as the IRS if he owes back taxes) can garnish his SS benefit if he owes them money. His SS can also be garnished for unpaid alimony or child support. But usually such garnishment means only reducing his SS benefit, not completely eliminating it. If he were collecting Social Security at one time, but SS later found that he had been overpaid for any reason, they could withhold his benefits until they recovered the overpayment. Sometimes, the actions of someone else (e.g., a former spouse) can cause him to be liable for an overpayment, but SS would have sent him a letter informing him of the overpayment and giving him an opportunity to appeal it. In any case, SS would only withhold benefits until the overpayment was fully recovered. Social Security benefits are not automatically awarded. If your friend simply neglected to apply for benefits when he was eligible, SS wouldnt sign him up automatically, regardless of his age. He will simply not get benefits unless he applies for them. Your friend shouldnt pay anyone to find out if hes eligible for Social Security benefits. The answer is simply a phone call away by contacting the Social Security Administration, either at the national number (1-800-772-1213) or by contacting his local SS office (the local contact information is at www.ssa.gov/locator). Generally, this type of transaction can be accomplished over the phone. He should call Social Security and tell them he wishes to apply for Social Security Retirement Benefits. Once they have his Social Security Number they can tell immediately if he is eligible for benefits and, if he is, he should ask for six months retroactive benefits (SS will pay up to six months retroactively). If your friend cannot, for any reason, contact Social Security himself to discuss his situation, he can appoint someone (such as you) to represent him in these matters. Here is a link to Social Securitys rules on having someone represent him: www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10075.pdf. You are, indeed, a good and faithful friend. Russell Gloor is a certified Social Security advisor with the Association of Mature American Citizens. Alabama State Troopers say a man from Greenville was killed after a single-car crash Saturday morning on Interstate 65 in Conecuh County. Troopers say Eric Bryant Simpson, 42, was killed after the 2004 Honda Accord he was driving left the roadway and struck a tree. Simpson was pronounced dead on the scene. The crash occurred at 10:45 a.m. Saturday at mile marker 87.9, about six miles south of Evergreen. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency continues to investigate the crash. Heriot-Watt University says Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, will take on the position as Chair of the Board for the Universitys visionary research hub, the Centre of Excellence in Smart Construction (CESC). The appointment cements the strong links already in place between Heriot-Watt University Dubai and the UAE government, and shows continued commitment to encouraging academia, industry and government to collaborate in order to drive forward initiatives for a smarter, safer and more sustainable construction industry in the country, said a statement. Through partnerships and producing world-class research, CESC will continue to support and assist the UAE Vision 2021, which is targeting a sustainable environment and infrastructure by 2021. Dr Al Nuaimi said: I am proud to accept my appointment as Chair of the Board at CESC. The mission of the Centre aligns with the global pledge to build back better in the post-Covid-19 world, and its pioneering research helps address the most pressing challenges in the construction sector. I look forward to contributing my combined experience in the infrastructure development and environmental sectors to CESCs efforts to implement the sustainable development plans of our wise leadership. Speaking on the occasion, Professor Ammar Kaka, Provost and Vice Principal of Heriot-Watt University Dubai, commented: We are delighted and honoured that Dr Al Nuaimi has agreed to be Chair of the CESC Board. I strongly believe that for the construction industry to move forward towards becoming safer and more sustainable, collaboration, a clear vision and partnerships are necessary post-Covid-19 and beyond. Al Nuaimis support and advice are appreciated by Heriot-Watt University and CESC. CESC is a hub for stakeholder engagement, a platform for discussion, and a model for collaborative research and business engagement. Its industry-led academic research focuses on enabling technologies around three main themes: *Performance and Productivity World-class researchers are working with industry partners to improve the efficiency of the construction industry by creating, promoting and sharing knowledge related to the latest technological developments, leading to manufacturing efficiencies, improved quality and reliability, and a reduction in project variations, duration and cost; *Sustainability Led by Net Zero 2050 objectives and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, CESC will continue to collaborate with industry to increase the level of social, economic and environmental sustainability of the construction industry, leading to a reduction in carbon emissions across the full life cycle of a project; and *Wellbeing In a post-Covid-19 new normal, Heriot-Watts academic programmes and researchers aim to enhance the industrys health and safety performance and workforce wellbeing standards.-- Tradearabia News Service WASHINGTONA five month campaign of bullying and intimidation. Thats how officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), speaking to the New York Times Friday, characterized the actions of Canadian Trump administration science adviser Paul Alexander and his boss, Health and Human Services spokesperson Michael Caputo, as they sought to reshape the agencys medical reports and public interviews to conform with President Donald Trumps optimistic political messages. Alexander is a McMaster University assistant professor who was hired to advise Trump appointee Caputo this spring. A series of emails, uncovered by the Times, Politico and the Washington Post, show him accusing CDC and National Institutes of Health officials (NIH) of aiming to embarrass the president, of undermining the president, and of writing hit pieces on the Trump administration with their medical reports. Alexander sought to edit and approve the CDCs weekly reports, and shape the messages Dr. Anthony Fauci and other officials should communicate to the public. Much of the information Alexander wanted to include such as his contention that children do not spread the virus, and his suggestion that people without symptoms should not be tested for COVID ran contrary to the opinion of the researchers at the CDC and NIH, and to the consensus of expert opinion. But Alexander explained to the Globe and Mail Thursday that he did not think any messages from government agencies should contradict the presidents policy, and characterized his criticisms as attempting to emphasize positivity to encourage shops to stay open and stimulate the economy. Dont just put in negative things. People want to hear the good news too, he told the Globe. McMaster University said this week Alexander is neither currently on the payroll nor teaching. After Caputo hosted an online video chat in which he accused government scientists of sedition and encouraged people to arm themselves in preparation for violence after the 2020 election, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday that Caputo was taking a medical leave until after the election and that Alexander was no longer working for the administration. Their story is just the latest glimpse into what appears to be a widespread administration effort to warp the medical information and approach of the U.S. government on COVID to conform to the messages coming from Trump and his campaign. On Thursday, Olivia Troye, a former aide to Vice-President Mike Pence who organized and attended meetings of the coronavirus task force between February and July, said she was voting for Joe Biden in the upcoming election because of her experience. His biggest concern was that we were in an election year and how is this going to affect what he considered to be his record of success, Troye said in a video ad for Republicans Voting Against Trump. In the video and in press interviews, Troye described Trump disregarding expert advice because he didnt want to hurt the economy, and displaying a flat-out disregard for human life. Another former administration aide, Elizabeth Neumann, made an ad for the same anti-Trump group in August, saying she saw a number of good public servants attempting to do their job and the president telling them to stop, because he didnt want the economy to tank and he didnt want a distraction from his campaign. Several episodes have arisen that have raised significant concerns over the independence of the CDC. In July, after Trump publicly disagreed with the CDCs guidelines about reopening schools, the posted guidance was changed. Then last month, after Trump repeatedly said he wanted less testing for the virus because too many tests yielded too many positives, the CDC suddenly changed the advice on its website, advising asymptomatic people that they shouldnt get tested. The New York Times reported this week that change was written by Trump officials and published over the objections of CDC scientists, bypassing the normal review process. Yet another Times report this week outlined how Trump personally rushed approval of a plasma treatment so it could be announced on the eve of the Republican convention. And now there is grave concern that he is attempting to rush a vaccine into circulation before the election fears that were only emphasized this week when CDC director Robert Redfield told congress he didnt expect a vaccine to be widely available enough to allow regular life to resume until fall 2021, and the president immediately said Redfield had been confused, and that he thinks a vaccine will be available in October of this year, at most a couple of months. After a telephone call from the president and Trumps public rebuke, a CDC official told CNN that Redfield now realized that he misunderstood the questions about the vaccines, a CNN analyst wrote. His climbdown left his credibility shattered. Thats a problem created by the entire set of now-public examples of the Trump administration interfering with what is meant to be reliable medical information about the most deadly public health crisis in a century. Alexander thought the CDCs information was undermining the presidents sunny message on coronavirus. But reality was doing that job all on its own. The attempts by Alexander and others to get medical professionals to alter their communication to agree with Trump are the real hit job, further shattering the credibility of the entire administrations approach to the pandemic, and to government. Read more about: Weekly Fundamental Gold Price Forecast: Bullish Gold prices may be entering a favorable period, with volatility studies pointing to increasing uncertainty in financial markets through the end of the year. The last full week of September yields a lighter economic calendar, with only six high rated events on the DailyFX Economic Calendar. Gold prices primary driver will likely remain developments surrounding real yields. The IG Client Sentiment Index suggests that gold prices in USD -terms (XAU / USD) may gain in the coming days. Gold Prices Week in Review Gold prices had a mixed week, splitting gains and losses among the major developed currencies covered by DailyFX Research. Gold prices in USD-terms (XAU/USD) added +0.54% while gold in EUR-terms (XAU/EUR) gained +0.57%. Similarly, gold in CAD-terms (XAU/CAD) rallied by +0.73%. Elsewhere, gold prices dropped: gold in GBP-terms (XAU/GBP, -0.43%); gold in NZD-terms (XAU/NZD, -0.35%); and gold in JPY-terms (XAU/JPY, -0.99%). Top FX Events in Week Ahead The last full week of September yields a lighter economic calendar, with only six high rated events on the DailyFX Economic Calendar. - On Monday and Tuesday, there are no high rated events on the calendar. - On Wednesday, gold in NZD-terms (XAU/NZD) comes into focus with the Reserve Bank of New Zealands September policy meeting; gold in EUR-terms (XAU/EUR) will likewise be of interest, with the October German GfK Confidence index; and gold in USD-terms (XAU/USD) will likely see volatility, with the release of the September Markit Manufacturing US PMI Flash estimate. - On Thursday, gold in EUR-terms (XAU/EUR) will come into focus, with the September German Ifo Business Climate index. - On Friday, gold in USD-terms (XAU/USD) will be of interest, with the release of the August US Durable Goods Orders report. Real Yields Remain Golds Motivating Factor Even as the gold price rally has paused, it remains the case that gold prices still have both fundamental and technical tailwinds at their back. Thanks to expansionary monetary policy and thus far underwhelming fiscal policy responses, mixed with the global economic uncertainty brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, real yields continue to fall and remain depressed. An environment defined by depressed and/or negative real yields has historically proven bullish for precious metals. Gold Volatility Pulls Back, Gold Prices Shrug Gold prices have a relationship with volatility unlike other asset classes. While other asset classes like bonds and stocks dont like increased volatility signaling greater uncertainty around cash flows, dividends, coupon payments, etc. gold tends to benefit during periods of higher volatility. Heightened uncertainty in financial markets due to increasing macroeconomic tensions increases the safe haven appeal of gold. Our longstanding axiom holds: given the current environment, falling gold volatility is not necessarily a negative development for gold prices, whereas rising gold volatility has almost always proved bullish; in the same vein, gold volatility simply trending sideways is more positive than negative for gold prices. Gold Price (XAU/USD) Technical Analysis: Daily Chart (September 2019 to September 2020) (Chart 1) The sideways move in gold prices over the past several weeks since the first week of August has seen the uptrend from the March and June 2020 lows (the coronavirus pandemic trendline) break. But the triangles remain in place, which in context of the prevailing trend to the upside necessitates an open mind for further continuation higher. Below 1901.65, bears may gain control; above 2015.73, bulls may gain control; in between, traders may want to exercise patience and wait for a clearer directional move. GOLD PRICE VERSUS COT NET NON-COMMERCIAL POSITIONING: DAILY TIMEFRAME (SEPTEMBER 2019 TO SEPTEMBER 2020) (CHART 2) Next, looking at positioning, according to the CFTCs COT data for the week ended September 15, speculators increased their net-long gold futures positions to 240K contracts, up from the 236.5K net-long contracts held in the week prior. This marks the third weekly gain in a row in net-long positioning. The gold futures market is far from saturated: the all-time high for net-long contracts came during the week of February 18, 2020, when 353.6K were held. The lack of significant long positioning in the futures market may prove to be a tailwind for bulls. IG CLIENT SENTIMENT INDEX: GOLD PRICE FORECAST (SEPTEMBER 18, 2020) (CHART 3) Gold: Retail trader data shows 78.25% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders long to short at 3.60 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 3.77% lower than yesterday and 1.45% lower from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 8.20% higher than yesterday and 1.77% higher from last week. We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-long suggests Gold prices may continue to fall. Yet traders are less net-long than yesterday and compared with last week. Recent changes in sentiment warn that the current Gold price trend may soon reverse higher despite the fact traders remain net-long. --- Written by Christopher Vecchio, CFA, Senior Currency Strategist With Halloween on the horizon, the City of Midland has clarified expectations for the celebration amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Halloween is a nationally-recognized celebration. The city provides general guidelines each year for trick-or-treating times every Oct. 31 from 6 to 8 p.m. but does not organize nor orchestrate any activities or events related to Halloween. The city has no legal authority to cancel Halloween or restrict the free movement of its residents during this celebration. Residents can trick-or-treat in the community if desired. No one knows the date when it all began but it is undeniable that today Bandra is the most vibrant part of Mumbai. The coastal suburb, home to icons like Sachin Tendulkar, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, was always a high-profile micro-market. But it was always something of a poor mans South Mumbai where property rates were 30-35 percent lower as recent as a decade or so ago. Its history, however, is richer than that of most of Mumbai. Around 500 years back, a pirate entered the Bandra creek and burnt down the fishing town he found, establishing the rule of the Portuguese. When Bombay was given to England in dowry when King Charles married Catherine of Portugal in 1661, Bandra was not part of the treaty and stayed with the Portuguese. It eventually became part of the British Empire, was granted the status of a municipality in 1876 and merged into the Bombay Municipal Corporation after Indias independence. I stayed at Pali Hill in Bandra more than two decades ago before shifting to Altamount Road. I was very young then and I couldnt quite form an opinion. The only thing I know is I didnt miss Bandra at allmajor action was outside, in South Mumbai. Then several things happened, but two things stand out. The magnificent Bandra-Worli Sea Link came up, providing smooth connectivity between South Mumbai and the suburbs. It was also an easy gateway to the then-emerging commercial hub of Lower Parel in central Mumbai. That edge, however, would pale in comparison to the miracle that was the new commercial business district of Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). It ended the monopoly the locations in South Mumbai had over the premium commercial space market. It changed Mumbai like never before. It gradually killed the vibrancy of South Mumbai and placed Bandra at the heart of Indias financial capital. It thrived as a bastion for creative artists, corporate professionals, entrepreneurs, etc. It built on its reputation as a buzzing hub with cafes, bakeries, gyms and bars. (Fact: Mumbais first McDonalds opened in Bandra) Expats and well-earning singles chose it as their place of residence. Unlike many other areas of Mumbai, Bandra has largely managed to retain its greenery and open spaces, thanks to the active role played by the residents. A dump yard got converted into a now-famous seaside jogging track the Joggers Park. An open toilet for migrants that had once ruined Carter Road was salvaged and beautified. Today it will be foolish to refer to Bandra as the inferior or a poor cousin of South Mumbai. Property rates, on average, are at par. Select sea-facing apartments at Carter Road or Bandstand attract a steeper premium in comparison to their peers. It must though be pointed out that the most expensive property deals still happen in South Mumbais landmark constructions. Would I shift to Bandra if given the option? I am not so sure. Its too noisy and crowded for my comfort. The roads are narrow and broken in many places. Traffic and congestion are miserable. While autorickshaws were generally indisciplined (South Mumbai residents should thank their fortune that three-wheelers are not permitted in their zone), the delivery staff of Swiggy and Zomato have exploited weak traffic enforcement, making Bandraalong with many other suburbsappear as a lawless small-town. Every monsoon is a nightmare in terms of flooding. Quality options among buildings are few. Given the easy demand from tenants, landlords pay scant attention to maintenance. There has been minimal new construction and most of the buildings are old and creaky. Local developers have made their niche in that market. One such prominent developer is Satgurua financially conservative player constructing edgy buildings. Sharan Babani of Satguru says, Bandra today is neither dominated by the old rich or the new rich. Instead, it is more the cool rich. But the underlying reason in a housing purchase remains the same: good building at a defined timeline. It may appear odd that branded developers have had almost no involvement in such an expensive real estate micro-market. The reason is that there is no real land available. Redevelopment of standalone buildings is hardly attractive and slum rehabilitation projects are complex to get started. Godrej Properties is, however, scheduled to initiate an SRA project in that market soon. Large projects have, however, been done in the eastern part of Bandra. Over a decade ago, prices were substantially lower than those in the western neighbourhood but with the proximity to BKC and the involvement of credible players like Kalpataru and Rustomjee, the gap has narrowed sharply. At its core, Bandra is Mumbais best success story of the last decade, as the economic geography has decisively shifted from South Mumbai. Since then, it has had no rivals. Now, it is up against a killer virus that threatens to alter the dynamics of city living. If it can overcome this challenge without major bruises, it will be a deserving star just like the several superstars who reside in it. (When not busy with his newstoon platform Snapnews, Vishal Bhargava is a real estate enthusiast who views and reviews new projects. The views are personal.) 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 The Gibbstown Logistics The Repauno site in Gloucester County is one of four facilities named in lawsuits filed Wednesday, March 20, 2019 by New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal and Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Catherine McCabe against DuPont, Chemours, and 3M for contamination. (Office of the Attorney General/Tim Larsen) Read more Environmentalists have stepped up alarms about a major fuel export terminal in South Jersey that they say will accelerate Pennsylvania fracking, worsen climate change, and attract 100-car trains carrying dangerous liquefied natural gas across Philadelphia. A plan to build the Gibbstown Logistics Center in Gloucester County, just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia International Airport, appears to be coming to a head by the end of the year. A hearing examiner and the staff of the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) have recommended approving permits to dredge the river and to build a pier for the $450 million private port, which is being built on the site of DuPonts former Repauno Works in Greenwich Township. The DRBC, an interstate agency that regulates river development, voted on Sept. 10 to delay a decision at least until its next business meeting in December. But the commission will be hard-pressed to reverse its unanimous approval last year of the project, which has also received permits from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. We are confident that after the commissioners complete their review of the record they will concur with the hearing officers recommendations and reaffirm their prior approval," Jeff Sheridan, a spokesperson for the terminals developer, Delaware River Partners LLC, said in a statement. The project has been through extensive environmental and regulatory review processes and has received approval from multiple federal, state and local agencies, said Sheridan. "When the project begins, it will provide much needed job opportunities and significant growth to the local tax base. The private port is designed for multiple purposes to receive imported automobiles or as a potential staging area for companies to erect and service wind turbines off New Jerseys shore. But primarily it is designed for exporting liquid fuels extracted by fracking in Pennsylvanias Marcellus Shale gas region. New Fortress Energy, a company affiliated with the developers of the Gibbstown Logistics Center, is behind a plan to manufacture liquefied natural gas (LNG) at a proposed facility in Wyalusing, Pa., northwest of Scranton, and ship the flammable liquid by road or by rail to Gibbstown. There, it would be loaded directly onto ships and either exported overseas or barged to domestic customers. The project is unusual. Most LNG export production facilities are near deepwater ports, and the fuel is loaded directly from the plant onto vessels. Under New Fortresss plan, the LNG would be produced in the shale-gas region and then transported in liquid form on public highways or on railroads that pass through populated areas before they reach port. This is the first time that this much volume of gas is being liquefied, traveling across land and then loaded directly onto ships that then go out to sea to sell it for export, said Tracy Carluccio, deputy director of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, which has led opposition to the plan. Theres no other project like this, and were being used as guinea pigs because its untested. Environmentalists oppose LNG because it creates demand for more natural gas produced from fracking, which they say is harmful, and because it would bring more fossil fuel to market. Natural-gas proponents say it mostly displaces dirtier coal and petroleum in making electricity. But it is still a major emitter of greenhouse gases. New Fortress has not disclosed potential routes for the LNG, but transportation experts and environmentalists say the most likely rail route would follow Norfolk Southern rail lines from Wyalusing through Allentown, Reading, and then move along the Schuylkill before traversing North Philadelphia and then crossing the Delair Bridge into Pennsauken. In its filings for a rail permit, New Fortress said it would move several 100-car trains of LNG a day to Gibbstown to continuously fill waiting vessels, or up to 700 tractor-trailer trucks a day. The most direct highway route would follow I-476 through Philadelphias suburbs and then crossing the Commodore Barry Bridge into New Jersey. Norfolk Southern, which is the only railroad serving the Wyalusing site, declined to comment on specific routing but said it works closely with local emergency responders to instruct them about hazardous materials. We are committed to safe operations, regardless of commodity or route, as we work and travel through Pennsylvania, Jeff DeGraff, a Norfolk Southern spokesperson, said in an email. LNG is produced by super-cooling natural gas to minus-260 degrees until it turns into a liquid. It must be stored and transported in insulated tanks to keep it liquid . If the Thermos-like tanks leak, LNG can freeze anything it contacts. A greater threat is that the fuel leaks, pools, and turns into vapor. If the flammable natural gas does not ignite immediately, the cloud remains cold and moves at ground level rather than dissipating into the atmosphere. If it gets ignited you can have this huge, tall fire which might only last three or four minutes, but itd be really hot and burn people some ways away, said Fred Millar, a hazardous-materials consultant and safety advocate. If the cloud moves into a community oh, youre gonna like this part then it can get ignited by somebody lighting a cigarette, or starting their car, or just coming into contact with some hot piece of equipment like an auto exhaust pipe, said Millar. LNG now routinely moves in tanker trucks on highways, but federal hazardous-materials regulations allowed shipments by rail only with special permits. President Donald Trump, aiming to boost domestic energy production, directed the transportation secretary in 2019 to allow for the widespread movement of LNG by rail. Last December, the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) approved a special permit for a New Fortress affiliate, Energy Transport Solutions LLC, to haul LNG by rail from Wyalusing to Gibbstown. In June, the agency published a rule allowing for nationwide rail shipments of the material in special double-lined tank cars, known as DOT-113 tank cars. PHMSA, which is an arm of the transportation agency, said that the DOT113 railcars had a demonstrated safety record" for more than three decades to transport super-cooled, or cryogenic liquids, including ethylene, which has similar flammable characteristics as LNG. The agency says that from 1980 to 2017 there were only 14 accidents involving damage to DOT-113 tank cars, including two where both the outer and inner tank walls were punctured. One accident released ethylene, which burned, and the other involved a release of liquid argon, which is not flammable. No injuries or fatalities were reported as a result of the release of hazardous materials from either incident, PHMSA said. There were four other instances in which damage or failure to the valves or fittings on a DOT-113 caused its liquid cargo to escape. The LNG tanker cars would be fitted with several pressure-relief systems that allow the contents to escape in the event the liquid expands dramatically, which can happen if the tanks are engulfed in flames in an accident. The relief valves reduce the chances that fuel expands and causes the tank to burst dramatically, triggering a powerful blast known as a BLEVE -- a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion. LNG transportation has a good safety record, with minimal maritime, facility, and motor carrier incidents relative to other flammable liquids, a consultant, Cambridge Systematics, said in a report to the agency. In other countries, LNG has been transported safely by rail with no incidents to date. But the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was not so sanguine. It said that only 405 DOT-113 tank cars are in service in North America including 67 of the type that PHMSA was considering for transporting LNG. Given the small sample size, the safety board said it was not a compelling safety record. In January, the safety agency urged PHMSA to conduct a comprehensive review of the DOT-113s puncture resistance and its ability to withstand fires in accidents before allowing a widespread rollout of the LNG railcars, citing the string of fiery flammable liquids accidents that occurred with ethanol and crude-oil trains between 2009 and 2015 until stricter regulations were adopted. NTSB also urged the transportation agency to require enhanced brakes and reduced speed limits for LNG trains. And to protect train crews in case of an accident, the safety board called for adding a buffer of at least five freight cars between a trains engine and any tanker cars carrying LNG. We believe the risks of catastrophic LNG releases in accidents is too great not to have operational controls in place before large blocks of tank cars and unit trains proliferate, Robert Sumwalt, the safety boards chairman, wrote in the groups formal comment to the rules. PHMSAs final rule called for thicker steel in the outer tanks of the railcars and remote monitoring of the pressure and location of LNG tank cars, but it requires no buffer cars or enhanced brakes. The rule requires railroads to employ multiple locomotives in the middle or at the end of trains that contain larger numbers of LNG tank cars, a practice know as distributed power, which enhances braking. The departments new rule carefully lays out key operational safeguards to provide for the safe transportation of LNG by rail to more parts of the country where this energy source is needed, U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said in a statement in June. Environmental groups and the attorneys general of the District of Columbia and 15 states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, filed a federal court challenge of the rules. But a source close to the Gibbstown project said the developers do not believe its project would be impacted, since New Fortress received a special LNG rail permit last December. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network and the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club have rallied more than a dozen environmental groups to oppose the dock-dredging plan before the Delaware River Basin Commission, including petitions containing more than 50,000 signatures. The public complaints cite public safety concerns about bomb trains traveling through urban areas, and the environmental harm from more gas drilling and consumption of fossil fuels. The transporting of LNG by railcar is unprecedented and untested and exposes Philadelphia residents and workers to the danger of an accident or derailment that could be catastrophic, five Philadelphia elected officials said in a Sept. 8 letter to the commission. The letter was signed by Councilmembers Kendra Brooks, Katherine Gilmore Richardson, Helen Gym, Isaiah Thomas, and State Rep. Joe Hohenstein (D., Phila.). Opponents have also sought to undermine the project by pointing out that world markets for LNG are oversupplied currently, depressing the price for the commodity and calling into question the wisdom of investing in it. Some of New Fortress Energys outlets for LNG power projects in the Caribbean and Ireland are also rethinking their commitments to imported fossil fuels. But the commissions staff and a hearing officer who heard eight days of testimony on the project say the DRBCs review is limited to the impact that dredging and construction of the 1,300-foot-long pier would have on water quality and river flows, rather than concerns about rail traffic, climate change, and potential markets for commodities. The commission does not review or approve the cargo that moves through a marine terminal, the DRBC staff said in a recommendation last year. "Commenters raised safety and related public health concerns associated with the transport of LNG, but which are unrelated to water resources, including the risks that LNG will explode or spill from trucks transporting it, especially given the proximity of the project to residences, bridges and the Philadelphia Airport. This is not the first time the DRBC has considered permits related to the Gibbstown project. The commission in 2017 approved construction of the port facility, as well as a smaller dock that is already in service. Last year it unanimously approved the facilitys plan for the second pier, which is located more than 600 feet offshore and can accommodate larger vessels. But it put the Dock 2 permit on hold after the Delaware Riverkeeper Network appealed, saying the public did not have a sufficient opportunity to comment. A hearing officer, John B. Kelly, heard eight days of testimony in May, and in July released a 102-page report in which he recommended the commission reaffirm its previous approval for the project. He said restrictions on construction ensured that its impact on water quality and aquatic life will be localized and transitory. In a footnote, Kelly also cautioned about rejecting the project in light of its track record of approval. It is reasonable to assume that rejecting a project approved by all other relevant agencies would subject DRBC to accusations that it had politicized its consideration of the project, he wrote. Environmental groups suspected the commission would green-light the project at its Sept. 10 meeting, though the matter was not on the DRBCs formal agenda. They stepped up pressure directly on the four governors that send representatives to the commission Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and New York. A fifth seat on the commission is held by a federal representative, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. At the meeting, Kenneth J. Warren, the commissions general counsel, announced that the commissioners were unable to complete a review of the voluminous record, and invited them to put off consideration. He said a delay would not be intended to signal an outcome. The measure to table passed by a 3-1 vote, with the Trump administration representative voting no. Pennsylvania abstained. Shawn Garvin, the Delaware natural resources secretary and current DRBC chairman, said the commissions delay should not be misinterpreted, and suggested that his states review of the project would be confined. Our focus is and will be on those things that fall under DRBC jurisdiction, said Garvin, who served as regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the Obama administration. The conventional wisdom today is that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will stop at nothing to confirm the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg's replacement on the Supreme Court, either prior to the election or in the lame duck session before the next Congress is seated in January. Kentucky's Machiavelli has already put out a statement indicating this is precisely what he will do. President Trump is on board, calling for the nomination process to proceed "without delay," and conservative activists are energized to finally have an insurance vote for when one of the existing conservative justices goes rogue. Most observers expect that McConnell would jam a nominee through in November or December even if Republicans have lost the presidency and the Senate to Democrats. Maybe but there's an alternate path that is politically smarter for McConnell's chances of holding onto the Senate in November and preserving the GOP's hold on the federal judiciary even if they don't. And that is to leave the seat open until January. Can you imagine the shock if McConnell were to back off of his pledge to give a nominee a vote before the next president is inaugurated? If he were to give a speech announcing his intention to reduce, if only temporarily, the high stakes and anger around the Supreme Court? Mitch McConnell is the Stanislavsky of faux sincerity. He would knock it out of the park. The press coverage would be fawning: "Master brawler issues rare call for national unity." He could curry favor with the millions of Americans who hold President Trump's coronavirus response in contempt by saying that the Senate is simply too busy working on another relief package to take up the difficult work of confirming a Supreme Court nominee. Better yet, he could work with House Democrats to actually pass a relief bill, which would have the virtue not only of being popular and helping his most vulnerable caucus members, but would also be the right thing to do. (In other countries this strange concept is known as "governing.") Story continues McConnell could, alternatively, simply have other Republican senators take one for the team. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) don't have to face voters for years. Alexander is retiring. Have them bear the brunt of activist frustration and ask them to grit their teeth and endure the fusillade of angry tweets from the president. Either way, Republicans would appear magnanimous, a look they haven't worn in so long they'd have to pray it still fits. Backing off the mania to replace Ginsburg as quickly as possible would also relieve the pressure on blue state Republicans like Cory Gardner (Colo.) and Susan Collins (Maine) in advance of their long-shot bids to keep their seats. Martha McSally (Ariz.), who also looks like a goner according to today's polling, might also get a boost from a change in public perceptions of the Republican Party. Some subset of the suburban women who helped canonize Ginsburg might soften their opposition to these candidates, who are now seen, rightly, as mindless apologists for Trumpism and its horrors. I'm not just making this up there's data. In a New York Times/Sienna College poll last week, voters in Maine, Arizona, and North Carolina favored having Biden pick the next Supreme Court justice by 12 points, 53-41. Forcing these three embattled senators to defend a hardball maneuver just weeks before they face the voters seems like political suicide. Of course, polling also, paradoxically, suggests that Americans support holding hearings this year, just as they did in 2016, when the Republican-controlled Senate refused to even entertain the idea of confirming Merrick Garland, Barack Obama's nominee to replace the late Antonin Scalia. But the GOP paid no price for defying a supermajority of voters that year, instead reaping the benefits of conservative enthusiasm for maintaining control of the judiciary. And it's one thing to tell pollsters you support hearings in theory quite another when faced with the reality of replacing the country's most renowned liberal jurist with a hardline conservative bent on gutting abortion rights. It is possible that nothing McConnell does or doesn't do can save the GOP's Senate majority, which may survive or perish based on how President Trump does on Nov. 3. But even if the GOP loses the Senate and the presidency, keeping the seat open until January could do something even more important for McConnell and the conservative movement's 40-year-long struggle to conquer the federal judiciary: It would suck the air right out of the nascent court-packing movement on the left. Holding Ginsburg's seat open for Biden would allow Republicans to claim that everything is even both Obama and Trump were prevented from filling crucial seats in an election year. An eye for an eye. Justice has been served. The court-packing threat is no longer an idle one. While it was once the purview of progressive activists and obscure college professors like me, the idea has gone mainstream in the hours since RBG's death. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) took to Twitter yesterday and announced that if Republicans move forward with confirming RBG's replacement in the lame duck session, "the incoming Senate should immediately move to expand the Supreme Court." Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are both going with some version of "all options are on the table." These are not Squad radicals, folks. If these cautious, establishment Democrats are talking about court packing, it's no longer an abstraction. Why not just let Biden fill Ginsburg's seat and thus content themselves with a 5-4 majority? That split is what they risked it all for by holding Garland's seat open in the first place! If GOP elites are nervous about maintaining control of the institution, they could ask Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito to step down and replace them in the lame duck session, which would be much less likely to cause apoplexy on the left. Then Republicans would have a full complement of conservatives in good health, they would likely not have to worry about any of them dying for a decade, and the five of them could go about merrily wrecking the next Democratic administration's policy agenda. Go ahead and laugh this all off, because it probably is preposterous. McConnell has never missed an opportunity to pursue short-term gain at the expense of the GOP's long-term political fortunes, and there probably aren't enough Senate Republicans willing to stop him. But people chuckled nearly a year ago when I said that McConnell's best move for the GOP's political future would be to go ahead and convict Trump and remove him from office. How different would the political landscape look today if Mike Pence had been president when the United States collided with the coronavirus in March? Say what you will about him, but every indication is that he would have taken it seriously and in all likelihood, the act of doing so would have provided him with a huge public opinion bonus, as it has for even the most unpopular governors in the country who made an effort to combat the virus. Instead of fighting to retain the Senate against the headwinds of a relentlessly divisive and unpopular president, McConnell and Republicans would almost certainly be fighting from a position of strength, perhaps even from an insurmountable fortress. Pence would be cruising. Instead, they yoked themselves forever to President Trump, and now they're fighting an uphill battle for their own survival. And it's why they might want to think twice about snapping to attention and forcing another conservative radical onto the Court just because the president told them to. More stories from theweek.com How a productivity phenomenon explains the unraveling of America How the Trump-Russia story was buried The conservatives who want to undo the Enlightenment Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska on Sunday became the second U.S. senator to announce opposition to voting on a potential Supreme Court replacement for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginbsburg. For weeks, I have stated that I would not support taking up a potential Supreme Court vacancy this close to the election. Sadly, what was then a hypothetical is now our reality, but my position has not changed," Murkowski said in a statement Sunday morning. I did not support taking up a nomination eight months before the 2016 election to fill the vacancy created by the passing of Justice Scalia. We are now even closer to the 2020 election less than two months out and I believe the same standard must apply. On Sunday morning, Trump knocked Murkowski on Twitter, saying No thanks! in response to a tweet by the Alaska Chamber, which is hosting the senator for a town hall session on Sept. 22. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, known for her independence and facing a tough primary fight from Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon, said Saturday she would have no objection to the Senate Judiciary Committee starting the process of reviewing the credentials of Trumps nominee. But she said she does not believe that the Senate should vote on the nominee prior to the election. In fairness to the American people, who will either be re-electing the president or selecting a new one, the decision on a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court should be made by the president who is elected on Nov. 3," she said. Ginsburg died on Friday evening at the age of 87. Her dying wish, according to NBC News and NPR, was that the next president after Trump names the nominee to replace her. But the president has said its his obligation to name a potential replacement without delay, noting a nominee could come later this week. Murkowskis statement did not address whether shed support voting on a Trump nominee if the president became a lame duck, should former Vice President Joe Biden win the election. Our very democracy is on the line, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts told a crowd in front of a sign with Ginsburgs image and the words no confirmation until inauguration," during a vigil at the U.S. Supreme Court on Saturday. Four years ago, (Senate Majority Leader) Mitch McConnell told us that there would be no vote in the U.S. Senate on a Supreme Court nominee because our president had only one year in office, and every republican stood with him, Warren said. Today, Mitch McConnell and his henchmen believe that they can ram through a Supreme Court justice only 45 days from the election. When asked Sunday if House Democrats would consider impeaching Trump a second time over the matter, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said they will use every arrow in our quiver. She noted, however, that Democrats were not interested in shutting down the federal government over the matter. Related Content: ROME First, two German tourists took an unauthorized dip in the Grand Canal in Venice, under the Rialto Bridge. Then an Austrian tourist broke the toe of a plaster statue of Napoleons sister while posing for a photograph at a museum in northern Italy. After that, a French tourist was caught red-handed using a black felt-tip pen to immortalize her stay in Florence on the citys famed Ponte Vecchio. Now Italian officials have set their sights on a young woman who took a selfie standing atop some newly reopened thermal baths in Pompeii, the fragile archaeological site. An investigation has been opened, Massimo Osanna, the outgoing director of the Pompeii site, said, adding that prosecutors in a nearby city were looking into the events. The coronavirus pandemic may have crushed the tourism industry in Italy this year delivering a significant blow to the countrys economy but Italians say that should not give tourists who do come a free pass to run amok among the countrys cultural treasures. A female suspect has been taken into custody for allegedly sending a letter containing the deadly poison ricin to Donald Trump in a package addressed to the White House. The unidentified woman was arrested by Customs and Border Protection agents trying to enter the US from Canada at a border crossing in New York state, a law enforcement official told CNN Sunday. She was allegedly armed with a gun when she was detained by officers. Prosecutors in Washington DC are expected to bring charges against her over the poison packages, the official said. No further details about the suspect have been revealed at this time. A suspect has been taken into custody for allegedly sending a letter containing the deadly poison ricin to Donald Trump in a package addressed to the White House The suspicious letter addressed to the president was intercepted by law enforcement earlier this week, the FBI revealed Saturday. All packages addressed to the White House are sorted and screened at a secure offsite facility prior to delivery. The envelope to the White House was caught at the final offsite processing facility where mail is screened before being sent to the White House mail room. Lab tests confirmed the presence of ricin - which is deadly if inhaled - in the letter and an FBI investigation was launched to locate the sender. 'The F.B.I. and our U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service partners are investigating a suspicious letter received at a U.S. government mail facility,' the FBI said in a statement Saturday. 'At this time, there is no known threat to public safety.' The Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed it was working with the FBI on the investigation. All packages addressed to the White House are sorted and screened at a secure offsite facility prior to delivery Law enforcement sources Saturday said they believed the package had been sent from Canada and that they were seeking a female Canadian suspect. The suspect also allegedly sent other poison packages to a detention facility and a sheriff's office in Texas. Only one package was said to be aimed at a political figure. It is not clear when any of the packages were sent or who the recipients of the other packages were. There is no indication yet that the poison packages are linked to any international terrorist organizations. Ricin is a highly potent toxin derived from castor beans, and is extremely lethal if inhaled or injected, but less so if ingested. Inhaling a dose the size of a few grains of salt can be lethal to adults. Deadly ricin has previously been used to target American politicians through the mail. Ricin is a highly potent toxin derived from castor beans, and is extremely lethal if inhaled or injected, but less so if ingested. Inhaling a dose the size of a few grains of salt can be lethal to adults In 2014, actress Shannon Richardson, who appeared on The Walking Dead, was convicted of sending envelopes containing ricin addressed to then President Barack Obama and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. She was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Ricin was also featured in a multi-season plot arc in the television series Breaking Bad, which inspired several real-life criminal schemes involving the poison. In 2014, Georgetown University student Daniel Milzman pleaded guilty to a federal charge after a bag of ricin was found in his dorm room. Prosecutors say he had planned to use it on another student he had formerly been in a relationship with. He was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison. We have some surprises about how were presenting the interviews and the look of the show is certainly going to have a lot of elegance and a lot of fun and a lot of sparkle to it, he said. We are going to lean in where its appropriate, on fashion when our guests pop up. Were not going to go out of our way to dwell on fashion, because we want it to be about their performances and we want to stay in the moment. But I have a feeling that some of the nominees joining us are going to be making fashion statements. And I think thats one of the things thats going to pique the interest of viewers. Gretchen Driskell hopes a third times the charm to unseating Republican U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg in November. The former Saline mayor and Democrat is running for Michigans 7th Congressional District against incumbent Walberg, of Tipton, now in his sixth term. Walberg beat Driskell in 2018 with 54% of the vote in the Republican-leaning district. The 7th Congressional District also supported President Donald Trump in the 2016 election when Walberg beat Driskell with 55% of the vote. The district includes Monroe, Lenawee, Hillsdale, Branch, Jackson and Eaton counties, along with western Washtenaw. Related: Walberg again beats Driskell for Michigans 7th Congressional District seat Im running for Congress because people here in Michigan think Washington is broken, Driskells campaign website reads. We need someone who will work for us. Here in Michigan we have been sending the same representatives to Congress and things are getting worse for most people in our community. After 27 years in office, Congressman Walberg is part of the problem. Walbergs campaign hopes to continue its work on addressing fiscal responsibility for the federal government and protecting conservative values such as religious freedom and Second Amendment protections, according to its website. Related: Michigan Trump surrogates highlight USMCA at event for farmers and ranchers MLive Media Group has partnered with the League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide candidate information and other voting resources to readers ahead of 2020 elections. Each candidate was given a list of questions relevant to the office for which they are campaigning. The voter guide can be accessed at vote411.org. All responses in the voter guide were submitted directly by the candidate and have not been edited by the League of Women Voters, except for a necessary cut if a reply exceeded character limitations. Spelling and grammar were not corrected. Publication of candidate statements and opinions is solely in the interest of public service and should NOT be considered as an endorsement. The League never supports or opposes any candidates or political parties. Walberg served in Congress from 2007 to 2009, then lost a reelection bid to Democrat Mark Schauer in 2008 and later regaining the seat in 2010. Before Congress, he was a pastor. Driskell served six years on the Saline City Council, 14 years as Salines first female mayor, and two terms as 52nd District state representative in Washtenaw County before taking on Walberg. Both candidates support making healthcare more affordable, they said in their vote411.org guides. Driskell said the COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated our need for protection for those with pre-existing conditions and the astronomical cost of prescription drugs. She supports expanding Medicaid and lowering the qualifying age of Medicare. Walberg said fixing healthcare requires commonsense solutions that would lower the cost, such as expanding the use of medical savings accounts and allowing the purchase of insurance across state lines. He co-sponsored a bill that protects individuals with pre-existing conditions seeking coverage. Walberg said he believes reducing taxes will help economic growth and supported the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement that replaced NAFTA, according to Vote411. Driskell said she supports small businesses in the district, wants to support community college technical programs and wants to expand rural broadband access. Reducing taxes, stopping wasteful spending, making health care affordable, and pursuing a responsible energy policy are all elements to help grow our economy and help hardworking Michigan families, Walberg said in the Vote411 guide. Presidents Kennedy and Reagan have proven that reducing tax rates can spur economic growth and job creation. Walberg highlights his commitment to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a program dedicated to ensuring the health of the Great Lakes and its ecosystem, as an example of policies he supports to address energy and environment in Michigan. Driskell said she supports clean energy and an education system that allows more people to enter the industry, while Walberg said he wants to take an all of the above approach to energy use. MORE ELECTION COVERAGE ON MLIVE: Biden campaign launches virtual tour of Michigan businesses harmed by COVID-19 Michigans U.S. Senate candidates talk COVID recovery, police reform in town hall With seven weeks to Election Day, lawmakers are considering these changes to voting laws The mosque to come up in Ayodhya pursuant to the Supreme Court verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi case may have a shape that is different from the traditional shape of mosques and will not be named after any emperor or king. Secretary and spokesperson of the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation Athar Hussain sais on Sunday, "A mosque measuring 15,000 square feet will be built in Dhannipur village. It will be of the same size as that of the Babri mosque. The shape of the mosque may be completely different from that of other mosques. It may be square-shaped like the Kaaba Sharif in Mecca, as hinted by architect SM Akhtar." To a question on whether the mosque at Dhannipur will have no domes or minarets like the Kaaba Sharif, Hussain said it could be a possibility. He said the architect has been given a free hand in this regard. "The mosque will not be named Babri Masjid. It will not be named after any king or emperor. My personal opinion is that it should be called the Dhannipur Masjid," Hussain said. He also informed that the trust is making its portal so that people can donate for the mosque and the museum, hospital and research centre which will be built inside the complex. Write-ups by national and international Islamic scholars will also appear on the portal. He said some work on the portal is yet to be completed and hence, donation is yet to begin. The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board has formed the IICF, a trust, for the construction of the mosque on a five-acre plot. The state government has allotted the five-acre plot in Ayodhya's Dhannipur for the construction of the mosque on the directive of the apex court. After a protracted legal tussle, the Supreme Court, on November 9 last year, ruled in favour of the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya and directed the Centre to allot an alternative five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a new mosque at a "prominent" place in the holy town in Uttar Pradesh. The Babri mosque in Ayodhya was demolished on December 6, 1992 by "karsevaks", who claimed that an ancient Ram temple stood at the same site. New Delhi, Sep 20 : She captures frames of the greatest migration since Partition, but what strikes is not the movement, but in fact an uncomfortable stillness -- not just of the people but the entire city. A post-war capital -- abandoned, but still standing tall, unable to come to terms with the new reality. In the initial days of the lockdown, which forced lakhs of migrant workers to flee cities towards their homes on foot, Delhi-based photographer Parul Sharma decided to capture reality at its most profound, laying bare the state's poverty of imagination. The result is the book 'Dialects of Silence', published by Roli Books. A photographic evidence and document of times shot with a iPhone 11 Pro and a Huawei P30 Pro that not only lays bare the great divide but also reimagines a perpetually buzzing city that even ghosts would be scared to inhabit. Capturing the migrants at different locations to framing Delhi's iconic landmarks in their deserted avatars, Sharma wanted to be closer to a frightening reality: Migrant workers, battling hunger and disease, trying to return to their distant homes; bodies of Covid victims being delivered like packages in crematoriums; the last rites in isolation; and the embers of grief. "For a photographer living through an unprecedented time of fear and horror, the aura of absence had to be captured and memories to be revisited, in the edifices of Old and New Delhi." Believing that Photographs capture history in a flash-and eternity in a blink, Sharma, who hit the capital's streets from April 4 and shot over 10,000 images (and continues to), adds, "Books and films can bring to perfection what has been written or filmed long after the moments of creation. Photography doesn't have that luxury. What you shoot in that moment is what you get. That image is etched in time. It is an unchangeable reality." Born and brought up in New Delhi, Sharma, who left her corporate job in 2017 to pursue photography full time, making her first solo 'Parulscape' at Bikaner House in the same year and going on to exhibit her works on Naga Sadhus and transgenders in a three-week solo exhibition called Mystico India at Florence's leading public museum Marino Marini last year, says even while in the job, she realised that she wanted to wanted to pursue photography focussed on architectural design, form, and the geometry of urban spaces. Ask her why all photographs are in black and white, and she smiles, " For me the most colorful thing in the world is black and white, it contains all colors and at the same time excludes all. Black and white is how I have tried to live my life, and it is how I want to define my sensibility in art." But don't the subjects come back to haunt her? "I still wake up in a sweat shattered with the horror and sadness and sheer aloneness of bodies that came, day in, day out, to the Nigambodh electric crematorium, the Muslim burial ground and the Christian cemetery. Plastic wrapped bodies on a moving beltway into a gas oven, a young widow reading the fatiha before her husband's freshly laid grave, the wrapped bundle of a tiny, abandoned baby who died of Covid , waiting for the gravedigger, and the catatonic movement of coffin maker, Mr. Paul, Sawing Timber for coffins - June was the cruellest month of all." Considering the fact that the photographer's father is from New Delhi, and mother from the old part of the city, it was natural that she went to the places she knew most. And it was in June, the idea of doing a book on the lockdown in Delhi came up in a conversation with Pramod Kapur of Roli, who has also curated the photographs in 'Dialects of Silence'. "Support for the project came from Ashok and Yamini Kapoor of Cosmo films. The book is magnificently printed on synthetic Cosmo paper," remembers Sharma. Though she wanted to shoot in ICUs, but was not allowed to, Sharma, who feels that photographers have a responsibility to document the present, does plan to exhibit the photographs too. When? "When the darkness lifts," she says with all the seriousness. Currently working on her other projects that got delayed due to the pandemic, the photographer, who's next book 'Colaba', (Roli Books) will hit the stands next year says about the city where 'Dialects of Silence' was shot -- " I have seen its many avatars and its indefatigable ethos, its evolution as an idea and as an attitude. I learnt how to dream, aspire, love and grieve in this city, that I call home. It's a very deep connection. Every nook and corner of the city has memories etched and stored in locked rooms, some resolved some not. I still seek answers in them." (Sukant Deepak can be contacted at sukant.d@ians.in) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.18 By Fidan Babayeva - Trend: Further cooperation between South Korea and Azerbaijan has great opportunities, Chairman of the board of the State Agency on Mandatory Health Insurance of Azerbaijan, Zaur Aliyev said, Trend reports citing the agency. According to the agency, on September 17, 2020, a webinar was held within the 2020 Korean Medicine project, organized by the Embassy of South Korea in Azerbaijan. The chairman highly appreciated the cooperation between the two countries. Aliyev noted that cooperation on healthcare contributes to measures taken to protect people from the coronavirus pandemic, adding that the health of citizens is a factor in the country's economic development. In turn, the South Korean Ambassador to Azerbaijan Kim Tong noted that cooperation in the medical industry will open the way for the development of cooperation in other areas. Jung Sung Kyu, an expert from the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, spoke on the topic "Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharmaceutical Industry in Korea". During the webinar, the parties discussed issues of mutual interests, prospects of the cooperation. The webinar was organized to discuss the medical industry in South Korea, the introduction of mandatory health insurance in Azerbaijan, and the prospects for further development of cooperation between South Korea and Azerbaijan in several areas. --- Follow the author on Twitter: Fidan_Babaeva New Delhi: In an exclusive conversation with Zee News, actress Payal Ghosh, who has accused Anurag Kashyap of sexual harassment, said that the filmmaker made her feel "uncomfortable" and his behaviour was "totally unacceptable". Payal recalled that the incident dates back to 2014-2015 when Anurag Kashyap was working on 'Bombay Velvet'. "I went to meet Anurag Kashyap at his home. He made me feel uncomfortable. The incident happened years ago, but it still haunts me. I tried to speak up several times, but my family, friends didn't allow me to do so. However, now I decided to open up and revealed what happened," she said. Of Anurag Kashyap's denial to the charges, Payal said that it was "expected". "Instead of denying and telling a lie, he should have come up and apologised," the actress stated. "People like him are very powerful. He will not be scared, but will make others scared," she further added. ALSO READ: Payal Ghosh accuses Anurag Kashyap of sexual assault, Kangana Ranaut calls for arrest Meanwhile, Payal also thanked National Commission for Women (NCW) chief Rekha Sharma and actress Kangana Ranaut for supporting her. She said that she will decide the further course of action after consulting her family. Payal Ghosh accused Anurag Kashyap of sexual harassment on Saturday on social media. She took to Twitter to open up against Anurag Kashyap and also tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi in her tweet, requesting him to take action against the filmmaker. She wrote, "Anurag Kashyap has forced himself on me and extremely badly. PMO India, Narendra Modi, kindly take action and let the country see the demon behind this creative guy. I am aware that it can harm me and my security is at risk. Pls help." However, Anurag Kashyap denied the allegations levelled against him, and termed them "baseless". A sophisticated anti-lockdown protest set to hit Melbourne will use encrypted messages, scouts, and rogue police officers to preserve the large-scale operation. Almost 700 demonstrators have vowed to swarm the city on Sunday for a mass rally against the Victorian government's coronavirus restrictions. It comes a day after up to 150 protesters descended on Elwood and Elsternwick Park in Brighton, 11km from the city's centre, resulting in 21 fines and 16 arrests. But organisers claim Sunday will be the 'big one', as co-ordination and planning reaches a level that 'has never been seen at a protest before'. A woman could be seen yelling out as two officers pulled her hands behind her back at the rally Protesters have been ordered via encrypted messages to start a series of small rallies within 10 minutes of the CBD kicking off at 7am, according to the Herald Sun. The location of the main event will be provided at 1pm, when the groups will merge and stream to the area in unison. In an Instagram poster promoting the event, organisers vowed to 'flow like water' during the main protest. Scouts and rogue cops will reportedly be feeding information about where police are conducting patrols. 'We are exceptionally thankful to the small number of Victoria Police officers who came forward and are willing to provide information,' an organiser said. A sea of police flocked to the city's Bayside suburbs on Saturday as scores of conspiracy theorists and coronavirus deniers flooded into a park to rebel against Melbourne's lockdown. Protests were announced by rally organisers about 10.30am on Saturday - half an hour before kicking off at the State Library, and a second closely following at 12pm. Up to 100 people gathering at Elsternwick Park in Brighton dispersed to Elwood when faced with a long line of officers at the site, 11km from Melbourne's CBD. Pictured: Protesters and officers at the Saturday demonstrations A woman is arrested by police at a anti-lockdown protest at Elwood Beach on Saturday Law enforcement teams circling Elsternwick Park included officers from Public Order Response, the Mounted Unit and Highway Patrol. A helicopter also monitored the situation from above. Footage shared online showed mount police chasing dozens of protesters as they fled down a footpath. 'Get ready to run,' the man filming can be heard calling out. Protesters marching along Elwood beach about 1pm were dispersed a third time, and several arrests have been made by officers. Shouting about Premier Daniel Andrews and coronavirus restrictions was heard throughout the disjointed protests. The protests were described as 'chaotic', with one photographer saying there was 'a lot of running and not much protesting.' Some protesters continued to scatter through backstreets, even jumping fences into private property. One arrested by police was filmed by Nine News telling officers: 'Wake up, I know you already know this is wrong.' A man ran from police as mounted officers chased protesters down a street during Saturday's protest The encrypted messages are being used to announce the 'flash protests' and to attempt to avoid police finding out the location of the planned rally Melbourne remains in a Stage Four lockdown, meaning residents cannot leave their houses without a valid reason, and restrictions are in place to limit movement more than 5km from a person's home. The restrictions remain in place, and both a State of Emergency and State of Disaster, have been extended a further four weeks. Multiple rallies have taken place in Melbourne over the past few weekends, with Victoria police responding with a heavy presence - handing out dozens of fines and making arrests. Victoria recorded 14 new cases and five deaths on Sunday, the lowest daily increase since June and the tenth day in a row the state has recorded a daily infections increase below 50. For many, the creative response to lockdown seemed to be a kind of paralysis. Writers talked about not being able to write, blocked by fear or inertia. Not so poet Rita Ann Higgins, who provided what was almost a weekly barometer of the nation's emotional health via her Pandemic poems, read out on Brendan O'Connor's show on RTE radio. Every week, there would be a new poem, a new piece of the collective experience isolated, framed, understood and returned to us (no wonder Robert McCrum has called her "the poet laureate of the new normal"). These poems are now collected together, with others, into a book, Pathogens Love a Patsy. "I procrastinate from one end of the year to the other," Higgins tells me. "I will be on the couch, it'll be Netflix, it'll be Taytos, it'll be junk food. But when the lockdown happened, I thought 'oh my God, I'd better write something, I'd better motivate myself'" And so she began. "I got up at 6am and did draft after draft of the Pandemic poems, watched the news, listened." Did she not find it hard to watch? "Absolutely. Seeing Italy the trucks, the numbers it was another level of horror and lack of understanding. There wasn't an emotion born in us yet that could allow us to cope with this. It was just raw fear." And yet the poems are far more nuanced than simply terror. "When I started doing the poems, I fell into my old ways of 'you could put a bit of humour here' because you couldn't just confront people with the horrors. I've always done it that way." The book is divided into three parts: Pandemic Poems, Poems of Isolation and Poems Before Covid. The second section is subtitled I'm Hannah Greally (and I want to go home). If Hannah's name doesn't ring a bell, a reminder - she was an Irish writer born in 1924 who spent nearly two decades detained against her will in a psychiatric institution in Mullingar. "Years and years and years ago I found her memoir, Bird's Nest Soup, in a second-hand shop, and I just couldn't believe it," Higgins recalls. "I was so upset for her. I have been upset on her behalf ever since." Video of the Day Over the years, Higgins wrote a play about Hannah, and a screenplay. Both were admired but neither found the right home, and then "when lockdown happened, I thought 'I'm going to let Hannah speak for herself'." Is it too glib to ask did she feel a kind of psychological kinship with Hannah? "Hers was a million times worse," she says, "and you wouldn't want to make any comparisons, but at the same time, that time was right for me to do it. I was never released from her. I went to see her grave, I went to see a relation of hers, but I could never quite get over it all, and then lockdown happened I was able to do the poems. I don't think there's any great mystery as to why it happened then." There are other strange echoes of the enforced isolation of lockdown that run through Higgins's life. After the birth of her first daughter, Heather, in 1977, she got TB and was isolated in a sanatorium for some months. "Chris [Rita Ann's husband] used to bring her to outside the window to show me her. I can't even say that now without nearly being in tears," she says. And indeed she pauses for a moment. "That is one of the most painful moments of my whole life. I was there for about three months, just under; a very long time to be separated from a small baby." Back then, "there was shame attached to TB," she says. "My father used to say, 'tell them you had a bad cold. Don't say you had TB.'" Going further back in time, Higgins recalls visiting her own mother in the old Galway Fever Hospital, and being only able to wave at her through the window. "We'd get to look in at her there. That was a frightening thing really. And that existed again in Covid times. People looked in windows" She talks of her childhood near Ballybrit, Galway, with wonder. "I absolutely loved my childhood," she says. "I had the most idyllic childhood, I think. Growing up in the country, there was a certain wildness about it, there was the pitch dark, my father getting mackerel and giving it to other people, the lovely mother, the neighbours who knitted, there was a woman who brought the milk, a woman who brought the eggs... I wanted the innocence to go on forever." But innocence never does, and tragically, Higgins's mother died when she was 15. "I was working in Dublin, minding a baby. My mother died, and the woman who I worked for drove me home. I never quite recovered," she says now. "I mean, you recover, but it was such a massive loss. You get on with it, but you never really get over it. Such a lovely mother." She talks about the "horrors" of her days at the sanatorium - "sputum mugs and other horrors, just gross. You don't forget that. It stays with you somehow" - and recalls with a laugh the doctor who said to her, "'I don't like seeing those cigarettes on your locker' I smoked Major. Imagine smoking and being in a TB ward? Insane." But it was there, for lack of anything better to do, that Higgins, who is one of 13 children - "fifth from the end I think" - who left school at 14 and had "never read any books", began to read. "You lay in bed, you weren't supposed to be doing too much movement. I started to read. Wuthering Heights and Animal Farm. Those two books were just amazing. That kick-started it - I thought, 'you can open a book and get locked into it and see these pictures'." After the sanatorium, it took time for Higgins to recover fully. "What I found hard was that I didn't have any physical energy. I was like a snail. People much older than you are faster than you. You drag your feet and you sweat, you have hallucinogenic dreams. It was a scary time. And you're prone to chest infections. Then that all stopped - I'm 65 now and I love swimming and walking. I gave up the Majors there and then," she laughs. Until then, Higgins had mostly worked in factories. Afterwards, she began attending writing workshops. At the time, the family - she had a second child, Jennifer, in 1980 - were living in the notorious Rahoon flats in Galway, about which Higgins has written. "I started with prose," she says, "and someone said, 'your tenses are all mixed up - you can't have the past and the present and the future all in the one sentence'. And someone else said 'every sentence must have a verb', and I said 'what's a verb?'." Poetry seemed much easier. "It's like taking a shortcut. Of course, it's no shortcut; you have to spend time hammering the words. It's a process - but it's a process that I like." She met people, including Jessie Lendennie of Salmon Poetry, who encouraged her, and she began. "It wasn't any big picture. I was just doing this bitty stuff, and it was working. I'd get a letter from Oxford University, a letter from a prison, both inviting me to read. So the poems were getting out, and I thought 'whatever I'm doing, let's keep going with this', but there was never a grand plan: 'I'm going to be a poet!'" These days, Higgins is a member of Aosdana - an association of artists - but it took five attempts. "Sure, look at the type of stuff I write," she says. "People were reading that, and it wasn't registering as poetry maybe? I have no idea. "But I couldn't afford not to keep trying, because I didn't have anything. I just had to keep at it, and I did. I had my resentments for some time, but you do get over resentments. You have to. They only affect you. You'd be an idiot to hold on to resentment." Expand Close Pathogens Love a Patsy by Rita Ann Higgins / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Pathogens Love a Patsy by Rita Ann Higgins Pathogens Love A Patsy by Rita Ann Higgins is out now, published by Salmon Poetry, 12 MANAMA A prominent Russian scholar described Bahrains declaration of peace with the State of Israel as a sovereign decision, adding that no other country has the right to oppose it. He said that he had spoken with many of his friends among the Palestinian leaders and advised them not to react extremely to the Kingdoms move by withdrawing their ambassador from Manama or launch a media campaign against Bahrain and the UAE, he said. He said that the Palestinians have themselves recognized the State of Israel as part of the two-state solution which reflects a realpolitik act on which Bahrain based its peace declaration with the State of Israel. Although this accord is the second after the UAE agreement it will however boost the standing of Bahrain as an advocate of peace between the GCC member states and the State of Israel, said Naumkin, a scholar of Central Asia and the Middle East, Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He said that the Kingdom of Bahrain led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa has a network of regional, international, Arab, and Islamic to promote the goals of peace in the Middle East. He said that the region in a dire need for peace which would put an end to decades of wars, bloodshed, destruction, mayhem, hatred, rancor spanning two Palestinian and Israeli generations which prevented them from achieving economic, scientific, social of security progress. He said that the two entrenched sides have to embark on such historic breakthroughs and make defining decisions that prevent wars and cultivate peace. Advertisement Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump joined their children for a game of beachside football while celebrating Rosh Hashanah with his family this weekend. The Kushners continued their brief getaway from Capitol Hill by having their own version of Sunday Night Football while visiting Jared's parents at their palatial home in Long Branch, New Jersey. Their visit to the beach followed an outdoor Rosh Hashanah service they attended earlier in the day with the family, including Joshua Kushner and Karlie Kloss. Photos taken by DailyMail.com showed Jared, 39, and Ivanka, 38, both decked out in workout gear as they toss the football with their youngest son, Theodore. Scroll down for video Ivanka Trump (left) and Jared Kushner (right) escaped to a New Jersey beach on Sunday afternoon to play a game of football with their son, Theo (center) The Kushner's visit to a beach in Long Branch, New Jersey, came after they attended a morning Rosh Hashanah service on Sunday morning with the rest of their family. Pictured (left to right): Theodore, Jared and Ivanka Theodore (right), dressed in a white ball cap and dark sweater, gave Ivanka Trump (left) a high-five and hugged the football during their trip The entire Kushner family made an appearance at the Long Branch beach, including (left to right) Jared, their daughter Arabella, Theo and Ivanka Theo, 4, sported a white ball cap similar to his father as they both sprinted across the sand barefoot for Ivanka's pass. The adorable boy gave his Ivanka a high-five and hugged the football to his chest while the festivities kept on. Other photos showed Jared, Senior Advisor to President, playing a game of toss-up with Theodore and the couple's first son, six-year-old Joseph. The family was spotted using toy shovels to scoop up sand and frolicking together along the shoreline. Ivanka, Advisor to the President and President Trump's first daughter, also spent time exploring with her daughter, Arabella. Arabella gave Jared a high-five and was seen with Jared's parents, Charles and Seryl Kushner. Seryl, with sunglasses and sweatpants, appeared to bring along the family dog as Charles played with their grandchildren. Joseph Kushner (pictured), Jared's younger brother and the second son, arrived to the Long Branch beach as well to play football with his nephews Pictured: Ivanka (left) gave her nine-year-old daughter, Arabella (right), a hand on Sunday as the young girl attempted to walk across the beach Jared Kushner (right), pictured with Arabella Kushner (left), brought his family to New Jersey to celebrate Rosh Hashanah this weekend Pictured: Joseph Kushner (left), aged six, stands near his father Jared (center) and his grandmother Seryl (right) while playing on the beach on Sunday afternoon Charles Kushner (pictured)was jailed for 14 months in 2005 for after a sensational trial that saw the millionaire real estate developer plead guilty to 18 counts of tax evasion, witness tampering and making illegal campaign donations Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump enjoy some time at a Long Branch, New Jersey, beach on Sunday after attending an outdoor Rosh Hashanah service Pictured: Ivanka Trump (left) gives young Theodore (right) a boost on Sunday while the two played around at the beach Pictured: Jared Kushner (left) and Arabella Kushner (right) hold hands as they play games and spend time together on Sunday during Rosh Hashanah Charles was jailed for 14 months in 2005 for after a sensational trial that saw the millionaire real estate developer plead guilty to 18 counts of tax evasion, witness tampering and making illegal campaign donations. At the center of the trial was the revelation that Charles had hired a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, who at the time was cooperating with federal officials in an investigation into possible campaign finance violations committed by Charles. Charles then filmed the encounter between his brother-in-law and the woman, who was paid $10,000. Ivanka Trump (right) launches a pass towards her husband, Jared Kusnher, and their son Theo during a game of football on Sunday afternoon in Long Branch, New Jersey Jared Kushner (left) appeared to show Theo (right) some new moves on Sunday as the two played a game of football in Long Branch, New Jersey Jared Kushner (right) used a toy shovel to dig through the New Jersey sand as Theo (far left), Ivanka (left), and Joseph (right) watched on during their beach trip Jared Kushner (center) played a game of toss-up with his two sons, Theo (center) and Joseph (right), on Sunday during a trip to the beach amid Rosh Hashanah celebrations Pictured: Seryl Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Arabella Kushner, Jared Kushner and Theo Kushner spend time together on Sunday afternoon in Long Branch, New Jersey The Kushner family had previously spent time in Washington D.C., where the Trump administration has launched an aggressive reelection campaign Pictued: Jared Kushner plays football with four-year-old Theodore and six-year-old Joseph on Sunday during Jewish New Year celebrations Jared Kushner (left) readies himself for the pass while Theo watches the football soar overhead during a Kushner family trip to the beach on Sunday Jared Kushner (left), Ivanka Trump (right) and their son, Theo (center), all donned ball caps and dark clothes during their trip to the beach on Sunday Jared Kushner (far left) talks his daughter, Arabella (left), while Ivanka Trump (right) takes a stroll with her son Theo (far right) The Kushner family dog wraps its leash around Jared Kushner's (center) legs while he speaks with his mother, Seryl Kushner (left), at the beach Pictured: a secret service agent stands nearby as Jared Kushner (far right) plays in the sand with his sons, Joseph (left) and Theo (center) Earlier on Sunday morning, photos showed the Kushner sons and their families returning to their parent's opulent home in Long Branch, New Jersey, after the open air religious service. Ivanka donned all black as she escorted her children into the home. The black overcoat flowed in the cool breeze as Ivanka walked beside her daughter, Arabella, and one of her two young sons into the grand front doors. Jared was briefly seen wearing a similar dark overcoat and what appeared to be a kippah, or yarmulke. Ivanka Trump (center), pictured with one of her young sons (left) was spotted returning to the massive Kushner family home in Long Branch, New Jersey, on Sunday Ivanka Trump (left) and her daughter, Arabella Kushner (right), donned face masks as they spoke to each other after a service celebrating Rosh Hashanah on Sunday Ivanka Trump (left) converted to Judaism in 2009 after marrying Jared Kushner (right), who was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family in New Jersey Ivanka Trump (left), pictured with Arabella and one of her sons, arrived in New Jersey from New York City after campaigning for her father's reelection Large SUVs of the United States Secret Service which are assigned to protect the family were seen lining the driveway outside the home. Rosh Hashanah is a Jewish New Year festival that began Friday and will continue until through Sunday. Also photographed at Charles and Seryl Kushner's home was their youngest son, Joshua Kushner, and his wife Karlie Kloss. Joshua Kushner (left) also returned to his parent's New Jersey home on Sunday to celebrate Rosh Hashanah with his wife, model and philanthropist Karlie Kloss Joshua Kushner to Vogue: 'It is no secret that liberal values have guided my life and that I have supported political leaders that share similar values' Despite Ivanka and Jared being key member of the Trump administration, both Joshua and Karlie have said they're more liberal and aligned with progressive ideologies Pictured: Large SUVs of the United States Secret Service assigned to the family lined the driveway outside the home Joshua, an businessman and investor, was dressed in a dark gray suit with a blue face mask while Kloss, 28, trailed behind in a tan overcoat. The couple, who married in October 2018, have been known for the stark political stance against the Trump administration. In a 2017 interview with Forbes, Joshua admitted he aligns with the Democratic party and acknowledged that they differed from his family's politics. 'It is no secret that liberal values have guided my life and that I have supported political leaders that share similar values,' he told the publication. 'But neither political party has a monopoly on the truth or on constructive ideas for our country. It's important to be open minded and learn from differing opinions.' And Karlie Kloss, a model known for her noted for her Hollywood friendships, has said publicly that she will not vote for Trump in the upcoming November election. In fact, she joined Biden and Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani for an event promoting girls and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). On Saturday, Jared wore a ball cap, a black sweater and sweatpants as he strolled with his father, Charles, through Long Branch Township. One of his sons rolled alongside the men on scooter, while personnel with the United States Secret Service trailed nearby. Jared Kushner (center) was spotted walking with his father, Charles Kushner (right), and one of his sons (left) along a Long Beach shoreline on Saturday Neither Kushner (center) nor anybody else on the weekend stroll wore Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommended face coverings as the pandemic continues During their walk along the bay, a man was seen falling to the sidewalk and appeared to need assistance. Luckily, Jared rushed over and kindly checked to see if he was okay. Jared could be seen helping the man to his feet as the rest of the family stood nearby. During the Kushner family's Friday stroll, none of them appeared to don CDC recommended face masks during their walk through Long Beach, which is nestled in Ocean County. The county has recorded at 12,160 confirmed COVID-19 cases and nearly 1,050 deaths. The Ocean County Health Department extended their beach seasons into early fall this year, but cautioned locals and visitors against flouting health guidelines. Photos taken by DailyMail.com showed Senior Advisor Jared Kushner (center) helping up a man who fell on a walkway in Long Beach, New Jersey, on Saturday 'We certainly want our residents and visitors to enjoy this beautiful resource, but the pandemic isnt over, and we need everyone to do their part in mitigating the transmission of the COVID-19 virus by adhering to all the social distancing measures and by wearing a mask when appropriate,' said Ocean County Freeholder Gerry P. Little in a statement. In photos taken later on Saturday, Jared reappeared at the same beach side walkway with his wife, Ivanka, after his father and son returned home. Ivanka, Advisor to the President and his oldest daughter, dressed near identical to her husband as the couple chatted. At one point, the Kushner's deviated from the path and decided to take their shoes off for a detour in the sand. Neither of them wore face masks while on the walkway, but 38-year-old Ivanka slipped one on while on the beach. Later on Saturday, Ivanka Trump (left) joined Kushner (right) for a second stroll along a walkway in Long Beach, New Jersey, on Saturday The couple's visit to the Kushner home comes amid Rosh Hashanah, a Jewish New Year festival that began Friday and celebrations will continue until through Sunday. Pictured: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner Ivanka converted to Judaism in 2009 after marrying Jared who was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family. In an interview with Vogue in 2015, Ivanka opened up about the conversion and called it 'such a personal thing.' 'Were pretty observant, more than some, less than others. I just feel like its such an intimate thing for us,' she told Vogue. 'Its been such a great life decision for me. I am very modern, but Im also a very traditional person, and I think thats an interesting juxtaposition in how I was raised as well. 'I really find that with Judaism, it creates an amazing blueprint for family connectivity. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 00:39:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Four Islamic State (IS) militants and a member of the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces, were killed on Saturday in an operation to hunt down the IS militants in Iraq's Salahudin province, a provincial police source said. The deaths were part of casualties of the operation launched in the morning in Ganous islands in the Tigris River near the town of Shirqat, some 280 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, by the Iraqi forces and supported by the Iraqi and international coalition aircraft, Col. Mohammed al-Bazi told Xinhua. The operation also resulted in the wounding of four policemen and the destroying of several IS hideouts, in addition to the seizing of weapons, ammunition, and other equipment, al-Bazi said. Ganous islands are covered with dense plants scattered in the Tigris River and are part of the IS strongholds in Salahudin province. The attacks came as the extremist IS militants have intensified their attacks on the security forces, including Hashd Shaabi forces, and civilians in the formerly IS-controlled Sunni provinces, resulting in the killing and wounding of dozens. The security situation in Iraq has been improving since Iraqi security forces fully defeated the IS militants across the country late in 2017. However, IS remnants have since melted in urban areas or deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. Enditem By PTI CHANDIGARH: Two MLAs of the Haryana's Jannayak Janta Party, which is part of the BJP-led ruling coalition in Haryana, on Sunday participated in farmers' protests in the state against the Centre's farm-sector bills passed by Parliament, going against their party stand on the issue. JJP's Barwala MLA Jogi Ram Sihag and Shahabad legislator Ram Karan Kala joined the farmers' protests even as Haryana Deputy Chief Minister and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala accused the Congress of misleading farmers, asserting that none of the farm sectors bills has any hint of abolishing the minimum support price mechanism for the crop procurement. But the two JJP MLAs joining the farmers' protests and two others -- Ram Kumar Gautam and Devender Babli too differing from the party's stand on the issue earlier, reflected a rift on the issue among the party ranks. On a call by the Bharatiya Kisan Union and backed by some other farmer outfits, MLAs Sihag and Kala joined the farmers' road blockade protests at Barwala in Hisar and Shahabad in Kurukshetra district respectively on Sunday. With JJP's considerable vote base belonging to the rural hinterland of the state, Barwala MLA Sihag said he would not hesitate even from resigning if his constituents feel farmers' interests are compromised and want him to quit at any point. About the farm reforms, he said, It will only lead to the exploitation of farmers at the hands of big corporates." JJP's Shahabad Kala too justified his presence at the protest site, saying he felt farmers' voices should be heard. Accusing the Congress of misleading farmers, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala asserted that there is not even a hint of abolishing the MSP mechanism in either of the three farm-sector reform bills. "Nowhere in the new farm reform bill, there is any talk of abolishing the crop MSP," said Dushyant Chautala, while talking to reporters here. He said the day farmers do not get the Minimum Support Price for their crops, he would be quit his post. "The day, under the present system, if a farmer does not get the MSP for his crop, I will quit my post," said Dushyant, a great-grandson of late Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal, considered farmers' messiah. "I come from a farmer's family and I will do anything to ensure farmers' welfare," he said. Defending the farm Bills, Dushyant Chautala said the crops of the farmers would be procured on the MSP and the reforms give them wider choice than what they have now. They would be able to sell their crops even outside 'mandis' if they receive higher rates, he pointed out. Asserting that the MSP mechanism will be there to stay, he asked farmers not to be misled. Dushyant Chautala also accused former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda of trying to misguide farmers to further his own political interests. "Not only did Hooda himself advocate open market for farmers but also signed on such recommendations of a committee set up by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, of which the former CM was head, during the UPA regime," he said, accusing the Congress leader of having "double standards". He also said, "The Congress party supported contract farming in its vision document during its first tenure of the UPA and now Congress is opposing the farm bills for political gains". Chautala said the farm reforms undertaken by the Centre will open new avenues of progress for the agriculturists. On the upcoming paddy procurement season, he said each grain would be procured on MSP. He had also earlier condemned the lathi-charge on farmers during a protest in Kurukshetra's Pipli on September 10. Dushyant's brother and JJP leader Digvijay Singh Chautala too had on Thursday apologised for the lathi-charge on farmers in Pipli, saying if any of them was hit, it was the family of late Devi Lal which was hurt. Dushyant's JJP, which won 10 seats in the 2019 state assembly elections, had extended support to BJP after they ended up winning 40 seats in the 90-member assembly. Chief Minister ML Khattar, meanwhile in a tweet, congratulated farmers on the "historic occasion" of the passage of the Farm Bills by Parliament, saying the reforms will empower them and are a step aimed at freeing peasants from the middlemen's clutches. Haryana Agriculture Minister J P Dalal asserted that the farm reforms will play an important role in fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's aim of doubling the farmers' income by 2022. Dalal said some politicians have become used to indulging in petty politics in the name of farmers. He said that it would have been far better if they had read the Bills in detail before issuing their statements. UPDATE: A 14-year-old boy with autism who went missing on Saturday night in Bergen County has been found safe, police said. Rashawn Ebanks Jr. was last seen at about 10:30 p.m. near his home on Schoonmaker Road in Teaneck, according to State Police. He was found safe Sunday, according to police. 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. New Delhi, Sep 20 : A total of 19,844 cases were pending before the National Company Appellate Tribunal's (NCLT) various benches as of July 31, Parliament was informed on Sunday. In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur said that out of the total, over 12,000 cases were under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). "As on 31st July, 2020, total 19,844 cases were pending before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), including 12,438 cases under Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC)," he said. The minister also informed the house that a total of 320 posts of officers and staff have been created in the NCLT. He, however, denied any plans to increase the strength of NCLT benches to address the impact of Covid-19 economic pressures. The 'e-court' project is being implemented in all 16 benches of the NCLT, he said, adding that e-filing has been started in nine benches so far and it will be extended to the remaining benches also. Activists end rally after submitting demands BANGKOK: Pro-democracy protest leaders ended their overnight rally early Sunday (Sept 20) after presenting a list of their demands to the Metropolitan Police Bureau chief. politicsmilitary By Bangkok Post Sunday 20 September 2020, 11:31AM Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, the co-leader of the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration, negotiates with Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner Pol Lt Gen Pakapong Pongpetra on Sunday. (Photo by Wichan Charoenkiatpakul / Bangkok Post However, activists plan to gather again on Thursday outside Parliament, while student leader Parit Penguin Chiwarak has called on the public to take part in a general strike on Oct 14, the anniversary of the 1973 student uprising, reports the Bangkok Post. The student-led groups demands controversially include reform of the monarchy, outlined in a 10-point list that leaders wanted to present to the Privy Council. In a brief encounter near the Privy Council Chambers, Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner Pol Lt Gen Pakapong Pongpetra accepted the petition from Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, a co-leader of the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration. The leaders had originally planned to march to Government House but later changed the plan and said they would walk to the chambers in the Grand Palace compound. But they were blocked by police barriers. Earlier in the morning, demonstrators performed a ceremony to install a plaque to declare the beginning of a new peoples movement. The movements three core demands have been a new constitution, the resignation of the current government and an end to harassment of critics of the government. After the demands were presented to the city police chief, Mr Parit announced the end of the rally, which had drawn tens of thousands of people to Sanam Luang since Saturday afternoon. However, he said protest leaders would gather again outside Parliament on Thursday, the second day of a two-day debate on motions to amend the constitution. As well, he said, another event is being planned for Oct 14 at a location to be announced later. Grateful for peaceful rally Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon has thanked protesters for staging a peaceful demonstration at Sanam Luang on Saturday night and for their cooperation with the authorities, according to his personal spokesman, Lt Gen Kongcheep Tantrawanich, the Bangkok Post also reported. He also thanked security officials who took part in the peace-keeping operation. The rally attracted between 30,000 and 50,000 people at its peak on Saturday night but there were no serious incidents. Gen Prawit was particularly full of praise for the Royal Thai Police Office for its work to provide convenience and security for the participants throughout the demonstration, which ended peacefully on Sunday morning. All told, 57 companies of police, or about 8,500 officers, were deployed at 14 locations around Thammasat University and Sanam Luang on Saturday. Their number included border patrol police from Chai Nat province and anti-riot officers from Nakhon Pathom. Other security precautions included metal detectors at entry points, while health workers set up checkpoints to take the temperature of people attending the rally. Most rally participants wore masks to protect against Covid-19 but social distancing was not widely in evidence given the size of the crowds on Saturday night. work worth up to Rs 700 crore under the MLA Local Area (LAD) scheme may be hit this year as the Delhi government has suspended the fund due to financial issues arising out of COVID-19 pandemic. The opposition BJP has demanded the AAP government to clarify its stand on MLALAD fund, claiming not even a single proposal under the scheme has been accepted since the constitution of the 7th Delhi Legislative Assembly in February. Speaking at the one-day special session of the held last week, Delihi Urban Minister Satyendar Jain had said the MLALAD fund has been suspended. "The MLALAD fund has been suspended by the Delhi government due to finances," he said. Delhi Finance Minister Manish Sisodia had earlier this month accused the Centre of betraying the states by running away from its responsibility and asking them to borrow money to compensate for their revenue shortfall. He had claimed that the Delhi government collected Rs 7,000 crore less tax in the first four months of the fiscal year of 2020-21, which would lead to a shortfall of Rs 21,000 crore by the end of the year. The central government should take loan on our behalf as we also need to pay salaries to our doctors, teachers, engineers and other employees," Sisodia had said after a GST Council meeting. Meanwhile, BJP MLA and former Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta on Sunday sought further clarification from the AAP governmnet over the status of MLALAD scheme. "I had sought a reply in the Assembly as to why no proposals were being received under MLALAD by the urban development department, but no concrete reply was given by the government," he said. Under MLALAD, each of 70 members of are allocated Rs 10 crore per annum to spend on development work in their respective constituencies. The BJP leader also suggested that proposals under MLALAD could atleast be received and the work done whenever funds were available. He said there was no clarity on how long the work would be stopped. He said he will write a letter to the city government, urging it to clarify its stand on MLALAD fund and allow receipt of development proposals under the scheme. There was no immediate reaction from the Delhi government or the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Italians voted Sunday against the advice of coronavirus experts in a referendum and regional elections that could weaken the government and radically reshape the political landscape. Just a week after a Herculean effort by schools to reopen in line with last-minute Covid-19 rules, classrooms nationwide were transformed into polling stations for the two-day vote. In the early evening, voter turnout was estimated at 30 percent. A triumph for the far right in the fiercely fought campaign would ring alarm bells in Brussels. It is the first test for Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte's centre-left coalition government since it imposed an economically crippling nationwide lockdown to fight the virus, which has claimed nearly 36,000 lives. The referendum, on slashing the number of members of parliament -- from 630 to 400 in the lower house, and 315 to 200 in the upper house -- is expected to pass, though the number of prominent "no" declarations has seen a late uptick. Italy has Europe's second biggest parliament after Britain with around 1,400 members and ahead of France, which counts 925. The cost-cutting reform is the brainchild of the co-governing Five Star Movement (M5S), but while its centre-left coalition Democratic Party (PD) partner and parties on the right are theoretically in favour, their support has been lacklustre at best. - Uncertain future - The regional battle is for the governance of Campania, Liguria, Marche, Puglia, Tuscany, Valle d'Aosta and Veneto. In every region, Matteo Salvini's far-right League, the anti-immigration, anti-LGBT Brothers of Italy and former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia have formed a right-wing coalition. The grouping is set to easily retake Veneto and Liguria, and could also snatch Marche and Puglia from the left. All eyes will be on Tuscany however, a historically left-wing stronghold that might fall to the far right. A nun leaves after casting her vote in Rome / AFP "If the left performs particularly poorly... Brussels will grow concerned," Berenberg economist Florian Hense told AFP. The EU will worry whether the national recovery plan that Italy must present to obtain grants or loans to aid its ailing economy "will be ambitious enough, given the limited political capital of the coalition in Rome," he said. "And whether, whatever plan Italy comes up with, it will actually implement it given the uncertain future of the current coalition", Hense added. - Concern over virus - The vote took place despite warnings against opening polling stations while Covid-19 cases are on the rise. While Italy is seeing fewer new cases than Britain, France or Spain, it still recorded some 1,600 cases on Saturday as well as 15 deaths. "The country is in a state of emergency; it is utterly contradictory to be massing people together at polling stations, particularly in light of the trend in Europe," Massimo Galli, infectious diseases chief at Milan's Sacco hospital, told AFP. But Rome student Lorenzo Salvioni said he hoped "the country's difficulties caused by Covid" would mobilise the vote. Some precautions have been taken, with elderly and pregnant voters getting fast-track lanes to cast their ballot. With older people potentially put off voting by the health risks, the left has been organising special transport. One in three voters for the PD and League are over 65 years old, according to Italy's Corriere della Sera daily. Nearly 2,000 voters who are in isolation because of the pandemic have registered to have their votes collected, including Berlusconi, who turns 84 late this month. The media magnate and former PM contracted the virus but left hospital last week. But fear of catching the virus has seen a flurry of last-minute desertions by polling station volunteers. Milan was forced Saturday to call urgently for 100 fresh pairs of hands. Prime Minister Conte has clinched a deal behind closed doors with PD leader Niola Zingaretti to fight to save each other's political skins should the left perform disastrously, according to the Repubblica daily. But that might not be enough. "These elections are not going to topple the government," political commentator Barbara Fiammeri for Italy's Il Sole 24 Ore daily told AFP. "But there could well be a crisis, whether it be Conte's fall, the forming of new coalition, or even a national unity government". Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - Gambia's opposition Citizens Alliance (CA) party has urged all members of the National Assembly to put national interest first and vote for passing the bill of a new Constitution for the Republic of The Gambia LIMERICK City and County Council has agreed to commence a feasibility study for upgrades to the playground in Newcastle West. The facility at the edge of the Castle Demesne has become damaged in recent years, and Mayor Michael Collins, who represents the town, urged council bosses to improve it. At a meeting of the Newcastle West municipal district, he secured an agreement to have a ranger looking after the park on a daily basis. He feels with Newcastle West being Limerick's county town, a bigger playground is needed. "The fact is we are the county town, and the play area is quite small and not fit for purpose. It's small. The slides are old, and need to be upgraded. Gordon Daly agreed and said what should do is look at a feasibility study to see what's needed to put a costing on it. Once it's costed, they can put the money side on it later," Mayor Collins said. A popular facility, the mayor says people come to visit it from miles around. "It's on the edge of the Castle Demesne on 77-acres of woodland. People don't just come from Newcastle West to it, but other areas. It's busy, and it should be a lot more modern to give kids a more enhanced play area then what is there currently," she said. "We look at Loughill and everybody speaks about the playground there. I know a lot of people who travel to Loughill [from Newcastle West] to let their kids use the playground. So that's a rural village. The county town should have something equal to if not better than that," Mayor Collins added. The first citizen has welcomed the commitment to tackle the matter. "It's something which has been on the agenda for a while, the condition of the playground, and especially its maintenance. I'd hope the report is commissioned quite quickly, and we get some sort of an idea on what can be built there," he concluded. For more Limerick news click here Armenian News-NEWS.am presents the whole interview of Minister of Foreign Affairs Zohrab Mnatsakanyan to Sky News Arabic. Question: Your excellency, this is your first visit to Egypt and to Arab world, where thousands of Armenians live. Taking into account historical relations with Armenia and Arab world, how do you see the future of these relations with Egypt, Armenia, and Arab world? Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: You know, the Middle East, the Arab world, for Armenians, as a people, is a natural environment. We have a very long history of living together, sharing life together, sharing everything; the civilizational link between our peoples is very deeply rooted. I think we have extraordinary examples of mutual respect: respect of our cultures, civilization, religion. There is much talk in the international agenda about the dialogue of civilizations and dialogue of religions. We know it from our history, centuries long, and the traditions, which have been established are very, very strong. And in fact, the very important part of this is the life of the Armenian people in this region. In Egypt, the Armenian community had an enormous impact on forging the friendship between our states. With Egypt, we have a very interesting agenda before us. We are absolutely excited about welcoming the president of Egypt in Armenia. Question: Your excellency, you met with Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary General of the Arab League I think today. From this angle how do you see the coordination between Armenia and the Arab League, especially in a political sense? Zorhab Mnatsakanyan: We have quite a good tradition of working with our partners within the Arab League, and I was very privileged to be received by the Secretary General. We have had very important and engaging dialogue on many issues which have affected the Middle East and in which we have established positions, established approaches, and through which also we manifest our interest and our engagement on matters, which are of importance to Armenia. We cannot be indifferent to the many developments in the Middle East, because of the reasons that I was saying before that there are very high stakes. And the relations with Arab world are extremely important for Armenia, and this is one of the important dimensions of Armenias foreign policy. So with this, we cannot be indifferent to this, and this dialogue is part of our very important job. And the Secretary General, I think, has been generous in exchanging many views and observations about the latest developments. Of course, there are many concerning developments, and our strong interest in stability and peace remains unshattered, and we will work with all our partners towards this. Question: From this angle, how does Armenia see the peace agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel? Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: Of course, we are following very closely those latest developments. We have a very important agenda and a relationship with UAE. We have lately opened a physical presence - embassy in Tel Aviv; we have various issues with Israel and we discuss many aspects of it. With the UAE we have an important agenda of cooperation and friendship and a very dynamic relationship, and we are of much appreciation, and value this very much. And, of course, we have our established position on the Palestinian issue, our position remains unchanged and stable, in that we support the two-state-solution, and a negotiated solution for the Palestinian issue. And here, of course, we are following with great attention. We believe that such a dialogue, such a peaceful process is the only way to address matters of high sensitivity and the long history of conflict. And we hope that such developments will contribute with all sensitivity towards interests and concerns and priorities of all the parties. We are following very closely and we are very hopeful that these new developments will be contributions to peace. Question: You said, our country is strong enough to defend our national security. In front of whom? Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, for us, the Armenians, is an issue of existential, physical security of our compatriots. Its an issue which is rooted in very strong security consciousness and the right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to self-determination. The recognition of these rights is and has always been a very important priority together with a strong security environment for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. Also that solution can be achieved only on the basis of peaceful negotiated settlement based on compromise. Compromise means hard work that takes into the account the interest of all parties and finds that important balance of the commitments between the parties that leads us to a resolution. Any one-sided maximalist approach will not be the solution, because as I was saying this is clearly a question of existential security therefore the resolve to defend is very strong. However we are very clear that there is no military solution to this conflict. We are very concerned about the very destabilizing policies of our other neighbor- Turkey, which has been positioning itself from the position of force and aggressive rhetoric and actions. Those are demonstrated in the strong military support to Azerbaijan, the strengthening of military presence in Azerbaijan and we have also been hearing some very concerning news about the recruitment of the terrorists from certain parts of the Middle East to be transported or being already transferred to Azerbaijan. So this is not a welcomed policy, this is a projection of power, across the entire perimeter of the neighborhood of Turkey. We are concerned, we observe, we follow the developments in Eastern Mediterranean, in North Africa, in the Middle East and we see this projection of power as the manifestation of these policies. This is not a contribution to peace. It is a very destabilizing policy. Question: Excellency, you said that Turkish behavior is affecting security in the South Caucasus, North Africa and Eastern Mediterranean. How can Turkish deeds be addressed? Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: I think you know our policies have been based strictly on a serious work towards stability and that is achieved by way of diplomacy, dialogue, conversation, negotiation and unfortunately we have been observing the denial of such methods by Turkey. Back in 2009 Armenia has taken a very serious and difficult path, you understand a nation which is the victim of the genocide in the Ottoman Empire and which still carries that very deep scare of denied justice has been faithful to working in this direction, however these efforts have been denied by Turkey and the protocols have been denied by Turkey and the present administration and our policies have met with faul promises of negotiations. And of course this is an effort that needs mobilization and solidarity and we are solidar with all parties. We have had the opportunity to express ourselves in our conversations here in Cairo. As far as the Eastern Mediterranean is concerned we expressed our solidarity with Egypt as we had with Greece and Cyprus. We are working in other parts to be of help in the Middle East and it is through the efforts of all the actors in the region including Turkey to work in a constructive way towards the de-escalation and negotiated solutions. And I think it concerns the entire international community in order to consolidate its power to mobilize stability. Question: Your Excellency, you have good relations with the Iranians and recently had a negotiation with Zarif, the Foreign Minister of Iran. Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: Yes, we are in a very extensive dialogue with Iran on many issues of global and regional agenda and of course one of the most fundamental approaches in our foreign policy whether it concerns Iran or any other of our partners is to build relations in a way which is not at the expense of the other partner. And this is a very fundamental concept. It is not an easy task. Question: And finally, during the visit to Cairo you met the Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayeb and the Pope of Alexandria Tawadros the Second, in your opinion how is it possible to build relations of peace and tolerance among the followers of different religions in order to make the world more peaceful and secure? Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: I think the history of Armenia, the Armenian people with the people in the Arab world, in the Middle East is a textbook on how to build relations on the foundations of mutual respect and care. We have deep respect to the great religion of Islam and we have historical experience of living with the great religion of Islam. Our identity has shown us the value and the significance of respect to others history and understanding and care, and denying any attempts of bringing religion into politics. We see this sometimes in the context of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict when there are attempts of some extremely irresponsible politicians to try to inject the argument of religion, and to us this is preposterous because we are the nation who lives in harmony with Islam, as Christians. And Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is about anything but religion. Staff file photo A drive-up voter registration event will be held Tuesday at the Historic Pearl, 303 Pearl Parkway, in honor of National Voter Registration Day. The event is being hosted by the League of Women Voters of the San Antonio Area. Hopeful voters can register by driving up from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the parking lot under U.S. 281 near Bike World, 300 E. Grayson St. TDT | Manama The declaration supporting peace signed by Bahrain with Israel is a historic move towards establishing peace in the Middle East, and a brave exceptional step to enhancing regional security and stability, while preserving the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people, Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani has said. The Foreign Minister praised the vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, in accordance with the two-state solution, which the Kingdom affirms its commitment to as one of the pillars of its foreign policy. We appreciate the historic roles played by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, noting that they are strategic roles that would contribute to maintaining international peace and security, said Dr Al Zayani. The Foreign Minister stated that this historic step emanates from the long legacy of the cohesive society of Bahrain, where all religions have co-existed side by side since ancient times. He affirmed that the Kingdom would remain a cradle and home for peace and harmony as it used to be throughout history, where Jewish citizens make an authentic and active component of the local society. Dr Al Zayani stressed the importance of co-existence as one of the fundamentals of the Kingdoms policy, and renewed Bahrains commitment to the principle of good neighbourliness with all regional countries, without exception, for a stable and prosperous future in the Arabian Gulf, the Middle East, and the world. The Kingdom of Bahrain looks forward to the declaration supporting peace leading to the establishment of relations with Israel in various fields, based on the principles of international relations, foremost among which are mutual respect and common interests, said Dr Al Zayani. Committed The Foreign Minister reaffirmed Bahrains commitment to its national responsibilities towards the GCC, the Arab League, and all brothers and partners from Arab and Islamic countries, as well as its policy aimed to bring peace and stability to the region. He expressed his sincere congratulations to the government and people of the sisterly UAE on the occasion of the signing of the joint peace accord with Israel, hoping that these strategic agreements would enhance peace, security, and stability. Dr Al Zayani participated in the signing ceremony of the declaration of support for peace between Bahrain and Israel, and the signing of the peace accord between the UAE, the US and Israel, held Tuesday at the White House in Washington. US President Trump, UAE Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Prime Minister Netanyahu were the others to sign the agreements. Poll: Most Rust Belt Voters Say Capitalism Better for Country Than Socialism A majority of voters in the region known as the Rust Belt say capitalism is a better system than socialism for the future of the United States, according to The Epoch Times Rust Belt Poll. More than 51 percent of those who responded to the poll believe capitalism is preferable, while just over 21 percent favor socialism. The poll, conducted by Big Data Poll from Sept. 11 to Sept. 15, 2020, interviewed 2,191 registered voters and 1,440 likely voters in the Midwest via online panel that focused on Iowa (7 percent), Michigan (20 percent), Minnesota (12 percent), Ohio (23 percent), Pennsylvania (26 percent), and Wisconsin (12 percent). The sampling error is plus or minus 2.1 percentage points for registered voters and plus or minus 2.6 points for likely voters at a 95 percent confidence interval. The Rust Belt, the group of U.S. states that were once dominated by manufacturing, is likely to play a critical role in determining the outcome of the 2020 election, experts say. Older votersthose over 65 years old, were more likely to indicate a preference for capitalism, with 74 percent of that demographic in agreement. By contrast, roughly 9 percent of voters over the age of 65 said socialism is better for the country. Among younger votersbetween 18 and 29, a plurality (more than 43 percent) voiced a preference for capitalism. Meanwhile, more than 30 percent of voters in this bracket have a positive view of socialism. This age group also had the highest number of those saying they are unsure, at over 26 percent. There was a clear difference along party lines. A majority of Republicans, more than 77 percent, said they prefer capitalism, while about 46 percent of Democrats agreed. Meanwhile, more than 30 percent of Democrats are more positive about socialism, compared to just over 11 percent of Republicans. President Donald Trump has repeatedly spoken out against socialism and communism throughout his years in office, making it a key part of his agenda. At last years State of the Union speech, he said that America will never be a socialist country. Trump has also criticized Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on that front, calling him a Trojan horse for socialism during an August speech in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Hes a Trojan horse. He has no clue, but the people around him are tough, and theyre smart, Trump said. Biden appears to have rejected the socialist label. In an August rebuttal to Trumps GOP convention address, he said, You know me. You know my heart, and you know my story, my familys story. Ask yourself: Do I look to you like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? Really? For more information on the methodology and survey design, please refer to the AAPOR Transparency Initiative Checklist, for an overview of survey results click here. Angelina Jolie is one of the most famous women in the world. But the actress/activist/filmmaker looked like the average LA mom while taking some of her six kids to their local West Hollywood Target on Saturday. The Oscar winner, 45, donned her usual uniform of all black during her shopping trip with Zahara, 15, Shiloh, 14, and Vivienne, 12. Mom on the go: Angelina Jolie looked like the average LA mom while taking three of her six kids shopping on Saturday Angie looked statuesque wearing a solid tee shirt tucked into matching paperbag-style pants. There were a few luxury touches to the celeb's outfit. She carried around a handsome Valentino purse while clad in nude slides that were also from the Italian fashion house. Exuding effortless glamour, she smoothed her brunette locks back into a low bun and topped things off with sophisticated wire-frame glasses. Everyone wore masks, according to current California-wide guidelines to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. A bit of browsing: The actress/activist spent some time choosing a doll Elegant: Angie looked statuesque wearing a solid tee shirt tucked into matching paperbag-style pants Fun: She also picked up some cookies and cupcake supplies during the trip Angelina spent her time while shopping, seen taking a moment to pick out a doll that looked more appropriate for a younger child. Jolie and ex Brad Pitt's youngest children are 12-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox. Their oldest, Maddox, is 19 and studies at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. Angelina and family's outing comes amid reports things are extremely tense between the star and her 56-year-old actor ex. Treats: The group treated themselves to some cold drinks before heading home Family matters: Angelina and family's outing comes amid reports things are extremely tense between the star and her 56-year-old actor ex, Brad Pitt Relations between the former couple who share six children have deteriorated to the point where they are no longer engaging in family therapy ahead of a custody trial slated for next month, UsWeekly reported earlier this month. 'Tensions have escalated between Brad and Angelina, with family therapy no longer taking place,' a source told Us Weekly. Pitt and Jolie had appeared to reach a cordial understanding about co-parenting their kids, with the Once upon A Time... In Hollywood actor spotted leaving the actress' LA home in June after spending time with the children. However, UsWeekly claims they are now at odds again over how much time they each get with Pax, 16, Zahara, 15, Shiloh, 14, and 12-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne. More drama: Tensions between Brad and Angelina are said to have escalated to the point where 'family therapy is no longer taking place,' UsWeekly reported earlier this month Eldest child Maddox, 19, is allowed to choose his own timetable and is rumored to no longer have any contact with his father. 'Brad wants 50/50 joint physical and legal custody of the kids. Angelina has been unagreeable to those terms,' a source told UsWeekly. The insider added that Jolie 'will only agree to talk about an agreement if the home base for the children isn't Los Angeles. The younger kids are in school in Los Angeles, which Angelina has always been opposed to.' It's previously been suggested that Jolie wants to relocate to the UK and base the children with her there. DailyMail.com has reached out representatives for Pitt and Jolie seeking comment. Dispute: 'Brad wants 50/50 joint physical and legal custody of the kids. Angelina has been unagreeable to those terms,' a source told UsWeekly. The insider added that Jolie 'will only agree to talk about an agreement if the home base for the children isn't Los Angeles (Jolie is seen with the children in France in January 2017) NEW DELHI: The Honda City is among the most popular sedans on Indian roads today, and fits the profile for tech in cars of its kind. In its fifth generation though, Honda is adding a first for connected cars in India. The new Honda City works alongside Amazons Alexa voice assistant, allowing the user to operate certain remote functions without ever touching the car, its key or even phone. Basically, Honda has built a skill" for the artificial intelligence (AI) system, which is what Amazon calls the app-like things used to connect various services to the AI. There are two parts to this the first is Honda Connect, the companys smartphone app for its car, which then connects to Alexa through Amazons app. Once you do that, you can either open the Alexa app on your phone and give voice commands to your car remotely, or if you have an Echo speaker at home, you can just speak to it. So, you get to tell the car to turn on air conditioning before you leave for work, check how much fuel the car has, unlock the doors, and more. In all, there are ten such features. Admittedly, it sounds like a party trick, and at times it really is. However, it can easily become something you cant do without. A few days into driving this car, we found ourselves involuntarily telling Alexa to turn on the air conditioning whenever we were about to head out. Remotely turning on the AC is nothing new for cars, but being able to do it by voice commands brings a level of intuitiveness thats just that much more useful. Similarly, the feature can be really useful if you leave the keys in your car and the doors lock. Yup, that happened to us too. You can also tell the assistant to unlock the doors or open the boot remotely when youre at home and need someone to get an item from the car. There are small, but useful use cases. That said, the overall software interface of this still needs some work. Some of these are things Honda cold solve, but mostly, the company is barred by the limitations Amazon has for any such Alexa skill. For instance, Alexas location alerts arent very accurate in India right now. So when you ask the assistant to locate your car, youll get a ballpark type of position at times. Its enough to give you peace of mind that no ones stealing your car, but a little more detail would help. For instance, the Honda Connect app allows geofencing, which keeps the car within a preset GPS-based boundary. The company could use this to have the assistant set a home/work location for the user and Alexa could tell them the cars home instead of its at XYZ road right now. Further, Alexa skills are often slow and Honda couldnt get around this issue, which makes giving voice commands from your phone annoying at times. This is especially irritating in cases where the cars engine needs to be turned on, because it requires multiple steps. Also, it asks for an identification pin in such instances, which you have to speak out loud. Theres really no way around this at this point, and its an obvious security loophole for all such systems. Other than Alexa integration, the other tech is pretty standard for cars in this range today. You can connect your phone to the car using Android Auto, Apple Carplay or regular Bluetooth. Youll need to connect via USB cables in order to use Apple and Googles automobile technologies. The car also has a lanewatch camera for blindside turns, a really useful feature for any car. Theres hill-start assist, which helps when youre starting off an incline, something many drivers will appreciate. In sum, the 5th generation Honda City is a step forward for connected cars in India. You cant remotely tell you car to drive over to you just yet, but this is how it begins. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. As many as 1.67 million people in Jammu and Kashmir have been given domicile certificates so far, the government told the Lok Sabha on Sunday. In his reply to a written question, union minister of state for home G Kishan Reddy said that according to information provided by the Jammu and Kashmir administration, a total of 21,13,879 people had applied for domicile certificates. A total of 16,79,520 people were given the certificates, he said, adding altogether 1,21,630 applications had been rejected for not providing the required documents. He said the Rule 5 of the Jammu and Kashmir Grant of Domicile Certificate (Procedure) Rules, 2020, mandates certain documents which are to be attached with an application. As per the registration records maintained with the Provincial Rehabilitation Officer (PRO), Jammu and Kashmir, a total of 6,565 families were registered as displaced families from the Chhamb Niabat area during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971. For the displaced families of 1971, agricultural land at the rate of 4 acres (irrigated) or 6 acres (un-irrigated) was allotted, Reddy said, adding a cash compensation of 7,500 per family was also paid. He said that due to the Indo-Pakistan war of 1947, a total of 31,619 families got displaced from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK), out of which 26,319 families got registered and settled in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. A total of 5,300 families, who were initially registered with the PRO, Jammu and Kashmir, subsequently moved to other parts of the country, the minister added. In reply to another question, he said there are no restrictions on movement of any individual, including the members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Based on inputs received from the law enforcement agencies in view of the prevailing security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Reddy said the movement of some individuals, who are under protection, got restricted to ensure their safety and security after the nullification of Article 370 a year ago. The Article conferred special status on Jammu and Kashmir, which has been divided into Union territories -- J&K and Ladakh. At present, there are no restrictions on movement but for the security advisories to maintain the law and order situation and no person is under house arrest in Jammu and Kashmir for reasons not related to public health guidelines, he said. The minister said there are no restrictions on the movement of any individual, including PDP leaders. Considering the law and order and security situation of a particular area, it is imperative that prior intimation is given by the protected persons regarding their movements etc., Reddy said. To another written question, Reddy said internet restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir are in the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India. The internet services are already available in Kashmir on fixed line and that too without any speed restrictions as well as 2G speed mobile data services are also operational since January 24, 2020. Restrictions on accessing social media sites have also been lifted from March onwards, he said. The 2G mobile internet speed is not an impediment in Covid control measures including dissemination of information to general public as well as health workers. E-learning apps and education and e-learning websites of the government are accessible over 2G internet for downloading e-books and other study material, added Reddy. He said high-speed 4G mobile data services have started in Ganderbal and Udhampur districts of the Union territory. It's mayhem in the mortgage market at the moment due to a paperwork backlog at banks and pent-up demand from the lockdown. Lenders are making changes to their home loan deals with little or no notice to limit the amount of business they take on. So that cheap rate you were eyeing up could quite easily be gone tomorrow. Or the terms and conditions may change suddenly, meaning you no longer qualify for a loan you thought had been secured. Trying to move forward: It's mayhem in the mortgage market at the moment Here are four other places to turn if you are caught up in the chaos... SMALLER LENDERS Lee Hockins, from Summit Wealth financial advisers, says: 'It's virtually impossible at the moment to get a mortgage at 95 per cent loan to value and there are only a small number of lenders offering 90 per cent mortgages and none of the big ones.' Lloyds, NatWest, Barclays, Santander, TSB and most recently HSBC have all pulled out of the market for mortgages with a deposit of 10 per cent or less, hammering first-time buyers. The good news is that smaller regional building societies may be able to help. Many still assess applications manually, unlike big banks which often use automated underwriting technology which can result in a computer-generated rejection. Having your application assessed by an individual means your specific circumstances can be taken into account. Try the Buckinghamshire, the Penrith and Stafford Railway. BANK OF MUM AND DAD Popular mortgage deals that allow parents to help their off spring on to the ladder are being cut back too. But the Bank of Mum and Dad isn't entirely closed. After Lloyds shut its Lend a Hand mortgage to new applicants, the main mortgage designed for parental help is Barclays' Family Springboard deal. This allows a family member or friend to put at least 10 per cent of the purchase price in a savings account with the bank in place of a deposit. Ray Boulger, of mortgage brokerage John Charcol, says: 'The Barclays Springboard mortgage is the best of the deals for people who are getting help. It's really good value for first-time buyers with either a small or no deposit, who has someone who wants to help but also wants to keep control of their funds.' Tipton & Coseley Building Society has launched a Family Assist mortgage offering up to 100 per cent loan-to-value mortgages for buyers, so long as a relative has a 20 per cent charge on their own property or puts 20 per cent of the amount borrowed into a savings account. But some are limiting the amount of outside help allowed. Nationwide recently changed the criteria for gifted deposits, so borrowers who want a 90 per cent loan-tov-alue mortgage can only be given 25 per cent of the deposit, meaning they have to provide the rest themselves. A BROKER ON YOUR SIDE With banks launching and ditching mortgage deals on an almost daily basis, a broker can really prove their worth. Not only do they often get tipped off in advance when a deal is about to be pulled, they are clued up on the specific criteria that each lender will look for in your mortgage application and can stop you wasting time. Brokers will also have a good idea how stretched a bank's mortgage department will be, helping you avoid disappointment when demand is high. TRY A LIFETIME MORTGAGE For the over-55s who are retired or approaching retirement, an alternative option is a so-called retirement interest-only mortgage. Boulger says: 'With these deals, the eventual sale of the property can be used as the repayment strategy. 'So lenders assess whether you can afford the loan on the cost of paying the interest only in retirement, as opposed to a repayment deal where you have to pay back some of the capital each month. 'The downside is that if it's a joint application, lenders have to decide whether, after one partner dies, the surviving partner would be able to support the mortgage from the remaining income.' Lenders offering this type of mortgage include Nationwide, Leeds, Bath, Ipswich, Loughborough and Tipton building societies. She has made a name for herself as an international model. And Lottie Moss looked as if she was ready to step foot on the catwalk as she strutted through London in a taupe cropped shirt and shorts combination on Saturday. The younger sister of Kate Moss, 22, looked effortlessly stylish as she was seen leaving Brasserie of Light in Mayfair with Ed Westwick's girlfriend, Tamara Francesconi. Serving model looks: Lottie Moss looked as if she was ready to step foot on the catwalk as she strutted through London in a taupe cropped shirt and shorts combination on Saturday She cut a chic figure in her co-ord ensemble which featured brown buttons down the centre. Lottie opted for Perspex mules and she added a designer touch with a black Prada clutch bag that she held in her hand. She styled her signature blonde tresses in a straight 'do and opted for a makeup pallet of warm tones that highlighted her stunning beauty. Fashionista: The younger sister of Kate Moss, 22, looked effortlessly stylish as she was seen leaving Brasserie of Light in Mayfair with Ed Westwick's girlfriend Tamara Francesconi Strike a pose: Her stylish pal, 23, turned heads in flared high-waist trousers and a cropped top that tied in the centre to expose her taut midriff Her stylish pal, 23, turned heads in flared high-waist trousers and a cropped top that tied in the centre to expose her taut midriff. Her lemon-coloured outfit from online fashion brand, PrettyLittleThing, contrasted wonderfully against her bronzed complexion. Tamara styled her long tresses in a sleek straight style and paired the '70s inspired look with white knee-high boots. All in the details: Lottie opted for Perspex mules and added a designer touch with a black Prada clutch bag that she held in her hand Golden glow: Her lemon-coloured outfit from online fashion brand, PrettyLittleThing, contrasted wonderfully against her bronzed complexion Vintage style: Tamara styled her long tresses in a sleek straight style and paired the '70s inspired look with white knee-high boots Arm candy: She injected a touch of glamour with her gold bracelets and a necklace as she clutched her ivory bag Stylish: The brunette beauty opted for a full coverage makeup look and wore black shades to protect her from the sun She injected a touch of glamour with her gold bracelets and a necklace as she clutched her ivory bag. The brunette beauty opted for a full coverage makeup look and wore black shades to protect her from the sun. Tamara is a South African-Italian model and is the beau of Ed Westwick, who is known for his portrayal of Chuck Bass in the American series, Gossip Girl. He went public with Tamara during a Los Angeles outing in October, after insiders claimed the couple had been dating for weeks. Preened to perfection: Lottie styled her signature blonde tresses in a straight 'do and opted for a makeup pallet of warm tones that highlighted her stunning beauty Celebrity connections: Tamara is a South African-Italian model and is the beau of Ed Westwick, who is known for his portrayal of Chuck Bass in the American series, Gossip Girl Romance in the air: Ed went public with Tamara during a Los Angeles outing in October, after insiders claimed the couple had been dating for weeks A source told The Sun that Tamara is a hit with Ed's close-knit family, they said: 'Tamara's head over heels with him and Ed is proud to tell everyone Tamara is his girlfriend. 'His friends and family all approve and think they're a great match.' Meanwhile Lottie was seen putting on a cosy display with a mystery hunk last week, following a lavish meal with friends in London. A source told The Sun: 'Tamara's head over heels with him and Ed is proud to tell everyone Tamara is his girlfriend. His friends and family all approve and think they're a great match' New love? Lottie looked in great spirits as she met up with her close friends Fun in the sun: Tamara and Ed recently returned from a trip to Italy, where the brunette model- who boasts 206k Instagram followers - kept her fans up to date with her travels The model and her companion arrived at Kensington's Nam Long Le Shaker restaurant and bar shortly before midnight and were seen hugging amid their multiple cigarette breaks outside the popular venue. At one point, the man was seen placing an arm around Lottie as they chatted among themselves while standing with a large group of friends. The twosome got closer as the man whispered into Lottie's ear while they stood beside their group of friends, with their cigarettes in hand. There are no shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) kits and ventilators at dedicated COVID 19 facilities across the country, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey told Rajya Sabha on Sunday. According to data provided by the minister in the Upper House on a query raised by Trinamool Congress MP Dinesh Trivedi, India has 1.16 beds per 1,000 persons with its population estimated at 139.78 crores as per the 2011 census. In his written response, Choubey also said India has 15,403 COVID-19 treatment facilities with 15,54,022 isolation beds, 63,758 ICU beds and 2,32,505 oxygen supported beds while so far, a total of 344.78 lakh N95 masks and 141.46 lakh PPE kits have been supplied to states, Union Territories and central government institutions. "There is no shortage of PPE kits and ventilators in the dedicated COVID-19 facilities across the country," the minister said. According to the figures provided by the minister, Delhi has 162 COVID treatment facilities with 25,719 isolation beds, 2,617 ICU beds and 10,023 oxygen-supported beds. Maharashtra has the maximum COVID treatment facilities at 3,328 centres with 3,50,340 isolation beds, 14,866 ICU beds and 56,737 oxygen-supported beds, followed by Karnataka with 1,809 facilities, 1,38,725 isolation beds, 4,963 ICU beds and 17,162 oxygen-supported beds. Tamil Nadu has 1,259 COVID treatment facilities with a total of 2,25,149 beds including isolation, ICU and oxygen-supported beds followed by West Bengal with 1,224 treatment facilities and 84,510 beds. Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have 939 and 757 COVID treatment facilities, respectively, while Rajasthan has 417 such treatment centres, the minister informed Parliament. With a population of over 14.27 crore as per 2011 census, beds for COVID patients in Maharashtra per 1,000 population stands at 0.91 while Uttar Pradesh, which has a population of over 22 crore, has 0.71 beds per 1,000 people. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have 2.42 and 2.15 beds per 1,000 population, with a population of 8.27 crore and 6.68 crore, respectively, while West Bengal has 0.70 beds per 1,000 people with a population of over 10.32 crore. In Delhi, there are 1.37 beds per 1,000 people while its population as per 2011 census is estimated to be over 2.06 crore. (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 group of Toronto artists is offering to paint free murals on garage and front doors of homes in south Etobicoke after a family in the community recently received hate mail for commissioning one on theirs. The team of professional artists, led by Bareket Kezwer, Julii McMillan and Natalie Very B. Bochenska who designed and painted the original mural describe their initiative as a street-level demonstration of love. Theyre calling it the Neighbourhood Love campaign. We are volunteering our professional skills to visibly express the positive, diverse and inclusive spirit of the South Etobicoke Community, they wrote on social media, adding they came up with the idea after being moved by the online outpouring of support for the South Etobicoke family. It is our hope that by coming together in a public act of love we can support a sense of empowerment and connection for everyone living in the area. In late August, Sapna Shah, who lives near Royal York Road and The Queensway, hired Bochenska to design and paint a mural on the garage door of the townhome she shares with her husband and two young children. Her family then received two anonymous letters, one of which was addressed to GHETTO GARAGE DOOR and charged that the artwork made the entire neighbourhood look like a low-income ghetto. The author of this typed letter, which Shah received on Sept. 8, went on to say she had devalued all of the homes in this area with that hideous graffiti at the front of your house, adding Shah had no consideration for anyone but (her) tasteless self and erecting the mural was a total lack of respect for her neighbours. The writer ended the note with Shame on you! You have no class! The first letter, received just a couple of days after the mural was completed, was written in red marker To the owner of the house and said You do not live in a house! This is a community! Shah, who said shes horrified, angry, hurt and scared to have received such treatment, posted about both incidents on local Facebook groups. Her social media posts have received hundreds of likes, mostly positive comments and dozens of shares. Toronto police are now investigating. Anyone interested in taking part in the Neighbourhood Love campaign is asked to fill out an online application. Renters and those living in residential complexes are advised to check with their property management. All south Etobicoke residents are welcome to apply; however, priority will be given to those living south of The Queensway, north of the Gardiner Expressway, east of Royal York Road and west of Park Lawn Avenue. The murals, which will feature family-friendly designs, will be produced at no cost to the resident. Participants should note that artists will be given full creative license, and customization or special requests cannot be accommodated. The plan is to paint 20 murals the weekend of Oct. 3 and 4. A Neighbourhood Love GoFundMe page has also been set up to cover the cost of supplies and help pay the artists for their time. Campaign organizers are also planning to create lawn signs for those who want to show their support to the Shah family, and denounce hate and racism in the community. CLARIFICATION SEPT. 20, 2020: This story has been edited from an earlier version because the artist previously identified as Natalie Bochenska has asked to be called Natalie Very B. Joanna Lavoie is a reporter with toronto.com. Reach her via email: jlavoie@toronto.com She didn't let the errant smoke from the California wildfires stop her from enjoying a game of beach volleyball earlier this week in Malibu. And on Saturday, supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio was again seen out enjoying a beach day with friends, this time in the Santa Monica area of Los Angeles. The Brazilian catwalker, 39, showed off her dynamite figure as she engaged in various surfside activities, from sunbathing on the sand to playing more volleyball with family and friends. Saturday beach day: Supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio was again seen out enjoying a beach day with friends this weekend, this time in the Santa Monica area of Los Angeles Beach goddess: The Brazilian catwalker, 39, showed off her dynamite figure as she engaged in various surfside activities, including sunbathing on the sand Alessandra opted a pink, white and teal ombre bikini, from her own swimsuit brand Gal Floripa. The thong bottoms of the two-piece bathing suit she wore were especially teeny. She also wore an assortment of shorts while playing ball, including a pair of super-tiny blue mesh bottoms, as well as a pair of classic denim Daisy Dukes. The mother-of-two also wore different eyewear, such as a pair of sporty violet Oakley-style wraparound shades as well as classic dark aviators. Colorfully chic: Alessandra opted a pink, white and teal ombre bikini, from her own swimsuit brand Gal Floripa Throwing the ball around: Alessandra played some volleyball with family and friends Happy beauty: The thong bottoms of her two-piece bathing suit were especially teeny Alessandra protected her wrist with a grey brace while hitting around the volleyball as well. She had her brown hair piled back and on top of her head in a messy bun. Ambrosio also sported a bright reddish manicure, and wore layered necklaces. In action: Ambrosio also wore an assortment of shorts while playing ball, including a pair of classic denim Daisy Dukes Reaching for the sky: The mother-of-two also wore different eyewear, such as a pair of sporty violet Oakley-style wraparound shades as well as classic dark aviators The ex-wife of Jamie Mazur was also seen with her daughter Anja Louise, 12, along with another friend. The trio of ladies were kneeling in the sand, playing with the volleyball on the ground nearby. Recently, the 5ft9in beauty spoke to Vogue India Magazine about how she's mitigating stress during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Playing in the sand: The ex-wife of Jamie Mazur was also seen with her daughter Anja Louise, 12, along with another friend as they knelt in the sand, playing with the volleyball Stunner: Alessandra's chiseled abs were on full display in the skimpy suit Evening out her tan: She had her brown hair piled back and on top of her head in a messy bun 'I've always tried to keep my beauty routine as simple as possible and that didn't change when I had my kids,' she said. 'What I've focused on since having kids is creating time to take care of myself,' continued the workout queen. 'Even if it's just 15 minutes in the morning for meditation, stretching or yoga - it helps me get centered and ready to conquer whatever the day is bringing my way.' Going full in: Alessandra protected her wrist with a grey brace while hitting around the volleyball as well Alessandra is determined to ensure her kids learn the value of taking care of themselves, too. Along with Anja Louise, Ambrosio is mom to son Noah Phoenix, eight. The model told the magazine: 'I make sure that I teach my kids the importance of taking care of themselves, so every morning we make delicious juices together and try to do some kind of outdoor activity.' Beach change: The 5ft9in beauty also sported a pair of super-tiny blue mesh bottoms at one point, changing from her denim cutoffs Alessandra previously admitted that her children are her 'number-one priority'. Ambrosio rose to international fame as a Victoria's Secret Angel, announcing that she was giving up the title at the end of 2017. Born in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande Do Sul, Alessandra has lived in the States for about two decades, having had to first move to New York City to kick off her successful modeling career as a teenager. Ready to go: The Brazilian bombshell threw on a white tank crop top when she headed out Committed parent: Recently, the runway model spoke about how she's mitigating stress during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and focusing on her children; seen on Instagram People deficient in vitamin D 54% more likely to get COVID-19: study Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment People with a vitamin D deficiency are 54% more likely to test positive for the new coronavirus. Members of predominantly black and Hispanic communities have been found to be most at risk, according to a new study. The study, SARS-CoV-2 positivity rates associated with circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, published in the journal PLOS ONE, was conducted by Dr. Michael Holick, professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine and a team of researchers from the clinical laboratory Quest Diagnostics. Holick and his team examined 190,000 blood samples from coronavirus tests performed March 9 through June 19 collected in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. They found that the vitamin D deficient samples had 54% higher COVID positivity compared to those with adequate levels of vitamin D. And people of color were particularly deficient of the sunshine vitamin, the study found. We evaluated more than 190,000 blood samples from patients of all ethnicities and ages infected with COVID in all 50 states. We observed that the higher that the patients blood level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D was, up to 55 ng/mL [the] lower was their risk of being infected with the coronavirus. People of color have been particularly affected by COVID 19, Dr. Holick noted in a statement from The Boston University School of Medicine. We found that patients living in predominantly African-American and Hispanic zip codes were more likely to be vitamin D deficient and have a higher risk of acquiring the infection, he added. Vitamin D deficiency, according to data cited by the Endocrine Society, is very common in all age groups as few foods contain it. While the skin produces it using sunlight, many people arent able to generate enough of it to meet the recommended serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level, particularly during the winter months, Holick said in an interview with the Boston Herald. Fair-skinned individuals and those who are younger also tend to convert sunshine into vitamin D far better than those who are darker-skinned and over age 50, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The Endocrine Society Guidelines recommends infants, children and adults receive 400-1000 IUs, 600-1000 IUs and 1000-1500 IUs of vitamin D daily, respectively. Obese adults require 2-3 times more. Holick told the Boston Herald that he has been taking 6,000 units of vitamin D a day for decades and is in great health. The higher your vitamin D status, lower was your risk (of contracting the coronavirus), he said. Vitamin D definitely improves your overall immunity to fight infections. Holick argued that while the world races to find a vaccine for the coronavirus, vitamin D can be purchased relatively cheap in drug stores. Its perfectly safe, he told the Herald. Its considered to be, by many, the nutrient of the decade. People have been looking for the magic drug or waiting for the vaccine and not looking for something this simple." The Union environment ministry has informed Parliament that it is in the process of amending the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, after a review committee submitted a report to the ministry, suggesting several revisions to the Act, introducing tougher penalties for breaches of the legislation. Addressing other contentious issues during this monsoon session, the ministry said the Char Dham road project is not under its purview and that the draft environment impact assessment notification, 2020, removes existing redundancies. The Wildlife Protection Act was last amended in 2003. The environment ministry had constituted a Committee for drafting the amendments to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 on May 1 2018, which has submitted its report. The drafting Committee has proposed a comprehensive review of various provisions of the Act, the ministry said on September 15. Amendments likely to be made include a larger role for eco-development committees which are joint committees of the forest department and local people living in the fringes of protected areas. Apart from involving more local people in conservation and stricter penalties, the CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) clauses will be introduced in the act, a senior ministry official told HT on condition of anonymity. CITES is an international treaty that protects over 35,000 species. The environment ministry on Saturday also told Parliament that the 900 km Char Dham road project to connect four Hindu pilgrimage sites in Uttarakhand has not been referred to it for appraisal. The project does not need to be appraised by the ministry although it entails the loss of trees and ecological damage to the fragile Himalayas. The ministry cited an August 2013 notification exempting all projects related to the expansion of national highways up to 100 km from the purview of the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006. The exemption was granted on the recommendation of a high-level committee constituted to review the provisions in the notification related to environmental clearance for roads, buildings, and special economic zone projects. In view of the... thresholds applicable to roads in Char Dham projects, no project has been referred to the MoEFCC {Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change} for appraisal, the ministry told Rajya Sabha. India needs move away from a a hyper-legal and technocratic approach to protecting the environment, a legal expert said. Environment regulation requires a much more reflexive approach and not a defensive one. The approval of the Char Dham project is yet another case in point when poorly thought out and hasty decisions have resulted in severe and irreversible damage. Acknowledging it will not just help taking project-specific remedial action, but also allow us to bring back progressive legal measures that may have been undone through numerous exemptions introduced by successive governments, said Kanchi Kohli, legal researcher, Centre for Policy Research. Forest diversion According to the environment ministry, forest land larger than Delhi and slightly smaller than Goa has been approved for non-forestry purposes like mining, irrigation, and hydropower from 2008 and 2020. It said 247,843.49 hectares of forest land has been approved for diversion under the Forest Conservation Act. The ministry added that certificates of compliance with the Act for diversion of forest land are obtained from district collectors. It added the proposals for such diversions have been placed before concerned village councils and forest-dwellers. On whether the contentious draft environment impact assessment rules dilute existing norms and deprive local residents the opportunity of public consultations on the impact of projects on their environment, the ministry on September 18 informed Parliament that draft seeks to remove redundancies and encourage modernization. It brings defaulters into the environmental regime with requisite action, penalty and remediation; and introduces standardization and technology-driven processes, the ministry said. Based on the nature of the project, public consultation through any other appropriate mode, such as the electronic or virtual mode will also be allowed now. Physical hearings will also continue to exist, the ministry said. The ministry had received around 1.7 million letters and emails with suggestions, comments, and objections to the draft EIA notification. Environmental groups had opposed it citing clauses including one that allows regularisation of projects set up in violation of EIA Notification, 2006, by starting construction before receiving environmental clearance; exempting certain projects from public hearings and so on. Shortly after sunrise on Sunday, protesters cemented a plaque near the Grand Palace in Bangkok in the area known as Sanam Luang, or Royal Field. It reads, "At this place the people have expressed their will: that this country belongs to the people and is not the property of the monarch as they have deceived us." Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said police would not use violence against protesters and it was up to the police to determine and prosecute any illegal speech. Bangkok authorities would need to determine whether the plaque is illegal and if it is it would need to be removed, Bangkok's deputy police chief Piya Tawichai told reporters. Far from all Thais support the new plaque, which resembles one that had commemorated the end of absolute monarchy in 1932 and which was removed from outside a royal palace in 2017, after Vajiralongkorn took the throne. Prominent right-wing politician Warong Dechgitvigrom said the actions of the protesters were inappropriate and that the king was above politics. "It didnt achieve anything," he said. "These actions are symbolically against the king, but the king is not an opponent." Thai authorities have said criticising the monarchy is unacceptable in a country where the king is constitutionally "enthroned in a position of revered worship". Protests that began on university campuses have drawn increasing numbers of older people. That includes red shirt followers of ousted populist prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra who had clashed for years with pro-establishment yellow shirts before Prayuth seized power in 2014. "The new generation is achieving what their parents and grandparents didn't dare. I'm very proud of that," said Somporn Outsa, 50, a red shirt veteran. "We still respect the monarchy, but it should be under the constitution." Protesters say the constitution gives the king too much power and that it was engineered to allow Prayuth to keep power after elections last year. He says that vote was fair. The next protest is scheduled for Thursday. Protest leaders called on Thais to take October 14 off work to show their support for change. "Radical change is hard in Thailand, but the movement has at least kept the momentum going," said Titipol Phakdeewanich, dean of political science at Ubon Ratchathani University. Protests spread Protests were held in major cities around the world, including London, Tokyo, New York and outside the hotel in Germany where the Thai king has taken up residence. In Sydney, protesters gathered at Town Hall with placards reading "the king must be under the law" and "tell them not to stage a coup". Speeches ranged from abuses in the education system, a denunciation of dictatorship, to calls for the Australian government to put pressure on Thailand over human rights abuses. Under COVID-19 restrictions, organisers were limited to 20 demonstrators at a time but were pleased with the support they saw. Exiled academic Pavin Chachavalpongpun, whose Royalist Marketplace Facebook community boasts 1.4 million members and shares information about the monarchy, sent a message to the Australian protesters from Japan. Pavin told the Herald and The Age on Sunday that the protesters were brave and consistently raising the bar for discussion of the monarchy, but it was too soon to see what lasting changes would result from the movement. "What the king is good at is basically ignoring, pretending nothing ever happened," Pavin said. "So as much as I appreciate them and commend them for their courage, this is only halfway. When we see that the reform has materialised, then maybe we can congratulate them." Five civilians were injured after a military projectile launched by the Houthis hit a village in the Kingdoms southern area, according to the Saudi state news agency Egypt condemned in the strongest terms an attack on Saudi Arabias southern Jizan region by Yemens Iran-backed Houthi rebels, a statement by the foreign ministry read on Saturday. The foreign ministry stressed Egypts solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its support for any measures taken by the Kingdom to safeguard its security, stability, and the safety of its citizens. The statement came hours after Saudi state news agency SPA reported that five civilians were injured after a military projectile launched by the Houthis hit a village in the Kingdoms southern area. A civil defense spokesman told SPA that the five civilians suffered minor injuries, and that three cars were destroyed in the attack. Egypt has repeatedly expressed its full support for the Saudi Arabian-led coalition against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, saying the Iran-backed movements practices further inflame the situation in Yemen. Search Keywords: Short link: Liz Truss is facing a new Tory rebellion amid mounting anger that she is failing to protect British farms against low-quality food imports Liz Truss is facing a new Tory rebellion amid mounting anger that she is failing to protect British farms against low-quality food imports. The International Trade Secretary is being warned to expect humiliating defeats in Parliament this week over her toothless defences against sub-standard foreign food in post-Brexit trade deals. In a series of House of Lords votes, Tory rebels are poised to join Labour and independent peers to order Ms Truss to beef up her trade deal watchdog the Trade and Agriculture Commission and let Parliament protect family farms. But the defeats would also set up the prospect of further Tory revolts in the Commons when MPs debate the plans in a few weeks. Last night, Conservative rebels urged Ms Truss to reach a last-minute compromise. Tory peer Baroness McIntosh of Pickering warned that without it many British farms could go to the wall. She added: They are prepared to meet high standards, but we must have a level playing field and not undercut those standards with sub-standard imports. She also praised The Mail on Sundays Save Our Family Farms campaign. The Lords votes on the Governments Agriculture Bill come amid fresh fears that lower-standard meat such as US-produced chlorinated chicken or hormone-fed beef could be served in British restaurants and work canteens. In a survey for the sustainable food website Foodprint of 25 firms including fast-food outlets, hotel, pub and coffee shop chains, 12 failed to say whether they would buy such foreign food following trade deals. The Government points to the 2019 Tory manifesto commitment to uphold food and animal welfare standards in post-Brexit trade talks. But farm and food campaigners are demanding it meets that pledge by increasing the powers of the temporary Commission set up in July and making it permanent. In the Lords this week, crossbench peer and retired farmer Lord Curry will insist it is put on a statutory footing and reports on all trade agreements before they are signed. The move will be supported by senior Tory peer Lord Randall of Uxbridge. Lib Dems are also expected to back the reforms. Lady McIntosh will call for the Commission to establish criteria for maintaining standards at least as high as UK ones for agricultural goods imported under a trade deal. The Lords votes on the Governments Agriculture Bill come amid fresh fears that lower-standard meat such as US-produced chlorinated chicken or hormone-fed beef could be served in British restaurants and work canteens. A stock image is used above [File photo] Labour peer and dairy farmer Lord Grantchester said: The Commission is devoid of powers. Whats needed are legal guarantees without which farmers will be forced to compete against lower safety, welfare or environmental standards. However, Ms Truss signalled last night that she would not compromise. A source said: Liz recognises the concerns of Lord Curry, but thinks the current scope of the Commission is sufficient. We will never sign a trade deal that undercuts farmers or compromises on our high standards. Psychologists are seeing a "huge increase" in children being moved onto mental health plans to deal with the stresses of lockdown and remote schooling. Families and schools say they are increasingly addressing children's mental health issues amid stage four restrictions, while some parents are pushing to get all students back to classrooms to repair the damage of Melbourne's hard lockdown. Year 11 student Katie Massey says easy access to mental health support is important. Credit:Justin McManus Rebecca Thomas, whose company Shine Bright Psychology works in schools across greater Melbourne, said more families had been seeking mental health plans for children during lockdown. 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. - Moses Kuria said Mt Kenya leaders had realised that some politicians were not pleased whenever a decision benefitting the region was made - Kuria also rubbished claims that meeting by Mt Kenya politicians held discourse about Uhuru's succession - The MP said Mt Kenya lawmakers from both Tanga Tanga and Kieleweke had decided to work together despite their political differences Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria has weighed in on the recently passed revenue sharing formula and said it has taught Mt Kenya leaders a tough lesson. Kuria said they (Central Kenya politicians) had realised that some of their counterparts were not happy whenever a decision benefitting the region was made. READ ALSO: ODM officials warn William Ruto to watch his tongue during his Nyanza tour Moses Kuria said Mt Kenya leaders had learned a lesson over the recently passed revenue sharing formula. Photo: Moses Kuria. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Young lady divides netizens after begging hawker for a kiss in traffic Speaking during an interview with TV 47, the parliamentarian said though the formula had passed after a long-standing stalemate, the boost of KSh 50 billion given by President Uhuru Kenyatta was still little for the counties. "On this issue of the formula, it has taught us a hard lesson especially MPs from Mt Kenya. We have realised that when some people hear a coin is coming to our region, they are not happy. We have really learned a huge lesson," he said. READ ALSO: Ruth Matete says she's done with religion, laments religious people abandoned her Meeting at Thika Greens Kuria further rubbished claims that the meeting of Mt Kenya politicians that took place at Thika Greens on Friday, September 20, zeroed in on 2022 politics. Wax lyrical on the Friday rendezvous, the parliamentarian said service delivery was paramount to succession politics and he would not let the politics to distract him. "2022 will come and go and on what we discussed at Thika yesterday (Friday) it had nothing to do with 2022. I will not allow 2022 to tear us apart and distract from planning about the county and the economy," Kuria added. READ ALSO: Kipchumba Murkomen laughs off after being edited out of Raila, Uhuru and Ruto's photo Ndindi Nyoro said Mt Kenya region had lost in the revenue formula. Photo: Ndindi Nyoro. Source: Facebook He also there will be such kind of meetings in the coming weeks because Kieleweke and Tanga Tanga legislators had decided to work together. His sentiments came days after his Kiharu counterpart Ndindi Nyoro also lamented the Mt Kenya region had been short-changed in the revenue sharing formula. "The "one man, one shilling, one vote" has been torn into pieces and sold to the highest bidder. With the additional KSh 53 Billion and shareable revenue of KSh 370 billion, Mt Kenya got a raw deal, we lost," he wrote in his social media pages. Help us change more lives, join TUKO.co.kes Patreon programme Source: TUKO.co.ke A new assessment of Europes remaining old-growth forests the pockets of undisturbed ancient woodland where humans have had minimal impact reveals they are in a perilous state and lack proper protections. Scientists from 28 institutions have gathered data and detailed mapping over five years in order to assess the conservation status of these primary forests in Europe, and found many of them continue to be logged. The research paper describes primary forests as being composed of native species, where signs of past human use are minimal, and ecological processes, such as natural disturbances, operate dynamically and with little impairment by anthropogenic influences. They are critical for conserving forest biodiversity and provide important ecosystem services, such as carbon storage and natural water course management which can help maintain resilient environments. Around the world about a third of all forests can be considered primary, but most are located in remote areas in the tropics, boreal zones or mountain regions, the study says. But primary forests are scarce in subtropical and temperate zones. In Europe, millennia of land use has significantly altered and impacted the majority of forested landscapes and very few forests remain with minimal signs of human use less than 4 per cent of existing forested areas. The researchers said formal conservation of these remaining primary forests should be a top priority for countries and would help them to meet their climate and biodiversity goals. While many primary forests are in fact well protected, we also found many regions where they are not particularly where primary forests are still common, said Francesco Sabatini, the study's lead author from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research and Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg. And where they are protected, in some cases, the level of protection is inadequate to ensure these forests will be protected in the long-term. The study also highlighted that remaining primary forests are very unevenly distributed across Europe. Some regions, particularly in Scandinavia and Finland as well as Eastern Europe, still have many primary forests, but often those countries do not realise how unique their forests are at the European scale and how important it is to protect them, said senior author Tobias Kuemmerle from Humboldt University in Berlin. At the same time, we were shocked to see that there are many natural forest types in Europe without any primary forest remaining at all, particularly in Western Europe. The research team assessed 54 different forest types in Europe and found that six had no remaining old-growth stands at all. Across two-thirds of the forest types, they found that less than one per cent was old growth. And only 10 forest types had more than half of their old growth strictly protected. The scientists said: In other words, even if scarce and irreplaceable, many of these primary forests are not legally protected and continue to be logged in Europe. However, with swift action, strict conservation protections on those that remain can be put in place. Bill Keeton, second author on the new study and professor of forest ecology and forestry in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, compared the state of Europes ancient forests to the continents numerous old cathedrals many of which similarly require action to preserve them. Notre Dame burned, but it's being restored, he said. It won't be exactly the same as the original construction and there's debate over architectural details and what style to use for its spire but it will return as an inspiring, ancient place for reflection and worship. The active restoration of old-growth forests is similar. We're not going to create exactly what was there before, but many functions, like habitat and carbon storage, can return. The European Union has recently put forward a new biodiversity strategy for 2030 which underscores the value of old-growth forest. The results of this new study provide valuable information for implementing this strategy, the team said. The research is published in the journal Diversity and Distributions. Bollywood diva Malaika Arora on Sunday stepped 'out and about' from quarantine, and penned a note thanking the doctors, friends, family, and fans for their care, support and good wishes in the difficult times. Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 20 (ANI): Bollywood diva Malaika Arora on Sunday stepped out and about from quarantine, and penned a note thanking the doctors, friends, family, and fans for their care, support and good wishes in the difficult times. Out and aboutM finally out of my room after so many days, it feels like an outing in itself, wrote the 46-year-old star as she shared an Instagram featuring herself stepping out of her room. In the picture, Malaika is seen sporting a face mask and holding a cup while and strikes a candid pose. Along with the picture she noted, I feel so blessed to have overcome this virus with minimum pain and discomfort. Also read: Agriculture Bill: Rajya Sabha adjourned after ruckus by Opposition Also read: Farm bills tabled in Rajya Sabha amid protests in Punjab, Haryana Extending thanks to her doctors she added, A big thanks to my doctors for their medical guidance, to BMC for making this process hassle-free, to my family for their immeasurable support and to all my friends, neighbours and fans for all their good wishes and the strength that I got from your messages and support. I cant thank you all enough in words for what everyone has done for me in these difficult times. All of you please stay safe and take care. Celebrity followers including Neena Gupta and more than 86 thousand fans liked the post, with many of them sending love in the comments section. Diana Penty and Dia Mirza left red heart emojis over the post. On September 7, Malaika Arora through an Instagram post on social media announced that she has tested positive for coronavirus and stated that she is feeling fine, is asymptomatic and will be quarantined at home. (ANI) Also read: India registers over 92,000 Covid-19 cases in 24 hours, tally crosses 54L mark Thousands of farmers staged protests across Haryana and Punjab on Sunday against the three contentious farm sector bills even as the Rajya Sabha passed two of these amid uproar by opposition members. In Haryana, the farmers poured out of the hinterlands and marched towards the urban belts on foot, two-wheelers, tractors and cars, and staged sit-ins at various state and national highways, blocking the traffic for about three hours. The protest began around 12 noon and passed off peacefully. Though there were no reports of violence, the sit-ins caused major inconvenience to commuters. The police had been on their toes since Saturday night and elaborate arrangements had been made to deal with the demonstrations and divert vehicular traffic in advance. Sundays demonstration was held 10 days after the lathicharge on farmers in Pipli of Kurukshetra. The Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) that has been spearheading this agitation in Haryana with the support of 17 other unions received an impressive response from the farmers for the statewide protest. BKUs state chief Gurnam Singh Charuni said the protest was peaceful and 17 farmer organisations had extended their support to the Chakka Jam (road block). He said the next decision will be taken after a discussion with the leaders of other farmer organisations. The protests remained peaceful... traffic was restored after the farmers lifted the blockade around 3 pm, Kurukshetra s superintendent of police Astha Modi said. In a last ditch effort to persuade the farmers to call off the stir, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday urged farmers to defer their agitation and invited the farmers for talks. RAIL ROKO IN PUNJAB FROM SEPT 24 TO 26 Farmers also staged demonstrations in most districts of Punjab. Farmers organisations also announced a three-day Rail Roko Andolan and gave a call to farmers to boycott all politicians supporting the new laws. Addressing protesters at Badal village in Muktsar BKU (Ekta-Ugrahana) state secretary Shingara Singh Mann said that railway services will be disrupted in the state from September 24 to 26. He termed the new central legislations as a direct attack on the rights of farmers, traders and farm labourers. Harinder Singh Lakhowal, a key member of another BKU faction, said all 31 farmers unions have extended support to the three-day Rail Roko call. Similar protests were held in Bathinda, Mansa, Moga, Ludhiana, Faridkot, and Sangrur districts. In Amritsar, farmers under the banner of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) started a protest march from the deputy commissioners office and blocked Amritsar-Ajnala road for around one hour, disrupting traffic movement. KMSC general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher appealed to farmers to take part in the Rail Roko Andolan. The Punjab Youth Congress also took out a tractor rally. Led by Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar and PYC chief Barinder Singh Dhillon, hundreds of party workers on tractors converged from Dera Bassi town and were headed towards Delhi to protest against the passage of the three farm bills but were stopped by the Haryana police at the Haryana-Punjab border near Ambala. When the protesters insisted on heading to the national capital to gherao the Parliament and tried to knock down the barricade, the Haryana police used water cannons to disperse them. The protesters also allegedly set one of the tractors on fire. Earlier, Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh also spoke for farmers, stating they are the countrys backbone and the Central governments move to harm their interests is unfortunate. The economy of India is based on agriculture. If we want to save the economy and uplift the standards of living of people, farmers must be saved, he said in a video. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin David Shepardson, Alexandra Alper and Echo Wang (Reuters) Washington/New York Sun, September 20, 2020 09:31 489 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45f3c01 2 Science & Tech TikTok,Bytedance,China,united-states,Donald-Trump,TikTok-Global,oracle,Walmart Free US President Donald Trump said he supports a deal that will allow TikTok to continue to operate in the United States, after threatening to ban the Chinese-owned app in August. He told reporters at the White House he backs the deal with TikTok owner ByteDance, Oracle and Walmart to create a new company that will assume TikTok's US operations called TikTok Global. The US Treasury said in a statement "Oracle will be responsible for key technology and security responsibilities to protect all US user data. Approval of the transaction is subject to a closing with Oracle and Walmart and necessary documentation and conditions to be approved by" the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. The Commerce Department said on Saturday it will delay by one week an order that had been set to take effect late Sunday that would stop Alphabet Inc's Google and Apple Inc from offering TikTok in their US app stores. A person briefed on the matter said the administration had given the parties a week to close the deal. U.S. shareholders are expected to control 53 percent of TikTok Global, a person briefed on the matter said, while Chinese investors will hold 36 percent. Trump said the new company will be "totally controlled by Oracle and Walmart ... All of the control is Oracle and Walmart." Oracle said it will take a 12.5 percent stake in TikTok Global. TikTok said under the deal, Oracle and Walmart will take part in a TikTok Global pre-IPO financing round in which they can take up to a 20 percent cumulative stake in the company. The remaining 80 percent will be held by ByteDance but is not clear if the ByteDance shares in TikTok Global will be distributed to ByteDance's investors when TikTok Global is incorporated, according to the source. US investors currently own about 40 percent of ByteDance. TikTok said it was "pleased that the proposal by TikTok, Oracle, and Walmart will resolve the security concerns of the US Administration and settle questions around TikTok's future in the US" TikTok said Oracle will become the company's "trusted technology provider, responsible for hosting all US user data and securing associated computer systems to ensure US national security requirements are fully satisfied." Read also: 'Bored by all this drama': TikTok users play it cool over latest US ban threat Trump offered strong support for the deal he said would create 25,000 US jobs. "I have given the deal my blessing," Trump said. "I approve the deal in concept." About 100 million Americans use TikTok and US officials have expressed concern about user data and the potential for China to access that data. "The security will be 100 percent," Trump told reporters. Reuters reported on Thursday that TikTok Global will have a majority of American directors, a U.S. chief executive and a security expert on the board. ByteDance has agreed to significant security safeguards on the data of U.S. users with Oracle housing all data and getting the right to inspect the TikTok source code. Walmart did not immediately comment. Trump expressed annoyance this week that government lawyers told him it was not permissible to demand a "chunk" of any TikTok sales price for the Treasury. He said there would be a $5 billion U.S. education fund as part of the deal. "That's their contribution I've been asking for," Trump said. He said the new company will most likely be incorporated in Texas and have at least 25,000 employees. Reuters reported on Thursday that ByteDance is planning a U.S. initial public offering of TikTok Global. The filing of an IPO for TikTok Global would be on a U.S. stock exchange and could come in about a year, the sources said, requesting anonymity because the matter is confidential. Part of the proceeds from the IPO are expected to be used to finance the $5 billion education fund, the source said. ByteDance and Oracle did not immediately respond to requests for comment. China still must approve the deal. "We'll see whether or not it all happens," Trump said. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said earlier on Twitter that he had talked to Trump about the deal. "I let him know that if he approves the deal Texas would be the perfect place for the HQ," Abbott said. Watch: Balloon blast at PM Modi birthday fest in Chennai, BJP workers injured A mishap occurred during celebration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday in Chennai on September 17. Workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party had collected helium balloons as part of the festivities. However, sparks from fireworks reportedly led to an explosion in the balloons. Over 30 BJP workers were reportedly injured in the incident and had to be rushed to a hospital. Their injuries were minor, as per reports. The BJP observed 'seva saptah' or service week to mark PM Modi's birthday. He turned 70 on September 17 and tweeted that what he wants on his birthday is for people to follow Covid precautions like wearing face masks and following social distancing. Watch the full video for more. ...read more Approximately one mile of Andersonville Road in Waterford Township will soon see a resurfacing project. The Waterford Township Board of Trustees recently approved a cost participation agreement with Oakland County and the Road Commission for Oakland County to complete the work. The resurfacing will take place on the stretch of Andersonville Road that connects to Dixie Highway. The total cost of the project is $332,000 with construction expected to begin this October. Waterford Township will be contributing $110,667 of the cost, which includes paving the shoulders of the road with a three-foot wide strip of hot mix asphalt. Resurfacing projects for portions of Andersonville Road that run through Independence and Springfield townships also included shoulder paving. A couple said they had lost all hope their missing toddler would be found alive after he wandered into bushland south of Perth on Saturday morning. James, 3, was playing with his familys dogs in the front yard of a holiday rental home in the remote area of Yallingup at 7.30am when he disappeared while wearing his Spider-Man pyjamas. The toddler and his sister travelled to the home on Friday for a weekend away with their parents, Michelle Buckley and Chris OReilly. But what was supposed to be a relaxing timeout quickly turned into their worst nightmare, Mr OReilly said during an emotional interview on Sunday. James is pictured with his mum and dad after being found alive and well in dense bushland. Source: Jackson Flindell/ WA Police After waking up, James and his sister woke up their parents and the three-year-old said he was going to play outside. I told him Id be out in five minutes so I quickly cleaned up, put the rubbish away and went out there and he was just gone, Ms Buckley said. I screamed his name and he just didnt respond. The mum rushed upstairs to wake up her partner and the couple said they spiralled into pure panic. Ms Buckley called the police as Mr OReilly began frantically searching. Officers, search teams, neighbours, friends, family and even strangers from Perth rushed to the tourist town to help the family find James, the couple said. James disappeared from Karli Rise in Yallingup. Source: GoogleMaps As the day went on, the weather dropped to 9C and it began to rain and hail leaving the parents fearing the worst. I honestly thought we were going to find him dead. I thought I was going to have to bury my son, Ms Buckley said while breaking down in tears. Once it started getting to sunset I was really started to panic because I didnt want him to be out there during the night, especially since it was a windy and rainy day. Mr OReilly broke down while searching for his son, calling it a gut-wrenching experience. In what the parents have dubbed a miracle, James was found alive and well by his uncle and grandpa roughly 12 hours after going missing and kilometres from the home. James was cold and hungry when he was found by his uncle and grandpa. Source: WA Police They said James was cold, afraid and hungry but had only a few scratches on him. Story continues After being rushed back home by family members, Ms Buckley took off his pyjamas and wrapped the toddler in a blanket and his uncle snuck him a snickers bar. A smiling James quickly inquired about his favourite bunny rabbit doll and announced he went out in the bush. James O'Reilly was found safe and well on Saturday evening. Source: Jackson Flindell/WA Police He was taken to the hospital after saying he had seen a snake but was given the all-clear. Ms Buckley and Mr OReilly profusely thanked everyone who came out to help, saying they were touched by the actions of the local community. 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. Brand new for used vehicles has a slightly different meaning than with first-owner cars and motorcycles. This is a very rare instance when it doesnt. 4 photos Robots are increasingly replacing humans in Japanese stores as the country faces an acute labour shortage due to its aging population. According to CNN, convenience store franchises such as FamilyMart and Lawson have replaced the human workforce with seven-feet tall robots that can perform several tasks including picking and shifting objects of different shapes and sizes. The franchises are reportedly looking to deploy robots across all stores by 2022. Read: Japan: 60-feet Tall Gundam Robot Takes Its First Steps During An 'early Test Walk': Watch The robots deployed by these franchises are named Model-T and are developed by a Japanese start-up company Telexistence. The robots have wheels on their legs and are equipped with cameras, microphones, and sensors. As per the report, the robots are remote controlled and can be controlled by humans using virtual reality (VR) headsets. One of the representatives of Lawson told CNN that the robots can solve labour shortage as one person can remotely operate many machines at a time across several stores. Read: AI Robots Serve Restaurant Customers In South Korea Read: US Boston Dynamics Team Builds 'dog-like Robot' To Attend To COVID-19 Patients Increase in machine use This comes as machine use across sectors have become suddenly popular with the outbreak of COVID-19 earlier this year. Hospitals in China, India, and several other countries deployed robots to limit the contact between patients and staff members. Those robots can check temperatures, clean floors, deliver foods to isolated COVID-19 patients. Singapore deployed four-legged robots in public parks to check on people if they are wearing face masks or not. While some European countries replaced bartenders with robots amid COVID-19 to avoid physical contact. Many Japanese restaurants had earlier deployed robots to serve food and take orders after the pandemic forced the sector to enforce several changes such as partitioning and installing disinfectants. Read: Scientists Develope Microrobots That Can Enter Human Veins 'someday' Ramallah, Sep 20 : The Palestinian leadership is acting to "prevent more Arab countries from normalizing relations with Israel", a senior official said here. "The normalization agreements that both the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain signed with Israel are based on the principle of peace for protection," Xinhua news agency quoted Saeb Erekat, secretary-general of Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee, as saying in an interview on Saturday. It is a responsibility of the Arab states and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to preserve their decisions on committing to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, he noted. According to the Arab Peace Initiative, the Arab states can only normalize relations with Israel after Israel ends its military occupation of the Arab territories. Erekat revealed that the Palestinian leadership will present 19 resolutions to the UN General Assembly at its upcoming session, including "the confirmation of the two-state solution and the previous resolutions of the international legitimacy related to the Palestinian cause". The Palestinian leadership "is expecting large international support for the Palestinian resolutions", he added. The remarks came after Israel signed agreements to normalise diplomatic ties with the UAE and Bahrain at the White House on September 15. US President Donald Trump joined Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani in signing the three-way agreements. The signing ceremony, which was held in the South Lawn at the White House, formally makes the UAE and Bahrain the third and the fourth Arab nation to establish diplomatic ties with Israel. Egypt and Jordan signed their peace deals with Israel in 1979 and 1994, respectively. Irish president Michael D Higgins has recalled the sacking of Balbriggan as a defining episode in the war of independence. More than fifty homes and businesses were burned in the north county Dublin town and two men killed on September 20, 1920 following the killing of two Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) officers. On the centenary of the night of chaos, Mr Higgins said the ferocity of events were aimed to instil fear but instead galvanised support for the struggle which ultimately led to the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1921. Statement by President Michael D. Higgins on the Centenary Anniversary of the Sack of Balbriggan: https://t.co/te2fmVGDuL #balbriggan President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) September 20, 2020 Mr Higgins had been due to attend centenary events in Balbriggan on Sunday but these were scaled back due to the coronavirus pandemic. The president instead released his thoughts in a statement. Today, as we remember the bloody violence that occurred in Balbriggan exactly a century ago, violence that would result in tragedy, widespread suffering, and lingering bitterness, we must strive to do so ethically and responsibly, he said. The past and present join together today in Balbriggan on this day 20th of September 1920 the town became the site for a night of terror that made global history @BalbrigganHist @Fingalcoco @SubsetDublin continue at this site today on a mural to mark the Sack of Balbriggan pic.twitter.com/BlewEjp4ZG Fingal Arts (@fingalarts) September 20, 2020 Such an ethical remembering must refuse any kind of conscious or unconscious amnesia. The exercise in remembering must be open to all perspectives, requires us all, each of us, to summon up our shared humanity, a humanity which was tested, often brutalised, but also magnified during the War of Independence and indeed over the longer revolutionary period. Mr Higgins said to forgive is not to forget. Forgiving enables us to come to terms with the past, he said. Expand Close A mural is painted on Bridge Street in Balbriggan, to mark the centenary of the sacking of the town (Niall Carson/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A mural is painted on Bridge Street in Balbriggan, to mark the centenary of the sacking of the town (Niall Carson/PA) If forgiveness and forgetting did not exist, we would be trapped in the past where every previous action would be irrevocable and where the present is dominated, burdened even, by preceding events and memories. Recognition of the act committed, however, is essential. It is only through such forms of ethical remembering that we can avoid retreating to the blinding categories of censure or denunciation, or indeed revenge and bitterness, that blighted this island for so long. Let us all continue with, indeed embrace, the new beginning that the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement represented as we continue to carve out our peaceful co-existence on the island of Ireland through a genuine democratic dialogue grounded in respect for our communities identities and their lawful traditions, recognising and paying tribute to John Humes vision of a shared island at peace. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-20 20:08:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on Nov. 1, 2018 from the Baiyulan Plaza shows view of the Lujiazui area in Pudong of Shanghai, east China. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe) Shanghai has a lot of potential to be a major international financial center for similar reasons why New York is, said Richard Sylla. NEW YORK, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai is expected to play an increasingly important role as a financial center thanks to China's commitment to and efforts in the continuous reform and opening up, experts have said. According to the yearly Global Financial Centers Index reports by Z/Yen, a commercial think-tank in London, Shanghai has become the fourth most competitive financial center in the world following New York, London and Tokyo in early 2020. It ranked the 24th in 2013. Aiming to become both an international financial center and an international shipping center by 2020, Shanghai's ranking as a financial center moved up significantly. Photo taken on Nov. 1, 2018 from the Baiyulan Plaza shows view of the city of Shanghai, east China. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe) FINANCIAL CENTER IN ASIA Shanghai has a lot of potential to be a major international financial center for similar reasons why New York is, said Richard Sylla, chairman of the Museum of American Finance in a recent interview with Xinhua. The economic foundation there for a financial center is very large, said Sylla, who is also professor emeritus of economics at the Leonard N. Stern School of Business of New York University. "China's economy is very big. So Shanghai will become a major financial center. It just seems like Shanghai is bound to become a financial center," said Sylla, who specializes in the history of financial institutions and markets. Kevin Chen, chief economist of Horizon Financial, has made an even bolder assertion that Shanghai could be the most important financial center in Asia in addition to its status as a financial center in China. Shanghai should have a parallel role with New York and London in terms of global trading of financial products, asset allocation, investment banking, insurance and other business, Chen told Xinhua recently. "I think this is beyond doubt," he said. Shanghai will continue to be a very important fund-raising center to support the growth of Chinese companies and it is also pivotal to the institutionalization and globalization of China's capital market, said Eugene Qian, chairman of UBS Securities Co., Ltd. on Friday. "We continue to see international financial institutions, such as asset managers, banks and insurance companies, invest in China, and a large number of those are headquartered in Shanghai. Undoubtedly, Shanghai is an important gateway to China for global investors," Qian told Xinhua. "I assume that it would play a larger and larger role because of the Chinese economy's importance to the Pacific region and the world economy," said Sylla. Shanghai has made very fast progress in building itself into a financial center and the successful launch of crude oil futures by Shanghai International Energy Exchange serves as a landmark, said Chen. With balanced price levels and big trading volumes, Shanghai crude oil futures have become the third most important benchmark in the world following New York crude oil futures and Brent crude oil futures, according to Chen. The last ten years can be seen as the golden decade of reform and opening up for China's financial market, in which Shanghai has played a key role, said Qian. Aerial photo taken on March 9, 2017 shows the Shanghai free trade zone (FTZ) in Shanghai, east China. (Xinhua/Ding Ting) EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES China's further liberalization of the financial market is attracting big-name international financial firms from both Europe and the United States, with Shanghai as a magnet. J.P. Morgan Securities (China) Co. Ltd. was formally opened for business in March and J.P. Morgan now is working to acquire more shares in the joint venture. The world's largest hedge fund Bridgewater Associates also set up an investment management unit in Shanghai with U.S. asset management firm Vanguard recently announcing the relocation of regional headquarters to Shanghai. Now, the Wall Street firms are looking for long term opportunities and that is why they are very heavily invested in China, said Chen. Qian sees the launch of Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) STAR Market (Science and Technology Innovation Board), which adopts the IPO registration system, as a good example of institutionalization and globalization of China's capital market. The expansion of Wall Street firms in China results from China's early recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, growth potential of bond and stocks market, and its opening up policies, according to Qian. "Coupled with the opening up policies in recent years, the trend for foreign financial companies coming to China is expected to continue," said Qian. UBS AG, which is bullish about Chinese market potential on asset management and securities in the coming years, acquired two minority stakes of joint venture UBS Securities Co., Ltd. at the end of 2018 and raised its shareholding to 51 percent in the company. Chen said China represents one of the best investment opportunities in the world and investors are still "very, very excited about opportunities in China." The American and Chinese businessmen get along pretty well and bilateral cooperation is mutually beneficial, according to Sylla. As further reforms progress, Shanghai's A-share market including the SSE STAR Market will become a popular listing venue for the secondary listing of China's American depositary receipts (ADRs), according to Qian. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the passage of the bills 'a watershed moment in the history of Indian agriculture', the Congress and other Opposition parties slammed the bills as 'death warrants' of farmers, and called it a 'black day for democracy'. Two key farm bills dubbed by the Centre as the "biggest reform in agriculture" were on Sunday passed by Rajya Sabha with a voice vote amid unruly scenes by protesting Opposition MPs who were demanding that the proposed legislation be referred to a House panel for greater scrutiny. The Farmer's Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 have already been passed by Lok Sabha and will now go to President Ram Nath Kovind for his assent before they are notified as laws. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the passage of the bills "a watershed moment in the history of Indian agriculture", the Congress and other Opposition parties slammed the bills as "death warrants" of farmers, and called it a "black day for democracy". Congress, BJP sling barbs On each side of the aisle, political leaders were more than happy to point the finger at the other side. The Congress said the bills were passed "amid complete chaos" and claimed "democracy was under attack". Is this Democracy? Bills are passed amidst complete chaos, Opposition MPs are silenced, Vote division is not done, Rajya Sabha Procedure, hidden from the public Our democracy, our farmers, our Nation is under attack, we must protect it at all costs. #KisanVirodhiNarendraModi pic.twitter.com/jtBIkDdCDe Congress (@INCIndia) September 20, 2020 The BJP, for its part, said that the Opposition was "frustrated at not having enough support to defeat the bills" and were "resorting to disrupting" the proceedings in the House. Frustrated at not having enough support to defeat #FarmBills, opposition leaders resort to disrupting proceeding in Rajya Sabha by jumping into the well, pulling down the Chairmans mic and hurling and tearing papers. Such shameful, unpardonable and reprehensible conduct! pic.twitter.com/LNjcfowvhG BJP (@BJP4India) September 20, 2020 In a press conference on the issue, Union minister Rajnath Singh condemned the "misbehaviour" towards Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh by Opposition members who were protesting his decision to carry on with the procedure of voting on and passing the bills. He asserted that such conduct was not expected in a healthy democracy. Other Union ministers including Prakash Javadekar, Pralhad Joshi, Piyush Goyal, Thawarchand Gehlot and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also hit out at Opposition members. In response to Singh's comments, Congress' KC Venugopal said, "I saw the press conference by Rajnath Singh and 5 other ministers. They're justifying the Deputy Chairman's action and attitude. That was very unfortunate. We expected a decent reaction from senior ministers. They should've at least condemned the practice by Deputy Chairman. "But they are justifying the Deputy Chairman, and the procedure. It means today's entire episode was a conspiracy built by BJP leadership. They want to suppress the voice of farmers in the House," he added. Other Congress leaders said that the Centre had "attacked" the spirit of the Constitution. Party MP Ahmed Patel was quoted by PTI as saying, "The legislations are not just against farmers but also against the federal structure as agriculture is a state subject and trading within the state is in the concurrent list." States are already under the onslaught of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and there is an attempt by this government to reduce their revenues, he added. This government has "attacked" the spirit of the Constitution as agriculture is a state subject and "the central government tried to pass these bills in the name of trading", Patel said. "Whatever the prime minister may say and preach that today is a historic day for farmers, but today is a black day and will be written in black ink," he said. Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said today is a "black day for democracy". "No such bills have been passed, but the government claims that the bills have been passed. This is a murder of democracy," he said. Singhvi said at least 10 people wanted division and many moved resolutions for amendments. "How did these bills get passed," he said. "We feel that you cannot get the laws passed merely with your brute majority. These unconstitutional bills will not only be challenged but also annulled after it is challenged in the Supreme Court," Singhvi said. Other Congress leaders also condemned the disruptions in the Rajya Sabha's proceedings on Sunday. The #RajyaSabha is witnessing total destruction of Indias agriculture at the hands of this govt. #KisaanVirodhiNarendraModi Pawan Khera (@Pawankhera) September 20, 2020 What happened today in Rajya Sabha is #DeathOfDemocracy. Not Kangana's Dramas How can you not put the Farmer bills to vote? Why was there no division? How can a voice vote be held when not a word is heard? What we witnessed today was murder of Democracy! Farmers Bills was passed amidst ruckus, No vote Division, Opposition MPs silenced, Rajya Sabha Proceedings muted! This is a Surgical strike on our nations backbone,the farmers and agriculture sector. #KisanVirodhiNarendraModi pic.twitter.com/1bV2jYqWLE Sushmita Dev (@sushmitadevinc) September 20, 2020 Meanwhile, AAP MP Sanjay Singh and TMC's Derek O'Brien were targeted by BJP leaders. Utterly disgraceful, unparliamentary behaviour by MP @derekobrienmp He has brought dispute to the Rajya Sabha, the august house of elders, by his rowdy behaviour. While TMC workers on streets murder opposition workers, their leaders attempt to kill democracy at its temple! Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) September 20, 2020 O'Brien responded to the allegations saying that BJP had "tried to break the back of yet another great institution of democracy". Yes. An Opposition MP broke a microphone in the Rajya Sabha. Today, BJP tried to break the back of yet another great institution of our democracy #Parliament Basic rights of MPs guaranteed by Constitution snatched. No vote allowed in RS on #farmersbill Derek O'Brien | ' (@derekobrienmp) September 20, 2020 They cheated. They broke every rule in Parliament. It was a historic day. In the worst sense of the word. They cut RSTV feed so the country couldn't see. They censored RSTV. Dont spread propaganda. We have evidence. But first watch this pic.twitter.com/y4Nh9Vu9DA Derek O'Brien | ' (@derekobrienmp) September 20, 2020 Journalists, political commentators express shock Farm Bill passed by the Rajya Sabha through a voice vote without even allowing division. Deputy Chairman didnt even look up once during voting to see show of hands. And no way he could hear the Ayes amidst the commotion. This is what a rubber stamp Parliament looks like. Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) September 20, 2020 Unbelievably shocking! Derek O'Brien tells us that the govt prevented a vote in Rajya Sabha on the farmers bill since it didn't have the numbers! The last vestige of democracy is being murdered! pic.twitter.com/IiEmHWXdzj Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) September 20, 2020 This is how #FarmBills were passed in Rajya Sabha https://t.co/BNu7i95H9A Arvind Gunasekar (@arvindgunasekar) September 20, 2020 With inputs from agencies Eight persons were on Saturday night burnt to death in a lone accident involving a Mazda bus on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. Ahmed Umar, the sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abeokuta on Sunday. Mr Umar explained that the accident, which occurred at about 8:45 p.m. near Saapade bridge, was caused by a burst tyre. This, he said, resulted in the bus somersaulting and bursting into flames. The sector commander added that 11 people were involved in the accident made up of three male adults, one female adult, one child and six unidentified persons. The suspected cause of the lone accident involving the Mazda bus marked AAA 249 VX was a tyre burst which led to loss of control before crash and bursting into flames immediately, he said. He said that FRSC operatives contacted the Sagamu Fire Service immediately for a joint rescue operation. Mr Umar said that three injured victims were taken to Idera Hospital, Sagamu, for medical attention while the health department of Remo North local government area was contacted on the burnt victims. He advised motorists to drive cautiously, obey traffic rules and regulations and ensure that their tyres are in good condition. Haryana Minister Anil Vij on Sunday said that the Opposition parties are misleading farmers for their political gain over the agricultural reform bills. Further added that these bills are in support of the farmers. Haryana Minister Anil Vij on Sunday said that the Opposition parties have misled farmers for their political gain with respect to the Bills on agriculture sector reforms. Opposition parties have misled farmers for their own political gains. These Bills are in favour of farmers. The Prime Minister has assured farmers of MSP. Farmers will be able to freely trade their produce anywhere, Vij told ANI. When asked about farmers protests and blocking of roads, the Haryana Minister said, During this pandemic, blocking roads in protest is not correct, it is like creating a hindrance. Any protest march from Punjab will not be allowed to enter the Haryana border. As far as our States farmers are concerned we have appealed to them that protests should take place keeping in view the time. As a pandemic has spread in the country people can protest, give speeches but should not block roads, he added. Earlier in the day, workers of Punjab Youth Congress and farmers arrived at Delhi-Chandigarh national highway in Zirakpur in Punjab to take part in a tractor rally from Zirakpur to Delhi, against Bills on the agriculture sector. Earlier today, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar moved two two agriculture Bills in the Rajya Sabha. Also Read: Farm bills tabled in Rajya Sabha amid protests in Punjab, Haryana Also Read: Parliament session likely to be cut short amid Covid crisis as parties reach consensus These Bills are Farmers and Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. Both of them were passed by the Lower House with a voice vote a couple of days back. The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 permits the electronic trading of farmers produce and allows the setting up transaction platforms for facilitating direct online buying and selling of farm products. The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 provides for a farming agreement prior to the production or rearing of any farm produce. A guaranteed price to be paid for the purchase of farming produce will be mentioned in such agreements. Also Read: Parliament session likely to be cut short amid Covid crisis as parties reach consensus Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-19 23:29:48|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi health authorities on Saturday announced new decisions against the spread of the coronavirus as the total nationwide infections have reached 315,597, state-run al-Iraqiya channel reported. The first new decision is to stop receiving foreign visitors arriving for religious events in Iraq, including the major ritual of the upcoming Arbaeen, according to the Iraqi Higher Committee for Health and National Safety, headed by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. The Committee also confirmed "the necessity to expedite the payment of the first amount of money to purchase 20 percent of the first guaranteed vaccine approved by the World Health Organization." It also decided to reopen mosques and amusement parks on condition that health prevention measures are strictly followed and social distancing rules maintained. The new decisions came as the Iraqi Health Ministry reported 3,907 new COVID-19 infections on Saturday, raising the total number of infections in the country to 315,597. The ministry also confirmed 83 new fatalities from the infectious disease, taking the death toll to 8,491, while 4,234 more patients recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 249,539. The new cases included 1,264 in the capital Baghdad, 418 in Duhok, 408 in Basra, 284 in Wasit, and 249 in Dhi Qar, the ministry said in a statement. The ministry has carried out a total of 2,039,024 COVID-19 tests across the country since the outbreak, with 17,438 done in the past 24 hours. Iraq has taken a series of measures to contain the pandemic since February when the first coronavirus case appeared in the country. However, despite the continuing resurgence in the pandemic, the Iraqi Higher Committee for Health and National Safety has decided to ease the restrictions by permitting movement among the provinces, reopening the border crossings, restaurants and five-star hotels, and lifting the ban on sporting events. 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 I have been a resident in Lewis and Clark County all my life and am raising my family here. During this time, I have seen Helena grow and change for the better. I realize that we all must help direct and incentivize good planning and stewardship with property ownership and development. The current subdivision laws and sanitary regulations have shown to greatly help this. Our county does have areas of concern for flooding, lack of quality water, public access, fire concerns and high density growth adjacent to the city. However, the proposed new Helena Valley Zoning Regulations go too far and thus I oppose for the following reasons: 1) Emergency areas of concerns have not been isolated. I do not believe in blanketing areas and ending up with unnecessary limitations. 2) Limits tract/lot area size for large tracts of land for further development. We already have the following protective measures to not over subdivide, for example: A) Limitations of water rights/usage set by the DNRC for each existing tracts of land, B) County Subdivision Regulations, C) County Certificate of Survey Review Committee process, D) Requirements/regulations for land use and development set by the state Department of Environmental Quality, E) Requirements /regulations of the Subdivision and Platting Act of Montana, F) Existing site constraints, G) Existing Zoning Districts, Covenants, Easements, etc.. 3) Limits the use of Exempt Certificate of Surveys. The zoning limits examples such as: A) Boundary Relocations (if not conforming to area size), B) Family Transfers (if not conforming to area size). These exempt COSs as noted above have protective measures already. The existing review process for these surveys are already reviewed and consideration is given for each and every one. 4) Adds additional county oversite/restrictions/fees to Non-Conforming Exempt Certificate of Surveys. The current application process works very well with County Survey Review Committee. 5) Boundaries proposed divide Ries Family Homestead into two different districts, why? This homestead has no constraints to water/access/fire/soils/etc., thus the proposed zoning does not fit the area for growth and development. Therefore, the proposed zoning becomes a control measure not a planning one. 6) Restricts landowner ability to use/develop land the way they see fit and removes one of fundamental rights of ownership. The current Landowners purchased the property without these new restrictions/limitations, but now has them forced on them without consent. This is not a just process. I do realize in areas of emergency/concern the county may impose protection measures such as zoning with sound science/studies to warrant the new restrictions/oversight, but I feel they are already doing this legally through the existing subdivision and survey review process. The concerns I have noted are just some of the reasons why I cannot support this Helena Valley Zoning Proposal. I firmly believe, we must be careful on over-regulating individuals and our society as a whole because we will lose the incentive to grow and develop. The key to a great government is to include all stake holders to the table, not just allow a few members of society to direct. Thus, I urge less government and more individual property rights with responsibility/education of sound property management/growth. This will continue to keep our county a fantastic place to live and raise our families and allow our county government to properly manage growth. Please join with the hundreds of other professionals opposing the zoning on Sept. 22 at 9 a.m. at Best Western Great Northern Hotel Conference Center and via Zoom. You can also call or email the planning department to express your concerns @ 406-447-8374 or email planning@lccountymt.gov. Christopher J. Ries is the president of Ries Land and Livestock. Love 8 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 Friday, at a rally in Bemidji, Minnesota, President Donald Trump told his audience a story about the MSNBC journalist Ali Velshi. I remember this guy Velshi, the president said (he pronounced it Welshy): He got hit on the knee with a canister of tear gas. And he went down. He didntheeee was down. My knee! My knee! [Crowd laughs] Nobody cared, these guys didnt care. They moved him aside. [Crowd laughs.] And they just walked right throughit was like, it was the most beautiful thing. No, because after we take all that crap for weeks and weeks, they would take this crap. And then you finally see men get up there and [punches fist forward] go right through, didwasnt it really a beautiful sight? [Crowd cheers.] Its called law and order. Law and order! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This was nowhere near the most important news of the evening, as word came that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died and reporters began speculating about whether Trump and the Republican Senate majority would force through the appointment of a replacement justice with less than seven weeks to go till Election Day. The presidents remarks celebrating police violence against a reporter, to the delight of a laughing and hooting crowd, were just one more thing the president said. The president says so many things! "He got hit on the knee with a canister of tear gas," President Trump says, of @AliVelshi, who was actually hit by a rubber bullet. "Wasn't it really a beautiful sight? It's called law and order." pic.twitter.com/sVvnZUft5B David Gura (@davidgura) September 19, 2020 Advertisement Advertisement Because Velshi was in the middle of reporting from Minneapolis when the police attacked him and his crew, the incident the president was talking about was recorded on camera and broadcast on television, and it is available to watch. It was during the unrest in Minnesota in May, after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Advertisement None of it happened the way the president described: The police had showed up on the scene and begun firing tear gas, unprovoked, at the protesters and reporters there. Velshi himself was hit with a rubber bullet, not a gas canister. (He and his crew had been gassed, but not hit with canisters, earlier in the segment.) In the video, he never says My knee! My knee!; he says Oh, shit! when the bullet hits him, and then All right , guys, I got hit. Yeah, I got hit. Hold on. He does not fall down but limps over to the curb and then leans against a car. The police do not move him aside but remain down the block, where they fired from, as MSNBC cuts away to another reporter in a different part of the protest scene. 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. What the president offered, and the presidents crowd cheered for, was a punched-up, fictionalized version of events: a helpless, whimpering reporter pushed aside by bold, aggressive police action. The actual, desultory brutality of it wasnt enough. Trump had to lie about it, to give the crowd a story of police whose ruthlessness they could admire, and a reporter they could despise. That was what theyd come for. Thats what he gives them. Advertisement Advertisement Demagoguery sounds mystical and potent in history lessons, but witnessing it at work in the present, whats most terrifying is how babyish and inane it is, and how the babyish inanity is what makes it work. The compact between Trump and his political movement is nothing more than the compact between a mediocre shock comedian and his willing audience: an agreement that he will bring everyone down to his level, and they will all enjoy themselves down there, and fuck anybody if they cant take a joke. Advertisement Advertisement Trump is down in the polls against Joe Biden in Minnesota. He is trailing nearly everywhere he would need to win if he is going to win the Electoral College again. No one anywhere predicts he will win the popular vote, or even come close. Saturday, he went on to Fayetteville, North Carolina and told the people there again about how the police had swept through Minneapolis, and how theyd hit the reporter.* He told the crowd that the press was the enemy of the people, as hes been telling his crowds all along. The death toll from the coronavirus in the United States had just hit 200,000. The president talks about the election as a conspiracy to steal his rightful power away from him; he settles his fears and rouses his audience with fantasies of violence, and they all laugh about it. These are the everyday conditions of political life in America. What is there to call it, except what it is? By William Schwartz | Published on 2020/09/19 The docuemntary feature "A Time for Dogs and Cats" is less a single coherent documentary as it is a series of individual subjects depicted in vignette form to eventually sort of resemble a documentary. It ends with, of all things, a musical concert for the various wild cats and dogs of Baeksa Village in the northeastern corner of Seoul. The music's good although I'm not sure the animals got much out of it. Animals don't really understand music as far as I know. Advertisement Baeksa Village is a recurring location presumably because director Lim Jin-pyeong lives in the area but there are some interesting stories there regarding wild animals in South Korea. Apparently there was a whole incident awhile back involving semi-feral dogs that were abandoned by their owners when a construction project forced them out of their homes. Consequently, the dogs moved to the nearby mountains, breeding amongst themselves and only reappearing presumably to drag food back to their new homes. "A Time for Dogs and Cats" has a very functional, ecological view of how animals function in an environment like this, and how their living like this really isn't their fault. While no mention was made of plans to spay and neuter these wild dogs we do get an extended explanation of how cats are trapped and then moved to veterinary facilities for mass sterilizing and deworming. It was here I learned why some cats have these odd incision marks on their ears. Apparently Trap, Neuter, Release programs (TNR) use these largely cosmetic scars to identify which cats have already been castrated. Incidentally, while "A Time for Dogs and Cats" gives a fairly positive overview of TNR programs, and interesting enough to make me want to research them myself, that research is fairly ambiguous. Not everyone agrees that TNR programs are the right way to deal with feral cat populations. Of course, the main alternative school of thought is that cats should just be killed instead of castrated. This obviously doesn't appeal to anybody predisposed to like cats. And that's the target audience for "A Time for Dogs and Cats", is just people who want to take eighty minutes to watch stories about the lives of feral cats and dogs. The documentary is unapologetically sentimental and it certainly has its moments. There's a very sweet animated setpiece about a boy slowly growing apart from his dog that I imagine most pet owners can strongly identify with. There's comparatively little substance to these charming setpieces, although on balance I will admit that "A Time for Dogs and Cats" did contain more interesting factoids than other similar documentaries such as "Our Cat" or "I Am Cat". All these movies are a novelty format for the popular genre of animal documentaries on South Korean television. One such television documentary, Animal Farm, even has clips featured here. If you want more programming in a similar vein it's easy to find yet at the same time such programming really just emphasizes how "A Time for Dogs and Cats" is nothing all that special. Review by William Schwartz ___________ "A Time for Dogs and Cats" is directed by Lim Jin-pyeong. Release date in Korea: 2020/08/27. Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty This is a joint investigation by The Daily Beast and the Dossier Center. Six men await trial in Moscow and Buenos Aires, charged with operating one of the craziest, most ambitious narco-trafficking rings in history. Russias embassy in Argentina was the storage depot and Russian government transport was intended to move a cartel-sized consignment of virtually uncut cocaine from South America to Moscow. It was a transnational crime that astounded and confused the world, not least because authorities allege it was carried out by a small but resourceful cabal including one dirty embassy employee, one corrupt cop, and one charismatic chameleon who used some of the most secure Russian state real estate to store and smuggle $60 million worth of drugs. According to the official narrative, they did it all right under the noses of innocent diplomats and intelligence officersand they would have gotten away with it without the plucky joint police work of Russian and Argentinian law enforcement. But what if that neat conclusion, which will soon be presented in court, is intentionally incomplete, a whitewash designed to protect more senior officials in the Russian government? The Daily Beast, in collaboration with the London-based Dossier Center, has obtained the documents from both the Russian and Argentinian investigations of the notorious 2018 cocaine bust, including hundreds of hours of telephone wiretap recordings, reams of witness and suspect interrogation transcripts, and nearly 10,000 pages of police and intelligence case files. These files were leaked to the Dossier Center from two separate sources, including one in Argentina connected with that countrys investigation who believes these forensic materials cast doubt on the alleged involvement in the affair of two indicted Argentines. The other source is close to the Russian investigation. All told, both sets of files show gaping holes, contradictions, discrepancies and implausible conclusions, which often border on the ludicrous. Story continues At best, these documents suggest a staggering level of incompetence, with credible leads not followed up and government officials credibly implicated in the course of the joint investigation not investigated or prosecuted. At worst, they paint a darker picture of a coordinated, hemisphere-spanning coverup designed to protect those government officials and possibly other unnamed co-conspirators higher up in the food chain in Russia. One U.S. federal drug enforcement agent who spoke on the condition of anonymity thinks that all indications point to the latter. According to our information, some members of the Russian embassy in Argentina... were aware of drug-related activities and were associated with the drug mafia. At some point there was a leak. The Argentinian authorities found out about the cocaine and contacted the embassy, after which the Russian side decided it was safer to find the drugs. The scandal was resolved at a diplomatic level and no real investigation was conducted by Argentina. But thats not the public line of the Argentinian government. On Feb. 22, 2018, Patricia Bullrich, Argentinas national security minister, lit up Twitter. She posted to her official account videos of the seizure of almost 400 kilograms of cocaine from the Russian embassy in Buenos Aires. The investigation lasted more than a year, both in Argentina and Russia, and together we detained 6 members of this group that planned to transport a cargo worth more than 50 million euro, one of Bullrichs tweets read. The extraordinary location and sheer volume of the narcotics uncovered made this an explosive international story. It became an even bigger news event when Bullrich announced that Ivan Bliznyuk, the liaison officer at the Institute of Public Security, Buenos Airess police academy, had been arrested in connection with the same drug case. Yet the evidence for his participation in the drug-running syndicate rests almost entirely on the word of a Russian embassy security official, who, by his own admission, adopted a see-no-evil approach for several months to the presence of 12 strange suitcases stored on embassy grounds. Bliznyuk and a fellow Argentine, the U.S. drug enforcement agent said, were detained in order to deflect suspicion from the embassy and [Russian] Foreign Ministry officials who used diplomatic channels for smuggling and were the drugs real beneficiaries. An officer in Argentinas Federal Intelligence Agency agrees that there were other embassy staff members involved, and adds that they likely had connections to Russian intelligence owing to the tradecraft and planning involved in the abortive scheme. At the center of this complex web of alleged criminality sits the main defendant in the case, Andrei Kovalchuk. He claims he is the victim of a vast conspiracy and ran afoul of the very intelligence organs he had faithfully served for yearsthe organs of two countries, in fact, Russia and Germany. My misfortunes began, he wrote from a prison cell in Berlin where he awaited extradition to Moscow, after the operation to join the Crimea to Russia in 2014, in which I took part, for which I was awarded a medal for this operation, which is located here, in Berlin. Kovalchuks lawyer insists his client has helped nab terrorists, mobsters, and gun-runners from Lower Saxony to Dusseldorf. He denies all of the charges. At once a cipher and a changeling, Kovalchuk is full of fantastical tales about himself and his various clients, cronies and accomplices but this much can be solidly established: He maintained lasting relationships with a series of security officials in various countries, as well as employees of the Russian Foreign Ministry. He had an excellent working knowledge of the layout and protocols of Russian missions, not to mention the protocol for wrapping and diplomatic parcels. And he allegedly seconded a host of Russian government vehicles and aircraft to move not just drugs but jewelry, clothes, and pharmaceuticals across national borders. Based on the Argentine and Russian indictments, we are invited to believe that all of this was arranged privately by Kovalchuk with a little cash and a lot of cognac, cigars, and candies courtesy of a burly and hirsute business associate, a camera-friendly Russian exile in Germany whos taken to calling himself a baron. Andrei Kovalchuk, recently extradited from Germany and charged with organising a large-scale traffic in cocaine from Argentina to Russia, appears in Moscow's Tverskoy District Court for a hearing to consider extending his arrest. Stanislav Krasilnikov/Getty An international man of mystery requires manifold identities. Over a remarkable 20-year career, Kovalchuk has passed himself off not only as a spook, but also a diplomat, a Gazprom representative, a shrink, a philanthropist, and a man of leisure. Yet in spite of all his extraordinary Moscow connections, this Ukrainian-born grifter was never even a legal Russian citizen; all of his passports, the case files show, were invalid. Thus the main perpetrator sitting in pretrial detention in Moscow is technically stateless. Did Kovalchuk spy for the SVR, Russias foreign intelligence service, or was it the GRU, its military service? Both deny he was one of theirs. Kovalchuk is a man of intelligence, perhaps retired, but still serving the Russian government, a source in Argentinas Federal Intelligence Agency told us. This Russian Spy Agency Is in the Middle of Everything That would certainly explain why the functionaries in the Russian Foreign Ministry clearly implicated in the case files as Kovalchuks blackmarket handmaids were never investigated or suspended or fired from their jobs. In fact, they all seem to have been untroubled by this scandal, all, that is, save the one who committed suicide outside his Moscow apartment three weeks after the cocaine was discovered at the embassy in Buenos Aires. Kovalchuk is also being tried in closed Russian court, a dispensation normally reserved for minors, sex offenders or those for whom publicized due process risks compromising matters of national security. Both the Russian and Argentinian governments have failed to account for how Kovalchuk, a man of limited financial resources, acquired eight-figures worth of high-purity marching powder or to determine its ultimate beneficiaries. At times, the investigators simply failed to follow up on obvious leads, such as investigating the possible involvement of the Sinaloa drug cartel as the manufacturers of the cocaine or following up on a Dutch phone number said to belong to the intended buyer or recipient of it. Still another curiosity of this affair is why Nikolai Patrushev, the chairman of the National Security Council, the former director of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, and one of the most powerful strongmen in Vladimir Putins inner sanctum, flew to and from Argentina, allegedly on the same Russian government plane used in the sting operation that snared Kovalchuk. And why did the Kremlin then deny that his aircraft (and possibly also Patrushev himself) had been involved in this drug-trafficking story? Whoever Andrei Kovalchuk is, or was, before his name appeared in bold multilingual print, his alleged coke-smuggling plan required a network of well-placed fixers and mules. He found his first alleged courier in an embassy. The First Mule? In 2012, Ali Abyanov, the head of the administrative and economics department at the Russian embassy in Buenos Aires, said he received a call from someone who introduced himself as Andrei Kovalchuk, a security officer at the Russian embassy in Berlin. According to the case files, Kovalchuk told his ostensible colleague that hed be traveling to Argentina in the middle of the year and would very much like to meet. Abyanov later told Russian investigators that he didnt know why this person had called him or why he wanted to meet him but he consented anyway. Kovalchuk must have made an excellent first impression because Abyanov agreed to drive him back to Buenos Aires International Airport by diplomatic car. Once they arrived at the airport Kovalchuk removed his luggage from the vehicleall but one suitcase weighing between 25 and 30 kilograms. The heft, he told Abyanov, owed to the gustatory contents: wine, coffee grounds, and cookies. According to Abyanovs interrogation, Kovalchuk then gave the property manager $1,000 and asked if he wouldnt mind mailing the suitcase to Russia on Kovalchuks behalf at a later date. Abyanov said he took his new acquaintances word at face value and never opened the parcel. Around the end of year, Kovalchuk allegedly called Abyanov and told him it was time to send his package: a Russian cargo plane scheduled to fly to Moscow out of Montevideo, Uruguay, was leaving at the end of 2012 and his stuff should be on it. Montevideo is about a four-and-a-half-hour drive from Buenos Aires in good traffic, but Abyanov couriered the suitcase, then submitted it as cargo on the departing flight. The Argentinian Connection The following year, 2013, Kovalchuk visited Argentina three times, now with an entirely different occupation. No longer a former security officer attached to the embassy in Berlin, he was now an employee of Gazprom, the Russian state-owned gas company. On one of these three trips, Kovalchuk met Nikolai Shelepov, the first secretary of the Russian embassy in Argentina, whose job is that of assistant head of security for the ambassador, a job often filled by an intelligence officer. They went to a cafe and Kovalchuk said hed come to town to check on the feasibility of Gazprom acquiring a historic building in the center of Buenos Aires, according to Shelepov, who said Kovalchuk also boasted of his many contacts in the Russian Foreign Ministry. Shelepov was also sufficiently impressed with his vouched-for compatriot. He decided to introduce Kovalchuk to Ivan Bliznyuk, the liaison officer of the Institute of Public Safety, the point of contact for international relations at the Buenos Aires police academy. Bliznyuk is an Argentine of Russian heritage; he had three children but lived on a modest state wage and he dreamed of finding a job with Gazprom, according to Shelepov. As part of our investigation, we wrote to Bliznyuk about his role, and he confirmed that Kovalchuk had passed himself off as a Gazprom employee who needed a keyed-in local to help buy a building in Buenos Aires for their headquarters... Thats why Shelepov invited me for a beer at a bar and introduced us to each other there. According to the case files, Kovalchuk returned to Argentina in 2014, Abyanov told investigators, and handed off two more suitcases to his mule. He again told Abyanov they were filled with wine, coffee and cookies, only this time he had a special set of shipping instructions, as Abyanov recalled: to pack the suitcases specially with paper, string and wax seal. Usually, this is how diplomatic mail is packed, which is not subject to inspection. Kovalchuk is alleged to have paid $1,000 per suitcase. Abyanov might not have been the snooping type but nor was he under any illusions as to why he was so handsomely compensated, $1,000 goes a long way in Argentina. He sent them from Montevideo to Moscow aboard a Russian military transport plane. In his testimony to Russian investigators, Abyanov contradicted himself as to what he suspected he was transporting for Kovalchuk. First, in 2017, he said, he believed the packages contained prohibited items but in a separate interrogation, in 2019, he said he never suspected Kovalchuk was anything but above-board owing to his familiarity with everyone at the embassy and his frequent attendance at embassy receptions. The Policemans Ball At the invitation of the Russian Interior Ministry, a delegation of police officers from Buenos Aires, including Bliznyuk, traveled to Moscow. After the official ceremonies concluded, the guests decided to take a trip to St. Petersburg, and Bliznyuk was tasked with organizing the excursion. He asked Shelepov back at the embassy about how best to conduct a guided tour for the Spanish-speaking delegation of police officers , who are known as gendarmes in Argentina, through Russias cultural capital. Shelepov thought of Kovalchuk, the well-connected Gazprom rep, who was only too happy to help. He linked Bliznyuk up with one of his old friends and business associates from Germany, Baron Konstantin von Bossner. Konstanin Loskutnikov, as he was born, is a bearded bear of a man with more than a passing resemblance to Robbie Coltranes ex-KGB mafioso Valentin Zukovsky in the James Bond films. He owns a Berlin-based company, Bossner, which hawks chocolate, hand-rolled Nicaraguan and Dominican cigars, ostrich and python purses, crocodile shoes, Georgian wine, and its own signature brand of cognac, Bossner X.O. All of these products, the company website notes, are designed to cause joy and positive emotions. Baron Konstantin Von Bossner, seen here at Cannes, loves the limelight. Andreas Rentz/Global Gift Gala/Getty images Bossner is as devoted to God as he is to bespoke leather accessories; he founded the Russian Orthodox Benefactors Club, a German-registered charity, in 2010, and was awarded the Order of Honor in Germany earlier this year for his philanthropic work. According to the investigative files, the Baron made sure Bliznyuk showed the Argentinian cops a good time. They were feted with Bossner staplescognac, chocolate and cigars and taken on a boating trip along the rivers and canals of Russias most European city. Kovalchuk at times portrayed himself as a representative of the Bossner company, someone who came into these many samples of booze and cigars, which hed share with grateful officials and influencers from many nations. A letter from Bossners Russian Orthodox Benefactors Club, signed by Bossner, shows that Kovalchuk was an official representative of the Berlin-based charity. According to the wiretap transcripts, Kovalchuk even asked Bossners wife if shed become his sons godmother, an honor she accepted. Bossner, however, maintained throughout his Interior Ministry interrogations that he had no substantive relationship with Kovalchuk, whom he portrayed as a huckster and schnorrer, eager to lap up those free samples of the exiles finest luxury goods as an advance on investments which never came. Several years ago [Kovalchuk] was brought to my office by a high-ranking employee of Gazprom in Germany and introduced as a colonel, the head of the special services, who deals with consulates in Europe, Asia, Latin America and other rubbish, Bossner told Germanys OstWest TV in 2018. Mr. Kovalchuk, like many others, tried our products, smoked our cigars, drank our cognac, then, over the years asking for one sample, [then] another sample, [he told us] he will try to find a client, that he flies around to the whole world that he will try to organize the sale of our products, and naturally wants to make money on this. We are always open to any kind of cooperation, so it often comes from us samples of cigarettes and cognac, but not a single deal, not a single contract was concluded. A New Hiding Place, a New Friend Kovalchuk flew back to Argentina three times in 2015, according to travel records. On his third trip, adhering to a now-established tradition, he gave Abyanov two suitcases and $2,000. Abyanov said he hid these away in a car garage attached to the embassy school where the diplomats sent their kids, awaiting Kovalchuks notice of when and how they should leave the country. In February 2016, a delegation of Russian policemen flew to Argentina as part of a kind of exchange program following the highly successful Argentinian delegation from the year before. Kovalchuk was in town and attended a reception in honor of the visiting officers at the Russian embassy. Abyanov said he introduced him to Oleg Vorobiev, the new first secretary and embassy security chief, who had replaced Shelepov. No longer a Gazprom rep, Kovalchuk was presented as a security official attached to the Russian Foreign Ministry. Kovalchuk relayed greetings to Vorobiev from his predecessor Shelepov, now back in Moscow. Vorobiev and Kovalchuk struck up a friendship and started to communicate. In March 2016, Kovalchuk told the security chief hed been appointed the Berlin representative of Rossotrudnichestvo, the Russian Foreign Ministrys cultural outreach arm, according to Vorobiev. (Vorobiev later told investigators that he never asked for nor saw a business card from Kovalchuk, even as the latters occupation morphed throughout their relationship.) An Impossible Score Kovalchuk returned to Argentina several more times in the spring and summer of 2016, always stopping by the embassy, and, checking in to see Abyanov and Vorobiev, according to their statements to investigators. According to the Russian case files, including Abyanovs statement to investigators, sometime in the middle of 2016, Kovalchuk gave 10 suitcases, all supposedly filled with wine and semiprecious gems, to Abyanov, who moved them to the same garage in the embassy school where hed stowed the previous two. He asked another embassy employee to pack these suitcases as diplomatic mail. Abyanov then moved all 12 suitcases from the garage to a little-used utility room in the school. It was a seemingly ideal hiding spot, among broken tables, chairs, old computers and other junk. Each of the 12 suitcases, as would later be discovered, were filled with 30 briquettes of nearly undiluted cocaine, with each briquette containing a little over a kilogram. The value of 389 kilograms, the possible total weight in Kovalchuks alleged consignment, is around $60 million. Drug enforcement experts from multiple countries said that such a sizable score cannot have been purchased from local drug dealers. Kolvachuk, they said, would have needed a longstanding and trusted relationship with high-level narco traffickers to acquire and move that kind of volume. Neither the Argentinian nor Russian investigators tried to uncover the supply chain or find out how Kovalchuk, an alleged Russian spy, who had no significant sources of wealth, ended up with drugs worth tens of millions of dollars. Three types of cartel stampsa star within a star, a horseshoe and the initials LGwere found on the briquettes. The first two are typically associated with the Sinaloa Cartel. Nothing in the Argentinian or Russian documents we have pored through indicates that this piece of evidence was investigated. The Second Mule? On July 19, 2016, Abyanovs embassy contract expired. A new property manager, Igor Rogov, took his place. Sometime during the month-long handover period, Abyanov says he told his successor about the presence of 12 boxes in the utility room, adding that he didnt know what they contained but that they all belonged to Kovalchuk. Rogov didnt know who Kovalchuk was and asked Abyanov about him. Abyanov answered me that Kovalchuk is a person from the center, that is, from the Russian Foreign Ministry, Rogov told Russian investigators. Abyanov spoke very well of Kovalchuk and said that Kovalchuk had visited Argentina many times and knew many people, including the embassy staff. Several months went by. Then, in a Skype chat, Rogov said Abyanov asked him to send the suitcases to Moscow by special military plane, which was due to arrive at the Montevideo airport in early December 2016. Rogov needed help for the job. I unsuccessfully turned to one or another embassy employee, he told investigators, eventually reaching the military attache and even the Ambassador Viktor Koronelli." Koronelli had been ambassador since 2011, a year before Kovalchuk first made contact with Ali Abyanov. And yet, in spite of Kovalchuks frequent appearances at the embassy, Koronelli told investigators that hed only met him once, in March 2016. It was at the request of Abyanov, whod introduced Kovalchuk as a representative of the Russian Orthodox Benefactors Club, an employee, in other words, of Bossners charity. Kovalchuk took that occasion to name-drop several mutual friends and acquaintances, according to Ambassador Koronellis statement to investigators. Koronelli added that he never bothered to check on his interlocutors bona fides. Russian Ambassador Viktor Koronelli. Anton Velikzhanin/Sputnik via AP Its incredibly easy to check on someones credentials from an embassy, said Jan Neumann, a former FSB officer from Directorate K, the same financial crimes unit tasked with investigating the Kovalchuk case. Neumann defected to the United States in 2008 and became a CIA and FBI informant. You put a call into Moscow. If the person youre checking on claims to have been posted to another Russian mission, Moscow then calls that mission to verify hes legit. All of this takes minutes. And its simply not possible that the head of security in the embassy in Argentina didnt check on Kovalchuk. Its a necessary protocol. Koronellis term as ambassador to Argentina ended in June 2018, about four months after the cocaine scandal was publicized. Koronelli is now Russias ambassador to Mexico; he declined to comment on this story. According to the transcript of an Argentinian wiretap of Bliznyuk, Koronelli quarreled with Kovalchuk, a fact Koronelli did not recount to Russian investigators after saying hed only met Kovalchuk once, casually, at the embassy. This conversation, dated Oct. 11, 2017, has never before been made public and undercuts Koronellis claim of a one-off encounter with the alleged primary drug smuggler. It also complicates the two Argentinian defendants role as alleged accomplices, as it suggests that Kovalchuk hadnt paid Bliznyuk or Alexander Chikalo as part of the scheme. Bliznyuk: Sanya [Alexander], we from Andriukha [Kovalchuk], neither I nor you, have not received a penny in all this time. Chikalo: Not once, nothing. Bliznyuk: Especially since the suitcases are at the embassy. First, the embassy issues... well, he [Kovalchuk] had a fight with Koronelli. Bliznyuk: Yes, the new ambassador will arrive soon. A New Exit Strategy For some reason, Kovalchuk allegedly changed his cocaine exfiltration scheme, and sped up the timeline. Instead of letting Rogov dispatch the suitcases by special military plane in December, Kovalchuk flew back to Argentina on Nov. 25 to retrieve the items himself. When he arrived, he spent a day roaming the city but stayed clear of the embassy, usually one of his first ports of call. Its not known what he got up to that day, nor with whom, but the 24-hour interregnum cost him dearly. On Nov. 25, the day Kovalchuk touched down at Buenos Aires International Airport, Rogov finally told Vorobiev about the suitcases, according to Rogovs testimony to Russian investigators. Vorobiev, he said, decided to check on their contents. He found the briquettes. Vorobiev ripped the packaging off one of them, and we saw a compressed white powder inside, Rogov said in his interrogation. We realized that it could be drugs. Vorobiev then notified Ambassador Koronelli, according to the Russian case files. Koronelli phoned the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow. The 9th Division of the K-Directorate of the Economic Security Service of FSB and the 14th Division of the Main Drug Control Directorate of the Interior Ministry opened an investigation. Except the Russian government hasn't kept the story of how it unfolded straight. Most of the files from the Russian Prosecutor Generals Office indicate that the suitcases of cocaine were officially foundmeaning through a purposive search for them, not an accidental discoveryon the evening of Dec. 8, 2016, when, at the direction of the Foreign Ministry, embassy staff reopened them. The staff did so, according to these files, in the presence of FSB representatives who had flown to Buenos Aires from Moscow after Koronelli alerted the Foreign Ministry. And yet, in one FSB document the suitcases are recorded as having been found on Dec. 4 and opened the next day. That document makes no mention of FSB representatives from Moscow being present for this earlier unveiling. A similar discrepancy concerns the total weight of the evidence. Depending on which document youre looking at, the 12 suitcases contain amounts of cocaine ranging from 357 to 389 kilograms, a shortfall of 32 kilograms, or $5 million worth of cocaine. (The true weight may never be known: In August 2018, the Argentinians burnt all the cocaine in accordance with what they say were the protocols of evidence destruction.) Under the Federal Rules for Evidence, the date discrepancy and the weight discrepancy would potentially jeopardize any criminal prosecution of those responsible, the U.S. drug enforcement agent said. The evidence is not exact and the drug amount and weight need to be verified and weighed by a laboratory and a clear chain of custody must be intact. The Argentinian-Russian case reeks of evidence mishandling... of the investigation and prosecution. The Switcheroo On the evening of Dec. 13, Koronelli had a meeting with Patricia Bullrich, the Argentinian security minister, formally briefing her about the presence of hundreds of kilos of cocaine in the Russian embassy. At the same meeting, according to the case files, Vorobiev suggested to his Argentine counterparts that one of the smugglers was likely Ivan Bliznyuk, the point-man at the Argentinian police academy. Patricia Bullrich was the one who kickstarted this story when she announced the raid. Carol Smiljan/NurPhoto via Getty Images On Dec. 14, a special operation was launched by the Argentinian gendarmerie to catch the domestic side of this narco-trafficking ring. The 12 suitcases were removed from the embassy and loaded onto a pickup truck and driven to a police facility. They recorded the procedure. There, the cases were opened, and the drugs were weighed. The officers then swapped the cocaine for a mixture of sand and flour, repackaged in bags rather than briquettes, and resealed everything as it had been. The suitcases were then returned to the embassy, where the gendarmes installed three cameras on the school premises. GPS systems were allegedly placed inside suitcases. Argentinian law enforcement opened their own criminal investigation and tapped Bliznyuks phones as well as those of Chikalo, a close friend and sometime neighbor in Buenos Aires. These wiretaps soon established that both men were in constant communication with Andrei Kovalchuk. So Russian authorities subsequently tapped Kovalchuks phones. The Smugglers Dilemma The alleged main actor in what was now a seemingly compromised smuggling ring is accused of spending the next year or so attempting different exfiltration schemes. One, for instance, involved bringing Russian cadets to Argentina on a trip bankrolled by the fun-loving Bossner, the idea being that the cadets would fly home with undeclared cargo, easily explained away as souvenirs or somesuch. For various reasons, all of Kovalchuks alleged gambits fizzled. Then, on Oct. 11, 2017, he notified Vorobiev and Rogov he was coming back to Buenos Aires himself, unaware they were now part of a government plot to catch him. The FSB and Interior Ministry investigators werent quite ready to close the net. Instead, they ordered Rogov to leave town on a business trip to the coastal city of Mar del Plata, leaving Kovalchuk without his only keymaster for the embassy school utility room. We know what happened when Kovalchuk arrived in Buenos Aires because we have the wiretaps of Bliznyuk and Chikalo discussing it on Oct. 11. Kovachulk, Bliznyuk said on the phone, had asked him to move suitcases hed left at the embassy in exchange for $10,000. Bliznyuk told Chikalo that Kovalchuk had said the cases contained sea lion skins from Uruguay that could be sold at high prices in Russia and Germany. Judging from their conversation, Bliznyuk and Chikalo clearly thought Kovalchuk was untrustworthy and suspect; Bliznyuk told his friend hed have no part in Kovalchuks nutty scheme. We also know what Bliznyuk did next, based on another wiretap: he immediately called Vorobiev on Oct. 12, a day after his conversation with Chikalo, to tell the embassy security chief about Kovalchuks solicitation and the presence of suspicious parcels on embassy grounds, which Bliznyuk said probably contained forbidden elements. Vorobiev was now part of the sting operation to catch Kovalchuk and so he played dumb, casting doubt on the story. But on that same call Vorobiev asked Bliznyuk if the latter intended to help Kovalchuk, to which Bliznyuk answered, Cant do it and thats all. Why would I mess with this? The Latvian Deception As Kovalchuk allegedly saw it, he was running out of time and willing or available intermediaries to get his drugs out of Argentina. Investigators claim that Kovalchuk first turned to a familiar pretext: the largesse of Baron Konstanin von Bossner when it came to spoiling friendly foreigners. According to this stratagem, an embassy car would drive to the airport to collect Bossners cognac and chocolate intended for the Argentinian policemen from the St. Petersburg delegation. The gifts would be flown to Buenos Aires from Berlin, where Bossners office was, on a private jet. For the return flight, Kovalchuks sea lion skins and the supposed paraphernalia of diplomatsin reality, the drugswould allegedly be loaded onboard. Except the jet wasnt flying directly to Berlin. First it would land in Riga, Latvia, where Kovalchuk allegedly said he had cronies whod move the goods past customs without any problem. Flying on to Berlin would then mean facing no inspection hurdle owing to the European Unions Schengen area of unrestricted travel across borders. One of Kovalchuks business partners in Moscow, Ishtimir Khudjamov, said he was asked to help with the operation. On Oct. 14, 2017, Khudjamov flew to Berlin and picked up a box of cognac and sweets from Bossners office. To justify the stopover in Riga on the way back, Khudjamov said he picked up something else: three Latvian nationals who werent told of their real role as decoys in a drug-running operation. Instead, Khudjamov told the Latvians to pose as a technical crew attached to Zvezda, the Russian Defense Ministrys TV station. All they knew was that theyd be delivering the gifts to Argentina, then transporting things on the way home. (Khudjamov now pleads innocence and ignorance to being a narcotrafficker at all; he told Russian investigators that Kovalchuk had claimed the return cargo was a rare and expensive brand of coffee beans.) The problem was Rogov was still away on his concocted business trip when the Bossner presents were due to arrive. And, as the property manager was still the only one who could access the utility room in the embassy school, investigators allege Kovalchuk couldnt retrieve his drugs on time. On Oct. 18, the jet left Buenos Aires, light of the cognac and chocolate, but also any coke. Although it was a bust, the plan demonstrated Kovalchuks well-honed tradecraft. The Trap Less than a month later, on Nov. 8, Kovalchuk called Rogov and Vorobiev and told them hed be back in Argentina in two days. This time Rogov wasnt told to feign a work excursion. With Vorobiev's permission, he met Kovalchuk and told him the suitcases could be shipped aboard a Russian government aircraft the following month. Around the same time, Kovalchuk spoke to Khudjamov, according to Argentinian wiretaps. They discussed 200 kilograms without specifying the substance (although we can probably guess) which were somewhere in Uruguay. Kovalchuk said he wanted that consignment flown out of Buenos Aires on the Russian plane. He was finally in luck, or so it may have seemed. On Nov. 13, his suitcases found themselves entered onto the manifest. His luggage was supposed to be transferred by RA-96023, a newish Ilyushin-96 long-haul airliner operated by Russias Special Flight Detachment, the property, no less, of Russias Presidential Administration used most frequently by Nikolai Patrushev. Patrushev is one of the most influential members of the Kremlin inner circle and a decision-maker when it comes to Russian foreign policy. He succeeded Vladimir Putin as director of the FSB when Putin was appointed prime minister of Boris Yeltsins government in 1999. Patrushev is now Secretary of the National Security Council and RA-96023 is so associated with his overseas jaunts that its colloquially known in Russia as Patrushevs plane. On Feb. 27, 2018 Yelena Krylova, the spokesperson for Russias Presidential Affairs Directorate, denied that the aircraft was involved in the cocaine case. Journalists made conclusions based on inaccurate informationin this case, photographs that can be easily falsified thanks to modern technology, Krylova said. Her denial, however, contradicts whats in the Argentinian case file, according to which the FSB informed Buenos Aires as early as Nov. 17, 2017 that Patrushevs plane was to be used for the special operation. The plane number 96023 is clearly visible not only in the photographs publicly released by the Argentinian gendarmerie but also in the video, uploaded on their official YouTube channel on Feb. 23, 2018. Yelena Krylova is a spokeswoman for Putin. Vladimir Gerdo\TASS via Getty Images The Argentinian files also confirm that RA-96023 was indeed used during the visit of Patrushev to Argentina, suggesting thats how the Russian official got there and back. Yet someone in the Russian government doesnt want this fact to be publicly acknowledged. Shortly after Russian media reports surfaced about Patrushevs plane possibly being used in a covert drug bust, the website with the relevant flight data, russianplanes.net, went offline. Moreover, the creator of that website removed the russianplanes.net group from VKontakte, a popular social media network, as well as his personal VKontakte page and a sister portal, russianships.net, dedicated to tracking seafaring vessels. I just took it all and deleted it, maybe something didnt work out right there, the website operator, identified as Kiba, said in an interview with independent Russian outlet Mediazona. Im a little tense now, so I went and removed it, I dont want to set anyone up. Patrushevs plane was scheduled to arrive from Moscow on Dec. 4, delivering Patrushev for one of those jaunts, a visit to Argentina. It was scheduled to return to Moscow with the national security secretary on board on Dec. 6. This is the conveyance Kovalchuk allegedly thought wise to transport almost 400 kilos of high-grade cocaine across multiple time zones. On Nov. 15, Kovalchuk and Khudjamov left Argentina. Shortly before departing, Kovalchuk spoke to Rogov and made a few final touches to his plan. He allegedly asked him to remove from the suitcases the name of the Russian diplomat they ostensibly belonged to: Alexander Nezimov, the deputy director of the consular department of the Foreign Ministry. Kovalchuk allegedly instructed Rogov to simply write Kovalchuks Russian telephone number on the cases and use the abbreviation CD, likely standing for Corps Diplomatique, which is carried by all diplomatic licenses overseas. On Dec. 4, Vorobiev drove the suitcases filled with sand and flour to Buenos Aires International Airport and loaded them onto Patrushevs Ilyushin. There is every indication, based on both the public record and the Argentinian case files, that Patrushev was on board the plane when it departed Argentina for Russia, making the former FSB director and one of Putins most trusted national security advisers a party to the sting operation. A Close Partnership On the morning of Dec. 7, Patrushevs plane touched down in Moscow. So did the suitcases allegedly belonging to Kovalchuk, which were sent directly to an FSB storage facility. The next day the FSB called Kovalchuks telephone number, scrawled on the cargo. He picked up; the FSB officer on the other end introduced himself as a courier from the Foreign Ministry and asked about the pickup. Kovalchuk said his associate Vladimir Kalmykov would come to collect the parcels. Nikolai Patrushev is one of Putins most trusted lieutenants. Mikhail Metzel\TASS via Getty Images On Dec. 9, Argentinian gendarmes arrived in Russia to assume their role in the special operation to snatch the smugglers. On Dec. 12, Kalmykov and Khudjamov arrived at a Foreign Ministry facility to take custody of the suitcases. They were immediately arrested by the FSB. According to documents from the Prosecutor Generals Office, the intended recipient of the suitcases could be in Belgium or the Netherlands. Yet no attempt was made to look for them. Moreover, a Dutch mobile phone number allegedly affiliated with the ultimate beneficiary of the cargo was never investigated. On the evening that Kalmykov and Khudjamov were nabbed, Ali Abyanov, the former property manager of the embassy in Buenos Aires, was also arrested at his apartment in Moscow. Kovalchuk wasnt, however, as he was abroad. According to a source in his company at the time, he remained remarkably calm. When his friends advised him to flee to a country with no extradition treaty with Russia, he insisted he had nothing to worry about. On Dec. 19, Moscow declared Kovalchuk a wanted man at home and internationally. Interpol issued a red notice for his arrest. Despite the arrests of Kalmykov, Abyanov, and Khudjamov in Russia, the Argentine suspects remained at large for several months. Ivan Bliznyuk even took a vacation with his wife to Italy before he and Alexander Chikalo were arrested in late February 2018. Bliznyuk, in fact, was taken into custody at the airport as he returned home. A day later, Bullrich, the national security minister, issued the statement about the discovery of cocaine in the Russian embassy. Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry, followed suit the next day, announcing an 18 month-long joint operation to disrupt a narcotrafficking syndicate. As the investigation discovered, Zakharovas statement read, the cargo belonged to a former maintenance worker who had by that time completed his fixed term employment contract, referring solely to Abyanov. This experience serves as further evidence of the close partnership that has developed between our countries in different areas, including law enforcement. On March 1, Kovalchuk was arrested in Germany. A month later Berlin received a request about his extradition to Russia. Several days after filing that request, however, Russias Federal Migration Service found that Kovalchuk was not, in fact, a citizen of the country. All three of his Russian passports had been issued illegally, a wrinkle which didnt interfere with his extradition proceedings. On July 27, Kovalchuk was flown to Moscow from Germany and was immediately remanded to the Matrosskaya Tishina detention center. The Argentines burnt all the cocaine the following month. According to Bliznuyks lawyer, they did so without a court order and in a civilian crematorium when a gendarmerie crematorium would have typically been used for such purposes. As of this writing the Argentinian prosecution has yet to provide Bliznyuks counsel with evidence of a proper court order for the evidence destruction. Actions in Buenos Aires should also have repercussions in Moscow. According to the Russian Criminal Procedural Code, evidence must be stored until a court order to destroy it is in force. Thus, the cases against Kovalchuk, Abyanov, Kalmykov and Khudjamov is set to be heard without the main evidence against them in existence. Germany, too, has questions to answer as to how and why it sent one of these defendants to Russia. Kovalchuk is a stateless person, according to Sergey Safonov, a senior prosecutor of the criminal and judicial department of the Moscow prosecutors office. And yet, the Russian Prosecutor Generals Office consistently referred to him as a citizen of the Russian Federation in several requests made for his extradition. Alexander Hamburg, one of his lawyers in Germany, said Kovalchuk was extradited through an accelerated procedural mechanism that robbed him of the necessary time to file an appeal. The Talented Mr. Kovalchuk The criminal case against Andrei Kovalchuk gives him no nationality; it simply states he was born in Hertz. It does, however, note that on his various passport applications, Kovalchuk filled in Form No. 1P as having no definite place of residence and no form of employmentyet he was still granted three different Russian passports. Hertz is in the Chernivtsi region of Ukraine; Kovalchuk was born there in 1968. In 1986 he was drafted into the army in Kaliningrad; two years later he graduated from the 75th paratrooper school in Kirov, and then served for a year as a technician at the aviation school in Barnaul. He was officially discharged from the Soviet military in March 1989 for unknown reasons. His whereabouts and his activities disappeared into a black hole for about 10 years until he turned up in Germany in the late 90s. Kovalchuk registered for a correspondence course in psychology at St. Petersburg State University. He stopped his higher education after only a few classes, according to the universitys psychology department chief, who said there was a rumor circulating at the time that Kovalchuk might have been arrested. According to the testimony of his friend Vadim Zhmurov, Kovalchuk next claimed to work as a security officer at the Russian embassy in Berlin in 2000. Witnesses interrogated by the Interior Ministry say that in the mid-2000s Kovalchuk lived in Amsterdam with his sister Irina Kuzmenko and her daughter Anastasia. There he met his first wife, Nadezhda Sorokina. In 2006, the entire family relocated to Germany, where Kovalchuk and Sorokina rented an apartment in the building used by Rossotrudnichestvo, the Russian Foreign Ministry science and cultural arm. At some point in his Berlin period, Kovalchuk is accused of beginning to move goods through diplomatic channels. Irina, his sister, owned Irgotrade GmbH, a cargo transportation company registered in Berlin, which Kovalchuk allegedly used to embark on his smuggling career. On several occasions, his ventures were foiled. In August 2011, employees of Irgotrade tried to ferry 3.7 tons of goods, including 216 kilograms of silver, medicine, jewelry, and clothing, from Latvia to Russia. All of the freight, the company claimed, belonged to Sergei Sedykh, an employee of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Sedykhs signature was even on the declarations presented to Latvian border guards, who confiscated the contraband and impounded the vehicle. In Russia, two criminal investigations were opened. A customs official was arrested and the jewelry company listed as one of the intended buyers of the cargo was ordered to pay a fine of about $47,000. Sedykh denied all responsibility. He said he hadnt given anyone a power of attorney to move items on his behalf, nor had he filled out a declaration and signed any documents. He couldnt say how the driver of the car had got a copy of his diplomatic passport. He didnt have to: Sedykh was neither investigated nor fired from his job at the Foreign Ministry. Hes not alone in this respect; officials caught helping Kovalchuk with his illicit schemes have often mysteriously been given the all-clear by the Russian authorities. Friends in High Places A trio of high-ranking officials in the Consular Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry in MoscowAlexander Dudka, Lev Pausin and Alexander Nezimovall facilitated Kovalchuks alleged contraband business, according to their own testimonies contained in the Russian case files. All of themindividually or collectivelyaccorded Kovalchuk privileged information about the movement of special government transports; issued him passes to roam around sensitive ministry facilities; introduced him to others who would act as fixers; and provided him with other material assistance in what they must have at least suspected was a blackmarket business. To Dudka, the chief adviser of the Consular Department, Kovalchuk was a self-declared technical officer for Rossotrudnichestvo in Berlin, the Foreign Ministrys cultural outreach agency. He told Russian investigators that he met Kovalchuk in Berlin in 2011 while on a business trip. Then, in December 2017, shortly before the dozen suitcases of flour and sand arrived in Moscow, Dudka said Kovalchuk asked him to find a diplomatic vehicle to transport 12 boxes from Russia to Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. Dudka subsequently gave Kovalchuk the relevant schedules of Foreign Ministry vehicles driving along those routes. How a Soviet Triple Agent Recruited New Spies in the West Despite his admission that he allowed Kovalchuk to requisition government vehicles for alleged international smuggling, Dudka is still employed at the Russian Foreign Ministry. Kovalchuk named Alexander Nezimov, the deputy director of the Consular Department, as one of his bosses, without specifying what he meant by that term. Goodbye, no comments, Nezimov said when reached for comment on this story.The other alleged boss, Peter Polshikov, was the chief adviser of the Latin American Department of the Foreign Ministry. He was found dead in Moscow in December 2016, three weeks after the discovery of the cocaine in the embassy. Polshikov had been shot in the head; an automatic pistol was found next to his corpse, outside his apartment. Authorities ruled it a suicide. Polshikovs neighbors recalled that before his death he had been acting strangely and had stopped communicating with his friends. The Spy Who Loved Many Kovalchuk serially and convincingly posed as an intelligence officer, the Russian case file states, either attached to the SVR, Russias foreign intelligence service, or the GRU, its military intelligence service. But the official Russian report concluded he was really neither. In the light of these events, relevant inquiries were made to those institutions and agencies, the responses of which indicated that Kovalchuk is not an employee of the Russian Foreign Ministry, is not an employee of any law enforcement agency of Russia, and is not a representative in foreign institutions of Russia. Kovalchuk used his cunning and ingenuity for his personal, selfish purposes, in most cases achieving the results he needed. Several of his contacts still maintain he was a spy. Sergey Borshchev at the Nakhimov Naval School of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the school that sent the Russian cadets to Argentina, thought Kovalchuk was an officer of the SVR. According to Kovalchuk, Borshchev told investigators, he often came [to Russia] to work in the Russian Foreign Ministry, to meet with top officials of the Ministry, as well as to the SVR. Also, I had no doubts about his service, since he would often bring gifts from the SVR: calendars, key rings and other gifts with the symbols of the SVR. Russian army officer Mikhail Kazantsev met Kovalchuk in 2011 when Kovalchuks nephew was serving in Kazantsevs unit, 3641. Kazantsev told investigators that, in 2015, Kovalchuk offered him an opportunity to transport goods other than food from Germany to Russia using diplomatic channels. Kazantsev, too, believed Kovalchuk was a Russian intelligence officer and even claimed to have seen his SVR ID: I believed Kovalchuk, as he spoke very convincingly, and when we met, he once showed me an ID card of an officer of the SVR, where his photograph was, and the rank of colonel was indicated. I would like to clarify that I perceived this document as genuine and not a fake.There is plenty of circumstantial evidence to suggest that Kovalchuk may have been entangled in some way with Russias vast national security apparatus. In his pretrial sessions in Moscow, media and relatives of all the defendants were removed from the courtroom to maintain secrecy. According to the Russian Code of Criminal Procedure, a closed trial is permitted if the case concerns minors, sexual inviolability or state secrets, or if an open hearing may threaten the safety of the participants in the process. Regarding the cocaine case, as its commonly known in Moscow, there was no hint of the first two preconditions; only the last two could have plausibly served as grounds to keep the press and families out of the courtroom. Out of the Embassy, Into the Shadows Jan Neumann, the FSB defector, said he sees one of two likely scenarios for what really happened, based on plot holes and elisions in the Argentinian and Russian investigations. The first scenario: Russian intelligence was tracking a narcotrafficking network from South America to Russia and the whole sting operation was compromised, possibly through leaks. So they hastily covered everything up with this elaborate show involving Patrushevs plane. The second scenario: Russian intelligence was using one of its agents and his narco-trafficking network in South America to finance its own clandestine operations. Its not uncommon for the Russian services to engage in questionable behavior to keep a black budget going for something highly classified and sensitive. Inside the KGBs Super Power Division If scenario two is closer to the reality, we may never know what that something is or was intended to be. In any event, the shadow cast over this remarkable crime saga far exceeds any light thats been shone on it by two separate governments. As weve seen, wiretaps show that Ivan Bliznyuk and Alexander Chikalo talked freely with each other about how they hadnt received any money from Kovalchuk in all the time they knew him; they described him as a chancer and liar who tried to convince them that his 12 suitcases contained sea lion skins, not drugs. If Bliznyuk and Chikalo were his witting accomplices, as Argentine prosecutors argue, then why would Kovalchuk have lied to them about the material he was trying to export? And why did Bliznyuk, who declined Kovalchuks alleged offer of $10,000 to help move the suitcases, quickly alert Vorobiev, the embassy security official, to their presence on embassy grounds? It was Blizynuk, the evidence in the wiretaps shows, who blew the whistle on a drug-smuggling operation he declined to be a part of. Yet he and Chikalo nevertheless await trial on narco-trafficking charges.We still dont know who, exactly, Andrei Kovalchuk is or who he worked for. Is he the Slavic George Jung, a charismatic and unlikely cocaine smuggler who managed to suborn diplomats and cops with smooth talk, mutable covers, and modest bribes? Was he an asset or officer of one of Russias spy agencies? A con man? A patsy? Or he is that postmodern commonplace in Vladimir Putins mafia state: a forbidding combination of all of the above? 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. Coronavirus FAQ What is the coronavirus? The coronavirus outbreak started in Wuhan, China, in late 2019 and has spread worldwide. The new virus causes a disease known as COVID-19. The virus is part of a larger family of coronaviruses, which can lead to illnesses ranging from a mild common cold to more severe respiratory diseases such as SARS and MERS. Who is at risk and what are the symptoms? Public health experts say the new coronavirus is more contagious than the seasonal flu. The majority of people who become sick experience mild symptoms, but some become more seriously ill. People who contract the virus can develop pneumonia, and some have died. People who are elderly or have underlying medical issues are at greater risk of becoming more severely sick. Symptoms of the virus include a cough, fever and shortness of breath. What should I do if I develop symptoms? The North Dakota Department of Health advises that people call their health care provider to tell them about recent travel or exposure, and to follow their guidance. Try to avoid contact with other people in the meantime. What can I do to prevent the virus from spreading? The health department advises that people wash their hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer for at least 20 seconds. People who are sick should stay home from work or school, both to protect themselves and others with whom they would come in contact. Avoid touching your face, cover a cough or sneeze with a tissue or an elbow, clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces, and avoid contact with people who are sick. Where can I find more information? People with coronavirus-related questions can call the state health department hotline at 866-207-2880. Those who need medical advice should contact their health care provider. The health department's online coronavirus page: www.health.nd.gov/coronavirus The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's online coronavirus page: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov Three dozen Virginians were temporarily or permanently barred from possessing firearms and/or had their guns confiscated during the first two months of the states new red flag law, which prohibits residents from keeping or purchasing a gun if authorities can establish they would be a danger to themselves or others. Since the law went into effect July 1 after being passed on a party-line vote by Virginias Democratic-controlled General Assembly, 26 temporary and 10 permanent substantial risk orders were issued against individuals across the state in July and August, according to the Virginia State Police, which operates the Virginia Firearm Transaction Center. Virginia law prohibits state police from releasing any details about those 36 orders, and the statistics the department provided do not include the localities where the orders were granted or the dates they were issued. A check of localities in the Richmond-Petersburg region turned up only two such orders being granted both in Colonial Heights. The attorney representing one of those residents will ask a judge during a hearing next month that the order be dissolved because his client doesnt own or possess any firearms and is already prohibited from purchasing them. The other case involves a resident who was shot and wounded by police in early March after he came to the front door of his home armed with a rifle and confronted officers during a standoff. That man, a veteran who suffers from combat-induced post-traumatic stress disorder, voluntarily consented to the substantial risk order and surrendered 13 firearms he owned, court documents show. Police sought the risk order against him in mid-August, nearly five months after the incident with police. A city prosecutor wrote in the petition for the order that the man had attempted without success to manage his disorder with medication and is under a doctors care. Two misdemeanor charges of brandishing a weapon and reckless handling of a firearm lodged against him for the standoff were withdrawn on Sept. 1. In another case in Frederick County, a man whose guns were seized under a temporary substantial risk order had them returned last week after a judge denied a prosecutors attempt to extend the order permanently. The man testified during a Sept. 11 hearing that his son and father, who obtained the order against him, lied to police that he pulled a pistol on his son in their home on Sept. 2, The Winchester Star reported. The red flag law is wrong because anybody who is spiteful can have someones guns taken from them, the man told the presiding judge before two semi-automatic rifles, a hunting rifle and three pistols were returned to him, according to the newspapers account. To confiscate the mans weapons, the law requires authorities prove by clear and convincing evidence that he poses a substantial risk of personal injury to himself or other individuals in the near future. The judge found no such grounds, saying that there are no witnesses that say a gun was pointed at them, reported the Star, which noted the mans accusers did not show up in court to testify. The Richmond Times-Dispatch is not identifying any of the people subjected to substantial risk orders because their cases are handled as a civil matter, rather than a criminal one. The red flag law, supported by Democratic lawmakers and opposed by their Republican counterparts, is designed to reduce gun killings and suicides by confiscating firearms from people deemed a danger to themselves or others. The law allows police or a commonwealths attorney to petition a judge or magistrate to issue a 14-day emergency substantial risk order against a person deemed a threat. Authorities must first conduct an investigation and submit an affidavit outlining their case. If granted, authorities can seize a persons firearms and prohibit the purchase of new weapons while the order is in effect. A hearing must be held within 14 days of the seizure to allow the gun owner the opportunity to have the order dissolved and his guns returned. A judge then rules whether to return the guns or have them held for up to 180 days under a permanent substantial risk order. The order can then be extended for additional 180-day periods with no limits on the number of extensions. Thus far, our office has found the Red Flag Laws to be beneficial in cases where there is an indication of mental health issues on the part of the defendant and concerns by our office and the Police Department with regard to safety to the community, Colonial Heights Commonwealths Attorney Gray Collins said in an email. The Virginia Citizens Defense League and other gun rights groups believe the law infringes on the Second Amendment, and allows firearms to be confiscated without due process and based solely on someones word. Authorities in Richmond, Petersburg, Hopewell and the counties of Henrico, Chesterfield, Hanover, Dinwiddie and Prince George said they have not yet sought substantial risk orders against any residents in their localities. Richmond-area attorney David Smith is representing the Colonial Heights man who owns no firearms but is subject to an emergency substantial risk order based on threats that police said they heard him make to kill himself and family members. He also told police he suffers from depression and anxiety. At one point during his encounter with the police, the man was asked if he had a plan to kill himself. The man replied that he was going to get his final check in the mail, then go buy a gun and blow his brains out because he was tired of the human race, the officer wrote in the petition for the substantial risk order. The man was charged with domestic assault after a verbal and physical altercation with his brother on July 10. He was found guilty last week and sentenced to serve four months in jail. I dont think its an appropriate intervention, specifically because he doesnt have firearms or access to firearms, Smith said. And I think given his unique situation, hes not able to purchase firearms due to his current legal status, so I feel this is not a case that falls within the intended application of the red flag laws. However, I think, generally speaking, the red flag laws are very useful, Smith added. I think they are addressing a gap in [the law], with protections that the [substantial risk orders] have been able to provide. But Smith foresees the law being struck down in individual cases where defendants who want legal representation cant afford to hire an attorney. Unlike a criminal case where an indigent defendant is guaranteed a lawyer, a person subjected to a substantial risk order which is adjudicated as a civil matter is not afforded such protection under the law. I think what youre going to see with a lot of these cases, is the law is going to be struck down on constitutional grounds because the respondent is denied access to counsel and depriving them of a constitutional right, Smith said. The officer has been placed on administrative leave, which is standard in such incidents. Because he was off-duty, he was not wearing a body camera. But the body camera footage of responding officers, police said, was being reviewed.